Making Progress!

Its already July. The last couple of weeks have gone by very fast as my days have been full. Mainly with watching over and planning steps forward for the site of Robin's Nest. Its very exciting! I'm told that by the end of next week the slab for the first home will be complete. It looks like we will be held up by the hiring of the brick making machine. It was supposed to come to us last week but it is being borrowed from the Govt. and they have decided that they want it for the next couple of weeks. We'll wait for God's timing. After next week some renovations will begin on the cottage that is being converted to an office and home. It's here that I'll live whilst in Kenya, once it is complete. We are thinking maybe by the end of August the first home and cottage should be ready for habitation. I keep up to date with what they are doing on the site and decide whether it is something that needs input or whether they can be left for a day or so. Monday we will be discussing a wiring plan so I'll most definitely be in Bungoma that day.

Bungoma is about 30 mins from where I stay. I generally go in a car but if that isn't available I go by public means which is generally a mini van for about 14 passengers that will carry about 20 or more. Sometimes the vans are so full that they can't close the door properly or only place for some of them to sit (particularly the conductors) is with their bottom out the side window.

The work here is very labour intensive. I counted 16 guys working on preparing the foundation. Everything is done by hand. All digging, carrying of large stones, cement mixing, etc. It was like watching ants in and out of trenches. Quite incredible. I'll have the video camera ready for the building of the second house.

I'm working on footage from the video camera that was taken at a funeral of a friends's father. It was quite an event. It lasts for about a week. I only visited a couple of times and then was present on the actual burial day. Family and friends and even just the neighbours come and stay around the clock, expecting to be fed, for several days leading up to the burial. It becomes very expensive for the family. In this particular tribe the body has to be returned home for at least two nights before the burial. I went with some others in the procession from the morgue to the home. The coffin is carried in the back of a ute and with as many people s can fit in. This man belonged to a Salvation Army Church. Those in the procession from his church, played the drums and sang as they carried the body and also on and off throughout the burial ceremony. When they mourn they really mourn. Very loudly and openly. My friends were composed but others felt free to express. Quite an experience! On the burial day they have a service on the property. Then they moved in a procession carrying the coffin around property just a little, singing all the while. Then still in song the coffin was buried.
They like having the funerals videoed and I was it. I was concerned about looking like a tourist at a funeral but wanted to help in this way. I'm yet to go through it all and put it together in a sequenced order. NOt knowing the language I don't really know the important bits either. Some parts there were people walking across in front of the camera, people who were beside me knocking my arm, etc. So hopefully I will be able to put something suitable together.

The children have continued to practice the scottish dance taught to them by Cory, a visiting Australian. They have participated in one interschool competition and were supposed to compete again this past week, which has been moved to next week but I think now postponed. I need to get some more information about what is happening. They were hoping to go to the national level as very few participate in dances from other countries. Most of the schools perform traditional dance. It is amazing to watch. I got to go to one of the bigger competions last year.

WoW! Things are really happening here! Looking forward to showing you more and more progress.

I sent a stack of photos through on the last report (29 June) which should have come via email, so will just publish this without photos. They take a long time to load. Let me know if you haven't received the report and I'll send it through.