Sorry missed a few days!
October 17-19, 2010
Pole, pole (sorry, sorry) I missed a few days. Sunday we went to church at Crossroads where the youth lead all the of the service. They were the ushers, they were doing the worship songs, and the youth pastor did the sermon. It was a really great way for the youth to feel an important part of the church and the lesson was on Daniel 1 about keeping our youth pure and spending time with them. It was a really neat idea that US churches can probably learn from. Then in the afternoon we went on a 10K bike ride around Hollar Park. I didn't think it woud ever end, but at the end we were in a very, very quiet field filled with some type of animal with horns (bigger than deer) maybe elk but I'm not sure with Kenyan type evergreen /weeping willow trees and it was beautiful. We have been preparing for our staff appreication day for Bomani, Vipingo, Ingeli and one other school here in Kenya. It's tomorrow and all the staff are very excited.
Monday was a great day. We spend the morning until 1pm in the courthouse in Mombosa with Vicki, a lawyer Pastor Allan introduced me to last time I was here, that does adoption work in Kenya. It was a big civil rights case for woman. Police are unfairly targetting woman to prosecute for certain crimes and under the new constitutuion that is illegal and so they brought suit and are suing various govermental agencies. It is a really big case. Unfortuantly it was slightly delayed until Friday but I am praying it goes well for all the parties involved. After being in court for a few days and meeting so many lawyers I remember how much I miss being a lawyer. I love what I am doing, but I do miss the relationships and small talk between lawyers and judges.
Then we had lunch at a beautiful club downtown called the Mombosa club. If you've ever been to the Wisconsin Club in downtown Milwaukee, it is exactly like that. Very victorian and elegant and very relaxing at the same time. It is a club that you have to join and then you can eat and drink and even stay at some hotel rooms if you are traveling from out of town. Vicky - our lawyer friend - suggested I get a membership! But not yet. Vicky is also working on developing an organization here in Kenya to work on getting communities empowered to fight for their rights for clean water so we learned a lot about that and it is very exciting to see Kenyans working for the same issues we are working for. I will miss Vicky.
Then later in the day on Monday we met with a social worker from Little Angels Network (orphanges around Kenya) and talked about what problems her and Vicky see with the adoption processes in Kenya domestically and interantionally and we also talked about some possible solutions and reasons the laws are as they are right now and other ways to address those issues and also address some of the problems. I won't get into all of the details, but it doesn't seem all the difficult if we can talk with the right people. That was very fun and exciting. After that great meeting and the stressful day in court I had a migraine so didn't post last night.
We came home and showered and we were off to visit Pastor Allan and his wife Eva finally. I haven't hardly seen Allan since I arrived. I wanted to talk with him about Kenyan coffee and I was able to talk with his wife about some work she would like to do and I am praying we will be able to make happen quickly which is exciting. She wants to send African products to stores or shops in the US and then would like to have the US send things here for her to sell in a shop here. If anyone has any contacts for her other than Plowshare in Waukesha (which I will be forwarding to her today), please let me know so I can get her that information.
We were also able to talk with Allan about some meetings he was able to set up for us in Nairobi on Friday. Allan is amazing. We have meetings with some many different people and I know God will work though us and these people to make some amazing changes in Kenya for the good. It is very exciting. I will let you know about that when I get home but pray for Allan and pray for these meetings - one is the head for the Kenyan lawyers society (he will decide if I get a Kenyan law license or not); another one is with an lawyer in Nairobi to get a foundation started for Kristen; and we may be able to get a few other meetings with officials in Kenya to discuss at least briefly and hopefuly exchange email address the adoption issues. Please pray for those meetings. I am very excited yet very nervous but, I know this is God's project not my project and it will all work out His way and that is just fine with me not matter waht the outcome will be.
Then today we spent out in Vipingo. We took photos, height, weight and a medical exam of all the children. It went very well and we got it done in record time thanks to all the helpful teachers and Kristen's organization before hand. It was great to spend some time at lunch with the littler children at the school and see faces from over the years. Tonight we are uploading data and updating the blog!
Until tomorrow,
Carrie
Pole, pole (sorry, sorry) I missed a few days. Sunday we went to church at Crossroads where the youth lead all the of the service. They were the ushers, they were doing the worship songs, and the youth pastor did the sermon. It was a really great way for the youth to feel an important part of the church and the lesson was on Daniel 1 about keeping our youth pure and spending time with them. It was a really neat idea that US churches can probably learn from. Then in the afternoon we went on a 10K bike ride around Hollar Park. I didn't think it woud ever end, but at the end we were in a very, very quiet field filled with some type of animal with horns (bigger than deer) maybe elk but I'm not sure with Kenyan type evergreen /weeping willow trees and it was beautiful. We have been preparing for our staff appreication day for Bomani, Vipingo, Ingeli and one other school here in Kenya. It's tomorrow and all the staff are very excited.
Monday was a great day. We spend the morning until 1pm in the courthouse in Mombosa with Vicki, a lawyer Pastor Allan introduced me to last time I was here, that does adoption work in Kenya. It was a big civil rights case for woman. Police are unfairly targetting woman to prosecute for certain crimes and under the new constitutuion that is illegal and so they brought suit and are suing various govermental agencies. It is a really big case. Unfortuantly it was slightly delayed until Friday but I am praying it goes well for all the parties involved. After being in court for a few days and meeting so many lawyers I remember how much I miss being a lawyer. I love what I am doing, but I do miss the relationships and small talk between lawyers and judges.
Then we had lunch at a beautiful club downtown called the Mombosa club. If you've ever been to the Wisconsin Club in downtown Milwaukee, it is exactly like that. Very victorian and elegant and very relaxing at the same time. It is a club that you have to join and then you can eat and drink and even stay at some hotel rooms if you are traveling from out of town. Vicky - our lawyer friend - suggested I get a membership! But not yet. Vicky is also working on developing an organization here in Kenya to work on getting communities empowered to fight for their rights for clean water so we learned a lot about that and it is very exciting to see Kenyans working for the same issues we are working for. I will miss Vicky.
Then later in the day on Monday we met with a social worker from Little Angels Network (orphanges around Kenya) and talked about what problems her and Vicky see with the adoption processes in Kenya domestically and interantionally and we also talked about some possible solutions and reasons the laws are as they are right now and other ways to address those issues and also address some of the problems. I won't get into all of the details, but it doesn't seem all the difficult if we can talk with the right people. That was very fun and exciting. After that great meeting and the stressful day in court I had a migraine so didn't post last night.
We came home and showered and we were off to visit Pastor Allan and his wife Eva finally. I haven't hardly seen Allan since I arrived. I wanted to talk with him about Kenyan coffee and I was able to talk with his wife about some work she would like to do and I am praying we will be able to make happen quickly which is exciting. She wants to send African products to stores or shops in the US and then would like to have the US send things here for her to sell in a shop here. If anyone has any contacts for her other than Plowshare in Waukesha (which I will be forwarding to her today), please let me know so I can get her that information.
We were also able to talk with Allan about some meetings he was able to set up for us in Nairobi on Friday. Allan is amazing. We have meetings with some many different people and I know God will work though us and these people to make some amazing changes in Kenya for the good. It is very exciting. I will let you know about that when I get home but pray for Allan and pray for these meetings - one is the head for the Kenyan lawyers society (he will decide if I get a Kenyan law license or not); another one is with an lawyer in Nairobi to get a foundation started for Kristen; and we may be able to get a few other meetings with officials in Kenya to discuss at least briefly and hopefuly exchange email address the adoption issues. Please pray for those meetings. I am very excited yet very nervous but, I know this is God's project not my project and it will all work out His way and that is just fine with me not matter waht the outcome will be.
Then today we spent out in Vipingo. We took photos, height, weight and a medical exam of all the children. It went very well and we got it done in record time thanks to all the helpful teachers and Kristen's organization before hand. It was great to spend some time at lunch with the littler children at the school and see faces from over the years. Tonight we are uploading data and updating the blog!
Until tomorrow,
Carrie
It sounds like a busy, busy time. I'm glad you're geting things done and am looking forward to helping with the projects when you come home. Praying for you.
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