Happy Thanksgiving!  Today was truly a day of thanksgiving for me in Kenya.  I arrived in Kenya last night staying with Bernard Kabaru and Mary Mwangi.  Great to be with them again.   This morning, Bernard and I headed toward Mt. Kenya and Nyeri to see a life-long dream start the journey to becoming fulfilled. 
First, we stopped for lunch with Shirley, his oldest daughter, and in typical college fashion she brought two friends to join us for lunch.   We had a great time with Shirley, Carol, and Frank.  They are majoring in Medical Laboratory (Medical Technology).  Exams are next week.   Being with Shirley is always a blessing.  Bonnie and I saw her first in January 1994.
We left the university and headed for the "homeland".   Kenya is developing quickly from motorways, malls, and gated communities as a middle class is emerging.   You do not travel far before you are reminded of the contrasts that exists here.  Hopefully I will get back to finish this post.  
Now in Amsterdam, I can finish the post.  
Bernard and I traveled west of Nyeri to the "dream" property of Bernard and Mary.   For many years now, Bernard has talked about a place like this.   Here will be a learning center for business, pastoral leadership, as well as children (with Mary involved it had to be)re.  Already a caretaker's house, a barn complex, and water system been constructed.   There are sheep and one cow.  Fruit trees and shade trees have been planted.   At the beginning of the pictures of the place, is the sign of blessing: a new born lamb on the property.  Also you see some rocks and a hammer.   To make a floor for the caretaker's house, rocks were put inside the tin sheet structure.  They will be pounded by hammer into a smooth, solid pile of pebbles.  Then, concrete will be poured over the top.  That is making aggregate the hard way.   It was a special time as Bernard and I stood where the house will sit.  To the east is a beautiful view of Mt. Kenya.   One day, orphans, business leaders, and church leaders will gather with Kenyan coffee or tea in hand and watch the sunrise over Mt. Kenya.   Here the passion for the mission of Jesus will draw men and women into relationships with each other in mutually beneficial partnerships that will transform people around the world.   So Blessed, So Thankful to be here. 

 

 

Monday: Bread of Life Secondary School

Monday, we spent the whole day going over everything about the secondary school: construction, curriculum, staff, equipment, infrastructure, etc.    The starting curriculum includes nine subjects: English, Mathmatics, Kiswahili, Georgraphy, History, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Civics, and Domestic (Life Skills).  We will begin small with probably 25 students the first year.  Then, grow by 25 students each year.   The Educational Officers have limited the school to just one grade this year, Form I.   Each year another grade level will be added up to Form IV.   Our desire had been to begin by offering more than one grade.   We are grateful for the cooperation of the Educational Officers in adjusting “their desire” to the vision of Bread of Life Secondary School.  They want a very large school slowly their desire for 700 has been reduced to 300.   The vision is for approximately 100 students at max.   Mpeli and Neema are working with the educational officers to understand the vision. 

We also covered the children of Daily Bread Life Children’s Home.  This year we will have 20 students in Secondary School plus one worker.   With the limitation on the Bread of Life Secondary School, the need for scholarships for the students is our most critical need.  

As we went back out the construction site, I walked the land again.  Standing in one corner and looking across, you begin to realize how big the site is.   Then when I walked the entire property outside the wall, I realized that two more schools could be built on the undeveloped property.  However, the vision is to have a soccer field and other areas for recreation.   Inside the wall the big next step in the dream is to build a girls and boys dormitory and a library. 

The Big farm news is already on Facebook is that the two milk cows on the DBLCH farm are pregnant.   We are excited by this news.   The chickens are laying eggs.  Now we have a new litter of pigs.  Some disappointment is that Mpeli had sought help from USAID in irrigating the farm.   Our government aid program is providing some assistance with irrigation projects.  However, Mpeli was told since the farm had livestock on it.   The farm did not meet the qualifications for irrigation because the livestock might eat the crops being irrigated.   Oh, well our goal is to install irrigation this year anyway.   The farm must become more productive in order to meet the demands of growing children and available markets for quality produce.  

On our way to the Farm, we passed a young lady with two five gallon buckets full of water on a bicycle.   She had gotten the  water from the DBLCH Farm well.   The well was over two miles away where we saw her.   According to Mpeli she still had a distance to go.   The statement in one of Jesus' teachings, "I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink."  

ADMINISTRATION BUILDING

 

Saturday and Sunday: The work and worship begins

No electricity on Saturday and without Bonnie to remind me, I let the camera battery die.  So no pictures of the Bread of Life Secondary School, the farm, or my afternoon watching the soccer and playing a little volleyball with the staff and kids. 

Saturday I met with the builder and inspected the construction site. Things are looking good.  The quality of construction is improving with each construction projection.  The main thing is that they now understand a different quality of work is expected.   To the builder’s credit he has really made improvements over this project and the previous construction.   The classroom buildings are complete, the toilets and septic system is in, the laboratory building is complete, the administrative building is 50% complete.   The Dining Hall/Assembly Hall/Kitchen is to be completed, water lines, viable alternative energy source (Solar Power), desks and chairs, books, some landscaping, and laboratory equipment.   One of the reasons that I traveled to Tanzania was to access viable energy sources and actual power needs.  

YOU CAN HELP: WE NEED USED Laptops.  We will clean them of data.   Our goal is to be able to rebuild 50 laptop computers for the secondary school. 

Sunday means worship with Kidete Baptist Church, Kidete, and ACTS Fellowship in Iringa.   These are two completely different worship services.  The Kidete church is a village church and very basic in music and worship.   ACTS Fellowship is contemporary and home church for the Daily Bread Life Children’s Home staff and children and many university students.    This Sunday in Kidete,  we had four women who asked for prayer during the service.  One had returned to the fellowship after a time of absence, another was sick, a third one received Christ, and the fourth had a demon.   She had gone to Dar Es Salaam as a house girl (a housekeeper).  In Dar, she came under the influence of a demon.  We layed hands on her and prayed for her.  Then, one of the ladies of the church, a deacon, took her to another place where she counseled with her and prayed for her.   I am always reminded in Africa of spiritual warfare that exists in this world.   In the USA, we have become very sophisticated in our approach to evil in this world.  The spiritual is very compartmentalized.  Here, everything has spiritual significance.  

In ACTS fellowship, we had two guests from the Iringa International School who were invited by Mark and Sam Mwaisumbe to worship.  The two ladies are teachers of Mark and Sam.  The Daily Bread Life older children (youth/young adults) led in the singing.   They were great.  The church also celebrated the Lord’s Supper. 

I spent the afternoon just relaxing and reading.  

Friday: From Guatemala to Iringa

Just an update on what has been happening, Kip Miller and I joined a Carpenter’s for Christ vision team to visit the Hope of Life Ministry in Guatemala.   Outstanding ministry founded and led by Carlos Vargas. 

Mpeli Mwaisumbe met me when I arrived in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania on Friday morning.  I had been in Guatemala with a Carpenter’s for Christ group.   Left Guatemala on Wednesday afternoon and flew to Atlanta.   Then, Wednesday night I flew Atlanta to Amsterdam with a long layover in Amsterdam.  Then, Thursday night I flew to Nairobi and on to Dar Es Salaam Friday morning.   The traffic in Dar was rough and it took us almost three hours go to Chalinze (usually an hour and half drive).  

The rains had not really started and it was hot and dry as we began our journey.   We had showers on and off after we left Morogoro.   A lot of broken down trucks in the mountains and many wrecks (trucks running off the road).   This is the main road into Central Africa and its only two lanes.  So there is heavy traffic, as you can see by the road pictures.    We arrived in Iringa at the children’s home around 7 PM.  

What a blessing to meet the children.   One of the special moments for me is meeting and greeting the children when I arrive--their smiles, seeing how much they have grown, and just the sheer joy of celebrating being together again.  Unfortunately, no pictures since I am traveling alone this time.  Where is the camera crew when you need them?   I am always at home here.   

With the older boys doing some landscaping and a reliable water source, Mpeli and Neema's back yard has become a garden.   One of the real blessings of being here is getting up in the morning and sitting in the backyard as the sun is coming up--surrounded by the beauty, the birds singing, and the warmth of the sun as you read and pray.