Jonah & the Missions of Hope

I'm linking up with Internet Cafe Devotions today. I hope you will join me.

Hello dear friends,

How are you this fine day? Here where I live the skies have been gray since the weekend and we've been expecting rain. Our first rain for a long time. However the rain did not come and I see the forecast is for increasingly warmer temperatures and more sunshine for the rest of this week. That suits me just fine as I am already missing our Summer though it is now technically Fall/Autumn. The time just seems to pass so fast and where does it go?

Recently, I've seen a theme in the blogs I read; people blogging about time and making the best of the time we have, not wasting it, and being grateful for the ability to just live and grow each day. For life goes in cycles

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Right now it is my time to update you about Jonah and the Missions of Hope, and it is Jonah's time to finalize his thesis and see what next steps God would prepare for his future. Normally Jonah would update you but he is having to conserve money and totally reduce expenses. It costs money to use the internet cafe or to pay for airtime.

 I only have a short report because as I mentioned last time, Jonah was in the middle of his master's thesis and facing a very challenging time financially.  If you are a regular reader of this blog and Jonah's blog, you will know that Jonah never asks for funds for his own personal use. He relies on a faithful donor for his own school needs but recently the financial burden has become too much for the donor.  It is very unfortunate because Jonah is just sooooo close to finishing.

 Jonah's Needs

Jonah has already successfully made it as far as defending his thesis! 

Isn't that a wonderful achievement?!

What needs to be done for Jonah to finish is to go to Uganda (he lives and studies in Kenya through a satellite university) to complete the administrative work for his thesis requirements.

This sounds simple enough but it takes funds he doesn't currently have. He has been working very hard to solicit funds in Kenya to get to Uganda and he is there now but he needs your help to make sure he can complete his task.

If you can help him, please don't delay in sending your donation.  He doesn't have much time to fulfill his requirements.  He also needs to return to Kenya before the end of this month to move from his temporary home where he has been living during his studies.

He needs funds for that too but the main focus is on finalizing the thesis.

Here is a breakdown of the needs for Uganda:

English editor needs : about $50

formatting needs: $30

statistics needs: $50

binding:  $90

travel: $100

lodging: $20

food: $10 per day

miscellaneous: $100

Little Linet's Needs

I cannot forget to update you about Little Linet and I think you will remember that she was to undergo a medical evaluation on August 28, 2012. The evaluation was for the purpose of determining whether she is a candidate for surgery. You might also remember that Little Linet had been having various issues with her mouth causing pain, wounds, odour and inability to eat properly.  The doctors decided to remove some front teeth to help stabilize the situation. 

The real answer to Little Linet's problems is to help Little Linet undergo cleft palate surgery and the first step toward that was an evaluation about whether she is a suitable candidate for cleft palate surgery.

I am so happy to report that Little Linet is indeed a candidate for surgery.

We would like to help her but we need your help to do it.

Can you help this little one? It will take at least $500 for her to have surgery and so I'm starting now to raise the funds. So far, we have raised $60 for the surgery.

The need is really quite easy to be met if we all pull together.

All it takes is 10 people in the whole wide world to give 
$50.00  (Canadian)

Or, 20 people in the whole wide world to give 
$25.00  (Canadian)

Please know that although I do ask for funds on this blog from time to time, there are actually very, very few people who give toward most of the needs we write about .  The exception was little Kigen because one kind hearted singer in Nashville, publicized his need on Facebook.

I don't share this information to whine or complain but only to make it clear what the situation is. I know from time to time you may have questions and though this isn't my ministry as such, I do support it in whatever ways I can and I desire to have others support it too.

God knows in advance who will help at any given time.  He knows who the donors will be or whether there will be no donors at all.  He also knows that he gives every single person out there reading this, countless opportunities to do good each day.  What you read here is only a part of the opportunities that God opens for you but they are important.  God does care about these ones In Kenya who most people don't care about at all. If you are a follower of Christ and his love abides in you, would you be touched to help and care for them too?

Sometimes a giver stre-e-e-e-e-tches to help meet a need. 
That is another simple fact. 

Sometimes needs are not met at all because there is no one willing to reach out and touch.  It is as simple as that. 
God knows our hearts.

I just know that if this little girl were in your living room sitting beside you, it would be hard to turn your head and heart from her because she is a real life person, with real needs and she depends on us to help her mother meet her needs. I know many people get uncomfortable with being confronted by the needs of others or they grow weary but the Bible says

Let us not grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap, if we do not lose heart.
Galatians 6:9

I know we do grow weary from time to time but God encourages us through his word. He tells us not to grow weary and he tells us how we can avoid it.


But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
 Isaiah 40:31

If  today, you are feeling the love of God and the freedom that God gives to be a cheerful giver, please join hands with the Missions of Hope. Please be as generous as you can so Jonah can finish his thesis requirements and so we can make arrangements for Little Linet's surgery that much faster.  Of course, you don't have to be a Christian to be a giver. So if you are not a Christian, you may want to lend a hand to these dear ones anyway.

There are two people in East Africa, waiting for your help.  Will you be one to help answer their needs?



Let me close by saying a prayer that in n this season of your life, whatever your needs are, whatever you are going through and dealing with, may you too find the comfort and blessings you need, and a hand or two to help you on your way.  For when you are are strong again, you can help another on their journey.  I leave you with a song that seems appropriate. It isn't a Christian song as such but it's sentiments are the same.

 

 God richly bless you.

At the bottom of this post, there are buttons you can use to help spread awareness of the Missions of Hope through this post.  It only takes a moment.

Daily Dos and Daily Promises

Hello friends,

I'm still recovering from my cold. I don't have it really bad right now. Just enough to make me feel more tired than usual and the odd bout of sneezing.

Since I don't have a lot of energy I'm just doing bare minimum each day, a little laundry (it never seems to end), a little cleaning, a little blogging, and a little reading. Tomorrow I'll get out for the first time in what seems like ages. It will be nice to get together with a few ladies and be back in the land of the living, he he.

I'm still reading "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake and have started on a new book called, "Medicine River" by Thomas King.  The book chronicles the lives of a group of contemporary First Nations people living in Western Canada.  Thomas King is part Cherokee, Greek and German-American. He used to lives and works in Alberta, Canada as a professor.  I understand he now lives and works in Ontario, Canada.  His book was actually published in 1989 and has been on my reading list for some time. Recently, I came across a used copy and I'm enjoying it's easy, conversational style.

I also started cutting out pieces for another quilt'; this time in shades of green and blue. I think it will look quite nice.  It will likely be another lap blanket because I have a lot of fabric but there isn't enough in any particular complementary colours to make larger quilts.  You might have seen my other lap blanket here.  I am still deciding what to do with it but eventually I hope to sell several quilts.  I will use any proceeds to help children like Little Linet or Kigen at the Missions of Hope. Once I've finished with my lap quilts, I hope to make some larger ones too.

These are some of the fabrics, I've started cutting.

For dinner tonight we had coconut shrimp (from a bag) and stir fried noodles (home made with packaged noodles).  It's the first time I've had the coconut shrimp from the frozen foods section.  I don't usually buy things like that but they were on sale so I thought I would try them.

They were quite good and even came with sweet chili dipping sauce..  I googled a recipe and came up with this one that looks very similar to what we had.

http://www.simplyrecipes.com/recipes/coconut_shrimp_with_sweet_chili_mayo/

The recipe looks easy enough and so I'll probably try to make it from scratch some time.  I think the Japanese panko (crumbs) make the difference.

I haven't been overly busy this week but have been keeping a relaxed pace.  Somehow posting about what I'm doing or what I have done, makes me feel less like I am wasting my days. Every day is a gift and I don't want to waste any of them.That is what I say to myself on most days.

I also try to remember to be grateful each day and give thanks for whatever I do or whatever God has given to me.  Even when things aren't going so well, the Bible tells us to give thanks.  I have a promise box and each day I pick one or several cards out of it to see what "special" message God might be speaking to me that day.

This is a promise box like mom had when I was a child. I used to love to take the "daily bread".

This is a promise box I got about 15 years ago. 

 These are some of the scripture cards I drew out this week.  God is clearly telling me that His name is to be praised!
 

I've been bearing burdens with, and for others and this week and I've also been feeling a bit low in body and in spirit.  I needed to be gently reminded that God is to be praised regardless of the circumstances in my life or the circumstances in the lives of others.  So often I try to "fix" other people's problems.  That is part of my personality and from time to time (often), God needs to remind me that he is the one who can fix things and we need to turn to him in ALL things, good or bad.  I've also learned that sometimes a breakthrough in a prayer need comes when we offer up the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving. Last night my mother called me with a praise report.  I pray for her every day and often with her on the phone.  She was calling to tell me that a difficult health challenge she has been facing this week, turned around.  This answer to prayer came after a period of just focussing on giving praise and thanks to God for everything. I love it when I see and experience the Word of God in action like this.

In the day of prosperity be joyful, and in the day of adversity consider: God has made the one as well as the other, so that man may not find out anything that will be after him. 

Ecclesiastes 7:14
Click here for a study of Ecclesiastes 7

Sunday

Hi friends, I haven't been feeling well this past few days. I'm very tired and now I am sneezing and headachey. Please say a little prayer for me as I've likely caught a cold from the changing season.

I am keeping busy too and feel like I'm not making much progress. Too many things to do and so little time.  I mentioned that I recently purchased several books at a used book sale sponsored by the SPCA.  The first of the book I read was, "Out of Africa"and I enjoyed it so much. The book is very different from most books I've read.  Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dineson) tells of her time in Africa by writing about different people and themes, instead of telling her story through a linear (chronological ) time line.  Her lover Denys Finch Hatton, with whom she takes up after the break down of her marriage did not feature quite as prominently in the book as I thought he would.  Perhaps I just don't take to the subtle treatment of the character,or the idea that he was relegated to a chapter of the book, rather than being mentioned in several chapters.  But then that approach would not have worked too well with the order of the book. 

In any case, I read the book from cover to cover over a day and a half. I usually only do that with books I am really enjoying.  I especially enjoyed reading Karen Blixen's observations of the people she met in Kenya and her observations of their cultural ways.  It is clear that she loved Africa.  I think the people loved her.  Even today, everyone in Nairobi seems to know of  Karen Blixen.  The land where she once lived is known as Karen, suburb of Nairobi.  The last time I was in Karen was to visit the Giraffe Center and attend a CeCe Winans concert.  If you are interested in life in Kenya as it was during colonial times, pick up a copy of this book.

The second book of the "new to me" stash that I am reading is called "The PostMistress", by Sarah Blake. The story takes place in the small town of Franklin, Massechusetts during World War II. I am just at the stage of being introduced to many of the characters in the story. It may be too early to tell but so far I am not that engaged in the book though it has received rave reviews.  I think this book would appeal to anyone who has an interest in stories about small time life, or an interest in war stories.

If you are new to my blog, let me invite you to spend some time reading and/or exploring some of my earlier posts.  Also, if you are a regular reader of mine, you may have missed some of these posts so I invite you to have a look.  I just might make highlighting older posts a regular feature of this blog, or at least an intermittent feature.

I've selected a few posts (out of the hundreds) to get you started.  Please let me know if you see any problems with the photos.  Unfortunately with computer problems over the years and losses of hard drives, I've lost a lot of photos.

Travel

Africa/Kenya

Friday Sky Over Solai

Canada and the Maple Leaf Flies Abroad

Meeting Kigen in Eldoret

Mombasa Sunset

Nakuru National Park

Finally at Lake Baringo

North America: Western Canada and Washington State

Dropping by La Connor

Trip to the South On Chuckanut Drive

Relaxing, Shopping & Quilting

A Wedding for Two

The Journey Continues - Hinton to Hines Creek

The Journey Begins - Vancouver to Hinton

Photo Journey to Kamloops

We've Covered a Lot of Miles

More Photos from my Journey

Ride with Me:  Edmonton to Chetwynd  

Sky Over the North Country 2

Charitable Work

Dreaming of Africa

Giving

Dreams

Get Involved

Do You Know What You Will Eat Today?

Little Linet

Little Linet ~ Update August 2012

Re-post: Change of Address for Missions of Hope

Hello friends,

The blog for the Missions of Hope has a new domain name www.kenyamissionsofhope.org.  Please be sure to change your bookmarks and visit often. Jonah would love to hear from you.

Once the blog was available at the new domain, I posted about the change of address and was promptly informed that the comment feature was not working. It appears to have been a blogger problem and I apologize if you were trying to leave a comment and couldn't.  I think it is working now.

The last post was about little Linet and her family. Linet is the little girl who needs reconstructive surgery.  MOH was not able to help her with surgery because we are still recovering from the months of expenses for little Kigen's medical needs, however Jonah did help Linet to get medical attention for a month as she was losing weight and unable to eat. She is stable at the moment but we want to keep her that way.

One of the things we would like to do to help little Linet and her family is to help her mother with a micro-enterprise initiative.  The mother wants to start a beauty salon business near where she lives. If she is successful in this venture, she may be able to take care of Linet's surgical needs herself.  We just don't know for certain if she will be able to cover the cost of surgery for her little girl but at least she would be able to try and make some money of her own.  I have received one contribution toward this project and have contributed funds of my own but we need another $100 to $150 to fully fund this enterprise and get Linet's mother on her way.  If you can help at all, please donate here.

Linet and her mother.

Know that Jonah reads and treasures all of your comments and they encourage him in his work under difficult circumstances to bring help and hope to the people.  There have been some problems with the comments feature at his site but it seems to be working now.  Please pray for him as he is currently on the road undertaking some work. Pray that all goes smoothly and that all needs will be met. May God bless you!

A Little Boy Goes Home

A big "welcome and thank you" to my newest followers, Roan, Lydia, Dimple, Urmi and Mildred. You may check out their blogs by clicking on their names.

I can hardly believe it but the time has finally come for little Kigen from Pokot country to return home. He has been in Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital now for 5 months. I first introduced this little boy to my readers in early March 2011. If you are new to my blog or missed the post, you can read all about it here. A few days later, I reported here that my friend Jonah was able to organize a medical mercy mission and bring the little boy to Eldoret, Kenya for medical attention.

Little did Jonah or I know just how long it would be before the medical mission was completed,  Neither did we know of the twists and turns and the length of time it would actually take to get full medical treatment for the little boy.  You can read all the updates at this blog by searching for "Kigen".

After months of waiting and wondering, little Kigen at last had surgery on June 11, 2011.  He received an operation on one eye as the doctors diagnosed that he could see out of at least one eye if they opened it.  Since then we have been waiting for Kigen's healing and recovery. After that we were waiting to be able to meet the medical bill before he and his family could be released from the hospital.  That has been particularly difficult because the bill was much higher than we anticipated.  We have been stretched in our faith and in our finances to meet it.  Particularly my friend, Jonah in Kenya and the pastor and missionary to the Pokot peoples (pictured in the photo below). Sometimes, in fact oftentimes, when God calls you to do something, it will not be easy.  The help you may have experienced initially may fade away.  The personal cost may seem high and the cost of your obedience can also cost those around you.  That is when it is important to stand on your faith and trust in God to help you complete the task set before you no matter what comes.

I'm delighted to be able to report at last, that the mission given to Jonah has been accomplished. Paulina, the mother and her two children are now being escorted home by the pastor from their area.  They all have a very long journey ahead of them.

Here is the pastor along with the children. The mother is carrying 
Kigen on her back and her helper is carrying TikiTik.

This is Paulina, the mother in the blue shirt. She is in a pensive mood. No doubt she is thinking about how long she has been away and how things will be at home after being away for so long. She looks much healthier herself from the first time we saw her in these photos. The children as you can see are paying no attention to having their picture taken. Instead they are engrossed in enjoying their sodas.  Kigen is the one with the blanket on his head.

I like this photo. The mother Paulina is trying hard to get her children to pose for a final photo but the children are having none of it. They want to run and play after having been confined to a hospital for so long. The pastor sitting beside them has been a huge help to Jonah in overseeing this family's care and well-being.

I want to thank everyone who has been a part of this medical mercy mission to help Kigen. Please know you have given a little boy a chance at life and helped his little sibling too. Kigen now has vision out of one eye and thus he has been given a good start in having a productive life. Please continue to pray for this family as they will have difficulties looking after their hygiene needs where they live.  This will make their health issues a continuing concern. Pray also for the pastor and missionary who minister to the needs of Pokot at a time of famine and great difficulty.

God bless.

Photo credits: All photos the property of Jonah

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The God of Supply

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of Him. 

1 John 5:14-15

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, 

according to the power that worketh in us.

Ephesians 3:20

I have been in Kenya for about 3 weeks now.  I am going home tomorrow. I always feel sad a day or two in advance of my departure as I never know when exactly I will be back.  However, I do believe that God will make a way for me to return if it is His desire that I return.

I had only notions of a holiday of rest and recuperation on this trip because the the past year has been mentally and physically exhausting due to health issues of my own and of my loved ones also. It has been a taxing year in every way.  I didn't have a whole lot of advance planning or funds to do some good works which I always love to do when I visit Kenya. I won't go into details but I had even less funds than I anticipated due to some challenges just prior to departure and shortly after my arrival.  I didn't think I would be able to do much here in Kenya  besides visiting the little boy Kigen who I so much wanted to see at the Moi Teaching & Referral Hospital (read more about him here).  I hope to say more about Kigen in the coming weeks and give you an update about him and his family.

But you know God is so gracious and good to us.  I've learned that if I just do whatever I am able and whatever he puts before me without struggle and anxiety, He will honour that.  In this instance, it meant going to Nakura town from time to time where I am staying in Kenya. It meant paying attention to the homeless on the street and talking to them as the Lord provided opportunities.  It meant showing love and kindness to whomever crossed my path.  It was in this way that I met a young boy whom I had met when I was last in Nakuru 6 months ago.  I instantly remembered him due to his ready smile. I learned that his name is Moses and he hails originally from a northern town which I've written about on this blog from time to time. The town of Marigat.

A day or two after reconnecting with Moses, I also met his friend named Hillary Joseph and took them both to lunch along with an artist friend named, Sammy. Over dinner, I learned that the boys were living together in a small shack just outside of the city and they both wanted badly to go to school. Though I couldn't help them with their school needs, I did ask them if they were hungry and took them to dinner for hot food and a drink. Over dinner I learned a bit more about them and how they were fending for themselves. Hillary in particular was insistent that he wanted to go to school. I explained that I could not personally help them but that I would be praying for them to find a donor.  Sammy and I both encouraged them to stay strong in faith and go to church.  I also encouraged them not to listen to the young boys and men on the street who taunted them and tried to pressure them into taking drugs. To try to encourage them further, I shared about my own personal story of trials and tribulations as a child and how I believed God helped me to have a hope and a future.  I told them that they too could have a better future if they continued believing in God.  That night as I left them I noticed that Hillary was sniffling with a cold and gave him a small sum of money to buy Vicks and told him I would pray for him to get better soon.

The very next day I ran into the boys again. This time they had a friend named Martin with them.

From left to right, Martin, Hillary Joseph and Moses waiting for lunch at the Guava Cafe.

At one time all of these boys lived together in an orphanage but now none of them was a resident there. Moses and Hillary in particular wanted to learn academics and go to school but since they had no money and no adults to care for them, they were begging on the streets daily for their survival and the life was hard. Martin was doing small jobs here and there finding whatever work he could to pay for his daily bread. Martin did not live with the boys but knew them from the orphanage and connected with them from time to time.  Apparently, at the orphanage they were all trained in singing and keyboard playing but they didn't receive any real academic training.  Instead the children were being trained as performers and were bussed around the country to perform.  They were driven from town to town and after performing would sleep on their transport bus overnight before journeying on to their next destination and performance.  Eventually all of the boys ran away from this life to try to find a better life.

The two boys I had fed the night before were very happy when I saw them again.  Hillary in particular, was beaming from ear to ear and telling me how well he had slept after my prayers for him.  I invited all three boys to join me at one of the cafes catering to foreigners; the Cafe Guava. I guess it was their first time at the cafe and they were so very happy to be eating there even though it was only chips and a soda.  Again I encouraged them to trust in God and to have faith.  No matter what happened, whether they were to go to school or not, I encouraged them to trust in God for a better future. I gave them more real life examples of how God undertakes. After lunch I took the boys to the street market and bought them some winter jackets as they were both shivering and cold the night before. It had even been cold in my hotel room though I had a number of blankets and these boys didn't have bedding so you can imagine how cold it was for them.  They were so happy to receive their new jackets and were joyfully modelling them to one another. As for Martin, I offered him a jacket too but he said he would take a shirt instead.  That same day, I met a blogging buddy for the very first time in person  (more about this later) while at the cafe.  I introduced her to the boys and asked her if she would also remember them in prayer.  Later that night she wrote me and told me that the boys were on her prayer list.

From left to right: Hillary Joseph, Moses and Moses.

On my way to the cafe for a drink I passed by another little boy.  He begged for food as he was hungry.  I wanted to feed him but I thought I would come back to him and look after him on my way back to the market place in a very short while. In the meantime, the restaurant I thought I was going to was closed, so I ended up at another cafe close by.

The boys came back with Moses while I was having a refreshment and I invited them all to join me for chips and juice or a hot drink. They gladly did so. As we sat down, along came the boy I had passed by earlier.  I waved at him to join us. I learned that his name was Clinton and he was very hungry as well as cold since it started to rain just moments before.

Here is Clinton after having a dinner of beef stew, rice and vegetables and a hot drink of cocoa. Isn't the glory on his face so lovely?  I felt very protective of this little one. He is 13 years old and the 2nd eldest in his family. He seemed so alone and forgotten. I am sure he enjoyed the fellowship of some adults and the two older boys who he knew in passing as they all beg on the streets.  Please pray for him that he will be able to go to school.

Here are Hillary Joseph and Moses proudly displaying their new lantern or torch light. This is a rechargeable lamp.  It doesn't need to be plugged in when it is on and it will last several days before needing to be recharged.  When it needs to be recharged there are neighbours who can help the boys. I tested the lamp and it gives off excellent light.

My adult friend Moses suggested that I purchase some groceries for young Clinton to take home and bless his family.  I was happy to do that as it was in my heart to do so but I didn't quite know how to do it.  My concern was not only what to buy, but how the young (and small) boy would actually get the groceries home.  After a short discussion, we settled on a list of food items and a way for the boy to get home after the shopping expedition.  I asked my adult friend Moses if he would go with the young boy to do the shopping and he agreed.  After spending the afternoon together, my friend was very keen to encourage the young boys and to help them in whatever small ways he could.  He also showed me a proposal he was working on for a business plan to help orphans in this city of Nakuru.  I told him I would pray for his vision to come to life.

Now for the best news of all. After we sat down to eat, young Hillary was smiling broadly and told me how they had looked for me the day before because they had news that God had answered prayer.  It turns out a young man from the United Kingdom had met them on the street the day before yesterday. After finding out that the boys are believers and that they go to church and do not sniff glue like others on the street, he offered to put them both in school.   On Sunday, he will take the boys to buy the school uniforms and the shoes they need as well as books they will need.  On Monday he will take them and register them in school and look after whatever else they need. He has even agreed to send money to help the boys with their daily support needs while they are going to school.   God  is great. Praise His Name!

Hillary was beaming throughout the telling of this wonderful news and I could not contain my excitement and joy at how marvelously and quickly, God has answered the prayers of myself and others for these young boys.  Prayers to give the boys a hope and a future. Not only that, but the boys had a second offer of assistance from a man who comes from South America.  But as they already had a donor they informed the visitor that they did not need his generous offer of help as God had already provided for them.  Imagine this abundance of blessings when the boys had been trying years to get sponsors.

God is so wonderful and has shown such love to these boys by providing for them and demonstrating his abundance. Their joy was manifest on their faces as they related to me the story of their blessings and they told me how much I had helped them. At that point of course, I became somewhat teary eyed by the goodness of God.  After sharing with them and after tears all around, we took our leave from one another and offered to pray for one another until we meet again.  My adult friend Moses, has offered to keep me regularly informed by email about the boys' progress and also to teach them to use the internet so that they can keep in touch with me directly.  I look forward to hearing more about how the are enjoying school and how the Lord is blessing them. I will continue to pray for wisdom, provision and protection for these boys.

Friday Sky Over Solai

I've been on a short sojourn in Kenya. One of the things I wanted to do on this trip besides seeing little Kigen (see his story here ), was to travel to Solai. Solai is a small town located about a 50 minute drive north of Nakuru, Kenya.

I sponsor a little boy named Peter in Solai. I sponsor him through a charitable organization and I hadn't made arrangements to visit him so this trip was really just to get a feel for the place where he lives and to see with my own eyes what is located there. I hope to visit little Peter in person some day if God enables.

Most of the road to Solai is paved but the last 10 minutes or so you travel on a dirt road.

The skies were especially lovely that day and you can see the wispy white clouds against a clear blue sky. The earth road is a deep red colour.

I enjoyed these mud huts with thatched roofs along my journey.  There was an entire village of them along the road. Apparently the people who live there work at a farm.

The road to Solai is not so busy.  These were some of the few travellers we met along the dirt road.

I'm so glad I got a chance to visit this place. I will post more photos in a future blog post.  Thanks for joining me.

For more beautiful skies from around the world, please click here.

Meeting Kigen in Eldoret

I want to thank RonJoe Geezer for deciding to follow my blog and to welcome you.

It is so far from Canada to northern Kenya in Pokot country where little Kigen lives. Some of you may remember him. He is the little boy that my friend Jonah and I have been assisting on medical mercy mission. He and his siblings have some kind of hereditary condition which has been affecting their skin, causing open lesions on the head and face, and affecting their eyesight. Kigen himself has been unable to see anything as both of his eyes have been closed tightly and are unable to open on their own.

Signage on the last leg of our trip into Eldoret from Nakuru.

After learning of Kigen's condition after Jonah's food relief effort to the Pokot people, I helped organize costs for transporting the mother, Paulina,  and two of her three children to seek medical treatment at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in El Doret, Kenya. They have now been there for over three months and while the children have been looked after there, we did not feel that the hospital was doing much to get  Kigen the surgery we felt he needed or to discharge him.

After over two months of waiting and no significant improvement with little Kigen we decided we must transport him and his family members home. We made  two unsuccessful attempts to get the children released from hospital and return this family to Pokot country.  On our second attempt we were told the hospital wanted a few more days to consider the boy's treatment.

Ultimately the doctors decided to go ahead with surgery for little Kigen. We were very happy and the mother was extremely excited.  We all had hope that little Kigen would at last get some real help after months of waiting and wondering.  Little Kigen did indeed have his surgery in one eye approximately one and a half weeks ago and he is now healing. We haven't seen him since the day after surgery to see how he is recovering but hope to do so soon and see what we can learn.

I did have the thrill of meeting this small family the day after surgery. Little Kigen was a bit fearful of me initially as he couldn't see who this stranger was that was talking to him, let alone understand her. Before I left however, he was casually leaning over the bed where I was sitting and inclining his head toward me which indicated to me that he was very comfortable.  The mother was very happy for my visit and smiling the entire time. She and I did try to communicate with each other in our respective languages even though neither of us understood one another.  Fortunately, a woman named Judy who was visiting her daughter Stella (see in the photo below) was able to do a bit of translation for us.

Here we are approaching the Moi Hospital in Eldoret.

This is mother Paulina and the two children who are with her at hospital. Kigen is on the far right. The bandaged eye is the one that was operated on. Paulina is holding a Granny Smith apple I brought and her little one is holding a mandarin orange I brought. I thought these two fruits are likely things they do not get a chance to see much of where they are living.

Mama Judy and her daughter Stella who is battling cancer. Please pray for Stella's healing and strength for her mother.

Hotel Comfy where I lodged. The room is great but the food is not so good.

Street scene outside my hotel room in Eldoret.

We do not know when the doctor's might release little Kigen from the hospital. We just pray that he will continue to grow in strength and that his eye will completely heal. Just imagine what a wonderful future he will have if he can see out of a least one eye.  Imagine too the hope that a healed eye and new sight, will bring to his entire family. They endure such hardship where they live and any positive thing can greatly enhance their state of well being.

We thank you for standing with us in prayer for little Kigen's medical needs and for his family in general. We continue to rely on God for the financial assistance to cover the medical costs, the on going travel needs of the over seers here in Kenya, and for transportation costs for the return trip home for this little family. If you can assist in prayer please do.  If you can give financial support for the needs still before us you may do so at the donate button located at the top right of the screen. God bless you!

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Waiting on Our Miracle

Hi folks, I just want to update you on funds raised for little Kigen's family and their trip home. So far we have raised $125. dollars toward our goal of $500. We are ready to return this family to their home in Pokot country on Saturday this weekend (it will be Friday night in the North American hemisphere) so time is of the essence. Please help us spread the word and pray for this need. Thank you so much, and a special thank you to the 3 people who have already stepped forward. We appreciate it more than you know.

If this is your first time hearing of this need, you can read more here. If you would like to help us, help this little one, you will be able to Donate here (see upper right corner of the blog).

Kigen

Thank you so much!

Final Appeal for a Young boy and His Family

About two months ago I introduced you to a young boy named Kigen, his mother and younger brother, Tiktik. They live in a very remote village with the closest largest town being, Marigat, Kenya.

Kigen needed medical attention and I appealed through this blog for financial help.  It turns out his little brother, Tiktik travelled with him and unbeknownst to me at the time, he has a similar condition as Kigen.

This is Kigen.

We did get some financial help and for those of you who contributed I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Unfortunately the financial support received has not been enough to cover the costs to date and we have been stretched far beyond our ability as individuals to help this young family.

For those who don't know, this young family has been staying in the hospital.  Lodgings, food and medicines must all be paid for the two month period of their stay at the hospital. We have been able to feed the family and  cover the cost of medicine and medical attention for little Tiktik who is doing much better.

Originally we were told that Kigen was going to require surgery. However as time went on it was clear that the doctors think that Kigen's condition is hereditary and cannot be fixed by surgery or indeed be completely treated. However hee has improved under medical supervision and has grown stronger while his little brother was pronounced ready to be discharged a few weeks ago.

Kigen in hospital

Medical personel at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital have told us that they cannnot do more for Kigen so they are ready to release him.  In turn, we are ready to get him and his mother and brother home as soon as possible but we need your help.  The remaining costs we need to cover are the medicines and medical services for Kigen (at least $250 Canadian)  and the return trip home by bus to Marigat from Eldoret, then by taxi from Marigat to the nearest station to their home (another $200 minimum) and a bit of food ($30 or so,for the journey home).  When the taxi has taken them as far as they can go they must walk another  six (6) hours to get to their home where they will be reunited with the father of the boys and the other children.

Admission to the hospital.

We have done what we could to get Kigen the medical help he needs and though he is not completely healed we are happy that he is now stronger and has shown some improvement. We are also encouraged by his brother's remarkable improvement. We continue to pray that Kigen will improve more on his own and that he will not have any setbacks in his condition. We are also encouraged that his mother has been able to learn some of the national language of Kiswahili while she has been at the hospital because she could only speak her native tongue.  This new skill will serve her well in years to come.

Kigen's mother.

If you can help, please send your donation as soon as possible. You can find a donate button by clicking here  (see upper right hand corner).

Journey to Marigat

I want to say a big "welcome and thank you" to my newest blog followers: Chicken Underwear, Barbara Rosenweig, Jack and Donetta.

When I last left off on my Kenyan safari, I was just wrapping up the tour in the Nakuru National Park. Now I want to take you north, to Marigat, Kenya.  My memory is getting a little fuzzy but I believe it took about 5 hours to drive from Nakuru to Marigat with one stop at the equator.

You can see the Kenyan sky is quite cloudy in some areas. It looks like it might rain.  Yet in other areas it was quite blue. It was a very hot day that day and it was nice to sit in a large and comfortable van by an open window to catch the breeze created by the speed of driving.

This photo is taken on the site of the new visitors centre at the equatorial line in Kenya.

Here I pose for a photo.

I tried to get as many flags in one photo as possible.  My flag is in the foreground, I couldn't capture it if I wanted the big globe and the Kenyan flag in the photo too.

Marigat is a small town in the Rift Valley and it is known for its extremely hot and dry weather. There are no major hotels at this small town but there are places to lodge and to eat.  There are also banks and shops in the town.  Marigat, is the last main stopover for tourists before you drive on to a couple of well-established spa resorts located about 20 km away at Lake Borgoria to the southeast and Lake Boringo to the north.   I will feature the resorts in future blog posts.

Marigat also seems to be the hub of market activity for the surrounding villages.  There are many people living in small villages for miles and miles around.  Most of them are pastoralists and they go to  Marigat to buy things or to conduct their business.  I'm sure many villagers never even make it to Marigat and make do with what they have wherever they live. In my next post about my Kenyan safari I will take you to such a place.

The next few photos give you an idea what the terrain is like on the drive from Nakuru into Marigat. 

Seeing goats on, or along the highway, is a fairly typical sight.

The next two photos are taken on the highway just outside the town of Marigat.  It was market day and there were scores of people walking on the highway going to and from the market.

Although Marigat is a very dry place there is an Perkerra Irrigation Project in place.  I've read that this is responsible for the rapid growth of this still small but bustling town.  While we were driving on to a particular village we drove past a lot of the irrigated lands.

Here is downtown Marigat. It is full of matutus (small van buses) and people trying to get to their homes in far flung villages and towns. Everywhere too there are jeeps and 4x4s with people trying to fasten down their purchases and get a ride as close to their homes as possible as regular vehicles cannot make the journey.  Many of the people making the purchases have small stalls/stores in their little villages to service the other residents.

I'm always fascinated by the street scenes in Kenya.  This young girl was trying to sell me a bag of produce.

 

Women line the main highway to sell produce.  This kind of market place activity is quite common everywhere you go in Kenya. Usually the women purchase produce in bulk and then sell it at a small mark up to try and make a living each day  They work long hours and sit in the hot sun all the day long.  It is so hot and dusty in this place that I couldn't imagine me doing this. I needed cold water every so often.

We had lunch at this establishment that has a balcony overlooking the main highway and the activity down below.

Some people don't come to eat or drink. They just come to relax and watch people down below.

Our stopover at Marigat is not long. We only have lunch, use the facilities and buy water for the long journey ahead.  We are on our way to an outlying village and it will take hours over bumpy and dusty roads to get there. I have been there once before and am anxious to see it again.

In case you've missed other posts in this series, please do check them out. You can find some links at the bottom of this post.  Also check out my stories about little Kigen, the young boy who needs medical help. Please keep him in your prayers.

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