Furaha Siku ya Baba (Happy Father’s Day)!  As we reflect on this day, we wish fathers and father figures, who have sacrificed and given of their love and time for their children and others, a blessed day. 

Last Sunday, we went with Fr. David to Mass at Nyantarago – the only Mass he had since it was Corpus Christi Sunday.  Nyantarago is a place we have been to numerous times because we held several Water with Blessings trainings there.  Since it had rained the night before, we knew we would run into some muddy roads which we did as well as a tea truck that was stuck.  Mass was supposed to start at 9 am but there were less than 10 people present counting us so Fr. David decided we’d pray the rosary first.  By the time Mass started around 9:20 am there were maybe 50 people there and by the end of Mass it was full.  Before the final blessing there was time set aside for 20-30 minutes of Adoration which was nice but our knees were in pain by the time we got done.  The “floor” of the church was rock and gravel – they did have wooden kneelers but it was like kneeling on the gravel.  After Mass, we were invited to eat Chakula cha mchana (lunch) which we did.  The women prepared a huge batch of ugali, stewed chicken, and mboga (greens), a very tasty meal.  The batch of ugali that they prepared looked like enough to feed a large family – there were just the three of us and a couple of the catechists.  We’d rather they did feed it to others but it would be rude to refuse and so we ate though we declined the chai.  We declined it mainly for the reason one is not sure if the milk was heated at a high enough temperature and for a long enough time to kill bacteria such as Brucella which causes brucellosis – an illness we have seen a number of people have.  When food or drink of any kind is ever offered, Kathy, because of her background working in the laboratory, is always thinking what she could possibly catch from foods if not cooked properly or other food items such as fruits that may have been washed but she is not sure what kind of water they used to wash it – did it come from the river, the borehole, or was it filtered?  It is far better to be safe than sorry.  On the way back to the Mission house, that same truck was still stuck - we were able to get by but barely.  Because a number of vehicles had been out on the road since we first traveled it, there were a lot of ruts.  It was also very slippery and a few times we ended up against the sides of the ravine but with 4-wheel drive, we were able to get through and made it back safely.  We missed having the Hilux which is in the repair shop but the Mitsubishi got us there and back.  The car didn’t look too good by the time we got back to the Mission house but Zack was happy to wash it later in the day.

In May, we wrote of how we were present when some heifers were delivered to two families that had applied for the Heifer Program.  In the past couple of weeks, Wes and Janet – the newest employee of the Mission – made visits to those two families as well as to other families who have had their cows for a longer period of time.  Those who are awarded a heifer are required to raise their own Napier grass and care for the heifer and its first-born heifer calf.  Once the first heifer calf is ready to be weaned, the Mission will reclaim the cow or the heifer calf to benefit future applicants.  If a male calf is born, it remains the property of the applicant.  One of the families that had received a heifer in May has been doing an excellent job of taking care of Blessings – the name they gave their cow.  The father and grandfather, along with help from the children, built a small wooden structure for Blessings to eat and seek shelter in.  Wes and Janet also made a visit to another shamba - the guardian of Steven.  Steven is the young boy that received the other heifer in May.  They are in the process of building some type of structure as well for Maridadi – the name Steven gave his cow.  Maridadi is the Swahili word for beautiful, soft or delicate!  So far this year, the Mission had been able to reclaim two heifer calves born to cows that were given to other families.  These two calves, once old enough, will be bred and given to future applicants.  In addition to the two goats at the new shamba, these two heifer calves have joined them so now there are four residents at the new shamba!  Wes and Janet took time this past week to get supplies purchased such as tick, lice, and fly spray, dewormers, mineral blocks, etc.  They sprayed the animals at the new shamba and gave them dewormer medication and mineral blocks.  In the coming weeks, they will make visits to the other applicants who currently have a heifer to check on the welfare of the animals as well as spray them, give the dewormer and leave a mineral block with the family.  Monthly visits will continue to be made to make sure the animals are being properly fed and cared for.  If there is evidence of things like the family feeding the cow banana leaves, they will be given a warning – banana leaves are plentiful here but they are not nutritious for animals.  If the animal is not being properly cared for, the Mission will repossess the cow which has happened, unfortunately. 

On Wednesday and Thursday, we conducted Water with Blessings trainings at a new village called Riamisiani, training a total of 30 women between the two days.  There were a number of children at the trainings though the smallest ones were scared of the mzungu so no babysitting for Kathy.  There were a couple of children that looked like they should be in school but as Lilian said, “they are probably at home because parents cannot afford the school fees” which is very sad to us.  Wes just read an article stating it is estimated that half of the children that were in school at the end of Term 1 are probably at home and not in school for Term 2 because of parents not being able to afford the fees – if they are having to choose between buying maize, beans, cooking oil, and other supplies to feed their family or to send them to school, there really is no choice and most likely why the children are not in school.  Prices continue to rise for staples in their diets such as maize and beans. What was neat to see at the trainings, though, with these older children was how they sat and paid attention to the training and when it came time to pass out the filtered water to let the mamas taste it, the children readily took and drank it.  The adults can be a little more hesitant and suspicious though once they taste it, they smile and often times want more.  One of the little girls drank almost four full cups!  As always, it is amazing to see the ages of these women and the number of children they are taking care of especially the number young ones in their household – women that are in their 60’s and 70’s taking care of six or more family members with half being children.  To Kathy, some of them look very tired and who wouldn’t be – these women don’t have any conveniences like we are used to such as running water, a stove to cook on or oven to bake in, electricity, a washer or dryer, etc.  They work hard plucking tea or maybe have a vegetable stand to earn a living but those jobs don’t provide enough financial support to feed, clothe, pay school fees, etc.  We, in a land of plenty, have no idea how much of our world lives in poverty.  It breaks one’s heart to see the degree of poverty that we do and, in our eyes, it seems so unfair.  Why did we get to be born in the family we were, the country we were, etc.  Around Easter time when sending greetings to Fr. John Guthrie – a priest who used to be in Williston and visited the Mission last July - Kathy made the comment how hard it can be at times to see and experience the poverty here and how unfair it is.  Fr. John’s response, which touched both of us, read, “Through the generosity of your service (saying “yes” to going to the Mission), you have the privilege (and the pain) of seeing how the vast majority of the world lives.  The blessing is that you can experience in a much deeper way the wondrous gift of God’s life and love poured out at the Resurrection.  The light is clearer and brighter from the perspective of the darkness.  You are living life and its mysteries more radically now.  THAT is a gift.”  These are words Kathy finds herself going back to often to reflect upon as we see and experience what life is like for people here.

On Friday, we headed to the bank in town where the Mission has their checking account.  We presented our KRA PIN #s and after completing paperwork and a few signatures, we are now able to write checks – the process took only about 20-30 minutes which was a pleasant surprise!

On Saturday, we had Mission Saturday for around 150 orphans between Manga and Gekano.  As always, it is nice to be able to visit the orphans even if for a short time to greet them and ask how school is going.  We are getting to know more and more of them including remembering their names! 

Shamba update: The floors have all been cleaned of the cement that had splattered when doing the walls and ceiling.  They also cleaned the steps though the window panes, outside doors, and inside door frames are another story.  The enclosure around the steps that lead to the roof is also done.  The electricians came this week and are pulling the wiring through the conduit and hope to finish up within the next week or so.  Soon we will be picking the tiles for the floors, cupboards for the kitchen, wardrobes for the bedrooms, paint colors, etc.  Slowly, it is coming along…hatua kwa hatua (step by step). 

This week we received almost 2.5 inches of much welcome rain though we also received some hail with it – the green grass looked like it had a light dusting of snow.  We continue to collect rain water from the Sister’s roof and use that to flush the toilet.  The temperatures have remained pleasant – lows at night in the upper 50’s and daytime temperatures in the upper 70’s to low 80’s. 

Please know that we keep you in our prayers and ask that you keep us, the Mission, and those we serve in yours.  Mungu Akubariki!

See photos from this week in the album section by clicking on the link below.  Note:  If unable to view the photos using the link below, you can still view them by going to St. Joseph’s Parish website and scrolling down to the section titled Kenya Mission – photo album.  The website:  www.stjparish.com


https://stjparish.com/photoalbums/kenya-6-18-23