Jambo everyone!

November has been a very busy month in USA! I have been able to spend time with family and friends, attend a few events and a few churches, and just plain catch up with lots of folks! I am now in scramble mode, constantly distracted (even now while writing this) by my list of things I need to do before I go. Every trip home, I tell myself I’m not going to leave stuff to the last minute, but time flies so fast, it always happens.

Good news! Our five eighth graders did well on their exams and have all been accepted into good boarding schools! Now the task of getting them everything they need to start this new adventure, begins. Each school has a unique shopping list (bedding, soap, toilet tissue, copy paper, etc.) of items every student must report with for the first day of school. All students are expected to arrive at school, in uniform, with exactly what was on their shopping list; nothing more and nothing less! They are not allowed to take street clothes or snacks to school. No phones. No fancy hair styles. No jewelry. High school is serious business in Kenya!

I’m told that things are going well at the home, except that there is a crazy amount of rain, which is very unusual for this time of year! For In Step, the rain has just been an inconvenience; kids having to be indoors more than they are used to, slipping and sliding down the road (pictured is the road to our house) when driving (or walking lol), trying to keep the floors clean while mud is tracked in all day long, etc.

But for some people, the rains have been devastating!

Not far from us, in an area called Pokot (some of you might remember me telling you about us delivering soap there), torrential rains have caused flooding and landslides! Many have lost homes, livestock, even their lives! Roads and bridges have been washed out, making it difficult for emergency teams to get help to them. It is heartbreaking! Please keep the people of Pokot in your thoughts and prayers!

Another group of people who are likely to be affected are maize farmers. It is harvest season! The maize is supposed to be drying in the sun, getting ready to go into storage or to market! It’s not supposed to be getting soaked out every day! The rains came late this year, so some farmers didn’t even plant… now those who did plant are in danger of losing their crops! There’s likely to be quite a maize shortage, which of course will drive up the price of this Kenyan staple food, making it even more difficult for people to feed their families.

Another baby was admitted into the home! Her name is Latifah. According to the doctor, she is about ten months old and is extremely malnourished and dehydrated. Nurse Abby is working with the dietitian to get this little one to a place of good health. I can’t wait to meet her!

Latifah’s story is not an uncommon one. Her mother abandoned her with an alcoholic grandmother, who didn’t take proper care of her. The situation was reported to the child welfare department of the Catholic Diocese, who rescued her and asked us to take her in. I look forward to watching her thrive in the stable and nurturing environment of In Step!

Just a quick update on Baby Joanie, since I know many of you have been praying for her. She is now a whopping 6.8 pounds! I told Nurse Abby that I think we should change her to regular formula now.

It’s fun having babies around again! I’m hoping that Joanie and Nancy will grow up to be great friends!

A fun and exciting thing happened a few weeks ago! A young lady named Aly, visited us several years ago and was inspired by the story of how In Step Children’s Home came into being. Now, all these years later, she wrote a children’s story book about it! I was so happy to be here in the states when it came out! It was fun giving one to each of my grandkids! One of my granddaughters even took a copy to her school library. A few other friends have done the same! It’s humbling that someone would be so inspired by what God has done at In Step!

The book is wonderful! Nicely worded. Beautifully illustrated. If you would like to order a copy, click here.

We will eventually also have it available on our website, but we haven’t gotten that far yet and I just couldn’t wait to share the news!

Well, my days of being in a country with too much food and fantastic internet are coming to an end. I have so enjoyed my visit, but it’s time to get back to real life! Words cannot express our appreciation for all of you! Your thoughts, prayers, kind words, financial support and volunteering of your time, mean the world to us! Every “forward” of this email and “share” on social media posts make such a difference in the lives of our kids! From the bottom of our hearts, thank-you!

Merry Christmas!

GIGATT (God is Good All the Time)!

Mama Carla

P.S. Every month as I sit down to write this letter, I stare at the computer screen wondering what on earth I’m going to write about. But once I get going, I have to force myself to stop! LOL

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