Please note that I hear from Mary every day and they are all still safe, but each day is much the same at the moment... days are filled with helping the community members and looking after the children. I will update the website when anything different happens but please know that Mission in Action are continuing with their hard work in helping the displaced members of our community. Please feel free to send me a message of support to them.
I am currently working on a newsletter for the orphanage, which will be complete next week. Thanks for your support

MIA is delivering food and blankets to those who have been driven from their homes or who have had their homes destroyed. They are bringing people from all around to Nakuru to seek refuge so there are many, many homeless people around that need our help.
We are asking for donations for mattresses and blankets ~ Please click below link to donate through paypal

Please help us help our fellow community members

click newspapers below to read some recent news articles

***I have recieved some SHOCKING photos but will not post them for all to see. Please click here if you wish to view them but be aware before you do click here that they are very disturbing. VIEW WITH CAUTION***

THURSDAY 31ST JAN / 1ST FEB 2008

PHEW! WHAT A WEEK (MY FIRST WEEK HOME).
FIRSTLY LET ME JUST SAY ON BEHALF OF THE MIA FAMILY, HOW MUCH WE APPRECIATE YOUR E-MAILS OF ENCOURAGEMENT AND YOUR PRAYERS; IT GIVES US THE STRENGTH TO FACE EVERYDAY.
 
PRAISE GOD THINGS SEEM TO BE IMPROVING, ESPECIALLY IN NAKURU. THERE ARE STILL PROBLEMS IN SOME AREAS. IN MY LAST UPDATE I MENTIONED AN MP GETTING SHOT, WHICH CAUSED UPROAR. WELL YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE IT BUT YESTERDAY ANOTHER MP (AND A POLICE WOMAN HE WAS WITH) WERE BOTH SHOT AND KILLED IN BROAD DAYLIGHT AND HE ALSO HAPPENED TO BE FROM THE SAME PARTY, SO YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT PROBLEMS THIS COULD CAUSE.
 
BUT IT SEEMS THE GOVT. IS PUSHING FOR PEACE BIG TIME, THEY ARE GETTING PRESSURE FROM A LOT OF COUNTRIES - AUSTRALIA INCLUDED. THEY ARE SAYING IN THE PAPERS THAT THEY EXPECT THINGS TO SETTLE WITHIN THE NEXT WEEK - WE WILL JUST WAIT AND SEE, AND PRAY THAT IT WILL BE SO.
 
WELL ONCE AGAIN WE HAVE BUSY GETTING DELIVERIES FROM THE RED CROSS AND THEN DISTRIBUTING THEM.
 
YESTERDAY WE GOT ANOTHER DELIVERY OF ITEMS OTHER THEN FOOD. THESE INCLUDED: BLANKETS, 20LT WATER DRUMS, FAMILY KITS, WHICH CONSIST OF 2 COOKING POTS, CUPS, SPOONS AND PLATES, AND TARPS.
 
WE HAVE BEEN TRYING FOR 3 DAYS TO FIND A TRUCK TO DELIVER FOOD AND ITEMS TO THE KALENJIN VILLAGE, YOU SEE THE PROBLEM IS, THE TRUCKS BELONG TO MOSTLY THE KIKUYU TRIBE AND MOST OF THEM REFUSE TO GO INTO SO CALLED "ENEMY TERRITORY" AS THEY FEAR FOR THEIR LIFE.
BUT TODAY WE FINALLY MANAGED TO FIND ONE, (OWNED BY A KIKUYU) WHO WAS WILLING TO DO IT AS LONG AS WE WENT WITH THEM.
 
SO WE LOADED FOOD AND SOME OF THE NON-FOOD ITEM AND SET OUT TO THE VILLAGE. WE PUT A MIA FLAG ON OUR CAR SO THAT PEOPLE KNEW WHO WE WERE AND WOULDN'T BOTHER THE TRUCK.
AS WE TRAVELED THROUGH THE VILLAGE CROWDS BEGAN TO FOLLOW US. IVAN EVEN HAD TO STOP THE CAR AND CHASE SOME OF THE YOUNG MEN THAT JUMPED ON THE BACK OF THE TRUCK AND BEGAN CLIMBING INTO THE BACK TO SEE WHAT THERE WAS, SO THEN WE DECIDED TO FOLLOW BEHIND THE TRUCK TO MAKE SURE THAT WOULDN'T HAPPEN AGAIN.
 
ONCE WE ARRIVED, WORK SPREAD QUICKLY AND THE CROWDS BEGAN TO GATHER, AFTER A WORD OF PRAYER WE BEGAN UNLOADING ALL THE GOODS ONTO THE GROUND.
THINGS WERE GOING WELL IN THE BEGINNING WE HAD LISTS OF THE REGISTERED MISPLACED FAMILIES BUT ABOUT HALF WAY THROUGH MORE AND MORE PEOPLE BEGAN SHOWING UP, EACH GROUP GIVING US THEIR OWN LIST OF FAMILIES, SINCE WE HAD PLENTY WE ALSO GAVE THEM SUPPLIES, BUT THE FUNNY THING WAS MORE AND MORE PEOPLE KEPT APPEARING, AS IF THEY WERE COMING OUT OF THE BUSHES!, AS THE SUPPLIES STARTED TO DWINDLE YOU COULD FEEL THE TENSION AND THE CROWDS JUST KEPT GETTING CLOSER AND CLOSER TO US, IT FELT LIKE NO MATTER HOW MUCH YOU GAVE THEM THEY WANTED MORE. IT STARTED GETTING FRUSTRATING TOWARDS THE END, BOTH MARTHA AND IVAN HAD PEPPER SPRAY ON THEM AND THEY BOTH FELT AS IF THEY MIGHT HAVE TO USE IT IF THINGS GOT OUT OF HAND.
AND THE FUNNY THING WITH THESE PEOPLE IS THAT IF THEY HELP YOU IN ANYWAY, LETS SAY LIKE THE LADIES THAT HELPED DISTRIBUTE THE GOODS, THEY FEEL THAT THEY SHOULD GET MORE THEN THE OTHERS BECAUSE THEY HELPED. NO ONE WANTS TO DO ANYTHING OUT OF THE GOODNESS OF THEIR HEART; IT'S ALL ABOUT GETTING AS MUCH AS THEY CAN GET FOR FREE.
PLEASE DON'T GET ME WRONG; WE REALLY TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY MUST FEEL. BUT BELIEVE ME WHEN IS SAY NO ONE LEFT EMPTY-HANDED, BUT THINGS STARTED TO GET A LITTLE UNCOMFORTABLE TOWARDS THE END, WE HAD TO START TELLING PEOPLE TO MOVE BACK MORE THE ONCE.
 
THE POOR TRUCK DRIVERS STAYED THE FEW HOURS WE WERE THERE, THEY WERE TOO AFRAID TO LEAVE AND TRAVEL BACK TO TOWN. WE FELT SORRY FOR THEM AND ASKED THE ELDERS IF THEY COULD SEND SOME MEN WITH THEM TO GET THEM THROUGH THE VILLAGE WITHOUT ANY PROBLEMS. BUT THE TRUCK DRIVER DIDN'T LIKE THE IDEA, AND I CAN'T SAY I BLAMED HIM. SO HE WAITED FOR US TO FINISH AND HE FOLLOWED US AS WE LED HIM OUT AND BACK TO TOWN.
ALONG THE WAY WE MET A ROAD BLOCK AT A BRIDGE, MEN HAD PUT LOGS TO BLOCK THE WAY. NORMALLY WHAT WOULD HAPPEN THEY WOULD STOP ALL CARS AND DEMAND TO KNOW WHAT TRIBE ETC. SO IF YOU WERE THE WRONG TRIBE IN THEIR TERRITORY WATCH OUT!.
BUT BECAUSE THEY SAW WE WERE WHITE AND SAW OUR FLAG, IVAN JUST FLASHED HIS LIGHTS AND THEY MOVED THE LOGS FOR US TO PASS, THEY ALSO ALLOWED THE TRUCK THROUGH WITHOUT ANY QUESTIONS BECAUSE WE TOLD THEM IT WAS WITH US.
 
WE FINALLY MADE IT BACK TO TOWN AND STOPPED TO PAY THE TRUCK DRIVER (EVERYTIME WE GET A TRUCK TO MAKE SUCH DELIVERIES IT COSTS MIA BETWEEN $100 - $150) POOR BLOKE HE WAS SHAKING, HE WAS SO AFRAID THAT THEY WOULD BE STOPPED AT THE ROAD BLOCK, AND QUESTIONED, WHICH COULD HAVE BEEN FATAL FOR THEM. BUT THANK GOD WE MANAGED TO DO WHAT NEEDED TO BE DONE WITH OUT ANY HARM TO ANYONE.
WE THEN RUSHED HOME AS IT WAS GETTING LATE AS THERE IS A CURFEW IN PLACE, AND WE DIDN'T WANT TO RISK BEING OUT AFTER THAT.
 
IT WAS GOOD TO GET HOME AND HAVE A HOT SHOWER, WE WERE ALL DIRTY AND COVERED IN DUST BUT MOSTLY WE WERE GLAD THAT ANOTHER DAYS WORK WAS DONE WITHOUT INCIDENT AND WE WERE ABLE TO HELP AT LEAST ANOTHER 500 OR MORE PEOPLE.
 
SO TILL NEXT TIME, GOD BLESS.
 
REGARDS FROM YOUR MIA FAMILY

Click here to read what has happened before this date - much more to read!