Saturday, October 25, 2014

IT'S HERE! THE SECOND POST -- SPRINGS OF HOPE

 BEFORE YOU READ THIS POST, SCROLL DOWN AND READ THE PREVIOUS ONE! THE INFORMATION IN IT WILL BRING A LOT OF CLARITY TO THIS ONE!

   If you've decided to skip my instructions and keep reading, I will fill you in on what we talked about. First of all, I introduced our non-profit, named Venture Corps (often referred to as Venture or just VC). Venture is an organization that seeks to empower people to love the poor, marginalized, and neglected through acts of service in Jesus' name. This can look like providing financial support for today’s needs in our partners’ ministries while planning with them so they become self-sufficient for tomorrow. This is a very basic but robust understanding of who Venture is and what exactly we do. However, because I know you're wanting to invest in this blog I will go deeper into it. 

      Venture has several partners in East Africa, one of them being Springs of Hope located in Machakos, Kenya. Springs of Hope is a ministry that began as a safe haven for children who were in terrible situations, abandoned, or just in need of a home to stay. Over the last 8 years, many infants, young children, and teenagers have been ministered to through this children’s home. The ministry head is a woman from the area named Mary Musyoka and in telling her story she says that she has always had a heart for children, specifically those that she could minister to and help understand their relationship with Jesus as Savior. Her passion for those in need is unparalleled. We are thankful to have gotten to know her over the years, not only as our partner but as our friend. 
   
    Venture's relationship with Mary began when a member of our team, Julie Mitchell, and her son traveled to Machakos for a visit. Julie's son had previously worked with Mary and Springs of Hope so this was the initial interaction with our team. Venture’s personal connection went into play when Julie returned to the U.S. and we heard her stories about Mary and her ministry.  Mary’s mission and her stories captured our attention and the way she ministered encouraged us to become a part of what she was doing. Mary's picture is below:



This is all important background information to understanding our long-standing relationship with Mary!

 A part of Mary’s ministry at this point was fundraising money to run the home and care for the children —this is sponsorship.  We as Venture Corps have a strong emphasis in purpose and vision toward the sustainability of our partnerships, therefore our relationship with Mary has changed over the years as the needs of the ministry has changed. For example, whereas we started with individual child sponsorship, this year we have shifted to overall home sponsorship because Mary and her team do such a good job at finding adoptive homes for the kids of Springs of Hope. And as Venture Corps has focused more emphasis on self-sustainable initiatives, Mary has felt more open and encouraged to explore and discuss with us what these initiatives look like for SOH. Our partnership has evolved from solely monthly sponsorship (to meet short-term needs) to discussion and fundraising (long-term initiatives) that will help SOH become more and more self-sustainable in the future. This has already been seen in Mary’s newest aspect of her ministry — Bridgehead School.

The whole idea behind Venture Corps is that we want to empower people to create change. Bridgehead school is doing just that (and of course we feel equally if not more empowered by Mary and Bridgehead school!). The school is a beacon of hope for an otherwise daunting way of living, specifically for the women in the area. It is a means of building a more stable life; building a life that has a better financial direction. Not only that but the stability it brings to self-worth is amazing. Mary has updated that the school has created a mental/emotional shift within some of the girls who were previously stuck in a depression-filled place. What a beautiful image of Christ that Mary has been given to build! The school is based off of Christian materials as well. This is a huge step! Christian education has always been an aspect Mary has desired to be a part of her ministry, and if it can be income-generating as well, then it’s a win-win!! Right now she is building the infrastructure for the kids in SOH to go to Bridgehead, but they are aiming to invite the public to come. Their school fees, standard in East Africa, will cover not only the cost of the community’s kids AND SOH kids to attend, but a portion of each fee will also go to the Development Fund to further expand on the new land they have. Right now they are renting, but they want to build a new home, school, medical clinic, etc, on this land so that they can own and grow and all that good stuff. This is self-sustainability at its core!

Mary is an incredible person with an outstanding vision for ministry. Don’t miss this – she has seen well over 100 children pass through Springs of Hope and move into foster or adoptive homes or return to their families. From the beginning when her ministry involved taking care of infants, who in some occasions had just been dropped off at her ministry, to her creating an educational environment that fosters intelligence alongside a pursuit of God, Mary is building the Kingdom of God while serving in it. We are so thankful for our partnership in Springs of Hope and the relationship that has been crafted over the years! We are beyond excited to see how her ministry grows and the years of partnership ahead.


               We’re grateful to be serving Mary in any way possible. If you feel as if you would like to be a part of this ministry please visit our website – www.entertheventure.com and contact us through email! This is something you will never regret!

Here’s to Springs of Hope!
Ethan Dean
Social Media Director

www.entertheventure.com

Thursday, September 4, 2014

Who is Venture Corps?

Welcome to the Venture Corps blog and thanks for taking a valuable few moments out of your day to read about us! 

My name is Ethan Dean, I am the Social Media Director of Venture Corps, a non-profit grown from a passion to empower people to love the poor, marginalized, and neglected through acts of service in Jesus' name.

Ok, I took that from our website main page, after all it is our slogan (www.entertheventure.com). But this is exactly what Venture Corps stands for.

It all started from a group of young people who had traveled to Uganda with the intention to build relationships with people from another culture. Through the experience in Uganda, they realized they could not return to the United States and exchange what they had just lived for a privileged life. Living in and around Wheaton, IL. they realized that not only was there the opportunity to seek resources for people and ministries in Uganda, but the general church-filled city was a prime environment to stir up a movement of empowerment.

This group of late teen to twenty-somethings envisioned Venture Corps. With a heart to bring justice to communities Venture Corps is committed to listening first, and acting second. We are here to listen to the needs of the community and ask what we can do to provide the means that allow the community to be self-sustainable.

Since we gained 501(c)(3) status in 2012, Venture Corps has focused on a few specific ministries. Springs of Hope in Machakos, Kenya and Serve For Hope Uganda located in Kampala, Uganda. You will most definitely read about these ministries in upcoming posts. For now, know that both ministries are grassroots, community driven, and are changing lives. We look forward to the impact these relationships will have on our world!

Seeking shalom together.

Ethan Dean
Social Media Director
www.entertheventure.com