The six members of team #4 arrived on Saturday, around eleven o'clock.
Then after greet, meet and some light unpacking all went into town to the Blvd. resturant.
for lunch. Other plans had to be made due to the death of the owners father.
Sunday, brought the last three of team #4 family member's in.
A couple of those family members will think twice about using Continental in the future planing of flying.
It turned out after getting a flight into Kitale we could meet up with the rest of team #4 in Soy. We would miss church service but meet up Martin & Ruth home, an hour and half from the airport. Lets just say it would of maybe taken half hour if the roads were fixed!
We met and greeted most of the 43 orphans, had quick lunch, got measured for a dress, took family pictures. Then piled 20 into the matatu and than drove over to the project site to see what was going to be in store for Monday.
Hi, to my Aunty Kay, all my fellow workers at Adecco, two Rita's and my friends and family.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Friday, August 6, 2010
Teamless with the Locals
Today was a major downshift compared to the past few days. There was a lot of good work completed but with the loss of our largest group things seemed to move at a much slower pace.
Much of the day was spent getting things prepared for the next teams arrival. Which means ordering supplies. Interior doors, the frames for the doors, plastic for the floors, lime for plaster sheets of glass which will need to be cut by hand to fit each individual window, and of course more bricks.
The kitchen door and window layout took up another large portion of the day, but now there is a few courses started on the kitchen and dinning facility.
The front section of wall above the ring beam was completed today.
The gable ends were flying up, much faster then expected!
The compound is looking more and more like home everyday.
Tomorrow will be the start of two days of rest for everyone working on the project, after the hard push over the past two weeks its well deserved.
Much of the day was spent getting things prepared for the next teams arrival. Which means ordering supplies. Interior doors, the frames for the doors, plastic for the floors, lime for plaster sheets of glass which will need to be cut by hand to fit each individual window, and of course more bricks.
The kitchen door and window layout took up another large portion of the day, but now there is a few courses started on the kitchen and dinning facility.
The front section of wall above the ring beam was completed today.
The gable ends were flying up, much faster then expected!
The compound is looking more and more like home everyday.
Tomorrow will be the start of two days of rest for everyone working on the project, after the hard push over the past two weeks its well deserved.
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Team 3 Departs
It was a bitter sweet day at the Johabeto project. Filled with both the joy of gratitude, and the sadness of departure. Half of the team went to the work site to spend their last half of a day in Kitale working before their flight while the other half of the team cleaned up the compound for the next team and prepared for departure.
At the site we finished the last course or two of interior walls on the second home.
Finished the remaining portion of the exterior tie beam.
Cleaned the mortar off the slab one last time.
Our hired masons built scaffolding and started working on the Gable ends of home 1.
A little before noon Martin Ruth and the kids had another great meal prepared and a tree to be planted for everyone on the team. All the older children that were present helped in the planting with the team and hired workers in order to speed up the ceremony and have the team make it to the air strip on time.
After good byes the matatu pulled off and the work crew took their lunch break. It was quiet and a somberness filled the air.
Work was slow for the rest of the day but the first section of wall above the ring beam to the roof line,
and a few courses of brick went up on the first gable.
Gods glory has been shown through team 3! They were an amazing group and completed an amazing feat of raising hope and walls of home two from the ground up, thanks be to God.
At the site we finished the last course or two of interior walls on the second home.
Finished the remaining portion of the exterior tie beam.
Cleaned the mortar off the slab one last time.
Our hired masons built scaffolding and started working on the Gable ends of home 1.
A little before noon Martin Ruth and the kids had another great meal prepared and a tree to be planted for everyone on the team. All the older children that were present helped in the planting with the team and hired workers in order to speed up the ceremony and have the team make it to the air strip on time.
After good byes the matatu pulled off and the work crew took their lunch break. It was quiet and a somberness filled the air.
Work was slow for the rest of the day but the first section of wall above the ring beam to the roof line,
and a few courses of brick went up on the first gable.
Gods glory has been shown through team 3! They were an amazing group and completed an amazing feat of raising hope and walls of home two from the ground up, thanks be to God.
-Gods nameless servant
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Saying goodbye to Ruth today was one of the hardest goodbyes that I have ever had to do. Ruth and her family have become our family and we love them and will miss them so much and we can't wait to see what else God has planned for them.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
Tuesday
With our team and some Kenyans who came to the worksite today we were a total of 22 crammed into our Matatu (a van really, but referred to as a "bus" in Kenya) for the return trip to Kitale. The one saving grace of such travel is not just the amazement of fitting, but the secret joy that we were all of sufficiently diminshed size to permit such travel. We were a little later than normal and Daniel was lighting Tiki torches as we pulled into the driveway raising speculation about who would be voted off the island by the tribal council.
It was a bright morning when we left the compound, headed through the outskirts of Kitale and to our Johabeto project. The orphans that had joined us on Monday had slept at the sight and were there to greet us when we arrived. Some of the men had started to draw water from the well for making concrete.
The children joined our prayer circle and Bill Pollock led in prayer, but not before the Kenyans led us in a praise song (in English). All participated in the singing and there was a traditional clapping at the end, those wearing their workgloves clapped puffs of dust. Then everyone silently went to their "posts," focused on the tasks ahead and eager to work they went to those places where the work had ended yesterday.
By the end of today the interior walls of the 2nd building were neary complete (1/2 are done and the remainder are over half way complete. The entire ringbeam has been formed around the 2nd building, the footers dug for the kitchen and dining hall and the concrete poured (although not complete) for the footers.
There is a new lamb, born two days ago that now romps through the worksite. Probably more pictures have been taken of this animal than anything else these past two days. The Kenyan family that owns him have named him "Sunday" since he was born on Sunday and Muzungos (a word meaning "foreigner" but ascribed primarily to "whites') have been so predominate in the area.
The orphans have been joined by nearby children for soccer. If you send up a rocket balloon, they appear out of seemingly nowhere. Our sight is surrounded by corn stalks, fully grown. I have wanted to call them "children of the corn," but that sounds so derogatory. They are mostly just curious and hopeful that these strange looking people (who work in shorts) will have some special treat to extract from their backpacks. The orphans showed their ingenuity in retrieving an aerobee flying disk from the roof of building two and others shot helicopters over the buildings and cornfields that they had been given.
Jeff and Adam became true Obwanakuba (boss kings) today as they graciously received royal Kenyan apparel from Faith (one of Martin and Ruth's 3 daughters). Irene (another daughter) joined us and filled in bricks attired in her dress. We are amazed that the Kenyan women who sometimes join us in the work finely attired in suits or dresses and in these they carry bricks or mortar.
We are pleased with the progress and look forward to the next day and a half.
Bruce
It was a bright morning when we left the compound, headed through the outskirts of Kitale and to our Johabeto project. The orphans that had joined us on Monday had slept at the sight and were there to greet us when we arrived. Some of the men had started to draw water from the well for making concrete.
The children joined our prayer circle and Bill Pollock led in prayer, but not before the Kenyans led us in a praise song (in English). All participated in the singing and there was a traditional clapping at the end, those wearing their workgloves clapped puffs of dust. Then everyone silently went to their "posts," focused on the tasks ahead and eager to work they went to those places where the work had ended yesterday.
By the end of today the interior walls of the 2nd building were neary complete (1/2 are done and the remainder are over half way complete. The entire ringbeam has been formed around the 2nd building, the footers dug for the kitchen and dining hall and the concrete poured (although not complete) for the footers.
There is a new lamb, born two days ago that now romps through the worksite. Probably more pictures have been taken of this animal than anything else these past two days. The Kenyan family that owns him have named him "Sunday" since he was born on Sunday and Muzungos (a word meaning "foreigner" but ascribed primarily to "whites') have been so predominate in the area.
The orphans have been joined by nearby children for soccer. If you send up a rocket balloon, they appear out of seemingly nowhere. Our sight is surrounded by corn stalks, fully grown. I have wanted to call them "children of the corn," but that sounds so derogatory. They are mostly just curious and hopeful that these strange looking people (who work in shorts) will have some special treat to extract from their backpacks. The orphans showed their ingenuity in retrieving an aerobee flying disk from the roof of building two and others shot helicopters over the buildings and cornfields that they had been given.
Jeff and Adam became true Obwanakuba (boss kings) today as they graciously received royal Kenyan apparel from Faith (one of Martin and Ruth's 3 daughters). Irene (another daughter) joined us and filled in bricks attired in her dress. We are amazed that the Kenyan women who sometimes join us in the work finely attired in suits or dresses and in these they carry bricks or mortar.
We are pleased with the progress and look forward to the next day and a half.
Bruce
Monday, August 2, 2010
Diving into Week 2!
Hi Everyone! We started the second week of our team's work on the building today with a BANG!! Since our team leaves Kitale on this Thursday mid-day, that only leaves 3 1/2 days of solid work! We really hit the ground running today, determined to make a remarkable dent in the project before our time here is over.
What a buzz of activity filled the worksite as nearly 75 workers scurried about. Seventy-five?! This huge number included our team, plus hired Kenyan workers, plus Martin and Ruth's family, plus delivery crews ...plus orphans.
That's right, some of the orphans were working with us today! It was such a wonderful experience to see these kids working hard carrying bricks, and doing whatever else could be done, to help to build their new home. It added such a joy and excitement to the atmosphere of the worksite. If all goes well, they will be living here very soon!
Panic began to set in early in the afternoon: The bricks were gone. About 25 people with trowels and mortar in hand, layed bricks at a REMARKABLE rate (walls rising before your very eyes!), and our pile of bricks was disappearing awefully fast. When we were down to about the LAST brick, a truck came bouncing down the road to our worksite bearing a load of 2000 bricks ...then another ...then another, totalling 6000, more than enough to last us through the week!
A big milestone today: We broke ground on the foundation for the THIRD building, the kitchen! Tomorrow we plan to pour the concrete footer, allowing the walls to go up the day after. Exciting stuff!
God is good, and the progress that is being made is a testimony of His faithfulness, as well as the determination of so many people to see a home built for these wonderful kids. I know this endeavor touches God's heart, and it's an honor to be a part of this.
~Matt Drew
What a buzz of activity filled the worksite as nearly 75 workers scurried about. Seventy-five?! This huge number included our team, plus hired Kenyan workers, plus Martin and Ruth's family, plus delivery crews ...plus orphans.
That's right, some of the orphans were working with us today! It was such a wonderful experience to see these kids working hard carrying bricks, and doing whatever else could be done, to help to build their new home. It added such a joy and excitement to the atmosphere of the worksite. If all goes well, they will be living here very soon!
Panic began to set in early in the afternoon: The bricks were gone. About 25 people with trowels and mortar in hand, layed bricks at a REMARKABLE rate (walls rising before your very eyes!), and our pile of bricks was disappearing awefully fast. When we were down to about the LAST brick, a truck came bouncing down the road to our worksite bearing a load of 2000 bricks ...then another ...then another, totalling 6000, more than enough to last us through the week!
A big milestone today: We broke ground on the foundation for the THIRD building, the kitchen! Tomorrow we plan to pour the concrete footer, allowing the walls to go up the day after. Exciting stuff!
God is good, and the progress that is being made is a testimony of His faithfulness, as well as the determination of so many people to see a home built for these wonderful kids. I know this endeavor touches God's heart, and it's an honor to be a part of this.
~Matt Drew
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Sunday
Sunday was a day away from the project site. We headed to Soy in the morning to spend time with the kids and join them at their church service. The energy they express in their three hour long service and songs far exceeds anything that any of us are accustomed to. We had messages from both Pastor Matt and Pastor Bruce and a word or two from another half dozen individuals. After high Kenyan tea at the Shikuku's we headed to a local game reserve to see the rhinos, feed the giraffe and ride the ostriches. The matatu ride to and from the game farm was perhaps the most adventurous part of the day. In the dark, after a hard rain, the roads were even more difficult to travel than normal. But Robert, our driver, executed the trip masterfully and we got back in time for a great spaghetti dinner and an evening of shopping for souvenirs. It was a full and fun filled day. Tomorrow we'll dig out our trowels and hammers again. We intend to set some new performance bench marks.
Bill
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