Hippos Surface Around Us

February 21, 2014 (Friday) Kisumu is about a three hour trip from here. It is a growing and very busy city that sits on the edge of Lake Victoria.  It is also the home of one of Kenya’s immigration offices. We started very early as our goal is to make the return trip later in the day.  Traveling and seeing the different area’s within Kenya is always something that I enjoy.  

We even passed over the equator! There are beautiful views from the mountain ranges. In the market areas we meet tractors overloaded with their sugar cane harvest.  

Donkey carts are used in the villages. Baboons line the roadway as we travel through the forest. When we start our decline from the mountain we can see Lake Victoria in the distance with the city of Kisumu at the edge of it.  The heat rises as we descend and we leave the country life behind.

After our business is finished at the immigration office we stop at the lake.  There is a section of the lake called “Hippo Point.”  During the early morning and again in the evening the hippos will leave the water and rest on the land.

  

The sun is high in the sky and the hippos know where to go when it’s hot out…..in the water!  The boat we are in sits quietly for a moment and the hippos come to the surface and take a peek at us and then disappear.  At one time there were about seven hippos near us.  The cows quench their thirst as they wade through the water. Along the shore line people gather to bathe.  Others will come to gather water to take back to their families.

The breeze from the lake is delightful and the sails from the fishing boats are full.  Fishing nets line the shores as they dry in the sun.  Sausage trees, papyrus grow in abundance along with some fig trees.

 

February 22, 2014 (Saturday) Pastor Mary has invited me to speak at the Peniel Prayer House this morning. She is a mighty woman of God and an intercessor.  Her life has been dedicated to prayer and she has been a great blessing to those in the area.

With hearts filled with praise they sang and filled Peniel Prayer House with the sound of worship. Then it was time for the offering and a large basket is brought to the front.  The offering isn’t always money many times it will be a chicken, some eggs or something they have grown.  We are thankful to see how the Lord is working in the hearts of those who hear his word. Thirteen people accepted the Lord Jesus into their heart!

February 23, 2014 (Sunday) After the early morning service we stepped into a shuttle headed for Nairobi. Our goal is to be at the immigration office early in the morning.   

We traveled through the Rift Valley and watched for animals along the way.  Zebras were grouped together as they grazed in the open land.  Gazelles and antelope dotted the vast land before us that ended with magnificent mountain ranges against the sky line.  We crossed the equator and continued toward the city before us.

February 24, 2014 (Monday) We thank the Lord for his hand of protection and bringing safely to Nairobi. As tired as we were last night we found it hard to fall asleep. The city noises that never sleep kept us up for some time.  We were securely locked in with barred windows and doors and a strong gate around the compound with a guard outside. Security is a very big issue especially in the city.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The Sign Is Up!

February 13, 2014 (Thursday) The church in Taito is now expanding and there will be more room for the school children as well.  Today we have finalized the purchase of an adjacent plot and the size of our property has doubled.  It is a great opportunity to have this land available to us and to know that God has great things planned for the people and the children of Taito including the surrounding villages.

Our compound is well protected night and day.  Should anyone decide to make an unexpected night visit they just might have a big surprise! One man that travels with the caravan has six sets of twins. He has twelve children in all and is one happy man :)

February 15, 2014 (Saturday) It was a difficult day and it seemed like everything went wrong.  The Education Dept. of Kenya has several requirements that we must meet to be registered.  One of them is we must have a sign by the main road.  The artist did a wonderful job on the sign and it was time to have it delivered to Taito. We tied the sign to the top of the car, we found some workers and we carried cement in the back of the car with us. It was a sure and easy thing to get done and we had planned to do it first thing in the morning. Then we could move on to the other things we had planned for the day.The holes were dug and the sign placed but to our surprise the two sided sign could not be seen from one side as the row of small shanty type shops covered up one side. The sign poles needed to be longer.

We sent someone to the next village to see if they had a welder that could fix the sign poles for us. The answer brought back to me was “yes.” The sign is big and we don’t always have a car available to us.  The guys got a public transportation van (matatu) to stop and they tied the sign on top for an added fee and they were on their way.  The twenty minute job went on for a couple hours while I sat by the road with a couple cement bags. The sun is beating down on me and it is hot, hot, and just plain hot!  When I called to see what was happening I was told that the welder didn’t have any more piping to add to the posts so they were out looking for some.  They had traveled a good distance and had gone to four places but could not find any. 

Finally we found what we needed and I thought for sure the sign would be ready shortly.  Again, no word, no workers, and I'm still by the road in the hot sun with the cement bags.  When I called this time to see what was happening I was told that they were at the welders but he didn’t have any welding sticks so they were out hunting for some.  This might sound unusual but this is an ordinary day trying to accomplish something in a third world country.  It’s after three o’clock now and still the men have not returned and the sign is still not up.  When I call this time I’m told that they are standing beside the road waiting for a car to stop so they can come back with the sign but no one has stopped yet.

It’s close to five o’clock now and I’m ready to call it quits for the day.  A bit frustrated and discouraged I call one more time and tell them to leave the sign at the welders and we will deal with it on Monday morning.

February 16, 2014 (Sunday) As I entered through the gates of the Kitale Main Prison I was surprised at the large and clean campus before me.  There were several religions represent inside with their mosque or church building.

As we stood outside the building where we would have our meeting we could hear the women inside already signing praises to the Lord. We entered this bricked up court yard with the open sky above us. There was a room behind where I stood that the guards used.  It looked out over the area. We had guards at the door as it closed behind us and three inside with us.  On one brick wall a big cross had been painted with flowers to the sides of it. 

Most of the women sat on the floor in their black and white striped sac dress. Their name was crudely written on a patch stitched to their one and only gown.  About twenty of the sixty women that were waiting for me to speak had CR written in red capital letters on the front of their gown.  These women had been sentenced for life. Some were very young and others showed the signs of age. About five children were passed around, held and hug.  They are permitted to keep their children here until the age of five. Some stood and shared a testimony.  One was there because she threw her little baby into the river one night when it was dark.  Her father had argued with her about the trouble the baby had brought to them.  They sang with passion and from some tears did flow.

They sat quietly as I spoke and enjoyed the interaction.  There was a time of being light hearted and there was a time of being serious.  At the end of our time together eleven women gave their heart to the Lord.  They came forward and stood in front of all the other women as we prayed together. There was a time of prayer for the sick and tormented and we saw God work in marvelous ways.

We said our goodbyes and were asked to leave first.  As I was about to step through the doorway one of the women prisoners ran and grabbed hold of me. She just hugged me while saying, “thank you, thank you, thank you.”  This woman had been suffering greatly and been set free.  I was happy to tell her “God did that for you. He loves you!”   The spontaneous hug and her overwhelming gratefulness for what had transpired in her life brought tears to my eyes.  We serve a God that is alive and powerful. One that doesn’t have any barriers.  The prison walls could not keep him out :)

February 17, 2014 (Monday) After a rest and a Sunday that just filled my heart with joy I’m ready to meet the task of the “sign” again. The sign was transported to the site and the holes were dug.   Before they mixed the cement I suggested we that we should have a trial run first and put the sign in the holes to make sure everything is ok.  Yes, there is more to the sign story!   The welder added post to each leg of the sign but not evenly.  One side is much longer and that side is on the high side of the slope where we are placing the sign.  We dig the hole deeper , trying to make sure the welded areas will be in the cement for added strength as the welder decided to only weld three sides of the post instead of all the way around.

We are finally ready to place and cement the sign in the ground.  The workers went to get the bags of cement that were locked up for safe keeping and find that someone has traveled with the key!  Well the story ends with success and the sign looks wonderful.  We had quite a crowd gathered around us while we were there working.   

Before we leave a car stops and a woman gets out.  She comes to me with beads in her hand and tells me she has a gift for me. I have never seen this woman before and I was a bit puzzled as to what was happening.  She ties this headband from the Pokot Tribe on my head.  We exchange greetings and I ask her if she lives here in the area and she says no.  She then tells me that she had seen me sitting by the road on Saturday but when she came back with my gift I had left.  Today she had the gift with her and she was ready when she saw me. It was a quick conversation and after she presented her gift to me she left as quickly as she came. 

God knew how discouraged I was on Saturday and how disappointed I was at the progress we were making or maybe I should say the lack of progress.  He knew that on Monday I faced even more of the same and he sent me a gift from heaven.  He does care about the things that we are going through and he speaks to us in various ways. He speaks love to us even by using a woman that suddenly stops and crowns my head with tribal beads and leaves never to be seen again.

The Chief and Elder stopped to express their appreciation for helping the children in Taito and the villages beyond. As we sat in the shade of a big tree he gave his word that he stood with us as this project went forward.  He encouraged us to bring any problems to him that we might have with the parents and he would personally attend to them.  He wants to see the children educated. He wants to see the school grow and help his people in the village have a better life.  Before leaving he stepped into the school and he saw that the children were attentive and learning.  He left very happy!

There are times of discouragement but they are replaced with seeing a job accomplished and a heart filled with joy.  In fact there are times I am blessed beyond words by the out pouring of love I feel from those around me.

Galations 6:9  And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

Amazing Protection

February 6, 2014 (Thursday) After visiting and checking with the children’s homes in the area we still have not found a place for the children that lost their mother.  Most children’s homes will not take the teenage children as they find that children of the age are very often a bad influence to the younger children.  We are also finding that these homes are completely full with a waiting list. Children are taken off the streets, placed in a home by a sponsor and four or five more take their place. Orphans, street children, run a ways continue to flow into Kitale from the mountain and the villages. They often leave in search of a better life or because of continued abuse at home. Placing and caring for the children in a home, including medical care and putting them in school,is also very costly.

We are trying to keep the children together as a family unit so we have waited to see what doors God will open.  Today that prayer has been answered.  A pastor that I know to be a man of integrity has offered to take all of the children into his home.  Knowing that he has four children of his own my first concern was his wife’s thoughts on his kind offer.  They are both in agreement and I’ve been told that throughout their married life they have housed many orphans.  They have already started to look into ways of adding on to their traditional mud house.  The children will be in a different village but will grow up in a family unit that loves the Lord.  There will be much we can do to help this family get ready for the new arrivals!

February 8, 2014 (Saturday) Last night I received a call from another missionary and a great friend of mine.  Joni and I have taught and worked together for a few years in western Kenya.  She had called to tell me she was very sick and felt like passing out.  When I arrived at her place and saw her I knew she could not make it through the night by herself.  We called a driver and took her to Cherangani Nursing Home, the best hospital in this area.  She was diagnosed with high levels of malaria and food poisoning.  They gave her on injections immediately and the process of healing started.

We have children coming to school from three villages and one of them is Makoi.  We have been out visiting each of the children’s homes in all of the villages.  Today we are going to try and finish up the last few homes in Makoi.  Knowing that the terrain we will be walking in can be challenging at times I make sure that I wear my sneakers.

Our walk into Makoi starts from a dirt road which is traveled on by donkeys, motorbikes, people, cows, and a few bicycles but we quickly leave the road and step into the fields and foot paths that lead us into the hills. The ground is dry but there are places where the water flows that we must jump across.  I usually jump successfully but today I landed on the other side then slipped back and landed in muddy dark water. When I pulled one foot out it had something dark wrapped around the ankle. My heart stopped but my ankle went into this panic type of shake as I thought it was a snake.  It came off and it turned out to be a deteriorating piece of a corn stalk. 

 

The challenges within the hills are great and the people don’t always see the need for schooling.  We are working new ground and it is not always easy. As we walk together the headmaster informs me that he is realizing that this is not a good area. He goes on to say that even his animals appreciate him but here the people don’t.  When he goes home at night his animals are happy to see him.  They are very happy when he gives them food.  They appreciate him!  Here in the villages the people are set in their ways, they have a mindset that is hard to change but one day the walls will come down!

At the end of an eight hour day of walking through open land, thorn bushes and being covered with burs we can say that we have visited all the children in Makoi.  We have seen those that prefer to teach their children to steal from the school instead of encouraging them to learn.  We have heard far out stories of how we have come to make money off their children. There is even a rumor that we are devil worshipers and people have been advised to stay away from us.  There are small and silly excuses as to why they won’t let their children come to school. The area is under such dark control and the people lack an education that would help them see the light.  Even though we face conflict before us and around us there are those that are excelling in the education offered to them.  Their eyes are shining as they are opened to a new and wonderful world.  Little Abbie scored the highest on her year end test. Her eyes are big and bright and she glows as we walk down the path to her house.  There are children running barefoot around the mud hut and their dirty little faces are in awe as they see the white woman.   

Little Sammy lives with his grandmother. He sees us coming and runs to greet us. He shows his love for the headmaster with a great big hug and a huge smile!  His grandmother is thankful for the school and says they can’t eat a meal now unless he prays first!  As we listen Sammy counts to thirty it is something that he is very proud to do for us. As we leave and walk back to our starting point we meet others along the way that are so excited to see us in their area. The sun has been very hot today and we carry layers of dust on our tired bodies.

Saturday is also wash day at the school. Uniforms, sweaters and socks are all washed by hand and then placed in the sun the dry. 

It's a long tedious process but it gives a couple mothers money to help with their school fees. 

Not only are the clothes washed but the shoes are cleaned as well. On  Monday morning everyone will be looking their best!

February 10, 2014 (Monday) Yesterday after the morning service the pastor asked me to check on a sick visitor from the states. He was very worried about her as she had gone for medical help and was not getting better.  She had been sick for two weeks now and her request was to be sent home.  We took her to the hospital and they ran some blood work and gave her meds but this morning she was still in pain and she was not able to hold any food down.  She packed and arrangements were made for her to go home but first we stopped in a hospital in Eldoret which is a two hour drive away.

Traveling in Kenya is always risky as the potholes can be severe and everyone is winding around them so they won’t ruin their car. They are traveling at high speeds on the wrong side of the road most of the time. Then there is an issue with animals not knowing where the road starts and stops.  Motorbikes used as moving vans or to carry three or four people at once are not an uncommon sight on the roads either. We can’t forget the bicycles and donkey carts that slow down the process of travel just a bit too! Today as our driver tried to pass a much overloaded bus the bus pushed us off the road.  The thought process here is “I’m bigger and have more rights to the road than you!” It was a few anxious moments but our driver managed very well and kept us upright with clouds of dust swirling around us.  As close to an accident as this was I will never forget what happened to us on January 16, 2014.

Joni and I were traveling to visit a home for street girls in Malisaba. This home is teaching the girls a trade so that they are equipped to take care of themselves when they leave.  On our way we went to pass a truck and out of nowhere we were faced with a car at high speed in our lane and inches from us. All I had time to do was gasp it was a sure hit and probably a sure fatality for everyone involved.  I don’t know how it happened but within the blink of the eye we were removed from the situation and safely put on the other side of the car coming straight at us. What happened to us was impossible in the natural, it was God, and it was the angels of the Lord watching over us.  It was a sure head on high speed collision with no way to avoid it but God took over and removed us from sure death.  We were there and then we were not.

Eldoret is a hospital that is more advanced than what we have here in Kitale. However, it is still not like our hospitals at home. When I went to wash my hands the dirty water flowed directly into a bucket under the sink. It is not always easy to place yourself in the hands of doctors and lab techs so far from home. More tests were run on this girl and she really didn’t know who to believe anymore.  This would be the third place that has tested her for various things. She has been told that she has brucellosis, typhoid, ecoli and possibly appendicitis or gallstones.  Here they ruled out everything except typhoid.  They gave her an IV drip to hydrate her, meds to ease the pain and calm the stomach and then set her free to travel.  She was very happy to finally be on her way home where she had a doctor waiting for her.

 

February 11, 2014(Tuesday) The sun was already hot and it was only early morning. Theresa had received a call that there were some emergency needs in Kipsongo slums. As we traveled into the area there were piles of garbage beside the road with both humans and animals feeding from the waste. 

 

Inside one of the buildings adults and children sat while they were being treated for jiggers, a parasite, that is found in their feet because they don’t wear shoes.  Many will sit and have a friend dig them out with a needle; others will try to smoother then with Vaseline because the medicine is too costly for them to buy. 

The little children are brought before us and Patricia, a woman who lives in Kipsongo, tells us their story one by one.  There are many needs here and today we are only hearing those that call for immediate help.  The two and half year old little boy she holds in her arms doesn’t offer to move.  He is lethargic and obviously in a serious condition. 

Another little one has a severe infection in both eyes.  These two little guys are taken to the hospital without delay.   

 

The doctor exams the two and half year old and says that he is at death’s door because of lack of food.  He is perfect in every other way. He has an older sibling and a younger sibling but they have been fed and cared for by their mother. It is hard to understand how one child can be so neglected and rejected by his own mother.

February 12, 2014 (Wednesday) A special day for a special boy!  Rehan is celebrating his first birthday. Theresa has made a big chocolate cake and has ice cream to go with it. It is a big treat for everyone! Rehan loves it and decides to make sure he gets it all...even lapping the bottom of the bowl.

He comes up out of bowl with a great big smile! Rehan’s mother, a very young girl, died from complications at child birth.  His tribe believes that a baby coming from such a tragedy can only be cursed so they would not want him around.  This two week old little baby was very weak and frail when Theresa took him in.  Without her love and attention he probably would not be with us today.

Psalm 91:11-14 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

Exodus 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.