Days 4 and 5 in Kenya: Last Days in Kipkaren and Arriving in Ilula

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!

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.

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. 

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.  

Day 3 in Kenya....Living Room, A Fire and Forgiveness

If you look carefully in the distance you can see the smoke from the fire; little did I know what was going on when I took this picture on our way to Living Room

Day 3: Living Room, Mama Michael and the Fire

March 14, 2016

What a beautiful day!  On our way to Living Room this morning, we walked down the red dirt roads and stopped by an old friend’s, Cathy Lessig, home.  And then we passed Wilson Chumo.  And George.  And saw Martha.  And Roman.  And a lady that had been a young girl in some of our programs so many years ago with her own children now. 

I’ve loved watching our kids playing with the children, greeting everyone with handshakes and “Habari?”, trying Swahili at every turn, and soaking in every moment.  We spent a good portion of the day at Living Room, sitting with the guests, blowing bubbles, holding babies, talking with the patients, and learning a tiny bit of their stories.  Kaylee made brightly-colored heart bead necklaces with ten-year-old Chep Chumba (she arrived recently severely malnourished).  These two little girls couldn’t speak the same language, but their smiles told everything.  Cameron held Chep Chirchir, a 18-month-old who also was severely malnourished and arrived two months ago.  “You know, this might be the most important thing you do all day,” I told him.  

He looked me straight in the eyes and said, “I know.  I know.”  I could write pages on this beautiful, incredible place and all they are doing for the community.  Simply amazing.

Afterwards, we headed up the hill in the heat to Mama Linus’ home and Linus’ house.  As we walked onto the family’s compound, I felt like it was 12 years ago.  Here comes Mama Linus in that smile I could identify a hundred miles away, “Anika! Matayo!  Karibu sana!”   We talked and laughed.  Ah, it was so good!! 

We then headed to Linus’ house where they told us he would be there shortly. 

Little did we know what was really happening. 

We waited for a short Kenyan time, and he appeared.  He sat down with us outside his beautiful, humble home and told us with a deep concern that he’d been putting out a fire he accidentally started. 

“What?” we replied.

“There was a fire.  I went to the shamba (garden) earlier today and was tending to the crops.  Some of the crops weren’t good and needed to be cleaned up, so I was burning them in a contained way.  I put out the fire, headed to Kipkaren, and while I was there they told me there was a fire on my land and Pastor Tarus’ land.   One of the embers from the fire must have blown away with the wind and started his sugar cane on fire.”

“Oh my, we saw the smoke when we were walking to Living Room and again when we came to your home, but we thought it was someone burning their field.”

“Yes, that was the fire.  I started yelling for help and everyone came with pangas (machetes) to help put out the fire.  They cut the land around it and waved banana leaves, and it only burned two acres instead of all of it.”

This is no small miracle or feat since it’s the dry season where the land is parched, and there isn’t any water around or fire department to come help. 

He told us he called Pastor Tarus right away and told him about it, and he said because it was an accident he was hoping Pastor Tarus would understand.  Later Linus walked a mile with us back to where we were staying so he could talk with him.  On the way back, he said, “I’d rather have nothing in my life and good relationships than have money.  I saw that today when I called for help one time and when I called Pastor.”

When Pastor Tarus arrived from being in town, they headed together to the shamba. 

About an hour later, Pastor Tarus walked through the door and behind him was Linus.  He invited Linus over for dinner.  The very one who had just accidentally burned his land was his dinner guest.  Did you get that?  Read it again!!!  The very one who had burned his land was his dinner guest.

I observed.  I soaked it in.  This was beauty in a really hard day. 

Linus filled his plate and partook in the meal.  A few hours before he was heavy-hearted as he looked at the burnt plot of land that once held income for his neighbor, and now he is eating a meal with that same man.  It’s a real life parable for my heart.  This is the Gospel that Jesus shared and is for us today. 

This speaks of character.  This speaks of forgiveness.  This speaks of community.  This speaks of a lesson to my heart.  I put myself in Pastor Tarus’s shoes for a moment and thought, “What would my response have been?”  I’m still thinking about it and hope I would respond as he did. 

Kaylee giving the headmaster some pencils from her school

We went to Brook of Faith afterwards where the headmaster called the children together for an assembly.  Kaylee’s school collected pencils, so we presented them to the children and handed every child a new pencil.  It’s amazing to see how a simple pencil brought excitement and light to their faces, and it’s encouraging to see the joy on our childrens’ faces as they shake each hand and pass out each pencil.  Cameron spent the afternoon playing soccer with the boys and Kaylee giggled as her hair was braided by girls swarming like bees.  Kaylee joined me on home visits to old friends, Peter and Ruth, Mama Jesang and Maru and others.  It was a joy for her to experience Kenyan hospitality in its best form.  

Days 1 and 2 in Kenya

 Day 1: The Travel

March 11-12, 2016

We departed Seattle at 9am and flew literally halfway around the globe in 14.5 hours to Dubai, had a few hours to enjoy the airport and city from a distance, and boarded our five hour flight to Nairobi, landing at 8pm Nairobi time (9am Seattle time)…exactly 24 hours after we left the day before. 

Gracie slept two hours on the first long flight and the entire second flight; all in all, she did great!! 

When we landed in Nairobi, needless to say, she was finished with waiting and lines and crowds and congested surroundings, and she quickly caught the eye of a custom official.  He came up to me and told me to get my family and come with him.  He walked us to the front of the long line where we quickly got our passports stamped and went to pick up our eight large pieces of luggage.  When an airport official saw me with the baby and carry-on luggage, he told me to tell him which pieces were ours and put them all on the carts for us.  Then, when we were walking to clear customs for our luggage, we walked right through without any of our items being examined.  Amazing, since we had 50 soccer balls, a hundred cones, jerseys, poles, seeds, and other items for the tournament, schools and Living Room.  And then, we had a happy, familiar face of Kigen waiting to greet us!  It felt so good to be back, almost as if we’d never left.  Thank the Lord for smooth travels, no delays, three exhausted but wonderful children and little blessings along the way. 

Day 2: Arriving in Kipkaren

March 13, 2016

After a brief night’s sleep and a baby that was a little out of whack, we flew to Eldoret and was greeted by old friends.  The children were glued to the windows as they took in the sights, smells and sounds of everything around them.  As we pulled into Kipkaren, the bumps on the road were familiar and the sounds of “Chamge” and “Habari yako?” came through our window by little voices outside the vehicle.  We arrived at Living Room where the beautiful sound of Kalenjin songs filled the air and our friends’ faces were there to greet us.  Living Room is an amazing hospice (the only one for hundred miles around) where those who are gravely ill come and are filled with dignity, hope and love as they are given the care they desperately need.  We were warmly greeted and planted a tree outside the facilities; what an honor.  By dinner, we were delirious and Gracie hadn’t napped, but it was so good to reconnect with the Tarus and Boit families.