Margush's in Kenya

Pictures

2009-06-23T20:22:00.003-04:00

The last of the pictures have been uploaded. ere are the two links that are new:
Kenya 5
Kenya 6

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Kenya 4
Kenya 3
Kenya 2
Kenya 1

Sunday, June 21: Home

2009-06-21T22:40:00.002-04:00

The trip to Amsterdam gained us an hour of time, but I lost quite a few hours of sleep. Breakfast was a yummy french toast and yogurt. When the plane landed, I was tired. We immediately visited the restrooms, and then those that did not eat on the plane found some breakfast. Our connection to go to Newark was at the opposite end of the airport, but we had plenty of time to find it - about 7 hours.

We went to some of the lounges in the airport, but they were all filled with sleeping people, so we curled up on the tiny waiting area seats and tried to catch a few Zz's. Kayla seemed to be the only one to actually fit on a seat and sleep more or less comfortably. I spent some of the time catching up on writing this blog.

Boarding the flight to Newark involved another security check to enter the boarding area - passports, questions, remove belts, shoes, pocket contents, pass everything through x-ray machine, put ourselves back together, and then wait some more.

The flight across the Atlantic was especially boring. In Newark, we had to claim our baggage, go through customs, and recheck the baggage. A luggage cart was $5! We managed it all and it was painless.

You can tell I am tired - we arrived Cleveland on time, Cody met us with our van, and we drove home, picking pizza on the way. Night Night - have to go to work in the morning.

Saturday, June 20: Bomas

2009-06-21T22:39:00.002-04:00

We got up at 5 to say good bye to Timothy and Christine. The driver was a little late, but arrived in plenty of time to make the flight connection. It was sad to say good bye to our good friends. As soon as they left, we crawled back in bed, but were up at 7 for breakfast.

Christine (not the other Christine who was in the air headed back to Kisumu, but the cook at Eshel Garden) cooked a wonderful breakfast of crepes, sausage, and fruit. We even had maple syrup. The morning was spent packing and figuring out how we were going to get to Bomas (a Kenyan cultural center) and then to the airport. Plans fell into place a little at a time, making me feel a little more relaxed.

At 3, Bovince, the driver for Eshel Garden, took us to Bomas. When we arrived, we heard music coming from the large pavilion. We paid our admission and went in. They have a dance group that dresses the various tribal costumes and performs a traditional dance. There were also drummers and acrobats. The show was pretty interesting. We thought the center was only open for a 2 hour interval, but that was just the time the dancing was going on. As a result, we did not have time to tour the huts and other surrounding exhibits.

As we were leaving, we spotted two warthogs grazing in the parking lot. We returned to Eshel Garden for our last supper there, and spent a little time visiting with Mary and her family. Our transport arrived, and we loaded our baggage, and then sat on top of it for the ride to the airport.

Getting everyone through the airport checks is quite an experience. It is nothing like going alone. The procedures in African and European airports are also different from what I have experienced in the US. At the airport entrance in Nairobi, passports are checked and everything immediately is x-rayed, just to get inside. We collected everything on the other side of the scanner, put shoes and belts back on, and then located the weigh-in station. All of the bags were weighed and stamped with a sticker. Then we went to the ticket counter to check the bags. Passports again. We checked ten bags (maximum allowed) so we only had personal items and the musical instruments to carry-on. Our burden lightened and boarding passes in hand, we headed to passport control desks to get our exit stamp. This required filling out yellow cards (again). I think this is the 4th time for this card, so it was at least a familiar process. When the yellow cards were dutifully filled out, we presented them to get our exit stamps in our passport. Next we located our departure gate; another x-ray and security check (passports and boarding passes). This is where all the water and lethal weapons (toenail clippers) were being confiscated. There was a large container of such items. Belts, shoes, computers were collected on the other side and we sat down to wait in the secure waiting area. Sarah, David, and Kayla stayed behind to do some shopping with Lisa and Evey (whose plane left an hour later than ours). As our boarding time drew near, we worried that they might not get through the security line in time. The line remained fairly long, even though the waiting area was filling. Our plane was a 747, and it holds a lot of people. We were about to go looking, when we saw them in line. Wendy appeared also (she was on the same plane for the first leg of her flight).

Boarding was delayed; they reported they were doing extra security checks. The plane was nice and the individual video screens all worked very well. The KLM staff were very helpful and friendly. After takeoff, we watched a movie or two and tried to get some sleep. Dinner was good -- chicken pot pie, salad, and a cream-filled cake of some sort. I had trouble getting comfortable. The plane was quite full; there was no opportunity to stretch out.

Friday, June 19: The Train, Part 2

2009-06-21T22:39:00.001-04:00

When I awoke, The train was stopped at a station (a collection of 5-6 buildings surrounded by open ground. There was a passing siding on one side of the train. I assumed we were waiting for another train to pass.

People were walking around alongside the tracks. Children were staring at the train. I got off and found Timothy who was also curious about what was going on. Apparently we had stopped around 2 AM and had been sitting there ever since. We walked to the rear of the train and asked a man sitting in one of the two unique-looking cars that were attached after the third class coaches. He said there had been a derailment ahead and we were waiting for it to be cleared.

Sarah, Lisa, and Kayla got off with a beach ball, and attracted about a hundred kids around them. They had a good time playing ball. I walked to the front of the train, and got some pictures. I was headed farther up the line to get pictures of the turnout that is operated by a lever in the control tower through hundreds of feet of cables and pulleys, when the horn sounded, indicating the train was ready to leave.

The engineer waited until everyone was onboard before pulling out, and we were on our way again. The delay worked out well for us as we were able to see a lot of wildlife. Had the train been on schedule, most of the trip would have been in darkness.

The xylophone passed our compartment and we went for breakfast. Eggs, sausage, a little splash of cabbage mixture, toast, and orange marmalade (of course). Coffee too. The rest of the trip we spent looking out of windows, or sitting and talking.

We met several people on the train. A young lady sat at our table for dinner. She works on the front page layout of the Washington Post online version. She was in Kenya on a fact-finding mission with some other newspeople, and decided to stay a few extra days for a vacation. We met an older man with tuberculosis of the spine. He has been frustrated with the lack of success with treatments. Timothy knew of a hospital that might be of help to him, and gave him the names of a doctor and administrator that he could contact. His son helps care for him (he is wheelchair bound) and I talked with him for a while. He would like to come to the United States to do graduate work.

The train pulled into Nairobi around 4 PM, exactly six hours overdue. We had communicated with those who planned to meet us, so they had not been waiting all that time. We had to show our tickets to get out of the station.

Timothy, Christine, Gail and I were met by Margaret, who leads a fellowship in Nairobi called Friends of Israel. We were scheduled to attend a prayer meeting with their group. Originally, we were going to go to the guest house (Eshel Garden), have time to freshen up, and then go back to town for the meeting, but the train delay required a change of plans. The others went in a van with all of our stuff to Eshel Garden.

Margaret put us in a taxi and then we met a few blocks away at the Serena Hotel. The trip took about 30 minutes as the traffic was horrendous. At the security gate, they used a mirror to check under the car, and verified there were no explosives in the trunk before allowing us into the parking lot. Another lady, Pauline, and Margaret met us and we had tea and Samosas before driving to the meeting. Afterwards, Christine was commenting that she had seen this hotel frequently on the TV, and now she actually had tea inside.

The meeting was attended by about 50 people. We had a time of prayer, praise, and then Margaret talked about her recent visit to Tanzania. Then she introduced us and I talked about our ministry in Kenya, our family, and our fellowship in Akron. People had lots of questions about our family and life in the United States. We were encouraged to see the formation of more connections between Timothy, this group, and Timothy's church in Mombasa. I think we will also be in contact with some of the people there via email when we get back.

Margaret put us in a cab, and told the driver approximately where we needed to go. When we got close a phone call to Abraham got us through the last two turns and we were "home." We went immediately to bed, after greeting people and making arrangements for Timothy and Christine to leave at 5 AM for their return flight to Kisumu.

Thursday, June 18: The Train

2009-06-21T22:37:00.001-04:00

Thursday was a day to pack and squeeze in the last few things to do. Sarah and Lisa spent quite a few hours on the beach. Evey took an outrigger ride. Timothy, Gail, and I went to Haller Park, a sort of zoo near our apartments. Christine took a nap.

Haller Park was pretty nice. It was set in the woods, with some animals roaming free. The dangerous ones were in areas surrounded by walls to keep us apart. There were lots of silly monkeys running all around. The highlight of the day was Timothy feeding a giraffe.

Our driver arrived at $:45 to take us to the train station. Mombasa traffic was heavy, but nothing like Nairobi. We arrived at the train station, and were very unsure of the procedure we needed to follow. A guard sent me to the booking window to get boarding passes (we had pre-purchased the tickets). I met the others on the platform. There was no train yet, so we just sat and waited.

About 6, the train backed into the station, and people started boarding. We had no idea which car to get on. We asked someone, and he suggested we look at our boarding passes. That was helpful. Each pass had the coach number and compartment letters. Of course, the coaches were not arranged in any order. The train was not too long, so it did not take but a few minutes to locate the two cars we were in. We had booked one second class coach compartment (for 4) and three first class compartments (2 people each, except David got his own room).

The passages to the compartments were very narrow. The first class compartments were adjacent, and David's actually had a second door to ours, allowing for a more open floor plan. The car in front of ours was the Restaurant Car. The four girls were three cars ahead of that.

Our compartment had a bench seat along one side with a bunk above. The bench seat was way too deep to sit on normally, but was comfortable if you curled your legs up on it. Opposite the seat was a narrow closet with a ladder attached to it to aid in climbing o the top bunk. There was also a sink and mirror. The lights did not work until about 6:30 when they turned the power on.

We spent a lot of time standing in the passageway, looking out the windows on the right side of the train. The window in our compartment only went down about two inches. There were people playing guitar on the platform, and others eating and drinking at the trackside cafe. Someone came by and asked to see our tickets. Someone else came by and asked if we wanted to eat at the first or second sitting; we selected first.

The train left exactly at 7 PM, right on schedule. I was surprised. It was already dark, so there was little to see other than city lights, and they quickly faded from view. One of the porters (is that the right name) walked through the passageway ringing a three tone xylophone. This was the call for dinner.

The Restaurant Car had a line of fans down the center of the roof, all rotating in a circular motion. The tables were set with a proper British air. The menu said we would get cream of mushroom soup, breaded fish with tartar sauce, choice of chicken curry, vegetables and rice, beef goulash and Lyonaisse potatoes, and dessert consisting of a fruit plate and ice cream.

We soon were served soup. It was a cream of tomato soup. There was no fish, but the main course followed soon after we finished the soup. The servers brought the food on platters and served from them to our plates. For dessert, only the fruit plate was offered. We had been wishing for ice cream, but there apparently was none. We ordered sodas for a slight fee, and went back to our compartments with full tummies. Oh... they did bring tea. The server had two pitchers, and we assumed one was black tea, and the other African tea (tea made in milk). Evey asked for the milk tea, pointing to the pitcher that was not black tea. She got a cup full of plain milk. He walked away so quickly, she did not have a chance to correct the error. We all had a good laugh. When he returned, he added some tea (although there was not much room left) to remedy the mistake.

The beds had been made up in our compartments while we were out. We went to bed right away. The clickity-clack of the wheels kept me awake for a while, but I was finally overcome by the swaying of the car. I woke a little later, and noticed the train was no longer moving. I drifted back to sleep, and remember nothing more until 7 AM when I woke for the day.

Wednesday, June 17: Snorkeling

2009-06-21T22:36:00.000-04:00

Today we woke up to sunny skies. Even with that, it did rain a few times during the day, but we simply ignored it. It was warm enough, and the rain was fairly short, so we dried off almost right away.

We spent the morning and part of the afternoon on the beach or in the apartment. Gail went for a massage at a hut along the beach. We also hired the same woman to braid Kayla's hair (and do extensions). While that was going on we swam, sat in the rain, swam, laid on the beach, and generally relaxed.

At 3, we jumped onto an old boat with a glass bottom to go on our snorkeling adventure. Hiring the right captain was a long process. Everyone that you meet on the beach wants to sell you something. I decided to ask the apartment owner, and he called his friend who came over to explain what he had to offer. It turns out he was from the same boathouse as the other guys I had talked with on previous encounters on the beach, but he seemed to have a better explanation of what he would do for us. When he cut his price in half, we agreed to go with him.

I think the glass bottom boat, despite its decrepit shape, was the better choice. It allowed everyone to see what was under the water before jumping in, and for those not snorkeling, it offered a view of the ocean that would not have been possible in the outrigger that Robert (the previous captain) was going to take us out in.

On the way to Coral Garden (a spot off Nyali beach) we stopped to pay the guard the admission fee to the marine park. The ocean was pretty uninteresting all the way to the destination, then suddenly the floor opened up to a beautiful showroom of ocean life. We anchored the boat, donned our gear, and jumped in. Snorkeling is great fun; I highly recommend it to anyone that has not done it before.

Kayla, David, Sarah, Lisa, Evey, and I snorkeled. The others stayed in the boat. One of the crew dived for starfish, sea urchins, and other items. He brought them to the boat so everyone could see and touch them. Everything was thrown back before we left. We spent most of our time there, then moved on to Starfish Garden.

Starfish Garden was a rather shallow area, and we were a bit cautious because there were lots of large spiny sea urchins, black, with very bright silver spots on the top. We did not want to step on them. Because of the danger, we only stayed there a short time, but we did get to see a lot of very large starfish, some twelve inches or more across, and more fish.

Next, as it was getting windy and darker, we headed out to the reef. We anchored the boat in very shallow water, and got out. After walking through ankle deep water, we came to the reef, which is a coral island usually covered by the sea, but at low tide, it is out of the water, or just below the surface. It is full of interesting life. It was a little like walking on water. The reef is probably one half mile out from shore (I am not good at judging distances across water, so this may be inaccurate) and runs for a long distance parallel to the shoreline. The waves all break at the reef, and the waters from there to the shore are relatively calm. In fact, the shore is pretty boring for a seashore. We did have some breaking waves (about a foot high) at high tide, but most of the time it is less forceful than Lake Erie on a calm day.

The trip back to shore was short, which was good as we were all tired. We paid for our excursion, walked up the path to the apartment, and then started supper. We made Chapati pizzas, an interesting and delicious combination of ethnic foods. Evey popped popcorn and we made coffee. Now it is time to go to bed. Tomorrow is our last day in Mombasa. We spend the night on the train to Nairobi.

Tuesday, June 16: Fort Jesus

2009-06-21T22:33:00.001-04:00

We woke up to the sound of rain. It rained last night, but this was the first morning rain we have had for a while. Hopefully they got some rain in Kakamega. We walked down to the beach; it was very deserted except for some fishermen down the beach. They use a boat to drag a net out from the beach and then circle back in. Then about five men on each side pull the net to shore. I was too far away to see if they caught anything.

The kids went in swimming. I stood on the shore and watched crabs and clams. There was a greenish crab in the sand. He (or she) looked dead, so I was going to pick it up. When I touched it, it moved its legs. I poked it a bit more and it came out of the sand. It was about five inches across. It moved away a little, then as a wave went over it it buried itself so just a green rectangle was left. I saw it on and off for a while, then it disappeared. The experience made me look more carefully where I stepped.

There were those little sand-colored crabs scooping sand out of their holes, carrying it to a little pile about a foot away. They were busy, but ran and hid if you got close.

Robert, another captain, came over to sell me a trip to the reef. We agreed on a price if the weather would be good. However, the entire day was rainy, sunny, rainy, sunny, rainy... well, you get the idea.

I had to talk with two other vendors for a while. They are all too friendly and you don't want to just say, "get lost." After finishing at the beach, David, Kayla, Sarah, Lisa, Gail, and I set off to Nakumatt for more groceries. DK&G took borda-bordas. That was a good choice, as I had to talk with another sales person for most of the walk. A young man caught up with me, asked where I was from, and then started telling me he could arrange for us to visit any attraction in the city. It was a pleasant enough conversation, but I would have preferred to walk in silence. We parted at the turnout to Nakumatt.

All of us stopped at Chelsea's Internet Cafe to get our business done, then headed to the grocery store. Foe some reason, I was given the chore of getting food, while everyone else went browsing through the two-level superstore. We had a bag for everyone when we finished, and the three borda-borda riders met us at the exit. They called for three more bikes, and we all rode home. It was much more pleasant than walking with heavy groceries.

Timothy, Christine, and Evey left around 8:30 for the other side of Mombasa. Timothy needed to buy cane tips for some of the people in his congregation and they planned to visit a hospital for children with disabilities. This hospital also makes prosthetic devices.

When they returned, we had to decide about the reef trip. The weather was cool and looked like rain. We decided to visit Fort Jesus instead. Gail, David, Timothy, Christine, and I headed for the road. Immediately, a matatu traveling in the wrong direction screeched to a stop and asked where we wanted to go. They had just a little left to the end of their route, and were eager to pick up a group of five. Another matatu coming in the correct direction honked, and came to a stop. The first conductor yelled at them to keep going. In the meantime, the first matatu sped down the road, made a quick U-turn, and drove up (as the second one sped away). The door opened, and the conductor asked the person inside to get out and walk the rest of the way to his stop. He was carrying a large blue tank, like a welding tank. I felt badly. We got in, and headed for Mombasa.

Timothy wanted to get the driver to take us right to the entrance of Fort Jesus, but he refused (even when offered more money) as it would be against the matatu rules of Mombasa. We were dropped at the appropriate point, and jumped into two tuk-tuks for the rest of the journey. A tuk-tuk is a sort of motorized rickshaw, an enclosed three-wheeled motorcycle with a passenger compartment in the back for three passengers.

Gail, David, and Christine were in the lead and had a very aggressive driver. At one point the drove into a ditch, partially up the other side, and then back onto the roadway. They made a two lane road into three. Timothy's and my tuk-tuk was shared with a woman and child and seemed a bit slower. We arrived in front of Fort Jesus, and joined the others.

We entered the fort, and paid our fees, and then were greeted by a man that wanted to be paid to give us a tour. Timothy went back to the ticket window. He came back with a guard who introduced us to a "real" guide. He explained that people arrange to give tours at whatever price they can. This is allowed, but there are volunteers with name cards (not a hand lettered badge that says "Tour Guide") that do not charge. The wanna-be guide went off to find another victim. We went with our volunteer guide and had a very nice time.

Fort Jesus was built in the 1500's by the Portuguese to guard the entrances to the Mombasa ports. It was taken by the Arabs about a hundred years later. Then, in two hundred years, by the British. Kenya assumed control when it became an independent country. The fort is shaped like Jesus on the cross, hence its name. One of the most interesting features of the fort was the toilets in the wall. These were little egg-shaped alcoves with a hole at the bottom. By squatting, you could release the unwanted matter into the hole where if slid through the wall to the outside of the fort. Today, there is a nice garden along the wall in that location.

When we finished our tour, we walked into the downtown Mombasa area and caught a matatu to a point near home. Evey had cooked supper. The rest of the evening was just for relaxing and visiting.

Monday, June 15: Bombolulu

2009-06-16T03:56:00.002-04:00

This morning we woke up to a beautiful morning. There was a nice breeze, and the ocean view was very pretty. I made french toast for everyone except David (he had eggs). The coffee today was a little better and we had real cream to put in it. After breakfast we headed out to the street, caught a matatu to Bombolulu to visit the workshops and showroom.

Bombolulu is a community that was founded in 1969 to create employment for the many disabled living in that area. We toured several workshops which now employ people who are disabled. There is a jewelry area where metal and beaded jewelry is crafted. In another center, wheel chairs are constructed. We saw all sorts of chair designs. Most were very rugged to match the rugged terrain in Kenyan cities and countryside. They also manufacture three wheeled bicycles with the pedals on the handlebars for those whose legs do not work.
In another workshop people were doing leather work. One of the current projects was the design of menu covers for a restaurant. In another building, people were sewing and embroidering. Many of the products were available in the showroom. We shopped for some time, and found quite a few items we wanted and were happy to support what looks like a good organization.
We talked with one of the business managers for the showroom, and he agreed to work something out with Geofrey so he can sell his banana leaf collages in Nairobi and Mombasa. Hopefully we can get all of that in place in short order.

Timothy arranged for transportation back to the apartments in a Bombolulu van. That saved us a little bit of money and time. Christine also picked up some Chapatis from a friend, so that made for an easy lunch.

Most of us headed to the beach, while Christine, Timothy, and Gail went shopping for costumes. A costume is what one buys to wear to the beach. They visited the market where Timothy used to sell tomatoes, and were excited to be reunited with many old friends. They did find costumes, and came down to the beach about the time most of the rest of us were ready to go in. I stayed and visited with Timothy; Gail and Christine visited in the water.

While the shopping was going on, the rest of us swam, dug in the sand, walked, sun bathed, and swam some more. I met two guys who operate stands a few hundred yards down the beach. They were looking for business. One operates a boat charter, the other a gift shop. If we can negotiate a good price, we may be able to take a boat to the reef and go snorkeling.
We all had a relaxing time. Evey fixed supper: leftover rice made to look like something new with a few vegetables and eggs added in. It was good. Fresh mango was also on the table. After supper, Timothy and Christine went to their apartment. Gail and I went for a walk on the beach as it was heading toward dusk. It was pretty deserted. After walking for a while we noticed little things scooting along the sand in front of us. I thought it was seaweed blowing across the beach, but some pieces seemed to be going in opposite directions. Crabs. Little sand-colored crabs. Some the size of a little finger, others the size of a small foot. They blended in with the sand, so they were almost impossible to see. The beady black eyes were the most visible feature. Only when they moved could you easily distinguish them from the ground.

We turned around, and started back. They just got thicker. We were afraid we would step on them, but they seemed to avoid our feet. We passed two guards with machine guns. They told us we should not be walking up the beach where we had been, that it was not safe in that direction. I do not think he was referring to the crabs. We thanked them, and made note of the information for the future.

We got back safely, just as the darkness began to close in. Time for a shower, and then off to bed.

Sunday, June 14: Pentecostal Church

2009-06-16T03:54:00.001-04:00

Sunday morning came after a restful night. I went out on the patio, and could see the ocean. There is an access path that leads from our apartments to the beach. There were some fishermen visible. It was windy and looked like it might storm, but that never really happened.

Sarah made toast in the broiler, and Kayla made scrambled eggs. I made terrible coffee with a sieve. Timothy and Christine arrived by motorbike and had a bite to eat. Then it was time to leave for church.

We walked out to the street and started walking in the direction we needed to go. A few seconds later, a matatu stopped. Timothy said some magic words in another language, and we hopped in and were on our way. Two hundred shillings ($3) and about five minutes later we were dropped across the street from Bombolulu, a large community of people with disabilities. The church that Timothy attended when he lived in Mombasa meets in a cultural center. It is a Pentecostal church, I will have to ask Timothy the name.

The kids joined the youth group and the adults went to a class which met outside. The kids were also outside, under a large round pavilion. We were in the grass. Our group was talking about prayer. When it was time for the service to start, we carried our chairs back under the grass roof of the pavilion, and found seats. We were all asked to introduce ourselves and sing some songs for them.

One very interesting thing happened during the service. The pastor said he was going to take up a special offering and would not say what it was for. People came up front and gave, and then he revealed it was for Timothy and Christine. Seven years ago, Timothy had gone from this church to start a new church in Gambogi. He went out of obedience to God. No one gave him any encouragement, or supported his move. Now, on this return visit to his home church, his pastor recognized the success of his efforts, and prayed over Timothy and Christine, and asked for continued blessing in their work. This was the first time they had received any real commissioning for their mission. It was a really blessed moment.

After the service, we had tea and a time of fellowship. It turns out that the pastor, Shem, and his wife, Catherine, are homeschooling their children. They had lots of questions, and we hope that we can connect them and Mary (in Nairobi).

While we were talking about us and listening about them, Evey and Christine met with a group of ten women from the congregation with a variety of disabilities. This will further her research, and provided another opportunity to meet people and form friendships in Kenya.

It was a long morning. We finally left about 2:30. A matatu nearly ran us down as we were walking out to the main road, but that gave us the chance to jump in and get a ride back to the apartments. The driver misunderstood our destination and tried to drop us off at Mombasa Beach (a public access road several blocks from where we are staying). When we cleared up the misunderstanding, he took us to the right place.

We cooked spaghetti American style, and enjoyed all of it for lunch. Afterwards we headed to the beach for a little relaxation. It was quite windy and had turned chilly. I should say a little about the weather. Mombasa is known for being hot. The early morning was warm, and grew steamy, even with rain threatening. As it cleared, it did grow pretty hot. This, I guess, is typical. Towards the end of the church service, the wind picked up and it grew chilly. This is fairly odd. It was still cool when we went to the beach. We thought the water was very nice, not warm, but not really cold either. Most of the people on the beach thought it was cold. There were a lot of people walking and playing soccer on the beach. David and Kayla went swimming, others went wading, or sat on a blanket enjoying the beauty of the sand and Indian ocean. The sand is very fine and white, not as coarse as what I experienced along the eastern coast of the US.

Four teenage boys walked by who were signing to each other. Timothy followed them a short distance and struck up a conversation. He brought them back to meet Gail and Christine. It turns out all four were deaf. They talked with Timothy, Christine and Gail a bit, and then went on their way.

Timothy and Christine walked a short way to a Nakumatt (like a super Walmart) for some groceries. When I got back, supper was ready, and Timothy and Christine's motorbike driver was waiting to take them to their apartment. Supper was rice and stir fry. Sarah and I had hot sauce with ours.
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Saturday, June 13: Heading for Mombasa

2009-06-16T03:46:00.002-04:00

Waking up at 4:30 is hard for me, but I almost did it. 4:39, and I was out of the mosquito net. We got the van loaded up with all of our stuff and all of us, and were headed south by 5:25. Quite a few of the children got up to say goodbye. I do not know if it was last night's rain, or I am just getting used to Kenyan roads, but the trip seemed smoother than usual.

We drove right past Timothy and Christine who were standing alongside the road across from their house. They had a little bit of a walk to get to the van by the time we stopped. They were so excited. This was going to be their first airplane trip.

At the Kisumu airport, we loaded up 2 baggage carts, and carried the rest in after saying goodbye to Charles. Several small airlines share a rather cramped space. The procedure in Kisumu is to put all baggage through the x-ray, then you decide what to check after you get inside. There were nine of us, and they weighed the twelve bigger bags, and checked them all at no additional charge. The baggage limit is by weight, not pieces. All tolled, our bags were 150 KG and the limit for 9 was 180 KG. They did not care if some of the bags were over, which was good.
We waited in the outside waiting area and watched our plane land. We boarded, stowing the guitars and dulcimer in a little area near the back of the plane. The plane took off, but headed north (Kisumu is south). A little later we landed in Eldoret where Jenny (from Eshel Gardens) is living. The plane makes a circular trip, Nairobi, Kisumu, Eldoret, and back to Nairobi, so we ended up flying back over Kakamega to get to Eldoret.

I texted Jenny and told her we were in town for 15 minutes and she should wave. She replied that she was waving from her bed, and wished us safe journey. It is fun to know people in different places in Africa.

An hour later we landed in Nairobi, claimed our luggage (no lost bags this time), and met Yeshaia outside. He had agreed to take our extra bags and instruments to Eshel Gardens (where we plan to spend next Friday night) while we went to Mombasa. We waited there for the Coast Lines bus. Lillian, out travel agent, rode the bus from the station to the airport to be sure it picked us up. She had reserved front row seats. It was a nice bus with video screens and a washroom. Much smaller than a typical Greyhound, but about as tall.

The road was pretty bad for the first part of the trip; they are doing a lot of construction. Unlike the US, where most people merge into one lane long before the construction zone to be polite, in Kenya, people drive in the fields along the road, in the oncoming lane, on the far side berm... wherever they can fit their car.

Except for the construction, the road was very smooth, and the trip was pleasant. We saw camels, a zebra, a baboon, lots of goats and cows, and lots of people. The bus stopped halfway (the total trip was about 8 hours) for food.

The videos on the bus were not exactly family friendly. There was a lot of crude language in the movies, and the music videos became so awful that I finally complained. They changed the disc to something else that wasn't quite as bad. I would appreciate being able to choose what I see and hear when traveling, so I will not recommend this bus line to anyone else.

We got into Mombasa around 6:30, and were met by Mattias, our driver. This time we had only a small amount of luggage (yea). Mattias drove us to Nakumatt so we could buy food, then we went on to Mombasa Beach Apartments. The apartments are very nice. The bedrooms are even air conditioned and there is water, even hot water. We snacked on some of the food, and then turned in. We are looking forward to the rest of our adventure which begins tomorrow.

Thursday, June 11: Rainforest

2009-06-12T04:22:00.003-04:00

This morning our agenda was to visit the Rhondo Retreat Center which is located in the rainforest South of Kakamega. It is about 16 km on a dirt road. We arrived at 11 AM (after planning to be there by 10) and stopped at the reception center to order our lunch before going into the forest. The man behind the desk told us that lunch would be 800KSH per person. Now, this is pretty much. We asked what they were serving, and he had to go ask the chef. When he returned, we learned we would all get fish, salad, and some dessert, but the drinks would be extra. We canceled our lunch order and decided we would just get sodas.

Then we walked through the grounds of the center to the path that led into the forest. A little way down the path, we saw some monkeys playing in the trees. We watched them for some time. They were pretty far away, but fun to watch. The path we were on circled the retreat center grounds. Some other paths led deeper into the forest. We tried one, but had to turn back after a short time. Our time was limited by the need to get back to Kakamega for lunch.

We saw some other monkeys later. One was a baby that enjoyed peeking at us and then jumping from branch to branch to hide. The larger ones were too interested in eating leaves to pay any attention to us.

The sounds were very interesting. We saw some fish, and some birds, but no snakes or other creatures. It was a very nice walk, and the sodas in the dining hall afterward were cold and refreshing (many places serve warm soda).

We drove back to Kakamega and stopped at an outdoor restaurant for some needed food. Charles dropped Gail, Evey, and I off at Naomy Ruth's office. We wanted to get some pictures from her (of the woman that received the wheelchair) and we also wanted to see how she was liking her camera (a gift from us). I showed her how to offload the pictures from the SD card and how to take videos. She needed some tips on focusing and some of the other settings. She is enjoying the camera very much, and was excited to learn that it had so many other features.

On the way home, we stopped at the Internet. In the middle of emailing, almost everyone in the place suddenly got up from their computers and left. Their screens were all dark. Ahhh, the power had gone off. My computer was one of two that were connected to a UPS, so it continued to operate. The workers pulled a large generator out of the back room and out the front door, parking it on the sidewalk. They started it up, the Internet reconnected, and I hardly knew the difference. I was glad to be able to finish the last couple of things without a major interruption.

I inquired at the SafariCom store (cellular provider) next door to the Internet about a cellular modem for MTTF's computer. They had one for 4000KSH ($50). The service plans available are all prepay, and cost about 3 KSH per MB ($0.04). This seems like a pretty good deal, but I have never priced plans like this in the US, so I have little to compare to. Internet options are pretty limited here. I think we will try this out tomorrow.

The chicos are completed. They just need to cure for a few days before using them. I hope the cook likes them. If it reduces firewood costs and reduces smoke, it will be a success. I wish we would be here to see them in action. Mr. Rotich was here to inspect them this evening. He brought his son, who just finished the Kenyan equivalent of high school. He would like to go to a university for art or design.

We are all thinking about packing for our departure. When we get to Nairobi on the way to Mombasa, we plan to send some of the extra baggage to the guest house where we will stay before flying home. It will be nice to travel with less baggage for a change. We are looking forward to a few days in a hotel with warm showers and running water. Hopefully we will not be disappointed.

Gail and the kids are busy making little gifts for the children here. There are still things in the suitcase that we brought to give away. Gail just gave a story book to Abendego. He started crying, then ran off to read it. Gail likes to find just the right thing for each child.

I put some programs on Charles's computer. I hope I will have time to get things set up so they are easy for him to use. There is so little time left. I feel like I must have procrastinated, but that did not really happen. There has just been a lot to do, and some of the ideas of what needed to be done only occurred to us recently. Things also happen more slowly here. It takes some getting used to.

Wednesday, June 10: Nothing happened today

2009-06-12T04:18:00.002-04:00

Well, some things happened, but it was a pretty slow day. Gail went to the hospital, but more of that later.

The morning began with Gail and I visiting Pine Breeze school which is just beyond the MTTF compound. Some of the MTTF children attend there. We needed to talk to Jeffrey, the music teacher I met a few days ago, about when he wanted us to come to his music class. The guard at the front gate, showed us to the HT (Head Teacher's) office. The woman that greeted us was all business. She did not seem to know who Jeffrey was. In fact, she gave the impression that she did not know of any music teacher. Gail asked to speak with one of the children from Mission to the Fatherless. The woman said, "I will get one of the Fatherless children." She called for Clinton, who helped her understand that we were looking for the music teacher. She must not have understood our accent? She mentioned the name, Gideon, then walked off to find him.

Soon, a man we had never seen before came around the side of the classrooms. He was the music teacher. We said we were looking for Jeffrey. He replied, "Jeffrey?" as if he had never heard of the name before. We talked a bit more, and then he set off saying he would get him. Communication is often difficult in Kakamega. It appears that with many people, English only partially communicates what you mean, and it takes multiple attempts to be sure you are understood. Be especially careful when people nod their heads in agreement. It usually means they have no idea what you are saying.

A few minutes later, Jeffrey walked around the corner. We were glad to finally find him and we confirmed that he would stop by MTTF later that day. We had originally planned to come to his class, but the students had two days of exams scheduled, so the only opportunity was after school.

All of that settled, Gail and I walked back for breakfast. A bit later, Timothy showed up. He wanted to confirm some details regarding our upcoming trip to Mombasa. We are bringing Christine and Timothy with us so they can visit friends and have a break from their church ministry. We chatted for some time, and then we remembered we wanted to introduce him to Geofrey. I called Geofrey, and he said he would be right over (which means in an hour as he had to walk).

Geofrey arrived in time for lunch and he and Timothy had a very good talk. Geofrey was interested in Timothy's contacts in Mombasa, and Timothy was interested in encouraging an artist, telling him to think a little bigger than peddling his art on the street. It turned out Timothy and Geofrey are from the same tribe, and had some other connections. Timothy used to buy and sell things in Mombasa, so he was very in tune with what Geofrey was facing. He had a lot of advice to give. In the end, Timothy agreed to check some shops in Mombasa to see if they had any banana leaf pictures similar to Geofrey's, and if Geofrey wanted to visit he would find a place for him to stay. Everything was very encouraging. I think the meeting was a good one, and hope it helps Geofrey find more ways to market his work.

Oh, I almost forgot about Gail going to the hospital. Just before Geofrey arrived, Brian walked into the dining room. Brian grew up at MTTF and is now independent. He wanted to take Gail and Evey and Sarah and Lisa to visit his mom, Hedwig. Hedwig works at a hospital just south of Kakamega. They took a matatu there and back. His mom gave them a two hour tour of the hospital. It was a very big place. Afterwards they went to her home for lunch (at 4). When they got in the matatu to come home, Gail gave the conductor 200 KSH (the fare was 40 KSH). Our experience has been that if you do not have correct change, and you are a mazungo, you are simply overcharged. The conductor hopped to let someone out. When he hopped back in, he ignored Gail, and began to look at the others for their fares. Gail told him, "that was for five of us." He was a bit surprised, then disappointed, and finally, defeated. The ride home was otherwise uneventful.

The music class showed up at MTTF after school, and we sang Hodu several times through so the girls could learn a harmony part and the boys the melody. Jeffrey was hoping I would provide him with a keyboard. He had mentioned a keyboard the last time I had talked with him, but I did not understand that he wanted me to get him one. Then he said Duncan told him there was one at MTTF. Indeed, the church has a keyboard. It was not mine to lend, but I did say he could ask Charles if they might use it to prepare for the upcoming music competition. I wonder what the school's music class is really like? I cannot imagine a music classroom with no piano.

After supper, I was caught at the homework tables answering math questions. Do you know how hard it is to explain the difference between 4 and 0.4? Try explaining the difference to someone that speaks Swahili as their first language, and speaks the Queen's English as their second. Add an onlooker that keeps offering help in Swahili. It was very interesting. Bed time came just in time.

More pictures

2009-06-10T07:27:00.001-04:00

Picture folder, Kenya-3

Tuesday: June 9, 2009: Artists

2009-06-10T07:22:00.002-04:00

This morning we headed out to Geofrey Odanga's home. Geofrey is the artist Gail met last year in Kakamega. He paints, does pencil drawings, and creates incredible banana leaf pictures. Geofrey and Rose live in a small house in the middle of a maize field, a few miles from town. They have their own garden (sorghum, maize, and string beans) in the space between their house and the field. A narrow path leads to their door.

Geofrey showed us his current projects. For the banana leaf pictures, he begins with a 1/8 in plywood board (or whatever he has at hand). On this, he sketches the scene in pencil. He includes shading. Then he and Rose work patiently to cut small parts of banana leaves, finding sections that are just the right color, to fit the contours of the lines. This creates a beautiful mosaic. He creates African village scenes and also does wildlife.

Geofrey told us that Herb and Virginia Veith were the first white people he met. They were eating at the Golf Hotel, and Geofrey was there trying to sell some of his banana leaf art. This is how Geofrey learned of Mission to the Fatherless. Now he attends the church of MTTF.

Rose made tea and mendazis. Geofrey also called a photographer to record the visit. He arrived on a motorcycle, took a few snapshots with a 35mm automatic camera. Rose's mother, and several neighbors and their children came to be part of the pictures.

Geofrey gave Kayla an oil paiting of an African mother and daughter. Evey gave Rose some lotions and tea towels. It was a very nice visit.

After lunch, David got out pipe cleaners and the children (and adults) had a great time designing hats and other accessories or creatures. Wendy had an activity that included a science lesson about butterflies.

Chico construction has resumed. There are two workers here chiseling away the cement around the bases of the units. I am not sure why it was not just built that way? Seems like a lot of unnecessary work. They are trying to introduce ventilation from below. They plan to return tomorrow to pour more cement, and then four days of drying.

David, and Evey, and I walked in to the Internet with the sky looking like rain. We carried an umbrella and raincoat. It did rain while we were there, but ended by the time we were done. We still need more rain. The crops are not doing well and it is likely that this season will not reverse the famine that was brought on by the post-election violence.

After supper, the children had a brief worship service. Lisa and Sarah rounded everyone up after for a group photo. There were lots of silly faces. The girls had bought cupcakes for everyone and handed them out when the photos were taken. Now some of the children are doing homework and others are heading off to bed.

New pictures

2009-06-09T10:20:00.002-04:00

Pictures - it takes a while, so there will be more later.

Kenya 3 (to be uploaded later)
Kenya 4

Monday: June 8, 2009: Computer Lessons

2009-06-09T09:59:00.002-04:00

This morning, Charles had his second computer lesson. He is trying to master Quicken so he can do his financial reports for MTTF on the computer instead of writing them by hand. We worked on setting up account categories and sub-categories. Next we need to see what reports are going to be needed.

I also added a Bible program to Charles' computer. I think that will be a good tool for him to learn to use. I still need to meet with him to give a lesson on programming.

Water is still a problem. There is a little city water every once in a while, and the hand pump is currently working (the well is not dry) so MTTF does not have to go out and buy water. There is no way to pump the water we have into the water tower (waiting for a plumber to fix his mistake) so we carry all the water around in buckets. We (the foreigners) still get bottled water from town for drinking, so that is a regular walk for us.

Kayla did some mending in the afternoon. She found Jackie's sewing machine. It is a Butterfly. lack with gold trimmings, with a treadle for power. The thread kept breaking at first, but she figured out the secrets, with some help from Maureen the cook, and then she fixed a skirt for one of the girls. Charles also got out the electric sewing machine. It is a similar vintage, but has a motor on it. The motor was blown. I think this machine came from the US, and someone plugged it straight into the 220V system here. The electrician worked on it, and found the broken wire on the coil. He soldered it together, and now the machine works again. The sewing projects were finished for the day, so I guess it will go back in storage. Hopefully it will see some use before the step-down convertor is forgotten again.

Duncan's music teacher, Jeffrey, showed up this afternoon with three girls from school that wanted to learn the Hodu song. I had finished writing the harmony part and had the music all ready to print, but had not been to the cyber yet. We sat in the courtyard and sang through the song a few times. Our family was invited to go over to the school to teach the whole class the song.

Word has gotten around that we will be leaving MTTF on Saturday morning. Everyone is sad that we will be going. It is only a few days away, and there is still a lot to do here. We are looking forward to taking some time to relax.

After supper was the usual homework help. A few kids were playing games. I sang some songs in the dining room; some children joined in, and some danced. Duncan wanted to practice Hodu, so we did. He has a really good voice, and learns melodies very quickly. He could sing through the whole song while I did the descant part.

Tomorrow we go to Geofrey and Rose's house.

Sunday, June 7: MTTF Church

2009-06-08T10:30:00.001-04:00

Sunday morning, the worship team started warming up around 8:30 for the 10 AM service. Whenever we have heard sound systems in Kenya, they have been cranked up to the loudest volume one can tolerate. This was no exception. The "one two" testing phrases shook my bed.

The service included lots of singing, prayer, testimonies, a child dedication, and teaching. Charles asked us to sing some of our songs, and aske me to give the morning message. Afterwards there was an altar call, and quite a few people came forward for prayer. The service ended around 1 PM.

The rest of the day was spent doing very little, so this entry will be shorter than usual. I did spend some time singing and playing outside. Duncan, one of the boys here, sang with me a little. He wants to learn a harmony part for Hodu (Give Thanks) and sing with another boy in a competition. I am working on putting the song into a manuscript form so the judges will have notes to follow to help with their evaluation.

Saturday, June 6: Shabbat in Uganda

2009-06-08T10:29:00.001-04:00

The day began with our free hotel breakfast. Banana, eggs, toast, and African tea. The waitress overcharged us for the extra three sodas that we ordered. Yesterday they were 700 USH (Ugandan Shillings); today they were 1000 USH. I challenged her on the price, but she insisted. I gave in and paid the price she asked. I think she was miffed that I had not tipped her the day before, and decided to take it into her own hands. Tipping in foreign countries is different from the US. I did not have a chance to ask what was customary in Tororo before our first breakfast, so did not tip. Later I learned that not tipping is acceptable, and that tipping 2000 USH would be way more than is customary. I had planned to leave a 1000 USH tip today, but that is just about what we were overcharged, so I considered it even.

ACTS for Messiah has their Shabbat service at 10 AM each Saturday. It is open to the public, but only a few extra people usually attend. Their service consists of some traditional prayers with a Messianic flavor, the Torah procession, the reading of the Torah portion for the week, with teaching interspersed between each section. Russel prepares comments for the teachings. After that, they asked for me to do some songs. We ended with Hava Nagila to which everyone danced. The dirt floor gave way to quite a bit of dust before we ended. Following this, Russel preached for a little while.

Lunch was in the pavilion, and offered an opportunity to get to know more about some of the boys. WEe also had a prayer time, and then it was time to leave. Emily and Russel drove us back to the border where we met Peter, our matatu driver. He had brought Charles' wife, Monica, and their two children along. It took forever to fill in the forms, get our exit visa stamp, walk across to Kenya, fill in more forms, and get our entry visa stamped. We loaded up our stuff, and headed back to Kakamega.

The trip was pretty quiet; we were all tired. It felt like we were home from a long vacation when the gray walls of MTTF came into sight. We unloaded and greeted the children, and learned that there was no water, except what we could carry in buckets from one tank on the grounds. We do need rain. Supper was a time to chat about our visit to Uganda with the director Charles. Sarah and Lisa spent time helping the children with homework. This is a good thing, as there is very little help from the teachers. To succeed, you either need to be a self-learner, very bright, or have independent tutoring (which is expensive). Now it feels like it is time for bed. I think we will skip tea tonight.

Friday, June 5: Erev Shabbat

2009-06-08T10:26:00.005-04:00

Our day started at 7 AM (well, 7:30 by the time we got in the van). Kayla, David, David, Evey, and I were going to climb Tororo Rock. Tororo rock is a 1000 ft high (top is at an elevation of 4,835 ft) rocky outgrowth that is right behind Emily's home. We had to drive around to the side to begin our walk, as it is only accessible from a few directions. We started up the slope, and were met by a "guide." Tororo Rock has communications equipment on the top, and is guarded by security people. There is an official guard at the top, and unofficial ones near the bottom. You have to bri..., I mean pay them to gain access. The guide showed us to the path and led they way up the ascent. It was quite steep, and the views were amazing. There are four steel ladders to help get past some of the most treacherous parts. It was scary enough in between them. Evey lost her water, but we all made it safely to the top in about an hour's time.

There we met the real security person, who lives on top for a week at a time. He had a guest book for us to sign. Guest books are really big in Kenya and Uganda. He showed us all around the top. There is a cable car that could hold two people max, but it was broken. The generators for the communications equipment run on deisel. This is brought to the top in 20L plastic cans. One person carries two of them at a time.

We spent about thirty minutes on the top, looking around and talking and resting, and then began the descent. Immediately we were met by several men lugging two 20L plastic cans full of fuel. We allowed them to pass. I noticed there were no lids. One was stuffed with leafy branches to keep the fuel from sloshing out. Another had some plastic wrap loosly covering the opening. On the way down, we could smell the fuel at various locations and could not help getting some on our hands when we climbed down the ladders. The men overtook us on the way down. They were wearing flip flops, but pretty much ran down the slopes as if they were out for a morning jog, whereas we sat and slid carefully, holding onto whatever rocks we could find, and trying not to look below us.

When we returned to the hotel, we had breakfast and then showers (I did not use the flip flops). Emily picked us up for our day's programme. Evey and Lisa were dropped at the Tororo clinic where they planned to spend the day observing. The rest of us, along with Russel and his wife, Christine, and two of the boys, Robert N. and Alex, headed to Robert's village for tea. It was quite a ride. When we turned off the main road, we followed a footpath (in the van) for a couple of miles, taking several turns that I would never be able to remember, before we arrived at a small grouping of huts where Robert's mother and siblings live.

Robert's father died in 2003 (I think). He and his brother were living with him in Tororo. His father's wives lived many miles out in the bush (where we were now visiting). The boys stayed in their town home until their money ran out, and this is how Emily found them. There were no resources in the bush, as the uncles, who should help provide for the widows, were extorting money from them, threatening to kick them off the land. Over time, Emily was able to help Robert purchase the land to stop the extortion. As the oldest male, he has the responsibility to care for this group of people.

After tea, we headed back toward the main road, but made two stops. At the first stop we bought some pineapple and were given three jack fruits. Then we went on a little farther and stopped at another cluster of homes. This is where we say Johnson's new hut (every male must build a hut on their land when they reach a certain age or they cannot stay in their village anymore). We sat inside Johnson's new hut enjoying the smell of the fresh grass roof.

As we were leaving the village area, we passed a two story grass hut. It even had a small balconey over the front door. It looked like something tourists would visit, but there were no tourists in this area.

Next we headed for Robert A's village. We arrived, and were greeted by many children and a few adults. We went into the hut that had been prepared for us to have lunch. We sat for quite a long time. Emily fully expected this, even though we were the traditional two hours late when we arrived, lunch is often delayed even more. We passed the time listening to many of Emily's funny stories of her experiences in Uganda. As time passed, she recalled previous visits to the bush where dinner had been delayed. The host would mask the delay by bringing in dishes and saying it would not be long. Some time later they would bring the pitcher to wash hands, but just set it down. A little later another vague progress report would arrive. Finally, Emily heard the chicken squawk. Now she could judge for herself how much longer until dinner would be ready.

Lunch, which arrived after many funny stories, was good. As honored guests, we of course were served chicken (which we did not hear squawk). In addition there was rice, cabbage, broth, and a from of Ugali made from millet. Everything was good. When we finished, we returned to the Crystal Hotel to clean up for Erev Shabbat at Emily's house.

The men said prayers while the women lit candles. Then we joined together for the traditional blessings and a meal. Afterwards we played music and sang together until it was time for bed.

Thursday, June 4: David's Birthday and Uganda

2009-06-08T10:22:00.003-04:00

We (Tim, Gail, Sarah, David, Kayla, Lisa, Evey, and David from MTTF) had breakfast early so we could get on the road to Uganda. Herb and John planned to leave for the United States a little later in the day. The matatu driver arrived a little before 8, and we loaded up and headed out, stopping for some cell phone minutes.

The road to the border was very good. I learned that matatu drivers are regularly stopped at police checkpoints and have to give 100 shillings to the police to proceed. If they are carrying too many passengers, or have some other problem, it will cost more. The price seems reasonable if you consider it a toll road, but it is bribery, plain and simple.

We arrived at the border town, Busia, at about 10:30. Our driver, Peter, helped us avoid the brokers (people that offer to help you cross the border for a fee) and directed us to the Kenya Immigration office to get our passports stamped for the return. David, a 17 year old from MTTF, had permission to travel with us to Uganda, but he had no ID or passport. It took only ten minutes to fill in the information forms and get our passports stamped. We had to wait for permission for David.

About an hour later, Emily Dwyer, ACTS for Messiah, arrived on the Uganda side and she and Russel (one of her boys who is now married) walked over to meet us. We waited a while longer until finally the immigration officer asked to speak with David. I went along. He asked how we expected to take a boy across the border with no identification. He asked David which tribe he was from. David was a bit intimidated and did not respond very confidently. The officer asked if he was Luo, and if he understod Luo. More mumbling. The officer said he could not be sure David was even Kenyan.

Gail got out the letter from Charles, director of MTTF, that explained David had permission, that he was Kenyan, and had no ID as he was under 18. The officer called to verify, but there was no answer. He called another number, and verified that David di live at MTTF. He told us we needed pictures so he could issue a temporary passport.

We went outside and found a man that could do it in five minutes :) He led us away from the border, off to the side of the road, under a fence (through a hole in the fence) and into a little stand. He took David's picture and 500 shillings and gave us the pictures. We filled out the paperwork while the Polaroid was drying. Back under the fence we went. We returned to the immigration window, slipped the paperwork in with 300 more shillings, and a few minutes later had the required papers.

We thanked our matatu driver (we hired him specially for the trip), collected our luggage, and then crossed to the Uganda side where we again had to fill in a form to obtain visas. Three hundred and fifty dollars later, our group of eight, plus Emily and Russel, loaded everything in the ACTS For Messiah van and headed for Tororo.

The roads were again great, and the forty minute trip went quickly. Once in Tororo, we stopped at Emily's home. We met some of the children and had tea. Then we went to the Crystal Hotel to settle in and wash up. The Crystal is an old hotel, but our rooms were neewly remodeled. Some of the light switches worked, others did not do anything. The shower had an electric shower head. A switch on the wall just outside the shower turned it on. It heats the water as it flows through the shower head.

We were picked up and returned to Emily's for supper. Everything took place in a large pavilion that she had built to look like a hut. It accomodates a large group of people. We played some music while supper was being prepared, then had a nice meal together. Afterwards we told stories and got to know each other.

Back at the hotel, I took my first hot shower since leaving the United States. Actually, it was the first real shower, hot or cold. I switched the heater on, turned on the tap, diverted it to the shower, and wow... hot water. Oops... low pressure, not enough volume, too HOT! Ouch. So, to get a comfortably hot shower, you have to switch the unit off and on while showering. Something about standing under running water, in a puddle of water, and reaching around the corner to operate a switch that is carrying 240 volts made me a little nervous, but I managed to do it. The shower was great.

After taking the shower, I think I solved the mystery of the pair of red flip flops that were next to the closet in the room when we first checked in. At first I had thought they were left from a previous guest. They had initials written on the tops; it looked like OH, but it was somewhat worn. When I came out from the shower, Gail said the flip flops belonged to the hotel; the CH is for Crystal Hotel. Of course. These were provided for guests to wear in the shower. The rubber would provide the needed insulation to prevent any shocks that might occur when switching the heater on and off while in the shower. Maybe I will try them tomorrow?

Kayla was not so fortunate with her shower. The circuit blew before she could get any hot water. The circuit breakers were located in David's room, two doors down (we had four rooms next to each other). We were able to restore power by flipping the breaker back on, but then the electricity went out. Eventually we all got to bed, more or less satisfied with our sleeping facility.

Wednesday, June 3: Golf Hotel

2009-06-08T10:15:00.002-04:00

Today we just took it easy. A walk up town to the Internet, then on to the Golf Hotel for a noontime snack. I also had business at the bank. This time it was Kayla, David, Sarah, Gail and I, and Evey and Lisa.

The hotel restaurant was fairly busy, but we got to sit outside on the shaded patio. It was very pleasant. We ordered drinks, 4 Stoneys and 3 Alvaraos. Ten minutes later the waitress came back with one Stoney - the last one. We reordered (but no one asked for coffee). Evey remarked that they had a lot of soups on the menu, so I asked the waitress what flavors they had today (to save some time). She said, cream of tomato, and then she stopped talking. Evey asked me, after the waitress left, how I knew to ask. I replied, experience (see Monday's post for explanation).

David and Gail visited the gift shop, and David got a shirt for his birthday (tomorrow). The shop owner knows Herb and Virginia, and Gail mentioned them, so she gave them a good deal on the shirt, reducing the price without Gail asking.

Gail, Evey, David, Kayla, Lisa, and Sarah headed off to a store called Fomat to buy some tea for Herb (who is recovering nicely). I went to the bank. The store Herb had recommended did not have the right tea, so Kayla, Lisa, and Sarah headed to Mama Watosos to look there, while the others headed home.

Kayla is the hero for finding the right tea. Lisa and Sarah bought ingredients for bakeless cookies for all the kids. That was their activity when they returned to MTTF. The kids enjoyed them very much after dinner.

One of the board memebers, Zebedee, showed up for dinner. He asked me how the seminar at MMUST went. He is interested in learning more about computers, so we set up a lesson for Monday with Charles, my other student. I helped a few children with their Math homework, then we prepared for our trip to Uganda. We are going to take one of the boys from the home with us so he can see how another orphanage operates. His name is David. He is 16 years old. Hopefully the letter Charles wrote will be sufficient identification to get him across the border.

Tuesday, June 2: Masinde Muliro

2009-06-03T05:39:00.001-04:00

Tuesday morning grew hot early on. Pastor Timothy arrived and had breakfast with us. Today I had promised to take him to town to get a new pair of shoes. We walked to Batas and he found just what he wanted. There was a sign in the window: 50% off selected shoes. When he inquired, he was told the sale had ended yesterday, He suggested they take down the signs. We paid full price for the shoes (still a good deal).

I said goodbye to Timothy, and stopped by the Internet cafe on the way home. The owner welcomed me. I asked if they were open on Sunday, and he said no, but if any of us wanted to use the computers anytime of the day or night, he would open specifically for us.

After returning and taking a mini shower (MTTF still has no hot water) I got a call from Geofrey, the artist. He and his wife were in town and wanted to see what I had done on the MTTF website. So, I walked back in town to the Internet and showed him the site, which includes a page about his art (as he is donating some of the profit to MTTF). As we parted, he invited us to his home, so we will try to do that next week. He lives about 6 km away. They usually walk that distance to go back and forth to town.

I needed another mini shower when I got back. Lunch, and then Charles drove me to Masinde Muliro where I was scheduled to give a seminar. I met Juma Kilwake in his office, and he took me to meet the Deputy Vice Chancellor and Vice Chancellor of the university. Then we walked to the seminar room, about 45 minutes late.

I was surprised to see about 100 people there! I had expected 5-6 faculty only, as there are no classes in session at this time. I talked about how we teach Assembly Language at the University of Akron, and why I think it is an important subject to study. The whole session lasted about 2 hours with questions and demonstrations of the AT90USBKEY demonstration board that I had brought with me.

Afterwards the faculty went with me back to the computer science office for tea, mendazi, and ground nuts. They were very enthusiastic about my talk, and said it came at a good time for their students as they would be taking assembly language programming soon. They hoped there would be opportunities for collaboration in the future.

There is a lot of construction going on at MMUST. The library is the most impressive. The university choose to have a ramp built to bring concrete to the structure by wheelbarrow, rather than hire a large crane. This would provide more jobs for local workers. The structure reminded me of one of those old Egyptian movies with the pyramids under construction.

Juma dropped me back at MTTF where we had supper. David and I, with the help of one of the boys here, Abendego, installed a water level indicator in the water tower tank, so we can see how much water is left. We learned the tank is half empty (or half full, depending on your view of the world). The indicator is a water bottle with some stones for weight, a string passing through an overflow hole at the top of the tank, and a weight that hangs down the outside of the tank. And now the kids call me an engineer.

I learned that Herb has malaria, but was treated today so he should recover quickly. A few of the children have it too.

The evening ended with a brief worship service in the dining room, and casual conversation over tea. Night, night.

Monday, June 1: Independence Day

2009-06-03T05:37:00.002-04:00

Kenya declared independence on June 1, 1963 when they installed their first Prime Minister. In the morning, we went up the street to see the parade. We got there just in time. A band was at the front, led by the fancy drum major. This was followed by groups of police and soldiers and then kids. Crowds of people marched alongside. The end of the parade consisted of a two fire trucks and another truck that may or may not have actually been in the parade. The whole think took about 5 minutes.

The parade was from town to the stadium where there would be speeches and so on. We went the opposite direction and dropped Evey off at Dr Kennedy's clinic. Dr Kennedy is one of the MTTF Board Members in Kenya. Evey visited at the clinic for the day to observe and ask questions.

The rest of us headed back to town, and stopped at the Golf Hotel for coffee. The Golf Hotel is probably the nicest hotel in Kakamega and has a very nice restaurant and outdoor dining. We ordered coffee and sodas, and waited about 15 minutes. The waiter brought a large thermos and can of Nescafe instant to the table. Herb said they used to have brewed coffee, but things change for no particular reason.

Wendy an David ordered Stoney Tangawizi which is a brand of ginger ale. David got his, but it was the last bottle, so Wendy ordered coffee (which had not yet come). She also ordered a cucumber and something dish, but after 5 or 10 minutes, she was told they were out of cucumbers. A little later we saw why - they were preparing a buffet for guests, an one of the dishes was a huge plate of cucumber wedges.

After the delightful coffee we returned to MTTF where Gail and Kayla had stayed (they rested and did some quiet activities). Gail and Kayla went to town to a cafe for a Stoney and time together. We also met some of the other Kakamega board members and had tea together. A little later, Isaac and I went to the Internet to get him an email address and give him an email lesson.

After dinner, Sarah, Lisa, and I tutored some children in Math and other subjects. It threatened to rain all evening, but it never did. Tomorrow I have to give a seminar at MMUST on Assembly Language Programming.

Sunday, May 31: Gambogi and the Matatu

2009-06-03T05:30:00.002-04:00

Sunday morning we got up early to go to Pastor Timothy's church in Gambogi. Gambogi is about an hour south of Kakamega. Timothy arrived at 8:15 with a matatu. He had told the driver he had a group to pick up at Mission to the Fatherless, so they brought the van right into the compound. He had already negotiated the price at 120 shillings per seat. We tied the wheelchair on the roof, piled the guitars and dulcimer in the back seat, and got in. Then the conductor told Timothy he wanted 150 shillings per seat. When he saw we were mazungas, he thought he could charge more. Timothy held firm, and we started off. Negotiations continued for part of the drive.

We arrived at the Gambogi Fellowship Centre at 9:30. There was a childrens church going on. Lisa and Sarah had brought along a lesson and activity, and the teacher allowed them to do that with the children.

Inside, the musicians were trying to get the amplifier and keyboard to work. The electricty was out, and they were using a small petrol powwered generator. It successfully lit a light bulb, but when they added in the amplifier, everything died out. They fiddled for a while and managed to get some amplification with a lot of static, and then it went dead again. The service started without amplification. Christine was leading the song service, and asked me to play guitar. Fortunately, she started singing in the key of C; unfortunately all of the songs were completely new to me; fortunately they were very simple and repetitive, so I could pick out the chords pretty easily.

After singing and prayer, David, Kayla, Gail and I played and sang a few songs, then I preached on Psalm 34.

There is a saying among the farmers where Gail grew up - the corn is doing great if it is "knee high by the fourth of July. Here is a picture of the corn next to the church on the last day of May. They usually have three corn crops a year.

When the service was over, we went to Pastor Timothy's house for tea and mendazies. Timothy was trying to call the matatu driver that we had used in the morning. He had worked out an agreement that they would stop on their return trip from Kisumu. But I think they decided to ignore the calls as they did not get their jacked up price. Timothy eventually got another matatu. We ran out to jumpo in. The side door was open, and it was already full of people. Well, not quite. There were 5 seats left (one is used by the conductor). We all squeezed in! Only one guitar did not fit. They shoved it in the front seat between the legs of another passenger. The body of the guitar was in front of his face.

About a kilometer further, we picked up another passenger. There were 24 people, two guitars, a hammere dulcimer and wooden sstand, and a chicken in that matatu. They could not cklose the side door, so the conductor put his arm around the old woman who was leaning into the van with her head over the seat and held onto the door. All this while careening along at 80 kph on bumpy roads, swerving left and right to avoid potholes. This is a ride I will never fotget. Keep in mind this is a Toyota van designed for 14 passengers (that means there are 4 rows of 3 seats each, and room for two more passengers in the front with the driver.

We got back to MTTF in less than an hour (this was a fast driver), thanked Timothy, gave him money to pay our bill (120 shillings each) and he returned home on the now empty matatu (I am sure they picked up mor passengers on the way out of town).

About an hour later, Bishop Peter James Onguko picked up Gail, Evey, Wendy, and I to go to his house for dinner. Peter James lives on the outskirts of Kakamega. It was a bumpy ride, but his home is in a lovely spot. His wife, Susan, cooked a wonderful dinner and the CHai she made later was really good. She adds secret spices: marsala and cinnamon. Oops! the secret is out. Oh... we were the first guests at Peter James' house to enjoy their new electric lights. They just got electricity this month. Peter James drove us back home around 8:30. This was the first time I had been out much at night in Kakamega. All along the road were little groups of people standing or sitting around small kerosene lamps. We drove through the market area which is usually crowded with people. There was no one there. All the little wooden booths were completely empty. Quite a contrast from the daylight hours.

Back at MTTF, we met two of the members of the MTTF board in Kakamega, Dr. Kennedy and David, the schoolmaster. Evey set up a time to visit Dr Kennedy's clinic on Monday. We laso learned that the kids have mastered the Hava Nagila dance... after practicing it all morning on their own.

Rain!!! Great. The water tanks were all empty, so this is a real blessing. Soon we can flush again. Night night.

Saturday: Competition

2009-06-02T02:51:00.001-04:00

In the morning, we took Jackie (one of the orphans that grew up and now works at the home and has a job in a shop in Kakamega) to the Internet and helped her sign up for an email account. She was really excited. It was her first time to use a computer.

Gail and I went looking for an ATM that would dispense US currency - no luck. We need US currency to get the visas to Uganda. We will have to convert shillings. Note for next trip: bring US dollars.

On the way back from the banks, we watched some men cutting down a huge tree. It was probably 5 ft in diameter and quite tall. They were using a medium sized chain saw, cutting chunks out of the trunk to make a sort of wedge. It was poised to fall across the street, hopefully at enough of an angle it would not hit the power lines on the opposite side. The police were blocking off the road, well sort of, as every once in a while, another vehicle would speed through, hoping to avoid getting squashed. We also hurried past on the other side of the street, hoping it would not fall before we got past.

When we got back to MTTF, David and Kayla were plaing music with some of the children, and singing. When they finished, I got out my guitar and played and sang until it got dark.

In the evening we had a great time watching little comedy presentations. One of the boys gave a short speech imitating Kenyan President, Kibaki. Another gave a news report (with funny news stories) imitating the speech patterns on the news we see on Kenyan TV. Then he gave the reports in Swahili, which was even funnier, although we did not understand a word he said. We presented a little skit, called Sin - Do Not Touch. We also got everyone to dance to Hava Nagila. It was a big circle of about 40 people. There also was a dance contest, dominated by the Kenyans. Kevin was declared the winner after several sessions of very silly improv tribal dancing. He got a beautiful trophy. It was pretty late when the fun ended, so everyone went to bed.

Friday, May 29: Shikoti

2009-06-02T02:44:00.003-04:00

Today we got up early so Evey, Gail, and I could go to the Internet before it slowed down. It did not turn out that way. We did get there early... in fact, the staff was having devotions and the cafe was not yet open. They let us in, and finished their prayers, and then helped us get our laptops configured for their network. That did not go well, as they entered the wrong IP address at one place, so nothing worked. After resolving the issue, the Internet was still very s-l-o-w. We were trying to get the important tasks done before returning to MTTF to leave for the bush. About 9, the Internet started working really well, but we had to go.

While we were using the Internet, there was a commotion outside. Lots of horns honking and people yelling. It turned out that a motorcycle thief had been caught in the intersection by the cafe. He was being beaten with big boards. They were about to set him on fire when the police arrived, shot into the air, and pulled the victim from the crowd, saving his life. When we left the cafe, everything was back to normal.

We called Charles and asked him to pick us up on the way to Shikoti as we had overstayed our planned time. Sarah, Lisa, Kayla and the others at MTTF had left earlier to walk the 4 miles into the bush. The plan was for the rest of us to ride 8 miles by road in the van so everyone could ride back. The roads were fair at first, but as we headed into the bush, they became very treacherous.

Shikoti is a small village on an island, surrounded by rivers. When it rains, it cannot be reached. When there is little rain, you can drive across the riverbeds. However, the dirt roads have very deep ruts where the rain has washed away the ground. We could not drive any faster than we could walk. Charles had to choose his path very carefully or we would be stranded straddling a very deep rut or smashing the bottom of the van on a large rock. There were a few steep up and down hill sections as well. The last part of the trip was on a path just wide enough for a motorbike. I do not know how the van fit.

Papa Herb's Providence Academy and Church was started some years ago so the children in Shikoti would not have to miss school when the rivers were high, and so the little ones would not have so far to travel. There are about 40 students and 2 teachers. They sang a few songs and recited their alphabet rhyme for us. There is also a church there, and the pastor Benedict played his famous guitar for us, and his wife and the teachers sang too. The guitar is famous because he added an electric pickup to it that he connects to an amplifier powered by his car battery. But then the car has no battery. David played a few tunes on the Dulcimer, and then we visited a bit and headed back home. We got stuck a few times, but Charles always managed to rock the van just right to get us going again.

Next we stopped at the Agricultural Fair in Kakamega. Here we saw a variety of farming technologies, sample crops, and camels. Yes, there were two camels you could ride for a fee. Or you could ride a little electric car (pushed by the attendant). We saw some solar cookers that looked like they would be good at MTTF. Herb said he might look into one in the future. We saw quite a few of the children from MTTF at the fair. They were attending with their school.

We stopped for lunch before going on to Home of Providence, another orphanage in Kakamega. Home of Providence cares for abandoned babies and other orphans. There were two babies under the age of 2 weeks when we visited, as well as many very young children. Everyone got to hold and feed babies while we were there. They need a lot of love. The home has a schedule where the older children come and take time to hold the babies.

By the time we got back to MTTF, we were all pretty tired. After supper we had a worship service. Some singing, testimonies, and preaching by Isaac; Vincent translated into Swahili. They announced that there would be special presentations, a sort of competition, among the guests and MTTF children on Saturday.

Thursday, May 28: Flip Flops

2009-06-02T02:39:00.002-04:00

Last night we had a bit of excitement. It felt like I had just drifted off to a peaceful sleep, when Gail woke me up and said "get dressed." It could not be morning already. Then I realized there was a crowd of loud voices outside the compound. It sounded like a pretty large group of people. The voices got louder, then moved past the gate and drifted away. A little later, the voices went past in the opposite direction. Then all was quiet again. After a little while, I went back to sleep.

In the morning Gail asked Jackie what the commotion was about. She said, "football." There was a championship soccer game last night that was televised. The crowd was probably dissipating the energy they worked up over the game.

Kayla found out that several children went to school crying today, because they did not have enough money for a field trip. Kayla had received money for her Bat Mitzvah a few weeks ago, and she had been waiting for the right opportunity to use it. She, Gail, and Monica went out this morning to visit the schools and pay for the field trips, and then on the way home they bought new flip-flops for all of the kids. I think Kayla found a great use for some of the money she received.

Gail, Evey, and I went in to the Internet, hoping to get a lot of work done, but it was not working. We went to another cafe, but it was not working much better. We did manage to get a little done, but then we got caught in the rain. It was really pouring. We walked under the awnings in front of the stores along the street

After supper, Charles brought out the box of flip-flops and all of the children got a pair. They thanked Kayla. She seemed pretty happy.

Three pictures

2009-05-30T03:37:00.003-04:00

I will try to update the daily blog early next week at the latest. Meanwhile, here are a few pictures.
This is Gail doing a little computing early in the morning. Below are the peanuts that were harvested. We have not tasted them yet. They are drying.

New Pictures

2009-05-29T02:11:00.000-04:00

In the Picasa album

Wednesday, May 27, Musinde Muliro University of Science and Technology (MMUST)

2009-05-29T02:09:00.001-04:00

Wednesday morning, Herb fired up the electric burner, scrounged up a frying pan, and used real butter to make toast. We also brewed coffee. The rest of the morning was spent on three projects: setting up Quicken to do the financial reports, organizing the books in the library, and investigating why one of the pumps in the water system does not seem to do anything.

Water is collected from the roof and stored in 3 tanks at ground level. There are pumps to move the water from these tanks to the water tower. However, one of the tanks which has its own pump does not empty, no matter how long the pump runs. We chiseled away some of the concrete surrounding the plumbing and exposed the problem. The way the pipes were connected, the pump pumped the water in a circle, but none went to the water tower. Now that we know the problem, we can get someone to correct it. It is a little amusing that when they discovered the pump was ineffective, and the storage tank always remaind full of water that could not be used, rather than finding the real problem and fixing it, they simply added an outdoor faucet (sticking right out of the ground) that could be used to get water from the lower storage tank.

Hopefully this can be fixed soon. We also need to rig some sort of water level indicator so they know when to run the pumps. I would like to put in an automatic pump control system, but the expense may be prohibitive as the pumps are located pretty far apart.

After lunch, Gail, Evey, and I went to Masinde Muliro University to meet with Juma Kilwake, Chair of the Department of Computer Science. Charles drove us. We stopped on the way to see Jackie at her stand in Kakamega. She wanted to take us to meet some people that operate an organization to aid women. In addition to educational programs, they organize special projects. One of the current projects is weaving. Gail and Evey each bought one of the handmade scarves. Hopefully we can visit them again before we leave.

At MMUST, Juma was tied up in a meeting, and we were met by Mr Rotich (the chico man) whose office is next door to Mr Kilwake's. He told us a little about the university, and then Juma appeared. We went into his office and talked about potential collaboration. He invited me to give a seminar for the faculty on Tuesday next. Juma has 5 children, and he had to pick them up from school on the way to drop us off. When his 4 year old was coming out to the car, he said the tire needs pressure. Sure enough, the tire was pretty low. We stopped at a petrol station, but there was a tractor filling one of its BIG tires from the little electric pump. When it finished, we backed up to the hose, and the attendants filled the tire and checked for a puncture.

When we got to MTTF, we drove into the compound, and Juma and his children got to see the orphanage, meet our children, and greet some of the people here. It was nice to meet him in the context of family rather than just an academic contact.

After supper, homework, cards, and fellowship closed out the night. Now I have to work on a sermon and music and a seminar on assembly language.

Tuesday, May 26, A day with no agenda,

2009-05-29T02:06:00.001-04:00

Today we started out washing clothes. There are clotheslines for all of our clothes at one time. Wow. Omo was the detergent of choice.

Breakfast was roasted peanuts (still warm), bread with jelly, honey, Blue Band (margarine), and peanuts (well, I had a peanut-margarine sandwich). There was also tea and chai.

After breakfast, I fixed a clock. The first problem was the battery had been replaced with a small lizard. It ran out of the battery compartment onto my arm, and then under a couch. The second problem was a bent minute hand and torn cardboard face. We got it all running with some duct tape and a fresh battery. You just cannot count on a lizard to keep pedaling at the right speed to keep accurate time.

We headed downtown to the Internet, checked email, and bought water. We headed home, taking the shortcut that Herb had recommended: go straight down this road til it dead-ends, turn right, and that will bring you out on the road in front of the orphanage. Hah! We went straight until we were almost in someone's yard, turned right, and went until the road ended at the edge of a deep valley and a line of trees. We turned around to retrace our steps. A man was standing a few houses back up the path by his house. He asked if we needed help. It turned out his name was Moses, and he offered to lead us the way we had been going to get home.

We walked through a gate into someone's back yard, followed a footpath to the bottom of the ravine, jumped across two or three streams, passed a group of women washing clothes, followed the stream a little ways, then started up a narrow and steep path that lead through a common graveyard, for those with no family. We passed a grazing cow, and finally reached the top of the hill, right behind the Mission to the Fatherless compound.

We bid goodbye to Moses, who had lead us through the wilderness to the promised land. He also had 8 children, however two have died. One of his daughters is studying to be a nurse, another is in college in Massachusets. I gave him my email, and he said he would contact me when we returned to the States. I like it when a wrong turn has positive consequences.

Home in time for lunch, well, at least for the leftovers. We had not-so-sweet-potatoes. The sweet potatoes here are not as sweet as the ones we are used to at home, but they are really tasty with a little honey. After lunch, Gail and Kayla went in town to browse through shops. Evey and I went back to the Internet to finish her blog. It was threatening to rain, but, fortunately for us, held off.

When we returned, there was a mountain of peanut plants on the kitchen floor. A crowd of people were standing all around, pulling peanuts off the plants, throwing them in baskets, and discarding the greens. Soon we will have fresh peanuts... maybe some peanut butter. We will also use the discarded plants to make mulch. The peanut plants were transported in the Mission to the Fatherless van. Now it needs a good interior cleaning.

I telephoned the chairman of the Computer Science Department, Juma Kilwake, at Masinde Muliro University, and we set up a meeting for Wednesday (tomorrow) afternoon at three. Charles had met Mr Kilwake earlier today when he inquired of Mr. Rotich (their offices are adjacent) when the chico construction might begin (he was told, perhaps on Monday).

The rest of the day was just spent relaxing and talking. Herb bought ice cream for all of the children which they enjoyed after a short praise and prayer time. Then Sarah and Lisa and I helped some children with homework; David and Kayla played with those that were done already.

P.S. The wheelchair arrived today! Now we have to get it to Naomy Ruth.

Monday, May 25, Kisumu and the clinic

2009-05-26T05:54:00.002-04:00

Naomy had to leave early for work in the morning but my adventure was about to begin for the day. Evey had still not gotten her traveler’s checks cashed and Gambogi is closer to Kisumu than Kakamega, so we arranged with Pastor Timothy to go to Kisumu, stop at the bank, and then check out a clinic on the outskirts of the city. We took a matatu (12 passenger van with 20 some people in it). After going to three different places Evey finally got the travelers checks cashed. We then took another matatu to get closer to the clinic. We had to rent motorcycles to get to the clinic. My brothers would have loved the ride through narrow lanes dividing the fields with the mountains visible in the distance.

We reversed the process to get back to the main part of town. We sat in the market behind Christine’s mom’s stand to rest a few minutes before walking to the matatu stop and haggling so we didn’t pay twice as much for the ride home as everyone else.

We got to Gambogi and had tea with Timothy and Christine. Timothy flagged down a Matatu. The driver was his friend and drove the whole group up to Naomy’s gate while we ran into the house and got out bags. We ran out and hopped in. We got to Kakamaga safe and sound.

Saturday, the Women’s Conference

2009-05-26T05:50:00.002-04:00

The meeting went wonderfully. There were over 40 women that attended. There were several groups of women: the physically disabled, the blind, and the deaf. There were also some parents of children with disabilities and two health care workers.

After the formalities of the Kenyan opening greetings, we divided into 3 groups to complete a survey which hopefully will bring about some global awareness of the situation of the women with disabilities in Kenya. Evey is hopeful that the results of her study can be published.

The survey was followed by a break with tomato sandwiches and water. Next Evey presented a short talk then the women formed two groups. Evey taught one group while I taught the other. I spoke about labor and delivery and some of the issues faced by Kenyan women when they get pregnant. I found everyone very open and they asked a lot of good questions. Evey and I switched places and taught the opposite groups so the participants did not have to go to the trouble of moving around.

We served mandazies and soda for lunch along with an orange. In the afternoon we passed out books and little gifts to each of the women. The love notes inside the books from the women of Beth Tikkun were very much appreciated. There was the Kenyan closing ceremony then each participant was given money to pay for the transportation to and from the meeting.

My friend Christine, Pastor Timothy’s wife, signed throughout the conference for the women who were deaf. I was communicating a bit with them too, with my limited sign language. There is definitetly a place for people who can sign to minister to those in Kenya. Child birth educators, doulas, people who have time to sit down and visit would also be welcomed. There is even a place for those who like to talk. Conversation with someone who has respect for the women would help to build self worth and help with loneliness.

Handicap accessible, in Kenya, means the destination is only a short distance along a rough path and a couple of steps that can be maneuvered by hanging on to anything they can reach while the crutches and canes dangle and hopefully get to the top step about the same time as the person. One enterprising woman made a front pack for her baby so she could ride boarda-boardas (bicycle with a board on the back wheel for a seat) and bring her child along safely. The baby could eat on the way if it was a long distance.

After the meeting we drove back to Gambogi where Naomy Ruth lives. The next morning we went to church, and then had an interview with a woman confined to a wheel chair in the back of her shop. One of the women from Timothy’s church was also part of the interview. She was blind.

Next we went back to Naomy’s where we ate and relaxed for a bit. In the evening we debriefed.

Friday, May 22, Conference Preparations

2009-05-26T05:49:00.000-04:00

Friday-While the rest of my family was in Oyugis, I went to Mmbale to help with the workshop for the women with disabilities. Pastor Timothy came by Mission to the Fatherless around 8:00 in the morning. He helped us find our way around town. First we went to a couple of banks to cash Evey’s traveler’s checks. Please take note not to bring traveler’s checks to Kenya. It took 5 banks and a money exchange over the course of 4 days (ran into the weekend) before Evey got her money. Next we went to the cyber café. Most of the supplies for the meeting were purchased at Mama Watoto’s shop. Naomy Ruth picked us up after work and we bought tomatoes and water then we were on our way. Evey and I spent the night at Naomy Ruth’s house, and then left early to set up for the meeting in Mmbale.

Monday, May 25, Return to Kakamega

2009-05-26T05:40:00.000-04:00

We had breakfast at Oyugis, and then left for Kakamega around 10 AM. The trip was uneventful. We did stop for fuel. The van runs on deisel, which is cheaper here than unleaded.

David's hair was bothering him, so the girls began removing all of the extensions while we were in the van.

When we reached Kakamega, Charles stopped at the GS4 office (a security courier terminal) and asked about the wheelchair. Of course, no one knew anything about it. After a little insistence, they checked records and discovered it had been delivered to Mission to the Fatherless earlier that morning. Unfortunately, it was to the old address. So, we left that for another time.

When we got back to the new compound, we washed up a bit, the girls finished David's hair, and then we all went in to town to buy chairs and use the Internet. Several of the wooden chairs here are in need of repair. When we got to the chair shop, it was closed for lunch. Charles, John, Herb, and Wendy sat down in some of the chairs to wait. Sarah, Lisa, David, Kayla, and I set off on our own to the Internet.

We found it with no trouble and after checking email and writing a few quick notes, we set off back through town. Kayla bought a shawl in one of the shops. When we reached the gate to Mission to the Fatherless, Sarah reached through the little door to unlatch it. The guard also reached for it, and brushed her hand which gave her a slight fright.

A little bit later, Gail, Evey, and Pastor Timothy arrived, so we all had a happy reunion and shared little bits of each group's experiences.

After supper, Sarah and Lisa helped some of the children with homework. We went to bed, glad to be back at Mission to the Fatherless, Kakamega. Our weekend experiences reminded us just how blessed the children and workers here are. The new orphanage compound is really nice compared to what others have.

Sunday, Oyugis Church

2009-05-26T05:37:00.003-04:00

Douglas, director of Mission to the Fatherless, Oyugis, is pastor of a church that grew out of the orphanage ministry. It is located in the bush, about 6 km from the orphanage. The roads were surprisingly good. Some bumps, but nothing like the "paved" road to Lake Victoria. We went in two Toyota vans. I was unable to count how many in all, but there are over twenty kids at this orphanage, and 9 of us.

The church is a rectangular brick structure. The walls are 2 ft high; the floor is red dirt. Poles reach the rest of the way to support the corrugated metal roof. Plastic patio chairs were available for the guests, plain wooden benches filled the back part of the church. It was a beautiful place to worship. You might say that the "view from the pew" was amazing (except there were no real pews). There were goats grazing past the front of the church (no stained glass to get in the way), and a cow was mooing somewhere behind. Chickens roamed about freely. About 60 people were in attendance; our vans were the only vehicles.

After some teaching and singing, the group from Kakamega (and America) were asked to present their numbers. David, Kayla, and I played "We Delight in Your Shabbat." People sang along on the chorus. Then the rest of our group joined us and we sang "How Deep the Father's Love For Us," and "Open the Eyes of My Heart." On the last Holy, Holy, ... Holy, I want to see You, we sang in Swahili: mtaka tifu, nataka kuona. It was great fun, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. Herb preached. He also gave some money to the widows in the church after the service ended.

After the service, people wanted to play David's dulcimer. Then we were invited to have lunch at Monica's home nearby. They had chicken, rice, greens, and the biggest mountain of ugali I have ever seen. Mangos from the trees around the church were available for dessert.

On the way home, one of the widows from the church flagged down our van. She gave us a huge basket of avocados, about 40 of them. Large ripe ones, not like the ones we get at Acme. In Kenya, the poorest people are often the most generous. The rest of the trip was filled with singing children. They had latched onto the We Delight in Your Shabbat chorus, but they all really liked the last word, Shabbat, so it was pretty much shouted.

Almost everyone took a nap when we got back. Some of our group went to town. I stayed behind and played guitar and sang in front of the home. It attracted quite a crowd of children. The kids at the school next door were peering through the barbed wire fence as well. I sang for about 2 hours, stopping to talk about what some of the songs meant, or teach a few Hebrew words.

After supper, Sarah and Lisa taught the children some songs, and they shared some of their traditional Luo songs and dances. They also had arm wrestling matches.

Tomorrow we return to Kakamega. On the way, we hope to claim the wheelchair that was lost baggage on Evey's flight. It was sent to Mission to the Fatherless by courier service, and should be at an office that Charles knows in Kakamega.

Saturday, May 23: Oyugis

2009-05-26T05:33:00.002-04:00

The orphanage in Oyugis is off the main road, down a very narrow path (just wide enough for the Toyota van). There is no running water. The children carry water from the river, which is behind the orphanage, down in a fairly large valley. This means that there are no flush toilets either. The outhouses are concrete cubicles with a rectangular hole in the ground and steel roof. There is a slightly raised place on each side of the hole where you put your feet. This helps with aiming.

After breakfast, Sarah, Lisa, David and Kayla walked into town with a few of the children. They visited a few shops and the Post Office. When they returned, we all got in the van to take a ride to Lake Victoria. The road to the lake is about 6 km (under 4 miles), but it is one of the worst roads we have been on in Kenya. It is quite wide (most places) but all dirt and extremely bumpy. Officially it is tarmac (paved), but to me it is all dirt and rock. A few years ago, the government decided to pave this road. They spent billions of shillings on it. According to the official records, the project was completed and the road is now paved. Someone pocketed the money.

One of the reasons the road is not frequently repaired, is that you cannot easily justify using a road grader on a paved road. So the bumps just keep getting worse. At one point, we were passed by a very large truck. It was driving faster than it should have been doing. Just after passing us, it came upon a construction crew. They were filling in a washed out portion with dirt. They maintained a single lane of traffic. This helped pack down the dirt that was being dumped. All of the work was being done by hand. Well, the truck was being flagged down by a worker, but it bullied its way onto the single lane area. Unfortunately, a small car had already started in on the other end. It swerved to avoid the truck, but the truck ran over its back fender. Douglas went over and persuaded the two drivers to move their vehicles so others could pass. After about 15 minutes, they agreed and we were able to continue on our way.

We reached the lake at a small fishing village situated on a small inlet of water. There were cows, goats, birds, and lots of dead fish. Scattered here and there were women sitting on the ground cleaning a batch of fish. There were large Mudfish (some about 2 feet long), Tilapia (up to about 16 inches), and others. About 20 boats lined the edge of the very narrow inlet; some fishermen were busy with sails and nets, others were busy watching us. We took some pictures, talked to a few people, and then headed back to the orphanage.

On the return, we saw that bully truck coming toward us, down a hill. We gave it plenty of room to pass. I am sure the driver was pretty angry about the delay. We reached the orphanage in mid afternoon. Beatrice had lunch ready for us and we were hungry.

After lunch, I was sitting outside. Beatrice was hurrying by, and then she stopped and came over to me. She was looking for someone to speak to the kids at a meeting that was just organizing. The meeting was in a small room, and attended by the kids from the orphanage and some neighbors. I estimated about 40 children. They sang some songs and gave testimonies, and then I talked to them about names. I shared from Paul's first letter to Timothy, one of my favorites because it is addressed to me. Some of the children have names from the Bible; I had met two of them earlier in the day, Michael and Ezekiel.

The rest of the day was spent doing whatever we wanted. Sarah and Lisa passed out frisbees and jump ropes that we had brought along. The children all had fun playing. Later in the evening, those of us from Kakamega practiced a few songs to sing at the church service the next day. We will see how that goes. One last trip to the bathroom before bed. I hope I don't drop the flashlight.

Ugh! There were 4 roaches on the walls of the toilet, each about 2 inches long. The children squash them with their hands, but I was not so brave. I kept the flashlight off and hoped they would not notice me. Squatting in a confined space with giant insects will stimulate your prayer life.

Friday, Trip to Oyugis

2009-05-26T05:23:00.003-04:00

Friday morning we woke up in the new Mission to the Fatherless facility, Kakamega. Mr. Rotich, from Musinde Muliro University, Engineering Department, was here to discuss installing "chicos" in the cooking area. These would replace the open fires that are currently being used. The chicos can burn firewood or charcoal. They will be more efficient and reduce the amount of smoke the cooks are exposed to. I think the project will start Tuesday.

Geofrey Ondanga and his wife, Rose, the artists Gail met on her previous visits, stopped by with a collection of banana leaf pictures. He was able to sign the prints of his drawing, "Infected," that we had made in Akron to sell. Geofrey's prints are for sale on the Mission to the Fatherless website. Part of the profits will go to support the orphans.

After breakfast, we loaded up the van with luggage and people, and headed south to Ouygis, where the second Mission to the Fatherless orphanage is located. The road from Kakamega is very rough, but Charles did a good job avoiding the holes, speed bumps, and oncoming traffic. We stopped in Kisumu to change money and decided to have lunch at the Imperial Hotel. Wendy was so excited, as Tilapia was on the menu. Kisumu is located on Lake Victoria which is famous for Tilapia. She decided on the buffet, and got a head and middle section of the fish. Fish is usually served whole in Kenya. The eyes are considered a delicacy, or at least that is what we were told. Wendy looked at the fish, and the fish looked back at Wendy, but she persevered and ate that eyeball. Her expression was all I needed to tell me she did not consider it a delicacy. I ordered a tomato and cucumber sandwich.

The two-lane road from Kisumu to Oyugis was very smooth, a superhighway by Kenyan standards. We arrived at the home in the middle of a heavy downpour and were greeted by enthusiastic children and Douglas and Beatrice. Supposedly it rarely rains in Oyugis. Well, we are rarely in Oyugis, so I suppose that is why it rained.

After supper, we got out the guitars and dulcimer and played a couple of songs for the children. We were all crammed into a small living/dining room, twnety some kids, the 9 of us, and a few more. The kids started singing and dancing to Hava Nagila, using traditional Luo dances. They caught on to the first phrase, hava nagila, and used it throughout the song, at full volume. It was accompanied by screaming and whistling as well. Then the children sang some songs for us, and recited some poetry. It was a great time for all.

Afterwards, Sarah and Lisa got out some beads they had brought along and involved all of the children in a beading activity. Everyone had a new necklace or bracelet when bedtime came. Time to rest. After all, it is Shabbat!

Epilogue: Around 11:30, I had just turned out the light, arranged my mosquito net, pulled up the covers, and closed my eyes, when the building began to shake. I have been in a few earthquakes, so I recognized the signs. I did not move, wondering if this was going to be strong enough to do any damage, if if it would be a gentle shake that ended quickly. Fortunately, it ended after about 10 or 15 seconds. Earthquakes are quite common in this area.

Note to self: investigate the appropriate course of action when feeling the signs of an earthquake.

Thursday, May 21, Kakamega or Bust

2009-05-26T05:19:00.003-04:00

Thursday we rose at 4:30 AM, loaded the luggage in a van and a car and then headed for the airport. There were 7 of us, and we had a lot of luggage (despite getting rid of some things in Nairobi). We got through the security checkpoint and headed to the baggage counter. Our ten suitcases were mostly overweight, but a phone call from Joan the day before had paved the way for a smooth check in. No extra luggage charges, and we were on our way to the waiting room. Thank you Joan and Raphael.

The plane was a twin turboprop; we walked across the tarmac and climbed the stairs with our guitars, dulcimer, and assorted carry-ons. The guitars went into coat closets at the back of the plane and the dulcimer just fit in the overhead. About 45 minutes later we were on the ground in Kisumu. Herb, Wendy, and Charles greeted us. Herb is a co-founder of Mission to the Fatherless. Wendy is our friend from Akron who arrived at MTTF a week earlier. Charles, or Pastor Charles, is the director of MTTF in Kakamega. We packed all the stuff into one van this time, and headed down the road.

About half way we heard a loud pop - blowout! Off to the side of the road, unload people, unload bags, unload spare, jack up, change tire, repack stuff and people, strategize how to safely get back on the road (the roads often have a jagged shoulder that drops off 6-9 inches), and we were back on track.

Kakamega finally came into view (it took a little longer as Charles took a shortcut on a new road that was started 3 years ago and he thought might be finished... not). We stopped for water and candy, then drove around the corner to the new MTTF compound.

We had just settled the luggage into rooms when Pastor Timothy and his wife Christine appeared. Soon we were joined by Naomy Ruth (although she had to sit in her taxi for 15 minutes til the rain stopped). Naomy, Timothy, Christine, Gail, and Evey have been planning a womens' meeting, and this was the time to finalize details.

The kids played; the children of MTTF came home from school; the children all played; we had supper and a presentation (singing and a very demonstrative and silly welcome speech) and then I went to bed. Tomorrow we leave for Oyugis (except for Gail and Evey who are involved in a weekend of ministry in Gambogi).

Wednesday, Last day in Nairobi

2009-05-20T13:34:00.004-04:00

Wednesday, Evey and Lisa arrive. Sarah and I got up at 6 AM and Bovince, the driver for Eshel Gardens, drove us to the airport. The trip to the airport took only about 45 minutes. When we arrived at the airport, we spotted Evey and Lisa at the baggage conveyor. They had a very short delay for their visa and customs. Evey was talking to someone who was pointing off to the side of the room, in the same direction I had to go when the airline misplaced one of our bags. Sure enough, Evey had brought a wheelchair along for someone in Kakamega, and it was misplaced. Hopefully we can get it tomorrow when we depart for Kisumu at 6:45 AM.

Our drive back to Eshel Gardens took a bit longer (about 1 1/2 hours). There was a lot of traffic. Breakfast was waiting when we arrived. David and Kayla were sporting new hairdos. Christine and Eileen braided both of their heads last night. They are still working on them this morning.

Mary and Matthew and Mary's friend Patricia cam over to visit for a while in the afternoon. While Matthew had his hair braided, David, Kayla, Sarah, and Lisa went to the Maasai Market with Eileen via matatu. Most matatus are minivans (mostly foreign, like a Toyota) holding up to 14 passengers; they run regular routes like busses. They have a driver and a conductor. The conductor hangs out the side door and allows people to jump in or out (even if the matatu is still moving). He also collects the correct fee. The driver tries to complete his route as quickly and with as many passengers as possible. It sounds like it would make a good video game.

This was a nice day of relaxation and reflection over the events of the week. I definitely appreciated having a slower day before heading out to Kakamega. Gail and Mary and I had a chance to talk about what worked well this week, what did not, and what other activities might be good to investigate. Mary wants to offer "safaris" to homeschooing families in the United States (and other countries) to visit Nairobi. By the way, safari here means vacation. There are opportunities to go on what I would call a safari, but her vision is to plan mini-vacations that would allow for a cultural exchange between Kenyans and Americans. Our visit has helped her solidify her thinking about this venture. Hopefully other families will follow to experience this unique culture.

The children were delayed returning from the Maasai market, and we were a little concerned, however they did show up safe and sound with several treasures that they successfully purchased. Tonight we pack so we can leave for the airport at 5 AM (ugh).

Tuesday, May 19, Haruma

2009-05-19T14:55:00.003-04:00

Today was the day to visit Haruma. Haruma is one of 4 slums in Starehe Constituency of Nairobi. We previously visited Kibera, which is in Langata Constituency. We were invited to meet with an organization called Ongoza Njia (Lead the Way). The director, Calvin, shared what this organization is trying to do across all 4 slums in this area. They have partnered with 140 community groups to implement a variety of programs. Also present was Ojiayo, leader of Bunge La Wananchi (The Peoples Parliment). At a recent meeting of this body, they heard from Mary about the benefits of home education, and were so excited they adopted a resolution to implement some form of homeschooling in the slums. Although Kenya offers free education, in fact the fees to access that education cannot be afforded by many in the slums. Many children raom the streets instead of attending school.

Today, Ojiayo, Calvin and some of his staff, Mary, Gail, and I dialoged more about how to apply home education concepts in their situation. Already, Calvin has in place several resources that might be adapted to support home education efforts: practical training in a variety of trades, a computer center where people learn computing skills, and a network throughout the slums in the form of the 140 community organizations. The challenge is educating the parents about the possibilities and opportunities that this new approach might hold for their children. Hopefully, dialogs will continue as they attempt to ignite support at the grassroots level.

Next we went to another area of the slum to meet the Queen of the Slums. Lucy is the director of Little Bees School, a school for children in Haruma through grade 6. Lucy's son, Victor, rode in the boot to show us the way. I doubt that we could have found it without help.

Lucy has a small compound for Little Bees School with classrooms, a kitchen, bathrooms, and some storage. They have over 100 children attending. The facility is in the midst of construction; not all of the floors and walls are in place. Lucy struggles with getting finances for her work.

Lucy is known as Queen of the Slums for her efforts to make a difference. About 9 years ago, Lucy started a program to replace the "flying toilets." When people needed to go to the bathroom, they would go on a piece of paper, then fold it slightly and simply throw it far into the air. It could land anywhere. Lucy built a toilet facility, charging a small fee to use it. The project was replicated throughout the slum and has dramatically improved the living conditions there. Lucy also has a small garden planted on an area that was once a garbage dump.

The children of Little Bees School met us on the road, and welcomed us with songs and placed frilly boas around our necks. Later we each received a badge that said Honored Guest. The songs were very nice. We toured the school facilities, and then David played a few songs on the hammer dulcimer for the children. We got some of the teachers to dance to Hava Nagila.

After the children went back to their studies, we went through some very narrow passages between homes in Haruma to see Lucy's home. Lucy has about three rooms, but these are used to house some children she rescues from a variety of horrible conditions. We also looked at her garden, and listened to her tell how she stood up to a gang of thugs that exacted tolls (sometimes lives) at a bridge below her area. Through some tough talk, she has managed to get them to do useful things in the area. Lucy truly is Queen of the Slums.

We stopped at the Internet on the way home. Supper at Eshel Gardens consisted of hamburgers and lasagna. Christine, our cook, is wearing her chef's jacket. She is a great cook, and really looks the part. We learned that she and her family live in Haruma.

Pictures

2009-05-19T09:15:00.001-04:00

There should be updated pictures... we stopped at a cyber cafe that let me plug in my laptop.

Monday, Kibera

2009-05-19T09:07:00.004-04:00

Monday started off with breakfast and laundry. We begged some soap from Jenny, and then washed clothes in a bucket. A fence served for a clothesline. About 9:30, a "taxi" arrived to take us to Linda's home in the South C section of Nairobi. Linda is a homeschooling mom of 4 children. She has been homeschooling about 5 years. She uses the Bible and a smattering of other books for curriculum. Homeschooling materials are difficult to get in Kenya; shipping is prohibitive and there are no resources available within the country.

We participated in a Hebrew lesson, and then watched as the children worked on a few other subjects. We took a break for tea, and later, lunch. After lunch we headed out to Kibera.

Kibera is one of the largest slums in the world. There are over 1 million people living in this 600 acre area in Nairobi. They live in makeshift cubicles constructed out of scraps of lumber and corroguated metal. The average person lives on under $1 per day. Water is dispensed from large tanks, and toilets or shower are available, all for a fee.

We visited Ken, who directs a ministry called Center for Viable Development, Research, Innovation, and Intervention, or CVD for short. CVD has a small office space inside the edge of Kibera, and provides counseling and training for people in the slum. They are trying to encourage people to move out of the city and farm the plots of land that is theirs by tribal rights. Rather than live a subsistence life style in cramped and unsanitary conditions, they could begin to provide from themselves through farming and earn money providing food to others. Nairobi attracts people from the countryside who are looking for a path to economic success. Unfortunately most become trapped in a lifestyle that is worse than what they left behind.

One encouraging aspect to the conversation is that Sadili Oval Club (see earlier post) is on the edge of Kibera, and there may be a possibility of collaboration between the CVD and Liz, the director of Sadili Oval Club, that would benefit both groups of people.

After leaving Kibera, we visited a cyber cafe to check for urgent email messages, then Gail, Sarah, and Kayla were dropped off at Jenny's house (a different Jenny from the one staying with us at Eshel Gardens) to meet with a group of women to talk about home birth. David and I continued on home to a good supper. Afterwards, I was sitting in the living room, waiting for the others to return, when I noticed a few large flying insects. I chased them out the door, and closed it. About that time a swarm of them came under the crack at the bottom of the door. There was no keeping them out. It was obvious they were being attracted by the light, so I turned it out and opened the door. In just a few minutes, they had all left the room and were swarming around the front door (white) and porch light. Eileen came in, and said, Oh! Termites. Then she started gathering them up in her hand. When she got a handful, she said her daughter loves them. She offered to fry me some, but I declined. About an hour later, they were all gone, and we did not see another the whole night, except for when Gail picked up Kayla's jacket and one flew out.

Sunday, May 17, Reuben's House

2009-05-19T09:06:00.004-04:00

Sunday, May 17

This morning we headed out to the estate of Reuben Matthews. His business is drilling bore holes (i.e. wells). He has the best reputation for bore hole digging in the country and is very influential in the development and planning of water supplies throughout Kenya. He volunteered to look at the well at the Vijiji home (see previous post) and said he would look at it and see what happens!

Reuben has been studying Hebrew with Yeshaia for a while. Reuben is from the United States. His family is Hebrew, and came to the United States in New Orleans in the 1800's. Originally his name was Dijong, but when the slaves were freed, his family took on the name of their last owner, which was Matthews.

Reuben's father was a Rabbi, one of the first Black Rabbi's in New York, NY, according to Reuben. One of Reuben's brothers was killed by the KKK in North Carolina. Reuben moved to Kenya in the 1980's.

For the Hebrew class, Yeshaia taught a little about the history of pronounciations of the tetragrammaton, and then Reuben talked to us for a little while, telling about his family history. Reuben has 8 sons and 8 daughters and 3 wives. The most recent daughter was born a week ago; they named her Kenya. They also have 4 grandchildren.

Reuben provided a scrumptious meal of goat, beef, and chicken (from his own animals) along with fruit, beans, rice, and chapates. Delicious. David, Kayla, and I played some music after dinner, and then we headed back towards Nairobi.

On the way home we stopped at Patricias's house in Rongai. It is a new house, and Patricia and her husband, Bob, are still finishing parts of it. It was a long drive up very rough dirt roads to get there, but our quest ended on a beautiful hill overlooking a lush valley. The trip home was equally bumpy, but we finally arrived back at home for supper and sleep.

Friday, Sadili Oval Club

2009-05-19T09:05:00.006-04:00

Friday we were picked up by Yeshaia and driven to Salidi Oval Club. This is an Educational Trust organization that provides sports training and an education for talented Kenyans, many of them orphans. The director, Liz, has opened the facility for a homeschooling group, Elimu Nyumbani (Swahili for home education), allowing them to use a meeting room, the field, and swimming pool. We had a long conversation with her about home schooling, and she was excited about how some of the homeschooling concepts might be applied to the children she works with.

The homeschooling group invited us to share about our experiences, and then asked a few questions. After that they reviewed Hebrew vocabulary. This was followed by an exercise class outside on the football field. Swimming was then available. After lunch, David, Kayla and I played some music and taught them a few songs. Although most of them belong to a Messianic fellowship, none knew anything about Hebraic dance. Gail taught them the steps to Hava Nagila, and they had a great time as we increased the tempo to a furious pace.

Afterwards we went to Java House for coffee and snacks and Internet, however the Internet was so slow, it took several minutes for each page load. We then returned home and had supper and some conversation. Time for sleep. Tomorrow we visit Yeshaia’s Tanakh Assembly.

Saturday 16 MAY, Vijiji Home of Light

2009-05-19T09:05:00.005-04:00

Saturday, May 16, 2009 we went to Shabbat service in the morning. We were late due to very heavy traffic and a fund-raising walk for operating rooms for children. The service was held at a very nice club, in a meeting room surrounded with windows opening onto a park-like setting. Gail and I had the opportunity to share with the fellowship why we are in Kenya, a little about homeschooling, and also about home birth. This group of people is interested in learning Hebrew so they have the tools to study the Tanakh in the original language. They are also advocates of home education. The music was a mixture of English and Swahili and Hebrew.

After the service we went to an Ethiopian restaurant, Smart Village, in a large “hut.” We sat on couches around low tables. The food was brought in pots and served on a circle of njira (fermented rice tortilla, we think) covering a large platter shared by 3-4 people. We ate with our fingers. It was very good.

Our afternoon activity took us to an orphanage in Mwimuto, Kenya, called Vijiji Home of Light. Vijiji means village. The home was started by John Mwasi, his mother, and others. The home is largely supported by donations from the United States, but those have dwindled with our economic problems. There are about 30 children there, most under the age of 12. The facility is a three bedroom house. The well for the house no longer works so a truck brings water once a week. John and the “teacher,” Lucy, were interested in the possibility of schooling the children in the home rather than sending them off to school. Gail and Mary spent quite a bit of time talking with John and Lucy about the possibilities and providing encouragement. John and his wife would also like to homeschool their own daughter, and I had the opportunity to share with him some things I learned about being the dad in a homeschooling family.

Mwimuto is a mixture of poor and rich like much of Kenya. After driving past some very large estates, we turned off the main road onto a dirt area that opened into a small market. At the end of that we turned left between two stores and then proceeded up a long lane just wide enough for our car and a person (in some places). This is when it felt good to be in a Land Rover. I have no idea how a water truck gets up this lane. At one point we came upon another car. Fortunately it was pointed in the same direction we were. Unfortunately, it was reversing (Kenyan for backing up). It backed into a small lane that led up to a fenced property, and we were able to pass.

I am still amazed as to how traffic actually flows in Nairobi. I actually saw three traffic lights and one stop sign today (during 2 hours of travel). Traffic flow is like molten lava. It merges and divides in a sort of slow motion. If you squint just a little, the cars actually look like lava, and the smoke from the exhaust just completes the effect. It is incredible that there are so few collisions. Twice today we encountered gridlock as one of the four cars stuck in a mosaic pattern in the middle of an intersection, each blocking the others as some wanted to turn. Yeshaia said this is very common and he has had to get out and direct traffic on some occasions. Things do not move until someone finds a way to back up (oops, reverse) and give way to one of the other cars.

We went past a crosswalk painted on the pavement, and I asked if drivers need to yield to pedestrians in a crosswalk. Yeshaia, our driver, looked at me and laughed. The important thing is not to hit someone, but there is very little yielding in Nairobi. An ambulance with siren and lights passed going in the other direction. They did not appear to have any advantage in the traffic over any of the other cars or busses.

Home in time for supper. Yum!

Pictures

2009-05-14T14:21:00.001-04:00

Pictures can be viewed at our Picasa album

Thursday, Baptist Mission of Kenya

2009-05-14T14:00:00.005-04:00

This is a picture of the outside of the building where we are staying. Gail and I are downstairs, the children upstairs.

Thursday started out very pleasant with breakfast, then David and Kayla were hit with upset tummies. Kayla’s turned into jet lag, and she and Sarah stayed home to rest. David and Gail and I went with Mary to visit the homeschool group that she is part of. This was for a Hebrew class. The leader asked Michelle, Mary’s 17 year old daughter, to explain Hebrew. About 30 minutes later we had heard the alephbet, all of the basic grammar rules, and examined the historical forms of the Hebrew letters. Then Yeshaia, the leader, shared some of his history and a few things he had learned.

Next, they asked us to share about ourselves and how homeschooling works in the United States. We did our best to represent the varieties of approaches, and then shared songs with them. David played his hammer dulcimer, and I played guitar.

After class, we went with Mary through Nairobi to visit a homeschool resource center at the Baptist Mission of Kenya compound. Traffic was bad. When we go into the city, we encountered a burning tire and large rocks blocking the way. Crowds of people were pointing and looking, then they started running. All the cars in front turned around (we did too) and went around a round-about to get away from the action. We passed police in riot gear, and as we slowly left the area, heard tear gas being shot into the area we had left.

We think the incident was the police discouraging hawkers from selling their wares in front of the shops. This has apparently become a problem and the police are attempting to get them to move away from the storefronts.

The detour caused a lengthy delay, but we did arrive at the Baptist Mission of Kenya center. David and Kayla had a chance to play football with a fairly large group of homeschooled youth. The resource center was opened to homeschoolers for a while, but currently they are not accepting additional members as their primary purpose is to serve missionary families in this area.

The ride home was traffic riddled, but otherwise uneventful. Still no Internet, so we are going to Java House tomorrow.

PS - Internet on :)
We will still go to Java House - we hear they have good brownies and coffee.

Wednesday, Kazuri Bead

2009-05-14T13:59:00.003-04:00

Wednesday breakfast, sausage, eggs, and fruit, was served at 7 AM. At breakfast we met Jenny, a woman from Lancaster county, PA, who is trying to get a work permit to teach and live in Kenya. She is also staying at the guest house for a few weeks. It is amazing who you might meet when traveling.

After breakfast, Kayla received instruction about how to clean a carpet manually (without a vacuum cleaner). She made friends with the women who cook and clean. Later we went to the market and got a few essentials, then toured Kazuri Bead facility. This is a business that produces custom clay beads and jewelry. It is staffed by single mothers. It also provides a medical clinic that meets most of the medical needs of the employees. The clay is prepared, beads or figurines or other pottery items fashioned, fired, hand painted and glazed, and then sold Internationally to benefit the women in this community.

The evening was spent visiting with Mary and her children, Michelle and Matthew. A wild game of spoons (played with checkers) ensued among the children.

Afterward, we visited with Abraham, our host. His wife, Diane, is from Archbold, OH, right near where Gail grew up. Just as I was going to go online to post this, the power went out. Oh well…

Travel to Nairobi

2009-05-14T13:45:00.005-04:00

May 13

We arrived in Nairobi Tuesday night after an 8 hour flight from Amsterdam. As we prepared to leave the plane, an announcement listed our name along with a few others as having a message. As we left the airport, no one could tell us what the message might be and referred us to someone else. Finally, were told to just go on to the baggage claim and ask there.

Before we could claim our baggage, we needed visas (entry passes, not credit cards). Since we wasted time trying to get our message, we found ourselves at the end of a very long line. While waiting, we were given a fourth form to fill out (we had already filled out three forms while on the airplane). Once we got to the counter, the visas were processed fairly quickly (about 3-4 minutes each). Customs went fast – probably the agent was tired after all the others went through. Then we looked for our ten bags on the conveyor. Only nine appeared, and after checking at the baggage desk, I found out that the message was that one of our bags had not been put on the plane and would arrive the next day.

We all crowded into a Land Rover, and Yeshaia drove us to our lodgings, Eshel Garden Guest house. We got there around 10 PM. We had tea, conversation with a few members of another group staying over also, and then settled in for a good night’s sleep.

2009-05-10T18:56:00.002-04:00

Packing, packing, packing... less than one day to go. Checked in with the airline online, then found out we could not print boarding passes - probably something to do with International flights and ID's.

The kids are packed (pretty much); we have lots of 'stuff' packed (mostly Gail's doing) to take along as gifts. Clothes will be the last thing. I hope to get to that tonight :)

We are all excited, and looking forward to the flight(s). We will meet up with Herb Veith (and 2 fellow travelers) in Amsterdam. They booked a different path to that point, but we are all on the same plane to Nairobi.

Future posts should be more interesting. I am just trying to get into the habit of updating the blog right now. Back to packing...

4 more days

2009-05-07T20:11:00.003-04:00

Cleaning, packing, shopping, mowing, scrounging, sewing (recycling old jeans), ..., in addition to the usual day to day stuff.

We got donations of lotions and assorted skin care products to give to Bishop Peter James Onguko's high school girls.

We had hoped to take David's hammer dulcimer, but it is pretty bulky and we have no good case to transport it in. Reluctantly we decided to take a smaller one that we can carry on the plane. It has fewer strings, so limits the variations that you can play.

We are also taking our two guitars. Kayla's did not have a good case, so I was looking around at music stores today... none would fit (it is an Ovation Adamas, shallow depth rounded back)... then I remembered that Stephanie has the exact case we need and her guitar can live at home without a case for a while. I called her and she said her case needed a vacation, so she is bringing it over...problem solved.

Got Kenyan shillings in the mail today... so we don't have to change currency when we get there. Did you know that 500 shillings costs $6.97?

Sleep....

Project Learning Tree

2009-04-29T09:35:00.004-04:00

The Kenyan home educators and others in Kenya are interested in environmental education. They want to make applications to help live a healthy life and to start small "green" businesses to support their families. Sue Wintering, coordinator of Project Learning Tree at the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has provided me with a curriculum to take along on our trip. Since a lot of people reading this are looking for educational resources for next school year I thought I would put in the link to Project Learning Tree.

2009-04-26T13:10:00.012-04:00

Geofrey Odanga is an artist that lives near Kakamega. I met him over a year ago when I first went to Kenya. I was visiting Geofrey and his wife, Rose, in their mud hut teaching them how to make corn husk dolls and learning how to make banana leaf pictures. The young children gathered into the hut to get their first look at a person with Caucasian skin. Some of the braver children shook hands and the crowd squealed with delight.

I saw a picture on the wall that Geofrey had drawn. The picture was compelling. I was able to bring the picture back. My daughter, Anna, got it professionally scanned. David Bair, an American artist friend and a printer for The Chapel on Fir Hill in Akron, OH, got permission to use the printing press and ink along with some left over paper to get prints of this picture.

Geofrey wants to donate 40% of the proceeds of the sale of this picture to Mission to the Fatherless orphans. He and his wife, Rose attend the church that started as an outgrowth of the orphanage. The picture tells a story about AIDS in the African society. It is called Infected.

The drawing is available on 11x17 (inch) stock, either white, or off-white. When we visit him this summer, we will ask Geoffrey to sign some of the prints.

You can view a video we made about AIDS in Kenya. It includes Geofrey's comments about his picture, and a companion picture called Affected. The children you will see reciting the poem are orphans living at Mission to the Fatherless in Oyugis, Kenya. They do not have AIDS but are orphaned as a result of their parents dying of the disease. The poem was written by Douglas, the director of the orphanage.

If you are interested in buying a limited edition print of Infected go to www.missiontothefatherless.net and look under "Picture Project" to make a purchase.

Each print will come with a copy of Geofrey's intrepretation. Signed prints will be available sometime after June 2009.

Blessings

2009-04-26T08:29:00.004-04:00

The days are ticking away. Soon we will have to start packing.

I wanted to share a little about our friend Evey who is also going to Kenya with us. Evey is involved in designing and carrying out a pilot research project for women with disabilities in Kenya. She has received a lot of interest in this project from people at her school (Kent State University) and from others. Evey and her husband are directors of BAMCO, and inner city youth ministry in Akron, OH.

Evey, my wife, Gail, and her friend Naomy Ruth from Kenya, have been working hard to arrange a series of mini conferences to train women leaders in Kenya as well as gather information related to Evey's research. Naomy Ruth had requested we bring copies of a specific resource book to be distributed to these leaders. Over the last two weeks, women at our fellowship have been writing personal notes to be placed in these books. They are committing themselves to pray for those receiving the books and others they will help in the future. Our fellowship is also helping financially to cover the costs of the conferences. It is exciting to see so many people getting involved in this project.

Plans for the end of the trip

2009-04-18T11:06:00.002-04:00

Our hope is to spend about one week in Mombasa. We will be taking Timothy and Christine with us so they can have a vacation and visit family and friends. Timothy is the pastor of Gambogi Fellowship Centre. We will probably travel to Mombasa by bus, but hope to take the train, the Jambo Kenya Deluxe for the return trip -- sleeping compartments, dining car, and so on. In Mombassa, we are planning to stay at a cottage near the beach.

Margush's Going To Kenya

2009-04-08T21:02:00.001-04:00

The Margush's are going to Kenya. We will be leaving May 11, 2009, and returning June 21, 2009.

Who does this include? Kayla, David, Sarah, Gail, and Tim.

What will we be doing? Our trip will be in four parts. We plan to start with a week in Nairobi visiting Gail's friend, Mary, who is head of a homeschooling community. After that we will be joined by our friend Evey and daughter Lisa, and the next 2-3 weeks we will primarily be at the Mission to the Fatherless orphanage in Kakamega, with plenty of side trips as we are able. The last 2 weeks we hope to spend with Emily Dwyer at ACTS for Messiah, in Tororo, Uganda, and Timothy and Christine in Mombasa.

Does this sound like an adventure? We hope to post updates here, so stay tuned.