Well, this is it.
We leave tomorrow.
Nearly three months here in Kitale and it feels like home. Has for a while. We have become like a family -- helps that they all are! Do I want to leave? No. Can I leave? Yes. So I am not leaving
Kitale; I'm just going home. Better way to look at it, and I don't get all consumed with "lasts." Last this, last that...I'll last to death! This way I can look forward to going home, seeing people, going places, and I do. I am excited to go home. Just not to leave.
I want to come back. I don't want to think that I might never. What will God have me do? I can't know or say, but I do know this: He is good, and He is faithful. He brought me here with a purpose, and He did it in His masterful timing. He won't stop just because I have to leave a place I love. So I will trust Him.
We are sad to go, thankful for His gifts to us all, joyful because of what He has done, eager to start again back home, filled with every emotion all at once.
Thank You so, so much God.
25 April 2011
17 April 2011
hey!
I posted! now I can go back to ignoring the existence of this blog.
No but seriously, I'm finding I would actually like to write more -- and more often -- than I do, but with so much to see and do and take in all around me, it's kinda hard to make time for it.
Let's try headline-style, in no particular order:
- Got the fence around the garden at the school put up. 6' high chain link (kenyan style, i.e. no twists) that should keep the sheep, chickens, kids, and anything else roaming the streets of Tuwani out of the garden in-process.
- Went to my friend Elvis's church and house today to visit. Turns out my other friend David (both of them work here at Karibuni Lodge) lives across the road from him, and they both go to that church. So I got to visit two friends in one day, which meant two Kenyan meals w/in an hour of each other. Was I full?
- I finished working on the truck. Final count, I fixed: some wiring, all fuses, brakes, power steering, new battery, new fuel hoses, new fuel filter & water trap, rebuilt starter, rebuilt gearshifter, new head bolt, new clutch line, more fluids than the EPA allows in the East river in a decade, new front propshaft for the 4WD, and maybe one or two other minor items I forgot. In a lovely twist of fate, as I delivered the truck back to Peter's house, it caught fire (again) 1/4mi from his compound. Cause was a shorted wire, one I had nothing to do with, but it was very large and unfused, and so rapidly transformed into a 6' toaster element running across the engine compartment. Fortunately my ever-lifesaving Leatherman was on my belt so I could hastily cut the battery ground cable before the flames and hollywood stuff got going. Yeesh.
- Mt Elgon is the most beautiful mountain in the entire world. I have decided this.
Coming in (hopefully near) future posts:
- Report on the Bible School kickoff week
- Thoughts on "Free" and how it interacts with the mentality we're REALLY beginning to see in many people here
- Why Inductive Bible Study rocks, from a noob
- Observations about the strikingly staggered advance of technological revolution here (or, 'Why everyone in Kenya has a cell phone and the desert of West Pokat has better service than Berkshire county')
- Observations about the Kenyan approach to English and how it parallels their approach to a lot of other stuff
- A description of Kitale, Tuwani, Milimani, Karibuni Lodge, Mt Elgon, and any other place that's part of our life here.
Yeah, right. I'm toootally never going to write all those. But at least you know what you can ask me about if you want me to talk about something I've already given some thought.
No but seriously, I'm finding I would actually like to write more -- and more often -- than I do, but with so much to see and do and take in all around me, it's kinda hard to make time for it.
Let's try headline-style, in no particular order:
- Got the fence around the garden at the school put up. 6' high chain link (kenyan style, i.e. no twists) that should keep the sheep, chickens, kids, and anything else roaming the streets of Tuwani out of the garden in-process.
- Went to my friend Elvis's church and house today to visit. Turns out my other friend David (both of them work here at Karibuni Lodge) lives across the road from him, and they both go to that church. So I got to visit two friends in one day, which meant two Kenyan meals w/in an hour of each other. Was I full?
- I finished working on the truck. Final count, I fixed: some wiring, all fuses, brakes, power steering, new battery, new fuel hoses, new fuel filter & water trap, rebuilt starter, rebuilt gearshifter, new head bolt, new clutch line, more fluids than the EPA allows in the East river in a decade, new front propshaft for the 4WD, and maybe one or two other minor items I forgot. In a lovely twist of fate, as I delivered the truck back to Peter's house, it caught fire (again) 1/4mi from his compound. Cause was a shorted wire, one I had nothing to do with, but it was very large and unfused, and so rapidly transformed into a 6' toaster element running across the engine compartment. Fortunately my ever-lifesaving Leatherman was on my belt so I could hastily cut the battery ground cable before the flames and hollywood stuff got going. Yeesh.
- Mt Elgon is the most beautiful mountain in the entire world. I have decided this.
Coming in (hopefully near) future posts:
- Report on the Bible School kickoff week
- Thoughts on "Free" and how it interacts with the mentality we're REALLY beginning to see in many people here
- Why Inductive Bible Study rocks, from a noob
- Observations about the strikingly staggered advance of technological revolution here (or, 'Why everyone in Kenya has a cell phone and the desert of West Pokat has better service than Berkshire county')
- Observations about the Kenyan approach to English and how it parallels their approach to a lot of other stuff
- A description of Kitale, Tuwani, Milimani, Karibuni Lodge, Mt Elgon, and any other place that's part of our life here.
Yeah, right. I'm toootally never going to write all those. But at least you know what you can ask me about if you want me to talk about something I've already given some thought.
06 April 2011
Jembe
...is not a drum. It is a digging tool. A Djembe is a drum in West Africa, but not in Kenya.
Today I bought a jembe (two actually) for preparing the garden at the school for planting. On the site of the future church/community center, in between all the concrete pillars, we are putting in twenty-one 9sqm raised beds for a variety of garden crops they will use to feed the kids instead of going out to buy from the market. The hope is that we will be able to not only feed the kids every day but also sell to the markets.
The garden will be based on crop rotation and organic principles. One is to separate beds of similar plants with beds of dissimilar ones to discourage the spread of insect pests. Another is planting specific flowers around each bed that dissuade pests that like that crop. These flowers do double duty: they work by themselves while they're in bloom, then afterward can be brewed into an natural spray for that crop.
The man who's teaching is called Taanuwi. We know him through our good friend Maina with LoveMercy and MajiTech, a local Christian well-drilling organization. He does not just talk about gardening though; he is passionate about it and gets excited to teach people. Those people are the school staff and some parents of students.
Since their children are getting education and two meals a day free of charge, we've begun asking parents to come help at the school when they can, which for many should be fairly often since they work sporadic jobs. Helping to create the garden that feeds their kids is a logical part of that, and the bonus is that Taanuwi is teaching new farming methods that are A) more productive than many traditional & unquestioned methods, and yet B) not harmful in the long term as are many of the recently introduced "modern" methods involving heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides. What could be better than to learn more productive farming that is easily scalable and involves no expensive chemicals, all from a man who loves what he does and loves to teach it to others!
And yet we are finding a low turnout already, only two weeks in. The first day there were thirteen total. Today two of us waited almost an hour before anyone else showed up, and no one brought tools (thus my purchases). In the end only one non-staff parent showed up, for a total of five people including Taanuwi. Slightly disappointing since we had twenty-one 1.5x6m beds to dig and break up...
So. How do you get people who are already getting something for free to come in and give a little of what they have the most of (time) back to help out their kids? Do returns really have to be that immediate to motivate?
'k God...grace, man. Grace.
Today I bought a jembe (two actually) for preparing the garden at the school for planting. On the site of the future church/community center, in between all the concrete pillars, we are putting in twenty-one 9sqm raised beds for a variety of garden crops they will use to feed the kids instead of going out to buy from the market. The hope is that we will be able to not only feed the kids every day but also sell to the markets.
The garden will be based on crop rotation and organic principles. One is to separate beds of similar plants with beds of dissimilar ones to discourage the spread of insect pests. Another is planting specific flowers around each bed that dissuade pests that like that crop. These flowers do double duty: they work by themselves while they're in bloom, then afterward can be brewed into an natural spray for that crop.
The man who's teaching is called Taanuwi. We know him through our good friend Maina with LoveMercy and MajiTech, a local Christian well-drilling organization. He does not just talk about gardening though; he is passionate about it and gets excited to teach people. Those people are the school staff and some parents of students.
Since their children are getting education and two meals a day free of charge, we've begun asking parents to come help at the school when they can, which for many should be fairly often since they work sporadic jobs. Helping to create the garden that feeds their kids is a logical part of that, and the bonus is that Taanuwi is teaching new farming methods that are A) more productive than many traditional & unquestioned methods, and yet B) not harmful in the long term as are many of the recently introduced "modern" methods involving heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides. What could be better than to learn more productive farming that is easily scalable and involves no expensive chemicals, all from a man who loves what he does and loves to teach it to others!
And yet we are finding a low turnout already, only two weeks in. The first day there were thirteen total. Today two of us waited almost an hour before anyone else showed up, and no one brought tools (thus my purchases). In the end only one non-staff parent showed up, for a total of five people including Taanuwi. Slightly disappointing since we had twenty-one 1.5x6m beds to dig and break up...
So. How do you get people who are already getting something for free to come in and give a little of what they have the most of (time) back to help out their kids? Do returns really have to be that immediate to motivate?
'k God...grace, man. Grace.
05 April 2011
Kipsigon
Today Caleb and Hannah and I drove up the south slope of Mt Elgon to deliver 214kg of donated maize seed to the village of Kipsigon. That's the short story.
The longer story is that Kipsigon is one of the highest villages in Kenya, one of the last as you ascend the flank of Mt Elgon toward the summit, which is just over the border in Uganda. And with good reason: it is very difficult to reach by vehicle, even in ideal conditions. After an hour's drive south from Kitale on paved highway to Chwele, you leave it all behind for dirt. And not New England dirt, either; rock-hard dry clay that turns to grease when it rains and back to stone when it dries. Result: you will die or never make it unless you have a high-riding 4WD with good suspension. OK, it's possible with less, but no guarantees and if it rains you're done for.
Being on Mt Elgon, a vast, ancient volcano, this region has some of the most fertile, rich soil in the world, and none of those pesky New England winters to turn up rocks in the field every spring. This should easily be a place that feeds the world, never mind a nation, never mind its own region.
But a few years ago, tribal clashes turned this area to a wasteland. What had once been several thousand (up to 15 by some estimates) soon became a few hundred. The men were slaughtered indiscriminately by a rival tribe on a crusade to "regain" territory, and as many families as could fled for IDP camps in other places. When Africa Connect (our group here) first caught wind of the situation two years ago from our friend pastor Mark, there were about 500 people basically trapped up the mountain where this village used to be, with no food, no medical care, and little shelter. AC hastily organized a trip with whatever food, blankets, and supplies they could find in two days and headed up to Kipsigon. There they found....nothing. No buildings. No village. No clue that thousands had lived there only a year before. They handed out what they had in the most orderly fashion they could, doing their best to meet physical as well as spiritual needs, and left before the rain made leaving impossible.
The next year (2010) they went back with more supplies and found a village beginning to grow again. They brought two nurses and held a clinic, a godsend for those people.
And now, 2011, only barely into the rains, we were able to make it back up the insane "road" to Kipsigon and distribute nearly 500lbs of maize donated by a local seed company for planting. Pastor Mark introduced us to the pastor of the newly established (since the first trip) church. He had drawn up a list of local widows (most so because their husbands were killed by the guerrillas) who needed to plant, and planned the distribution accordingly. We met them in the simple, tiny mud church they had built, and were able to sing with them, share the Word with them, and remind them that this seed is only temporary -- that they must not forget the true Giver of all life and satisfaction, the Bread of Life, Jesus. And then we divided up the seed, 2kg each. They were so joyful and grateful to receive the gift, it was something to see. They sang, they clapped, they hollered, they danced, and not one of them tried to take another's seed. What could have gone wrong in so many ways went so, so right. SDG.
And the blessing for us was to simply BE THERE, on this spectacular hilltop on the flank of the mountain, looking out over the Rift Valley, almost 360* views. Pictures cannot do it justice, though we tried to capture the fresh, earthy beauty of the land and the people. Majestic is the best word I can think of.
On the way down we found out how difficult it really is to travel. Five adults in Titus's Toyota NOAH (basically an AWD minivan) headed down 12-15% grades on the roughest roads I've ever seen -- we took probably an hour for the 4-5 mile descent, downhill all the way, barely passable as dry as it was. Can't even imagine trying to navigate it during/after rain. Even with that careful driving we still scraped bottom a good 20 times on the way down. Most people's solution is to either go on foot (to go places) or use donkeys (to haul stuff). Motorbikes fare slightly better but aren't so powerful or heavy duty, so they suffer more. And yet we passed two or three full-size 10-wheelers traveling up and down that road!
Was it a good day? Yes.
The longer story is that Kipsigon is one of the highest villages in Kenya, one of the last as you ascend the flank of Mt Elgon toward the summit, which is just over the border in Uganda. And with good reason: it is very difficult to reach by vehicle, even in ideal conditions. After an hour's drive south from Kitale on paved highway to Chwele, you leave it all behind for dirt. And not New England dirt, either; rock-hard dry clay that turns to grease when it rains and back to stone when it dries. Result: you will die or never make it unless you have a high-riding 4WD with good suspension. OK, it's possible with less, but no guarantees and if it rains you're done for.
Being on Mt Elgon, a vast, ancient volcano, this region has some of the most fertile, rich soil in the world, and none of those pesky New England winters to turn up rocks in the field every spring. This should easily be a place that feeds the world, never mind a nation, never mind its own region.
But a few years ago, tribal clashes turned this area to a wasteland. What had once been several thousand (up to 15 by some estimates) soon became a few hundred. The men were slaughtered indiscriminately by a rival tribe on a crusade to "regain" territory, and as many families as could fled for IDP camps in other places. When Africa Connect (our group here) first caught wind of the situation two years ago from our friend pastor Mark, there were about 500 people basically trapped up the mountain where this village used to be, with no food, no medical care, and little shelter. AC hastily organized a trip with whatever food, blankets, and supplies they could find in two days and headed up to Kipsigon. There they found....nothing. No buildings. No village. No clue that thousands had lived there only a year before. They handed out what they had in the most orderly fashion they could, doing their best to meet physical as well as spiritual needs, and left before the rain made leaving impossible.
The next year (2010) they went back with more supplies and found a village beginning to grow again. They brought two nurses and held a clinic, a godsend for those people.
And now, 2011, only barely into the rains, we were able to make it back up the insane "road" to Kipsigon and distribute nearly 500lbs of maize donated by a local seed company for planting. Pastor Mark introduced us to the pastor of the newly established (since the first trip) church. He had drawn up a list of local widows (most so because their husbands were killed by the guerrillas) who needed to plant, and planned the distribution accordingly. We met them in the simple, tiny mud church they had built, and were able to sing with them, share the Word with them, and remind them that this seed is only temporary -- that they must not forget the true Giver of all life and satisfaction, the Bread of Life, Jesus. And then we divided up the seed, 2kg each. They were so joyful and grateful to receive the gift, it was something to see. They sang, they clapped, they hollered, they danced, and not one of them tried to take another's seed. What could have gone wrong in so many ways went so, so right. SDG.
And the blessing for us was to simply BE THERE, on this spectacular hilltop on the flank of the mountain, looking out over the Rift Valley, almost 360* views. Pictures cannot do it justice, though we tried to capture the fresh, earthy beauty of the land and the people. Majestic is the best word I can think of.
On the way down we found out how difficult it really is to travel. Five adults in Titus's Toyota NOAH (basically an AWD minivan) headed down 12-15% grades on the roughest roads I've ever seen -- we took probably an hour for the 4-5 mile descent, downhill all the way, barely passable as dry as it was. Can't even imagine trying to navigate it during/after rain. Even with that careful driving we still scraped bottom a good 20 times on the way down. Most people's solution is to either go on foot (to go places) or use donkeys (to haul stuff). Motorbikes fare slightly better but aren't so powerful or heavy duty, so they suffer more. And yet we passed two or three full-size 10-wheelers traveling up and down that road!
Was it a good day? Yes.
04 April 2011
Names
So I had a stunning revelation today while lying on my back in the gravel under a mud-caked pickup dripping grease on my face. I can spell my name "Mech-Alister".
So now I'm iangineer mechalister.
So now I'm iangineer mechalister.
Hilux
The truck is almost finished. After significant rewiring, repairs to the master cylinder (brakes) and system flush, rebuilding the starter, a new battery, new fuel filter, new fuel and power steering lines, rebuilding the shift stick pivot, and now a replacement propshaft for the front axle (so we once again have 4WD), the truck is just about there. Just need new tires now and a locking hub for the right front wheel (the original one was stolen!). Only one of the tires is even acceptable, and the worst one actually is worn down to the belts in the center.
That's one of the chronic problems I see with vehicles here: overinflation. Haven't seen hardly a tire yet that wasn't bald down the center from being continually overinflated! Apparently pressure gauges are persona non grata...
I was at a service station and watched them inflate tires with bursts of 150psi air straight from the compressor. They blew up a tube right then, too... surprise.
That's one of the chronic problems I see with vehicles here: overinflation. Haven't seen hardly a tire yet that wasn't bald down the center from being continually overinflated! Apparently pressure gauges are persona non grata...
I was at a service station and watched them inflate tires with bursts of 150psi air straight from the compressor. They blew up a tube right then, too... surprise.
02 April 2011
Dori
So today we the team went out of town to a place called "In Step," the ministry of our good friends Jeff and Carla Picicci. They care for over 90 children, almost all of whom came to them as abandoned babies over the past five years. Jeff & Carla themselves and their story are worthy of an entire 'real' blog post which I am not about to write tonight.
About a month ago they took in a one-year-old girl named Dorcas. Dori, as she became known, was carried around for that year by a mother who had been taken advantage of in the post-election violence here but did not have the mental capacity to properly care for a baby. When Dori arrived, she weighed 3.2 kilos, about seven pounds. When I first saw her a couple days later, I couldn't believe how tiny she was; essentially a newborn's body except without the baby fat to fill her out. Over the last few weeks she has gained two pounds, and battled like a champ to catch up. Mama Carla has carried her with her practically everywhere, one of 94, and little Dori has easily captured our hearts with her beaming smile and incredible toughness. Something about her especially caught hold of me that day I first saw her, something more than I feel for the 'average kid' here (you know what I mean).
Dori is a born fighter. Sick since before she came to In Step, she was soon hospitalized with no less than five diagnosed issues (malaria, sepsis, and bronchitis among them - I don't remember the rest), but fought and fought and fought to keep going, keep breathing, keep gaining weight. There were several nights a couple weeks back when they weren't sure she would make it til morning. We were tense and praying hard, and God so mercifully brought her fighting self through time after time. Late last week she finally recovered enough that she didn't even need oxygen and could breathe on her own! After a few days of observation, they released her and Carla to go back home to In Step.
But on Thursday morning she had a relapse, and as Jeff and Carla rushed her over rough roads to the District Hospital in Kitale, she suffered sudden cardiac arrest -- no chance to fight. This wonderful, beautiful little girl we have all cheered on as she struggled back from the edge of life, and thanked God for even as we pleaded for her victory, is now fully restored in the purest Life, having won the ultimate victory in the arms of her Jesus. We are left here to try and understand the depths of God's wisdom in taking her home, but she can dance and rejoice in fullest strength before His throne as she delights in her perfected new self.
So. You know what you're doing, God, though we really don't. Help us to trust You, praise You, and remember that no one can care more than Your loving father's heart does. Thank You so much for those few days with Dori's bright, determined light. Hallelu Jah!
About a month ago they took in a one-year-old girl named Dorcas. Dori, as she became known, was carried around for that year by a mother who had been taken advantage of in the post-election violence here but did not have the mental capacity to properly care for a baby. When Dori arrived, she weighed 3.2 kilos, about seven pounds. When I first saw her a couple days later, I couldn't believe how tiny she was; essentially a newborn's body except without the baby fat to fill her out. Over the last few weeks she has gained two pounds, and battled like a champ to catch up. Mama Carla has carried her with her practically everywhere, one of 94, and little Dori has easily captured our hearts with her beaming smile and incredible toughness. Something about her especially caught hold of me that day I first saw her, something more than I feel for the 'average kid' here (you know what I mean).
Dori is a born fighter. Sick since before she came to In Step, she was soon hospitalized with no less than five diagnosed issues (malaria, sepsis, and bronchitis among them - I don't remember the rest), but fought and fought and fought to keep going, keep breathing, keep gaining weight. There were several nights a couple weeks back when they weren't sure she would make it til morning. We were tense and praying hard, and God so mercifully brought her fighting self through time after time. Late last week she finally recovered enough that she didn't even need oxygen and could breathe on her own! After a few days of observation, they released her and Carla to go back home to In Step.
But on Thursday morning she had a relapse, and as Jeff and Carla rushed her over rough roads to the District Hospital in Kitale, she suffered sudden cardiac arrest -- no chance to fight. This wonderful, beautiful little girl we have all cheered on as she struggled back from the edge of life, and thanked God for even as we pleaded for her victory, is now fully restored in the purest Life, having won the ultimate victory in the arms of her Jesus. We are left here to try and understand the depths of God's wisdom in taking her home, but she can dance and rejoice in fullest strength before His throne as she delights in her perfected new self.
So. You know what you're doing, God, though we really don't. Help us to trust You, praise You, and remember that no one can care more than Your loving father's heart does. Thank You so much for those few days with Dori's bright, determined light. Hallelu Jah!
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