October 20, 2012 Maralal

Greetings

Two days in a row.  I am improving.  Aaron and I are spending our last weekend here in Kenya.  Today we went into town to get some propane and also visited the Bible training center here on the AIC compound.  Our main theme today was to visit the Compassion Program at Lare Oibor.  After lunch Ken, Susan, Tom, Ally, Crescena, Aaron, and I took a trip to the church site to see the Compassion Program.  Presently there are over 250 children sponsored into the program with a plan to take it over 300.  However as you can see by the pictures below the facilities that were constructed last year are stretched pretty thin. 

We met with the Director of the Compassion Program Elena and she explained to us that they need to have a bigger office since they will be hiring a social worker to add to her and the accountant.  The program needs a storeroom for food and other supplies.  They need to have a place to put the books and a computer room for about five computers.  There are presently three class rooms and they would like to expand to at least six.  The Compassion Program does no construction but they will provide new stoves for the kitchen, computers, and other supplies.

We met with the children in the church and it was amazing that all of them fit in such a small place.  After we met with them it was time for their meal and some play time.  The children had a blast running around the compound with two year old Crescena Brown.  Crescena was having the greatest time.  The one Jiko stove with two burners that was installed back in March of 2011 is getting a work out and has performed very well so far.  However it is sometimes a challenge for them to prepare the meal for two hundred and fifty plus children.  Compassion is going to add another stove in the near future that is approximately twice the size of the one installed.  This will be a real blessing for both the Compassion Program and the school.  Please pray that this program continues to be a success for this small community in Northern Kenya.

Ken addressing the children



Crescena addressing the children

Children lining up for the meal

Meat, rice, potatoes, cabbage, and carrots

Children lining up for water

Preparing meals for 250+ children

Some of the children eating

Crescena and the children having some fun



While we were out at the church site we checked on the progress of the bore hole.  They are over hundred feet down and water should be getting very close.  The hydrologist believes the water is somewhere around hundred and twenty or so feet below the surface. 

Bore hole progress 100+ feet

Tomorrow it is back out to the church for services.  Tomorrow afternoon we will meet to discuss a possible micro-finance project for the Lare Oibor church.

Take care and God bless

Dave