Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, July 21, 2007

News_Entry

First Anniversary in Africa and First Earthquake

Sunday, July 15, marked one year that I have been in Kenya.  Unbelievable!  I thought life here would move much slower.  Not!

Friday night, July 20, I was eating supper when suddenly a sound like someone jumped on my roof and began running startled me.  Then came the shaking.  I knew immediately what it was as it was the tenth day in a row we’ve had earthquakes, but that was the first one I felt.  It seems there’s an active volcano south of us in Tanzania on the border with Kenya which is trying real hard to erupt. 

The mission team is arriving this coming week on Thursday, July 26, at 6:30 in the morning.  Henry and I will be flying from Kisumu to Nairobi on Wednesday so we can meet them when they arrive.  The Jetlink tickets cost the same as the gas in the car for the same trip, and there are no potholes in the sky!  (Gas and diesel cost over $6.00/gallon here.)  We’ll ride back to Nandi Hills with them in the vans. 

I’ve attached a schedule for you to use as you pray specifically for all of us during the time they’re here.  While most of the team is following that schedule, a group of men will be building churches, so please pray for them also.

I’ll be riding back with the team to Nairobi on Saturday, August 4, to fly out that night heading to the US for a few weeks’ visit.  I can’t wait to see how much the grandchildren have grown and all the family and friends! 

Thank you for your prayers, love and support this past year.  It has truly been an exciting safari with the Lord doing marvelous things!  He has given us so many visions for the future, so there’s still much work to be done here.

Mungu awabariki!

Judy

These ladies carried those very heavy logs up a steep hill.  I couldn't even pick up one let alone get it on top of my head!  Women do all the heavy work.  They amaze me.   A typical day involves carrying several plastic containers of water from the river to their home (one on their head and one in each hand), caring for the cows and children, carrying firewood (on their back or head) for cooking and warmth, and more.  I'm spoiled!!

MISSION TEAM

FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH, SNELLVILLE, GEORGIA, USA

FRIDAY, JULY 27 – FRIDAY, AUGUST 3

Friday, July 27 – Team travels to Temso and Cheptabach churches

Saturday, July 28 –

8:00 a.m.  Evangelism at Sotek

          6:00-8:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Conferences and Bible-learning

activities for children in separate rooms at Siret Primary School

Sunday, July 29 – 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.

Worship Service and Youth Rally at Taito Secondary School.

The Jesus Film will be shown, plus teaching, preaching, testimonies, music and lunch

Monday, July 30

          8:00 a.m. – Evangelism at Lengut

        4:00 p.m. – Visit Kipture, First Baptist Kapsabet, and Irimis churches

            6:00-8:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Conferences and Bible-learning

activities for children in separate rooms at Kapsabet School for the Deaf

Tuesday, July 31

          9:00 a.m. – Team travels to Koisagat and Chemartin churches

10:00 a.m. - Kapchorua tea factory

6:00-8:00 p.m. – Men’s and Women’s Conferences and Bible-learning activities for children in separate rooms at Kapchorua Primary School

Wednesday, August 1

          8:00 a.m. – Evangelism at Taito and Kimaran

          3:00-5:00 p.m. – AWANA at Kapchorua Primary School

Thursday, August 2

          8:00 a.m. – Evangelism at Namgoi

          3:00-5:00 p.m. – AWANA at Kapchorua Primary School

Friday, August 3

          8:00 a.m. – Evangelism at Kapchorua

          3:00-5:00 p.m. – AWANA at Kapchorua Primary School

Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, July 15, 2007

News_Entry

Posted_By: Judy
Date: Saturday, July 7, 2007

News_Entry

Diary of an African Move

I finally moved into my house last Sunday, July 1, 2007.  Here is how the week has been:

Sunday       The tractor and trailer arrived in front of Anna’s house at about 8:30 a.m.  Six men loaded the trailer with a refrigerator, stove, washing machine, double bed, recliner chair, 4 mattresses, and various other goodies.  At 10:00 a.m. it began the very slow drive to my house which took 1 hour and 20 minutes.  By car it’s only 25 minutes.

There was very little water in the tanks because, as we found out later when people arrived with their empty containers, the workman had been giving it away to the local residents.

Monday      Anna made arrangements with Siret Tea Estate, which borders my shamba, to give me some water.  Kristofer Saina, the man who helped me through immigration, used his tractor and driver to deliver the tank of water which held over 1,200 liters.  As Henry was connecting the hoses and started the transfer process, I was watching a storm building in the valley and heading our way in a hurry.  The dark clouds billowed closer and closer up from the valley and over the escarpment right to my house.  Leave it to our awesome God to deliver water in a tank and a storm at the same time!

Tuesday     Electrical problems.  Sunday night I couldn’t shower because of no water and Monday night I couldn’t again because the “Steamie” wasn’t working.  A Steamie is a large shower head containing electric coils that instantly heat water as it passes through them.  The temperature is controlled by the amount of water running through the coils.  Therefore, on Tuesday Okello, Anna’s electrician, came to determine the problem.  He had to buy some parts and return the next day.  I went to Anna’s for a shower.

While I was driving Okello to and from Nandi Hills to find parts (which were not available there), most of my furniture was being delivered.  I wasn’t there when it arrived, but Anna was on hand to take care of them.  “Most of the furniture” means everything except the four beds for the two guest bedrooms.  They had other more urgent furniture orders and I thought I wouldn’t need them until later.

Wednesday              Okello returned to fix the Steamie and I had my first shower in my new house.  That afternoon I went to Temso for the Bible study and was so tired I almost fell asleep while we were singing!

Thursday   A day of testing. 

Test #1:  Henry’s house was still not ready for him to move in, so he was staying at his parents’ home in Cheptabach at night (a 45-minute walk from my house) and helping me during the day.  When he was told his house would be ready on Thursday, he left early on a matatu (taxi mini-van) to go get his family.  I went to Kapsabet for Bible study and afterward picked them up in Nandi Hills.  We arrived home at about 6:00 p.m. to a great surprise—the workmen were still in his house waiting for the builder to OK their last bit of work.  There was no way they could move out at night, so I had my first house guests:  Henry, his wife Dorcas, one-year-old daughter Tracey, and their live-in babysitter Joann.  Remember I thought I didn’t need the beds right away?  Well, at least I had mattresses to put on the floor.

Test #2:  I had very little food, because I had bought just enough to sustain me for a few days until I could get to Eldoret or Kisumu again.  All the food was just items that could be used in case the refrigerator or stove weren’t working for some reason.  I had no idea I would be feeding workers every day and then unexpected house guests.  But the Lord did a few miracles and a “little” food fed many people!

Test #3:  The generator wouldn’t work as we found out soon after we arrived which was just before sunset.  You understand there are no street lights because there are no streets or power.  I scurried about getting all the flashlights and rechargeable lamps.  The two lamps went out after only two hours because I hadn’t charged them enough.  One of the flashlights went out due to a leaky battery.  That left two flashlights and one cell phone with a small light on the end.  We hurried into bed before those went out on us.  That was 9:00 p.m., but we were all ready for sleep!  I’ve since added candles and candle holders to my list to buy.

Test #4:  No water again.  I was gone from 1:00 to 6:00 and Henry was off getting his family, so we figured the workmen gave away all the water we received from Siret and the storm on Monday and another rainstorm on Wednesday.  Oh, well, they’re gone now.  Hopefully, the rain we received today (Saturday), which filled the upper tank about ¾ of the way, will last until the next rain.  July is the rainiest month of the year usually.

Friday                  The workmen moved out and Henry and his family moved in.

Anna and Shikuku, driver and chief mechanic at Chemartin, arrived to check on the generator.  Nothing major was wrong.  It had just run low on diesel and had to be primed.  Henry and I were ignorant on that point.  You wouldn’t believe the stuff I’m learning!

Dorcas and I went to Eldoret that afternoon for more groceries and a few other errands.

Since there was still no water, there was also no shower.

Saturday (today)    With house guests gone, no workers in the house, and the generator working, I was finally able to catch up on some Bible study in the morning.  I had to be at Kapchorua at 3:00 to teach.  When I arrived I could see storm clouds in the distance moving toward us and toward the house in Temso.  I prayed the Lord would dump some more rain on us and He did!  He also dumped a lot of rain on Kapchorua and only two women arrived right before the downpour.  No one came to unlock the door so the three of us sat in my car talking and watching the rain until about 3:30 p.m.  We decided no one else was coming, so I drove them to their homes, went to Anna’s for another shower, looked at a computer problem she was having (my IT son would be so proud of me!) and arrived home sometime after 6:00.

Waiting for me were six men from the churches at Cheptabach and Temso who had come that afternoon to begin cleaning up my shamba, i.e. piling up the wood from several huge stumps and piling up the thousands of very large and medium-sized stones.  The grounds looked so much better.  Dorcas and I served them tea and bread, and then they went home.

I just realized it’s 10:30 p.m. and I must turn off the generator before it runs out of diesel again.  Good night!

Thank you for your prayers!

Mungu awabariki!

Judy