Hello there everyone. This is Ray on the Kenya travel team reporting from Kenya. The last day of 2009, by the way which we will be celebrating New Years day eight hours before you folks who may be reading this from Pittsburgh or the surrounding areas. Today was the first day that we woke up to sunshine. Every previous day started with at least some rain. But, today no rain til about 7:15 pm Kenya time, (11:15 am Pittsburgh time).
Part of the group went to Bomet this morning to buy items that are being assembled into care packages for the orphans and widows in the village of Kenduiwo. Bomet is a town with a bustle of activity always going on. From people herding/walking their cows on or along the roads to pedestrians carrying things on their heads and in wheel barrows and carts to motorcycles with sometimes 3 passengers, (Sometimes I think I will see one with four). These guys were unloading a semi filled with heavy bags of fertilizer just outside the grocery/general store we were at. One of the local Kenyans, Peter, told us that these hard working men earned
two shillings. Somewhere during the translation I came away not knowing if it was two shillings per hour or two shillings per day. But keep in mind that the exchange rate when we converted from US dollars to Kenyan shillings was $1 US = 74 Kenyan shillings. Either way they were making only about 15 cents per day or $1.21 per week.
At the Kenduiwo orphanage the kids are almost all wearing 2nd hand clothes with holes worn through them. And many in terrible shoes or bare feet. But I am not sure if the kids know how to be unhappy about their situation because they smile and laugh at even a simple hello or
hand shake. Brian, on our travel team, started dancing some 1980's style dance moves after one of the Kenyan kids brought out a drum. In a few minutes he had several dozen kids, including some from around the surrounding areas, watching and joining in singing songs about Jesus and smiling and laughing. A few minutes later even a few of the Kenyan adults joined in. During prior days Becky and Lori and Mel and Justine and Dana, and the other Lori and Deb would entertain the kids... but Brian just had to be somewhat of a novelty today.
Today the women on the team painted steel window frames in preparation of installation and also painted wood components of the roof. The men on the team assembled wood roof components as others welded the fabricated truss work for the roof. The roof work on the girls dormitory finally went into gear today as there was no rain and a sufficiently sized welder arrived at the site.
Well, it is getting late tonight as the New Year approaches very soon. I will see you all next year. Oh, we also had birthday cake for Jon Martz this evening.
God bless you all out there in Blogland.
Ray Wolfgang
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