It is Monday morning the 15th 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.
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