Just another day in Kitale, Kenya… Friday November23 2007
I woke up at 4Am with the God just to have a little chat. He has a lot to reveal to me these days as he prepares me for the next stage. It is very exciting even if it cost me sleep.
At 4:30 I went out to the garage and worked a little on my work bench. (I painted it yesterday) The garage is attached the guest house building, and Rhonda is staying in the guest house. I think God planned it this way so I would not go out a 2Am and work on projects.
Rhonda is from Texas and is here for 2 years to teach at Challenge Farm one of the very successful ministries here in Kitale. She has the Favour of sleeping our guest house until January when here friend will show up and they are getting a place together. Her blog is www.rhondapickett.blogspot.com check it out. So the point is she has to get up with me and the dogs at 5 Am or what ever else should be going on! So if you can’t beat ‘em join ‘em Rhonda asked me to wake her at 5:00 when I walk Arf so she can go jogging!!! Yall understand I hope.
By 5:30 Rhonda is her sweats, Arf with his excitement and I on my bicycle leave the front gate in the pitch dark. I have often wondered just what the night guard must be thinking about us! We walk until 6-6:15 when it gets light and then Rhonda jogs and I ride along and Arf loves it. I case you are wondering how Arf came to get his name, I asked him one day what are you called and he said “arf, arf” So that is how I know he wants to be called Arf. Now my Mom thinks it’s weird that I talk to god, but she knows I have talked to dogs all my life! As a matter of fact I can”talk to the animals” So by the sunrise we return to “Rhino Gate” as our place is know.
A quick paint job on some more of the garage and by 7:45 I am off to the “Fire Place”.
The Fire Place is a youth church, outreach mission headed up by Danielle H. from Holland. I will write about this at another time. They are having a big youth conference December 12th-16th and the building needs to be rewired where necessary. In addition they want light added to the outside areas, and I have agreed to help them out by doing the job. Since the fire place was once a theatre there is a stage and much wiring to be figured out? It also appears that at some point the building was vacant and many of the electrical panels etc where taken. I have worked about 6 hours on it now and have all the outside wires run and am figuring out the stage theatre lights. One more day of work and I will be done.
At 10:00 Am Joy Lynn of Global Children who is visiting from California has a teaching on teaching children so I finished up as not to disturb them. Starting at 8:00 finishing at 10:00 sounds like the job anyone could get use to. Besides on Friday’s we have Shabbat dinner and invite about 10 guests. I try to make it my policy to be in the house by 2Pm but most days do not make it until 3-4. So home I went to take a shower and change before going to town, to shop.
By 11.00 Am I was headed to town, by bicycle, with my large knap sack to buy all the things we needed for the Shabbat dinner. I left my bicycle in the Hardware store and walked through town. First I got “scratch cards” for airtime for the mobile phones and internet. Then I ordered almost 2Kgs of beef for dinner. I left it at the butcher to pick up on my way back. I greeted the pastor in Sanyo store who insists that I should visit his church despite me telling him I can only go where God sends me. I returned a broken electrical fitting at the hardware. There where two ladies there picking up stuff for there shop. I am sure it comes as no surprise to you; if you know me at all that I am already buying at wholesale. I stopped to preach a mini sermon to them: “doing the work of God changing people lives one person at a time” I visited Kitale hardware and then of to the supermarket. I visited yet hardware on my way to the supermarket. I filled a hand basket with the things we needed and preceded to “Soy” the small over priced shop that caters to whites and has mainly imported food items you might want including, dog food, broccoli and apples! I stopped at R.B Shah another store to thank him for the great flash light I had bought the day before. Then back to Kitale hardware to check on a few more things. By this time I had 20Kgs in my back pack so I headed back to the butcher to pick up my meat. O they had gone for lunch and closed up shop!#* So I sat down with the lady selling fruits in front of the place and she told me they will reopen at 2Pm. She wanted to sell me a large papaya. This lunch thing would be OK if every body closed at the same time, but with no rhyme or reason they all close a their own timing; what ever should please them.
As I was waiting for the butcher to reopen I noticed a man making Shoes so I sat down and let him measure my foot and in 2 weeks I will pick up my first made to measure shoes. Sure enough Mohammad the Muslim Hallal butcher was right on time and reopened at 2:00. I bought my meat and then the big papaya. It would not fit in my bag so I took some vegetables out and tied them to the outside of the backpack so I could make room for the papaya. Off I went to Turner Baker Heartifield the hardware where I had left my bike. I rode over to the Fireplace so I could hook up the electricity to the ladies house who owns the place. I had disconnected it and need the plug to reconnect it. A little after 3 I rolled into “Rhino Gate” ready to help Esther prepare for Shabbat dinner.
“For many are called, but few a chosen” Matthew 22:14 is the first line of scripture I ever memorised. Each and ever week we invite some new guests and some the same. But God chooses the ones who actually sit down to eat. This week was not exception. We had Lilian, Esther, Todd and I, and even Todd had said he would not be there. Helen the flower lady who sells roses, Hannaka, Hilde, and John-Peter where all invited guests’. The girls had baked a “Dutch apple pie”. The surprise was Ian who showed up on our door step. He is a 10 year old boy who Kim and Bud (owners of Rhino gate house) rescued from the streets. He is now here living with us until school resumes in January The only thing Esther love more than cooking is cooking for guests! Dinner was great the guest where great and the Dutch apple pie was amazing! I do not think I will let the girls back; unless they agree to bring another apple pie. Remember here apples imported from South Africa
Around 9:30 it was time for them to go home and they did not know the short cut through the back. So I got Arf and walked them home it. Was beautiful night as we approach the full moon. I got home about 10: Pm.
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