Tag Archives: supplies

Wait and see

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Yesterday was an exciting day…full of photos, but you’re going to have to wait until next week to see them because today we are traveling to Nairobi.

  • We got mattresses
  • Washing stations are almost complete
  • Nick helped shell peas

Just to name a few things that happened yesterday and I got pictures!

The one thing I did not get a picture of was my ride in a wheel barrow, you’ll have to use your imagination for that one.

Thanks to all who helped make the mattresses a success – we hand them out Saturday and the kids are excited to get them!

More details please!

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Yesterday I told you about our first day of school…today I’ll give you a little more detail to the story.

When I visited all the classes I thought everyone would be there since it was the first day of school, good assumption don’t you think?  However I was told many of the students may not show up on Tuesday.  Why you may ask?  I have no answer for you there.  I thought why not make Wednesday the first day then or enforce Tuesday as the first day of classes, but who am I to try and change the Kenyan educational system and ‘how it’s always been done’?

For the students who were there I hope I was able to encourage them, especially the Class 8 students who will be graduating in November and moving on to secondary school (high school).  The Class 8 students take an exam at the end of the year (our school year goes Jan.-Dec., 3 months on 1 month off).  This exams tests them on things they’ve learned over the past 8 years, but it isn’t a cumulative grading system.  If they perform well on this one test regardless of how they performed during the year they will be invited to a higher level secondary school, but if they do not perform well they will either be invited to a lower level performing school, none at all or they may decide not to continue their education (for various reasons, one being no ability to pay the fees.  Because unlike what you may have heard education in Kenya is not free).  So this last exam is an important one, please pray for our Class 8 students.

The secondary students who stopped by picked up their pay slip/receipt showing their school fees had been paid for the term.  As a reminder these are students who were sponsored (helped) by Nice View with their primary (elementary) school fees and are therefore being helped with their secondary school fees.  They also gave us a needs list of items they could use in the term.  That list includes items such as toilet paper (nope the school does not supply that), bathing soap, washing soap and then the usual school supplies like ink pens, pencils, notebooks etc.  We’ll gather all the lists and see what we can purchase for them then have the items delivered to their school because once the student (if they are a boarder at the school) starts school they are not allowed to leave campus or have visitors except on designated days, but they can receive items through the school office.

I know this was a very brief explanation of part of the school system but I hope it clears up a few things anyway…If you have any questions please feel free to comment them and I’ll attempt to get them answered.

School begins

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I had a blog post all ready to go then realized I didn’t have any photos included…shame on me!  Here’s our day with photos!

At the beginning of the day the students gathered for assembly, uniform inspection and instructions/rules for the term.

While Chuck met with Stella, Nice View’s head mistress, I spoke to all the classes to encourage, motivate and hand out stickers to everyone!  I told them it was a sticker to let them know how happy I was to have them in school and see their beautiful faces.  Chuck also spoke with the Class 8 students to encourage them and hang up a world map in their classroom.  The stickers I handed out were part of a care package we received so I also organized those items.

these were given to Stella to use as incentive gifts, awards etc.  Chuck said she was like a kid at Christmas looking through all the items!

However, I kept a few items in my desk drawer to use as gifts too…maybe when I see a student doing a good deed without being told, hmmm what do you think?

These young boys were instructed to bring a large bucket of water to the kitchen…good sign of team work!  In the first photo they are all spitting on their hands to get a good grip! 

Throughout the day we had secondary school (high school) students stop by - these were students who graduated from Nice View and had been helped with school fees and are also being helped with secondary school fees.  Elizabeth (not her real name) stopped by and we asked her why she had done so poorly the last term, we can’t help if we don’t know what’s going on.  She said last term her brother was trying to go to school but had no fees so she was stressing about that.  Another student, Karen (again not her real name), after we asked her the same question told us her uncles were abusing her.  After much conversation we found out her uncles were trying to take away her mothers shamba (garden/farm).  The abuse was emotional because she said “they hate us and don’t want me to get an education”.  Thankfully her mother wants her to attend school but that stress was affecting her studies.  Please pray for our secondary students and the stresses they are encountering.

Then at the end of the day it was off to Mercy to give them a few supplies…ink pens left by our visitors, notebooks we brought from the US and a few toys we had on the shelves at Nice View.  No matter where you turn though it seems there are always needs…Mercy has no electricity so they wanted torches (flashlights) to study at night but even with the torch they need a place to study.  Right now they are studying in their beds before it gets dark so they would like a table and mosquito nets are needed for all the beds and that doesn’t even touch on the food situation or more pointedly the lack of food.  Gideon did give us a bag of maize flour to take to them, thanks brother!

One of the kids had written this on the back of Annastacia’s door, she’s the house mum.

Then we had a discussion/pep talk with the Class 8 students at Mercy.  Here they are in Annastacia’s room (note the mosquito net with holes and the other bed without a net).

Well that sums up the first day of school, and I mean “sums up” because there are many details not included otherwise this would be a few pages long.  

Lord may You give us Your wisdom on how to handle situations as they arise, help us to show Your love to each and every child you put in our path and as it says in Psalm -

You give me your shield of victory,
       and your right hand sustains me;
       you stoop down to make me great.

Thank You Lord for sustaining me each and every day.  My thanks also to all who are helping this ministry for our children in Kenya.

Big thanks!

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A big THANK YOU goes out to our friends at DBCC (Desert Breeze Community Church).  We recently received two packages filled with just about everything off our Current Wish List, along with these t-shirts.  I can’t express how wonderful it felt to know we haven’t been forgotten here in Tala.  It wasn’t just the “stuff” – although the Starbucks is going to be rationed and the pepperoni will be handled like gold – it was the fact people thought about us and cared enough to sacrifice time and money to send us some comfort items and supplies.  One box was filled with items for the kids – craft items, stickers, items to be used for incentive gifts and much more…thanks and as soon as the kids come back to school I’ll be starting some sort of program (student of the week for example) for the kids and put those items to good use.

 

Thanks again DBCC for ticking off items from that list.

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.  I thank my God every time I remember you.”  Philippians 1:2,3

Grocery shopping in Tala

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We have a new favorite grocery store in Tala…Sunny Lucky.  The last trip here we only shopped at the Acacia but Sunny Lucky has won our loyalty because he has lower prices on most things and he’s centrally located right behind the Acacia.  The only downfall so far is no smokies…which Chuck likes to have on hand for when there is no other meat available.

While our visitors (Kelli-in photo and Theresa) were here we frequented Sunny Lucky for supplies…

You can purchase water, sugar, a motorcycle, a microwave or…

I’m thankful to have a store close to home where I can get our every day needs at one store instead of going from one kiosk to another and at lower prices.  I miss my Costco though so yes I do purchase a couple packages of toilet paper to have on hand…never want to run out of that!

Simple? I think not!

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I tell friends, family and visitors that nothing in Kenya is ever simple (ok, maybe life itself is but nothing else!)  Here are a few examples:

1)  short handled brooms – most of the brooms in Tala are like these:

however a few are sold with handles but still short (even for me).  On one of our trips to Nairobi we bought 2 “regular” handled brooms, no bending over to sweep for me!

2)  do-it-yourself extension cord – yup you read that correctly. On another trip into Nairobi we were looking for an extension cord.  We asked at one of the Nakumat’s (kind of like a Wal-Mart only MUCH smaller) and at first he had no idea what we were talking about, then he informed us that “ah, yes we do have those, you make it yourself”.  So he measured off 5 meters (I think that’s what Chuck ordered), gave us the male end to attach and a paper with  how much it costs.  Chuck looked at it and asked where the female end was to finish the extension.  The worker had no clue what Chuck was talking about, but after about a 10 minute conversation he finally said “we don’t sell those”.  We purchased what we could and then checked at several stores before finally finding what was needed.  Chuck attached everything and the cord works!

3)  cat litter box – Bella is using a cardboard box right now and it’s getting torn apart, we checked at Nakumat again (see, just like Wal-Mart) and found cat litter but no box – what is up with that?  What do people do with the cat litter?  We didn’t get any litter because we are using sand and I fixed a plastic basin for her and she seems to be working with it!  But I’ve noticed a few unfriendly visitors on her so maybe cat litter is the next purchase…no more outdoor sand.

4)  closet rod – we had a closet built into our bedroom during construction (which seemed like a strange concept to the workers) but we had no idea it would be an ordeal to find a rod.  No one has closets in Kenya?  I guess not because we have been unable to find a rod, guess I’ll have to improvise something.

Just about every day we find another example.  Life is simple in Kenya and I’m not trying to turn Tala into “little America”, but sometimes a small idea or change can be a good thing, after all isn’t it more comfortable to stand up to sweep?!

Travel day

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Today we are traveling to Nairobi for construction supplies for our home.  I don’t really look forward to traveling there but I’m hoping to get a good cup of coffee out of the trip!  No Home Depot here so we may have to go to a couple of different stores for the supplies and deal with traffic and parking, but even with all that I’m thankful we are close enough to drive there (even if the roads are really bad).  We also found a few “home comforts” on our last trip into Nairobi…like peanut butter, Pringles chips and, Chuck’s favorite, cheese.  It’s nice to know those types of items are available and they will be much tastier because of the work going into getting them!

Everyone have a wonderful Thursday and we’ll see you tomorrow!

Master electrician?

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Have you ever had one of those moments where you sit shaking your head wondering what just happened and thanking God it wasn’t as bad as it could have been?  While living in Kenya (6 months in 2008) we had several of those moments and we know there will be several more when we permanently move there, God willing, in May 2010.

In March 2008 we purchased a generator in Nairobi for Nice View Academy. Electricity was sporadic at the Academy and Thursdays they (I really don’t know who they are, I never saw ‘city workers’) worked on the grid so we never expected electricity on Thursdays.  We wanted the kids to have light in the evening when the electricity was off in order to study in the classrooms and have lights before going to bed.  Plus we could use the electricity for our computer, phone chargers, printer etc.

working on the generator

After bringing the generator to the Academy Gideon called the electrician, Paul, to come and hook it up to the power source (sorry if I’m using the wrong terminology but I’m no electrician!).

generator hook up

Paul attached wiring to the generator, which at first he started to attach backwards.  Chuck questioned him on it until he finally realized his mistake and turned it around – all this through bits of English that Paul knew and charades on Chuck’s part!  Then it was time to wire the electrical box (shown above).  Remember, Kenya runs on 240volt while here in the States we run mostly on 110volt with electric dryers running on 220volt.  Paul stood on a pile of lumber to reach the box and when he started to reach his hand into the box Chuck yelled “hapana” (no) and motioned that he would go turn off the electricity at the main.  Paul shook his head as if to say ‘akuna matata’ (no worries) and proceeded to reach into the box.  As soon as he touched the wires he was blown off the pile of lumber and landed on his back moaning.  Chuck ran over to him and asked if he was ok, to which Paul replied “mmmmhmmmm”.  He sat up and shook his head but was still dazed.  When he finally stood up Chuck asked him if he wanted to have the main power shut off now.  “Ndiyo” (yes) was his quick response this time!

He did get the generator hooked up, after much questioning and calls to Chuck’s dad in the US.  We did use it a couple of times (especially when a couple of days had gone by without electricity) when in need of charging phones/computers or printing something out.  However, running the generator takes fuel and with funds being so tight it hasn’t been a priority to run it on outage days.  We are looking toward God’s providence for a larger generator so we can set up a computer lab, lights around the compound and so many more ideas using electricity (a steady stream of it!).

If you are interested in helping us with this or any of our other projects please visit our secure donation site online and thank you for your prayerful consideration.

Negotiations

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Tala shops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The above is a typical scene in “downtown” Tala.  Kids running around, goats eating the trash (or if they are lucky snitching some produce from a table!) bike taxis going to and fro, men pushing carts loaded with whatever they are selling (banana’s in this photo) and the individual shops open for business.

One day we needed an electrical strip.  Now that sounds like a routine trip to town in order to purchase one, but not in Tala!  Chuck and Gideon head to the electrical store (ha, I mean the electrical stall, it is by no means a “store”!)  When they walk in it’s like walking into a shop from the mining days; gadgets hanging from the walls, all sorts of electrical parts under the counter and the owner behind the counter waiting for someone to step in and buy something.

Chuck looks around at what’s available but doesn’t see an electrical strip.  He tells the owner what he is looking for, he goes to the back and comes out with an electrical strip.  Chuck asks how much, he’s told 900ksh (shillings) and the strip is set on the counter.  Then in a split second Gideon picks up the strip, says we’ll pay 750ksh and walks out the door with the strip!

Left standing between the owner and the door where Gideon just walked out is Chuck, looking quite bewildered.  He looks at the owner, not sure of what just happened or if he’s going to be in trouble soon with local authorities.  Gideon is now outside by the vehicle and says to Chuck – let’s go.  Chuck then looks at the owner and says – 750ksh?  The owner nods in agreement, Chuck pays and leaves the store!

We will get used to negotiating, but it’s a difficult concept for us (especially me) to wrap our heads around since most everything here in the States has a price tag and that’s the price you pay – no negotiating!  In Tala, and most other places in Kenya, you negotiate.  Whether it’s an avocado, bag of maize or electrical strip.  I think that’s why I like going to the Acacia (our local grocery store) because things have a price and I don’t have to work at purchasing our items.

It says in the book of Luke “for the worker deserves his wages.”  My prayer is to learn to negotiate, especially in Swahili, and be able to purchase necessities, at a fair price, with my neighbors at the local market!

Snakes in the water!

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We’ve received some updates from Kenya recently but where to begin?  Let’s start with Gideon, he’s the Director at Nice View Academy in Tala, Kenya.  Chuck received an email from him recently and the kids were all finished with their exams and leaving for break.  Gideon hasn’t decided yet if they will offer tutoring during the break, parents are asking for tutoring but that decision hasn’t been made yet.  Fees would have to be collected from the parents in order to pay the teachers since what we had was just sent to Gideon for food and November salaries for the teachers.  Also, we found out Monday that Catherine, principal at Nice View, is getting married next year!  Congratulations Catherine!

Please pray for God’s wisdom and providence and blessings for Catherine.

Next I talked with a friend, Ruth, who lives in Machakos, which is very close to Tala.  She is expecting twins within the next month so we are continuing to pray for her health and the health of the babies.  Ruth said their shamba (garden) is doing very well and they are expecting a good harvest from it – thank you Lord!  With the rains she said it has cooled off a bit and it’s not so dusty.  I remember that dust – it got everywhere and in everything (my poor camera was not happy)!

Please keep Ruth and her pregnancy in your prayers for a safe delivery.

Then I called Anastacia, house mom at Mercy Child Foundation.  She said the kids were doing great and finished school.  The headmaster at their school told Anastacia how happy  he was with their progress and I told her to tell the kids how very proud I am of them for doing such a great job with their studies.  She said their shamba is doing well, but still  needs rains.  If rains don’t continue they will need to pump water – which requires funds – funds that we don’t have right now.  Also she said they needed a cover for the well since snakes are getting into the water and they are scared to drink the water!  Yikes!!  I will pass that information onto Chuck and Gideon, but again, funds are needed to do anything about that too.  I wasn’t able to finish my conversation with Anastacia because our phone card ran out of money and we were cut off.  I was however able to ask her to tell the kids we love them and miss them.

Please pray for continued rains and providence so they will have a bountiful harvest.

I received an email from Fransisca, manager at Eldama Ravine Children’s Village.  She said the children are doing well and are ranking at the top of their classes again!  I also talked with Magie, founder of Eldama Ravine Children’s Village and she said five of the boys were circumcised.  It seems to be more of a manhood ceremony than anything else but the 5 boys are in seclusion right now for  healing.  Magie received a call Sunday night that one of the boys was taken to the hospital, but was not given any details.  Women are not included in that information since it is a “man” thing.  Crazy I know and hopefully we will get some details on the boys condition soon, but nothing as of this post time. 

Please pray for quick healing for the boys and continued wisdom on working with Eldama Ravine. 

I feel like I’m hounding on funding this post, but doesn’t most of what we do require some sort of funding?  I eat today, that takes money; I drink water today, that takes money; I put on clothes today, that takes money.  Please prayerfully consider helping Saved By God’s Grace so we can help these orphanages eat, drink and be clothed.

“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’