Evidently a situation of definitions...

When I say 'quality', I mean.....what do I mean?

I don't believe that I told you about the Kenyan I met on the 747 on the way to Nairobi. He was going back Africa to see his wife and kid. He's going to school in Michigan on a US grant, getting food stamps and welfare. He said he was able to get his mother, father and brothers and sisters into the US. I asked what they were doing and he said...and I am not stretching the truth....for now anyway, "the US is a wonderful country, you can get welfare and food stamps so you don't really have to work" Hmmmm.....so I asked if he was going back to Kenya after he finished school to help his people. "Why would I do that?" he said, "this America is too wonderful a place." "How about your wife and kid?" I asked. "I don't think I want to get them into America" he replies. Not an uncommon story...I know 1st hand. I don't know whether I'm more upset with him or America for allowing such.

So anyway, enough about that, although it bothers me alot....and should you as well. Things are happening here. We have the new kitchen underway and it is about 1/3 of the way finished. At the same time, we brought in a man who claimed he could weld....and think even, to build some steel shelving for the storeroom. "I can do this, and do it well" he says. "how long will it take?" I ask. "Just one day" he proudly says. "Just one African day, or just one calandar day?" I inquire. You see, I'm beginning to get this place. He said he would start the next day, ignoring the question....I should have caught the inuendo. So, he did start about 8 am the next day, after we had cleared the room of about two supertankers worth of stuff, which we promptly placed in everones way. At 7 pm that night, he proudly says that after using up about 1 ton of steel and two boxes of welding rod, he now knows how to weld. Which made my day, as I am sure I hired him to learn how to weld on our dime....Part two of day one....which started the next morning: watching him cutting and welding all day, I made the observation that in America, I would put a penalty on him for not finishing by the deadline. That as it turned out wasn't the best statement....as he took it seriously and worked all thru the night until 8 am the next morning, creating what some might call 'modern art', but not really recognizable shelving. I asked him if he knew about quality control. "Yes," he said, "we look at it like birth control.....we try to prevent it." I'm beginning to believe that hitting myself in the head with a hammer might not be so bad.

We have two young'uns from Ellensburg WA here for a few months. They are teachers who say they are seeking God's will and think it might be here. But I suspect that they must be in the witness protection program and have done something terribly wrong as to be punished by being place here. They claim to be married, but seem to get along with each other anyway. Well anyway, they are really connecting with the kids, and keeping them away from me. Nate, and Emily...let's just call them "the kids", are working with the older kids at school.....'boy kid' doing real PE and 'girl kid' doing analysis of where each little snotlocker is academically. The are filling some much needed holes in the cirricullum.

I took them to Kitale today. I think it was a new experience for them, as they have spent their entire lives in the 20th and 21st century. When they get back to America, they can speak of their ability to time travel when in Africa....having entered a space-time continuum here.

We went in to see Jessica at ADC where we get greenges for the kids. I introduced "the kids" to her and asked about our order of greenges. "I don't have, but they will be here at 11:00." she says with a wink. Looking at my phone I see that it is now after 11:00. "So, Jessie, having alittle fun with the mzungu??...."I say. "This is Africa" she says, knowing I am knowing what she means. I'll probably go back on monday for the greenges...(oranges....well they could have been had they had a chance to get beyond the flowering stage).

So, Jeff left today, to spend 3 weeks with Carla, mostly in Spain. I hope he gets some much needed rest, as he will need it to put this place back together when he gets back.

What the heck....I thought Slim was banned from the internet

Remember me?

So, I left Africa after, 2 months, in mid May again, and was recieved home by my favorite wife in a marvelous way....Me, "Honey, I'm home." Sandy, "Were you gone?" But secretly, I think she knew I had been away, as my truck and tools had been sold. Almost within days we were on our motorcycle with some friends, touring the western US. Since spending a great deal of the last two years in Africa, I have learned that you can get as many as 6 people and a goat on one motorcycle. So, when I say 'with some friends' I mean friends in a past tense sort of way. Anyway, we took a look around Vegas, Death Valley, the Utah canyons, Yosemite and the coast back to Anacortes. Pretty amazing what our God has given us to enjoy. By the way, did you know that all things were created BY Him, FOR Him. He just lets us enjoy it with Him.

After we got home, in mid june, Sandy asked me when I was thinking I should go back to Instep....sort of a 'here's your hat, what's your hurry' kind of thing. I told her that God has always let me know and I didn't know yet. She said Sept was a nice time to travel...especiallly alone. She knows how I love to travel sitting in a seat designed for toddlers for 20+ hours. Well anyway, I didn't think I'd go then, having a much better connection with God than she has. OK she said, but you'll go then, you'll see. So one night in early August, I woke up about 2am and knew that I was supposed to go in Sept. I woke Sandy up (which she alway enjoys) and told her that I just came up with a good idea....that I should go back to Instep in Sept. "Wish I'd thought of that" she said, adding something in swahili that she had learned from Jeff. Then that morning about 7am, Jeff called from Instep and told me that he needed me back, as Toyota was missing me badly....that and he had alot of work for me to do, as he himself doesn't do any, so there is always an abundance for others. So, reveling in how discerning I am, I asked Sandy to book a ticket for me....."already done" she said...."at 2:30.

And..here I am, back in the 17th century, wondering just why, still trying to find a use for snot. But let me tell you a short (like that happens) story that happened enroute. For about a year, Sandy and I have been talking to a woman friend of ours named Rebecca about Instep, and she said she has a neice in Nairobi that works for a mission,and would like to go. Which, Lord willing will happen next January. So I'm in Amsterdam, with a 2 hr layover and I wander down to the departure gate. Standing there, for awhile, when a person comes out and says that there is a problem with the 747 and that there would be a 2 hr delay. "oh goody" I say....well sort of, more like some of Jeff's swahili. Looking around, there is no place to sit except on the floor against the wall next to a young lady. Well, contrary to my nature, I sat down and struck up a casual conversation with this gal. "Where you headed?" Her, "why, back to Kansas, of course, pointing to the monitor that said Nairobi. I could tell I was going to like this gal. Well as you can imagine, I could tell you all of the conversation, but I'll cut to the chase...chase being a relative term, as we were just sitting. Her name is Brittany and she is from Georgia and is traveling alone for the first time and is pretty stressed out. She's about 21. She is going to Kansas Nairobi to some mission project that she didn't know much about. This raised some red flags for me, as I have seen enough of African 'missions's to know that all may not be as presented. By this time I mention to her that I thought it was interesting that God would inconvenience 450 people with a delay just so we could meet. And it was true. Anyway, the airline brought in a different 747 and we boarded, she to 37G and me to 31G. On the way I checked with her and helped fill out the immigration and custom forms. Being abit concerned for her, as she was coming into a rather not-so-nice airport, I waited for her in the skybridge and took her to immigration, where 450 tired and cranky and late (because of us,,,I didn't bother to mention to them) people were waiting in line. (up to and hour). I have 'resident' status now, because the US has been looking for somewhere to put me... so I took her with me to the Kenya Resident line where there only a few waiting. It took some of my incredible charm, but the official took her application and money, of course and we were able to get to the luggage turnstile and get our stuff. I got thru Customs and kept an eye on her until she got thru. Then I found the guy who was supposed to pick her up in a sea of 100 or more and got her connected. Wishing her well and giving her my email and Kenya phone # we said goodbye....me alittle concerned. I took a taxi and walking out to the parking lot, a car stopped and rolled down the window and a white hand came out and said, "Hi, I'm Kristen and thanks for watching over Brittany". That made me relax. The on the way to my hotel I get a text; this is Kristen and I am Rebecca's neice. I have been wanting to meet you. All this to say....WHAT ARE THE CHANCES??? 8000miles away, delayed aircraft inconveniencing 450 people just to arrange an incounter so we couple connect with someone we have known about for quite awhile. Coincidence.....I think not. It seems that everytime I'm involved with Instep, there is just miracle after miracle.....the biggest is that they let me come back....