SLIDE PRESENTATION 4th of 27 Emails

Jambo! (Hello in Swahili),

Lawana has spent the past 2 full days working on Corwin & Peggy’s slide presentation for the closing celebration parties of their measles campaign. It has been very time-consuming, because prior to that we’ve helped with the picture-taking throughout our days here working on the program with them. It’s been great fun, though, as the Kenyans love to have their pictures taken and then Lawana showing their pictures to them in our digital camera. Many of them in the bush have never seen anything like that and their cries of joy and expressions of happiness as they saw themselves brought tears to our eyes. We tried to get as many action shots as possible wherever we were. Take a look at all the photos and try to feel the heart-felt emotions, expressions, and feelings of these wonderful people!

Corwin and Peggy will use the presentation at celebration parties at the branches and other volunteer meetings to show them how the program was developed and rolled out in total and in all areas. A goat will be roasted for a feast in their eyes and in appreciation for their great volunteer service to the children who received the measles shots. It’s been amazing to begin hearing about hundreds and hundreds of vaccinations being given in locations all across Kenya. Lawana’s computer skills have been invaluable to this production, complete with African music, and wonderful photos. She did the same kind of production skills for our “Be Smart!” mission. Isn’t it amazing how missions not only benefit the recipients, like the investigators and like the measles shot recipients here in Africa, but also benefit the missionaries in many different ways? The adage continues that missions, or any kind of service for that matter, always leaves the giver more in debt to the Lord than all the service he was able to give.

The slide presentation will also be included in the Ogborn’s report to Salt Lake about their mission. Hundreds of photos were taken showing the original volunteer meetings at the Red Cross, organizing the volunteers with their red hats and shirts, training the children choir to sing the measles jingle and recording it at the recording studio, the shots being given in the slums and elsewhere, etc.

We wish we could send you now the measles jingle which the children were taught and sang so well, both in English and then in Swahili for the radio broadcasts and at the opening ceremonies in the slums before the shots were given there. We were so proud of the kids who came from the 3 local branches of the Church. They were so patient as it took several hours to record the jingle, but they loved going later to a fast food place for their choice of lunch. Many had never eaten at such a place or even been out of their own little village areas, so it was a real adventure for them to come to the big city and to then eat at a “restaurant” was beyond their wildest dreams. Remember, some of these kids were from not just the usual poor villages, but some were from the starving Chyulu area where the Red Cross is giving out bags of maize (corn) which is their only food for a long time. It has not rained there for over 3 years.

We must close for now as morning will come soon.

Love to you all,Dick and Lawana

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