Victory Highway: Day 6 (As Told by Mary Lou)

After a wonderful breakfast and sharing time the five of us, as well as the six members of the Dowd family from California, all piled into a matatu (taxi) and headed out for Kipkaren, about one hour away from where we are stationed. After about 40 minutes we heard a large clunk ! sound and thought we should look behind us to see if our transmission was lying on the road. It wasn’t, but we were done with that matato. We had to call on Juli from Kipkaren to come, and another matatu arrived to take the rest of us. Many interesting stares from those who were driving, walking, bicycling by.

Kipkaren is another training center/compound where much the same as goes on as in Ilula: modeling the different ways to use the ground for growing a variety of crops, how to make compost, utilizing land in the best ways possible. The students in the six-month program, who are just weeks away from graduation, gave us the tour. After they graduate they will then take their accumulated knowledge back to their villages sharing what they have learned with others. All is done to help the Kenyans improve their quality of life, but also to be ready to share the Gospel when asked why anyone would want to help them.

Kipkaren is involved in a new building project, again in the pattern of the compound of Ilula: building a series of homes for 100 orphans, once again most who have been orphaned by AIDS. Some of those children who will be coming to live there in June will be HIV positive, some negative, but all of them will be wanted, cared for and loved.

While having our lunch with Juli (nurse practitioner who focuses on HIV care) and David Tarus (training center director, and one of the founders of ELI), we listened intently as Juli shared the reason she was involved with ELI at Kipkaren. Her idea was that she would come and give compassionate care for those dying of AIDS—-be with them if everyone else deserted them in their dying days. She soon got tired of just sitting with the people and seeing the hopelessness there when she knew there was medicines available for treating them.

She met a man, Kibet, who was about 6’ tall and weighing only 100 pounds at the time, and he was on the verge of dying. She didn’t know quite how or what she was going to do, but she told him she would go on the journey with him, she wouldn’t leave him to die alone. One day she came upon a clinic and met a white doctor to whom she poured her heart out about her desire to help these people with AIDS. He took her to a door and opened it--it was filled with HIV medications. She cried as she realized that God had led her to this man, and she was standing in a room filled with the hope she could offer to Kibet and many others. We met Kibet today as we were leaving Kipkaren. He is now healthy and strong enough to be a fundi (construction worker), and guess where he’s working--yes, on the new orphanage!

Juli shared the verse from Matthew 25 about when we do something for the least of these, we are doing it for the Lord. She said “I get to sit with Jesus all of the time. When I look into the eyes of someone I am helping, I see Jesus looking back at me.” She’s an amazing person and we all felt blessed to be there and hear her journey.

David Tarus had the vision for the clinic when a young boy was brought to the compound that had been burned badly over much of his body. David carried the boy in great pain over a great distance to a clinic only to be turned away because the clinic had just closed. He walked over 5 miles to get help for that child, and decided there needed to be a place for help that was closer. After building the clinic and getting staff they concentrated on dealing with malaria patients, and now the HIV help that is so needed in Kenya.

It was a good day in Kenya, and we heard the Tanzania team is doing well also. We praise the Lord they are not having the rains as yet. That would make their work that much more difficult to accomplish. Our team gets together in the gazebo prior to breakfast and prays for our men in Tanzania each morning. It is a great time to ask the Lord to bless their work, keep them in good health, work out any problems they may have with communication or supplies, etc. We feel we share in their work through our prayers. We understand Grant is working on a soccer game and children's story time for Saturday with some of the nationals. Afterwards, they'll show the Jesus film.

Tomorrow is another day filled with opportunities to serve in a variety of ways, but then I’ll leave that for the next teammate to tell.

Lala salama (sleep peacefully) to all we love.