Hello All –
Just a short update to let you know that things are fine here.
We are experiencing August in Nairobi – which can be a bit dreary. Today is overcast and misty. We had some sun over the weekend which was very nice.
We are experiencing a water shortage here in Nairobi. We are having to be very careful about our water usage in our home. Stories about the exact cause of the shortage vary between a shortage of rainfall (which was not entirely evident this year) or lack of maintenance in the dam that stores the water for Nairobi. Apparently, it leaks and has not been repaired or maintained in the past few years. Water is coming from the city supply to our house at the moment, but it is running with very low pressure.
Horace is on his way down to Immigration to complete his work permit renewal today. Mine is not ready – which is typical here. The head of the household’s will the completed before the spouse. I am waiting to hear when mine will be ready.
This week, Horace will be traveling to see their progress first hand. So far, he has visited Juja and Murang’a. Murang’a farmers are dealing with a disease problem in the passion fruit. Thankfully, most of that can be treated with proper pruning. We will provide further updates later this week.
We have begun work towards the demonstration farm which will be used for researching locally marketable produce. Our goal is to start a home delivery service of organic vegetables which will be grown by local farmers. We are excited about the prospects of that new project.
All is well with us here, and we pray that all is well with you. Please continue to pray for the farmers with whom we work.
Blessings,
Anne
Monday, August 25, 2008
Monday, August 11, 2008
Back to Work & Back to School
We are back in Nairobi after a short trip to the US. We enjoyed our time there, but probably didn't spend enough time with anyone. For those of you that saw us in early July, I have recovered from my monster case of poison ivy. No more steroids - I was beginning to feel like the Pillsbury Dough Boy!
While we were there, we enjoyed seeing family, friends and supporters. We thank everyone for the hospitality and fellowship during our travels.
We returned to Nairobi last Friday night. The trip was not so bad, but it was the first time that we have not stopped somewhere on the way and rested. What a difference that makes! Jet lag has been rough for the whole family this time. We are not yet on a regular schedule, but hopefully all will be normal soon.
The next few weeks will be spent catching up with our projects and starting the research process for 2009 projects. We will update you as we progress with our work.
Well, here we are at the beginning of school. Horace, Jr. begins 9th grade which puts him in high school. Mary Shea begins 6th grade, which puts her in middle school. Both are ready for the challenges, but it is hard to believe they are making these transitions. The main comment today for Horace from some old friends is "He's huge!!".
While we were there, we enjoyed seeing family, friends and supporters. We thank everyone for the hospitality and fellowship during our travels.
We returned to Nairobi last Friday night. The trip was not so bad, but it was the first time that we have not stopped somewhere on the way and rested. What a difference that makes! Jet lag has been rough for the whole family this time. We are not yet on a regular schedule, but hopefully all will be normal soon.
The next few weeks will be spent catching up with our projects and starting the research process for 2009 projects. We will update you as we progress with our work.
Well, here we are at the beginning of school. Horace, Jr. begins 9th grade which puts him in high school. Mary Shea begins 6th grade, which puts her in middle school. Both are ready for the challenges, but it is hard to believe they are making these transitions. The main comment today for Horace from some old friends is "He's huge!!".
Thursday, July 31, 2008
Travel and Lack of Communication
I apologize for the lack of communication on the blog. There are many reasons and excuses that I could give, but I should have been better about making an entry.
Shortly after the last blog entry, time started flying by!!! Honestly, it seems like I just posted that last entry.
We had a wondererful experience with a team from the Falls Church in Virginia in June. They visited the Ngare Ndare group and built a grading shed and a charcoal cooling house. Pictures can be found on our Picasaweb site under Planting Faith. You can link to it from the www.plantingfaith.org website. The Lord was at work that week as the team and the farmers interacted with work and fellowship.
The day after the team left, our family packed up for a quick trip to the US for some much needed time with extended family and friends. We now have one week left before we return to Nairobi to school and work. We are excited about what lies ahead, but we have been very thankful for the great times we have had this summer. What we have left now is the mad dash for chocolate chips and ranch dressing mix to take back in our luggage. We are still working on getting Horace Jr.'s learner's permit, but let's just say that frustrations that we feel with getting things done in Kenya helped us prepare for the hoops we are jumping through to make that happen. He did take the test and passed with 100% (they didn't seem to object to taking my money for that of the process!). At issue is our residency and if he is eligible to receive the permit.
A definite highlight of this trip was the celebration of my Dad's 80th birthday. We had a great night with Dad's friends and co-workers as well as our family. Both my sister and brother were there as were my two nephews. One of Dad's comments was how much times had changed. When he was young, travel might have consisted of going a few hours away to Savannah or Augusta. During the last month, not only did we travel from Kenya, but one grandson went to Australia on business and the other went to Greece for university study. It really is amazing to think about how things change in a lifetime.
We return to Kenya August 8th in time for the new school year. It will also be time for the harvest to begin in several projects. Please pray for the farmers and their families as that process begins. Also, please pray for safe and smooth travel as we return.
We are so thankful for the blessings that we have received. One of the greatest blessings we have received is simply time - the time to spend with family and friends. We are also thankful for your prayers that sustain us.
My prayer is that each of you would have a healthy and happy end of your summer.
Anne
Shortly after the last blog entry, time started flying by!!! Honestly, it seems like I just posted that last entry.
We had a wondererful experience with a team from the Falls Church in Virginia in June. They visited the Ngare Ndare group and built a grading shed and a charcoal cooling house. Pictures can be found on our Picasaweb site under Planting Faith. You can link to it from the www.plantingfaith.org website. The Lord was at work that week as the team and the farmers interacted with work and fellowship.
The day after the team left, our family packed up for a quick trip to the US for some much needed time with extended family and friends. We now have one week left before we return to Nairobi to school and work. We are excited about what lies ahead, but we have been very thankful for the great times we have had this summer. What we have left now is the mad dash for chocolate chips and ranch dressing mix to take back in our luggage. We are still working on getting Horace Jr.'s learner's permit, but let's just say that frustrations that we feel with getting things done in Kenya helped us prepare for the hoops we are jumping through to make that happen. He did take the test and passed with 100% (they didn't seem to object to taking my money for that of the process!). At issue is our residency and if he is eligible to receive the permit.
A definite highlight of this trip was the celebration of my Dad's 80th birthday. We had a great night with Dad's friends and co-workers as well as our family. Both my sister and brother were there as were my two nephews. One of Dad's comments was how much times had changed. When he was young, travel might have consisted of going a few hours away to Savannah or Augusta. During the last month, not only did we travel from Kenya, but one grandson went to Australia on business and the other went to Greece for university study. It really is amazing to think about how things change in a lifetime.
We return to Kenya August 8th in time for the new school year. It will also be time for the harvest to begin in several projects. Please pray for the farmers and their families as that process begins. Also, please pray for safe and smooth travel as we return.
We are so thankful for the blessings that we have received. One of the greatest blessings we have received is simply time - the time to spend with family and friends. We are also thankful for your prayers that sustain us.
My prayer is that each of you would have a healthy and happy end of your summer.
Anne
Monday, May 12, 2008
May Madness
Swimming, track and rugby… those are the words that dominated this week in the Tipton family. 
Mary Shea swam in the first swim meet that Rosslyn has had since the completion of the new pool. She did quite well in her competition. The most difficult part of the day was the butterflies she was experiencing before the meet. They were swimming against ISK (International School of Kenya). The competition was fierce. Our new swim coach was formerly at ISK, so it was an interesting day.
Mary Shea also competed in the U13 track events this past Friday. Mary Shea is a natural in track, and she makes it all look so easy. She won 3rd place ribbons in the 400 meter and the 800 meter races, and she won first place in the long jump – 9’3 ½ “! They competed against ISK and children from several local children’s homes.
Horace had a big rugby week – four games! If you are at all familiar with rugby, you can appreciate what effect that had on him physically. And, if you know Horace, you know that he was determined to be in the thick of things for the entire game each time. He did quite well – without injury (which pleased Mom). The climax of the week, and even the season, was winning against Rift Valley Academy on Saturday morning – the final score was Rosslyn 36 – RVA 0. RVA is about an hour away, but it is over 7000 feet in elevation there. Not only was the sport a challenge, the elevation makes endurance a challenge. Needless to say, the boys were quite happy with the result. RVA and Rosslyn are fierce rivals in every sport, and the victory was especially sweet.
Next week is music week as we wrap up with performances and recitals. The end of the school year is never calm, but we do enjoy seeing all the results of the hard work the children have done all year long in lessons and practice. Thankfully, both children are maintaining academic success as well as extracurricular success.
Mary Shea swam in the first swim meet that Rosslyn has had since the completion of the new pool. She did quite well in her competition. The most difficult part of the day was the butterflies she was experiencing before the meet. They were swimming against ISK (International School of Kenya). The competition was fierce. Our new swim coach was formerly at ISK, so it was an interesting day.
Mary Shea also competed in the U13 track events this past Friday. Mary Shea is a natural in track, and she makes it all look so easy. She won 3rd place ribbons in the 400 meter and the 800 meter races, and she won first place in the long jump – 9’3 ½ “! They competed against ISK and children from several local children’s homes.
Horace had a big rugby week – four games! If you are at all familiar with rugby, you can appreciate what effect that had on him physically. And, if you know Horace, you know that he was determined to be in the thick of things for the entire game each time. He did quite well – without injury (which pleased Mom). The climax of the week, and even the season, was winning against Rift Valley Academy on Saturday morning – the final score was Rosslyn 36 – RVA 0. RVA is about an hour away, but it is over 7000 feet in elevation there. Not only was the sport a challenge, the elevation makes endurance a challenge. Needless to say, the boys were quite happy with the result. RVA and Rosslyn are fierce rivals in every sport, and the victory was especially sweet.
Next week is music week as we wrap up with performances and recitals. The end of the school year is never calm, but we do enjoy seeing all the results of the hard work the children have done all year long in lessons and practice. Thankfully, both children are maintaining academic success as well as extracurricular success.
We hope you all have a blessed week!
Anne
Wednesday, May 7, 2008
May Planting Faith E-News
…Spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ by elevating subsistence farmers to sustainability.
May 1, 2008
Dear Friends in Christ,
Greetings from Kenya,
If you have not seen our blog, please check out http://plantingfaith.blogspot.com/. We try to update it weekly with news of our work here.
Things seem to have settled here in the past few weeks. While there are still occasional accounts of trouble within different parts of Kenya, these incidents appear to be isolated and more of a crime issue than an issue of post-election violence. We do pray that peace and reconciliation will continue among all of the people of Kenya. We believe that it will take quite a while for the process of healing here, as there are many who have felt the effects of the tragedy of late December and early January.
The international news here lately has placed quite a bit of emphasis on the issue of a global food crisis. Indeed, the media is finally looking at a problem that has been in existence worldwide for some time. The inputs necessary for agricultural production make it quite difficult to profit from farming in many parts of the world. In a country like Kenya, where such a large percentage of the population depends on agriculture as a way to earn a living, this has a tremendous effect on the economy. Coupled with the economic troubles from the recent election troubles, it is quite a challenge to continue in agriculture. However, now more than ever, the farmers here need the encouragement and knowledge of how to build upon their successes to move from subsistence to sustainable farming. Our projects provide a way for these farmers to earn cash income in addition to providing food for their families; these projects do not take away from the provision of food for these families. The projects also provide cash to that will be reinvested in agriculture within each community for many years to come.
Our work continues to progress, and we are entering quite a busy time. All four groups have now planted and are eagerly anticipating harvest. In all groups, we are looking for methods to contain costs in the present market of inflated prices of inputs.
The two passion fruit projects are roughly at the same point on the time line. Business classes are completed in Mang’u. This group is now working toward installation of the posts and wires necessary for trellising of the plants. They are now into month 6 of their passion fruit crop. The Murang’a group has had a few complications along the way, but they are now also working toward installation of posts and wires for trellises. Their business classes are near completion.
There are two groups that are growing flowers for export. The Ngarendare group is growing Moby Dick flowers, which they should be harvesting by July. Their business classes are also near completion. They will be hosting a short term mission team in mid to late June, and we are looking forward to that experience. The Kabete group planted their Bird of Paradise flower seeds Easter Monday. This group has only recently been formed, and their business seminars are still being scheduled. The flowers take a bit longer to harvest than passion fruit, but the plants produce for several years.
Discipleship training has been an important part of our ministry focus. We are most thankful to have had the assistance of Dave Chaves, an Anglican missionary here in Nairobi, assisting us in this aspect of training. With his assistance, we have been able to cover the business training, discipleship training and technical assistance simultaneously. Dave has a real gift of establishing relationships with the farmers, and we have all enjoyed his presence.
We have also recently had the exciting prospect of a new employee for Planting Faith. Michael Rhodes is graduating this weekend from Covenant College and is planning to join us for a one year internship beginning in August 2008. He is presently in the process of raising his support for next year, so please keep that process in your prayers. We have received the most glowing reports about him, and we feel blessed to have him joining us next year.
The Lord has certainly blessed Planting Faith with plenty of work to do and funding to make it all happen. But, most of all, we feel that the prayer support we have been receiving has been what really keeps us going. Thank you for all of your prayers. The past few months have been stressful to say the least, not only for us, but also for our family and friends at home. Your encouragement in words and prayers has been a lifeline many times.
Family life is going well. Both of our children are at transition points in school as Mary Shea moves from Elementary to Middle School and Horace moves from Middle School to High School. They are both looking forward to the changes, and we feel that they are both ready for the changes and challenges in the coming year.
Please continue to pray for this ministry and our family as we wrap up the school year and continue our work. The month of May always seems to bring a hectic schedule whenever schooling is involved, and it is no exception here. We also continue to pray for you at home, and thank God for giving us the blessing of your support.
In Christ’s Service,
Horace, Anne, Horace, Jr. & Mary Shea
Monday, April 28, 2008
Last Update for an April Monday
April 28, 2008
This has been a relatively uneventful week as far as the political scene in Kenya is concerned. The President and the Prime Minister have been touring IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps around Kenya. The goal is for them to witness the magnitude of the problem and the conditions in which these people are living, but the news coverage has mostly been about controversy surrounding the order in which the various politicians speak. Apparently, that order signifies their relative importance. The current national crisis is how to get these people back to their homes and if that is even possible. We continue to pray for healing and reconciliation among people groups here. There will be much work to be done for quite a while.
Our work continues to go well. Horace traveled to Ngarendare last week to visit the group there. This was a trip that we had scheduled the previous week but had to cancel due to uncertainty about safety on the roads. Last week, there was rioting by a gang called Mungiki in some parts of Nairobi and surrounding towns. No one was quite sure what it all meant by the evening before our scheduled trip, so we chose to cancel. He had a good overnight trip on Thursday, and returned Friday afternoon. The farmers there are currently working toward lowering their input costs. Here, as in most parts of the world, we are watching prices soar which makes it very difficult for struggling farmers. We are taking steps to address this problem with all of the farmers.
Next week, we will be back in Mang’u. Though our business seminars are complete in that location, we will still maintain regular contact with them regarding the technical aspects of farming as well as finances. Particular loan repayment schedules are being recorded, and the work is tedious. Soon, we will see the fruit of their work being harvested. That is always an exciting time for all of us.
Family life is going well with the exception of a rugby injury. Horace, Jr. has injured his knee and has had to take a break. We return to the doctor tomorrow to re-evaluate. The doctor took a very conservative approach of a week’s rest before recommending further testing. If he feels there is still trouble, we will do testing this week to determine the problem. It has been very difficult for him to sit on the sidelines this past week. He really loves the game. Please pray that his knee heals and that he can return to normal activity. Thankfully, Mary Shea has been without injury although her routine of track and swimming has taken quite a bit of energy these past few weeks.
It is difficult to believe that the month of May is upon us. Thursday and Friday will be school holidays this week. Thursday is Labor Day here as it is in many parts of the world. The school has blessed us with the additional day which makes for a nice long weekend. We have no plans except rest and maybe a bit of spring (or fall as it is here) cleaning. After this break, begins the mad rush for the last month of school of sporting events, music concerts and recitals as well as scouting ceremonies.
We continue to be blessed by your prayers and encouragement. They mean so much to our family. Although, we do not anticipate violence here in Kenya, we do continue to request prayers for healing and reconciliation here. There are so many people affected by all that has happened since the December 27th election. It is very difficult to imagine healthy relationships between the different people groups here. We do know that all things are possible through the love of Jesus Christ, so please pray with us that He will touch lives here each and every day.
Have a blessed week!
Anne
This has been a relatively uneventful week as far as the political scene in Kenya is concerned. The President and the Prime Minister have been touring IDP (Internally Displaced People) camps around Kenya. The goal is for them to witness the magnitude of the problem and the conditions in which these people are living, but the news coverage has mostly been about controversy surrounding the order in which the various politicians speak. Apparently, that order signifies their relative importance. The current national crisis is how to get these people back to their homes and if that is even possible. We continue to pray for healing and reconciliation among people groups here. There will be much work to be done for quite a while.
Our work continues to go well. Horace traveled to Ngarendare last week to visit the group there. This was a trip that we had scheduled the previous week but had to cancel due to uncertainty about safety on the roads. Last week, there was rioting by a gang called Mungiki in some parts of Nairobi and surrounding towns. No one was quite sure what it all meant by the evening before our scheduled trip, so we chose to cancel. He had a good overnight trip on Thursday, and returned Friday afternoon. The farmers there are currently working toward lowering their input costs. Here, as in most parts of the world, we are watching prices soar which makes it very difficult for struggling farmers. We are taking steps to address this problem with all of the farmers.
Next week, we will be back in Mang’u. Though our business seminars are complete in that location, we will still maintain regular contact with them regarding the technical aspects of farming as well as finances. Particular loan repayment schedules are being recorded, and the work is tedious. Soon, we will see the fruit of their work being harvested. That is always an exciting time for all of us.
Family life is going well with the exception of a rugby injury. Horace, Jr. has injured his knee and has had to take a break. We return to the doctor tomorrow to re-evaluate. The doctor took a very conservative approach of a week’s rest before recommending further testing. If he feels there is still trouble, we will do testing this week to determine the problem. It has been very difficult for him to sit on the sidelines this past week. He really loves the game. Please pray that his knee heals and that he can return to normal activity. Thankfully, Mary Shea has been without injury although her routine of track and swimming has taken quite a bit of energy these past few weeks.
It is difficult to believe that the month of May is upon us. Thursday and Friday will be school holidays this week. Thursday is Labor Day here as it is in many parts of the world. The school has blessed us with the additional day which makes for a nice long weekend. We have no plans except rest and maybe a bit of spring (or fall as it is here) cleaning. After this break, begins the mad rush for the last month of school of sporting events, music concerts and recitals as well as scouting ceremonies.
We continue to be blessed by your prayers and encouragement. They mean so much to our family. Although, we do not anticipate violence here in Kenya, we do continue to request prayers for healing and reconciliation here. There are so many people affected by all that has happened since the December 27th election. It is very difficult to imagine healthy relationships between the different people groups here. We do know that all things are possible through the love of Jesus Christ, so please pray with us that He will touch lives here each and every day.
Have a blessed week!
Anne
Monday, April 21, 2008
Ups and Downs in the New Kenya
April 21, 2008
Things are improving on the political front. The new cabinet – though bloated in size with 40 new ministers and 52 assistant ministers – has an interesting composition. For each minister, the assistant minister was selected from the opposing political party. The hope is that they will be working together to fix some of the problems that brought us turmoil after the recent election. Please keep them in your prayers as they take on that task.
As one man commented to me last week, you sleep happy and then you may wake up to chaos. That is what happened last Monday morning. Though we were in no danger, the first thing that I heard was that school was having issues with buses because of protests around town. Of course, I was thinking, “What could they be protesting? The cabinet has been named, and things appear to be improving.” Well, the trouble came from a group of thugs that has been outlawed called the “Mungiki”. They are somewhere between an inner city gang and the mafia. They are allegedly part of the paid criminals that were causing some of the unrest in the country after the election. Two politicians were recently arrested for funding their escapades. Last Monday, they declared a week of mass protest because their leader has been held in jail on a weapons charge. The leader’s wife was murdered last week, and the group is blaming the police. However, it is speculated that she was probably killed as a result of fighting within the organization. At the end of the week, the government announced that they wanted to “dialogue” with the Mungiki, and the protests were called off. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with that.
While we did not witness any trouble, we did cancel one of our classes due to uncertainty of safety on the roads. The school that our children attend had to cancel after school activities that Monday, but otherwise, it seemed to be a normal week. Thika did have quite a bit of trouble as businesses were threatened not to open because of the protest. Murang’a also experienced the troubles with businesses being forced to close. All reports are that things are back to normal now.
This week, we will try to get back on track with a make-up class. We are also beginning the task of sorting out the loan particulars for the groups in the different areas. Lots of number crunching is ahead in the next few weeks as we sort it all out.
We will write more later to update you on our groups. For now, please pray for continued peace and a willingness to let the healing process continue in this country. As always, we appreciate your prayers.
Blessings,
Anne
Things are improving on the political front. The new cabinet – though bloated in size with 40 new ministers and 52 assistant ministers – has an interesting composition. For each minister, the assistant minister was selected from the opposing political party. The hope is that they will be working together to fix some of the problems that brought us turmoil after the recent election. Please keep them in your prayers as they take on that task.
As one man commented to me last week, you sleep happy and then you may wake up to chaos. That is what happened last Monday morning. Though we were in no danger, the first thing that I heard was that school was having issues with buses because of protests around town. Of course, I was thinking, “What could they be protesting? The cabinet has been named, and things appear to be improving.” Well, the trouble came from a group of thugs that has been outlawed called the “Mungiki”. They are somewhere between an inner city gang and the mafia. They are allegedly part of the paid criminals that were causing some of the unrest in the country after the election. Two politicians were recently arrested for funding their escapades. Last Monday, they declared a week of mass protest because their leader has been held in jail on a weapons charge. The leader’s wife was murdered last week, and the group is blaming the police. However, it is speculated that she was probably killed as a result of fighting within the organization. At the end of the week, the government announced that they wanted to “dialogue” with the Mungiki, and the protests were called off. I guess we will have to wait and see what happens with that.
While we did not witness any trouble, we did cancel one of our classes due to uncertainty of safety on the roads. The school that our children attend had to cancel after school activities that Monday, but otherwise, it seemed to be a normal week. Thika did have quite a bit of trouble as businesses were threatened not to open because of the protest. Murang’a also experienced the troubles with businesses being forced to close. All reports are that things are back to normal now.
This week, we will try to get back on track with a make-up class. We are also beginning the task of sorting out the loan particulars for the groups in the different areas. Lots of number crunching is ahead in the next few weeks as we sort it all out.
We will write more later to update you on our groups. For now, please pray for continued peace and a willingness to let the healing process continue in this country. As always, we appreciate your prayers.
Blessings,
Anne
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