Tuesday March 6, 2012 The church proceeds daily with all of the challenges that come with living in a third world country. The posts for the walls are all in and it is a joy to walk through the door way of the church even though it is not finished. Daily we have come up against a wall of obstacles but a team of prayer warriors are now in action and we are moving forward.
The day ends and we sit on the veranda enjoying the coolness of the night air.There are those that have a goal to do harm and the best security measures have been put in place for our protection. We are thankful for the new friends that God has placed in our path.
Friday March 9, 2012 There are many children in the village of Taito and so many will stop and spend time with us at the building site. They will take anything they can and make it into something to play with. The left over pieces of wood have become trucks, cars, tractors and towers! They sit and play at our feet for hours; maybe that is why I’m covered with the red dust of Kenya at the end of the day! Plastic bags are a luxury and they are quickly scooped up and kept for another time. Today my sandwich bag became a pocketbook for one of the little ones. She cut holes in the top of the bag so she would have straps and it would be like other pocket books she had seen.
A tiny little boy carries his teddy bear around and holds it close in his arms. His teddy wears the burn marks of getting much too close to the fire. He finds the left over wrapper pieces from the pocket book and uses it for a blanket to wrap his teddy bear in.
Saturday March 10, 2012 The motorbikes continue to roll through the roads, dodging the bikes, animals, people and vehicles that are back and forth on the road trying to miss the never ending pot holes. There are times that Edwin, my driver, has taken me off the road into the ditch to avoid cars moving full steam ahead in the wrong lane, our lane! Yes they see us and they warn us that they are coming by the beep of the horn but they don’t slow down. The beep is only a warning that you better get out of the way!
We travel off the main road up into the village. The road is dry and dusty and the dust covers your body by the end of the day. Bushes have been cut so that church can been seen at a distance from those passing by. It has been said by those in the village that “God has surely visited Taito.”
The numbers of children that are coming to the building site are increasing daily. We can already see that there will be a large Sunday school attendance. We sit in the shade of the bushes to color and have a Bible story. Coloring is not something that is common here and is a very special treat. They will sit for hours and carefully color and work on their masterpiece.
My sandwich is dry and with the heat of the mid day sun my appetite isn’t that big so I break off small pieces of the bread and throw it into the bushes for the chickens. The men come back from break and it is time to work again. While near the church I look back toward the shade tree where we rested for lunch. I see little children in the bushes picking up the tiny pieces of bread that I left for the chickens and they were eating them one by one. My heart hurt as I saw their need.
Another week comes to an end, the days have been long, the sun has been burning hot, there have been many hours of work, but we rest and thank God for all that he has allowed us to do.
The cross on the church sits high in the sky and is a reminder to all that the time has come to rest from the daily routines and come together to give thanks to God for all that he has done.
Sunday March 11, 2012 The beautiful song birds of Kenya opened up the sky and welcomed the sun to rise above the mountain ranges. Their song never disappoints me. It is a consistent and timely reminder of the new and bright day that is ready for us to step into. Today the sweetness of their song was covered with the news of more grenade attacks. Four grenades went off consecutively in Nairobi. One went off at a bus station and the others were about 7 meters apart. The report is that 6 people have been killed and 63 wounded, 11 of them are seriously injured. It is the deadliest attack in Nairobi since the August 1998 bombing by Al-Qaeda of the US Embassy. The attack has been blamed on the Islamist Shabaab militia. Pray for the peace of Kenya.
http://www.mchuzimix.com/2012/03/11/death-toll-in-nairobi-grenade-attack-hits-six/
The day continues on and we travel through the slums outside of Kitale into a new area called Bosnia. This IDP camp consist of many widows and orphans, they are victims of tribal classes in 1992 and 1997. So many of these children have the memories of war and violence, even the pain of watching their parents die before them.
The land they are living on now is small but it is a place that brings peace into their life. The land continues to get smaller as the population increases. Many daily and basics needs are missing from their life and children that have never gone to school.
We walk the paths within this territory that is now their home and view the many needs. A woman sits on the ground as a young boy removes jiggers from her feet with a needle. Many suffer from jiggers. The sores fill with puss and very often infection sets in. It becomes painful for them to walk and can become serious if not treated.
Titus, the pastor that walks with us, has started a project called the Holy Cow. It is his desire to see that the widows from his group here in Bosnia are each blessed with a milking cow. The group that walks with us increases and we have many around us. In the middle of their village I share the gospel story to them by using the beaded salvation bracelet. One woman asked the Lord into her heart and many others along the way asked for prayer as they were sick in body.
It is time to leave but first we gather together and share something from God’s word to encourage them. They long for the day when they can return to the land in Mt Elgon that was theirs before their homes were torched and they were pushed away.
Psalm 4:8 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.
Psalm 138:7
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me: thou shalt stretch forth thine hand against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand shall save me.
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