SCHOOL FIELD TRIP
part 2


Impalas also run wild in the park, hence the name. They are such dainty little creatures and fascinating to watch.

We compound ladies prepared some food and enjoyed a picnic lunch next to the lake. During prayer, a hippo was splashing and blowing in the water closeby, causing us/me to miss a few lines of prayer.....

We had heard about these monkeys that live in the park and are picnic pests. Soon the monkeys discovered us and about 10-15 came running, followed by a group of shouting school children. Never had our children had monkey buddies like this looking on. Since there were more of us than of them, they just watched from the tree branches above and the ground beneath. In the past, the monkeys already have grabbed food from children's plates making them cry. Today the children were the aggressive ones chasing the monkeys to the branches, with the children following.

The most interesting monkey was a mother with her baby. She just sat and watched, unless we came too close. It was almost uncanny how human-like she treated her baby by kissing and patting him. However, when she headed for the tree on all fours; he, animal-like, put his arms around her stomach and hung on......
These are the Vervet monkeys, the most common in Africa. They run together in groups and are the least afraid of humans. A pop question for you: What unique feature does the male Vervet monkey have that makes him easily indentifiable? Google it!

It was a good day and one for memories. Miss Rosalie had a goal chart for the school children which they attained. She is planning a mystery supper for the parents, possibly next Saturday. We all are excited although the parents are more subdued about it than the children. :)


Life goes on with changes that come with it. The more flexible you are, the happier you will be. Jonathan Martins are winding down their last couple weeks in Kenya. Martin Benders have replaced them and are quickly trying to learn all they can. It's a real brain overload with learning the transition ropes and having language classes at the same time. The brain sorts out the priorities, leaving the rest behind.

The last few weeks various ones of us have attended funerals of relatives of CBF members; the father-in-law of Alice Adhiambo and brother of Jack Oako. Most recently, the brother of Tom Ogema passed away. Last Thur, the two year old daughter of Pamela Kiti, an Oroba member, was buried. Also on our minds was the drowning death of 6 year old Titus Glick, of El Salvador, a grandson of Sam's cousin, Verda Glick.

Tomorrow morning, Monica and I plan to take Ziatune and her 3 children to her homeland to see her family. It's only an hour away, but seldom do they get to go home. It's sooo far away and costs too much. "Far" is a rather relative word around here and sometimes I jokingly tell people that where I live (Lancaster) is about 1700 kilometers from my homeland (Missouri). They look at me aghast, "how do you survive? You must be from another tribe." I say,"Aye, I think so...!"

Continue praying......thank God for the return and repentance of Helen Auma...she was a prodigal wife of an alcoholic husband. Pray for the health of Mary, wife of Paul Omimo. Their baby boy is only 2 1/2 months old. Being HIV+, she is struggling with her health and doesn't have enough milk for the baby. Survival is serious in Kenya and we need much wisdom in discerning the needs.

Mattie Kauffman

SCHOOL FIELD TRIP
Part 1
A few weeks ago the compound school went on a field trip. Not only did just the children go with their teacher, but the whole compound decided to go. There are 37 people and we all had a fun time taking a day off. Miss Rosalie had a break too, since all the parents were along to help supervise.
First we toured the local Coke plant. The modern technology was rather amazing in a country like this. They still use glass pop bottles, but are thinking about changing to plastic. They do realize plastic will make for even MORE trash, while people still recycle the glass ones.

After the Coke tour, we headed for a local park next to Lake Victoria. Impala Park is not only a park but also features a small zoo. There are a few zebras running wild, a lion or two, a cheetah and a leopard, and several smaller animals.


Waiting at the entrance for our tickets.

After the release, the school children headed out to explore.

Checking out the monkeys; afterall aren't they the main source of attention in any zoo?

Oops! Jeremy fell asleep. Martina overlooking the lake from a gazebo.

OUR TRIP TO NAKURU
part 2

The Engashura church building

Ab Fisher listening to a conversation

One thing unique to the church setting here is being able to bike to church. Lees have about a 15 minute ride.

You'll see Daniel with David on the back and Josiah with Glendon.

The Lee Fisher family-back: Jeremy, Lee, Sadie, Merle, Cynthia and Josiah

front: Timmy, Katie and Jeffrey

Life is a bit busier these days. My brother Martin and Kristy Bender and five children arrived in Nairobi on March 24th. It will be a date never to be forgotten since this was our 20th anniversary. Jonathan Martin, Sam, Miriam and I drove the 5 hours to meet them. We failed to meet them on time because of the worst traffic jam we ever were in! Oh, we arrived in Nairobi in plenty of time to do some sight seeing and shopping. We ate a leisurely supper, then started the half hour drive to the airport. This capital city is getting fuller and busier and the roads are not being improved. The conditions worsened when it began to rain and rain it did! The drainage system seems to be poor or non-existant. It took us 4 1/2 hours to get to the airport. Martins landed at 7:10 and we finally arrived at 11:00 PM. Due to some quick thinking on Jonathan's part, he was able to call the airport and notify them of our predicument. We found them patiently waiting on the curb. Cousins; Miriam-13 and Amanda-12 could hardly wait to see each other.

As we missionaries usually do; we slept at the one of the guest houses close by and drove the 5 hours to Kisumu the next morning. Within the first 3 hours, you'll see wildlife in the wild of various kinds.....zebras....impalas....baboons......! It was interesting hearing remarks from my little nephews that so reminded me of my brothers years ago. "Yuck! The baboons bare butts are SO ugly!" God must have fun creating some of these animals. The Nakuru mission is about the halfway point so we made a rest stop at Mel and Fannie Beilers. We arrived in Kisumu around 5:00PM. In Kenya it takes most of the day to drive 5 hours. It was Martina's 19th birthday and we'll remember this arrival date as well.

Life is also abit sentimental these days. Our hearts go out to the Esh/Gingerich/Kramer families with their loss of numerous family members. We didn't know them very well even though Sam was a 2nd cousin to Sadie Esh. We do know the people whose wedding they were planning to attend in Kalona, Iowa; Lorena Ropp and widower Alvin S. Miller. Lorena and I were little Amish girls in Kalona years ago. In those days, Alvin was a dashing young man from Aylmer, Ontario and was dating Dad's first cousin, Ella Beachy. This coming September, it would have been 42 years since Dad married Alvin and Ella in Kalona. (Mom wasn't able to be at the wedding since brother Martin was only 4 days old.) Now Alvin comes back once again to Kalona and marries Lorena. Isn't life interesting?

How did Eshes know Lorena? Several years ago, Lorena was along on a seed team to Ukraine. Also on the team was Johhny Esh, who was killed in a snowmobile accident while in Ukraine. Upon arriving home, Lorena, being the big-hearted person she is, went to visit the Esh family in Kentucky. They became good friends......and the Eshes wanted to go sing at her wedding.

Ashley Kramer, adopted daughter of Alvin and Leona also was killed in the recent accident. They had been on the mission field in Ukraine, thus becoming acquainted with Lorena. Even though, I had known the Kramers and their older children for many years, I learned to know Ashley when they made a return visit during my Ukrainian stay 2 years ago. The Gingerich boy, we did not know personally, although we did his parents. Ruth, Joel's mother lived in Spencer, Wisconsin years ago.

Yes, we are constantly being reminded of the brevity of life and how quickly it can end. Last week, the first of my aunts and uncles passed away. Adin Miller-73, was married to Dad's oldest sister. He was bishop in the Amish church in Sarasota, FL. A day or two later, Ivan Yutzy-71, from Brookfield, MO dropped over from a heart attack. He was deacon when we Benders lived there in the 80's. At his funeral, Ivan's niece and a very close friend of mine, Eva Gingerich-45, had a heart attack. She is recovering at the Columbia, MO hospital. Eva is married to Larry Gingerich and they live in Millersburg, OH. They with their 8 children have plans in the near future to go serve at a fledging mission in Cambodia. Pray for them as they sort through this interruption in health.

Ida Byler-81, grandmother of Kristy Bender, was buried yesterday.

Having lived in numerous areas wasn't always easy, but it does enlarge your world of friends considerably. A friend once said, "One can never have too many friends"......even though it does affect you when you get death messages......

Mattie Kauffman

OUR TRIP TO NAKURU
part 1

Back when AMA first asked us to go to Kenya; we were asked to replace Randy Lapps in the Engashura church in Nakuru. Lee Fishers were asked to go to Kajulu in Kisumu. Over time the two missions thought it would work better if the two families would switch places. It worked out that all 17 of us flew to Africa together on June 17, 2009. Because of Lee's and Sadie's Lancaster roots, we had known each other briefly but became much better acquainted after travelling together. We decided then to someday visit each other churches. The second weekend in March we decided to drive the 3 hours to Nakuru and spend the weekend with Lees.


The 2-lane highway to Nakuru is currently in decent shape. There are, however, no rest areas or McDonalds....you just have to make one. We parked beside the road and our homemade ham sandwiches were a special treat.

"Eeww, there's a tomato in my sandwich." Myrna dislikes tomatoes and we can't change her mind.

A view of the Engashura church service. The Ab Fisher family also attends here.

Lee Fisher as pastor.
Sam preaching the sermon today. He mentioned being a cousin to Randy Lapp's mother and knowing Randy since he was a very young child. That brought some chuckles.

AGAPE DEVELOPMENT MINISTRIES

part one

Agape Development Ministries (ADM) has received little publicity over the years. They are involved in a major work in our Kisumu unit in Kenya. Let us give you a brief review.

After Amish Mennonite Aid entered Kenya in the early 90's, Ivan Peachey began supporting the needs in a small way. Christian Aid Ministries stepped in around 2002 and began operating ADM under the umbrella of AMA. AMA now brings in a director with his family to work in this branch of the mission. He does not pastor a church, although he's commissioned to preach. First it was Ivan Peachey, then Ellis Helmuth, Tommy Wagler and now Jonathan Martin. The program continues growing and is becoming more challenging.

Jonathan and Lavonna Martin, Jackson-4 and Kaiden-1

The current ADM director is Jonathan and Lavonna Martin. Jonathan is the youngest child of Raymond and Esther Martin from Ephrata, PA. Lavonna is the daughter of Reuben and Mary Ann Yoder of Free Union, VA. Jonathan and Lavonna met at Faith Mission Home and married October 10, 2003. When Jackson was 3 months old, they answered the call to Kenya and have stayed almost 4 years. Kaiden was born here and they are now expecting their 3rd child in June. They are, however, planning to terminate here in April to work in the position of being assistant administrator at FMH. Jonathans will be replaced by my brother, the Martin and Kristy Bender family from LaMonte, MO. They are expected to arrive in 2 weeks.

ADM operates in many different facets. There is the ORPHANAGE PROGRAM. There are approx. 1500 orphans in the system. CAM supports them in ways of food, which they get every 2 weeks. They get a dress/shirt/sweater/school uniform/shoes twice a year. The school tuition is paid. In every church area there is one administrator, 4 supervisors and one matron. Each child has a sponsor and each sponsor is provided with a photo of the child.

REACHING OUT MINISTRIES (ROM)- also operates under ADM. They do not only supply the medicals needs for HIV+ victims but also food twice a month and special nourishment.

The WIDOWS PROGRAM is just beginning. The pastor chooses widows in need of assistance.

WATER PROGRAM-Wells are dug with approx. each church getting 2 wells per year. Each pastor helps decide who will be the next member in his church who needs it the most. This is a well celebrated project.

SPECIAL NEEDS FUNDS- caters to housing, medical and school assistance.

DISABILITY- This program helps the crippled with wheelchairs, helps the blind and deaf go to school, or will assist with a cobbler project, etc. You can't hand them everything.....remember the slogan: Give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach him HOW to fish, he can eat for a lifetime.

FAMINE RELIEF- this is food assistance for crop failures.

SEED PROGRAM- Every spring supervisors will measure plots of interested members and they can buy seeds and fertilizers at subsidized prices.

Sarah Anna Esh

Also working for Agape is Sarah Anna Esh. She has served in Kenya almost 4 years. She makes Greenville, TN, her home and is the daughter of Dan and Caroline Esh. Sarah initially taught school for the compound children but has in the past couple years been a domestic floater. You will find her cleaning a house, doing laundry for a busy mother, visiting the widows or teaching a sewing class. However, most of her time is spent overseeing the orphan's clothing in the Agape Program.

Goretti Awino cutting dresses

Every week Sarah has ladies come in to cut out dresses. Those of us that sew know it's important to do an accurate cutting job to make a nice dress. Each orphan girl gets a dress twice a year. The sizes vary from infant to 18 years old. Once the church ladies graduate from their sewing classes, they will qualify to start sewing these dresses. This brings in extra income for their families for which they are very grateful. Sarah will supply the sewers with dresses and have them taken out and brought back in. She will then iron all these dresses. I check for quality workmanship and pay the ladies at the end of each month. Approximately 800 dresses are given to girls twice a year.

The many dresses in the Agape store room. There is no way we can picture them all. In all our church areas, we will recognize orphan girls by these dresses. You should see their large smiles when they are given a new one. It's the best reward for all the hard work behind it.

to be continued in part two....

AGAPE DEVLOPEMENT MINISTRIES
Part two

Orphange Food Distribution


Every two weeks, big trucks deliver bags of rice, beans, sugar, maize, etc. into the Agape carport. Jevon Beachy is loading the van for a food drop. He will deliver a load or two to each of the eight churches.

The food distribution at the Kajulu church. These are some of the area orphans waiting for their rationed supply. Many of these children come to church. It takes about 4 hours to distribute the food.

Merle Beachy has taken the responsibility of documenting each orphan, including updating their personal photo yearly. At times like these, there are always curious onlookers.

Going home with food! It's transported many different ways by a varity of ages.....small children, mothers, bent over grandmas on motorcycles, bicycles, walking....most common; on top of the head! Carrying your load on your head frees the hands and shades the face, plus it promotes good posture. Try it!

Mattie Kauffman

THE ZIATUNE ACHIENG FAMILY

Ziatune is the name of a sister in the Kajulu church. She's a young widow with three young children. Perez is ten years old and the twins, Philip and Titus are 6 years old. The children are nearly always pumped full of energy unless they're sick.

Ziatune comes from an area an hour away. "It's so FAR away", she said, "I only get home once a year." Her father had two wives with the first having eight children and the second eleven children. Ziatune was the oldest child of the first wife. She related that her childhood was good and she misses home and her siblings very much.

When Ziatune was eighteen she married Erastus, a bush doctor, and became his 3rd wife. She made her home with him in the local Kabonya mountains. A lady generally will move to her husband's homeland and he will make her a house in his "dala"(homestead). Each wife has a house for herself and her children. The houses are set close together in a circular fashion and may even turn into a small village depending on how many brothers the husband has. The sons stay and the daughters move away. When the husband dies the wife will stay since she is the dala's property. The next brother may try to inherit her. It can cause quite a problem if she joins the CBF church and refuses. Seldom will a widow remarry. The children may need to stay because the dala owns them. Sometime the dala is peaceful, but many times it is not.

Perez was soon born to Eratus and Ziatune. Meanwhile at her faraway home, Ziatune heard her mother gave birth to twins. The following year, in 2004, Ziatune herself was blessed with twin sons, Philip and Titus. When the babies were only 3 months old, the husband became sick and died. Ziatune was only 23 years old. When asked what caused his death, she said he was an old man; he was 43 years old! I was rather taken aback and said that's how old my husband was when we married. She looked abit shocked but didn't comment. Ziatune struggled with the small babies with Titus, the smaller one, not doing well at all. Steve Esh was pastoring the fledgling church of Kajulu at the time and heard about this young widow and assisted her with food and clothing. The second wife of Erastus also died leaving only Ziatune with her children and the bitter, childless first wife. Ziatune requests your prayers. There is no peace at the dala. The first wife in her envy makes life very difficult. With this being Luo land, it also may cause a problem since Ziatune comes from another tribe. Numerous other church sisters live in the neighborhood and she leans heavily on them.

Ziatune and her little family. Pray for protection and faithfulness in her life.

Ziatune, 29, is a fiesty and no-nonsense person. She works hard to provide for her children. You will see her in the government fields with her jembe, hoeing away. She is often very tired and fights to stay awake in church.

Perez is a such a pretty, happy young lady. She reminds me of a young deer with her lilting, skipping ways.

Titus and Philip are so energetic, their mother finds it hard to keep track of them. They often sit with me in church and I try to teach them to hold still. They try, but they wiggle and squirm with their legs a-swingin'.

Such is life for widows and their children. Pray for the mother. Pray for the children that they can grow up standing strong in spite of the environment they're living in. At best in Kenya, life is pretty lean with a husband. For a widow without a husband, it's downright tough! We have many widows in our CBF churches. They get material and emotional support and are so grateful.

Linford and Kay Bontrager from IN, are back visiting for a short time. It's always good to have former missionaries come and encourage us. They pastored in Oroba for 5 years from 1996- 2001.

John and Barbara Glick also enjoyed their two sons, Lester and Crystal Glick and Ernest Glick, for 2 weeks. They enjoyed showing them around, especially the Masai Mara. Going to the game reserve is like a page from National Geographic come alive.

Joseph Hostetlers are also hosting 3 of his siblings and a cousin. Darvin, Leon and Rachel Hostetler and Rhonda Hostetler are from Belleville, PA. It's also fun to show relatives the sights, sounds and smells of Kenya.

Sam Kauffman family