Tomorrow is another day! Joy!

Lots of projects going on at the same time today, all to get ready for something even bigger! Carolyn and Kim were twisting maniacs, bending rebar into rectangles  and cutting and twisting wire to make a cage for the ring beam. Becky, Bill and Grace, and a Kenyan mason Jonathon worked on building the beautiful multicolored wall that wraps around the to-be-built staircase to the second floor, which Bill poured the column for today. Zach did a fabulous job of finishing off the cement columns so they look sooo beautiful (Yes, concrete is beautiful when you're the one who mixed the stone, cement and dust together with shovels on the floor and lifted pailfuls of it to a second story!!) Jeff, Terry and Dan worked sky high on scaffolding and worked on using the cages and building the forms needed to pour the cement mix into the ring beam. No worries! We had TWO MORE TRUCKS of gravel dropped into our building yard today! :) So PLENTY of shoveling and mixing cement is in our future! Dan and Jeff went the extra mile to build super supported scaffolding in order to work safely. The scaffolding is almost as beautiful as the wall. :) John was a man on a mission to clean up the site, which is one of the hardest jobs of all, scraping concrete from the floor, sweeping a TON of cement dust and overall organizing of the place. Boy, is construction  messy! And to round out the day, Amanda and Ashley helped the house parents, Shaun and Meredith sort through a huge shipping container of baby clothes, putting them into age appropriate cubbies! :) There is a job for every gifting here, and plenty more to hand out. If you are in the neighborhood, let us know!! :) Time for some relaxing before bed...and a hand or two of Euchre perhaps? Dan and Jeff need some challenge to their championship crown! Stay tuned for our further adventures! (It can be challenging at times to get connected here, so pics are tricky to load; we appreciate your patience!) Blessings to all at home!! Love love love from all of us!!! MWAH!! ~Kim

Team 3 Day 2

Hey everybody it's Grace doing to the blog today! Guess what! We came up with an ingenious idea to make billions. It's called Jeff's Masa Muscle Workout. This is a series of workout videos that will get you ripped fast while simultaneously building an orphanage! All the kids here are amazing. They are all monkeys. They can all do back flips, cartwheels, and there backs bend so far back i don't think they have any. They also climb up you like you're a tree. And to top it all off, we had bananas last night. They are monkeys. The weather here has been awesome! It hasn't rained during work time....yet. The building is coming along really well. Today we got up on the scaffolding, well Jeff, Dan, and Terri did. They are getting pour the concrete into the ring beams.                                                                                                 a                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

First Day Hoorah!

Well, we had some adventures getting here! First Zach, Ashley and Amanda's flight from Rochester was cancelled, and they thought they'd have to drive to NYC to get their connecting flight to London.  Instead, they caught a flight from Syracuse, but once on the plane, it was delayed a few hours, and they thought they'd still miss the flight.  But they did get there - except for Amanda's suitcase.  Next, we met cousin Terry at Dulles Airport and he had another story to tell.  His plane had landed and was waiting to taxi to their spot at the gate when another plane taxiing by, clipped the tail of his plane with its wing.  So they offloaded everyone there and they walked to the gate.  Were we ever glad to see the Rochester 3, just in time for the flight to Kitale.  Jeff and Adam met us and our 19 pieces of luggage (half for the orphanage).  In fact, we got a nice agent who didn't charge for the overweight in Rochester when she learned we were on a mission trip.  The first impression upon arriving at In Step is all the lovely flowers. and then the hum of children's voices.  After orientation, lunch and unpacking, we went out to play with the hoards of kids who climb all over us, hang on our legs and arms, run their hands through our hair, etc.  Meredith, who works here, warned us that at times the kids will seem overwhelming and we will want to take a break from them.  In fact, they are not allowed on the work site, which is good.  Fearless Leader Bill decided that we didn't want to waste time in case it rained, so the decision was to work until the rain, and then take a break. If it didn't rain by 2:30, we'd stop for lunch then.  We got right to work hauling water, filling the cracks between the pier forms and the walls with strips of cement sacks, mixing concrete, wiring up the rebar cages for the ring beam, cleaning the floors after the concrete pours, etc.   Of course, it didn't rain and we were all really hungry for lunch, but it made the rest of the afternoon go quicker - we worked until 7:00. The food is amazing, and more amazing to watch now 117 eating at a very long table.  And you thought a school cafeteria was noisy?  The kids' routine is rising time around 5:30.  They all get tub baths in the veranda/eating/church/multipurpose area.  The breakfast.  School is not in session now for a couple weeks, so they entertain themselves in the yard.  The potty routine is something else!  I'll tell you only if you ask.  We give a lot of credit to the workers - the aunties who care for the children, the amazing cooks who cook over charcoal fires with huge pots, the laundry ladies who wash it all by hand, the gardener who takes care of the greenhouses where all the fresh veggies come from, the manager of child care who oversees the children's medical needs, etc.  Such a dedicated group - makes us feel like our job is the easy one.  So the bet is on for tomorrow.  One of the Kenyan masons who does this type of work regularly, told Bill that he thought we'd all be too tired to work hard tomorrow.  We will prove him wrong!  So, love from all 12 of us, sent through me, Carolyn

There is no I in TEAM

May I first start by saying HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our fearless leader Jim Taylor! We would not be half as motivated as we are everyday without Jim's faithful supervision and constant check ups.. "Everyone working? Everyone got a job? Good." This may only be entertaining to our team here in Africa but I am laughing as I type that because Jim really has what it takes to lead a team and take control of such a huge project like this. We really take our hats off to you Jim, as these walls grow higher higher you take each day with an unrelenting ease. It is his laid back attitude that allows for us to work in a relaxed but controlled environment. But lets not forget to give our props to Safety Sammy! He certainly plays a major role in our daily decisions and now that our walls are growing to 8 feet I have decided to start to listen!

What is fun about our current working situation is that the outer wall height must match the inner brick walls. It is almost like a race and provides for some friendly competition between each team working on each wall as we should all be in sync with the height of each course and cannot lay our next course until the outer wall has been laid and so on. Now that we have all paired off into non-committal pairs to work on our walls the days fly by and you can really see the accomplishments of your hard work. I have started feeling the beginnings of carpel tunnel  gripping those trowels all the day long and was debating asking for another job until the men whipped out the homemade scaffolding and I just couldn't resist a new adventure. The saw horses that hold the "scaffolds" up are just 2by4s and pretty much tree branches that have been slapped together with a few nails, gotta give them credit for being creative with the materials weve been given. Safety Sammy and Dad stepped in though after I piled 2 saw horses with 2 forms and 2 large stones in between to add height and was climbing my way up a very wobbly rickety scaffold before I was halted. Its fun to be inventive with ways to get up high to lay those stones but once you get up there and whatever you stacked is not so stable , I must admit it's pretty scary. Especially when your only object to grab onto on the way down would be the unset brick wall that you spent the whole day laying. 

We have a lot of fun to match the lots of work we accomplish. Work hard play hard. At the end of each day, after a shower and dinner the Aunties always keep hot for us, it is so worth it. As soon as I step into the veranda I am surrounded by handfuls kids jumping for joy to see me and calling my name over and over until I acknowledge every single ones presence. I love it. They don't even know it but they make me so much happier then any happiness I could provide to them. I sat late tonight with Benny, Bafo, Brian, Grace, Churchill and George talking about "what we were going to be when we grow up". Their aspirations were enlightening and none of them were satisfied when I had told them I'm already grown up. Benny thinks I should be on TV and Churchill thinks I should be pilot. The best is that Bafo insists I will make an amazing singer since I did sing to him the do-re-me-fa-so-la-te-do song from Sound of Music. All the physical exertion that we put ourselves through every day is not so we can sit back and say wow were good, look at those walls. It is for these kids and for their future and for the staff who are here with them everyday to be the family they never could have. I have learned so much from my team, from our leader and from these kids. Even though I have a started having a reoccurring dream that Jim has instructed the team to mortar me into my mosquito net, I wake up so thankful that I am here and can have another day in this beautiful place, with ALL these beautiful people. And Mndyzi and Chewy our faithful guard dogs  :)
Love always, Zara 

Tuesday

Happy Anniversary, Martha!  We have now added five courses of stone, brought most all of the interior walls to their 8 ft. height of brick, built the metal for the towers, built the forms, and poured the concrete for them.  We worked late yesterday, and today the team felt it a bit.  Dave will be leaving us tomorrow and so we will be down one of our team members.

In order to do work most of the team is now working with scaffolding.  We have found that mango ice cream with bananas, mango slices, and Hershey's chocolate sauce makes a great snack.

Every day begins and ends with devotions.  Jeff brought us some nice surprises - pop-corn to pop, fruit and fiber cereal, napkins, and maple syrup.  I have taken a liking to the ginger soda called, "Stony."

Beverly reaches for me to take her out of her high chair every time I walk past.  Little Bonnie burps loudly and seems to prefer a 2nd bottle.  We hear stories about most all of the children here.  Bonnie was thrown 30 feet into a sewer when just a few days old and still suffers breathing problems from that.  Another of the boys comes into our little "hospitality" room most every evening wearing his pajamas, wanting to fall asleep in someone's arms, although we are now encouraging to embrace the teddy bear that has become important for him.

Martin, from Kids of the Kingdom orphanage that teams from Western New York built 2 years ago showed up with his son, Bill yesterday.  He was curious to see what is happening at Instep.  We did have the opportunity to see the corn grinder that was sent from Rochester in action at Kids of the Kingdom.  Most of the food we eat here has been grown and produced at the orphanage - tomatoes, cucumbers, maize, pineapple, beans, peas, bananas, oranges, lemons, lettuce, and cabbages are just a few of the things that are growing well here.

Mud, a reddish clay, covers most everything.  We scrub it out of clothes, hair, and noses most every day.  We are here during the rainy season and most every day between 2 and 4 pm it rains.  When rain came in torrents with hail (on the tin roofs) it was deafening, but the children took our work buckets and tried to collect the hail to eat - a rare treat.

Jim and Amy have been great leaders, finding a wonderful way of pulling out the best in us and helping all to work to their potential.  Brothers, Mark and Matt keep things lively and occasionally bicker over one stealing stones from the other - setting up a row of finely matched sizes and colors for the wall.

We feel blessed to be here and hope to make more progress tomorrow.  At the moment folks are eating pop-corn and a few nuts.  Akuna Matata - Swahili for "No Worries."

Bruce

Why?

Here we are team two with our first full week in Kitale.  Many asked, "Why are you going to Africa to work on mission when there are so many at home that need help?"  So why...is it the children and smiling faces, so happy with having so little?  Just to hold the kids, who love to be held and hugged.  Help them jump in the air and rub their backs, showing them love.  Many of the kids were left in maize fields alone, abandoned or turned in to a church or authorities, not wanted.  Let a rocket balloon fly in the sky and watch them chase it, tumbling in the end.  The one that has the balloon turns it in willingly, to watch it soar to new heights again and again.
    Is it the miracles that seem to be all around?  Plants that could not possibly grow in this area are thriving with fruit and vegetables that will make this orphanage self supporting.  A prayerful wish for fresh clean water for the orphanage, shortly before having a well worth $17,000 dug at no charge and hitting an underground river, and a pump worth $5000 donated all within a week, with such abundance that the kids (114), staff and plants have an endless supply of perfectly clean water.  A pipe is now located at the roads edge, supplying clean water to anyone for 4 hours a day.  Jeff and Carla are the leaders of this orphanage, leading the way.  They left a life back in Washington state, sold everything and moved to Kenya with a dream.  What a gift. These are some of the many amazing miracles.
    Is it the project? Working 6 days a week, exhausted, muscles sore, with our limited individual gifts to accomplish amazing results...housing, schools, or a church that will change many lives forever.  Giving a chance to kids that had no chance.  We are able to work not only together as a team but with the locals.  We not only can learn but together have life long friendships.  Yes, I have heard many times, "What can I offer?" God will  use your gifts and equip you in ways you never dreamed.
    Or is it the life with no direct connection to the outside world? Days of not worrying about time, appointments, current news.   Life in some ways is so simple.  Its great to be disconnected for a short time, to regenerate yourself.
    Why? Because of EVERYTHING and more.  Just jump and make the commitment. If you don't, it will never happen and life will always be too busy.  I would like to thank all those who supported my trip financially, with prayers and most of all my wife (Sue) for allowing me to go!

Cheers,
Matt

Day four- we poured the piers!

Today we decided to start the workday with a prayer at the site, and it served to unite us into a well-oiled machine. Corinna, Zara, Hannah and Becky were maniacs with shovels; they shoveled rocks, mixed up the concrete with shovels on the floor, and shoveled the concrete into innumerable buckets so the guys could fill the forms. Bruce and Tom did a phenomenal job building two of the most complex forms, and Mark and Dave/Gene were superb at customizing the forms that had to butt up against the biggest stones. It was amazing to watch Jonathon and Adam stand on top of sawhorses and pour buckets of concrete into the piers.  Jim kept everything humming, and took a day off of injuring himself; he injured Justin instead :) Justin was great today, moving bags of cement and wheelbarrows full of rocks before helping mix and pour the concrete (even after Jim clipped him with the shovel).
Matt and Mark were everywhere, as usual. Mark is quickly becoming the Go-to guy for the orphanage, fixing everything from compressors to engines.
What a wonderful day- we're exhausted and covered with bruises, but we had a great time together and we poured all of the piers. Yahoo!
Amy