Finally made it to Bukura!

07-06-2024 Blog Kenya

We left Nairobi with the car packed with our suitcases and many items for the house in Bukura, which is in Western Kenya. Early Saturday morning we drove from Nairobi and arrived in the evening after a long ride through the western part of Kenya with many roads filled with potholes. Upon arrival we found that the stove/oven had been delivered but the refrigerator and washer were MIA. After many phone calls we took delivery on the following Monday. We attended the 2-hour service at Enos’s church that he grew up in, a Salvation Army congregation.  Today we were at Enos’s mom, Esther's farm.  We were amazed at how many more animals she has since we were last here in March 2023.  They keep having babies we were told!  We’re busy assessing what still needs to be done on the property to bring it to completion.

Pictures from the trip from Nairobi to Bukura:

• Driving into Bukura

• Sugar cane going to processing

• Sign on the road

• Most Kenyan buses have thought provoking messages

• Baboon

• Rest stop

• Cows joining the traffic

• Salvation Army Church service

07-16-2024 Blog Kenya

Sorry for the delay in posting. While we were in the village, the internet service was very spotty to non-existent. There were many times of no power at all.  Time to catch up!

Let me start by saying we are building relationships.  This is the goal of our time in Bukura.  Jesus taught us to love each other and that’s what we’re doing.

While in the village, we began to talk about the possibilities of the house and compound.  Enos has another piece of property just up the road from the compound that is on the main road.  This is where the pavilion for meetings and teachings will be located instead of at the compound. 

There are many items that are being accomplished at the place this week while we are back in Nairobi.  One of them is getting Starlink satellite internet installed so we have continuous internet access. God is so good, as this service is currently on a very reduced sale competing with the major Kenyan internet providers. Others are, pantry shelves are installed, washer/dryer are hooked up and completing the solar system for the well pump so we will have continuous water flow.

We were able to visit two more churches on Sunday before we left the area to introduce ourselves during their youth services. After the service, we toured western Kenya and went up to the border crossing of Uganda, an approx. 2 hr. drive from our place. We couldn’t cross since we only have a single 90-day Visa for Kenya.

There were several funerals during the time of our visit.  We visited two of them.  One was a family that lives close by that lost their 32-year-old son/husband/father in a work accident.  We were able to extend our condolences and pray with his mom, his wife and young child.

Harvest time on the farm was in full swing when we had the opportunity to visit Enos’s mom, Esther’s place.  They were picking corn and harvesting sweet potatoes.  Esther prepared us some roast corn.  We were told not to eat the charred pieces so we wouldn’t get sick. The corn is much denser than the corn we eat at home.  We shared it with the chickens.

During our time we visited some primary and secondary schools, the yearly music/choir competition that is held for all regional schools and a girls soccer practice.

Regarding the ministry’s involvement in the area, we talked about some exciting startup possibilities that could be implemented in the next couple of months. Small “kitchen gardens” at 15 local primary schools, coop meetings with local farmers, meetings with local pastors from different denominational churches in the area and soccer training exercises. More on this in future blogs as these are still in the infant stages. However, all the above projects definitely will provide great opportunities for evangelism and discipleship training.

We are so very grateful for the care Esther and Dorcas, our housekeeper, gave us by preparing many of our meals, cleaning up and Anthony for taking care of the ground maintenance that needs to be done.

We look forward to our return to the village next week again to see the completed work and continue to put things away.

Pictures:

• The house and compound

• 2 pictures of unwrapping the appliances

• Transport 3-wheeler that delivered the appliances

• 3 pictures from the farm

• The music festival

• Girl's high school soccer team, 5 members have been chosen for the national team

• One of the youth services

• 2 pictures of No Man's land - an area between Kenya and Uganda not claimed by any country

• At the border of Uganda