November 10, 2012 finally arrived. The day to officially open the borehole in Nendorko community. We loaded up my car (pictured below) and rented a van to carry my board members to this much anticipated event.
This rock marks the spot where we turn off the main road to head into the community.
Upon arrival we immediately noticed they were ready for us. Moving chairs is always part of the process. These children had a special class taught by two special ladies from the states (Nancy Billings and Janice Hesser). I will do a separate blog for that event. Upon completion of their class, the chairs were repositioned for the main event.
Setting up a sound system is also important! The ladies from the states got a kick out of seeing this big speaker positioned inside a wheel barrow. I have to admit, I have grown so accustomed to seeing this done, I didn't even notice!
After a word of prayer, the children were invited to come forward to present songs.
And sing they did! They also danced. I'm sure we have a video of this, but its still on the camera.
Seated at this table is Paul Ochilo, the Chairman of the Board, of Starfish Charities.
Jeremiah and I looking at photo albums of the drilling that took place in July.
Village elders and other men from surrounding areas waiting and watching.
Maria and Teresa
Other communityy members
Another board member, Penina Parsitau, sitting with Pastor Matayo
Paul, welcoming the crowd and moving things along.
Pastor Matayo thanking Starfish, God and the community for supporting this project. He is the pastor of the Bapist Church here. He is also the man who has been a faithful, Godly example to the community and has led the way in Spiritiual development, as well as educational development in this community.
We asked his wife, Magdaline, to share about the impact this fresh water will have on the ladies of the community.
I was told Maasai women don't like to speak in front of groups. I think this precious pastor's wife demolished that theory! She had plenty to say and was very bold and vocal in her presentation.
Jeremiah and Pastor Matayo
Numerous local politicians arrived ready for the big day. They included chiefs, sub-chiefs, counsellors, community chairmen and advisors.
They all had something to say. This is a common practice here in Kenya. The general election will occur next March, so anyone in an elected position here in Kenya will use any and every occassion to promote their platform for election or re-election. We knew this and hoped we could keep it Christ-centered and not allow it to turn into a political rally. But we also acknowledged the importance of giving them an opporutnity to share what was on their minds.
We did slightly lose control of the meeting when each speaker began introducing their "friend" and handing over the microphone. Paul really tried to step in, but it wasn't very effective.
Thankfully, most of them kept their speeches short.
Relief from the hot sun came when this local community chairman began passing out water.
This baby had all the speeches she could endure. Her sister just carried her out.
After the local politicians had their time, Paul introduced the Starfish Board. We were only missing one board member. Paul, Chairman, is out of the picture, but from left to right is Pastor John Shakai, Penina Parsitau, Joanna Kelley, Jeremiah Sailogy, and me. Also not pictured is Franklin Asira who faithfully ran video for us all day.
While Jeremiah interpreted for me, I shared how a large gift from a single donor kick-started this project. There were numerous other gifts along the way, but the bulk of the project was paid by one man. It was a very emotional day for me.
As is customary in these communities, gifts for each board member was presented. The ladies of the community made us all beautiful beaded necklaces, bracelets, and other items to show their appreciated.
Janice is modeling a necklace and choker which were presented to her.
Early in the program, these two government vehicles arrived, marking the arrival of the newly elected Member of Parliament, Moses Ole Sakuda. He is a Christian and really has a heart for his people. Word spread quickly of his plans to be there, thus the presence of so many local politicians.
Arriving with him was the Counsellor of this area. He shared that money had been allocated to this community to further the development now that they had a borehole.
This is the Honorable Ole Sakuda. He thanked Starfish for successfully beginning this project and continued surprising everyone when he promised to allocate funds to construct a water storage tank on a nearby hill, lay pipes to distribute the water, help them build watering troughs for their animals, and add a room to their small community school.
He also commended Starfish for the work we do in literacy in the community and encouraged us to contact his office when we do future projects to see how they may be involved.
He was presented with a huge goat!
When all the speeches concluded, we relocated to the actual borehole site for the official opening of the taps to let the water flow.
I looked up and saw the crowd walking my way. I was shocked at the numbers of people.
And they just kept coming. Some estimates were 500-600 individuals.
This little building was constructed while I was in the states. We rushed around my last week in Kenya in August purchasing the needed materials to make this happen. The left side of the building is a 12x12 room for the caretaker of the borehole to live in. The right side of the building houses the generator.
This is the crew from Kisima Dillng company who installed the generator, pump and cabling to make the water flow. They had been there since Thursday getting everything ready for this celebration. They worked diligently right up to the turning of the tap. Then they stayed after most people left and trained three men from the community so they would understand the operation of the generator.
People gathering around with anticipation of seeing water flow from that pipe.
Hon. Ole Sakuda and I turned the tap (faucet) and the water burst forth! Wow. What an exciting moment.
We washed our hands in that fresh water as the crowd clapped and cheered.
Water is life!
This young man led us in prayer of thanksgiving.
A celebration isn't complete with a cake! This says "Water is Life" in the Maa language.
Teresa was appointed as the official cutter of the cake.
Their custom is to cut the cake into bite sized pieces and it is then passed around in bowls, allowing everyone to get a small bite.
After the cake, lunch was served. I had to visit the "kitchen" to see how they were progressing.
These ladies were making chapatis (similar to flour tortillas)
Others were cooking meat and rice. I love to watch these women cook over little camp fires while they fellowship.
After we were seated, they brought us this big bowl of cooked goat meat! The men were estatic. The American women -- not so much! Joanna reached in an grabbed a piece. I think she as become a true Kenyan! When they hosts realized we weren't eating the meat, they brought us some rice and chapatis.
The men chowing down!
I am so grateful to all of you who helped make this possible. What a huge blessing it was to see the joy on the faces of the people. It rained most of the week in Nairobi, but that whole community prayed againt the much needed rain because they knew we would have to cancel the event if it rained, due to the condition of their roads. The roads stayed dry, but I was told that later that evening, the heavens opened up and it rained. Thank you God!
I have heard further reports since Saturday that they are successfully pumping water on a daily basis.
