Back In Kenya!!! Week 3

Let's continue our trip into week three.  Each day holds something unique and different.  God definitely gives variety...and challenges and He's there every step of the way!    

Sunday March 3

This Sunday, for Sunday service, we concluded our 3 day class on Beauty in Marriage and Singleness.  In a "you come, we stay" culture, some of what we shared was foreign to these girls' ears, but you have to start somewhere, so we just throw out seeds of information about what God says and let them ask questions.  Lord willing, these seeds will continue to be watered until the girls have a mature and Godly understanding of marriage and even continuing in singleness if that is what they wish.  

Then comes the afternoon.  It is two days before the boarding school girls go back to school so there is much to be done.  Some of the girls had tooth problems and needed to go into town to have teeth extracted...yes, on a Sunday and some of the babies were sick and needed treatment.

Once again, Florah left me holding babies while they got blood drawn.  Notice the venipuncture technique.  No butterfly needles here.  They use a hypodermic needle that has been taken from the syringe and a glove for a tourniquet.  This baby is not happy with me or the doctor, but you have to do what you have to do.

Next Ruby had to have a nebuiizer treatment.  She also was NOT happy with me.  We finished the treatment, went back to the center and before I left she stuck her head around a corner, saw me and started screaming.  Thankfully, she will now smile at me again!

We left Abby at the center with the girls as we went into town.  They were all doing their hair in the required ways for their return to school.  Each school has requirements on how the hair has to be for the girls to go to school so during the days after a break and just before returning, hair is a major job.

Abby very bravely let them work with her hair...much to their delight.  They love touching the soft hair of white people.

I promised that this one would remain in Kenya, but I couldn't resist.  She did get the braids out and her hair all combed out. 

Monday, March 4

Today is the day that we would not acknowledge here in Kenya.  It was Abby's last day with us before our travel to Nairobi to the airport.  So we just would look at each other with so much in our hearts that we wanted to say and we would just say, "We're not going to talk about it"  Because we knew that Abby and I would cry.  So it's the day that we just didn't talk about.  Coping mechanisms....you know.

However, goodbyes had to be said and tears were shed as Abby bid the girls and babies farewell.

All the girls hanging around, not wanting to wish Abby goodbye.  The connection was real!

Not only with the girls but with the young girls also.  They all loved her and were heartbroken at her leaving.

Abby did have one high point to her day.  She went into the ECD to say her goodbyes and found the babies sleeping.  She laughed and told me they looked like little logs all laying in a row.  The nannies have told me about her laughing at it since she left.

 Ken's coping with Abby's departure was to wash the car so the driver who would drive us to Nairobi, and also the owner of the car, would let us continue to use it.  The dirt roads and the mud that it goes through is alarming when it is plastered all over the car.  Moffat, Florah's son, got his first car-washing lesson.

And the traditional selfie with Francis, our guard/boda driver, ended the day that we don't talk about

Tuesday, March 5

We left Makutano at 6:30 a.m. to beat rush hour traffic in Nairobi.  Oh, that didn't work, by the way.  We still sat for a long time in a traffic jam.  Ken and I had to go to Immigrations, so we rode with Abby to the airport.  Poor Abby...we left at 6:30 a.m.  and her flight was at 11:55 p.m.  But as always she was a good sport and we made the most of the day.

Mount Kenya at sunrise as we traveled.  Abby didn't say anything but I could feel the tug on her heart as she saw this magnificent part of God's creation on her leaving.  I feel it every time.

The tradition and Abby's best meal in about 3 weeks (I can say that because I cooked and so did Abby.  I know she would agree).  KFC with Mbau, our driver, Ken, me and Florah.

One last treat before the airport...Cold Stone ice cream.  I think the treat was especially good for Florah this time because Abby used her ice cream shop talent to concoct a special ice cream treat.  Florah had never had rainbow sprinkles before or chocolate sprinkles.

Alas, poor Abby had a rough trip home.  Her flight was delayed about an hour and then was redirected to Accra, Ghana due to navigational issues that made it impossible to fly across the Atlantic.  She was there for over 3 hours, missed her connecting flight, got home much later than planned and then had the almost 4 hour drive to her apartment.  And she still says she will come back.  When you love it...you love it!

Wednesday, March 6

The pictures will be less now as there are only me and Ken to photograph and be involved in all that is going on here.  The tone of the trip will change to finishing started projects and handling the every day working of Promise Springs Rescue Center.  We love doing this part, too, though because we know it has to be done to serve the girls and babies well.

Every child deserves to learn about their Creator and Savior.  Every child, no matter where they are born or what situations they are born into, deserves a chance for the best future they can have.  This smile lets you know why we love what we do and are thankful for the opportunity to do it.

Thursday, March 7

 A meeting with the principal and the dean of education at the teenage mom's high school.  Some of our girls had concerns as to their ability to pass the National Exam in December. Our girls are very smart but they go to a rural school with challenges from many different sides. We and our social worker, Jackline, met with the principal and the head teacher to iron out some issues.  We are praying for more progress and for the girls to be more confident in their ability.   We know that their passing of the National Exam puts them in line to go to the best schools of further education depending on their marks.  So please pray for our girls to get a clear understanding of their studies and the teachers to move forward at a rate that makes them all feel confident in the outcome.  We will be bringing in tutors on the girls breaks to help them move forward.  

Friday, March 8

Every day is unique in its own right.  There are phone calls regarding school issues...phone calls about placement of children that we took in because we just couldn't leave them in the situations that we found them...phone calls regarding solar showers and the list goes on. And that is just today.  But life goes on also.  Our being here with a car makes things somewhat easier for the staff to take care of themselves and the business of the center.  They don't have to pay a motorcycle driver to get them places or back from places and no motorcycle trip for weekly shopping.  Our first duty of the day was to take our administrator to the new dentist in town.

Fillings are expensive so extractions are the usual choice of treatment.  Jane amazed me.  She had her tooth pulled, waited for us to do a home visit and then went to market and to the center to work like nothing had happened.  I would have been laying in bed, probably, but I hope I never find out.

Next a home visit.  We had been asked to stop and see the mother-in-law of one of the pastors in Rob's seminar.  We finally did that today.  Meet Mary.  She was the sweetest thing EVER!  She had a stroke a year ago.  Previously she had fallen and broken a hip.  She is wheelchair bound and due to no access to physical therapy her legs have lost the ability to straighten.  She cannot talk.  She does understand though and as we assessed her and showed her daughter some exercises AND explained to Mary that the exercises were like medicine...they must be done to get any motion back at all, she would look at me and smile the sweetest smile.  I fell in love with her.  We prayed with her and she smiled that beautiful smile before we left.  What a gift to us she was.

Then off to the center to take the weekly shopping, back to Makutano to pick up Pastor Gikonyo to talk with the farm workers about some things and check with the tractor that was breaking the land to ready it for the next crop of onions.  Then a mad dash home when it started raining before we couldn't get home due to the mud.  And that's a Friday in Kenya!

Saturday, March 9

Saturday was a day to prepare for speaking at Full Gospel Church on Sunday.  That is Florah's church. And a day to meet with the builder at the center.  He is currently doing the finishing work on the new dorm...soon to be shared with all of you and raising water tanks so that solar showers can be installed.  So after work he came by for a nighttime meeting.

Oh and guess what...no electricity...again!  Ken, Florah and Duncan meeting by the light of rechargeable battery operated lamps.  

That concludes your journey through week three in Back in Kenya!!  We look forward to traveling through week four with you.