Kindfund

This is our last round up as we leave for Nairobi tomorrow. We have had a busy morning and I
am now in town to pay bills where we have been given credit, visit our bank to place money in accounts for the capital project to proceed and cover the running costs for the next two months.

We again have covered a lot of ground since my last report on Thursday 28th Feb.....

Fri 29th: Up early and breakfast at th Menninite Guest House and at 9am we set off for the YWAM base at Athy River for Cliffs graduation. He has been on a 5 month DTS Course and has spent the last two months at various places in Kenya on outreach.

This is the main road to Mombasa..I realise they are working at it but after the International airport it becomes a nightmare
The main shipping highway for East and Central Africa it is chaotic and rough. We survive and arrive at Athy River unscathed.
We have a good day meeting the course members many of whom are from Europe and America and the leadership team. We are presented with a flavour of the course and a good meal before time to face that road again.

It is 19.30 and dark before we arrive back. Dinner has been kept for us as we had called ahead. A long chat in the mature garden and then to bed.

Sat 1st March: Taking our leave of the guest house we are on the road at 09.30. Through the suburbs of Nairobi, round the ring road (very few signposts navigation is by instinct. Stop at Nakamat supermarket and then on North towards Isiolo. We stop for some pinapples and fruit near the Delmonte farms. Car now packed and struggling a bit on some of the longer hills. We make Nanyuki and another break. I have arranged for Locham to be here to look at the Toyoto Land Cruiser. The ladies and Cliff go shopping for
uniform material to keep Elizabeth our deaf tailoress busy.

Locham concludes that the Toyoto whilst a good engine is a bit of an amalgam of different models and is best left alone. We thank our friends and leave Locham to the stage to get the next matatu. Pick up the team. They have had coffee and samosas. Lillian has brought one for me to keep me going on the last leg of 1hr 15 to Isiolo.
Locham has already arrived and the landrover is pulling out of BP as I drive up to fill up before returning vehicle. We have driven about 650kms and thank God for safe travel. More shopping and things to buy before we can get back to Ngaremara. It is 18.30

Sun 2nd March: We awake tired. Hardly up and a call from Stephen Cowan. He is at Archers with the Mawhinney family. I give him final directions and we hastily get ready. Stephen has brought 3 bricks made with the Wamba soil. We are pleased with the result. The visitors join us for morning worship with the orphans. We have a good fellowship as the Mawhinneys share and then the orphans sing
It is very hot. We enjoy Lillians cooking and after lunch the orphans do a short traditional piece before we say our goodbyes.
They fly back to Ireland mid week to a new adventure at Adelaide Church in Dublin after a number of years in Cork.

Sun pm we send the car to Isiolo to pick up our builders from Meru and the brickmaker from Tuum. We discuss the project for the childrens home and our trip to Wamba in the morning to see the site and work out positions and actions required. Nancy calls the Planner at Marallel. Yes he would be there but call him in the morning to confirm timing.

Mon 3rd March: On the road for 07.30. We have the food for the orphans in the back and a tight squeeze but seven of us are on board.
Cramp makes me ask for a stop at Lareta after 1hr 20min. Just as well we discover air hissing from a back tire. We have a soda while Locham in his efficient way has the spare down from the roof and on the car in 15 min. Off again to Wamba where we arrive just after 09.30.
We have been unable to get the planner on the phone. Unable to reach?

We meet on the site. Definitely the planners map is wrong. We assume the ground markings are correct and take our measurements agreeing the position of the buildings avoiding the few trees and noting the direction of sun and more importantly the wind which can be strong from the mountain close by.
Continuing to try Planner in vain. I sms Pamela to alert her to pray and Nancy and I come aside to pray.
We come back to our feeding base where we feed 72 orphans and wait. Suddenly someone says the Council surveyor is here. We ask around. He has just gone from the Govt complex to mark a site for the new District Govt Offices. Wamba has just recently been made a district with the appointment of a District Commissioner in Deceber. We jump in the car and soon find him. He had marked the site for us and I explained about the map. He was busy could we go to the site and wait.
Two hrs later no surveyor. Someone spots the new District Commissioner. I go over to introduce ourselves and apologise for raising a problem. He is sympathetic and undertakes to track down the surveyor and send him to us.
Before we know it Locham drives into the yard with the surveyor. The DC had met him in the town and had a long conversation with him. He quickly agrees the map is wrong and will be put right by the planner.
God is amazing. The planner whom we are to meet does not turn up and is not contactable. The surveyor is here in other business and we meet him. When he is slow to help we meet the DC who lights a fire. Why do we get stressed when God is with us.
The surveyor confirms that if we have all the letters we can proceed with the building. The final registration is a formality.

Before leaving I check on the two sponsorship forms we are missing. Yes the children have been here but Margaret has forgotten to get them to draw on their page. I have to leave them for another time.
On the way back from Wamba we stop at Archers Post for a soda and to discuss final action plans before we separate. We want to get the building underway asap. The revised bill of quantities for phase 1 will be with us by Thur.

Tue 4th March: Getting more and more tired in the mornings. Heat making sleep difficult and a lot happening. Shower block almost finished on site and builders to see and pay. Pamela takes most of the strain on the waiting list. Another boy for school, some girls claiming we have not paid their fees for school, a young mother with a broken arm 6 months old and never set. The bones have set badly and arm useless and painful. 15,000 required for operation. They need to raise some support.
I am off with Nancy and Cliff to Isiolo with a full car, school, clinic shopping etc. We need to check the Blind Unit before the official opening of the new building where we have put up the curtains.

Boys school to pay fees. We now have 11 boys at this school alone. Girls school for the same. Blind Unit one of the poles is the wrong size needs 1cm off the end. Curtains leeo really well. We remove the offending pole and give to the installer who has joined us. Back to town bumpty bump. No time to do bank today we will have to come back. I have just enought to see us through paying support. Collect 6 bags of maize flour and finish shopping for other things. Fuel and then off to Ngaremara before it is dark.

Wed 5th March: Pretty exhausted. Plumber has arrived to see what we want done. We decide to despatch Cliff, the plumber and Locham to town via the nursery schools to deliver porridge flour and organise completion of sponsorship forms and take photos while I rest on the site. Pamela takes most of the visitors. Good to have a day off and time with the orphans.
The car comes back just before dark. They have most things. Plumber will come Fri to finish work on shower block. I agree 3 more days work for builder to finish shower.
Call planner at Marallel to see if progress made. He is in Nairobi and wont be back until next Monday. I am cross but nothing can be done.
Later I send him an sms to apologise and we agree to speak next week when he is back.

Thur 6th March: This morning we have the meeting at the blind unit with the Dept Ed rep to acknowledge the work. At Isiolo we call for a crate of sodas for the occasion.
We have our speeches and then the children come in and sing for us three gospel songs - MOslems and Christians together.I have a lump in my throat. What a transformation these children have seen in such a short period. What a change in them. Nancy says
they have been released. They were bound by neglect and now they are valued, well fed and moving into excellent accomodation.
Rueben the founder of the home is there with his accordion. Blind himself he is a man of many gifts and although retired he is energetic. He has a musical gift and I have lost my mouthorgan to him. He plays both and has trained the small choir. Grace the teacher has completed sponsorship forms for me.
We take our leave and  back to Isiolo. The bank again, the uniform shop still have not made up our bill. The engineering works have not the bill for the curtain poles and tie backs.
We buy more food and set off back. We have had a good experience at the blind unit.

Evening entertainment. Pamela giving guitar lesson to Lillian who is learning fast.

Fri 7th: This must be our last day of visiting. Nancy has arranged for us to go to Janet's Primary School through Ngaremara
Gate into Serena Park. Nine oclock we are on the road. Callers are reviewed and asked to call back.
We are surprised to see the Waso river dry. A huge heard of elephants digging for water in the sand.
On to the school, usual water bucks, deer and giraffes.
The headmaster welcomed us and we visited classrooms and facilities. He was aware of our interest and we were pleased with what we found. He is a good young man with a heart for the children. There are 130 to 150 at the school. We meet and talk with an English couple on Safari and visiting the school.
We take our leave and pass across the bridge to Samburu Park Locham in his element. We are allowed through because we are feeding over 200 children between Wamba at one end of the park and Archers at the other. We arrive in Archers Post after close encounters with some more elephants.

We are in time for most of the children and manage to get photos of 10 of the 17 sponsored here. Dominic is a great help to Clifford as the children fill in their forms.

Samuel has again been the good samaritan and has sodas and rice and cabbage stew with goat meet ready for us. Later we visit him at his shop and Pamela arranges for some of the women to make jewellery.  17 00 and time to head up the road to Ngaremara. Tired but pleased with the days work. We are all agreed that the Samburu
Community School is worthy of our support.

Back at base we find that the new shower block has been well christened. All the orphans have tested the showers and are clean.

Sat 8th: We are having a retreat today starting at 10am. First the builder, the plumber et all to be dealt with.

We share together from the word, Ps 78:72 "And David shepherded them with integrity of heart, with skilful hands he led them."
Fellowship was fruitful and we prayed together as the leadership team.

Later clearing up some misunderstandings and then dealing with some of the changes we are making to cope with the growth of the work and ensure accountability.

Time at 16.30 to meet the representative from the village looking for us to help the village water project. We want to help but there are problems we are uncomfortable with. Eventually agree we will meet third of the cost of kick starting the project if the balance can be gathered from others. Not satisfactory for us but we do not have the time to put into further investigation.

Sun 9th: Morning fellowship lunch and rest. Later some preparation for the things to be achieved on Mon our last day at base.
An elder from the village to talk to and heal some old wounds. Finally dinner with Nancy, family and Kim and some fun with Glory.
She is a real bright spark and a mimic. She loves to dance at 14 months and enjoys everyone.

Maybe one more blog before leaving Nairobi on Fri am God Willing

Greetings from all here. Pamela and I look forward to seeing you soon

In Christ

Ken and Pamela