Travel Bug ~ Tuesday 4

Hello!  It's time for Toni Taddeo's Tuesday 4 hosted by Annie at Cottage by the Sea.

Annie says that finding reasons to blog and stay in touch with others, or to meet new bloggers is very important and I would agree with her.  Blogging also  provides you with a record of your thoughts and ideas to leave for your family.   It's a journal of sorts really that you share with others.

Summer is June 21st and people usually take advantage of the warm weather to take a trip or vacation or day trips to visit, shop or for recreation.

So let's talk about travel.

1.  What are the most memorable destinations you've visited, and what made them stand out? (this could include places like museums, art galleries, etc. not only a vacation site.)

Oh my!  I've had so many memorable travel experiences and fantastic places that I've visited over. the years.

Australia  - Everything was novel to me, from what side of the road you drive on, to the sayings like 'good on ya mate', the flora and fauna, the spectacular scenery and of course the weather. I was enamoured of the fine white sand along the Gold Coast at Surfer's Paradise but the entire eastern coast of Australia was beautiful and there were miles and miles of nothing. Similar to parts of Canada in that respect.  I've travelled to Australia 3 times, twice with my brother and once with my late mother.  On the first trip, my brother and I took a road trip all the way from Port Douglas in the Far North Queensland (FNQ), and south to Sydney in New South Wales. My brother drove the entire distance and we stopped at many points along the lengthy coast.  Oh and I can't forget about the Great Barrier Reef in FNQ.  We spent an entire day out on Green Island to explore the reef.

On the Ross River, FNQ on the Aboriginal Tour

On a boat in Sydney's Darlington Harbour

With David Hudson of the of Tjapukai Dance Theatre

A young dancer from the Wild World Show

On the catamaran to Green Island

Relaxing on Green Island for the day

Enjoying the fine, white sand at Surfer's Paradise 

New Zealand (North Island) - I loved the scenery and the quiet countryside. We saw more sheep than I've ever seen at any one time. A fantastic time time was had in the hot springs of Rotoru (Te Puia) and in the Maori's Marae listening to the cultural teachings, songs and dances of the Maori people.

Traditional Hut and totem pole of the Maori

Honolulu, Hawaii - I've been to Honolulu on overnight layovers from Australia.  Though I'm not a huge fan of the heat, I absolutely loved the tropical scenery. On 2 of my layovers, I took the 2.5 hour air conditioned bus tour around the island to experience the Halona Blow Hole and the lush, tropical scenery. I did a recent google search and found that the tours these days seem to be much more extensive and can last all day with increased costs to match. Personally I prefer a shorter tour. The ones I took were run by the original Hawaiians who gave a little insight into their history and lifestyle and the time allotted for the tour was perfect for learning a bit and seeing the sights on the Island of Oahu.

Kenya, East Africa - On my first visit to Kenya, I went on an unforgettable safari  to the world renowned Maasai Mara National Park. Part of the experience was seeing the Maasai men perform their traditional jumping dance and also visiting a traditional Maasai village. The Maasai people, like many tribes in the isolated areas of the country, still live in their traditional houses and compounds.

Wildlife at the Maasai Mara National Park

Paris, France - For years, I fantasized about travelling to Paris, France. For some reason I would promise my youngest nephew who was very small at the time, that we would travel there together.  When he grew up I never really thought he'd be interested but he was and we did it together! In 2019, we travelled to Paris for a few days and thoroughly enjoyed our short trip.  

Just being in Paris was a thrill though we also saw several of the usual tourist things. My personal favourite is the Sacre Couer Basilica and although you're not supposed to take photos inside, I took a few photos surreptiously.

The iconic Eiffel Tower

2.  Which hidden gem locations have you explored that you'd recommend to others?

These days it's pretty hard to say you've found or explored a 'hidden gem'. Most places that are worth seeing have pretty much been overrun with tourists.  There are many beautiful places in the world but I have to say that Canada is blessed with spectacular scenery.  British Columbia, the province where I live is no exception especially if you love mountains, valleys, & lots of waterways (lakes, rivers and oceans). If there are any hidden gems I'd have to say if you travel the province by car and explore some country roads you will find all manner of beautiful spots and many secluded areas near lakes where you can camp or rent a cabin. Virtually every where you go in British Columbia, there is a beautiful, gem and it's a 'hidden one' if it isn't on someone's 'must see' list. 

3.  What’s the most unique cultural experience you’ve had while traveling ?

Travelling in New Zealand where we experienced the marae (communal and sacred space which serves as a hub for community gatherings).  My brother and other men were invited to participate in a Haka Dance with the local Maori men and it was so much fun to watch them.  We also visited a cultural geyser site where foods were being cooked in the traditional way among the rocks and the hot steam.

In Cairns, Australia, my mother and I joined a tour where we were taken around to various sites where the Aborigines of the area showed us how they hunt, make things and forage for herbs and foods.  We also had an opportunity to see the Tjapukai Aboriginal Dance Troupe in the Daintree Rain Forest.

In Kenya, I went on safari, a once in a lifetime experience.  As part of my lodging package, I got to see the men of the Maasai tribe do their traditional dancing and visited a traditional Maasai village.  I went to many places where the culture was on display.  For example, when I visited orphans raised by a widow woman, they broke out in traditional song to welcome me and did the same when I left.  This kind of greeting happened wherever I visited and made my trip so memorable.

4.What mode of transportation is your favorite for a long trip? How about a short trip?

For a long trip I prefer to take the plane. For a short trip I prefer to go by car. A train may have more room but it is very slow in Canada and I don't like to take forever to get somewhere. Many tourists who come to Canada, opt to take the train and better see the spectacular mountains between British Columbia and Alberta, the world famous Rocky Mountains.  

I've been on the trains in Germany but not as a tourist. I found it quite stressful dealing with train connections.  I was largely alone and had to struggle with heavy luggage up and down stairs with tight margins of time   I wasn't on holiday and the people organizing my travel itinerary left no room for flexibility. If I missed a connection it would have been a nightmare. It was also in the days before smart phones and Google so I couldn't do much advanced research.

Today, if I were to take a multi-country trip to Europe, I would likely travel by train so I could see the countryside.  I think it's an economical and comfortable mode of travel if you are not so fixed on the time for connections.  Well at least if you make your own arrangements you can make connections that are more suited to your needs.  I would also use the bullet train if I ever travel to Japan though I don't relish the idea of being crammed in the train like a sardine (I've seen it on television).

Note:  A post such as this is better enjoyed with personal photos. Most of my memorable experiences on the above travels were before smart phones the quality isn't very good. I also didn't capture many moments of our travels because it wasn't always convenient or culturally appropriate.  As for Kenyan & Parisian photos, I have so many and have uploaded them over time on various posts. I'll see if I can add a few here once again. In the meantime, I've added links in this post, to all the major sites.  Please do check them out.

Thank you for stopping by!

Christmas and the End of Year

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

I hope this post finds you well and in good health and that you didn't suffer at all or too much during the wind, snow storms and flooding that I've heard about on the news over the past week or so. Mother Nature really packed a punch!

Thankfully my household escaped relatively unscathed. We did get several snowstorms within a few days just before Christmas, and again just after Christmas.  The heating system was not able to keep the house warm for a few days so it was very cold but we survived.

The lead up to Christmas was nice. This year I was prepared early and had the tree and decorations up at the end of November. Christmas cards were mailed and gifts wrapped in early December. These days I don't have quite so many gifts to wrap because we lost a few loved ones over the years and have fewer small children to consider.  However not all my time was spent on preparations. I was able to get together with several friends and one family member to visit, catch up and make sure that Christmas did not rush past us without sharing our Christmas wishes.  I also went to the annual Van Dusen Festival of Lights for the first time ever.  It was simply spectacular. If you missed my blog post about it, you can find it here. 

Not all was sparkly and well.  DH and I had some very sad news a couple days before Christmas. Japheth, one of our dear pastor friends, died unexpectedly and suddenly in a motor vehicle accident. He was a very dear friend to my husband in particular.  Pastor Japheth had written such a lovely letter of reference for us as Jonah prepared to immigrate to Canada. Jonah said that Japheth was a very rare man with a pure heart, a wonderfully magnanimous nature and exemplary faith.  We are deeply saddened that we will not have a chance to visit him next time we visit Kenya but we are thankful we have the hope of reuniting with him again one day.  Japheth and his congregants had just completed a new church building and Japheth was working on constructing a family house before he passed.  The people of his church decided to complete building the family home in Japheth's honour and so that his grieving widow and children have a home to live in.  The congregants were honouring Japether because of the leadership, vision, selfless love and caring demonstrated so often over the years. They loved him a lot.

Although it's always a busy time of year we did not forget about the Kenyan missions.  We're grateful to have temporarily lightened the load of a few dear people:

Loice and 3 children, widow and wife of the late Pastor Japheth. They live in a suburb of Nakuru City.

Sarah, a young married woman with 3 school aged children. Sarah lives with her family in one of Nairobi's slums.

Emily, a young unmarried mother with a very smart little 3 year old girl. They live in one of Nairobi's suburbs.

Alvin, a young seminarian in his first year of religious studies in Nairobi. He visited his family in one of Nairobi's suburbs over the holiday.

Jane, a mature single woman who has been battling cancer and is in India receiving treatment. Jane lives in one of the suburbs called Westlands in Nairobi.

Eunice, Ernest, Livingston - Eunice is a mature Kenyan woman who has been in hospital for long and is currently in rehabilitation. She is slowly improving. Ernest and Livingston are two single men who both suffered broken legs in the last few years. These 3 individuals all live in villages near Kericho Town.

Jecinter a young, single woman I met in Nairobi while on my last visit to Kenya.  On Christmas Day she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl and they now live in a village near Kisumu Town. I am hoping to send a small monetary gift to mark the occasion of the baby's birth.

As always we pray for and are grateful for any donors to these grassroots missions. We know it is very difficult these days for many people so as always, let the Lord lead and guide your decisions.  Donate buttons are found to the left of the blog. You can find them by clicking the 3 lines (bars) in the top left of the header photo.

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Christmas Day was a quiet affair which was spent with loved ones (DH and DB). We had nice and unexpected phone calls from a few loved ones.  Once again I prepared a Christmas dinner of turkey, stuffing and gravy, potato casserole, broccoli slaw and all the trimmings for Christmas Dinner. It was tasty and there were a lot of leftovers even though I bought the smallest turkey I could find. Since Christmas we've been having warmed up turkey dinner, turkey sandwiches, flaked turkey sandwiches and turkey-corn chowder.  The remaining leftovers will be frozen because there is only so much turkey one can eat in any given week. 

Now that Christmas is over I've been catching up to washing dishes one uses in preparing a large meal. It also seems like there's more laundry to wash, dry and fold than usual though I don't know why. I indulged in watching a lot of television series and Christmas movies watching.  I also slept more than usual. I wasn't completely lazy though.  I knitted about 7 dishcloths with little scraps of cotton yarn that I wanted to use up.  I don't really care what they look like since they are only being used to wash my dishes, not to give as gifts.  I also touched bases with a few Kenyan friends by phone and last but not least, I've been doing a few small repair jobs here and there.

The year will soon be over and I'm trying to wrap up a few things here at home. I went into high gear today after having a few quiet days. Lab work was completed, appointments were made with the hair dresser and dentist and I had a manicure.  All of these things take considerable time and it will be nice to get these tasks out of the way before the month is over. 

Soon the New Year will be upon us. Dinner plans for New Year's Day include a ham roast, mashed potatoes, salad and all the trimmings. We usually ring in the New Year with a toast at midnight.

I thank God for helping my loved ones and I through 2022. It doesn't seem like I accomplished that much in 2022 but what I did do has lightened my mental and emotional load. 

I hope you are enjoying your holiday and are looking forward to the New Year 2023.

I want to thank each of you for following my blog and leaving me comments.

It means more than you know.  

God bless.

💗💗💗

Kenya: Missions of Hope ~ Stories of God's Goodness ~ Part 1

Hello friends and fellow bloggers,

In Vancouver, British Columbia where I live, the weather and temperatures have caught up to the season. Summer came late to our area but went on until well in to October. Our summer came late, I believe it was in June and we had a lot of rain until then. Then we had next to no rain and severe drought conditions by the end of September.  Things certainly do go to extremes these days.

Today though the real news is what has been happening in the Kenya Missions of Hope initiative.  I'm pleased to share some wonderful news of Kenya and the bit of humanitarian and missionary work that my DH and I carry out in that country.  Some of you may remember Eunice who was suffering from a condition of chronic anemia. It wasn't her only health condition. She has other conditions related to goiter and high blood pressure but the anemia is what sent her back and forth to hospitals on numerous occasions.  After being admitted and discharged from several hospitals, she again was transported by medical ambulance to a private hospital in the City of Nakuru, Kenya, located several hours from her home village. (You can locate Nakuru in the map below by looking northwest of Nairobi). She was admitted in February 2019 and she was there all throughout the pandemic. During that time she almost went home to Heaven on more than one occasion but after intensive care at the  High Dependency Unit (HDU),  she was able to bounce back. Truthfully I am amazed at how God kept her and helped her each time because I really thought her time to go home to Heaven had come.

Between 6-8 months in the private hospital it became clear that the expenses would be far too much for what our little humanitarian group could comfortably deal with.  Private hospitals and even government hospitals in Kenya are notoriously expensive and often procedures are done with a fiscal purpose in  mind rather than a health related outcome.  We could not afford the expense of proper treatment at the hospital where she was admitted and truthfully we didn't even know what proper treatment would entail since we were never told how the hospital could treat Eunice.  They wanted to do some kind of surgery but could not say how it would help her if at all.  We simply could not support doing surgery on a weakened person with multiple health conditions without knowing how it was supposed to help her.

The hospital didn't really want to keep Eunice after the first year because of refusal to go forward with surgery. In addition we were not paying all of the hospital costs.  We were however paying for the intensive interventions that were required from time to time. We also paid for a private nurse to attend Eunice, Eunice's medicines, toiletries and special foods prepared by the hospital. After it became clear that the hospital was not really treating Eunice except when her condition took a serious downturn, Jonah and I discussed the need to try and move Eunice back to her home (hospital).  I strongly felt that at least Eunice could be visited by some of her family members or assisted by them in some small ways once pandemic restrictions were relaxed. 

As you know the pandemic went on for quite a long time so nothing was able to be done about the move.  Moving Eunice would not be easy due to the prohibitively expensive ward fees that had accrued at the hospital.  It was only just before Jonah departed Kenya for Canada that he was able to undertake the travel for meetings with high level hospital officials in 2 different cities and  research and arrange with a new hospital for Eunice's  placement and arrange medical transportation for the transfer. All of these preparations were very costly.

At the new hospital, Jonah was assured by the new doctor that after several months of medical treatment and physiotherapy, Eunice would be able to go home.  I was cautiously optimistic given everything that had transpired over the previous 3 years.

Eunice has been admitted to the new hospital for going on at the hospital now for approximately 7 months. She has grown in strength and during that time.  With the help and assistance of one of her sisters, she has been able to go to her own home for overnight stays to see how she does. She has been doing well but is at this point still in hospital. She will have more home visits until she is hopefully discharged.

We are very happy for Eunice.  To God be the glory for keeping her, helping her and giving us the right medical contacts both to get her transferred and to rehabilitate her. She isn't home yet but we are grateful for how far she has come and I truly look on this outcome as a miracle.

Please continue praying for Eunice to be completely healed and able to live life on her own again. If you are able, and want to contribute to the work of helping the villagers in and around Kericho who need medical, food or educational help there is a Pay Pal button on the right of the blog. We also covet your prayers for these dear ones and for us so we can be guided in the humanitarian work. God bless.

Tuesday 4 ~ Bug Out!

 

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

Welcome to October and welcome once again to Tuesday 4 in memory of Toni Taddeo, hosted by her good friend Annie of Cottage by the Sea.

Where I live we are still in summer mode and the autumn hasn't really arrived yet. Perhaps in another week or so. In the eastern part of Canada and USA there have been high winds, tree splitting winds and buckets of rain and several hurricanes. Since the east coast is experiencing hurricanes and tropical storms let us explore the topic.

 1. Expert survivalists and weather experts say it is wise to have a bug out bag handy in case of evacuation, hurricane, earthquake or any emergency. You can see online how to create one. Do you have an emergency kit or bug out bag?

Yes, I have an emergency kit consisting of a small suitcase and a backpack. The backpack has the barest essentials if there is no time to grab both bags.  Where I live we are likely to experience emergencies relating to wild fires, flooding or earthquakes. Hopefully we will never have to deal with any of it but being a bit prepared takes some of the edge off the possibility (just a little anyway).

 2. Do you have plans with your family on where to meet and what to do in case of emergency? 

 

Whatever plans we had need to be revisited and updated because family composition has changed since I last updated the kit.

 3. Do you keep your phone well charged and your gas tank topped off ? Is your flashlight kept fresh with batteries? Do you have a list of what to go where to go? 

 

Yes and I try to keep the power bank charged up. I have so many flashlights and battery operated lamps. I need to invest in more batteries as I seem to be low on what I need.

 4. How about a little stash of emergency goods and foods to last a week or two? They say it pays to do this.. do you?

I have meal bars and water from the emergency packs you buy at the store and I added a bit more. These need to be changed out from time to time as they get old but I don't change them as often as recommended.  I figure that they will still be "good enough" in a pinch even if the taste is not quite as good. I'd like to buy some dried foods but whenever I've looked into it it seems like they only come in very large quantities. It's probably time to look on line again to see what is available. Update:  I found a Canadian company called Good2GoCo that has a wonderful selection of foods and other items in small and large quantities. The foods and water have a very long shelf life so I think this is where I will be purchasing from soon. The food is sourced from Augason Farms which is based in Utah and so you can purchase from a number of retailers (Home Depot, Walmart, Amazon, Winco or from Augason directly).

 

In other news, I haven't blogged about the Kenyan missions.  While Jonah and I have been busy getting organized we have also tried to continue with some missions efforts from afar. I hope to provide a short update in the not too distant future.  If anyone would like to contribute to the work the donate button on the right hand side of this blog is always open. If you should experience any problems/issues with it, please let me know and I can try to resolve it. Thank you and God bless!

 

Thanks so much for stopping by!

 

 

Update and a Big Announcement

 Hi everyone, 

I trust you have all been doing fine. 

I have been on a long blogging break for a number of reasons but the blogging break has gone on longer than I intended.

When I first went off line it was because I was working very hard on what I had hoped was the last stages of major decluttering. This involved dealing with all the papers I've been collecting and storing for years.  Several years ago I had gone through my large filing cabinet and gotten rid of a lot of paperwork so I thought I was well on my way to completion.  However I discovered that that was only the tip of the iceberg.  The more I looked, the more I had papers here and there that I had stored away. It seemed like as I was going through and shredding old papers that they were in fact expanding in number! Of course that wasn't actually happening, it's just that there was so much of it. I set myself a deadline of the end of March, then April and I worked hard toward the goal.  I got rid of much of it but I still have more to do. 

Once I stopped shredding papers, I got very sick with a bad cold. I had worked myself very hard and so I guess my immunity was not that great.  I no sooner got through that then I started having an arthritic flare up and it has gone on for many weeks. I'm not one hundred percent sure why the flare up happened but I think it is largely due to the horrible weather we've had for the last quarter of 2021 and for half of 2022.  Constant rain.  

It's actually been quite cool too but I think I'll take the cool to the heat wave we had last summer at this time.  Sadly, the hot weather resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people and wild fires totally wiped out one small community named Lytton and another First Nations community or two. The damage to the forests was also extensive. Lots of rain to dampen the earth this year has significantly reduced threat of wild fires for the present time. Instead communitys are now dealing with possibility of flooding due to melting snow packs on the mountains combined with heavy rainfall. Water levels are dangerously high right now throughout much of the province but I'm hopeful that rivers won't overflow. This past week we had a mini-heat wave but yesterday and today, it is back to a bit of rain and overcast weather. I prefer it when the weather is broken up with warmer days and cooler days as keeps everything in better balance all around.

In between decluttering and getting sick, I did manage to plant the garden albeit not quite how I normally do. The heavy rainfall and cold seemed to affect how things are growing. Too much water I think but at least things are now blooming.

My nephew and his girlfriend are looking after the community garden at the park again this year. They enjoyed it so much last year but next year they may get their own plot if any are available.

If you are still reading, I have some big personal news to share. I've been waiting for the right time to share it and now seems to be a good time.  My long term readers and blog friends know that I do grassroots missions to villagers in Kenya and have been doing so for a very long time. Early on in the missions outreach, Jonah and I met through a mutual pastor friend. Jonah is a trained pastor but also has an academic background in humanitarian work and a significant volunteer background in relief work in Kenya.  We had been planning to get married for quite some time and on my last visit to Kenya it finally happened.  The global pandemic and Canada's backlogged immigration process delayed our reunification but as of May, Jonah landed in Vancouver and we were reunited at last.

Here he is on arrival day in Vancouver. He's not used to getting flowers :-)

 

As you can imagine, we have been super busy.  There is an awful lot for Jonah to learn and discover but he is adjusting well and enjoying the process. He loves it because it is peaceful and the city is not too small.  The city is quite large by Canadian standards but is relatively small and calm compared to Nairobi where he often travelled for business.  We hope to continue the work of the missions in Kenya and to share what we feel led to share now that he is here but first things first.

Immigration and travel during these last few years has been very challenging. As we went through the process we could see the hand of God in the process.  We really know that God undertook everything on our behalf and was with us through it all.  This was especially evident to us through the last year and even now.  We are grateful when we realize the great hardships and difficulties that so many other couples have faced and are still going through as they journey through the same process. I'm still marvelling at how quickly our application was processed though it took some time for the officials to actually begin processing the paperwork. Some people have been waiting years and ours took only about 4.5 months to be processed though the other elements of the process added time. Truly a miracle during the Immigration backlog affecting millions of people.  We don't take the blessing lightly and are thrilled to begin life together.

Here he is at one of our outings to Stanley Park and the waterfront.

The long weekend is coming up so I just want to wish all my Canadian and American readers a very Happy Canada  Day (July 1st) and Independence Day (July 4).

Stay safe until next time💓💖🎇🎆

Thursday - Errand Day

Thursday is usually errand day for me and I often run several errands on this day.  However, today I only ran one and that was to do some grocery shopping.  I don't want to be running major errands this weekend unless it's to the library.

I really didn't want to go out today but I finally did and I closed out the store because I went out so late.  It means I didn't shop as carefully as I normally would but at least it's all done! Go me 👍🎉🎈. I intended to buy a few items needed to make taco soup. Would you believe I completely missed out on buying 2 of the items I need? I can probably get by without buying sour cream because I have plain Greek yogurt. I may need to go out and buy taco seasoning and cream cheese but there is a possibility I have both in my cupboards and refrigerator. I'll have to check more closely before buying more.

I guess I'm getting ahead of myself. I didn't mention that Friday and Saturday's menu consists of roasted chicken with red potatoes and veggies/salad. Another night is taco soup topped with avocado, shredded cheese and a dollop of cream. 

Once I got to the store I saw that a 2 pack of whole chickens, a "family pack" of steak and roast beef were on sale. I picked them up and also picked up a round of Kolbassa sausage. Though I haven't exactly planned the week's menu I have certain basic things that I do with the meat and fowl and I have been experimenting of late just to keep things interesting.  I find the cost of beef, pork and chicken have gone through the roof.  For awhile the store wasn't selling the 2 pack of chicken which had always been a staple of mine. I'm craving chicken souvlaki with rice pilaf and lemon-garlic potatoes. Maybe now I can make some.  I would buy more chickens but I have no available freezer space. (Please click on all photos to enlarge).

I got a good selection of vegetables, herbs and greens.

I don't often buy beef steaks or roasts anymore.

2 pack chicken, fruits, choc bars and other treats.

If you're like me you like to see how much other people pay for their groceries. I know that some places like England and parts of the USA, do not pay the same high prices we pay in Canada. Within Canada too the prices vary a lot.  It is much cheaper to buy groceries in places like Edmonton, Alberta or Toronto, Ontario, than it is in Vancouver, BC.  For what reason, I do not know and I find it rather annoying.

Today's haul cost me just over $100 (see receipt) and I paid for the pack of chicken with points, not cash. This food will last about 10 -14 days, perhaps longer if we have meatless days.  But I will need to supplement the haul with other things like more veggies, milk, eggs,yogurt and possibly bread/baked goods; all as needed. Considering prices here, I think the overall total was a good deal.

I haven't mentioned Kenya for awhile and I wanted to let people know that I'm still looking for a helper for Janet, the lady who started a hair business after being chased from her family home. My assistance will come to an end in March and I would like to find someone who could help her and her 4 daughters for a few months. It would mean $40 - 60 Canadian per month.  This is just enough to pay rent and a few food items. It would help her get a surer footing. If you cannot afford that but want to help her, please send any amount.

Rose, the mature woman who recently had a baby by C-Section is now in the town of Kericho with her friend. She has developed a bit of an infection in her wound and the doctor wanted her to visit the hospital more than once this week so she could be treated. She returns Friday (it's already Friday in Kenya) then hopefully she will be released to home. It costs approximately $35 - $40. Canadian for each visit. Almost two thirds of this amount is for private transport since Rose cannot ride the crowded vans they call matatu with her baby.  It isn't safe, especially during this time of Covid and it also isn't good for her wound. This past week was more expensive than $35 - $40 because the baby's umbilical cord area also required a bit of medical attention and Rose's wound needed treatment. 

In Kenya you can either pay the hospital to provide all medicines or you can buy it yourself at a less expensive pharmacy. In all cases we do what we can to save costs and buy medical supplies and even medicines at the pharmacy.  One needs to shop around to find the best pharmacy prices because costs vary a lot. Then the doctors will administer the medicine or use the supplies on your behalf when y\uou visit at the hospital or in their office. This is quite acceptable in Kenya but would never "fly" in Canada or in most western nations. 

By the way, Rose named her baby boy Kipkoech. I hope I am spelling it properly. It means 'new beginnings' or 'blessings of a new day' and is given to boy children who are born in the morning.  I thought the name was very fitting.

Anyway friends, if you are able to help either Janet and her 4 daughters or Rose and her baby boy please be in touch. You can find the Pay Pal link on the right hand side of this blog. Thank you for your consideration.

 ~~~~

Valentine's Day is coming soon.  Whether you do anything special or are with loved ones or by yourself, please be kind to yourself and enjoy the day.  Thank you so much for your visit.

~~~~~

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.