It would seem as though our team has been hit by a ‘silent enemy’. Many are feeling ill and some down with dysentery but continuing to work. It has become a discouraging battle at times. So please pray for the team there that God would restore their health and protect them from further attacks. We have taken all the known precautions and still this has happened.
However, the work continues…. no matter what – rain, shine, weariness or toilet runs! (Bad joke, I know!) Today, Monday they started to put on the cement by hand. We know of 2 shot-Crete machines (a machine that will throw the cement on the walls kinda like a fire hose) in the city of Kisumu but the price is very high to rent. They are meeting with one man Tuesday morning to see if he will let us use his machine and what the price might be. Hopefully it is within our budget otherwise it will have to placed by hand onto the walls.
The small gravel that we have to use has to be washed before putting into the 
mixer for the cement so here’s how they are doing that…
You may wonder why are we putting ourselves though all this fuss and being sick, etc. And that’s a good question to ask. Because going to Kisumu and working at the orphanage or school is anything but a holiday in the hot sun. It is real work and hard work to be sure. So let me tell you about one of the reasons… Little Carol Rozzy or, as she is called by a nickname, TisTis.
She is three years old and came to Bethel earlier this summer. Due to martial conflict, the mother fled the home and the father left the baby locked up in the house for 8 days before she was discovered and rescued. When she came, Mrs. Chamah thought that she probably won’t live she was in such poor condition. As you can imagine, 30+C weather and the lack of food or water to a 3 year old is a major concern. However, this little girl slowly regained her strength and is now the youngest and is loved by her many “brothers and sisters” 
Each younger child has a “parent” – an older “brother or sister” who is responsible for the younger ones to help with all things – like a parent would. Charity, 12 years old, is TisTis’s “mother”. Charity has shown to be an excellent choice as she cares for little TisTis.
The structure that is in place here is excellent and we couldn’t ask for better. There is a respect that each child has for the other and there is a line of command with Steven as the “head boy” over all – like the “big brother”. However, still under the care and supervision of the staff and Mrs. Chamah. Every child is in some type of responsibility. So little Carol Rozzy (TisTish) is in the choir and is learning how to lead the singing under Carolyn’s care as choir director. There is a Games/Equipment manager (Morgan), the Library Manager (Job Moses with his helpers), the bell ringer – I was never up early enough to see who actually was ringing that crazy school bell, etc!
Does it make a difference to these kids? The answer is a thousand times “YES!” Will they be equipped to live life when they leave Bethel? “YES” They will know how to do the regular household chores that are required to be done, they will know how to be responsible for the care of younger children and be good role models, they will have received an education and hopefully some type of training and they will have had the opportunity to have had a personal relationship with their Heavenly Father. They will be given a chance to live. Isn’t that a worthy cause?