Six days to go

Greetings

It’s getting closer and yes I am starting to get more excited to go back and visit my friends in Kenya.  I really feel that God has great plans for his people.  I also believe that the dark side is putting his touch to the plans as well.  Again I might be over reacting but for some reason I am on the roller coaster ride even before I get back to Kenya.  I cannot get a good read on how I really feel.  My mind races with details and I sometimes feel completely helpless.  I spent over 30 years working with tasks and projects but for some strange reason I feel completely out of my league.  How hard can it be to plant a few seedlings?  Please keep me and my friends in your prayers for the next month or so.  I really pray that I am over reacting.

I will speak some more to passion fruit tomorrow.  Today I would like to mention the two other projects that we funded while in Kenya.  Mathew the owner of Victory Furniture Designers in Mumias and the Project Manager for Freedom Ministries in Kenya went electrical in one of his shops.  His business started thirteen years ago and he pretty much worked out of the same shop building his business.  He had up to eight or so workers over the years manually making furniture as business demands dictated.  He recently opened his second shop just outside of Mumias and it had electricity hooked up and he wanted to purchase some electrical shop equipment.  We had loaned him the money to buy a lathe.  Since having the lathe he now will reduce the cost of sending out his work to another shop and it has required him to hire someone to work the lathe.  He also will be making furniture parts for others that do not have a lathe which in turn increases his business.  He is looking to purchase his next pieces of equipment to have the ability to make all the different parts he needs.  In turn it looks like he will need to hire some more employees to meet his demand.  Mathew has decided to pay off his loan early in anticipation on getting other loans to buy more equipment.  At some point he is looking to buy a truck for needed supplies and delivery options.  We wish him good fortune in his work as he serves our Lord.

Charles the Associate Bishop with Freedom Ministries who also lives in Mumias had been renting a motor bike for the last three years at 300 Ksh a day.  He had to pay the rent every day.  Which meant he had to have enough put back in case his sales for the day did not meet the days rent.  In Kenya there really is no such thing as vacation among the poor.  If you want to eat you work all the time.  Charles does have his one day off on Sunday and was not required to pay that day.  Saturday yes he paid.  We were able to help him purchase a motor bike and his payments were then to be paid monthly but if you take it to the daily rate it was in the neighborhood of 50 Ksh a day.  The last I heard is that he too is looking to pay off his loan so it is his.  With the extra money he is sending his kids to school and he feels so much better about his and his family’s position in life.  You never know he might someday buy another motor bike(s) and rent them out like was done to him.  Hopefully his terms of rental will not be so harsh.

Once I am in Kenya I will be in touch with these two gentlemen to review where they are and the improvements they have seen.  As I travel back and forth working these projects we do not want to lose sight of those that we have already touched.  I really hope that those of you that are reading this can see how God is touching these people.  Again if you feel compelled to send some money or even some more money you can write a much appreciated check to:   

Olathe Wesleyan Church

15320 S. Ridgeview Road

Olathe, KS 66062

Attn: Dave Wood Kenya Trip

Take care and God Bless

Dave