Last Day in Kakamega

We had a busy day planned for our last day in the Kakamega area, but we were still able to squeeze in a little extra fun/culture! We piled into the van with the plan of making a quick stop to look at drums some team members were hoping to bring back….a quick stop turned into a longer stop when our friend Wycliffe stopped in to see us on his boda boda (the local motorcycle taxi). Marcia was thrilled for the opportunity to have a safe boda boda ride, and most of the rest of us eagerly accepted a ride as well!

After a quick stop at the Shivagala school to drop off a Bible for each of the girls we spoke to last week, we went back to the house for a snack and to watch the Sewing School Graduation. Johanna and Fran did a fabulous job with the 17 ladies and we were thrilled to be invited to be the audience for their graduation and to encourage them on their future plans.  The ladies started a Sewing Club and were encouraged to band together to further their skills and knowledge and keep their hands busy and make a small income to support their families. 

We had a busy afternoon visiting Pamela, Violet, Diana, Helen and Brenda – 5 ladies VOH supports. Particularly special was being able to listen to Diana’s testimony of how Voice of Hope helped her when she was really struggling with her faith -  her extended family was giving her a hard time, her husband had died, she was sick in the hospital for 3 months, and her neighbours were questioning her “where is your God?”. By God’s grace, at such a low point of her life, Voice of Hope was able to help her get back on her feet and she confidently stated she has “no worries” any longer and her neighbours have seen how great her God is and how He did answer her prayers!

It has also been very encouraging over the past two weeks to see how several of the ladies have worked hard to fix up the walls of their huts and make improvements and as a result have received a new roof for their houses from VOH. Their thankfulness to God and their appreciation for the assistance VOH has given them and how their lives have changed has been amazing to see and hear.

As our last day at the house comes to an end, we have sadly had to say goodbye to some dear friends we have made. Everlyn and Aggrey are two very dear people who have spent the past 8 days bringing us around to visit many ladies, do presentations at schools, translated for us, and through it all patiently answered any and all questions we have had – amazing people for sure! Our friend Nelson will also be missed greatly. 

Nelson faithfully chartered us ….everywhere …regardless of road conditions (or path conditions at times), heat or time of day, he could be counted on to safely bring us to wherever we needed to go and patiently waited at the van to keep an eye on all of our things. Another quiet but dear friend who will be greatly missed is Julia. I’m fairly confident that Julia does not sleep as she can be found in the kitchen early in the morning until late at night cheerfully cooking delicious food for all of us. Also fairly silent in the background, but a very important person, is our friend Maggie – not only was she beside Fran & Johanna’s side for the first two weeks they were here, she was also often working around the house, ensured we had clean clothes every day and did all the little extras!  A huge thank you to Everlyn, Aggrey, Nelson, Julia and Maggie for making our stay in Kenya feel so much like home.