Heart for the Pokot

I mentioned yesterday that my friend Jonah had recently returned from a food relief effort amongst the Pokot people in communities located hours and hours drive north of Nakuru, Kenya.

He travelled to Baringo, Pokot and Ngoron areas to distribute food supplies to people hit hard by drought.  This area is very dry and they cannot grow crops so they rely heavily on outside sources of food. They are a pastoral people and raise goats and cattle when they have the means. It is a difficult area because of its dryness and lack of potable water.  There is an ability to grow crops if one has water but this area is in lack of water to drink let alone to cultivate crops.

The people are gathering in anticipation of food distribution.

You can see the happiness on the faces of the women who greet the volunteers bringing food aid.

Jonah reports that he and the NGO workers from Kericho Town who helped to transport the food had a great trip and they really enjoyed doing everything that they could do for the people.  He was especially grateful to the US government for donating the relief supplies to take to the Pokot people and also for the relief they have provided to many other people in drought stricken areas of Kenya.  He is so touched by their generosity.

Here you can see the US logo on the cans and bags of food awaiting distribution.

 

 

Jonah and the team had to travel all through the day and the night to get to their destinations and they did arrive safely though the land rover they used to travel and transport is over 20 years old.  They had to stop every few hours to permit the overheated engine to cool down. No doubt the heat of the area added to the problem of overheating.

Along the way, in a place near Kamurio, they met this small boy named Kigen. He is 9 years old and in serious  need of medical help.

Here Kigen's mother and Jonah pray with the staff in the basic medical facility.

Kigen's mother, Paulina tries to feed her baby while Kigen sits under the blanket. The blanket protects him from the flies.

Kigen under cover.

This is Kigen uncovered. He really needs help.

If you can help with funds to get Kigen to a medical facility for proper diagnosis and treatment, please scroll to the bottom of this post where you will find a link to a donation button.

Kigen needs to get to the nearest hospital in Eldoret. We hope they can help him there otherwise they may need to send him to Nairobi. We need a miracle to help him and for his healing. Please join with us. In the meantime, please help get this word out to your friends and contacts and put Kigen and his family on your prayer list if you have one.

If by chance you are one of the blessed ones who could provide a substantial donation to this child or to help his people who really need food and water wells, I would prefer that you do not send the funds to me. Instead, please contact me and we can discuss in more detail how best to send your assistance.

Thank you so much.

Thank you.

You can donate to assist in little Kigen's medical mission. 

Donations can be made via Pay Pal here. Just click the donate button.

Photo credits:  All photos the property of Missions of Hope, Kenya, Pastor Jonah.
Photos may be used with credit. Many thanks and blessings.

Two weeks of Sky

I thought it would be fun to show the sky over Vancouver over a two week period. You can see we have had all kinds of weather! Soon it will be spring. Already today was feeling warmer and we are expecting beautiful sunshine for the next 3 days.

If you have time, please check out my post

 About a Boy.

Blessings.

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About a Boy

I am so thankful today. Lately it seems I've lost some of my ability to be thankful. It isn't that I don't appreciate what I have. More like I have been preoccupied with my own needs and issues. I've been too busy to really savour what I have and to ponder exactly how the good Lord blesses me each and every day.

Every now and then though something happens and comes to my attention to teach me just how good I have it. Though the economy has been rough, Jehovah continues to provide me with food and shelter and more stuff than I really need. In fact, I've been giving away things. This is our culture in North America, where we tend to have an overabundance of things. I believe when we have too much we forget just how much of the rest of the world lives.

Today I cannot forget.

My friend Jonah lives in Kenya.  He recently went on a relief mission to try and alleviate starvation amongst the Pokot people (I'll be posting about the relief effort soon). Jonah is a student and so he is doing this as a volunteer. The food was provided by USAID and Jonah enlisted the assistance of a local NGO to take the long journey north to Baringo, Pokot and Ngoron and deliver the food.

While on this mission he came across a young boy who is in desperate need of assistance. Please be ready for a sad sight but this is real folks...real needs.

This little boy's name is Kigen.  His head is covered. I think because of his condition and the strength of the hot sun.

This boy desperately needs medical attention. The nearest hospital is hours and hours drive from the small village where Kigen lives. I don't even know if the place where he lives has a name but it is close to another small place called Kamurio, Kenya. Kamurio is so small you will not find it on a map.

The closest hospital is in Eldoret, at the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital.  I want to help this boy and I would like to encourage others to help him.

Basically what needs to be done is for my friend to hire a car to make the long journey back to this place to pick up the parents and boy and then make the journey with all of them to Eldoret. These parents have no education and they've never been out of their small village so this is a huge journey for them.  They will need help in every way for lodgings, accommodation, medical costs and medicine as well as the return journey. My friend also needs assistance for food and lodgings and to pay the driver.  Not just any car for hire will do. In order to get into these back roads, we need to hire someone with a reliable SUV.

This is a picture of Kigen without the cloth over his head. You can see his skin is literally peeling off and I fear the worst if he doesn't get medical attention immediately.

Just think if this was your child, your nephew, your grandson. What would you do?

I am thankful today, that my nephew doesn't need to rely on the kindness of strangers when he gets sick. I am thankful that he doesn't have to travel hours and hours on a bumpy, dusty road to get to a doctor and the medical help he needs. I am thankful for so much more.  But right now I am particularly focussed on medical blessings because of this precious 9 year old boy, Kigen.  A boy who lives far, far away from me in a place I've never set foot in and yet he tugs at my heart.  I hope he tugs on your heart too.

If you can help, please contact me as soon as humanly possible.

You can donate to assist in little Kigen's medical mission through

 Pay Pal here. Just click the donate button.

 

Photo credits: All photos the property of Missions of Hope, Kenya, Pastor Jonah.
If you wish to share this story, photos may be used with credit. Many thanks and blessings.

Life is a Highway

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Snowy Vancouver

I live in Vancouver and we generally get lots and lots of rain over the winter. We get very little snow.

This year is very different. I heard it is due to El Nina. While I was away in Kenya in November, a Vancouver friend told me that snow had fallen shortly after I departed on my journey.  I think it was November 17th or thereabouts. That is extremely early snowfall for us in Vancouver.  The snow didn't last but it has snowed several times throughout the winter. Of course this is unusual too.

I was out this past Friday for a walk and we had another fantastic snowfall which I was able to capture as I had my digital camera with me.  You can't really tell from but there was quite a bit of snow on the ground after snowing for several hours.  We are expecting more snow this week.

I heard on the news that the local ski slopes will have great skiing well into April. I don't ski so that doesn't thrill me but I know it makes skiers happy and if the snow remains on the slopes that's fine with me.

I don't mind the snow so much especially if it isn't wet and mushy.  Wet and mushy snow makes a problem for proper footwear to keep your feet dry and warm.  Some people here wear colourful galoshes or rubber boots but I've never liked to wear them  myself and I don't think they can keep your feet warm unless you wear thick socks. 

If there is a lot of snow I do worry about the elderly people and the disabled.  Or anyone who has a harder time getting around even with a mobility aid. Walkers and wheelchairs can get stuck in the snow and make it harder for people to cope.

Another problem is that it should be warmer indoors than it is outside. At my place it is always cold and the electricity costs are very high. I do wear long sleeves plus a sweater, plus socks and wool lined slippers and then I still have to cover up.  Some of the newer homes in Vancouver are not made for cold weather that is for sure.

I stayed out until after dark and took this photo of the snow falling as I sat and looked up. I thought it was very pretty. I don't like cold weather and too much snow and ice for very long but I do think they make pretty pictures *wink.

One more for the road and the photo album, lol

I hope you enjoyed this short tour of my world.

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Sunday Happenings

Today was a bit of a lazy day. With the cold weather and snow we've been having, I'm finding myself cold, even indoors and not up to doing a whole lot.  I'm only just over my cold but not back to normal routines and I have a busy week ahead.

I did some relaxing and a little laundry, tried to read my book, The Girl With a Pearl Earring and watched the Oscars with one eye though I missed all the key award presentations, lol. I got busy making a lentil concoction and some bread for dinner, as well as some blueberry muffins for breakfast.

This pot is filled with about 3 cups of lentils and twice the water and some sea salt.  Once this mixture boiled and the lentils were softening, I  added: one peeled and chopped sweet potato, several leaves of chopped kale, 6 chopped roma tomatoes, one half of a large red onion (chopped) and a big spoon of aged miso (probably about 4 tbsp.) for flavouring.  I cooked this all down until the water was all evaporated and the lentils were nice and soft.  This dish was accompanied by a ground beef/red onion and soy sauce dish, a side of brown rice and some bannock bread.  This was all very tasty and filling and hit the spot on a cold day. For a change there are lots of leftover lentils and rice to eat through the week. I've also frozen some lentils.

I also made these jumbo blueberry muffins for breakfast.  I guess blueberries count as being blue ;-) I've made these before and you can find the recipe here.  Sorry there is no longer a photo on the original post. It used to be on my hard drive but that was several computers ago!

I started another cleanse. I liked the one I tried in January.  Read about it here.  But I felt I needed a slightly longer cleanse and this one is for 30 days. This will spur me on to eat better also.

I hope you enjoyed your weekend and wish you a wonderful week ahead!

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Nakuru National Park

Thank you to those of you who have been following my Kenya series and who have taken the time to comment. I've been enjoying presenting the information about Kenya as much as people seem to enjoy viewing the photos and hearing about the different sights and scenes.  At the bottom of this post you will find links to the other posts in this series on Kenya.

Today I have a real treat. I will be featuring the Nakuru National Park.  It will actually take me several posts to share with you everything I want to show you about this wonderful park.  It is particularly poignant for me to share this post now for I just learned that a huge fire broke out on Wednesday evening at the Lake Nakuru National Park and that it is not so easy to put out. In fact, I don't know whether it has been put out yet.  I am writing this post on Friday so I'm hoping the fire will be completely extinguished when it is posted on Saturday.

Rift Valley Provincial Commissioner Osman Warfa said the inferno had destroyed vegetation in more than 650 acres of the parkland consuming vegetation and parts of Europhobia forest.  Strong winds were fanning the blaze and spreading it quickly to the eastern side of the world renowned bird sanctuary. The Kenya Wildlife Service wardens and the Kenya army soldiers were battling to put out the fire. 

The park lies in Central Kenya, 140 km north-west of Nairobi, in Nakuru district, Rift Valley Province. The lake is surrounded mainly by wooded areas and bushy grasslands. The park supports a diversity of Flamingos (Greater and Lesser) and other water birds which are the main attractions of the area. However the ecosystem of the lake also consists of  about 56 different species of mammals, including the white rhino and buffaloes and a infinite variety of terrestrial birds, nearly 450 bird species in all.

The normally water-covered surface of the lake occupies about a third of the park. The lake water supports a dense bloom of the blue-green Cyanophyte Spirulina platensis from which it gets its colour and which is the major food source for the flamingoes.

The lake is fringed by alkaline swamps with areas of sedge, Cyprus laevigatus and typha marsh along the river inflows and springs. The surrounding areas support a dry transitional savanna with various types of grasslands. Elevated areas of the park are covered in dry forest and rocky hillsides.

There is a long and well tarmaced road leading into the park.

The grassy areas along the highway are well tended and provide park land for families and lovers to spend their free time in relaxation. Since these areas are outside of the park gates the people do not have to pay to sit and relax.

As we near the entrance gates to the park the green rooftops of various park buildings are in sight.

Before I go into the park I stop at the ladies restroom. I was very excited to see the restroom because it is so nice, clean and familiar. 

Anyone who has travelled to developing countries will know what I mean when I say the restrooms are familiar.  I am especially talking about the toilet. This one has a familiar seat rather than a hole in the floor.  Women in particular will appreciate not having to squat.

While we pay for our entrance, I survey the scene. A monkey climbed into the car above and "stole" the driver's lipstick.  She managed to get it back.

In the distance is the park restaurant. I didn't stop there as I had had lunch just before getting to the park.

A closer view of the restaurant.

We are now lining up to get into the park. The tourist in the green van had a monkey enter and try to "steal" things. I believe one of the tourists gave the monkey something to run off with.

This is the little office where you enter to pay the entrance fees and use the restrooms.

This is the michievous monkey that kept entering tourist cars and vans looking for things to take. You might see something red near his paws/hands. I believe that was the lipstick that he took from the woman in the gray car above.

Just past the gate and we see our first wild animal, a male waterbuck.

The Waterbuck looks so majestic. Look at it's liquid brown eyes staring at us.

Can you see the Waterbuck behind the fallen tree and Lake Nakuru in the distance just beyond the row of trees?

It's hard to pick favourites when it comes to wildlife but I have always loved the Zebra.

I love the way some animals can be just as curious as we humans. Here a Zebra checks me out.

If you click on this photo to enlarge it you might glimpse the flamingoes (more on them in a later post).

Here is a cute baby Zebra.

This Zebra was having a dust bath.

I'm  not sure what this antelope type is but you can see it is "hiding" behind the leafy bushes.  There are many kinds of antelope in the park.

Part of the fun of a safari is spotting the wildlife despite their camouflage.

Here we park for a bit overlooking the lake as we decide which direction to head in this vast park. More adventures to come!

Click here to read Part 1 in this series. It starts with my stopover in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 2 in this series in Kenya. It continues with my sojourn in Nairobi, Kenya.

Click here to read Part 3 in this series on Kenya where I stop to view a stunning lookout.

Click here to read Part 4 in this series on Kenya where I stop at Lake Elementeita.

Click here to read Part 5 in this series on Kenya where I talk about some hotels in Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 6 in this series on Kenya where I show you some tourist sites around Nakuru.

Click here to read Part 7 in this series on Kenya where I show you the Castle Without a Princess.

Click here to read Part 8 in this series on Kenya where I feature a collection of scenes from around Nakuru.

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