Wednesday, November 13

Another Kenya RUN board meeting today!  We talked about the importance of thinking big but starting small, keeping in mind whatever is done must be self-sustainable.  Three popular suggestions seemed were:  providing warehousing and transport for maize crops, providing a vegetable cooperative for local farmers to get their produce to larger markets, and installing a cooling station for milk.  Like I said:  “thinking big but starting small!”  Two board members were given assignments which are essentially feasibility studies in the area, and all board members were left with the assignment of canvassing the community to find out what they believe is missing but would be of the most help economically to the Sibanga area.  One final full board meeting will be held this Friday; after that, all board members will be out of town or unavailable on various days making a full board meeting impossible.

We were able to meet our friend Fridah in Sibanga this afternoon and visit for awhile.  She has been so encouraged by all of your prayers.  She told us her plans are to return to Nairobi where she will share an apartment with an older brother and sister while she looks for work and studies for her CISCO certification.  This certification, she has been told, will make her more job marketable.

We also met our little friend Zipporah and were able to treat her and a friend to sodas before Fridah arrived.  Zipporah is so excited for us to see the new home her family has moved to on the other side of the lane.  We promised we would visit before we leave.

On a personal note, we took our motorcycles into Kitale to see if there was anything that could be done to lower the height by about an inch since neither Ellen or I are able to put our feet flat on the ground when sitting on the bikes.  Of course, part of that may have to do with the fact there is very little flat ground here!  As Ellen likes to put it, “Every time you stop, your feet are in ruts!”  Nothing could be figured out so we are going to have to get good at falling down or better at keeping ourselves upright!

Please pray with us and for us about the following upcoming appointments:

1.      Thursday at 10:00AM we are meeting with Edith and Martha, both members of the Trans Kenya Women’s SACCO to talk about ways they may be interested in partnering with RUN.  Pray for wisdom and discernment about whether this will be a good fit for RUN.

2.      Pastor Isaac has asked us to take tea with a friend of his who is the wife of a governor.  Another new connection!  Pray that this will be another key resource for RUN somewhere down the line.

3.      Pray for us to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in knowing what is important and what is merely the “tyranny of the urgent”.  We are getting to that point in our stay where we find ourselves saying, “We don’t have enough time.”  We want to be resolved that there IS time for everything God wants us to participate in and also that we will not allow seemingly urgent things to get us off track.

4.      Please pray about Fridah finding a job.  We hope to speak with a friend in Nairobi when we return there Thursday and see if he might be able to help her.  He is very well connected because of his own business so we are hoping there may be a connection here that will benefit both of them.