We have had some fun new experiences. The last 2 Saturdays we have gone to helped build a house for Cicilia. Cicila was our house helper when we were here in 2005. She is a Rwandan refuge to Kenya. She had her family fled during their civil war. Last year, Cicilia’s husband passed away leaving her with no home and 6 children. Our church and another ministry have purchased Cicilia 1/10th of an acre of land and are now building her home. The first Saturday, we dug holes for the posts surrounding the house. This week the men nailed small branches on the inside and the outside of the posts. Them women (me included) then made a mud mixture to put in between the branches and posts. We got very dirty, but it was fun. We plan to return this Saturday to complete her home. Cicilia amazes me because although she is a foreigner in this land, she has made great efforts to adapt. She speaks Rwandese, French, English, Kiswahili and Kipsigis. She learned the last 3 languages out of necessity when fleeing to Kenya.
My project of setting up a store with handmade goods to provide income for marginalized women is getting off the ground slowly. I have found a place for the store and have spoken to a few people who are interested in working. Please pray that this would happen quickly. Not only are people beginning to go hungry, we have heard there is a locus plague heading our way that threatens the crops.
We have finally settled into our way of life here. We do a lot of entertaining for visiting guests and for the missionaries. My cooking skills are improving greatly as everything is made from scratch. For example, one of our favorite meals at home is Taco Soup. This recipe requires beans which we do not have in a can. Therefore, 2 days before I want to eat the Taco Soup, I have to soak the beans, then cook them the next and then they are finally ready to put into the soup.
Another “fun” thing is our beef. We get it fresh from the butcher. After we get it, it has to “bleed out” for 4-5 days. Then it has to be ground. So I am learning to keep a supply of ground beef or “minced meat” as they call it on hand, because the process is too long to decide you want a hamburger on a whim!
