in his hands rescue center

day i have no idea 🙃... writing this the following morning. another awesome crazy long fruitful exhausting and full day!

late nights, early mornings... i have gotten soft 🙄. very thankful that esther, phoebe and i are staying healthy and strong. soooo grateful for that. sleep will come next week. 

the "in his hands" organization is a one woman from the ground up ministry. they do significant work in several countries. i am in awe of the ability for one person (with nine kids), with a small band of volunteers, to accomplish so much. today we saw the building site for the rescue center that will eventually house 400 orphans. it has a water system (550 feet deep) that will not only provide for the orphanage, but also fresh clean water for the community. right now, they get contaminated water from the rivers. 

the first building is a 3,300 square foot pavilion that includes dining hall and kitchen on bottom floor with the second floor for the long term missionary and short term mission teams. 

the next building is a bathhouse with running water for showers and toilets. 

the final building is the 2,500 square foot per floor housing for the orphans. each floor can house 100 kids. triple bunk beds allow for maximum use of space. they have donations for two floors (floors 3 and 4 will each cost $65,000 US dollars). these floors will be added as funds are given. 

the mind blowing part is all the work is DONE BY HAND. a very large box truck arrived when we were there filled with bags of concrete. they mix the cement with water and wheelbarrow it to the various parts and shovel out. the trenches for the water system are dug by hand. rocks are chiseled to get the right size. there are no power tools or excavating equipment 😳.  that is crazy!!!!

each man on the construction crew makes 200-300 shillings a day. that's $1.50 - $2.25. men that are hired just for the day receive 100 shillings. and they are given milk and bananas which is considered a big bonus that attracts workers.

these photos reflect the work done from when they broke ground in february. in spite of all the mud as a result of the rainy season, they have accomplished so much! it could be fully functioning by year's end. 

this type facility is needed more than words can say. the living conditions are deplorable and despite this, the kids are surprisingly healthy and happy. orphans here, unlike many other countries, are very loved and welcomed. that is a beautiful thing. sadly, many of these girls and women were not given a choice about getting pregnant 🥺. 

after touring the rescue center, we had good kenyan coffee ☕️ 😋 and lunch while the medical team met with government officials. using kind words here, the red tape and bureaucracy aren't surprising but still maddening nonetheless. nuff' said. 

then we spent hours (hours!!!!) on the crazy bus. today was the day i legit thought we would be tipping sideways. the road slant and big rocks on those big hills. whew. breathe. 

we finally found the medical center where the medical team is holding a clinic on tuesday. the medical team (a nurse practitioner, three RNs, and a paramedic) are pretty nervous about the volume of people and language barriers (even with translators). this is first time for the organization to hold a medical clinic and the learning curve is straight up. 

then we had a late dinner and drove around more to find a place to make copies of the medical intake forms. it takes a loooong time to have 300 copies printed off a home printer 🤪. home around 10:30.

(snoopy!!!!)

(birthing room)

another good day. thanks Father very much. 

holding the tension of not wishing my days away and counting down days until home :)