IF A TREE FALLS........

LATE WEDNESDAY EVENING, another of our trees lost its main trunk after about 80 years of existence.   It fell abut twenty meters from the main house, bringing down with it, the 3 phase Electric cable into the compound  - two sizable Poles and about 100x3 meters of cable.  It also put Testimony House, Green Cottage, the School Offices, and the Bakery all out of commission!
LOOKING from the other direction, you can see the south side of Testimony House, and also the main fifty foot trunk of the tree as it fell.
It was not a comparatively BIG tree, but it made a mess of the Power Line, in from the local Transformer.
The tree was probably about 80 years old, and would have matured when it was twenty.   It was a Pink Peruvian Pepper Tree.   Described in some places as 'ornamental', it was not very pretty, and did not produce pepper as might be supposed from the name.    It DID, though, smell peppery at times - from the pink seed and even the leaves.

The next photo shoes the root - actually it seemed to have been eaten away, and there was just a kind of empty hollow where root should have been.    We read later that this tree is known to have dubious roots, and that such trees easily fall in a wind - or even on a still night.
We shall not plant another of the same variety.  But we WILL plant something new where it stood.
Well, on Thursday morning Daryl got to work trying to get the power back on, but first the tree had to be chopped up in order to free the cables, before Power and Lighting would agree to come and replace broken power poles and fittings.
We were unable to find anyone to come in before 3.30 in the afternoon, and then it RAINED.   The poor many finished the work, but he did was not able to leave before 6.30.    Then it was too late to get the Power and Lighting Co to come in.     They finally arrived on Friday morning about 12,30 p.m. They did a speedy and good job  and were gone, with power back on by 2 p.m.    And we were lucky because Power & Lighting for our County has only ONE Emergency Maintenance Team, and they are not ALL full time due to the new situation brought on by the VIRUS!      We could easily have been waiting for the for a week!!!

((As on Friday evening Kenya had announced 35 confirmed cases and ONE death.     And also from today the President has proclaimed a national curfew from 7 p.m. to 5.30 a.m every day for the next fortnight.    All eating places, have now been closed,  and supermarkets open only special hours.  NONE of us has been unwell at all, and the children are managing to cope with being cooped up within our two compounds.    I mean we have 11 acres altogether, and most of it is open for walks and also recreation.    We are fortunate.    We all pray on with the nation for the LORD to step in and save us all, worldwide.      It is quiet though - with the School shut down, and all our daily domestic and other help sent home.     And suddenly the sun has disappeared again and we are back to clouds and rain.))

AND TODAY, as I was getting up ANOTHER branch of another tree, closer to Testimony House, fell close to one of the NEW power poles put up yesterday afternoon.  It did no damage to it, but it was close - AND few light fronds of a branch managed to entangle themselves once more with the actual Power CABLES that also were put back up again yesterday.       This is the work of the Devil? Maybe - It is the result of leaving a parasite in place.   We first began to encounter it here in 2015.  I wrote about it in the Blogs for January 2015.   These were two photos I took at that time.

The Parasite is known as PHRAGMANTHERA CORNETII. We found no remedy apart from a severe cutting out whenever we could.  But some plants were too high and out of safe reach.
It has INCREASED since then, and it now seems as if some more drastic action must be taken. Even the removal of an entire tree - especially if it is growing near buildings that may be at risk from falling branches or limbs.    This mornings Fall, was of a branch almost wholly taken over by the Parasite, more in mass than the host branch.    Its weight alone made it fall    -    and it now looks as if we have to call out the Team again from Power and Lighting to attend to the entangled Cables.    I am sure they will not be very happy about it.    Neither are WE!
It continues to rain, and to be cloudy still.    Not too cheerful, but today the children can be busy clearing all the debris from the trees away.     We plan to get CHARCOAL from most of  - it is very expensive right now and in daily use.    We may be able to get at least a month's supply.   Waste not 
want not, so they say, and certainly live close to wanting these days.    But Father is taking care of us.

Last week Abbie had her 6th Birthday, and I thought you might like to see a bunch of her friends from the Homes who are in her age group, and attended her party.    We used our Veranda as the venue and I think they all enjoyed themselves very much indeed.   Cake made by Helen, Abbie's Mum.
The 'small's usually have a party in their family Home, and there is a cake and soda and so on.  So everyone gets to remember their Age each year and to have a little enjoyment and gaiety together.
Even the older ones as well, though often they share a day in their month with others, whose day falls in that particular month.   130 odd

 Birthdays a year!!   Wow.
The World may have shrunk for us, confining us,  but we still find peace and joy with Jesus in our midst.    NOW not even Manu can visit us from outside.     But we are very much in touch still.
In touch with many round the world outside as well, and perhaps it is even better this way since we seem to hear and write more than we did.

The 'War' continues?  Yes, but really the VIRUS has only opened our eyes to just how willing and prepared we all needed to be, even before it came on the scene.     It is after all, only another weapon to be overcome, and WE all, like good soldiars have to labour on, and to face up to every new aspect of the Enemy's enmity that he brings against us.     It is not that he should WIN, nor that we should be overcome, but that we might continually realise  where our Strength comes from, and how that we must always pick ourselves up to GO ON.       We, here in our self isolation, have felt safe and well.   It is beginning to sink in that we DO NOT HAVE TO CATCH CORONA 19 AT ALL.     Trust and Obey is excellent advice both spiritually and from a secula point of view.

Every Bless, as we pray on and keep each other in mind.

John, Esther, Daryl and all at Testimony.