August 1, 2009 marked the second anniversary of the tragic I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, MN. This day was marked by a simple silence requested by the Governor of Minnesota, Tim Pawlenty and the Mayor of Minneapolis, R.T. Rybak. The flags flew half-mast at the state capitol and surrounding buildings. The world has moved on, the US has turned to new issues, a new replacement bridge has been constructed and the dust long settled since the bridge collapsed into the Mississippi river. 13 people died and 145 wounded on that fateful July evening when the bridge came tumbling down at 6.05 pm .One of those who perished in the accident was Peter Hausmann who left behind his wife, Helen Kirubo Hausmann and their four children. On this day, the Hausmann family held a quiet family get together remembering Mr Hausmann
It may seem like two long years but for Helen Kirubo Hausmann and others whose loved ones perished on that bridge, struggles and challenges still consume them as they try to go on with their daily lives. Helen Hausmann is a Kenyan immigrant whose husband Peter Hausmann was among those who died. Hellen met Peter in St. Theresa’s Parish, Nyangusu in Kisii where he was working as missionary assisting Father Kaizer and where she was working as a teacher. Helen has four kids; Justina Nyaboke Hausmann 18, Andrew Thomas Hausmann 16 and two other younger ones who are Theresa,11 and David 6.
Helen and her children after she received her US Citizenship. (Picture courtesy of Justina and Hellen Hausman)
At the time of the accident, Helen was a stay home mum who did not know how to drive. Helen has never worked outside her home. Helen said that during their 19 years that he spent in the US with her husband Peter, she “depended on him like a kid depends on a grown-up.” She said she was helpless when he died. She knew it was going to be hard being left as the head of the family in the US not knowing how to drive and not even having a job. She has since however obtained a driver’s permit and is working on getting her driver’s license. To get around at the moment, she has to rely on her two oldest kids, Justina and Andrew.
Left-Helen and her children from left-Andrew, David, Theresa and Justina on their visit to Kenya. Right-The Hausmann children in Kenya. Pictures courtesy of Justina Nyaboke Hausmann and Hellen Kirubo Hausmann
Justina who is the oldest of the kids is picking up well in her role as “big sister”. She spoke about life after the passing of her father. ” I am okay I guess. Life is okay but it can never be completely okay”, she told Jambonewspot from Chicago with her Mum as she prepares to attend DePaul University Fall Semester orientation. Before speaking to Jambonewspot, she also spoke earlier to the Associated Press about how they cope with the family’s challenges. “It works because it has to”, she said. She has seen some improvements as time has gone by. She said “It’s gotten a lot better,” she said. “It’s not something you get over; it’s more something you get used to. My siblings have grown over the past year, more so than after the first year. My brother Andrew has taken more responsibility. The youngest ones haven’t been so afraid to talk about Dad and open up those memories. As hard as it is to see your 9-year-old sister talk about her dad in the past tense, it shows how strong they’ve gotten.”
Despite the challenges facing the family, Justina has big dreams for the future and will be heading to the DePaul University in Chicago this fall for her Pre-Med as she looks forward to joining Medical school. She says it was a hard decision to choose DePaul University over the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul MN, which was her Mum’s choice but she needed some distance without being too far way from her siblings’ school activities. She starts College on August 9th.
Helen now worries about not having enough money to send all her children to school. Although she has received her share of the settlement from the state of Minnesota, these worries still persist. Their friends and church have come together to assist Helen and her family get by. “I continue to trust God that everything will be okay and although we are going through these hardships, I believe that we shall get a miracle one day”, She told Jambonewspot. She added “I however look at each day as a miracle because we as a family are together though my husband is gone. We could have all been in the car when this happened so seeing the four of us together is a miracle for me”
Helen is determined to keep her family strong and believes they will maintain a sense of togetherness. She hopes to secure a job some time when she gets her driver’s license and when she gets the family situation out of the wraps of their loss. “My priority at the moment is keeping my family happy because that is what Peter would have wanted. Peter was a good man with a kind heart. In fact when he died, he was trying to save a little girl who was trapped under her seat belt but he was swept away”, she said. The determination in Helen’s voice was apparent and her faith in God was unmistakable. She knows the hardships ahead and with the current economy, she knows the journey might not get any easier. She is unemployed and has to cater for four kids which is an enormous task by any measure. She has had to get by on help from friends, her church (St Joseph’s Catholic Church, Rosemount) as well as donations through the Hausmann Fund which was set up on the family’s behalf. “Whatever help we receive, we shall be grateful and will really go along way in helping us”, Helen said. “It’s been hard but we pray every day for a miracle”, she added.
The Hausmann fund is still active and the family hope that the fund with continue being a source of help for them. Donations to this fund are exempt from taxes. For those willing to donate to the fund to assist the family as they try to get their lives together again, you can do so through:
Hausmann Fund
Anchor Bank Trust
1360 Duckwood Drive
Eagan, MN 55123
Shinyalu MP Charles Lugano dies
Mon, May 04, 2009
Shinyalu MP Charles Lugano Lilechi is dead .
Lugano died early Monday morning at Nairobi hospital where he was undergoing treatment.
His body has been moved to Lee Funeral Home in Nairobi.
The 59 year old man won the Shinyalu seat after beating Narc’s Daniel Khamasi in the 2007 general elections.
Assistant minister Manyala Keya said Lugano’s intellect will be missed in parliament.
He was a member of the Constituency Development Fund Committee in Parliament
He is the fifth ODM parliamentarian to die before the five-year term in office.
He will be remembered by many for his contributions as an informed Legislature in the August House.
Meanwhile, the Orange Democratic Movement Party-ODM, have sent a message of condolence to the wife, family, relatives and friends of the MP.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga says the party has lost an intellectual and a dedicated individual who believed in change especially at this time the country needs reforms.
” It is a big blow to the ODM party to loose one of their own at this time when we are struggling for reforms to transform this Country.”
” The late Lugano helped his constituents in projects such as building Roads, Schools, and Health centers as well as educating the disadvantaged in the community. He spearheaded and promoted the youth projects in Shinyalu through sponsoring Musicians in music productions among other areas. His services will be missed by many.”
Molo fire-Hopkins Team Back From Aid Mission to Kenya
It was early this month when a tanker explosion in Kenya killed more than a hundred people. Dozens of survivors were so seriously burned, doctors from Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center were called in to help.
It was early this month when a tanker explosion in Kenya killed more than a hundred people. Dozens of survivors were so seriously burned, doctors from Johns Hopkins Bayview Burn Center were called in to help.
As he scans video of his trip to Nairobi, Dr. Stephen Milner recalls the third world medical conditions and the lives he and his team tried to save.
“There was a big shortage of equipment that they had. I think with some basic supplies, we could have made much more of a difference,” he said.
This was the result of two massive fires–one at a supermarket and the other when a petrol tanker overturned. Locals trying to siphon fuel were killed or badly burned when the truck suddenly exploded. Kenya’s government contacted a local foundation that in turn called Dr. Milner’s team. They arrived one week later.
“Because of the delay in excising these burns, most of the patients were septic and critically ill,” Milner said.
“There were still a lot of patients that hadn’t been treated yet, so hopefully with us being there, we helped out with the operations as well as imparting some knowledge and some of our techniques of what we do here,” said Dr. Lester Young.
The team worked long hours, only seeing daylight on their way to the hospital for operations, which is why they say it’s difficult not to have a hands-on involvement in the recovery of their patients.
The team operated for three days on about a half dozen patients, many of them children.
Although there was uncertainty about safety and conditions before the trip, but each says they’d go back again if needed.
“There’s a hesitation in my mind–what are expectations from us to go over there, but then I said yes. This is the whole essence of why I took up nursing–when someone asks you to help, you go help,” said Rowena Orosco.
The James R. Jordan Foundation is the organization that contacted Johns Hopkins. It was formed by the parents of basketball great Michael Jordan.
Source-Baltimore wjz
Local agency sends skin grafts for use in Kenya
Saturday, February 14, 2009
DAYTON — Community Tissue Services announced Friday, Feb. 13, that it has shipped close to 200 square feet of skin grafts to aid burn victims of recent fires involving a gasoline tanker and another fire occurred at a supermarket in Kenya.
The tissue grafts were transported via Lufthansa Airlines. The grafts are from locations throughout the United States.
David Smith of Community Blood Center/Community Tissue Services, said the American Burn Association received a request for assistance from the James R. Jordan Foundation, State Department and White House staff.
A severe burn patient may use more than 10 square feet of donated skin, Community Tissue Services said. Smith said it’s one of the largest shipments of its kind for the agency. Mostly, the skin is used as a temporary covering to allow a person’s skin to regrow.
The donation came in response to a request from the American Burn Association and followed two fires recently in the East African nation that left more than 200 Kenyans with burn injuries.
David Smith, chief executive officer of Community Tissue Services, said the group was responding to requests for help from the U.S. State Department, the White House and other groups.
The donation included 21 skin grafts from the Memphis office of Community Tissue Services.
Source-Dayton daily news
Arson suspected in fire at Palin’s church
FRIDAY NIGHT BLAZE: As many as 40 volunteer firefighters helped out
By WESLEY LOY and RINDI WHITE
December 14th, 2008
WASILLA – A Friday night fire at Gov. Sarah Palin’s church caused an estimated $1 million in damage, and investigators say it could be the work of an arsonist.
Firefighters were called to Wasilla Bible Church about 9:40 p.m. and found flames and smoke coming out windows at the back of the three-story structure, said James Steele, chief of the Central Mat-Su Fire Department.
Five women, and possibly a couple of children, were inside the church working on crafts, but everyone got out safely after a fire alarm alerted them to trouble, Steele said.
It was the biggest fire the department has seen this year, and Steele said as many as 35 to 40 volunteer firefighters came from across the region to battle the blaze.
“We are definitely treating it as suspicious and as potential arson at this point,” he said.
Steele declined to say why investigators believe the fire might have been set deliberately, or whether accelerants were found on the scene.
Nothing thus far suggests any political motivation for the fire, the chief said.
“Right now there’s no indication that we have that there’s any connection there. We just don’t have any leads at all as far as the intent or motive in this,” Steele said.
The building is worth between $4 million and $5 million, and sustained an estimated $1 million in damage, he said.
A task force has been formed to investigate, including people from the state fire marshal’s office, the Central Mat-Su Fire Department, the Wasilla Police Department and the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Anchorage Fire Department also sent out an investigator.
The church, located off the Parks Highway on the west end of town, is one of the biggest in the Valley with typical Sunday services drawing around 1,000 people. Several well-known Valley residents attend the church, including Palin and state Rep. Wes Keller, R-Wasilla.
Palin’s office issued this statement Saturday:
“Gov. Palin stopped by the church this morning, and she told an assistant pastor that she apologizes if the incident is in any way connected to the undeserved negative attention the church has received since she became a vice-presidential candidate on Aug. 29. Whatever the motives of the arsonist, the governor has faith in the scriptural passage that what was intended for evil will in some way be used for good.”
Bill McAllister, the governor’s media spokesman, said he wasn’t sure when Palin last attended the church. He said she would not attend services this morning because she’s traveling to Juneau, where she will release next year’s proposed state budget on Monday. But the governor’s children do plan to go to church, he said.
The church’s Web site says the congregation will meet at 11:15 a.m. today at Wasilla Middle School.
NO SPECIFIC DUES
The church is a large tan and green metal building adorned with an enormous metal cross. From the front, the only evidence of a problem Saturday was the handful of Wasilla police vehicles in the parking lot.
Around back, the damage was striking. Icicles hung in shattered windows, and the metal siding was burned through in a few spots and browned where fire or smoke escaped. Yellow tags signaled the ongoing investigation.
Church Pastor Larry Kroon, reached at home Saturday morning, said he’d been up all night and was still in a state of disbelief.
He said the church was in only its second winter in the building, and he confirmed the $1 million damage estimate.
“It’s one of those things — it feels surreal,” he said.
The pastor said he was especially disturbed someone would set the fire while people were inside.
He said he had talked to fire officials, but didn’t know of any specific clues.
“The possibilities are so wide and variable,” he said. “Someone intentionally did it, but we don’t know who and why.”
Asked if Palin is a member of Wasilla Bible Church, Kroon said it’s just one of the churches she attends. He declined to say how often she attends, or when she last came.
The pastor also declined to say whether the church has received any recent threats, or to speculate whether the fire was politically motivated or directed at Palin, a Republican who ran unsuccessfully as John McCain’s vice presidential running mate.
Kroon was at home when he got a call from the husband of one of the women who had been in the church. By the time he arrived, smoke was pouring out.
The church is equipped with a fire sprinkler system, Kroon said, but the fire was burning in the walls and took hours to put out.
Firefighters had to tear open wall spaces to snuff hot spots, and were on the scene until after 5 a.m. Saturday, Steele said.
SINGLE SERVICE TODAY
Most of the damage was confined to the back corner of the building where four offices and a classroom are located, he said. Aside from water damage, the entire building smells like smoke, he said.
On Saturday, Youth Pastor Rick Francis greeted church members and others at his post at one of the church’s two driveways. His job was to keep them away during the investigation.
Church leaders are just thankful no one was hurt in the blaze, Francis said. It’s too early to tell how extensive the damage is, he added.
“It’s a mess,” Francis said.
Wasilla Mayor Verne Rupright, in bunny boots and a Carhartt jacket to fend off the zero-degree chill, coordinated help from the city, including barricades to block a driveway.
Rupright, not a church member, said his heart went out to the congregation and to city residents who might rely on public outreach services the church provides.
Normally, the church has two services each Sunday. This morning, it will be a single, shortened service, Kroon said.
“There’s a central drumbeat that we have a have as a church, and we’re just going to continue to beat that drum,” he said. “Times like this, you choose faith, you live with hope, and you really care about people. And that’s it.”
Source- Anchorage Daily News
The power of prayer over witchcraft
The below amazing story of the power of prayer over witchcraft from Kiambu, Kenya, was sent to me by a reader:
REVIVAL FOLLOWS SHOWDOWN WITH WITCHCRAFT
A most dramatic story of the conversion of an extremely wicked city is the story of Kiambu, Kenya in East Africa. This city, about 10 miles from the capital of Nairobi, had very high crime rate, murders, rapes, a high rate of fatal auto accidents, violence, witchcraft, poverty, alcoholism, and many other social ills. Public disorder was the rule and loud rock music blared from loud speakers in front of bar rooms throughout the night. It was also
the murder capital of Kenya, with some eight killings a month.
Most people were afraid to go out at night. There were a few churches in Kiambu, but none of them had an attendance of over 100, and hardly any of the people were committed Christians.
God spoke to Pastor Thomas Muthee, a Kenyan native, that he wanted him to start a church in Kiambu, which at the time had a population of about 65,000. Muthee plainly heard the voice of God say these words: “I want you to plant a church in Kiambu.” Pastor Muthee was an evangelist who had done some post-graduate work in Scotland in 1988. His wife was a teacher. When God spoke to them, they decided first to spend some time praying and seeking
why Kiambu was such a spiritually oppresses area. They spent six months in prayer and fasting, seeking God’s guidance. They did not go into Kiambu at any time during that six months. They were seeking to know what was the dominate spirit over Kiambu.
The first thing that Muthee found out was that the city was dominated by a woman that everyone called Mama Jane. Mama Jane pretended to be a Christian, and operated an office in the downtown area which she called the Emmanuel Clinic, but her business was pure witchcraft! Right outside of her clinic, there was an intersection [a dusty road] that had frequent fatal automobile
accidents — but hardly any of them left any blood stains! No one was able to explain why so many people were killed at that intersection, or why there was hardly ever any spilled blood. Her customers were the leading politicians and businessmen of Kiambu.
Pastor Muthee said, “When we began to recognize who – or what – Mama Jane really was, my wife Margaret and I set ourselves to pray. Our aim was to break the power of witchcraft over the town — a power that was preventing people from turning to the Lord. It was a struggle that involved much groaning in our spirits. In time, however, we felt the burden lift. The dark cloud we had seen covering the town drifted away, and we felt supernatural
joy inside. We knew things were going to change.
“In February 1989 we decided it was time to start the church. My first meeting was held on a large dirt area near the petrol station. Since I am quite short and I didn’t have a pulpit, I borrowed a tire from the petrol station [to stand on]. As I preached the gospel that evening, eight people turned to the Lord. One of these was a long-barren woman whose womb was miraculously opened by the spirit of God. [The following year she showed me her baby.] On the second day of the crusade, fourteen people turned to the Lord.
“After this the church just took off. Throughout the next year, healings and conversions were a regular occurrence. Since the municipal hall [we were meeting in] would allow us to meet only twice a week, we decided to move our church into a basement of a nearby grocery story. Because of the darkness and the round-the-clock intercessory prayer there, people began to refer to this place as `the prayer cave.’
“Not surprisingly, Mama Jane was deeply distressed over what was taking place. In fact, she began to come around our worship center on Saturday nights to perform her witchcraft rituals. On Sunday mornings we would find ashes spread around with pieces of special cloth, animal horns and cock feathers.
“She let it be known to the city officials that she could not help them with her fortune telling as much as she used to because this new church seemed to be `cutting her lines of communication.’ As a result the city authorities, as well as other pastors, attacked the ministry of the church. Now, Pastor Muthee had almost everybody against him: The city officials, the business leaders, and even many of the pastors in the city turned against him — as well as Mama Jane!
“Our services became very oppressed. People would try to sing, but they just couldn’t.” Praying 24 hours a day, Thomas Muthee and his members did what they could to counteract the demonic attacks. But the power of evil invaded the church to the point that they could hardly pray. One day it got so bad they started a worship song and were never able to finish it! They went outside and found the remains of fresh sacrifices and rituals left behind by Momma Jane.
“Finally we decided we had had enough. The whole congregation raised their hands towards the Emmanuel Clinic. We asked God to either save this woman or remove her from Kiambu.
Muthee went before the Lord, crying in agony. Was his work going to fail? Was Kiambu truly a graveyard of pastors? Would his spiritual tombstone be added to the others? By this time, Muthee was thoroughly convinced that the demonic powers entrusted to Momma Jane had been the very forces that had driven pastor after pastor out of Kiambu. “God,” he prayed, “Do not let me be the next to go. Show me the way forward!”
God answered in a soft, quite voice by simply suggesting: “My son, I want you to get intercessors on the job.” He also gave Thomas the names of those selected! Muthee assigned each intercessor to fast and pray for a whole day so that someone was always fasting and praying.
The initial results seemed to be positive but the intercessors began
suffering serious attacks. On their designated fasting days, sickness and other things debilitated them and prevented their prayers from being as powerful as they might have been. Thomas asked the Lord to reveal what should be done, and God took him to the biblical story of Jonathan, who went to war having an armour-bearer at his side.
Thomas called together his intercessors, who by then had grown to a team of nine, and told them that each person designated to fast on a particular day would be covered by two armour-bearers. One would be the person who had fasted and prayed the day before, and the other would be the one who was scheduled to fast and pray the following day. They would form a protective hedge of prayer around the one on duty.
It worked! The spiritual harassment suddenly stopped. An increasing number of Momma Jane’s clients were now becoming Christians and publicly burning the charms and fetishes she had sold them. The way was now open for Muthee to issue a public ultimatum: “Momma Jane either gets saved and serves the Lord, or she leaves town! There is no longer room in Kiambu for both of us!”
In plain terms, Thomas Muthee challenged Momma Jane to a power encounter, much as Elijah challenged the priests of Baal.
By now word had spread to the city officials that Momma Jane did not seem to have the power she once had. Her clients were embarrassing her by openly burning fetishes and renouncing curses. Some began pointing out that it could be no coincidence that her clinic was right next to the area where the serious accidents were occurring. ”
Pastor Muthee continued, “Do you know what happened? A few days later, three children were killed outside her clinic. The people were furious because they suspected that Mama Jane’s witchcraft was linked to the accident. Some were clamoring that she be stoned. When the police were called in to quell the uprising, they found one of the largest pythons they had ever seen in one of the clinic rooms. Startled, the officers drew their weapons and shot
it. That promptly ended the spiritual battle. Mama Jane was questioned by the police, releases, and moved to another town. Interesting, the same `bloodless accidents began happening there. [This was about 1992.] “We have not had a single accident since. In fact, since that woman moved out of Kiambu, the entire atmosphere has changed. Whereas people used to be afraid
to go out at night, now we enjoy one of the lowest crime rates in Kenya.
Rape and murder are virtually unheard of anymore. The economy has also started to grow. If you look at the town now, you will see new buildings coming up everywhere. Now that Kiambu has a good name, people from Nairobi are flocking to get houses here. The population is up to 80,000.
“More importantly, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of conversions. Between ten and 25 people have been turning to the Lord in our church every Sunday.” — end of quote by Pastor Muthee —
The local people called the church ‘The Prayer Cave’ when they were in the basement of the grocery store. Today, it still goes by that name, but it is what we would call a megachurch. The Prayer Cave Church is growing rapidly and, at the time of this writing, it was approaching 4,000 members, or five per cent of Kiambu’s population of 80,000. Almost all the members are new converts because very few residents of Kiambu were Christians when Pastor Thomas arrived. But how did it grow so vigorously and come to have such a measurable influence on the whole city?
Muthee’s vision was that his church facility should be used for prayer around the clock daily. He well knew that “what is gained by prayer must be maintained by prayer!” He was convinced that if the church was to continue to grow and ultimately have an influence on the whole city, prayer had to be the most prominent ongoing component of his ministry.
Instead of a preacher’s graveyard, Kiambu had miraculously been transformed into a witch’s graveyard!
Things began to change fast and dramatically. The city’s unbelievers also recognized the cause-and-effect relationship between the power encounter and the subsequent changes in the community.
Economically, Kiambu is now prosperous. The crime and violence associated with the city in the national news media have now virtually disappeared.
Some of the most notorious criminals of the city are now reformed and are members of The Prayer Cave.
Alcoholism too is notably diminished — the intercessors went on
prayer-walks around the bar rooms — and the loud music is a thing of the past. One of the most prominent high-volume discos is now a church! A small valley near the city had been notorious as a den of bootleggers, producing and selling native beer on the black market. The intercessors targeted it for prayer-walking. The still is now closed and The Prayer Cave has purchased the land to build its new church facility!
Finally, the kingdom of God is coming to Kiambu. No more hostility is present among Christian pastors. Repentance and reconciliation is the order of the day. Churches of all denominations across the city are now growing rapidly, as they are doing in other parts of Kenya. Pastors regularly eat together and pray together. At the time of writing, they are making plans fo
r the first joint evangelistic city-wide crusade that Kiambu has ever known.
But the central cause of these awesome changes was powerful prayer.
By Tony Karanja
Jambonewspot
Source-choicesforliving
Kenyan Immigrant’s Family Still Trying To Lift Itself Up
