September 22nd is the day! Months of work has brought the Lokichoggio house close to completion. Repairs to the roof and ceiling, tile covering the cement floor, and half of the new windows that will seal the house from unwanted visitors and keep cool air in are done. Renee and Ian love the color their new rooms have been painted (light purple for Renee and sky blue for Ian) and have their wall posters ready to make it their own. Renee excitedly commented, “This is the first bedroom I've been able to paint the color I want!”
Yes, we said half the windows…the remainder will go up on our flight and Joel will install them. There is still a lot of work to be done to make it home, but our Loki team needs flight relief ASAP. The rest will be done once we get there.
Solar panel array on the roof
Solar Project:
Is up and running! Thanks to the brilliant planning of Joe Wagnell (a fellow AIM AIR avionics tech) and his US friend, Jonathan, the house is wired to run exclusively on solar power. The work-team also included a longtime friend of Joel’s parents (here visiting his kids and grandkids), who joined us in preparing the house. Thank you so much for your hard work. Thank you to those who donated to the solar projects (and thanks to an additional donation, we will also have solar hot water!) From the bottom of LaReina’s mom/person responsible for keeping the house going heart, thank you.
Joe, the mastermind behind it all
Vehicle Project:
Is getting close! We still need $7,500 to finish paying for the vehicle. Praise report: our Subaru had sold without even advertising it, which left us a little concerned about finances and being without a vehicle for our remaining time in Nairobi and up in Loki. We were BLESSED to find a suitable vehicle and BLESSED that dear friends were able to give us a short-term loan to fill the gap. God’s timing is perfect. The truck needed some repairs that were able to be rectified while in Nairobi (and the seller has agreed to cover the work!)
Timeline:
September 15-21
st: Joel’s wrapping up his Kenya Instrument Rating next week and we are packing what we need for 2 months. We are scheduled to return to the Nairobi area for a week and a half at the end of November for AIM conference. At that time, we will have a better idea of what furniture and household items we want in Loki, and will spend a week in our Nairobi house designating our things either for truck transport to Loki or for sale. There currently is furniture and basics in the house to get us started.
September 22
nd: Loading the Caravan plane with our fridge, washer, electronics, some kitchen essentials, home-school books, personal items, 3 cats, and breakables; followed by our long-awaited 3 hour flight to Loki. Our vehicle will remain in Nairobi for a bit until we figure out timing to get it up north.
September 23
rd on: Getting settled, continuing home-school, figuring out rural life, Joel getting in the air ASAP. Figuring out what house projects have priority.
Thanksgiving Week: Traveling back to Nairobi for conference. LaReina has been asked to speak at the “Following the Holy Spirit” session. Please pray for Holy Spirit guidance/clarity for what to share (insert smile for irony). What a blessing to spend Thanksgiving with friends, have time to pack the remainder of our things, and officially say “Goodbye” to Nairobi. God has been so gentle with our hearts in this journey and continues to do so.
Another New Chapter Begins…
Thank you so much for all the support and prayers you have already directed our way. It is an honor to serve here in Africa in partnership with you. We will continue to rejoice in the victories for the Kingdom we have seen and those to come.
Jonathan putting the final touches on the Solar System
Gerry adding outlets to the rooms.
It was not the heat or claustrophobia that got me. It was the arachnophobia!
