TCF in Kenya

The Grand Finale

2011-02-14T10:19:00.000-08:00

Where to start.....We had dinner in the house with most of the Omugah family and for the first time we caught a glimpse of what dinner looks like when they gather for a meal. As we sat down the kids started coming and coming and coming and we wondered when the flow of children would stop. As I looked into one corner of the room there was about fifteen children that looked as if they were from five to ten years old and I thought about how beautiful it was that they had a family. That's what makes this so unique is that Boaz and Helen are mama and papa to these kids. Then there was all the young teens and next to them the older teens and a group of young adults with their babies who all stay at the house. I tried to imagine what it was like to be in this new home with a bedroom that was as big as the old house. Pastor Boaz now has his own room with a door,closet,bathroom that includes a shower and sit down toilet.

That's right he used to have to walk through the mud to the out door pit toilet which is just a hole in the ground that is used by all the school kids. The girls and boys rooms also have there own bathrooms with the same luxuries.

I looked at Boaz and Helen's room today and it consists of a small bed in the kitchen/store room with a sheet hung up for privacy. Could you imagine the lack of privacy when this is where the refrigerator and all the food is with all those kids prowling around. They now have the bedroom in the back of the house with a door that LOCKS and a small room that can be used for a study plus the bedroom!! The dinner was a feast with lots of prayer,worship,testimonies and thanking the Lord for what He has done. The Omugah family says they really do not have words to thank the Touchstone family for this blessing that they could have never have imagined being done for them. They send their love and greetings. It brought tears to my eyes as looked at what the Lord had done for this family and that we as a church were able to be a part this blessing. We also want to thank all our family friends who helped us with their gifts and support. There were many people who do not go to Touchstone who helped make it possible for Rick and I to afford to travel and be here. So we will be home soon and we are signing out...

Ero kamano (thank you) Your brother in Christ, Shane
+

The new kitchen. There is a sink and a faucet (cold water only) on the countertop and cabinets will be underneath.

This is a view of the main room, which divides the girls and the boys rooms. The sink in the corner is for washing hands before eating (sinks such as these are common even in Kenyan restaurants.)

Dinner at the Omugah's...Mama Helen is in the front (in red) serving the gang.

Another chicken dies for us...one of several that day. The chickens were offered to us fried, stewed and roasted. I think we also had goat, but I've learned not to ask what dishes are made of...for my own enjoyment of the meal.

Cooking chapti...kenyan tortillas.

Oh yeah, the house....

2011-02-13T19:08:00.000-08:00

It's not that we forgot, but we have been all over this region (including a 30 minute trip into Tanzania) and have seen and done many things. To be honest the house project is pretty much taking care of itself...with some occasional intervention on our part. We have consulted on changes such as the roof style, which is now more appropriate for the Kenya weather then as we planned it. Which is to say it is good we are here.

The home is progressing well, but it will not be complete when we leave tomorrow. However, besides the exterior plaster work, all the big tasks are done. So here you see the house as of Sunday afternoon. A little paint and a little plaster and she'll be done.

There will be a dedication of the new house tonight as we take dinner in the new home...more on that later.

A new church is born in Kenya

2011-02-13T05:28:00.000-08:00

Hello friends and family. It has been a fabulous two days here for Rick and I. The pastors were doing a church plant up in the hills in place known as Oneno Nam. It was an hour drive on a very rough dirt road but some incredibly beautiful country that you will see in the photos. A large group of pastors arrived on Thursday and started with door to door evangelism. We arrived on Friday and were split up into eight groups of four people and set out walking through the country and visiting homes in this very rural area and inviting people to the church. Most of the folks camped out on the property where the church will be. Today (Sunday) was special when we got to sit outdoors under the tree where the church will meet until God provides a building for them.

There was a lot of worship, great teaching by Pastor Boaz, the introduction of the new pastor whose name is Lawrence and an assistant from Pastor Boaz's church to help until the church gets going. They had their first baby dedication (Pastor Lawrence and his wife's baby girl) and also a dedication of a plot of the land that was donated by the owner of the property we were staying at. The view was so beautiful it looked like a painting. This new church will be a part of First Baptist Church of Chemilil which is Pastor Boaz's church and referred to as the mother church in this area. The last thing that the pastors did was name this church. The name that they had decided on as a group is Touchstone Christian Fellowship in Oneno Nam, Kenya. We were honored that this group of twenty or more pastors had decided without our knowledge to show their gratitude for the work that our church back home has done for them. Its kinda like when someone names their child after you. Thank you church family for your gifts, prayers and faithfulness and risking the reputation of TCF by sending a couple of clowns like me and Rick to oversee our first project in Kenya. The house is going great but will not be finished by the time we leave but they have worked very hard and are doing a great job. We will have dinner in the home tomorrow night with Boaz and his whole family and dedicate the home. They are doing more than we expected and we are pleased with the construction. So sit back and enjoy the photos of the very first service at Touchstone Christian Fellowship Oneno Nam.

Your brother in Christ, Shane

Boaz (in the brown suit) and the other pastors pray for some brand new Christians.

Helen, Boaz's wife, gets jiggy during worship...which was very lively! We have the video and may post it later...it needs some editing due to poor camera work.

Here is the new pastor (Lawrence) being prayed for (I know that's poor grammar, give me a break I'm in Kenya!)

Pastor Lawrence shows his appreciation and respect to Pastor Boaz by giving him a hen and a rooster. We've been in several cars with live chickens in the "boot" during our stay. We've even eaten a few.

From the left are pastor Lawrence, his assistant, pastor Cosmo, the man who donated the lot to the church and some unknown guy...they're standing at the new church site.

This is a view looking east from the new church site...it looks better in person! In the distance is the Rift Valley province.

This is another view of the church site looking to the west.

Dedicating the site...

This is one of the better stretches of road on the way to Oneno Nam. It looks like rain ahead.

Kenya on 400 schillings a week

2011-02-11T09:39:00.000-08:00

Here are some assorted photos from our safari posted simply to show you examples of life as we've experienced here in Kenya. They're mostly about people, but that is the Kenya we love...BTW 400 Kenyan schillings (Ksh) is about $5 American.

Shane photographed these kids through the window of Joesph's car on the highway to Kisumu. They're trying to steal sugar cane from the truck as it moves down the road.

Here is our friend Pastor Boaz and his wife Helen relaxing before our meal at Pastor Cornell's home in Kisumu.

This kid's parents are both HIV positive and Mama is in denial about her disease. So far she hasn't been tested and put on the government medication program. The symptoms are obvious to Pastor Joesph. Without treatment this child will become another orphan.

Late afternoon at Lake Victoria from the Kisumu Yacht Club (yeah, they have a yacht club...)

Here is Pastor Joesph with our lunch. I think we ate the brown one, but they all look the same stewed.

Four on a Boda Boda at the border...

The fish mongers in the Ahero market...I think Shane is talking to them about fish. The woman is cleaning a "mud fish" (looks like a catfish to me.) This is very near our guest house.

A man working his garden near Kanyipola. Leaning on his hoe as we passed...

Wherever we go the kids come out (or just stare) as the Mzungus drive by...

All dogs in this area of Kenya look the same, "African dogs" they call them. Can you see the African dog in this photo?

There goes my Gluten free diet

2011-02-09T09:17:00.000-08:00

Thursday we will be going to Tanzania so this may be the last post for a day or so...but who knows. So we thought we might explain why we will probably come home a "few" pounds heavier. Everywhere we go we are invited for a meal.

Here we are at Tabitha's home. I'm the camera man, but you can see my empty seat. That's Joesph with his mouth full. On the table you see Ugali (with the knife stuck in it) and to the right is Chapati (kinda of like thick tortillas.) This meal featured rice, beans and "wet chicken". Plenty of carbs!

Here is another meal in another part of the province (Kisumu). Our hosts here are Pastor Cornell and his fiance. The good thing is that we still fit in the clothes we brought...the bad news is there's several days (and several meals) to go.

Cho nears completion

2011-02-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

The Kanyipola Baptist Church cho is nearly completed. Today we brought paint to the site for a some final touch up work. Monday the two pastors and some of the church members gathered to dedicate the new, but still uncompleted, structure. I know it might be hard for you to understand why the congregation is so excited about a new "outhouse"....but this might explain it...

This is Pastor Joesph in front of the old cho.

...and this is Pastor Joesph standing behind the new cho. At first you will notice the new one will be much more comfortable to use in bad weather.

Here are some of the church members praying over the new facility (the doors hadn't been installed yet.) To the right of Shane are Pastors David and Joesph. This simple addition to the church grounds will allow the church to have a preschool. It will also make the farmer who owns the field next door happier.

Stimulus money found...

2011-02-09T06:18:00.002-08:00

We have good news for those of you might be concerned about the financial things going on in our government. We try to stay away from the political arena for this is not why we are here. But when we discover something this encouraging we feel it must be shared......Shane

(Look closely at the upper left of the photo)

A different world

2011-02-07T07:58:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon friends and family. It is Wednesday afternoon and we have had some problems getting a connection the last few days. My main thing is to introduce you to a new friend named Pastor Jack but before I do that I will update you on some things that we ask for your prayers. Today while we were at Pastor Jack's home the neighbors were carrying their three year old daughter who had just passed away. We were told by Jack that this woman's name is Benta and she is one of he women who do the cooking at Boaz's church each day for the children. Yesterday Boaz told us in the morning that the electrician whom we had met on the building project got up to come to the jobsite and collapsed and died that morning. Please pray for his wife and five children not only have they lost their father but the one who provides for them. Everyone we meet here is touched by death in ways that are difficult to comprehend. Almost all the reasons are easily corrected with medicine but this is a luxury that they can not afford.

So now about Pastor Jack. I first met him at the building project as he was there just helping the foondies (builders) doing anything they asked him to do. He is not a construction kind of guy but was receiving a few schillings a day (1 dollar) for helping. He walks one and a half hours from his home to Boaz's. To get to his church he walks three hours and has been pastoring there for fifteen years. Of all the pastors I have met he is the most humble,meek soft spoken man I have met up to date. Extremely kind and polite until.....he stands before the pulpit and shares what Christ did on the cross for us. This man had a passion and fire for the Lord that absolutely blew me away. No dog and pony show but a man whose faith and love for his savior was so real that if I was not saved I would have been that day. He lives in a very small home on his fathers property with his wife,three children and twenty orphans. His house has a small living room, small bedroom and a thatch roof that desperately needs to be replaced. When asked about his living situation he says that it can be difficult and tight but they are happy and he knows he is doing what God has called him to do.My commitment as a servant is deeply challenged by the way these men lay down their lives.

I am loving our stay here and each day is an adventure. Tomorrow we leave at 6am to go with Boaz and Joseph to Tanzania to meet with some pastors from that area to go over details for an upcoming medical mission that is happening in June. This weekend they are doing a church plant up in the mountains and will go through the villages evangelizing and inviting people to come on Sunday for the first service. We are talking about approximately one hundred pastors and elders coming to this area and then sleeping in their cars or tents or just on the ground. So the rest of this week will be very busy but I am excited about the things God has planned for us. The house is going great, they finished plastering the interior walls today and were working on the plumbing and a concrete counter-top for the kitchen. I am missing my family but as long as I am busy the days are flying by. In the picture you see Pastor Jack and his daughter, his church building and the rules.

Your brother in Christ, Shane

My day with Pastor Daniel

2011-02-07T07:44:00.000-08:00

Sunday Shane and I separated again so that we could each visit and preach at different churches. Each of the pastors here want us to be their guest so we are trying our best to visit as many as we can. I went with Pastor Daniel to the Samaria First Baptist church somewhere south of Awasi (google map it). The church is in a drought stricken area. The photo to the right shows the local water supply. It is a river, but as you can see it is running very low and slow. This photo was taken during the hottest part of the day and there are still many people there. Earlier in the day (when I couldn't get to my camera) it was packed with people and livestock.

To get to the church I had to ride a matatu (a taxi van) and then transfer to a boda boda (a motorcycle taxi). Here you see Pastor Daniel on the boda boda ahead of me riding back from the church. The area looks like a desert, but I was told it is a green grassland when the rains come. I took this picture while I was riding on the back of a boda boda so excuse any problems...you do have to hang on, too. Daniel said it is an hour walk from his house to the church which he usually walks every Sunday. The matatu and boda boda were luxuries for his guest. I think it is about 7 or 8 kilometers, and his time estimate, as with most Kenyans, is based on "African time."

The church is held in a typical mud-walled building. Since the Samaria Church is new, there are no doors or windows, there is a dirt floor and the remaining "mud work" must be delayed until the rainy season starts (usually by the end of February). The congregation is small but lively and God-fearing...I won't even attempt to explain it, you must see it to know. The attendance was small Sunday even with the news of a visitor, because many have to travel 6 kilometers or more each day to get water...and if the walk isn't tough enough the return trip includes carrying your water. Making the journey to church is also a long walk for many of the fellowship.

This is Benta, the church secretary and Pastor Daniel inside their church. They are both very dedicated to their calling and their church members. You should hear this little woman preach. I had lunch at Benta's home which was a simple meal of stewed chicken and ugali, but it was meant to be special to honor their guest, and I was. On the way back to the church, where we caught the boda bodas for the return home, we stopped at a blind widow's home to look in on her.

If I had half the love and commitment to God that these folks...

...I teared up today at Pastor Joesph's church when I talked about leaving here. And if you know me, that's a big deal.

Every day a new thing...

2011-02-04T01:31:00.001-08:00

Good morning to all our friends and family. I would like to send a special shout out to my good friend Jed "The Deacon" Lynch. As you can see from the pictures the house and cho (bathroom) are moving along quickly.

The cho will be a real blessing for Pastor Joseph's church as until now the children and adults go into the sugar cane field that is next to the church and use that for their cho. The man who owns the field will come over during church service and interrupt the teaching and start yelling his displeasure with this. Only Pastor Miles could deal with something like this and not be disturbed or annoyed by this type of interruption.

The man you see me with in the picture is Peter. He used to be a priest in a Kenyan cult known as the "Legend of Maria". Did you know Jesus had a Mercedes Benz? Anyway he accepted the "Real Jesus" and is now a deacon in Pastor Joseph's church. He tore down the building they used to worship in and donated the land to Joseph where they built the church that is having the cho built.

Pray for Rick he is not feeling good today. Other than that things are going very well and we have nothing to complain about. Thank you for your prayers we will be back soon. Also want say hello to my two new grandchildren that God blessed us with. Hunter James Michaels and Samantha Grace Phillips. I look forward to getting to spend time with them when I get back.

Your brother in Christ, Shane

Here is Shane stirring the pot, again....

A note from the IT staff

2011-02-02T00:42:00.000-08:00

The TCFinKenya IT staff would like to remind you that many times there is more than one new post. Several of our followers have missed some on our better work by just looking at the top posting. Today, for example, we are uploading 4 new posts.

And, if you are reading this from a PC (using Windows or Linux) you can double click on any photo to view it enlarged. If you are using a Mac...you're on your own. We have uploaded large image files and they should look pretty good enlarged.

In the photo you see me and our new intern, Moo Chin, who has the bad habit of licking the modem.

The roof is on...

2011-02-02T00:19:00.000-08:00

Work on Boaz's new home is progressing well. As you see in his photo the rafters are almost finished, and Samuel the builder (and Pastor) says that the "iron sheets" will start going on by noon.

This is the back of the house. The foondie is placing bricks in between the rafters.

This is another photo of Shane actually working...no this isn't one of those photo ops he likes me to put up. Unloading this lorrie was hard work. I even broke down and helped. It carried the interior doors, cement (for the wall plaster), nails, and the iron sheets. Here they are moving some of the iron sheets.

Kanyipola Cho Update

2011-02-01T23:56:00.000-08:00

The cho (outhouse) project is going well. Today they should have the floor and the walls completed. The foondies told us it would only take 5 days to complete. To the right you see the design which was chosen. Considering the intricate architectural features, there may be some cost overruns. The foondies, however, have told us that the project will come in on budget.

This is the same pit that Shane was seen digging in a few posts back. It is shown here with a foundation ready for the floor.

Here the foondies are starting to build the concrete floor.

This is Shane a his best...sleeping in the church as the others work.

Hello from Kenya

2011-02-01T23:02:00.001-08:00

Good morning to all our family and friends back home. It is Wednesday morning here which means it is Tuesday evening in Sactown. Want to start off with some good news!! At approximately 8:30 Tuesday evening Samantha Grace Phillips arrived and I am grateful to be blessed with my 9th grandchild. So Mike and Jessica have added a beautiful granddaughter into our lives and I look forward to meeting her when I get back. Yesterday one of the many things we did was go and visit Mama Cecilia to see how she was doing and bring her some food. She was lying in the sun when we got there and stood up on her own to greet us. It is good to see her up and walking this is a big improvement from when we first met her. The pictures you are seeing are of a typical corn grinder in Kenya, her on her bed and her standing. We took about 75 pounds of corn to be ground and took it to her home. She also has her five grandchildren and her son living with her so this will help them also. The longer we are here the more we learn about the culture. The biggest thing we are becoming aware of is how many people we meet are HIV positive and how many of our new friends have lost loved ones to this disease. We will continue to update you as often as possible and things are going great. The next two weeks are going to be very busy with the things that Boaz and Joseph have planned for us. Thank you for all your prayers.
Your brother in Christ,Shane

A new day in Kenya

2011-01-29T19:36:00.000-08:00

Hello family and friends, today was a good day in Kenya with me feeling 100% after being sick for two days from something I must have ate. This morning we went and visited Cecilia and she is improving but has a ways to go. We were then off to Pastor Joseph's church for his feeding program. They normally feed the kids on Monday, Wednesday and Friday but had no food this week until yesterday so they fed the kids today. Rice, beans and a cup of fresh water is what they give the children and I was surprised at how big the portions were and that these little ones could put it all away. It was a joy to see them enjoying life and singing praise songs before they ate. Tabitha is in charge of the feeding program and has gone from living in the dirt to being one of the most involved woman in the church. Her gratitude shines through as I watched her cooking and feeding these kids and loving every minute of it.

Tabitha is wearing the red skirt.

Hard at work digging the new cho.

We were also working on building a cho for Joseph at his church. Last year they told him if he wanted to have school at his building he had to put in a concrete floor, fresh drinking water and a cho(bathroom). He had everything done except the cho but had the twenty foot deep hole dug. So with the help of a few friends we will finish the bathroom before the rain comes and fills the hole with water. It felt good to be working on the cho after having sat on one for two days straight. Tomorrow Rick will will be speaking at Boaz's church and I will be speaking at Samual's church. The house is going good as you will see from Rick's pictures. The trusses are being installed and things are moving along at a good pace. Thank you everyone for your prayers and support.

Your brother in Christ, Shane+

Widow's Harvest, Miwani, Kenya

2011-01-27T04:00:00.000-08:00

Shane asked me to post some pictures from our trip to Pastor Joshua's home. Joshua and Abagail run a 25 acre "compound" (as they say here in Kenya) that includes a big farm, primary school and church. I think they also have an orphanage, though I can't say for sure. Shane has the details, but he went home with a sick tummy...ahhh. So, even though I was there, I didn't really pay attention. These photos are from his camera, so don't blame me...

This is the church...

...and this is Pastor Joshua's house.

Housing update from the Chemelil Baptist compound

2011-01-27T02:07:00.000-08:00

It's Thursday and I'm back at the Chemelil Baptist compound after spending yesterday scouting the "Widow's Harvest" in Miwani for another mission team in April. The work on Boaz's house is moving along well, and it is my professional opinion that it will be 99% done when it is our time to leave (February 15th.) So, as an update to you I have a few photos of the "crew" building trusses for the roof structure.

This is Pastor Samuel, our builder commenting to one of his carpenters about the wood. Please note how straight and uniform the boards are...he shouldn't be complaining, this seems to be the standard here.

The crew assembling the roof trusses...

Building trusses, with, yes that's right, a hand saw!

Well it looks like lunch and I have to sign off...I wonder what it might be, chicken?

Three days, two funerals...

2011-01-26T06:22:00.000-08:00

Since Saturday we have attended two funerals. One for a 15 year old girl who committed suicide and the other for a woman from Chemelil. Luo funerals are very different then the typical one in America (at least the ones I've attended.) They are very lively, and seem to me much like a church revival meeting. There is music, singing, dancing, testimonies and preaching. Both funerals were at the grave site which was beside the home. Burial at the home is also a common Luo practice.

Every funeral requires a government official to be present. That could be anything from an MP (member of Parliament) down to a local chief. The funeral on Sunday had a chief, a county officer and the provincial Governor.The provincial Governor is shown in this photo. All of these men were "long winded" and the last one was cut off by the band starting to play. That was a polite way of ending the campaigning (elections are soon.)

Here is Pastor Boaz praying over the coffin (bottom center) as it is being placed into the grave. I have never been to a funeral where they actually lowered the coffin into the ground and buried it...this was erry to say the least. As the coffin was being buried the mood quickly changed and women began to wail loudly and passionately as they ran from the grave. I will not forget this experience!

Although I was told that I could photograph the funeral activities, and I did some, I felt uneasy about it. I am sure there will be several more during our stay (we have 3 weeks left.)

Your servant...and blogmeister

2011-01-25T20:01:00.000-08:00

There have been several requests for a photo of me...maybe to prove I am actually here? Trust me I am here (he says slapping another mosquito)...working as you see in this pic, in front of Boaz's house...or as I am now on my bed under a mosquito net. After going over many photos of me here in Kenya I have agreed to upload this one. Most of them create an optical illusion which makes my head look small and my body look big (Shane says that's no illussion.)

So now you have proof...but usually I am behind the point and shoot camera documenting our safari.

Oh, yeah, Tabitha called Shane her "huge" elephant, not her "big" elephant.

The return to Tabitha's

2011-01-25T04:54:00.000-08:00

Hello to all our friends at home. It is another beautiful day in Kenya and Rick I are privileged to be here representing our Touchstone family. Today we returned to the house we built for Tabitha and visited her and her family. We picked up a couple of chickens yesterday and today one of them was having a great day until Tabitha slit its throat and we ate it for lunch. Rice, ugali and chicken was the lunch of choice. Tabitha asked us to say hello to everyone who was there last year and remembered everyone by name.

This is Tabitha cooking the deceased rooster in the kitchen Shaun built for her last year.

Our friends that we met from Mississippi left today to go home. They said they have never met Christian men like us and that they will never be the same. So our question to our friends is, do you think this was a compliment? Tomorrow we are traveling to Pastor Joshua's and Abagail's to take pictures and gather some info for the team who is going there in April. We are at the house and the project is going well. Remember the house?? If all goes well we should start putting up the trusses on Monday. Keep us in your prayers we never know what God has planned for us each day but we are doing good in health and in spirit this day and for that we thank God for His goodness. We have had 2 funerals in 3 days and Rick will share with you his experience with that. If you did not know it was a funeral you would think you stumbled upon a worship service with all the singing.
Your brother in Christ, Shane

Marsha's Tomater Gravy

2011-01-24T01:11:00.000-08:00

A few days after we arrived in Kenya with had the pleasure of having two missionaries from Mississippi join us at the Marvelon Villa (the guest house we are living in). In the past week we have shared much, and being the only mzungus for miles around we have spent a good deal of time together. Our friends and fellow missionaries, Marsha and Stewart Graham have made our stay so much more enjoyable and enriched our lives...they'll never know. Some day we may even travel to Puckett, Mississippi to harass them more. The photo to the right shows them with Mama Cecelia which was taken today (January 24).

Their mission here is to disciple some of the churches which were planted by their own church, Overflow (Magee, Miss.). Here you see Stuart out in the bush with a class.

Now all this time Marsha has been braggin on her Tomater gravy, so here's her own personal recipe...

Tomato Gravy

1/4 cup cooking oil
2 tablespoons of self raising flour
2 cups of diced tomatoes with with their juice
1 beef bullion cube
Salt and peeper to taste
1/3 cup of milk

In a skillet combine cooking oil and flour; ad salt, pepper and the bullion cube. Cook on medium heat til it's golden brown.. Turn heat to low and add tomatoes. If it's too thick add some water to get the right consistency (thickness). Before serving add the milk.
Serve over crumbled biscuits (Stewart says not to crumble them.)

2011-01-23T23:27:00.000-08:00

Hello to all our friends at TCF and our folks who are keeping up with us on the blog. We appreciate your prayers and encouragement. Keep Rick in your prayers, he is the one taking the time to post all the pictures and see to it that we keep you updated on our progress. I am grateful he is here it requires a lot of time, patience and knowledge to get this done over here. We are posting some pictures of Pastor Boaz's church that they are slowly building.
We are at the very first service inside the building Sunday. No roof, no floor, no windows or doors but the Lord showed up and lots of people which made for a wonderful time of worship and fellowship.

Today we are at the house "working" and this afternoon Boaz has asked us to go to another funeral with him. On our way here we stopped by and saw Mama Cecilia and she seemed as if she was not doing very well again. We contacted Dr.Joseph and waiting to hear back from him so that we can have him go and see her again. Please keep her and her family in your prayers when we there this morning her son and grandchildren were sick also.On a personal level Rick and I are doing very good and we are grateful to be here serving. The house is moving along except for right now while I am here doing this part of the ministry :-] .......Your brother in Christ, Shane

Vivian arrives out of nowhere

2011-01-22T00:01:00.000-08:00

Friday was another great day in Kenya. Pastor Boaz wanted us to go with him to the island of Suba which is in Lake Victoria. If that sounds exotic it wasn't but it was very interesting and a very long trip. Three hours of driving and a forty five minute ferry ride. We went to visit Pastor Peter which most of the fifty5five team will remember. He sends his love to all his friends that he met while we were here. Upon our return we stopped in Kisumu so that I could get my hair cut. I realize that statement has many of you confused and has put me in a position to be really severely roasted. Bring it on my brothers I just don't want any boohooing when its my turn.

When we were leaving Kisumu a young woman with her son approached the car and started speaking with Boaz. Her husband had left her and she needed a ride to speak with the husband's father. Boaz investigated her story and found it to be true and the husband will have to return to his parents home where his father will correct the situation. The new clothes you see her in (the photo to the right) were from those we brought. Things are very different here.

Today Boaz has asked to accompany him to the funeral of a young woman who committed suicide. We will go wherever we are asked to serve. Once again I have asked not to have my picture taken while I am working. When I stop for the photo shots the progress on the building of the home suffers in words that I cannot explain or even begin to describe.

Your humble servant in Christ, Shane

Note: Sorry for the bad exposure in the photo with Boaz, Vivian and Boaz's wife Helen. For someone who understands photography well I have no excuse.
-- Rick

House project update for January 19th

2011-01-21T23:49:00.000-08:00

These are some photos Shane took on Thursday while he actually worked on Boaz's new home. Mysteriously there are none of him working(??). I was in Kisumu at the Baptist seminary working alone and unnoticed.

These workers are assembling the reinforcing steel that will be placed in the forms on top of the brick walls which will form the "rim beam". The Kenyans call it "twisted steel", we call it rebar.

This worker is constructing the forms and placing the twisted steel on the brick walls.

The concrete for the rim beam is mixed by hand on the floor of the house. In the background you can see children at the school Boaz runs.

After the concrete is mixed it is handed up and placed in the the forms with buckets.

Pastor Samuel, the contractor of the project (in the blue shirt), is inspecting forms at the building site.

Safaricom

2011-01-21T18:30:00.000-08:00

Although we have had trouble connecting to the internet, I have nothing but praise for our provider, Safaricom. Boaz has a USB cellular broadband modem which generally works well, but sometimes the network does get overloaded and we have issues. The problem is that we usually are trying to use the network at it's busiest time. It's just the way it is...after all we are in "bush" country.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you come to Kenya on a mission don't worry about the toilet paper, bring a laptop!

In the area we in which we are working everyone has a cell phone, they may live in a mud walled house with no electricity and outdoor toilets, but they have a cell phone. And the amazing thing is the phone service is extremely good and cheap. I mean it is cheap with no dropped calls. We have a local service phone that was loaned to us for the duration of our visit by Phil Johnsey from Church Missions Network, another mission group which works with Boaz. We have been calling the "states" for less than a dollar per hour of talk time...AT&T offered me their best iPhone deal for about 4 dollars a minute.

When I get back home I will drop AT&T and switch to Safaricom immediately.

BTW...this is a quick post while I go through several days worth of images from 3 different cameras...and (don't tell Shane) I just lost a day's full of pictures due to a slight malfunction of the anti-virus software on Boaz's PC

Wednesday and Thursday in Kenya

2011-01-21T09:21:00.000-08:00

Hello TCF family and thank you for your prayers. Yesterday we went and visited Cecilia with the doctor and she had improved a little bit. The next door neighbor came to say hello. He and his wife are in their early 20s and both are HIV positive and he recently lost his sight. They have three children, please keep them in your prayers. This is the type of story you hear everywhere we go. Today Boaz took Rick to Kisumu to the seminary and he got all the computers and printers working for them. I am grateful for his knowledge in this area I don't even know how to sign on to the blog. Tomorrow we are going to the island of Suba in Lake Victoria with Pastor Boaz to do something for Pastor Peter. The PC can be very slow and some days we don't get a connection but we will try daily to update you. Today I "worked" on the house and the progress is going great. We will download some pictures tomorrow so you can see what is being done. Me and Rick recognize daily that without the Lord and the family back at TCF we would not be here helping.

Your brother in Christ,
Shane-

Quick Update

2011-01-20T13:09:00.000-08:00

Shane and Rick have been unable to post to the blog the past couple of days because of technical difficulties in Kenya. (No fault of theirs.) So, they wanted me to tell everyone that things are going great and they will post an update soon.

The rumors are not true that the "Big Elephant" stepped on Rick's computer, crushing it into tiny silicon and plastic bits.

Mama Cecelia

2011-01-18T05:11:00.000-08:00

These are a few pictures of our time with Mama Cecelia...

Doctor Joesph checking Mama Cecelia's blood pressure and heart rate at her home. Just try to get a doctor to make a house call in Sacramento, much less rural Kenya. Doctor Joesph is a christian doctor from Awasi who donated his time and rode on the back of a motorcycle several miles on a dirt road to meet us at Cecelia's home.

Doctor Joesph administering medicine to Mama Cecelia for Typhoid Fever. The effects of Malaria will always be with her. Malaria is naturally a problem in this region and the sugar cane fields add to the threat.

In this photo Pastor Joesph and Doctor Joesph are starting to burn Mama Cecelia's old bedding. Besides having been "soiled" from her chronic diarrhea it was infested with bedbugs.

Mama Cecelia resting on her new bed. Thank you Touchstone family, God is good!!!

A typical day in Kenya...

2011-01-18T03:54:00.000-08:00

I want to thank the Lord first for He is good. Next I want to thank the TCF family for their generosity which helped to save a life today. We will post some pictures of mama Cecilia showing her old sleeping place and her on her new bed and pillow. Doctor Joseph came and helped her and gave shots and medicine for typhoid and malaria. He said she would not have lived another week due to the dehydration from the chronic diarrhea. Now she should be doing much better in a few weeks. We were able to get her a case of water, 25 lbs. of rice, 25 lbs. of beans, bread and bananas. It is because of God's goodness that pastor Joseph just happened to see her and the Lord was able to minister to her.

Next I would like to address the posts by Pastor Jeff and Deacon Jed Lynch my faithful friend. I have specifically asked to not have pictures taken of me doing all the work because in my humbleness I do not want to look like a glory hound. So I purposely stopped working for the photo shoot......your brother in Christ, Shane.

More photos from Chemelil...

2011-01-17T02:28:00.000-08:00

Here are few more pictures from our mission:

Here Shane is discussing the project with the local builder, Pastor Samuel. Behind them is one of the Real Home Life Center's classroom buildings.

Part of the job here is to constantly inspect the "sanitary facilities", a task which Shane does well.

Shane and Pastor Samuel standing in the entry to Boaz's new home as work goes on around them.

The Mzungu, Shane (aka, big elephant), is always popular with Boaz's kids.

A new day in Kenya

2011-01-17T00:41:00.000-08:00

Hello TCF family and thank you for your prayers. We are doing well and at this time we are at Pastor Boaz's watching the progress on the house and helping where needed.

Yesterday Pastor Joseph took us by a widow's home who is very ill. He saw them carrying her naked to her house becuase she was too sick to walk. Her name is Cecilia, please pray for her. I am using the gift that Dawn and Joe gave me to buy her a bed,blanket, insecticide to kill the bedbugs that have infested her home and food and water. Dawner...Cecilia is your new BFF in Kenya.

Side-note ,if you are not saved you do not want to drive here.Boaz could make a career in Nascar .....Shane

Photos of our project

2011-01-15T02:09:00.000-08:00

Shane and I were picked up at the Kisumu airport by Pastor Boaz and are now at his home. I have the laptop setup outside the door of his home and the sound of children playing at his school is in the background. The weather is perfect.

Here are some photos:

Shane and Boaz in downtown Kisumu.

Some photos of Boaz's new home (much has already been done). That's Shane near the center of the photo introducing himself to a worker.

Here you can see another angle of the job including the "scaffolding" that I was standing on and from which I took these two photos (in sandals). You can also see a little of the surrounding area in the background.

Nairobi...at last.

2011-01-14T17:15:00.000-08:00

Jambo!

After about 23 actual hours in the air and several stops, Shane and I have cleared customs and were delivered to the guest house in Nairobi in which we will stay until this morning. Actually it's 4 am Saturday here...5pm your time (on Friday).

The time difference was made obvious to us as we landed in Amsterdam at 8am yesterday after our departure at 9am the day before...a 23 hour jump ahead in time but really only about 13 hours.

We will be leaving in a couple of hours (6am) for Kisumu and then on to see our friends.

I will add some pictures after I awaken Shane...and I need some coffee anyway...

Sorry, but we had to leave in a hurry for our plane to Kisumu...no coffee. Below is a quick photo I made at the Kisumu airport, it was a very simple place to say the least.

Chemelil?

2011-01-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

We're leaving for Chemelil in the morning...but we'll be staying in Ahero...

Here is a map of the area around Chemelil, Kenya (that water to the west is Lake Victoria.)

View Larger Map

The rainy season is from March to May, so we'll miss that. You can see how we're doing weather-wise at any time from weather.com just like you'd check your local weather. The local weather for Kisumu, a little over 30 miles away, is here:
http://www.weather.com/weather/today/KEXX0005

Looks like highs in the upper 80s with mostly sunny skies when we arrive...it might take some getting used to, I guess.

Departure and Flight Schedule

2011-01-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Here is a complete flight schedule to and from Kenya for Shane and me:

Thursday 1/13 - Leave Sacramento at 9:20am on Alaska Airlines Flight 365, arrive in Seattle at 11:15am
Thursday 1/13 - Leave Seattle at 12:45pm on Delta Airlines Flight 232, arrive in Amsterdam at 7:45am on Friday 1/14
Friday 1/14 - Leave Amsterdam at 12:45pm on Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) Flight 565, arrive in Nairobi at 8:30pm on Friday 1/14

*** From Nairobi we will be taking an aircraft which has yet to be identified by Shane to Kisumu, Kenya.

Now back from Nairobi...after a flight from Kisumu...

Tuesday 2/15 - Leave Nairobi at 10:55pm on Royal Dutch Airlines (KLM) Flight 566, arrive in Amsterdam at 5:30am on 1/16
Wednesday 2/16 - Leave Amsterdam at 11:00am on Delta Airlines Flight 233, arrive in Seattle at 12:25pm
Wednesday 2/16 - Leave Seattle at 3:05pm on Alaska Airlines Flight 374, arrive in Sacramento at 4:50pm

Welcome to our blog...

2011-01-05T21:01:00.000-08:00

This is the first post for our blog about the Touchstone Christian Fellowship's mission to Kenya in 2011. On the morning of Thursday, January 13th at 9:20 am Shane and I will depart from Sacramento Metro Airport for Chemelil, Kenya. Once there, we will be working with Pastor Boaz Omugah to construct a new home for his family and him.

This blog will be the main media contact between the mission and our friends in the US. Please feel free to add your comments as we share our stories and upload pictures of our experiences. You can follow our trip by clicking on the "Follow" widget to the right. All of your our words and prayers will be appreciated.

If we are lucky the new home may closely resemble this drawing...

You can view a video of Pastor Boaz speaking at Touchstone on November 14th, last year by following this link http://touchstonecf.org/teachings/guest/20101114AM.html