It’s hard to know what pictures and memories to post where. Since I haven’t posted here in a while, I guess this moment is as good as any other to put up here!
Sophia has been asking to hold baby Theo each day. Today was the day. At first she wanted to put her arms around him, but once he was actually in her lap, she just had the smallest touches for him. So precious!
I thought it only fitting that we post a picture of Sophia in her big girl bed! Thank you to Ryan & Rachel for the loan of the bed, Grandma & Grandpa for purple “girly” sheets, and cousin Rilyn for the comforter! The amazing thing to me is that with the freedom of a big girl bed comes the benefit of bed head!
One of my friends recently asked if I felt bigger carrying Uhai than I was with Sophia. This is the latest in many questions of how this pregnancy has been different than the last. I didn’t really think I was bigger, so I thought I would take a photo and do a little comparison. The first is at 36 weeks, 2 days with Sophia (4 days before her arrival!). The second was taken today – 36 weeks, 6 days with Uhai.
Here you go, Kara! I hope you enjoy!
Sophia and I made a gingerbread house the other day. Well, I guess technically we decorated a gingerbread house (it was already pre-baked). She enjoyed herself especially after she realized that the “glue” tasted so good! Enjoy!
Last month, Healing Hand International came to the CCC training center at Ngatataek in the Kajiado district to hold a training on drip irrigation. Kajiado is a very arid area of Maasailand near the Tanzania border. From the training center on a clear day, you can see the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. This is the area where much of our drought relief was focused in 2010.
This past week, I received some pictures from Steven Kutingala, the CHE coordinator for CCC, of the training.
All went very well. Twenty six of the CCC leaders attended and two leaders are already implementing what they learned in their home area. As Steven reports:
We thank God for what he is doing giving his people hope where there is no hope. This is because Kajiado is one of the Arid Land and there is a scarcity of water. The community have identified that drip irrigation is the most simplest, cheapest and an important method of saving water in gardens.
Please pray for those in Kajiado as they continue to seek God’s leading in how they can love and support their families in a way honoring to God and his creation.
Well, it has been a while since my last post. Hard to believe that we’ve been back in the US over a month now! So, I’m trying to get us caught up on what we’ve been doing during the last weeks in Kenya and the first month in the US. Even if it means posting every day, we’ll see if we can get there!
At the end of May, we welcomed Dr. Johnson, his wife, and niece for a visit to Raila CCC before they headed to western Kenya for a medical clinic. Dr. & Mrs. Johnson are the parents of a CMF missionary in Ukraine. It was wonderful to be able to show them what God is doing in our section of the globe.
During their visit, some of the leaders from Raila CCC arranged for a clean-up day around the church. While there is still much more work to do, they were able to get a lot done with many members of the community. Events like this help them to continue spreading the word of the church and their initiative to see the community changed through CHE principles.
Please pray with me that God will continue to use each opportunity He gives – no matter how small or large – to help the community of Raila see that they are the ones capable of transforming their world.
Clearing Gutters by the "Dump"
Consolidating & Burning Trash
Cleaning Gutters in Front of School
So, I’ve been meaning to post these pictures for a while. Now that Sophia has come into our life, we seem to have LOTS of pictures of kids! Here are some for you from both the Nairobi CCC church and the Raila CCC church in the last month. Enjoy!
If any of you have visited Kenya, this post will not be so much of an eye opener to you. But for others, allow me to share my experience on the roads of Nairobi this past Tuesday (3 May).
That afternoon, I needed to fill a prescription. Unlike in the US, there are no standing orders for refills or even a computerized system to show a previous prescription that you’ve filled at any given pharmacy. With some medications, you also don’t know if what you need will be in stock at the time. So, instead of driving around to a few different chemists (i.e. drug stores), I just decided to fill the prescription at Nairobi Hospital. The up side to this – I know they’ll have the medication in stock, and the hospital is less than a mile from our home. The down side – it will probably be a bit of a wait due to the previously mentioned lack of records and large number of patients at the hospital.
The damage
I set off on my journey planning to be back in the hour. My first “road block” came when I went through the roundabout just before the hospital. In the US, there are traffic laws. In Kenya, there are traffic “suggestions.” Following what I knew to be accepted practice, I went around the roundabout on the left side in order to make it straight through to the hospital. Unfortunately, the car on the inside path (to my right) decided he wanted to take the outside as the inside lane was stopped – right into the side of my rear driver-side door door. I saw it coming, but there was nothing I could do about it.
After pulling to the side (basically on a small median – still in the intersection), I saw that the damage wasn’t too significant – a small dent that needed to be popped out and some paint. So, I went to meet the other driver who was pulled on the curb just past the roundabout.
There was a traffic cop just next to us direct the traffic coming in from a side road, but as is common practice, he kept to his business and left us to try and make arrangements between ourselves. Basically this involves agreeing on a figure for the one at fault to give the other party in agreement that there will be no police or insurance involvement nor any request for further funds. Most of the time this is done when the damage is small and would be less than your insurance deductible to cover. If it is larger or you want to submit to the insurance or you can’t figure who’s at fault, then you need to have the police write up an official police report. To do this, you have to get the policeman involved (usually paying him something small for his time), get the report, submit it at the nearest police station, get a copy of the report and submit it to your insurance. All of this takes time (usually the remainder of your day) and money. So most people opt for route #1.
As we talked it over, it was clear that we both felt the other was at fault. We could also tell that we both had other issues to deal with. If I would have had more time, I would have pushed him as I knew he was on his way to try and pay a bill (after overhearing his phone conversation) thus making it more likely that he would agree it was his fault and settle with me. In the interest of time (sometimes more important than money!), we decided to let each go their way and take care of the damage out of their own pocket.
With that behind me, I continued on to the hospital for the medication. It took about 30 minutes to get everything done – which I figured wasn’t too bad for a Tuesday afternoon. Again, I thought I could still make it home within the hour.
Cars lined up for fuel
Unbeknownst to me there was a fuel shortage going on creating long lines of cars on almost every major thoroughfare (or at least everyone with a gas station!). The long lines along with frustrated drivers making up their own lanes and traffic laws caused my less than a mile commute to take an hour and a half…and I didn’t even make it all the way home. I was so frustrated by that time that I pulled into a gas station (which was obviously out of fuel at this point considering its lack of cars lined up) a block from our house and walk the rest of the way home. I figured Joe could go pick up the car later in the evening to bring it back.
So that was my trip to fill a prescription on the roads of Nairobi that lasted longer than it should have (like this lengthy blog post!). I look forward to seeing you all soon and rejoicing in the beauty of traffic laws again!
Goat roast for employee at Endoinyo Erinka
Part of Joe’s role as team leader this term has been to dismiss employees that we as a team no longer need to employ. This is usually due to the fact that they serve as guards at a house in the bush that we have sold or given over to the churches – thus we are no longer the owner and no longer employ the guards. While not necessarily a happy topic to think about for most of us, the Maasai view it a bit differently.
The last time Joe returned from releasing two employees (these retiring after 18 years of service), as I looked through the pictures he took I asked him why he was receiving gifts from them. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? Aren’t we thankful that they have been faithful, long-term employees for us? His answer made me stop and think.
Joe receiving beads in Loita
These two employees were grateful to have a job so they could support their families in drought-ridden Kajiado. Not all gift giving occasions have been in drought prone areas, but the impetus behind them has been the same – thankfulness for a good job and a good employer.
So, does it make you stop and think? Have you ever said “thank you” to an employer? Have you ever let them know how much the opportunity to learn new skills, support your family, work under their leadership, etc. has blessed your life? If not, maybe you should. If you do, leave me a comment to let me know how it went.
Gifts at Kajiado Retirement Celebration
Thank you, Lord, this day for the chance to have been employed these last 15 years. Thank you for sustaining me in the in between times as well when I wondered from where my daily bread would come. May I not forget the people you have used as employers to make that possible. Amen.
This is God’s story of favor & mercy that comes from Joe’s visit to the two new CCC churches planted near Mombasa. May you be blessed by it.
Pastor Moses, Rana & Joe
Pastor Moses used to live on the Kenya-Tanzania border near Mt. Kilimanjaro. He shifted with his wife to a small area called Maungu further east in hopes of finding better employment. Moses’ sister already lived there, so it seemed like a good place to make a new start. God had given Moses the gift of evangelism, so he began using this gift to start sharing the Word of God with those around him. Soon there were those that joined together with him for Sunday services.
Maungu CCC Site
After some time, it became evident that Moses could find better employment in the larger city of Mombasa at the coast. He began traveling back and forth, leaving his wife to care for the home along with his sister in Maungu while he worked to provide for the family. Those around Maungu told Moses that if he continued to evangelize in the area, they would beat his wife while he was gone. Because of this, Moses decided it was safer to move his family to Mombasa and begin a church there. But God’s favor was already upon the small area of Maungu. Two women – Phoebe and Mariamu – took up the work that Moses had begun and continue to this day praising God as the leaders of Maungu Community Christian Church.
Mombasa CCC
The story didn’t end there. Moses continued using his gift of evangelism in his new home. Soon there was a group meeting together in a town just outside of Mombasa known as Changamwe. They were able to erect the building you see here to house Mombasa Community Christian Church.
One of the people who found Mombasa CCC was a woman named Mercy. Her husband had just left her leaving her, like many other abandoned wives, destitute as she had no job or education.
Mercy's Baptism
A friend told Mercy about some “people” she could contact in Changamwe who could help her become a prostitute and earn good money. She contacted them and set up a meeting. Instead of giving her employment, they drugged her, beat her, and left her for dead near the Mombasa CCC church. When Mercy came to, she heard singing and praying coming from nearby (an all night prayer service at the church), and decided to check it out. God met her there that night. Pastor Moses and his wife began discipling Mercy and took her in. She was one of the thirteen who were baptized during Joe and Rana’s visit last month. Praise God!
Mercy & Elizabeth
Please pray for Mercy to grow in faith. Pray also for steady, good income for Pastor Moses and his family so they can continue their ministry of evangelism and outreach to those around them.
