Children Enjoying Play and Work

The children have really been enjoying the slide and climbing frame that have been put up in amongst the trees. The sand at the bottom of the slide is enjoyed just as much as the slide. They have had many hours on the equipment and in the sand. They still play some ball and chasing games but are very happy to have some new activities to participate in.

All the children enjoy helping with jobs around the home and compound. The older ones are able to make the chapati (flat bread). This is normally done on Sundays when everyone is around (some attend school on Saturday) and many hands are available to make the 30-40 pieces of chapati. It is quite a process, from mixing to rolling, to rolling again, to cooking over the charcoal jiko.

This was the first birthday balloon game enjoyed by all the 20 children. The balloon game is something that has become a bit of a tradition over the years. The newer children were amazed, excited and really got involved. Basically we divide in two and line up on either side of the room and try to hit the balloons across to the other side of the room. Much screaming and laughter!

School finishes today for about 6 weeks with children returning to the new school year early January. Lots of time for playing, flying kites (if we get enough wind), a walk up the mountain, visits, art and craft and general duties. When everything is done by hand washing, cooking and cleaning for 24 people is quite time consuming.

Will try and get another blog in before Christmas!

Out in the Field

Just arrived back in Kenya after dashing home as my father's health declined rapidly. Sadly he died several hours before I made it home. After spending a couple of weeks with my family in Australia I've returned to Kenya.

With twenty children needing to be fed each day we need to find ways to make it as cost effective as possible. Some of our neighbours have been kind enough to allow us to use some of their land for planting. Just several weeks ago I was with a number of the children and the house parents planting peanuts. Yesterday we were out planting beans (like kidney beans, not green beans) as we dodged the bulls ploughing the field around us.

At home a large pot of beans and white maize was on the boil for lunch.

We've tried several times to have a camp fire supper on a Saturday night but each time it has rained. We like the rain but we'd also like to have a camp fire one evening. The time will come. I suggested maybe we need to try it for breakfast instead. Oh well at least Friday night movie night has been a success. So far the power has remained on for each of these evenings although it was looking bleak one of the evenings. However the power returned just as we were ready for viewing.

Hoping to go out into the field this week and discover a little more about the 13 children who have recently joined us. Interesting, sad, exciting, unknown!!

Back on Track

Hi Everyone, Finally I manage to get back to the blog. I've been here for two weeks now but have been running around trying to get some things in order so we can continue to move forward.

There are now 21 children in the home, three of these belonging to the house parents. Five were originally with us in the home and another 13 have been added. They all seem happy and well.

The photos show the new home with the new drive ways. We are yet to finish the second home but just up to fittings now. (I don't want to move the photos around too much as often I lose them.) The children had a great day with the bicycles. I had my fair share of pushing!!

We planted peanuts on a neighbours property. They are lending us a small portion of land for planting. It is just below the homes so nice and handy.

The teddies are still are great hit!

Dinner time is quite an event but with many hands the work is made light. No arguing over the dishes, everyone just gets in and helps. Thought maybe we could make some money off parents wanting to reform their children.

Hoping to get the second home complete within the next month and to begin bringing in more children.

Thanks for your support!

Moving In

Much has happened over this past 4 weeks. The iron sheets are going up on the second house. A store of 3 small rooms is almost complete. Tiles are going down in the first home. Plumbing and electrical fittings are going in. A more secure fence has been erected and large iron gates are in the process of being fitted. The days have been full but we are progressing. We are trying desperately hard to be there to celebrate Christmas on the land. In fact we went with the children to inspect the possibilities of moving in. They decided to stay in the cottage with furniture piled up around their ears. They were so excited they didn't mind. Today we'll move the furniture around and begin to fix the beds back together.

I don't get much opportunity to be hands on in helping but try a little here and there. I started to help with some brick laying before being called away to another part of the building project. I'm never very long in any one place. With so many workmen around I'm continually moving from one to the other attempting to solve issues or to encourage the workers to do a good job. Or I'm running into town to collect materials. even the smallest of needs can take an hour or more. Still can't really work out why but customer service doesn't seem to include speedy or efficient service.

Will try to get some time to organise something a little special for Christmas. We will at least celebrate Jesus' birth and what Christmas is truely about. Other things might come in the days to follow. A number of people are telling me they are coming to celebrate Christmas with us...think they are expecting a feast but in the middle of construction, cleaning and moving, hope they won't be too disappointed. The children will enjoy whatever we do.

Stella (the chook) appears to be looking for somewhere to lay eggs so maybe that will be her Christmas present to us if I can ensure her wellbeing before and after Christmas dinner.

We will attempt to send a Christmas message. Hope the internet is up to it.

Hope your pre Christmas is not too crazy. Remember what it is all about!

Meet Stella

Mostly my days are consumed with building and things revolving around this. One of my days started this way. I went in search of some baked bricks that we needed for the lining of the septic tank. One of the locals took me to two locations, the bricks weren't of great quality and they were asking too much for them. I knew of some bricks at the local Children's Welfare Society and thought I'd like to support them. When I reached there I discovered the ones they were having were sold so I continued the search. I was ringing one of the workers to help me with a number for a truck driver we normally use for deliveries. He told me of another person having bricks. I found them at their market stall. having already seen poor quality bricks I convinced the lady that I needed to see the bricks before I could commit to buying them. This lady is now a generous friend called Catherine. She called a 'pici pici' or what we would call a motor bike. So the driver, Catherine and myself all on the motor bike went in search of these bricks. It was a little way away along dirt tracks. The bricks were good and at a price we were used to paying. Catherine also has a large water melon patch, peanuts and several little projects happening. She picked me some water melons and then took me to her house to meet family that were at home. Generously I was also handed a hen. To my surprise! So after meeting people, seeing the projects and negotiating the purchase of bricks, motorcycle driver, Catherine, myself, the hen (now known as Stella) and watermelons ventured back along the dirt tracks. We dropped Catherine back at her stall as I continued home on the back of the pici pici with Stella under one arm and watermelons under the other. You can see Stella is tied by one leg. there are some neighbourhood chooks that come and encourage her to escape. I asked about 10 local boys to catch her one day. As I spoke I realised that my words were probably futile to the group of boys under the age of about 12 "Try not to scare it" I said. They agreed and then the chase was on. Stella was off and running along the track through the fences across peoples yards. All the while with these energetic young boys following her moves. One proud young boy however, managed to catch her. I bought some chicken wire yesterday.

Somedays can be a little frustrating like taking about 5 hours to try and purchase goods from the hardware. The only things that are in high speed around here are the chicken chases and matatu's (crazy mini bus drivers). But then there are the great moments of generously being given a chook and carrying it home on the back of a motorcycle and the local boys enjoying a great chase.

Yesterday I was introduced to a young girl of about 10yrs who apparently fell from a tree about 3 months ago. Her arm is disfigured and is looking quite broken and one ankle really badly damaged. I'll organise to take her to the hospital today. I have a contact in the hospital who is a paediatric doctor. Once I get to the hospital I can call him and when he can he'll come and get me and push me into the head of the line. The last time I took someone to the hospital he rescued me from the casualty line where I was handed the number 116. I feel bad about pushing in but not so bad not to accept the offer of help. God is good and continually provides for us what we need. To Him be all praise and thankfulness!

My days are full and my communication getting further apart. It's not without trying. May you all see some new blessing in your life today. love Jan

Moved to Blue Waves

A couple of weeks ago I moved to Bungoma. Closer to the building site. The name of the area is 'Blue Waves' as it has a large motel called 'Blue Waves'. We actually live right behind the motel.

We being Darryn, Kevin, Godfrey and myself. Darryn is an Australian guy from Newcastle, visiting for 3 weeks to help with the project and to get some things ready for another 4 men arriving from Australia next week. Kevin is an 18yr old who also works on the property, washes the borrowed car, even if it is 10pm and helps to cook every second night. Godfrey is 26yrs and helps to care for the home where we are staying. He will be making gutters and charcoal ovens for us. He too cooks every second night with Kevin. I with Darryn's help cook on the alternate night. The boys are fun and very helpful. (oops! had a photo of the boys cooking but accidentally deleted it sorry)

Darryn is getting used to the crazy driving here. I've become quite confident on these pot hole filled roads and the driving antics of other drivers. Maybe it was the day of his arrival I was driving. There is often cars overtaking others or swerving potholes and therefore driving head on towards you. You must be alert at all times. As I was overtaking a very slow truck on a road wide enough for 4 lanes but no markings and two vehicles were approaching from the other direction Darryn calmly ask me "Are you sure you want to do this?" He later revealed that while calm on the outside he was not so on the inside. But it was all very sedate and no risk, maybe just not what would happen in Australia on our clearly marked roads. However he is now relaxed enough to fall alseep while I drive. (Or maybe this is to hide the fear factor?)

Blue Waves doesn't get running water to the homes for some reason so we buy it most days from a cart pulled by a donkey. Today it must have been very tired, or just feeling at home, as when it got to the back door it sat down. It is a very placid donkey.

I've been to Kisumu in the last few weeks to look at another school for the blind. The young girl Lydia will most likely go here rather than to the other school I visited simply because it is a little closer and transport a little easier. Things are a bit hectic here with all the building but we should be taking her to school next week.

Also traveling to Eldoret on a number of occasions picking up and dropping off people at the airport, to college and purchasing of materials for the project. Always something different happening.

Otherwise I'm well and continue to be excited about the progress of the land. The trusses for the roof began to go up yesterday and will be completed by tomorrow. Roofing iron next week. Still seems like a lot to happen before we can move in but we are getting closer.

Jotham (house dad) has been working hard on the site. He is our storeman and records all the materials coming and going. He also has been creating some great seed beds and is now transplanting the vegetables out. They are looking great! The climate here is almost perfect for growing crops. Hot and sunny through the day. Rain in the afternoon most days.

The days continue to go past quickly. Each day is filled with checking on the land, collecting materials, following things up, etc. However, no day seems to go as planned. We generally achieve what is most urgent and then slip in other things that come our way. Such as the other day. We had our plans and then along the way we are visiting a school to verify a school girl's story who came to us for help with school fees, we verified then discussed things with the grandmother who cares for her and then took them to the bank to clear the school fees so she would be allowed to return to school. Then an urgent call came from someone we know needing money for surgery, so we went looking for an office where we could transfer money over the phone. All these things are good, all these things take time, not planned but just as necessary.

I trust God to give us the time and energy to do what needs to be done at the right time, in the right manner, for the right people.

Thanks for staying connected with us. Hopefully I'll be able to add more things, more regularly.

It's been a month since I've posted something here. I've really been trying to get to it but long days on the site and limited electricity have hindered me.

There are quite a lot of funny things that happen and that I see along the way to my various activities. I can't always get a photo. But this driving school has called itself 'Ding Wall' driving school. I wonder how many walls were dinged before they came up with this name. The driving on the roads here is absolutely crazy. Although I think some of the asian countries might come out on top of the crazies. You really have to be very alert whilst driving here. There may be vehicles passing you on the left and right or even over taking something or trying to avoid a pothole and therefore they will be heading straight towards you. Sometimes even flashing their lights so that you get out of their way. Pot holes here can easily remove a wheel. Some appear to be one to two feet deep.

People continue to find it very funny that I go to the site and move about with my tape measure and am able to give useful instructions. They all know my tape measure. A friend working on the site had been borrowing my tape measure for a few days. Whilst I was on the site the other day I went looking for a tape measure as my friend wasn't on site but he had left it behind for me. I must have been looking like I was needing to measure something. I was called by another workman and my tape measure was handed to me. Sometimes when you begin to see the walls come up you can see how you might want something a little different. I only wanted to move three large windows all about 20cm in the same direction. Since our contractor wasn't on site I had to request that no further brick laying occurred on either the back or front of the house until Monday when I'd be back again to direct measurements.

I should have taken on a job that requires measuring things (I guess I have)....I really enjoy it. Whilst waiting for work to begin early one morning Andrew began measuring each persons height. Our masai guard is 7 foot tall. Andrew being 6 ft tall was the only one capable of measuring the masai.

The govt. continue to ration electricity and water. We've had no running water for most of the past week, and electrcity has gone off again since I've started writing this so am carefully keeping an eye on the level of battery I have left.

The buildings are now really happening quickly. This week coming will once again be filled with many things to do. Get a new PO Box in Bungoma, our soon to be new address, apply for electricity, begin digging the septic, planning the roof for the first home, completion of the cottage - plastering, flooring and then fittings. I'm exhausted before I begin but trust God will give me the strength required to complete what He has for me this week.

I've had the pleasure of meeting a man who really has a heart for the children of Kenya and particularly our area. He sits on the national board of Child Welfare, as the vice president. I went on some visits to some homes and a school with him and some Canadian visitors he was having. Some really interesting opportunities keep cropping up in amongst what I'm already doing. He is going to help us get everything in order for the registration of Robin's Nest. We need 20 children before this can happen but there is much to put in order before registration also. God knows our needs and continues to provide!

I continue to try and develop my kiswahili language skills. my time this past few weeks has limited me but I hope to continue to improve. I can understand and speak small, simple sentences. I've improved but have a long way to go.

Hopefully I'll post something again before too long. Thanks to those who follow this site, think of us and pray for us. You are appreciated!