What’s been happening here? Not too much, but enough to keep us too busy to write a blog post for the past couple of weeks. The main thing in the diary has been preparing for and taking part in another 2-day seminar on Farming God’s Way. Those people who have tried the method on their own farms over the past few months have been encouraged by the results – the main problems have been getting enough mulch (grass and leaves to cover the ground and keep down weeds), keeping animals and birds off the growing crops, and water-logging due to lots of rain and poor drainage. These last two issues would of course be problems even if people were doing farming by the traditional methods.
For a couple of city dwellers, we’ve learned a lot about farming through Farming God’s Way. Our role is helping to co-ordinate the seminars, which are delivered almost all in Dholuo now. Last week we weren’t sure how many people to expect but 17 turned up on the first day, mostly from the community but not many from our own church. Hopefully they will all try out the methods and spread the word in their own areas.
We’ve been meeting individually with the church leaders and reviewing the leadership structure in the church. Next weekend we’re expecting a visit from two of the national leaders of Elim Gospel Church Kenya and their wives. They’ll be doing some leadership training and we’ll also discuss the proposal for our little church here to officially join up with the denomination.
Last week one of our oldest church members, Bernard, died. Bernard was brought to church every Sunday in a wheelchair by some of our older boys. We will miss him from the church – his usual place at the front will be empty. Bernard was increasingly frail and bent but he didn’t miss church very often, and liked to greet the church members. When he was younger, he went away to work on the tea plantations near Kericho, and it was there that he came across horses. (Horses are not found at all in this part of Kenya – only donkeys). When we visited him last year, his eyes lit up when he talked about these wonderful creatures!
The Land Rover is back in business after being off the road with electrical problems for a week. A group of us were halfway back from Kisii, our nearest large town, when it broke down. A guy from the petrol station in the nearby village agreed a price to tow us back to our mechanic’s place – but as he only had an old Nissan saloon – about 1200cc I would guess – he didn’t manage to tow us right up the hilly track to the garage. A second vehicle had to be hired to complete the job! Our good friend Douglas came to our rescue with his minibus and transported passengers, shopping, sacks of potatoes, timber etc for the remaining journey back to Kosele, only delayed slightly because the road was still blocked by a bus which had been stuck in the mud all day. Safe home before nightfall! No AA or RAC here but we get by thanks to people’s ingenuity and helpfulness.
We’re now on Facebook (Ian N Hilda McMillan) where we’ve posted some photos. One photo is of our newest residents at Hope & Kindness – two greedy female goats (named Oink and Annabel by Terry’s daughter Ellie, who’s been visiting).
Sunday 29 July 2012
Thursday 12 July 2012
Perspective
Today at the women’s Bible Study group several of the women shared the issues they were facing in their lives right now. Just hearing these helps us to put our own minor problems and frustrations into perspective.
• A’s daughter was having a baby and haemorrhaged so badly that she lost her life, although the baby was saved. She probably would have been OK if she had been in a hospital in Britain. Who will now feed and take care of the baby?
• M went away to her granddaughter’s funeral and on her return home found that her 17-year-old son had just taken his belongings and disappeared. Where has he gone and why?
• Another lady was pressured by her husband into getting a loan from a women’s co-operative. The loan is due to be repaid but her husband has probably spent the money on drink. She was asking him for money but he has chased her away with a machete and she has not gone back home today.
Apart from these, other church members are struggling with ill health in themselves or their families, with poverty and hunger, and with mistreatment by husbands. Others are HIV positive but most cannot bring themselves to admit it openly. Life here in Kenya can be harsh but people know that church is a place where they can receive some care and compassion. How much we need to see this community changed by people finding a real relationship with God and putting his ways into practice!
On a lighter note, our senior school girls did us proud by going to the provincial round of the Kenyan Schools Music Festival and being placed a very commendable 12th out of around 75 presentations for their traditional dance/song. They nearly didn’t make it to the festival at all as the bus which was due to pick them up at 6.00am allegedly broke down on its way here and they didn’t get away until after 9.30.
Two of our teenage visitors are starting their journey home tomorrow having spent a couple of weeks playing football and touch rugby with our kids and improving our sports field with new paths, new goalposts, netball pitch and volleyball court. A big improvement - and they’ve been a big hit with the children.
• A’s daughter was having a baby and haemorrhaged so badly that she lost her life, although the baby was saved. She probably would have been OK if she had been in a hospital in Britain. Who will now feed and take care of the baby?
• M went away to her granddaughter’s funeral and on her return home found that her 17-year-old son had just taken his belongings and disappeared. Where has he gone and why?
• Another lady was pressured by her husband into getting a loan from a women’s co-operative. The loan is due to be repaid but her husband has probably spent the money on drink. She was asking him for money but he has chased her away with a machete and she has not gone back home today.
Apart from these, other church members are struggling with ill health in themselves or their families, with poverty and hunger, and with mistreatment by husbands. Others are HIV positive but most cannot bring themselves to admit it openly. Life here in Kenya can be harsh but people know that church is a place where they can receive some care and compassion. How much we need to see this community changed by people finding a real relationship with God and putting his ways into practice!
On a lighter note, our senior school girls did us proud by going to the provincial round of the Kenyan Schools Music Festival and being placed a very commendable 12th out of around 75 presentations for their traditional dance/song. They nearly didn’t make it to the festival at all as the bus which was due to pick them up at 6.00am allegedly broke down on its way here and they didn’t get away until after 9.30.
Two of our teenage visitors are starting their journey home tomorrow having spent a couple of weeks playing football and touch rugby with our kids and improving our sports field with new paths, new goalposts, netball pitch and volleyball court. A big improvement - and they’ve been a big hit with the children.
Thursday 5 July 2012
Update 5 July
David and Yvonne are now home again, after a long journey, with both the Kisumu-Nairobi and Nairobi-Amsterdam flights being delayed. They didn’t take home much in the way of suntans, but just lots of photos and video footage, many happy memories and some great experiences of Africa. On the way home they stopped off to see Lake Victoria and visited the craft market in Kisumu, where Yvonne displayed her new skills in haggling – making big savings on the top prices the traders started off by asking for.
David had spent some time training and coaching our older boys for football, and a friendly match against another school was arranged. However, in true Kenyan fashion, it was to take place the day after David left for home. However the boys did David proud – actually playing 2 matches and winning both - on penalties!
Since they left, the visitor centre has filled up again with 4 teenagers from England who are here for 2-3 weeks. They are all working with the schoolchildren – taking art, sports and giving maths tuition. It seems like they will have a good time here.
With our own visitors away we have got back into our main role here, working with the church leaders. We all met last Sunday with the 8 people who did the “Encounter” in early June, to get feedback from them. We are so encouraged – they were all so positive about the Encounter itself and the changes it brought to their lives. We could see it in their faces! They each testified about the new freedom, lightness in spirit and closer walk with God they are experiencing. The church leaders feel that even these few people being changed has improved the atmosphere in the church and the joy in worship. This gives us confidence as we plan the next Encounter and hopefully also a Youth Encounter during the school holidays in August.
We’ve also been doing some strategic planning with Kennedy and Dorine regarding their respective roles in the church and the potential for expanding their responsibilities. We continue to be impressed and inspired by these two people, by their humility and dedication and their commitment to serve God here in Kosele. This church has come through many trials but we are all filled with hope for what God is going to do here over the next few years.
We’re also jointly on Facebook now (Ian N Hilda McMillan) – made possible by the improving network connections here in the middle of Africa – so another way to keep in touch with home!
David had spent some time training and coaching our older boys for football, and a friendly match against another school was arranged. However, in true Kenyan fashion, it was to take place the day after David left for home. However the boys did David proud – actually playing 2 matches and winning both - on penalties!
Since they left, the visitor centre has filled up again with 4 teenagers from England who are here for 2-3 weeks. They are all working with the schoolchildren – taking art, sports and giving maths tuition. It seems like they will have a good time here.
With our own visitors away we have got back into our main role here, working with the church leaders. We all met last Sunday with the 8 people who did the “Encounter” in early June, to get feedback from them. We are so encouraged – they were all so positive about the Encounter itself and the changes it brought to their lives. We could see it in their faces! They each testified about the new freedom, lightness in spirit and closer walk with God they are experiencing. The church leaders feel that even these few people being changed has improved the atmosphere in the church and the joy in worship. This gives us confidence as we plan the next Encounter and hopefully also a Youth Encounter during the school holidays in August.
We’ve also been doing some strategic planning with Kennedy and Dorine regarding their respective roles in the church and the potential for expanding their responsibilities. We continue to be impressed and inspired by these two people, by their humility and dedication and their commitment to serve God here in Kosele. This church has come through many trials but we are all filled with hope for what God is going to do here over the next few years.
We’re also jointly on Facebook now (Ian N Hilda McMillan) – made possible by the improving network connections here in the middle of Africa – so another way to keep in touch with home!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)