JULY 1ST BLOG
Everyone wants to know....what happened at the police station? Well, we sat at the Golf Hotel for 2 hours. Now, I am doing so good with African time and it was not that I was impatient or in a hurry. Instead, I was anxious about the meeting with our lawyer. I am in another country prosecuting a person. I am not happy about it. I just feel it is my duty. I have to talk to myself with conviction because I used to be unable to handle confrontation (not anymore! I still don’t like it, but I am not willing to let things slide either. Problems only grow if you run away.) There are other things I could be doing, yes, but this must be done. So I sat. and sat. I was able to get so many things on facebook and on my blog. and I sat. and I sat. and I sat. and by the time we were at one hour and fifteen minutes, I just blurted out, “I could have ordered some food!” it takes nearly an hour to get any food at Golf Hotel restaurant, but now I would have had time to eat it. I came on an empty stomach because I had been sick in the night.
Well, let me stop and tell that part. Titus and Rose were in Nairobi for i don’t know what, they said personal business. So me and the boys were at the house. Rose sent Willington, an 18 year old boy who does security, to come sleep in the house while they were gone. He slept out on the couch. At about 2am or something, I ran to the bathroom and sounded like the fireworks show. (just in time for July 4th! a preview!) I guess I was pretty embarrassed because I’m not thrilled with natural body sounds anyway (I’m an American and we like to pretend we have no bad sounds or smells.) But what can you do? I went back and took little pepto bismol chewables because it did not in any way seem anything like the illnesses I have had here. Well, by the time morning comes, we are on the second round----zoom to the toilet! Success! another round of fireworks. I went for the immodium this time. That was why I did not want to eat food before the police station. When you walk in the building, you are just over the women’s prison and some spot designated as the CHOO (toilet.) You can really smell it. I suppose I would really reduce my crime load if I had to stay in that jail cell stinking like a latrine. UGH. I didn’t want to actually have to VISIT the CHOO. Sometimes when you are in a difficult situation, it can make your stomach act up. I wasn’t taking any chances. I mean, fireworks can be dangerous at a police station, right? (but let’s pretend I didn’t talk about that.)
I was getting so hungry and eager to get this over with and working on Godly patience. But I asked Walter, what do you think they are doing? He said he thought we should just be patient. But within a few minutes he asked if I had the number to call the man we were working with. I did not. But I knew Wycliffe had sent him his phone minutes...so he would have the number. Walter started working on getting that number. Before long it was 2pm and he reached the officer who told us to come on over. We get there and Mango has not even come. He sent a text saying he was at a wedding in Kisumu (than why didn’t he tell mr. officer yesterday! they had an appt for noon.) He said he would be there on Monday. What? are you SERIOUS? TOLD A POLICEMAN THAT HE WILL COME LATER? I didn’t think that was allowed. But he’s a lawyer, right? with no charges, he probably cannot be brought in. So the man had us fill out a report and gave us a number for it. We went and photocopied our reciepts and communications. We gave them a letter outlining our history with him. We explained what he had not done and how he came for more money claiming non-existent late fees.
Tomorrow, Titus is supposed to go and tell how he was a witness to what has happened. He was there when Steve gave 60,000 kenyan shillings. The lawyer has not returned his calls. The crazy thing is that the big detective head guy said that our lawyer has done other things. they have him on the books. but they haven’t really been able to get him. They hoped they could get him this time. They told us some of what he had done--stolen a cell phone from a parliament member?! No wonder he doesn’t come when the police call him. I feel satisfied that we are doing the right thing. I need conviction to pull me through. It wore me out. I went and got some chocolate.
GREAT NEWS FROM ANITA! I am rejoicing with Jesus! I may have the story wrong because we are talking internationally and the signals are rarely clear. but someone from another church called her after seeing her repost my recent photos. I posted the orphans on Facebook, plus others. They just happen to have $2500 for an African orphanage. WHAT? Praise the Lord oh Jerusalem, Praise the Lord oh Zion! (one of my little happy songs. ya gotta hear it!) This church has three sisters who go around sharing about orphans in India and getting sponsors and building orphanages. They have had very faithful givers, people who are very reliable. That is so important because if I take this on, it has to be walking on water. We spend our money on the computer lab, building and even the clinic.....it is not like we are Bill Gates or anything. (oh but maybe soon! right? I can believe for anything! God is so good!) But I cannot take on supporting 20 + children every month in a household and sending them to school and to the doctor. but I am willing. I also really want to create a maternity hospital that focuses on birth and early childhood along with some general care. they are desperate around here.
Our employee, Walter, had his wife in the hospital and she needed an operation for an ectopic pregnancy. But then they left the gauze in her body! Her pain increased rather than decreasing and they gave her another operation and found the material. They told him it was a case for legal action, but he does not have the money to even do anything because his exorbitant hospital fees when his son was in the hospital. Even now, his son does not run and play but lays limp like a 3 month old baby. He is over 5...I keep forgetting to ask, but he needs healing. They are not even close to paying the hospital fee, but he has to send them money every month.
Every day there is a death. yesterday, a 6 month old baby was thrown into a field near here. The day before that, the man who runs Jakomat (grocery) was shot by burglars. Today, while riding down the road in the SUV, the pickup truck passed us going the other way. It was full of people hanging out the back. I said, “What are all those people doing in there?” and Pastor Joseph told me they were coming from the morgue. A man had been in the hospital sick and had gotten poor treatment that led to his death.
Also, Pastor Steve’s wife was in the hospital. She had an ear infection that turned into a fever. NOW WHY SEND HER TO A HOSPITAL? That is just scary. But they kept her overnight. I’m so thankful to know Dr. Kennedy. So thankful. and I’m thankful for prayer warriors doing battle for me. God bless you abundantly! I know He will. You are doing the work of the kingdom.
okay, bugs are flocking to me. I’m in the office after dark. Ugh. Time to go to bed.7:45. lights out.