Dear Friends of Hekima,

This monthly note comes to you from lovely blue sky sunny Pittsburgh and what a treat that is after the Nairobi Grays I left behind.  I’d never been in Kenya for the June and July weather (winter) and it is bitter cold to the marrow.  At least that’s how it felt to me.

Two days ago a Yoga Class was held for our benefit under the old trees on the lawn of Southminster Church in Mt Lebanon. Sixty three people attended and sent positive vibes and affirmations to the girls as they were toiling away at their end term exams.  I hope they too remembered to breathe deeply and call on God’s Spirit.  All those participants had donated to our cause and we are very grateful.

The foundations of the dining room and six cottages were being poured as I left and I can hardly guess how much will be finished when I return on Aug 25^th.  Gladys has stayed back (so the girls cannot come) to attend all the Site Meetings and Inspections at the property as well as to help the brand new accountant.  We will be using solar panels for shower water in all the girls houses, and a BioBox which will treat the gray and black water so well, it will go directly to the garden (shamba).  That will ease the work of the borehole during drought months (which we have every year it seems…)

Ten of the older Girls and Mum Gladys took flowers and Get Well Cards to our Prime Minister who lives in the next neighborhood over.  Honorable Raila Odinga had had surgery on his head to relieve pressure, so we thought it would be good to offer prayers and wishes.  They actually made it to the house and had some chatting and pictures with the PM and his wife Ida before having tea and cakes and heading home.  Big excitement there.

I will be at Bower Hill Community Church tomorrow (18^th) then on to St. Valentine’s on the 25^th, and ending the month in Canada for a meeting with the Stephen Lewis Foundation on the 29^th and the IODE Strawberry Festival on Saturday, 31^st.  Pray that we can connect with the Foundation, as we have identical mission statements and values.  They already have an office in Kenya, as well.  And Ah, the lovely strawberries…how sweet it is to be in London.

After returning to Pittsburgh, we have our Fifth Anniversary of Foundation at St. Louise de Marillac, one of our mother churches and a faithful supporter.  Then I’m off to Moorestown to speak at the First Presbyterian Church (a longtime supporter and home of the work campers….) and First Baptist Churches there. Whatever would we do without so many faithful friends?  God is indeed Good, and all the time.  And so are you.

Our Building Fund letters have just gone out, and I  hope you can be generous as you are able.  We have just over half the money we need to complete the little village for the girls, but I know how faithful God is, and how steadfast you all have been in these last five years.

As soon as I return on Aug 25^th, we will begin in earnest to prepare for the Blessing and Dedication Ceremony on Sept 11^th.  Each and all of you are invited to attend truly.  We will use the social hall in whatever state of creation it is on that day.

So, unless we meet before that day, be blessed, enjoy your summer on this side of the pond…or is it, this side of the Equator?  You are in our daily prayers and we are full of thanks and joy at your assistance.

PS – John Barak’s adoption is moving forward, and Baby Kate is getting fat and ready to sprout some teeth….will try to attach a picture.

Love from all the Girls, Staff, and myself......Kate

Dear Everyone Who Supports Our Girls,

It has been WAY TOO LONG since I told you how things are going at Hekima, so here’s all the news….

1.-CHILDREN NEWS  -One month ago we took 4 new girls from a home that was officially closing down; they are Purity (class 4), Lavender (class 3), Esther (class 1) and Faith in kindergarten. They came with bunk beds, beddings, furniture, computers, toys, games, books and the next seven years of funding for school . They are sweet and lovable girls, and this is their fourth home, if you can imagine and we hope the last – till they are launched from university.

2.-Three of them will be baptized next Saturday at Our Lady Queen church, and in July the two eldest will join three of our old timers in class three who will receive First Holy Communion. That’s Wambo, Shiko and little Gracie.

3. Two eighth graders: Janet and Eliza have been stellar athletes at the district, then the provincial level. At Nationals last Sunday, with Gladys and ten girls cheering, they were unable to beat the big tall girls from Western and Rift Valley Provinces. Eliza throws javelin, Jano does shot put and discus. In honor of the World Cup Games in South Africa, Grace, Leah and Colleta, played a friendly game with Laiser Hill High School last week, and are today playing there. We hope they do better than a draw as in last week’s score.

4. As this weekend is mid term holiday –our boarders from St. Martin’s, St. Tito, and Moi Girls will be home for a four day weekend. Muthaiga and Baraka wont be home till next weekend, so they’ll miss their sisters.

5. The Magistrate from our new district was to come today to grant us guardianship of the 26 children for whom we have birth and immunization cards and the death certificates of their parents. Gladys will be the mother for them on legal records….and life will be easier in getting passports for them.

 PROPERTY NEWS - The animal houses are complete so the chickens can move from their shanty to a brand new place, and yesterday the two young donkeys came to their new house as well. The kids in Baraka house have voted to call them TOM AND JERRY, so they join ARSENAL AND CHELSEA( who will guard us up at the new property.) The donkeys will pull a two wheeled cart full of sand or rocks or produce…or little girls as the case may be.

2.-The builders have moved on site up at Corner Baridi with staff housing, tool store, supervisor and architect’s offices. We have all our water and electric connections and the shamba is gorgeous with eight foot waving corn. The builders are using our water and electric, so there’s a little income on the side. I’ll be up there on Friday with the older girls, finishing the screening on the animal houses and slashing the tall grass and planting the last ten trees. We’ve almost replaced the 300 eucalyptus trees we had to remove. The stone wall in the front of the property will be tripled in size this summer. And the donated electric fence from the home that closed will be used along the sides of the plot. The builders will be leaving us a permanent outhouse and shower room near the shamba so our men will have that for future use. Our septic system will be a Biobox which cleans the waste water enough to be exited to the shamba and therefore saves water from the borehole…especially in times of drought.

3.- We are inviting all who are reading this letter to save SEPTEMBER 11, 2010 for our wonderful BLESSING-DEDICATION CEREMONY. The houses and dining/social hall building will be blessed and graced that day with lots of prayer and singing. Pastors of all our churches, the architect and builder, our friends and neighbors, school mates and teachers will  be there to join the fun. YOU ARE ALL INVITED and so far, we have 2 from TOKYO, 6 from PITTSBURGH, 3 from NEW JERSEY, 3 BOARD MEMBERS from the US and all BOARD MEMBERS from Kenya.

4. All the major donors of the 7 buildings are submitting pictures of the woman they are honoring, so that we will have paintings in each house as a prayer reminder of the one whose family made the home possible. Four of the seven have sent pictures already….hello you other three…I’m waiting for Rose, Susanne and Josephine. The girls are already planning their poems, prayers and songs for that day.

VOLUNTEERS – Our Dear and Wonderful volunteer/consultant LISA SARGENT REED left for Canada this week after three lovely years of helping us as Admin Assistant, charged with Big Sisters/Sponsors, letters and packages, all IT things, school records and files for the girls, and all around Girl Friday. Her Dad is not well and she needs to go to him. She will be sorely missed and always loved as Mum Lisa. Come back to us someday, Mum Lisa…we await your coming.

2. We are blessed with two vols from Waynesburg University for this month Sarah and Anna. They will be joined next week by Kris and Nicole Palumbo from South Hills of Pittsburgh, then later by Jenn Bennel, daughter of a Rotarian friend in Pittsburgh, and then two primary teachers: one from Fox Chapel and one from the South Hills…ther’re Jackie Bell and Laura Clink. We are so grateful to have them, as helpers, tutors, coaches, role models for the girls…All are staying for a month.

So dear friends, be blessed, know that you are so loved and prayed for,

All of us….ever thankful for your love and concern and help…

Dear Friends of Hekima Place,

What a glorious month it has been, this month of me ancestors in the Emerald Isle, with another Kate coming to live in our family.  This little Kate was left in a garden by the gate of a gentleman who lives further down in Karen Blixen’s former coffee farm.  She weighs 4 kilos, has an appetite like Shrek, and is just beginning to focus her eyes and smile.  What a beauty….a gift….a miracle.  The police brought her to Nyumbani but she is well; her blood is good, so we were blessed to have her.  Her second name will be Makena, which means smiling or happy and we have assigned her a birth date of Feb 14th.  So Johnny Barak is not the baby anymore but has been replaced by a darling, small as a dolly, and oh, so, loved by all.  Pictures to follow…..
Another wonderful blessing this month is the presence of four Board Members from Pittsburgh.  What a delight to show them around, introduce them to our home and children, visit the school, go on safari, and have them weep at the beauty of the girls’ singing.  We also managed a combined Board Meeting with Kenyan and American members at the new property.  We had a great lunch together with a birthday cake for Gladys’ 40th as a fitting climax.  So many blessings, so much mercy, love, faith, joy all bundled up in our little compound -.so many angels flying around our flowers….dropping grace as they go – 'tis truly a wonderment.
Mary Jo from Buffalo (she of the fan club for warthogs….) is nearing the end of her third visit and this one for three months, or a whole first term.  She is working hard with our little ADD girl, who is having a tough time learning to read.  But MJ is working her magic and there will be a graduation in sight I’m sure.
The architect has finished the plans for the cottages, office and dining room buildings; the water company is laying the last of the lines to the gate house (for sale to the herdsmen nearby)and the electric company promises poles and power next week or so.  NEMA is sure we wont have a negative impact on the environment and the structural engineer and quantity surveyor came to see and take soil samples for the foundations.  Our shamba is planted for the second time with corn, kale, cabbage and beans and our orchard is dotted with trees for: avocado, oranges, lemons, guavas, louquats, and soon to be planted mangoes.  Only three years to wait for their luscious fruits…..
Our two young Doberman/Shepherd dogs are learning to “sit” and will be dashing up to the new property where they will sleep by day and guard by night when we move up in December, 2010.  Their names are ARSENAL and CHELSEA, so you can see our favorite teams…..yet, truth be told Chelsea should be called MANCHESTER or MAN U which would fit his aggressive mindset better than Chelsea….ah well….
On April 2nd one dozen people from the Moorestown Presbyterian Church will come for a work camp and will, after Easter (and the GREAT HUNT…) spend four days hacking at saplings, digging up roots, weeding the shamba, breaking boulders, building the animal houses etc etc .  They’ll surely be well acquainted with their own lactic acid by the end of the camp.  And we are very very grateful.  They have been our prayer partners and donors for three years but this is a great gift of time, energy and muscle.  Karibuni Kenya….Asante sana.
I will be flying to the US on Thursday the 8th, to do four appeals at four churches:
April 11th St. Thomas More, Bethel Park, Pittsburgh
April 18th St. Anne’s, Castle Shannon, Pittsburgh
April 25th St. Scholastica’s in Aspinwall, Pittsburgh,  then flying to
St. Patrick’s, Bedford, NY for the 2nd of May.  This is our big kick off for the building fund as the construction begins on May 15th and the contractor promises six cottages in six months.
Our two videographers from Waynesburg University and Alabama have blessed us with two GORGEOUS DVDs of the children to use for introducing Hekima to new friends and sharing with old friends.  They are beautiful, professional, sensitive, lovely pieces.  I will make some copies to bring home for all to see.  Maybe we can up them to our website  (this is a 20th century woman, trying to talk like a 21st – I’m thinking UP THEM is not the phraseology…)  Thank you Lindsey, Linn and   Josh/Sarah teams.  Your work is loved and appreciated.
 
So dear, dear, precious friends – THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU THIS EASTER AND EVERYDAY OF YOUR LIVES FOR CARING FOR AND HELPING THESE LOVELY LADIES OF OURS.  We just KNOW they will someday make us all proud when they stand bold and beautiful for God and country in whatever career they choose to do service in.
May you continue to feel the sunshine of God’s love, and the may the blessings from His Mighty hand, continue to fall upon you in abundance.

Thank you from all of us…..scholars, staff and I…..Kate, the elder….the ancient?