WE HAVE A FARM MANAGER!!!

INTRODUCING JOHNFRED AND LYDIA AJWANG

For around two years we have been praying for a manager for the Widows Farm; a person who could supervise and help the farm and associated projects.

                    

We have found him!!  Yes we have!!  We are delighted to introduce you to Johnfred Ajwang, his wife Lydia, and their four boys.

                                      

WIDOWS FARM MANAGER

In July 2012 Johnfred accepted the position of Widows Farm Manager to help us develop the vision on the farm and associated projects.  He will work part-time in this position. Johnfred is pastor of  Restoration Community Church's (RCC) new daughter-church in Kadawa.

We have already seen the enormous benefits of having Johnfred in this position as we develop the infrastructure of the farm.  For example there are some small things that we have been attempting to do for two years and Johnfred managed to have them done within two weeks of beginning to work with us.  He also devised a simple, efficient solution to a problem we have had with access to the farm, and now we can get into it relatively easily with a truck.  We couldn't do that before.  He has tremendous initiative and already has a real heart for the land, the projects and the future vision for the farm.

One of the prayer points in our last newsletter was that the water tower be completed before we left.   Due to some serious complications that wasn't possible.  But, we have left Kenya with a real sense of ease and security, knowing that the project is being well-supervised by Johnfred and will be properly completed.  We have already received photos of the progress.  Wow!

JOHNFRED

Johnfred was born 40 years ago in Tanzania (pronounced Tahn ZAHN ya).  When he was two years old his father died and when he was three his mother moved to Kadawa, where he was raised.

Lydia was born in 1975 in Embu in Eastern Kenya near Mount Kenya.  She and Johnfred met in 1998 when he was ministering as a teacher/trainer with Life ministries, formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ. They were married November 15, 2002 and have 4 boys, Shem Favor 9; Enock Bruce 8; and twins Ruth Heri and Japheth Jabali who are 3.  BTW - Heri is Swahili for Blessed and Jabali is Swahili for Rock.

After leaving secondary school Johnfred trained as a mechanical and auto engineer, specialising in diesel and petrol (gasoline) engines. At one stage he was employed on an Asian farm in Kenya where he overhauled and maintained the farm equipment and vehicles.

In 1994 he became a Christian and, one year later, joined Campus Crusade for Christ where he became a trainer in the areas of evangelism, discipleship and leadership training.

 

In 2004 he became assistant pastor at his home church specifically in charge of “outreach”, but in 2006 rejoined Life Ministries to work in Western Kenya. As an area leader his ministry involved showing the Jesus film, training church leaders and organising holistic projects for widows; such as, starting microfinance projects.

After the election violence in 2008 support for Life Ministries dwindled and he was forced to leave that ministry.  In 2009 he returned to live in Kadawa village where Lydia is now a primary school teacher.

In 2010 they joined RCC and at the same time he determined to finish his biblical studies.  In Aug 2011 at a Dove conference in Nairobi he realized that God was calling him to be a pastor. Then in February 2012 he and Lydia were assigned to start the new RCC daughter church in Kisumu.

His theological studies include:  Advanced Certificate in Christian Ministry; Diploma in Biblical Theology.  Currently his educational training involves spending 5 weeks, three times a year in bible school in Kitali, Kenya.  This will last for another two years.

He has a  passion is to get things done. His vision for the church in Kisumu is to grow the church from small beginnings by training capable leaders

LYDIA

Lydia is the daughter of a pastor.  She has 3 sisters and a brother.

She is a primary school teacher specialising in Religious Education, Science and Math.  She has a vision of continuing her education and becoming a headmaster.

She also has vision to see the new church-plant develop and mature.  She is an intercessor, and her giftings include training children in church.  She is recognised as a “woman of faith".

MONTHLY SUPPORT

RCC in Kadawa can only support its pastors minimally because the church is growing and reproducing so rapidly. Therefore the pastors of the new congregations have to involve themselves in “tent-making ministry”; i.e., they must also have outside employment to sustain themselves and their families.  We have determined to give a monthly salary through raising support for him and his family until the farm becomes self-sustaining, at which point his salary will come from farm profits.

PRAYER REQUESTS

 For Johnfred and Lydia

·      Salary target  $200 or £130 per month.  This would cover:  

                  Yearly Semester Fees of $1,250 or £830

                  Transport costs for family to Kadawa each Sunday - $50 or £35 per month

  For RCC (Restoration Community Church) Kisumu

·       Plastic chairs - 20 initially, at £10 each

·       Instruments

·       Plot of land to erect tent

If you wish to help support Johnfred and Lydia please send donations to Emmanuel Christian Centre in Lichfield UK or Dove Lebanon, PA USA

WE WISH YOU MANY OF GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS

John and Marty

ATTEMPTED ROBBERY AT THE CHURCH

THE JUNGLE TELEGRAPH - HOLY SPIRIT STYLE

Sunday night, July 22, thugs came to the church and attacked the night watchman, tying him hand and foot and taping his mouth after forcing him to give them the keys. They put him in the kitchen, which is a separate room from the church, accessed from two outside doors.  then they proceeded to haul out the keyboard, amplifiers, mixer, microphones and even the new tent that was purchased for evangelism and other outreach events. They stacked them on the porch waiting for a truck to arrive. Meanwhile, Jared, the night watchman, was able to get his hands and feet free and escape un-noticed through the back door. He ran to a nearby clinic that had a night watchman and they began to shout, blow whistles and make as much noise as possible to alert the neighbourhood. When the villagers hear this, they know there is trouble and they begin to broadcast to their neighbors and from near, far and wide people come running - with spears, pangas (machetes), bows and arrows, rocks and anything else that would be a weapon. When the thieves heard this racket they fled, leaving everything where they has stacked it. Not one thing was stolen. Additionally, Jared was unharmed. The chief was immediately contacted and the police brought in, and it is hoped that the perpetrators will be apprehended. Wahoo! Don't mess with God's stuff or His people.  We were reminded of the bible story where Apostle Peter was in jail, chained to two guards and God supernaturally released his bonds, opened the cell door and had him personally escorted out by a big angel; all undetected by the guards.  Jared hasn't mentioned any angel, however we all believe it was a miracle that he was able to get loose from his bonds and escape undetected, but he readily confesses that God protected him and he is very grateful.

FOLLOW-UP

We were talking about the attempted robbery with a local friend, a Kenyan national, a few days later. He asked us if we knew why the thugs had really fled so quickly. He then explained that the people of this area of Kenya have no confidence in the legal system, which is rife with corruption. Frequent experience has shown that if the thieves were arrested by the police they would be freed through the payment of bribes. So the populace will sometimes take the law in their own hands. The common punishment inflicted by the mob is so terrible that we won't write about it but needless to say, it is a real deterrent to crime. We have heard the term here of "mob justice", in fact one of the students asked Joshua - the young policeman from Florida - how mob justice is handled in the USA.  But he answered that it wasn't something that had to be dealt with as a rule.  So now we know what "mob justice" is.  There is no wonder the thieves fled.

OUR NIGHT WATCHMAN

We continually learn amazing things about this culture. Johaz, our night watchman at the Widows Farm - or "soldier" as they are called here - actually uses a bow and arrows for his weapons as he guards the farm at night. Now I'm not certain what he could hit with this bow and these de-feathered arrows, but if you look at those arrows you will see they are serious. Bows and arrows are watchmen's weapons of choice, for they can reach their victim at quite a distance. Check out the barbs on these arrows. Ugly!  We were at the farm a day after the incident and our farm manager saw the bow and arrows were out in plain view - we were working in the watchman's room - and said we should put them out of sight, for we didn't want people to see the weapons our man was using. I explained they were out for a photo. He then suggested we get the watchman a better bow. Since this one is obviously a not-so-good homemade rendition. We asked where to get one (it didn't seem like something you'd stop in any store in town to pick up) and he said that there are many Maasai in town that know how to make a proper bow, so he would go into town and get one from a Maasai. (As one does!) We asked the cost. And he said it wasn't the sort of thing he was accustomed to buying, so he didn't know. The watchman stopped by later to tell us his gumboots size (farm boots or Wellies- he asked for them for when the weather gets wet) and I wish you could have seen his reaction and his face when we had someone tell him we were going to get him a Maasai bow.  When we get it we will show a photo in the next blog.   Now, as to the arrows - our farm manager - Johnfred - said they are made by a blacksmith. He didn't mention whether that included the shaft & feathers. We'll find that out later. If you look closely at those arrows you can see how they are done all by hand. One of the shafts appears to be bamboo. Our lives get more and more interesting and exciting.

 BLACK MAMBAS

We learned something new about black mambas - a seriously deadly snake that lives here. Let me stress that we have never come across any snakes here. Although, once when the women were working in the maize field they did come across a baby black mamba - which had a very short life - and whose body was unceremoniously dumped down an ant mound. If it had been left out in the field, even the bones would have poisoned someone who might come across it. What did we learn? Well, we were traveling in the van with the American team along a very narrow road that was heavily lined with large bushes that scraped the vehicle and the branches came into the windows. Our driver told us to close the windows to keep the snakes out. We thought he was kidding. But he told us that snakes could be in the bushes and jump into the vehicle. We quickly closed our windows until the road was wider and less bushy. We later confirmed that Black Mambas sometimes climb bushes and they, as Hesbone put it, like to come into places like cars and vans. We have since not forgotten that lesson and quickly roll up our windows if we think it necessary.

BABY DEDICATION
We have witnessed baby dedications at two different RCC churches while here this time. In a few respects there is a stark difference to baby dedications in the West. Along with the other customary instructions and responsibilities, Hesbone emphasized to the parents of the babies that these children are now dedicated to the Lord and now they belong to Him.  He STRONGLY emphasized that from that point on the parents were never to take their babies to a witchdoctor for any reason! If the child becomes I'll the parents are to pray for the child and seek professional medical treatment from a doctor where necessary. He emphasized that doctors,medicine and hospitals are provided by the Lord. Another difference is that when praying over the child during the dedication the pastor breaks any ancestral curses over the baby or any curses through any other means, and any evil spiritual influence or attachment to the children.  We found it very interesting and touching at the recent dedication that when Hesbone took each child in his arms to bless it and dedicate it, even one about 3 years old, they were all very quite at ease and peaceful.

PEOPLE HELPED BY THE HOSPITAL FUND

We have gone over the list of folks who have been helped by the hospital fund that has been generously provided for by several of you. We are so blessed to list a few of them for you.

* Mariko - Surgery for prostate cancer is pending.

* Christine - Surgery to remove a massive keloid and give radiotherapy to prevent its recurrence - restoring her life to normal after a long period of incapacitating pain.

* An epileptic child who is now seizure-free due to medication.

* A pregnant woman with advanced preeclampsia. She came to the medical clinic where staff diagnosed her situation as critical. We sent her immediately to the hospital. The unborn child had been dead for an extended period. The child was delivered and the woman surgically treated, given antibiotics and hospital care. She survived and is home and well and has given thanks that she is alive.

* Two infants suffering from malnutrition - one close to death - sent immediately to hospital.

     One was treated and released in a day or two. The other required intensive care and was in hospital for

     quite awhile, but is home and well.

* Irene, who had fibrous cysts in her uterus which were removed and she is recovering.
* Lydia - a little girl who had sever wounds all over her legs.  A visit to a distant dermitologist for treatment proved successful and her legs have healed well.  Her skin is dry and a bit discoloured, but creams should remedy that.
*  Approxomately 35 successful cataract surgeries have been done, restoring sight and renewing the lives of people who had limited or alomost no vision.
        If you wish to contribute toward the hospital fund to keep it going you may do so through the usual  
        channels:  in the UK -  Emmanual Christian Centre
                                          Netherstowe
                                          Lichfield, Staffs
                                          WS13 6TS
                                          UK
                     
                     in the USA -  DCFI-Lebanon
                                         P.O. Box 37
                                         Lebanon, PA  17042
                                         USA

     Please make a note on the check or enclose a letter saying that the donation is for John and Marty Smith's
     ministry, and the specific project to which it is to be applied.  

WE WISH YOU GOD'S RICHEST BLESSINGS!

John and Marty

                                           

TEAM WORK

  THE GOSPEL HOUSE



David in front of his old house

What, you may ask, is a gospel house?  Well, our team helped build one.  We have shown you house-building photos before, but this is a truly unique story.  To begin with, it was for a man - a first for us.  The leadership team of Restoration  Community Church (RCC) makes the decisions regarding who qualifies for a house; that relieves us of the responsibility.  The man they chose, David, is an older man who is a bachelor.  He lived in a tiny one-room mud house  with a very leaky straw roof, on a compound with some male relatives, but they didn't want him there.  He has been a social outcast for many years.  Why?  Because he was mentally unstable.  Through circumstances he began to come to RCC.  He heard and understood the Gospel Message of coming into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  He accepted that as the truth for his own life and not only did he experience a change of heart, but his mind was restored.  He became rational.  Because of his very poor living conditions,his age,  his social status,  and the radical change in his life, the decision was made to build him a house as a testimony to his neighbours and neighbourhood area, of the effect of his new life and relationships.  He was able to get a piece of land not too far from the compound where he stayed, and the team from Florida and his cell group (home group) went there to build his house.  It is a good sized two-room house and the view overlooks a great valley of beautiful bush and forestry.  It is so peaceful and beautiful there!  Of course the women cooked a couple of great meals so that the workers would be sustained and also, the last one - a chicken stew - being a closing celebration. At the end of the day, Pastor Rebecca of the team was asked to bless the house and David. Then he was asked if he had anything to say.  The man spoke so clearly and articulately!  He thanked everyone involved and praised God for His goodness to him.  One of the pastors told Marty that there would be women lining up at his door hoping the man would marry one of them just so they could have such a good house!  In the past no woman would have anything to do with him because of his mental state.

                                           

The male relatives from his compound sat in chairs the whole day watching the house-building from the beginning and were totally amazed that people would come together like that, build a habitable house in one day, and just give it to the man. That is what has  the whole community  amazed  as well.  You can see his relatives and other onlookers in the background of the above photo.   Also,the onlookers and the locals who had come together to build the house were  rather taken aback that the team - mzungu (white) foreigners - were hunting and carrying rocks to the site and were in the mud up to their ankles (and elbows) helping to fill in the walls.  One of the pastors said he overheard one of the local  women chastising other women there that if the wazungu (plural for mzungu) could haul rocks and fill the walls then they should be doing as much.  So there you have it - that is why people are saying "That house is the Gospel". 

A WHOLE NEW WAY OF THINKING

Three of our team members went into two of the secondary (high) schools in the village to talk with the students about what they do back in the USA.  Josh is a policeman - the kids loved that and had many, many very good questions for him. Two interesting ones, that gave him pause to think,  were:  What type of legacy do you want to leave to your children, and how do you handle mob justice in the United States?   Don, is a senior, retired engineer from an electricity utility.  He is married to a woman from Thailand, spends much time there and does a lot of work with children in that country.  Theschool  kids were really interested in the photos he had of children and his family in Thailand, and stories about the culture.  Natalie is an airline pilot.  All three spoke so well, sharing their experiences and photos.  Although these are village schools, they are turning out university-level students.  We were impressed at the questions these youngsters asked; it made it clear that they are not just learning academics, but are being taught to think as well.  When Natalie got up to speak she had on a hooded sweater.  She took it off and revealed underneath, her pilot's uniform.  Well - the reaction, especially from the girls, was really great when she told them what she does for a living.  It is common for kids to have aspirations to be doctors, lawyers or even teachers.  But the very thought of being a female airline pilot was nowhere in their paradigm.  Now, you can be assured, there are many girls in that village whose desire for education has increased and who will aspire to become airline pilots.  Not only were the children challenged, but so, indeed, were the speakers.  It was a good day!

FOLLOW UP FROM MEDICAL CLINIC
One infant that we sent to hospital directly from the clinic was in serious danger of perishing.  She was put on life support and, thankfully, responded.  The baby had to stay in hospital until a few days ago, but it is now home and well. 

THIRTY-FIVE NEW DRESSES

The church in Florida that sent the team, Venetian Bay United Methodist Church (V-Bay UMC) was wholly involved in the mission, and many provided finances for the mission, and some, specific items.  Money was provided to make new dresses for 35 destitute widows.  Destitute is a relative term out here.  However, a widow qualifies as "destitute" if she is past child-bearing age, has no source of income, has no children who can take care of her, and is of good reputation in the community.  RCC has identified 35 - within the church,  and the general community with the help of the chief.  Marty and Sarah - a tayloress from RCC - went shopping in Kisumu, the nearest city, for fabric for 35 women.  Then Sarah took the fabric to her shop - El Shadai Enterprises - and with list of widows in hand, systematically called each lady in to her shop, took their individual measurements, showed them the fabric so that they could choose the one they wanted, and then showed them various styles/patterns to choose from to have their dresses custom made.  The really older ones chose conservative one-piece styles, whereas some of the ones not as old chose more contemporary two-piece dresses. There are no two dresses alike.  We weren't able to give them all out in one day, but we have photos of some of them holding their dresses up to themselves.  How sweet it was.

Blessings and Peace to Each of You.

John and Marty

 

THE MEDICAL MISSION

THE TEAM ARRIVES  

Our Josh Playing with Kids During Medical Clinic



Josh Miller was the first team member to arrive.  He came ahead of the others and we got him from the airport here in Kisumu on the 13th of June.  Marty took him aorund town to show him "the sights".  (Actually, he and Marty were "the sights", as he is 6'5" and pretty big.  She led the trek and is considerably smaller at 5' 5 1/2" - or thereabouts.) Wherever they went people stared and many wanted to talk with him.  One large man in thenative market was chatting with him and comparing size and weight, etc.  Marty suggested Josh show him his shoes - size 16 EEEE.  He quickly took one off and showed the guy, who immediately conceded the camparison game.  He was duly impressed.  On the next day we put Josh to work spackling cracks in the farmworker's house.  That was a new experience for him, the first of many on the trip.  The rest of the team, except Natalie,  arrived on Saturday, June 16 and hit the ground running.  We allowed them to "rest" at their accommodations on that evening, and from then it was almost non stop for the entire trip.  Natalie was due to arrive on Sunday morning, shortly after church started.  So the team went into Kadawa with John while Marty stayed in Kisumu to pick Natalie.  Notice "pick"!  Here no one or no thing is picked up, it is always "picked".  Marty picked Natalie in a cab driven by our friend Robert, put the luggage in the boot (trunk), and off they went to Kadawa, arriving just as the team had gone front to introduce themselves.  Well - that was a Grand Entrance.  The only thing missing was the red carpet as she went down the aisle to the front, being cheered and applauded the entire way.  No room for being shy or wanting to stay out of the limelight!!!  She took it like a pro and was properly introduce - again to much clapping and cheering!

YOU SAVED LIVES

Examining Room Behind the Curtains


The medical camp began early the next morning (more or less - remember we are in Kenya where most things don't start on time and never without a hiccup or two -- or three).  Upon arrival at the site - which was the Restoration Community Church (RCC) - there were already many people on the porch waiting to be seen.   They were registered outside by local folks, who could get all of the demographics correct, and then went in to the various stations.  First they went to the nutritionist who screened them for various nutritionally related issues, including malnutrition.  Then they went on to triage, where their vital signs and a general evaluation were done by some nurses, then on to see the doctors.  An "examining room" was set up in one corner using the church curtains for privacy, a long table and a mattress.  The pharmacy was set up - lots of medication.  In the three days we treated at least 800 patients, and ran out of some medicines. 



We had others left over and by concensus contributed it to a trusted local charity that does monthly medical camps.  We will have better knowledge of medical supplies for our next clinic.  We had staff from a local hospital in Kisumu; 2 doctors, 2 nurses, a nutritionist and 2 pharmacists..  The last station, probably the most important, was a space sectioned off for prayer.  After treatment every patient who wanted it (most did) was prayed for by leaders in the church. Then outside was a tent with staff that did HIV/AIDS counselling and screening. 

From meeting with the local medical staff prior to the clinic we found out that the hospital had no equipment to send with them. We notified the team in America and they were able to bring some top-of-the-line stethoscopes, blood pressure cuffs and two otoscopes for examining ears, all of which were given to the medical staff.  You would have thought it was Christmas by the way they reacted. Most of the items were donated by interested folk who were excited to help.

There were some very sick children, many with ear infections, that were helped immediately by antibiotics and other meds.  These infections, if left untreated, would have resulted in permanent deafness.  Others had malnutrition, some so serious that we sped them to the hospital right from clinic.  One very nearly died and was in hospital for several days. A young pregnant woman came in suffering seriously from pre-eclampsia.  She was waiting to go into labour any time.  Because she was so swollen in her face, feet and hands she came to the clinic.  She was taken immediately to the hospital in Kisumu. Sadly the baby had died - had been dead for quite some time; it was actually decomposing.  Had she not come to the clinic she herself would surely have died.  The baby was delivered and she was treated, remaining in hospital for several days.  She has been discharged, with antibiotics and is recovering.  Although she lost her baby she is very happy to have been saved from certain death and made well.

Some of the babies and toddlers were terrified by the white people and many really cried when being examined; unusual for a Kenyan child.  It wasn't uncommon for a child to bring in its younger sibling for treatment.  That child saw its sibling through the whole process, including getting the medication and instructions on how it was to be administered.  The pharmacists were very careful to make sure each patient or caretaker understood how to administrer the medication.





On left, a child bringing in its sick sibling. 

                        On the right, notice the hair on the baby is redish - an indication it is malnourished.                

                

IT IS NO EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT YOUR GENEROSITY SAVED MANY LIVES THROUGH THE MEDICAL CLINIC.  TRULY, SOME ON THE VERY DAY THEY CAME!THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Praying for a Child and His Mother

There you have our first, much-delayed, blog from Kenya this year.  So much has taken place over the last three weeks that we will be writing for a long time. The team left on June the 27th.; it is now the 29th and we are trying to rest up a bit and also catch up on administrative things and correspondence.  Marty had her birthday on the 14th of June and received sooo many greetings on Face Book, which promptly became unobtainable until the 28th, so she is desperately trying to acknowledge the lovely and thoughtful wishes.  As always, the internet is spastic, and for awhile a transformer was down in the city making us without power almost every night, sometimes in the day for hours and once all day.  But, once again, we think of David Livingstone and his ilk who had no means of regular communication - sometimes for years.  Puts it in perspective, doesn't it?


With Love and God's Richest Blessings,


John and Marty



JOEL'S TESTIMONY AND LESO

JOEL

Joel is a lovely, great bear of a man who helps us with the ministry in the Village of Kadawa, Western Kenya.   He is part of the leadership team at Restoration Community Church (RCC) where he is one of the Cell-group Coordinators.  Among other things in which he is involved, he also plays a valuable role in the Widows Farm, including regular distribution of food and water to destitute widows .  We love this man and are witnesses to his testimony.

Joel's Testimony

Joel & John

Joel Otieno was born in Kadawa. He is married to Margaret and they have 8 children. Before he became a Christian he was a drunkard and spent most of the money he earned as a matatu (14-seat public transportation) conductor on alcohol.  As a result, his family could not afford clothes and food, nor was there any money for the children to go to school.  His health suffered - including vomiting and Typhoid.

During bad times his sisters, who had become Christians and were part of RCC, would visit him and testify about their faith. His interest grew in what was happening in this new church - RCC.  One Sunday he decided to visit the church and heard the pastor, Hesbone, say that whoever wants to can come into a personal relationship with Jesus and be saved; he found himself going forward to the altar.  He gave his life to Jesus.

Two days later he had a vision while sleeping. He saw angels dressed in white who told him to "Kneel down and cry for Jesus". He started crying , and then he realized the angels were giving him a bible and they said to him “Go out and preach the gospel”.

Shortly afterwards he began preaching to the unsaved and visiting people in their homes.

Joel & John at a food distribution!

Since becoming a Christian he does not now waste money.  His wife has peace and now has money to buy clothes and food, and to send the children to school. The whole family go to RCC.  Also he is now fit and healthy.

Joel's Leso
In 2010 a group of ladies, mostly widows, was working on the farm for several days - harrowing, fertilizing and planting maize on the Widows Farm.  They were being supervised by Joel.  It was a new experience for many in that the women were doing this for destitute widows in the church and community as volunteers. No pay! John was so proud of these ladies and at the end of one day he was praising them and Joel for their selfless service to the destitute widows.  A bit of cultural information:  women in Kenya wear a piece of fabric wrapped around themselves while they work.  It acts something like an apron or a house dress.  It is also used to carry ones baby on their back, it is used to wrap parcels to carry on ones head, it is used to sit on, it can be a handkerchief - it has many, many uses.  They are very colorful, with various patterns, and always have a Swahili proverb printed on the bottom.  They are about 3 feet (1 meter) by 6 feet (2 meters).  You will see why this bit of information is being added at this point.  OUR TRANSLATOR HAD NEVER DONE SO FOR US BEFORE and, unknown to us, was having trouble with John's British accent.  One thing that we have clearly learned over the years is that one cannot make jokes in a foreign culture.  It just doesn't work and we know it.  However, John couldn't help himself.  He told the ladies that he was also so proud of Joel that he was going to get him a leso.  The translator passed that info on to the ladies upon which they began to laugh and give off their typical victory cry.  Marty mentioned to John that his joke went over really well.  He was very pleased.

After some more conversation the translator told us that the women wanted to know when they were getting their lesos.  Marty asked her to repeat what she said.  She then said that since John had said he was going to get them all a leso, they wanted to know when they would receive them.  After some discreet, delicate inquiry we found that when John said "I am going to get Joel a leso", the translator thought he said " I am going to get you all a leso". TA leso is strictly a feminine item and a man just wouldn't wear one, so there was no way she could have thought he said Joel.  Marty quickly explained the dilemma to John and we just as quickly decided to buy lesos for every one of them, including Joel's wife (she wasn't there).  So, no one except Sara - a wonderful helper and our usual translator - ever knew about the issue.  Sara had to know because she had to take Marty to market to try to find 50 YES 50 - lesos so that she could cut and hem them (she is a seamstress) for distribution by Sunday (4 days later).  Fortunately, because of buying so many we were able to get a discount; however, it still cost us $100 for that little joke!

Katherine in a leso

We trust you have enjoyed learning about our friend Joel.  God's Love and Grace are so very amazing.  

We will be returning to Kenya in late May and will continue to keep you informed of our ongoing saga with these wonderful people that we have learned to love so much.  It is easy to love them - because they love us.

Please receive our blessings and love to you all!

John & Marty