Esther

Beautiful little Esther joined our home yesterday!  As with most of our kids, she comes with a heartbreaking past, but can now look forward to a bright future!

Esther is two years old, but because of malnutrition and untreated TB and HIV, she’s the size of an 8 or 9 month old baby!  She has a beautiful smile, with perfectly straight, surprisingly white teeth.  (Many times, kids with malnutrition and/or HIV, don’t have very healthy teeth.)  She’s too weak to stand or even crawl.  But she can sit up, feed herself, drink from a cup and doesn’t miss a thing going on around her!  Even though she’s pretty quiet right now, I can tell that she has tons of personality ready to burst out of her when she gets a bit stronger and more comfortable in her new surroundings!

Esther’s mom died (probably of AIDS) in November of last year.  She had been in the hospital for some time, being cared for by her eight year old son, who was also taking care of his baby sister, Esther.  (Here, when you’re in the hospital, you also have to have a “caretaker” staying with you.  Her dedicated son took on that role!  Amazing!)  When she died, her young son walked all the way back to their village (about 20 miles), carrying his sister on his back, to tell his grandma that her daughter had died and to start his new life of caring for himself and his sister.  What a hero!  If it wasn’t for him, Esther never would have survived.

One year later, their condition had become so desperate, that a concerned villager reported their situation to the children’s department.  The children’s officer was shocked when he went to the village to investigate.  He knew he needed to rescue the children, now aged 9 and 2, immediately!  He drove them to Kitale and called us to come pick up Esther.  The boy was taken to a rescue center, hopefully temporarily, while the children’s office looks for a home to take him in permanently.  We are praying that he gets placed soon, as the rescue center is mostly former street boys (rough and tough), most of them older than this boy.  It’s not an environment that would be easy for a little boy from the village to thrive in.  We are also praying that he ends up being placed in a home where we can easily arrange for he and Esther to have regular visits and grow up knowing and loving each other! 

I know that many of you are thinking that we should just take the boy in also!  Don’t think for a minute that that thought hasn’t been spinning around and around in my head since yesterday!  But, we just can’t!  Our policies of only taking in babies are there for a reason!  We can’t risk the masses to save the one…. I know that sounds cold, but unfortunately it is the reality of our world!  (If anyone feels they need a more detailed explanation of our policy of only taking in babies, please feel free to inbox me.)

I didn’t set out to write a blog about Esther’s brother…. it just sort of turned out that way.  He’s the hero of this whole story!  He hasn’t even been to school because first he was taking care of his sick mother, then after she was gone, he took care of Esther!  What a special kid!

Esther is a special kid too!  She’s a fighter!  If she wasn’t, she wouldn’t have survived up to now!  Today, we took her to AMPATH (HIV AIDS clinic).  She will start antiretroviral medications in a few weeks.  First, she needs to get her strength up, take some antibiotics, eat a balanced diet, etc.  She will also start TB meds, which are hard on the body, but necessary for survival of the disease.  She’s got a long road ahead of her, but she’ll be ok!

GIGATT!

Lucy

Jambo Everybody!

Today, I want to tell you about Lucy.

Lucy is a young lady whom we met several years ago…. must have been about 2007….  She comes from a VERY poor family of around eight people, who all live in a very small mud hut.  I’m not exaggerating when I say that this family has next to nothing!

We first heard about Lucy in early 2007, just a few months after she took her exams for her Kenya Certificate of Primary Education.  (This is an exam that every 8^th grader in Kenya takes.  There is incredible pressure to do well, as your entire educational future depends solely on the score you get on this exam.  If you don’t do well, you will have to settle for a sub-standard high school or not go to high school at all.  If you do semi-well, you will be accepted into a mid-range school.  If you do really well, you will be invited to go to a top rated high school.)  As it turned out, Lucy scored number one in her district!  This is a huge honor and is printed in the national newspapers, etc.  It’s hard to explain to somebody who has never dealt with the Kenyan educational system, just what a big deal this was for Lucy!

As a reward for their accomplishments, the Kenyan government gives a full-ride high school scholarship to the number one KCPE scorer of each district in the country.  This meant that Lucy was suddenly invited to attend high school (free of charge) at one of the best schools in the country, which happened to be located in the capital city of Nairobi.

At the time, we didn’t live far from Lucy and her family.  We didn’t know them well, but it was very obvious that they were extremely poor.  When we heard that Lucy was number one, we asked a friend of ours if she was going to be able to take advantage of her reward of attending a top school.  He sent her to talk to us and we found out that there was no way her family would be able to afford to buy her a bus ticket to Nairobi.  She also couldn’t afford a uniform and shoes (she had never owned a pair of shoes in her life).  We told her that since her school fees (the main expense) would be paid by the government, we would commit to the incidentals of shoes, school supplies, personal effects (toothpaste, feminine products, etc) and bus fare.  Lucy couldn’t wipe the smile off her face!  She was so grateful!

That gratefulness continued over the next four years!   At the beginning of each term, she would show up at our house and let us know how school was going.  Jeff would buy her a bus ticket to get back to school after each term and a new pair of shoes at the beginning of each year.   She continued to do well in school and never asked us for anything beyond what we had committed to… this is a very big deal, by the way!  We probably spent about $100 per year to keep her in one of the best schools in the country!

We hadn’t heard from Lucy for almost a year, which wasn’t a surprise since her high school years had come to an end last November.  A few weeks ago, Jeff got a call from her.  She wanted to know if she could talk to us, so we met her in Kitale.

I’m telling you, I would not have recognized her!  Not because she looked much different, but because she has become such a confident, well spoken, charming young lady!  Gone is the young girl who was so shy she couldn’t bring herself to make eye contact when spoken to!  This new (grown up) Lucy knows what she wants and knows that, if given the opportunity, she can accomplish anything!  She was very articulate, yet unassuming, as she showed us her acceptance papers into NURSING SCHOOL!

This is an incredible opportunity for this young lady and her family!  Education is the ticket out of poverty, but most poverty stricken people never get an opportunity to obtain a good education.  Lucy has worked hard!  She has given it her all!  She has been determined to work her way out of the one room, mud hut she grew up in!  She is an amazing young lady who now has an excellent high school education, but is, for the time being, back in the mud hut waiting to see if God will open a door out.

I’m sure you’ve figured out why I am telling you about this young girl who isn’t one of our In Step kids.  I’m hoping and praying that one of you will feel led to help Lucy in her quest to break the chain of poverty in her family!  We don’t usually get involved in situations like this… everyone has their problems… everyone needs help… many are living in poverty generation after generation.  But this girl has proven herself!  She has not been willing to just accept her situation…. just accept that she will be in poverty all her life!  Even more impressive to me is that she has been willing to take the bull by the horns and go for it!  You don’t see that very often in the desperation of extreme poverty!

After Lucy showed us her acceptance papers and expressed to us her deep desire to become a nurse, we promised to look for a sponsor so she can continue her education.  We did not promise her that we would find one.  We simply promised to put the need out there… which is what I’m doing with this blog.  If you would like to help Lucy, please message or email me!  We are willing to handle the money, pay the school directly, track her progress, etc.

The papers show school fees of about $1000 per year, but we have learned from experience that there are always hidden costs!  One day last week, Jeff saw a group of nursing students who are doing their internships in Kitale, walking down the street toward the hospital.  He pulled over and asked if he could talk to them.  He asked them about the costs of living, books, etc.  As close as we can figure, the total cost for Lucy to attend nursing school would be about $2400 per year.  It is a four year course (3 ½ years in class and six months of internship).  She is supposed to report to school the beginning of March, 2012.

I’m not sure how this is all going to end up!  I’m just getting the word out there!  Maybe you want to pledge a certain amount toward her first year (please don’t send the money until I let you know that enough pledges have come in to cover the entire year).  Maybe you alone are able to cover the first year of this young girl’s college education!  Maybe you are willing to pray for God’s provision!  Whatever you are willing to do, thanks!

I don’t plan on normally using this blog for fund raising purposes.  But Lucy is an incredible young woman who has impressed us greatly over the past five years.  It would thrill us to death to see her have the opportunity to pursue her dreams and break the chain of poverty in her family!

Thanks, everybody!  GIGATT!

Walking Partners!

Jambo Everybody!

For the past couple of years, I’ve tried to get in the habit of walking for exercise.  I sometimes get on a roll, then something happens (I get malaria, visitors arrive, too much rain… which means too much mud, etc.) so I fizzle out.  Two years ago, I bought walking shoes when I was home for a visit…. many of you have experienced the fact that simply buying the shoes does not accomplish the goal of walking!

Last year, when Ashlie was here, the two of us were pretty good about holding one another accountable to our morning walks!  Honestly, if it hadn’t been for me knowing that Ashlie was waiting outside, walking shoes on, I probably wouldn’t have ever gotten my butt out of bed to go for a walk.

Over the past several months, with my walking partner (Ashlie) no longer here to push me, I have really struggled.  I finally accepted the fact that I do not have the self discipline to get up early (I am not a morning person) to go walking.  The middle of the day is out because I am so busy… plus it’s HOT!  That leaves the evenings.

About a week ago, I decided to go for an evening walk.  The big kids (minus Grace and Peter, who are away at boarding school) joined me!  After a big rain earlier in the day, the roads were one big muddy mess!  We didn’t care!  We were going “on safari” together, enjoying each other’s company!

The kids were having a great time!  They were pretending to be Superman (I figured this out when I heard Churchill say, “Previously on Smallville”, before attempting to jump over a big mud puddle!).  They raced and laughed and told stories…. it was lots of fun!

Since that day, almost every evening around 5:00, a group of them hunt me down to ask if we’re going for a walk!  It has really helped me to get on track with my exercising!  Mandazi, our faithful watchdog, always goes with us.  He chases off any dogs, chickens, donkeys, cows, motorcycles, bicycles or people who come into our path!  He’s not overly aggressive…. he just makes sure everyone knows that he’s on the job!

One thing I find very interesting about our walks is the fact that Jenny (age 6 years) always wants to lag behind and bring up the rear.  At first, it was a little bit irritating!  I was constantly hollering, “Jenny, hurry up!”  “Jenny, stay with us!”  “Jenny, why are you always bringing up the rear?”   Then, I remembered how Jenny came to us in the first place.

Jenny was three years old when her auntie took her out for a walk.  The auntie told her, “Jenny, we are going to play a little game!  You walk out in front!  Walk as fast as you can without looking behind you!  If you turn around, you lose the game!”

Jenny took off with great determination to win the game!  She walked for miles without turning back!  Eventually, an old man found her, walking in the dark, miles past the point where her auntie had most likely ducked off into the scenery…..

What a way to abandon a child!  To trick her into walking out in front, while her trusted loved one lagged behind and finally just disappeared.  Is it coincidence that Jenny always wants to bring up the rear when we go for our walks?  Probably not.

GIGATT!

Cindy Lou Hoo!

I’m just kicked back on the bed playing with Cindy Lou and thanking God for saving this beautiful baby!

Cindy is almost five months old.  She came to us as a struggling newborn who was thin and wheezy. Her mother abandoned her at birth, maybe because she was so obviously unhealthy.  We don’t know anything about her mother and can only guess as to why she left her. 

Cindy was placed with us at only a few days old and was almost immediately hospitalized for a few days. She was treated for pneumonia (which she didn’t have) and a lung infection (which she didn’t have).  She constantly struggled to breathe and had a really hard time eating; she would choke and cough and wheeze and scare us to death!

We took her to an Ear, Nose, Throat Specialist in Eldoret and found out that her problem had absolutely nothing to do with her lungs.  The problem is with her trachea.  For some reason, it didn’t fully develop before she was born so was a bit soft instead of firm, like it’s supposed to be.  Because of this, it would kind of collapse in on itself, blocking her air passage and making swallowing milk extremely difficult.  The doctor told us to keep her propped up on pillows, in an inclined position and watch her closely.  He basically said, “If you can keep her alive, the problem will eventually correct itself.  She’ll grow out of it.”

We brought her home and instructed the aunties about her special care; keep her propped up on pillows, watch her closely, don’t let her cry for long, feed her slowly, etc.  What I didn’t realize at the time was that Cindy was so weak that crying for food was just too much work.  And drinking from her bottle absolutely wore her out, so she would just take a couple of ounces then act satisfied.  She’s a finger sucker, so would find her fingers and go to sleep.

One day, I was working in my office when our social worker came in with Cindy.  She said, “Mama Carla, some of the aunties are concerned about this baby because she doesn’t look good.”  She opened up Cindy’s onsie and I was shocked at how thin she was!  I said, “This baby is starving!”  The social worker said, “No, Mama Carla.  She eats until she’s satisfied.  There must be something else wrong!” 

This happened on a Friday.  I decided to take care of her myself over the weekend, so I could take her to the doctor on Monday, and be able to give him a complete report on how much and how often she was eating, whether or not she would vomit it up, whether or not her bowel movements were normal, etc.

By that evening, I had figured out the problem!  It was so much work for her to eat, that after about an ounce of milk, she was exhausted!  Also, because of her trachea problem, she would swallow huge amounts of air while eating.  Her tummy would blow up like a balloon until she would burp, then it would just deflate and she would drift off into an exhausted sleep.  She had to be encouraged (forced) to take more than an ounce or two of milk at a time and the whole feeding process could take more than an hour.  It was really touch and go for a while!

We moved her into our room, making her a bed in a laundry basket next to our bed.  She constantly squeaked and wheezed.  If I woke up in the night and couldn’t hear her, I would panic!  I remember one evening, I was talking to my daughter on the phone and Cindy was lying on the bed next to me.  Sarah said, “Is there a bird in your room?”  It was Cindy squeaking!

Cindy has slowly but surely improved each day!  She no longer has to be convinced to eat!  She no longer struggles to breathe…just a slight squeak sometimes.  She still has to burp like a sailor in order to deflate her stomach and sometimes forgets to let someone know when it’s time to eat, satisfying herself with her fingers instead.  But she is so strong now!  She has such a good appetite!  She has a beautiful smile and loves to tell stories!   Honestly, you would never know what a rough start she had!  God has saved her and I know He has an awesome plan for her life!

GIGATT!

TI Tuesdays!

Today was our first TI Tuesday of 2011!  Transformed International (TI) is an awesome organization based in Kitale.  Every year, TI runs an internship program for a select group of young people who are interested in using their gifts and talents to serve on the mission field.  The past couple of years, In Step has been a beneficiary of this program and we are excited that we will be again this time around!

Today, we got to meet the 2011 interns!  What a neat group of young people!  They were full of questions and comments and obvious excitement to serve in whatever way they can!  Meredith has agreed to be hostess/coordinator and has lots of ideas for projects and activities!  I’m really excited!

Today was a day for them to just sort of play with the kids and get to know them a little bit.  The kids were thrilled (as they always are) to have visitors!  They crowded around them, climbed on them, showed off their skills at doing somersaults, begged to be picked up, etc.  Teddy, Joel, Antone and the small babies also enjoyed the extra attention!  All in all, it was a fun day for everyone!

GIGATT!

Coffee Shop and Fellowship!

Jambo Everybody!

I hope you all had as restful of a day as I did!  Today was a Sunday not much different than most Sundays…  the main difference being that I got stuck with an old wire, which entered into my hand about ½ inch so I had to get a tetanus shot!  Other than that, it was a wonderful day!

Sundays are awesome!  Lunch with friends at the Coffee Shop, followed by fellowship meeting with other missionaries and their families.  It’s my favorite day; restful and refreshing!  I feel ready to tackle a new week!

Our fellowship group is going through the book of Philippians.  Today we discussed Chapter 2:1-11.  It was an interesting and challenging discussion.  Do I really see others as better than myself and look to their needs along with my own?  (Don’t answer that!) 

It’s interesting to note that the modern day Body of Christ has many of the same issues as the Church of Philipi had two thousand plus years ago.  I guess people are people, no matter what time in history they lived.  That’s one thing that makes God’s Word so timeless!

I’m sure for those of you in America, much of today will be centered around the 9/11 anniversary.  Obviously it wasn’t the focus here in Kenya, but I know that all of us Americans had it in the backs of our minds throughout the day.  May God bless those who have fought and continue to fight for America’s freedom!

GIGATT!

More Than a Hill of Beans!

Today was a good day!  It was a fairly uneventful day, which around here equates to a good day!

One of our main focuses the past several weeks has been harvesting almost five acres of beans.  They finally got that all finished up while we were gone on safari and we were pretty happy with the harvest.  We ended up with 21 sacks of nice looking beans!  That’s enough to get us through about a year, without having to buy beans, which (like everything else) have gone up significantly in price recently.

Since we got such a good harvest, we decided to turn around and plant beans again!  Today, we got about two acres planted.  You may be wondering why we would plant more beans, when we already have enough to get us through a year….

We are really working toward becoming self-sufficient where our food is concerned.  With the recent addition of two big green houses and some drip irrigation lines for a pretty good sized garden, we are now planning to grow a variety of foods year around.  We are hoping to sell our surplus, with the profit going back into the farming budget to buy seeds, hire tractors, hire casual laborers, etc.  Eventually, we should be making enough profit to cover the costs of other foods, which we buy at the supermarket; rice, sugar, flour, bread, jam, etc.  (That’s a ways down the road, but is our ultimate goal with the farming project!)  So, with that said, if we can get another 20 bags of beans harvested this year and sell them at the market, the proceeds will go a long ways toward getting us operating at a profit!

Besides the hassle and expense of buying vegetables in the market, it’s also a little bit scary because you don’t really know what you’re getting!  It’s not uncommon to hear of people who have become very sick (or worse) because of eating veggies that they didn’t know had recently been sprayed with insecticides!  It gives us peace of mind to grow our own food!  We are already enjoying zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers, spinach, kale, pumpkin, butternut squash…. Onions, carrots, tomatoes and many other yummy things are not far from being ready!  It is exciting!

GIGATT!

I'm a blogger!

Jambo Everybody! 

I've decided to move into the modern times of blogging!  I'm still planning, but not promising, to send out a newsletter every now and then... but short, little blogs will be a great way to keep you all up to date on a more day to day basis!  I'm really excited about it!

I'm hoping to, each evening, just give a little update of the day... funny stuff the kids did, crazy stuff that comes up almost daily, updates on projects, etc.  This is the kind of stuff I have trouble remembering when I sit down to write a newsletter, but stuff I think you might be interested in hearing about.

Anyway, this blog is kind of a practice so I can try to post it on facebook and send it to my email list.... I'll try to write a real one tonight!

GIGATT!
Carla