EyeCare Kenya: Safe Arrival

The eyecare team arrived safely this evening. They were of course stopped at customs and questioned profusely about the 27 pieces of luggage, some of the boxes being HUGE. They were told they should've gone through the Ministry of Health to request permission to bring the equipment in, to which Dr. Fitzgerald just kept saying, "We're so sorry. Now, what can we do? Is there someone else I can talk to?" The officer was adament that he is it. He could march them around Nairobi to various offices, but it's night time, so really, what could he do? (Other than keep all the stuff there till Monday!) He didn't ask for a bribe, nor have them pay taxes. After about 20 minutes of discussion, he simply said, "You can go."

They're all upstairs at Mayfield, trying to get over the fact that THEY'RE IN AFRICA.
And that the airplane had to circle before landing because there was livestock on the runway... (The international airport is right next to Nairobi National Park.)

Tomorrow morning, two vehicles will come to collect their luggage and take it to Eldoret by road. I'll take them to the Giraffe Center, then catch the new afternoon flight to Eldoret.

By 4 pm tomorrow, they'll be welcomed home by 100 children... They don't know this, of course, so it'll be fun to see their response to this moving welcome.

technorati tags:eyecare, Kenya, customs

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Laura's Final Update

Journal Entry from September 7, 2006

Well, I just crossed over the Atlantic and am somewhere over St. John’s, Canada. I just spent last week in Eastern Europe visiting [dear missionary friends of mine], Al and Stacy Anderson in Czech Republic. It was great to tour about 5 cities in 3 countries in 6 days, but it was even greater just to spend time with them after an experience like Kenya, especially with Stacy who I could process a bit with and know she understands cross cultural adjustments! It was also a blessing to see their lives there and see face to face the people that they serve. God is doing such diverse things in this world!

I just re-read my last entry while still in Kenya. I sense God compelling me to share it with you all. I pray that it will encourage you in whatever doubts or fog you find yourself in.


While I’ve shared several stories of the Kenyans here and what God is doing through ELI, I haven’t shared much of what God has been doing in my own heart. As many of you know, this is a pivotal time for me as I finish my Master’s degree (1 more class!) and jump into the next unknown season God has for me. So here goes:

Nakuru National Park, Kenya (8.29.06)

Safari with Adele . . . this is my last full day in Kenya. This morning we hit safari by 7 am and saw hundreds of flamingos, cranes and pelicans as the sun glistened on the water and the mist rose. It was almost blinding as I faced this scene, making out only the black profiles of the birds. Here are the verses that call out to me as I sit at Nakuru Lodge looking down into the park and lake:

“We don’t see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering though a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us. But for right now, until that completeness, we have three things to do to lead us toward consummation: Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.” (1 Cor 13:12-13, The Message)

Yesterday, just minutes before Adele and I left, Dorcas, who is on “leave” as a children’s home parent (of 24 kids!) because of giving birth to her second biological child, invited me in for my first chai with her, but last chai with the people of Kenya. The spirit of God spoke through her. She talked about the wrestling match that Jacob had with God in the middle of the night. She did not know this, but this passage has been my theme passage for this past year (ever since my pastor spoke at our retreat last November), so I knew God had something to say to me through her.

As I shared with her the longings of my heart and the uncertainty of future calling, especially as a single woman, she shared that maybe God still wants me to wrestle with Him a bit and to HOLD ON to Him with BOTH arms, embracing him. She declared that He would provide these longings of my heart in a way that felt like your voice speaking to me. While I don’t think that your word promises to provide everything we desire, I sensed your promise through her words. As she shared I began to cry. The clock was ticking . . . I knew Adele was waiting for me. Dorcas came and sat beside me on her couch, held me and invited me gently to let the tears roll. So I did. Being held by this African woman was your tangible, healing embrace I will forever be changed by.

Thank you Lord for the arms of healing that embraced my tears, just as you allowed me the privilege of embracing Nellie, the woman we went to visit at Mt. Elgon, as she shed her tears in my arms. You are so mighty and have not forgotten a single one of us. And Lord while I may be frustrated that while I thought I would discover your exact plan for this next season, your Word and the time with Dorcas in the last 24 hours seems to be speaking loud and clear. Just like the mist this morning, I will continue to peer through it, wrestle with you and to simply “trust steadily, hope unswervingly and love extravagantly.” Lord help me to simplify how I view purpose-draw me to the places and times to love extravagantly . . . and there I will see more clearly through the fog!

Lord, your word promises we will see clearly some day! And thank you for your promise through one of the girls at the children’s home that was singing a praise song “open doors, opening the way” (to heaven) . . . You started my time in Kenya with receiving this as my name (Chepyator/"Pioneer") and you have ended it with the same promise in the form of a praise from one of your precious children. Amen! Reveal to me in your timing what doors you want me to walk through and what doors you want me to open for others. Thank you for showering peace upon me during this time of uncertainty and for using Kenya and her people as a vessel!

Josh here for the final post

Hey guys I have had an amazing time here this last two-and-a-half weeks. This weekend was one of the highlights for me we got to go to the rainforest and take a hike in the morning then after lunch we went our seperate ways and read, prayed and wrote about what we felt God was doing in us.

The trip has been in my opinion a huge success for me growing in what I felt my calling is where the next step should be, and I have met some very amazing people doing work for God. The children here I will sorely missed also. We spent the afternoon with them Sunday playing outside. We played soccer, keep away, and then some basketball on their dirt court. Had a lot of fun with them and then at the end we gave them a small gift to each and said goodbye.

We start flying back on thursday night here at 11:50 p.m. (3:50p.m. central time) so please be praying for us as we are flying that everything goes smoothly and we do not miss any of our flights :). Thank you all so mouch for the prayers I greatly appreciate it and for funding me to be able to go. I pray God bless you tenfold for being obedient and giving when someone needed.

Josh

Painter Family & Josh

Well we are on the last legs of our journey now. We have seen and done quite a bit, learned a lot about ourselves and what our next step should be for missions work.

Yesterday we went to view another orphanage and see what things they did differently from Ilula, which I am still more partial to how Ilula does their childrens home. The day before that, Kevin and I went to do a home visit with a man who has HIV (his name is David Kibet). He was still all smiles and thankful for what God had given him (man! I need more lessons from that guy, for sure) He has been having alot of trouble with sickness lately so be sure to pray for him these next few days that he feels better and God does a miracle for him.

I love the food here also, all types fo new stuff to try from stews to this interesting stuff called ugali (it's a cross between mashed potatoes and rice with the consistency of angel food cake, but actually it's just ground corn, like grits).

I will hopefully be able to blog at least once more before we head for Nairobi again, so thank you all for your prayers and please keep them up especially through the end of next week as we are flying, that the two little girls make the airplane trips OK, and that we make it through London/Heathrow fine, also.

Painter Family & Josh

Well, it's Friday and we have made it through the first week with only a few bumps and bruises. (LOL) Much of our week was spent playing with the kids and learning some interesting stuff with Brian Albright, one of the resident missionaries. I have learned a lot from them and Adele (another missionary) this past week and look forward to learning much more.

This trip has been a very interesting eye opener so far both for myself and the Painters as well. We are all learning a lot about our calling and right where God wants us to be. I can see now this is a step I definitely needed to take to find out exactly what was next for me.

Today, we were at an AIDS campaign which they started with three different races: An 18-mile bike run and two foot races (one for the men and one for women.) There was also a worship team from California that played with a band that came up from Nairobi. They were amazing! You could put this Kenyan band up them against and U.S. worship team any day of the week.

Well I have to get out of here and head to bed. Thanks for your prayers.

Josh

A few days gone bye

Well we are slowly adjusting jet lag was still rough last two nights but I think the worst is over. We are going to go look at a few other childrens homes through the week and then friday we will be going to an Aids awarness campaign. The childrens in the homes here are very fun, they warm up to u fast and are playing with the painters kids too. I am enjoying my stay so far looking forward to what we have to do the rest of the week.

Josh

We Are here

Hey guys Josh here. We made it to Nairobi Saturday Evening and went to a missionary guest house where we slept like rocks. Then went to a fairly large Morning service on sunday at the nairobi baptist church. After we went and got Calzones at the local market place. Then we had our last one hour flight to Eldoret yesterday as soon as we got here (It was pouring bye the way) the 100 orphans greated us bye singing and gave all of us red and yellow roses. We then ate supper also very good local food Keaton and Karly both really enjoyed being done with flying and having some food, Karly loves Chai also. So now we are here it is monday moring and we are getting ready to take a tour of the place and get to know the kids a little better. So Mom be sure to let Joel know his Bag he let me use was the only one small enough to take on the plain from the hethrow airport in London (that place was a mad house) All the new codes of conduct and allowances you are allowed to take on the plain they wont let anything bigger than a laptop bag go on the plain basically and no gels or liquids DOH. Oh and joels i pod nano was also a huge help no fans here so I had some noise still to sleep lol comforts of home. Well I will try and update as much as possible lova ya guys keep praying as we are going to be headed to the other village later this week I think. Oh the albrights are cool people also they are the head missionary family hear right now.

Josh

Painter Family Update: Arrived Safely

The Painter family and Josh Slate arrived safely in Kenya last night. All their luggage made it, too. They spent today in Nairobi, waiting for their connecting flight, and spent time in Kibera, the largest slum in Nairobi.

Tonight, after arriving in Eldoret, they were welcomed by pouring rain! The children from the children's home couldn't do their usual welcome for the wageni (visitors) but welcomed them in the dining room to the deafening sound of rain on the metal roof.

They then went over to the training center dining area for their welcome dinner, where everyone ended up singing "Happy birthday" to Keaton. She's learned how to say five in Kiswahili, since that's how old she is today.

The girls were excited to make new friends, and the kids here were as excited to see little ones like themselves arriving as guests. In fact, the kids at the homes were really stretching to be able to see the kids sitting down!

The rain has calmed down, and I'm sure they'll all be able to sleep well tonight. This will be a full week for them with lots to see and experience. Please pray for them for their adjustment and simply to be able to sense what God is teaching them through their time in Kenya.

Laura's Update: Pictures!

Beating dried beans with Navy and Emmy
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

Click on this photo to see more pictures of me in Kenya.

Laura's Update: Glimpses of the past 2 weeks

Habari friends and family! (How are you?)

It’s been almost 2 weeks since my last update and there are so many amazing experiences, adventures and tangible moments of God’s presence that I can’t possibly describe or reflect on them all. Instead, I thought I would try and describe a few images and memories to help capture these last two weeks.

• Riding on the back of a bicycle taxi (boda boda) up and down the hills of the Rift Valley through endless farms and villages (although usually we biked only down the hills because I weigh more than the men who were pedaling!)...with kids yelling “mzungu!” (white person!).
• Coming back from Kitale on the other side of the Rift Valley with untouched government land (no maize). As I looked out the window of the matatu (public van), I saw miles of green plains with acacia trees and sunshine peering through the ominous afternoon clouds.
• Walking miles everyday with Situma (head of the Kipkaren agricultural center) and Emmanuel (Kenyan intern) with rich conversations about God, community development, politics and culture.
• Hearing Situma try to speak with a Southern accent after my introductory lesson of “Hey ya’ll” and “I’m fixin’ to go eat some chicken.”
• Fitting 22 people in a 14 passenger public van! Fitting 8 people in a taxi barely the size of a Corolla, including 2 in the driver seat. “Like a spare tire, I am the spare driver,” said the passenger next to the driver.
• Singing and dancing to African praise music with 300 youth in Kipkaren in a small church. Personal space is a foreign concept here! I felt such a strong sense of corporate joy like I’ve never known.
• Watching dozens of people get baptized in the Kipkaren river before church while the African praises and roar of the river ushered these individuals into an everlasting declaration of Jesus’ love for them. What a joy it was to see, Cosmas, the night guard, get baptized after leaving alcoholism two years ago!
• Reading bedtime stories to the orphans in the children’s home by kerosene lantern. In exchange they taught me the routine drill when raising the Kenyan flag and their “pledge of allegiance.”
• With Situma and Emmanuel, I had the privilege of interviewing over 25 students who have graduated from ELI’s agricultural 6-month training program. I had the privilege of sitting in their homes and celebrating their victories, hearing about their challenges and failures and brainstorming together how to harness their resources in a way that is sustainable and life giving to their family and community.
• Sitting around with Situma’s wife and about 10 other women who are participating in a group “table banking” system. It has been great to see the things I’ve been reading about in school come to life!
• Meeting with Dorothy, ELI’s admin assistant, who has on her own started a micro loan business, using her own savings from her ELI salary. In the last 3-4 months God has used her to help improve the lives of 50 women! Not only are these women in a more secure financial place, but as I met some of them, I learned about the hope they now have because they realize God has created them for a unique purpose with unique gifts!
• Sitting around the warm coals of the portable cooking stove with Situma and Emmanuel in the evening chill. Sipping chai and sharing our testimonies. Situma was raised in a polygamous home (dad had 3 wives) and because there was no money to send him to secondary school, he borrowed the notes from his friends and taught himself for 4 years under a tree in the middle of their maize filed where no one could find him (the sons from the other wives wanted to curse any sibling who showed signs of being smart, since they were not successful in school. One brother had already been cursed and went from being good in school to mentally ill). As Situma watched the airplanes fly over him as he studied, he was inspired to press on and became #2 in school after he took the final exam!
• Although we were not able to visit Mt. Elgon for 3 days (see first blog for info on Mt. Elgon), we did go just for a day to encourage Nellie who is taking care of 5 children from her siblings who died of AIDS. Read Adele Booysen’s blog entry for to learn more about Nellie's unbelievable story. She is a true example of living by faith and forgiveness. After Adele and I prayed for her, I continued to hold Nellie as she started to cry in my arms. She shared that all her tears are flowing “inside” day in day out. I thank God that we were able to travel back to be a source of encouragement, as she does not have many other believers around her. Pray for her and that she would be a catalyst for change in this depressed community. We had a chance to also pray and share scripture with Nellie’s family and friends (who most are alcoholics) and one even exclaimed “I am in chains!” We believe that God has the power to release her and show her and others a new hope and way of life.

I hope this gives you an idea of what God is doing here in Kenya. Asante sana (thank you very much) again and again for being a part of it and for sending me through your prayers, finances, and encouragement. Know you are God’s vessel just as much as people like Nelly, Dorothy and Situma.

Bwana asifiwe!

Laura

Northside Update: It's Camp Time!

Youth camp attendee
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

Last night was the start of the 9th Annual Youth Camp at Kipkaren. For the third year in a row, the Northside team is leading the camp. So far, there are more than 300 attendees, and more are expected as days go on. Some attendees traveled as far as Nakuru (a 3-hour drive) to attend the camp.

Click on the picture to see some photos from today's events.

Northside Update

I spoke with our staff at Kipkaren today. Youth have been starting to arrive for the camp. They're expecting anywhere between 350 and 500 young people for the camp.

The team have been preparing for the camp. They've also been rebuilding the gazebo that collapsed last week thanks to termites. They have also been building a simple bridge over the river due to the fact that the big bridge also recently collapsed... The nurses on the team have been helping at the clinic.

Everyone's doing well. When they arrived in Nairobi, 9 pieces of their luggage wasn't there... Praise God that it all arrived the very next morning, and they were able to pick it up before heading out on the long drive to Kipkaren. They got stuck in very bad traffic near Nakuru and didn't move for 3 hours! Nevertheless, by the time they arrived in Kipkaren (12 hours later), they were all in good spirits!

Thank you for your continued prayers for them. Please pray especially that there won't be rain in Kipkaren this week while they have camp. (We've had PLENTY of rain, so the crops are fine. I wouldn't ask for you to pray for less rain had we not had a lot lately!)

Laura's Update: Singing in the Rain

I am back in Ilula now after spending last Friday-Wednesday in Kipkaren. This is the other main training center for ELI. What an amazing community to be a part of for almost a week! It has also been a blessing to spend time in fellowship with the Christian Assembly team (my home church). The conditions were somewhat rougher, the rain a lot more frequent, but all of that faded as I got to know the lives of the staff and people in the community. There are too many stories and lives I could try and describe, but I will indulge in sharing just one or two.

David Tarus, the director of the ELI in KipKaren, shared with us the story of a woman named Joyce. The next day a small group of us when and did a home visit to her place. A few months ago, David discovered she and her 5 children were homeless and sleeping in the fields at night. She has no husband. David offered her what he had left of his own small home, which was a 1 x 1 meter of space. She took it joyfully even as her chickens slept at their heads at night. She now works at the training center cooking and was able to move into a 6 x 4 meter dung hut. She gives praises to God that she now has a “paradise” to live in. On our home visit we helped dig the soil of her new shamba (farm) and plant seeds. We then prayed for her and her friend who came to help that day.

Now I’d like you to meet Betty. She is also on staff as one of the HIV/AIDS homecare counselors. She is HIV positive. A few years ago she found herself in a position of prostitution as a means to provide for her and her children. I believe she had already been diagnosed, but slept around almost as a form of vengeance for getting infected herself. Then she fell very ill, lost a lot of weight and was sure she now had AIDS. No one in her family or community would take care of her or even touch her. As other family members died community members would exclaim, “It’s not Betty who has died? She should have been the one to die!” She cried out desperately to God to help her. She admits her relationship with God back then was shallow. She only talked to Him when she needed something. It was about this time that someone from ELI came by and was the first person to love her, touch her and reach out. (I’m almost certain this was Juli McGowan, but the testimony was hard to hear). Through this tangible touch from God, she asked God to restore her health and not test positive for AIDS yet and that she would serve Him for the remainder of her days. She was re-tested and her count was back up and she did not have AIDS, but she was HIV+. Her energy began to come back. She now says the very thing in her life that will kill her one day is the gift she has to offer others by encouraging others to accept their disease, be responsible with it. She stands tall now because she knows God loves her and wants to use her life for a special purpose. I am humbled by her strength God has given her to use this horrible disease to bring hope to others.

On Monday, we had the amazing opportunity to greet 24 orphaned children to the new children’s home in Kipkaren. These kids range from 3-10 years old. Timidly, they got out of the jeeps with just the clothes on their backs and stunned at what they saw before them. At ELI, it is tradition to have a welcome service for any visitor who comes for a long or short stay. So picture the current 30 kids already settled at the children’s home, with flowers in their hands, ready to give to their new brothers and sisters as they sang welcome songs in Swahili and Kalinjin. A tied, decorated string was cut by one of the new kids after the director prayed for, introduced the new parents (foster parents) and welcomed the new kids. Then each child went down the welcome line and shook everyone’s hands receiving flowers (and their toothbrush!) as we sang to them. Then each child escorted a new child back to their huts as they sang. I can only say it was a precious, heavenly scene! Pray for their adjustment to their new environment, parents and siblings and for the nourishment they need-physically, emotionally and spiritually.

One day Brian and Kristen Albright took us up to a prayer rock that looks over the rift valley and the community they work in. Each year he comes to this place to see the things that God has done that year and to pray and visualize what God wants in the future. He pointed out where the new children’s home now is, was just an empty field last year. Same goes for the school that is nearing completion, the new kitchen that is being built, and the maternity ward that is almost done (thanks CA for this last two!) He pointed out the tin roofs as opposed to the thatch ones, which is a sign of economic growth. But he asked us to dream and pray big as we stood on this rock. That there would be LESS people going to their health clinic, that all the houses would have tin roofs that could drain off water for them to use, for a playing field for the children, for electricity and for a new bridge to replace the recently collapsed one that connects isolated villages to the life-giving principles taught at ELI. While this list seems too enormous, what ELI has discovered is their dreams are not nearly as big as God’s! So I as you to dream and pray with us. Don Rogers, the founder of ELI, determines the direction and places of ministry with one simply rule: “Where God is moving, that is where we will go to empower others.”

I personally became burdened for their health clinic. They do not have the means to fully treat preventable diseases like malaria simply because they do not have an amply supply of meds. They have one birthing table that is not in good condition and causes infections for the mothers and no cots after the birth to make room for new moms. This birthing bed costs US$75 and the cots less than that. It never ceases to amaze me how far money can go here to help even for the long-term. Their other “long-term” dreams are to have electricity and running water. If you are interested in supporting ELI in any way, including some of the needs I just mentioned, get on their website for more info.

On a personal note, I am doing well. I was a bit sick this past Wednesday (the day I asked for prayer for health!) and it passed very quickly! Bwana asifwe! (Praise the Lord). I was tested negative for malaria and feel fine now, 2 days later and 16 hours or so of sleep! These first few weeks feel more like my “cultural training” with some aspects of serving, but the next 3 weeks are going to be packed with some of the projects that ELI has assigned to me.

On Monday, I will go back to Kipkaren for 7-10 days to travel with Kenyan staff to villages to follow up with students that have gone through ELI’s 6-month agricultural training program. We will be developing an assessment tool to assist ELI in improving their training. I will also be trying to gather information and models about Micro-small enterprise and what their credit needs are and what financial services are available. This info will be helpful to ELI as they ascertain the model they want to launch in the future. These visits will also give us an idea of what types of measurable goals to give to new students that haven’t gone through the training program yet (which will make assessment later much easier!)

Praises: for overall health and feeling at home in this culture. That God is already doing amazing things here through the ideas and commitments of national Kenyans.
Prayer Requests: For wisdom and grace as I approach these multi-layered tasks...I feel like I am in over my head, but I think this is exactly where God wants me! God will receive that much more glory because I will know it is HIM not ME who accomplishes good things! For His peace and comfort and I will not be surrounded by any Americans or expat staff very much for the next 10 days.

I think and pray for you often! I will leave you with an wonderful African image and memory of mine from last week: Walking back from a home visit of a man dying of AIDS, the rain poured so hard and thunder and lightening came upon us that we took shelter in the closest hut we passed. We sat in this small little mud hut with a woman and her family, singing praise songs as we watched and listened the storm and tried to sing above the loud rain against the tin roof....our voices were drowned out but we kept on singing anyway...

Lala salama, (sleep peacefully! I write this as you are still sleeping!)

Laura/Chepyator

CA Update 2

(Editorial comment: You are welcome to post comments to these entries, and I'll print them and pass them to the team.)

There were 227 kids today at VBS. That's a new record! It is awesome to greet the children in the morning. They walk for miles in the rain to come sing, pray, play, make crafts, make & eat snacks and most of all, learn about the love that Jesus has for them.

Here are a few notes from team members:

Ayeola
Hey Monifa, How are you? What’s going on at home? I’ll try and call tomorrow maybe, because we’ll be in a town called Eldoret. Did Mom and Dad get my e-mail? Talk to you later.

George
Our VBS material has had us teach about King David and Esther. How appropriate as we teach 90 orphans and a host of very poor children that our lessons have been about a humble shepherd who became king and an orphan who became queen. These children who love the Lord may someday be leaders in Kenya. We are casting the vision and praying that God would raise up a generation of godly leaders.

Nate and Sara
We have spent some great quality time with our boy, Hillary, and his house brothers. Today they showed us their garden (and even gave us carrots!), the cows, the showers, and the new washing machine. Each night, we read them bedtime stories. We are having so much fun!

Karin
Thank you for your prayers for all of us. God is definitely in this place and has blessed us through these beautiful people. Time is going quickly and we only have 2 more days of Vacation Bible School. We had 277 today! Oh how these children reflect the love of Jesus. I wish you could see them!.

We are all in good spirits, in spite of the cold weather. Tomorrow, we get to sleep in before church, and then we’ll spend the afternoon in town.

Thank you again for your prayers.

-- The CA Kenya 2006 Team

CA: First day of VBS

I shall bow before You
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

(This update was written on Thursday, but couldn't be uploaded due to a power outage.)

Praise God, we arrived safe and sound. It is cold here! But we’re having a blast. 257 kids at the VBS today.

Here are some words from our team members.

Karen
I’ve never been so warmly welcomed in my entire life! The love of God is ever-present in this place, and I am humbled by the generosity here. The time we have been here has flown by, but the friendships and faces will long be remembered. The land and people are beautiful and I am blessed.

Ayeola
Hi Mom and Dad. I’m here and well. Sorry I couldn’t contact you sooner. I love you both. Can’t wait to share my experience with you both. Hopefully I’ll be able to contact you in Nairobi, until then... talk to you soon. Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!

Pat
Words cannot describe this experience, but there are hundreds of pictures.

Sonae
I have never sensed so much love in a community – I feel as though I’ve come home. God is very present in this place and worshipping Him here feels just right. Praise Him for all the work He is doing in Kipkaren and Ilula!

Josh
What a blessing it is to be here and serve with the Kenyans. There is such a sense of family here. When we arrive, they say to us, “Welcome Home!” It is amazing to feel so at home even though we are thousands of miles away! This place is truly amazing and it will hold a place in my heart forever. I miss you all – thank you for your prayers!

George
While we miss the family at home, we have been made to feel at home here. Our time here has stretched us and helped us view life from a new perspective. ELI is doing a great job of giving people hope!

Nick
The Lord has showed up in amazing ways for me. The up-close personal relationship with my Savior has been revealed at a new level.

Nate and Sara
What a privilege it is to be a part of this community. From welcoming 20 new orphans to the Children’s Home in Kipkaren to leading 250 children in VBS today, we see Jesus everywhere. We met our little boy (who we support), Hillary, yesterday here at the Ilula Children’s Home. What a true joy!

Julie
Greetings to you all from Kenya! Our time thus far has been amazing. The graciousness and hospitality of the people we have met is unlike anything I have ever experienced. I wish you could be here with us – and see the face of Jesus in the men, women and children. God’s word has been shared to many and as a result, heaven has been expanded! Praise be to God. I carry each of you with me in my thoughts and prayers. Thank you for your partnership and prayers on our behalf. I love you.

Brian and Kristen would also like to say thanks for the Pop Tarts and the cereal.

Thank you all for your support and prayers. God bless and we love you.

-- The CA Kenya 2006 Team

Laura's Update: Chased by a Headless Chicken

Greetings from Ilula, Kenya!

I am nearing the end of week #2 and there is so much I have learned about this culture that I pray God will use as ministry and development opportunities open.

Becoming a Kenyan
Yesterday I returned from my home-stay with a Kenyan family, the Ronos. I was quite nervous going into it, but it was such an amazing experience! Strong relationships were formed, especially with the wife, Navy, or “Mama Elijah” (parents go by the name of the eldest child here. Father is “Baba”).

With the exception of Monday when we traveled three hours to Mt. Elgon to attend a funeral of a close friend’s sister who died of AIDS (more on this later), my days were spent as a true Kenyan woman. I would get up at 5:30 to have chai with the kids before they went to school. Then Mama Elijah, Gogo (grandmother) and I would go to milk the cows. It was great to see them laugh at the small cup I milked in 5 minutes as opposed to their bucket!

Next, Navy and I would go to the well to fetch water and carry it on our heads back to the house. There's no time to rest though. After that, it was time to make breakfast and chai for the rest of the family and pastors that came for fellowship (prayer, devotions, worship). The Ronos live on the same grounds where Baba Elijah (Philip) heads up the ELI Drug and Alcohol Rehabilitation Center. Because of this ministry, there are always pastors, counselors (many who have graduated from the program) that would eat meals with us.

After breakfast (the kitchen is a separate mud hut, by the way), we would clean the dishes outside, do some other chores (hmmm . . . like slaughter a chicken for my goodbye lunch? Guess who did the slaughtering, and guess what happened when I let go after the head was off . . . the headless chicken chased after me as I screamed!) Other chores included carrying firewood on our heads from the nearby woods, and smearing the kitchen floor with cow dung and soil.

Then we’d prepare lunch. After lunch, we'd usually take sponge baths and so some other chores, or we'd have chai with visitors.

In the afternoons, I was given time to rest and prepare Bible studies that I led for the KAA (Kenya Anti-Alcohol) men at the rehab center. One of the surprising doors that God has opened both weeks includes chances to dialogue with men about the struggles they face. One day we even talked about Genesis 3 and how they view women and gender roles. Very interesting!

Helping at a Pastor's Conference
During my first week, I assisted with a pastor’s conference (all men, too) where it was their very first time ever talking about poverty issues and how to practically address it as a church. Some amazing conversations occurred and it was thrilling to see some of my Fuller classes come in handy! Bwana asifiwe! (Praise the Lord!)

Micro-Small Enterprises
God has been opening some amazing doors and bringing about what I believe to be divine contacts surrounding the ministry of micro-small enterprise (MSE). Brian Albright, my former colleague, has some contacts that he wants to set me up with to learn about so as to gather some models of what works for the MSE area that ELI is looking at launching. But in the last 3 days, people and conversations have crossed my path that is the beginnings of some exciting things as well.

Attending a Kenyan Funeral
I mentioned earlier that I attended a funeral while staying at the Ronos' farm. Not only was this an incredible and intense cultural experience that gave me an insider’s view into customs and values, but God used one of the pastors who spoke in a mighty way. The village where the funeral was, is in much worse state than any I have seen so far, and the Ronos explained that the village is filled with alcoholism amongst the men, women and even the children! Rather than seeing cups filled with chai during the day, it is filled with changaa, a brew that they make. Money goes to feed the addiction rather than the children and families are losing about half of their family members to AIDS.

The local elders warned the village: “Our people are dying! Soon, we will no longer exist! Is this what you want?” As Pastor Rono put it, “Alcoholism is just as much a disease as AIDS and it must be addressed if we have any hope against AIDS.” Another pastor spoke honestly about the effects of their addiction (I was told that such direct speach is rare for Kenyan pastors). This is also one of the first times that community even allowed a pastor to come and speak!

He walked around the crowd of 400 people gathered in the grass for the funeral. About half came forward to ask Christ to come in to their lives and help break their addictions. The entire village knelt before God to bring about new commitments to God and transformed lifestyles in the community. It was holy moment! The elders had asked me, the token white lady, to "close the door of their problems and evil" but the pastor so rightly challenged them and said, “A white person cannot do this for you. You are the ones who opened the doors to alcoholism and AIDS. You are the ones that have to close these doors to behaviors and problems you have.”

It was an amazing, eye-opening day. However, there is no local church or leaders to really show them both the spiritual, physical, social and emotional growth.

Working with Navy
Mama Elijah (Navy) is constantly teaching women in her community about new ideas and crops that have generated income for her family. She told me several times how many women are unaware of the resources that are right around them. Both Navy and I wept together for the things we saw in Mt. Elgon. When Adele, an ELI staff member, visited us for chai, God laid it on our hearts to go back to Mt. Elgon before I leave. Navy will teach women ways to support their families with businesses other than brewing alchohol. Please be praying as we make plans for this time, possibly in a couple of weeks. We may also have a nurse with us and de-worm the kids, bandage wounds, etc. This will build their trust with them and be a practical way to gather the women for Navy’s training.

Other Opportunities
There are a few other divine appointments and conversations that have come about. I just found out in Kipkaren (the other training center I am going to today for a week) has just started to have weekly meetings regarding MSE for women getting out of the sex trade. They have created business plans already. Please pray for discernment on how to best support them with the few cultural and business principles I have been learning.

What I'm learning
If I learned one thing last week on the Kenyan farm, it is that I KNOW NOTHING! But somehow, God uses whatever we can offer as learners even if we look and feel like incompetent idiots! I will also be attending a meeting with the staff and locals about the overall MSE program ELI wants to launch. There are a couple of other possible avenues for me to explore in this area that I won’t mention here.

Know your prayers are very much felt and are working! I will try and keep you posted as best I can as things start to shape up. I will be at the Kipkaren center this week where I will join my church team who just arrived! Please remember them in prayer as well if you can.

I miss all you so much and wish you could see the stars of the African sky, taste the food, sip chai and hear the cranes and roosters that wake you up each morning. I think when I ran through wheat fields (in a skirt of course) with the Rono children as the sun set over the farm, it finally hit me….I'M IN AFRICA!

Bwana asifwe,

Chepyator (my Kilagen name they decided to give me which means “Pioneer”)

The Ride

The Ride
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

On Friday, the team took boda-bodas (bicycle taxis) to visit ELI's alcohol rehab center. They had a blast being driven on bikes, though Brendas driver (an older man) lagged behind and they lost the team! Fortunately, people along the way were able to point them in which direction the wazungus went.

After an hour of touring the rehab center and having chai at the directors' home, they headed back on the bicycles.

Click on the photo to see more pictures.

Gina planting trees

Gina planting trees
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

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LBF:Greetings from Sara

Habari! Greetings! I wish each and every one of you who are reading this were here with us. I can’t begin to explain Kenya. The smells, the sounds, the tastes, everything and anything is indescribable. I am so in love with these people, children and adults alike. I have never been surrounded by people that were so in love with Christ. It takes my breath away, literally. For those of you who know me, you know that I am not an emotional person, but since I have been here I have had to constantly calm my heart because I am so happy. I tear up just thinking about thinking about spending time with the kids. I wish that you could hear them sing… It would break your heart! And that’s okay… J I can honestly say that I have never been happier in my whole life than I am at this moment. Bwana asi fiwe!! (Praise the Lord!) I know without a doubt that God has hand picked this team and that he has been faithful to help us to share his love with these people, and in return we have all be so blessed by them as well. These kids know more about the bible in their young age than many adults that I know.

Okay so I have to fill you in on the current activity. Thank God Almighty that I am happily seated here with my ipod on (Cold Play) writing you this blog, because across the way they are currently slaughtering a goat. Personally I think that I will pass on the visual and sit here chatting with you instead.

Now that I have rambled on and on, let me fill you in about our events yesterday. We woke up, we had breakfast, and then we proceeded to prepare for the day. Our journey begins with a Bora Bora ride. Now you may be wondering “what is a Bora Bora?” Well, a Bora Bora is a bicycle with a set on the back of it similar to that of the backseat of a motorcycle, but not really. Dad I miss the Harley!!! HAHA Okay back to the update. So we rode on the Bora Bora’s for about 20 mins or so. I’m not really sure how far we went, but it was so much fun! Poor Brenda ended up with an old man as a driver though and he was not able to keep up with the rest of us. We our destination was the alcoholic rehab center. The center is great! The have a place for the guests to stay, a place for them to have chapel, and a place for them to heal. They are currently working on raising enough money to finish showers and toilets. After viewing the center we went and had Chai with the family who runs the center. We sat and shared a little about ourselves and just enjoyed everyone’s company. When we were done it was back on the Bora Bora’s for our journey home. It is so neat how friendly the people are here. As you are riding there are people all over the place that are waving hello and saying “Habari!” Which is their version of “Hey how’s it going?” My favorite part of the ride was just to close my eyes and breathe in the fresh air. It is so peaceful here!

Today we are planting some trees and helping out here and there. We are also packing and saying our goodbyes tonight, because we are leaving tomorrow morning! Ah! I hate goodbye’s… I am going to miss everyone so much! We will be heading to Kip Karen tomorrow to yet another orphanage to help and prepare for the children that will be moving-in in a couple of weeks. Just so you know if you don’t hear from us for a while it is not because we fell off the face of the earth, but because we either have little or no electricity in Kip Karen, so no internet! Pole! (Sorry!) I hope that you have enjoyed the pictures and blogs that we have been posting for you!

Prayer requests:
For Health for the team
For Owen to continue to adjust
For the delivery of Dorcas new baby!
For the health of the kids here
For a safe journey to Kip Karen, Safari, and on our journey home
For God to Bless our team and to use us here in Kenya!

I love you all!
Tutawanana!
-Sara

The kids are so proud of their craft projects

The kids are so proud of their craft projects
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

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LBF:Greetings from Gina

Habari asubuhi (good morning)! We are all having a wonderful experience in Africa. The children are beautiful and we love their company. I (Gina) am having the greatest experience of my life. The children are amazing and love to hang all over you and have your personal attention. I have been able to help Michele with the individual needs of the children. I love tutoring the children and playing sports with them. I feel so blessed to be able to come to this beautiful place.

Wednesday started out very exciting. We had Mandazi (donuts) for breakfast and then quickly departed to put on a skit for the school. The skit went very well. We did Noah’s Ark with props and animal sounds. After the wonderful skit we went to our different tasks. Brenda and I worked in the orphanage, organizing all of the donated crafts and clothes. Then Debbie and I planned the craft for the day. Sara read to Henry, a boy with chicken pox. The men worked very hard to complete a beautiful fence. Michele helped cook in the kitchen and prepared for the tutoring of the children later in the day. The whole Kenya team was able to tutor the children with their homework. The point of working with the children was to reward them for doing good things. Once they were done they got a lolly pop. Then we did our craft and after our craft we played with bubbles. They loved the bubbles and loved playing with us outside. After they played outside they had their devotional where Michele gave the message in one gazebo and Mike gave the message in the other. We ate dinner, heard about the life of Jonah and Mary, who are house parents and then we read stories to the children.

Your comments are greatly appreciated and we enjoy hearing from all of our family and friends. Please spread the word that we are posting blogs so that all of our family and friends know they can comment and read about the trip.

Prayer requests:
- The health of all our team.
- One of the house parents (Mary) - her mother is not a believer.
- Dorcas – that her baby delivery goes well, and that the baby is born healthy.

Heading Home

Heading Home
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

The girls (Sara, Debbie, Gina, Michelle and Brenda) heading home after a home visit on Wednesday.

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Bernard (spanish learning friend) stringing fence

Bernard (spanish learning friend) stringing fence
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

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LBF:Greetings from the Nortons

Jambo……greetings from Africa………again we started our beautiful day with the natural sounds of Kenya. What we mistook for monkeys in the trees turned out to be turtle doves in the open rafters of our sleeping quarters and the crows here have become our alarm clocks, waking us up at approximately 6am. However it’s a joy to wake up early here…we take a morning walk…..blessed by the sights of gorgeous blue clouded skies, sunlit cornfields, brick red deeply rotted roads, caused by the heavy rain the night before, and the best part is that we share the path with the precious Kenya children. They greet us with smiling faces as they are on their way to school. It’s a sheer pleasure to exchange morning greetings with them. Normally we arrive back just in time for our deliciously prepared breakfast of hard-boiled eggs, toast with honey or jam, bananas and chai (sweet tea and milk), however this morning I (Deb) ran ahead of the team, in order to get to school on time. I was given the opportunity to teach the Bible lesson to the upper elementary students. I read from the Bible the story of the feeding of the five thousand then told the story from the perspective of the little boy that brought the basket of fish and bread. This opportunity was blessing for me.

I (Noel) Mike, and John, have been working along side of the Kenyan men rebuilding the fence around the large demonstration farm, Shamba. We are enjoying our fellowship with them. Bernard is interested in learning Spanish, so it’s funny to be learning Kiswahili while teaching what we know of Spanish to Bernard. We work well together and are getting a lot of work done. Let me put it this way, we are sleeping well at night! I went in to the Town of Eldoret with David Kosgo, Brian Albright, Amy Parker, and two sick little boys from the orphanage. I am amazed at the patience and at how well behaved the children here in Kenya are. In spite of the very hot and bumpy drive into town, the waiting at the clinic, the hardware store, the ELI office, and the auto mechanics, the boys were little troopers. At the hardware store we purchased parts to build two go-karts, (push carts) for the children to play with.

Debbie and I are so impressed with how devoted to God and loving these brothers and sisters in Christ are. They love to invite you into there homes for Chai, cookies, fellowship together. They are so loving and gracious. We are enjoying the building of relationships. And we are blessed.

Prayer requests:

Please pray as we continue our stay here in Ilula…….that we keep up our enthusiasm for all that we are doing. Asante sana.

Walking near the maize

Walking near the maize
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

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LBF:Greetings from Michele

It is Tuesday morning and we are all amazed and how full each day is! Although we have only been here a few days, it feels as if we have lived many more in this little ELI village. We began our day with a walk “around the block.” Let me tell you, it is the most amazing block I have ever seen! We were blessed to see children walking to school down long dirt roads, bordered with corn fields and mud huts. The children all looked at us with wide-eyed amazement. They are friendly and greet us in English with “how are you?” Each child wants a handshake or a hug.
The team worked on so many different things! The men worked on fencing and digging holes all afternoon. They kept waiting to have the promised Kenyan lifestyle of relationships over work! The women taught at the local school, organized a craft for the orphanage, sorted the paper project, and attended a women’s prayer meeting. At the end of the day, we lead the children’s evening devotionals.

I (Michele) was blessed with the chance to meet with the orphanage parents. They shared with me some of the difficulties the children are having with school. I met with some of the children individually and was able to identify some of their developmental problems. In America, these children would be diagnosed with developmental disabilities and coming to see me in my clinic. Here, they are just identified as “slow” and struggle through school doing the best they can. So it was a blessing to be able to meet them and work with them. My Swahili, however, is not quite as good as my English! Afterwards, I was invited into one of the parent’s homes (which is a mud hut with a grass roof) for Chai tea. I remembered that in Kenya, people prefer to talk about their lives and families before business. So I spent some time talking with them about marriages and children and then we were able to discuss some of the problems with the children. What a blessing! What I have learned from the Kenyan people is that the knowledge of God is much better than any learning or education we can get in the world. And that the power of God is much more powerful than our own abilities or talents. The Africans live in God more than I have ever seen. Every conversation is seasoned with the love of God.

Each evening after dinner (which, by the way, the food here is awesome! I always eat second helpings!), we have a meeting where we meet a few of the Kenyan staff, they share their stories, and we share our stories. Last night, Russ shared his harrowing story of how he finally made it to Kenya. It turns out Russ is quite the story teller! The Kenyans love him. We are all glad he has joined the team.

Thank you for your continued prayers. I know you have been praying for Owen and I have a good report: He slept the entire night! He was so happy this morning and just a lot of fun to watch. I am working hard at getting him to say “Michele” and he is talking so much! He is learning a new word almost every day and his balance is getting much better with all of the mud and rocks and challenges. He is also allowing the Kenyan children to carry him around! So blessings from God are all around!

Thank you so much for your notes on the blog! We are really enjoying them!

Prayer Requests:
Continue to pray for Owen to sleep and eat well. I am praying that this trip will be huge blessing for him, Amy and Russ.

Pray that God would continue to open up our eyes to His power, His grace, and His love for us and the Kenyan people.

Pray for Sara’s voice- she has had a head cold for the entire trip and is not able to lead us in singing as she had planned

Pray for the Kip Karen orphanage parents- the orphanage in that village is opening soon and the parents have been training in Uganda. They are graduating and the directors of the Ilula orphanage have traveled out for the ceremony. Pray for the ceremony, the travels, and the parents.
Pray for the Kenya Anti Alcohol ministry- they are traveling to high schools and doing educations ministry

Playing hard

Playing hard
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

Mike has been having a blast with the kids, wrestling, chasing and being chased.

Sunday afternoon, we spent time playing volleyball and soccer with the kids. We all discovered that playing sports at 7,000 feet above sea level is more challenging than in California!

Click on Mike's picture to see more photos.

LBF:Greetings from Brenda

Greetings to all of our families and friends in the States!!! We arrived in Ilula as planned on Saturday evening and were welcomed by this wonderful group of children and those who care for them with a ceremony that moved us all to tears as we were greeted with hand shakes, hugs and beautiful roses. It was such a blessing to all of us. We ate dinner, and met many of the Staff here and then enjoyed a good nights rest.

Sunday morning began with breakfast at 7:30 and then joining different Sunday School classes with the children. It was such a blessing to hear them recite memory verses, worship the Lord in Swahili and English, and to participate in their Bible Stories. After Sunday School we headed to church which began at 10:00 and lasted until around noon. We enjoyed the college students sharing songs with us as well as one of the childrens groups. We had a chance to introduce ourselves and share how God brought us to Kenya. We head sharing from various Staff members who had been away and were blessed by all of their stories. The Spirit of God is so alive here and it is so great to feel the unity that we all share in Christ.

After lunch, Samuel, the director here took our team on a tour of the grounds and shared his vision with us. It was great to be able to see all of the things we hear about and to be able to share in his vision for this place. God is truly using ELI to change the lives of people here and empower them to provide for their families and to know God and his love for them and His power to change them. Samuel is an amazing person and has such a heart to help as many people as possible.

We then joined the kids for an afternoon of recreation. We played volleyball, soccer, and a variety of children’s games. It was fun to get a chance to spend some time with the kids and get to know some of their names and their precious little personalities. Mike wrestled and played with some of the boys and they were amazed at the hair all over his body. They thought it was so funny and couldn’t stop touching it. So many of the children already know all of our names and they come up and call us by name and we feel so inadequate. There is a little girl who is also named Brenda and she was so excited when we first met. Since that first night we have had fun greeting each other and share a special bond.

After dinner we had a meeting with Samuel, Brian and the staff to plan out our week. I have to admit that so far I feel we have all received so much more than we have given. In one day we have shared so much and our heart have been united in Christ’s love so I know that after a week here it is going to be very difficult to say goodbye.

Prayer Requests for our team
Pray that Owen will adjust to being here, sleep and eat well and stay healthy.
Continued health and safety for all of us.
That God would use us to encourage and love these people in tangible ways.
Praise God for getting Russ here and allow he and Amy to get some rest as well.

God bless all of you and thank you for your love and support and we can’t wait to share more with you when we get home. Feel free to leave notes/comments on this blog. It gets printed and given to us each morning. We'd love to hear from you!

Love,
Brenda

LBF: Update on Russ

I got a call from Russ in Nairobi this morning. He's made it, and is resting in Nairobi for the day. This afternoon, he'll be flying to Eldoret. What a relief and a blessing that he's only one day behind the team!

Life Bible Fellowship: They're here!

The team arrived safely this morning--minus Russ... All the luggage made it here safely. Thanks for praying. Owen did great most of the time, they say. (Crying for only 4 hours out of 19 isn't bad!)

The Duffys arrived last night and were happy to greet the others this morning.

As I'm typing this, they're sitting in the lounge of Mayfield Guest House, waiting for their rooms to be cleaned so they can go take showers and get horisontal for a while. Sarah has her guitar out and they're singing. It's like camp!

Their luggage is already on its way to Eldoret in a shuttle bus. It should be there before the team arrives.

We're flying to Eldoret at 4:30pm. When they arrive at the children's home, there'll be a BIG welcome.

Thank you for your continued prayers for the team.

We'll post updates from time to time so you can follow their journey.

Journey to Sudan - May 2006

Dear Family and Friends,

Many greetings to all of you! It is amazing to think that it is already May. Last month (April), our theme among the Empowering Lives Staff in Kipkaren, Kenya was "Victory and Celebration," and we were sure blessed to witness many victories for which we praised and thanked God.

This month's theme is "Love in Action." We are beginning the month with putting God's love into action in the country of Sudan. We begin the journey tomorrow from Kenya to southern Sudan with a dynamic team of nine (five Kenyans, three Americans, and one South African).

We will be partnering with Stephen Reech, director of Empowering Lives Sudan. In September 2005, Stephen returned after many years as a refugee in Kenya to his original home in the village of Kolmarek to begin a ministry of empowerment to his people, the Dinka. In February 2006, an ELI team (including ELI Staff Juli McGowan and Don Rogers) went on a scouting trip and returned with stories which opened all of our eyes here in Kenya and broke our hearts. The idea of taking a medical and pastors team began to come into view. As soon as the idea was mentioned, God quickly began opening the doors, and on 3rd May (tomorrow) we are headed to Kolmarek in Southern Sudan until 9th May.


I am so excited to be a part of this team. It is going to be an adventure of discovering unknowns. Some of our team members have never even flown on a airplane before! We are all excited for this opportunity to minister to the physical and spiritual needs of the people of Southern Sudan. We are also excited to go with our notebooks and pens and listening ears to learn all we can about the Dinka tribe and the challenges they are currently facing. I will have a lot more information to share when I return as this is a new journey for all of us. Please keep our team in your prayers during this next week. If the satellite system works, we will be sending updates during our trip to this same blog address: www.empoweringlives.blogspot.com.
Also, if you would like to learn more about ELI Sudan's Director, Stephen Reech, please visit the following website, http://empoweringlives.blogspot.com/2006/02/steven-reech.html.
Thank you very much for your prayers and support!
Blessings,

Allison "Chebaibai" Tjaden
ELI - Health Ministry

Victory Highway update by Wayne

Let me start with a minor correction to Adele's report of the flight to the safari. We ended up not going in an 8 seater, but rather in a much larger DeHaviland turbo prop commercial airplane. It is amazing that those planes can navigate the dirt runways of the Maasai Mara so well, but our flights were enjoyable and uneventful.

The safari experience was delightful for all of us. Since none of us were eaten by the animals we will be able to tell you all about it in person at home. I won't consume the time and space here because it would take all night to do it justice.

After an afternoon of shopping for souvenirs, and an interesting dinner at the Carnivore restaurant (including ostrich, camel and crocodile) the team (except for Wayne and Carol) headed to the airport for the long trip home. Wayne and Carol returned to Eldoret the following morning (Wed March 29) to continue the activities there.

Over the past 3 days Carol almost completed the painting and decorating in the training center, ironed the curtains for Kipkaren, and today went to Kipkaren to hang the ones that could be hung now. The timing seemed to be appreciated since there is a pastor's graduation there tomorrow. The residents there are excited to have the curtains and will hang the rest of them before the main graduation there next week.

Wayne has spent some time continuing the sorting of the action packers that have been left over the past several years - it is amazing what things exist in the bottom of some of those boxes! That also cleared space for the workbench that has been built by fundi Patrick so that the new grinder and vice could be mounted. Several small shelves are also being built around the bench so it will be more convenient to get at the supplies and tools that are not suited to hanging on the pegboards, etc.

Wayne also spent the past two days doing some training for the auto mechanics at Remmy's "garage". The work is done in an open area behind buildings where Remmy rents some space along with other mechanics and auto body workers. They seem pretty good with mechanical items, but were looking for some better understanding of how the electrical systems worked. One of the mechanics who did not work for Remmy was an electrical specialist, and he brought out a timing light to get an understanding of how it was used. That was part of God's provisions for us since the timing on the Isuzu Trooper that we were working on was badly out (approx 45 degrees advanced!) and it was not running properly. At the end of the day, after locating a disconnected vacuum line and adjusting the timing, valve clearances, and carburetor, the Trooper was running just fine and better than it had run in months or years. The Mitsubishi Pajero also has a new starter, front brakes back in operation, a suspension travel limiting bumper and a reinforced body mount so it also is back in good running order. Remmy seems very pleased with the sharing that has gone on.

The mechanics working with us borrowed some of the fine tools that had been donated for ELI's use and seem very impressed with them (maybe even a bit envious of ELI).

Is is quite different here without the other team members to keep life active. Our cook Joel had a death in his family so he has been given the week off. We are making our own breakfast and lunch and have been invited out for the evening meals.

There seem to be several people who think that we should stay for another month. Since Carol has used the need to see grandson Samuel as part of the reason we must return, Samuel Teimuge (the director) offered to be our "grandson" Samuel here so we could stay. It doesn't seem to be working on Carol and I don't think British Airways would be cooperative either so we expect to be home in Corning next, Wednesday April 5.

Until then, we have lots of work to do and I must get some rest so we can continue with that tomorrow. I will try to provide another update when I can make some time.

Victory Highway: Unforgettable Plane Experience

plane-crash
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

It's Sunday morning. We're in Nairobi. The guys arrived safely from Tanzania yesterday, delighted to find the guest house has big bath tubs for them to get really clean! Their journey was uneventful, and they have lots of stories--including a marriage proposal to Don Willis.

The group from Eldoret had an adventuresome start to the journey to Nairobi. It was hard pulling ourselves away from the events at the Children's Home since there were about 500 guests and the kids kept wanting to say good-bye to the team, even getting into the vehicle for a last hug.

We arrived at the airport in good time and were delighted to be offered seats on an earlier flight. (There are NO earlier flights here. There's one flight from Eldoret in the morning and one in the evening. But an 8-seater was apparently passing through from the Maasai Mara, dropping off passengers.) The sky looked eerie with very dark clouds as a storm was brewing in the West, and the pilot asked everyone to hurry so we could beat the storm.

Seemed like someone on the ground hurried TOO much, removing the tail support beam too soon (or perhaps never putting one down). So when we were all in our seats and the pilot got in, too, he head to ask the passenger by the door to step back so he could close the door.

The weight of one more person toward the back of the plane
+ the fact that there was no tail support beam
= a very expensive mistake

Next thing the nose of the plane went up and bam! the tail hit the ground. (In case you're skimming this entry you may have missed the part that we're still ON THE GROUND, NOT MOVING. No need to panic.) So we were asked to all get out. As the pilot walked around grumbling at the ground staff for not doing their work, we carefully got out of the airplane. Dot almost flew off the tiny steps as the pilot tilted the plane back! But she didn't.

So now we can officially say we've been in a plane crash and walked away unscathed. The same cannot be said for the little airplane, though. The tail had bent upwards, so the rudder couldn't move! (The photo is of the pilot and mechanics examining the damage.)

We were, in fact, VERY happy to get into a bigger (albeit still small) plane for the flight to Nairobi. It was rather scary seeing the lightning seemingly right outside our windows as we flew into Wilson airport. And of course we didn't think it's a good idea to get into a plane that didn't have an operating rudder...

After dinner and exchanging stories, everyone was very happy to head to bed for a good night's sleep. After breakfast today, the team is heading back to Wilson airport and will indeed board a tiny 8-seater plane to fly to the Maasai Mara for a time of debriefing. They'll be flying home on Tuesday night, at which time the Siddals will return to Eldoret for another week with plenty more to do in Eldoret.

Thanks for praying for us.

Wally's Tree

Wally's Tree
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

This umbrella/family tree was planted in rememberance of Wally.

Victory Highway: Plateau Celebration (As told by Dot)

What a day of celebration we experienced with the Plateau women (or the Bahasha Women's group because they worked on the paper project. Bahasha means envelope.)

We arrived early in Thursday morning to finish washing windows (they were put in last night), hanging curtains which we finished ironing just before the electric went out last night, and generally sprucing things up for the day. Some of the ladies had already arrived even though they walk for two and a half hours to get to the property.

In addition to the 37 Bahasha women, there were family members and other visitors who came to help celebrate.

I hope you have read the story of these women who accepted Jesus, stopped brewing alcohol and totally changed their lives so dramatically that they formed a group, pooled their funds and began building rental properties.

When I visited with Emily yesterday while she washed the inside of the windows and I washed the outside simultaneously in order to hold the panes in place - the putty was still wet - she told me that her two children would work during the night in shifts and couldn't go to school. On a bad day she would not make any profi,t and on average days she would clear 20 shillings - less than 30 cents US! She would have to decide whether to spend it on food or on soap...

Back to the celebration
Two rental units were completed with their bedroom (6x12) living room (10x12) and kitchen (4x4--and no, this is not a misprint). The third unit which is one room only is not yet complete, and the outside bathroom has yet to built on the site. The units are colorful with their rust-colored bricks, green doors and black window frames. The inside is painted high gloss cream with white ceilings and dark red floors.

The ladies planted flowers along the foundation and made a circular flower bed in the yard with the seeds we brought.

We took bright blue ribbon and tied it from one end to the other for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

And now, we'll hear from . . .
Everyone sat in the sunny lawn and listened to Pastor Rono as he congratulated and encouraged the women. He said, "Now is the time of ideas, not tomorrow or yesterday. It is the time to share your vision. In the grave there is no vision. Use your time to work, think and fellowship. Keep going on . . ."

One of the group, a lady in her early 40s named Sally then gave a testimony. "I was lost because of alcohol. I had been brewing alcohol for 20 years. I had decided to kill all my children because I saw there was no hope. But ELI helped me to get out of that life. I thank the Lord He has set me free. ELI gave us jobs in papermaking. We came like small children to learn. After making paper for a time, ELI told to go and dream. We dreamed of pooling our money together and building rental units. God made our dream come true. Construction started by ELI helping us. We leave everything to the hands of God, who is the Shepherd of the flock. We were lost sheep. You sacrificed to come and help. Let us stay together as we focus on heaven. Thank you."

All the ladies could've probably shared similar stories, but we would've sat there way into the evening, so only one more was given time to share. Her name iis Mama Louise, and she said: "When we were in Plateau, we were brewers but God knew our plans. God has sent us his help. We were healed because of help." We were tickled by her commenting on the fact that she realized in working side-by-side with our team that "We women can do men's work." (In Kenya, women never paint or climb a ladder. But here we were, all grandmas (or gogos, as they say here) climbing ladders and painting the homes. In fact, many of the women helped us paint, and they had a LOT of fun! Someone commented later that the fundis (construction workers) of Plateau will have to look out--the ladies might decide to raise funding to complete the project by doing paint jobs!

George, the main contractor had these comments to our team: "Thanks for coming and witnessing what has happened. You have sacrificed a lot for this project and we pray our Lord will bless all who took their time to pray and help and work on this project." He continued by addressing the Bahasha Women's Group, "Going to Canaan there is honey and milk, but the honey will draw bees who bite. Satan never likes to see people working together. Stay close to God. He will keep you together." George concluded by thanking the Lord that he lead ELI and our team to Africa. "There are people who are suffering [in Africa], and these people may be empowered and their lives may be changed. You may think you only empowered these ladies, but also you empowered our families! Work hard, and pray hard so people will come to assist you to complete your mission for the 37 rooms to be done."

There were several other speeches, among others words by Baba Keegan (ELI Director Samuel Teimuge) who reminded our team of ELI's theme verse, Ephesians 2:10: "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Samuel told us, "The ladies live on less than a dollar a day and yet they have this dream..." He encouraged them not only to look to ELI for help with the completion of the project, but to look at what resources they had, to go home and sell their chickens to raise money.

Song and Dance
The Bahasha women sang and presented Adele, Amy, Carol, Jean and me with flowers bright pink ketanges which are like wrap-around skirts. We sang and danced around the circle together, hugging and laughing.

After all the speeches (there were several more!), we planted a tree in honor of Mary Lou's brother-in-law Wally, who passed away during our time here. [The women had met Mary Lou at a fellowship last week, and wanted to do something to remember Gogo Andrew/Mary Lou.] They planted an umbrella tree (aka a family tree) in the middle of the compound. One lady had carried a bag of compost with her that day for the tree planting--yes, the entire 2-and-a-half-hour walk!)

The Bahasha women danced around an umbrella tree, singing praise songs and waving a bright orange ketange as a sign of their love for Mary Lou and their prayers for her family. The sight was breathtaking as Kenyans and Americans knelt together around the tree giving praise to God that Wally was safe with Him and his memory would live on.

Next, we cut the ribbon and the ladies sang and danced as they entered one of the units.

Thank you, Jesus
Probably one of the most moving sights of the day was to see one of the Bahasha gogo's (grandmothers) stand with her face against a wall with her arms stretched out in prayer. Tears were streaming down her faces as she left the small room...

Food for All
We had supplied lunch for all, and since there was plenty left and it was dinner time by the time the speeches and celebrations were through (!), we all sat on the lawn for a second meal of rice and meat broth. (Pastor Rono's wife, Mama Elijah, had started cooking at 4 a.m. to prepare all the food!)

At the end of the day, we drove Mama Elijah home and Pastor Rono showed us their ministry and told of their work in rehabilitation with alcoholics. There are six people living there right now with bunks enough for 12. They told us of their dreams for a classroom and more housing for the Kenya Anti Alcohol clients in the future.

MORE Celebrations
I bet you thought that should be the end of the story . . . but you see, this was also Wayne's birthday so we just kept on going! We picked up ice cream on our way home (he had gone home in a different vehicle). Since very few people have refridgerators here, ice cream is a real treat in rural Kenya!

As an after-dinner-treat, Amy had made an angelfood cake, and there was a lot of cut mangos to put on the cake with custard and ice cream. Then he opened his gift - many more mangos. (What gives you the idea that Wayne loves mangos?) We had a good time and were ready for lala salama (sleeping peacefully).

We feel so very blessed to be with our Kenyan sisters and brothers and all of us are being blessed more than we can say. Our time has just flown by. Be well. Until tomorrow... Dot for the team.

Visiting

Visiting
Originally uploaded by Boyznberry.

I was asking Emily to tell us her life story yesterday while Dot and I were over helping with the project. After about half an hour, I had to leave to pick up cleaning supplies from town. When I got back an hour later, Emily was finishing up her story... It's really what life is about here: Sitting and sharing your burdens. It means more to Kenyans than if you simply came in and did the job. In fact, if you came and got the job done yet didn't invest in building relationships, Kenyans will consider your mission failed.

Victory Highway: March 22 by Wayne

We just completed a delightful supper by Joel (our Kenyan cook) - it is amazing what that man can do over a charcoal cooker
- meat samosas
- french fries
AND fresh mangoes

The ladies continue to sew and iron curtains (and visit as ladies do). I am in the room next door at the children's home computer. As I understand it they will complete the curtains for Kipkaren and the rental Plateau project tonight. That makes over 60 windows worth of curtains and the accompanying 120+ tie-backs. The sewing machines have been near smoking but are apparently humming along very well.

Dot and Adele spent part of the day at the Plateau rental project getting things ready for the grand opening tomorrow. We will all be there for the special occasion.

I spent my day adding as many projects as I completed so the list remains long. I am trying to do as wide a variety of things as possible so my Kenyan helpers (primarily Benard) can understand how to continue after we leave. Today we replaced a defective valve on the solar water heater, extended the pipe outside the cabinet and added a shelf to set a pail on so it would be more practical to get at the hot water. That required that we thread a piece of iron pipe and that was just one more new thing for Benard to learn about. In the process of doing the repairs we broke the rotted crossbar on the clothes line so that added the afternoon project.

There were two badly leaning posts in front of a stone water tower so instead of attempting to redo the posts, we just lag bolted a crossbar to the stone wall. When I suggested it, Benard was very worried because he could not imagine how we would drill into the stone to set the anchors. The new Dewalt cordless hammer drill did the job with little effort and continues to amaze Benard and others. We also completed the entire redo of the clothes lines and supports.

We spent some time today discussing weather phenomena and they were fascinated by some of the concepts. We also got into aspects of the airplane instrumentation that allows us to tell the windspeed etc. - they are very interested in these things. I am still curious about the effects that lead to the rainy season from April to August. If someone has the answer to that or is prepared to research it for us I would be pleased to hear about it when we get home. It is kind of odd to watch the sun head straight overhead during the day

Discussions of the guardians day that will be held on Saturday are beginning. Since we will be leaving here later on Saturday we will not be able to update that until later so let me give you a bit of understanding of it now. Once a year the guardians of the orphans are invited to the Ilulla childrens home to see where the orphans live and how they are doing. Keep in mind that all 92 of the children are true orphans with no mother or father. However, their siblings, relatives, members of their churches, etc. come for the day. Last year there were around 300 - they are expecting more this year, but really don't know how many to expect. We will be helping where we can and it should be interesting.

I guess that is enough rambling for today - good night.

Victory Highway Team: Tues. March 21 (Jean's Turn)

It has been another busy day! Time is going much too fast -- there is still much to do, and so many people we want to get to know.

The men in Tanzania are pleased that the building is going well. They are thankful that the rain comes at night so they can still work during the day, although the area needs rain so badly. It is the planting season there as well as here in Kenya, so the seed will need sufficient moisture soon.

We ladies here in Kenya spent the day with the Plateau ladies. They are so proud of the rental unit that will soon be ready for tenents! Amy, Carol, Dot and I painted in the morning while the Kenya ladies planted flowers in front of the units. They did a beautiful job of landscaping, complete with borders. They will water them diligently to keep them alive.

We shared a lunch of bread and soda together, and tried to communicate with them through simple words and motions. Most of the women have limited English, but try hard to express their thoughts. And we tried hard to understand and respond.

After lunch, we returned to our painting with at least half of the 17 ladies there today squeezing into the rooms to watch. They were fascinated by the paint rollers we were using, and of course, wanted to try their hand at it. They really became pretty adept at painting in a fairly short period of time.

As we finished and started to clean up, the oil-based paint needed turpentine to remove it from fingers and hands -- even a few spots on faces. I really felt like Jesus washing feet as I held each work-worn hand to rub off the paint with a turpentine-soaked cloth. As I looked at those hands, I could only imagine the work they had done, the children they had held, or the alcohol they had brewed before they came to know Jesus. They are now so proud of their accomplishments and feel they are models for others to follow. They again have hope that life will be better, and are encouraging those who are still brewing to give it up. We will return on Thursday to hang the curtains that we will sew tomorrow. We're looking forward to the "ribbon cutting" and celebration then, too.

Amy treated us to ice cream cones on the way home! And I didn't even think they had ice cream here in Kenya!

When we arrived home, Wayne said that he didn't even miss us! He was busy all day showing Benard how to do a variety of things. His highlight of the day was seeing the look on John's face as he tried the jembe (a short-handled large hoe-like tool) after Wayne had sharpened it. For the last two weeks, John had been putting his whole weight behind each swing to break up the dry, hard ground with a very dull blade. As he took the next swing, it was lucky that his foot was not in the way as he went through the ground almost like a hot knife through butter! Wayne wished that he could have captured that look with his camera. Needless to say, others were anxious to have their jembes sharpened. Thus another teaching opportunity as Wayne showed John how to sharpen other jembes.

That is what ELI is all about -- working beside the Kenyans, or those in Tanzania, or the Congo, or the Sudan -- teaching others to do for themselves. We are already seeing some of the women here at Ilula who sat at sewing machines last week showing others how to use them this week. That is empowerment at its best!

Time to call it a night. Tomorrow's beautiful sunrise will be here once more. I'll enjoy the starry sky as I walk back to my hut in a few minutes. It's so good to reflect on today's blessings and on God's creation and gifts to us. I'm remembering the song we were taught the other night -- "Everything is better when Jesus is on the throne!"

Good night, and God bless. Jean, for the rest of the team.

Victory Highway: Day 12?

Everyone's doing well. The ladies are working hard at getting curtains made for ELI's Training Center in Kipkaren before they leave to start decorating the Plateau Women's rental units tomorrow.

But they've not only sewed a lot. They've been training some of the moms how to sew. And they've been reading stories to the kids. I believe that one of the highlights of Dot's day might be to go and have chai with the kids in the morning and then walk them to school.

Wayne's been trying to get things checked off the list of maintenance jobs, but his list seems to be growing instead! He's been working alongside Benard, one of the younger staff members, who has been a keen learner!

Like the team, the kids miss Gogo Andrew. We had received news that Grant and Mary Lou made it home safely and will be able to join the funeral of their brother-in-law Wally.

Please pray especially for the next few days' interaction with the Plateau ladies. Also pray that we won't get stuck in the mud as we head out there. It's been raining on and off over the past few days. We're very thankful for the rain. We're just hoping we won't get stuck in the mud.

G'night from this side of the world.