Tuesday News

Hi friends,

I hope you are all doing well. I've been a bit under the weather so I have slowed down since the weekend.

I managed to get together with a friend I seldom see. She invited me last minute for coffee and snacks and we were able to work it out. I always enjoy visiting with her. Other than that I've been catching up with various people in Kenya regarding matters that crop up during the missions outreach I do there. That always takes a fair bit of my time and is difficult because of the time and distance differences. I may have a more full some update later on the missions. I know some of you have been waiting.

Since I posted my lovely sunny photos last Friday, the weather has returned to rain. Not endless rain so it is okay but gloomy looking overhead. I am not complaining because my neighbours in the province of Alberta have had lots of snow. I prefer the rain to snow.

 No complaining when I see views like these.

 

Other than enjoying the beautiful scenes at the beach I've been on a personal mission to save a few pennies here and there.  My next post will be about saving money.

I send a lot of funds overseas to help people in desperate situations because I know we are blessed here in North America where even the poorest people have access to food banks, food kitchens, shelters and so on.  I send to people mostly in Kenya not through any organization but directly to people I've met along the way.  I also sponsor some children in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda. I also like to try and send a bit extra at this time of year for the families of the sponsored boys so they can have something extra for Christmas.

In Kenya they like to have a meal of chicken (sometimes goat if the budget allows) and also a new change of clothing at Christmas.  This is in the villages where historically the people would not have so much access to new clothing due to the cost or to things we take for granted here at Christmas or any other time. There the focus is on eking out a day to day existence and trying to ensure the children get an education. Just these two things are beyond the ability of many families. If you are a subsistence farmer there is very little to meet all the needs and some are not so fortunate as to have a farm of their own.

If you would like to sponsor some very needy children I recommend signing up with Compassion International. I sponsor through the Canadian office and have found the staff to be excellent and responsive to all my questions including following up on an issue here and there about local conditions in Kenya.  I get letters from my sponsored children several times a year and I know they are all growing and developing well. Compassion tries to deal with the whole child and not just give them food or a bible. You can learn more about their approach here.

I also sponsor through a new to me  group called Food for the Hungry. I learned about them last year when the wonderful gospel singer, Don Moen was here and he encouraged his audience to sponsor a child that night. The response was very overwhelming and I know this organization also does great work. Both Compassion and Food for the Hungry take great care with the funds they receive and manage to keep the administration costs down to a very reasonable level. This means your donated dollars are actually getting to the child and to the communities.

This week and last week I took a bit of time to write my sponsored children some letters and also some cards for Christmas as well as figure out what to send to their families. In case you are interested, Food for the Hungry doesn't allow gifts to the children other than what you can send via the mail. Compassion allows a gift annually to the child for general needs and birthday and a gift annually to the family.The photos below show my boys from Kenya and Ethiopia. I don't have a digital photo of my boy in Uganda and my scanner doesn't seem to work anymore.

Ian

John

Wondimu

Thanks for stopping by!

Joining in with Our World Tuesday this week.

Frugal Actions Add Up

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all well and that you had a lovely weekend. I have been quite busy running a lot of errands that had accumulated during my time of convalescence with a cold and just generally trying to catch up to everything I fell behind in.  I am not completely well and haven't caught up yet but I have made very good progress and I've almost gotten rid of my cough.

Photo from my archives. I need colour to counterbalance a gray day :-)

It has been awhile since I did a frugal post and I wanted to review and share with you some of my recent frugal finds because it astonishes me just how much savings can be had if one is diligent.

As always it gives me great pleasure when I can spend less money on something and stretch my dollars as far as they will go.  It not only gives me a sense of accomplishment but it provides me with a little breathing room to help me meet my many obligations. Two friends in Kenya have been so ill and require lots of medical help.  Kenyan university students need help with school activity fees and my sponsored children and their families need gifts to help offset food and other costs.  Things can get a little tight especially when things like medical and school costs are not always predictable.  I just have to do the best I can as the people truly do need the help.  Anyway, without further ado, the following is a detailed account of some of the larger savings I've realized recently.

First up with savings this week was saving money at the grocery market. In Canada we do not get the deeply discounted groceries that our American neighbours to the south and our friends in Great Britain and even in Africa can get.  I read with a bit of envy the prices one can get for food elsewhere. I've shopped at my local IGA for many years.  However it has been sold to Save-On Foods.  When I went shopping on Friday the store shelves were getting rather bare. I didn't need a lot of things because I had done some shopping the previous week.  But one of my neighbours stopped me on the street on Thursday night and and told me there were 25% off bargains to be had.  So the next day I went to the store where I discovered that the discounted items were not as many as I expected.  But I did pick up some items I need and saved $31.81.The store will make the transition to the new ownership in about another week or so.

Earlier in the week I also saved money at the local pharmacy where I have built up significant points (about $270 worth). I built these points over a few months through careful shopping on sales and during points promotions.  I wanted some books and magazines this week but I don't normally purchase them outright anymore.  I decided to use points since I had so many of them.

I purchased 2 health books and 3 magazines (two decor and DIY magazines and one financial magazine).  The total cost was $60 and I still have a balance of $210 in points.. I generally use these points to purchase things I may not otherwise buy.  Things like health supplements, electric toothbrushes or replacement brushes or other more expensive items. Whatever I do purchase I try to get it when it is on sale and stretch my points further. For example, the two health books I purchased were discounted at 25% each.  Here is a snapshot of the current rewards balance after buying the books and magazines.
 

 
Long ago I made a decision not to purchase books and magazines due to the high cost and the resulting clutter. However from  time to time I do break down and buy new books and magazines though it is a rare occasion.  Mainly I borrow books from the library so they can be returned and not added to my shelves.  When I do buy books it is usually from the thrift store and sometimes the used book store. My preference is the thrift store as the books are cheaper. Once I'm done with the books I give them back to the thrift store for resale or to someone who wants them.

This week was an exception to the rule as I purchased two books on Friday during on line sales. I debated about whether to purchase the electronic books or the paper versions.  In the end I opted for the electronic books so I could have instant access to them.  Also, one of the books is rather heavy and difficult to carry around. If I have the electronic book it is more likely to go with me when I leave the house.

The first book entitled  How to Get Dressed  ($10.49 on sale, regular Kindle price $14.99, paperback price $19.99) appealed to me partly because of all the positive reviews it received.  I was also interested in it because it is supposed to have a lot of tips about clothing and dressing. As you will read later in this post, I've been putting together a new wardrobe and doing so at clearance prices and so this book might help with a few issues in terms of pulling the wardrobe together. I haven't started reading it yet.

The next book is by Amy Tan, one of my favourite authors.  If you'd like to read a summary of her book you can find it here.   I borrowed the audio CDs for this book from the library last year but I simply couldn't sit and listen that long and I never got too far into the story.  The kindle edition is $4.99 while the hardcover price is $34.99. I purchased the electronic book and it is working very well for me. I've already gotten well into the story.  In general  I do prefer reading from a paper book but from time to time I like having electronic access to a book.

It seems to be my week for buying books because the very next day I purchased another 5 of them from the thrift store.  These are the titles.

• Comfort Me With Apples by Ruth Reichl  $1.00 ($10.50 new) 
• Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner  $1.00 ($4.99 new)
• The Ivory Trail by T. V. Bulpin  $1.00 (This is a rare book that costs $78 on Amazon Canada)
• Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda $1.00 ($19.99 new) , and
• A Guide to Navajo Weavings (Reference) $5.00 ($36.34 new)

One these books are read they will go back to the thrift store for resale with the exception of the rare book and the reference book on Navajo rugs.

When I am out and about and doing errand, I sometimes have to stop and have a snack or a meal.  Sometimes I stop at McDonald's fast food restaurant.  I've often noticed that there is a survey notice on the back of the receipt but I've never completed one until now. After I completed the survey I was given access to the coupon in the photo below.  It amounts to an approximate value of $5.50  value and is a time limited offer which must be used by March 22, 2016. I may get a chance to use it and I may not but it is free so I've printed it and put it in my wallet just in case. I very seldom drink their soft drinks so I hope they will substitute a coffee or a water.

I mentioned earlier that I've been putting together a new wardrobe and a lot of it is for warmer weather though not exclusively. The Clark's sandals in the photo were discounted from $130 down to to $34 and came in a multitude of colours. I found them on another site for $10 less at the regular price but the marked down price was only $66.

The colour I selected was pewter (or shimmery silver). I wanted to buy the sandals in red but pewter will go with more of the clothing and is a little more interesting than black or navy.

Amongst the new items of clothing I've bought recently are maxi dresses (all the rage) and some light cardigans.  I'm afraid I don't have any photos but the key thing is that they were all heavily discounted.  The dresses were originally priced at $89.99 and discounted to 29.99.  The sweaters were discounted from $49.99 each to $19.99. I actually got an additional 30% off of the discounted prices because I mainly shop flash sales where additional discounts are offered for a short period of time.

Right now my biggest issue is not the cost of the clothes because I've been getting rock bottom prices.  The difficulty is knowing what size or sizes to buy since I'm purchasing on line and sizing is not always consistent which can be frustrating. I've been losing inches (not weight) and some of the clothing I bought last Winter and Spring are already ill fitting in some areas.  Now I'm ordering smaller sizes most of which fit.  But anything so heavily discounted cannot be returned so I have to be very careful what to purchase so funds are not wasted on non-returnable items.

Last but not least, I purchased a bracelet and a black onyx pendant in the thrift store. The bracelet was only $1. and the pendant was $5. I've seen comparable pendants on line for at least $50 or more. I don't like to spend much on jewellery except for a few quality pieces.  The rest I spend little on because I don't change my jewellery too often so it would be a waste of money.

When I'm out and about running errands I do try to eat healthy and don't  just stop at McDonald's. 

On Saturday I stopped for Japanese food.  I had another dish of deep fried shrimp (breaded in panko crumbs) not pictured here, but I didn't like those so much.

I thoroughly enjoyed the snacks you see in the  photo below.  

Even my snacks were 40%  during happy hour though I would eat at this place even without the discounted prices.

Snacks from left to right.

Miso soup, Sushi (tamago, salmon, tuna), Seaweed salad

In summary I think you can see that with diligence many bargains can be had when shopping for food, clothing, books.  One can also find sales on many other things or good deals at thrift stores or even things for free on sites like Freecycle or Craigslist.  It really depends what you are looking for but it pays to spend time to find the deals.
I know my efforts are not the very best and lowest prices around. I know people who will spend far less than I do and only purchase second hand clothing or get them free through clothing swaps and that kind of thing.

However I am pleased with my results.  Personally I prefer to purchase new clothes that haven't been worn by anyone else except me. That is just my quirk. That means I have to find them at sale prices. The same goes for shoes. I don't mind buying 2nd hand when it comes to kitchen items, certain linens, furnishings or books. I always find it fun to shop around and see what kind of deal I can get.

 I'm leaving you with some beautiful scenes of the waterfront taken last month.


Thanks for stopping by. 

Enjoy your week!
HAPPY INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY
(March 8, 2016)

Joining in with Lady Fi at Our World Tuesday

Beautiful Summer Sky

I'm making one more appeal to help Elvis finish his university studies. His last day of classes will be August 20th and I've managed to finish paying for his tuition and all his living costs.

 Any donations would be welcome to help pay for the graduation costs and ceremonies. Graduation will be a huge milestone for his family.

Donations gratefully received at kerichojoy[at]gmail[dot]com

In other news, the boy I was going to help go to vocational high school in Liberia has had a set back. All the schools in Liberia have been closed and there is a state of emergency due to the Ebola virus now making it's way in Western Africa.

We need to pray for these people in west Africa, all the medical staff who help them and put their lives in great danger, and for protection against the spread of the virus to the western nations.

This is very serious business.

My American friend lives just outside of Monrovia, Liberia and cares for a number of children orphaned by the civil war.  She has been sending money for the care and feeding of these children for years now but only moved there a few months ago so the children, including several teenage boys are not used to having adult supervision and direction.

All the children she looks after have now got to take care not to come into contact with outsiders (including friends) and need to stay home from all school and outside activities.

Food and extra medicine for a 2 month period have been purchased but the children don't quite understand just how serious things are.

Prayers for their cooperation and understanding would be appreciated.

Many thanks!


Linking with Skywatch Friday.

Moon View

Hi friends, 

These moon shots were all taken within a few minutes of each other in different locations. 

Happy Skywatch Friday.

If you haven't read my post about Elvis, please read here.

Enjoy your weekend!

Note: Dear Bloggers, I've temporarily disabled the mobile device view while I check out some things. If you are on a mobile device and have problems viewing (post and side bars) please let me know.

Update ~ One More Day with Little Linet

Dear friends,

Thank you to those of you who sent your prayers and your donations for little Linet and her family. Your continued prayers for this family's needs are very much needed. (For the background story read here and here).

Since Little Linet has passed from this life, her body has been at the morgue in Nakuru. Funds sent to her family have been used to pay for her casket ($100) and for morgue fees ($60). The balance of funds has been used to help the family to defray food costs.

As is the custom they have had to host relatives and friends which also includes feeding them over these past six days.  Since Little Linet is from the Luo tribe she will be returned to Luo territory near Kisumu which is also the custom. But first her family will sit with her for one night at their family home near Nakuru.

This past week has been very hard on Little Linet's mother and father. We have tried to be supportive and bring them practical helps like food to help meet the needs of those that have come to show their last respects.

Please pray for this couple.  There are still many unmet needs and they are scheduled to depart for Kisumu with Little Linet's body on Friday.  We are trusting in God with whom all things are possible.

Helping this little one move from this life to the next will be our Valentine's Day gift to her and her family. May God richly bless them and comfort them in this grievous time, and may He give them the joy and the hope that they will one day be reunited with their Little Linet. 

Update ~ Friday, February 15, 2013

Mama Linet and about 20 people left for the long journey to Kisumu. They've had to go by matatu (shared taxis which are the least expensive form of city or inter-city travel). When people in Kenya die they are generally laid to rest in their tribal homeland. Mama Linet and her husband are from the Luo area near Kisumu which is why they are headed there.  See map here.

Once they arrive they will have to build a temporary shelter, feed the mourners and undertake some cultural rites related to the burial. All of this is very costly for such poor people and we ask for your prayers for their every need to be met.

 We have helped them as best before they embarked on the journey.  There is still time to help them if you are moved to do so. We can send the funds by M-Pesa (mobile money transfer). This is an innovative form of transferring money within the country of Kenya, especially to rural places.

The matatu is being loaded for the journey (with Little Linet)  to her final resting place.

(Anyone who wishes to donate may do so by sending a Pay Pal donation to the email on my blog profile). 


Please continue to keep this family in your prayers.

Kenya Missions of Hope Needs Your Prayers

Hello friends,

Edwin getting blood work.

We begin a new week and I hope you are all having a good one. My nephew was to arrive was his girlfriend yesterday for a small birthday dinner for him but due to unforeseen circumstances this had to be rescheduled to today.

My main news today is that my friends in Kenya need our collective prayers to meet some big needs in the next short while. I hope you will take a moment to read the short report at the link below and to offer your prayers and good wishes. Please note that there have been bombings and deaths in Nairobi City over the past few weeks and the city has been on the alert so not only do my friends need prayers to meet their material needs but they need prayers of protection.  God bless and have a great week.

Kenya Missions of Hope: Short Update on Missions: Hello, Edwin and I will be going to Nairobi in about two days for further cancer treatment.  Last Friday we went for some check up and ...

Urgent Needs

Friends,

In my last post I wrote about the floods and how they affected the people of Rhoda Slums near Nakuru, Kenya.  I just got word that Jonah has been called home because his own mama has also been affected by torrential rains. Where she lives in a village near Kericho in the highlands it has been raining much more than usual.  Her kitchen hut has been badly affected (totally damaged by the rains and floods).  She has been cooking outside in the rain.  As you can imagine, this makes it not only difficult to cook but makes her prone to sickness.  Jonah has been called home from university studies and is trying to build a new cooking hut.

(Sorry for the lack of good photos but Jonah has lost his camera.  A new camera is another ministry need).

This is Jonah's mother's cooking area.

If you look closely you can see that the ran has gouged out the land where the corn is planted.

There are also other needs of the Missions of Hope at this time. We have been helping Elvis go to medical school in Kisii town but we cannot help to enroll him in his second year.

If you can pray and help with any of the missions needs, I'd love to hear from you.

Lord's Prayer in Swahili

Baba yetu, Yetu uliye

Mbinguni yetu, Yetu amina!

Baba yetu Yetu uliye

jina lako litukuzwe.

Utupe leo chakula chetu

Tunachohitaji utusamehe

Makosa yetu, hey!

Kama nasi tunavyowasamehe

Waliotukosea usitutie

Katika majaribu, lakini

Utuokoe, na yule, muovu e milele!

Ufalme wako ufike utakalo

Lifanyike duniani kama mbinguni. (Amina)

Our Father, Jesus who art

in Heaven. Amen!

Our Father, Jesus

Hallowed be thy name.

Give us this day our daily bread,

Forgive us of

our trespasses

As we forgive others

Who trespass against us

Lead us not into temptation, but

deliver us from the evil one forever.

Thy kingdom come, thy will be done

On Earth as it is in Heaven. (Amen)

Join Natasha for SundaySong by clicking here

 

Urgent Appeal

Dear Friends,

We have an urgent appeal for a young student, named Jeremiah Lokol who lives on the border between Turkana and Pokot areas; one of the poorest parts of Kenya. I met him in September when I was on a food relief mission to the people in that area.

Turkana people waiting for food relief

Jeremiah

Jeremiah has just been accepted to the top school in the country and this has made my day with this news.  But he needs tuition and school uniform costs in a matter of days (by the end of this month) so I am making an URGENT appeal to everyone.

Sadly, everything that Jeremiah's family had was stolen by their neighbours just around the time the parents were planning to sell some cows and goats to pay for his education. Some of you will know that in this area the people are pastoralists and they suffer from cattle raiding.

Standing with some Turkana women holding their water cans.

As the boy comes from a family of  9, it looks like his dream of attending the school which is located in Kikuyu town near Nairobi, might not become a reality. He might lose the chance of joining this great school and achieving his dream of becoming a pilot after finishing high school.

What we need to do is gather everyone's support to ensure he can go to school. He needs everyone's support to make this possible.

The fees and costs for term one are 24,943 Kenyan shillings ( $304 Canadian, $275 Australian, $292 US, 222 Euros, 187 GBP) There are additional costs of 6695 Kenyan shillings for school uniforms ( $81 Canadian, $74 Australian, $78 US, 60 Euros, 50 GBP and some modest amount for travelling to the school and making sure he has the other clothing and bedding he needs.

I am praying to God for someone to come forward and answer the prayers for this family and this boy.

Please pray with us and help to raise awareness of the Missions of Hope by using the share buttons at the bottom of this post. If you can do more than pray, please donate now at the donate button on the upper right of this website.

If you have any problem with the Pay Pal button you can send the donation to kerichojoy[at]gmail.com Thank you and may God bless you.

Jonah

Someone Needs You

Hello friends,

I'm still on my blogging break but I wanted to thank you all for your kind comments on my last post. I have been enjoying some restful days while I also plan a bit of my schedule but I did say to a friend that I would be back on the blog if I have something to report concerning the Missions of Hope.

I do want to mention that my friend, Jonah has returned to what what I think is his last semester in his Master's Degree Program on International Development. He has been in an accelerated program to try and save money on his studies. Please pray for him to have excellent study skills and good memory and research and writing skills as he completes his thesis and prepares for exams.







The other student, Kipngeno, I've written about before. I ask you to continue praying for him as he is now at a critical juncture in the finances needed to complete his first year of medical studies at the Kisii University.

Here we have given him a small amount of money to get him started. It is only about 10% of what he needs to complete the year.  This amounts to about $88. Canadian dollars. I will round that up to $90.

This boy, Kipngeno, is a promising medical student and needs your help to continue his studies.

I know that perhaps the full amount required is too much for one person to take on but you can help to the amount of $90, $180, $270 and so on.

If you can help, please click the Missions of Hope logo below now.  You will be taken to the donate page. 

If you cannot help, please at least spread the awareness of the need an/or pray for this young man. Thank you so much and may God bless you.