Here I am posting from 36,000 feet above Oklahoma. I’m on my way to the Launch 501c3 conference in Las Vegas put on by Fireproof Ministries. I have quite a schedule ahead me over the next few days as I learn from successful nonprofit leaders with 19 other people who, like me, are starting heir own organizations. I’m excited to brainstorm and network with people serving in so many different ways.

After a few days at the conference I head to Indianapolis to visit with some wonderful friends including the Morden family who are in the States on furlough. They are the missionaries we spent time with in the Lodwar, Kenya area last November. It will be great to catch up, brainstorm and dream about the coming months.

We have been in a season of patience and stillness. We only get one chance to set up the organization of Marah Water and we must do it right. The conference I’m attending will answer many of our questions so that we can proceed with the necessary legal work. Once that is out of the way we will move forward in solving problems, drumming up support, getting the word out and changing the world.

Thanks for reading, and look for updates on our legal status and project kickoffs in the very near future.

PS – just crossed into Kansas. Isn’t inflight Internet great?

Adam Black

Hi everyone! It’s been a while since we updated, so here we go.

Life has been very busy for us, but we are pressing forward with our projects and planning. I owe an update with more photos and information from Kenya and plan to do that this weekend. Please check back soon for an update.

In May I will be heading to Las Vegas for a conference for young non-profit organization leaders. The conference is put on by Fireproof Ministries. Fireproof is a non-profit incubator and I am excited to get their input, dream with them and network with the other conference participants. I’ll be posting some updates from Vegas while I’m there recapping the lessons learned. After this conference we will be pursuing 501c3 status and then the push begins!

Kristy and I are also planning our next visit to Kenya. We have some specific fundraising goals to achieve before we go. Our primary goal is to provide an HDPE Butt Fusion Pipe Welder to our friends Gene and Melba Morden in Turkana. The farm irrigation systems they install are comprised of hundreds of feet of this pipe. Through the standard use of the system this pipe is damaged. Gene’s current method of repair requires the use of expensive compression fittings while the Fusion Pipe Welder can fix the pipe without a great deal of work. The machine will also assist in new installations and will, over time, lessen the cost of installation. If you are interested in donating towards the purchase and shipping of this machine please email us!

Please pray for us as we work through the legal issues, IRS issues and business development that must take place over the next few months. We will be working hard, praying hard and enjoying every minute of it!

Adam

Hi everyone!

It’s been a while since we’ve posted, but things are again rolling after the holidays and some important meetings and planning sessions.

On January 24th we are having a light lunch, information session and trip recap right after the second service at Christian Church Buckhead.

Click here for a map of the location.

RSVP is requested but not required. We will be sharing some history, our vision, future plans, and photos/stories from our first visit to Kenya.

See you there!

Adam & Kristy

RSVP to kristy@marahwater.com

Hi everyone! Just a quick update.

Today is our final day in Kenya. We fly out late tonight. We’ve had an amazing time and can’t wait to share our stories, photos and vision with you.

We’re headed out to Church in a few minutes and then we’ll be visiting a boarding school that has some serious sanitation and water issues. It’s another great opportunity to impact some lives.

As soon as we get a chance we will be updating with photos and information regarding our stay here in Nairobi.

Talk to you soon!

Sorry for the late update. As you can imagine, internet connectivity in northern Kenya can be spotty. We had to pay by the MB and didn’t want to impose on our hosts, so we held off on an update. Now we’re in Nairobi and have good, fast, unlimited access to internet.

The Turkana area is in northern Kenya. The largest city in the Turkana area is called Lodwar, and that is where Kristy and I settled for a few days. Lodwar happens to be three degrees north of the equator and is unbelievably dry. It is a true desert.

Lodwar is bustling with activity. Many NGOs operate there. We saw plenty of bush vehicles zooming around with World Vision, OxFam and Solidarites logos plastered on the side. Many 10 wheelers and large dual trailer trucks are headed north for the Sudan with construction supplies, relief food and workers piled aboard. Supplies head north to support the huge UN refugee camps holding people from Somalia and the Sudan.

Our hosts, Gene and Melba Morden, have worked with the Turkana people for nearly 15 years. They are living in Lodwar, but they lived in the bush, about 3 hours away by Land Cruiser, for many years. They are passionate about providing clean water.

Kenya is currently suffering from a severe drought. The Turkana area hasn’t seen rain since November 2008. Before that it rained in August 2007. The land is dry, nothing is growing, and life is hard. Gene and Melba are working on irrigation and agriculture projects to support the Turkana people. Their work consists of installing a farm, installing a well, and training the Turkana on farming and agriculture practices. The people then have food to eat, share and sell as well as clean water to drink. They instill a sense of ownership and require the villagers to work to sustain their farm.

The issues in Turkana revolve around the speed by which a water system can be installed. Sustainability of systems is also important – the environment is harsh and equipment fails regularly. The groundwater in some areas is contaminated with high levels of fluoride, leading to dental and skeletal fluorosis as well as decreased crop production. The problems are many.

We will work with the Mordens and their team to develop engineered solutions to these problems. If you are interested, please contact me.

During our stay in the Turkana area we fell in love with the culture and the people. The Turkana are resilient and their strength is admirable. Their culture is vibrant and the people are friendly and open. We were able to travel to many villages in the bush where water and farming projects are underway as well as a couple of projects that are just getting off the ground. The work is slow and tedious, but the Mordens and the Turkana are presistent.

The bush nights are amazing. We had the only lights within 100 miles, and when we turned them off we could see more stars than you can imagine. It is truly impossible to explain.

We were also lucky enough to visit Lake Turkana, where we waded in the warm waters, saw herds of camels drinking, and saw flocks of flamingos drinking and eating. This lake is untouched, beautiful and incredibly remote.

We will be back to Lodwar to help the Turkana people. Until then we will pray hard for rain, work hard for a solution, and pray hard for the Turkana people.

Enjoy some photos of our time there!

Bush Sunrise

Farm Project

Animal Watering Hole - unsafe to drink

Dry River Bed

Hand Pumped Well

Hand Dug Irrigation Well - in progress

Traditional Turkana Women

Traditional Turkana Women

Traditional Turkana Man

Dry River Valley - there is no surface water. only the deeply rooted trees are green.

We came across a broken down lorry in the bush. We shared our water with the thirsty people waiting in the hot sun.

This lush, well water irrigated farm can feed an entire village.

Free wifi in the Nairobi airport is a nice touch.

We’re here in Nairobi safe and sound. Waiting on our plane to Lodwar, and hopefully we can send some more updates. Kenyan Airways was great, and we both slept for the majority of the 8hr flight.

Check back soon for photos and more updates!

Kristy and I were a little nervous about our very rusty french language this morning when we stepped off the plane in Paris. Lucky us we had a 13 hour layover today, so we were able to spend a little time eating our way through one of our favorite cities. Neither of us slept well on the plane, so our jaunt was a little rough. Actually, I didn’t sleep at all, and Kristy had only a few hours the tossing and turning kind of sleep. Can someone be immune to Ambien?

We’re here at CDG in Paris waiting to board our flight to Nairobi which leaves shortly. Hopefully our next post will be from Kenya – it all depends on the availability of our internet connection. If you don’t hear from us in the next 8 days then rest assured we will post some long updates when we arrive in London on the return trip. We did get to video chat with the kids a few minutes ago. They looked great and were having tons of fun. Mom and Dad feel better after seeing the kids’ faces too.

We’re more excited every minute. We have no idea what God has in store for us, but we know it’s going to be one heck of a ride. While we feel prepared, we understand there are plenty of unknowns. Pray for our ability to be flexible as plans change and circumstances fluctuate.

And here are a couple of photos for y’all to be jealous of. The next ones will tug at your heart, so enjoy while you can!

Sunrise in Paris

Le Tour Eiffel

We’re about 50 hours from the first of a few long plane rides to get to Kenya. On Saturday we will arrive in Lodwar to stay with some people who have been fighting water issues for a long time.

We’re thankful for the prayer and support of friends, family and strangers who are with us behind the scenes. We can’t do this without you.

As we make final preparations we ask again that you pray for us, for our kids as we’re gone for an extended period of time, and for those people who need help.

Now for some operational news. We are continuing to make great contacts in the non profit world and in the engineering world. Our next steps are to appoint a board of directors, hone the vision, and to create short term and long range plans. We will apply for 501c3 non profit status in January.

Internet service is likely to be spotty while we are in Kenya, but we hope to get a couple of updates in while we are in country. Please check back here for the latest news, pictures and video.

Wish us luck, and thanks for keeping up with us!

November 19^th is fast approaching and, as you can imagine, we are working hard on all the details.  Plane tickets have been donated and purchased, lodging has been reserved and our kids are getting prepared for a long stay with grandparents.

This first trip to Kenya is largely a scouting and fact finding trip which is why we are going alone.  In the future we plan to have many opportunities for team trips where you can be involved and travel with us.

As for today, there ways you can help us get this idea launched.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT

Thanks to some generous friends, Skymiles were donated to cover our plane tickets to Kenya. This has significantly reduced the cost of our trip.  We need approximately $2,000 to cover the remainder of our trip. This includes lodging, in country flights, vaccinations and other travel costs.  You can help us financially by making a donation through Christian Church Buckhead.  More details are on the Get Involved page.

PRAYER

We need a group of people that will commit to prayer with us during the trip.  Please email us or leave a comment on the blog so we know who’s praying for us.  Some specific requests we have:

• Our kids. We’ve never been apart for this long.  It will be hard on all of us.
• Safe travel.
• Relationship building with the missionaries and people we will be meeting.
• Next steps as we build a network of people willing to partner with us on this endeavor.

DONATIONS FOR THE MISSIONARIES

We want to arrive in Kenya bearing gifts.  Here is a wish list of items we have received from the missionaries we will be visiting.

1. Used, working, laptop PC’s circa 2005 or later people may have replaced or are no longer using.
2. Used, working, digital cameras people may have replaced or are no longer using.
3. HP Ink Cartridges 130, 135 for the HP5900 series printer and HP Cartridge 12A for the HP 1020.
4. A digital projector that connects to a laptop for presentations, training, video viewing, etc.
5. Crayons
6. Colored pencils
7. Pupils and teachers manuals for Sunday school lessons
8. Flannel graph for Bible stories and large pieces of flannel
9. Puzzles – both picture and word
10. Flash cards
11. Alphabet letters (printing and script) for display in the classrooms
12. Pencil Sharpeners
13. Safety scissors
14. Construction paper
15. Any educational and/or spiritual wall posters
16. Bible study guides for small groups

We are also looking for some Christmas stocking stuffers for one missionary’s child (a 10 year old boy) and some gifts for the missionaries themselves.

The most humbling part of this adventure is the knowledge that we cannot do it alone.   It’s tempting to think Adam and I can take care of everything ourselves since it’s easier when you don’t have to be accountable to anyone.  But that is a foolish thought, because we want this to go beyond anything we could ever do by ourselves.  The credit will not be ours but will fall to everyone who has helped make this possible.  So thank you in advance for your prayers and your generosity.  We will do everything we can to honor your gifts.

Hello everyone, and thanks for giving our site a look.

Here you will find news about our upcoming visit to Kenya, our pending 501(c)3 status, fundraising opportunities and general news about our organization and projects.

Please check out the links above to learn more about us. Check our Facebook page and become a fan, follow us on Twitter, and subscribe to our RSS feed for automatic site update and blog post notification by using the icons at the top right.

Thanks, and we look forward to sharing with you!