My Bizarre Odyssey to Zambia

As many of you know, I had to make one more return trip to Zambia to retrieve personal belongs which we had left behind because we had no where to put them when we first arrived in Kenya. After securing housing, I prepared myself psychologically for the journey.  I have found it is necessary to do this when taking this train because although the trip from Tanzania to Zambia is supposed to take about two and a half days, there really is no telling when you’ll arrive. I had once endured a 22 hour delay due to a train derailment further ahead on the route.

Loading the train in Zambia

After a 15 hour bus ride from Nairobi to Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania, I was welcomed aboard the train the next day by one of the staff, a young likeable fellow, who I later learned his name was Charles. A few hours into the trip, I was shocked to learn that he had passed out in the restaurant car; we made an unscheduled stop in a small station where a vehicle was hired to take him to a local clinic.  He was later brought back in the train with an IV hooked up on his arm.  

We proceeded with the trip with the intention of stopping in a major town where a better equipped hospital could be found, but he never made it to the hospital.  He passed away in the train.  

When we did finally stop at the town, it was to leave his body at the morgue as we continued with our trip.    A sad and disconcerting mood descended on the passengers at such a swift finality to life. 

  

I have used this train about ten times now, so I was very familiar with the routine and most of the major stops.  I knew for example, that when the train arrives at the Tanzania/Zambia border, the immigration officials of both countries board the train to check passports and stamp exit if leaving Tanzania while their Zambian counterparts stamp enter to allow you in their country.  The immigration officials normally pass through once to announce their presence and then return to inspect the passports and stamp them. 

On this occasion, the Tanzanians did their one pass routine; I had the door to my compartment open and was sitting on my bunk ready for the actual passport inspection/stamp.

The next thing I know, the Zambian immigration came in, they proceeded to inspect my passport but I told them that I was waiting for the Tanzanian officials.  They informed me that the Tanzanians had disembarked from the train and that they were so sorry but that they could not give me a Zambian entry stamp without an exit stamp from Tanzania!

Ready to depart fot Dar es Salaam!

I was told I had to get out of the train and go to the Tanzanian side of the border to get an exit stamp otherwise, if I proceeded with my trip, I would find myself in Zambia illegally and would have major problems on my return trip. As I was trying to figure out what my options were, suddenly, the train started to move!  I knew this was an express train, so it’s not like I could just get off at the next stop and walk back!

 I quickly grabbed my bag pack and slugged it on my back and then I reached for another shopping bag and headed for the exit. 

  It was pitch black outside as only Africa can be and it was hard to see anything.  I knew if I stopped to think about what I was about to do I wouldn’t do it.  I did not do the one… two… three… whatever. 

  

Come to think of it, I don’t even think I prayed.  I just let go!  

Happy to be alive and on my way home!

There is a way to jump off a moving vehicle and I was pretty adept at it in my younger days, when I would slide off public buses on my way to school in my zeal to avoid paying bus fare. My friends and I would then use the fare for the movies on Fridays!  Anyway, something went wrong this time; when I jumped, the weight of the bag pack, pulled me backwards and it didn’t help that there were stones scattered along the rail line which I stumbled on.  I fell backwards and banged my head on a stone.  I must have momentarily suffered a concussion.  I knew the train was rushing past me but I could not see nor hear it. Something was telling me, “Kamau,…. crawl… away… from…. the train, crawl…away from the train,” but my body was responding ever so…slowly and then I wasn’t even sure if I was crawling away in the right direction!

The truck finally arrived in Dar es Salaam

When I fully regained my senses, I felt this dull ache on the back on my head and as I sat up I felt something warm and sticky on my face and I knew I was bleeding. I did not know how bad the head injury was, as I made my way to a little building where I could see some light; it turned out to be a railway staff quarters. 

I explained to the man I found there what had happened and asked for water to clean myself up.  I also asked if he knew of a guest house where I could spend the night. After getting directions, I started to make my way to the guest house; it was probably about ten o'clock at night when I arrived there.

I am glad I had cleaned myself and covered my head wound otherwise I might scared my host and may have been turned away.  The next morning, I considered going to see a doctor and was informed that there was a private clinic nearby. Upon further reflection, I decided against it since I know that in Africa, especially in the area where I was, most so called “private clinics” are run by not doctors but people with basic medical skills and I wasn’t in a mood to have someone experiment on me.

Unloading the truck in Nairobi

I crossed the no man’s land into Tanzania and went to the immigration where they quickly stamped my exit stamp after which I then crossed over to the Zambian side for the entry stamp.  From there I boarded a bus and proceeded with the last of the journey to the Village of Hope for our belongings. The return trip to Kenya had its own adventures which my wife kept you up to date!   I want to thank you all for praying for me, it very likely saved my life!  I am so glad to be home with my family all in one piece! Literally!    

So what’s the moral of this story…..

Don’t be dumb by jumping off moving trains!

Home Sweet Home!

Reflections... First Month in Kenya Part Two

…from Kimberly

One evening, shortly after moving into our new home, I was cooking dinner when my cell phone rang…

Me:  “Hello”

Kamau:  “Honey, I see a baboon outside on one of the rooftops!”

Me: “No way, really?!”

Kamau:  “Yeah, come see”

So I called the children and we gathered outside of our house hoping to see this most unusual sight in urban Nairobi.  We looked and looked but he had gone.

Kamau:  “I saw him climbing around and I was afraid he was going to fall.”

Me:  “I wonder how he got there.”

Kamau:  “I don’t know, maybe someone is keeping him as a pet or he escaped from the game park.  Anyway, do you see? This is how rooftops become damaged here in Nairobi!”

Me:  “Yes, I would think so.”

Hmm……. there really is so much to see and hear in this vibrant city where your senses come alive with excitement.  It is teeming with people from many tribes and nationalities; people from different parts of East Africa; Somalia, South Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania as well as places in Asia and the Middle East. There are many languages being spoken even as one is in crowd of people, which in Nairobi, is anywhere you go.  It feels very exotic to me and I feel grateful to have the opportunity to live in the country of my husband’s birth and to serve the Lord here.

After living in a rural area in Zambia for 5-1/2 years and in a suburban area in the US before that, living in a major urban population center is somewhat of an adjustment to say the least.  I enjoy being in close proximity to stores and to be able to visit a local kiosk selling a variety fresh tropical fruits and vegetables at anytime. The industry and ingenuity of the Kenyan people is admirable to witness.  There are many little businesses operating from the side of the road, anything from simply roasting maize on a homemade grill, to all types of furniture displaying excellent craftsmanship.

What has been most challenging for me so far is the public bus transport, called matatus.  As an American, I don’t know where we got the idea of having “personal space,” but it sure becomes a troublesome way of thinking when you are riding in a matatu.  My mind loudly screams in protest that my personal space is being violated beyond all that is bearable when half of a total stranger’s body is hanging over my face or a limb of some sort is overlapping onto my own.  I try not to even think about the speed at which the mataus are going, the fact that we are driving on the sidewalk at times and the oncoming vehicle that we just narrowly missed.

Crossing the road has once again become a challenge, even at 47 years of age.  The last time I felt this way was in elementary school I am sure, but now I am feeling the apprehension that a small child would feel walking along a busy highway and trying to cross it.  My husband has to hold my hand firmly and tell us when it is safe to cross because the traffic is so heavy and pedestrians are not given the right of way.

Oh well, the positive side to these challenges are that opportunities to pray without ceasing are increasing!

...from Malaika

Hi! I'm here in Kenya and things are going okay here, I guess.

We don't have a car right now so we have to catch matatu's (buses) and sometimes they can be crazy. They go pretty fast too. But those things don't really bother me that much. Probably cause' I myself am a little crazy and wild.                     

We have to walk a lot also, which is NOT fun when you're hot and tired and if you don't like walking really far distances. Fortunately, we haven't had to walk really far distances, at least Kimani and I haven't. I don't know about my parents.

There are times I do like going out for walks (not really far ones though), just going out of the house once in awhile.   I like going to the movie theater and stuff.

When I'm on buses or walking, sometimes I smell the smoke from the cars and trucks and buses, and they do not smell nice. Sometimes it makes my stomach hurt and it's not nice having a stomachache out in public where you can't lay down.

I like living in the city. Walking around places, catching matatu’s, stuff like that. But when my parents start teaching me how to catch a matatu by myself, it’s probably going to be creepy because I don’t really want to end up in another part of Nairobi.    

But I do like the scenery in some places and going out for a little bit, and my cousins are here so we get to see them once in a while.

Well I guess I will see you later.

Prayer Closet

**A huge answer to prayer is that Kamau arrived home safely from Zambia after going there to retrieve the rest of our belongings.

**As we turn our attention to our new ministry in Kenya, pray that God will lead us to the location for the children’s center within the slum.  As soon as we find a place and get it ready, we can begin having Bible clubs.

**We also in need of wisdom as we approach leaders with the community in which we will be serving.  Pray that God will lead us to like-minded Christians and people within the community that could aid us in reaching out to the children and parents within the slum

.

** Join us in praying for peace between Christians and Muslims.  There are terrorist elements that would like to stir up animosity which can lead to violent reprisal acts.

Grace & Peace,

The Kamaus

Reflections...First Month in Kenya Part One

...from Kamau

It has been wonderful to return again to my country of birth after 18 years! I left as a single young man with a head full of hair and now I return with a bald head, but with a wonderful family the Lord has blessed me with!


There are a lot of changes, some good, others downright sad.  Things I never thought possible are and have happened in my country.

Imagine showing up on a Sunday morning for church and as every head is bowed in prayer. Suddenly, all of hell breaks loose, literally!  There is a big explosion and pandemonium and absolute terror and confusion ensues!  After a momentarily lull, it is found that one worshiper has died and several others seriously injured.  It is later established that a grenade had been tossed at the altar as people were observing a moment of prayer.  
(To read article) 

This happened in April this year in Nairobi and later, in July, a similar incident occurred on a Sunday when terrorists killed security personnel who were guarding two churches and proceeded to open fire inside the congregation which left 14 people dead. This happened in a town along the Kenyan/Somali border.   
(To read article )


Here in Nairobi, it has become normal for worshipers be screened as they enter churches on Sundays.  Indeed, these days when you attend church, you literally have to be ready to meet with the Lord. In major shopping centers, it has become mandatory to screen all shoppers at the entrances.

It is heart breaking to witness this, but it is the reality of the times we live in, a stark reminder that we truly are living in a broken world.   There was a time Kenya was known as an oasis of peace in a turbulent region, unfortunately, it now seems that those days are no more.  After the grim situations I am witnessing in my country, I would urge you not to take for granted the peace and tranquility you may now enjoy in your country, it is amazing how quickly things can unravel and chaos and anarchy becomes the norm. Please, pray for my country and others which are facing dire challenges and especially, for Christians in those lands, who oftentimes, the only reason they are being targeted is because they identify with Christ. Pray for your country as well, that the Lord may be gracious and stay the hand of evil.   May the Prince of Peace reign, may His people be drawn to Him.

It has not all being gloom and woe.  I have been very encouraged to find the health of my uncle’s wife greatly improved.   When I last saw her in March, she was struggling with T.B. and I was honestly concerned that she would not make it by the time I returned. I visited recently and found that she has completed the prescribed medication and she is on the mend.
  
Also as a family, we have just completed our first month since our arrival from Zambia.  We have had to start from scratch, a mattress here, a bed there etc!  We’ve been joking that we are like a newly married couple again, except now we have teens in tow!    Just recently, Kimberly was able to begin the routine of homeschooling again.   God is indeed gracious and things are coming together by and by.

…from Kimani

Kimani celebrating his 14th birthday in Nairobi

Okay, I'll admit I was pretty shocked when my sister and I received the news that we were moving to Kenya. We had lived in Zambia for five and half years and now we were moving?

 But I gradually got over the shock and became excited. What would it be like living in Nairobi? What kind of things would we do? When the big day came, we said our goodbyes, loaded our stuff into the car, and headed to the train station. We arrived in Tanzania two and half days later. We stayed there for a night and woke up early to take the bus to Kenya. It was a good trip, considering the fact that we were in there for like, fourteen hours, but we arrived safely  and our friends picked us up. So far things have been well. We found a house (praise God!!!) and have settled in nicely. 

Here are some things I like about Kenya:

• We live in the city, so we don't have to drive one hour to get groceries.
• We don't live that far away from our friends.
• It is a little quieter than I expected (where we are at least).

Here are a few things that I find difficult about Kenya:

•  Matatus are buses that are like taxis. I don't like them at all. They have blaring music coming through the speakers. The bus drivers and the conductors have kind of a tight schedule, so you need to move fast or they'll get mad at you. The good thing is they've opened up a route that drops us off not far from our home.
•  The movies here come out like, a MONTH after they do in America.
•  I love going up country and seeing the Great Rift Valley and all. It's beautiful up there. Here's the problem; they don't put guard rails along the road and since I'm afraid of heights, it really freaks me out and I start getting paranoid.

But I really like it here. Please come visit us soon!

God blessJ

Prayer Requests

U  As this letter is being written, Kamau is currently on a train to Zambia.  If all goes well he should arrive on the 16^th or 17^th of this month.  He is going there to retrieve the belongings that we were not able to bring with us when we left in July.  Please pray for his safety and success in clearing the borders with our goods.

U  Pray for Kimberly and the children during the next two weeks as they wait for Kamau’s return.

U  Pray that the registration for Hope Anew Ministries will be processed soon without the continued delay that we have been experiencing.

U Pray that God will lead us to the location within the slum where the children’s center will be operating. 

Saying Goodbye

The children at the Village of Hope singing songs for us at our going away party.

Saying Goodbye

As we watched the children at the Villages of Hope emerge from the different houses laughing and chattering to make their way to the Schwartz’s house, I could not help but reflect that six years ago it was a very different scene and it was very quiet.  There were only two houses built and only one of them contained occupants—Kamau, Kimberly, Kimani and Malaika.

So many wonderful things have taken place since then through the work of God and His people and we are grateful to have been a part of the lives of the children who have come to live there and those who care for them.  Now we were all gathering for a going away party that was held for our family. That day and the next were bittersweet for us as we said our goodbyes to everyone.

  

Karen Weber with her beautiful servant's heart helping out with serving

  

Yummmm...... boys enjoying chicken raised at the Villages of Hope

 So many prayers, ours and yours have been answered as our journey to Nairobi began.

  

Here are some of them:

R  Packing up a household is never easy especially when moving to another country. It is a good thing that we began in January!  Right up until the day we were leaving there were last minute things to do.  We had the assistance of Karen Weber who was invaluable to us in so many ways.  Certainly this was an answer to our prayers.

R  In May, loving homes were found for our two cats. This was a big concern for Kimani and Malaika.  We hear that they are living the good life!

R The day before we left, our car was sold to another ministry that cares for orphans.  Whoo…hooo!  Yay God!

The big day arrived!  Waiting to board the train to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Reading, sleeping, playing games, and more sleeping during the two day trip on the train

One of the stops along the way... these villagers are hoping to sell foodstuffs to passengers

R Our trip was uneventful and went very smoothly.  There were no train delays and even though we had a lot of luggage, somehow we managed.

R When we came to the Kenyan border, we wondered if we would have to pay $200 in visas fees or would we be permitted to come in to the country under the new dual citizenship law. To our delight, we entered the country legally without visas.  We were so excited and happy!

R  Within one week of arriving in Nairobi, we found a place to live that would meet our needs for our family and hospitality and within walking distance to the slum where we will be working. 

After seeing so many of our prayers answered, we are very encouraged by the Lord’s faithfulness and we hope you are too.

What’s next?

  U  Kamau will be traveling back to Zambia within the next week and a half to arrange for the rest of our belongings to be transported to Kenya.  Please pray for safe travel to and from and success in getting the items through the borders.

  U We were delayed in moving into our residence due to water and plumbing issues.  Pray that they will be resolved within the next few days.  Also, please pray that we can get ourselves into a regular routine with family life and homeschooling very soon.  This will enable us to turn our focus to beginning the ministry to the children in the slum.

  U  Pray that we will find a church home with solid Biblical teaching and a strong youth program for Kimani & Malaika.

 Grace  & Peace

Who would think we would find a herd of cows in a major metropolitan city
like Nairobi!  They were on the road right outside our residence.

Tropical, green Nairobi

The Kamaus

The Power of God

"God is powerful, eh?”  Six-year old Joshua exclaimed as he looked up at me with a huge smile on his face.  Why did he say that?  Had God just caused a mighty windstorm to rise up before our eyes or cause mountains of rock to be torn loose and moved away?  Maybe it was the magnificent display of a lightning storm and the cracking boom of thunder followed by a double circle rainbow?  Is this what comes to your mind when you think of the power of God?  It may be that God’s awesome control over the environment often invokes these types of images of His power. We kind of expect Him to do those sorts of things. 

Joshua however was blown away by another facet of God’s power.  I had just given him a plastic ball as I was sorting through things in packing for our move.  He thanked me and was quiet for a moment as he looked at the ball.  It was at that time that he made that statement.  He then told me that he had been thinking to himself that he really wanted a ball very badly but he had not told anyone what he was thinking.  Now here he was holding a ball in his hands.  He had made the wonderful discovery that God had drawn so near to him that he even knew the most intimate thoughts and desires of his heart; this was most certainly cause for wonder and joy! 

Has this happened with you recently? I hope so, because when it does, it brings exhilarating refreshment to your soul and releases a trigger for your relationship with the Lord to burn more intensely and enter into a dynamic time of growth and maturity.  Kamau and I experienced this kind of power the other morning when we were praying about concerns and challenges on our hearts about our transition to Kenya.  How are we going to get our belongings to Dar es Salaam?  Should we sell the car or take it with us?  Will we have a house or apartment to live in once we get there or will we have to stay at a guest house for a time?  What about the location for the children’s center in the slum? Where will it be and how much will it cost? And what about the guy who is holding up issuance of the permanent certificate for our ministry in a government office because he wants a bribe?  Lord please set him straight and sort out all of the other stuff that is threatening to discourage us!  As we prayed about these things, we turned to our daily devotional reading that we have been enjoying and experienced this breathtaking aspect of God’s intimate power. 

Here is what the verse said that spoke directly to our hearts, “I will go before you, and make the crooked places straight:  I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron.”Isaiah 45:2   Wow!  This quickened our hearts and strengthened us so that we could be reminded that the Lord himself “will do the impossible and that the crooks and turns of human craft and satanic subtlety will be straightened for us”.* It is the Lord’s work we have been called to and we have boundless resources as his children.  Indeed, it caused us to agree with Joshua.  “God is powerful, eh!”

*Chequebook of the Bank of Faith, Charles Spurgeon

The coming weeks will be busy for us as July approaches.  Here are some ways that you can pray for us during this time:

May 21-27

U  Remember our fender bender we were involved in last month?  Well, we finally have the damage to our car repaired after being without it for two weeks.   However, when we picked it up from the shop, we have found that there is now a problem with the wiring and it is affecting the battery, lights, horn, etc.   Whenever we are able to get it back to Lusaka which is about an hour away, we will return it to the body shop to have them fix whatever went wrong when they were fixing it. Pray that God will give Kamau peace, wisdom and strength to do the necessary running around to sort out the car and its issues.

U  Kimberly and Malaika are experiencing some intestinal disturbances and discomfort.  Please pray for healing.

May 28-Jun 18

U  Kamau will be traveling within the US during this time period.  He will be making stops in the Midwest and East Coast in order to share the vision that God has given us concerning bringing His word and hope to children in impoverished communities such as the Mukuru Kayaba slum in Nairobi.  Pray for safety in travel and that God will communicate His message to His people through Kamau.  Pray that people will respond as God desires.

Jun 19- Jun 30

U  Kimberly and the children will be traveling to Ontario, California and will join Kamau there.  Our mission agency, Go Ye Fellowship (GYF), is having their 80^th anniversary reunion and has encouraged all of their missionaries to attend. We did not think that we would be able to make it, but God provided the funds through various means including a partial travel scholarship which we received from GYF.  We are really looking forward to meeting other staff and missionaries from all over the world.  Please pray that we will arrive safely and enjoy the fellowship and encouragement from those attending and that we will be a blessing to them also.

July 1-4

U  We will all be traveling to Zambia.

July 5-22

U  During this time we will be making our final arrangements for our move to Kenya.  Our biggest concern during this time is the transport of our things.  Please be praying for God to show us His provision in all aspects of the move.   As this will be a costly undertaking, any donations to assist the expenses will be welcomed.

July 23-31

We will be traveling to Kenya some time during this period.  Pray for a safe, peaceful, orderly traveling time and arrival.  We will travel first to Dar es Salaam, Tanzaniza by train and then by bus to Nairobi.  

Thank you for taking this journey with us as you provide encouragement for us by your various expressions of support!

Grace & Peace,

The Kamaus

Look at the height of that maize in the background!

 Greetings Friends,

It has indeed been a while since you last heard from us and you may be wondering whether we are already in Kenya or still in Zambia!   The reality is that we are still in Zambia and a lot has been happening since you last heard from us in February. Here is a little outline of what has been happening as the count down towards our transitioning to Kenya.  (By the way, you may have noticed the new name for our blog which is, "Habari...from the Kamaus."  In Kiswahili, which is one of the languages spoken in Kenya, this means news or happenings from the Kamaus.)

March 2012

 We started off the first week of the month with a trip to Harare, Zimbabwe.  We traveled there to attend the Foundations for Farming three day conference; this is because at Hope Anew, we believe farming will be one of the key components to our ministry especially once we reach the second stage which will involve a farm in a rural setting to grow crops for sustenance and food security for the children at the school and the children’s home.   There were about 19 countries represented from all over the world, Mexico, Paraguay , India, U.S.A, Germany, Burundi etc.  Do not think that the conference was all about farming.  In fact, it felt and looked more like a missions conference! We had vibrant praise and worship, testimonies and excellent bible teaching!  Kimberly and myself and I believe many others, felt like it was a rallying call and commissioning to go out there and announce that the Kingdom of God has come and it is our duty as Christians to advance God’s Kingdom where there is darkness and hopelessness in every sphere of influence the Lord has placed us.

 After the morning devotions, we would participate in various breakout sessions/tracks depending on one’s interest. The different tracks were family, education, health, business, finance, and farming.  The questions we all tried to address is how it would look if the Kingdom of God was advanced in these areas, strategies that we could use, and what impact did we think would result in our communities!  The discussions were very lively, energized and inspiring!

After the conference, Mark Maisonville,  a friend of our family who had traveled from Michigan to attend the conference, and I traveled to Kenya to visit the slum where the children’s center will be built. Kimberly and I first met Mark when he and his family visited Villages of Hope for two months in 2009. Mark is an excellent builder and his wife Maureen is a teacher, their son Kris is an artist and they have been praying about joining our effort to rescue and bring hope to the children in the slums of Nairobi, Kenya.

We arrived in Nairobi on March 16^th and were together for 10 days; while there, we took measurements of my brother’s shacks.   We had initially hoped that we could build the children center there, but we found it to be too small and congested for the buildings that we will need to put up and it didn’t help that it is right next to a tavern.   Surely, that doesn’t sound like a conducive environment to bring children for bible clubs/tutoring and recreational activities!

Mark on the right speaking with my friend Emmanuel

We did however find out that there several people willing to sell their shacks in other areas which are a tiny bit better and somewhat less congested and these are the options we are presently exploring.  Mark was invaluable!  Due to his building experience, we were able to take measurements of one location which enabled us to approximate how much land will would be needed; we also visited hardware stores as well to check out the cost of the building materials.  Mark will now calculate the numbers and help figure out how much it will cost to the build the children’s center. 

Children eagerly greeting us at one of the slums that we visited

We also took the opportunity to travel to the countryside about two hours away from Nairobi, I had previously visited this area in January and had learnt that there was a piece of  land available for sale, we found the land was still available and even met the father of son who is selling it.  It is 25 acres of land situated on a beautiful land near a river flowing from the nearby hills.  I couldn’t help envisioning what a wonderful place it would be for a school/children’s home and farm.

April 2012

Kimani and Kamale hard at work sorting and packing

I returned to Zambia from Kenya on April 5^th.  Kimberly, Kimani, Malaika, my nephew and Dick were on hand to pick me up from the train station for the two hour drive to Villages of Hope.   It was about 9pm at night and we were happily chatting along as we drove when we unexpectedly came upon this huge pot hole in our lane.   I slowed down to negotiate it when, suddenly, a car right behind us rear ended our vehicle.  Fortunately, nobody was hurt but both vehicles were damaged. Since then, I can’t remember how many man hours I have wasted between the police station and the insurance company in an effort to get our vehicle repaired.  The driver who hit us was drunk and driving without proof of license or insurance.  When I pointed this out to the police officer and even asked that he take a sobriety test, the officer could care less and even let the man drive away in the car! 

I was wondering about this obvious display of a cavalier sort of attitude, when several days later, I met the wife of the driver who hit us.   It turned out SHE was a police officer! She showed up at the police station in her uniform and that’s when it dawned on me why none of the officers were particularly zealous in pursing the matter although the guy who hit us was clearly in the wrong!  Instead I was given the run around when I tried to get a police accident report to take to the insurance company, especially when they realized I was not a Zambian.    Nevertheless, like the persistent widow, they realized I was not just going to go away and finally, with God’s intervention, they gave me what I needed.   I am now waiting to hear from the insurance company as to when I can take our vehicle for repairs.

On the positive side of things, I found Kimberly and the kids had been busy sorting out and packing our household stuff which we will take with us to Kenya. It is a slow and tedious process which nonetheless which must be done. We are only able to take our books and instruction materials for the ministry and clothes.  When we arrive in Kenya, we’ll be starting all over again.

Prayer Request

·         Please pray that the insurance company will move forward in repairing the damage to our car.  Also, in regard to taking our car to Kenya, we have heard stories about import taxes that cost the same amount as the car itself, so understandably we are hesitant to try to take it so we thought selling it would be best.  We want to do what the Lord wants, however, so please pray that God will give us clear direction.

Grace & Peace

  The Kamaus