July 29/30

Internet access is more of a challenge this year than it was last.  I was not able yesterday to get on long enough to type a report, so this one will be for two days.

Monday was a great first day. We left the Presbyterian Guest House in Nairobi to go to Deep Sea slum. We played with about 100 children, doing crafts, blowing bubbles and just spending time with them and showing them love. It's tough to fathom the joy they have in deplorable conditions with so little to look forward to. When the pastor asked them in Swalihi if they love Jesus, everyone of the  said "Yes!" and they all raised their hands. Their joy is so evident with so little, and yet our joy so often seems to be dependent on our circumstances.  The other most noticeable act was their willingness to share, when they have so little. They take their turn. They don't take what someone else has. We got the opportunity again this year to help serve them a hot lunch.  When we were here last year, the church/school was able to serve 3 hot meals per week to the children, and it was more than likely the only hot meals the children got in a week. Through the contributions and support that has increased for their program due to support from you and others like you, they have been able to increase the program to 7 hot meals per week. PTL! We formed an assembly line to fill and distribute plates of hot rice and gravy with meat and pass the plates to the +/- 75 children assembled patiently on the floor. I did not see one child take a plate and eat it until it was his/her turn and they had passed the plates on to their neighbor.  I saw older children (but still probably 6-7 years old) be sure their younger brother or sister had received theirs before taking a plate for themselves. I saw an older sister assure her younger brother got his because she fed it to him before taking any herself.  I saw not one act of selfishness the entire two+ hours that we interacted with the kids. As described by Leslie Hinderliter, the level of activity with the kids was "like VBS on crack", but it was an awesome morning! We can learn so much from little children, and these children taught us a lot about how we should treat our brothers and sisters, regardless of their age!


When we left the Deep Sea slum, we drove by multiple vans to Amani Ya Juu, the boutique which sells beautifully made items primarily for women made by local women who are learning a trade and becoming self-sufficient. We had our late lunch in their garden restaurant and then headed north for the long (4 hour) 90 mile ride to Nakuru.  100000 trucks later, we were there! I'm sure that's probably an exaggeration, but it seemed like it. It's rough roads and a harrowing ride with fun passing slow trucks with crazy traffic.  We arrived at the wonderful Tumaini Cottages and Conference Center around 7:30 and got settled into our rooms in time for a late dinner. This will be our home for the next 10 days. It's very comfortable and takes the stress out of long hard days working.

Today, July30, was our first day of physical work. After breakfast at Tumaini, we made the hour-plus drive to the Gituamba IDP camp, where we had done several days of construction work last year.  I didn't think it was possible, but the condition of the roads has gotten worse since last year! You could lose a decent size car in some of the pot holes! The road has widened to three lanes, only out of defense so cars/trucks can go further afield to escape the crevasses! We are working on an old stone barn structure that will be converted into a school for the children at the camp, who now have to walk 6 km (3.75 miles) each way to get to school. It will also have multi-purpose rooms that will be used for church for members of the camp. We broke into six+ teams, with each of five teams mortaring bricks on concrete footings that had previously been poured by another team. These five walls will create the first two classrooms, which are planned to be functioning as school in January. Another team worked cutting rebar and wire and constructing the steel support beam that will go in forms and be poured into concrete 12 feet overhead (stay tuned for a later report!)  to be the main overhead support for the building entry.  We worked alongside hired Kenyans to construct wood supports to hold the framing for the concrete to be poured in, and had to build our own ladders out of thin trees to access the top of the walls. Their construction techniques are quite crude by American standards, but they work. It was great for returning team members to see and visit with residents who remembered them and with whom relationships had been built.  It was also great to see and work again alongside Kenyan members of SWOK (Start With One Kenya), the ministry whom we partner with here.  For those who might not know, that's their name and also their philosophy. The needs and opportunities here are so vast, where do you even begin to try to make a difference? You can't do it all at once - you start with one!
Well, I'll end for now, since it will soon be time to get up again if I don't get some sleep. And here's to praying that I have enough internet access to get this posted! I'll try to post again tomorrow but no promises on the technology. At this point, I'm not able to get photos up, but I'll also try again tomorrow.
Jim