HCO Website

Yes, it has been a LONG time since I posted. I have been busy getting our website running! Please check it out and get an overview of our ministry, His Cherished Ones, Inc.

www.HisCherishedOnes.org

GOATS!

Well, this is something more like what my brother should be doing than me, but here I am in Africa learning about animals! Who would ever have imagined I would be doing research and learning about goats!
This is our first goat. Her name is Faith. (I didn't name her.) She is an Alpine goat and she is expecting twins or triplets. It's not determined if she will go to Flomina or to Haven. It depends on where we are able to get a proper goat house built.



Speaking of proper goat houses, here are some things I've learned. In order for this breed (and maybe others, I don't know) to produce the best quality of milk, the houses should be elevated about two feet about the ground. Their milk quality, and even the taste, is better if the goats are not walking around in their own manure. Keeping them off the ground also reduces risk of diseases that can be contracted from bacteria on the ground.






We also want to build our goat houses to where they can be easily divided and goats can be separated.



Regarding their productivity, Alpine goats can produce 1 - 1 1/2 liters of milk per day, where a cow produces about 3 liters per day. Though a cow produces twice as much as a goat, it eats about ten times as much food each day.

Most Kenyans are not keen on the idea of goats. They want cows. It's a sign of wealth and prestige. We are usually fighting an uphill battle to get them to realize the value of dairy goats and the difference between these goats and the millions of random field goats that walk around all over the place. Most of our workers at Haven and Flomina are always pushing us to buy cows. It will be a huge feat when we actually help them realize the value of goats!

I have also learned a lot about breeding. I won't go into it, but it's more than I ever thought I would need to know. I feel like the conversations I've had with the goat lady are really conversations my brother should be having with his horse and cow friends.

Here are our other goats....and the goat lady.

The goat the lady is touching is our little buck. The one on the right is our female who can be bred in the next few months.

Flomina Childrens Home

Flomina continues to face hard times. There are a number of issues they are facing, including overcrowded dorms, unsanitary living conditions, and poor education. We are working with them to try to improve these issues and better the quality of life for these children.







Here are some pictures from the past few weeks...
The kitchen was torn down in order to move it to the corner of the lot to create more space for the shamba (garden). The older boys got to help with the demolition and absolutely loved it!

The silver and green structure in the background is the current dorm building where 50+ children sleep.

Sammy, the manager of Flomina, planted donated seeds in a nursery so that they can later plant in the shamba. They have to be very resourceful with the materials they have. They did not have mulch or hay to cover the dirt and hold in moisture so they used old clothes.

I took materials for us to make thank-you cards for some of the kids' supporters. They had a great time making them. Even the older boys got into it and really enjoyed it!

Ministry Team Clinic at Heshima

Last week we were blessed to have a medical mission team come to Heshima and offer a free clinic to our children.

Leon did not seem to mind the examination at all!

The team included a medical missionary doctor, a retired pediatrician, and two medical students. They spent the day giving all our children a basic, overall checkup. Since all the children have some sort of medical issue, it is good for us to now have a baseline for each of them. Most of the parents do not have any sort of official medical reports or documentation regarding their child's medical history.

Mark, on the other hand, was NOT amused. As usual, he needed Julius to help calm him.

Some of the parents got a check-up as well.

Heshima Update

Heshima has started the year with expansion!! This is the center for children with special needs. We have added space and added children!

Tracey, the founder of Heshima, rented the space next door in January. We knew a few months ago that the Lord would open that space up for us, and He did! Then we just had to wait for Tracey to get the funds to be able to commit to additional rent. Again, God provided. So, we had a wall knocked out and opened up a whole other side to Heshima.










One of my favorite parts of teaching kindergarten and preschool special needs was setting up the classroom! I love it! I got to do that fun part at Heshima. I set it up very much like our zone teaching area in PPCD (Preschool Program for Children with Disabilities). It was especially helpful for our children with autism. We don't have any with autism at Heshima yet, but it is still providing to be a great system for the little guys we do have.




























Here are a few pics from our Valentine's Day party. They LOVED it! Such a special treat for these special kids!

Back Online

It's been a very long time since I updated. As usual, things have been really busy and I guess updating the blog got pushed to the bottom of the list. I will try to do better. You can read more about it all on my new REAL website! www.HisCherishedOnes.org

There is so much to tell about what God has been doing here! Today, I'll start with Haven on the Hill. These boys are still as precious as ever!
John is a sweetheart. He does such a great job as the older brother of the home. He likes math and science and does very well in those subjects at school. He likes to examine things and see how they work.
Kevin - the boy with the amazing smile! He has come completely out of his shell. There is no more shy kid here....100% BOY! He likes to play rough and love football (soccer). He speaks great English, too!

Joshua is doing so much better. He is the one who had the hardest time adjusting to his life changes a few months ago. Now he is the little laughing boy! He pretends to be shy and serious, but once he is comfortable, he loves to laugh and joke.

Godfrey - I love this little boy! We have a special bond. He is a very smart little guy. He knows more English than the older Joshua and John and even acts as their interpreter. Although he loves Auntie Trena, he often won't talk to me for the first few minutes after I arrive if it has been too long since I've been there.
Baby James is growing like crazy! Since he has learned to walk his legs are beginning to straighten. And he is starting to talk a lot, too. So cute. I love to hear him say, "An-Tena" (Auntie Trena), which is usually followed by a very bossy, "Kuja hapa!" (Come here!)

Safari with Mom

I've been a little busy since Christmas. Actually, I've been a LOT busy since Christmas. So it's been awhile since I've posted.

As a belated Christmas present, my mom came to visit! We had a fabulous time! She got to see all the ministries I work with AND we went on safari! I'm so glad I got to experience something so amazing with my mom. Now, all we need is for my dad to come and enjoy it with us. ;-)



















We saw all the Big Five: Lions, Elephants, Cape Buffalo, Black Rhino, and Cheetah.

Haven Meets Flomina

I took my five Haven boys with me to visit Flomina last week. We went to deliver Christmas gifts to the workers and buy food for the children. It was part of a whole week of learning about Christmas and giving to others.

First of all I explained to our auntie, Naomi, that the "employees" of Flomina have not been paid since last spring. So, to all of the workers, we gave gift bags of maize meal, chapati flour, porridge mix, sugar, cooking oil, soap, etc, along with some shillings equivalent to about one month's salary. (Thank you to all His Cherished Ones supporters!!!!!)
Then, I reminded the boys of all the food that they had eaten since coming to stay with me in Nairobi...beef stew, chicken, pizza, birthday cake, spaghetti.... We went into the kitchen of Flomina and they saw that there was no food for the children for that day. I think they are beginning to see how blessed they are to be at Haven on the Hill. Well, at least the older ones. The little ones were just excited to see the goats! (The goats bought by HFBC team last summer.) Godfrey can't wait to get the goats at Haven. (The goats from HFBC Middle Schoolers! Thanks guys!)

I left the kids there for awhile and went shopping with Sammy (the director) and Florence (the founder). We bought the food from the wholesale place and grocery story, then went back for the produce at a street shop.
All this food, which will last for about two weeks, was about $350. Yep, it will last just two weeks.

As usual, we had to stop by the baby house on our way out. They were outside eating lunch. Such sweet babies!

Merry Christmas to the Haven Boys!

My sweet boys! They are getting to experience Christmas in a whole new light this year! They have a home, food, and family that loves them. And they are learning what Christmas is really all about.

My mom and sweet friend, Bev, sent Christmas crafts for them to do. Our first project was making a nativity scene. We read the story in their little pictures Bibles that the Shed sent then started building. They loved it.

We have the best staff! Naomi is our "auntie." She is absolutely precious. Our friend, Johnny, calls her the jewel of Haven. I see this scene often: Naomi on the floor playing with and reading to the boys. This is NOT a common picture in Kenya.
Then, on to the other crafts....we had to have a few discussions first. They had no idea what a stocking or a Christmas tree was. In America, we can talk to children about giving gifts and the representation of God giving the gift of Jesus. Well, these kids have never given or received gifts for Christmas (until this year!!), so they really do not have the same frame of reference. It's a whole different perspective. But they still enjoyed making them and hanging them on the wall. And it was a great beginning to other discussions to come.
Here are the boys at work...

Godfrey

John

Joshua

Kelvin (pronounced like Kevin)

And the whole gang...