random photos

right now I have to put on random photos, but when I have more time, I'll put good ones into a folder and then choose from that to upload.

last night we had a special TGD meeting. Steve had people come up to The Golf Hotel for a banquet. We had a buffet set up with some fried chicken, some ugali (stiff grits), some chapati (tortillas), fruits, greens, beef stew, and more. Employees got to bring their families and it was fun to have them get up and give speeches about how grateful they were and how it was a great thing. We will try to capture some of their comments in interviews next week. One employee, Joseph, is a teacher. He says it has changed his life. Catherine went from never touching a computer to being a teacher. she changed from being a young girl to a woman of respect in a few short months. it is an amazing transformation. praise God!

The children enjoyed the PBJ sandwiches that doug and sarah made. I bet I already posted about that but I can't remember. Children were putting them in their shirt pocket to save a bit of it for their parents. cute! probably pretty hard on the shirts.

we brought a soccer ball and a little rubber ball. we gave out cookies one time, candies another.

you can imagine, they love to see us come through the gate! ha ha! it is fun.

when I came over to them the other day, I had no treats, but they all crowded around to touch me and shake my hand. they were so sweet. I love them! i want to know them more. they will see me when i move onto the church property and stay with Titus this week.

the building is progressing. could be done in two or three weeks. definitely in time for the shipment. the lawyer is in nairobi. we overnighted him new papers we just filled out on saturday. he should get the NGO papers on Wednesday and we start the process for Tax Exemption papers.

we go to the churches, I meet the local orphans. we go to the store and buy supplies. we go to official offices. we buy building materials. we buy stuff for churches or children. it is busy and fun. today is slow. it was going to be another long day but sarah was so upset when she lost her phone after visiting a small church (they gave Titus a chicken there.) When we went to the next church they had an amazing P.A. system and were jamming to Jesus with a keyboard and singers. We sang a while but then Sarah was sick and needed the outhouse. She was very unhappy to see them. They really weren't bad at all, but I think her mood was so low that she just couldn't tolerate the smell, the bugs, the tiny hole in the ground. but they were good stalls! with nice metal doors! very private. the cockroach kind of threw her over the edge. she wanted to go to the hotel or to any western toilet. We went ahead and left. Steve had so much work to do he was not even sure we would be able to go to a church that day. at least we were at one and then a time of worship at the other one. Anita and Medine stayed there. Anita has been to that church many times. Mom has been at that church. Mom took some great pictures at that church and the cover of my TGD photo books is a picture taken there.

but we headed back and had a nap. oh what an amazing nap! i think when I come home, I am just going to nap through the month of august and september. except for Lindsays wedding and Shelby's reception. i will come alive for those days. I have had a sore throat and lost my voice and I'm coughing each morning with tons of gunk, but hey, it is not a sick tummy! so I am so happy and I keep going. but I am so tired. and if you know me, I can be a whiney baby. I have two speeds. Hyper and lethargic. or so it seems.

steve is teaching doug programming right now. maybe steve's dream of creating a programmer will come true. doug is great fun. we've enjoyed him so much. he is one of my children. he has always fit in the family perfectly. he's been a great comfort to sarah. they've been able to hang out while steve and i talk to everyone. It was a great decision to bring him.

I think i am done trying to bring people though because I was so thrilled to bring medine but I have not been able to even spend time with her! Steve's focus is not the church. I end up not doing all the church stuff. medine wants to go do church stuff each day. and i think i am not working her enough! but Kenya has its own way. and then I have so many TGD things to do. I still get to go to plenty of churches, but with doug and sarah here, i am even more family oriented then working to get to the churches.

anita, however, is such a blessing. she wants to go to the churches every day. she loves it. she can go all day. she can eat the food and she never gets sick. medine was sick when she first came which is weird because she never gets sick. it was probably her kind of malaria med.

in the future, on trips I do take someone, we will make a calendar with titus ahead of time. but the churches want you to come out to see them. and they are so hopeful.

so Christa--you are still coming with me! Debbie and Brenda--you are still coming with me! Susan-- I found you a single mother. It is Gladys' mom. i love Gladys. I am taking her to the doctor Tuesday night.