Jim and Gale's Excellent Adventure

Gratefully Looking Back

2011-01-01T19:05:00.000-08:00

St. Edwin's Orphanage

It's 2011 now and time to slow down and reflect on the enormous privilege of living and ministering in Kenya. Jim and I never imagined such a blessing and could never regret the Lord's leading us there. There's so much we'd love to tell you. To quote a character in The Princess Bride, "Let me explain...no there's too much...let me sum up."

We were not only afforded the opportunity to teach and nurture missionary children at RVA, but also give the chance to reach out and minister in Kenyan communities. One Saturday took Gale again to St. Edwin's where she helped prepare the new mattresses provided for the girls by caring people in the U.S.

The orphanage shamba or garden

Gracious hospitality--steaming hot chai

The children share music with us.

Tiny feet in shoes that must last awhile.

And of course, local wildlife. A chameleon and a big bug.

Touring the Caves at Mt. Suswa

Jim, I and some friends were given a special tour by our friend and guard, Sammie. In order to visit the reserve, one had to be guided by a Masai tribal member. Sammie not only gave us a tour of these remarkable volcanic caves, but also fed us a lovely lunch of Kenyan stew and chipatis.

Gale, Sammie, and friends and our "obstacle course."

A Hyrax--this little furry fellow is genetically related to an elephant.

Mount Longonot in the distance

A young Masai moran (warrior.)

Sammie and his family.

A whistling acacia and neighboring giraffes.

Aberdares--Part II

2010-04-17T04:42:00.000-07:00

We looked at each other often and said "a picture can't do justice to this." What we saw is well nigh indescribable and beyond photography--but I'm going to to share just a taste of what we experienced in this brief getaway.

A crested eagle

Clouds and mist over Aberdare

moors and mountains

Elephant grass

The river just below the cabin.
Notice the hanging moss.

One of many waterfalls,

each with its own

ecosystem and plantlife.

We would daily trek to see

a new waterfall.

The same falls, second stage.

After our first water fall trek,

this deer walked out to greet us as

though she were on official business.

Others were more wary.

Still others posed majestically.

A Franklin hen.

Mustache extensions?

No, Jim being silly

with hanging moss.

Are these deer tour guides?

She stood behind me as I rested during a

waterfall trek.

Wild gladiolus

Old

growth

forest

Another section--

different plant life--

An orchid-like flower

among bamboo.

Water buffalo in the

bamboo forest.

We moved from bamboo to

Evergreens

Brilliant green tea farms just north of the park

A brief stop at Nyeri, final home of

Lord Baden-Powell, creator of

Boy Scouts. Jim is sitting

at a table made by Baden-Powell.

"Abedares You're Beautiful, but Abedares, You're Cold!"

2010-04-17T03:45:00.000-07:00

Our curiosity about this astounding place goes way back. One of our favorite actors, Eagle Scout, and World War II pilot, Jimmy Stewart visited the Aberdares with his family and penned a folksy poem in its honor. Against all expectations, this equatorial mountain range is chilly. Stewart quipped that in the Aberdares you did not wipe away your tears; you only "broke them off."

Jim, Vic Carpenter, the Tilly family and I came there for a few days before the last, hard and fast third term. We were told we better rest up and then hold on!

Just like Jimmy Stewart would have advised, we brought our sleeping bags and slept in warm-up suits. We cooked simple meals on the one working burner on the two-burner stove and huddled by the fireplace and surrounded by kerosene lanterns. We read and played Triominos with the children

Jim was in his glory fishing and he caught and enjoyed one rainbow for breakfast. He and the Tillys fished the stream just below the cabin everyday. Jim, Elizabeth Tilly, and I had one heart-stopping moment when we had a brush with a crabby Cape Buffalo. E.T. as we call her, saw one horn and his muzzle. Jim and Elizabeth heard his snort and we all backed away and returned the way we came...carefully.

We drove and hiked to three beautiful waterfalls and saw more from a distance. Each had its own eco-system with its own unique plant-life and beauty. This was Kenya at its most otherworldly magnificence. This little Okie was definitely not tromping through the Johnson grass and post oaks. We drove up one grass-covered path to a primeval forest to turn back when we reach an impassably muddy bridge with no guardrails. The wonder of that forest was worth that side trip.

We saw a lot of fresh elephant and buffalo dung, but only two buffalo on a distant mountain-side for the first three days (other than our brush with Crabby.) Dave and Jim followed fresh leopard prints on the roadside on an early morning fishing trek. Dave saw a civet, a smaller spotted cat dash across the road, but we could only photograph his prints. Both cats were almost certainly stalking the abundant, almost tame antelopes we saw daily.

The last day we drove through the park to Nyeri and this was one of the most stunning and unsettling parts of the trip. We finally saw a herd of Cape Buffalo, snuffling and staring in their challenging way at the intruders. Once past them, we only had to sweat making our way through miles of muddy roads far from civilization. It was unnerving at times, but beauties amazed us at every turn in the road. At last we were past the electrified gate and cruising through slopes of bright green tea farms.

Once in Nyeri we visited the final home of one of Jim's heros, Lord Baden-Powell, who founded the Boy Scouts. He is revered in Kenya and on February 22, thousands of scouters, male and female make the march in his honor from his home at Outspan to his gravesite facing Mount Kenya. On the gatepost the Scouts Promise reads "On my honour I promise that I will do my best to do my duty to God and my country, to help other people at all times, and to obey the Scouts Law."

For pictures--see Part II.

Pray for Kenya

2010-04-16T23:01:00.000-07:00

Kenyan National Anthem

(Kiswahili)

Ee Mungu nguvu yetu

Iletebaraka kwetu

Haki iwe ngao na mlinzi

Natukae na undugu

Amani na uhuru

Raha tupate na ustawi.

O God of all creation

Bless this our land and nation

Justice be our shield and defender

May we dwell in unity

Peace and liberty

Plenty be found within our borders.

Crater Lake

2010-04-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

We took turns this Saturday. I took Jim's picture and he took mine on a beautiful summer day.

On our way to Crater Lake we passed Naivashu where growing a great percentage of Europe's cut flowers is a major industry. Note the greenhouses behind the small local stores or dukas.

We shared our lunch with our wonderful RVA neightbors, Vic and Charlotte Carpenter, and our friends, Elisha and Esther. Elisha came from extreme hardship and poverty to missionaries who provided food, shelter, and education. He and Esther have devoted their lives to helping other children. Esther is also an English teacher and a Scout leader!

One Greater and several Lesser Flamingos in this lake formed in the caldera of an extinct volcano.

Later, a brief tour of game park. Two impala...not Chevys, however.

This quirky fella made us smile.

Young giraffe taking a break.

Saturday at the market.

Jim's Hikes and Adventures

2010-04-16T13:12:00.000-07:00

Jim Holt has worked this year as hard as he has ever worked.

When he is not poring over his Bible and references, seeking how to equip the earnest young people who already want to follow their missionary parents' footsteps or those who are entertaining serious doubts in his Bible class...

When he is not putting together earth science lessons plans for the first time in years (read--just like starting from scratch--remember that first year, veteran teachers?)

When he is not teaching kids about outdoor skills or basic first aid...or entertaining them with yarns...or fixing German food for our Caring Community boys...

When he is not preparing sermons for Sunday services for RVA or for the struggling and broken at the IDP camp

When he is not discipling or mentoring, or encouraging...

Jim Holt takes a few hours some Saturday morning and he hikes! Here's some of the vistas he's enjoyed.

Kijabe Hill--a patchwork of beauty

Mt. Longonot--the local volcano.

Chinea Falls on a brief fishing trek in the Abedares.

A pachyderm print!

Glorying in God's wonders as great as the moon over the Aberdares...

or as small as a delicate spiderweb.

A Greener IDP Camp--Showers of Blessings

2010-04-10T06:39:00.000-07:00

"Walk worthily," quoted Jim. Paul shared with the Ephesus church the blessings we have in Christ--and now we are meant to walk as blessed people. You can see the crops growing behind Jim. The valley has been blessed with rain, but the IDP camps' challenges are far from over. When you have lost everything, it's hard to be patient with those nearby who seem to prosper even a little more. Petty squabbles can turn dangerous quickly.

"Walk as dear children" who imitate the generosity and grace of their Father. Good advice for us all.

A thoughtful Mzee or elder who often translates for Jim and always takes his notes for further study with others.

The men share music. The ladies and children will each have their turn. Now the Acacia Tree church has a choir--one of the best we have heard in Kenya.

Gale sits between friend Debbie and a young nurse Cassie who treated a head wound while we were there. She also visited a young mother and child. Cassie had the privilege of delivering the baby boy.

Behind the musicians is beautiful Kijabe Hill. The guitarist on the right also translated during the service. He later shared with Jim that he believes God had a hand in his trials; that he feels he is a remnant that was spared and he is at peace with the new adventure God has given him...another good lesson for us all.

Little Ones

Showing off his treasure--probably his only toy. It's more common to see children playing with castoff tires.

A Small Tour

2010-04-10T05:25:00.000-07:00

This has to be a small tour, just the tiniest taste of what we see from day to day. There are not enough pictures to convey the whole--believe me, we have taken plenty.

This is our admin building, Kiambogo--the first building of Rift Valley Academy. Theodore Roosevelt laid its cornerstone. At one point Kiambogo was RVA's classrooms, dormitory and cafeteria.

Flowers...yes, I cannot say enough about the flowers. I am taking this shot under a poinsettia plant.

A few blossoms are low enough for me to take a close-up.

This is a impatiens BUSH. Yes, you read this correctly...a bush at least four foot high.

Around the corner there are lantana shrubs and the butterflies love them. I heard one long-timer airily dismiss the shrubs as weeds and I have seen them in the wild. I can only say I pay a pretty price for these weeds in nurseries back home.

This is an olive parrot--called so because he eats wild olives--not because he is olive green. He and his buddies roost in an tree by the gym until school begins.

This is a Passion flower (think Passion of Christ) and soon this vine will bear...

...Passion fruit. These will turn purple as they ripen.

Rain finally came and we finally came to see why they call RVA the school in the clouds.

Water lilies in the rain in the science pond.

Centenniel Chapel where Jim preaches from time to time and where we both speak for daily chapel services.

Hibiscus in the rain.

Ceramic bricks made by art students over the year. These are adjacent to sinks at the art building. RVA boasts a fine pottery studio with a resident Kenyan potter, Zed.

Rain over the football (soccer and rugby) field.

Kijabe--the neighboring village

This is downtown Kijabe. You can see Dorothy's--the largest duka or store.

Creative fencing for the peek-a-boo sheep.

Kijabe's preschool.

Sisal plant

The clown of the bird world--mouse bird.

He's dirty and he's proud--the hiker returns...

Donkey's are everywhere in Kenya. Jim photographed these on a hike that took him outside the gate and higher up the escarpment towards Old Kijabe Town. The town shifted closer to RVA when the railroad moved higher up.

Here's the train to Nairobi.

Back home--flying ants

Yes, it's true. The kids fry these up in cheap margarine and eat them. They swarm out of rain-soaked earth and hover over the ground. They move to light and then...

They lose their wings and crawl away to lay eggs and munch on wood.

Second Term--Outreach Day

2010-04-08T07:09:00.000-07:00

Buses and vans were lined up outside Centennial Chapel and getting ready to roll for Outreach Day. We loaded our bus with cabbages, balls, balloons, hula hoops, cases of soda, bags of mandazies and young people ready to use their muscles and talents to bless an orphanage in nearby Kimende.
Our assignment was only one of several meant to serve the many needs in our area. Girls, elementary through ninth grade, were going to play with the children.

Jim and several ninth and tenth grade boys came to pound large stone to bits, so that the girls could walk on a gravel walkway in front of their dorms, instead of mud.

The RVA bus carefully eased through the tunnel under the railway bridge and then jolted up the rough road to the highway. Soon it pulled in front of rustic storefronts in Kimende. We all walked down a dirt alley carrying the cabbages, equipment, and treats to the orphanage--mainly serving young girls orphaned by AIDS and other tragedies.

We entered the compound and soon the boys went to work smashing the large donated rocks, while we ladies gathered the children and walked to a school yard.

The ninth grade girls jumped right in and enthusiastically made sure these kids had a much better than average play day. Language was a small problem as we women and girls played. We had to play "chicken, chicken, goose" rather than "duck, duck, goose" for there is no Swahili word for duck. Soon we were all ready for some refreshment and headed back. When we returned, our RVA guys had created half of the gravel walkway.

Together we celebrated our Saturday with sodas and mandazies and then a rousing concert--our young friends sang and danced for us.

Chicken, chicken, GOOSE!

Soccer--one on one

Back to the orphanage

Fellow staff member and neighbor, Charlotte chats with Edwin about orphanage needs--simple things like a water tank.

The boys bless with their manly strength.

Singing with joy and flair!

Natural Wonders -- Second Term

2010-04-08T06:02:00.000-07:00

We're playing blogging catchup now this vacation. We were warned that the second term would be the most hectic part of the school year and that was an understatement. The H1N1 virus hit our campus and our infirmary was filled to overflowing. Even younger staff members became ill, and the rest of the faculty stepped up to fill the gaps. Jim and I dodged all the illness, but our term was filled with covering important material and helping barely recovering students make up work.

Even in hectic moments, we had to stop at rejoice at the natural wonders about us.

This wonder was exceptional--even for Africa: A once-in-a-life-time solar eclipse.

Our students gathered on the upper rugby field with telescopes and protective eye gear to view this event.

Usually leaves will act as prisms which leave little round images
of the sun.

Today we saw, not crescent moons, but crescent suns displayed on our neighbor's wall.

The annual trip to Hell's Gate Park is a major highlight for eighth grade students. The whole Rift valley is filled with volcanoes and hot springs. Hell's Gate is a real hot spot for geothermal activity. Fifteen percent of Kenya's electricity is fueled by geothermal power.

This volcanic "plug" was created as liquid magma solidified. The outer soil eroded leaving this rugged stone column.

Don't let the remains of extinct volcanoes delude you; this is still a very active area with hot water steaming from the rocks throughout the park.

Jim and the kids also enjoyed wildlife--some rather large, from this locust...

...to this rather sizable pumba. From the looks of things, warthogs like mud just like all other piggies. The Thompson's Gazelle looks disapproving.

JAMES--intrepid wrangler of reptiles and amphibians

This beautiful green and black snake with the big innocent-looking eyes is a boomslang, a poisonous, reclusive tree snake that mostly feeds on bird-eggs and insects. We figure he must have fallen out of a tree near our elementary school. Jim helped contain and then release him.

He looks like he's puckering up, but I wouldn't give him any "sugar" if I were you.

This teensy little skink scampered out of a sandal in our closet. A local business card gives an idea of his size. Again, nature guy released him in our flower box.

A New Year--2010 begins with a parade

2010-04-08T05:13:00.000-07:00

Right before school began, Kijabe began the New Year with a celebration. Hours before you watched the Rose Parade or a bowl game, we enjoyed the parade that began in Kijabe and ended on RVA's lower soccer field. Here we celebrated the successes and the enterprise of a small community who loves its young people just as we love ours.

John Njane leads the parade on his "piki". John also houses and feeds five street boys, three of whom are succeeding with top marks in their local school.

The local chapter of Awanas in Kijabe.

A Heart for Service

2009-12-30T09:54:00.001-08:00

Opening remarks, as Jim prepares to speak; John Karanja, seated with Jim on the

bench, will translate. The church gathers under this acacia tree.

When you see a great need, it's one thing to want to meet that need. It's entirely another thing to meet that need wisely and appropriately. It is far too easy to go wrong, when you are an outsider, regardless of good intentions. If you're the new guy in town,--if you're smart-- you get the wise counsel of someone who's been around awhile. When our hearts were touched with the needs of the IDP camp, we were blessed with the wisdom of John Karanja and John Njane (In jah nee). They pointed us in the right direction, and they saw that our intentions were carried out compassionately and practically.

John Karanja, has been working with the IDP church and his hard work has born fruit. They are taking ownership of their congregation and serving in this very hard place. John Njane has been working with the youth, the Sunday School, as well as a number of street boys in particular. The Camps are near a major truck stop, notorious for crime, prostitution, and drugs. Children without families are gravely in danger. He has a heart to see these children protected and educated.

Both men welcomed our help in ministering to these struggling believers. We were able to offer the comfort of soap and vaseline to 120 families. The remaining funds contributed towards shoes for the children. We were able to partner with two other families in providing footwear for little ones who had dilapidated shoes or no shoes at all. About seventy kids got new sneakers or sandals and fifty more pairs will be distributed this week.

At left, John gathers the children.

At right, friends and I sort shoes.

Trying on some sneakers for size...

and they are a fit!

On the Wednesday before Christmas, we accompanied John

Njane to Old Kijabe Town, where Jim gave a devotional, and we helped distribute food baskets and shoes to destitute widows and their dependent children and grandchildren. John leads out in providing baskets of food to supplement the needs of these families in crisis. It is his passion to prevent these children becoming street kids. John and his wife desire to begin a school where these kids can learn saleable skills and to provide shelter for them. John, a graduate of university, has studied to provide vocational education. His wife is a trained beautician. Pray for this young couple as they seek to stand in a critical gap.

Distributing food

that will enable these families to enjoy a simple Christmas meal of stew and bread and a week or so of other meals as well.

Diani Beach--Beauty and a "Light House"

2009-12-29T00:58:00.000-08:00

Our greeters at Word of Life Church.

This posting will be short on text and long on photos. We do want to share the true highlight of Diani Beach, and it is truly something more of a "lighthouse." We enjoyed two services at the Word of Life Church. There must be quite a story, because they are on prime property on the beach and in a fine position to minister to the community and to young people in Africa. We received a fine welcome and fine messages. It was a blessed relief to see God's truth shining in the midst of darkness in Mombasa.

A dhow -- a cross between an outrigger and a sail boat.

Shots at sunrise -- the peace of a deserted beach

Mombasa -- experiencing the real African summer

2009-12-27T03:04:00.000-08:00

There's no doubt about it. Jim and I are mountain or high plains people. Give us high altitudes and low humidity. Still we had a bit of savings, fine companions, and we'd never again have the opportunity to experience this part of Kenya -- the coast near Mombasa. It was the experience of a lifetime and it took us on a
300 mile, fourteen hour journey by overnight train to the highest humidity and heat we've ever "enjoyed."

Sometime in the long, hot,

sleepless night, Jim photographed this

tiny rural station. He later painted a
water color of it.

We woke and found we had left Nairobi slums for savannahs
and farmland. Breakfast was at 5:30 in the dining car.

This woman carries a heavy

load of firewood in traditional way.

All along the journey, children met us,
waiting for the daily novelty of the train

and for passengers to throw candy or shillings.

We won't talk about the heat, humidity, and the hard lives people lead in Mombasa and the worst poverty we've seen --ever. We won't talk about the annoying, pushy vendors. You don't want to go there. We will, instead, share the beauty. Reflecting on God's creation always takes us a lot farther.

First, flora

Flame tree

Bougainvillea in the setting sun.

Baobab and flame trees

Fauna

Gecko

A millipede -- a bigun 'un-- 6-7 inches long

and about 3 inches around.

Next...Diani Beach

Student Life at RVA 1--Multicultural Day

2009-12-18T19:31:00.000-08:00

We work hard at RVA. We work, we study, we minister, but sometimes we celebrate and use our talents and skills. On Multicultural Day in October, we celebrate the diversity God has ordained, the many tribes and nations He has blessed. Tears flow freely on this day as we witness with pride our young people representing every continent worshipping the Lord as one. Here is just a taste of blessings we feasted on.

Early students gathered in national costumes for the great celebration.
The oldest students from each country carried their flags with pride.

Soon beaming young people and flags from each nation at RVA filled the stage at Centennial Chapel. Each age group performed skits and song. We sang, worshipped, and prayed together.

And then it was time for a break.

A change from national costumes to jeans and tee shirts.

We all enjoyed chai -- hot tea with lots of milk and sugar.

And mandazies -- a Kenyan pastry.

The students were divided into groups (Black eyes, Green thumbs, Blue noses, etc.) of every age and grade and competed in games.

A Korean stick game.

The winning team was announced...

But ultimately, we were all RVA Buffalos.

A Blessed Christmas to You All

2009-12-02T13:07:00.000-08:00

Christmas is not the usual holiday for us this year. There are no snowy cards available, so we thought we would just share the beauty we see in the African December.

Good friends' garden

Mt. Longonot

Some things are the same the world over--here the blessing of young ones

sharing their gifts and talents.

Nativity sets made by resident potter Zedekiah.

And more traditionally...Merry Christmas.

Much love, Jim & Gale

Curious Critters and Collections at RVA

2009-12-02T11:52:00.000-08:00

Almost every day brings us new sights and new introductions to creatures and characters and collections here in East Africa.

We see bulbuls everywhere--don't be deceived--he is a bandit.
This cheeky fellow with the yellow rump
likes to eat the squash blossoms in our shamba.

This fellow likes to put the bulbul in his place. Jim calls him
the "orca" of the bird world. Shrikes don't want any competition for bugs,
and it suits us just fine when they chase the bulbuls out of our garden.

One of Jim's eighth graders found this chameleon by his dorm.

Another raider in our shamba--an ibis after nesting material.

And weeks later, here are her babies

No, she looks like a stork, but she does not bring babies...she just has them...

Loud babies...think raucous crows...BIG raucous crows.

A Curious Collection -- Chai cups.

Everyday at about 10:30 RVA students and staff enjoy chai--yummy hot tea

with lots of milk and sugar. Each high school student brings a cup,

and some leave them outside day after day...rinsed...or not.

Most kids turn them upside down and that's good, because birds love new perches

...and to leave small "gifts."

A sunbird in a blooming jacaranda tree. These relatives of humingbirds don't hum,

because they know the words.

A rare sight -- blossoms on an acacia -- the flat-topped tree we associate with Africa.

A sadly rare sight -- rain. We enjoyed a brief spell and things were looking

much greener. The total for the year is about half of

what it should be. You need to make this a matter of prayer.

This unusual bush with purple, lavendar, and white blossoms is

called Yesterday and Today. The leaves and blossoms on our bush

have wilted from the drought. Much more serious, potato plants

in local Kenyan shambas have died.

A Favorite Character -- Max

This fierce guy is a Rotweiler/Doberman mix. He can clear a five-foot hedge with no strain at all.

And he is on the job, protecting us from...

Monkeys...this one is a Colobus.

Seriously, if it weren't for Max things like this would happen more often.

A baboon crashed through a friend's roof recently, creating this hole.

A few months earlier, and the baboon would have landed on their daughter's bed

and possibly their daughter as well.

This Welsh Corgi likes to think of himself as Max's nemesis.

He has just enough attitude to turn his back on me and walk off from a photo op.

Max is not impressed. He hops over Crown of Thorn bushes.

Having the run of the campus, he goes where he likes.

But he's really just a big baby. I felt a huge presence nudging my leg

as a I worked at a desk top in the staff lounge...it was Max wanting love.

I think you are all expecting bugs in Africa. Here is a flying ant...a huge flying ant.

Rugged RVA kids eat them.

Sometimes even Africa must cope with invasions of alien species...one of the most notable...

TEXAS AGGIES!

Student Life at RVA 2 -- Pine Wood Derby

2009-12-02T11:06:00.000-08:00

The entire campus mobilizes for this major event at RVA: The Pinewood Derby. From the Titchies in elementary grades to our secondary students, parents and staff members, all use their best skills and craftsmanship to compete in this exciting event, under the careful guidance and encouragement of Mr. Baker our industrial arts teacher. Chuck Baker will be quick to tell you that the real goal is glorifying God in it all.

Pastor Jim prepares to launch the next competitors' vehicles.

Seventh graders wait their turn with their vehicles.

All of RVA turns out to watch.

A proud staff member shows her work.

Adult women await the results of their race.

The massive track reaches nearly the entire length of the gym.

Audience and competitors alike look for photo finish results.

That evening winning competitors will receive coveted trophies
that they will cherish for years.

Finding God's Glory

2009-12-02T10:06:00.000-08:00

The blessing of rain, a greener valley, yet still beset with challenges. The white IDP tents remain.

We bumped down the mountain road and onto the highway that would lead us to the Internally Displaced Persons Camp again. En route we saw a man delivering a garden bench by bicycle. The wooden bench, back rest and all, teetering precariously behind the delivery man served to remind us that life here in Kenya is generally a challenging balancing act.

We turned left toward the camp. Newly built stone homes had sprouted, but many were without a roof and many tents remained. Rain has fostered grass, but the blades struggle, overgrazed by sheep and goats.

Jim spoke from Psalms 44:23-26 and in his authentic, straight-forward way spoke to the struggles and doubts the Psalmist and these folk both faced. "Where was God in calamity?"

Folks gathered under the weathered acacia tree to ponder this...in rainy drizzle. We prayed hard that it would not pour on them -- though the land badly needs the rain. Those of us who had hoods put them up at one point, and someone in the congregation sacrificed an umbrella to shelter our bare-headed friends.

Ever wonder what dogs chased before cars? Donkeys with burdens strapped to their backs, in this case right along side our service. A stray goat also wandered through our midst. Despite rain and livestock, worship went on. A little one in a green filmy party dress, a peach sweater two sizes too big and blue canvas shoes toddled from one side of worship area to another.

Jim spoke to God's glory that He conceals and how in the midst of troubles we cannot always see His perfect plan. Did the message hit home? I think at least our presence did. The hugs, the handshakes, the heartfelt greetings said as much.

Maasai Mara -- Part IV-- The People

2009-10-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

The animals and the landscape of the Maasai Mara were magnificent, but by far, I most enjoyed meeting the Maasai people. We were privileged to visit one of their villages. Maa is their language and "sai" means "the people." Young single men, morani protect the village and their livestock. These young warriors stand guard and defend against marauding predators. They wear red robes so that they can recognize each other from a distance and frighten predators who have come to understand that the men in those robes are dangerous.

The young warriors dance and sing to welcome us.

These young men show their tribal membership by either piercing their ears with sharp knives, burning tribal scars into their upper arms or by knocking out the middle two lower incisors. Some young men choose to lose the teeth in order to better fit in with modern society.

Third from the right, Peter, the chief's son, leads the warriors in a jumping contest. The young men leap to show their strength and desirability to young Maasai maidens.

These bold young men began young herding goats and sheep and learning how to defend themselves and their flocks. Once they are of age, they begin standing guard for the village and their precious livestock, each armed with a rungu (a war club), a finely balanced spear and a "Roman" two-edged sword. I witnessed one young Maasai in a larger city, attired in blue dress shirt and dress pants and a sweater vest. He rode a bicycle and had his Roman sword strapped to his side.

One young man bore the scars of a lion attack on his throat and neck. His fellow warriors rescued him, one literally pulling the lion away by its tail.

Once a young man marries and becomes a family man, he no longer has these dangerous duties.

Jim dances with the young warriors.

Building a fire.

The beginnings of a new home. It will be plastered with cow dung and mud. The parents will sleep on a bed made of springy branches and covered with cowhide. The children will have a small bed in an adjoining section.

A small room for new calves inside a home.

Drying laundry. The young Maasai men construct a formidable fence of densely packed branches for their villiage and one interior fence (boma) with thorny acacia branches to protect their flocks.

Beginnings of new village, with fence enclosing the families and precious livestock.

A sausage tree provides containers for milk, sometimes mixed with blood from cows.

Precious Maasai cattle--their wealth.

A young boy tending sheep and goats.

I am an African boy
And my father and mother named me Sahoi
My tribe is nomadic
And our moving around is quite systematic
I know every bush and tree apart
And I know when the hungry hounds howling will start
I run barefoot through hot sand;
I live in a desert; a barren dry land.
My meals are normally blood, milk and meat
And getting good three times a day is a treat
On the night of full moon,
War cries were heard in the distance, meaning our enemies were
coming soon
I leapt from the ground,
As did everyone else, and moved toward our precious cows
without making a sound.
My father brandished a club,
And I stood, teeth clenched, like a young lion cub.
Our enemies were surprised,
When they saw a line of warriors standing on a low rise.
Now under the full moon light,
I saw a sad sight to see, of men who bravely came to fight.
Most of our enemies have now run away,
Some were killed, we'll move their bodies another day.
Some day I'll be a warrior too,
I won't act like a foolish child and everything I learn will be new.
I am an African boy,
And my father and mother named me Sahoi.
Written by Alanna (now a freshman) during 8th grade
Both her parents and grandparents have ministered
to the Maasai.

A lone Maasai travels through town.

Maasai Mara III The Big Five

2009-10-16T21:45:00.000-07:00

The blessing of being here in Africa alone is staggering to us. I don't think either of us ever imagined the possibility--at most a childhood dream. The Kenyans are good enough to allow residing missionaries to tour their parks much less expensively than tourists, and that's a blessing indeed.

Not only did we get to tour the Maasai Mara, but we got to see all of the Big Five: lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and rhino. Veteran visitors may go several trips before they see them all. These are dangerous beasts, but no worries. All visitors stay safely inside tour buses and vans.

Samuel was patient with us wanting to stop and photograph every little bird or antelope, but when he received word over his radio that this fellow had been sighted, he let us know it was time to move on -- quickly. Sighting a leopard is a rare event and the cluster of tourists snapping photos in their buses tells you how excited they were to find him. The leopard seems less impressed.

Sighting a rhino is an equally rare event, and we saw three. We first saw this mother and baby from behind and the "little" one was nursing. Samuel carefully maneuvered around, and we were able to get this view. We also saw a huge male, but there were just too many tourists and he headed for the bushes. A rhino can't exhaust himself charging ALL the tour buses.

Buffalo are possibly the most dangerous of the Big Five. They have nasty tempers and will charge with little provocation. Observe the Robert De Niro "Are-you-looking-at-me?" expression.

The older the bull, the more massive the horns. How much gel do you suppose it would take to achieve a "flip" like this? Again, another Robert De Niro stare.

It was our very last safari (journey) before we left for home, early in the morning, and we did not think Samuel could find anything to impress us now. We were wrong. He brought us to this early morning kill.

Notice the zebra leg to the left and the zebra mane under the jaw of the lioness on the right.

These cubs and lions from the same pride have already eaten their fill.

Maasai Mara II -- Grassland creatures

2009-10-16T04:15:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe that by the second day in Maasai Mara, we hardly noticed these magnificent animals. On the first day, our driver and guide, Samuel patiently paused each time we cried "Stop!", though he knew there were bigger wonders ahead. On the first day, a zebra or impala was a very big deal, and truly it was a blessing and a privilege to see them, let alone photograph them. Their beauty, grace, and resourcefulness were small wonders to behold.
An impala will stay put for the paparazzi only so long

...and then he will flee.

Topi, just hanging out.

Sometimes the wildlife remind us of junior high kids. Here's a gaggle of adolescent females giggling about the hunk on the horizon.

He's pretty much oblivious.

Here are the class clowns, the warthogs.

We see the little guys who often get bullied -- in this case, the tiniest antelope, the Dik-Dik.

And then there's the bunch devoted to striking fashion statements.

Maasai Mara I

2009-10-13T13:34:00.000-07:00

Two female predators--but who

is watching whom?

Folks, this is going to take more than

one posting.

We felt like ten-year-olds on

a field trip.

Our mouths gaped, we gasped,

we felt wonder.

From the grace of the antelope

to the terrible beauty of predators

and the brutal efficiency

of the scavengers,

we had to live and breathe

in awe at God's handiwork.

Here is just a little of what we

witnessed

in the Maasai Mara

in southern Kenya,

just north of the Serengeti

in Tanzania.

The animals migrate between these

two areas of harsh beauty.

A view of the Maasai Mara and its antelope.

This one is especially for Erma.

Can you count the species? There are four.

This young lion defends his kill
and then drags several hundred pounds of water buffalo up a hill.

Time for a nap,

but no one

will rub this cat's belly.

MORE TO COME...

"My Place of Peace" continued

2009-10-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Soccer on way from game to lunch time at the "cafo."

We recently shared excerpts from essays written by my ninth grade English students. A veteran teacher friend responded and told me that she would love to read and grade the work quoted in our previous blog. I have to agree. Here's more of what our missionary kids (M.K.s) have to share with us.

A member of our Lady Buffs soccer team, Jacquie states that her "place of peace is on a field."
"Surrounding me are the dark, cloudy skies that rumble as if they are hungry. I can smell that rain is coming soon. I can also feel the humidity in the air as the beads of sweat start to break out on my forehead. My favorite smell is the fresh-cut grass that had been mowed the previous afternoon. I look out over the field and see the black oil that outlines my place of peace. I [can] just stare at a picture of this scene, and I...feel happy."

Caleb finds his peace on an old termite mound. "Once the termites ruled this mound of dirt, but now it's been left to the trees. However, this [is] good in many ways, because they provide shade for me and a place where the birds perch. Once I have got to its summit, I will find a nice place to sit and a good place for my gun to go and rest ...if I see a pigeon, I can get a good shot at it."

Sigrid finds peace in her art. "I lay on my stomach with my art paper stretched out in front of me...I hear my pencil scratch the snow white, soft paper...The feeling of joy and freedom increases minute by minute." Sigrid says, "Seeing the strokes of the pencil, the wonderful outcome and loud music playing in the background, I have reached my place of peace.

Jessica describes a wooded area "behind a house where I lived in the states." She goes on to say that this place "is where I can escape the aggravation and insanity of this world." She wisely goes on to conclude, "A feeling of peace cannot be achieved on ones own...A true sense of peace can only be achieved when we reach out to God, our Prince of Peace, and he reaches back down to us."

Well said. Well said, indeed.

J.V. soccer team shows their skills.

Proud dad looks on...

As Lady Buffs dominate!

Giraffic Park

2009-09-27T11:59:00.001-07:00

No, she's not Karen Blixen, or even Meryl Streep. He's dashing, but he's not Robert Redford...and they are in, not out of Africa. They are having a simply breath-taking day.

We visited Crescent Island on Lake Naivashu, which was stocked with wildlife by the famous author, Karen Blixen, so the animals would be accessible for filming. Earlier generations of the animals we saw yesterday appeared in the autobiographical film, Out of Africa. Here's just a bit of what we saw and experienced.

First, the good gnus...

...joined by zebras

And giraffes!

An impala graces the horizon...

While a herd of hippos lurk in the lake and
play peek-a-boo with tourists.

We saw the grandmother of all pythons -- well-fed and enormous,
and then turned around and gasped...

At the simply stunning vista behind us.

Africa through their eyes

2009-09-27T10:47:00.000-07:00

Jim and I can tell you what we observe and experience here, but whatever small insight we can give is nothing compared to what our young people know after spending much of their young lives in Africa. I never liked the usual vacation essays, so I assigned something different for my ninth grade class: "My Place of Peace." I knew to expect something different from RVA kids and I was not disappointed. I asked and received permission to quote their work. You may almost envy my opportunity to read and grade these. Here's what a few of them had to say.

Julia finds her place of peace on a beach. "There is a certain peace in the early hours of the morning light when everything is still asleep. The shell sellers have not yet arrived and aren't aggravating anyone to buy their stock of shells...In the afternoon, I decide to read a book our near the beach where the seaweed has now been raked into nice rows. The shell sellers and the dukas are now bustling with customers. Now the waves whip the shore and the salty sea stings my parched lips unlike this morning. I try my hardest to concentrate on my book, but cannot. Then I remember once again that God is in control of everything, no matter how chaotic it may be."

Nathan seeks his solace in a tree. "I climb up the tree until I am out of sight, then I sit down on a comfortable branch so I can lean back and be relaxed. I close my eyes and feel the cold breeze brush my face like a caring mother to a son."

Bree tells of a remote place in Uganda. "I observe some fishermen rowing by in their skinny canoe. They have on tattered clothes and these ones carry a load of fish with them. But even when their nets remain empty from the long night catch, they still sing a chanting sort of tune. Full of life, they declare their joy...Their lives are so much harder than mine, and yet while doing what they do everyday, they glorify and worship their creator..."

Jack describes his trek to local caves. "My place of peace is a place where it feels like I've been tapped on the back of the head and all the pressure leaks out. Getting there is all part of the fun...We begin the waterfall descent by hopping rock to rock like hyrax racing for food. Sometime we use roots to rappel with."

Justin reflects on a moment of peace learning to rock climb with a African guide, Watchmwamba. "I just sat down on the highest boulder thinking about how amazing God was and how beautiful his creations were...I heard utter silence, there above loud cars and cities. It was the most peaceful place I had ever been."

Ha Eun, like many of her peers, finds her peace in music. "I usually listen to classical music, Hillsongs, or Korean pop songs...When I hear Hillsongs, I feel that my faith in God is growing."

JuEun found his peace in an unexpected place for a ninth grader -- his family. "I realized by now, I thought they were my shame. I always could not show them or introduce them [to] others. How stupid! They were my place of peace that always accepts me with not reason, just...like God...They were my energy resources and they were the reason of my breath. I love them; they are my place of peace. Always!"

Daniel describes this place in Ethiopia: "...I have a place that I go to if I am angry, depressed, sad, or just want to spend some time with Christ. This place is on top of a cave that shepherds hide in when it hails. The cave is inside a lava wall that comes from a volcano core on the other side of the valley...On the other side of my wall there is a field where kids play soccer when they should be watching livestock...When I reach the top, my head full of sorrows, I sigh and look down on the green landscape...The sky is darkening; it looks like it might hail. The youthful [who] are too young to plant and the elderly who are too old to reap are willing the dark sky to disperse so their livestock get a little more of the sparse grass. The music of the Orthodox church is deadened out by the rumblings of the coming storm. As I hurry to my home, I realize that my sorrows are nothing compared to these people who have stolen my heart."

Glorious flowers in Africa

2009-09-27T06:27:00.000-07:00

I am dazzled everyday.

One can literally garden

twelve months out of the

year.

Even in a drought, flowers

bloom,

and I'm told when there is

abundant rain, Kijabe is

lush, as is the rest of Africa.

The photos will

tell the story in this

entry. Gasp along with me.

Rosemary in bloom on a bush three feet tall -- it's our small one.
This is in the garden in front of our duplex.

A bottlebrush tree in a friend's yard.

A crown of thorns plant. These thorns are as wicked as they look.

After a long, hard day, Jim and I will treat
ourselves to a walk along this path. The purple foliage is Wandering Jew.

These are nasturtiums. Yes, nasturtiums that you and I would buy at a nursery. These are growing wild outside our fenced-in compound.

This spectacular blossom reminds me of a Colorado columbine, but it's the size of Jim's hand. God's botanical wonders here are bold, big, and beautiful.

A different standard of living

2009-09-25T23:26:00.000-07:00

Making a living in rural Kenya is a precarious matter. Once the breadbasket of Kenya, the valley below us is a bare, arid plain. The slopes just beneath the Kijabe escarpment were once forested, and rains came predictably and abundantly. In order to feed hungry bellies, poachers cut down precious, moisture-giving trees to make charcoal. The deforestation then results in gardens that dry away -- leading to more hunger.

People who are the "haves" share with the "have-nots" -- family members, friends. That is the heart of African culture. The local church has a food pantry and many other local believers do what they can for the poor, especially the children in Kijabe and down in the displaced persons camps in the valley. Here at RVA, we contribute all we can.

From our arrival, we are urged to hire housekeepers and gardeners or handy-men. Rift Valley Academy staff members are major employers in the local economy, and our employees make a whopping 65 cents an hour (maximum) -- but no more than that. Too much prosperity breeds jealousy and resentment among peers -- and sometimes harassment of one sort or another.

The pay is hardly charity. These people more than earn their shillings. Each twelve-week quarter has a jam-packed, round-the clock schedule of ministry to these children, in classroom, in activities, in Sunday School, and on weekends. If it were not for Gladys, the Holts would hardly eat, the kids we host in our home would have no cookies, our shopping would be left undone, and we would wade through a mounting pile of dirty laundry and debris. If it were not for Ben, we would be cold, without milk, and left with a host of unresolved household matters frustrating us both.

Insightful friends have helped us understand that midway through the month, a bag of maize meal, flour, or sugar will help our workers make it through until payday; that often a worker could be cooking our meals on an empty stomach. We have found that we are not only helping these two. We are also helping Gladys' s aging mother and, we suspect, others as well. Our fruit and vegetable peelings no longer go into the trash or compost. They go to feed Gladys's cow, because there is very little grass. Gladys is up way before dawn, feeding and hauling water from a creek for her precious livestock, before she comes and ministers to us and to the Carpenters.

It's an humbling reality.

Downtown Kijabe

Both shots taken from a van. I don't want to be a gawking tourist.

Once the breadbasket of Kenya, after three years of drought.

Home for the Holts

2009-09-25T22:15:00.000-07:00

Here is home for the Holts. It's a snug little duplex adjoining the best of neighbors, the Carpenters. Our yard boasts its very own ficus tree -- not in the foyer--in the yard. We have a master bedroom and a guest bedroom (hint, hint) and one and a half baths. The bathroom light switch is outside the door and there are no outlets for blow driers, because the house is not grounded. I blow dry my hair at a mirror in our bedroom. Yes, we have a refrigerator and a stove, but we have to flip a switch on the wall in order for the ignition on our gas stove to work. We have dial-up internet, which makes us spoiled Americans grind our teeth in exasperation, but given that missionaries in the past might have gone years or months without communication, we really don't have a gripe coming. All of these features makes our home well nigh palatial. Our campus, filled with such staff housing, is known as "Little America."

Our only heat in the African winter and early spring is our fireplace. We use it at night and early in the morning and pile on blankets and sleeping bags to keep toasty at bedtime. Montana taught us to layer clothes and use sweaters and hoodies. Our water is partly heated by a solar water heater on the roof; on rainy days, we may have cool showers. We try to remember to flush using water collected from our showers and we only flush after "number two." We water our shamba (vegetable garden) with gray water from our washer. We hang up our clothes, because clothes driers are very "dear" to use.

Our Caring Community boys, who join us three times a quarter, declare this a cozy home and we agree.

Here is our water barrel and it will water our shamba which is in the lower right hand corner of the next picture. Our cozy jersey knit sheets are drying on the line.

Here's one of our first sprouts --zucchini

and the master gardener in our kitchen.

And here are our Caring Community boys and Jim in our cozy living room.

Learning and Serving at RVA

2009-09-13T12:01:00.000-07:00

Christian service is not theoretical at RVA. It's practiced vigorously. On Saturday, September 4, Jim, seven students and two other RVA staff members joined a local Kenyan school teacher and her students in clearing trash from the roadside between the school and the highway.

That was not the only Christian service that day. On the highway on top of the escarpment above Kijabe, some of our young boys were helping and ministering to the young men selling roasted maize to passersby. At the RVA gate, young people were cleaning and painting the guardhouse.

Left behind to take care of a dozen matters for my English class, I took a break to check on an injured friend. As I crossed the campus, there on our elementary or "Titchie" playground were RVA children and staff hosting children from a nearby orphanage. The girls and the female staff wore skirts in respect for local customs as they led the children in play on the swings and jungle gyms. Later, I heard lyrical young Kenyan voices echoing sweetly on the covered Titchie court behind our home.

Later, I saw some of my seventh grade girls with wraps over their jeans off-loading from a school van, fresh from ministering to still more children down at the displaced persons camp. A little "Brit" explained, "We played 'Duck, Duck, Goose', but we couldn't call it that, because there is no word for 'duck' in Swahili." They then led the children in another game in which they were supposed to sit in a circle, but my young friend said, "They sat in a squashed, sort of o-vally thing, shaped like an eye."

The needs are great in our community, but no one is judged too young to minister.

Our kids

2009-09-06T12:19:00.000-07:00

The classroom is a different world at RVA. Jim and I teach missionary children from Kenya, Finland, Germany, Korea, New Zealand, Great Britain, as well as USA. These children are bright, inquiring, funny, and fun. No sullen stares, no monosyllabic, grunts. These young folks actually greet and carry on conversations with adults

They are still kids. Seventh grade boys are not totally above horseplay in the libary. One ninth grade young man in a good natured way wanted to get a rise out of his English teacher. "I'm not so sure Poe meets RVA standards. Looks pretty dark to me." I told him that Poe fits biblical literary standards -- blood, mayhem, and sin.

These young people still have an amazing awareness of popular culture -- thanks to the web, I'm sure. They also have a personal awareness of gritty realities: poverty, disease, regional unrest. They tell stories you won't hear everyday in West Virginia, or New York, or Texas. How many US students do you know who have ridden camels or climbed "Kili" (Mt. Kilimanjaro)?

Dinner in Kenya

2009-09-06T11:55:00.000-07:00

Jim's preacher tummy is disappearing and my slacks are getting longer, because there is less to hold them up (smile). We walk everywhere, to school, to church, to the local stores called dukas. Also, we are eating a very healthy diet, mainly beans, grains, and vegetables.

We get our vegetables from the local veggie ladies who sell their wares at a church-sponsored market. We start at a different end of the market each shopping trip and buy a little from each lady, because they each need the income badly and they do have a strong sense of fairness. A papaya from this lady, a bag of beans from another, a bag of English muffins from a lady near the door.

Once we take our produce home, we get out a large metal bowl and soak every last fruit and vegetable in water and a small amount of bleach. Otherwise we risk a nasty case of dysentery.
We've been careful and we haven't been ill once.

We've come to enjoy many foods. One favorite is Sukuma wiki, a dish of sukuma (similar to collards), spinach, tomato, and onion. It is well nigh a miracle drug. I feel better just writing about it. We also have enjoyed an Egyptian rice and lentil dish, Kusherie. We still have our odd piece of meat. No worries, we're feeling fine.

Ministering at the displaced persons camp

2009-08-24T10:06:00.000-07:00

We thought carefully about what to wear this past Sunday. We observed the local pastors in suits, ties, and dress shoes earlier, so Jim dressed accordingly. Out of respect for local customs and expectations, I wore a long skirt. Our friends' four-wheel drive vehicle lurched and bumped down the red dirt road. Jim, a wife and her children, three nationals and I held on. The nationals--a young couple expecting their first child and a dedicated young preacher came with us to minister to these desperate people. The further we went, the more obvious the effects of the drought became. Close to the valley, local farmers' crops were failing. A wheat field was hardly recognizable to an Oklahoma girl. The crop was scraggly and hardly knee high.

We turned on to the Mombasa highway and traveled a short distance to the camps. Glen steered his truck on to a scorched plain, past row after row of quonset hut-shaped tents. Each tent bore the blue letters "UNHCR". Habitat for Humanity had begun to build a few small stone huts for these displaced persons, but these incomplete dwellings were in the minority.

We drove up to a weathered acacia tree with bird nests hanging like sad, tattered purses from its branches. The ground was bare save for tiny blades of grass struggling on. Children and a few care worn adults gathered by the tree. Some benches made from slabs of wood four inches wide would serve as our pews.

Jim began to panic a little, for it looked as though his audience would be mainly children. How was he going to convert his message into a Sunday school lesson? No worries, for as soon and the children and youth began singing and playing a drum, the adults came to worship.

My friend and I sat by the cu-cus (shoo shoos), the grandmothers. A little boy sat next to me shivering in a thin gray wool blazer and sweat pants. Both his plastic sandals -- the blue and the pink--were broken. I put my arm about him, but his bony little shoulders shivered still in the chilly, dusty wind. One little girl bore her baby sister tied onto her back with a blanket. My friend said the older sister was probably six years, but I would have guessed four. Kind, pregnant Margaret took the baby and held her the whole service. Strictly segregated, the men sat on one side, the women on the opposite.

The service began and group by group they sang and praised God with abandon -- the little ones, the youth, the men, and the women. Finally Jim spoke with John the Kikuyu pastor interpreting. What could Jim say to the poorest of the poor, the most desperate of all?

He spoke of God shaking the kingdoms -- America and Kenya, and of the Kingdom that can never be shaken. He spoke of our place of refuge in Jesus. Hebrews 12:25-28. Heads nodded as Jim spoke. There is a Kingdom that no one can take away.

How can I explain this camp? Imagine that groups of southerners, disgruntled with our presidential election took out their displeasure on "northerners" in their community. Attacked these outlander neighbors and looted and burned their homes. Imagine that the survivors wound up on parched farmland near your home -- and that no one there is particularly glad to see them.

Pray for this land and these souls. Pray for rain. Physical, spiritual rain.

Miscellaneous Matters: Plants and Oddities

2009-08-24T09:28:00.000-07:00

Gale's Ongoing list of Plants
In Our Yard:

Hibiscus
Wandering jew -- Not in a hanging basket. Ground cover!
Rosemary --Three bushes -- two are 4 ft. tall.
Candlelabra tree -- Has trunk similar to elm tree, but succulent foliage. Sap is acidic and will burn. Horribly painful if it gets into eyes.
Two rare cedar trees -- some of few left in Kenya of this size. Cedar of Lebanon size
Acacia tree
Some sort of daisy.
A purple daisy-like flower that closes at nighttime.

Oddities
You know you're in a different place
When you can confuse the ruts in a road with ditches.

When it's not a groundhog at the side of the road, but a mongoose.

When there is a listing for "Sheepfold residence" in the Department Contacts Sheet.

Jim and Gale's New Outpost

2009-08-24T09:12:00.000-07:00

Once you get past the ruts and bumps on the road to our station, you come to a gate guarded by Masai young men. These tall, handsome young men with striking white smiles intend to keep us all safe on the upper station as they man the gates and walk the chain link and barbed wire perimeter. As you enter our gate, you see stone school buildings, chapel, and homes. Ours is a duplex that we share with another couple. Our home is small but comfortable.
We heat with a fireplace that we use early in the morning and just before bedtime. Electricity is fairly dependable, but brownouts and blackouts can happen. The gray water from our washing machine goes directly through a pipe through the wall into a barrel and is used for watering our yard and flower beds.
If you are a courteous guest, you will call out "Hoodi" as you open the door and come in, and then you will remove your dusty shoes. Jim and I will greet you in our slippers, because we don't wear our shoes covered in red dust inside either.

On our way to Kijabe

2009-08-24T08:43:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning we went to Nairobi Baptist to find the vice president of Kenya and his visitor, singer and song-writer, Ron Kenoli in attendance. Kenoli led the music worship and the choir and instrumentalists joined right along. But still, we were all staid Baptists and not as animated as Bro. Kenoli would have liked. Beautifully dressed people in both traditional African and western professional dress filled the large auditorium.

Our dear friends took us to an outdoor Ethiopian restaurant where we ate Ethiopian flat sour dough bread. We tore off pieces of the rolled bread and used it to pick up meat, greens and a garbanzo bean dip. We had to ignore the frank stares of the other restaurant patrons. Jim and I were pink and different. Stares are not considered rude or unusual.

After lunch, we shopped at a NakuMatt -- Wally World in Kenya. Different packaging, different prices, adjusted expectations. Our sugar was brown -- we like that. An attendant weighed each vegetable or fruit before we took it to the checkout. Our laundry soap came in a clear plastic jar.
Our friend gave himself plenty of time to get us home before dark. We would have to go through three checkpoints before we turned off to Kijabe. We drove past securely gated affluent homes and squalid slums. Each shanty town had its small church buildings. Grazing goats, donkeys, and sheep were staked by the roadside. Somehow farmers kept flocks of geese and turkeys there as well, but you wondered how many strayed in front of speeding vehicles. As we topped the escarpment, we saw colorful stands at scenic overlooks offering Maasai blankets and other tourist fare. We turned left and worked our way to Kijabe station.

Entering Africa

2009-08-22T11:56:00.000-07:00

I kept watching the personal screen provided for me on the British Air 767. I clicked through the various entertainments offered, but I always returned to the map option that showed us where we were in airspace, how long to our destination, how quickly night was covering Nairobi. We landed, and all of our AIM contingent whizzed right through immigration and customs, though it took 2 hours for all the luggage to appear. The Nairobi winter night was cool and damp as Jim and our drivers loaded the baggage. Soon Jim, our AIM friends, and I were tearing down the Mombasa Highway to the the guest house while Jim and our driver bantered and joked.
The next morning we woke to the cries of an Ibis. We soon found that in the Kenya winter wonderland there are flowers everywhere and on a scale that West Virginia gardens cannot match. Lantana shrubs, bougainvillea, mother-in-law tongues (lush in beds, not pots), cannas. Our walk to nearby Nairobi Baptist confirmed that. Flowers simply everywhere.