The ladies at Banja need more time – a month. Why? To save up for the registration fee of thirty-eight cents.

It’s part of a new outreach by Marge. Banja is a small town nestling on the side of the mountain where we live. It may take 2 minutes to see by car, but Banja is busy. Our national church has a primary school, a secondary school, a church, and an outreach to orphans, children of single parents, and families that are extremely poor.

And a thriving ladies’ group. In a recent Sunday service, Marge invited ladies to sign up for a one-week program that will include Bible-study, fellowship, and making necklaces. In order to keep the program going, Marge asks for 38 cents to buy material for the next session. Fifty ladies will be permitted to register. Everyone is excited about this new program.

You may have guessed that making necklaces is not one of my specialties. It comes in my list of accomplishments just after neurosurgery and cosmetic makeovers for hammerhead sharks . So I will just continue to teach 5 hours on Tuesdays at our Bible College, and drive for 7 hours to a group study at Kapsabet. There are also retreats, like the 40 guests this weekend, and the 110 next week.

In between visits to the church at Banja. Thanks for your interest. God bless.

Ken & Marge MacGowan

Once a day. That’s how often John’s family eats. The crops are growing, but harvest is still 6 weeks away. Post-election turmoil has left crops unharvested. Food shortages and inflated prices make grocery shopping tough, especially for John. He is our painter, and we help him out as much as our budget allows. Today when we handed him extra rice his face glowed with gratitude.

We are continually reminded of how donations make it possible for us to help 11 families survive.

What a contrast to the 6-day retreat we just hosted. Eighty-five high school prefects came for leadership training and evangelism, accompanied by up to 20 staff. Marge’s cooking ministry in Paris was great preparation for this kind of retreat! The students and staff marveled at the quality and diversity of the menu. Most had never before tasted tangy barbeque chicken, succulent spaghetti, spicey beans in special sauce with wieners, vegetable beef soup that was as thick as the water in New York harbour, and other delicacies. And our staff ate after each meal, joining our visitors in extolling Marge’s cooking, and thanking God for His love expressed in this wonderful place. They will be receiving a sizeable bonus on Monday, something that follows each retreat we host.

So the 11 families enjoy a higher quality of life, thanks to the donations we receive. As Kenya braces for severe food shortages, you are helping us provide for some great people, our friends. Thank you!

Ken & Marge MacGowan