August '08 | September '08 | October '08 | November '08 | December '08 |
Early in the month, we helped Fr. Riwa hand out bread and milk late at night (at 10 pm) in
front of St. Joseph Cathedral to 87 kids with their glue bottles. And Marilyn spent a day at his St. Francis Children’s
Village – and she was amazed to see the 288 boys there – boys who a couple of years ago were street kids and now they
look like kids in a private boarding school – like kids from families with money. There are also 140 girls at another
location, where construction is going on to enlarge their home and school. To help with this project, please contact
John at parkerj@asme.orgMarilyn discovered McKena, a women’s cooperative that makes tie-dyed fabrics – and while making her selections for purchase, she met retired Methodist Bishop Dr. Lawi Imathiu (former president of the World Methodist Council) and Marilyn Brenchley (formally of Seattle, who has lived in Meru for almost 20 years). They are the co-founders of Kenya Methodist University (KEMU).
Jeffrey, our taxi driver for the summer, drove us (and Martha from Tumaini
Children’s Home in Nyeri and now at Kenya Methodist University) to Rubati Teachers’ College, where we visited Joyce
and Lucy, also from Tumaini in Nyeri. And then the next evening, we had dinner with Jeffrey and his wife Jennifer
and their son John (who also had driven us around a bit). We visited SOS Village, next door to KEMU, and the new home of Nancy Pendo (Love) and Victor from New Start. They looked so small there - and not nearly as outgoing when we saw them last at New Start, where they were the oldest and the biggest. Please Lord, help them, and the other three little boys, adjust to their beautiful new home and family, which will theirs for the rest of their lives.
John continued working on his database assignment at Ripples. Ripples distributes food and other materials to over 10,000 children for US AID. They have to be able to show who got a bar of soap so the record keeping requirements are quite extensive.
Two of the 15-year-old girls at Tumaini Centre in Meru that Marilyn worked with are now
mothers. Both have baby girls. To make a donation to help Ripples International to keep Tumaini Centre operating as a
safe haven for abused girls, please see www.ripplesintl.orgMarilyn photographed jewelry which the girls who are getting vocational training at Tumaini Centre are making – this is their IGA (Income Generating Activity). And she also mounted the photos she had taken of the 31 little ones at New Start (Ripples’ home for abandoned babies). These will be hung in the reception area for to help visitors to put the children’s names and faces together.
On our way to back to Nairobi, via Nyeri, with Jennifer as our chauffeur, we took a diversion at Naro Moru and went out toward MT Kenya, to the home of Nancy (formerly of Tumaini, Nyeri) and her mother Veronica. Veronica is HIV+, and is living a fairly normal life with medication, good food (she works in their shamba to take her mind off herself) and a support group. Nancy, with help from her prayer partner in California, is now taking courses at KIM (Kenya Institute of Management) that will help her get a job 18 months from now and then she be able to support her mom.
In Nairobi, we met Betty, friend of Mugure at Ripples Intl, who is a civil engineer with Kenya Airports Authority. She plans to go to Tumaini in Nyeri sometime soon and speak to the girls and boys who want to become engineers.
Before leaving for home we returned to Bissel to visit the ten Masai girls that we had seen at the end of June - and also to meet Mary, their new tutor/teacher, and the nine year nursery school girl. To help support these girls, please contact John at parkerj@asme.org
For a bit of R & R, we went to Malindi on the Kenya coast, where we visited the Gede Ruins
(ca. 1500) and cooled off in the incredible pools and gardens of Woburn Residence Club
www.woburnresidencemalindi.com And then we went on to Lamu, and the Bahari Guest House in Shela Village, where we had stayed two years ago. It’s still one of our favorite places – we loved our Lala Salama room with the balcony directly above the water. There was always something going on just below us, with lots of boats and people coming and going.
See www.lamuhomes.com.
God has created us
to do for Him
some definite service;
He has committed
some work to us which
He has not committed
to others.
We have our mission …
We are links in a chain,
connections between people.
God has not created us
for nothing.
We shall do good,
we shall do His work;
we shall be preachers
of truth in our own places,
while not intending it,
if we do but keep his commandments
And serve Him in our callings.
Amen
~ Maryknoll / J. H. Newman ~
Fr. Riwa and the Street Children
John, Martha, Joyce, Jeffrey and Lucy
Diana
Approaching Bahari House