Show day in Nairobi!

It was a big day on Tuesday. It was “show” day in Nairobi, which is like a State Fair. The kids were so excited they couldn’t sleep the night before! We took two big buses and a mini-van to take approximately 170 kids from Nice View and 34 kids from Mercy, plus all the staff. Some of the kids from Mercy have never been to Nairobi so they were especially excited. It was so awesome to watch these kids laugh and see the “big city” of Nairobi. What a blessing it was to give them this special opportunity to be like other kids who go to the show. It was neat at lunchtime to see the Nice View kids together with the Mercy kids. Hmmmm, there may be something there. Bringing the two together at the Academy? Please pray for God’s will to be done in the lives of these children.

Another “thank you God”, Dennis was able to get glasses finally. He has only one eye (the other was removed at a very young age due to disease) so it was imperative for his sight to get glasses. They only do eye exams once a month at the local hospital and then he had to wait another month to get the glasses. Doesn’t he look handsome? He was so happy to show off his new glasses and he said they are working great!

These were just a couple examples of what your support is doing. You are bringing better vision to some, first time experiences for others and letting these kids know they are worth that little extra effort on our part. Thank you for your support and prayers.

Always love the weekends!

Another wonderful weekend. We played all afternoon on Saturday with the kids. This guy, Nicholas, fell asleep outside the window where the music was. The ground isn’t a preferable pillow, but who can argue with a kid and where he wants to fall asleep! Then Milkah was getting her hair undone and ready to be washed and plaited. I helped undo it and it’s a job! You use a thorn from the bushes and slowly undo the braids. But then she had big hair and we teased her all afternoon! She makes me feel at home because she’s the only one around here who gets sarcasm and can give it right back. Chuck had a little powwow with the boys, so with this picture I also got the progress of the building. They are getting it ready to pour the cement next week. Then we prepared for movie night. We watched Shrek and they all loved it. But they are asking for another movie like the “Sassy” movie (Homeward Bound). I do have one so maybe next Saturday. This week we had sodas and chips for a change instead of popcorn. The projector is working great! And now they anticipate a movie every Saturday night. I’m not sure what will happen when we leave; I guess I’ll try to teach someone how to plug everything in in the right order. With the power converter and everything it's a little more involved than just plugging stuff in.

Then on Sunday teacher Evelyn came to school with us (she is Pauline’s niece and lives with them) and had a guidance and counseling session with the girls. She’s calling it GTGT (Girl to Girl Talk). I sat in and it lasted about 4 hours! Imagine, girls sitting that long listening to issues about menstruation, boys, their bodies, respect (I have to admit, Aretha Franklin’s song went through my head) and many other issues. The girls had some interesting questions and they are being encouraged to think for themselves, work hard on their studies and to make good choices. I liked Evelyn and teacher Jane (who is the matron and lives in the dorms with the kids) encouraging the girls to talk to them and bring up any questions they may have. Many of the girls are very shy, but with constant encouragement they will begin to feel comfortable coming to them with their issues. This was the first session and they plan on having it once a month. Evelyn said she would try to have Chuck talk at the next meeting so they could have a man’s perspective on how they should be treated as young women and what they should consider when thinking about having a boyfriend. Before leaving Chuck had one of the boys, Moses, get on the roof to retrieve the Frisbee. When he came down off the roof he pushed himself off and started to go backwards. Chuck had a hold of his feet but they both went over backwards and landed on the hard ground. Thank God there wasn’t a rock behind them! Chuck stayed on the ground for a few minutes but Moses bounced up and said he was alright. I’m sure Chuck will be sore tomorrow! Then we walked back home with Evelyn, had dinner and some good conversation with Pauline. She is a very insightful woman and I love hearing her examples to make lessons real-to-life. Except she started an example of saying “when you separate rice from the stones”, but then laughed because I had told her before that we don’t have to do that at home. It all comes pre-packaged and separated. So she had to think of another example. I’m so thankful for the family that God brought us to here in Tala. He knows all of us so well and brought us together for His purpose. Thank you for your prayers and continued support.

Projects update

First I wanted to let you know that the blessing we received was seen as a privilege and was a traditional blessing. It was nothing out of the ordinary, well for us Americans having someone spit on you would probably be out of the ordinary - but here hapana (no). Everyone told us how special it was and how wonderful it was that we received it. So that's how I have to remember it!

Construction is going strong; they are getting all the forms on and ready to pour the second floor on Friday. Chuck’s been working closely with Mutuku (the engineer) getting the construction on schedule, figuring out the water situation and other various issues. Please pray for guidance and focus on this and the other projects going.

Speaking of other projects, we went to Mercy today to check on the choo (latrine) situation. It’s not a pretty site, let me tell you. The bottom of the latrine is wood, and it has begun to rot. We don’t want to take a chance on any one being in there when it finally breaks through. That is why this is a top priority at Mercy right now. The plan is to put six latrines on a strengthened platform. Plus they have an original latrine, no longer in use, that will be fixed up so that Annastacia and any other adult can use it. We all know how kids are with bathrooms! We also had a stack of firewood delivered to Mercy. They had food but no way to cook it! Now the firewood should last for at least a couple of months and building a storage shed for the wood is in order too before the rains come in October. We also took with us ink pens, pencils, rulers, flip-flops and a soccer ball. The kids were so excited to see the items. It’s hard to imagine being so excited about these small items, but these children have never been given anything. So now they see that someone recognizes that they are a person with feelings, needs and wants. They are also feeling very well now that they’ve gotten medical attention and are taking all their medications. Praise God for His mercy on them and healing them easily and quickly. It just took a little time (and money of course) to check the children and get them healthy. We’ve been looking into options for the girl who has elephantitis, but thus far have come up with no plausible options. Please pray for the health of these children and the children at Nice View and Eldama Ravine.

I thought these kids were cute, walking and talking like great friends. The other photo is of the kitchen at Mercy and a few of the girls just hanging out.

My plea for funds will continue as they are needed to begin and complete projects here in Kenya. As we all know it takes cash to do these projects and your support has been wonderful and we thank you. Please know that we will bring these issues to you and keep you updated on what is happening. It's important for you to know what your funds are doing and how they are helping the watoto (children) of Kenya.

Another first in Kenya!

We are starting to walk to the Academy everyday now and it’s a great walk. Today while walking we came upon two older women and before we had a chance to greet them the one said, in very good English, “are you going to pass us by without greeting us?” We said no and went over to greet them. They were sisters, Sarah was the one doing all the talking (and for an older woman it was very strange that she could speak English so well!) She began to tell us of her faith in God and how we are all created equal in His eyes and we shouldn’t refuse to greet anyone because as Sarah said “they are made in the likeness of God’s own face.” Sarah then told us how she and her sister were angels and that we met on that path to receive a blessing from God by helping them. She asked for 5bob (shilling) so they could buy a little flour for themselves for the day. I gave her some money and she thanked us and said God would bless us for the help we’d given her. Then, and this is where the first time for everything comes into play, she came in for what I thought would be a hug but as she got closer to me she spit on my chest! Believe me I was a bit shocked but stood my ground and shook her hand. Chuck was lucky since he saw what happened he was prepared for his blessing! And sure enough, she went to him and “blessed” him on the neck! We thanked them and offered them sweets, which Sarah gladly accepted. She promptly opened hers but her sister was just holding hers. So Sarah told her “open your sweet and eat it you stupid woman!” Which her sister obeyed! So our angels were sisters who had a great “Abbott and Costello” relationship! When we left them we didn’t bother to look back and see if they were still there because she said they were angels, who can argue with that? God’s timing is always perfect and we were supposed to meet them, supposed to help them and supposed to receive their blessing (no matter how much saliva was involved!)

After a day at the Academy our blessing was fulfilled by God showing us His faithfulness through your support and we thank you for all you’ve done and continue to do for these children. We will be going to Mercy on Friday to begin work on the choo (toilet) please prayerfully consider a donation. Thank you again for helping us to be the feet for this ministry and to bring God’s love and hope to our children in Kenya.

No pictures of our angels, but here’s some previous days pictures.

Learning lesson

We walked to the Academy this afternoon and when we arrived at the gate John came up to me with a huge smile and gave me a big hug. What a way to be greeted! The boys must have been in the hugging mood because when we got to the field Moses gave me a big hug and just held onto me for a bit, then Tati wanted a hug, even Antony who is normally shy gave me a big smile and hug! What a joy it was for me to be there at that moment with them. And then we had a reminder of our sinful nature. Remember yesterday I said how mature the kids were getting? Chuck gave three children each a bag of candy to distribute to the rest of the kids (there are 72 borders here). When the candy was gone there were still 13 kids standing without sweets and all heck broke loose at that time. Chuck stepped in to find out what had happened and he was told that some kids got a sweet from one line then jumped into the next line for another. Chuck gave his fatherly speech about being honest, how they cheated the others out of a sweet and that they had stolen from their friends. He told them how God would be faithful to them if they were faithful to Him and that if they couldn't be trusted with a little thing like a sucker how could they be trusted with something bigger. He asked those who took more than one to bring back the extra - well we didn't get any sweets back but we had several kids come and tell us they took two but gave their extra to someone who didn't get. They came to both of us asking for forgiveness, which we gave freely with a thank you to them for having the courage to come and admit their wrong. They are seeing God's love and forgiveness through their own actions, the actions of their friends and us. What an opportunity to show them the practical application of God's command to love your neighbor as yourself.

Then we played all afternoon, actually Chuck played while I sat and talked to Milkah about boys, growing up, how to relate to her parents and friends. She is one girl who is going to go places! She told me that she would go to the United States for five years then come back to Kenya then back to the US and believe me, she'll do it! She also invited me to the "counseling session" on Monday after school with the girls who border here. Should be an interesting time to see what issues these girls are struggling with here in Kenya. Please keep all the children, Nice View Academy, Eldama Ravine and Mercy in your prayers and consider a donation to help continue the work that is being done and still needs to be started at all three locations. Your support, no matter how small, can do wonders here through God's will. Thanks and sorry no pictures this time, I was busy talking!

Mixed emotional day

On Saturday we visited Mercy again. Anastasia needed some personal items that we had bought in Nairobi. Remember she hasn’t been paid for any work she’s done here, she doesn’t have a vehicle to take her to the shops and no one here to help her watch the children if she needs to go someplace. This woman is doing her very best in this situation and totally relying on God to fulfill hers and the children’s needs. While we were talking the kids were out playing a high jump game and Erestus can jump! Remember the child with scabbies on his hands that were so bad he couldn’t hold anything? Now he’s healing and able to move his fingers and grab his shoes! Thank you Father for your healing touch on these kids. We looked around the facility for repair needs. We were told on our first visit that the toilets were working, but that isn’t true. The pipes are broken and not even hooked up to them so everyone here is using this one choo (toilet) and as you can see it’s just sheet metal – they need and deserve a better facility (hint for donations!) The water tanks aren’t big enough for their needs, plus no one was bringing them petrol (gas) for the pump so they could pump water from the well to the tanks. So they were always hauling water from the well. The plans are to get a bigger tank to feed these two smaller tanks so they won’t have to pump so often and to get cash/petrol to them in a timely manner (another hint). Then by putting in the bigger tank the line from the well is too small to handle the amount of water needed so a larger line is going to be put in to handle that (another hint). While I was waiting for Chuck the boys handed me a note to give to “dad”. It read “Please father we are requesting you to take us to school.” Their school fees haven’t been paid and the people in charge of the orphanage haven’t dealt with the issue, so only 13 of the 33 children are going to school. We paid the fees for the nursery children but the other fees are in dispute and need to be resolved before any fees can be paid. So we are trying to get someone to deal with it so they can go to school. The ones who aren’t going to school haven’t gone all year (their school year goes from January to December). So they’ve missed almost a complete year of schooling. Please pray for these children, they need your support to have hope for their future. Some of the children have asked Anastasia why they were brought here if no one is going to care for their basis needs. She tries to encourage them and pray with them and tell them that God will provide. Pray and see if you are an answer to their prayer. Give them food, education, clothing, shelter but mostly hope and an assurance that someone cares.

Then it was back to Nice View for play time on the field. What a difference between the two places. I’m sure God brought Mercy into our sights so I pray He will be faithful to lift them up and prepare a loving home for them. Again it was fun just watching the kids playing and they’re pretty ingenious to find ways of making playground equipment! It isn’t long after I sit down that the girls start playing with and plaiting my hair. They are waiting for it to grow out so they can really braid it. After dinner we had another movie, Madagascar this time and they loved it! They don’t get some of the “Americanized” jokes but they enjoy the physical humor. It’s neat to watch them grow and mature too. They can stand in line quietly when asked, they help with set up, and they help with clean up. During our first visit they were pushing and shoving in line and not interested in helping. We continue to work with them and God is working in their lives and mine. Thank you again for all your support. God is working miracles through that support.

The weekend!

The kids are always excited about Friday because they know tomorrow we show up for play time on the field and movie night. You know how great it feels to bring these children some laughter!? They also have their dance club on Friday after school and this time Chuck joined them for some dancing. They were trying to get him to move like them but he just doesn’t move that way, but they sure enjoyed encouraging him along!

Medical attention has arrived at Mercy Child Foundation

We took food to Mercy Child Foundation and the daktari came with us to check on the medical condition of the children. Of course the boys loved the truck the food came in and wanted a ride to the end of the driveway! Now they have food to last them a month – praise God for His providence! All the children have some sort of medical issue – whether it was cleaning wounds from jiggers (that’s the black spot on her foot), intestinal worms (you can tell by the bloated stomach of this boy), ring worm or scabbies (this boy’s hands were so swollen he couldn’t hold onto anything or move his fingers). The daktari handed out medicine, vitamins and lotions for Annastacia to dispense. Her bed was full of medicine and she was a little overwhelmed by how sick the children actually were and she had no idea nor did she have anyone to help her. We spent the entire day checking kids, doing malaria testing (which several children had), stool samples (for worms), body check for scabbies (several children had these and they are very contagious so they go through the children fairly quickly) and just checking for general health issues. One child (3 years old) has rotten baby teeth and one girl was diagnosed with elephantitis. The issues here are on-going needs – yes food is needed, yes medical attention is needed, yes a father figure needs to be here for the boys, yes Annastacia should be paid for her work here, yes there should be more help, the list could go on. Please keep these children in your prayers as they have been living by God’s grace and mercy for so long, they need to see that someone cares for them. And by bringing food and medical attention that has been shown to them in a big way. Thank you for your continued support of these beautiful children.

Praise and worship all day!

Sunday we got up and had services again in our home. It’s so nice to actually understand the message and get something out of it! Then we walked over to the Academy and played on the field all afternoon until dinner time. Again the kids had a great time and they love the tennis balls! I think we may have to get more of them since everyone wants one to play with. I was talking with a couple of them and they are acting like “normal” kids now. They don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from, if they’ll have school books or if someone loves them. Here those daily necessities are taken care of and they know they are loved. Now instead of worrying about those needs they are putting their efforts into their studies. Last term they ranked #3 out of 27 schools in the district (compared to 26th the previous term)! They are seeing God’s provision in their lives and are trusting Him to continue to take care of them. We talked about the new building and praying that God will finish it, but they had no doubts it would be finished by God’s will. So what a joy it was to watch them play and de-stress after a long week of school. Those are the blessings I see from being here and the blessings I pray will be evident at Mercy Child Foundation and Eldama Ravine Children’s Village as we continue working with them through your support and God’s leading.

A fulfilling Saturday!

Saturday was a busy day, but a good day. We got over to the Academy around 10 and the kids were still having classes (they have extra tutoring on Saturday’s from around 8-1). So that’s when I updated the blog – love this internet modem! After lunch we had a home visit to Ruth Mumbua’s home. She has six siblings with a single mom. Sometime earlier in the year her mom was cooking in their outside kitchen when a wall fell on her and her son, killing the seven year old boy and injuring mom’s hip. Her husband died suddenly when her youngest was only 8 months old (now the youngest is about 18 months old) She has been struggling ever since – when we visited they had not had any food in the house for a couple of days. The younger ones were begging from the neighbors to eat and Ruth was only eating what she received at the school – which is porridge in the morning and lunch before going home. We are working with mom to see what we can do to help and how we can help. It’s a bit different here in that you can’t just give someone money or food in fear that someone may rob them of it. And it was a real concern of moms so we told her we would work something out. Ruth said they have been praying for another uniform for her – since she only has one and trying to keep that one clean all the time is hard and a school bag (backpack). We have backpacks at the school so Monday we’ll get her one – so one prayer answered – AMEN! She’s such a sweet and smart girl, she’s ranked #9 in her class (6th grade) out of 31! These are the people you are helping, not only putting food in their stomachs but giving them a reason to succeed, a reason to have hope. They are being told it is only through God’s grace that we are here helping and He is the reason to have that hope for the future.

Then upon our return we got the balls out and had the field full of kids again playing. It was great to sit and watch them playing and laughing together. I only handed out a couple of hackies and one was to Kelvin who really has skill with it. While we were watching, Moses the one on my right, wanted a picture of us together. But here once the camera is out a mob arises and you can’t get just one picture with someone! He’s such a sweet kid and loves hugs (I told him Tarrin was missing my hugs so I think he’s helping in that area!) He was walking around school the other day and he usually has a smile, but this day he didn’t so I asked him what was wrong. (Most of the kids don’t feel comfortable telling us their stories). When he said nothing was wrong I told him to talk to Ruth (being the house mom they tell her everything!) He said he hadn’t been able to reach his mom for some needed items (he is a border here) and he was very sad and started to cry. We told him we had the items he needed so not to worry about it. Ruth said his mother is very hard to reach and many times they never hear from her during the school term. So Moses is aching for human interaction and hugs which I am only too happy to give him! He’s another person you are helping with your support – he is able to live here among people who love him and want him around.

Then everyone had dinner while we got the projector set up for movie night. We got popcorn (already popped from the grocery store) and juice for everyone. We watched Homeward Bound and everyone had a good time. To give these kids an opportunity to just relax, have some popcorn and watch a movie – to just be a kid not wondering if mom will visit, not worrying about school exams or thinking about their home situations. These times are possible through God’s grace and love for us all.

Thanking God for His provision

Today (Friday) we visited Mercy to take the items we bought in Nairobi. They were in need of cups, lunch dishes (mama has to cook enough food for the kids to take to school every day in Tupperware-like dishes), toilet paper, soap for washing themselves and soap for washing clothes, spoons, knives, lotion for the kids, water jugs, wash basins, cooking pot (sufria), matches and steel wool. These children, and mama, are living without even the bare necessities on a daily basis and still thanking God for what little they have and relying on His providence. Here’s a picture of mum (Annastacia the house mum) with some of the items. She’s holding the lotion for her personal use and she was so grateful for that little bit that she started to cry. She doesn’t have the ability to even take care of her own personal needs so before we left we assisted her in that area. She told us she is relying on God to be faithful to her and the children and she would stay by the children no matter what. Before leaving we put some cash on her phone - the first time it didn't work so we entered the PIN again and prayed for God to make it work and, Praise God it did! That's just a small example of how God is being faithful to His children at Mercy. (FYI - there is no electricity at Mercy so Annastacia has to walk to a neighbors to charge her phone every couple of days and since there is no vehicle here her phone is the only way we can talk with her before visiting) Please consider helping in any way the Lord leads you. Thank you and may God continue to show you His path.

Overcoming evil with God's love!

On Tuesday we were in Nairobi for some shopping for Mercy Child Foundation (pictures and details on the next blog entry).

We had some interesting conversations while in Nairobi. We saw a preview ad of a movie where one of the actors had on a KKK outfit. We asked Pauline and Mutuku if that meant anything to them. Pauline said it didn’t but she wouldn’t trust the person and would be skeptical of him. I thought it was interesting that the outfit would stir up in her those types of emotions even though she had no idea what it was about. We also asked if the “N” word meant anything to them, but that too didn’t have any meaning here. A half a world away and what a difference there is – but I’ve noticed that human nature is the same everywhere. We are just as prone to evil here as we are in the states, or Europe or China. It’s only with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit that we can give those evil inclinations over to God and allow Him to work through us for His good and purpose. We’ve heard of reverends refusing to take in orphans during school holiday because they “don’t have the same grace” as those helping the orphans. Some children at Mercy have been given up by their mothers because they’ve gotten remarried and moved away with their new husband. A child at Nice View went home during the holiday (it would have been for about a week) and no one was home so he begged for food from the neighbors and slept at home by himself until Ruth found out and brought him back to the Academy. This is the child the reverend refused to take in! A child at Mercy has some sort of disease on his hands but no way of getting to the clinic or cash for the clinic. (We are going to be taking the clinician who works with Nice View to Mercy to check out the children and see what medicine is needed). So I know that evil exists everywhere, but I know that my Father in Heaven hears these children and His judgment will judge us all on how we helped the widows and orphans. “Do not take advantage of a widow or an orphan. If you do and they cry out to me, I will certainly hear their cry. My anger will be aroused…” Exodus 22:22:24a. We are all called to use our gifts for the Kingdom whether that be on the ground, giving funds, organizing fundraisers etc. we can promote the love that Christ taught and show these children God’s love for them.

What's happenin' at Nice View!

On Monday we stayed around Nice View. As you can see the new classroom is just about completed! The windows and glass were put it and they look fantastic and the kids are getting real excited to finally be in it for testing. Just imagine, they are excited to test because they will be in a new classroom! The class 8 students are feeling a bit more relaxed knowing that it is almost a certainty they will be able to stay here for Form 1. Mutie (the night watchman) has begun working on the shamba and the sukamawiki (a form of spinach) is looking great. As a matter of fact they picked some for dinner Monday night! He is getting the shamba ready for tomatoes, potatoes, carrots and several other foods. It’s in a great area and has lots of water so it should be quite fruitful. While walking around the compound I came across this cool looking bug – just a neat photo!

On Mondays after school a group of girls, along with Teacher Evelyn, get together for a dance club. They learn different moves, talk and just relax after school before starting homework. They’ve invited the boys but they don’t get into it as much as the girls! But the girls love moving to the music and they got to see that this mzungu really doesn’t have any rhythm! It was fun trying to learn some of their moves but it really showed my age and I’m lucky I didn’t throw my back out! I think this is a great way for the women at the Academy to get involved in these girls lives and help them during these tumultuous, developing years. It helps them de-stress for awhile and clear their minds in preparation for studying and allows a relaxed atmosphere for challenging talks. Please pray for these beautiful girls and young women to become strong Christian women who can change the course of this country.

Creating church service at home!

Today I prepared a worship playlist on my iTunes for us before “church”. We listened to worship and praise for about 20 minutes then listened to Pastor Ray on the computer. It was so great to understand the message at last! Thank you Ryan for putting all that work into that form of media! I thank God for it and the message on distrust. Sorry Ray but we did pause you once in awhile to discuss the message! Then after our church service we walked to the school to play some music for the kids and talk for a bit. We don’t get a chance to do that very often during the week and with school starting Monday the time won’t be there again. After singing and dancing for a bit we had some interesting questions from the kids – why do we die? Is there a hell? How do you keep friendships? We talked with them and discussed these and more questions for about 45 minutes. These kids are insightful and ready to learn, it amazes me to see what a difference a little attention to their needs can do for them. That is what I pray to see at the other two orphanages. God is working in their lives, they just need the encouragement to press on and have their basic needs met. After our question and answer period we went out to play net ball, baseball, softball, Frisbee, football and rugby. The field was full of children laughing and playing. It was a great sight to see and I imagined God playing right beside them laughing with them.

Prayer requests and needs!

We now have a near completed classroom in the new building. Here’s before and after shots. We are waiting on the glass for the windows and paint, but we are looking forward to having the class 8 students taking their exams in this room. Usually the class 8 students would have to go to another school for testing because in Kenya you have to have a superintendent and a “guard” in each testing classroom to keep cheating and what not down. We didn’t have the room to do that before but now we do – praise God! Catherine was saying how it really disrupted the students by going to another school because of harassment and the strange environment and that showed up in their test scores. Now they will be at their own school with their fellow students. We are also praying for the DO (District Officer) to “bless” the room for Form 1 (grade 9). Then our class 8 students will not have to find another school or possibly drop out because of lack of funds. Please pray with us for this provision.

We visited Mercy Child Foundation and took with us a bag of beans (90 kilos worth), a bag of rice (90kg), cooking oil (6 x 3 liters), sugar (90kg), salt (15 x 1.5kg) and milk (20 x 1 liter). They had been eating maize only for a couple of days. When I say maize only that’s exactly what it is – they boiled the maize and ate that – no salt, no tomatoes, nothing else to cook with it. We went through the needs with mama (the house mum) and got a long list of items that need to be purchased. That means more cash is needed to purchase them. How wonderful it would be to not have to use cash to feed orphans, but that’s the world we live in. So please, if you are considering donating pray about it and see if the Lord is leading you to give from your abundance to help these children who are hungry, naked and thirsty.

I interviewed every child at Mercy with some difficulty. Many of the younger children do not speak Kiswahili or English – they speak their “mother tongue” which is Meru. So we had a round robin of translators! I asked my question in English, Ruth would interpret to an older child in Kiswahili and they would then translate from Kiswahili to Meru for the younger kids. But to watch the older kids help the younger ones was phenomenal! They really care about one another and have made this their family. Many of the children were brought here by their local church. Some had both parents who had died, they were living with an aunt or grandmother who couldn’t take care of them so the church brought them in. Some were in single parent homes (usually mom only) and mom gave the church permission to take the children to this orphanage. That is love in action – giving your child up because you can’t take care of them. Mama is doing a fantastic job here with what she has; please keep her in your prayers for the Lord to strengthen her faith daily. She was reluctant to tell us the needs at first but we ensured her that we wanted to help her and the children and we wanted her to be honest with us about the needs. Hence the long list when we left! Included on that list is soap, tissues, lotion, firewood, kerosene, matches, dishes (like Tupperware which isn’t available here!) for the kids (they have to carry their lunches with them to school every day) and utensils. If you noticed this list doesn’t have any of the daily needs like food. So the funds needed aren’t just for a onetime thing – it is for an ongoing basis.

I know this was a long entry but I felt the need to let you all know what is happening at a specific orphanage. We are here trying to follow the path God wants us to take and our prayer is that He will provide. Thank you for your support and prayers. The prayers of His people are part of what uplifts us on a daily basis.

Uneventful day - ha!

Today was a slow day because we slept in and didn’t get to the Academy until around 2 this afternoon. It felt good to sleep in and relax a bit this morning. When we got breakfast around 11 I told Chuck that would be a good time for a juicy Wendy’s hamburger! But alas it was smokies, cabbage and chapatti. Which was good but it’s not a hamburger. Then at the Academy we had a small issue with one of the kids, he was acting strange and Catherine thought he might have malaria, but we couldn’t get any medical history from anyone to see if he has had issues with any type of disease in the past. We ended up calling the clinician to come and see him, which he did and then took the boy to his clinic to test for malaria – which he had. So he got some medicine and he should be fine. The thing that hit me about this story though was that Mulie was told to go to the clinic for testing but he thought he was being sent away. So he told Catherine that he didn’t want to go he wanted to stay at the school and learn. We reassured him that he was not being sent away but that we wanted him to get better. We told him that we loved him and wanted him to stay and that his bed, books and belongings would stay in his room until his return. We finally convinced him to go get tested. So keep him in your prayers for a quick recovery.

Before leaving for the day we took a walk around the compound and we saw the puppies so I walked over towards them but they just ran away (which is a good thing here they don’t want the dogs to like people they are used to guard the compound). So we went to say bye to the kids and I felt something on my stomach, I thought it was just a piece of fuzz but when I lifted up my shirt my stomach had about 20 or so fleas! And when I looked around my clothes they were covered – yuck!!! So I immediately went into the store and stripped and I had them all over me. Chuck got me a robe we had brought and I put that on while he picked my clothes clean! Needless to say Chuck, Ruth, Catherine, Pauline and Gideon were having a good laugh about my unfortunate situation! They were even saying how God allowed this to happen just so we would have a good laugh before leaving for the evening – thanks God! I was finally declared flea free but wanted to get home ASAP for a shower! After about a 20 minute shower I still felt creeped out but they are gone and our clothes are outside waiting for a good washing with Omo (I think it’s industrial strength washing soap!). I won’t be visiting those puppies again anytime soon!

Since we had a slow day (aside from the fleas) I decided to put in a couple of pictures from previous happenings. The first is while we were in Nakuru and having lunch with Johnny (guy with beard) and his friend James ( to Johnny’s right). The woman closest to the camera is Francisca – we are working with her in Eldama Ravine and the guy at the end of the table is Mutuku our driver who did a superb job of getting us where ever we needed to go. It was Ethiopian and I tried something new there. I was a little nervous but figured since we met the owner he wouldn’t want Johnny’s friends getting sick! The next picture is Robert when he went with Pauline to the school where she is principal. He got to speak to the class and I heard he did a fantastic job!

Hope everyone is doing well and you got to have a good laugh about my fleas! Please keep us in your prayers that we continue to be and walk in God’s will daily. Mungu akubariki (God bless!)