NEWS

THURSDAY 7th FEBRUARY 2008

 

IT IS POURING WITH RAIN, TORRENTIAL AND VERY COLD RAIN.     I am thinking of the 18,000 people huddled in leaky tents in Eldoret Show Ground, cold and uncomfortable.      Am also think of the Children in the Presbyterian Church Grounds - 140 of them plus their Carers.    They at least can shelter in semi permanent timber buildings.    But it will be cold, and they will all be sleeping on cold concrete floors.

There are many other camps in and around the Town.       And still the senseless violence is continuing in one part of Kenya or another.      And STILL the 'Talkers' are talking without making any promising progress.   Deadlocked in the toils of their own egos, and totally selfish aims.      What DOES the future hold?

 

I went to visit the children in the Presbyterian Grounds this morning.   Amazingly they were all bright and happy.     Delighted to have a visitor.    I sat with their Carers and a few of the Church elders.    One of them, quite an old man, owned the land that the burnt out Home had stood upon.     He has about 60 acres of coffee and he had donated some five acres to the Home so that they could develop it.    Now after seeing it slowly built itself up over the last ten years since it was begun, there is nothing left to see.     The marauding hoard also burnt his remaining 55 acres of coffee and chopped down the shade trees.     His father and grandfather had farmed that land.  He says he will never go back.

Neither will the children.     The church has decided to carry on, but they will now seek to develop land they own that is adjacent to the main Town Church here in Eldoret.  Of course they have no money to actually DO that, but they do believe God will help them.     Many were tearful; frustrated, yet at the same time doing their best to see things in the Lord, and to gather heart.

They will need about £250,000 to rebuild what has been lost ($460,000)   Not a small amount of money.       But of course they have the children still, and fortunately they have on the adjacent ground four timber sheds of some good size which can be used as dormitories and even a dining place.      But it is crowded and cramped, especially when the six  carers also have to live and sleep there.      Toilets are a problem as well.       They have NOTHING from their old place.     Just what they stand up in.  They need EVERYTHING.       SOME help IS coming in, but they need a lot more.

 

WE are hoping to provide about £1000 of aid that has been given to us toward assisting their immediate needs, (mainly clothing and bedding).     The Forum will try to raise a similar amount from within our community.         But it will be a hard time ahead - and much harder for those in the Show Ground.

 

But the Government has said they will do their best to help them out.   The question is how long will they take to actually do it - and with the weather seeming to be ready to change for the worse as well.

 

MEANWHILE the cost of almost everything continues to rise as the economy falters.

 

And TFH - what of us?

Well we are all going on as if nothing has happened.      The School is now FULL to overflowing - amazingly so - and most of our college students from the Homes are getting ready to leave on Monday for their colleges, all of which have stated they will be opening, come what may.     A rather daunting prospect for some.    But they WANT to learn, want to get on with life.       And that is what we want for them too.  Keep walking with us.

 

I may not write up the Blog every day since I may not always have time or place, but whenever anything that needs sharing arises I will do my best to post it up.   We are all in good health and spirits.

 

Thank you again for praying with us and for us, and for those around us.    We really FEEL those prayers.      Thank you too, all of you, who have sent gifts to AENON and to our Bank,  for us and our neighbours.     We are all singing Praises to Him for His Demonstrated Love and Compassions.

 

From us all - John and Esther