By Roger Oakland
Understand the Times and Bryce Homes
The Bryce Homes in Kenya are not all located in one concentrated area. At present, there are twenty of them scattered in a region that lies towards Lake _______ and covers an area that is over 500 square miles. As you can understand administering a program to widows and families in such an expansive region is characterized by many difficulties. However, this is how our Bryce Home Kenya administration team has set up the program. This expansive outreach spreads out the support and gives opportunity to share the gospel over a wide area. This is the vision of the Bryce Homes Kenya program incorporated from the beginning.
The families situated in the ________ region are all located within a few miles of each other. The widows and the children in this area are regular attendees of Pastor Achilla’s or Pastor Nelson’s churches. Delivering food to them is not such a huge task. In every case, a vehicle carrying supplies is able to drive close to the homes to make the drop off. In a few cases, the driver has to make a detour from a trail and head across an open field or pasture dodging the odd tree or large rock. Delivery of monthly food supplies can be accomplished in several hours.
Not so for the two homes located at _____________ region or the six homes clustered in the _______ area. To reach these eight homes all in one day is a challenge. There are three major obstacles – the roads that are not fit for vehicles, the cows and goats who share these trails, and the weather. While the first 20 miles of the trip can be made on a modern paved road, this is the only portion of the trip that is reasonable. From _______, the road branches off and becomes a winding trail where drivers do their best to navigate rock piles, cows, and washouts that act as speed bumps and hinder speed beyond a few miles per hour.
However, these goat trails, as I call them, remain passable as long as it has not rained recently. There is still another major hazard. My experience has shown me as the result of several of these trips, if there are dark clouds forming in the sky, you better be prepared for a flash flood as small lakes of water and rivers form in seconds making your way impassable.
As it is not possible to carry thousands of pounds of supplies on the backs of a few men to their final destinations, the drivers are determined to transform their vehicles into “boats” and treacherously proceed crossing huge mud holes and small rivers. Click here to read the rest of this and other reports from Roger’s recent trip to Kenya. You may also see other photos and donate to the program.
