Shortly after we got here I began to ask the Lord, “What is it that You want our high school and post high school girls to know?” Each time I asked, the response was the same, “I want them to know Me. To know My character and so when life gets hard they will know where to run.”
We just completed a Bible Study where we studied various names of God. Throughout the Old and New Testament God showed up in individuals lives in such deep and powerful ways that they often gave Him a very personal name as a reminder for generations to come of who He is - His faithfulness, His holiness, His might, His tenderness.
Some of the things we discovered was that:
God is our Strong Tower ~ a safe place to run in times of need
God is our Elohim ~ Hebrew for Powerful Creator & Mighty Lord of lords
He is our Good Shepherd ~ who guides us
He is The God Who Sees ~ He sees the details of our lives and He desires to minister to us when we run to Him and humbly seek Him
Please continue to pray for these young ladies. They are entering the cross roads into adulthood. This is what the LORD says: "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls. (Jer. 6:16) |
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A couple of weeks ago we took 14 children for eye exams! Most had eye pain and irritation related to seasonal allergies and were placed on eye drops. These three however, received eye glasses. Look at how smart they look! (Left - Paulene, Top Right - Lions SightFirst Eye Hospital, Bottom Right - Godfrey & Kofi.) A more complicated case involves a young girl named Faith. |
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Rhonda’s been observing Faith for a while and has suspected she likely has significant vision loss, so we have made several trips to Lions SightFirst Eye Hospital ~ in the Loresho area of Nairobi to meet with various specialists. This week a CT scan of her eyes confirmed the diagnoses of Juvenile Macular Degeneration. There are several types of Juvenile Macular and her’s specifically is Stargardt’s disease, which is genetic and has been present from birth. If you’re not familiar with this, it is progressive vision loss that looks like this: |
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As you can imagine this has made school a bit of a challenge for her. We will return to Lions in a week to meet with a low vision specialist who will assess Faith and determine what assistive devices she will need such as special glasses, magnifying glass and extra lighting for school work. Rhonda will meet with Faith’s teacher once she receives her assistive devices so we can come up with a learning plan. To date there is no cure. Lions will continue with follow up care and will let us know should any trial studies become available. Typically full blindness does not occur, though it can and is usually much later in life. In the meantime - please join us as we pray and believe God for total healing. |
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Fundraiser for Faith Our friends from Twin Garden Farms are again hosting a farmer's market fundraiser for us this summer. During the month of July, 100% of our portion will go toward the eyecare expenses for our young girl Faith. We have a huge variety of vegetables, melons, herbs, fresh flowers and the amazing Mirai Sweetcorn (available this coming Saturday). Come on out and say hello, pick up some great produce and help orphan care in Kenya. A huge thanks to Kent and Janis for keeping the market going for us. You too can also volunteer to work at the booth. Just stop by and talk to Kent or Janis. They would love the help. Thanks! |
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Elkhorn, WI Saturday - 8:00 am-12:30 pm Wisconsin Street on the Square | | |
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Hunting Snakes The other day two of our workmen, Patrick and Wilfred, spotted a 12-16” long black snake in the manhole for the underground electric. They attempted to smoke it out to the other end, but with no luck... We’ll continue to keep an eye out for him. <img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e9922_93fc19dd319f400397db40bc6b7bfe94.png_256" height="22" width="22"> |
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Making Chips While out one day we came across this beauty for special dinners! It cuts homemade french fries (AKA chips). Of course we had to test it out while the kids were in school... just to make sure everything was in working order. Add a pinch of salt & a splash of vinegar... perfection! |
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Dagaa & Ugali One of our staff member’s decided to make dagaa (little sun dried fish) with ugali (solidified corn flour paste) for her birthday. One of the house moms prepared it with onion, tomato, and a pinch of salt. Rhonda thought it was actually pretty tasty. The hard part was getting past the idea that she was eating the entire fish - eyes, fins and brain included. <img src="https://static.wixstatic.com/media/5e9922_edffb86884d14dc8a2c1a1d8b99f708f.png_256" height="22" width="22"> |
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Walking with Camels Once a week we take a walk down our road to a neighbor who helps tutor us in Swahili. Recently as we walked out the gate we encountered two camels leisurely strolling down the road. Not knowing how they react to other people, we gave them the right-a-way. We also regularly see herds of goats and cattle using our road and an occasional monkey or two. |
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