Basic Foodstuffs for Kenyans

At this time of year, more than any other time of year, it is difficult to go without basic food stuffs. Christmas here is a time for enjoying a proper meal with family members and if funds allow, buying a set of new clothes.

Due to the love of a patron we were able to buy some of what we need. This is truly a blessing.

Here is a pictorial of the basic food we need.

Flour for making chapati.

Oil for cooking the chapati.

Tea for breakfast and mid-evening beverage.

Sugar for our tea.Pineapples for dessert at special times like Christmas.

Most village farmers are subsistence farmers. This means they mostly grow corn for eating. If they have extra they can sell it to purchase a bit of oil, flour, tea and sugar. Having the extra corn for sale to buy food is always difficult as villagers have other basic needs they must meet: kerosene oil, school uniforms, tuition for older kids and supplies, clothing for the family, medical needs, seed and fertilizer for planting.

Please have a look at the side bar on the right and you will see a list of basic food needs and general pricing for these basic food stuffs. We ask you to pray for us so that the farmers can have funds to plant their crops and enough to meet their basic needs.

God bless,

Christmas for Kericho's Kids

Hello,

We had a wonderful time of Christmas with all the kids here near Kericho, in the village. It was a great time of having lunch together and building relationships.

We are so grateful to the Lord for the provisions that we had for this Christmas. It was enough and we were all happy to eat together. We had chapati, rice, tea , meat and most of all the Word of God.

We want to take this time to thank God for the contribution for this Christmas. We do hope that the Lord will bless the sponsor tremendously.


God Bless



Editor's Note: We didn't have a digital camera for most of the photos. They are rather small as we scanned them in groups and so after cut and paste they are smaller for viewing. We hope you enjoy them.

TRINIDAD/TOBAGO TEAM Visit Internally Displaced Peoples

Visiting the Internally Displaced Peoples (IDP) was a time of the most touching moments of our travels in Kenya with the team from Trinidad/Tobago. The scripture tells us we need to provide food for both the body and the soul and we did that.

We purchased food and presented to each tent. Other people from other tents came and asked to be considered too. We distributed clothes and shared the Gospel of forgiveness and love for one another.

Sharing the Gospel

Visiting with the People

The view of the tents from a distance

The people are welcoming

Our Sufficiency is in Him: Planting 2009

Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency [is] of God. 2 Corinthians 3:5

Hello,

Farming is going on right now, all the farms have been made ready for another planting season.

The rains are starting again and we are praying that we get enough as we have had a dry season. This weather for us is sometimes what we call winter & it is extremely cold right now.

Preparing the land - From Planting 2009

We are trying as much as we can to reach more people to help them in in farming by buying seeds and fertilizer so they can plant crops and harvest them for food. We still have to the middle of April to reach more farmers with the seeds and fertilizers they need.

Preparing the land - From Planting 2009

We are trying to do this because we cannot distribute food again to them next year. We want them to have enough for their families and even some left over to sell so that they can pay for their basic needs like other foods (sugar, flour, greens, oil), school tuition, candles, etc. With the famine in the land we really need outside help from mighty men and women of faith. If you can help at all please let me know. I would be so blessed to hear from you.

Seed & Fertilizer for distribution - From Planting 2009

Otherwise we are grateful to God for the rain. The famine here has been covering the whole country and so we are blessed by God with rain so that Kericho could continue to plant and harvest if we have seeds and fertilizer. No matter how much land we may have, we can do nothing unless God provides the seeds and the fertilizer, the fertile grounds, the rains to water the soil, the sun to nourish and grow the seeds and the labour to bring in the harvest when it is ready. We are relying on God for all our blessings.

God Bless
Pastor Jonah

Second Day of Relief in the Village

Hello,

My second day of giving relief was very touching this morning. A woman named Ruth had her prayer requests for that day answered. I was really amazed when I heard that. In His Word (Bible) we hear every time that He has good plans for us and I understood that specially today.

I hope you can zoom in on the woman in the picture.

From Relief Continues in the Village

She is sick, broke and has debt. But she was glad to see me going to her home and giving her what she was praying for that very hour, WHAT SHE WOULD HAVE FOR THAT DAY.

She has grown up children (teenagers). One is even joining high school this year but I foresee hardship in raising funds for studies as well as food for the family. This is a hard life for her. But with God she can look forth and say `` I praised God when I saw you coming, as I knew God sent you``.

Please pray for Ruth:

- to be healed. she has a swelling in her leg.
- thirst to know more about God.
- the need for her to look unto God for her basic and other needs.
- support for her to visit a doctor.
- the continued provision of food. (we can help farm a few crops as well in her small garden).

I want to end this email but I don't have words to express my thanks to you for your financial and prayer support. Pray for us as we zero in to see those who really need the relief food as for sure we can't feed everyone in the village. But i know we can help those who are sick, old, disabled, widows and those really needy cases.

That is why we deliver the relief food right to their doorsteps, measured correctly according to the families they have.




Thanks again and God Bless
Jonah

Asante (Swahili for Thank You)

hello,

From Relief

it is with great excitement that we write this email.
thank you so much for the gift of food, (unga (flour) wheat flour, sugar, and oil.

From Relief

we want to send our thanks to all of you who participated in this. you became a blessing to us this afternoon. May God really bless you.

From Relief

we are students at Kenya Highlands Bible College. we live outside the school due to tuition problems as we come from not so strong families financially. but we thank God we can study here. otherwise God Bless. this is truly a blessing

***those are the words of the students that i was asked to deliver to u for the gift of food which you made possible. these students usually go without lunch and this is the exam week. what a joy this is to provide a weeks supply of food for them. look at the prayers

From Relief

and the excitement at the same time.

From Relief

food relief continues tomorrow, more into the village. we are going to buy 3 90 Kg. bags of corn. i will write more.

God Bless
Jonah

Click the link to see all the photos http://picasaweb.google.ca/kerichojoy120/Relief?feat=directlink

Farming

Hello,

The farm fields have been ploughed ready for this year's planting season. We are really so grateful for people who have been touched to help us in this project.

From Farming

We are looking forward to harvesting over 20 bags of corn and we are sure that this will help us with food needs for part of this year and next year. Corn/maize takes about 8 months to ripen and that is when it is taken into a store (a store is a building that is made up of wood and easy for easy circulation of air- it is not a mall) for safe keeping and to completely dry.

From Farming

Here is a picture with our corn store from last year's harvest.

From Farming

Kenya is now facing a food crisis and we do hope that this will be solved soon so that people can get back to planting. my part of the country where i come from is usually referred to as the food basket of our country and it is imperative that we do plant so that we can feed the country.

Otherwise enjoy the pictures. we would soon be planting corn and beans.
Watch this space for more pictures.
God Bless
Jonah

Christmas in the Village 2008 - Kericho, Kenya, East Africa

hello,

i hope u had a wonderful Christmas. most people spent their Christmas with family; others in the church, still others visiting new places, etc.

here in Kenya, most people spent their time with family, and the next thing when you spend your time like that, what comes to mind often is the food that is most needed as families converge. it is always a challenge for village folks to afford this and we had to chip in and help a few families deal with this need.

we bought each family sugar, rice, wheat flour, oil , salt, etc. this was a complete Christmas party for a family of ten kids. i was so excited to see them happy and enjoying the fellowship and the food together. in most of these pictures in the slideshow, u will see the packaging [of the food] going on. we had to buy everything in bulk so that the prices could come down. we had a great Christmas and i look forward to 'jumping' into the next year on january 1st, 2009.



let's keep praying for ISRAEL to stop this war on terror. i just wish there was a way they get the hamas militants without injuring the kids and the innocent.

God Bless
Jonah

1000 Kenyan Leaders - Part Two

hello friends,

i still have more information from my week long stay at the leadership conference. it was a very busy time for me and those that attended the conference. there were many "sideshows" and i intend to give u a few of them today and maybe part of this week to give you a better idea of what was happening here.

Women:
i observed that the women really love to sit in front of the conference hall. they were always the first in the hall too and were the initiators of the whole program in the hall.

Food:
to get food you were expected to queue up to the cafeteria. the food served mainly was 'ugali' (made from corn), beans/meat, chicken, rice etc. i learned this past week, that it is difficult to keep people in the line. everyone wanted to be the first. i had a hard time doing this 'job' of being a prefect.

Waiters:
our waiters are people who are used to the workings in the kitchen and serving large groups. they usually serve up to 600 students in the school, but at the same time they felt that our conference was a big one for them and a little more challenging (our number was 1000) as it contained people of various ages. watch this spot from time to time, to hear more great stories coming along.




Pastor Jonah

Feed the Hungry

hello everyone,

this month has been a very busy one for me. we have been involved in visiting homes that have been affected by the post election violence. we feel that the people have not really healed from the political situation that happened here.

we pray that the government will come in and help the situation with the people who have been affected by the violence and especially thru a joint venture to address the dire food issue in this country.

we are experiencing a very high inflation rate of 31%; making food very expensive. crop failures also seem imminent in this country and that will likely mean more food price increases. please pray for continued rain so that the food prices of crop foods can be contained.

here are some of the pictures taken of recent corn distribution to needy orphans and caretakers earlier this month. if you can help feed the people, please let me know. otherwise we value your prayers for this ministry and give all praise to God for what He has done and continues to do. May the Lord bless and keep you and your loved ones.


Update: July 16, 2008
Pastor Jonah reports that regular rains have returned to the Kericho area...Praise God as this will help to contain the already escalating food costs in the country. Thank you for your prayers for the nation of Kenya.

Some needs met

Dear Saints,

A quick word to thank you all for prayers and for recent contributions for food. We praise our heavenly Father for his goodness.

Brother Thomas was able to buy 2800 Kenyan shillings worth of corn to distribute amongst 8 households of orphans. It cost him 300 Kenyan shillings to transport it from Kericho to the village. Pastor Jonah will also be able to put the $50. contribution from brother, Dan in USA to good use....The children and the overseers thank you so much!!!

Brother Thomas also reported that a family of 7 requires the following bedding: two mattresses, several sets of sheets and some warmer blankets. Brother Thomas has no email so if you can help, please let Pastor Jonah know.

We seek your prayers on this and other orphan and Internally Displaced Person needs as well.

Love and blessings. Because He lives!!
Sis PJ

Cooking with Jiko Stoves

Editor's Note: This blog entry was originally posted on April 12, 2008 and is being reposted to ensure the widest readership. If you would like to support this Jiko project or any other project described in this blog site (see sidebar), Pastor Jonah would love to hear from you at kericho120@yahoo.com God bless, sister Penny Joy

hello saints,

for the last few days i have met this woman who makes cooking pots or Jiko as we call it here (jiko is swahili for "stove"). this whole item is used for cooking instead of three stones, that most people use. i was really tempted to have this available in every home and am delighted, soon i will start with our own family. i so much wish and pray that this can spread to all the people in the community and my village. if you feel led to give toward this project, please contact me at the email on the sidebar.

Project Cost for making, delivering and installing one Jiko Stove:
Jiko (pot) Ksh.600
Cement 850
Bricks (20) = 300
Transport= 1000
Labor = 1000
Total: 3750 Kenyan Shillings or $61.00 US
Right now in Kenya the US dollar is worth about 58-60 shillings per dollar.

Most forests in Africa have been depleted ....and now the rain has become scarce, as people rely heavily on firewood from the forest. This is about 95% of the people living here in Kenya....as electricity reaches less than 10% of the population. (even me - am not connected..lol).

here in Kenya, only 1 million people have electricity attached to their homes,out of 34 million people. please pray that this firewood saving jiko can reach many homes and save our forest ....it uses less firewood. the experts talk about ...80% saving...on firewood. the jiko stove not only helps to save our depleting forests but is also more healthy for the women who do the cooking (and the children sitting with them) as they do not have to breathe in all the smoke.

have a great day
because He lives
Jonah

Editor's Note: On a pressing matter, I want to advise the readers that due to the inflation caused by political discord, the food prices for average Kenyans have now now tripled. many of the caretaker families and their caretakers are in desperate situations. We ask you to pray and to do what you can to feed even one child as this is good in the eyes of God. May God touch your hearts and bless you so you may be a blessing.

What If?

Hello friends,

This is a quick note to introduce you to a wonderful praise singer from North Carolina, by the name of Kathy Duke. I do not know Ms. Duke personally but came across her amazing CD on CDBaby about a year ago. I was very moved by her song "What if" and wanted to share it with you but it never seemed to be the appropriate time. Recently, as I thought about the post-election violence in Kenya and the hardships suffered by the people in small villages in and around Kericho, this song came to mind and the timing seems to be right to share it with you now. As you listen to the words of this anointed song, I pray you would be moved to ask yourself "What If?", in relation to the orphan children of Kericho Village.

About 8 of the households with orphans, are headed by the orphans without any adult caretaker to help them. The other 30+ households are headed by women and couples. Since December 2007, these families have all been hit very hard by the soaring food costs in Kenya and inflation in general. The overseers of the missions have also been hard pressed to provide counselling and support for daily needs though they have a great amount of faith and pray that God's people will understand the need and be moved by the spirit of God to do his will....that of caring for the widows and the orphans.

It is heartbreaking to know about the suffering in Kenya when you know that the children are wondering who will help them and if God really cares for them? My heart is also heavy for the overseers and the enormous burden they face as they assist the orphans and their families with limited resources. God promises us that the "righteous will never be forsaken, nor his seed begging for bread". In North America, where we have opportunity to work and earn our daily bread, this verse is easier to comprehend than it is to starving people across the world,when their hands, though willing, seldom find adequate work to pay for their daily bread.

Think of the impact that your gift can make for the Kingdom of God and what your practical assistance will mean to an orphan, a widow, a poor family and the overseers. All of them need to know that God's people around the world love them. Your gift can communicate the love, grace and mercy of our Heavenly Father to the children and their families and pastors. You really can make a difference in the life of one person, one child, one family, one household. May God bless and guide you as you pray and as you listen to "What If". May the wonderful voice of Kathy Duke, fill you will the love and mercy of God.

Because He lives,
Sis PJ