Sign of the times

 Hello again!  Whew - I made it!  See photo below to explain our lack of posting.  Please note that the speed on the y axis is kilobytes per second (not megabytes), and it is consistently averaging about Zero!  Anyway, Rick made the brilliant discovery that if you open the door and hold the computer up, the photos will upload.  Way to go, Rick! :) 

 The last 6 days have been packed - I almost don't know where to start!  We went to the local AIC (Africa Inland Church) church last Sunday.  We learned about some of the local outreach going on from there....a team going to East Pokot, Kenya this week to work with the people in that area.  That is an area in Kenya where the practice of female circumcision is still very much alive.  I have mentioned before about how many Kenyans are striving to build up, support, and edify the family unit, and working to end this practice is yet another way to love and protect each member of the family. 

They are also starting a ministry that has a dual focus:  helping people start beehives/raising bees/selling honey.  This will give those people a source of income AND it will help protect the forest in Kijabe that is being cut down by people wanting to sell the wood or the charcoal that is made from it.  Without the forest, many habitats will be destroyed and it puts innumerable people at risk for mudslides caused by deforestation.  It is a fascinating ministry!  I think they are working with a ministry called Care of Creation here in Kijabe: you can read about it at http://kenya.careofcreation.net/

Last week was a whirlwind of some meetings, lots of school orientation, some unpacking and shopping, and getting to know some wonderful people and learn the immediate area. 

One of our new neighbors! :)

                                  This photo is for my Texan mom. :)  A beautiful yellow rose in front of the kitchen window in the house we are being moved to in a few weeks.                                                             

Mt. Longonot in the mist....taken in the evening after a rain.

The bag of beans was the type on the right, but I found these others in there too. Still trying to learn the new types and how to cook with them....

I showed you our washers and "dryers" in previous posts...here is the dishwasher!  Wash in tap water, rinse in filtered water.

I have walked by this sign numerous times now on the way back and forth from our home to either RVA or the market area, but it struck me anew today.  In hospitals in the US, there is always some type of signage indicating the way to the Emergency Department (called Casualty here) and often to clinics in the hospital or immediate vicinity.  Have you ever seen signs to the business office or mortuary/morgue on the main entrance sign to the hospital?  To me, it highlights the very real struggles that so many people have here with providing for the physical needs of their families and also with battling against the very real threat of illness and death.  We have so many safety nets in the US - we will never be turned away from medical care for the inability to pay.  We may get a terrible bill in the mail, but no one will be allowed to die for lack of funds.  I don't fully understand how all of the various hospitals in the country function, but I don't think it is quite so easy to get care if funds are scarce.  I do know that Kijabe Hospital is committed to serving the poor and vulnerable, but it is still quite a struggle.  And people die.  I understand that the infant mortality rate here at Kijabe has improved greatly over the last few years, but every baby, every child, every teen, every adult that dies is a huge loss.  Please pray with us that we will function here with skill, sensitivity, grace, and - above all - love.  Christ is the true healer and we are but His hands.

Love,
Sarah
Acts 9:32-35