We’ve been so busy that it has been difficult to find time to update you all on what is happening here.
Here is a recap of the past few days…
On Monday morning we drove to the Huduma School which is located about fifteen minutes from here in the heart of the Kwangware slum. There are 1,500 students in the school which currently goes up to “Form 2” (or 10th grade). More grades will be added in the coming years. The cost to attend the school for the year is about $25/student. Class sizes at Huduma are all around 40 students per teacher. As a teacher myself, I know that this is less than ideal. School begins at 7am and lets out at 6pm, so these kids are working hard to get an education. One of the school’s greatest needs is for a library, they do not currently have resources for the students to do research, though they occasionally take the older ones to a nearby seminary to do projects.
Another great ministry of the school is the sewing and carpentry classes that are offered. Young adults join these programs and can learn these trades in order to get employment. The programs take between a year and a half to two years to complete and prepare the students to start their own businesses in the community.
We played with the kids during their recess hours throughout the morning. As soon as one group would leave the playground (which was really more of a dust field than anything) another group would come running out. Everyone was pretty exhausted (and really dirty) by noon.
Monday afternoon we drove to Nyahururu which is about four hours north of Nairobi. We passed over the equator on the way.
Monday night, Bob and I met with a man from the Department of Water, who happened to be one of the board members of a local church where we have connections here in Kenya. This was a true Godsend for our hopes to begin a well project in nearby Olmoran.
Tuesday morning we drove 70 kilometers to Olmoran. That drive took us about two hours and the road was incredibly rough. It is difficult for me to describe this village. It is a meeting place for three different tribes. We happened to be there on a market day so the village was bustling with people setting up tents and lean-to’s to display their products. Our team split into small groups and walked through the village talking to people. Bob and I had an extended conversation with a group of cattle farmers and we discussed the challenges they face regarding food and water. They have a well in Olmoran but it is not satisfactory to meet the demands of the number of people coming to that area. The men we talked with had traveled 40 kilometers on foot (two days walk) to get to Olmoran to sell some animals and buy food for their family.
Tuesday afternoon we traveled another two hours back to Nyahururu for lunch, then another hour the other direction on an even more difficult road in order to reach the village of Salama. The well in Salama is in a state of disrepair. The windmill that had been powering it is no longer functioning. This community is another target opportunity for a well project.
Wednesday morning we left Nyahururu early and headed back to Nairobi via Nakuru. We took the opportunity to spend a few hours on safari in the Lake Nakuru National Preserve. What a beautiful display of God’s creation! On the way back we also stopped and visited the Rift Valley Academy, a boarding school for children of missionaries.
So, today seemed like the first day that we were not in the van for hours on end, and it was a welcome change. We spent the day teaching students at Lavington United Church School, which is only about ten minutes from where we are staying. The Hope College students presented a lesson on the armor of God to students in several grade levels.
After lunch Bob and I met with the Archbishop of the Anglican Church in Kenya. Our meeting was to discuss their potential involvement with us in the community development projects that we are looking at in Olmoran and the surrounding areas. It was exciting to hear the Archbishop using some of the very same terms that we have used in describing what we hope to see happen in that community. God seems to be at work and we continue to listen carefully for more hints on what God is up to here.
This evening was our first evening when we were back to the guest house before 7:00pm. It was nice just to have a few hours of relaxation time. Tomorrow we start early again at the school and the group will be doing presentations for the upper level grades at Lavington school. We will head back to the USA on Saturday evening.
Our time here in Kenya has been a whirlwind (or maybe the proper term would be a dust devil, as those seem common here). We have seen so much and time and space do not permit me to write about all that I have experienced and felt personally. One thing I will say is that the needs here are overwhelming. Pray for us as we continue this journey, that God would keep our eyes open even when what we see is hard to take in.
Blessings on you all, and thanks for your prayers.
Peace to you from Kenya,
joe
In March 2009 Solomon Johnson's family of 11 was left homeless after an electrical fire destroyed their house and many of their possessions. Solomon's family was given land to rebuild on, the only problem was it was in the bush and would need to be cleared first; a difficult task for a man with only a machete.
