The Rest of 2006

Our last day at Victoria Falls, December 10th, 2006

It was to be an easy day as nothing was planned. We asked Becky and Katie if they wanted to go with us but they just wanted to hang around the pool. We decided to go off on our own. We went back to Victoria Falls, we still had our entrance ticket from the day before and we wondered if they would let us in, they did. Yesterday we were on the opposite side of the fall, we decided to walk on the other side of the fall where the water was coming from. We saw a young couple with a guide passed us and Alan said they are going to cross the fall to Livingston Island. Guides are all around as we entered to get business, they charge $25 US to take people to the island and back. We watched them and saw how they crossed and then Alan asked me what do you want to do, and I said I want to cross the falls. So he said “Let’s go”. It was an experience I will not forget. I had to take off my sandals and walk along the edge of the dam, under the water there is a concrete slab and I imitated the people who crossed and walking side ways, moving my right foot and then my left foot, one leg at a time, very carefully as I am walking against the currents of water. At the middle of the fall the currents were very strong and there were moments when I was scared, but Alan was holding my hand all the time, and it looked to me that he was having a hard time crossing in the water, at one point he took off his shoes and I think that was not a good idea and he put them back on. When we got through this part of the fall we got on land and we were able to walk bare footed, most times we had to cross shallow water, there was one part where it was too deep for me to walk across and to my surprise Alan carried me upside down over his shoulders. We went about as far as we wanted to and after there was not much else to see we decided to turn back. The trip back was faster as now we were just tracing back our steps. An African man was watching us as we safely crossed the falls again and he looked at me and shaked his head and I just gave him a wave and a smile.
We walked back to the Market place and I sat down for a drink and a rest and Alan went to find a victim. He talked to one vendor, Steven, who became very interested in what Alan was saying and he invited us to visit his village that afternoon. AT 1.15 our tour driver picked us up and we were back at camp for lunch.
At 2.30 we left the camp again this time on our own, Alan thought we might get a taxi but they were charging us double to get a taxi, they said the taxi had to come here to pick us up so they have to charge double. This was at the gate of the camp site and Alan told the guards there, a woman and a couple of men, that we would not have to get a taxi because God will provide our transport. The lady told us that we would have to wait a long time! But we started walking out of the campsite. We said a little prayer to God to please help us get transport. Just about 5 minutes walk a car left the camp and as he passed us he stopped. He asked us where we were going and he told us he was going that way and could drop us there. So our God-sent driver dropped us at Victoria Falls where we were going to meet Steven. Alan gave this driver something for his afford. Steven took us by taxi to his village, Makuni village. We walked around Makuni village and it was such a nice village, there were many mango trees everywhere. Not that this is unusual because we see mango trees all over Africa when we are driving along the road. But here the mango trees are in a different setting. We passed a hut next to a mango tree that had ripe mangos and Steven went over and asked the owner if we could have mangos and they gave each of us one. So we walked on eating our mangos. Do you know how they eat mangoes? They just bite off the skin and eat everything! We met Steven’s wife and we took pictures with them in front of their house. They have two little boys. This village impressed us very much. It was clean and well organized. We saw the clinic they have for pregnant women and we walked to the town where their market was. Steven took us to see his grand-mother who was sick. We went into the hut to pray for her. We gave her some candies and she held on to them. We got a taxi to take us back to the camp for dinner.
After dinner we were walking back to our tent and someone shouted to us and said “I now believe” and alan and I were trying to understand what he was saying, then he told us, remember this afternoon at the gate, I was there, you told the guard, God will provide you the transport …and then, we remembered. We were so happy that what happened was a witness to him. You see, you never know that whatever you do, somewhere, somehow, God is doing something in someone.



Our visit to Hope Village Malawi

Wednesday, Dec. 13th, 2006, we took the bus to Blantyre from Lilongwe and had arranged for Les to pick us up at 2.30 p.m. They took us to their club for a late lunch. Then they had to do their grocery shopping and we paid the bill as a blessing to them. It was an hour ride back to Malawi Village. My first impression on arrival is how hot it was. I didn’t remember it being like this.
We were taken to our room, and we left our bags as Alan wanted to see the orphans right away, we went to the first orphanage house and they were very happy to see Alan. In this house I met Tina for the first time, this is Alena’s little girl, the girl that was pregnant on our first visit here in October 2004. Tina is now one and a half years old.

Thursday, the next day Alan had woken up early and went to the morning prayer meeting. Later that morning, we walked around the village, took pictures of Les’ house which was almost finished, and then we went to Esther and Dave’s house, a couple from Holland now working with Les at the village, they have completed their house with Dave having worked with the builders to have it done quickly. We also went to the clinic, which is at present where Chris, the nurse, lives. Chris is also building her house which is close by, next to Les’ house. I cannot imagine living here and perhaps that is why they have to build such nice houses, with air-conditioners, to be able to live here.
It was very hot and we took morning and afternoon showers. Later in the evening we visited the second orphanage house and the children there all remembered Alan. They were very happy to see him again.

On Friday Alan was invited to speak at the morning prayer meeting. I joined the children at the afternoon daily program and taught them the song again and took pictures.

On Saturday, our last day here, we got a ride with the family to town as they needed to go do all their Christmas shopping and errands. We went our way, walking around town and then I played “bow” with the guards of an office building as I was too tired to walk any more. Alan left me there as he walked around some more. In the evening we all went to the Sucoma sugar estate club for dinner. It was a long wait for our food, and then on the way home we had a flat tire. It looked very much that someone purposely placed something on the road to cause it, someone was waiting to help us! But the men knew what to do. The tire was changed and by now Josh was vey ill and they wanted to take him to a hospital for a blood test as Chris, the nurse suspected that Josh might have caught malaria. So they drove to the hospital and we looked for the nurse on duty. It was pithced dark but Chris and I made our way to where the night nurse was. She said she had to call for the technician to do the blood test and we waited a good while to have this done. Finally someone arrived, the test was done and we went home.So it was a very trying time for all.

On Sunday we woke up early even though we slept very late last night, it was just too hot. Because Josh was not well we didn’t go to church as was planned. So we spent the morning just taking it easy, packed and said goodbye to the orphans and to everybody. Les and Jonathan and David took us to the airport. Our flight was delayed, this was sort of expected, so they left us at the airport and we finally left Blantyre at 5.20 p.m. after spending most of the afternoon there.
It was a good visit, we were glad to see the orphans at Hope Village again and to see how well they are all doing.

2006 (what we started out to do)

What we started out to do.

James 1:27 This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.



Fund-Raising

We made a few presentations of our trip to Africa and donations made were set aside for orphans and widows, the vision was to have an orphanage similar to Hope Village Malawi where a house could hold 6 children under the guidance of a Christian person, or couple. We did some fund-raising efforts which brought in several hundred dollars. The money raised during this time we brought on our trip in October 2006. At that time we did not really know what God’s plan was, but we believe that what ever money was provided would go to help orphans and widows.

There were 6 children Alan called the Ruai kids that Alan felt God had placed into his path to help. Alan met these children on his trip at the beginning of 2006. But as it turned out, circumstances showed us that we were not able to proceed



Our Trip to Africa, Oct. 22nd, 2006

We left Toronto Sunday evening, Oct. 22nd, 2006. At the time we checked in for our British Airways flight we discovered that our flight was delayed and the person who checked us in transferred us to another airline so that we would not miss our connecting flight in London. Off we went to check in for the Air Canada flight and lo and behold, the longest line I had ever seen. There is a reason for everything and as it turned out, during the waiting in line, Alan was given the opportunity to witness to an Orthodox Jew, and for the first time in his life he was able to tell a Jew that he believes Jesus is the Yeshua we’ve been waiting for. The reaction was clear and abrupt; he turned away and acted like we weren’t there any more. Maybe it made a bad day for him, but it made the day for Alan. Not long after that there was an announcement for our flight and we were pulled out of the line and given priority check-in. We boarded the plane; the captain announced that there would be a delay! We decided we were in God’s hand, if we miss our flight we miss it.
As we arrived at Heathrow Airport we realized we were going to miss our flight to Nairobi. It turned out to be a blessing, as you might have guessed we were quite stressed out, we had a good rest at the hotel where we were able to enjoy the sauna, lunch and dinner and a goodnight sleep, all compliments of British Airways.
We finally arrived in Nairobi at around 9.00 p.m. on 24th, Tuesday night. However, one of our bags did not arrive, and so we were delayed getting out. But God was taking care of things for us because the next day our lost bag was delivered to our door steps!
I would like to mention here that at the end of the trip I counted from Oct. 24th to Jan. 8th, we were 77 days in Africa. I wonder if there is significance to this, because had we arrived on Oct. 23rd we would be 78 days in Africa.



The Trip to the Pokot Market

We have been in Churo since Saturday, Nov.11th, 2006, and we were supposed to leaving On Monday, but because we were told that there is a market day on Tuesday mornings where the Pokots from the surrounding villages come to do their shopping we decided to check it out. We were interested in the Pokots because the school has been telling us about the girls’ school that they have started just 2 years ago. These girls who get to go to school are saved from being circumcised as they are away at school. I was horrified by this information and I felt such a sense of hopelessness that in this day and age we are still doing such inhuman things to our own people.
So early Tuesday morning we were up and waiting at the school before 6.00 a.m. as we were told to be ready for, but forgetting that they were running on African time, we did not set out till 8.15 a.m. The ride to the Pokot village was not too bad and we arrived at the market place at around 9.30 a.m. and the people were just setting up. It turned out that the Director's wife has a business selling animal drugs and so that was why we had to go there so early. The market actually will not get busy till about noon. So we just walked around the village, I had to relieve myself real bad by now, and Alan said I will just have to go somewhere and do it, so we walked away from the market place into the inside of the village, and then we walked away to some where I could hide, and I did what I had to do. Alan was having fun; he wanted a photo of me in action!
We walked back to the market place, and we met a Pokot girl named Esther, I chatted with her for a bit and later I asked Alan to take a picture for us. I was glad that I met Esther. She is a Pokot and she is one of the fortunate ones as she went to school, she finished Standard 4 and soon after she got married and she now has 2 children a two year old and a baby. She told me she is very lucky, because her mother was converted by a missionary, she became a Christian and her mother hid her and her sister when it was time for girls to be circumcised. They went to live with their aunt and she went to school and finished high school. She is married to someone whom she herself picked and now she is trying to earn a living by selling stuff here at the Pokot market. Her story lifted my spirit and sense of hopelessness for these people. And in my heart I thanked God for that missionary who converted Esther’s mother and her story is a witness to God’s servants who are following their calling to save every soul on earth.

We watched different groups going around the market, there were a few Pokot girls that Alan wanted to take a picture of and one was very shy about this, and every time Alan went near them, she would run away. After some persistence Alan was able to get a picture of them. Then there were another group of young Pokot men, I would call them just teens, they wore some kind of head ornament, and they carried a stick and a stool, which were the signatures of them being considered adults. There was this group that Alan took pictures of. They were just standing around and letting Alan take their pictures, and then afterwards one of them came over and asked Alan for 200 shillings, so Alan said no. And we walked away. This boy followed us and after a time, he again told Alan that he owed him 200 shillings for taking his picture. At this point Alan decided he had to give this boy a lesson and he looked for an interpreter. So we found the Director who translated for Alan and told him that he doesn't deserve to be paid, and if he thinks we have no right to take his picture, we would gladly delete the picture we took of him. After much explanation he just walked away. After a couple more hours we felt there was nothing much for us to do there and fortunately there was a car to take us back to Churo.
We walked around the village in Churo, we met a few women who were having lessons in the afternoon at a church house, and they were very happy to meet us. Alan asked them, if there was something we could do to help them what would it be. They said an orphanage, because there are many children without parents, and they just have to take in these children because there’s no one to look after them.


A day I will not forget

Our Trip back to Nairobi, Nov. 15th.
Alan had arranged with a mini-bus to reserve the 2 front seats for us and for that we would pay an extra 100 shillings. We were told to be ready to be picked up at 5.00 a.m.
We were ready and this time, they arrived pretty on time, at 5.10 a.m. It was another rough ride but we got back to Marigat. Again, because of the Esther anointing, we ran out of gas and we waited a bit till another mini-bus came to take us to the town centre at Marigat. At Marigat we waited not too long for the minibus to Nakuru,
At Nakuru we found the mini-bus to take us back to Nairobi. It was supposed to leave right away, but of course this was not the case. It was too hot for Alan to wait in the bus, so he stepped out to wait and stretch his legs. I was sitting next to the window and it was slightly opened and every vendor was trying to sell me their wares and I turned them all down until the ice-cream vendor tempted me for an ice-lolly. Now this is not the same as the lollies in Toronto, they are homemade lollies and has a different taste, ice-cream without the creamy taste is as best as I can describe it, you probably think I have weird tastes, anyway being quite hot already I wanted it, and Alan happened to just come by the window, so I told Alan I just bought an ice-lolly and would he like one. Here again Alan has a good story to tell, I made the mistake of not asking the price first, and when the vendor charged me double the price, alan made a big issue of it giving the vendor a lecture on stealing. Ten minutes later the bus left for Nairobi.
Now here is where I would say was one of my worst suffering on this trip so far. After about half-hour into the ride, the trip would last another 11/2 hour and I needed badly to be relieved. I kept this to myself and didn’t complain, all the while just praying and asking God to help me survive. Each minute seemed like an eternity until we arrived in Nairobi at about 2.30 p.m. By this time we have been up and on the road for 9 hours so you can imagine how tired we were. Alan said let’s just go straight to the mini-bus stop and get back home to Donholm, and I told him that I needed to go real bad. To my surprise he said I’d just have to wait till we get home. I looked blankly at him and thought to myself, I should have complained all the way on the bus so he would know what condition I was in. Well I just walked ahead of him to a big building that looked like a decent place where I could find a washroom. It turned out to be a hotel, so I said let’s just go to the hotel. He did not think they would let me use the toilet there. I didn’t mind him; I went straight in and into the restaurant and asked the waiter where the washroom was. Alan took my knap-sack and waited for me. When I got out Alan was seated at a table looking at the menu. It was a welcome sight as I was very hungry. Now why am I telling you this incident? It’s another witness to how God is so good at looking after us in all the necessities of life. We had one of the best meals we had in Nairobi, and the price was reasonable too.
We arrived home by late after-noon and we planned to treat ourselves to a sauna at the end of the day. So after a little rest that evening we went to the gym which was just a 10 minute walk from the house. After the sauna we were walking home and just as he was telling me to be careful as he fell into a ditch one night going home, I suddenly let out a scream, I had just fallen into a ditch! Alan got me out and I was soaked through from the waist down to my shoes and socks. I couldn’t believe what had happened to me, I was feeling so good, all clean and feeling refreshed after the sauna with my hair washed and now here I am all dirty again, not just dirty but I was dirty from the muddy ditch! You can imagine how I felt. We arrived back at the house with Laz and Liz just finishing dinner and Alan started to tell them the story and he told me to just stand still where I was standing, just in front of the kitchen door so as not to dirty the whole house, whilst he went in to take the camera so that he can have the picture as evidence of what happened. Well, I had a good laugh with them.


Trip to Mombassa, Nov. 21st - Nov. 25th

Tuesday, Nov. 21st was my house cleaning day. We were leaving for Mombassa at 9.00 p.m. that night and I thought before I left it would be good to come back to a clean room. So I swept the floor and using a piece of rage to wipe the floor on my hands and knees. I have also by now got used to doing our laundry when it is a nice sunny day. Lilian came and helped me make dinner together after dinner Lilian went home and Laz took us in the hired car to the bus station.

Wednesday, Nov.22nd

The ride on the bus was fine for me, however it was a bit of a trial for Alan as it wasn’t air-conditioned as it should have been and it was too hot for him. He survived the overnight ride and we arrived in Mombassa around 6.00 a.m. Alan knew where to get off when the bus was near the hotel, he asked the driver to drop us off, after a short distance on foot we arrived at the Excellent Hotel. We took a much needed shower and went straight out again for breakfast. We walked around and Alan gave Agnes a call. We would meet her for lunch at 12.30 p.m. Here I should tell you about Agnes, Alan’s success story, she is the very reason we have come to Mombassa. Agnes is an ex-prostitute whom Alan met on his first trip to Mombassa. Agnes had called Alan shortly after we arrived in Nairobi to tell him she is now working in a hair salon and said she will never go back to the streets again, she is also going to a church and her son is doing well at school. Before this call, Alan had been wondering what has happened to Agnes since he met her last.
We spent the rest of the day with Agnes, she did not speak English very well so we met her employer and she was able to translate for us. Agnes has some stomach pain and is worried about it. The employer took us to her doctor’s office near by so Agnes could be treated. He advised to get some tests done and x-ray and made an appointment for Agnes to see him the next day.

Thursday, Nov. 23rd.

We went to visit Florence, another ex-prostitute; she had a little boy who died just this March. Alan had spent a few days with her family on his previous trip and he wanted to see how they are now.
We found our way to their house and we were met with much fuzz by the whole family. I met Florence, Rose, Florence’s sister, her 3 younger brothers and her mother. I did not have a good feeling in this house, I did not feel at ease with the way the mother acted feeling that she was acting a part and I believe it is God's spirit giving me this feeling. We sat chatting with them and they gave us lunch, Alan took me aside to ask me what I thought about giving support for the youngest boy because he had wanted to support Florence’s child before and the child had died. However I felt this was not the right thing to do and I told him so and so he didn’t make the offer. After lunch they arranged for a taxi to take us to the beach area. We went to walk along the beach and then had some drinks at a restaurant. Alan asked them how far away are we to go back to the house and Florence said it was more than a half hour so alan said perhaps we should take the taxi back to their house. Again I did not have a good feeling about it and we didn't take the taxi but walked back to their house, it turned out there was a short cut and it was only a ten minute walk. I felt that Florence just wanted to be treated to another taxi ride because we were there. I was anxious to go home but they said the father should be home around 6 p.m. and Alan felt that we should see the father or else he would be offended. But by 6.45 p.m. and the father was still not home we had to leave and we said good-bye to them. After this visit, Florence sent Alan an email saying how sorry she was that she has decided not to follow God because she needed the money. She didn't want to tell us face to face as she knew it was something we would not be happy about. I believe God was taking care of things there as I sensed the whole time we were there, that something was not right.

Friday, Nov. 24th

We went to visit Agnes’ and her son Ben. It was good to see where they live and where Ben goes to school, we walked to their house and then went back to the main street to go back to Mombassa with them, and we wanted to buy them some stuff.
On the way back from their house into the main road Alan saw the sign “Mombassa Synagogue”. Alan wanted to see what this was, so we walked to find this place and after Agnes asked some people we were able to find the place. We met Joseph and it turned out that he is the Rabbi and Mombassa Synagogue is Messianic. Joseph invited us to the crusade they were planning for that evening. I am not able to convey here how excited Joseph was to have met a real life Jew.
He arranged for someone to pick us up at the hotel that evening. Agnes wanted to come and she would meet us there. Florence also wanted to come. We were picked up by them and the drive to the place was unnerving. In the end Agnes was not able to find the place and Alan apologized to her and asked her to go home. Florence was quite rattled as she told us that where we were taken was a very dangerous place to be! We did not know this, Alan preached and people came forward to be prayed for. This is one of Alan’s highlights of our trip.

Saturday, Nov 25th.

Agnes came with Ben to our hotel to say goodbye to us as we were taking the Coach bus back to Nairobi. We went to breakfast together and then walked to the bus station. I wanted to get some toy for Ben but along the way to the station we didn’t see anything we could buy. We were early so I told Alan I wanted to walk back to find something to buy for Ben, so he let me go and as I walked back I prayed that God would lead me there. After walking just a little while, I found a place and bought Ben 2 little cars. I felt it was God’s blessing.