Eline left yesterday and I have been going around like a lost puppy dog. It’s really strange to spend all day, every day with someone and then POOF! She is gone. Today while I was walking in the village several people stopped me and asked, “Where is the other one?” So I am now the only volunteer until my last week. I am certain Eline and I will stay close friends. Not only do we have future plans for a project at Tumaini, but she has only been back in the Netherlands for a couple of hours and we have already been communicating.
Well, building the cow shed was a success! Many people have asked me, “Why are you building a shed for the cows?” And my answer to that is I have absolutely no idea. When I asked the Kenyans they just looked at me funny and said that was where they will eat and sleep. So we (well the men) nailed tree limbs to wood post that were cemented into the ground. Then we made a mixture of mud and water and placed it in between the limbs. That was it! Now I understand why so many people here make buildings out of mud. I actually thought it was fun!
Not only am I becoming Kenyan because I can build a mud hut, but I have also been harvesting maize! Today I was working so hard getting the kernels off the cob that my thumb started bleeding under the nail and I have blisters! Although it is not as bad as harvesting the beans, I am still certain I have no future in farming.
On Monday Rose and I will be going on a new adventure. While we have been running the feeding program here in our village, Rose has also been doing some research on places in the North that have been facing severe food shortage. We will continue feeding the neediest here, but many families will have crops harvesting in the next couple months and will be less dependent on us. So Rose has felt very strongly that God is sending her to a place in the North Western part of Kenya called Lodwar. It is a very undesirable desert area that is about 70 kilometers from a Somalian and Sudanean refugee camp. With both Kenyans and refugees in the area they have been hit very hard by the famine. So I, Rose and a Kenyan pastor (who has been to the area a few times) are going to travel there and visit three different villages. We will be distributing the basic food needs such as flour, sugar, tea leaves, and cooking oil. After observing the area and situation we will see if there is a possibility of providing some long term help to stabilize the area. If anyone has any questions about our work there please contact me! I will make sure to give an update when we get back.
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