We're back at JFK!

We're on the ground safely. Now for the most dangerous part of the trip: our bus ride back to PA! And I'm not kidding!

Our last full day.

Today was a fun day to close out our trip. We packed up after breakfast and left Tumaini for the drive to Lake Naivasha. We stopped just outside town for lunch and continued on to Hell's Gate National Park. We rode through a portion of the 68 km2 on bikes, enjoying the local animals throughout the park (no fences!).

Cape buffalo, warthogs, zebras, Impala, etc. We then hiked several miles through the amazing gorge before hiking back out. And that is Masai warrior paint on our faces after the strenuous hike! And tonight we are staying at the beautiful Sopa Lodge at Lake Naivasha. It's an amazing contrast to everything else we have experienced in Kenya!

We need to be escorted by guards at night to get from the lodge to our cottages, since the hippos leave the lake at night and wander the grounds! But it's an amazing place. Google it if you get the chance. 

Last work day.

Today was our last day of work before a fun day tomorrow and return to Nairobi on Friday for our flight back to the U.S.  We drove to Naivasha to do some work at the Rehobeth United Methodist Church.

We worked on barbed wire installation on a security fence and broke rocks to prepare for placing concrete around the base of the fence. This was a hard day psycolohically for our team. This community is built on top of a landfill, and it smells and looks like it.

And yet there is hope there and the love of Christ is there and in a sister church on the hill. And there is stark contrast as we look one mile to the northwest at beautiful Lake Naivasha. And as always, we were surrounded by dozens of little happy faces who wanted nothing more than recognition and love (or maybe just to feel a hairy arm, but that's another story!) A day like today really challenges me to question why I am so blessed but often take for granted how much I have. This is my annual reality check and just one of the many benefits of coming to Kenya each year. 

After our lunch of sandwiches and chips we brought, we did another water filter and hygiene trading and distribution for 35 members of the community.

This was the second such distribution SWOK has done in this community. We left around 5 to head on the 1&1/2 hour ride back to Nakuru with one stop on the way. We detoured to Gilgil where we stopped at Loving Hands Safe House, which is a rescue center for young vulnerable children infected and affected by HIV /  Aids.

We dropped off large sacks of food for them and got to spend a few minutes for them to sing a song for us and that we could give them some attention and love. This is a great ministry that Jane Kinuthia is doing!

Construction day 4.

We headed to the church building construction site at Rongai again after breakfast and continued putting on roofing and siding panels.

We worked up till lunch, when men and women from the community were to come for hygiene training and water filter distribution.

We gave the training to a large group and then did a health history survey before doing the small group training on how to use and clean the water filter system. We distributed 75 water filter kits to very enthusiastic members of the community. After the distribution, we finished the

roofing and siding, so it is ready for the panels to be installed on the gable ends and windows and doors to be installed. The first service will take place in the church on August 16, and I suspect many of those who received filters will be among the attendees!

 We had a time of fellowship with Pastor Joseph and our Kenyan friends, workers and children before heading back to Tumaini. 

Back to construction

Today was day three of construction on the church at Rongai. After we had installed the roof trusses last Thursday, workers came on Friday and installed 2x2 lath strips in preparation for the galvanized sheet roofing.

We received materials by passenger van, unloaded them and got started installing them on the roof and exterior walls.

In a full day of work, we got half of both the roof and walls done, so we should have no difficulty completing the structure tomorrow.

School in now out of session for August, so we had lots of young children around our work site.

Our young people are kid magnets, and they themselves love playing with, holding and interacting with the kids. 

And Pastor Josh with his skill in making balloon animals and toys is an unbelievable draw! He is the pied piper of balloons! We had another great day, and now we're headed back to the Nakumatt to buy some tools and supplies and of course to stop at the Jave House while we're there! YEAH!!

Sunday activities

This was truly an anointed day from start to finish!  We started off our day after breakfast with a worship service at the Trinity Vineyard Nakuru church, pastored by Adam Mosley. This is a fellowship in English that was started in January for the purpose of ministering to the extended community of those who are here in Nakuru ministering to others.

We had a powerful time of praise and worship in song, followed by Adam's sermon in his series "Stories Jesus told" titled "Kingdom of Potential" focused on the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the seeds scattered on various types of soil.

It was inspiring and challenging. The service met in a tent in Adam's backyard, since they lost the facility they have been meeting in and are seeking new quarters. Please pray that this vital ministry would find the new location the Lord has chosen for them. 

After service, we left for Nakumatt, where we had lunch and additional fellowship with Adam. 

From lunch, we traveled to SCANN, the Street Children's Assistance Network of Nakuru.

This is an organization that seeks to take in boys off the streets of Nakuru. Some are just unwanted, while others are orphans. They have 120 boys there, with the youngest 2&1/2 years old!  

They describe their mission as being committed to bringing a solution to the problem of street children in Nakuru - PERMANENTLY, and they define themselves as a rehabilitation center transforming street boys into valuable, reliable, independent men in our society.  And they are achieving their goal. They provide structure and a safe environment, healing, health care, food, clothing, education and shelter to boys who are the poorest of the poor of the street children.  And they are making a difference. They have been performing this mission for over fifteen years and have many success stories. They have many young men who have gone on to university and pursued degree courses. They have educated and found employment for over 135 children who are now leading independent lives on their own.

We got the opportunity to interact with them in a drawing and craft activity, give each of them a pair of gloves or winter hat, and with excess funds provide laundry buckets, pails, and metal plates and spoons for all for their dining facilities.

It was a wonderful blessing to be able to support an organization that is doing a great work and having such a positive impact and to interact with these young men.  

From there, we drove to the Streets of Hope facility, which is another orphanage for street boys. Here, 29 street boys from age 8 to 12 receive similar care to SCANN.  

We had the chance to interact with them, tell them a gospel story message of Woofi and give them each a Woofi puppy of their own as well as soccer balls.  Tom Wolff also gave them a short message and blessing over them that was truly anointed and prophetic!

I believe that we will begin to hear great stories of successful young men from this ministry!

We finally returned to Tumaini at 7:30, in time for a late dinner. We were blessed to have Chief Francis, an important Kenyan civil leader and friend of SWOK and friend of ours from previous visits join us for dinner.  In addition, Sam Kariuki from SWOK, wife Miriam and daughter Chat joined us for dinner. Sam is the construction manager for SWOK, a valuable asset for them, and a good friend of ours. It was a blessed time to be with them.  They emphasized something we felt we already knew but that we can't express enough: it's important and valuable that we send our resources to help them, but what they value even more is the relationships we have built with them. This is something that cannot be explained unless you have experienced it.  We have built special bonds with these friends that are life transforming. It's what keeps me coming back!  Once again, Tom Wolff inspired us with his message in closing out our evening together. He pointed out that we have been blessed to have been born in the U.S., when we could have been born anywhere in the world under far different circumstances. But we get to choose how we use those blessings that we have received to bless others who have not been so fortunate.  And the Lord has certainly blessed us beyond measure in our relationships and experiences on this trip!

First water filter distribution.

Today (Saturday) was a multi-faceted day for the team. We got to sleep in late and left at 9:30 for another of the women's empowerment centers, Bagamoyo, which helps fund Springs of Hope orphanage.

After a frenzied buying spree, we headed to a new IDP camp adjacent to the Gituamba IDP community where our work was concentrated last year. This is a community that is being supported by Expansion International, which is constructing substantial houses for the residents. But what they lack is clean water.

SWOK has partnered with them to provide hygiene training and instruction and distribution of water filtration kits. As a team, we shared the hygiene presentation and demonstration.

Following that, Bill did the demonstration of the new Uzima filter kit that we were distributing. These are manufactured by a company that Bill has developed over the last 3+ years to manufacture these life-saving filters for SWOK and other NGO's. Uzima means "life" in Swahili, and it carries two meanings in emphasizing the importance of water to life as well as the new life we experience through Christ. 

He has a cylindrical plexiglass setup to use for the demo, and these are replaced with two 5-gallon buckets

in the kits we distribute. We were blessed with beautiful weather and a gorgeous 75 degree sunny day. We were also blessed to be a part of a work that is so life-changing. 

When we finished the demo, we broke into teams doing personal demonstrations for groups of five at a time with a translator as we distributed the kits and had them show us that they knew how to assemble the kit and clean it. When we were finished, we left for Gituamba where we prepared lunch and got to interact with the people who we had met and worked with last year in the community. The school is nearing completion and should be operational for January.

When we finished there, it was time to head back to Nakuru. The trip has gotten much easier than the two previous trips, since they have mostly finished the construction and most of the road is paved. What used to be a two hour drive is now closer to 50 minutes! PTL!