Budgets & Blessings

I sat with Moses and Paul James today to do budgets.

It doesn’t sound like something to look forward to very much, but it was a really good day.

We sat in the garden at Sunset Hotel and went, one by one, through each of the programs that we support, each of the children that we look after. We talked about the programs, whether they are achieving what we envisioned and hoped for, whether we need to make changes, whether to prune or to invest.

The garden at Sunset is a wonderful place, full of tall, spreading trees and colourful plants, a lovely green lawn leading down to a woodland canopy lining the shores of Lake Victoria.

The beautiful purple jacaranda, the flame trees with their glorious red flowers, the fig trees where the monkeys chase each other with dog like barks and squeals.

The birds are equally beautiful, the superb starlings have a wonderful blue sheen, catching the light of the sun on their backs, the small blue green sunbirds, with their slender downturned bills, perfectly formed for coaxing the sweetest nectar from the willing plant producers.

The scarlet-chested sunbird, flitting from branch to branch looked, for all the world, like its heart had opened and was displayed for all to see. Maybe it just loved the richness and variety of this equatorial garden.

Fish eagles sat, imperious on the tree branches, overlooking the lake and Black Kites circle in the skies above, watching, waiting, soaring on thermals, never flapping, but graceful and skilled in flight.

Next to Sunset, by the lake shore, sits the impala park and a newly opened entrance from the hotel grounds gave glimpses of impala, the male with its long curved horns proudly surveying the harem of which he was king.

And through it all we talked. Each program in turn, Kibos, the boys, all those who look after them, the cooks, the gardeners, the land, the problems with the electricity supply, the monthly reports and inspections from the provincial children’s office. The land we own, our plans for gardening and farming, greenhouses and chickens.

The Mamboleo, the boys there, Paul James, his cook, security issues in the area, schools and resettlement programs

Then farming, our street outreach, Kachok, the rubbish dumps, the slum programs, the resource centre and its paintings, how to make the boys more independent, how to withdraw support slowly so they take responsibility, so we can support the more needy.

We talked of the education program, of agreements with guardians, of problems and expectations on the work of the Trust.

We talked for hours.

Moses battery ran out on his laptop and I took it to charge while we ate a late lunch of chicken and fish under the shade of the fig tree. Then more tea to wash it down, and back to work. We drafted agreements, wrote plans and set budgets.

It was work, but it was not work. We achieved a lot, agreed a lot, debated and confirmed a lot. We didn’t drive anywhere, meet anyone, see anything. We sat and opened our hearts, our thoughts, our plans, like the scarlet chested sunbird looking on from the branches above.

I was reminded of Psalm 133

Behold, how good and how pleasant it is
For brothers to dwell together in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,
Coming down upon the beard,
Even Aaron’s beard,
Coming down upon the edge of his robes.

It is like the dew of Hermon
Coming down upon the mountains of Zion;
For there the LORD commanded the blessing—life forever.

Who knew that a day of budgets and forms could be a day of commanded blessing.