This past week we held Water with Blessings trainings along with the usual activities of the Mission including Mission Saturday. The house at the shamba is coming along and hopefully we will be in it later this summer. The photo is of Angela which was taken at one of the WWB trainings. Angela carried her stuffed n'gombe (cow) wherever she went!

Faraha Siku ya Mama (Happy Mother's Day)! Another busy week at the Mission with a variety of activities in addition to our weekly outings with Water with Blessings doing follow ups and home visits. The photo is of Osongo and Alecia - two of the regulars who come to the Mission house seeking "sweets"!

Another busy week at the Mission with Water with Blessings follow ups and other tasks around the Mission. We also were able to watch the delivery of two heifers to two different orphan families as part of the Heifer Program. Every day is an adventure! The photo is of one of the families that received a heifer.

This past week we spent two days walking up and down the mountains to make home visits for the Water with Blessings program. We distributed 36 blankets to those women who qualified as well as cleaning the flower beds, working on the policy manual, and taking an orphan for a medical appointment...another busy and interesting week here at the Mission. The photo is of a little girl at the blanket give-away in Nyantaro. She was just given a lollipop to eat and couldn't wait to taste it!

This past week we made a trip to Nairobi to see if Kathy's National ID card was ready after almost one year and it wasn't! We also held Water with Blessings follow ups, took children to the doctor, and helped with Mission Saturday...it was another busy week at the Mission. The photo was taken at a WWB follow up at Mongorisi.

This past week was another busy one with Water with Blessings trainings, taking orphans for medical care, Mission Saturday at Gekano and Manga, as well as the normal day to day activities we have. The photo is of Belden who came to a Water with Blessings training with his 83 year old grandma.

We had another busy week here at the Mission with Water with Blessings follow ups, Mission Saturday at Ichuni and Gekano, and with Holy Week. The photo was taken at the Easter Vigil on Saturday afternoon at the church in Nyaguku. May you and your family have a most blessed Easter. Pasaka Njema!

This past week we delivered blankets to 45 women in the Nyasumi area and we made home visits to 25 women in the village of Enchoro for the Water with Blessings program. We did a lot of walking up and down the mountains visiting the mamas and their families at their shambas. It was an eye-opening experience seeing where and how people live. The photo was taken while Kathy and Emma were walking along the road making home visits. The child's name is Abigail.

This week we kept busy with Water with Blessings trainings, making trips to the new shamba, collecting rain water, Mission Saturday and various other activities. The photo is of Steven who came with his mama to one of the WWB trainings this week. He was very scared of the wazungu (white people) and kept his distance though he was willing to take biscuits from the them! We received 7 inches of rain this past week which was most welcome - the cistern and borehole are filling with water...we are grateful.

This past week we held Water with Blessings follow ups, Mission Saturday, along with other projects that we are working on. We received 6 inches of needed rains this week and hopefully the rains continue so the crops grow and our cistern fills with water! The photo is of Fr. David visiting with little Mary Immaculate on Mission Saturday. Mary Immaculate is one of the newer orphans in the education program.

This week we got back into full swing doing the work of the Mission including taking an orphan for an eye appointment, Water with Blessings follow ups a couple of days, a trip to Kisii so an orphan could get new spectacles, and Mission Saturday. We continue to haul water from the well at the new shamba until the rains come to fill our cistern. Every day is truly an adventure. The photo is of Elyjoy, one of the children that came with her mama to a follow up. Elyjoy was the cover picture a few weeks ago but being she is so cute, had to put her on again!

We recently traveled to Italy to see our sons, Aaron and Nathan. We took in the many beautiful sites in Rome, Assisi and Sorrento. The photo is of St. Peter's at night.

This week we continued to hold Water with Blessings follow ups and had one training at Nyaborabu. The shamba continues to take shape with the work centered on the Mission house. Next week, concrete will be poured for the second level which will be the ceiling for the second level as well as the roof of the house. The photo of the mama and mtoto (mother and child) was taken at the WWB training at Nyaborabu. The little girl's name is Esther.

This past week we held several Water with Blessings trainings at two very remote churches, high up on the mountain. The views were spectacular and ones that many back in America would pay money to have though here when you live that far up the mountain, the task of obtaining water is difficult as well as other challenges. The photo is of Elyjoy who was with her mama at one of the Water with Blessings trainings.

This past week, in addition to Mission Saturday activities, we finished home visits and delivered blankets and 210 liter water drums to mamas in the Nyantarago and Biticha areas. The new school year has started and therefore, it was busy with the paying of school fees. The weather has been warm with no measurable precipitation since January 12th which makes for some very dusty roads. The photo is of a mama and her mtoto (child); it was taken on the day we delivered 34 water drums.

This past week we made a trip to Nairobi to visit the Immigration office again! Kathy's ID card was still not ready so we wait another two months. We held two Water with Blessings trainings at a church in the village of Emenyenche which was located at the top of a mountain where the views were spectacular with the lush green tea fields hugging the sides of the mountains. It was another interesting week. The photo of the little girl was taken at one of the WWB trainings.

This past week was another busy one with Water with Blessings, paying of school fees for all levels (primary, secondary and post-secondary), Mission Saturday as well as other activities. The photo is of Wes on Mission Saturday, chatting with Anthony, one of the orphans. Wes took the place of Fr. David since he (Fr. David) is currently back in North Dakota for one month.

This past week was a busy one here at the Mission. We held the Wellness Seminar on two different days for around 170 of the orphans enrolled in the Education Program. We also conducted 36 home visits for the Water with Blessings Program on two different days. The photo was taken on one of the days the Wellness Seminar was held - he's smiling even though he just had his finger poked for a blood sample!

Heri ya Mwaka Mpya (Happy New Year)! This past week we held Water with Blessings follow ups, delivered 34 water drums in the Kenyerere area, and awarded 36 blankets to the women in the Mosobeti area who have attended 5 or more of the follow ups once trained on the use of the water filter. We also spent time at the new shamba watching the men mix and pour the concrete for the second level floor using few machines. We also mourned the passing of a wonderful woman named Agrapina who we had come to know in our short time here at the Mission - she was taking care of her grandchildren who are enrolled in the Bismarck Mission's Education program. The photo is of a grandmother and he grandchild she takes care of - it was taken on the day we delivered water drums.

Heri ya Krismasi (Merry Christmas) to you and your loved ones as we celebrate the birth of Jesus. This past week was a busy one with having three separate Christmas gathering for 463 orphans as well as Water with Blessings visits and follow ups. The photo is of a small boy praying in front of the vary large creche here at the church and inside are the figurines which are made of soapstone. There is even an angel hanging upside down tied with a piece of ribbon! The photo album this week has many photos of the children collecting their gifts from the Mission and enjoying a warm bottle of soda and a loaf of bread as their treat! Krismasi njema!