The whole of Jemo House (and a few of our friends) took the trek to the new land this weekend to see where their new home will be. They were delighted to find mangos in the trees. Thomas said a prayer over the land and all the good things that will come from it. The kids walked the perimeter and gave their feedback on what we should grow in our Shamba (garden). I will take their requests into account, but it seems Arnold thinks we can live on coconuts alone. I am not certain he has ever even had a coconut. They also do not grow in this region :)
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| Jemo House kids standing on the spot where their new home will stand |
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| Daniel, Janet, Brian and Millie with Lavender, their tutor and our dear friend. |
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| A cookie break to celebrate our new space :) |
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| The driveway/road connecting our land to the main road. |
Even with the kiddos running all over the land, it's hard to imagine what this will look like soon. We are hoping to have the house done in a few months, but I have no idea if that's really feasible. I am rushing more than is the Kenyan way because there is an election in August that I'm a little worried about. There are basically two candidates, and if one of them wins there is a possibility that there may be some positive changes in the country. If there other one wins (the current pres) there will mostly likely be rioting in the streets because people are tired of the flourishing state of corruption they are currently drowning in. Beside the obvious threats of physical danger, this means schools will be closed, food will be astronomically expensive (relatively speaking) and building will come to a crashing halt if it is not completed by then. We are currently renting a house within a hospital compound where I used to serve as the volunteer coordinator. The hospital was sold last year rather abruptly and the new administration is much less than impressive-to put it nicely. All reasons to get into our new home as soon as possible.
There is so much left to be done and so many unanswered questions that are floating around in my head; which nearby school will be the best for our kids, how in the world will I raise the money for building, will we have to re-register our organization in a different county, where will we do our shopping, what is the best way to get water out here, will we need to find a new HIV clinic to go to, etc, etc, etc. I tend to immediately jump to the next step and start planning, but if Kenya has taught me anything, it is to enjoy these sweet moments as they come, and to celebrate the joy of NOW and acknowledge success as it happens in little pieces. As the dark clouds started to mount over the hill and the rains drew closer, I knew we should head back before we got drenched. But before we left I took a minute to clear my mind and close my eyes, and I melted into the sunshine for a moment while listening to sound of my kids exploring their new land and climbing their new mango trees. Despite the work ahead, this place will be a happy home for so many for years to come. The idea of owning land has been a far away goal for a long time, that at times I was not totally sure we could reach. We have been so blessed thus far, God has protected us, helped us, and never given us a challenge we could not handle. So I will continue to have faith that this next stage will be filled with help and blessings. No matter what comes next, I appreciated how sweet this day was. And how sweet this life is. And how lucky I am to do this work.
Jessie
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