Peace in Your Heart

Hello All,
I can not believe it is November already.  Time really does march on.  We have 4 more weeks of school and then the winter break.  The rains have just started today!  We are grateful.  It has been so dry here and everyone needed it.  Hopefully it will carry on as it should for the next 4-6 weeks and the gardens will be well on their way.

I have told you before about our friends Craig and Tracy who's ministry is Care of Creation.  They teach a program called Farming God's Way.  He just sent a picture of his potato test plot.  The one on the right is Farming God's Way and on the left is not.  He has pointed out that it is in a dry season is when it really makes a difference.  Mostly it is covering the ground with mulch and not tilling it up.

The difference is amazing!  And, it has been so dry around here.  It will be interesting to weigh the potatoes from each side when harvested and see the difference.  Also, here is a picture of Rose's cabbages:

She says that her neighbors have nothing and look at this!   She is able to sell her cabbages to us and others who don't have right now.  She is so happy!

There will be a total Solar Eclipse here on Sunday.  We are thinking about an eclipse party but not sure what that looks like.  My neighbor is trying to round up a filter so she can get some pictures that maybe I can show you next week.

The BKCC Wing:  the Children's wing has really had some progress in the last few weeks.  They missed some dates this week due to lack of materials, but overall, things are looking better.  They almost have the ground floor slab poured.  This is a milestone!  Jim is working as hard as ever.  He may have had trepidation about coming here because he "doesn't know the details of concrete," but he is well suited to the position he holds!   This is very much like an extremely long overhaul of a submarine!

The Arts Center:  We are doing pretty well with the project.  We expect to pour the ground floor next week.  There are definitely some frustrations with the contractor but that is not to be unexpected.  We are having a volunteer from EMI coming in a few weeks to do a survey for the whole RVA campus.  I have been working a lot in setting that up.  It will be great to have up to date data on the campus so that we can move ahead with a roads project and also a water supply project.

In our bible study we are still doing Priscilla Shirer's Discerning the Voice of God.  I am really enjoying it.  Psalms 119: 10, 18 "With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments.   Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from Your law."  We are learning how, as we seek Him to know Him we can hear Him better.  In doing so, He gives us peace in the understanding of our work here on earth. Col 3:15a "Let the peace of God control your heart."  This is how I have operated for a few years now.  In making big decisions, I have a peace about it that just seems to fit.  It is hard to explain, but now I know it is the Holy Spirit that helps us in these things and can give comfort when the world seems in chaos.

Here is a picture of Njoki and some of her family when Jim gave them a computer.  They were so happy to receive it.  They hardly have an understanding of what it can do, but they are learning and it will change their world.  Njoki now has an email account so she can be in touch with people around the world.  This seems an appropriate thing for Jim to be involved in!

I sat down with Esther last week to help her search for the right school.  This is not an easy thing to do!  The web sites of these schools in Nairobi just seem incomplete and hard to get around.  She is going to have to go there to ask questions.  In the mean time, we are getting her set up to get a computer certificate.  I have a friend who teaches computer and he is going to train her on Microsoft, typing, internet, etc.  This will be a big boost to her education.

I ordered a turkey this week.  This was not a small decision. I almost went with chicken but heard some whining from the family.   A small turkey will cost us about $50-$60!  We will have to eat beans and rice for a few days before and after Thanksgiving!

Some potential good news about the SHAK (Spina bifida Hydrocephalus Association of Kenya) guesthouse this week.  We have been searching for a place for them to have a half way/training house.  This will be a place for the Mama's of new patients affected by spina bifida to go to be near the hospital for follow-ups and to be trained on how to care for their children with this lifelong disability.  We have been looking for land, place to rent (finished or not), place to buy to no avail.  We think we found a place to rent about 2 km away.  This is within walking distance.  The road is out and you can't get a wheel chair through right now, but we think it can be fixed.  Please pray that this will all come together and they will have a place set up by the beginning of Dec.

That is the house in the distance

Here are some random pictures as I know my mother likes lots of pictures!  Have a great week!

Sallie and Friends on the playground

A hoopoe picture that I took

What one really looks like (picture from the internet)

Patrick with a cat in his lap (he is not a cat person)!

Trevor and Bradon playing an English class project.  It was hysterical!

In His Hands,
Jullie T.

PS - Don't forget to have all of your quilting friends go to www.100quilts.blogspot.com to sign up to make a quilt for the Bethany Kids Wing!  We have about 50 as of now!