Last Sunday morning we woke up to no electricity.  The power had gone off somewhere around 3 am and since school was not in session, the generator was not turned on.  Because it doesn’t get light out until around 6 am, we had to get our torches (flashlights) out to get ready for the day plus no warm water for a shower.  It was one of those mornings you just wanted to stay in bed!  We had decided on Saturday that we’d go to Kisii for Mass at 6:30 am.  There was a 9 am Mass scheduled at Gekano but our past experiences have been that Mass never starts on time here and we wanted to try and get some of the laundry done that we were splitting up over several days.  We mentioned last week how hard it was to get laundry washed and dried before the rains came.  Mass at Kisii started at 6:30 am as scheduled but at 8:15, am after having sat through 15-20 minutes of multiple announcements and collections, we decided to leave since Mass was over and we didn’t know when the end would be in sight.  Once back at the Mission house, the power was still out so we heated water on the stove to do laundry.  The electric hot pot heats water much faster but that wasn’t an option.  While doing laundry, we could hear that Mass next door started at 9:30 am instead of 9 am and went until 11:30 am so needless to say we were glad we went to Kisii.  Around 1:15 pm it started to rain and therefore we had to bring the clothes in to finish drying on the laundry rack.  Since the power had come on around noon, we were able to use the electric fan to try to finish the drying process.  The rest of the day the power was off and on – sometimes on for 10 minutes and then off for another 10.  Being back in Kenya from just having been home in the US, we again realized just how much we take for granted such as having a steady flow of electricity.  On Sunday evening we had a thunderstorm and lost power for good.  It was off all night and still off on Monday morning when we woke up so we pulled out the flashlights again to get ready.  The power did come back on around 10 am on Monday morning which meant we were without power for about 15 hours.  Whenever the power goes out Wes makes sure to recharge the flashlights so they are ready for the next outage…he’s been busy lately! 

On Monday after doing our final batch of laundry, we decided to tackle the flower beds as they were very weedy – it looked like a lawn had sprouted amongst the flowers in some areas.  Zack, one of the neighborhood boys who comes asking for a lot of things, showed up along with his cousin to “visit” us.  When Zack saw us weeding the flowers, he asked if the two of them could help.  Kathy told them they could work in a certain area and she did that for the reason they would be able to easily pick weeds instead of flowers.  Their weed picking offer didn’t last more than 15 minutes!  Zack did wash the Landcruiser later on and so Wes gave him a couple of extra shillings for helping pull a few weeds! 

On Tuesday and Thursday, the Mission held its Wellness Seminar for approximately 200 of the 450 orphans enrolled in the program.  It is not possible to do all the orphans in one or even two days so they are split up.  By doing the Wellness seminars, the Mission hopes to address daily health issues and to be proactive in improving the health of the orphans.  The various screenings included:  blood pressure and temperature check, height, weight, eyes, checking for chiggers and ringworm (two common afflictions in children), and blood tests for anemia and diabetes, two diseases which are prevalent in Kenyans.  There were two physicians present who did their assessments and prescribed medication(s) or gave referrals where needed. Also offered were educational seminars on topics such as nutrition and hygiene, relationships, peer pressure, decision making, and finally drugs and alcohol.  These seminars were led by alumni of the orphan education program – those who have finished their secondary school and are currently in post-secondary (college) or are finished.  Once the data was compiled, a number of children were referred to see a specialist such as an Ophthalmologist or ENT.  There were other diagnoses such as H.pylori (causes ulcers), tonsilitis, allergies, amoebiasis, upper respiratory tract infections, etc. for which the children were able to receive treatment.  Approximately 40% of the orphans who attended received some sort of medication and/or procedure such as an ear irrigation.  If not for the Mission, many of the children would go untreated for the different diagnoses because of the expense.  Even a tube of a topical cream or antibiotic that costs a couple of dollars at most would be too expensive for many families.  After the screenings and talks, the children were given a small stipend for attending, a loaf of bread and a soda before they left – a loaf of bread and a soda are not the healthiest snacks but for them it was a treat!  The Mission is planning to hold another Wellness Seminar in April of 2024.  The goal is to conduct seminars twice a year. 

On Wednesday, Emma went with us to make home visits for Water with Blessings.  Lilian needed to study for the four accounting exams she takes this week so we gave her the day off.  Our guide, Dophine, helped guide us to the shambas of the mamas in the Nyantaro area.  By 1:30 pm we had visited with eight mamas and decided to call it a day since there were rain clouds off in the distance. It had rained the night before and because we were walking on flatter land, we ran into a number of muddy areas.  We should have had rubber boots on but our feet would have hurt a great deal by the end of the day as we ended up walking over six miles.  We would rather scrub our shoes than wear boots when walking that distance.  We have approximately five mamas left to visit in this area and will then be able to deliver water drums by the end of December to those who qualify.   

While out with Lilian and Emma for Water with Blessings trainings and home visits recently, we were told by Emma that we “came back with an accent!”  We all laughed when Wes asked her if we had a Kenyan accent before we left for the US at the end of August. Emma then said, “it’s not really your accent but you guys got that American thing now” which she then clarified to mean “you guys talk too fast and we can’t understand you”.  Now they know how we feel when they are speaking Swahili!  Wes was driving along when Lilian made the comment that it was nice to have a driver again as she was the one who drove her and Emma to WWB functions while we were gone.  Lilian recalled there were days where she thought she came very close to possibly hitting other vehicles like the tea trucks since there wasn’t much room for two vehicles to be on the road and pass each other.  Lilian made the comment that she had to “close the ears” though she didn’t whose ears she had to close.  Wes thought she meant she didn’t want to hear if she hit another vehicle.  What Lilian was referring to was that she needed to pull the side mirrors in on the car!  We often get a few good laughs in every time we are with them because of some of the terms they use and things they say. 

On Friday we took Sheila, one of the orphans, to Physical Therapy.  We had been taking her once a week before we left in August but because she had been improving the last few months, they were having her come every three weeks.   At her Friday session, the therapist decided that Sheila needs to come back in two weeks instead of three as there was some regression.  Kathy went with Sheila inside the hospital to register and pay for Sheila’s PT session.  It was not very busy which was nice but something Kathy will probably never get used to is the process of paying for services at the Cashier’s window – a window with bars and the cashier sitting behind a computer on the other side of the bars.  What Kathy has a hard time with is how people will just shove their hand through the window in front of anyone who is already standing before the window waiting to pay.  There is no orderly process and one has to get pushy or you’d forever be at the back of the line.  On the way back to the Mission house, we ran into two funeral processions – one coming and going.  It took us 1 ½ hours to get back to the house when it usually takes about 40 minutes or less.  The road is made for two lanes of traffic but at one point there were three lanes all going in the same direction which meant the oncoming traffic had no where to go except take the ditch or just sit on the tarmac waiting for an opening.  Without a doubt, Kenyans are crazy drivers!  As Wes has said many times, Kenyans are laid back and things never start on time but give them a vehicle to drive and something happens to them – they drive fast, are impatient, and are not very safety conscious. 

We did not have Mission Saturday yesterday since it was the first Saturday of the month.  It was nice to have the day off though it really wasn’t a day off – it was an opportunity to catch up on other things.  We did some laundry, cleaned house, scrubbed floors, Kathy worked on policies, and we went to the shamba to check on the progress.  The painters were cleaning and painting the window frames.  The walls on the first and second floors have all been painted with a final coat of paint. The railings inside the house as well as on the parapet are in the process of being painted and are almost done.  There is running water in the house, the electricity should be hooked up this week, and there are plans to start painting on the outside (window frames, pillars, etc.).  They say it will not rain as often in the month of December so the outside painting can be done.  We will need to go into Kisii in the coming weeks to purchase some appliances:  stove, refrigerator and washer.  Kathy can’t wait for a washer and a stove that has more than two burners and an oven that works!  While at the shamba, Wes, with the help of Robert and Janet, tagged one of the heifers for identification purposes.  There are now 24 kuku (chickens) in the barn with plans to get more in the coming weeks. 

We received 2.5 inches of rain last week and it seemed like we were without power more times than not with some outages lasting up to 15 hours as mentioned earlier.  The generator was not turned on during any of the longer outages since school was not in session.  School doesn’t start until January 9 so it may be a very long month! 

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/12-3-23