Some more of Kisumu...

We just had such a great trip down there that I wanted to show you some more of the pictures we took...


Here's me washing the walls before they paint.


These are the staff from Ring Road painting the roof of the boys' dorm.

Here's the old roof, being taken off.


Old Front Steps...


New Front Steps!


We visited the Lakeside kids at their primary school and encouraged them in their education. Here's the group with Jared & me. We're holding up the "Tume Chill" sign, which means "we have chilled", which means "we're abstaining from sex until marriage."

Extreme Makeover: Lakeside

Just when I was beginning to question the meaning of my life in Africa, God gave me an amazing week that reminds me of why I'm here & how much I love what I'm doing!

Greg & I spend the last 4 days (Thursday-Sunday) down in Kisumu, overseeing renovations made to the AIDS orphanage, Lakeside Children's Home, and spending time with our friends and co-workers from Ring Road Orphans Day School.
The roof was replaced on the main house, the roof on the boy's dorms was repaired & re-painted, 3 new outside doors were installed, all of the rooms inside both buildings were painted , the front steps were repaired, and some other minor cosmetic repairs were made as well. We captured all of it on a video we filmed as "Extreme Makeover: Lakeside Edition." Northwest Church members, who paid for the renovations should catch the episode in coming months! We had so much fun working with the staff from Ring Road Orphans Day School, who volunteered their time to help out with the renovations. It was great getting to know the leadership of our ministries down in Kisumu better as well. I got to spend time with Mama Postina, the female staff who stays with the kids at Lakeside. She let me help out in kitchen, preparing the food for the kids' lunches as well as the workers. I am working on my African mama skills! As you can see, Mama Postina is the epidomy of an African mama! I also reviewed the financial reports given by the team in Kisumu, and will continue to do so in order to hold them accountable for their finances. Saturday night we took the leadership team, who is Jared & Schola Odhiambo, James & Lauryn Were, & Thomas & Irene (don't know their last name!) out for dinner at a restaurant called The Grill House. They acutally had real hamburgers there and they were SO good! This was a treat for them as well as us, and we had a great time together. Left to right is James, Thomas, Greg & Jared. These 3 guys run the Ring Road school, the Lakeside orphanage, and are also hoping to start a VCT center in Naylenda (Kisumu's slum, where the school is located) to help raise awareness for HIV & AIDS, providing counseling & testing to their community. It is a joy to work with them because of their energy and commitment to serving the Lord whole-heartedly. These are not your typical Africans!
From left to right in this picture is Irene, me, Schola & Lauryn in front of The Grill House.
On Sunday morning, Greg preached at the Ring Road Church of Christ, located on the same compound as the school. His sermon, as usual, was about AIDS and how we, as the church should respond to the pandemic in our communities. His message is usually met with by a shy, quiet audience who seems nervous and uncomfortable. The congregation wasn't much different this Sunday. Kisumu has the highest rate of AIDS than any other city or town in Kenya, however. Greg's message needs to be heard there more than anywhere. Our mission is unlike that of the missionaries who have gone before us. But what we are standing for and against is still being met with opposition. People don't like change, and that is what we are asking them to do. To change the way the treat HIV infected people around them. To change the way they respond to sin & sinners. To change their habits of infidelity, and to remain abstinent until marriage. Greg made a good point in one of his recent sermons. AIDS isn't killing us, our behavior is killing us! Please pray for us, and for Africa, that people's hearts would be softened to changing their behavior, in order to stop HIV/AIDS.
Like I said, this week God reminded me why I am here, and that it is worth it. Thanks for all your support & prayers. God is good!

Love,
Alita

The Struggle

When I was home, I wanted to be here in Africa SO much.

Now that I'm here, I want to be home. Probably not as badly as I wanted to be in Africa before, but there are days when I dream of being home & what I will do when I get there.

What is it that makes us content with our lives, no matter where we are? Why is it that we pray and pray and pray, asking God to make something happen in our lives, and when He does, we long for something different? I know its not a physical location, but instead a location of the heart. Just when we think we've got something figured out about God, & our relationship with Him, we seem to come across something new and confusing.

I guess this is the way we grow. I guess this is the way we become closer to our Lord. We struggle, with ourselves, with others and with God himself, until one day the struggle is ended. But just around the corner another struggle awaits.

I thought life in Africa would be much more simple than life in the States... but I am coming to realize that its not at all. Yes, people live in mud huts and eat the same food, day in and day out, but they still deal with political, social garbage as well. Everywhere you turn, you are faced with corruption. The water company charges astronomically, unrealisticly high consuption amounts. The phone company takes 6 weeks to set up your phone line. People steal, lie and cheat their ways through life, because they don't believe there's any better way to live. I know life in the States is marred with the exact same downfalls, but it seems a lot easier at home to not see it on such a daily basis.

At the root of it all, whether you live in a high rise in New York, a farm house in Central Oregon, or a mud hut in Kitale, Kenya, I believe the problem is a spiritual one. What is in a man's or woman's heart, is what comes out in their lives. Even a heart transformed by the power of Jesus struggles, however. This is what I'm trying to figure out... where does true contentment come from? I believe the answer is in Jesus, but its going to take a lot more struggling to figure it out!!!

Thanks for reading.

Take care...

Love,
Alita

Reality

Hello... I know it has been too long since I have written a blog. To be honest, my motivation to do so has been lacking. Life here lately has been crazy busy, with hosting our first guests from the states, working at the Children's Home, and trying to settle into our new place. As of yesterday, we have been in our house for only one month. I feel as if we have barely had time to settle in, since we have been so busy. I don't mean to complain, but I'm just trying to keep it real; I am feeling very scattered! So please, forgive me for not being more proficient in the blogging arena. I want you to know a few things, which I consider worth mentioning for the time being: Milt & Barbie's (our pastor from Northwest & his wife) visit with us was great. It was so encouraging to have them here. We shared a good balance of playing and working with them. Also, while they were here, God opened up some doors to us starting a Volunteer Counseling & Testing (VCT) center here in Kitale. This is a very exciting opportunity for us to have. We will receive more extensive training than we did with TASO in Uganda, and we will be able to run a center where free counseling & HIV testing is performed. Through the VCT program (sponsored by the Kenyan government) we will also have access to free ARV's (HIV/AIDS drug treatments).
Our work at the Children's Home continues to go on. I have decided that raising 2 or 4 children after this experience will be a piece of cake! Every day God teaches me more & more how to say, "no", how to manage finances properly, and how to work with people better.
I appreciate your prayers for us this month, as we continue to settle into our homes, our work, our new culture, and our relationships with each other.
Love,
Alita