Sincerely yours

okay, it is still Sunday but I wanted the post I just wrote to make it onto the blog. I wrote a blog the other day and it did not go on! I lost the connection. now that is frustrating.
They have a shower here, but I prefer to wash in two buckets in my room. I gathered some water the other day in the bathroom and it had two small little funky worms in it. Not the kind you would ever notice if they got in your hair. now that is scary! i only cook in bottled water and only drink bottled. OH my goodness, thank you for praying! My stomach has been blessed! I am not experiencing any trials with my stomach at all. PLEASE KEEP IT UP! THANK YOU ESPECIALLY TO CHRISTA AND DONNA WHO ARE COVERING ME DAILY!!! I am so appreciate of all of you praying.
Yes, Susan, I did find you single mothers! I think I have three orphans who actually have a mother, but are in dire straits and were considered for care. The moms don't speak english. i have the orphans staying with the widows that Kevin and Laura are caring for. we were able to go to the market and get them dresses. We could buy 10 dresses for about thirteen dollars. they are used but good.
I really think purses would be something we could give as a gift here. I am eager to see how it goes for the bra. Anita gave a bra to one woman friend of ours who was so grateful as she has worn the same one for 7 years! however, i see many women going without a bra in the morning. maybe they don't like them? Medine was saying she'd love to go without one if she could!
As for the orphans, we are definitely going to try to support them all in one place. You cannot imagine how hard it is to go visit this one and then that one! it is a terrible administration problem and they are not with families they want to stay with.
There are 19, I think, and i must say I cannot imagine feeding them daily or sending them all to school. But God can--and you can help. I pray we will have some who will catch the vision of caring for orphans---not just some child on compassion who is in a community that is getting care--but a real individual who can be directly impacted. they will live here in a home I will build. It will be a home that westerners can visit. it will have air conditioning in one part where a guest would come and where I will stay whenever I am here.
We saw a boy badly burned. We got him some antibiotic ointment from medine and some burn gel i brought. I bought a few bibles and I'm giving one to a new assistant pastor, Zadok, who I've known for some time. He has a bible, but I feel sure he will need to give it to someone because he is an evangelist. I am giving a bible to a woman who asked for prayer because her husband will not let her continue taking classes at TGD. Even though she was doing excellent, he wanted her to quit. tuition is FREE but he considered travel costs. i pray he looks harder at the investment in the future. but I am praying for her and will give her a bible.
I am also suggesting that they buy bibles for members to purchase. It is a supply problem. we have so many asking us for Bibles. Sure we could just try to supply everyone, but many would be able to purchase one, but they are not in the market. Even Titus goes all the way to Kisumu to buy Bibles. So if he adds the cost of gas (3500 Kenyan shillings, like 50 dollars) into each of the Bibles, then he could even add another 200 shillings as a fundraiser for the bus project. Then for the poor, just keep off the extra shillings. just a thought.

Praise God! Today i took Cynthia, an orphan, to the doctor. She came to the church we were speaking at. I think her family goes there. and she was crying and shivering and sick. she had diarrhea and high fever. I was supposed to speak at Sony's church (we were at Makunga) but I had already spoken at Alfred Okwanya's church and I so wanted to take her to the doctor immediately. I left Medine in charge of speaking with a hope that I could make it back. it was such a thrill that a muslim family came to Jesus that day! the wife had married a muslim and became a muslim but she prayed and prayed and then her husband gave his life to Jesus. The daughter was the lead in it. She was visiting the church. She is a preteen or young teen. She asked the pastor to come to her house, but he was nervous. he was afraid of what a muslim family might want with a pastor. but he went ahead and was surprised to be welcomed! Hallelujah! They were deeply welcomed and cheered. We prayed and hugged them. They gave their testimony. It was a great joy. Then Cynthia showed up outside and Joseph called me out to her. I was stricken. So I spoke to the church, told them of my love for them. It was so great to see Stella! And Evelyn, Joseph's wife was there. But I needed to go.
At Dr. Kennedy's, he checked Cynthia and found her abdominal pain to be symptomatic of malaria. Her temperature was over 39 (37 is normal.) He sent her to the lab for confirmation. In the meantime, he asked me to go around and pray for patients at his clinic. They were two to a room. 8 women. All confirmed malaria! Two were pregnant mothers and one was an old mama with typhoid, too! I used my swahili and Luhya and then also prayed in English. It was good. Many were comforted and loved. I prayed many things over them. It was a great joy to me. Then I was with the last woman. I heard screaming. I asked the doctor, "It is my girl?" He said, I don't think so. but I was anxious to find her. Sure enough. They were trying to give her a shot. She was fighting like a mad woman! Screaming and yelling and writhing! Pastor Joseph was trying to hold her and they were trying to get her in the hip. Dr. Kennedy after a moment said stop. We will give her oral medicine. Joseph was concerned about how well she would actually take the medicine. But Kennedy assured him that we would WATCH her take it and be sure. She screamed and cried, I am ready for medicine, please! So that was good. She promised to take the medicine as directed if it meant she did not have to get a shot.
So while they finished up with her and once I knew she was alright, I went with Edwin, the pharmacist to look at his stock. We discussed amounts and sicknesses and local patterns of consumption. I'm to go to Emusanda Clinic, the one up the hill, and see what their top ten sicknesses are. Then we will stock with those.
We are still working to get the nets. TGD is going to get 300 to 500 dollars worth of mosquito nets depending on supply. It is such a good preventative.
The bicycles for the pastors are here. I am eager to get a photo with them on one. so many times, though, I am so busy living life here that photos seem inappropriate and distancing.
After the clinic, we went back to see Sony and Stella in their home. It was very interesting and would have made a lovely video. We walked in through a store front area. Then we walked along cement halls. Then it opened up to cement apartments on each side. There were clothes hanging from lines hung diagonally through the walkway and plenty hanging. So we wound our way through the bare spots with children playing in the dirt on porches and little chicks under a sort of net umbrella on the ground to corral them. Then we were at Sony's and Stella's, I suppose. they had the typical lovely spread with some variety. I made a plate of chipati and rice for Cynthia and we got her a sprite. She was now ready to eat. There was lovely boiled chicken and some beef and some kind of vegetables with onions. a really nice african dinner. Cynthia was able to eat well. Good thing. I hope she can keep it down because her fever had not broken. I even had Medine pray for her, too. I pray she has a good night and is able to make it to school tomorrow.

here I am

it is so good to be online. i have had such a week. I went to the hospital. they gave me gloves to help deliver babies. I said I will observe. i stayed with two mamas (that's what we call them) and they had their babies with me with them. I saw three dead babies wrapped in a room. During the same time, Steve went to see a man to pray for him, but they were trying to make him breathe--then he died. Steve and Sarah were right there. Another friend of Titus' was in his home and masked men came in. They hit him on the head. they broke his fingers. they slashed him with a machete. they pulled out his teeth. his 8 year old grandson was watching. his wife was stripped, but they did not rape her (praise God.) He is such a good man. they took what was in his cabinets and fridge. terrible men.
I have seen the orphans. several. it is sad. I am eager to raise support for them. two of them have a mother but are in such terrible situations. One girl is so smart, she has such promise. i have a little video of her telling a poem. oh she is good. Gladys. Always my favorite. I have known her since I first came. I have always seen her in the exact same dress and she is always worshipping and singing. smart girl. she is 9 or 10, I forget.

oh I have so much to say.
we are working on the hospital.
we have worked with the government. we have such good computer students. we found land for the consulting practice. it is called Joyland. How about that? I like it.

I am learning a lot of swahilli and a little luhya.
i am going to go to the masai this month.
anita leaves in the morning.
I am speaking at a funeral. I have a speech in swahilli and luyha to give. It was an old man. the one who died that sarah and steve saw. he was a good man named Elijah. He was 70_

I go to the churches and preach and pray for people. God has really blessed us and the people are so encouraged and give good testimonies of how it is strengthening them. I had a terrible migraine the day steve left. all day I suffered. still I took Ibuprofen and went out to the churches on the bumpy roads in the heat. then on the way home, Medine laid hands on me----IT LEFT! MIRACLE! oh how I wish I had made her lay hands on me sooner. I asked her to pray but did not make sure she came over and did it. I went to bed and slept soundly and woke refreshed.

so much to say. i will wait and do more. Medine leaves next week. I have 30 days before sTeve comes. Each day I do TGD work and church work. Oh it is such a blessing! we are helping so many. Dreams come true. I love this work. I am just at peace.

I love you all! God bless you! thank you for your prayers! many are touched here and they thank you.

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.

Sunday night

We did not get many pictures lately. We've been living life rather than filming.

Yesterday was a leadership meeting at the Big church of Cornerstone. The men leaders all came and many of their wives. the men were in the big church and the women met in the school. anita and medine went to speak to the women and the men called me out to speak to them. I was honored. you talk to men differently. they are the leaders. I am a woman. I definitely start out humbly. but you know me. I can be a hard hitter. i spoke about leading in the home, church, and community. about humility and repentance. living for Jesus and putting him first. Then Boniface came and preached. I sure enjoyed him. I don't get to see him much anymore. i saw him so much on that first visit with Ed when we had a series of meetings in the big church during conference. but on subsequent visits, I have not seen him much. on my second visit when I was at his church, i got sick. that was my first sickness. then I was sick last trip. i have not been sick this time with stomach problems, praise the Lord!

I have learned some luhya. merebe is greetings and orenomino is thank you very much to one preson murrenomino is thank you very much to a group. i have not really learned any new swahili but I can use and understand those words I do know.

steve found some land for TGD services. it is amazing. it maybe 1/2 an acre and beautiful. prime land. near the provincial government offices and next door to the district commissioners residential home. it is between 2 cell towers and electrical line in front of the property. it has sewage lines and water lines on the property. and it is so pretty! it is next to a golf course, too. far enough away --probably no balls in the windows.

we bought bicycles for the pastors and bibles.

i bought medicine for 3 orphans. i am pushing steve for the orphan house and my house. there is land right there near the church.

the hospital may be a money maker. thanks to all who have donated to the TGD general fund. God bless you for building this amazing building that is bringing hope and life into the community. it is changing the economic scenery.

also, steve is going to check into reselling computers. they have an outrageous markup here.

I'm going to let doug get on my computer....

At Titus House

Hey, this is cool. so I hope i get this from STeve so I can be online.

I think the Malerone just does not agree with the stomach. I am not pleased.
I spent last night thinking about the orphans. There are so many barriers. Mom wrote me an email saying stay focused on the computer lab and medical clinic because the medical clinic takes so much work. True, but we will need a place to stay here. We are spending a lot at the hotel. We are going to be here frequently.
Titus has a TV here. freaks me out. I did not expect that. they didn't have it before. how am I going to make it? I LOATHE tv. hate it. i think it is evil. I do go ahead and watch a few programs because steve watches--and some with the girls. but I could live my whole life without tv or movies. but i know that our culture is just obsessed. even though man lived centuries without it--now people think they must have their TV. a few times we went without a tv at our house. people will try to give you one. ha!

We are so busy each day. On Monday, steve meets with the health director for kenya regarding the clinic. i think it is going to be a hospital because people do not have this equipment. Doctors will come to rent the equipment from us. that is cool. Praise the Lord.

I can't imagine how or why this computer decided to post three of this picture!

Friday

Friday

I have had a full day and it is just now noon. We came down at 7:30. My cold is much improved. The throat is better although a small cough with congestion has set in.

Bishop came and there was a pastor here to meet us. he wanted to tell us he had a son in medical school in uganda. he was almost finished and desired to come and serve the people here. Steve told him to talk to Dr. Kennedy. Seems we have so much to do in order to get the clinic off the ground. so many steps. so many regulations. that is to be expected. if steve was just having a health center or a clinic, we could open easily. but we are bringing so much equipment from medical bridges that we are putting ourselves in a higher catagory.

I was able to get a prescription for the orphan girls, Jane and Vivian. I hope to give the medicine to Joseph to bring to them. They will need to wash their bedding in boiling water and their clothing. they must not share. Vivian will need to shave her head. it is very close cut even now. it should not be a problem.

we have been here over a week. Sarah and Doug are beginning to wear out. Doug was a little ill from the malerone this morning. I arrived at the hotel to find him in the lobby sleeping with his head in hand. He came to slowly and appeared confused. He cracked all his knuckles and a couple of extra joints before he livened up. he had not seen Sarah. that was not good.

Sarah had asked me to leave our room key so she could get the food in our room. I forgot. she did not know the room included breakfast--doug did not either. so they went hungry. During that time we were out looking at houses for the consulting practice. we really like Titus’ house in the city and Mama Selfa’s house in the city but they are rented out. We cannot get them. Titus has some extra land on that property and he could divide it, but nothing is built yet.

we looked at a home of Mama Selfa’s that was deep into a bad neighborhood. We are not sure it can receive internet signals, which is a must. It was beautiful with tile roof and many toilet bathrooms, even one kenyan bathroom with a porcelain hole in the floor--AND an outhouse. It could surely be set up with a few apartments, but it would not be good for the location. Not secure. it is going to have an electric fence, though, so we’ll see how those negotiations go.

we visited the lawyer who said that he would be in nairobi on monday to meet with the people there. He could get it expedited to Wednesday, for a fee. He would let us know what that fee would be. It is our fault for the delay. so we said thank you. we need those NGO papers so we can begin the process for the exemption papers. another weeklong ordeal ahead and another fee.

Titus is going to push the building to be finished, though. He said that he could finish it in 2 weeks if he stayed right on everyone and had all the money. Steve said he would be sure the money was there and to keep going. We are stuck right now only drawing out of the ATM our whole amount daily. God is good. It will all work out.

Oh all of a sudden i need a nap. I am tired. We still have to buy the mosquito nets. about 300 dollars worth-- maybe 500 dollars worth. We have to buy a new mattress. I wanted to buy a mattress for me and let Medine sleep on it. I am not even getting to see Medine because of the business I keep doing. I love to go out to the churches and so does Anita, so they get to go out together every day. I suppose I would be going if it weren’t for Anita, so what a blessing!

We definitely need to build a house for the orphans. We could buy some land next to the church. I looked at the two possibilities. It would keep them near the three pastors and near the Cornerstone church family. They could go to the Cornerstone school for free (still need uniforms, books, etc) and the older children could go just across the street where Rose teaches or to the high school next to that. We could reduce some fees that way.

We would have our medical clinic right there. They would get free care. They would have each other as family and the three girls who are related to each other could help form the "family" that would be in the house. The sweet little boy worries me. He is only 3!! how terrible for him to be in an orphan home. but for the teen girls, I think it would be fine. Around here, the rich girls go away to school anyway and live there. so it is not too different from being a rich girl (in a sense.)

I still have several girls to see, but I was crushed to learn my sweet Mary is 13 years old. She is far behind. She is underdeveloped. Time to get these children some protein! Even the little school children are only eating gruel for breakfast and rice for lunch. Doug and Sarah want us to make 130 peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. we're going to do it.

today I am supposed to meet the lawyer for the NGO papers, meet the provincial health guy--some big wig like a governor. I think we are meeting the provincial governor sometime. Plus we are going to see Mama Selfa and see her Western house. We need to house the consulting practice in the city to get the high speed internet. We are going to put it in some residential area so it does not attract much attention or else there could be theft. It is a big problem with all the big things we are bringing here. God protect us!

new post from day before yesterday

Then Pastor Joseph with Pastor Steve and brought two little boys to my attention. Benjamin and Emmanuel. Emmanuel was a darling little boy. Cheerful. Little Benjamin did not want anything to do with Doug. SCARY! He screamed!

I interviewed the aunts and they wanted the boys to go to some home where they could get schooling. Emmanuel is teased for being an orphan. Their parents have died of AIDS. Little Emmanuel understood what they were talking about. It crushed my heart. His shirt was ragged. His smile remained.

Then we were off to see the girls.

We went through the most terrible roads yet-and believe me, that is saying something! The ruts in the road WERE the road. They were deep and difficult to maneuver through. It was going to rain. They sky darkened and the temperature dropped and the winds blew. It was beautiful! Then the rains came in a Texas torrential downpour. I thought of Bernard in his home that was damaged from the rains. He would be soaked right now.

Pastor Joseph, Pastor Steve, and I discussed the orphans. They said that if we could get the children into one place, we could better administrate their support. This means a building. Buildings cost so much! I hate buildings! But to look at these girls and know they cannot go to school where they are at--well, buildings are okay.

I have wanted a place to live here when I come that has western amenities. The woman in Out of Africa had her whole setup with her--even her dogs. I like that. I know, I know, perhaps I must suffer on the mission field, but God has given me Steve. Steve is amazing. He does not like to slum it.

I am thinking that I could build me a house to stay in --and increase it so that the orphans could live there. Titus could educate them grade 7 and below for free at Cornerstone school. We could find sponsors for these children to help them get shoes, clothes, uniforms, and food. We could give them medical care at the clinic. Two of the girls had health issues. One had a fungal scalp condition and one had something similar on the back of her neck. It was not ringworm or scabies, but it looked like something treatable.

Steve is prepared to build for them. We will look at some land tomorrow. The pastors said that if we get a building and we are all official with our NGO, the government will provide some sponsorship. If we are established for five years and have good accounting records, I would be able to apply for grants from the U.S. government.

June 2 WEDNESDAY

Oh I am tired. I have lost my voice. it is so husky. i am so weak. all the strength draining. but i want to go on to the church. we went to Eshitsitswe headed by Pastor Steven. A new Steve. I can remember that name! He was a sweet man. Pastor Alipaul took Anita and Medine. I feel like we are separated. I have so much other business to attend. I am searching out the orphans.

So Pastor Joseph comes and says, Come see the orphans at the preschool. We go over to the throngs of children. I let Steve take the candy, but he just starts passing it out. There are over 100 children and they gather and circle hoping for another chance for a sweet.

At the church the other day, I passed out candy when everyone was seated so that you can go row by row without repeats. I think there were a few who went without in the end, but considering the amount of children involved, it was a small number.

My throat hurts. I’m faint. We had to take the most rocky roads yet. deep ruts in the road kept us thrown from side to side and up and down. We slid through some parts but never stalled.

The outhouse was the most substantial mudhut outhouse yet. it had very seriously smooth walls of a cylinder. A beautiful thatched roof. The flies buzzed and the odor was pungent but i felt sure I’d be concealed. As I went around to the front, I was dismayed. There was a little tarp hanging over the large doorway. AS IF! Since it was far enough away from the next home and a little hidden by a couple of corn rows, I consented.

Oh at the preschool I met Ben. A little boy. He was sad. He did not talk. The teacher said that even when he first came, he was very sick. He did not talk. He is six years old. Ben Amuko is in the pre-unit class. Both his father and mother died from AIDS. He has a married sister, but he lives with his grandmother who brews alcohol. Sometimes when there is not enough food, he is given alcohol to sleep. His favorite thing is school is drawing and painting. He plays with the other boys. He is trying in class but he is not that good. He has no shoes and no uniform. He needs school stuff.

I saw little Paul again today. Paul Wesa who is 8 now and in class 1. His father was poisoned and his mother died in a car crash. I thought earlier that it was both of his parents in the wreck. He is living now with an older step-brother. He leaves home at 5:30 am to arrive at 6. He has not had any shoes. His favorite toy is a bicycle and he loves coloring, drawing, painting and playing ball. His favorite food is rice. His brother’s wife mistreats him and gives food to the other children but he is not given food. There are five children in that home.

I lost my spice round at the church. I wonder if anyone would care to get it back to me. I think they had time to ask us. I’m disappointed. I never even used it for myself.

Doug spoke up at the meeting telling the men (and including the women) to take these teachings to heart and to have accountability with each other. Men should ask other men....how are you treating your wife? and in this way, they can grow in love towards their wives rather than forgetting a good teaching.

Stanley told me about his life when I asked him. He was poor. His father left and was always drinking. His grandfather was a preacher and gave his books and bible to Stanley, told him he was called to preach, and then died. it was solemn. Plus, Stanley had a vision at 3 am and when he woke up he went straight to church to fulfill the vision and pray. He saw a whole giant gathering of people and saw himself preaching and heard God tell him that this was what He was going to do.

He found that when he strayed away and tried to do other things, that life went poorly, but when he honored the call on his life, things were smooth. Eventually, he witnessed to his father who gave his life to jesus. His father has been saved since 1988 and is now such a good man.

Stanley has 5 children. One boy child died when age 6. He has a child of 8 and a new baby. Also Sharon is about age five. He traveled around doing drama and speaking in churches and schools. He has spent much time teaching children although he does not have a college education. He worked for an oil company and was a salesman for a Indian company selling spice. His wife is evelyn.

i had a hard night. this throat was killing me. I have had prayer, I have tried to believe for healing and rebuked sickness--but to no avail. My voice is hoarse and my body is weak. I slept from 6pm to 5:15am only waking to eat an oreo and take ibuprofen. I thought I had eaten a whole roll of oreos, so I was delighted to see that it was only half the roll. but so much for weight loss!

I had one bout of diarrhea and was shocked to have it end there! hallelujah! now that is fabulous and the only time that has happened. So prayer is working. Otherwise, all bowel function is normal and I am so blessed and thankful!

I have not been able to eat the food here. I suppose my body remembers my earlier sickness and associates the food. That is terrible and I am not sure how to overcome. I’ll be eating that food every day for the next few weeks. I brought a scone with me from the hotel.....more like a hard cookie, which was delicious and plain. Easy on the stomach. I ate it with water and was able to get through the service.

It is so fun here having church each day. We sing, we pray, we preach, we break for lunch. Then we do it again. We lay hands on people and minister. There are variations each time. It is so good how the different pastors come out with us. We love them so! It is such a joy.

One sweet mama came up to me to greet me. She told me I must take her to USA! and she made a swoosh gesture up to the sky as if her hand was a plane and made a swoosh sound! and laughed with a smile! She was so fun.

One little old guy made a special little .....violin? fiddle? it had one string on a stick and he had a bow to play it on. He could tune it with the nail at the top. It was quite clever and we got it on video. The rooster, chickens, and little chicks running about were delightful. I cannot get enough of them! I hope I can have chickens one day. I love to see them running around. Sarah fed the chickens from the table. I was afraid it was rude, but Lydia told me it is okay.

Lydia loved Sarah’s tattoos and piercings. She laughed saying, I am so black! Sarah said, I am so white! and Lydia said, You are! You are so white! and they laughed together and got photos. Sarah is so pretty and people are enjoying her. She did a great job on the accounting. Steve praised her telling me she did a wonderful job and worked well with Henry. Sarah praised Henry saying he worked hard and stayed focused even with people all around talking. It kept her on task and she appreciated his good work.

We went through some serious roads out to that church. it was the farthest we have gone yet. Pastor Joseph told Sarah, “Sarah, now you have been to Kenya. Golf Hotel is not Kenya.” And we knew it. We have already gone far back into the bush with Pastor Stanley and this was even further. It was good. The people in these areas have not had a church. Even if they have been a Christian, there was not a place to come together.

Anita spoke on the differences between men and women. She explained how men need respect and women need love. It was good to hear. Women come up to talk it out when there is a problem, but a good man walks away from a fight with other men--and so when he does that to his wife, she feels ignored. A man has to learn to comfort his wife when she is distressed. A woman needs to know how to approach him so he feels respected.

I guess I have profile several orphans now. There was Diana and Celestine at Pastor Juma’s church. There was Benjamin and Emmanuel at Pastor Wycliffe’s church. We spoke with the three girls at their home; Jane, Lillian, and Vivian. I talked to Paul and Ben at the preschool. That is 9 children so far. We still have 10 children to go.

We are supposed to go to ANOTHER church today. There are so many! But first we have to have a TGD board meeting. On Saturday, Steve is taking tons of people to the hotel to eat. I think I will ask him to have the hotel bring more cooks or something. They take nearly an hour to make you dinner. It drives me crazy. But everything takes forever here. It is African Time. You have to just settle into it. By the time I come to dinner, though, I am so tired and ready to have something to eat and go to bed. Yet, it is another long wait.

Another funny thing is at church when it is nearing the end. Pastor Stanley will imply that we are at the end and we are going to do one prayer or song and then go. But there is at least an hour from the time he says it and maybe more. It is easy to forget. When you are worn out from sitting in front of everyone or even from preaching or praying for people, it is easy to get eager to dismiss. You just long to relax and let down. Still, I love being in the house of the Lord. I love praising God and discussing Jesus and His Word. I love encouraging others to fix their eyes on Jesus.

I am so thankful to Jesus. Here I am in Kenya. I am praising Him among the nations. I know God is glorified and exalted! It is so good to worship Him with brothers and sisters on the other side of our globe! It is so good to know that He is everywhere. He is our all in all. Even my weakness has not dimmed my joy! But I have learned to moderate my mood. I got so euphoric last time that it made me ill! Now I just rest in the peace of deep joy. I am abiding in Him and resting in Him. I know that I will be here for such a long time, too, that I don’t have to take it in all at once. I can savor my time and relax into it.

I wish I could go to the churches and hear them preaching. Instead, they are so grateful for visitors which is a great honor. So we never get to hear the locals preaching, we just hear ourselves over and over. Anita worries that her message is the same, but she always changes it and the people are always interacting with questions. It is good! The people are often sharing examples and the pastor share their testimonies of how it is changing their families. It is a great blessing. I know so much about relationships and counseling. It is hilarious to me that my mind is blank when I come here. NOT IN THE USA! But when I am here, I have the Word of God and a Jesus focus and nothing else. I want to preach Jesus. I want to share Jesus. I want to encourage Jesus. But I must remember when I was a new Christian, that I wanted the practical advice of.....how do I implement this? What does this mean day to day? Maybe that can help me think about it.

Today I must be careful not to talk. I am over using my voice. But there is so much to say. To everyone! I must greet people, I am asked to speak, and I can’t help but review with Anita/Medine or Doug/Sarah. We are having a great time. It is so full and wonderful. It is so great to have church under the tree, like yesterday. Oh the joy of it! It is so fun to go to the little remote churches. God is so good. He has come to the people. He is changing their lives. I love to hear their testimonies.

Emmanuel

He's 7. His parents died of AIDS. He's a precious cheerful boy! I have video of him talking with me. He understood his extended family wanted him to live somewhere else. He still managed to keep up his attitude. Evidently, he is teased for his circumstances. The pastors hoped that being in an environment of respect and love would be better for him.

Benjamin

He's 3 and he's an orphan. His parents died of AIDS.