I'm home. I'm tired. But I can't sleep. I'm too tired to be productive. I'm too awake to return to bed. Maybe it is a good time to review....
Oh my Kenya friends. How good to see you! What a reception! and Todd and Patsy were received as family and will remain in the hearts of the people.

On our first day in Western Kenya, one car broke down on the road. It was hot. Todd got out and went over to photograph some children playing in a school yard. They came running from all directions to meet this white guy with a big camera by their fence. He got some precious pictures of their beautiful faces. It turned out that we had left some luggage at the airport in Kisumu and so even when we got another ride to pick some of us up, we had to return to Kisumu. That put us way behind schedule. Rose had arranged for nearly 100 orphans to be at the church compound so they could get their pictures taken. They had to wait on us for hours. It is the Kenyan way, but it grieved Todd and he wanted to make it there before the sun went down so he would have natural light.
We made it. As we turned into the compound gates, the children were lined up on each side of the driveway singing and clapping to welcome us. Todd and Patsy were overwhelmed! I laughed with joy and love and wanted to jump out and hug my friends. Many I knew had come to greet us. I didn't know who to hug first! It's like when you come home to your children----you don't want to favor this one or that one---if only you could give a big hug to everyone at the same time! but you can't. I went around hugging and greeting those I recognized and used their name when I knew it since I know so many brothers and sisters by heart but not by name. (It is hard to remember so many names, but i am trying and each trip adds several more names.)
We headed into the church and I think we began photos immediately. Mom helped by writing the number of the photo and the name and getting the small detail. Some were of a single parent. This constitutes "orphan" in Kenya, but to us it is sort of "half-orphan" because we use the word to mean you do not have any parents.
There were 91 photos taken. Later, we went to Joseph's church in Ebulecha (or something like that) and took 17+ or more photos......I'm not sure. One little boy would NOT get near Todd and that camera! He was terrified! The church members or extended family seriously wanted him included in the photos in hopes of getting him sponsored but that child would not have it. He climbed up the woman holding him like a scared cat climbing a tree. I feared he would launch off her shoulder to get to the other side--away from the ferocious monstor threatening him. Poor baby. He was cute, too. But he had probably never seen a white man before. Many times little children can get frightened by our presence---we look quite ill to them, I'm sure.
Pray with me for the support of these children. How terrible it must be to live in the world without either of your parents! That seems so lonely. And who will advocate for them?

The next day was the church service and Todd was going to speak. It was such a great service! It was five hours long. Each church and several ministries had a presentation for the guests. We ended up cutting it short....not sure why. But Todd expected to speak at 11 but he spoke about 1 or 1:30pm. I had an opportunity to pray in the follow up of his message for people to commit or recommit to Christ. Steve said there were over 25 people who responded. I had Pastor Sony (sunny) pray over them. We also had a time where Todd blessed the babies. Many women came forward with their children for a blessing.
We had the school children sing, orphans sang, computer class had a presentation, Joseph's daughter (Pastor Joseph is the brother of Lead Pastor -Bishop Titus,) and Mama Selfa spoke. Some children came and sat on Patsy's lap. I think Ian was first and Lillian--children of Eunice who teaches in our school and now we have employed her husband Henry as an accountant for Trinity Global in Kenya.
Worship was awesome and lively. The women came over and danced with me and pulled me out to the middle. I praised with my whole heart and body and let the love flow in me and out from me. I loved everyone. I loved the universe! I felt one with everything and everybody! A taste of heaven, I am sure. I was high as a kite, on cloud nine, and every other cliche invented to describe happiness. My body just cannot contain the joy I feel when I am there. It is too much glory! No wonder God is invisible now!!! We would implode at our joy to behold Him in truth. Oh but I'm ready to implode! Come Lord Jesus!
Truly I was getting a taste of the love and unity of eternity.
The next day, we went to Stanleys church. I was so happy to go out to Panadol's area and hoping to get GPS coordinates so Charity Waters could work towards building a well there. It turned out my GPS is only for OUR SIDE OF THE GLOBE! That stank.
but I know God has it under control. Even though there are barriers, the gates of hell shall not prevail against us. we are going in and we are taking the land for Jesus! We are casting out injustice and poverty and suffering. We are bringing LIFE!
Jesus is the living water and He desires His creation to be pure and lovely. We are partnering with God to see His Kingdom come and His Will be done. We are only servants doing our duty. He is using us as a tool. I know it is His Will to see a well there. It WILL HAPPEN and nothing can stop it.
But I asked the people to pray. I assured them that I wanted to see a well there and that God wanted to bring a well there. I currently did not have the resources to do it and that they needed to do the praying. It is something like 1500-2500 USD to create a deep well. I will see it with my eyes as I see it in my heart.
God gave me a message the night before. It was about the woman at the well. How Jesus spoke with the rejected one, the immoral one, and how we are to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He accepts us and so we accept others and reach out to the unlovely. Also, God had mercy on Hagar and made her son great. She was cast out, abused and used. But God came to her and SPOKE to her, revealing Himself as El Roi (Row-EEE) the God who Sees. What is curious is that God gave me these references and so I reviewed them in the Bible. I never knew or noticed that after God spoke to Hagar, she opened her eyes AND THERE WAS A WELL THERE!!!! Okay, maybe I'm crazy, but I think that was God's confirmation. God awoke me at 2am with this message of the Samaritan woman on my heart and I was so excited that I just got up and never went back to bed. At least I had a good four hours of sleep, but I was so jazzed about the fun we just had and the fun that lay ahead that I could not sleep.
The people received the Word with gladness. Todd wanted to do a Question and Answer time regarding cultural exchange. The questions were about multiple wives, bride price (dowry), adultery, and bride inheritance (when a woman dies, she becomes her brother-in-law's new extra wife). Other things, too, like birth control and number of children. It was a good time of sharing.
We went to have a marvelous meal and I was so full of happiness that my stomach could not handle it and was jittery. I was crushed that I could not just dig in and eat it all up. It was a lovely meal. Soda, chipate (?), pineapple (I did eat the pineapple) and plenty of delicious Kenyan food, but I could only eat a small amount.
Todd got pictures of the sewing machine in Panadol's home. His wife, Mama Robei, showed us some of her handiwork. They told us how people could come to her for clothing repairs instead of going all the way to town or too the next market area.
Titus told us that people would come to see the machine and try it out. They would stay for church. They would come to Christ! Hallelujah!

okay......I think writing such joyful news is making me MORE awake and since it is 4:43 and I've been up since 2am, I will return to bed in hopes of a little nap before the day begins.