We are sitting in our living room at 10:30pm utterly exhausted from spending the day at two of our projects in the slums. I have no idea how Deborah and Laurra are still awake. It is only their second day in Kenya and it was one of our longest days. Things are really moving forward at our Kara Kibera Children’s Center. Thanks to a generous donation, they are in the process of tearing down their old latrines and building new ones. The old ones were truly some of the worst toilets I have seen in Kenya. The kids at the center are so precious. Deborah was just amazing with the kids. Right off the bat she was wowing the kids with the cutest songs I’ve ever heard. Laurra McGreggor truly has the gift of “Affirmation”. At the close of our visit to the center she shared a few words of affirmation with John and Mary Indagiza and it touched all of our hearts deeply. I must say that John and Mary are worthy of affirmation. The sacrifices they have made for the kids of Kibera is truly heroic. I believe that John and Mary will someday, as God provides, will be running Kids Centers in the slums that will impact thousands of children and their families.
Our visit to our AIDS community was also very special today. They got out the candle machine and made candles before our eyes. You may remember that I wrote about a woman named Anastasia who we prayed for. She had not used her arm for three years, due to a stroke. But after we prayed for her she began to move her arm and fingers. She is now exercising her arm every day and it is getting stronger. Another side effect of our prayer is her relationship to her husband. Her husband has mistreated her and refused to eat with her for a number of years. Right after we prayed things changed. Now they are taking dinner together every day and talking. Anastasia was just beaming.
I also reported about a woman with 3 children who was selling kerosene. The problem was the kerosene pump was right in her living room and the fumes were ruining their health. Several members of our team donated $140 to help her relocate. By some miracle she found a lovely place with a separate room for her kerosene. She wanted us to thank those of you who made this miracle possible.
One more answer to prayer came today. Nancy Odwaro’s daughter and son in law have been unable to leave Ukraine with their newborn baby. The government has required some paperwork that is ridiculous. They were told the other day that they might not be able to leave for 3 more months. Nancy called us today to inform us that the Ukrainian Immigration called to let them know that they may be able to leave within a few days, when their papers from Kenya arrive. A real answer to prayer.
Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. We are so aware that your prayers are sustaining us.
All our love
Richard and Valerie, Deborah and Laurra