Day 60 Moi's Bridge July 7, 2011

Greetings

Well it has been 60 days since my arrival here in Kenya.  It really seems like it has been a long time since I have had a Wendy’s spicy Kuku sandwich.  In less then two weeks I will be landing in Detroit and I am going to look for the first Wendy’s and order two spicy Kuku sandwiches and a maybe a single burger too.  I was reading somewhere about last meals on death row.  I think I know what I would have.  After my first two trips to Kenya my first meal back in the states was a spicy Kuku sandwich.  I guess I am a little Kuku for a spicy Kuku sandwich.

This morning Hezron picked Kym and I up at Taidy’s restaurant in Eldama Ravine at eleven o two in the morning.  Talk about timing.  He had at least a three hour drive from Kakamega and to be within two minutes wow!  He might have been right on time I think my phone might be off by a few minutes.  We said our goodbyes to Ken and Susan and they were off to Kijabe to meet up with their sons Joseph and Robert at the Rift Valley Academy.  We had to do a minor repair to Hezron’s car before we headed off to Moi’s Bridge.

After about 4 hours we arrived at Kym’s home in Moi’s Bridge.  Once we got out of the car the very first thing I noticed was passion fruit vines.  Kym had no idea that his uncle (neighbor) was growing passion fruit.  We later found out that they had planted two hundred seedlings and they look really great.  They are about to get their first harvest and they told me that they will sell at the market as 80 Ksh a kilo.  By the looks of the plants it is no worry to grow passion fruit in Moi’s Bridge.  Kym and his parents have plenty of land to grow an orchard we just need to find a caretaker.

Passion fruit on Kym's uncles land in Moi's Bridge

Another view of the orchard

Here's a spot near some bananas

It started to rain and we decided it was best to leave before we got stuck in the mud.  We left Moi’s bridge somewhere around four and arrived in Kakamega around six.  Tomorrow we will be going to Mt. Elgon to meet up with Pastor Joseph and look at his acreage for passion fruit.  On the way back we are going to have dinner with the Associate Bishop Charles and his family to celebrate the purchase of his motorbike.  Words cannot describe how happy he is be working to own his own motorbike.  Paying three hundred shillings a day in rent for three years vs. one hundred and seven a day for a year to own is a real Godsend to him.

I have received a few messages on how to help with the food crisis in Northern Kenya.  Sometimes pictures cannot describe the reality of what is happening.  I urge for a spicy Kuku sandwich and I will satisfy that craving whence I get home because I can.  For these people they do not have the means therefore they cannot and most likely will continue to be hungry.  It’s not that I feel guilty about my spicy Kuku sandwich it’s the feeling of despair and my inability and urge to help feed these people.  My prayer is for every one to have their fill of whatever they desire.  On Sunday it was only beans, rice, and vegetable fat but for the two hundred or so that got to eat that day it was Manna from heaven.  God bless all of you that are concerned and praying for these wonderful people throughout the Samburu area.  Ken and Susan’s ministry is not just in Maralal but stretches across many square kilometers over a vast area of scrub land.

Here are the details for donations that Ken sent me.  Ken also told me that AIM is moving their offices from New York to Atlanta in August.

Donors should send their check payable to Africa Inland Mission with the memo field indicating: Kenneth and Susan Black, Project 017580-031 (Samburu).

The mailing address effective 1 August 2011 is: 

Africa Inland Mission

Missionary Support

P.O. Box 3611

Peachtree City, GA 30269-7611

The mailing address through 31 July 2011 is:

Africa Inland Mission

Missionary Support

P.O. Box 178

Pearl River, NY 10965-0178

Again thank you for your prayers and support they are greatly appreciated.

Take care and God bless

Dave

Day 59 Eldama Ravine July 6, 2011

Greetings

We started out the morning packing and getting ready to leave Maralal for Eldama Ravine by nine am.  We really needed to be ready by eight am since we were going over to Jane’s and Pastor Moses home for breakfast.  Jane had prepared us some mendazi, chips, and bananas.  The mendazi’s are really good and I would think that they could be converted into jelly filled, cream filled, sugar coated, donut substitutes.  Susan tells me that not all mendazi’s are created equal and that some are not as porous as the ones we had this morning.  I really believe a Krispy Kreme donut shop would do well in Maralal.  We would just need to figure out how anyone could afford one or a dozen. 

We were off for our journey at a little past nine am and what a long journey it was.  There were times that the road was so bumpy that my feet would vibrate across the floor board like one of those electric football games from years ago.  Six and a half hours after leaving Maralal we arrived in Eldama Ravine.  We did not see any elephants but I did see a few camels now and then.  Once we got to Sunrise Acres it was time for a nap.  Poor Ken he had to drive and let me tell you it was a good six hours of a constant obstacle course of potholes, gullies, rocks, goats, cows, and even a few camels.

Tomorrow Bishop Hezron will be in Eldama Ravine to pick Kym and I up for another long ride to Eldoret, Moi’s Bridge, and then back to Kakamega.  We will be taking Kym to his home in Moi’s Bridge so we can look at his parent’s one acre farm to see the potential for a passion fruit orchard.  Should be a wonderful day on my kidneys.     

Take care and God bless

Dave

Day 58 Maralal July 5, 2011

Greetings

Well it is the last day here in Maralal.  Last week did not start that well and we had some more issues along the way.  Overall I think we did a mighty fine job.  The guys today were able to assemble twenty six of the thirty six desks before they ran out of screws.  We got all the screws we could from Home Depot.  We did not check with Lowes.  They also had some problems with the threads and had to rework some of them.  All the frames are assembled and once they get the screws they will finish the desks.  It is best that the desks sit for a spell while Ken and Susan are away.  The wood is still very wet and the desks still need to be sanded and painted.  Also today Lawrence and I finished with the electrical wiring at the school and church.  Each class room has a 220v electrical outlet and the wiring for a four foot fluorescent fixture.  The office is wired with three 220v electrical outlets and the wiring for a four foot fluorescent fixture.  The church has one 220v electrical outlet and wiring for 3 four foot fluorescent fixtures.  I would like to thank all the guys helping with these projects.  They worked very hard to get done what we could get done.  There are two abbreviations that describe it here.  The first is TIA or this is Africa.  The other is TIK or this is Kenya.  Overall I believe we did very well this week to glorify God’s Kingdom.

Twenty six of the thirty six desks completed

Church wired for power and lights

School office wired for power and lights

Lare-Oibor kitchen, church and school

I would like to take some time to thank the guys at Green Lake Tube in East Chicago, Indiana for their generous contribution of $400 to help feed the starving and malnourished in Lare-Oibor.  Here in Kenya the economy is seeing double digit inflation and the cost of food is skyrocketing well beyond the means of the average person.  It is even more of a problem in the outlying areas as here in Northern Kenya since transport costs are astronomical.  Fuel prices are over six bucks a gallon.  On top of everything else the shilling is falling to the dollar in a dramatic way.  A year ago when I was here the shilling was trading for around 70 Ksh to a dollar.  Today it is hovering near 90 Ksh to a dollar.  Virtually every day I have been here someone has come to the house asking for food, money, or medical attention.  It is a sad sight to see when so many people have no means to get any food. 

I had given Ken the 35,000 Ksh to buy some food on behalf of the guys at Green Lake Tube.  Ken was unable to purchase the maize since there isn’t any to be had.  He had to go to two different places to find beans and they would only allow him to purchase one 90 kilo bag.  Ken was also only allowed to purchase 100 kilos of rice.  Ken also purchased some vegetable fat and Susan had broken it down into 95 one kilo portions for handing out.  I believe the total for the items was around 24,000 Ksh and the balance of the money will be used to purchase some more food for another handout upon Ken and Susan’s return in a couple of weeks.  In all we had about 180 pounds of beans, 200 pounds of rice, and about 200 pounds of vegetable fat.

After church services on Sunday in Lare-Oibor we handed out the food to the people of Lare-Oibor.  The order of the handout would be to the widow’s first, some select orphans, the elderly, women with children, and then the rest.  There were over 200 people in attendance at church on Sunday.  Each person would receive one kilo of beans, one kilo of rice, and one kilo of vegetable fat until we ran out.  I am very very happy to say that everyone made it through the line once and got all three items.  We did run out of vegetable fat first but was able to continue handing out the beans and rice until it was all gone.  I am not sure how far four to six pounds of beans and rice will last but I would think it could last for at least a few meals.  Some of these people have fairly large families to feed.  We explained to the Chairman where the food was donated from and on behalf of him and his community they were very grateful.  I too would like to thank the guys at Green Lake Tube for their generosity.  You all made a difference in these peoples lives that day.  God bless you all.

Some of the widow's receiving beans and rice after church service

Some more widow's

200 lbs. beans, 200 lbs. rice and 100 lbs. of vegetable fat

Some of the elderly coming through

Pastor Timothy in the striped shirt and a guy doing traffic control

The woman in the orange suit has ten kids and is the school cook

The lady with the kid on her back is the head school teacher

Waiting for the line to go around again

Some Mama's waiting for another turn

The Chairman of Lare-Oibor helping with crowd control

Samburu Mama in traditional dress

Only Mama's can wear the beads around their necks

Another happy Mama

How to carry your child on your back

Tomorrow we are off on a long journey down a lonely bumpy dirt road to Eldama Ravine.  May God give us a journey free of rain, free of mechanical issues with the Land Rover, armed bandits, and elephants blocking the road.             

Take care and God bless

Dave

Day 57 Maralal July 4, 2011

Greetings

I wish all my American readers a happy Independence day.  Here in Kenya Independence day was last month.  So today was just another work day.  Today the guys here finished with the assembly of the frames on the desks.  All the desk tops are assembled and tomorrow they will complete the final assembly of the tops to the frames.

Lawrence and I went back out to Lare-Oibor to work on the electrical in both the school and church.  The electrician in town came on site this morning to install the meter box and circuit breaker box as well as the ground rod.  I guess the standards for ground rods are different here in Kenya vs. the states.  I would assume that many electricians here have an issue with pounding a ten foot rod into the ground.  Our electrician came with a rod no longer then two feet.  Lawrence and I finished the wiring for the three classroom lights and receptacles.  We have run the wire and lighting for the office and we have about an hours worth of work left in the office.  We have put up all the junction boxes in the church and all that is left is finish the wiring for the three lights.

Tomorrow we will finish up with the desks and electrical as best we can.  We depart for Eldama Ravine early on Wednesday morning.  Tomorrow I will wrap up the blog for Maralal and give the details of the event on Sunday after church.  I now I said I would do it today but I am just too exhausted and not feeling the best.  Lawrence worked me like a dog without a break or lunch all day.   

Take care and God bless

Dave

Day 56 Lare-Oibor July 3, 2011

Greetings

This morning we were off to Lare-Oibor for church services.  We arrived around ten and services started somewhere between ten thirty and eleven.  Today it was a large crowd in and out of the church.  There were estimated to be in excess of two hundred people at the service this morning.  There were six elderly people that gave their life to Christ this morning and the spirit of the Lord was upon this little church in Northern Kenya today.

Services lasted for about three hours before we went outside and continued out there for another hour or so (I will speak to the outside portion in tomorrows blog).  So it was a long day at the church but well worth it.  Now many of you might wonder what can possibly take so long.  We Americans are used to about an hour and that is it.  Let me tell you that sitting on a little hard bench for a few hours straight is no picnic.  Not only was my rear end sore but the flies were very aggressive today.  At the beginning of the service there were only a few flying around but by the end of the service everyone in the room had at least a dozen or so to themselves.   The Chairman of Lare-Oibor tried to pull me out of the congregation and sit me up front in a more comfortable chair but I told him that I wanted to sit amongst the people.  The first couple of hours were spoken in Samburu with no translation so I had no clue to what was being said.  This was ok since the first couple of hours were some talking mixed with singing.  The people of Kenya love to sing and they all sing so well.  Once Ken started to give his sermon I finally got to understand something.  Ken does not speak the Samburu language so he gave his sermon in English.  So in order for everyone to understand the sermon had to be translated into Samburu by Pastor Timothy.  So what would normally be a twenty to thirty minute sermon lasts well over an hour.  Ken made it through just over half of his sermon and then decided to make it a two part sermon so we could continue with the festivities outside.

The church at Lare-Oibor

Now imagine over 200 at the service today

After the service we went outside and formed a big fellowship circle around the original church tree for some more prayer.  After we left Lare-Oibor Ken and Susan treated Pastor Timothy, his wife Bernadetta, their four boys, Lawrence, Lawrence’s sister, and I to a late lunch at the Sunbird.  Those of you that have been to the Sunbird know what a treat it is.  For being in the middle of nowhere it has really good food and a very nice atmosphere.

Starting to move to the church tree for fellowship

The fellowship cirlce around the original church tree

This community worshipped under this tree for many years

The kids are so happy

Tomorrow I will blog some more about the church services.  We will also continue to work on the desks and electrical at the school site.  We have two days left before we head back to Eldama Ravine on Wednesday morning.  I feel fairly confident that we will finish with the desks or close to it.  I also feel that the electrical portion could be done as well.  I will have to work on the church and office in the morning.  When the kids leave the classrooms in the afternoon then I can get in them to finish up in there.      

Take care and God bless

Dave

Day 55 Maralal July 2, 2011

Greetings

Today the work continued on the desks.  The pipe threading is almost complete.  The frames are being assembled.  The desk tops are being assembled.  Some of the flanges have been delivered and we have assembled one complete desk.  It is now just a matter of assembly and I believe we will have no problem getting these done and delivered to the school by Tuesday.  There will be one more design change.  Once we put the sixteen inch desk top on the frame it became apparent that the bottom frame should be extended five or six inches under the desk top so it does not tip over.  It does not tip over by itself but I am afraid if someone sits on the desk top it could possibly tip over.  The solution is simple it just means that the guys will have to cut another seventy two six inche pieces and thread them.  They are now experts at it and I am sure that they will not mind.

The guys hard a work fabricating parts for the desks

A finished desk for the children (will be painted later)

While Joel, John, and Kym were fabricating parts for the desk.  Ken, Lawrence and I went into town to get our electrical supplies.  The electrician had almost everything we needed to do the wiring in the school and church.  After we left the electrician Ken dropped Lawrence and I off at the school and we started to run the wiring through the school.  This went much better then I thought it would.  We pretty much had all the wiring ran within a couple of hours.  Now it is just a matter of putting in the receptacles and the light switches.  The rain came early so we had to leave before the mud made it difficult to leave Lare-Oibor.  I believe it will only be another day or so to finish the electrical work.  Should be Monday or Tuesday at the latest.

Tomorrow we will be going to Lare-Oibor for worship.  After worship we will be handing out food.  The cost of food has left many people here in Northern Kenya in a really bad state.  People are starving and the under nourished is also rising.  Ken went out to buy maize and there was none available to buy.  He was able to buy some beans and rice but was only allowed to buy ninety kilos of each.  Those that do not have the means are hurting really bad.  There is more to explain and I will do so on Monday’s blog.

Take care and God bless

Dave

Day 54 Maralal July 1, 2011

Greetings

The power is out again and this blog is going to be quick.  I was thinking of skipping tonight but I haven’t missed a day yet.  What makes this night worse then all the other times I have been in the dark is that my computer is not equipped with a bug zapper.  I think every flying bug in the house is migrating to my computer screen.  What is with these bugs wanting to fly into my screen?  I am afraid to swat them in fear that my computer screen will get bug juice on it.  They fly into my screen then drop into my keyboard.  Now I am going to have a bug cemetery under my keys.

Today we continued to work on the desks.  All the wood is now here and the guys have almost completed all the threading of the pipe.  Kym and Lawrence have been threading pipe for two days now and have about three to four hours to go.  Their arms must be sore.  There are a total of 324 pieces and each piece must be threaded on each side.  This makes a total of almost 650 times threading pipe.  We have assembled a third of the frames and hopefully we will have the frames and desk tops all assembled tomorrow.  We are expecting some of the flanges tomorrow so we can start to attach the desk tops to the frames.

Kym being Kym (always smiling)

Our work shop (why is Kym resting?)

Some of the desk frames

Lots of threading almost 650 times

 

While the guys were threading pipe Ken and I went back to the school.  We measured and laid out the electrical receptacles and lights in both the classes and the church.  I put the material list together and Ken took it to the electrician.  The electrician will come out tomorrow and put up the power board.  I will have a helper assist me with the power run from the board to all the light fixtures and receptacles.  The church will have three lights and one receptacle.  Each of the three classrooms will have one light fixture and one receptacle.  The office will have one light fixture with three receptacles.  The nearest power is about a mile away so when Compassion International comes they will provide a generator for their staff.

Take care and God bless

Dave