Day 4: ELI Training Centre and Home Visits
March 15, 2016
The funniest thing last night: I didn’t sleep well because of Gracie and so
I enjoyed the privilege of listening to Cameron talk in their sleep. Cameron was saying, “Habari?” “Asante”
“Asai”, and a couple other words he learned. He's becoming a Kenyan!
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| With Peter Maru, now ELI Kipkaren's Director |
This morning we walked down to the training centre, and
Peter walked us around. So much has
changed since we were there last, and it looks great. It was wonderful to see the grounds, meet the
old and new staff, and enjoy lunch with them.
The brown river flowing by and the gazebo reminded me of so many hours
spent listening to the birds chirping while preparing for teams or teaching or
writing. Sweet memories. The hut we settled into in 2001 is now a
kitchen for Tarus’ son, Hilary. This was
the hut where we heard rat races on the plastic above our heads, our church’s
team crammed into the tiny space for movie night, and we laughed a lot in our
first year of marriage as we learned a new culture and language.
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| With Ruth Maru |
We enjoyed many home visits in the afternoon with dear friends, and it's hard to believe our time in Kipkaren is coming to a close. Feeling grateful.
Day 5: Prisca, Widow’s Group and Arriving in Ilula
March 16, 2016
I set out early on the jagged road as I promised Mama Jesang
I would come at 7:30am for a home visit. Before I arrived, I saw a beautiful lady in
the distance in a bright green dress. As
I approached, she came towards me with her arms open wide.
“Prisca!” I exclaimed, and I couldn’t stop the dam in my
eyes. I didn’t think I was going to see
her. She lived across the village road
from us in a humble one room home with her husband and daughter at the time
(now has three children), and as often as possible I would sit on her only
chair in her home at her insistence as she taught me how to crochet. It was in these moments I learned her
struggles, her joys, her challenges, and her victories. Our similarities covered over our differences, and our hearts connected forever. I
thank God for our paths crossing at that moment on this day.
We packed up and said our goodbyes to our dear friends in
Kipkaren, the Tarus and Boit families who were so welcoming, and our other new
friends (and an old friend, Brian Albright) that we were leaving at the guest
house. We headed down to the training
center where the Widow’s Group meets.
It’s a group of about 40 women who gather every Wednesday to talk, plan,
and determine how they can help each other in tangible business and emotional
ways. We greeted them, and I noticed Kaylee was wiping her eyes.
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| Mama Linus: one of the widows who is part of the group |
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I don’t want to leave,” she responded. This was the best possible scenario, in my
heart, for why she was sad. Even though
our time was so short, her heart was touched by everyone in this amazing
place. She was outwardly expressing what
I was inwardly feeling.
We arrived in Ilula to the sound of singing, and found much
the same but so much has changed and developed.
Running water. Electricity. More buildings. Same smiles.
Same feel. Good to be back. Our hut has been replaced by a wonderful
three bedroom home with a bathroom, shower, and kitchen. The only thing that remains is our blue rug! I remember being pregnant with Cameron
and having to go outside to the bathroom multiple times in the middle of the night,
splash baths from a basin, and how Matt had figured out how to pull power from
a solar panel so we could watch a movie at night (charge his computer during
the day and have two hours until it died at night). But those were good times, and without a
kitchen we had every single meal with Mama and Baba Kigen. Little did we know how special and meaningful
that time would be as they mentored our newly married selves and have walked
through life with them since even from afar.
The progression is encouraging, and it's good to be back.
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