Pyramid Shaped Mountains

April 22, 2013 (Monday) There are many challenges here in a land we love but we have been made aware that not everyone loves us. Last week on the 14th we received warnings of serious threats against us. We immediately changed our schedules and our interpreter took over the classes in the slum areas.

April 26, 2013 (Friday) It has been a week of finding and ordering the necessary items for the school that will open on May 13^th.  We have a carpenter making desks and a locking cabinet.  Everything here needs to be locked up securely so that it doesn’t walk away. School children in Kenya are to wear uniforms and black shoes when they go to school. This requirement is very costly and prohibits many children from going to school. A quick visit to the market helps us find many of the sweaters they will need for a reduced price.  The cloth has been bought in bulk and all we need now is to find someone with good sewing skills.  Colorful school books have been ordered and in a few days they should be here.  The blackboards have been made and just require some paint.  The cups for porridge and plastic baby chairs will brighten up the class room.  Things are coming together!

Then there are times when you escape from the duties before you and visit the children at the orphanage. Their welcome comes with hugs and the ever present pull of the hand to walk their way.  Little Sarah is one that was rescued from Kipsongo slums last year.  She was so very tiny as she sat on my lap when we drove her and her two brothers to the hospital for a checkup.  She has grown so much since then and the smiles show that a little girl is leaving the ugliness of the past behind.

April 28, 2013 (Sunday) It’s Sunday morning and its time for church in Taito. The morning is bright and the sky very blue.  One would never believe that before the day is over there will be hours of rain falling from heaven upon us. There are many out to church today even some that have not come before. Their voices fill the air with praise and it is a beautiful sound for all to hear. They are without electricity but it is their goal to one day have it so that they can have a keyboard.  I think they sound great without the aided instruments but with steama (electricity) they can let the whole community know what they do here!

 

It’s not every day that you get to see beautiful healthy twin boys.  This mama has her hands full!

May 2, 2013 (Thursday) It is a bitter sweet day as my friend, Joni, leaves for home. She has worked six years in Kenya and has been released to leave and step into a new ministry in a totally different part of the world.  We have worked side by side, shared our hearts, prayed together and have seen God accomplish so much.  She has been a good friend to me here in the land of Kenya. I should be sad to see her leave but I know God has wonderful things waiting for her!  So my heart is very happy for her J

After our photos, hugs and waves goodbye the bus rolls out of Kitale.  It’s now my turn to gather my suitcase with Bibles and medicines to take to the Turkana tribe in the Lodwar area.  We have a two hour drive before we arrive at the airport in Eldoret.  The scenery is beautiful and I enjoy seeing the countryside but the roads are terrible!  Everyone driving tries to avoid the potholes so it is a constant weaving in and out and being on the wrong side of the road and at times not even in the road.  There are so many times that traffic traveling in two different directions decides to travel in the same lane because it appears to be the better side of the road.  Punctures or flat tires are something to be expected and before you leave you always ask your driver if he has a spare and if the spare has air in it!   Today, Moses, our driver had three flat tires before the trip was over.  Snakes in most cases aren’t seen in the traffic areas but today we had a very poisonous snake, a green mamba, cross the road in front of us.

The airport is quiet and as I wait for my plane to arrive the storm clouds roll in. The winds pick up and sheets of driving rain cover the airstrip.  We are given umbrellas to walk out to the plane and are soon on our way with the sunshine before us and rain clouds behind.

 

The desert earth beneath us becomes dry and cracked.  The earth reflects the effects of the desert’s sunrays as far as one can see.  The pyramid shaped mountains are before us, a sign that Lodwar is near.

 

Psalm 138:7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life. You stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes; with your right hand you save me.