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Joyce and Ron Panzero have been doing mission work in Kesogon, Kenya since 2001. Kesogon is located about 30 miles from Kitale, Kenya. We are now moving to Sibanga in the Cherangani Hills.
In 2003, Jeff and Carla Picicci, after seven years as missions co-ordinators at InStep Church, were invited to visit Kesogon with our mission team. They had felt for a long time that God was calling them into full-time missions. They had a desire in their hearts for Africa. Three months later, they returned to Kenya to become full-time missionaries working under, Rehema Ministries, formerly TREK. Together we are registered here in the United States as a Non-Profit 501c3 under Rehema Ministries and in Kenya as InStep Foundation. www.instepfoundation.com
Having full-time missionaries on the ground has been such a blessing. They see first hand the needs of the people. They have accomplished in a short time, what would have taken us years as short term missionaries to do. When we arrive, the projects are ready and everything is in place to begin the work. This leaves us free time to meet with the villagers and share the love of Jesus. Jeff and Carla have paved the road for us.
 
Since Jeff and Carla's arrival, we have been putting in natural black granite water filters on the natural under-ground springs. While working as Director of TREK, we raised money to construct 11 filter systems, and continue doing so under Rehema Ministries.We willdo this until all are protected. Jeff has located in the Kesogon area alone over 70 natural underground springs. These springs bubble up, making a small muddy watering hole. The women and children go to gather their daily drinking/cooking water and to do their wash.
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 It is also a place where livestock and wild animals drink. The animals often times relieve themselves in the water leaving bacteria that causes dysentery. This is also where the mosquitoes breed. Because of the water conditions, typhoid, dysentery, and malaria are the biggest killers. They kill more people than AIDS, and all are curable. The water is pure, clean, and can fill a 5-gallon jug in about fifteen seconds. Where we have built the filters, it has all but eliminated typhoid, and dysentery has decreased by 75%. This is a life giving project.
How the Springs are built:
Below are four pictures of the spring built in the memory of Mark Steven
Another spring being built in memory of Brittany
Each spring brings clean water to 50-300 families. Because the spring has been enclosed in cement and there has been a trench dug in front of it, the water is constantly moving downhill. The mosquitoes no longer have standing water near the spring so their breeding ground is no longer there, thus making it safer for people to come and get water. With the spring enclosed with a fence, the animals no longer can contaminate the water. The people now have cement stairs to climb down to get their water. No more muddy or standing water for the mosquitos to breed in.
Jeff has learned a lot about working with the local people. He has a list of things that the community has to provide before we begin. First the community must have control of the land. They must have a committee and a chairman that will serve the community afterwords. The community has to supply and feed the workers along with supplies of brick, sand, rock and the pay for the mason (about $66). When done, the community has to maintain and protect the spring. We have found that if they don't have a part in building the spring that they don't take ownership.
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 When we arrived in 2006, we were told one of the brick walls washed away on the spring built in 2005. We walked up to look at it. There were about 6-8 men repairing it. It was great to see that they have taken true ownership of them.The area where the groundwater is coming up is cleared and hand excavated. A dam with wing walls is built and a concrete box (weir box) is constructed so that the water will be channeled through it. The area behind the wall and around the weir box is filled with black granite that filters out sediment. It is no longer a swamp, but a free-flowing water source. The project from start to finish takes about five days. The cost to the ministry is $1,000 - $1,200, including labor for a water technician.
The story of Trenton
Trenton, from Tri-Cities, WA, went to Africa when he was 8 yrs. old. Carla was his babysitter before they moved to Africa and he was very close to her and Jeff. After going back home, he started lots of small fundraisers and collected enough money to pay for one of the spring projects. They named it Trenton Springs after him. The picture on theabove left is of Trenton on a matatu with his new friend. Next, Trenton was given a couple of chickens as a thank you for raising the money by the villiagers.
Why spray? The anti-malaria drugs are now becoming useless because the malaria strain is becoming more resistant to them. Simply by spraying and killing the mosquitoes, you can eliminate malaria. We have found an ECO-natural product that uses all natural vegetable and herb oils. We would like to do a three-month field test in the Kesogon/Kitale area. A1 Mist Sprayers has agreed to work with us on a wholesale basis when funding is available.
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4 four-wheel drive trucks $30,000 each = $120,000
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4 Platte Tracks sprayers 55 gal with 20HP engines cost per unit $4,785 = $19,140
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Eco-Exempt IC-2, patented garlic based repellent, 14 gallons at $47 per gallon = $658
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Mosquito Barrier-E. Gas for vehicles & sprayers = $8,400
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Wages for 16 workers $100.00 per month each = $4,800
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Airfare for 2 to supervise the project $2,000 each = $4,000
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Wage for 2 Sponsoring Supervisors $1,000 each per month $2,000 = $6,000
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4 roller ni-resist pump (4) $225 each = $900
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Freight charge per unit is: Ground $1,422 (4 units5,688) Air $2,910 (4 units $11,640)
The test could be done with one test vehicle, but we feel with four, we could do the whole area spraying every 10 - 14 days. This would give us the best results and documentation. If this does what we think it will do, it is a program that could be introduced to the government and used for the whole country. We believe this will eliminate malaria and the deaths it causes.
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