John 3:19-20

..light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.  For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.  John 3:19-20

These past couple of days, since Easter, have been very difficult. Just like any city around the world, there are people, who are in darkness; men who refuse to come to the light. On Sunday, during Easter Service, in a village next door to Kijabe, a 5 year old girl wandered out of church, was abducted, raped and killed. Then Wednesday morning, about 3:00am, men with guns burst into the casualty clinic (emergency clinic), clubbed a guard and a patient then proceeded to take phones and money from staff and patients in that clinic and rob the pharmacy. Thankfully, no one was killed in this attack. However, this goes to show that even a hospital treating sick and injured people is not immune to bad thing happening.


We held a chapel service on Wednesday morning and prayed for these things. We also ask that you pray with us. That the families of the girl, and those who were brutalized during the attack are given the peace of GOD which passes all understanding. Even though we don’t know why these things happened, we can trust that GOD knows. And we can also trust that GOD knows who did these things and that the men involved would not only be found and that their deeds exposed, but that they would come to the light of Jesus through this.

We, as the rest of the community, are trusting GOD for safety and security.  The hospital is taking steps to beef up the security around here but as the events of 9-11 and other attacks have shown, it is very difficult to plan for the unknown. 

Ps 46:1-3
God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. 2 Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; 3 Though its waters roar and be troubled, Though the mountains shake with its swelling.


Also, there was a small boy, 1 1/2 years old who came into surgery for a circumcision yesterday.  Unfortunately, there was an anesthetic complication and the boy died on the table.  How do you tell parents who brought their child in for a minor surgery, that they won't be taking their son home?  Another boy, 3 years old, just about bled to death on the surgery table due to complications.  Thankfully, GOD, through the surgeons' hands,  was able to get the bleeding under control and he is now in critical condition but expected to live.  Please keep these people in your prayers as well. 


Thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Jim

Oh, The things you can Buy from Your Car!

Hello All,
Happy Easter!  We have had a good week.  Jim has updated the project page so make sure you go look at what is going on around here with all the projects.

We started making a list of all the things that you can buy while stuck in traffic.  People come to the window to try and sell you things.  Some are quite unique!  Here is the list:

Rubics cube

Pillows

Water

Pictures (maps)

Knives

Fruit

Tools

hats

jackets

steering wheel covers

sunglasses

keychains

chairs

nuts

necklaces

pants

soccerballs

phone covers

veggies

ten commandment posters

flags

Puppies!

The kids find it interesting to see all the variety you can shop for right from your car window! PS - They tried to talk me into a puppy, but I held my ground!

Kijabe is situated right on the rift valley (it actually overlooks a large part of the valley).  From where we are, we can see 2 IDP villages.  These are Internally Displaced Persons.  These are people who fled their homes during the political violence that happened during the last election back in 2007-2008.  These villages are still there.  People living there have very little hope and no place to go.  The government delivers food and has set up schools.  Last week we had some girls come to the door saying they were hungry. They were teenagers from the IDP camp.  Can you imagine being a teenager and going to some one's house and asking for food??  I can not.  I gave them a bag of stuff to take with them.  They also needed clothes and shoes.  I didn't have anything to give them.  I plan on going to the used clothing market in Nairobi to get a few things sometime soon so that I have extra when they or others come around.  We sit and look at our abundance and don't see it.  We take it for granted everyday.  Just having food on the table and shoes on your feet, you are blessed.  Take store in what you have.  This means looking around you at not only material things, but especially your family and friends.  Most of us have abundance that we look through and don't see everyday.  Be content, be grateful!
Thank you all for what you do!
In His Hands,
Jullie

PS - I put out that email last week about finding a sponsor for Yvonne.  Several people have donated money and we now have enough for her first year of school!  She will start on the 3rd of May (the start of their 2nd term here).  We don't have a long term solution yet, but we are so grateful for getting her started.  Thank you all!  I will post a picture of her in her new uniform after the 3rd.

What we Take for Granted

Hello All,
We had a great (but short) time in Mombassa last week.  But, the trip started out precariously in a manner that we all take for granted!  Driving at night here is not only difficult, but very dangerous.  We left last Sat at 5am and so drove in the dark for about 1.5 hours.  There are no street lights and no lines on the "roads."  The pot holes are so big you could get lost in them!  And, to add to that, practically every car you encounter flashes you with their bright lights supposedly to warn you that they are there!  This blinds you so that you temporarily can't see the pot holes that you fall in or the edges of the road that you drive off of!  This was my first time driving some distance in the dark and I hope it is the last.  It is amazing to me how we in the states have such a good infrastructure that we take it for granted.

The drive to Mombassa is an adventure all in itself!  We managed to get past Nairobi before the traffic was too bad.  Right after you get past the airport, the tar mack road south kind of ends, and turns to dirt for a while.  Is there any warning of this?  No of course not.  Is there any warning that the 2 lanes you are moving in are turning to single lanes with oncoming traffic?  No of course not.  You just kind of figure it out with the rest of the cars.
We stopped at a place called Hunter's Lodge at about 7:30.  It was tucked behind a gas station on a little river and had a good bathroom (something not to be taken for granted!)  We continued on and got to Voi around noon and had some lunch.  About an hour after Voi, we finally reached our turn that we had been waiting for all morning.  We turned right onto a dirt road that did not look in the least that it would go anywhere.  But Garmin (our GPS) said it was the right road and that we should continue.  We trust Garmin (sometimes) so we did.  After 75 kilometers and 2.5 hours of driving, we made it to Shimba Hills Lodge in the Shimba Hills National park. Thank goodness we traveled with some friends so that the thought of breaking down or having a flat tire out there in the middle of nowhere was not so daunting.  But, the highlight was the heard of elephants that we saw.  They were just off the road in a clearing.  It was amazing to see them.  So, the long, bumpy, dusty road was worth it for sure!

Shimba Lodge is built on a stream that is now a watering hole so that the animals come to drink.  Also, the nocturnal animals will come out.  We saw this bush baby a few times:

We went into the park the next day and saw some more amazing animals.  There were buffalo (very aggressive), sable antelope, a martial eagle, a fisher eagle, a wart hog and another herd of elephants. 

Buffalo

Sable Antelope

Martial eagle

The Martial eagle was very cool. Trevor spotted him in this tree. Later, we drove back by and he flew out of the tree onto the ground near us (maybe after some prey). He had the largest wingspan I have ever seen! I guess they are getting pretty rare, so it was definitely a treat to see him (her?)

Martial eagle on the ground

Fisher Eagle

Wart hog

Elephants in the road

The  elephants were very cool and a bit scary.  These are the forest elephants and we were told that they are a bit more aggressive. The main idea is to not get between a mother and a baby, etc!  We think this is a great idea, so we turned around and went another way.

The next day we drove the fairly short distance to Voyager.  It is a very posh hotel right on the coast that caters to mostly the British and Indian vacationers.  It was really nice in the heat to have the swimming pools and ladies to bring cool fruit juices when you wanted them!

Sallie and Timothy

Trevor and Mom sailing

Sallie and Becka building masterpieces



While there, Tracy and I had a great adventure taking a Matatu (a taxi van) into town.  When we left the compound the gate guard gave us his phone number and said he would wait for us (something to be nervous about??)  We caught a Matatu straight away, and told them to take us to Biashara Street (where we were told there were shops).  We will brave any danger to go shopping!  While there, a "friend" found us.  He wanted to be our guide.  He actually was very helpful.  He led us to a small curio shop where I found this gourd to purchase.  The bargaining here is part of the "game" to make the buyer and the seller happy.  This shop owner and I went around for about 10 minutes and settled on 1100 Kenyan Shillings (about $13).  He was very happy and so was I.  That is the goal and the fun of it!

I think I will turn it into a lamp, but not sure how to get it home safely.

We headed home on Wed morning trying to make it home by dark.  We missed by about 30 minutes, not too bad.  On the way, there were the amazing Baobab trees (The Tree of Life).  They look like they are dead but are very much alive.  They have huge trunks and very tiny leaves, if any leaves at all.  We have seen them in pictures but not in real life.  Apparently, the wood is very spongy and not good for burning which is the only reason they are still around. 

We also saw some amazing termite mounds.  Some were taller then us.  We made Timothy get out and stand next to one:

He wasn't too happy!

We made it home after the 10 hour drive and were glad to be here.  Work started again in earnest the next day. 
It was nice to get away, but nice to be home again!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.
PS - Blogger has a gadget that has a slide show.  I will try and get this going later with all the pictures from our outing.

Do we Really get a Vacation?

Hello All,
Well, we are off for a short (but needed) holiday tomorrow.  We are heading to the coast near Mombassa.  So, make sure you check next week as I bet I will have a few pictures to put on the blog!  We have been here just over 2 months, but Jim and I both feel like we need a break!  Collins, the hospital engineer, is now back from his 1 month holiday, and so will be here to cover things.  We feel like we have had so many issues and have been driving them all.  We need a few days to not think about it.  We are leaving early to bypass Nairobi traffic.  We are going to Shima lodge for 2 nights and Voyager lodge for 2 nights then home.  Hopefully, we will see some Elephants at the park in Shima!

I had a great experience last Sunday.  As we have told you, we feed some kids that come here on Sunday afternoons.  Last week, I gave them some food to take home with them.  They came back about 1 hour after they left and said there were lots of baboons in the forest that they take to get home.  The bigger baboons will go after you if you have food and if you are small enough!  So, they were scared.  I ended up giving them a ride home.  I got to see where they live.  It was an area with an outhouse and several little mud huts.  They had a space for a cow and some chickens.  Their mother died a while back and the father sells charcoal for a little money.  He also has to attend their shamba, or garden, that is located about a 2 hour walk away.  He goes there to take care of it and will stay there sometimes.  I did not get to meet him.  But I did get to meet their grandmother.  What a neat lady.  She was very old and had just a few teeth.  She was so happy to see me.  She spoke Kukuyu and the kids interpreted for me.  She has been in this area her whole life.  Her house was a few mud huts.  She had one for cooking and another where she ate and slept.  She had a large rain barrel but no gutters to collect the rain from the roof.  I can see a new project for us!  The kids get water from some distance away for her.  She wanted to make Ugali for me but did not know I was coming.  The sunday we get back, we may take her down to the shamba to see it and eat Ugali with her.  Ugali is a grits kind of thing that they mix with greens.  A lot of Kenyans will eat this every day because it is very inexpensive.  The view from their place was spectacular, but the poverty was just as amazing.  I am looking forward to going back and visiting her and the kids!

Thanks all for what you do for us.  Being behind us in thoughts and prayers is such a huge thing, you don't even know!
In His Hands,
Jullie

2 Months Already!

Habari!
That is "What's the news" or "greetings" in Swahili.
We have had a very busy week again.  It is amazing how things are moving forward.  We have survived our first week of the kids being out of school.  They have played with friends, went to the Masi Market and just plain drove us crazy!
The boys and I hiked up Mt. Longonot last Thursday.  It's an old volcano.  We hiked up to the rim.  It was pretty steep in places, (I'm glad Sallie didn't come)!  The view was amazing.  You could see for miles.  Lake Naivashia was in the distance as well as the Rift Valley.  Some of the people in our group hiked around the rim of the crater too.  It was another 2 hours or so (10 km), and we had to get back home so we couldn't go.  The whole hike was about 3 hours with our lunch stop.  Some other hikers told us later that they saw a green Momba (snake) in their way down.  Glad that was not me! 

This is the view from the rim looking across the crater.
Trevor, Sallie and I did the Masi Market at a Nairobi mall yesterday.  That was an experience!  The Masi are a tribe here that are basically hearders (cow and sheep).  They are a meat (actually, meat, milk and blood) eating society.  They are usually very tall and wear bright red clothing.  They make all sorts of cool things (drums, beaded jewlery, bags, carvings, painting, knives, etc.).  They are very agressive in their sales tactics.  You really have to know what you want to pay before going in.  Trevor has been planning for weeks about how to get his bargins.  He was pretty successful, but still had one encounter where he paid too much for something.  I also had one where the guy talked me into something that I shouldn't have bought.  They start their prices at "tourists" prices (5-10 times what you should pay)!  Trevor got a lion carving about 6" across that the man wanted 6500 shilling for to begin with (about $75).  He talked him down to 500 shillings ($6)! 

Can you tell that Sallie likes Zebras!

Trevor is willing to part with some of these when we get home for the right price!

The projects for the hospital are moving forward (at a slow pace but forward none the less!):

The CT scan room remodel design has finally been agreed upon.  It was actually the design for the new pathology upstairs from the new CT scan room that has taken a while.  But, people are in agreement and we can now move to working drawings. This is the one where we will raise the roof above pathology to make them a new space and move the CT scan unit into the space that they currently occupy.  We should be able to clear out the upper space this week.  It is really a mess up there, as people have been using it to store stuff for many years (including some really old chemicals).

The New Mother Child Health (MCH) building is in the working drawing development stage.  We have also started excavating the ground over there to see what we have to move.  There is the main supply water header as well as septic pipes and electric lines!  Just a few things!

We think we have chosen an Architect for the new Bethany Kids Children's Center.  The formal announcement will go out this week.  At that point, we can move on to revisions of the drawings and then working drawings and then the contractor bidding process.

We have started pumping the septic tanks around the hospital.  There are 6 of them plus another large liquid tank.  It will take the man (John) about 45 loads in his large truck to get it all pumped.  Now that is a lot of stuff!

I am starting a project to look for a sponsor (for schooling) for Yvonne.  She is a 5 year old orphan that is being cared for by her grandmother.  I have checked out the school and will send an email later with all the details.

We can't believe we have been here for 2 months already.  The time has really flown by.  Next week, we are going to head to Mombassa for a few days.  It will be nice to get away for a bit.  There are many challenges with living here, but it is also comfortable.  Sallie even said the other day that it doesn't feel like we are living in Africa!  The thing she likes the least is being the only Mzungu (white person) around.  She has started saying, "Mzungu, Mzungu" when she sees one in town (meaning Nairobi).  Now she knows what it feels like to be an African American living in Michigan!

One last note:  We received our first package yesterday (thanks Marsha!). Chocolate chips are like gold here!  It arrived within 2 weeks and got here safely.  Op check sat!

Take Care,

In His Hands,
Jullie T.