Day 69 Mumias July 16, 2011

Greetings

This morning we were cutting it close to get to Mumias.  Hezron got a call yesterday that thieves were stealing his maize in Lumakanda and he had to go there and take care of it.  This morning we were to be at the Equity Bank in Mumias at eleven thirty to meet with Pastor Robert and get the token keys for the micro-finance account.  Hezron was able to get back to the guest house just before eleven and we were at the bank at eleven thirty sharp.  The bank closes at noon.

Robert arrived shortly before noon and we waited for the Account Manager Vincent to greet us.  The bank shut its doors right at noon and we met with Vincent and he told us that we would have to wait because the token keys were still in route from Nairobi.  We waited about thirty minutes more and then they arrived.  Robert signed for one key and I signed for the other.  Both keys will return back to the states with me.

After our goodbyes with Robert we went over to visit with Mathew a bit before we headed back to Kakamega to take another look at the widow’s passion fruit orchard.  The orchard looks great.  The widow’s have added a little nursery for collards to be planted between the rows.  They will also plant about twenty more passion fruit seedlings in a discrete location in case any more die.  It looks like every plant is healthy and continues to have new growth.  

The seedlings are starting to look really good

The graft of a disease resistant yellow (below) and purple passion fruit (above)

Even the one I caught a goat eating one day is coming back to life

They all have new growth

Nursery bed for the Collard Greens to be planted in between rows

I can't wait to come back and cook a huge pot (with pork bacon) of them for my friends

They call it Sukuma Wiki here in Kenya but I will make a little different then they do

They all look so good

Fresh new growth (they grow pretty fast)

 

Tomorrow I will be wrapping up my stay here in Kenya before heading back to Nairobi on Monday morning.  I have more documents to finish and print out for Freedom Ministries.  All in all I guess this trip has been successful.  I believe that the most important goal has been accomplished and it is now time to move to the next steps.   I continue to be amazed on how God has brought all this together.  I sincerely hope that all of you that have been following along can see how God has touched his people here.  I am so happy to have been a part of it and my prayer is that some of you reading will want to take part in the future.  I truly believe that we can make a difference to the lives of people here in East Africa by helping to create opportunities that did not exist before. 

Take care and God bless

Dave