Sheets of Rain

Sunday the 28^th of February I venture off into a new area on the outskirts of Kitale. Elvis, a young man that works at that Karibuni Lodge, invited me to join his family at their church in Liavo #8. The main road is full of people walking, bikes with passengers on the back, motorcycles, cows, and sheep. We soon leave the main roads behind and travel down a small dirt road with farm land and huts around us.

Many are working on their maize. A canvas spread out on the ground holds piles of maize. Men will fill their buckets full of maize and then spill it through the air and wind blows the lighter particles away. This is done over and over again. Then the women sit amongst the piles of maize and pick out the bad pieces so that it can be put in sacks for the market.

Elvis is the oldest of seven boys. He is married and has a little girl who was born in December. His wife and baby greet us and chai is quickly served. The family land is used to care for the whole family. It is the culture here that children do not live in the same house with their parents once they reach the age of 5 or 6 – especially the boys. Elvis' father has made a room outside the main house for his sons. The kitchen is also a separate building of its own and of course Elvis and his wife have their own home.

The Ecclesia Church is very close to the "Seed of Hope" orphanage & school http://teamkenya.bucknerconnect.com/. Elvis and his brother help with the worship and interpretation of the service. There are many at church and the front rows are filled with children. After the service we pray for the pastor's youngest daughter. While in a hospital in Germany she was given only 3 days to live because of holes in her heart. It has now been three months since that grim report was given. In the church clinic sat a young mother with her new baby. She has time here to regain her strength and be cared for before returning to her village. We pray over the mother and child and then proceed to walk down the straight road to Elvis family's home for lunch. While eating lunch the clouds rolled in from the mountain. The banana trees swayed in the strong winds. Then the clouds broke over us and sheets of rain covered the area for over two hours. Large buckets were quickly gathered and strategically placed to catch the rain water. Knowing the length of the road covered in red clay and the condition it was in when I arrived I now wondered how I would return to the lodge. Two hours of heavy rain on top of an already muddy road with large pot holes would make it almost impossible to travel on. The wind slowed down and we decide to face the weather and start to walk. We had called a taxi but never expected that he would drive in on such a road to pick us up. Up ahead we see a car coming toward us. Slowly and with precise moves he makes it to us. The front window wears the marks from someone throwing stones at his car. We happily jump inside and the car stalls because there is a problem with the battery. He adjusts the battery cables and off we go. A few miles down the road we have a flat tire. With the car right in the middle of the road he proceeds to change the tire. Then there is just one more adjustment to the battery cable and we are on our way.

After a day full of new people and visiting happy homes we made it back to the lodge safely.

Isaiah 55:10 & 11 As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.