An Attitude of Gratitude
Table Spreads for every occasion
Photography by: Chris Osborne and Edward Zlaty
Written by: Greg Seiter
Pastor Dean Bouzeos is no stranger to international missionary work. In fact, the executive director of The Gathering Place at Community Church of Greenwood has visited Brazil and China within the last three years alone.
But even extensive exposure to needy people around the world didn’t prepare him for the needs he and others witnessed during a recent mission trip to Kenya.
“Of all the trips I’ve made, this is the one in which I was exposed to the greatest amount of poverty,” he said, while reflecting on the early December trip in which 12, mostly southside residents participated.
“When you go on a sports/missions trip, you don’t usually go into the areas that we did. It was a great experience, and I’m glad we did it, but it was certainly different than anything I’ve ever seen before.”
The trip was coordinated at the request of two Kenyan pastors who were visiting the Greenwood area during an annual conference for the Association of Church, Sports and Recreation Ministers last spring.
“Pastor Kennedy Salano and Pastor Hudson Nyando stayed with my wife and I while they were here, and we got to know them very well,” Bouzeos said. “When they learned about our basketball trips to China and Brazil, they asked if we would be interested in having a similar, church-endorsed trip to Kenya with a focus on fitness training and soccer. They indicated that no one had ever come there for that purpose before.
“I felt there was no way I could say no.”
With numerous connections accessible through his work at The Gathering Place, an 82,000-square-foot sports outreach complex in Greenwood, Bouzeos enthusiastically began the process of recruiting potential team members to accompany him.
Greenwood resident Chris Osborne, who coaches the St. Francis Soccer Club Blue Stars, a southside-based U10 girls travel team, was among his initial targets. Ironically, Osborne also serves as director, information technology for Kids Against Hunger-Greenwood.
“I’d never been on a missions trip before but had been wanting to go on one, especially because of my work with Kids Against Hunger,” he said. “I’d been on the front end of packing meals, but I wanted to see the people who were receiving our food.
“Initially, I had some concerns about going, but I felt God pulling me in that direction. I knew I had to have faith that God would take care of us, even if we had some bumps along the road.”
Actually, unexpected challenges began to present themselves not long after the group arrived in Nairobi, Kenya.
“We got there late at night, and the airport was really packed,” Osborne said. “While riding to the conference center we were going to stay at, the van I was in broke down. I think we even got lost once or twice after leaving the airport.”
Bouzeos was particularly surprised by the condition of the roads in the area.
“They drive on the left side of the road there, it’s very dark in most places, there really aren’t any lane lines and you rarely see a traffic light,” he said. “We were off the main highway a lot, traveling on dirt roads that had massive craters in them.”
The morning after their arrival, group members were immediately exposed to the realities of the poverty-stricken area, particularly in nearby Kariobangi, a low-income residential area in northwestern Nairobi where above-ground sewers, crudely built shanties and massive trash heaps are plentiful.
“A lot of their waste is burned so the smell there is horrible,” Osborne said. “Being there and seeing it was a very emotional experience. It was a lot to take in.”
During their time in Kariobangi, members of the missions’ team often split up in order to assist in as many different areas as possible. While Bouzeos worked in biblical leadership, helped pastors with sermon preparation or led basketball training sessions, women from the group conducted fitness classes.
Osborne and the remaining team members played soccer with local children and helped conduct a tournament. However, the soccer fields were a far cry from what Johnson County residents are used to seeing their children play on.
“The fields were all dirt and very bumpy,” Osborne said. “There were exposed rocks, broken glass, nails and even disposable razor blades on it … certainly not conditions we would let people play on here, especially kids. We also noticed there were kids out there who were barefoot or playing in flip-flops.
“On the field we were on, there was a big puddle, and I’m not sure what was in it, but we saw kids relieving themselves in it,” he said. “It was disgusting. The ball went in there a lot, but it didn’t seem to bother the players at all. There were even kids who would stop by and play in it.”
Other obstacles were present as well.
“We were refereeing a game, and some goats walked across the field, and one of the sidelines by the church was a barbed wire fence,” Osborne said.
The Gathering Place team also did some missionary work in western Kenya, where the soccer fields had actual grass growing on them.
“While there, I got to work with a girls high school team,” Osborne said. “Girls are just now starting to get into playing sports in that area. It was really fun, but the fields are also used by cows so there were cow patties everywhere. Many of those kids were also barefoot.”
According to Bouzeos, members of the missionary team were able to fulfill three goals during their trip.
“We wanted to share the good news about Jesus Christ with as many people as possible, we wanted to support the work of the two pastors who had invited us to come and we wanted to return from the trip having had a life-changing experience. I know we were successful with all three,” he said.
“After driving through the slums and seeing the excitement of the people just because we were there, it was very clear the Lord’s hand was on us.”
Group members also brought numerous items to leave behind.
“Everybody took one piece of luggage for themselves and then took a second piece of luggage with ministry pieces to share,” Bouzeos said. “We took books, Bibles and things like deflated balls. We went there very well supplied.”
As a first-time missionary, Osborne was particularly moved by the experience and believes that all team members came home from Kenya with a strong sense of fulfillment and accomplishment.
“A lot of those folks were very vocal in their appreciation of us being there. They said they really appreciated our sacrifice and that we were willing to be away from our families in order to be with them,” he said.
“I now realize how fortunate I was to be born here and how blessed we are to have the simple things we do. I can go to the kitchen, turn on the tap water and drink it. My kids don’t have to walk a mile or two to school, and they get to enjoy their childhood.
“I have friendships with people over there now via Facebook and email that I’ll have forever. I think the whole team feels that way too,” he said. “This experience was very meaningful for me. In fact, I feel like I probably got more out of it than our new friends in Kenya did.”
- May 23
“500 Festival Community Day”
9 a.m.-6 p.m, Indianapolis Motor Speedway - May 25
““Goonies””
2 and 7:30 p.m., Artcraft Theatre - May 25
“Lynyrd Skynyrd”
, Indianapolis Motor Speedway - May 26
“500 Festival Parade”
noon, Downtown Indianapolis - May 27
“Indianapolis 500”
noon, Indianapolis Motor Speedway - May 31
“Joshua Bell”
11 a.m., Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle - June 1
“Joshua Bell performs Brahms’ Violin Concerto and Beethoven’s “Eroica.” ”
8 p.m., Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle - June 1
“Brown County Historical Society Quilt Show”
, Brown County Historical Society - June 2
“Vintage Indiana Wine & Food Festival”
11 a.m. - 7 p.m., Military Park - June 2
“Mallow Run Pizza & Wine Night”
5 p.m. - 8 p.m., Mallow Run Winery, 6964 W. Whiteland Road - June 2
“The Promise Walk for Pre-eclampsia”
9:00 a.m., Fort Benjamin Harrison State Park - November 10
“Hoosier Arts-Crafts & Gift Show”
times vary, Johnson County Fairgrounds - August 4
“ISO performs “Vive La France!” ”
7:30 p.m., Hilbert Circle Theatre, 45 Monument Circle
