Final Report from ELI

Greetings Family and Friends!

Joe and I are just wrapping up our time here in Ilula, Kenya with Don and Amy Rogers serving Empowering Lives International.  Wow.. it is hard to put into words all that we have seen and been apart of these past 2 ½ weeks! 

This is a Matatu!

But, before I get to describing a little bit more about our time here, I should stop and mention how we got up here to Eldoret 2 ½ wks ago.  Eldoret is about a 6-hour drive from Nairobi and we weren’t exactly sure how we were going to get here.  One option was to take a Matatu (mini buses that will take you and several other people where you need to go for quite cheap if you don’t mind being cramped for a bit!) but we were a bit hesitant to take public transportation just after arriving into Nairobi.  Thankfully, our friend Ali (who we stayed with in Nairobi) put the word out to her friends that we were in need of a ride and was able to put us in touch with an American family currently living in Eldoret working for Samaritan’s Purse who happened to be traveling from Nairobi to Eldoret and had extra room in their vehicles for us to join them (yay!).  Samaritan’s Purse (or SP) is an international ministry founded by Franklin Graham (son of Billy Graham) and has one of its bases in Eldoret.  Nate and Stephanie Thomas and their two sons were great drivers and great company and brought us safely to Eldoret.  The drive up to Eldoret was gorgeous.. lush green grassy fields, trees and farmlands with some fun animal sightings too- like baboons, zebras, gazelles and plenty of cows and goats J  We stopped at a place called the Java House for lunch and Joe and I enjoyed some tasty hamburgers and fries—yummm.  We were so thankful for the Thomas family for allowing us to join them up to Eldoret.

One of the best parts of our journey so far has most certainly been the unexpected new friends we have connected with and relationships we have made both with Americans abroad and locals!

A gazelle we saw out the window on our ride up to Eldoret!

Speaking of friends…I can confidently say that the people we have met while here in Ilula the past 2 ½ weeks have been the most special of being here.  Don and Amy Rogers (and their sons Joshua and Nathanial) instantly made us feel apart of the ELI family and their own family upon our arrival.  Amy is a fantastic cook and baker and has made several treats for us to make us feel comfortable (like snickerdoodles, eclaires, and homemade pizza last week for Joe’s birthday!  Although the power went out so she had to quickly make some pasta.. but we enjoyed the pizzas a couple nights later =))  Mitch Kellog, who Joe mentioned in the previous post, has been a terrific friend while being here-- and one of the funniest people we have ever met!  He keeps us laughing and he and Joe have worked on lots of projects together while we’ve been here. Randy and Karin Knutson have also been fantastic friends—they work for another ministry called Advancing Leaders International and Church Resource Ministries and they are serving pastors and schools in this area.  Karen is encouraging critical thinking and problem solving in elementary schools (many African schools teach by just rote memorization) and Randy is leading conferences and training Pastors in discipleship.  Besides the Wazungus (Swahili word for white people =)), the Africans we have spent time with have also been amazing!  So warm, welcoming, friendly and kind.  We have shared many cups of chai (Kenyan tea with lots of milk and sugar) and several Mandazi’s (Kenyan doughnuts!) with some of the most generous and selfless, Christlike people we’ve ever met.  Laban and Angelina are a couple that work here at ELI as the Director and Assistant Director to the Children’s Home.  They had us over for Chai and Mandazies the other day and we got to have a glimpse into their lives of hard work and service to the Ilula and greater Eldoret community.  From taking children into their family (in addition to their biological kids) who need a home, to buying and delivering cows to widows in need of some kind of income, and, not least of all, running the Children’s Home here for the 120+ kids that live at ELI.

Celerbation night for Don, Amy, Samuel, Rhoda

I truly could go on and on with stories of people we have met whose lives are full of integrity, kindness, generosity, service and love.  I think it would be impossible for anyone to set foot at the ELI campus and not instantly see and feel the love and presence of Christ here.  God’s hand is just so evident in and through each life!

Last Tuesday night Joe and I got to learn a bit more about how ELI began and what ELI currently is and means to many of the staff members.  The ELI staff surprised Don and Amy with a special banquet to honor and thank them (as well as to thank Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge who co-founded ELI with the Rogers 17 years ago) for their efforts and faithful obedience to God by starting this ministry.  Staff members went around and shared stories about how this ministry has touched their lives over the years.  And, even though Africans are not typically outward about showing tears, I know that there were more than a few wet eyes in the room J  I just sat and listened to story after story of how God has used this ministry to bring hope and transformation into so many lives.

One of the things I like best about ELI are their efforts towards sustainability.  Joe and I have learned a lot while being here about what kind of things really can make a difference for those living in poverty, and what kinds of things may just perpetuate some of the problems.  For instance, someone may donate some money for a child to attend school here in Kenya (which is a wonderful gift!…) but, a better gift may be to train the parents of the child how to keep chickens healthy so they can sell the eggs and have a more consistent income or how to grow Vetiver grass to prevent erosion and maintain their topsoil for better crops or how to keep a bee farm so they can sell the honey or how to do vermicompost for healthy soil.. or learn how to make soap that they could sell for some income.  So, I love that ELI focuses on helping people in ways that can last and empowering them to work hard to and have their own methods of income rather than needing to be dependent on outside resources.  (Joe and I have also been inspired to keep some bees or chickens when we get back home hehe =))

Sunrise walk with Joe!

I’ve also enjoyed late afternoon walks with Amy around the community (when it’s not raining J), watching Lord of the Rings with Joshua and Nathanial, doing Pilates with Karen, hanging out at Randy’s “internet café” (aka his porch where we are sometimes able to catch some wifi), a early morning trop in the mud with Joe to watch the sunrise, enjoying afternoons of snacks and tea as we listen to the thunder and rain, and wonderful times of prayer with our new friends.

What can I say??? God has done absolutely abundantly more than I could have ever asked or imagined during our stay here!  I genuinely feel sad thinking about leaving tomorrow!  But, Joe and I are so excited to meet up with more friends back in Nairobi and then head into Tanzania for the next stage in our journey.

On a practical note…Joe and I have remained healthy (despite the climate shock coming from hot hot Israel to cool and rainly Ilula), are in good spirits, have been eating very well (thanks to the cooking of Amy and Joel!), and are learning new things about ourselves and our God everyday!

Thank you for your prayers—please keep praying for us as we journey into Tanzania.. for continued health and safety. Thank you!!

With love and joy,

Carol