Cow Success!

Hello All,
Well, we have had success with cow shopping and buying!  What an adventure!  The House of Hope orphanage now has a young friesian cow (a Holstein) that they will raise and hopefully be able to get 30 or so liters of milk per day.  These cows are very expensive here, so we were able to get a young one that they can raise.  This was all with the help of some very generous donors (thank you so much)!

Bessie with all the kids and the adults

I have some other pictures of the orphanage that I want to add here. 

This is where they cook all of their meals

They are chopping Sukuma Wiki which is a staple at every meal.

This is the living room area

This is the kitchen where they serve meals from (no running water)

This is Ruthy

Joel (the founder) told us that he prayed for opening this orphanage for 9 years.  He and his wife decided to adopt a child (Gideon who is about 6) and as soon as they did that, they got the money in order to open the orphanage.  At that point, doors just started opening left and right and now they have 23 kids with 2 more coming soon.  They are 3 - 13 years old.  They have been operating since 2005 and are doing well. 

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day yesterday.  We got our 10 Kg (not 10 lb as ordered) turkey into the oven and cooked it in just under 7 hours!

I know this is kind of weird, but here is a picture of it in the oven.  We had some friends and other wayward people to dinner and it was a great gathering.  There were 11 of us and we ate very well.  Our friend Susan made a wonderful cheesecake with an African twist:  It was topped with Mango slices. Yum! 

The new incinerator is now operating.  It came when the rains were very heavy last Saturday and 2 of the vehicles got stuck. 

It was an all day affair for Jim to be there and help, but he finally got home at about 8pm soaking wet.  They were able to get some training done and they will be using it to burn hospital waste starting Monday.  They have just been open pit burning.  What a blessing to have!

Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day this past week.  We are very thankful for many things.  We will be home in just over a week and a half and will be looking forward to a break!  Hopefully, it will be somewhat restful.

In His Hands,
Jullie T.

Praises in a Cow!

Hello All,
Well, only 2 1/2 weeks left till we come home for a visit.  The kids already have plans about what they are going to eat!  There are a few chosen items that just can't be duplicated.  Timothy wants to have a whole foot long from Subway all to himself! And having real Maple syrup will be incredible.  I was graciously given some back in the spring and have been doling it out by the tablespoon full but am now sadly out!  We will be glad to visit for a while and get refreshed.

Today is the big pinewood derby race up at RVA.  They have this huge track with 6 lanes and electronic timing.  I am going to help score keep.  It is an all day process though.  Races start at 8:30 and go till 3 or 3:30.  Then, awards are given in a ceremony tonight at 6:30.  But, we have a huge conflict:  The hospital's new incinerator is due to arrive this morning!  It was supposed to be here last Thurs, then yesterday and now this morning.  Jim is pretty frustrated with the lack of ability here to do things on time (can you imagine)!  Some things are really coming to a head for him and he could use your prayers.  I should have pictures next week.  It is coming on a 40 ft container and we even had to repair the road for it to come.  The maintenance people put out 15 lorrys (trucks) of stone to try and improve the road.  They should be out there right now inching it into place.  The building that it is going into was being prepared all week.  They had to remove the roof so they can lower it in.  I am staying out of this one as Jim is worried enough about it for the both of us!

This is a picture of our friend Patrick Saroni.  He is a good friend from the Masai tribe.  He attends the local Bible college called Moffat.  His story is amazing of how he came ot be here.  His dad told him in 8th grade that his schooling was over and he had to stay and tend the cows (the Masai are great cow people).  He had meet some missionaries (Kenyan) and eventually they supported him and allowed him into their home (far from where he lived) and supported him through the 4 years of high school.  He wanted to study philosophy, but got hooked up with Moffat.  He had nothing, but was allowed in on a scholarship.  He has been going that way for 3 years now, just praying that the funds will come and basically living for his daily bread.  It is hard for us to imagine, but he does it.  His dream is to become a pastor and go back to the Masai people to help them understand the love of God.  He is currently talking to some US colleges and seeing if they have some opportunities for him.  Two of them were in Michigan.  I told him I did not think a Masai could survive in Michigan with the cold.  They usually wear just a red robe (with nothing underneath)!

This is a picture taken from the Internet of some Masai.  Patrick says they stand on one leg (like the man on the right) in order to let themselves breath!

This week we have several things to deal with for the hospital.  The Bethany kids wing is being rethought in order to bring it into budget, the incinerator will be hooked up and op tested, I will meet with some more people who can design a wet lands system for us, I am talking to the head Doctor about a scavenging air system for the theaters, and thanksgiving is on Thursday.  The school just changed the schedule and are having 1/2 day of school Thur.  I am going to stick with my original plan and have thanksgiving dinner on Friday.  That is their last day of school for the term.  They are very excited to be finished!  I have a 22 lb turkey taking up my whole freezer right now!  I had asked for a 10 lb turkey and got a 10 Kg turkey!  We will be eating turkey all next week I suspect!

Hope you have a great thanksgiving day this week.  This is my favorite holiday.  I will miss not watching football games!

 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Col 3:15-16

I have another praise to tell you about:  Remember last week when I talked about the orphanage needing a cow?  Well, someone spoke up and wants to buy a cow for them!  God is Good!  I am now hunting for a cow (trying to keep my white face out of the picture so that the price is reasonable)!  We are making progress and I will let you know how it goes.

Thanks so much!  We are so grateful to all of you!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.

House of Hope

Hello All,
Yesterday I had the privilege of meeting a man in Naivasha (a town about 40 minutes from here) that is running an orphanage called the House of Hope.  He started with nothing and now has a store (to support the orphanage), a house of his own and an orphanage with 4 employees.  There are 23 kids there now with 2 more expected.  The orphanage was opened in 2005 and has been growing.  They have 2 cows (but one is very old), and some chickens and a big shamba (garden).  His vision was to have a group of kids that are from all different tribes.  Here in Kenya, there is a lot of prejudice along tribal lines.  He wants these kids to grow up together to know each other as brothers and sisters and to be a witness to others about living in harmony with God as their leader.  He has done an amazing job in getting all of this together. These kids are loved and fed and seem to be happy.  But, when we see them (through Wazungu (white) eyes) they seem to have nothing.  They are lacking in shoes and clothing just to start.  There are bright colors painted on the walls, but no games, no balls, no books in sight.  There is a nice playground in the yard, that was donated and is a blessing.  The kids are loved and that is the main thing.  We have read several books about trying to "help" people in seemingly poor situations.  All say that just giving money is usually a crutch, because people can become dependant on those gifts.  Well meaning people can come in and try to "fix" a situation that they have deemed to be broken.  I see this orphanage through different eyes then I would have 1 year ago.  They have the necessities.  They are getting fed and an education.  The man that runs it has a heart for the kids and is doing very well at providing for them.  I still would like to try and fill some of the basic needs that they have and just help them to support themselves.  We are coming home in 3 weeks and if anyone would like to help, we are planning on filling one of our 10 bags with 50 lbs of items for the orphanage.  We in the states have used items that we let sit around or even throw out that here would be deemed valuable.  So, here is a list of things that I think we can bring back for the kids that will not weigh too much (weight is a problem as we only have 1 50 lb bag):

• Clothing and shoes for ages 3-10:  girls and boys
• the shoes are OK to be sandals, crocs, sneakers and the like.
• the clothes could be anything from warm sweatshirts to fancy dress.  They do not wear a lot of shorts though.
• The kids even wear very warm hats as it is pretty cold - at least to them - up on the hill.
• Childrens' books (English is OK with pictures) (Children's bibles would be great).
• Soccer balls -small ones would be best, size 3-4 (that can be deflated) and a pump or 2
• Toothbrushes (I will ask my dentist in Cadillac if he can support this one).
• If we can raise some money, it would be great to supply this place with a young cow.  A cow can provide a source of food for many years.  It costs about $500 to buy a good cow.

Thank you for prayerfully considering helping out here.  This man did not ask for anything, but I know it would be a blessing to them to provide some needed items.  Just let me know and we can coordinate getting items to us.

Here is a picture of the kittens that Sallie has "adopted" over the last month.  They were wild and could not be handled.  But, Sallie has been patient and can now pick up all of them (at least for a little while).  We have them advertised, but no takers yet.  Not sure if we will end up with a yard full of cats!

Their mother is very nice and loves to come around.  It is good having Doctors living next door though.  He was able to watch a you tube video of a spay (Spay a cat in 4 minutes!) and do just that to her on his kitchen table!  Warning - Do Not try this stunt at Home!  Professionals only!  Now at least the mom can stay and we will not be inundated with kittens - much to Sallie's chagrin!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.

Things to be Thankful for

Hello All,
Can another week have passed?  These weeks are just flying by.  We must be having fun (or just too exhausted to notice)!
We may be on the verge of getting the ball rolling again for the Bethany Kids Children's Wing.  The board met last week end in DC to decide the way forward.  We are very close to having a plan.  Please pray that we will be able to fit the structure to the budget that we now have!

I wanted to talk a minute about the things I am thankful for when living in the states.  We take so many things for granted.  When you live in a place such as this, it really brings some of these things to the forefront:

A stable government that abides by rules (most of the time)!

Roads that are not one constant pothole.

A banking system that works.

Meetings that start on time.

The love of a good dog.

The ability to shop for things in a lot of variety.

Jar lids that actually seal!

Not having a fear for your life when driving at night.

People that will tell you "No" if you are wrong.

Windows that close properly.

The fall colors.

Here are a few things that I am very thankful for while living here:

Having a good store of chocolate chips!

Making chocolate chip cookies on a rainy day.

Coke in a bottle.

Walking to the school and work.

Bird of Paradise growing in the yard.

Making a difference to the hospital (even though we are not doctors)!

Cuddling with a kid on the couch while reading a book.

Waving at a kid and having that make their day.

Being able to give $5 worth of food to feed a family for 2 days.

Seeing the monkeys in the yard every morning.

This coming week is our last week of soccer with the elementary kids (Titchies).  It has been 3 days a week from 4-5.  I will be glad when it is over, but we have had a lot of fun.  I think the kids have had a great time too.

We only have 4 weeks left until we travel home.  Jim and I are looking forward to that as much as we ever looked forward to a semester break at Auburn!  We know the 3 week visit will just fly by, but it will be a welcome respite!

Another blessing about being here is not even noticing that Christmas is coming!  What I mean by that is there are no advertisements, no TV to bombard you with sales, no stores that tell you it's getting late, no flashy signs or Christmas displays.  We are truly blessed! 

Something has happened this past few weeks that really brings to mind how precious life is.  It can be taken at any moment and you don't have any control over when or where or how.  Only God knows.  We can only live it, given free choice, to our fullest and knowing that if we follow His will we will be blessed no matter what the end.

Col 1:9-11
9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

NKJV

Thank you all for everything you do for us.  Even keeping up with us on this blog is a blessing (to know that you care enough to take the time)!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.