Walking and Talking

It was Sunday the 21^st of February and the sun was shining bright. However in the heavy rain season you don't travel far without an umbrella and a raincoat. So with my back pack properly filled I proceeded to start my journey to the big tent in town. I hadn't gotten far when I was invited to join a couple from the USA and travel with them to a church in Tuwani. This couple is not only from the USA but once lived in South Berwick, Maine! It was the second service at Grace Way Harvest Chapel and the seats began to fill. Small children filled the area close to the front. We lost power at the beginning of the service but the praise from their hearts continued on. One young man stood and said that his heart had been searching for Jesus and today he wanted to accept him as his Lord and Savior.

A church school next door gives over one hundred small children a free education. The need is so great in this area that Bob & LuAnn www.africaconnect.org, along with the church elders are preparing to expand and add more classrooms. The children are given breakfast and lunch along with their daily lessons. A hand dug 80 foot well gives the children clean water.

I spent the afternoon with Tina Eppler. The dark clouds were rolling in as we walked to the Mount Elgon Hospital. Tina used to teach at Windham Christian Academy and lived in Standish, Maine! Tina has been overseeing the care of a baby girl called Tracy. Tracy is around 17 months old and she pulled a kerosene lamp onto her head. The burn is massive and extreme. Infection had set in as care had not been given promptly.

Monday morning I started to town a little earlier than usual. I wanted to see if I could get more accomplished before the rain started in the afternoon. I 'm walking and talking with the Lord and just asking him to direct my feet and to help me to connect with the people he wants me to. I take a boda boda (pedal bike) and tell the driver to take me to the tent in town. We get to town and he goes past the tent. I decide not to stop him as there is a market area ahead and it is a new area that I have not walked in. So at the market I tell him to stop and I get off the bike. As I am paying him I hear my name called out. He had dropped me off right in front of a native Christian lady named "Beth". She recognized me from a church meeting I had attended. Beth speaks English fluently and her face just shines with the love of Jesus. She spent the rest of the day walking me through the different areas of town. We visited and prayed with a woman in a close by village.

This woman was so happy to have us visit that she tried and tried to send me home with a rooster. She would have given me a hen but she felt they were too small! After much insisting we came to the agreement that I would take a picture of her with the rooster and take that with me. She had such a giving heart but I was not prepared to carry a live rooster by the legs the rest of day.

Kipsongo, one of the slums here is another place we visited. There are rows and rows of sheet metal homes on both sides of the road just a short distance from the center of Kitale. Another source of shelter is an igloo shaped home made of plastic bags and trash that they have collected to help protect them from the elements. These homes built from trash are lived in by people of the Turkana and Pokot tribes. Years back they were suffering from hunger because of a drought in the land. They left northern Kenya and came to Kitale in hopes of a better life. They were rejected and have lived as outcasts often finding their daily food pawing through garbage. Kipsongo means "Place of the dogs".

Tuesday the 23^rd As I start to walk the market area this morning I am greeted by a little girl named "Esther". She is about 8 years old, bare foot and very dirty. She is one of the Kitale street children. Esther is hungry so we find a place that serves tea and bread. She is somewhat apprehensive about coming in and sitting down. I believe she was afraid she was going to be scolded and sent away.

Esther has a beautiful smile and it doesn't take long for 2 glasses of water, 1 cup of tea and a big round piece of flat bread to disappear. Then she was more than willing to finish the rest of my coke. She also wanted a bar soap which we soon found in the open air market. Even though Esther's eyes and big smile said thank you loud and clear she made sure she said 'thank you' several times. Esther is not alone. There are many street children living each day with the hope of finding food to take the hunger pains away.

On Wednesday I traveled one hour out of Kitale to a pastoral / leadership school with a couple from Israel. Greg & Beverly have many classes being held in different areas. Today's class is held in Endebess. It is a quiet area and many are preparing the ground for planting. There are grass and mud huts all around the church building that is being used for three classes. Children peek in the large open windows as the lessons are being taught. Many are waiting for their special treat of "gum" that Beverly gives them at the end of the day. Greg & Beverly will soon be going to Sudan to teach a two week class. I will be filling in for Beverly and teach the women's class while they are gone.

Psalm 68:4 & 5

Sing to God, sing praise to his name, extol him who rides on the clouds- his name is the Lord- and rejoice before him. A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

Love Mercy

It is Monday morning the 15^th and I'm packed and ready to catch my bus on the other side of Nairobi. Extra time is planned to make sure I arrive on time. However the taxi showed up 30 minutes late and because of traffic jams it took 1 hour and 30 minutes to go 5 miles. Yes, I missed the bus. They wanted me to take the night bus but I told them I didn't want to travel at night. They got permission to put me on a bus to Nakuru which is going in the same direction but only part way. They called the Kitale bus driver and told him to wait for me at Nakuru. As they are loading my suitcase the manager says "now don't blame us if it doesn't work out". That isn't exactly the last words you want to hear as you step onto a bus that is only going part way! I thought probably I would be the only white person but I was wrong. They had given me a seat beside a doctor from Iowa who was here for a couple more weeks. We arrived at Nakuru and I quickly checked the sign in the window of the two buses that were parked. Yes, one of them said "Kitale". My suitcase was loaded. I passed through their security check and I asked how long before the bus would leave. I was told, "We are leaving now." "You are the one we have been waiting for." Isn't God good! That just doesn't happen without God.

Tuesday morning I met with Joanne. She is from Canada and has been working in this area for a few years with www.lovemercy.com She works with the street children and also in some of the surrounding slum areas. She has been ministering to approx 600 women. More than half of them are widows.

We traveled to Moi's Bridge with a guest speaker from Oklahoma. The women wrapped in colorful cloth entered the church with babies tied to their backs. Once the seats were full they began to sit in the center aisle and also sit on the floor up back. Claudia shared openly to approx.300 women about her very abusive childhood and her troubled life. Something happened to her though when she asked Jesus into her heart. They could hear and see how the Lord Jesus has changed her life. They realized that in their battles Jesus was there for them also.

It was only my first day here in Kitale but I was able to meet so many that I knew from last year. While buying groceries I met Beverly. She and her husband, Greg, teach pastors on Mt Elgon. I also met Jeff. He and his wife have taken in over 70 babies that have been orphaned in this area.

On Wednesday Claudia shared her testimony to another group in Kapenguria. The attendance again was close to 300 women. We went to the Kitale Prayer House in the afternoon. It has been a full day. Claudia has blessed the women of this area in an amazing way. They have seen and heard how God can change a person's life and they realize God can do the same for them.

I return to the Karibuni Lodge in Mili Mani at the end of the day. It is a beautiful and peaceful place to stay. We are surrounded by beautiful trees, bushes and cacti in bloom. The birds start our day with singing before the sun hits the sky. www.karibunikitale.com

The heavy rains have started and the rain drops are "big". When the clouds roll in everyone needs to find shelter. Everything stops when it rains. People will gather on the corner under a covering and just stand there waiting for it to stop. If they are in the store no one will leave. They will stand at the entrance way and just watch the rain come down. Waiting is not a problem but the rain drops are. It has rained every afternoon. We don't have generators here and when it rains the power goes out. So we light the candles and go to bed early. It is not unusual to be in bed at eight.

Kitale is one of the "base" stops before going into the mountain. You can buy supplies here and find pretty much anything you need. With the rain though it might be awhile before we travel too far in. The roads get very slippery and muddy. A four wheel drive has trouble getting through some areas. There are times when people are caught somewhere on the mountain and can't travel back because of rain.

Micah 6:8

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?

To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.

Drums and Dancing

February 9, 2010 Tuesday - A twenty or thirty minute matatu ride took us out of the busy city of Nairobi and into a small country village. It was good to see the country life once again. Pastor Joseph & Gladys had invited me to their home and to visit their daughter's school. A "white woman" walking by the window of the class room in session was more than the students could handle. One pops up then another and another. Smiles and waves start to spread from seat to seat. The teacher is soon seen at the window to see what was so interesting. It was "me". I hear him start to scold them and soon the room is quiet again and things go back to normal.

Knowing that I am not a great fan of the traditional "Ugali", Gladys tries to cook me "spaghetti". She did a good job and added chicken and sauce with potatoes & carrots. It was served with such love and a costly meal for a meager income.

Gladys has given a beautiful crocheted afghan hand made by Cindy Page. Cindy had requested it be given to a "special lady". Gladys has given nine years of her life to ministering to the street children of Nairobi. She has walked in garbage over and over again. She has gone without so that they could have food. She has had a knife held to her throat and her life has been in danger many times. I have seen the love that both she and her husband have for these children. So thank you Cindy for blessing Gladys. When I told Pastor Joseph that I had this gift for his wife he was so happy. He was laughing with joy and said "Oh, you are going to make her feel so young today." Gladys sang to the Lord after receiving it and she smiled all day!

Feb 10, 2010 Wednesday- Pastor Chris has returned from delivering his daughter to school. He has returned tired and sick. A blood test has revealed that he has malaria, typhoid and his ear is infected. He continues on as Fran Iris, a lady from our slum church, has suffered from abuse at home. She is a powerful worship leader but her husband has no interest in church. We go to Kenyatta hospital and find that she is in a coma. We are told she is close to death. It is visible that the situation is grim but with Jesus on our side we know that all things are possible. With our hands upon her we begin to pray for life to shine within her once again. She is tied to a bed by her arms using pieces of a torn sheet. The hospital waits for her husband or a family member to come in before they treat her. Her husband is summoned by the pastor's stern call.

Feb 11, 2010 Some women from church carried water into the hospital today to wash Fran Iris with. They found her condition is improving! How great our God is. Today there is life in Fran iris eyes and she is recognizing faces! We thank God for all that he is doing in her life.

Feb 13, 2010 Saturday is usually not a day for the "Holy Spirit Pentecostal Church" to have a service. My Sundays have been spoken for of late and I don't speak out at night so they decided to open the church on Saturday. This invitation takes me into a slum I have never been to before. Kigami is about a 20 minute ride out of Nariobi. We arrive at the market area. There are goods for sale everywhere. There are stacks of beautiful colored cloth being sold by Somali women. I bought some cloth with a blue pattern to wrap around me when I go to Kitale. The minute they found out I like the blue pattern everyone was pulling out cloth from their stacks that had blue in it. I had service like you can't imagineJ There are many similarities within the slums and Kigami is no different. We walk down, down and further down the hill. My thoughts start thinking about after the service and how we are going to walk up, up and further up the hill in the hot sun. The Lord is my strength!

After having a muffin and soda at the pastor's home with some of his church members we walk to the church. It is a short walk from his home. We follow a small path out behind some homes. I see faces through the bushes. They stop what they are doing and just watch me walk by. I always try to address everyone either with a smile, a hello or a quick wave. It is amazing what a smile can do! It brings such happiness into their life to think that someone from America would come here and walk amongst them. When that person notices them their hearts fill with joy!

The church is dark inside with a dirt floor and sheet metal sides and roof. The men sit on one side of the church and the women the other. The drums begin to beat louder and louder. There is a small drum for one of the younger girls to use.

She is singing and her bare feet are dancing while she beats the drum at the same time. A couple of the men have much larger drums made with cow hide and dried by the open fire. After the time of song is over it is time to pray. The one door is closed and held shut by an old tire so that they may pray in darkness. Pastor John then welcomes me to speak and with Violet, my interpreter, the word is shared. Gifts of ties and pencils from America are given out to each one present.

February 14, 2010 It is hard to believe it is already Sunday. The week has gone so quickly. Children gather on the benches outside. They are very happy to see me coming. Last Sunday I spoke at the church near the river so I was not here. Each one comes to the front and shares a song, and then we have a time of review and the Bible story for the day.

Without the generator running the speakers and microphones are not being used. It is a little quieter in the church day. The songs within their hearts are still flowing heaven ward though. I see the hardships of their daily lives. I see how they go without. I hear the tight coughs from being cold at night or from the dust that fills the dry land. They struggle to give their children one meal a day. Then I see how praise erupts from their hearts when we come together. They have a dependence on the Lord that has brought their hearts closer to Him.

A cross made by Jan Hastings's late husband was given to the church in Kawangware slums today. It will be placed on the inside front wall of the church. Pastor Chris stated that it should remain with the church even when he is gone. The men looked it over in detail and praised his workmanship. It was a gift that touched their hearts. His work and giving heart has and continues to bless many.

Before speaking five more brand new Swahili Bibles were given out. They are beautiful and way too expensive for someone here to ever think of buying for themselves. Nancy Horn we thank you for the box of Swahili Bibles that you donated to this area. They now have the opportunity to consume the Word of God. Thank you!

We had a time of prayer for those that needed healing within their body after the service. Then there were those that came because they wanted to be closer to Jesus. It was a time of refreshing for many.

Fran Iris continues to improve every day. She not only recognizes people but she is now asking for food. We thank the Lord for his touch upon her life.

Psalm 5:3 In the morning, O Lord, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation.