THINGS ARE FINALLY FALL INTO PLACE
Wednesday, May 1 KENYAN LABOR DAY - public holiday
We had the meeting for people interested in working as volunteers with the pregnancy crises center today. It was a good turn out for a public holiday and we have some very key people that came and we are looking forward to getting the trainings going. Good turn out and very engaging discussion on how to approach the prevention issues and other things.
Got a chance to look through Jane Jalani's paperwork and talk with here about how to structure the paperwork for this venture and that went very well. I forgot to mention on Sunday, we got a chance to meet someone that has the same vision of building a pregnancy crises center in Bamburi, an area just outside Mombasa. It is in the same county as Mombasa. She already has a start of a building. She has the first floor just about finished and we would like to add two more floors. She also has a preschool started on the property though it meets under a tin roof that has a lot of holes in the roof.
She also has a large garden started. It is so exciting to see that she already has land and we could get started very, very soon. Pray for the government to allow the transfer of land out of one name into another and dividing the land as needed for the project to continue. We probably need around $37,000 to finish the second floor and a similar amount for the third floor and then some funds for finishing off the first floor with drywall. That is so exciting. I cannot believe it. Very exciting.
George, the social worker for the amazing Good Life Orphanage, came to join us and volunteered to help us get organized from the social work point of view. He is also heading back to school in the fall in Mombasa and so he is now only a consultant for Good Life. He is working on raising funds for his master degree and wants to do a few years of volunteer service as he completes his education. Anyone interested in supporting him, even with a few dollars, please inbox me. I want to support him as much as I can. I am so grateful for him. He is an amazing social worker and is especially good at organizing and getting organizations started and getting all the books and files together. He also was the one that told us about Mother's Vision, a woman who is doing this work in Mtwapa. We hope to go tomorrow to visit there and speak with her.
Then we headed for a quick bit to eat and a few phone calls and WIFI search at Cafe Mocha and then we were off to MikkiDani again to visit the baby orphanages. We enjoined seeing Selpher once again. Selpher came with us over to Patrick's orphanage so we could introduce them. It turns out that from Patricks house you can see Peter and Selpher's place. WE came from America to unite neighbors doing the same work. I look forward to them working together on getting the children into permanent long term homes through adoption and just getting spiritual and emotional support to each other. So great to see the babies. The babies at Patrick's really warmed up to us very quickly this time. They came running over to us. They were crying when we were leaving. We brought them a whole kitchen full of food - flour, baby porridge and bananas potatoes, onions and so much more. We are really praying for them. They are going through a lot of changes with having their own baby and moving to a way different part of town then they use to be in. Will miss the babies so much, but Peter and PAtrick will be meeting tomorrow to discuss adoption issues and how do work on paperwork for that to be an option for them babies. Peter is an expert in that.
Then we headed home for dinner with the Horne's. We had a great dinner and great to hear about where things are headed and share where things need some greasing!
Sad that we have only one more day left here. Feel like I could use 2-3 more to get things a little more organized, but that is what email is for I guess. I will be back with Fox River in June, but won't have much time at all to work on this.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
So it's our last day. We started our day off with the Laura and Sue went to say good bye to Wana wa Mola boys and drop off some extra things. I went to meet with Jane Jilani and Jayne to discuss further details on the future of the property and pregnancy crises center. We had a great meeting. Got a lot of details worked out and a long list of to do's to follow up for trainings, building details, financial support for the building and the girls, website, Facebook page, and so many other things. Very excited to follow up on that.
The girls had a great time at Wana Wa Mola. We had meet Mark last week and saw him again at the run/walk as all the boys came and ran at the run walk. One of them won first place in the children's division. He was really opening up to us. He wanted to know the exact details of when we would be visiting them again before they left on Saturday. He was really smiling and having a great time this time. It was great to see.
Then we headed to Dorman's to call the US Embassy and do some more research on trainings and other calls for the pregnancy crises center. The Embassy number we had would not go through. I had gotten a response to an email earlier that morning that was not helpful at all. I will be having to deal with that by email when I get home. Trying to get information on Guardianship/adoption visas.
We meet with Job at Crossroads who quit his job in the shopping centers making soap stone as his boss was not happen that when he became a Christian he could not overcharge and lie to customers. So he came to work for a lot less pay at Crossroads as the gardener. I will be working with him to make woodwork and soapstone that I bring back to sell so he has extra income coming in and I get a good deal at the same time. Looking forward to finding him as much business as possible.
Then we headed to Mtwapa to meet with Susan who is running a similar center there - Mother's Vision. After meeting with her we realized she is doing more of an orphanage, specifically targeting kids that have been raped or sexual abused. They have a building and all the necessary documents/permits, etc. They are waiting for finances to provide work staff and a little for food. It is an amazing place and so colorful. They have a bedroom, bed and office for our Susan to come stay. The place was so peaceful and just wonderful. We stayed a really long time. We viewed their garden which was huge. Moses the pastor there sat with us and we talked and prayed. It was a great end to the day. George from Good Life Orphanage helped us find the place.
Susan needs to write a book about all of her life story. She was pregnant at 15 and was living in the streets. She was pregnant and living in a taxi and so many other life experiences. We pray they get the funding they need to bring the kids in. They already have 60 some kids waiting to come into the center. Our Sue is praying about her part here.
Then we headed to Java's for dinner and to say goodbye to Liz, Rose, and Paul and to finish up our phone calls.
I called Barbara Porter who is an American who has been planting pregnancy crises centers all over Africa and is currently in Kenya and has been for a while. She was amazing. She is giving us an amazing deal to come out to train us on counseling training for the volunteers to help the girls. I cannot believe things are falling into place so easily. She is even paying her own airfare to get here. We just need a place for her to stay.
Then we said goodbye to Rashid and Jayne. We had to pack all of our stuff and extra suitcases into suitcase.
Then we got a massage from Joy on her new massage table. Finally off to sleep. Had to get upat 4:30 to be ready on time to get to the airport at 5:45.
Friday, May 3, 2013 - Nairobi
We got the keys for the apartment and then went to meet up with Benta from Kibera and a shopping center to drop off flashcards and other school supplies for her school.
Then we went to view Ginny's counseling center in the outskirts of Nairobi. It was great to see the work they do and they are very willing to help us train our girls on the paper bead jewelry and other items.
We tried to see a pregnancy crises center that houses the women for short periods of time. But we were not able to make that work with traffic being so bad.
So we went to KFC (Kenya Fried Chicken - they call it here!) for dinner at 3:00 and then headed back to apartment to get to sleep because we had to get up at 1am to get to the airport on time for our 3:45 am.
Hard time sleeping but we tried. Slept, got up and read for and hour and then back to sleep for a little while. Then off to the airport.
We had the meeting for people interested in working as volunteers with the pregnancy crises center today. It was a good turn out for a public holiday and we have some very key people that came and we are looking forward to getting the trainings going. Good turn out and very engaging discussion on how to approach the prevention issues and other things.
Got a chance to look through Jane Jalani's paperwork and talk with here about how to structure the paperwork for this venture and that went very well. I forgot to mention on Sunday, we got a chance to meet someone that has the same vision of building a pregnancy crises center in Bamburi, an area just outside Mombasa. It is in the same county as Mombasa. She already has a start of a building. She has the first floor just about finished and we would like to add two more floors. She also has a preschool started on the property though it meets under a tin roof that has a lot of holes in the roof.
She also has a large garden started. It is so exciting to see that she already has land and we could get started very, very soon. Pray for the government to allow the transfer of land out of one name into another and dividing the land as needed for the project to continue. We probably need around $37,000 to finish the second floor and a similar amount for the third floor and then some funds for finishing off the first floor with drywall. That is so exciting. I cannot believe it. Very exciting.
George, the social worker for the amazing Good Life Orphanage, came to join us and volunteered to help us get organized from the social work point of view. He is also heading back to school in the fall in Mombasa and so he is now only a consultant for Good Life. He is working on raising funds for his master degree and wants to do a few years of volunteer service as he completes his education. Anyone interested in supporting him, even with a few dollars, please inbox me. I want to support him as much as I can. I am so grateful for him. He is an amazing social worker and is especially good at organizing and getting organizations started and getting all the books and files together. He also was the one that told us about Mother's Vision, a woman who is doing this work in Mtwapa. We hope to go tomorrow to visit there and speak with her.
Then we headed for a quick bit to eat and a few phone calls and WIFI search at Cafe Mocha and then we were off to MikkiDani again to visit the baby orphanages. We enjoined seeing Selpher once again. Selpher came with us over to Patrick's orphanage so we could introduce them. It turns out that from Patricks house you can see Peter and Selpher's place. WE came from America to unite neighbors doing the same work. I look forward to them working together on getting the children into permanent long term homes through adoption and just getting spiritual and emotional support to each other. So great to see the babies. The babies at Patrick's really warmed up to us very quickly this time. They came running over to us. They were crying when we were leaving. We brought them a whole kitchen full of food - flour, baby porridge and bananas potatoes, onions and so much more. We are really praying for them. They are going through a lot of changes with having their own baby and moving to a way different part of town then they use to be in. Will miss the babies so much, but Peter and PAtrick will be meeting tomorrow to discuss adoption issues and how do work on paperwork for that to be an option for them babies. Peter is an expert in that.
Then we headed home for dinner with the Horne's. We had a great dinner and great to hear about where things are headed and share where things need some greasing!
Sad that we have only one more day left here. Feel like I could use 2-3 more to get things a little more organized, but that is what email is for I guess. I will be back with Fox River in June, but won't have much time at all to work on this.
Thursday, May 2, 2013
So it's our last day. We started our day off with the Laura and Sue went to say good bye to Wana wa Mola boys and drop off some extra things. I went to meet with Jane Jilani and Jayne to discuss further details on the future of the property and pregnancy crises center. We had a great meeting. Got a lot of details worked out and a long list of to do's to follow up for trainings, building details, financial support for the building and the girls, website, Facebook page, and so many other things. Very excited to follow up on that.
The girls had a great time at Wana Wa Mola. We had meet Mark last week and saw him again at the run/walk as all the boys came and ran at the run walk. One of them won first place in the children's division. He was really opening up to us. He wanted to know the exact details of when we would be visiting them again before they left on Saturday. He was really smiling and having a great time this time. It was great to see.
Then we headed to Dorman's to call the US Embassy and do some more research on trainings and other calls for the pregnancy crises center. The Embassy number we had would not go through. I had gotten a response to an email earlier that morning that was not helpful at all. I will be having to deal with that by email when I get home. Trying to get information on Guardianship/adoption visas.
We meet with Job at Crossroads who quit his job in the shopping centers making soap stone as his boss was not happen that when he became a Christian he could not overcharge and lie to customers. So he came to work for a lot less pay at Crossroads as the gardener. I will be working with him to make woodwork and soapstone that I bring back to sell so he has extra income coming in and I get a good deal at the same time. Looking forward to finding him as much business as possible.
Then we headed to Mtwapa to meet with Susan who is running a similar center there - Mother's Vision. After meeting with her we realized she is doing more of an orphanage, specifically targeting kids that have been raped or sexual abused. They have a building and all the necessary documents/permits, etc. They are waiting for finances to provide work staff and a little for food. It is an amazing place and so colorful. They have a bedroom, bed and office for our Susan to come stay. The place was so peaceful and just wonderful. We stayed a really long time. We viewed their garden which was huge. Moses the pastor there sat with us and we talked and prayed. It was a great end to the day. George from Good Life Orphanage helped us find the place.
Susan needs to write a book about all of her life story. She was pregnant at 15 and was living in the streets. She was pregnant and living in a taxi and so many other life experiences. We pray they get the funding they need to bring the kids in. They already have 60 some kids waiting to come into the center. Our Sue is praying about her part here.
Then we headed to Java's for dinner and to say goodbye to Liz, Rose, and Paul and to finish up our phone calls.
I called Barbara Porter who is an American who has been planting pregnancy crises centers all over Africa and is currently in Kenya and has been for a while. She was amazing. She is giving us an amazing deal to come out to train us on counseling training for the volunteers to help the girls. I cannot believe things are falling into place so easily. She is even paying her own airfare to get here. We just need a place for her to stay.
Then we said goodbye to Rashid and Jayne. We had to pack all of our stuff and extra suitcases into suitcase.
Then we got a massage from Joy on her new massage table. Finally off to sleep. Had to get upat 4:30 to be ready on time to get to the airport at 5:45.
Friday, May 3, 2013 - Nairobi
We got the keys for the apartment and then went to meet up with Benta from Kibera and a shopping center to drop off flashcards and other school supplies for her school.
Then we went to view Ginny's counseling center in the outskirts of Nairobi. It was great to see the work they do and they are very willing to help us train our girls on the paper bead jewelry and other items.
We tried to see a pregnancy crises center that houses the women for short periods of time. But we were not able to make that work with traffic being so bad.
So we went to KFC (Kenya Fried Chicken - they call it here!) for dinner at 3:00 and then headed back to apartment to get to sleep because we had to get up at 1am to get to the airport on time for our 3:45 am.
Hard time sleeping but we tried. Slept, got up and read for and hour and then back to sleep for a little while. Then off to the airport.
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