ACCIDENT !!!

 

YES, one of our School Buses went off the road, delivering its last two students, on the way home late afternoon, this Wednesday.      It was full to capacity on leaving School, but had dropped all but two of our Primary boys.    One suffered hurt, and had to have several stitches, and both suffered shock.

As you can see from the photo to the right, this road is made hazardous by the construction of a deep gully, or drain, by its side, without any guard except a shallow curbstone.     Our Driver reported that as he drove up the road, he came upon a lorry parked on the right side.   As he was about to pass it, a motor cycle sped out from behind this lorry, and came straight at him.    He wanted to avoid hitting the motor cycle, but could not go the right because of the stationary lorry, so turned to the left, and found himself and the bus descending into the gully; the bus ending up leaning over upon the gully's far bank.      As you can see a number of people were about; it is a busy area.    This is the first really serious accident to any of our Buses, since we started running them.  Our Drivers are proud of their record, and conscious of their great responsibility in carrying the children day after day.

The School had to call an industrial mobile crane to put the Bus back on the road.   Sadly they could not get chains to go underneath and around the bus, and finally lifted it up from the Luggage Rack on the roof.   A lot of further damage was done, and the vehicle is still off the road.   We are temporarily using one of Happy Church's buses whilst ours is under repair.   All of us very thankful to Pastor Runji for his very kind assistance, as always.

To the left is a photo of Ms. Joshna Maharaj, a well known celebrity Chef.  She is based in Toronto, Canada, and she recently inferred in the TODAY'S PARENT magazine that Teaching children to eat with a  knife and fork is 'dripping with the shame of colonialism.'    She has received a lot of 'flack' from indignant readers, though I failed to find one coloured critic who had written in.     I felt sorry for her a little!

As an eighty one year old white Englishman, brought up in very  poor circumstances in England during World War 11, I was carefully instructed from infancy how to eat my food, starting with a small spoon and eventually to a knife and fork.    It is something I grew up with.   BUT 'forks' had not arrived at the dinner table before the 17th Century, and I can safely assume that 'hands' and 'fingers'  were in full use still.     But as implements were invented and introduced, they eventually outdistanced hands and fingers, if for no other reason than that of what was considered good hygiene.     I came to live in Kenya in 1968, and I moved around among the homes and families of the Luhyia people, who became my friends, and showered me with their generous open hearted hospitality.    I  found, then, that they customarily ate certain foods more easily, and conveniently with their hands and fingers.   I was taught to be able to do the same.    I enjoyed the experience, but on the whole, perhaps, after I had spent 28 years using European Cutlery, I did not become a convert to using my hands - unless perhaps where it concerns eating Chicken, or meat on the bone of any kind.    I DID find using my fingers made the meat, no matter what it was, finger licking good !

My wife, Esther and I, have brought up our own three children together in the same  house and family, - more than 150 of them, and taught them to use European customised table ware and Cutlery.    We have NOT taught them to be slack in this.     They all  had to grow up and go out into the world prepared  for the basic A.B.Cs of accepted social behaviour, without embrassment.    Kenya hotels, cafes, and restaurants all provide and expect to be used, knives and forks.     I do not think we regret doing this.    We did not do it because I was bent on colonialization at any level.     And thus I think Ms. Maharaj went a step too far.   

I was taught 'When in Rome do as the Romans do' a proverb attributed to St. Ambrose, Bishop of Milan, Italy (born 339 -397AD).    To day we might say - When residing in a foreign country, follow their conventions - their accepted customs and laws..     Something very few immigrants seem willing to do without civil strife.     Today we do not have many 'colonialists', but rather 5th columnists coming in by stealth in from without, in an effort to take over from within.     I see the 'Black Lives Matter' faction easily fitting into such a category  -   But take care;  ALL lives matter, Black, White, Yellow, Pink, Brown, Olive skinned - there can be NO exception.    We do not need to emphasize one, or another.   To do so, is to exclude the rest.     

I  conclude by wishing Ms. Joshna God's Blessing.    I cannot accuse her.    She has an opinion worthy of thought and consideration.     Just let her forget about colonisation and racism, and give herself to loving everyone unconditionally - then she will be a truly divine chef in every respect.    Amen

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SCHOOLS ARE OPEN AGAIN, ours also, after a TEN DAY break.   Normal termly holidays have been curtailed, in order for students to be able to catch up on lesson time missed during 2020, due to C.19.

This, and the progressive change over from our old 8-4-4 Syllabus to THE new one, have made everything quite chaotic.  

NOW, to the end of the year, Classes will continue with two ten day breaks, and a week at Christmas.

All work and no play makes 'jack' a dull boy they say, but so far our students in all classes seem more than content, even with the current cold weather.   So far this year, in Eldoret, we seem to have had very little rain, but a lot of cloud and even our Dry Season,, early in the year, was much cooler than usual.

AND this is Election Year, and so far very low key, and quiet;   again due to C.19 and Government restrictions. on public meetings and so on.    The Nation as a whole prays for peace - with or without the 'prosperity'.

HOW ARE WE PRGRESSING WITH C.19.     Well, it is still with us.   \We have only tested two million, one hundred and sixteen thousand, nine hundred and seventy nine - out of approximately Fifty two million.    Daily figures are said to be rising.   yesterday 1,068 out of 7,395 tested actually proved positive.   This gave an R.Rate of 14%

Out of the total number of 2,116,979 so far tested, 201.009 proved Positive with 188,438 Recoveries, and 3,926 deaths.

Thus compared with other Countries, we have so far got off lightly, but still a hazard to travellers.

Nevertheless, life for us has actually hardly seen any sign to Covid.    We have for the most part remained almost sealed and set apart within our two compounds.     We Thank God for this haven of peace, and at such a time.    Bless you  all for upholding us with your prayers, and we pray that all our Blessings might redound upon you all, just where you are, abundantly.

Our Love and Blessing to your you all, in Jesus Name,

John, Esther, Daryl and all here with us.

     

      

HAVE YOU HEARD? PEOPLE ARE DESTROYING OUR HOME!

AND THIS TIME it isn't the Government, but those ill informed friends and associates who love to spread news without confirming it IS news, and not fiction, or just straight miss information.

ABOVE IS A PHOTO, taken today of the sitting room of Testimony House, and it is not being destroyed, or ripped apart as some 'gossips' are saying.     No way!     This is where our Family began, and it was where I and my wife spent twenty eight years of our life building a home for our children; both our own, and those who came to make their home with us.     It has remained a Family Home, and it is the intention of the current management of Testimony Faith Homes, that it will remain so.

BUT for the next year it is being loaned to Testimony School for use as a Boarding House for some forty of our Secondary boys, attending our School.     It is hoped that as the Covid 19 crisis, and changes that have had to be made, are overcome, that all things will return to normal, by the end of the year

RIGHT NOW - taking advantage of a brief ten day break in the School Year, Daryl, as Director over all the work of the Homes and School, decided to do needed repair and improvement to the fabric of Testimony House, the foundation of all that has come to BE here.      He did not just focus on the sitting room but on the whole interior, of dining room, nine bedrooms, toilets and ablution facilities.   A lot of work.    And, as I walked through it all, this afternoon, I felt a great happiness that the home MY family grew up in with SO many sons and daughters, was still being lovingly cared for, and preserved from within.      NO one is ripping up or destroying anything here;  we are all committed and dedicated to keeping well maintained and and in working order, just as it has come to be, year by year.

AWAY with gossip mongers, bent on mischief, and alarm, and let us all enjoy spreading the Truth instead, so that we may all walk in the light with each other - that light that is pure and clean and which leaves all things plainly as they are.      And to the many of our 'family' who may have been miss led into believing that their old home is being broken up, and unable to be visited or walked in any more, be SURE your home is STILL there, and is still visibly the home we all shared together.   I am glad to confirm this to be so.          

I must also confirm that all those who work in the Homes as parents are also still  with us, and together we prayerfully meet every morning in unity and faith that God is with us, and guiding our steps.   This photo was taken on the steps of Testimony House   On the back-row, from the left can be seen Sis. Grace Mwangi, Hesketh Muli, Mica Yego, and David Chumba.   In front , also from the left, can be seen Sis. Eunice Lahol,  Alice Muli, Catherine Yego, and Dorris Chumba.   We thank God for them all.

In these days of mobile phones, tweets and general tittle tattle filling the ether with individual news, comment, stories and general local affairs, if one coughs in Elgon-view, friends East, West, North and South, will hear that someone has T.B. Covid 19. or cancer. when actually all that happened is that someone cleared their throat!.     We need to be careful what and how we recount what we see and hear around us.    Let us test it before we share it.    Let none of us be found idle gossips of spurious facts.

SOME WILL WONDER what is going to happen to the Testimony House Family now that the house is to be a Boarding House for School boys, for the next six month.    They have been shared out among our other three Homes, temporally.   Almost a third are expecting to leave us this year having finished their education, and now looking for employment.    

And our beloved Mother, Eunice Lahol, who has been holding her family together since her husband, Francis, passed away in  October 2018 ?      Well, she will still be with us, but has opted to be with us as a Relief house-parent, rather than single Mum.     She has done well, but feels that now she would like to reduce the responsibility.     As a Relief parent she will step in when the parents of the Homes take their weekly day off, and also when  they go on leave.     She will have a small flat of her own in part of the OLD Jacaranda property, where our Pastor, Mike Kyalo and his wife, Jacinta, also have quarters.

SO we are not losing  Eunice - we would be lost without her - and she will not be lost to the children.

A good part of all of this hassle has been caused by Covid 19, and spacing.     And also due to a decision to make an experiment to see if our senior Secondary children mighty apply themselves to study more, if they were not at home, but in Boarding.     THUS all our Form 3 and 4 boys will be in Boarding for the next six months together with others from external families who learn with the School.    In December this will be assessed.     Finally, if it works and is seen to be beneficial, it may be that we shall continue to put our senior boys and girls into Boarding with our School.     Hopefully we shall then be in a position to use the existing School Boarding facilities, that have currently had to be diminished to make way for teaching space, due to the Spacing Regulations we are still suffering from.     

Is everyone happy?  Generally, it seems so.    The children find it all quite a happy eventuality.    Their parents perhaps not so thrilled, but willing to enter into the spirit of the matter.     Fortunately by December all will return to normal and we shall have our FOUR families in their four  Homes, and the Boarding boys will be returning to their own facility in the School.

By the way!     Testimony School has NOT separated itself from the HOMES.     The SCHOOL and the Children's Homes are still together under the one Board of Management, and Direction of Testimony Faith Homes & School.      I am confirming this here, as we have been asked about it recently, since some have heard differently!    Another instance of tittle tattle.

The Weather here is COLD, but we have been enjoying some sunshine most days.    Today it is cloudy and looks as if it will rain later.       We Thank God for His care of us all, over these difficult months, and we  Thank all of our dear, faithful, friends, and family members who are His Channels of Blessing.   We are so grateful and deeply appreciative.    You are all in the Miracle with US.

God Bless and Keep you safe and Believing

John, Esther, and Daryl Green, and all Family here with us.