Christmas Hope

Hello All,
We had a nice, fairly quiet Christmas.  Hope you did too.  It was a wonderful time to remember what Christ did for us.

The day before, we went to deliver "Christmas Hampers" as the school calls them.  They are gifts of essential items like Ugali (corn based flour), sugar, tea, rice, beans, matches, soap, kusuku (oil), etc.  We went to 6 homes about 6 kilometers away.  Since the night before it had rained, it was pretty treacherous getting to all the homes.  The mud here gets slicker than ice when it is wet.  Here are a few pictures:

 

 

 

 

 

It was a humbling experience. These families were so grateful for the few items.  We try to buy extra things each time we go to the grocery store, but we give them to people that come to the door.  I think we may have to make the effort to get some of that up the hill.  I have been thinking about these families in the nights when it has been raining here.  All of these people are grandparents taking care of orphaned grand kids.  In some situations, the children had died but some the children just left.  It is a very common thing here.  It is extremely difficult for these aging parent to care for the grand kids and get them an education.  I have mentioned before that now the government pays for school up to 8th grade, but in High School it costs money.  But, it is not just about getting to school.  There are many things we take for granted about that whole process;  clothing, shoes, food.  These basic necessities come before even trying to find the money for tuition.

Please pray for their struggles.

 

We took Mom over to Lake Nakuru National Park this past Thursday.  We had a great day and saw some very cool animals.  We took a picnic lunch and grilled out on the cliff overlooking the lake.  Here are some pictures:

 

Blacked Headed Heron

 

White Fronted Bee-Eater

 

Flamingos in the Lake

 

Blacked Faced Vervet Monkeys

 

Greater Blue Eared Starling

 

Lion

 

Black Backed Jackal

 

Hoopoe

 

Mom, Jullie, Trevor, Sallie and Timothy

 

White Rhinoceros

 

 

This last Rhino spotting was an adventure!  He got on this road that was between the water bodies just in front of our car.  As he moved down the road, we followed at a distance (he was much bigger then us)!  This road was created because the lake is so high right now.  As he got further along, another car started down the road coming towards us!  He tried to turn towards us to get by, but it was too narrow and he got very nervous (us too).  He also tried to get into the water but it was too deep for him.  Finally, the cars in front backed up to where the land was next to the road and he was able to go on his way.  This whole evolution took about 25 minutes and we ended up following him for about 1 kilometer.  It was very cool being that close to a Rhino!

 

Mom leaves for home (Arizona) today.  We have had a great visit with her.  Can't believe that it has been 27 days already!

 

The kids start school next Thursday.  I love my kids, but I will be rejoicing!  The first few days of the week will be time off, but we will start gearing up for the new year.  There is so much to be done in the coming year:

• Bethany Kids Wing
• Septic system (Phase II - oxidation pits)
• ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) building
• SHAK (Spina bifida Hydrocephalus Association of Kenya) guesthouse
• New water supply tanks
• CT Scanner completion (get the bugs worked out)
• Writing procedures for the Hospital Engineering Department
• Raising funds for the Master Plan buildings
• EMI Team in June/July for Maternity wing renovation design.
• Medical Gas building and relocation
• Storage and Receiving building completion
• Possibly starting an education housing complex if the grant funds come through
• Helping an organization in Naivasha build a kitchen and dining facility.
• Putting on Banquet with Trevor's class

That is all I can think of for now.  I am sure there will be other things that come up!

 

Please pray for people around the world that live in deep poverty, not having access to clean water, nor proper shelter and food.  It is an overwhelming problem in the world that we as Americans are oblivious to.  Timothy was able to come with our group to deliver the gifts last Monday, and he really had his eyes opened.  He commented later that he was going to pray for these people.

 

Hope you have a great New Year's celebration!  We are going to be here and have chicken wings (Jim's favorite if they are hot) for his birthday that day.

 

In His Hands,

Jullie T.

 

 



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



 

 

 

Simple Acts of Kindness and Love

Hello All,

This is a picture that Jim stitched together from our Crescent Island trip.  Not sure if you can make it out, but there are a whole bunch of wildebeest, zebra and impala in the picture.  I plan to have one of these printed out when we get home to hang on the wall as a reminder of the beauty of the landscape.

We were able to get into town this week and see the Hobbit.  Boy was that fun!  We ate lunch at an outdoor cafe.  This picture was taken while we were waiting.  I think it was torture time of waiting for the kids!

 

 

There was a line in the movie that I just loved.  It was Gandolf talking to Galadriel saying how Power is not the key to overcoming evil (which is where Saruman went wrong).  It is the "simple acts of kindness and love that keep evil at bay."  We were talking about this a bit at bible study this week.  The discussion was heading towards how God has been taken out of the schools, etc.  But, that is not the issue.  Having corporate prayer in schools or other institutions is not the key to keeping evil at bay (shooting children).  It is such a personal thing:  1. Your heart to heart relationship with God and 2. how you serve Him with what you can do (simple acts of kindness and love).  If we all did what we were called to do by Jesus, this world would be a different place.

 

 

Bethany Kids Wing:  Jim has been working hard this week.  It feels like a mixture of holiday and work!  We had a site meeting with the Architect and the contractor.  Things are going pretty well, but they are behind schedule.  We are hoping that things will pick up in January which is what the contractor believes also.

 

Here is a picture of the holes that are being dug for the footings.  At this point in the game, there should have been columns already sticking up!  Maybe in another month.  We are taking this coming week off since most of the hospital is also.  It will be a nice time to hopefully not do too much!

Please pray for us concerning the need here.  We have been bombarded with people coming to the door with needs.  Since the school is shut down and most of the people are gone, the local people that sell things are really hurting.  I had a friend come to the door with a need to pay her rent.  She was 2 months behind and about $30 would take care of it.  I gave her 1/2 of that and she was able to stay in the house for now with her kids.  How can I not help when it is so little?  But, there are many little things that just seem to tap us out all the time.  I put it in God's hands.

Have a Blessed Christmas and remember, it is what you do to the least of these that matters.


In His Hands,
Jullie T.



Peace that Passes Understanding

Hello All,
We are just back from a wonderful time in Naivasha at a cottage.  Just a few days of doing nothing sure can rejuvenate the soul!  Here are a few pictures:

The cottage that we stayed in

 

Ahhh, relaxing!

 

Timothy and Sallie concentrating (no that is not a beer, it is a tangawizi (ginger))

 

That is a big bite!

 

Yes Robert, Mom went walking with the giraffe

 

But then, we let her get too close to a hippo!

 

A tawny Eagle at Crescent Island in Naivasha

 

We are so grateful for the little bit of time off.  It was such a blessing!

We just read about the shooting in Connecticut.  I can not make sense of someone who would do that to 6 and 7 year olds (nor adults).  Please pray for the families of the victims.  As Philippians 4 says:

Phil 4:6-7
6 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7 And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
NIV

This really requires a "peace which passes all understanding."

We met up with a friend in Naivasha, Joel.  He is the man that runs the orphanage called House of Hope that we helped get a cow for at this time last year.  He is doing well and now has 27 kids at the orphanage (up from 23 last year).  The kids were out at a nearby cottage to celebrate Christmas (with a goat roast of course)!  They are all getting so big.  He has asked if we could pray for them as he now has a daughter at University, one starting form 1 (High School) and 2 kids from the orphanage also starting high school.  Education can be free here up to 8th grade.  At the high school level it must be paid for and it is usually a boarding situation.  Most kids don't have a home environment that is conducive to studying so they are sent to live at the school.  Please pray for the House of Hope.

Education is such a big deal here (as everywhere) and those that have the money can end up bettering themselves.  We have several people that we are trying to help get the education they need to get decent jobs.  If you ever have a yearning to support a cause, we have plenty of them to choose from!

I am keeping this short this week, and I know you will understand.  Please remember to cover the victims of the shooting with your prayers. God will answer.

In His Hands,
Jullie T.

"Pray without Ceasing"

Hello All,
A good week was had by all here, but do you remember how it felt at the end of the school year when you were so anticipating the summer and a break from all of the work?  That is what it felt like this week.  It was hard to focus and get things done, but things kept flying at us.  It is like this because many people we work with are leaving or have already left on leave for the month.  Things pretty much shut down for the month of Dec.  We are going out of town next week just to get away for a few days too.  Also, Mom arrived last Sunday night and it feels like a holiday!  We (Timothy and Sallie and I) surprised her by picking her up at the airport.  We had told her that a driver would come get her and take her to a guest house and we would come on Monday morning.  But, we went into town during the daylight and got a room at the guesthouse and then hired a taxi to take us to get her.  She spotted our little white faces immediately as she exited the customs area!  It is great to see her (and the large bag of stuff that she was bringing for us)!  I am sure glad we stayed in town because it was pouring that night.

Coming home on Monday morning was quite an adventure for Mom!  We ended up on the highway where no one was allowed to get through and there was no one directing traffic.  Everyone was just turning around and going the wrong way back down the highway!  So, we followed someone for a while then they turned off so we were the leader with a line of cars behind us.  It was a bit exhilarating for a while driving down the wrong side of the highway and on the wrong side of the road!  Mom says she is going to sit in the back next time!

You were right Judy - Cabbage and Rice everyday!

 

Sitting and relaxing getting over the Jet lag

 

Timothy at the guest house with Chai waiting to get Mom (He looks excited?)

 

Bethany Kids Wing:  We are moving on this, but it is slow right now.  We are having problems still getting the supply water line that runs right through the site relocated.  They have installed the pipe but the connections keep failing.  They have used a HDPE (High Density Polyethylene pipe) that is new to the hospital.  We have used PVC pipe in the past.  So, with something new and constantly failing, it has become a real challenge for us to accept it.  But, come to find out, it really is not an equipment problem but was an installation problem (several times in a row).  So, now the battle will rage as to: 1.  do they keep the new pipe that is already installed and just make the joints right or 2. do they change out the whole system back to PVC so that the guys here can understand it and repair it in the future easily (and who pays for it if they have to rerun??)  Tune in next week (or the week after) to find out.
They are also digging the holes for the column footings.  They do everything by hand here:

Digging a footing hole

 

Site visit with the Architect and Contractor

 

 

The hospital had their annual Christmas party yesterday.  It was basically a large meal (with the goats invited to dinner) and an MC in the large open space behind the hospital.  They carried out copious amounts of rice and goat meat to be eaten by all!  We popped in for a bit, but didn't stay for long.

 

Since Mom was able to bring some needed supplies (mint extract and sprinkles), Sallie and her friend Jane made some peppermint snowmen the other day.  They turned out cute, but most of all it kept Sallie busy for about 3 hours!

 

 

 



 

I have been thinking a lot lately about prayer.  We need to pray for each other continually.  I am one to talk as there is something always that needs "doing" and I don't make prayer a priority in my life.  But, living here, we have had to rely on prayer more then before, which I think is a good thing - not always comfortable, but a good thing.

Matt 18:20

20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

1 Thess 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always; 17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

Rom 8:26-28

26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;

27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Please pray for each other and all the difficulties that we face.  Also, don't forget to give praise for those answered prayers!
 

For all of you "devoted followers of my blog" (thanks so much!), I will be late posting next week as we will be in Naivasha with no connection.  Look for something on Sunday late!

Here is a picture of some cool lady bugs that we saw:

 

 

In His Hands,

Jullie T.

Part of the Family

Hello All,
We have had a traveling type of week.  Three of the days since last Sunday have been spent in a car for an average of 11.67 hours (for Jim and I) each of those days!
We took off to Uganda last Sunday to visit our EMI (Engineering Ministries International) office in Kampala.  The sun is up for almost exactly 12 hours and that is the length of the journey so we tried to leave right at day break (6am).  The road was pretty good for about 70% of the trip.  Below is a picture of the road that was not so good:

 

It was like water skiing and crossing the wake!  It gets this way because the trucks are typically overweight and the roads are just not made very well.  Having the car repaired the week before and now having functioning air conditioning was critical to producing non fussing kids!  I would spend that money again if I had to!

Have a Coke and a Smile is no joke!

 

Logistics of travel here are not so simple.  You don't just find a Wendy's and a gas station every other mile.  We ended up stopping at a small restaurant that was gated (safe car) and had a nice bathroom.  But, the menu listed the items with times next to them (20-30 min).  We asked what was the fastest and got no direct answer so we ordered from the 20-30 min section.  Well, over an hour and 15 minutes later, some food arrived!  First hint should have been there were several people there but no one was eating!  But, on the positive side, we had a nice stop and everyone was full so there was no complaining for the rest of the 7 1/2 hour trip!
We have mentioned before how people will sell things on the side of the road.  They will line the street and, especially near the speed bumps, will hold up their items.  In each town the items are different.  We came through honey town, carrot town, potato town, pea town and beet town.  Jim was very excited about beet town and Sallie was excited about Carrot town.  She liked the carrots because they were huge and had the greens attached.

This isn't a great picture, but it gives you an idea of what I am talking about.
We arrived safely (not to be taken for granted) and had a wonderful supper waiting that was prepared by our host family.  Kampala seems like a very organized city compared to Nairobi.  There were curbs and some of the streets had shoulders!
We were able to spend 2 days with the EMI team.  We briefed them on what we are doing and they did the same for us.  We were also able to go see some of their projects.  Here are a few pictures:

The whole EMI team in Kampala

 

Sallie at the African Children's Choir with Ruth and Patience

 

 

Being silly

At the African Children's Choir facility

 

Swimming with the home school group in Kampala

 

What??

 

Lunch with the EMI team

 

Jack Fruit

 

The boys drumming at the African Children's choir facility

 

Sallie melting near Lake Victoria waiting (again) for "fast" food (only 1 hour this time)!

 

 

It was great to get to know the team a bit.  It really gives us a sense of who we are a part of and how we fit in.  We feel like part of the family now!  Thanks so much!

 

As we toured some of the EMI projects, we talked about how difficult it is to help here and how you must be very careful.  There is a book called "When Helping Hurts" by B. Fikkert and S. Corbett.  It gives very good examples of well meaning people that don't consider the cultural differences when they see a situation that they think needs fixing.  He brought up the example of Orphanage A and Orphanage B.  Think about A:  you see the kids dressed in clothes with no holes, they are being fed, they have mattresses to sleep on and a room, and all are going to school.  Then you see Orphanage B:  The kids are running around with holes in their clothes, there is little in the kitchen and the rooms are such that they are sleeping on the floor in groups.  If you were someone coming from the west and wanted to give something to help, which would you give to?  Orphanage B for sure.  But, sometimes all is not as it seems.  The managers for Orphanage B knew some westerners were coming and put away the mattresses, made the kids change their clothes, etc.  Now they know that the sympathy will flow and they will get something.  Where as Orphanage A managers are doing an excellent job with the few resources that they have and are having to struggle some more.  What do you do and how do you discern?  Being here and living with the people is key to that.  Knowing the locals and the situations is so important.  You can't just swoop in and save the day with money or a new facility and then go back to where you came from.  You have to have the whole picture.  That is part of what EMI is doing.  These people live here to support needy Christian ministries and are doing an amazing job.  Please pray for all the people that serve there and that they will continue for many years!

 

We arrived back here late Wed night and were supposed to go on a retreat with our engineering dept here at the hospital on Thurs but we got word that it was cancelled.  So, we slept in and worked out, then received word that it was back on!  So, we left again for a full day in the hospital van with the men of the Engineering and Facilities team.  We had a great day seeing the Geothermal plant at the Hell's Gate National park in Naivasha and the animals at Nakuru National park.  We didn't get back here till after 9pm (Maisha katika Africa - Life in Africa).  Thank goodness that we have a 16 year old that can manage cooking dinner and making cookies!

 

The E anf F team (who is that white gal?)

 

Very cool close up

 

 

Family of Rhinos (the baby charged us later!)

 

Well at the Geothermal site in Hell's Gate.

 

We did some work also this week (how did that fit in)?  We got back and found that the new water supply line that they are laying to reroute around Bethany Kids is bursting at every step.  Seems like every other joint was coming apart.  It finally came right this morning and the tanks are being filled.  But, issues are not finished and I am sure it will be an ongoing problem.

 

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support this week.  We are now anxiously waiting on my Mom to arrive on Sunday night.  We have a driver going to get her so that she can stay in Nairobi for the night.  It is so difficult to drive at night here, that is usually the best thing.  We will go get her Monday morning and can't wait (she has a bag for us as I mentioned before!)  Please pray that she has an uneventful trip!

 

In His Hands,

Jullie T.