February 2011 Meto, Kenya

A guys only team:) traveled to Meto, Kenya earlier this year for a two week long trip in February. One of the main objectives was to help the people of Meto build our new mission center in the heart of Meto. They asked us to come and help them and we were more than excited to have the opportunity of working side by side with our friends in Meto!

December 2009 Kenya Trip

Right before Christmas, Emery, Heather, Alan Jr. and Mareike Hicks traveled to Meto to check on the progress of projects there, but mainly to further build relationships with the villagers and to attend a local youth conference that Alan Jr. was invited to speak at. We again stayed with Moses' family and loved every minute of being part of their life. It's always awesome to watch them prepare Maasai meals and hear them sing in the middle of the night. One of the highlights - especially for the guys - was the day Moses' family dressed us up as real Maasai people. As real as a white person wearing sneakers can be:)

Alan Jr. spoke at the youth conference and prayed for healing - the Holy Spirit hit and at least 20 people got saved in front of everyone. Pretty cool! We were also asked to do some children ministry - right on the spot - and it was a hit. The kids loved it and we were like big kids loving every minute of it:) We talked to them about their dreams and hopes for the future and how God can make dreams come true. It was pretty cool to hear little girls wanting to be a nurse, or district commissioners, and others wanting to own their own store one day.

One night we showed the Jesus film - a movie about Jesus that just recently has been translated into Maa, the Maasai language. We brought a projector all the way from the States and a screen, a petrol-powered generator, and The Jesus Film! It was pretty much the first movie that most of the people in Meto have ever seen in their entire life, so you can just imagine the huge excitement in the packed out church. People that didn't fit in the church, were trying to look through the windows and kids were squeezed on the floor. That night, 1 hour into the movie, at least 50 people started weeping - the Holy Spirit fell. It brought us to tears because we could feel the Lord move strongly in that little church among those people that we have started to care for so bad. It was an amazing evening and we're so grateful that the Lord showed up so powerful!

All in all it was a great time invested into building real friendships with the people in Meto. Hearing about ideas and visions for their village, and finding out more about their culture - something you can't learn in a book. We are looking forward to the next trip and can't wait to go back!

Summer 2009 Kenya & Uganda Trip

In July, Alan Hicks Sr. and Emery Hicks traveled to both Uganda and Kenya to meet with our Kenyan and Ugandan partners for strategic planing meetings to establish both short and long terms plans for Bundibugyo and Meto. A lot was accomplished during that time, papers were signed for NGO status for both Integrity Worldwide Kenya and Uganda and boards were formed.

During their time in Meto, Alan and Emery were part of a big celebration ceremony for the official opening of the well. Even government officials came from all over Kenya to celebrate with the villagers of Meto. The kids got out of school, the local church held a ceremony, and a lot of speeches were held. But the lasting moment was when the first drop of water came out of the faucet and filled the newly built animals troughs with water. All of a sudden a single goat came running to the trough, it must have smelled the water. Just seconds later, the earth was trembling - hundreds of goats and cows raced to the troughs and pushed each other out of the way to get the first sip of water. An amazing moment that makes me want to cry thinking about the people of Meto having their own water now!

Spring 2009 Kenya Trip

17 volunteers traveled with Integrity Worldwide to Meto, Kenya, one of the most remote Maasai villages in Southern Kenya in the middle of the bush land, two hours away from paved roads and electricity. We camped out in Moses - our Kenyan program director - back yard, setting up our little tents on the red Kenyan soil. That way we were able to really experience a Maasai family's every day life and live among them - an incredible experience for us Westerners used to showers, bathrooms, air conditioning, and all the little amenities we enjoy every day:)

Besides living among the Maasai and establishing life-long friendships and relationships, we got to experience what God can do! The people on Meto never had clean drinking water in their entire life - they had to walk 10 miles to fetch water in buckets - contaminated water from a dirty pipeline in bordering Tanzania. But that would change during this trip. With all the more than generous donations we've gotten in 2008/2009 we were able to hire "Africa Water Man" - a company that digs wells all over Kenya. Within three days they dug a 300 feet deep borehole and our team witnessed the incredible moment when the water shot out of the ground, 100 feet up in the hot African air. Amazing! For the people of Meto the beginning of a new era - for us a Holy Spirit moment that showed us again how awesome the Lord is!

We also did medical missions, where we saw more than 1,000 people. Some of them had never seen a doctor before. Others walked for 8 hours and more to get treatment and medicine. Our medical team, doctors and nurses from the US and Europe brought more than $75,000 of medicine and medical supplies.

Another remarkable project started during that trip. We distributed 5.5 tons of seeds to more than 700 families. They received rice seed, maize, beans, and split peas. A local experienced in rice growing, helped by explaining the planting and growing process.

While there, we were part of a wonderful dedication ceremony for the Meg Truman Meto Children's Library that lasted for hours. More than 300 people joined us to celebrate the start of their future library. For many of us this was one of the greatest moments during our time in Meto, memories that will last a lifetime.

Spring 2008 Uganda Trip

Alan Hicks, Integrity Worldwide CEO and President, and Board members, Terry Grissom and Don Richards, traveled to Bundibugyo, Uganda, for strategic planning February 28 to March 9, 2008. The primary purpose of the trip was to build relationships and establish both short and long terms plans for two areas of ministry focus, Bundibugyo, Uganda and Meto, Kenya.

During this trip they distributed goats to families that were donated through our Kids for Kids program. Through the Seeds of Hope program they were able to give 24 women enough rice seed for each to start a small business. Further, the team met with our HIV/AIDS Fellowship group, and as a result of that meeting all of the 216 members will receive hen-laying chickens. Selling the eggs will help them secure medical treatment. The team also looked at several pieces of land to purchase for our Children of Integrity program that is designed to meet the physical and spiritual needs of the many orphans in Uganda.

Summer 2007 Uganda Trip

In the summer of 2007, 21 volunteers traveled with Integrity Worldwide to Uganda to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people in the Bundibugyo District. We were very busy in many areas of ministry and development.

As a part of Integrity’s Medical Missions program, our medical staff, 2 physicians and 4 nurses, saw approximately 800-1,000 people a day during medical clinics. We prescribed and distributed over $120,000.00 of medicine. People walked for hours and days to come to the free clinics and then stood in line in the hot sun for hours with crying and hungry babies. After getting medical treatment, all who came received healing prayer from the Integrity Worldwide prayer team. Hundreds of people were fitted with reading glasses, and the excitement of improved vision was contagious. We saw a deaf man regain his hearing after we prayed for him. We saw a glimmer of hope in the people’s eyes…

While we were there we distributed goats to families purchased through your donations to the Kids for Kids program. We taught them about the importance of worming the goats and actually wormed them, together, side-by-side. It was sheer joy, and we laughed together as brothers and sisters in Christ, worlds apart, but really not so very different.

We attended an incredible worship service of the Charismatic Episcopal Church, prophetically proclaimed “New Beginnings”, and ministered to many women during a time of prayer. We took bibles and blankets to prisoners, hugged a million children, ate lots of goat, rice, and potatoes, and landed on a grass landing strip in the jungle. We laughed and cried, saw the hand of God move on behalf of His people, and were forever changed.