Nine. That is how many hours we spent getting emergency medical help for Marge last night. In Kisumu? In Kericho? No, in Ottawa, Marge is now okay.

Five. That is the number of computer printers it has taken me this year to finally succeed in printing. The first burnt out in Goibei due to a faulty transformer. The next two would not print with my old laptop, albeit they would in the computer technician’s. Number 4 was purchased last week in Ottawa. No, it would not print, either. The fifth, however, does. Anything to make an impression.

Three: The number of hours I will be teaching each week at our Kenya Bible School in Nyang’ori. This is a real enrichment of CREATE’s teaching focus.

Thanks for keeping us in mind during our medical visit to Canada.

Ken & Marge MacGowan

Apart from church and school seminars, we recently visited Osare orphanage.

Pronounced ” Oh – sarry”.

So I found out why it’s called that.

First, the road to the side road was like the surface of Jupiter. Oh, sorry

Then the dirt road. “Is that Lake Victoria?” No, just a puddle. Osare.

Say, the building where I will be teaching has no roof, does it. Osare.

Hey, my 4-wheel drive is sliding sideways toward the watery ditch. Oh, sorry
What a delight to see the dozens of kids who come for food each day. Too bad not all of them have mattresses. Oh, sorry.
And the clothes some of them we wearing. Osare.
A day like that sure makes life meaningful in Africa. You know, you never have to say, “Osare”.

God bless

Ken & Marge MacGowan

So there I was, minding my own business, in the front row of Mbale church. We had already enjoyed 5 great days there, and this was another.

In walks this man. Staggering. He wobbles up to me, shakes my hand, and his breath removes some paint from the wall. He struggles over to the pastor. Then plunks himself down beside a woman in front.

Now I have been in this situation before. An inebriated gentleman threatened some lady teachers at an outing beside Lake Victoria, and I used some rudimentary hockey manoeuvres to, let’s say, convince him to move on. So I was ready to do it again, this time in church.

It turned out, though, that the lady was his wife. He had been a successful executive in Nairobi, but was jailed during some turmoil in 1982, and has never been the same since. Another tale of need.

Which is why we are here. Thanks for thinking of us! God bless.

Ken & Marge MacGowan