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We are underway.  The building has really begun.  Well actually the digging has begun.  There is still some work on the shop to be completed which is fully dependent on my availability.  I of course still live in Kapsowar and have to drive the 2 hours to Eldoret with all of my tools to get anything done.  

Thankfully there is a team in place to work on the house itself.  We got our plans drawn up after multiple changes on the soft copy.  Now we are in phase one.  The digging process.

What’s great about building here is labor is relatively inexpensive compared to other parts of the world.  So man power to dig all the trenches four feet deep isn’t to expensive.  It takes a little time of course, but in the end works well.  The only set back now is the rain.  It keeps falling from the sky and filling the foundation trenches.  The rain is also responsible for making the road to the building site impassible so we are not able to readily deliver the materials needed to start going up.

In the end we are very thankful for all who have generously given toward this project for the future of Family Keys International and our family.  We are excited to see some stones go in the ground and the building to rise up out of the mud.

I was talking with a friend recently who has lost his home and livelihood do to an unprecedented flood in his region.  He was separated from his family as they were housed in a small school with other women and children.  In turn he was left to build a temporary house made of sticks and plastic bags during the rain and floods.  We were able to help get him and others some food and essentials until he figured out a more lasting solution.  After a few weeks he was able to take a canoe to a dry village in the county and find a mud hut for rent.  He had no money but the hut owner was willing to trade him a months rent for a couple of goats.  A good bargain I guess.

That’s when he called me and explained his predicament.

Friend: “Joshua, I found a place to stay.  I want to bring my family to stay with me but I have nothing to sleep on.  Can you help me get a mattress?”

Me: “Of course we can help you.  How many mattresses do you need?”

Friend: “Only one brother.  I know they are expensive.”

Me: “One? Don’t you have a pregnant wife and 3 children?”

Friend: “Yes brother, but one is enough for me and my family.”

One mattress!  Five people!  A pregnant woman!

I was caught again in that place where I usually try to avoid.  You know.  That uncomfortable place.  This time I was face to face with my own weakness.  The reality of how soft I have became as an American male slapped me right between the eyes.  I know there are many ways to justify it and many excuses why I should not feel that way, but they are all lame.

My heritage is actually amazing when properly considered as is many Americans.  I am a product of pioneers, explorers, conquerors and revolutionaries.  Still I strive, beg and struggle for comfort, dependability and security.  I don’t know how I got so soft, but I hope this isn’t my end.  I don’t want to be soft and ineffective but instead I want to be a conqueror in every situation.

We are moving back to Eldoret in the next six months.  It is a well prayed out plan that still is lacking fine details but has everyone here very excited.  The first steps have been taken to build a home for us on the same 10 acres that Tumaini currently live.  The property is so long and we are going to be at the bottom in our own isolated little plot.  After living in such close community with people in Kapsowar it is going to be a significant transition.

The bottom of the 10 acres looking up toward Tumaini

Of course everything starts at the beginning.  For us, though contrary to some thinking, that means building a shop.  Shop really means storage, work space, car port, clothes washing area, and even temporary housing.  Rachel was against that last bit at first but is now warming up to the idea.

It hasn’t been easy trying to get this off the ground while living in Kapsowar and Josh being very busy at the hospital.  Praise God the hospital has already hired his

replacement so he can now focus on training and moving into the shadows.  This will hopefully free him up to make frequent trips to Eldoret for the ongoing work there.

The efforts so far have been fruitful thanks to some generous help from a Kapsowar missionary and some local guys.  They have joined Josh on a few occasions to work on the shop.  Also Horace has a team of guys he has released a few days to build the fence and dig a 20ft deep well.  All in all the work is progressing.

The first step was to tear down a temporary building that was on the old property Tumaini was renting.  Our crew delicately demolished the 16ft x 40ft structure and delivered it in a pile to the 10 acres in one day.  After a couple of weeks we followed up by clearing the ground and burying treated posts 2ft in the ground

The shop

for the support system of a 20ft x 45ft building.  After a couple more day trips under our belt we were able to erect the structure and have it 80% closed in. This is mostly to protect the materials from laying on the ground and being destroyed by the weather.  We will try to finish the enclosure shortly and then next month poor the slab for the floor.

It’s just the beginning and nothing compared to the challenge of the house and guest house to come, but at least it gives us a taste of what it will take to get the project done.

Sunning on the rocks

Penthouse

E-Man

The River

Ready to jumpy

The long walk home

We are thankful for another year behind and a new year ahead.  A new beginning with new dreams and new adventures with and for Jesus.  We spent our last Sunday of 2017 by first ministering to the children in the pediatric ward at the hospital.  That lead us to a worship service with the hospital staff and some of the more mobile patients in the hospital.  After a quick lunch and costume change we trekked down to the river for some fun in the sun.  The typhoid infested water has not detoured us yet and praise God our kids are healthy.  Following the refreshing swim we rested a bit until we were recharged enough to finish the penthouse sweet on the kid’s playhouse.  This delightful day culminated with friends hanging out until midnight.  Tekoa was very proud to have stayed up until the new year for the first time.  It was a glorious day and a wonderful way to ring in the new year.  We are so grateful for the faithful love of God that never ends.

Christmas takes on a completely different feel here in Kenya compared to my childhood. As I was accustomed to cold weather, snow on the ground for sledding and snowmobiles, and bulky clothes in multiple layers I now am putting on sunblock and a big hat for protection from the hot equatorial sun. Although many things are different there are some atmosphere cultivating activities we still enjoy. The season appropriate music with simple decorations is one. Another is the generous hearts that erupt even from the humblest backgrounds of people around us. We are blessed to be able to spend time with a huge loving family in Eldoret and dear friends in Kapsowar. All the while we are reminding one another of the priority of our Father God to give and to love. Our lives are nothing if not poured out as a continual gift of praise to the One True Living God. Is there anything this world can offer greater then the gift of life we have in Him? Is there anything we can refuse to sacrifice after all He has sacrificed for us? He came down! Can we remain in His image this Christmas season?  Can we come down from our high places of self centeredness and be like God on this earth?  It’s God’s desire.  May it also be the desire of our hearts.

“Moreover, I will make My dwelling among you, and My soul will not reject you. I will also walk among you and be your God, and you shall be My people. I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 26:11-12)

Hello and welcome to our first blog post.

We love being in Kenya.

God is good!