May 11, 2013

LSA Building Update #7

Even though heavy rains have slowed deliveries and workers, quite a bit of progress has been made. The balance of the brick work is nearly done and the roof trusses have been fabricated and poised to be raised onto the walls. The veranda (porch) cement has been laid. The roof trusses are built on site and made of very hard rough sawn wood. With no snow load in Kenya, they can be placed on 6′ centers. The next step is to place the trusses, tie them together with the roof runner strips, then nail on the corrugated iron sheet roofing.

Brick work nearly complete and ready for the roof

Fabricated roof trusses

Roof trusses ready to be raided in place on the walls

Veranda (porch) concrete

Posted in Lord's Servants Academy, Projects, Updates From Kenya

February 19, 2013

We’re Home! Incredible Trip!!! ….Post #11

We arrived home on Saturday afternoon and share the view that we had much more than a great trip. We were blessed to be exactly where and do exactly what we were supposed to. It is hard to explain in a few words just how we know that things could never have happened like they did under our control so all I’ll add to this brief summary and few photos for now is PRAISE GOD!

We did witness God’s will in making a new well come into completed existence despite our belief that it was not possible to even start it.

We did witness God’s provision by making it possible that all the right people, organizations, equipment, supplies, skills, time, funds, weather, and timing was just right to make this large project get completed in less than 2 weeks.

We saw several other projects come to fruition to support the home and even harvested honey from the hives started last year. Terri was the right person at the right time to fill in for an absent Nursery School teacher and Dorothy who just had a baby.

We witnessed the power of Jesus’ name in seeing people …. praise Him in faith and joy while in desperate situations we couldn’t imagine before, love one another in a selfless way, dedicate themselves to spreading the Good News of Salvation, give their lives to Him and be baptised, and see a demon cast out of a young teenaged girl.

We witnessed God’s compassion by placing us in the right place to provide help with food, medicine, emergency dental service, love, and encouragement. We received His joy by being His hands and feet!!!!! God brought Dorothy’s daughter, baby Stephanie into the world while we were there.

Thank you for your prayers, support, and encouragement. More to come……

Completed well water project at the LSH and Liyavo community

This is the first Merry Go Round in the area that I know of…

That look says it all!!!

Terri and here class of kids who could not understand a word she said :-) but loved her time.

Terri and her class of kids that could not understand a word she said but did understand her love and time.

Worshiping with Pastor Isa’s church in Uganda

Fetching wash water with the children at the orphanage in Uganda...

Kids from Pastor Isa’s orphanage in Uganda fetching wash water

It is amazing the help people crave that we just take for granted.

Was it the bandaid or the hug Noah got that made it all better?

Posted in Projects, Updates From Kenya
Tagged 2013 Trip, Lord's Servants Academy, Lord's Servants Home, Nursery School, Ugandan People

February 7, 2013

Hey Honey… Post #9

We serviced the bee hives tonight and established a 4th one. In the process of correcting an error, we harvested about 20 pounds of honey. I assisted and enjoyed it a lot although it is a thing to get used to…having thousands of bees on you. They may be African Killer Bees but the honey is really good.

At the hive site at Lord’s Servants Home

Honey from your own hive is extra good.

Diana and Catherine with mail from the US

Water is life, a Kenyan saying. A shower is good life.

How many kids does it take to help you assemble a Merry-go-round? 3 times this many.

Posted in Projects, Updates From Kenya
Tagged 2013 Trip, Lord's Servants Home, mission trip, Projects

February 6, 2013

Praise God…flowing water. Post #8

At about 6:00 pm today, we watched water first being pumped out of our well, through our pipes and fill the main tank and bath house tank, and run through all the faucets. To God goes all the glory. The entire water system was initiated and executed in 1 1/2 weeks. Making this more amazing is the fact that prior to leaving for Kenya, despite our best efforts and pushing, we accepted that drilling the well was not possible during this visit due to red tap, questionable drilling contractors, and confusion. We had hoped to just get some prep work done.

Right now in fact, Greg is in the shower and water is spewing out of all faucets and the top of our tanks to flush the system. All the kids are watching water cascade 25′ down from the top of our 3000 liter tank. This is really exciting and humbling that God allowed us to be part of his work here. Don’t get me wrong, we have a few leaky pipe connections to fix but that is for tomorrow. We have had this project on our plate for nearly 2 years and tonight it is real. It is also better designed than I planned, better performing than I hoped, and under budget. Thank you to all the people who have supported this project and prayed for it!!!!

Today we met with the Area Chief (Like a county Mayor) and the village elders to discuss Mission Servants vision of blessing the community in addition to the orphanage. We informed them that clean healthy water will be available to the community within 2 weeks (after testing and addition of the chlorinator) and asked their help to manage and administer it so the community is responsible. They were very excited and appreciative and consider it a huge blessing. Clean drinking and cooking water is going to be provided to a thousand people, an answer to one of their two largest needs. Thank you Lord. (Education is the next largest need and a subject for one of the next posts).

I’m going to take a shower now.

Inserting the pump into the well, 35 meters down.

Water coming from the faucet on the kitchen building on the left.

The Area Chief, Job, viewing the community access point.

Posted in Projects, Updates From Kenya
Tagged 2013 Trip, Lord's Servants Home, mission trip, Projects

February 5, 2013

God is a great Boss. Post #6

Greg and I are still here, Tony and Terri are on their way back to the States. It has been proven to us many times that God is more ambitious and with a better plan than we can ever be. It is humbling to me to realize I have set my goals too low…that almost never happens. It is commonly said that God is in control but this trip we have seen a perfect plan unfold before our eyes that we had nothing to do with planning. It’s like God is saying to us….quit worrying about the details and plan B and C, I’ve got a plan in mind…just go and enjoy the kids. Our projects and kid time are going great and even the vehicle trouble we have been having has worked out to our benefit. God is good!

Tomorrow we will have the pump installed in the completed well, we will have pumped water into our completed elevated tank and pipes, we will have pressurized well water in our kitchen, bath house and toilets, and to the community distribution spot at our gate. We have a meeting scheduled for tomorrow to discuss clean healthy water distribution to the community, beginning within 2 weeks when the water quality test results are in. This is all in a week and a half and under budget.

Thank you for your prayers!

Here are a few photos….