HOSPITAL FUND REPORT AND THE DREADED PAINT CATASTROPHE!!

HOSPITAL FUND REPORT

We administer two hospital funds.  One of them is a partially self-sustained one which is made possible from money that the cash crops on the farm raise and an occasional subsidy from us. This fund is used for medical transportation and minor treatment for the destitute widows.

Another fund, made available through funds donated to the ministry,  provides general medical care and hospitalization; the recipients are decided upon by the leadership of Restoration Community Church (RCC).

Recently Violet gave us an update on the use of that fund; it follows.

    -  Medication for a school girl

    -  Admission and on-going inpatient care for an 18 month old baby with

       tuberculosis.    

    -  A twelve-year-old (one of Saturday's orphans) taken to hospital.

    -  Provision of a free cervical cancer testing in the village clinic. (Several 

       women from the church went for the testing.  One tested positive and is          

       being sent into the city for follow up.)

    The total expenditure for these services was: 24,200 KES ($285, £182). 

    Amazing isn't it?

PAINT CATASTROPHE

Traditional Ladder

A while back Marty said she would tell you of her dire experience while painting the rooms in the farmworker's house.  Here it is!

She had a BRAND NEW can of paint, John had bought her a real ladder; aluminum (aluminium) with steps and a shelf to hold the paint and brushes, and she was ready to go.(Sorry no photos of new ladder.)  It is unheard of for a woman to paint; they are impressed and amazed that Marty "knows how" to do it.  Folks are more or less accustomed to her coveralls and red bandana by now.  That day she had a shadow.  Johnfred's son, Shem, was following her around and sticking to her like glue. He is learning English, but is a bit shy and wouldn't speak - in English or Luo or Kiswahili.  Marty would talk to him, give him tasks to do or he would follow her around as she had to do various things in connection with the job. He understood, but he just wouldn't talk. It was good experience for him to listen to a mzungu (white person) speaking English.

After the Cleanup

Well, she got a bit lazy.  Therein lay the root of the problem!  She climbed down to move the ladder, but didn't take the paint off the top.  The vibration of the move caused the WHOLE CAN OF PAINT to move to the edge and tip over - all over Marty, her new sneakers (trainers), the ladder, floor and up the walls.  She let out a scream; all the men came running thinking she had fallen off the ladder; Shem jumped up and everyone tried to console her and begin the clean up. She chased the men out, took off her ruined shoes, and began to try to clean up and save as much paint as possible.  A can of spilled paint on a concrete floor is very, very slippery.  So as she was cleaning up she began to skate about a bit to entertain Shem.  By his expression it was clear that the lad was quite bemused over this woman and her antics.  He kept trying to help and she kept trying to stop him, for she knew he would get paint on his school clothes, etc.  He wouldn't listen, and of course got paint on himself.

Headed Out to Wash Feet

White Footprints All the Way to the Water Tank

A couple of days later she spoke with his father about the incident.  Apparently when he got home he wasn't so quiet about the whole thing.  He had the family in stitches and horror telling them of the incident and how he saw the can getting ready to fall.  They all jumped on him and asked him why on earth didn't he tell her, and the poor little guy said "I wanted to, but I couldn't remember the words in English".  

So goes life in Kadawa and some of the things that make it funny, fun and memorable.  Shem will remember it for the rest of his life, and Marty wasn't in trouble for letting him get paint on himself.

Love, John and Marty

JANUARY IN KADAWA

JOHN'S VISIT TO KADAWA IN JANUARY

It has become a necessity for John to take management trips to Kenya in January of each year.  It's essential in order to keep the various projects on track.  He accomplished much in a short time this year, but it surely tired him out.  At the end of each day he was glad to have a meal and rest.  One night he was asleep at 8 PM and didn't wake up until after 6 the next morning.

DISTRIBUTION OF SAMARITAN FOOD PARCELS

Christmas is not celebrated in the village like we do in the West.  There is no money for gifts. The normal way of celebrating Christ's birth amongst the church members is to gather together for a church service and have a large communal meal - paid for by the church.  

We were given some sponsorship money to use to benefit the widows for Christmas and the decision was made to give them food parcels.  John and Johnfred - our Widows' Farm manager - went into the city and purchased the items.  We were able to bless 23 widows with 1 kilogram of sugar, a large bag of salt, a large bag of tea leaves and 3 bars of soap (used for laundry and washing dishes).  These are all luxury items for these ladies; things that are, financially, very difficult for them to purchase.  Prisca (an area cell leader) and John went to visit Magdeline Awiti, an old house-bound widow, in her home to distribute a parcel.  John happened to asked Prisca how valuable these gifts would be.  She said Magdeline would not have purchased tea for a long time and it would have been many months since she had a drink of hot tea. These items were an exceptional Christmas gift for the widows.

CREDIT UNION

We were given a sum of money to be invested toward micro-finance businesses.  Rather than use that money to start new businesses we have started a credit union with the primary purpose of lending money, at a low rate of interest, to members with established micro-finance businesses to enable them to increase their businesses.  Some individual loans have been given out.  When John was there in January he was able to see first-hand how this has benefited Sara, one of the women who received a loan.  She is a tailoress.  January is the season for making school uniforms and she was able to buy bolts of fabric in bulk which enabled her to make many uniforms, benefitting her business greatly.

The credit union is also giving out "group loans" to members of.  A group of 10 members can apply for a group loan and use part of it individually to benefit their businesses. We have trained them in this procedure, called "table banking".  Under specific terms, the entire group is responsible to pay back the loan.

THE WIDOWS' FARM

Rice

Rice Plant Nursery with Paddy Behind It

In September we told you that we were experimenting with growing rice.  Our first venture, supervised by Johnfred - our farm manager - yielded a fabulous 500 pound harvest.

We have now planned to extend this project in a suitable area of the farm. That is really exciting! We don't know anyone in the village who grows rice!  Another crop to feed the widows!!!

The Harvest

Vegetable Irrigation

Sukuma Wiki (Kale)

How exciting for John to actually see the area of vegetables growing under the system installed a few months ago.  The system is running well, using water from the well we dug, which is pumped up to the tower we built and is used to water the veggies systematically.  Kale, spinach and sweet potatoes are flourishing and the destitute widows are receiving a monthly supply.

Spinach

Additionally, some have been sold to provide a hospital fund to help destitute widows if they get sick.  Please note that we also have a general hospital fund for use in emergency by members of the RCC churches, which includes all widows and also orphans.

In the photos you can see the drip lines going along the rows.  You can also pretty much see how large the patch is as it runs all the way to the water tower.

Potential Land Purchase

An adjacent parcel of land to the widows' farm, behind the farm-worker's house and store, has become available.  We have initiated the process to get the exact details of acreage and boundaries from the Land Registry in Nairobi before we enter in to negotiations with the owners.  A good portion of the farm-land has been cultivated and we are looking to future development.  In the picture of the kale, above, you can see the house behind which the land is located.  Also, here is a picture of kids who were shepherding their cows on that land when we had the widows' party last year.  They came to the fence looking in at the festivities.  There was plenty of food left to feed them as well.  Most likely the largest and healthiest meal they had that week.

PAYPAL

Please note that on the right side column of the newsletter there is now a PayPal button by which you are able to make donations on line if you so wish.

MUCH LOVE AND MANY BLESSINGS,

John and Marty

HOSPITAL FUND & TIDYING UP

HOSPITAL/MEDICAL FUND - A LITERAL LIFELINE

As you may know, we have a hospital fund for people in Kadawa and district.  It has been made possible by generous gifts, and also we are contributing to it from income from The Widows' Farm.  

Yes, although it is minimal right now, we are bringing in income.  Folks in the village have learned about our corn (maize) sheller and will bring sacks of the cobs to the farm to be processed through the sheller.  It removes the kernels from the cobs in no time flat. We charge 100 shillings (about $1.20 or 77 pence) per 90 kilo sack (about 202 lbs.).    To do this the traditional way - by hand, one-kernel-at-a-time, is very, very time consuming.  A large crop can take up to 6 weeks - 5 days a week, with a team of several people working daily.  Plus, with a team it is required to feed them lunch - a cooked meal.  The money received for this service goes into the hospital fund.  We also have just planted a money crop which, when ready for harvest, will be used to feed the widows, but some will also be sold at the market and the money put into the hospital account.  

The fund is administered by Violet Odindo, Pastor Hesbone's wife and is used for people in need of urgent medical care.  We try to maintain the account year-round.

Here are is an excerpt from an e-mail sent by Violet:

          "I want to really appreciate your support towards the sick in particular - may God bless 

          those who give towards it.  Gladys and many others would be dead by now.

Gladys in Hospital (the only photo we could get)

 Following are recent uses of the fund:

Gladys was unable to eat or hold food down - even for 5 minutes.  Violet got her to hospital where she was diagnosed with TB, pneumonia and a stomach infection.  She was discharged after 4 days with more energy and no longer vomiting.  She was treated with x-rays, lab tests, and released with antibiotics, pain killers and 4 bottles of blood builder.  The total expenses for her treatment were 14,650 Kenya Shillings (KES) - $170/£112; an unfathomable amount for a villager.

Lorna has been ill - one of her sides "seems to be failing".  A stroke is suspected and she was prescribed some medicine.  It wasn't possible to transport her to Kisumu, so a nurse in the church will be monitoring her in the village.  Also an elderly gentleman was also

diagnosed with "early signs of a stroke and had signs of losing his mind".  Medications prescribed for the two of them for one month cost 5,745 KES ($67/£44).  

Our Lorna

We are told that all three of these folks have recovered well from these illnesses. Lorna has had a further problem. She must use a "stick" to walk now.  She is in her mid to late 80s and can't be kept from coming to church.  She is so grateful for the restoration of her eyesight that she walks about 1.5 miles each way to church and home using her stick.  Recently when walking home from church she fell onto a tree stump and cut her arm badly.  She struggled home but was bleeding quite a lot throughout the night.  Someone stopped by next morning and found her. She was taken to the hospital where she was sutured. Jeremy - our colleague - is going to Kadawa in a few days and he will check up on her for us.

We also have recently treated Mariko; he has prostate cancer and arrangements are being made for surgery.  

Mariko - always happy!

A widow from Magwar has been treated for chronic ulcers and a three-year-old girl who had severe eye allergies.  The medical fund is truly a God-send when it comes to eye allergies in children.  Most of them, when treated early, are easily cured and their eyesight is saved.  So many children have lost their sight due to simple eye infections left untreated.

One of the heart-breaks we have had to face is this little lad.  His mother brought him into the eye clinic, but it was too late. He is 6 years old and blind for life, all for the lack of treatment for a simple eye condition.  Such is life in Kenya.  We don't understand things like this.  (Marty cries a lot at the various clinics; sometimes for sorrow and sometimes for joy!)

If you would like to help with this fund, any amount is welcomed to our two accounts or to us directly.

UK: Emmanuel Christian Centre, Netherstowe,

        Lichfieild, Staffordshire WS13 6TS, UK

USA: Dove Christian Fellowship Lebanon

          P.O. Box 37, Lebanon, PA 17042, USA

Many, Many Blessings,                John & Marty

A SUMMARY OF MANY OF THE THINGS WE ACCOMPLISHED IN 2013

We wanted to let you know what we did with a generous donation to the work in Western Kenya. We were able to bless a lot of people as a result.

It is great fun, although occasionally challenging, to be stewards of what God provides!

Houses

We built two houses for two widows. Building houses is a tremendous blessing to these widows as it is something that is completely impossible for them to achieve without help.

The two widows were Lucy Odhiambo who has a 7 year old son called Braxton. She had been crying out to the Lord for a house as her had collapsed and she was having to live with her mother-in-law. Lucy says “it was an impossibility that she couldn’t imagine happening and she is so thankful to the Lord. She will continue to pray for the sponsor and trusts God might enable that person to help other widows and orphans”.

Lucy Odhiambo and Braxton - the house is only recently
done and doesn't have the outside layer finished.  That is
Lucy's job to do

Claris' House - Before!

Claris' New House!

The second widow was Claris Ochieng who has 3 children, Sheila 7, Faith 10 and Celestine 13. She too appreciates what the Lord has done through the sponsor. As you see, her house was almost collapsing and the roof was leaking a great deal. She is very appreciative and  very happy.

For a widow to get a new house is an impossible dream!  

Hospital Fund

We put $1000 into the hospital fund. This fund helps people with more serious problems to go to hospital to seek medical treatment. Violet, pastor Hesbone’s wife, administers this fund for us as needed. She told us recently that she gets to see first hand how people benefit who otherwise would have no hope of such help. People are so appreciative for this fund.

Eye Clinic

A contribution was made towards the eye clinic that we sponsored at Magwar. The eye clinic cost us $1141.11. This includes hiring two people from the eye hospital, drugs that were bought, eye glasses that were prescribed, reading glasses and several cataract operations.

Distributing Medication at Eye Clinic

Church Library

One project that we feel is invaluable is the church library we have set up.  It is a lending library of books for the leaders and is a resource for their teaching.  It also helps with their English. We obtained quite a number of books from a bible school that was disposing of them at very reasonable rates.  Also we set aside a sum of money for a lockable bookcase to house these books.

Presenting the Books to Pastor Charles

Widows Shoes

We always come across widows who are in need of shoes, flip flop type.  So we have bought some of these to distribute as necessary.  Actually, we had them made by a local craftsman - out of old tires. Keeping the Kenya economy growing, you know!!

Sample of the Shoes We Had Made

                                                                                                                                            On an Ant Hill on the Farm

Pastors' Suits

It is a cultural norm, and is expected in Kenya that a “pastor” looks smart and preferably wears a suit.  We have never done anything for the pastors other than buy them each a tie on one occasion. So we felt this year the Lord would have us honour them with a suit.  We know them all quite personally; they are dedicated to their calling and serve their people well.

Violet went shopping for a good deal as there are now 7 pastors with all the daughter churches.  The 7 were told to come to Kisumu one day and it was a complete surprise when they found out they were each getting a suit. For them it was overwhelming but they enjoyed the photo-shoot afterwards! Incidentally the suits cost £40 each, including alterations.

You should have seen them.  They all went into another room and changed into their new suits to model them for us and to have their photos taken.  We have several individual photos of them posing as if for a fashion magazine.  So much fun for all of us!!

Pastors Fred, Joseph, Laban, Charles, Samuel and Joel
Johnfred Wasn't There, But Got His Suit Later!

Rice Seedlings Planted from Nursery

Development of Rice and Vegetable Plots

The Rice Nursery with  Some of
the Paddies it Has Supplied.

The rice is doing well after the ground and trenches were prepared, plus the planting done under the supervision of an experienced rice grower.  The rice will be given to the destitute widows.

The vegetable area, 20 x 25 metres (meters), is being prepared and fitted with drip irrigation even as we write.  You saw the initial ploughing (plowing), done by oxen, in the last newsletter.  Some of the vegetables that will be grown will be given to the destitute widows and some will be sold to go into the destitute widows' medical fund.

Johnfred

Johnfred is both our Farm supervisor and pastor of the Kisumu church. The church is developing and is now in its second year and meets in a tent, which was sponsored by a donation.

Taken in January of This Year, the Congregation
Has Since Grown.

He used to be the area manager for “Campus Crusade for Christ” in Western Kenya, but when their staff had to become self-supporting he had to leave.  

He and his wife live in Kadawa with their 4 children. As well as the farm and church he also has some studies to do at Bible College to get his diplomas.  He has to go there about three times a year for 4-5 weeks to attend selective classes.

Blessings and Much Love,

John and Marty

THE BIG CELEBRATION

SURPRISE PARTY FOR VOLUNTEERS

The Marquee (you can see a few of the new
 trees we've planted along the drainage ditch)

John has had it on his heart to bless the people who volunteer on The Widows' Farm.  They are mostly younger widows, plus Joel, who "supervises" the women.  John, Johnfred, Charles and Peter planned the whole thing.  They did such a great job!  Planned the menu - goat (later sheep, for we found that the older widows will not eat goat), sukuma wiki (kale), rice, ugali (aka African Cake - very stiff maize (corn) meal used in the place of bread, soda (pop), and tea!  They rented a marquee (tent) filled it with chairs, organized 4 women to do all of the preparation (an unbelievable feat) and even dug a temporary "convenience station".  The women cooked the meal for 28 on three wood fires.

The Temporary Convenience Station
(made with branches and sheets)

The ladies doing the preparation showed up about 6 AM.  One of the guys slaughtered the sheep (WE WERE NOT THERE).  The men did the initial butchering and then the women did the rest.  We saw parts and bits and pieces that we didn't know existed and certainly didn't know were eaten.

We arrived about 10:30 and there were a handful of widows (and a couple of children) in the marquee. (We found out later that they didn't have any idea that they had been invited to a banquet.  They just thought they were coming to some sort of meeting.  As usual, whenever they are called together for a meeting they came in their best clothes.) After we greeted them all Joel, Peter, Charles and Johnfred took us in to "see" the sheep's head and hide.  An aside to the ladies reading this:  Men are the same everywhere.  These guys just delighted in watching and hearing Marty's reaction to this display!  She was pretty cool about it (she thinks) ! Asked what they were going to do with the head they said they would eat it.  And the next day Johnfred let us know that Peter was busy preparing the head for his and Charles' lunch. He explained a bit of how they go about preparing it.  Nothing you want to know about!!!  Asked what on earth they eat from the head - we were told that the tongue is a special delicacy and the cheeks and neck (we didn't ask about the brain).  There are a lot of photos for this newsletter, but a whole lot that you won't be seeing!

While waiting for the meal to be prepared the women began to sing in the tent.  Then John suggested Marty take them to the prayer chapel.  So, she stopped their singing and explained that we were all going to the chapel to sing.  Well, that got them pretty excited and the next thing we knew the women and men (Charles, Johnfred, Joel, Joash [the night watchman] and Peter) were all in a group doing a traditional Luo dance and singing all the way up the farm and to the chapel.  What a thing to watch and be part of - just wonderful!!  We stayed there awhile and sang a lot and then danced all the way back to the tent for our meal. 

Traditional Dancing and Singing
on the Way to the Prayer Chapel

Singing and Dancing in the Prayer Chapel

Apparently sheep are much like chickens in terms of being eaten, in that there is NOTHING wasted.  The blood is cooked with some of the offal and onions and tomatoes.  It cooks up into a dark brown affair that resembles a wurst that hasn't been put in a casing.  They were very gracious in that they didn't offer John and Marty any of it, but very discreetly gave it to the others.  The rest of the organs, the tail and intestines (all cleaned very, very well) were chopped in bite-sized bits and fried, well done, in oil with seasonings.  This was served to us and we ate it - it really was pretty tasty. The whole meal was wonderful!  Our friends are so gracious and sensitive to us, and they know we love them and try to be sensitive to the culture here.  We never want to offend them.  The Lord really and truly does give "eating grace"!  (There are probably many of you reading this who were raised in the country and slaughtering and butchering were [or are] part of normal life for you and you are scratching your head in wonder at us or are laughing your heads off.) Although, Johnfred told us that he would have thrown the blood away.  

Making Ugali and Sukuma Wiki

Sheep Stew, Fried Bits and Pieces,
Sukuma Wiki,Rice, and Ugali

Marty wasn't part of the initial planning process because she had knocked 8/10 of a gallon of paint off the top of a ladder in the house and was cleaning it all up, so she couldn't be involved.  The paint story will show up in another place.  Don't ask!!!! But, before the party she did go out and get more plates, cups and spoons so that there would be enough for however many came. She also found out from the cooks what other kitchen items/utensils would be handy to have for the farm for future events.

The Chief came and got really involved in the festivities.  He told us several very interesting things that we didn't know.  He said it is tribal tradition that to slaughter a sheep and have a meal like that is the way they bless the land.  Also, a marquee is usually only set up for funerals or, sometimes, weddings.  He said the folks there had never been treated to a tent nor a banquet like that.  It was an extremely rare event.  

The Children in the Field Behind the House

Next to the farm is a large field where people graze their cattle.  School is out for a few weeks and there were 9 or 10 children herding the cattle.  They kept gathering around the fence near the festivities (and cooking) to watch what was going on.  They know that Marty always has whistle lollypops and often there will be two or three stop by in any given day and quietly stand until she notices them - but never this many.  They all got their sweets - twice - and then the ladies who were cooking made sure the children all received a meal after the banquet was served.  God is good!  He saw to it that there was enough to feed the children!  

Several folks in America gave us money to buy solar lanterns to give out here in Kadawa. After the meal John and the chief showed the women the lamps and explained how they work, and then told them that they were being given the lanterns in appreciation for their hard work.  Never, ever would we have expected the reaction from those ladies.  They literally jumped up and down and began dancing and singing!  Even the old, old ladies were dancing!  An added bonus to having these lamps is the fact that they will no longer need to buy paraffin (kerosene) and tin-can lanterns.  They seldom can afford more than a few tablespoons of paraffin at a time and those tin lanterns hardly give off any light.  Oh my what a wondrous celebration it was and we were just totally overjoyed by witnessing it all.  Each woman was called by name and came up to get her lantern and every other woman cheered enthusiastically each time one went up - just as happy for each other as themselves.

Response to News of Lanterns

Old Teresia and Charles Dancing

Then lanterns were given out to all the staff and those men were every bit as excited as the women.  Marty took the chief on a tour of the farm and when they got back it looked like a small field of orange mushrooms had spring up.  The ladies had all put their new solar lanterns outside to charge in the sun!

Lanterns Charging in the Sun (orange objects)

We were able to get the tractor in and plow our field and over the past three or four days women and children have been preparing the soil, planting and fertilizing.  Yes, we said children.  It has taken awhile for the old widows to understand that none of the crops grown on the farm are consumed, used, or sold by us for our own personal use.  We didn't realize that was there perception.  Now they know it all goes to or for them and so even though they can't come work some of them are sending grandchildren to work on their behalf.  

Little Boy with His Tool, Preparing Soil for Seeds
(There on Behalf of His Grandmother)

What a wonderful, glorious day!  We are told that nothing had ever happened like that in the village and that it will be talked about for a long, long time!  A wonderful time was had by all. John and Marty possibly had more fun than any of them.  THANK YOU TO ALL WHO MADE THE PARTY AND THE LANTERNS POSSIBLE.  

Blessings,

John & Marty