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Volume. XXXII, No. 4 Letter of Thanks by MissionariesI have lifted now thanks and praise to God after just updating my Ledger with donors’ gifts to us in Outreach. For famine relief especially, the list is long and I have included in the BCC line above 40 names for contributing to Baalah Church famine relief, also for my personal support, and quite of few of these names are pastors of churches who gave as a body under their Church collections for this awful famine need. I hope this note reaches all 40 names, including Church congregations, and of course, copy to the Mission Office as well. They do a lot of work in tabulating all your gifts, collating and wiring your gifts to us in Kenya. Thanks come here to you each and every one from the North, from our believers there. They say so, and they want Peter and me to send their love and thanks and prayers to you... Now I will give you some news from that “Famine Belt.”
First of all, I will give you news of Mama Yeloya, the church mama with the destroyed face from the accident last December. Mind you, she has been back home for about six weeks, so happy to be back in church, where they have welcomed her so well. She wears something over her face. The fears I had of laughter did not materialise thank God; that was definitely a Christian change in culture. She is back with her children, to think a small person from the northern boondocks of Kenya, illiterate, widow and mother of six children (one is married) would be given the best of medical attention by those Medecins sans Frontiers. You might remember they paid half of the first major operation which was to bring back the heavily dented forehead, and the subsequent operations they did all of the costs themselves for her. Wasn’t that lovely! Now from the latest Famine relief $7,000 which came in, Peter gave $200 in shillings cash to Yeloya, to get her and children back on their feet together (her hut probably needed repairs, and household goods possibly lost); he gave $500 worth to the Kala-azar children victims and $500 worth to a young married mama of Galagan family of Tubcha for a brain tumour condition. She had gone to Meru Hospital for scan, but is now being sent down to Kenyatta National Referral Hospital in Nairobi. The rest went all for food, famine is “still there”, little by little the people recovering, as are the goats and camels. Some animals are sick and with the vets they are trying to save them with meds. Pasture is small, and when possible, the goats are taken to the fora for nurturing. One of you asked me about goat prices; a small male goat is 2,500 shillings now at Korr market, or $25. A female $50. We still need more rains, but I fear the two days heavy rains was all the Lord sent us in Baalah this time. We are still hoping by end July, things will look more hopeful. Water: UNESCO was digging wells in the North, and they found water at Tubcha in Baalah where our hydrogeologist Mike Lane years ago said, “water is there.” It is a wonderful well, full of water, and Peter was up there this past weekend to see that the pipes were laid underground for 8 to 9 kilometers from the well to the gov’t Dispensary across the road from the church, and to the school, although Dreamer was on hand personally to persuade UNESCO not to pipe to the school “because it is a foreign school.” Peter and Dreamer actually face to face while UNESCO continued the piping to school. They put pipes to the school kitchen, to a place outside the school buildings and to the huge cement school water tank. They will need locks to be opened certain hours daily. Also, was left a hose pipe to go from the huge water tank to the other school tank. It seems our water problems for school are over, thank God. What long years since ‘bout 2008 when we sent the hydrogeologist up there to source water – from then to today with piped water! Wow. This leaves just the community borehole still needing repairs. Churches: Amaaliyo Church still doing well, Pst Nacha goes there because it is somewhat nearer his home. (When we get our motorbike licenced and insured he will use that to get to both churches better.) Ps James is leading First Baalah BP, with assistance from Lowa Segelan. I have told Lowa’s story several times, so won’t repeat, but his school sponsor in America will be so happy to hear that he is a BIG Help in this Baalah church! Lowa and Geygelo are both former Baalah Primary School boys, now through Secondary levels with their KCSE certificates, and teaching at Baalah Primary School as Untrained Teachers (UTs) for this year. Then they hope to go to tertiary studies perhaps in Education to become trained teachers. Lowa is almost the youth pastor, and so good with the children. (He is now 29 years, came to our school as a warrior after James as student pastor led him to the Lord and brought him to Baalah School to be educated. That was years ago. In addition to our Thanks to you all for these outreaches, I want to add my own thanks to you for my personal support account with the Board which pays my salary monthly, and big items like Kenya income taxes and annual medical insurance premium, both due this month. How often when I enter your gifts into my Ledger, do I thank God for you and when I know something is an issue with you, I pray for that as far as my knowledge goes. But some of these are not on email, so I hope this Thanks Letter will reach them through copy to their church. I like to send Kenya postcards from here for thanks, but often they do not arrive, so I have kept some ready to send to you individually during upcoming deputation when I will be stateside and mail from there. More details on that nearer the time of travel. But I keep your churches posted on those dates. Accept our hearty thanks in Jesus’ Name! Judith ************************** Dear friends in Australia: We want to say Thank You for the wonderful gift for food for Kenya! It is wonderful that you would give to the brothers and sisters there, and they too want to say Asanta Sana!!! The money has been divided that they received half and then again in August will receive half, as the famine will continue. Be in prayer that the rains might begin in October, at their usual time. The pictures will say more than we can! May God richly bless you for sharing with the people there! From Gary & Pat Johnson **Note from the editor: All letters have not been proofread or edited, and have been published as written by the authors. |
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