Christmas in Kenya

It has been an amazing journey so far. I am loving Kenya just like I remembered it. I love the people here.  We have so many great connections and relationships over the past years that has made this so great. I feel safe and secure in our home and very well loved. 

The kids are doing great. They are loving it here. There is always a new person to meet, a new adventure to explore, and lots to learn. 

I do not miss the snow or the cold. I Do miss the Christmas cookies I see all over Facebook, but I will survive. My mother-in-law and I will try our version of peanut butter balls and Bloody Marys on Christmas so stay tuned!  

I have gotten to do some amazing things in my short time. We have been able to provide work for lots of people. Our mud house, which I was against in the beginning, has turned out to be a very great thing. It has bonded us with our neighbors here and provided many jobs for people who normally wouldn't have work. I got really muddy and a lot of the ladies I worked with laughed to see a white woman mudding. I loved it!

Many of you have donated to our Christmas goats and Christmas chicken project. This is a gift that keeps on giving. Most of the people who will be receiving an animal will keep it to keep reproducing. Goats and chickens are a good investment for Kenyans. They don't cost much to take care of or feed. 

We were given a male goat as a gift from one of our good friends. They don't have much to give, but they gave us a goat. We were all speechless. It was such a symbol of respect and gratitude because in the past travelers helped this family out.  

(We have to tie him up because he wants to mate with all the female goats)

Thank you to all of you who have given to our projects. You truly have changed a life. Just a little giving can go a long way here in Kenya. I hope someday you will come to see for yourselves how much you have impacted this area. 

Lastly Thank you to my husband. I am so proud of you for not being afraid to follow your dreams and passion. I am extremely blessed to be your wife, or as our night guard Ben calls me, Mrs. Phill. ( It sounds like Mrs. Feel). 

Merry Christmas and God Bless you!

Love from Kenya,

Jodie

My reason for Kenya

Today was the whole reason I came to Kenya. Most of you know the struggles I overcame in 2010 with Postpartum Depression and my three surgeries to correct the birth injury I endured after my son was born. It was called an obstetric fistula. I was blessed to live in a country where I got the surgery I needed to heal me. 

There are thousands of women in other countries who are not so lucky. They suffer in horrible ways you can research on your own and are outcasts in their own families. Many of these women simply gave birth without the resources or aftercare they needed. Many of these women in Kenya and other countries suffer from FGM or female genital mutilation. This is illegal but unfortunately still practiced. This practice of FGM is a huge reason these women suffer from fistulas. Today I met with this group of 10 women who have a heart for helping women in Kenya. I don't know their stories yet, but many had surgeries and small infants with them. There is a lot of need for this group Freedom from Fistula. One way I will ask is for prayers for this group. My mother-in-law and I have joined this group today. The other way you could help is to sponsor one of these women by helping them purchase a 200 pound bag of maize(corn) so they can feed their families, sell for profit, and start a business. The sponsorship is $30 for one woman. The weather has been dry here so the crops they were counting on didn't bring any profit. 

If you can help it would be most appreciated! Here are two ways to help. You can send money via paypal to phill.klamm@gmail.com.   

You could also send a check to 

SOAR KENYA 

6230 Kuehn Road

Waunakee, WI

53597

(Pay to order of SOAR KENYA)

Please send me a message so I can keep record.

Thank you and God Bless!

Jodie

One person at a time

It's been a little over a week now since we have arrived in Kenya. I was not prepared for the emotional stress I would feel so early on. I thought that nothing will be a shock to me because I have been here before, five years ago, for two weeks. So basically I am an expert on Kenya.

Not even close.  I remembered the kids in ragged clothes and worn shoes. Some have no shoes at all and some wear the same clothes everyday. I remembered the hustle of the city markets. I remembered the dust that clogs my eyes making it impossible to wear contacts. 

I forgot the constant tugging on my heart that I would feel. The need here is so great. It is so overwhelming at times. I started writing it all down in a notebook and it was too much for me to think about. I just prayed to God and asked him to fulfill his purpose in me. That was the day I met that lady in the street and gave her my leftovers from lunch. She told our friend, Joab, "I am hungry and God told me to ask you."  

I can do this one day at a time. One person at a time. I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. It isn't overwhelming to me once I give all my trust to God and ask him what he needs us to do. He will make the path clear. He will show us the way. He always does. It doesn't mean it is easy. There have been many tears and lots of anxiety because that is how I normally deal with stress. When you give it all to God he can multiply our blessings by many and the anxiety and stress subsides cause you are at peace. 

Love

Jodie

Leap of Faith

Finally my first blog post about our trip to Kenya. We arrived safely and it has been an incredible journey. 

Saying goodbye was so hard. I cried way more than I expected. I miss my family and friends and everything about Edgerton. I especially miss my mom. I cried so much saying goodbye to her. That was hard. She held it together for me though. She was so strong. Plus saying goodbye, I was scared. I was so scared I almost didn't get on the plane scared. There are parts of Northern Kenya by the border of Somalia that have been in the news lately. We are about 400 miles away from this violence with no plans to go near this area. Plus it takes 5 hours to go about 100 miles due to the road conditions. 

I was so angry at God. I asked him,"What are you doing? We did everything you wanted us to do!  We sold everything and planned for this! Is this like a test with Abraham and Isaac but less dramatic? Do you have a different plan?"  I got no clear answer so I took a leap of faith, prayed, and got on the plane. I am so glad I did.

It wasn't about me. It was about my three beautiful children and keeping them safe. I will do everything to keep that promise. 

The long plane rides were exhausting. Emotions were all over the place. When we landed in Kenya, I felt a wave of peace wash over me. This is my home for awhile and God promised to keep us safe. 

Right off the plane it was hot. Sorry Wisconsin. I had too many clothes on for this African weather. The first thing in the airport was a health screen. I can only imagine it was for Ebola. Guess who had a fever? Yep that's right me!  I passed it the second time though. That was fun. 

Once we got our 20 suitcases to the vans where Joab,James, and Titus were waiting for us it went smoothly. We stopped at the giraffe orphanage on the way home which Phill blogged about. It was well worth the $12 if you come to Kenya. We got to feed and pet the giraffes. You could put the food in your mouth and get kissed by a giraffe. It feels like rough sandpaper on your face.   

When we arrived to our home at International Village in Barut, Nakuru I felt another wave of peace wash over me. The villagers greeted us with song and dance. We were beyond exhausted but I felt so safe. We have each other. We have our security guards, our chef, our maids, and our amazing friends Joab and James. They help us with everything we need. 

We are settling in beautifully and the kids are so amazing. Natalie had girls braiding her hair the first day. The local kids follow us everywhere we go fighting over who will hold our hands. Phillip has some good friends. He will have a Lego play date with Gideon soon.  Phillip said," Oh yeah, I know that guy!"  Marquite is still believed to be a Kenyan. When she doesn't answer in Swahili they look confused!  The kids love her. How could you not love her. She is such an amazing, brave girl. 

Marquite and I went to church at Soar Kenya Academy yesterday while Phill and Phill Sr were next door. We got a workout with all the dancing and jumping. I got called out for not dancing enough! 

Today's devotion "I am with you in all that you do. I am always aware of you, concerned with every detail of your life. Learn to look steadily at Me in all your circumstances. Though the world is unstable and in flux you will experience My Presence"

Love to you all!

Jodie