WE SHALL ALL BE CHANGED!!

DEATH SEEMS TO GO ON FOR EVER, as the eye surveys the sea of graves stretching almost as far as the eye can see in Kiplombe Cemetery, Eldoret. Burials continuing every day here. And today we in Testimony will be returning there for the third time already since Esther and I returned home from the UK in June this year.

Alice Muli's mother passed away last week due to heart attack and will be buried today. Graves here in Kiplombe seem to be dug just about wherever you choose, even randomly. It is a forlorn and very unhappy site, isolated and far from the town; with an almost abandoned, 'no man's land' feeling about it. But at least, for the present, there is still room for more!! This may not be the case for long. Land is at premium in Kenya, and less and less space seems to be allocated for the dead, when the living are so greedy to have some. Some cemeteries are already over-used. We recently heard of some that have bodies buried one on top of the other to within a foot of the surface in order to save space. So why not encourage Cremation? After all we have it written even in the Bible 'Dust to dust and ashes to ashes' - WELL NOT QUITE. This phrase is used often by churches in their funeral services, but in fact it is not found in the Bible at all!! THE BIBLE in fact mainly refers to humanity as being from the DUST, and that it will return to the dust. Just ONE verse in Genesis 18v27 records Abraham as having said of himself - '..which am but dust and ashes'. No explanation as to why he includes 'ashes' as a constituent ingredient of Man.

I personally like the idea of my body being buried in a quiet and undisturbed place where it might hope to remain till the Trumpet Sounds. BUT that boyhood appreciation of what a grave should be is not part of this present world's tumultuous experience. Few indeed stay long in this world's graves or 'hallowed ground' before being able to be legally ploughed up or just built upon!! Not a great deal of expected peace even for the dead these days!! Less and less expectancy of permanency in our world. Generally it is stated that are all made from dust, and to dust will return - Genesis 3v19. THUS it is hardly allowed in Christian Scripture that one should be cremated - but neither is it clearly forbidden.

SO what about being Cremated? More and more are choosing this method of disposing of their body after death. In this last year TWO friends of ours have been cremated here in Eldoret using the Hindu Crematorium! The second was cremated just this week in fact. BOTH were seen as somewhat extraordinary events by their friends and associates. In Kenya, so far, it is distinctly something that is just not done - a still very unusual occurrence. Recently a well known celebrity in Kenya, Professor Wangari Maathai, was also, upon her death, cremated at her own request. Many were quite shocked, even dismayed, by this action on her part, but I cannot see clearly that it is a sin to be cremated. I can see that in today's over-crowded

world it may even become a necessity in order to conserve space and hygiene. BUT............

My Esther firmly feels that this is not her 'cup of tea' as she puts it. She wants a regular burial in a 'safe' spot for her remains; to let them rest till the Trumpet sounds, and the dead shall arise! Bible language somehow makes little allowance for seeing a cloud of 'ashes' locked up in Urns or sprinkled over land or sea, actually 'arising' from open graves in recognisable human

form. But who knows? Whatever the case may be, the dead IN CHRIST shall rise ......!!!! Even so come Lord Jesus

Well this week seems to be DOWN! Nearly all our three week old chicks (the layers) that had seemingly escaped disease and death, have now suddenly been struck with sickness and DIED. Quite distressing for all of us but especially for Beatrice Rop who has been a real 'Mother Hen' looking after them. It seems that one necessary injection had been given too late - and all was lost. BUT the 28 eight week old layers are flourishing still, and on Thursday ONE of them laid her FIRST (ours too) EGG. Marvellous. We also imported a further 100 more layers (day old chicks). We have also now employed a full time experienced poultry-man to be responsible for them all.

On Thursday of this week Daryl and I visited a Dairy Unit right in the midst of town. They have 15 cows happily providing MILK three times a day in an enclosure about the same size as the one we have for our TWO. They make their own feed and look after each cow as it it is a member of the family! They seem VERY fat and contented, not a least disconcerted by our visit as we moved amongst them. Their accommodation was scrupulously clean, and the atmosphere further improved by the provision of piped Christian music all day which seems to truly almost hypnotise the cows!!! We spent almost three hours talking and seeing, and came away with a whole lot of new and good ideas.

Friday we went to purchase the 'DRIP FEED' piping for the Allotments. We should begin to lay them out and set them to work by Monday of this coming week. SO we continue to advance.

NB - Sorry about the cartoon - it IS a little in bad taste I suppose - but could not resist it.

Love you all

John and Esther