Dedication of the New Training Center!

Happy Days!  Yesterday, February 16, 2013, we dedicated our new training center.  What an exciting day it was.  Let me walk you through it.  On January 1, 2013, I rented a 3 bedroom, 2 bath, house with an additional bathroom outside.  It also has a one-car attached, fully finished garage.  The room in this first picture is the living room.  The guys were unloading items we had purchased several years ago, but had to put in storage because we didn't have a facility.

I began the process of having bookcases built so we could finally unpack our many boxes of books which came on a container in 2010.  Thank you to all who donated books!  Wow.  We have given books to school libraries, community libraries, nursery schools, individuals, and now, finally, our own training center.

As we unpacked, Teresa (my faithful friend and house help) thought we would never get to the end of boxes. Then we began the process of sorting and shelving.  I definitely have a new respect for librarians.

More stacks of information and knowledge

We finally came to a place of order and set the date for the official dedication.  When you get a group of Maasai pastors together, you always have to have food!  Teresa and two other ladies did an amazing job of cooking for us.  This is our water tank just outside the kitchen door.  Two of those things you see on the ground are like habachis.  Kenyas call them jiko's.  They use charcoal as fuel.

We rented a tent and the white chairs.  The green and gray chairs belong to us.  You can see a bit of the house in this picture.  Just ahead beyond the chairs is the one car garage.

Back to the kitchen.  I am just checking in with the cooks, Anastasia, Teresa, and Florence.  They are enjoying our huge kitchen.

This is the dining room set up with chai (tea)  to drink as individuals arrive.

The cooking process begins in these huge pans called sufaria's. Teresa is stirring the stew.

Joanna Kelley, a board member, stepped into the kitchen to say hello as Teresa was busy chopping onions.

Cabbage chopping time!

More chopping.

We drafted some teenagers to help us with serving.  Melissa Asira is seated just waiting to serve.  

Mosses Kuria, and David (another board member) are busy outside moving tables around

We had to have balloons to show the way.  The teens blew up the balloons and headed down the hill.

First stop.

And of course, in Kenya, you always have to make way for the donkey carts on the road.

And cows! and other occasional cars.

And you always have interested spectators.

That house with the red roof is our new training center.

Pastor John Shakai (standing, also a board member) is greeting a few other pastors who arrived early.

I love to just sit near and listen to these pastors just enjoying one another.

Three more pastors walking up that killer hill.  This shot shows you just how steep the walk is.

One of our teens, Daniel Asira, going to greet these three pastors.  I was so proud of our teens.

They finally got up the hill, talking all the way.  I'm afraid my huffing and puffing would have prevented any conversation if I had tried that.

Their first look!

David, organizing bags we plan to give away.  This room will become our computer training center.  We have 5 laptops due to arrive on a container next week.

 Pastor Shakai's wife, Maria, looking at a book while she waits for the festivities to begin.

David was my translator for the day.  He and I are going over the program notes

John and I enjoying a moment.

We began with prayer and a brief history of Starfish and our promise to the pastors that we would provide a training center.

It is always such a joy to stand before these Godly men.  They humble me.

 
Emmanuel pastors a church we will be conducting a literacy class in in March.  He is such a joy to be around.  He and David are brothers.

Enjoying more praise and worship.

 Pennia Parsitau, a dear friend and board member.

 From left to right is Mary, Pastor Ken, and Jacob.  Jacob and Mary are my landlords. Pastor Ken, our guest speaker is the associate pastor at my church in Nairobi.  Jacob attended the church Ken grew up in, and got to watch him grow into a very committed young pastor.

Pastor Ken did an awesome job preaching the word.  His message was God created perfection, man sinned and perfection became broken, God through Jesus Christ, will bring about perfection again.  Powerful word.

First point, God created perfection.

Third point -- It will be perfect again -- through Jesus Christ.

Lunch time!  We opened the doors to the garage and found all the yummy food.

This garage will become a bunk room.  We believe it will hold approximately 6 or 7 bunk beds (or double-deckers as they call them)

The cooks dishing up the food.

 Jacob, Moses, and Ken enjoying good food and fellowship.

Our awesome teens serving the adults.

Joanna with Maria

Teresa and Maria, catching up!

 Wambui (Teresa's daughter) Anastasia and her daughter Lucy

Pastors enjoying good food and one another.

I have a digital frame I loaded up with pictures going back 5-6 years.  Most of these pastors live in areas without electricity.  They were so fascinated with seeing themselves frame-after-frame.

Pastor John and Pastor Ken, sharing a happy moment as they looked around the room and anticipated the training that could happen in this place.

Pastor John and Emmanuel

John and Maria fascinated with the picture frame.

David, looking through a book.

This living room will be our main training area and library.

We gathered together to pray a prayer of dedication for this center.  What a special moment.

These two young men are both educated.  They are very excited about the possibilities and opportunities for themselves and the other pastors.

This bulletin board shows a picture of the literacy classes we have conducted through the years.

Teresa taking a short break as we began shutting it all down.

Teens are waiting for their next instructions.

Stowing the chairs for another time.

Although this is the end of this blog, it is just the beginning of exciting days ahead.  We have waited many years to see this all come together.  I just want to thank those of  you who helped make this possible.