New Friends

One of the sayings in Kenya is that nothing is broken.  Everything can be fixed or used for some other purpose.  This is not just a saying it is true and I continue to see it in action.  Joanie’s fridge had stopped working while she was gone so when we first got here a new one needed to be purchased.  What do you do with the one that is not working?  Well you use it for storage in your home.  So a Kenyan was very happy to take it to their home for that reason.  The cord on my cell phone charger had some exposed wires so it was not working.  We would just go get a new one.  Here someone takes it for 10 minutes buts the wire’s back wraps it in tape and it is good to go.  Joanie’s cell phone was not working when she returned.  She was told in the US that she needed to get a new one.   Again it was with a Kenyan for 15 minutes and it has worked just fine ever since.   We so easily through things out at home and buy a new one when most of the time if the effort is taken it could be fixed or used in some other way.

I was able to visit some of the outreach organizations that PACE works with. The first one I went to was Victory Nursery school.  This is a nursery school that is located in one of the major slums just outside the town that I am in.  It is run by a pastor and his wife.  They live right there and teach to kids ages 3-5.  They have about 75 kids that are taught in two rooms.  There are school fee’s required for this kids (about $3 a month for us) but if the kids are not able to pay that is fine they are still welcome to come.  These kids love when white people come.  I spent a good 15 – 20 minutes playing with them as they swarmed around me wanting to hold my hand or arm whatever they could get a hold of.  So as you can imagine I turned it into a tickle session.  It was a great time.  After being there we went to another school just up the road.  This one was set up by another pastor that works with a tribe that is getting smaller.  These kids were much different than the first ones.  None of them wanted to come and talk to me.  Within their tribe they are taught not to talk to anyone.  So the visit was short but I got see their classroom and talk with the teacher a bit.  There are about 50 kids ranging from 2 ½ to 10 and they are all taught together in one room with just chairs.  The teacher has a one year old girl that she carries on her back while she teaches.  They are in class from 8 – 1 every day.  I also spent some time at Goshen which is located about 15 min’s from home (but takes 30’s due to road conditions).  There a local pastor has sent up a location for the elderly that meet twice a week to worship and be fed porridge.  They meet at 11:00 and finish around 1:00.  Some of the elderly that meet start walking at 7:00am in order to be on time.  They come from very far.  They had a time for prayer requests and a few shared that they are looking after their grandchildren because there children have left them with them.  It is a hard life they have with no family to help to take care of them.  But you would never know it when you are with them as they are always happy and were so glad that I would take the time to be with them.  I think it was me that was more blessed by being there.  I have attached some pictures of all these visits.

This week the rains finally came.  Everyone is in good spirits as they are able to start planting their gardens and fields.  So this means the weather is a little cooler and damp but not to complain as the rain is needed.  For the most part so far if rain is going to come on any given day it comes in the later afternoon or evening.  So you have most of the day without rain.

The kids at PACE were also done school this week and are going home for a three week break.  They will return on May 2.  They are all very happy for the break.

It has been a great week and I look forward to what the next few weeks will bring.

Trust in the Lord with all you heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6