Anniversay

Hello All,
Can't believe that school is starting on Tues! This break has just flown by.  We still don't have our work permits/resident status.  It is so frustrating how bureaucracy works here.  There are some rules - but maybe they are followed, maybe not.  Timing is always a guess.  Not sure when anything is going to happen, but you can be sure that is will be later then "they" say it will!  Bottom line is, we have not been able to take the kids to Nakuru game park to see lions, rhino and maybe a leopard because we can't afford to pay the tourist prices.  We hope to go on a week end sometime in the next 6 months (can you see the sarcasm)?


For the Bethany Kids Children's Wing, we are still waiting for some money to show up.  We are not at an all stop just quite yet, but we are very close.  We are in the phase with the architect where we are picking out details (fixtures and such).  As soon as this is done, he will get all the documents ready for tender (going out to contractors for bids), but we can't actually send it out for bid until the BK board approves (i.e. has the money raised).  So, not sure when we will break ground on this project.  We just see that it is moving forward and it will be in God's timing!


The kids are ready to go back to school (not sure if they will admit that)!  Timothy's teacher is Mrs. Cochran and he is very excited.  Sallie is happy too.  She gets her old teacher back as she decided to move up to teach second grade.  Trevor just got his schedule.  He is a little disappointed because he did not get into the AP Chemistry class.  The Seniors have priority and there were way too many wanting the class this year.  He can take it next year, I guess.  I also will be glad that they are back in school!  I loved homeschooling but when you are working and having them home (our office is here in the kitchen and living rooms), it is difficult to get quality time.


I have had some projects lately that involve working on the ArchiCad program.  A copy of this program was donated to EMI (us) by Grafisoft.  I really enjoy working on it, although it is sometimes frustrating because of my lack of knowledge about it.  I was able to get a tutorial, and it is helping, but I am still learning.  This week I layed out a kitchen plan, a floor plan of a building that will be the medical education center and designed some windows that will be built here at the hospital.  Fun, Fun, Fun!


Jim and I are running away for a day tomorrow to celebrate our 25th.  I can't believe we have been married all that time!  Only old people are married that long - I guess we are there now.  I can still be in denial though.  We are just going to Nairobi to spend the night and have a nice dinner.  Without our resident status, we can't really do too much, so this will be fun.  We were watching old videos the other day when Jim was getting nostalgic.  Janice and Warwick, remember our jump from the Skipper's Canyon Bridge?  Jim laughs every time he sees me go before the guys even finished counting down!  What a great trip!  But, I hardly recognise the people in that video - they are so young!  Life really catches up to you.  It will be gone in a blink of an eye, but knowing that God has a plan for each of us and we just have to listen and He will be faithful, makes it all much easier. 


Please continue to pray for us, especially with how to deal with the overwhelming need here.  We continue to have people ask us for money and other items daily.  It is hard to say "no" but we can not help everyone.  Luke 6:30 says,
"Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back."  It is very hard to live by this one!  We have had several discussions in our Bible study group about this because we are all feeling the same thing - overwhelmed!
Also, if you would pray for the money to be raised for the Bethany Kids Children's Center.  They need about $4 Million.


Before I go I have a request.  I will also put this on the side bar of the blog so that people can see it later.  Can anyone record the Auburn football games for us and send them on a disk?  Mailing a disk is not too much and we sure would love to watch Auburn play again this year.  It was a banner year for us last year and we saw at least 8 games!  That would be so fun for all of us, to sit and watch a game with some popcorn and sodas!


Hope you have a good week.  We want to thank you all for reading this blog and being there for us.  We are writing our 6 month (now 7 month) update and will be sending that out soon. 


In His Hands,
Jullie T.

Great Day with Trusses

Hello All,
Yesterday was a great day (even though it was spent in the city and traffic)!  We went with a group of visitors from Engineers without Borders that are working on our kitchen at Into Abbas Arms orphanage to the steel truss and Mabati Tin companies for a tour.  We are getting a bid from them for steel trusses for the roof of the kitchen.  But, Jim and I also would like to use the steel trusses for some of the projects that we have going here.  They gave us some class room time about the truss design, we had a wonderful Indian style lunch and then we were able to tour the plant where the trusses and tin for the roofs are made.  We left there about 2:30 and (with a short stop) made it home through traffic by about 6:00.  Not too bad I would say! 
 

This is where they make the tin trusses

I haven't worn a hard hat in years!

We had a pot luck dinner at a friends house at 6:30, so I had prearranged with Rose for her to make Sukumawiki and Ugali.  That is a very common Kenyan dinner.  It was wonderful!

This is a plate of Ugali.  Rose calls it a "cake."  It is a lot like grits.  It is made from corn and really takes on the flavor of whatever you put with it.
 
The kids are outside right now picking loquats.  Not really sure why, but they like to eat them.  They are too sour for me.  I think they need to ripen some more though.

I think Sallie likes the eating part!



That was a picture of Jonathan in the tree dropping, Timothy on the ground catching and Sallie on the ground eating!

Our peers here are mostly people of the medical persuasion.  So, at many get togethers we talk about medical issues.  Sometimes, we get them into conversations about building and problems, but they outnumber us!  These doctors deal with things here that are unheard of in the States.  Many things are because of the lack of proper nutrition for pregnant mothers and children. They had a case this week of a 2 day old baby with a genetic defect that they could not even identify.  This is a great hospital for Kenyan standards, but they also talk about how easy it would be at times for a case to have a chance at survival if they were in another place and had different resources.  We take many things for granted.  And, even with all the problems, our medical system is one of the best.  Think about it next time you hear someone complaining about how bad it is!

Have a great week!
In His Hands,
Jullie T.

Hide and Seek

Hello All,
We are at another Saturday?  Wow, these weeks just fly by.  Sallie had a bit of a stomach bug this week. But she is better now. 
I mentioned how we finally got permission to get our e permits (work permits), but, we have discovered that the path is not layed with yellow brick from here!  We still have a few more hoops to jump through before we can actually get the coveted card that will declare us legal aliens.  Without this card, it is difficult to get the resident rates on any park.  The tourist rate to get into the parks is unbelievably high.  In Nakuru, we would pay $75 per person at the gate and only about $11 with a resident card.  We had planned on going to Nakuru park with the kids before school starts.  They have lions, leopard, dik-dik, flamingos, rhino and other cool animals.  But, now our date just to get the fingerprinting done has been pushed to the 31st.  The kids start school on the 30th.  So, we may have to take a Saturday in Sept to go.  We will continue to wait and hopefully we will prevail!

Yesterday, I went into Nairobi to get a few things.  I actually had about 7 items on my list when I have made a rule to only have 2.  That way I can get back before dark!  But, some of the items were in about the same location, so I felt optimistic.  We actually got 6 of the 7 done.  It was a banner day!  We were in Toi market (an outdoor used and new clothing market) and at one point were not sure if we needed to run.  We were just finishing and heading back to the car, when suddenly, many many people came running at us carrying their wares!  We stepped back onto the curb and got out of the way, and other people were saying it was the city counsel.  Apparently, the hawkers (sellers) that just line up on the street are there illegally.  So, when the council shows up, they pick up their stuff and run to avoid a fine.  It was over in a few minutes and we continued to walk to the car.  As we did, we noticed that the hawkers were setting up again!  They apparently play a game of hide and seek with the city counsil!

The beautiful pictures you see here today, were copied from another web site.  Thank you Jennifer and Scott Myre!  They are also missionaries here in Kijabe that used to live in Uganda.  Their blog is paradoxuganda.blogspot.com if you want to take a look.

I plan on updating the project page today also.  Please go to that tab on the top of the page to see what is happening with the projects that we are involved in.

In His Hands,

Jullie T.

Refreshed and Relaxed!?

Hello All,
Well we had a great time on our little holiday.  We were able to read a few books (Jim read a whole fictional book of 700 pages!), sew a little, cook some good meals, and read some more.  The kids got to go swimming some (with the hippos) and play quite a few games.  We stayed in a beautiful house on a river in Naivasha with 2 other families.  Even the resident dog had puppies while we were there.   They were so cute!  We saw some interesting animals.  I will put some pictures of them here:

(How often can you get a wildebeest to pose in front of a bougainvillea!)

Oh wait, these are not native animals, these are the girls! Sallie and Becka



Here are some other pictures of our week:

This is the house we stayed in.

This is Timothy on the zip line.

This is Jim on the zip line.

This is a red thorn acacia in the back yard - amazing tree!

Looking back up to the house from near the zip line.

I wanted to add a few more pictures, but the blog is not letting me right now.  Maybe it will feel better later and let me in!

Great news this last week.  We got permission to get our "e" permits (working permits).  We should be able to go into Nairobi by the 16th or so and get our actual permits.  We are so grateful for that (just as we expired on the 26th of July - thought we might have to come home)!

This week we will be back to the grindstone.  There is sewer to deal with, a big meeting with the Bethany Kids architect to finalize details, brick making to continue, CT scanner plans to persue, Into Abbas Arms orphanage meeting to sort out details and a movie to go see (Cars 2 is showing here).

Please pray that the projects will continue to move forward and funding will be found for the Bethany Kids Children's Center.  Also, pray for the people here.  Life is difficult at best and many people are struggling.  Jim and I were talking that when we first got here, we felt like we were looking into a fish bowl (like when we were in the car or truck looking out into the streets), but now we feel like we are in the fish bowl.  Everywhere we go, people stare at us because we are white, we have a car and other things that they can't come close to.  It is great to be in the fish bowl with the people and getting involved, but it is also hard.

In His Hands,
Jullie T.



Fire and Smoke and "what are those people doing"?

Hey All,

Last Sunday Jim and Trevor had an interesting and eye opening experience.  Our friend Rose called on Sunday evening and said her neighbor's house was on fire.  Jim and Trevor donned hats and boots and headed up there.  It was dark when they arrived and the fire had pretty much consumed the house.  They had some buckets and were trying to get water from a supply that was giving about 2 gallons a minute!  There was no organized system and Jim tried to get a sort of bucket brigade started to put out the hot spots, but the locals would have nothing to do with it.  He was very frustrated.  They mainly wanted to stand around and watch (as well as not stopping the kids from being right there near the fire).  At one point, they started digging through the burned remains.  Jim thought were looking for the owner's tools.  They were not looking for them to make sure the owner got them back, they were looting!  Unfortunately Jim didn't realize that until the next day.  Also, Rose told me the lady of the house had everything that was salvageable looted during the night.  They got to the house on Monday morning and nothing was left.  We were shocked.  The neighbors and "friends" of these people did not reach out a hand to help, but rather saw an opportunity to steal.  This has to do with the mentality here that if someone is better off then you, they will be shunned and picked on and even threatened.  People don't lift each other up, but rather drag them down.  It promotes a society that is held back by greed and a "what's in it for me" attitude.  This kind of incident could discourage us and make us not want to serve in a place like this, but, we see people who are God loving and really trying hard to get out of that cycle of bitterness.  They are faithful and believe God will provide and are trying to do it right.  Those are the ones we really feel the need to help, as well as the children who will be the next generation here.  The incident is a sad reminder of the true attitude of a lot of Africans, but it also serves to remind us that God is in control!

Brick Making trials and encouragement:
Last week I reported that we had a set of men working on making bricks with the machine (we make them of 90% soil and 10% cement) that were doing well and we hoped to have them making about 500 per day by Wed.  That, sad to say, did not happen mainly based on the attitude as stated above about the fire.  Even though we were clear on what we would pay, they (after learning how to do it) were not happy and wanted 3 times the amount.  So, moving on:  We hired an experienced crew from Ndabibi (on the other side of Lake Naivasha) who are rocking it!  We sent a truck for them on Wed. and they started on Thurs.  They got started later then they wanted (they wanted to start at 6am) and they still were able to make 500 by the end of the day!  They are organized and have a team effort that is comforting to see.  See the short video below.

We are heading out tomorrow (Sunday) to take a bit of time off.  There is a house in Naivasha that we are renting with 2 other families.  We are so looking forward to relaxing for a bit! 

Please pray that:
1. People here will see that lifting each other up is the only way to have yourself lifted up also.
2. We will have a safe and relaxing break.
3. The projects at the hospital will keep moving forward and money will be raised to complete them.

Thank you so much!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.

Getting Culturized

Hey All,
We have had a busy week as usual!  The kids (Timothy and Sallie) have been in camp all week and we went to pick them up yesterday.  It was maybe only 70 or 80 kilometers (50 miles) away, but with traffic, it took us over 3 hours to get home!  It only took us 2 to get there because it was in the early morning. If you have never driven in Africa, you can not imaging what it is like!  It is somewhat close to driving in Italy, but it is a magnitude or 2 worse.  Trevor says, "the only rule is not to hit anything (or anyone)!"  And sometimes the roads just kind of disappear.  South of Nairobi, where we were yesterday, they are doing construction and for some sections, the tarmac road just goes away and you are on some kind of potholed gravel that becomes almost 4 lane as people scramble for position.  And, the detours are not marked.  You just know where you are by following the crowd.  Needless to say, that is why I did not write yesterday.  We got home at about 5pm, and I had a headache as usual (it's the diesel fumes that get me), so I did not get to it.  Anyway, they had a great time and want to do it again next year!

I am still working with the bricks to get up to 500 per day.  We hired a new crew this week and they are training now and doing well.  We are praying that they will be able to reach 500 a day by this coming Wednesday or so.

Last Sunday was cultural Sunday at our local church.  There were 6 tribes that presented.  They sang traditional songs and then had traditional food to sample.  I have included a link here to a video that Jim took.  It was really fun to see the different people from around here.  The first group (Kukuyu) are the most prevalent here.  Our friend Njoke is leading the singing in the brown hat.  Hope you enjoy!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieX-fOYFbt4


In His Hands,
Jullie T.

Finally, School is out and Closing Day Speech

Hello All,
Finally, school is out.  The kids are happy, but we are trying to figure out what to do with them while we are so busy!  Actually, Timothy and Sallie are going to camp next week, and the first week in Aug we are all going to a house in Naivasha with some friends to just hang out for a week.  I am sure the time will fly by.
We are moving to a bigger house tomorrow.  The bedrooms got painted today and the floors refinished.  The 3 guys working on it didn't even stop to take lunch!  They were moving!  We have some friends and a van from the hospital coming to make the move easier.  Actually, Jim and I think this will be the easiest move we have done in a very long time!  We didn't bring that much and we haven't had the change to accumulate lots of stuff (yet)!
Next week I will fill you in on some major projects here that are moving along.  But tonight (Friday) I am just going to post a speech from the closing ceremonies yesterday.  It comes from a song back in 1997 and the words have been tweeked a bit.  If you have time, it is very funny (and True)! 

Graduation Chapel Speech

July 14, 2011

 

Class of 2011, (and the rest of you listening in) wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, the rest of my advice is primarily based on my own life experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly. True beauty does not come from outward appearance but from “your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight.” (1 Peter 3:3-4)

Feel. God created us with emotions so we can enjoy the people and events in our lives. If we deny our emotions we may think we will never get hurt, but we will miss out on joy too.

Sing.

When choosing to follow the crowd, be careful which crowd you choose to follow. What is popular is not always right, and what is right is not always popular.

A truly happy person is one who can truly enjoy the scenery on a detour!

I have wandered all my life, and I have also traveled; the difference between the two being this, that we wander for distraction, but we travel for fulfillment.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Don't make someone your priority when to them you are only an option.

"There is a huge difference between believing what God has promised and praying for things you'd like to be true." - Francis Chan

Enjoy your time at RVA, it is much shorter in the big picture of your lives than it looks now. Look around you every day for chances to make positive memories. When you look back keep the good times written large in your memory and let the rough moments fade.

RVA will continue to function without you, but you need to come back as an alumni to see what I mean. It only takes a year for people to start saying, “Oh well, since your time…”

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Laugh. Often and freely, especially at yourself. It will exercise your diaphragm and put all the right lines on your face. Never fear wrinkles brought on by laughing or smiling too much. Smiling is a great way to introduce yourself.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Floss.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday. When it all comes down to it, God has those moments in His hand as well, let Him worry about them. “Cast all your anxieties on Him for He cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7) Corrie TenBoom once said, "Worry does not empty tomorrow of its sorrow; it empties today of its strength."

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don't. Live every day in the presence of God and you will be where He wants you to be, and that is all that really matters anyway.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, and not for men.” (Colossians 3:23)

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, give God the glory in all things.

Enjoy your body. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own. It’s also the only one you will ever have, and as a Christian it is the temple of the Holy Spirit and deserves to be treated as such.

Get to know the adults in your life. Contrary to popular belief, they are not here to cause you distress. God has placed them and you here at this point in time for His purposes. You may miss out on some great things that God wants to do if all you ever do is complain about people.

Find a bigger problem.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Sometimes when people walk out of your life, you need to shut the door. Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young. Like riding a bike, good relationships are not awkward no matter how long the space of time between visits.

You cannot let life defeat you, love beat you, fear suppress, or money depress you, for you are stronger than you will ever let yourself believe

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Never do anything you wouldn’t want to explain to the paramedics.

Every argument has two sides and yours is not always the right one. Sometimes there is no right one and carrying on the argument is a sure way to lose a friend. There are occasions when a gracious, “you may be right” is the best way to end the argument and save the friendship.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself. Paul exhorts us to “throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and…run with perseverance the race marked out for us,” so that at the end of our lives we can say with him, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (Hebrews 12:1, 2 Timothy 4:7)

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen

In His Hands,

Jullie T.