SURVIVING UNDER PRESSURE CALMLY

OF COURSE YOU HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE!

Just a very rough sketch of Testimony Faith Homes and School.   I am sorry the KEY and the actual identification of buildings has come out rather too small to see comfortably, BUT  I hope you will find a way to magnify it.   I also regret that on the right hand - in the Jacaranda Cottage compoud -  the new Jeacaranda Cottage is not 'drawn in'  - it should appear center far right of the compound between Drakeley and Tyndale Cottages.

All that is within the boundaries of the sketch have been Quarantined since 16th March.  Interestingly no 'official' enquirey or visit to us has been made to discover if we are well and healthy.

Since we have children in residence on both sides of the road, we have been given permission to come and go as we please but not to adventure anywhere else, and without allowing any visitors to enter the Gates of either residential compound.

We do not have to wear masks UNLESS we have to go to town on necessary business.

We all live in Elgonview Road, ELDORET, in Uasin Gishu County in KENYA, East Africa.   Eldoret is approximately 100 kilometers from BUSIA on the Uganda Border, and some 360 kilometers from Nairobi.

As you can see, although with a good coastal strip, Kenya borders with many other Nations, all trading with us.     Thus most of the challenge is from those coming in who may turn out Positive with C.19

CURRENTLY the whole Country is under daily Curfew as from 9p,m. to 7a.m. for the next month.

Technically we all remain under Lock Down but some hotels and business are beginning to be allowed to re-open but with the usual 'spacing' demands.

LAST WEEK I shared about our School still being closed down with all others.    A few days later the President announced that it was planned to let School generally re-open as from 1st September - but GRADUALLY.     He did not define more than that, and we are still in the dark, to a large extent, as to HOW school will find themselves opening.     BUT of course they will all need to observe spacing, and all children will probably also have to wear masks.

As of yesterday evening _12th June - the statistical situation is as follows:-

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Total Confirmed Cases to date     Total Recovered      Total Deceased      Total under Treament

since 12th April  -  3,305                        1,164                          96                            2,045
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ON THE 12 June 2,419 were tested, of which 90 proved Positive     -   34 from Mombasa,  36 from Nairobi, 12 from Bungoma, 3 from Uasin Gishu, and 1 from Kilifi, Garissa, Kisumu, Meru, and Turkans.

I hope that the MAP above might assist in helping you to get an idea of the way C19 is affecting the Country as a whole, and I will also now give a County by County tally of Cases that have proved positive up to date.
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NAIROBI  1,188   /  MOMBASA   929  /  BUSIA   217 /  Kajiando 96 / Kiamabu 72 / Uasin Gishu 54 / Kwale 34 / Migore 24 / Kilifi 23 / Mandera 18 / Taita Tavita 17 / Wajir 16, Garissa 13 /  Nakuru, and Kisumu 12 / Kitui and Siaya 10 / Nyere 9 / Turkana 8 / Homa Bay 4 / Machakos and Muranga 3 / Isiolo, Bungoma, Laikipia, Meru, Kisii, Makueni and Nyandarua 2 / and finally  Kericho, Bomet, Nyamira, Kirinyaga, Embu, Kakamega, Vihiga, Marsabit, Elgey Marakwet, and Trans Njoia  1 each.   
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THREE months have gone by since our first case.   The Government feels we may still have a worse scenario to come, although so far it seems we have not done too badly.     Of course, as elsewhere, round the globe, there are many who want to be set free from all lockdown, and it is yet to be seen how well this Virus will in act be contained, at least, in all Kenya.      WE, in Testimony Faith Homes, in ELDORET, are still virturally untested, and apparently untouched by C19.   The hardest hit areas are still at a distance from us BUT Cases are still being discovered all over, and there is little doubt that more people are being infected that we are actually not aware of .      OF COURSE, this is usually the case with ANY kind of infection, viral or otherwise.      Keep your feet on the ground, and whilst taking notice of all the Medical and Media advice and comment, KEEP CALM, Leave your anxieties at the CROSS of Christ, and TRUST in HIM to bring your through, so that you can live an even longer and better life for HIM.

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President Uhuru Kenyatta, soon after last week's Blog, spoke on Television to the Nation, warning us that although progress was being made we still could not take chances, and be tempted to move too quickly in trying to return to life as it was.    It was then that he announced a continuation of the Natinal Curfew.
Our own special interest, was in what he said regarding Education, and the future for our Schools, and of course our School  in partuclar.
He said only one definate thing, and that was the date School would open - hopefully - and in doing this, he also added that they would open 'gradually'.  He did not go into details of what he meant by this, but said that a Special Committe was looking into it, and hoped to let every one know by the middle of August.       School would OPEN gradually (maybe class by class ....) on 1st September
Teatimony School is also a Member of the Kenya  Private Schools Association, and Anthony Ngungu attened a Meeting to discuss these revelatios, just this week.       There was a lot of positive feeling, and we at least see a good posibility of being able to continue, ourselves   -   BUT there will be much to do befor September !       Already Government has agreed to bring forward their discussions intended for August.   It was felt more time would be needed by ALL schools to get ready and C19 prepared.        Government Requirements to meet C.19 specifications will now be delivered before the end of JUNE.      Much better.   But it will still be very demanding.
Daryl, Anthony Ndungu and I have walked round the School together since then to get an idea of what faces us.       We have discovered that we will not have space (after meeting the 1`meter spacing requirement) to have desk space for more than HALF of our previous population.     However we feel  that few, if any, of our parents will want to take their kids to another School - if they can find one~!      SO we are working on a plan to divide into two seperate groups that will come at different times daily - for Example Group A will attend mornings and Group B afternoons.   It will need a lot of planning but it is feasible.      A lot MORE is needed, and we are going to recall some key staff to assist Anthony Ndungu to help get everything sorted out.     This  VIRUS!      Wouldn't it be something if, in the end, it is discovered to be little more than any other, and if left to itself would have just become another 'bug' to contend with - if we got it.     No I am not trying to be flippant or calous, and I am conscious of the thousands that have died.     BUT, thousands die every day and many from colds and influenzas thatm meeting other infections being faught, will cause those deaths  We are not even told how many usually die in an average day - apart from C.19 - we have just blindly lived with it.     The Population has continued to expand.

Testimony High School under construction 2013

I must conclude for this week.    We continue to job along day by day, and like the Widow of Zarapheth we neve come to the end of the oil or the maix barral - as we take the last scoop, more comes in - as with this week - We had needed to puchase necessities that come to an end.    Before we could even consider what we would do, a gift of Fifty Dollars arrived out of the blue from a dear brother and friend we had not set eyes on for many years.      Our Father in Heaven surely never ceases to look out for us in our store, as well in every other matter of our lives.   Keep close to HIM, and do not waver or doubt that HE knows your need before you even ask, and will not ingnore it.  BUT and if you do waver in believing, and miss-trust His Faithfulness, THEN you might receive nothing - not even protection.      HE is SO jealous of our love, and trust.............

Ours Love to you all, with thankful hearts always..

John Esther and Daryl Green