Rose & Janet Update

 Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

Rose has now been discharged from hospital as of Tuesday morning, January 11, 2022 Kenyan time.  She has to return for wound care in 5 days then again in 2 weeks so she has not gone home yet. She is staying with a friend so she can be closer to the hospital. Hopefully it can work out for the doctor to make home visits in future for wound care and follow up.

 

New mothers and newborns need a lot of things. We've helped Rose to purchase the above items and other necessaries to help her get underway.

Kindly continue to keep her need in prayer.

We also continue to seek prayer for Janet. 

She is the lady who was chased away from her ancestral home when she had to move back there after her failed marriage. Her brother dismantled her roof, burned the house and threatened her life. Janet has 4 daughters and is trying hard to make a go of a shop selling hair products and related grooming items.

Her brother is in jail and charged with some criminal offenses for what he did to Janet. He is a poor villager so he has been unable to raise the bond until he awaits trial. The bond is extremely high for a Canadian let alone a poor villager. While her brother has been in jail, Janet and her daughters feel much safer.  However she needs continued prayer for several things 1) business success 2) emotional and spiritual strength 3) stability for her daughters and 4) funds to eat and send them to school.  

She is also being pressured by the village elders who are now realizing that Janet's brother could go to prison for a very long time. They want Janet to speak to the police on behalf of her brother. As you can imagine, this places her in a very difficult position. She needs prayer for wisdom and strength concerning this matter also. I have shared my views and thoughts with the Kenyans who have been my hands and legs to help Janet through this time. My assistance to Janet will end soon and it would be nice if I could find someone to help her with monthly needs. Would you pray about whether you could be her help? Thanks so much.

Update on Janet's Business

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I said in an earlier post that I would be updating the work we are doing with Janet in Kenya to give a progress update on the business she is trying to establish.

Here is a photo of the shop we rented. There is a shop/store on one side and her home on the other side. 

Janet at her new shop.

So far we have paid 2 months rent, a bit of food, a new, inexpensive telephone with camera and stock for the store. By far the most expensive thing is stock.

For now Janet is selling maize (corn) that she grew on the family farm before her brother chased her away. She was able to gain access to the maize. Other than that she has stocked the shop with all kinds of hair pieces and yarn for hair weaving. My apologies for the quality of the photos but Janet and her daughters never had a phone of their own so they are new to taking smart phone photos.  The phone is also quite inexpensive so the camera quality is not that high.

 

It took awhile to get everything set up because the space had to be readied for display, someone in a larger city had to purchase the stock and send it to her because it cost too much for her to travel there and back.  It takes all day to travel to the supplier and back and one has to pay for transport for 2 people to be able to carry the stock and food and sundries.  It also took awhile to buy the phone, have it shipped to her and time for her to pick up the phone, charge it up and figure out how it functions.

 

This is the supplier in Nakuru, Kenya

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The store needs more stock.  The potential customers are asking for hair products she doesn't have yet. Some of these items are pictured below.  The products like oils and conditioners are more expensive, particularly if she is going to have enough stock on hand for sale. If the funds allow she could also diversify and sell some daily essentials which people need in the village.  Things that won't go bad due to lack of refrigeration.

I will send another month or two of rent by the end of this month.  At end of January I will send another two months rent.  This is so Janet can have some breathing space while she tries to get her business off the ground and save enough to pay rent, food and stock.

If you are touched to help Janet for Christmas, we would appreciate any contributions toward buying more stock so she can accelerate sales. If you have any questions, please let me know. I hope to have related updates in the near future about both Janet and several other Kenyans we are helping.  But this update is priority.  

The Pay Pal link button is located on the right side bar. Simply click on the photo of the flowers or you can scan the QR code if you have the app. I can't actually advise on using the QR code so let me know if you need something specific. My email can be found at my profile page.If you really want to help but you feel your donation is too small please know that even $20 US dollars goes a very long way toward paying a month's rent (half), buying basic food for Janet and her 4 daughters for 2 weeks or helps to fill the store shelves.

Thank you so much for your visit and your consideration.

First Sky Photos in November

 Happy November!

Things are still busy at my end but I'm also feeling a bit sick and it has been raining a whole lot. Pouring rain in fact.

I'm on some new medications and it is upsetting my stomach and making me feel nauseous now and then. I'm on the lowest possible dosage and trying to adjust to it but it is slow going.  Other than that, the medicine seems to be doing what it is supposed to but doctors want me to work up to taking more as I'm not anywhere near a full dose yet. I would hate to have to stop it taking it. For now I'm not complaining too loudly to the doctor.

I've been busy with multiple appointments and follow ups with insurance people regarding my accident. I guess I'm about half way through this process and I don't have the energy to do much about the follow up just now. It will all get done soon enough if I just put one foot in front of the other.

Given the pouring rain I haven't been able to get out and take photos but there was a slight break in the sky on Thursday so I captured these 3 photos to share (click on each to enlarge).

In other news, I wanted to update about Janet and her girls in Kenya; the separated woman who was chased away from her ancestral (birth family) home by her brother.  We have now managed to assist her with 2 months rent, an inexpensive smart phone, a bit of food money, a simple solar light system, and a bit of funds to stock her new store. Pastor Jonah ordered the phone for her and she was expecting to collect the phone on Wednesday, Kenyan time.  Janet and her eldest daughter are travelling to Nakuru, Kenya on Thursday, Kenyan time where they will visit wholesalers to try to find appropriate stock for the village store. I know her eldest daughter has her own thoughts about what her mother should stock but I am trying, through Pastor Jonah, to get them to buy what is most practical for the majority of potential shoppers. Later when they have started to gain footing they can expand to others things. It's a bit tricky as the eldest girls have minds of their own and they are putting pressure on the mom during her most difficult time. Please keep them in prayer. There are some other developments concerning the brother but I will leave that update for when I have concrete information to share. If anyone would like to donate (Pay Pal link on right side of blog) to Janet and her daughters, they still have many needs: rent, air time, food,transportation, school fees and clothing among them.

Over the next month I've got a lot going on, some of it fun.  I hope to share here as time goes by and if I'm permitted to take photos at events.

Joining in with Skywatch Friday.

Take care.

Personal Update and Urgent Appeal

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

It's been a busy time since my last blog post. Much has been happening and mostly of a positive nature.

I was able at long last to have an appointment at the hospital with the plastic surgeon to discuss the outlook of the accident on my face. I suffered a fracture but the good news is that it is expected to heal without surgery. I have to return in early 2022 to assess things as they stand then. If you missed the story on what happened to me you can read more here.

My brother who lives quite far out of town came to the city as part of a multi-city tour with his wife. They were just taking a few days break since they attended a wedding about half way between where he lives and where I live. His wife also used the opportunity to do some Christmas shopping at some of the many malls along the way. They invited baby brother and I to dinner and we drove out to meet them in the suburbs at one of the branches of the Old Spaghetti Factory. The food was delicious but the best part was our visit. We haven't seen one another since we laid mom to rest 4 and half years ago.  They don't usually come to Vancouver at the best of times and I travel to where they live even less frequently. I didn't realize until after they left just how much I missed them even though we talk and share news from time to time by phone and by chat. My nephew who lives in the city also managed to spend time with them separately before they made the long drive home.

I have some news from Kenya about a very desperate situation and want to update all of you on an urgent basis in case any of you can find it in your heart to help.  The number of people who respond to these kinds of posts and requests is very low.  But make no mistake, we appreciate you so much.  Those of you who have given have made more of a positive impact than you can ever truly know and we thank you from the bottom of our hearts. We also believe that if people don't know about the needs of other people, there is no way they can do anything to help.  So here goes.

This woman named Janet and her husband are separated. They married when she was only about 16 years of age.  Since the recent separation, she has been living with her 4 daughters on family (ancestral lands) trying to eke out a living doing casual labour.  In a sad state of affairs, her biological brother was not happy to have them on the family land.  Usually the brothers inherit family land and the women go to their husband's land. The problem is that laws in Kenya do not protect women when their marriages break down and they have no where to go. Then you are left at the mercy of your biological family and often they themselves are in a difficult economic position.  As more time goes by, I see and read about more such stories of families in the news. Families that have been ripped apart over land issues.

Janet's brother removed the roof from her home in a bid to force her and her daughter's out of the home.  He also threatened Janet's life if she did not leave the property. 

 

Needless to say, Janet and her daughter's are traumatized and living in terror and don't know what to expect. They have no home, no food, no source of income, no security, no hope. The only hope they have is in the good of others.

 

Janet is wearing a pink toque and purple hoodie.

A local good Samaritan stepped in to give Janet and her daughter's temporary shelter and called on Pastor Jonah to attend so they could try to figure out a plan of action. They called the Chief/Elders and also went to the police. I haven't heard what, if anything, the Chief/Elders think and would recommend.  But I do know that police do not involve themselves in domestic disputes unless and until it is too late. I do not know whether criminal charges can be brought against Janet's brother for uttering threats to her personal safety. Whatever the case, the situation of Janet and her daughter's is desperate. Who would want to go and try and live in the home where she escaped knowing full well your own brother intends to harm you! 

After putting heads together with Pastor Jonah and investigating options and costs, we decided that Janet and her daughters need shelter and a way to provide for themselves first and foremost. We have put together some funds for Janet to rent a humble abode which is attached to a simple shop that can also be used to sell goods that are needed daily by villagers.  Alternatively the space can be used to run a simple eatery. The place we can afford is very humble so it has no electricity or amenities. It's just basically one room for them to sleep and eat in. The good Samaritan and his family of 8 are living near the edge of security themselves so cannot do more than provide a temporary place to sleep. It's amazing that he stepped up to help out and his action tells me he has a compassionate heart. 

We have purchased a simple solar system that can light up the rooms and can also be used to keep her as yet unopened shop/eatery open late at night since it gets dark at around 6 pm at the equator. It might even generate a few shillings by allowing others in the village to charge their mobile phones. This may or may not be an option because usually the villages already have places where the locals can charge their phones. We've also provided a small bit of funds for food needs. It would be nice if we could also provide a jiko stove to cut down on fuel usage and the smoke generated when cooking. We are trying to provide rent and food for at least 5-6 months until Janet can get on her feet again. Hopefully she will be able to generate enough income for all her needs with this breathing room. The tuition for her daughters will be the most challenging part.

The girls all go to school with the exception of the eldest one who recently graduated. School has already started but there are no funds to send the girls back to classes. See the cost breakdown in the photo below for the 3 school going girls (Approx $530 for each girl which amounts to $430 US, $575 Australian, 49,000 Japanese Yen, 370 Euros).  We've discussed sending the eldest daughter to hair dressing school. The tuition and related costs will be at least the same as the annual tuition for the girls. The hairdressing course would be in Kericho Town or Nakuru City and last about 9 months. After that she would be able to gain employment and provide for herself.

If you can assist with any of these needs please let me know. There is a Pay Pal button to the right on the side bar. From time to time, people say it doesn't work. It should be working now but if you have any issues kindly let me know.

If you've read this far, I appreciate it.  I also appreciate your prayers and any help you might be able to provide. God bless you as you consider whether you can help.