Newsletter Oct 2008

UPDATE
We arrived at Kasei Saturday evening stopped at Kamgetto on the way. sort of got flagged down by a welcome committee. The welcome was wonderful. singing and dancing. They gave Mary a hand made bracelets and necklace plus a a Pokot woman belt with some pretty shells on it. i got a hand made one piece stool that was well made about the size of a small milking stool with pretty handle on it.

Had another warm greeting at Kasei. They met us at our house on top of big hill with mountains all around us. We had a nice meal of Ugali and goat meat. with pan full of goat liver which I thought was delicious. Mary ate one piece. I believe but she did eat the goat meat. wouldn't try the Ugali. to drink we had tea Kenya style 1/2 tea 1/2 milk with lots of sugar.Sunday morning service started at about 10 am. Building was metal roof with mud sides and open doorway. pews was a small log laid over a tree limb set in the floor at each end. Log fitting into a fork in the tree limb. Mary and I and John and Ruth had a bench with a bout 12 inch seat, that got awfully hard.Singing started a bout 10:30 am and the crowd slowly got bigger ad bigger till there was standing room only and some people listening form the doors and windows. All elders that are still alive came to greet us. I was embarrassed to find out I had forgotten a lot of their names. hope they will forgive me. because they all remembered me and some of the good times we had when I lived here. A real blessing to say the least.Lunch was served after church. beans and maize cooked together with gali on the side was a real good meal ready.People came till pretty late. John And Ruth went home to Kiwawa earlier in the after noon. Monday was spent visiting with old friends welcoming us home. I forgot to add John and I both spoke during the service and Ruth brought the message in the Pokot language. she did a great Job but John interpreted for us as she preached.Now its Tuesday and Mary and i are by our selves here at kasei. The goats staring onto the porch at us and flys trying to find a place to land. We do have some serious problems here. The famine is very bad but it has rained every night since we have been here. the natives keep thanking us for God blessing them with rain, we just have to tell them we had nothing to do with it. All the praise should go to God. But its to late to do the crops any good.I priced maize in Kapenguria its Ksh 3000 per ninety kilo bag. The delivery to here from Kapenguria would make a truck load about $ 4000 But at Kasie we can buy maize 25 ksh per killo a pick up load about 25 bags would be less than $1000 so that cuts the cost down considerably.I think I will try to buy some maize and appoint some of the pastors to give it to more needy families. That may stop some starvation. Not all the families need help. Up on top of the mountain they have good crops. so they there is no shortage there to my surprise they have build a road to the top. If I don't load too heavy, I can load some in the land cruiser.

One other thing i need help with. We have five pastors here in the Kasei region that work very hard delivering the gospel but receives only God's blessing for it. If I had five volunteers that could pay $ 100 a month for their salary. that would give them a bout ksh 6000 that would help them feed their families. some of them have eight or nine children.

If you wish to be on the email list for newsletters , send a note to Mike Hervey at
HawnIM@gmail.com and he will put you on the update list. We can also mail newsletter to you if you send us your address.

God Bless you all, keep praying there is much to do.
Leroy and Mary