It's hard to say goodbye......

Going to meet the Il Chamus tribe was like stepping into a story book.  It had a certain life changing heaviness to it, but I really wasn’t sure what to expect.  We loaded onto a small boat, wearing our 70's style life vests and headed to an island that looked very similar to the island where they found King Kong. (See the green island in the middle of the lake?)

When we arrived at the island it was like nothing I had ever seen.  A small village of huts made from mud and cow dung with thatched roofs.  The village had no electricity, no running water and no sanitation facilities, that didn't surprise me though, because that was part of the reason I was there.  We met with the chief and the elders of the tribe to discuss what our hopes were for the tribe's future (along with some help from the pastors we were traveling with).  Some of these local pastors had been witnessing and discipling the Il Chamus for about two years.  And, the local people are excited about having a church built. (Praise God!) I really hope to be a part of the church build, I love being a part of a construction team.

     The conversation then shifted to their need for clean water.  The Il Chamus get there water directly from Lake Baringo via buckets. I set up the filtering system that my family had been using for our clean drinking water while visiting Kenya.  One of the tribesman got some water from the lake, which I then put in the bag hanging from the tree. (You can see the bag of lake water in the picture to the right)  It looked like a biology experiment!  There were all sorts of things floating and swimming around in there.  I was afraid for the water filter!  I had never put it to that kind of test, but the filter passed with flying colors.  The filter was a little small for a whole village, but the point of filtering this bag of water was to see if it would work.  I was just trying to show that we could clean the water.  The filter worked great and everyone was excited, so what was the problem????

Remember when I said, "I love being a part of a construction team."?  I love being a part of a construction team because the team sets a goal and you work until you reach that goal (I like that).  A medical mission team is a little different; when you leave, there is still more to be done and more people standing at the door waiting to be helped (I don't like that).

Well, the weather was starting to get rough, and our guide suggested that we begin our journey back.  It was time to say goodbye.  My heart dropped........ I didn't have enough time to finish filtering even one bag of water!  We left, leaving a whole village standing lakeside waiting to be helped.  It broke my heart (which is exactly what I think it was suppose to do).  I had a chance to really see the need, first hand, and I know that I need to return to help the Il Chamus.  I also know  there are a number of ways to provide them with clean drinking water.  I pray that I will get a chance to finish what God had put on my heart that day.  I am anxious and excited to get back to Kenya on a full-time basis so we can show these new Christian the love of our savoir Jesus Christ.