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by Samuel Montoya, Teacher's Aide Intern  Each day the sun sets and rises over a clearing across the Kamulu area. And each day when the sun rises, it will rise a little bit brighter. In a small, but impactful, school lies around 100 students whose lives have been drastically transformed. Why is that? The best answer we can give is God’s goodness, His mercy, and His never ending love.
The school, MADE IN THE STREETS (MITS) has given hundreds of children a chance at a fresh start. Each student that walks through the door frames of the chapel that you can see praising and singing to God are the same kids that you would have seen high and addicted to glue or rocket fuel 2 years (sometimes 2 weeks) before. This incredible transformation is a lot of times unfathomable and indescribable knowing where street kids start from. A passage that came to mind since being here these past four weeks comes out of Ephesians. Paul begins his letter by addressing the Ephesian church about their citizenship in God’s kingdom. Ephesians 2:19-22 reads: “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him, the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.” Throughout my first four weeks here in Kamulu, I have seen God’s transforming power to take a child who is left for dead on the streets and turning them into a bright young mind of the future with their hearts turned towards Him. I can see this transformation through their writing abilities. On an Eastleigh Friday, I asked Irene if I can provide the dictation writing prompt for the students (to help me out with a side poetry project I am working on this summer). I had all the students answer three questions relating to sin and how sin affects them in their everyday lives. And the responses I received were incredible. Not only did all the students know the nature of sin, but some even provided metaphors to how they thought sin worked in their lives. Reading through near 90 essays regarding sin, I could tell that these students have come a long, long way since being on the streets. MITS has provided a platform to launch these students, these former street kids, into a new life, a new direction that doesn’t look back. I am enthralled at the levels of eagerness and perseverance that these kids have shown throughout their lives and their willingness to soak up any, and all, information that comes their way.
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 Do you have a heart for missions? Have you ever thought about moving to Kenya?
We may just have the opportunity for you! We are looking for an individual or couple to serve alongside our MITS team in Kenya. This is a 2 year mission opportunity to support the spiritual formation of our visitors, mission trips, internships, and staff in Kenya. Click here to submit an application! If you are interested and wanting more information, email Christian Yoder with your questions! by Katie Harvey, Storyteller Intern To see the transformation that happens at MADE IN THE STREETS (MITS) of students coming from the streets to school is something I will always find so much joy in. The process isn’t always easy but the lives being changed will always be worth all of the challenges. The process all starts with our Eastleigh team. As someone once told me, “without Eastleigh, there would be no Kamulu.” The Eastleigh center and team is a key part in the whole process of transformation. The team has built relationships with many different bases (where the street kids live). They go on weekly base visits and share an encouraging word with the kids and tell them about all about MITS. If a child is 13 or 14 years old, the team then invites them to come to school in Kamulu. Once the child makes the decision to come to Kamulu for school, they stay at the Eastleigh center for at least two weeks. Here, they start the transition from street life to life in Kamulu. They are given responsibilities here and start learning basic life skills. When new students arrive in Kamulu, it is a big celebration! The current students and all the staff welcome them in to their new life. The new students then start two weeks of orientation. This consists of meeting all the staff and learning more about what life in Kamulu will look like. At the end of orientation they take a placement exam and are placed into the appropriate classes. Students move on from the learning center to the skills center at age 16. This is an opportunity for them to learn a skill so that they can go out and get a job after graduation. The skills offered are cosmetology, catering, industrial arts, and computer. They spend 2 years at the skills center perfecting their skill. They then get to graduate and start their lives in the world! We recently had our largest intake ever with 30 new students joining us! This means that 30 children decided to leave the streets and come to school. God is amazing!!!! This also means that we have 30 new students who need sponsors! At $25, $50, or $75 a month, you can help with the transformation of a child’s life. Heres a link to find out more! https://www.madeinthestreets.org/sponsorship.html Heres some of the precious faces that have just joined us in Kamulu!  |
When you do this for 27 years, you're bound to pick up a few stories and lessons along the way. Thoughts, impressions, news, and highlights from our staff, visitors, donors, students and alumni.
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MADE IN THE STREETS is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. Federal Tax ID #20-4044723
409 Franklin Road | Brentwood, TN 37027 | ©2023 MADE IN THE STREETS | site by cecily | PRIVACY POLICY
409 Franklin Road | Brentwood, TN 37027 | ©2023 MADE IN THE STREETS | site by cecily | PRIVACY POLICY