We are a non-governmental not for profit Christian Organization that began to help poor rural Kenyan communities by promoting reading and education, medical health, a healthy lifestyle, and helping people become more economically independent. Rural communities usually have poor or no access to basic services such as a good education (because some can not afford school uniforms), information, and medical health services.
TM Rural Community Development's goal is to bridge these gaps in order to improve the quality of life in Kenyan rural communities.
In November 2004, a wonderful, generous, kind-hearted Kenyan man, named Tito Musyoki, passed away. His daughter, Ruth, was a grad student at Michigan State University, along with my husband. I met Ruth in 2004 and already knew her as she grieved the loss of her precious father. Being in the same Bible study at Trinity Church, we would pray for Ruth and her family.
I had spent a summer in Kenya in 1984 and it had changed my life! My husband and I ended up spending eight years overseas. I remember Ruth being so distraught about how much Americans have (she herself did not have shoes growing up) and how little so many Kenyans had.
When I suggested that Ruth begin her own charity (we had started some charities after living overseas for so long), her face lit up at the idea, as she started naming her dreams of building a library and a medical center! I thought her dreams were too lofty, but God fulfilled her dreams through devoted prayer partners and faithful donors and volunteers, and a wonderful partnership with Trinity Church in Lansing, Michigan. And TM Rural began in 2006. We have distributed blankets and shoes to impoverished children and had several pastor leadership training workshops over the years.
The library was begun in in 2005, Tito Musyoki Rural Community became a certified organization on January 19, 2006 and we now have tax-exempt status [501(c)3] and have sent tax-deductible receipts since 2011.
Please read the information and see so many of the beautiful pictures we have on our full website. God bless you and we hope you consider praying, and donating if you are able. We have a Pay Pal button at the bottom of each page on our website!
Please email your questions or comments to: tmruralcomdev@gmail.com
Mary Ann
TM Rural Development is focused on showing the love of God to all people who are in need. Rural communities have limited access to basic services such as education, food security, clean water, physical and spiritual healthcare. Our goal is to bridge the gap by providing these physical and spiritual necessities. Our projects are focused on addressing these critical needs of the rural community.
TM Ministry Goals in education are to promote literacy and skill acquisition. In the area of water and food security our goal is to provide clean water by drilling wells, teach good sanitation, promote growing of traditional crops with irrigation to improve nutrition. The third critical need is medical services. We have a medical building on site where health clinics are held and healthy living is encouraged. Last but not least we work to expand God's kingdom. We have a robust pastors equip program. We provide pastors with the tools and training they need to be effective ministers of the local churches. We have also invested in a church plant at the request of the community in Ngunyumu.
Expanding the kingdom of God is a natural progression of events as we show a community love by not only meeting their most critical needs but also forming strong relationships with everyone in the community.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Ruth OKello-Founder and President. I am a clinical social worker, president and founder of TM Ministries. I was born in Ruthgrew up in the poor rural communities that we serve and understand the various challenges they are faced with every day. I was blessed to attend the University of Nairobi and graduated with a bachelors in Agriculture. I then graduated from Michigan state University with a Masters in Agriculture and Extension Education and later with a Masters in Clinical Social Work. Over the years I have worked in various sectors; as Divisional Agricultural officer under the Ministry of Agriculture in Kenya and as a part-time lecturer in the University of Nairobi. I have worked as a volunteer with TM Ministries since its start. I am focused on providing opportunities for people to better themselves and to spread the gospel through these opportunities. I am a wife and mother of three grown up teenagers.
Alyjah Goode Byrd-Vice President. I am a graduate of Michigan State University with Bachelor and Masters in education. As a Kindergarten through seventh grade teacher for the East Lansing Public School system, of thirty-two years, I served on various committees for curriculum development, both district wide and at the school building level. During my tenure, became a writing teacher-consultant for children thru Michigan state university and a geography consultant through the State of Michigan with Central Michigan University. As a retired educator and member of Trinity Church in Lansing, Michigan, I have been in service to God’s people for more than thirteen years. In 2019, I became a member of TM Ministries. Currently, I serve on the board as it’s vice president conducting monthly prayer gatherings for the board, and assisting President Ruth Okello in any way possible. I am grateful to God for the opportunity to be the hands and feet for the work he wants to do with this organization.
Donna Linsley-Secretary. After graduating from Michigan State University with a bachelor's degree in social work, I worked for Michigan's Crippled Children's Program (now known as Children's Special Health Care Services), first as a secretary and for five years as a policy analyst. My most recent career was homeschooling our six children from 1988 through 2018. My husband and I are current owners of Mason Family Eye Care where I serve on the board. I remember first becoming aware of TM Rural Community Development in its early days when we became friends with Ruth Okello and her husband Julius at Trinity Church. As we learned of the important work of TM, we soon became involved with Trinity's advocacy group. I joined the TM Board of Directors in 2012 and have served as secretary since 2013. I continue to serve because I value TM's ministry to marginalized people in rural Kenya, meeting both physical and spiritual needs.
Karen Jones-Treasurer. I am a graduate of the Associate Degree of Nursing program at Lansing Community College in 2000. For 17 years I worked as a Registered Nurse in the Surgical Department of several major hospitals and surgery centers in Lansing and Battle Creek, Michigan. I first became involved with TM Ministries in 2010 as part of the Eye Glasses Mission to Tala. During this trip Ruth showed me many of the ministry needs at her library and the medical clinic. I was able to assist Ruth in acquiring 10 computers and vast number of medical supplies and equipment. During this same time period my Husband and I became leaders of the Kenya-Compassion (K-C) Ministry which was a partnership between Trinity Church, Compassion International and 4 churches in Kenya. We would reserve a day or two to take our mission team to visit Ruth’s ministry in Tala where she would update us on her most recent projects. In 2013 our K-C mission team partnered with Ruth’s mission team to help with a Vacation Bible School in the Tala area, where 1,300 children were ministered to. In 2016 Ruth asked me and my daughter-in-law, who is an Education Director, to come to Kenya and ‘Teach the Teachers’. In May of 2020 I joined the TM Board of Directors. Then, January 2021 I officially started the duties of ministry Treasurer. This was the beginning of a relationship I have had with Ruth from 2010 until today. Over the years it has been a privilege to work with Ruth on a variety of projects which have been a blessing to myself and the Tala community. TM Ministries is a very diverse and dynamic ministry. Many lives have been changed and will continue to be changed in the future. I thank God for introducing us to this vibrant and ongoing ministry opportunity.
Angela Mills=Board member.
Mark Cody-Board member.
Dan Agauas
ADVISORY COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Tom Jones-Chairman of the Advisory Committee. I am a Master Electrician with an associate degree in Electro-Mechanical Technology. I met Ruth in 2010 at Trinity Church in East Lansing while she was attending Michigan State University. In 2010 I was part of the Eye Glasses Mission in Tala, Kenya. I love the vision of TM Ministry for the rural area in Machakos County, east of Nairobi. Ruth has a holistic approach for transforming communities. Focusing on education, food security, clean water, physical health as well as spiritual health. My wife Karen and I led a ministry in Kenya for ten years, called the Kenya-Compassion (K-C) Ministry. The ministry was a partnership between Trinity Church, four churches in Kenya and Compassion International. Over five hundred children were sponsored through this ministry. In 2013, our team from K-C ministry partnered with a team from TM Ministry to conduct a vacation bible school for about 1,300 children. A lot has been done but there is still much to do. I love being a part of this ministry and watching the hand of God move in rural Kenya.
Glen Linsley-Committee Member.
Chad Linsley-Committee Member.
Jamin Jones-Committee member.