Chaos + 104 = Love: Day 2

Funny how things work here in Kenya, especially when it comes to the Kenya Power & Lighting (but mostly Darkness) Company. We had torrential downpour on Sunday night into Monday morning. The power didn’t flicker, not even once. We don’t even have a drop of rain last night and this morning and what happens? The power is out all night and into this morning and throughout the rest of the day today. Go figure.

And a cold shower I took this morning. Brrrrr!!!!

We had two different groups of people come out to In Step today. The first group was with our friends Louie & Rita Self. They had brought with them five women who just wanted to come and love on the children for a few hours. And that they did.

The children immediately grabbed a hold of the visitors’ legs and it was hook, line and sinker from there on in. The children had ten extra arms to be wrapped up in. They LOVED it.

The second group to come out were our friends, Betsy, Aly, Georgina, Andrew and Jonathan.  They are usually regulars here. Andrew and Jonathan are heading back to the States next week; Georgina is going back to Nairobi to finish up her last semester of university but Betsy and Aly will still be coming by.

It’s always great having visitors here. With 104 children, it’s obvious that they can’t all be hugged or given attention to all at the same time.  It’s definitely a gift when teams/visitors come out and love on the children for a day. So people from around the world, if you feel like huggin’ on and lovin’ on some sweet African children, come on over. We got lots for you to love. J

Before dinner, the children went outside to swing on the swings and play around the yard. I went outside with them and the kids asked me to do my dance, which consists of me putting my hands up in the air and turning around in a circle. The children then followed and we had a big dance party.  

Sean’s been keeping pretty busy today. He had to run into town to get some paperwork done for the generator (aka Genny!) that is coming out THIS WEEK to In Step. It was donated from somewhere in the US and shipped on a container here. It’s been a long time wanted and needed out here so everyone is pretty excited about its arrival. Genny is going to be loved here.

Sean also did a clinic run today with one of our boys, Dennis. He woke up this morning with a headache. He was given medicine but the headache persisted and he got a bit of a fever.  So we thought it might be malaria. It’s better to be safe than sorry. And we were correct; the poor little guy tested positive for malaria. He’s on medication now for it.

Every afternoon around three o’clock, we go around and ask the Aunties if any of the children need to go to the clinic. If so, we pile those that are sick, up in one of the vehicles and drive to the nearby clinic. In Step has a wonderful relationship with a doctor there, named Shadrack, who loves the children and takes excellent care of them. He’s definitely a treasure to In Step.

Also, one of our girls, Melissa, is having eye surgery on Thursday, early in the morning here. She will be admitted into the hospital tomorrow afternoon (our social worker is with her); the surgery will only take an hour or so and then she will hopefully be released on Friday to come home. So if everyone could pray for her over the next few days that would be greatly appreciated.

I also thought it would be cool to share what our dinners consist of everyday, since it’s the one that changes every day. Breakfast is chai (tea) and bread; lunch is either ugali (a corn flour and water like mixture, pronounced oo-gal-ee) and sukuma wiki (similar to kale back in North America, pronounced sue-kuu-ma wee-key) or githeri (a maize kernel and bean mixture, pronounced gee-there-ee).

A little fun Kenyan fact for you all:

Last night for dinner, we had tacos. They had meat, mashed avocadoes, tomatoes and onions all wrapped up in a chapati (similar to our tortillas back home but a bit more greasy).  So yummy!  The fun part of this story is that “taco” in Swahili is spelt “tako” and it actually it means “bum/butt”.  So you can imagine a Kenyan’s surprise (and probable disgust) when you tell them that you’re favourite food back in North America are tacos.  

Tonight’s dinner we had rice and green grams (similar to peas) and for dessert was a half an orange. A yummy meal, I must say.

After dinner, the children are all cleaned up and then it’s a chaotic moment (well more like twenty-thirty chaotic minute moments) of getting all the children into pajamas.  The younger ones and babies go to bed pretty much right after that and the older ones clean the dining area and put the clothes away of the younger children.  

It’s chaotic but an organized chaotic.

Sean and I (oh yes, and Cindy-Lou) are getting settled in our room for our night. Little Miss Princess demands attention and when I turn my head from her to type, she squeaks at me. So I better do as she says and give her all of my attention. J

Good night everyone. Until tomorrow.

Much Love,

Meredith

Chaos + 104 = Love: Day 2

Funny how things work here in Kenya, especially when it comes to the Kenya Power & Lighting (but mostly Darkness) Company. We had torrential downpour on Sunday night into Monday morning. The power didn’t flicker, not even once. We don’t even have a drop of rain last night and this morning and what happens? The power is out all night and into this morning and throughout the rest of the day today. Go figure.

And a cold shower I took this morning. Brrrrr!!!!

We had two different groups of people come out to In Step today. The first group was with our friends Louie & Rita Self. They had brought with them five women who just wanted to come and love on the children for a few hours. And that they did.

The children immediately grabbed a hold of the visitors’ legs and it was hook, line and sinker from there on in. The children had ten extra arms to be wrapped up in. They LOVED it.

The second group to come out were our friends, Betsy, Aly, Georgina, Andrew and Jonathan.  They are usually regulars here. Andrew and Jonathan are heading back to the States next week; Georgina is going back to Nairobi to finish up her last semester of university but Betsy and Aly will still be coming by.

It’s always great having visitors here. With 104 children, it’s obvious that they can’t all be hugged or given attention to all at the same time.  It’s definitely a gift when teams/visitors come out and love on the children for a day. So people from around the world, if you feel like huggin’ on and lovin’ on some sweet African children, come on over. We got lots for you to love. J

Before dinner, the children went outside to swing on the swings and play around the yard. I went outside with them and the kids asked me to do my dance, which consists of me putting my hands up in the air and turning around in a circle. The children then followed and we had a big dance party.  

Sean’s been keeping pretty busy today. He had to run into town to get some paperwork done for the generator (aka Genny!) that is coming out THIS WEEK to In Step. It was donated from somewhere in the US and shipped on a container here. It’s been a long time wanted and needed out here so everyone is pretty excited about its arrival. Genny is going to be loved here.

Sean also did a clinic run today with one of our boys, Dennis. He woke up this morning with a headache. He was given medicine but the headache persisted and he got a bit of a fever.  So we thought it might be malaria. It’s better to be safe than sorry. And we were correct; the poor little guy tested positive for malaria. He’s on medication now for it.

Every afternoon around three o’clock, we go around and ask the Aunties if any of the children need to go to the clinic. If so, we pile those that are sick, up in one of the vehicles and drive to the nearby clinic. In Step has a wonderful relationship with a doctor there, named Shadrack, who loves the children and takes excellent care of them. He’s definitely a treasure to In Step.

Also, one of our girls, Melissa, is having eye surgery on Thursday, early in the morning here. She will be admitted into the hospital tomorrow afternoon (our social worker is with her); the surgery will only take an hour or so and then she will hopefully be released on Friday to come home. So if everyone could pray for her over the next few days that would be greatly appreciated.

I also thought it would be cool to share what our dinners consist of everyday, since it’s the one that changes every day. Breakfast is chai (tea) and bread; lunch is either ugali (a corn flour and water like mixture, pronounced oo-gal-ee) and sukuma wiki (similar to kale back in North America, pronounced sue-kuu-ma wee-key) or githeri (a maize kernel and bean mixture, pronounced gee-there-ee).

A little fun Kenyan fact for you all:

Last night for dinner, we had tacos. They had meat, mashed avocadoes, tomatoes and onions all wrapped up in a chapati (similar to our tortillas back home but a bit more greasy).  So yummy!  The fun part of this story is that “taco” in Swahili is spelt “tako” and it actually it means “bum/butt”.  So you can imagine a Kenyan’s surprise (and probable disgust) when you tell them that you’re favourite food back in North America are tacos.  

Tonight’s dinner we had rice and green grams (similar to peas) and for dessert was a half an orange. A yummy meal, I must say.

After dinner, the children are all cleaned up and then it’s a chaotic moment (well more like twenty-thirty chaotic minute moments) of getting all the children into pajamas.  The younger ones and babies go to bed pretty much right after that and the older ones clean the dining area and put the clothes away of the younger children.  

It’s chaotic but an organized chaotic.

Sean and I (oh yes, and Cindy-Lou) are getting settled in our room for our night. Little Miss Princess demands attention and when I turn my head from her to type, she squeaks at me. So I better do as she says and give her all of my attention. J

Good night everyone. Until tomorrow.

Much Love,

Meredith

Mouse in the House: Part 1

To read the new blog:

click here

It's our new blogspot called Stewarts In Africa.

Enjoy!

Unwelcomed Visitors

Check out our other blog:

Stewarts In Africa by clicking here

Much love,
Meredith

Back To Life

We’re home! We got in to Kitale on Wednesday afternoon (early morning for you in the EST).

We have spent the last few days resting (trying to get over the jet lag), unpacking, seeing friends, training our new puppy and loving on our old puppy. Okay, so there hasn’t been that much resting. But we’re back to our life and we are happy.

We left Nairobi at 7:00am on Wednesday to head back to Kitale. Sean and I figured we’ve made it this far; let’s just get up early and go straight home. We had a friend arrange a shuttle for us and we paid for the whole thing – we had quite a bit of luggage and we just really wanted to get on the road. When we were close to home (the last 20 minutes seemed to take FOREVER), we called James and said we would be there shortly.

There was our gate and then there was James, to open it and welcome us home. Here is James’ face when he saw me:

Jack (our 14-month old German Shepherd) was excited to see us. He couldn’t stop running circles around Sean and me, tail wagging like crazy.

We walked in the door and I teared up. We were home. I went to every room of the house (well, skipped to every room) and smiled. I turned to Sean with a big grin on my face and said, “My heart is happy!” Home is definitely where the heart is.

We took James to town and met up with Mark, Derick and Eric and took them for lunch at our favourite restaurant, The Coffee Shop. It was great to see some of our friends in there and get the “Welcome Home” hugs.

After lunch, Sean, James and I headed to town for grocery shopping. We had turned our fridge off while we were in Canada to save on electricity so we had gotten rid of pretty much everything in the house except for a few non-perishables.

That night in our bed was wonderful; I have REALLY missed our bed. It’s seriously the most comfortable bed I have ever slept on.

On Thursday, we picked up our new puppy, Chloe. She’s a twelve-week old Rottweiler and is the cutest thing.

For those of you who don’t know the story, we did have a ten-month Rottweiler named Chloe, before we left for Canada but while we were in Canada, she was poisoned and died. So dear friends of ours here in Kitale, bought us a new puppy (from the same parents as the old Chloe) and were taking care of her until we got back home. We tried to think of another name for this new puppy but because we didn’t have old Chloe for very long – and I have ALWAYS wanted a Rottweiler – we decided to name the new pup Chloe as well. So Sean has spent the past few days training Chloe and getting Jack accustomed to her. She’s just too cute!

On Saturday, we had the Huffmans, the Huckabees (a sweet new couple who just moved to Kenya for a year) and Betsy over for dinner. It was great to have a house full of friends together again. I love cooking for people and setting the table all up and being all hostessy (yes, I know that’s not a word!).

We’re also house-sitting overnight two of Chloe’s siblings while their family is away (yes, that’s three twelve-week old pups – totally fun and cute). They slept well on our front veranda although we did wake up to quite the mess this morning.

Puppies getting ready for a nap in their crate

Sean cleaning up the lovely mess (what a man!).

The yummy puppy food (yes, that's a fish eye).

We finally have the internet up (our phone line was down when we returned) so we’ll be able to communicate with everyone again.

Anyway, that is our update for you. Again, I will try to do regular updates for those inquiring minds out there.

On an emotional side note, thank you Canada for:

1. Letting us see the green grass rather than the white snow (it had been six years of winter in Canada for me).

2. The smell of spring in the air (I love that smell).

3. The leaves on the trees.

4. The flowers beginning to bloom.

5. The beautiful blue jay birds that I got to see.

6. The longer days (daylight until after 8:00pm).

7. Our NAC family rallying around Sean and me and praying for us and loving on us.

8. The ladies’ cell group that I got to be a part of.

9. Our Stewart family for always being there for us and putting up with us.

10. Sean’s dad, who let us drive his Mustang convertible while we were there (sweet ride!).

11. Sean’s mom for her strength and love.

12. Being able to spend Mother’s Day with my mom since it’s been six years since I spent it with her.

13. The great talks that my mom and I had while spending time together.

14. My step-dad, for taking us out on the lake with his beautiful boat and treating us to Mexican Town restaurant (every time we come back to Canada) and cracking jokes with Sean all the time.

15. Time spent with our beautiful nieces and nephews.

16. Hanging out with our siblings.

17. Lunches/Dinners and wonderful/amazing conversations we had with people.

18. ALL OF OUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY who always make it hard to leave because they love us as much as we love them.

Kenya is our home but our friends and family in Canada are never left behind. We are so incredibly thankful for your support and love. You mean so much to us. Please don’t ever forget that!

Much love,

Meredith (& Sean)

Leavin' On A Jet Plane

It’s here; the time has arrived for Sean and me to head back to Kenya. It’s always a bittersweet time. We’re sad to be leaving our friends and family but excited to be heading home to our other friends and family.

This trip to Canada has been different than other years in so many ways. It’s been an emotional trip: sick family members, working on relationships that needed it, reuniting with old friends, opening up about struggles, grieving over losses and goodbyes, preparing for things to come and so on.

There were times of extreme physical, mental, emotional and spiritual exhaustion. There were times when a good solid cry (as my friend says, “the ones where it’s snot and all!”) was all that we could physically do. And all the other times, we just prayed.

I do have to point out that I have one incredible husband. He is the calmest person I know. He’s a man full of emotions (and not afraid to show them) but he’s also a man full of faith that God has it all worked out. I love and admire my husband for that; he’s a wonderful example and I’m honoured to have him as the head of our family.

On Monday, we’re leavin’ on a jet plane (its okay if you start humming the song!). Our trip will take us from Toronto to London, London to Nairobi and then Nairobi to Kitale. Sometimes I wish that I could just close my eyes, tap my heels together, and say “There’s no place like home; there’s no place like home!”....and voila, we’ve arrived. Do you think it will work? It did for Dorothy.

I haven’t been very disciplined with blogging. I hope to change that. There are many things that are going to be happening and we want to share the journey with you.

Thank you for sticking with us; thank you for praying for us. For those of you in Canada, we’ve enjoyed our time with you. And for those of you in Kenya, we can’t wait to see you all. We’re coming home!!!!

Check out our new blog: Stewarts In Africa

Big News Revealed!!!

Our lives are a lot like a book.

There’s a beginning and an end and in between, there’s so much of a story to be told. A story can involve romance, adventure, heartache, birth, death, sadness, or happiness. Sometimes a story can involve all of these and so much more.

Most books have chapters. Our lives have chapters. It’s where one part of the story ends but the other part begins.

Our story, Sean’s and mine, is turning the page to a new chapter; a chapter that we are excited to share with you all.

At the end of the summer, our time with Transformed International (www.transformedinternational.org) will be coming to an end. There are big and great things that will be happening with TI in the next year to come but that’s not our story to tell the rest of the world.

Some may ask, “Does that mean you’re moving back to Canada?”

Our answer is, “No. God is not done with us in Kenya.”

As the door began to close with TI, another one opened with a wonderful ministry that we have grown to love. This ministry, similar to TI’s passion, takes care of and loves on the children of Kitale, Kenya.

In the fall of this year, Sean and I will be joining In Step Foundation Children’s Home (www.rehemainstep.com) as house parents. Our dear friends, Jeff & Carla Picicci, are the co-founders of the organization and have run the home, just outside of Kitale, by themselves on the ground, for years now. They have put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into this place but more than those three put together, they have poured an incredible amount of acceptance and love into the lives of the 93 children in this beautiful home.

Ninety-three children???

Yes, you read it correctly; ninety-three children. Well, right now at least. There could be 95 by next week.

All of these children have incredible stories. In most cases, the beginnings of each of their books were usually filled with sadness and brokenness. Not anymore! Each and every one of these children is being cared for and loved.

And Sean and I get to be a part of it. How amazing is that? So amazing! I can’t be thanking God enough for what He has done these past few months; for what He has done in me, in Sean and in our walk with Him.

We hope you’re excited for us because we’re REALLY excited.

We encourage you to check out In Step’s website (www.rehemainstep.com) to get yourself acquainted with it. If you are at all interested in sponsoring one of 93 children that have yet to be sponsored, please look that up on the website. Most of the children need to be sponsored; so go ahead, pick one that melts your heart and tugs at the strings.

And for those of you who love to pray for us, here’s the list:

1. In Step is building a dorm as they need to expand their space. They need approximately $50,000 in two weeks time for the building material. With rainy season having started in Kenya, they need to get the materials on site before it becomes impossible for the massive delivery trucks. Please check the In-Step website on how to donate.

a. Friends, churches, family...any amount works - $10, $100, $1000.....it all counts.

2. Sean and I are going to need medical insurance and it’s quite expensive. If you’d like to donate toward that, please let me know by emailing us at: thestewartsinafrica@gmail.com and we’ll get you the information on where to send it to.

3. Transitions are always sensitive to all involved so pray that the transition runs smoothly and that all gets accomplished.

4. And always pray for the children of Transformed International (www.transformedinternational.org) and of In Step. They are the reason why we love it here so very much!

Thank you everyone for your encouragement, wisdom and prayers. It truly means a lot to us; you have no idea. Please continue to keep an eye on our blog: www.stewartsinafrica.blogspot.com for more information, updates and random life stories. We definitely haven’t reached the end of our book yet.

Much love,

Meredith

Big News Coming Up....

Sean and I are back in Canada for a visit. We’ve been here a month now. The weather has been pretty good....and then it snowed overnight last night. Green: that’s what I want to see, and trees and flowers budding. The sweet smell of spring; I’d like to be here for it. J

Anyway....

This year, 2011, is going to mark some changes for Sean and me, big changes, changes we are excited about. And we want to share them with you.

So, if you are in the Newmarket, Ontario area, we’d like to invite you to come out and hear us share with you about what 2011 holds for Sean and me.

Date: Sunday, April 3^rd, 2011

Time: 12:30pm

Place: Newmarket Alliance Church (NAC)

1140 Gorham Street (Leslie/Mulock area)

Sean and I are also speaking that morning at our church, NAC, so if you would like to come for the morning service, it begins at 10am. We will then have lunch together and then we’ll share our news with everyone.

We hope that you can all make it. We’d love to see you.

Much love,

Meredith

A Carrot, An Egg or A Coffee Bean

You will never look at a cup of coffee the same way again.

A young woman went to her mother and told her about her life and how things were so hard for her. She did not know how she was going to make it and wanted to give up She was tired of fighting and struggling. It seemed as one problem was solved, a new one arose.

Her mother took her to the kitchen. She filled three pots with water and placed each on a high fire. Soon the pots came to boil. In the first she placed carrots, in the second she placed eggs, and in the last she placed ground coffee beans. She let them sit and boil; without saying A word.

In about twenty minutes she turned off the burners. She fished the carrots out and placed them in a bowl. She pulled the eggs out and placed them in a bowl.

Then she ladled the coffee out and placed it in a bowl. Turning to her daughter, she asked, "Tell me what you see." "Carrots, eggs, and coffee," she replied.

Her mother brought her closer and asked her to feel the carrots. She did and noted that they were soft. The mother then asked the daughter to take an egg and break it. After pulling off the shell, she observed the hard-boiled egg.

Finally, the mother asked the daughter to sip the coffee. The daughter smiled, as she tasted its rich aroma the daughter then asked, "What does it mean, mother?"

Her mother explained that each of these objects had faced the same adversity: boiling water. Each reacted differently. The carrot went in strong, hard, and unrelenting. However, after being subjected to the boiling water, it softened and became weak. The egg had been fragile. Its thin outer shell had protected its liquid interior, but after sitting through the boiling water, its insides became hardened. The ground coffee beans were unique, however. After they were in the boiling water, they had changed the water.

"Which are you?" she asked her daughter. "When adversity knocks on your door, how do you respond? Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Think of this: Which am I? Am I the carrot that seems strong, but with pain and adversity do I wilt and become soft and lose my strength?

Am I the egg that starts with a malleable heart, but changes with the heat? Did I have a fluid spirit, but after a death, a breakup, a financial hardship or some other trial, have I become hardened and stiff? Does my shell look the same, but on the inside am I bitter and tough with a stiff spirit and hardened heart?

Or am I like the coffee bean? The bean actually changes the hot water, the very circumstance that brings the pain. When the water gets hot, it releases the fragrance and flavor. If you are like the bean, when things are at their worst, you get better and change the situation around you. When the hour is the darkest and trials are their greatest, do you elevate yourself to another level? How do you handle adversity?

Are you a carrot, an egg or a coffee bean?

Time In Between

This is my heart....

It's a song by Francesca Battistelli and I've been listening to it over and over again.

Click the link below to hear the song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykS2ZKSzXlk

Below are the lyrics. Enjoy!

Album: My Paper Heart

Song: Time In Between

Artist: Francesca Battistelli

You were there when your Father said
Let there be light
You obeyed when He whispered
Son, You have to leave tonight
To spend nine months in a mothers womb
Three days in a borrowed tomb

(Chorus One)
But it’s the time in between
That brings me to my knees
Knowing you came for me
And all that I can't be
I'm amazed, so amazed
And I thank You for the time in between

Don't take much for this crazy world
To rob me of my peace
And the enemy of my soul
Says You’re holding out on me
So I stand here lifting empty hands
For you to fill me up again

(Chorus Two)
But it’s the time in between
That I fall down to my knees
Waiting on what You'll bring
And the things that I can't see
I know my song’s incomplete
Still I'll sing in the time in between

So many ways
Your love has saved the day
And I'm grateful for them all

(Chorus 3)
But it’s the time in between
The middle of two thieves
That says everything
It’s the reason I believe
I'm amazed, so amazed
And I thank you for the time in between
Oh Lord, I thank you for the time in between

Milka & Sabina

Our social worker, Anne, came to the staff meeting this morning, telling us of a woman that we needed to meet. This woman’s mother belongs to a friend of ours widow project in a little village called Maili Saba (Mile-ee Sa-ba). Anne was doing assessments on the widows in that area for a food distribution that we’ll be doing next week and this is where Anne met this particular woman.

The woman, the daughter, Milka, showed up to our meeting. She was dressed up for it and I could tell she was nervous about speaking to us.

Anne asked Milka to share the story of her mother, the grandmother to the children. The grandmother’s name is Sabina.

Milka said that her mother, who is seventy years old, is taking care of her grandchildren because her three sons and one daughter died of AIDs. Milka is the only remaining child for Sabina.

Sabina is thankfully living on two points of an acre of her own land and has a house that she and her grandchildren live in. Milka said that her brothers had been very hardworking men when they were alive and that they had built another home on the property as well. The children that Sabina is raising range from age seventeen years old to six months old, totalling about 18 grandchildren. This one seventy year old grandmother is raising her 18 grandchildren because all but one of her children has died of AIDs.

There is a nine year old and the six month old grandchildren that have been confirmed to be HIV+. When their father found out that he was HIV+, he went and got his children tested for it as well. The remaining grandchildren have not been tested but Milka and Sabina feel that about six to eight of the other ones are HIV+ as well.

Milka said that what they needed was 1) to be able to have all the children tested for HIV and 2) to help feed this family. She is a nurse and whenever she can find a contract job, she takes it, just so she can assist her mother and her nieces and nephews. Milka has a family of her own and yet she doesn’t want to see her extended family suffer.

As Milka spoke of her siblings who had passed away; as she spoke about her grandmother and nieces and nephews, tears would well up in her eyes. There came a point when I couldn’t look at her anymore; the tears were welling up in my eyes too. I turned away in time to have them fall down my cheeks.

And when I heard of one of the children being six months old and HIV+, I immediately looked at Sean. Could we take the baby for a little while and get him/her the proper care, nutrition, medicine that he/she needed to survive these fragile next few months? Could we take him/her PLEASE?!?!?!? We have the extra room! We’re ready for this! All these questions, hopes, possibilities kept running through my head. I want so badly, from the moment I heard about this little one, to do it.

My heart ached for Milka. I saw a strong woman, doing what she could for her mother but I also saw defeat and sadness in her eyes.

We’ll be going out there in a few weeks to assess the home and the children to see what can be done. I’ll keep you posted.

In Him,

Meredith

So sick and sad...

The MP's of Kenya want to give themselves a pay raise....a ridiculous one.

Where will it come from?

The tax payers who are their own people who can barely make ends meet on their $1/day income?

Or from the foreign aid that is supposed to help these people?

Who knows.

Read the link.

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/Not%20with%20Kenyans%20tax%20money/-/1056/950638/-/15irrod/-/index.html

A Whole Lota New....

I (Meredith) was hoping that I would be able to blog every day on this thing but the past few months have been busy with moving, TI stuff and not having internet at our new home. Thankfully, we do now!

Veronica Home

The first big exciting news is that we opened up our Veronica Home on April 30^th of this year. The Veronica Home was named after our sweet little Veronica Bahati that passed away on July 14^th, 2009 from HIV/AIDS. The Veronica Home is mainly for children that are HIV+. We currently have eight children in the home; some are not HIV+ but have been moved there from another home. We do have three children that are positive; they are: our sweet little Martin, whom you all (or at least those who have read past blogs) know about, our newest girl, Lillian and Lina.

The children have wonderful house parents that TI has been working alongside with for almost two years; we have a new aunt who the kids have immediately loved and new watchmen that are taking good care of watching over our kids.

It’s a wonderful place; the area is beautiful and it has a gorgeous view of Mount Elgon.

Stewart Home

Sean and I moved in to our new house on May 2^nd. We decided that we needed to have our home, being newly married (almost a year and a half now!). It is such the perfect place for us. It’s a four bedroom, three bathroom home that sits on a cute little compound with flowers and banana trees everywhere. We have this huge cabana made of a grass roof and straw and bamboo sides. We have a cool carport....that is empty. We hope to at least put a motorcycle in it in the future.

There is a bedroom and bathroom off to one side of the house that has its own entrance. That is where James sleeps. James used to live at Kaibeiyo Children’s Home (through Symbios), the home that Daniel and I used to work at in Eldoret a few years ago. We’ve hired him on to be our daytime watchman/gardener; it’s a job that will help him to save money for his schooling of agriculture in the next year or so.

The other side of the house has three bedrooms and two bathrooms. One room we’ve made into an office; the second room is a guest room for our friends like Nicole Jeffs (who’s coming in July) and the Stawskis...who I know will be back again soon. The third bedroom is Sean’s and mine. It has an ensuite bathroom with a nice bathtub. Yes, I love it!

It’s a new chapter in our life, having a home of our own now. It’s expensive but it’s quiet, clean and ours to come to every night.

Busy Summer

We have a crazy busy summer this year. There are four teams of people from New York State who will be housing and eating at TI. They are building a children’s home for a friend of ours over the next eight weeks. Danel, Daniel’s mom, is here to help the TI Staff with the teams.

The first team of 13 arrives this coming Saturday (26^th), then as they leave on the 10^th of July, the next group of 10 will be arriving. Then two weeks after that, team two will be leaving and team three of 17 people will be arriving. And then as team three leaves, team four of 9 people will be arriving. This team rotation all ends on August 21^st. Also during the second week of July, we have a team of 9 coming, who are with TI, for 10 days. It’s going to be a crazy few weeks during that time.

Internship Program for 2010

After the teams leave on August 21^st, we have about two weeks to relax and prepare for our 2010 Fall Interns. We have seven interns, all female, who will be a part of the three-month internship program. We have three from Ontario, Canada and the other four are from various parts of the US. We’re really excited to have these young ladies here in the fall, especially Danel and I as we get to spend time with them, grow with them, learn with them, etc. I’m really excited about it.

Ladies Bible Study

I, Meredith, am part of a weekly bible study with other missionary ladies in the Kitale area. It’s been such a wonderful time for all of us ladies. We get together each week and it’s become one of my favourite days of the week, to be around other women, sharing in our passions, our struggles, and our praises. We’ve already done two bible studies, both by Beth Moore (whom we all thoroughly enjoy) and will be starting our third Beth Moore study soon.

Man’s Nights

Sean and a group of other men in our community, get together every few weeks and a have a night together. They usually cook up some meat (and that’s all!) on the BBQ, sit back and enjoy each other’s company. It’s really been a great time for him too; it’s so important to have those times together.

Rachael

On Friday, June 18^th, I (Meredith) went to the hospital to check up on a seven year old girl, Rachael that TI has been assisting for the past few months. Rachael was visiting the section of the hospital for HIV+ people. Rachael got HIV from her parents, whom have both since died and she was being raised by her grandmother.

Rachael was a sickly girl; the “typical” girl that you would see as the poster child for starving African children on the infomercials. I’ve never seen her smile; until Friday. I was getting ready to leave and I walked over to her and told her in Swahili that she was such a beautiful girl and she did good work today here at the hospital and that I was very happy. And as she was strapped to her grandmother’s back, I leaned over and gave her a big kiss and told her that I loved her. It was then that a little smile appeared, on the corner of her mouth. I couldn’t help but beam back; Rachael had smiled.

We had made arrangements for Rachael to move in to the Veronica Home this past week. I was so excited to get her there, for her to have a swarm of brothers and sisters around her who would share things with her, make her laugh. For her to have a mother and father who would take care of her and love her instantly. For her to have a full happy belly and a warm bed to sleep in.

This is what I wanted for Rachael. But it wasn’t what God wanted....

Rachael went to be with Jesus on June 22^nd, in the afternoon.

So she now has a swarm of people, like Veronica, who are making her laugh; she has a Father who loves her more than any mother or father on earth could love her. And she is healthy, whole and loving every minute of it.

I guess this is what I wanted for Rachael....it just came in a different form.

We are saddened by her death but live in the comfort that she is not in pain anymore and that she is with our Father. Death has been such a close to home thing lately, for us, for some of you back home....but I trust in God’s peace; His love and His absolute comfort. His ways are far beyond our understanding at times but I choose to seek more of Him, to desire Him and to have faith in Him.

And so it continues....

I am hoping to become more disciplined on writing updates. Life is never boring, especially after the runaway tuk-tuk story.....which I’ll save for another blog.

Until next time,

Meredith

Songs That Touch...

Have you ever heard a song or two that just touches you in such a deep way; that just opens the flood gates of tears; that you feel were written and sung just for you?

Here's mine as of lately....

Times - Tenth Avenue North

I know I need You
I need to love You
I love to see You, but it's been so long
I long to feel You
I feel this need for You
And I need to hear You, is that so wrong?

Now You pull me near You
When we're close, I fear You
Still I'm afraid to tell You, all that I've done
Are You done forgiving?
Oh can You look past my pretending?
Lord, I'm so tired of defending, what I've become
What have I become?

I hear You say,
"My love is over. It's underneath.
It's inside. It's in between.
The times you doubt Me, when you can't feel.
The times that you question, 'Is this for real? '
The times you're broken.
The times that you mend.
The times that you hate Me, and the times that you bend.
Well, My love is over, it's underneath.
It's inside, it's in between.
These times you're healing, and when your heart breaks.
The times that you feel like you're falling from grace.
The times you're hurting.
The times that you heal.
The times you go hungry, and are tempted to steal.
The times of confusion, in chaos and pain.
I'm there in your sorrow, under the weight of your shame.
I'm there through your heartache.
I'm there in the storm.
My love I will keep you, by My pow'r alone.
I don't care where you fall, where you have been.
I'll never forsake you, My love never ends.

It never ends."

and....

By Your Side - Tenth Avenue North

Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away

Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

(Chorus 2x)

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

------------

I break; He mends me

I fall; He picks me up

I cry; He wipes the tears away

I laugh; He laughs along with me

I draw closer; He holds on tighter

I love Him; He loves me

Our Video

Attached is the video that Sean and I did for speaking engagements. This is a little look at our 2009 year in Kenya. The song is called Change by Carrie Underwood (on her new cd "Play On".)

Enjoy!

Kenya 2009 - Part 11

A Mini Update

Sorry, it’s been awhile since you got an update from me.

The past month and a half has been crazy…some in good, some not so good. It’s been an emotional year for me, ranging from amazing highs to horrible lows. I’ve had moments and time when I could sit down and just write but the words that are in my head, just can’t seem to get on the computer.

If you follow the TI webpage, you will see that September was a really busy month for us. We had Sandy’s team of five women,Hope 2 Kenya (www.hope2kenya.org), here with us for about two and a half weeks. The TI staff and interns got to be a part of three medical clinics and 2 food distributions. It was incredible to be able to be a part of it and see everyone come together and work and serve for the better of the beautiful Kenyan people. The team also did a medical clinic and food distribution in the Kibera slums; the most famous slum in the world, located in Nairobi, Kenya.

During the time that the Hope 2 Kenya team was here, we had 21 people living on the compound. It was pretty insane at times and the adventure of running out of water on the compound for showers, cooking and cleaning was on the horizon at times but thankfully God provided the water (either through rain or the city finally pumping it) when we were down to a few litres left.

I’m so thankful for the Hope 2 Kenya team coming here and for all the amazing work they did and for including us in it. What a wonderful group of ladies they were.

We are now back to 16 people in the compound. At times I miss the quiet, the freedom to do things or not do things around the house but I really enjoy the community; I enjoy the friendship/relationship building. I enjoy the morning devotions of deep discussions, I enjoy the laughing and I enjoy cooking for 16 people (and also because there are16 people in the house, I don’t have to do most of the cooking anymore!).  This year’s group of people is wonderful and I honestly adore each and every one of them. I too am thankful for them; what a gift they have been to me and my life right now.

On a different note, Sean and I are coming to Canada a little earlier than expected now. We had originally thought we would be back around the end of January 2010 but we’ve decided that we want to come back earlier. So we’re in the process of having our tickets changed for the beginning of December. The exact date isn’t known yet; we’re waiting to hear back from the travel agent but we’ll definitely keep people posted.

We’ve decided to come back to Canada for three months, to rest and relax and spend time with family and friends over a lengthened period of time, rather than rushing all the visits into a short span as that can be extremely exhausting for us. And for those inquiring minds, no, we’re not pregnant and that’s not why we’re coming back to Canada early.

So hopefully at some point during our stay in Canada, we’ll get to see some of you.

Love you all!
Meredith

Thoughts From Meredith

Being Content in the Present

I’m an organizer, not an obsessive one, but an organizer nonetheless. If I could, I would have my life planned out to the tee. I did try that once, planning my life. I said I would be married by such and such age; have my 2.4 kids by this age; live in this city and have this kind of house…and so on and so on.

And guess what?

It didn’t happen. And what happened with me?

I was pissed; I was hurt; I was frustrated and I was devastated.

Why? Why would I put myself through that?

Was I not happy with where I was at that time so I figured it was better to fantasize about the future? If I couldn’t have control over the present time, perhaps I could have control over the future.

But in reality, I don’t have any more control over the future as I do the present. I don’t know what the future holds so why spend so much time and effort on it when I can be where I’m at today.

It’s difficult to be content in the present when there is so much that I desire that I still don’t have. But then I look at where I’ve come from, the man I married, the place I live, the work I am doing and I realize I couldn’t have planned it all to happen this way, even if I wanted to.

It’s far less stressful to be in the present, loving where I’m at now, who I am now, what I’m doing now and who I’m with now. I choose to enjoy the moments of today and look forward to the moments of tomorrow. But not soak in tomorrow or over organize tomorrow.

I like what God is doing today and I will trust what He will do tomorrow. Why should I figure it all out when He already has?

Enjoy your today everyone!

Kenya 2009 - Part 10

Martin And A Football

Martin, our five year old (or even six), who has the body of a three year old, in one day had HIV, pneumonia, chicken pox, meningitis and tuberculosis running through him. And he is still alive. This in itself is a complete gift from God.

Today, after six days in the hospital, Martin was discharged. He still has a ways to go but he looks 110% better than what he did when he was going in to the hospital.

He is staying with us for a few days. Since we are only a few minutes from the hospital, if there are any emergencies that come up in the next day or two, we are only a short ride away back to the hospital. And of course, we felt that it would be best for him to stay with us to get some complete spoiling of love and attention. :-)

This afternoon, Daniel was standing by the veranda door, looking outside. He called my name and told me to come and look. [Uncle] Sean had taken Martin outside to play. There was Martin, whom was on way to death, kicking around a football with Sean…a huge smile on his face the whole time. And as Daniel said, “This is why we are here!”

Thank you everyone for your prayers, for your encouraging words and your support. It has truly meant a lot to us.

Much love!!

xoxoxo

Martin....hanging out in the grass.

Martin and his football...

Getting the well deserved and needed rest...

Kenya 2009 - Part 9

Our Little Strong Martin

Wow!!! What a past few days this has been.

As you all know due to the prayer request and blog update that our little weak Martin was admitted in to the hospital on Thursday. At the time of this news, I was with the women from the PA team at our Neema girl’s house. We came together and prayed for Martin.

On Thursday evening, Nicole and I went to the hospital for a few hours, laying our hands on Martin, praying for healing. While Nicole and I were at the hospital, the rest of the team stayed back and prayed for him.

On Friday afternoon, we heard that his condition had not changed. Most of the team was outside in the yard, getting ready to play football (aka soccer for you North Americans) and before the game started, they got down in the grass, on their knees and prayed for Martin. I put in the Hillsong CD, This Is Our God, and played the song “Healer” a few times, praying and claiming the words the song said for Martin.

Over the past few days, our friends and family back in North America have stepped up in prayer over Martin as well.

And this is the text message we got from Anne, just an hour ago…

“Praise the Lord! He can talk and walk and he has gained appetite. I am excited.”

Yes! Praise be to the Lord! For He has heard our prayers and has answered them. He is our Healer, our Comforter and that has been so incredibly evident this past week.

We continue to pray for Martin; for complete health.

We also want to thank EVERYONE for your support and prayers. For when two or more are gathered in His name, there He is.

We love you all!

Meredith

Healer – Hillsong

You hold my every moment

You calm my raging seas

You walk with me through fire

And HEAL ALL MY DISEASE

I trust in You

I trust in You

I believe that You’re my Healer

I believe that You are all I need

I believe that You’re my Portion

I believe that You’re more than enough for me

Jesus, You’re ALL I NEED

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

Nothing is impossible for You

You hold my world in Your hands

Kenya 2009 - Part 8

Not Saying Goodbye, Rather “See you in a little while”

I remember when my grandmother died on February 3^rd, 1998. I remember the pain that ripped through my heart. I remember going to the funeral home and seeing her lifeless body there. I remember that no one could console me. I was devastated with her death; the one woman who knew me better than anyone, whom I had a bond with so strong…I couldn’t imagine her not being a part of my life. I couldn’t imagine her not being in her rocking chair ever again; I couldn’t imagine another Christmas without her. A part of me changed that day…a part of me went missing.

On Tuesday, July 14^th, in the afternoon, we got the devastating news that our sweet nine year old Veronica passed away. She was HIV positive and had contracted chicken pox. The chicken pox were just too strong for her weak immune system.

As I was given the news of Veronica’s death, the same pain ripped through my heart as it did when my grandmother died. As I attended the funeral of Veronica, seeing her lifeless body with her beautiful innocent face, looking as if she were only sleeping, the only thing that could console the unbelievable ache that I was feeling, was consoling one of our other children.

Veronica was nine; my grandmother was in her sixties. My grandmother experienced most of her life; she got married, had children and even knew most of her grandchildren. Veronica will never know of marriage; she will never hold her own child; she will never have grandchildren.

But what both Veronica and my grandmother do know is the love of Christ. They know His face; they know His love.

We are left here on this earth, in sadness, trying to answer the questions, trying to mend our broken hearts, trying to not miss Veronica and the beautiful, spunky and loving spirit she brought in to our lives.

The only thing that I can hold on to is the picture of Veronica, healthy of any disease and pain, dancing around, singing loudly….perhaps with my grandmother….hanging out with Jesus.

I won’t say goodbye to Veronica, instead I say, “See you in a little while!” And then we can dance and sing and hang out with Jesus, together.