The ladies and I headed to Naivasha today to ride horses. We rode out into the fields with the Giraffe, Zebra, Water buck and Impala. We even saw a blacked backed jackal. It was great being able to get so close to them. My friend Christina got some pictures that I will try and post next week.
If you didn't read the last post, you might want to go read it. There was a major situation that arose last week with our supply water. We (the Hospital and resident housing) lost our main supply header due to land slides. This also took out a good section of our main road! It is still passable but, it looks like it may get worse. On top of that, RVA (Rift Valley Academy) lost their main bore hole pump! When it rains it pours (no pun intended)! Thankfully, RVA has about a 10 day supply, but they are working on getting the company here quickly to repair or replace the pump. But, as Jim said in the last post, there was a commission established about 2 months ago that was looking into the short and long term water solutions here on the station (Kijabe). One of their short term solutions was to get the Bathi Dam to supply more water to the area. They currently supply a little to a selected few, but they have the supply and are willing to sell us more. They started this week with what they can get to us with the small existing pipes. This has saved us from losing a large percentage of what we need. God in His providence has helped us avert a major crisis. Not to say that it is over by any means! The long term solutions involve getting grants in order to pay for it, because it will be pretty pricey. We need large water tanks and lots of pipe and new pumps, etc. Please pray that the rains will subside (we have had 2 days with no rain!) and that we will solve our lack of water in the faucet issues. It is crazy to be flooding outside and not have enough water in the pipes to flush the toilet!
We went to a benefit dinner for Bethany Kids last night in Nairobi. It was very nice and we got to dress up! It was the first time Bethany has done a benefit and they hope to do it annually. Ambassador Gration was there. He is the Ambassador to Kenya now and he was Jim's boss back when we were in Stuttgart. So, we still call him "General." It was nice to catch up with him.
Ambassador Gration, left and Justus Marete, our Bethany Kids Africa director, right
The hardest part about the evening was driving home in the dark. We have mentioned how difficult it is here to drive at night. We came up behind at least 2 trucks moving very slowly with no rear lights, and many times the people coming at you only have one headlight and of course it is on bright because they can't see very well due to just having one headlight! There are no lines on the sides of the road to follow and very few street lights. That is something we sure take for granted at home! One of the speakers was a lady who had been helped by Bethany Kids as a child. When kids are born here with disabilities, they are shunned at best. Sometimes they are killed with a poison that is mixed into their food. This was about to happen to Francesca as a baby when her mother ran away with her. She was eventually brought back and lived a very difficult life. She has spinabifita. Many times, when a child with spinabifida comes in, it is the the first time that the parents have had any information about what it is and how to deal with it. In mild cases, the children can live fairly easily, but they need to know how to empty their bladders and how to deal with other issues (walking!) When Francesca was about 12, she was brought to Kijabe and had surgery. She was also taught for the first time how to keep herself dry. This was life changing for her. She could now be out and be accepted in society. She now has a wonderful husband and a child. She is a wonderful example of how Bethany Kids is helping children with disabilities gain Independence and a sense of worthiness. For the first time, they see themselves as loved and accepted.
Francesca telling her story
The Joy Town choir sang at the event also. Joy Town is an orphanage for disabled kids. When they have been abandoned to die, they have a place to go to be loved. We have not been there yet, but would like to visit soon.
Joy Town Choir singing
There has been some activity lately over by the "dormant" volcano, Longonot. Some fissures have developed in the ground near there that are not due to the excessive amounts of rain we have been having. It is all the talk in the local papers whether or not the mountain is waking up. We have been told that it is not, but will keep an eye on what the experts are saying. Here are a few pictures of the fissures:
We are still "patiently" waiting on our CT Scanner to arrive. That container also has very large surgical microscopes and wheel chairs and other things that are anxiously anticipated! It has been sitting in Mombasa since about the last week in March. Please pray that it will clear the port soon.
The kids had Titchie field day today. They had a great time. It was a carnival theme for about 2 hours up at the school. Here are a few pictures:
Sallie chasing a Donut
Sallie with a "Duma" (Cheetah) face
As many of you know, Sallie is a BIG Eeyore fan. She has had this particular Eeyore since she was 10 months old. This week he had a much needed bath! Here he is hanging on the line to dry. Sallie was very happy to have an Eeyore that had a whitish nose again!
Hope you all have a great week. We sure appreciate all that you do for us. Email when you get a change. We love to hear from you.
In His Hands,
Jullie T.
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