October 12, 2010

It was a great day today.   Kristen and I were up at 5:00 am so we could make it through downtown without hitting hours worth of traffic and so we would not have to wait hours to get across on the car ferry to get to the south coast.   We first arrived at Perani which is 1.5 hours past Tiwi (which is already 1-2 hours past Mombosa where we stay) to take pictures of all the kids and get their height and weight and some personal info on their families so we could put that info into a data base to hook up sponsors with this database so they can check their child's progress.    Pastor Daniel is in charge of that school and is a great man of God.   It was great to see another school and see the differences between that school and our Fox River schools.  It make such a difference in the culture when the church is 100% behind the school.   You can see a difference in the children.   I know with the work Kristen is doing here and the work I am doing here and at home we will be able to get this school and the second school we saw today fully sponsored.  I should say God can get the schools fully sponsored.  

Then we went to Tumani, not far from Perani.    That school was heartbreaking.  We were taking pictures and asking the kids to laugh and smile, and they could not smile.   There was very little if any hope at all in their eyes.  They look tired and worn out and lacking in hope.  Their school is a few mud huts that they built.  Their baby classroom for 35 kids is the size of my closet (maybe 9X9) and it has no roof because they cannot afford the 1000 schillings about $12 to put the roof on it.    So instead the kids sit in this tiny classroom with the sun (hot, hot, hot sun) beating down on them all day long.   They are praying for a roof at the church.    The worse part of this community is the water.   Earlier this year they had NO water (dirty or clean) .    In May and June they had a lot of rain so now they have litterally a pond with yellow and green lilly pads that they drink out of.   The teachers and Pastor Steve shared that their is sewage waste in the water, but they are just so greatful to have at least some water in the community.   That is really, really heart breaking.   They hope the pond will last 2-3 years but it has gone down a lot in the last month (the last time Kristen was here).  

The only bit of hope at that school is the great teachers, Joseph, Johnson, John and the woman teachers as well and the Pastor Steve who is in charge of the school and the 6 outlying churches in the area.   He has his school teachers each take one church a week and follows them to make sure everyone in the community can reach the church and get feed by the word of God.  

We were able to get booked into a gorgeous hotel on a missionary rate and got our dinner and breakfast included and an ocean view room and a great room for $50 each.   It has been great to relax this afternoon.  We went swimming in the Indian Ocean.  The first time I fully got into the ocean in my 4 times being here.   It was a little work to get past all the rocks and things but it was worth it.  

Tomorrow back to these schools to hopefully get all the kids that were absent - there were a lot of them - given the water situation and then to Tiwi in the afternoon - my favorite school.   Thank you all for your great support and prayers.  I could not do this without you.