October 22, 2014 - Kericho

All of our locations are named according to the towns they are nearest, or for donors who sponsored them.  Today we were at Kericho Feeding Station, which is near Kericho town in Kericho County.  But really, this place is more properly called Maso, that’s the local area where the feeding station actually is located.  It’s a beautiful area, deep in the heart of tea country.  There are beautiful rolling hills, always green because of the tea and the plentiful rainfall, and beautiful people.  This morning we arrived at the feeding station around 10AM, earlier than they expected us.  It gave us plenty of time to look around and spend time with the children. 

A couple of years ago, we helped the church here buy some land with tea planted on it already.  We bought 1.6 acres about 500 meters down the road from the actual feeding station.  We decided to walk down and see the land this morning, before the rains came.  On the way, we passed near Maso Primary School.  Some of the feeding station kids go to this school, so they were alerted to our presence.  As we passed by, hundreds of kids swarmed out of the school, heedless of their teachers’ cries.  We called out to them to return to the school, and promised to visit on our way back from the tea field.  So we did.

We typically don’t drop into schools, especially government schools, but Francis Chepkwony, our local director, assured us it would be fine.  He went in ahead of us to get permission from the head teacher, and they welcomed us in.  We just stayed for a few minutes to greet the children, many of whom had never seen mzungu (white people) before.  I’m told this is a typical public primary school, both in construction and size.  We were really struck with the primitive nature of the place.  There were about 15 classrooms, no dining hall or kitchen facilities, limited latrines, no computers or play equipment, and lots and lots of kids.  Francis said there were about 1,000 and after they all gathered I believe his estimate.  There were only 12 teachers.

When we are in the rural areas of Kenya, we really stand out.  There are very few white people here, (read: none).  We are used to children calling our, “Mzungu! How are you!” from the road, but this was another level entirely.  We now know what it feels like to be a rock star. They were all shouting and clamoring to get close to us, though none ever touched us.  They were surprised and amazed by the flash on our camera.  They followed our every move, even after our greetings and short prayer as we left the place to walk back to the feeding station.  It was a surreal experience.  They were attracted to us, simply because we were white.

Afterwards we had some lunch and enjoyed the songs and greetings from the kids and the church members.  This place has always been very friendly, even by Kenyan standards.  As we were ready to leave, everyone lined up to get their Susie hugs, which turned into a general hug-festival.  For those of you who have experienced this kind of hospitality, you know how moving it is.  To see people, living in incredible poverty, some on the edge of starvation, exhibit such unbelievable joy at our mere presence was absolutely incredible.  I never tire of this.  It recharges my spirit in a way that nothing else can.   It’s the greatest and really only gift these people can give to us, and it’s absolutely priceless.

After we left, we drove back through Kericho town, were we met up with the Mbuvis, along with Stephen and Wilson Kiptoo.  They were fresh from Nairobi, where they were supposed to have their visa appointment at the U.S. embassy.  There was some administrative mix-up, so they had to be rescheduled, but we should have time to get it all done before our trip home.  If all goes well, we will be bringing four Kenyans back to America with us on November 4.

Tonight we are back at the VTC, to get ready for the annual meeting of our KWO directors on Friday.  Be blessed.

October 21 - Londiani and Chesyliot

It takes about 1.5 hours to get to Londiani from Nakuru.  On my first trip here in 2008, it took three hours.  The roads here have improved so much, its hard to believe.  When we arrived at Londiani Orphanage we were greeted by all the kids, who were home for the Heroes Day Holiday.  After a bit, David Koech, our director here, told me he had in-laws in town and needed to make a quick visit a few minutes away.  Stephen volunteered to go with him, so Susie and I thought we were left with the orphanage kids.  After a few minutes we realized that most of them walked over too, so we were kind of alone.  That was a bit weird.  But we made the most of it, walking around the area, seeing the nearby river, and enjoying the amazing view.  We even ran into Andrew, the man who donated the land for the orphanage. He lives in Nairobi now, but was home for a few days.

Soon, everyone returned and Susie and I spen more than an hour and a half answering their questions about America, and our lives.  We both really enjoy this time, it gives so many “teachable moments” when you can sense the meaning behind their questions.  As we walked out of the dining hall, we saw that a massive fog had rolled in over the Great Rift Valley. Londaini is situated on a ridge with a million-dollar view, and last night it was worth a billion. After dinner we had evening devotional; awesome as usual.

This morning after some quality time with David, we made the very short driveo over to Chesyliot Feeding Station.  This place is run by Richard Koeach, David’s brother.  The people here are always so welcoming.  The widows gave Susie an amazing purse as a gift.  There were many kids I recognized, especially a little girl called Joylene.  She is about 6 and reminds me so much of my daughter, Morgan. (If Morgan was African!)  She’s not afraid of anything and smiles and laughs at the drop of a hat.  She reminds me that behind all of the statistics of how many orphans we are assisting, there are real kids with unique personalities and amazing potential. 

After lunch we departed for Kericho, where we made a supply run and settled into toe Tea Hotel for the night.

Tomorrow, Kericho Feeding Station.  Be Blessed!

Kikitemo

We got a pretty early start leaving from Narok this morning, but it was still after 11 when we made it to Kikitemo Feeding Station for church.  John Kariuki met us there, along with about a dozen students from the VTC.  Many of them came to be baptized, along with some of the kids from the feeding station.  We did that first, which I appreciate since it removes any possibility of my preaching getting the credit!  The baptistery here is really nice, which is good since there were 18 who were ready to give their lives to Christ!  Talk about a good start !

Afterwards we had a regular Kenyan church service (2.5 hours) with plenty of singing, testimonies, and some fairly average preaching by me.  I preached on forgiveness, which is hard to do when your audience is made up of people who have had some pretty horrific experiences in their life.  No matter what I said, or how much I believe what I was saying, I found it hard to get over the fact that I have never been in a position to forgive near as much as these people.

Most of them are IDP’s (Internally Displaced Persons) from the 2007 post-election violence. Some watched their husbands and children hacked or burned to death before their eyes. Many lost parents and property to the hands of some very evil people.  Their lives today are a great testimony to the power of God, expressed through his church, to bring hope and healing to some very bad situations.  When I am around them, I feel so humbled.

After church we shared a meal in Grace’s home, and then toured the place.  The site looked good, even though there has been a terrible drought in this area.  It has only rained once this season, and all the crops they planted in the neighboring fields were lost months ago.  If not for our continuing support, many would have been lost to starvation.  Thank you KWO donors, your faithfulness will be rewarded.

This site needs only two dorms and a $1,000 month commitment to be converted into a full orphanage.

By 3 pm, it was time to go.  We are staying at the Kunste in Nakuru , and we enjoyed a nice meal at the Java House tonight.  Tomorrow, Londiani!

Homa Bay

We slept well at Tobias’ house in Ongoro, and by 7, the drillers were back at work, preforming another flush and then setting up for the flow test.  To measure the depth of the water, they use an electronic water depth gauge, basically a water sensor on a very long cable.  Unfortunately the one they had was faulty.  They had a spare, but it was also acting up, so I got out my tools and got to work.  I found a broken wire on the lead, and repaired that, and after a bit more tinkering I got it to work.  The spare was taken into town and another fundi was able to repair that one as well, so they were not delayed too badly.  They finally got water flowing around 12:30, so finally we were able to take some pictures and leave.

The drive to Homa Bay took about 1.5 hours.  This is Stephen’s home church, and was the first church started by Alfayo Bodi back in the day.  They have a new feeding station here with a new dining hall / church building that we helped with.  They are feeding 45 kids here.  They sang for us and thanked us a lot.  One girl got up to give her testimony, but when she started talking about her parents she fell apart.  It was tough to watch.  Although all of the orphans we see have lost parents, usually they are quite stoic, even happy.  Her pain affected us all.

We ate a quick lunch at a church member’s house, before heading out for Kisii.  We stopped to see another soapstone seller called Amos, and bought a few items that we will have at Kick for Kenya.

Tomorrow, Chebaraa.

Ongoro

We traveled safely from Kisii to our orphanage at Ongoro.  In the local area, “Ongoro” means “dry place.  Indeed the place is far from surface water and wells are very scarce.  The soil is very sandy and the water table is deep, so we have struggled to dig wells here in the past.  But not today.  Healing Hands International, in cooperation with Christian Relief Fund have partnered with us to drill a deep well here to serve the orphanage and the community.  They arrived Tuesday and began drilling.  When we arrived, they had reached the water table and were installing casing for the new, 110 meter deep well.

Soon we were joined by Ebenezer and Tom Opondo from Healing Hands, who had come to check on the progress of the new well.  We had a nice visit with them and discussed ways we that may be able to partner with them in the future.  They are a great organization, which has helped us with a well at Londiani and has conducted agriculture training at several of our sites, as well as distributed food aid to some of our more remote locations.

At Ongoro, we also got to see the progress of our expansion project.  We will be adding an additional 64 orphans and widows here soon, and Tobias is hard at work building a new dining hall to replace the smaller hall that will be converted into a dorm.  He is also building two new latrines and doing some kitchen upgrades.  It wont be long before this place is bursting with 154 souls, making it our largest Orphanage.

We got to spend some good time with the kids, as well.  We kicked the soccer ball around and played, while most of the kids were transfixed by the well drilling operation.  Things really got exciting when the drillers began purging the well, causing a vast stream of water to shoot into the sky!  It was a momentous day.

As darkness fell, Susie went to the hall to answer questions from the kids, while I took care of the pictures and blogging.  Soon we will have dinner and the evening devotional.  We will be staying here tonight and hope to see the flow test from the new well tomorrow morning before we leave.

Be blessed.

Uriri

We had an easy journey over to our orphanage at Uriri.  There we met Kennedy Chandi, the director for this area, and Joseph, the manager at Uriri.  Everything looked very good here, and we enjoyed spending a few hours with them.  We enjoyed a great lunch a Kennedy’s house and then toured the place.

Uriri us in sugar cane country, and they have a small scale cane-crushing operation here that really helps with supplementing the income for this place.  Recently, their business has suffered because the lorry (big truck) that they had suffered a blown engine.  Rather that replace the engine in a very old (1970’s) vehicle, we were able to replace it with a newer one, thanks to a generous donation from one of our donors.  The lorry should be delivered soon.

We discussed the new medical program with Kennedy and evaluated the current clinic and nurse.  The old clinic is very small and not really suitable for our upgrades, so we will be building a new one here very soon.

Too soon, it was time to depart for Kisii and the Dados hotel.  We had time for a nice rest before dinner.  At dinner, Susie and I ordered chicken and chips (fries).  Our food came quickly, because we have learned that the secret to ordering here is first to ask what they have.  Angton, Stephen, and Jackie didn’t do that, however.  They ordered goat, and the waiter dutifully turned in the order.  The restaurant didn’t have goat, but they didn’t tell our diners.  Instead, they sent to the market for some goat to cook.  Our people waited three hours and dinner never came, so they just gave up. Welcome to Kenya!

Tomorrow, Ongoro.

October 14, 2014 - Ndhiwa

This morning Susie, Angton, Stephen, Jacklyn and I packed up and left the VTC. The Coulstons followed us in their vehicle.  We were bound for Ndhiwa but had a couple of stops to make along the way. 

 

First was Nakumat, to renew our supplies of water and other supplies.  Then we visited our old friend Daniel who owns Kisac Fair Trade, our soapstone sculpture connection.  We ordered the medals and trophies that we will give out at Kick for Kenya next month and shopped for unique items to sell to the crowds on that day.  As always, Daniel displayed his great hospitality and we took tea and bread with him, while he told us of the new work he is doing.  Daniel is a ward representative to the county government.  He is the first politician that I have ever liked.  He seems to be doing a very good work, trying to empower women, encourage the area youth, and inspire his constituents to acts of kindness.  I’m glad that Charles and Darlene got to meet him.

 

Then we parted company with the Coulstons.  They were planning on visiting a former street kid that went through their program at Made In The Streets who is now serving deaf orphans by teaching woodworking skills at an orphanage called Sam’s Place.  The rest of us were headed for Ndhiwa and our old friend Alfayo Bodi.

 

We arrived in time for lunch and then toured the place, paying close attention to the clinic there and the other needs that they have.  Then the rains came.  We took shelter in the dining hall for a while and then in Alfayo’s home.  At 7 o’clock, we went down for the evening devotional with the orphans of Ndhiwa.  They inspired us with their love and joy, and I like to think we inspired them a bit too with our words of encouragement.  When we were done, Susie demanded a hug from each of them before they could leave the hall, and I joined her. It was a beautiful moment, especially poignant for me because of my history with that very spot.

 

Six years ago, I stood in that same door way and took a photograph of a tiny girl in a taffeta dress.  Her name was Lavenda, although I didn’t know it at the time.  Her mother, a widow, was serving as a cook in this orphanage.  Both Lavenda and her mother were HIV+.  Lavenda was probably about six years old then, but she was painfully small and frail.  As I took the photo, she looked up at me with beautiful eyes and a vulnerable expression. My heart melted.

 

I was her exact opposite.  I was a son of a privileged nation, grown into a spoiled man. On that day, I was questioning many of the things I thought I knew; surrounded by a sea of poverty that I was seeing for the first time.  My worldview was crumbling around me as I witnessed both the worst and the best that this world has to offer.  Hundreds of orphaned children had passed before my eyes and camera lens in the preceding days.  I saw their terrible circumstances but I saw their incredible happiness too.  My expression was probably not vulnerable like Lavenda’s; masks are so hard to take off. 

 

I will never know what she was thinking in that moment.  We were separated then by language and culture.  Now we are separated by that thin veil that divides this world of sin and death from the new, redeemed world that God is building.  Lavenda died in 2011 of a cancer that her weakened body was powerless to stop.  She beat me to eternity, but her short life was full of God’s purpose.  She has become, for me, a symbol of hope and redemption.  Her life, and then her death inspired me to take a different path, and I can’t wait for the day I can hug her at last and thank her for all she has done for me.

 

But today I did the next, best thing.  I stood in the same doorway where she once stood, and, inspired by my faithful wife, hugged all of her brothers and sisters - all 140 of them.  We hugged with the warmth of Christian fellowship, with the Love of the father binding us together.  It was a moment of sublime joy; my heart was full to bursting.  It was a great day.

 

Tomorrow, Uriri.

 

Last Days

I apologize in advance for the delay of this post.  I missed posting for our last days at the VTC so this will wrap up the trip.  We spent our last two days at the VTC continuing the same pattern.  Kelly continued his welding class, while Jill, Emily, Alissa, and Prissy rotated through the other classes, checking on their progress and getting to know the students.

It may seem like there was not a lot of structure to this trip, and its true.  We intentionally left things wide open to leave a lot of time to build relationships with the students.  While to American eyes, this doesn’t seem to be very productive, in reality its one of the best things we can do for them.  Kenyans value relationships above work effort in a way that westerners don’t really get.

Kelly’s welding class was a huge success.  He was able to cover the basics of safety, theory, oxy-fuel welding, grinding, and stick welding.  Every student got to have a hands on with all of the equipment and Kelly identified four students that showed exceptional aptitude and interest.  I know all the Kenyans we very happy with the result, and Kelly also felt like he got a lot accomplished.

Behind the scenes, I was meeting with key people, making plans for the future of the VTC, and making an important new hire.  Jackie Jepkemoi will be joining the KWO team as our Kenyan Director of Health Services.  Jackie is a Clinical Officer, which in Kenya is similar to a physician’s assistant in the US.  She will travel around to all of our locations, evaluating our clinics and nurses, build relationships with the local doctors and hospitals, and coordinating acute care for our people.  She will do a lot to bridge the gap between our local nurses and our medical mission teams.

I met with Stephen several times during the trip.  I also got to meet Mercy, his fiancé.  She is an awesome girl; I told Stephen that he is really marrying over his head.  I think they will be a good match.  They asked me to do a “marriage counseling session” with them, which made me laugh.  I’m not a counselor, but I did sit down with them and told them all I could think of in the way of marital advice.  It’s hard to know how that will translate in their cultural context, but I gave it my best shot.

The biggest new for me coming out of this trip was what just happened to occur while we were there.  Thursday, a road grader worked on the road back to Sondu all day.  It makes a huge difference for the people in this area to have a good road.  Also on Thursday evening, after three years of waiting, the power came on for the first time.  We’ve been running on generators for all this time, and now we can finally do all the things that electricity makes possible, like power tools, electric welders, desktop computers, sewing machines, and hair driers.  And of course, lights.  God is good!

Friday after lunch, we loaded the vehicle and said our goodbyes.  We drove into Kisii to stay a night at the Dados before our long drive back to Nairobi today.  We made it to Java House downtown around 2:30 and after a late lunch, we spent an hour or so at the nearby market.  Everyone got the souvenirs they needed and then it was off to the Capital Center for last minute shopping, and repacking.  Now we are here at the Nairobi airport, waiting for our flight.

It was such a good trip.  All of our travelers did very well, no one got sick, and everyone feels like they accomplished something.  I know the Kenyans loved having us and that made it all worth while.  Be Blessed.

Day 2-3 VTC

Yesterday, we departed from our hotel in Narok and completed the long journey to the VTC. We made a quick stop at the Nkumat in Kisii for last-minute supplies, groceries and water. We arrived at the VTC around 3pm and found our friends Thomas, John Kariuki, Lucas waiting for us.  We made our introductions and then toured the campus.  None of our travelers has been here before, except Prissy who saw it under construction.  We met the two young mothers who are here and their new babies.  These girls arrived at the VTC pregnant, and rather than sending them away, we decided to keep them here so they can learn a trade.

After we unpacked, we were just in time for evening devotional.  As usual, it was amazing.  It’s always a moving experience for me, but this time I felt something different.  It was not only a feeling of love and worship for our King, but also a profound sense of being at home; like my soul was thirsty for the sounds and feeling of Kenyan worship.  This place has really become a part of me. 

The others were also deeply moved by the experience, especially when we went down to the Dirubi orphanage for their devotional.  By the glow of kerosene lanterns, the 130 orphans of Dirubi sang with all of their hearts.  The songs of the redeemed of Christ, under a dark African night, is an experience that cannot be adequately described.

Wednesday morning broke and we enjoyed a great breakfast together.  We then split up to observe and participate in the classes around the VTC.  Kelly is teaching a welding course, and he began with safety and theory.  The kids were very receptive and polite and asked good questions.  Kelly said that their questions were every bit as good as any class he has ever taught.  By the end of the day, he had moved on to a demonstration of oxy-fuel welding using local materials.  It is a perfect approach to how these kids will likely practice this trade in the future.

Jill and Emily spent time in the kitchen with the catering class.  They experimented with corn tortillas, and the new spices they had brought.  Jill told me she ended up learning far more about African cooking from them than she taught.  I know they appreciated the effort, and the friendships that they are making.

Prissy and Alissa went down to spend time with the cosmetology class.  They got their hair braided, pedicures, and spent time playing and talking with the girls there.  This is the main reason we came on this trip.  To build relationships and show these kids that they are loved.  Mission accomplished.

In the afternoon, it was back to class and then play time.  Our people played soccer, Frisbee, and other games with the VTC kids as well as the kids from Dirubi orphanage.  Everyone really enjoyed that.  After devotional, we made an early night of it; everyone is very tired. Tomorrow there will be more fun things to do.

Day OneL Travel and Shopping

Well, I am back in Kenya!  It’s always good to get to my second home, even if it is for only a week.  But what a week we have planned!  I traveled here with Kelley Vaughan, my good friend and master welder, KWO board member Jill Brown, and her daughter Emily, as well as Prissy Chambers and Alissa Sharp.  We are headed to the Vocational Training center, to start a welding program, observe the other areas, and love on some kids!

Our flights were smooth and easy, even with a very short connection in London.  All of our many bags stuffed with gifts and teaching supplies arrived with us and we spent a relaxing night at Kamulu.  Francis and Mauryn Mbuvi are joining us on this trip, and I am so blessed to have them.  It’s been a while since I traveled with both of them.

This morning we drove into Nairobi to shop for welding machines and supplies.  We met a nice man working at our first shop, and he stayed with us the entire morning as we went from place to place gathering what we needed.  The ladies were very patient as we did man-shopping, which in Kenya can take some time.  No single place has everything you need.  I gave our guide a nice tip as we drove on to the Junction Mall for lunch at Java House and a quick Nakumatt visit.  Then we hit the road for Narok, a convenient waypoint on our way to Dirubi and the VTC.  We should arrive tomorrow after lunch and we will be there until Friday.

Tomorrow the VTC!

 

Easter and the long trip home

Possibly the greatest thrill I have had so far as a minister/missionary was to preach about the resurrection of Jesus Christ at Dirubi Church of Christ this past Sunday.  The service was very long, almost three hours.  Every choir had to sing three songs, and the though the sermonettes for giving and the Lord’s supper were fairly short, I preached for an hour, so it was 1pm before we finished.  Some of what I said was new for them, teaching about the new heaven and the new earth is fairly new to me as well, but they received it well.

After lunch we made the short drive to Kisii for one last night at the Dados.  Monday we made the long drive back to Nairobi.  We took the Narok road, still the easiest route, although this time the police presence was very heavy.  The security situation in the country on this trip has been greatly upgraded.  In the wake of several small bombings, and some serious tension on the coast between the Christian and muslim communities, the government is cracking down on people illegally in the country.  In the past month they have arrested more that 1,000 illegals, mostly Somali, and deported them.  The police didn’t bother with us at all, they were just looking for illegal aliens.

At Kamuu, I said goodbye to Angton and Stephen.  Stephen had promised to spend the night at Angton’s house.  Those two have become really good friends.  Stephen was the one who preached the gospel to Angton and helped him understand baptism.  I baptized Angton on my October 2013 trip.  These two men have been my strength on this trip, keeping me safe and well understood.  I couldn’t do what I do without them and my other great friends in Kenya.

This morning I got to see Charles and Darlene Coulston, and spend a few minutes talking with them.  They helped found the Made In The Streets ministry here with Francis Mbuvi, and many of their interests coincide with ours.  They agreed that Francis will be coming to Midland on his next trip to the U.S. so that was a real blessing.

Then we drove into town to do some shopping and have lunch, but first I had to find a good supplier for welding supplies, in advance of the June vocational mission trip.  We were successful this time, finding the right district of the city where almost any industrial supply items can be found.  Then we ate lunch at Carnivore!  It was a nice treat for me to have a first class meal for my last one in Kenya.  After a quick walk through the downtown Masai Market, we had a snack and Java House at Capital Centre.  Now I’m at the airport, doing my last blog entry for this trip.

So, what did I learn?  I did a lot of investigation about the nutrition levels of our orphanages.  I took a lot of notes, and asked a lot of questions.  There were some surprises, both good and not so good.  I’ll have to spend some time digesting the information and double-checking my results, but I think we now have enough to go on to make some positive changes for our kids.

I found very few problems at any of our orphanages on this trip, which was a pleasant surprise.  One of my key jobs is to find problems, so this was a real blessing.  All of our directors have taken my past suggestions very seriously, and it really showed.

I was shown a very high level of hospitality on this trip, which is the norm.  I keep thinking that with so many trips under my belt, they will stop treating me like a king, but so far that hasn’t happened.  I was “accused” of being a Kenyan several times on this trip, once for tardiness, and I found my self able to follow some of the Swahili conversations that were swirling around me.  This was a surprise, both for my friends and me.  I do not consciously understand the words yet, but still I am able to understand a lot more than I used to.  I am very grateful for this.

I have to say again how amazingly blessed I am to be in the situation I am in.  I get to contribute through my work to both my local church and this very important mission work, and get paid for it.  I have a beautiful, understanding wife who loves what I do, and loves me very much.  So much, in fact, that she is willing to share me with people on the other side of the world for weeks at a time.  I don’t fully understand why God has selected me to live this life, but I couldn’t ask for any more that I have now.

I am continually amazed at the power of Christ’s church to do good in the world.  I know that a lot of people in the world are skeptical of organized religion, and of course the church is flawed, just as we all are individually.  But the capacity of good, Christ following people to change the world cannot be overestimated.  Some of the places in Kenya are so very small and poor, yet they manage to do more and more every year to make this world better.  Weather it’s feeding orphans, helping widows, comforting the sick and bereaved, or just lending a hand to a neighbor, they really represent what is the best part about Christainity.

Driving through the streets of Nairobi today, through the masses of people each going their own way, I was struck by just how many people there are in the world.  I am in awe of a God who can love each and every one of them in a deep, personal way.  Every trip that I make here and every new story that I hear, I am ever more convinced that this is true.  God’s capacity to love knows no end; it’s as big as the universe is wide.  It’s hard to imagine that He loves me just as much as every other soul he ever created, but I know that it is true.

Dear God, I thank your for my life, and the beautiful way you are revealing yourself to me each day.  Thank you for your church, spanning the world, tying all Christians together.  Thank you for your comforter, the Holy Spirit, that guides our lives if we will only hear His voice.  Most of all, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life and died a terrible death to redeem us from our sin.  Most of all, I thank you that the tomb is empty, that He lives again, and that He rules this world, even in it’s broken state.  I long for the day that He returns again to hand over the Kingdom to you, Lord God, for you to finish the job of making all things new again.  Until that day comes, I will praise you!  Through the name of Jesus, Amen.

Dirubi - April 2014

Friday we left the Dados behind and come here to the Vocational Training Centre at Dirubi.  This is the place where God began the orphanage work at the Dirubi church, and also where we train our students in a vocation before they leave our system.  We looked in on all the classes at the VTC first, and they are really doing well.  We have some new teachers here in the automotive and computer departments, and they are very stong.  I was especially impressed with the new automotive teacher, James, who seems to be doing a great job.  Then we spent some time with the Dirubi widows and got the nutritional information that we needed and saw the newly renovated kitchen here.  It is spectacular, as befits the “flagship” of the KWO system.

That evening we shared a brief devotional with the VTC students before dinner.  After dinner, we showed them, along with the 11^th and 12^th graders from Dirubi, the movie, “The Passion of the Christ.”  I have to say it was a profoundly moving experience for me, and the students. 

The film is hard to watch, particularly for Christians since it is so graphic in its depiction of Christ’s suffering.  If you have seen it, you can remember your reaction, maybe stunned, disturbed, deeply moved.  Now imagine that you have never seen any movie in a theatre before, there is no violence on your TV at night, and no violent video games, either.  If you are not “inoculated” with violent imagery the way we Americans are, the movie is even more intense for our students.  Some could not finish it, many kept their eyes covered, only peeking from time to time, and every one of them shed tears.  For me, as much as the film still moves me, and convicts me, it was even more moving to watch them experience it for the first time, especially on Good Friday.

This morning we visited our orphanage down the road at Mahana, Lee McGraw.  That place has really made some nice improvements, and the kids looked so good.  I was very happy to visit them again.  When we returned, we had a lazy afternoon relaxing and preparing for our departure tomorrow.

Tonight, at evening devotional at the VTC, I asked the students to comment on the film and ask any questions they might have.  I was stunned at the response.  Several of them expressed how much it moved them, and how they were convicted to turn away from sin after seeing how much our savor suffered.  One even asked how then can we deal with our sin, knowing how much He gave up for us.  That sparked a good discussion about living a life free from sin, knowing that Jesus had paid our debt for all time.  It was very cool.

Unbeknownst to me, all day the principal, John Kariuki had been counseling with students in his office.  Many of them sought him out to confess sins, rededicate their lives, and ask hard questions.  At the devotion, John told us all that nine of the students had requested baptism, as a result of the film. God is Good!

Later we attended evening devotion at the Dirubi Orphanage and I was so blessed by their singing, and their genuine love and affection that they have for me here.  Truly, my cup overflows today!

Tomorrow is Easter Sunday.  Resurrection Day!  I am bringing the word to the Dirubi church, and for once I can’t wait!  He Is Risen!  Be blessed.

Uriri - April 2014

We left Uriri after lunch on Wednesday.  We had planned to leave earlier, but at our destination, Ndhiwa, Alfayo is hosting the Homa Bay County Children’s Congress.  This event features delegates from the county’s children’s homes, government officials, and other stakeholders.  They were meeting at Ndhiwa for the last three days, which caused a shakeup in our schedule.  Alfayo said is was a good meeting and worth doing, so I didn’t mind the diversion.  While we waited for  Alfayo to be ready for us, we decided to drive into Homa Bay for a soda at the Tourist Hotel on lake Victoria.  Fredrick Kisulu, the pastor of Homa Bay Church of Christ met us there and it was good to visit him again.

We arrived at Ndhiwa in time for evening devotional, and then dinner.  Afterwards we showed them “Ender’s Game” and then it was (past) time for bed.  This morning we interviewed a widow from Ndhiwa about their nutrition information, and then we set out to see Manning Orphange.  But before we got there, we made a stop at Sukari Sgar Company’s factory nearby; Alfayo had arranged for us to take a tour of the factory.

One of the coolest things about Kenyan culture is their strong sense of hospitality.  A simple written request from Alfayo to the Sukari management was all that it took to secure a guided tour of their plant.  This has happened to us at a coffee factory and a tea factory on past trips as well.  I can’t imagine any factory like this in America being so open to visitors, especially ones with no real connection to their company.

One of their mechanical engineers named Charles, took us around.  He explained the entire process, he even lead us on top of one of the big machines while it was running!  Not exactly kosher from an OSHA standpoint, but this is Kenya!  It was easily the best factory tour I have done.  They invited us back any time, and I can’t wait to take some of you with me next time.  On to Manning!

Our visit here was short because the tour ran a bit long and we had to get back to Kisii to pik up our soapstone order before they closed.  It was a good visit.  They have made good improvements on the kitchen and added a new boy’s latrine.  The kids were all there and so happy to see us.  I did a short talk and took a few questions before we had to leave.  Look for the pictures, and many other on the KWO Facebook page. 

Now we are at the Dados in Kisii.  Tomorrow we will move up to the VTC at Dirubi to see that place and rest a bit.  I’m preaching Easter Sunday at Dirubi, so please be in prayer for that.  Thanks and be blessed!