We continue our co-operation with farmer David. He helps us a lot and we can trust him. We don’t have our own land, so I provided David with vegetable seeds that he can sow at his farm. Tomatoes and peppers grow especially well here. We would like to plant some cabbage and leafy vegetables. So far we sowed root vegetables but these don’t thrive in local conditions.
I am teaching older girls that live in our place to cook the Czech cuisine. The most skillful is Sarah, who already managed to cook the mushroom sauce on her own. Some girls are good in athletics, especially in running. We get up at 5 am everyday and kids exercise doing an athletic ABC and running some laps at the courtyard before letting animals out. After that, girls put on their masks and run with two dogs on a leash to the playground nearby where Sarah trains sprint and Kangogo goes long-distance running. After they return back home, an ordinary day can start. Aky, Byron and younger children go to feed and give water to the animals. Adnan is our great helper. He made several new electric plugs for us at home that were lacking. He is also very skillful repairing any outdoor accommodation and homes of animals.
At the beginning of March when the coronavirus pandemic started to spread worldwide, we began to follow the news regarding infection and spreading of the virus. We noted the commencement of measures in Czech Republic. Here in Kenya, there was no mention of the virus at that time. After a few days though, the situation changed dramatically and Kenyan government introduced quick measures. One of the first was a lock down of all schools from 18th March. This situation was not easy. We had to act quickly and decide where we place the children that are part of our project. Some children were placed to caregivers. We took 12 children to our home. All children that stay in our home have the possibility to communicate with their sponsors through mobile applications.
The worldwide period of coronavirus and wearing masks affected us in Kenya, too. Changes regarding measures by the government are announced on a daily basis. My husband and I follow the news from all over the world on the Internet. We also learn about the situation in Czech Republic. I have my family and friends back home. Here the situation at a certain point looked especially worrying when we received the news that the government will impose a full quarantine with a lock down ban. Sometimes I get a feeling that Kenya is copying the measures taken in Czech Republic with some small modifications. There are more deaths in Kenya due to police interventions than due to the disease itself. The shocking part is that Kenya only has one testing center for the virus in Nairobi. That implicates that the official statistics, which are published, do not correspond to reality. The city of Nairobi is closed, no one can get in or out. Also, closing the city means that the rest of inhabitants do not have access to testing.
Due to the restrictions in travel we are currently not able to visit churches and preach. We do small gatherings at home with kids instead. I teach children and lead them in Bible studies. We are in touch with several friends in Czech Republic and pray together regularly. Everyone from our family is fine and coping well in this period of time. My husband and I only leave home when absolutely necessary, to go shopping, visit the hospital or run pressing errands. A few days ago, when it was still possible to travel, we enlarged our farm adding two sheep and one ram.
We would like to thank the KMS foundation for a very generous gift. Thanks to it we just started to repair floors of rabbit hutches. We would also like to thank Chomutov CBH for their financial contribution in the time of the biggest crisis. Thanks to all the supporters, sponsors, brothers and sisters in Christ and to those who pray for us.
God bless you, may the love of the Lord be with you,
Radka