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
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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!!
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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
Hello,
Dear family and friends,
My
generator wasn't working yesterday and I don't have a
battery for my computer, so I couldn't send the update
as usual. I'm at Anna's using her computer to send this
note to let you know I'm OK and will send the update
ASAP.
Thank you
for your prayers--we need them!
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

Arriving at the house |

Fire in
my fireplace |
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