New Life on the African Savannah

Giraffe with her new baby

“New life, it is always a blessing”, Jackson, our safari guide, said as we watched in silent awe a tall giraffe saunter along the edge of the trees with a little one at her side. The dried red covering the back of her legs gave evidence of the recent birth.  “You know, they walk within just an hour after birth.”

It is said that Africa has the most efficient recycling system.  Every part is deeply connected and dependent on another.  On our first day, during the short drive from the airstrip to the camp, we watched the hyenas chew the skin of an enormous hippopotamus that was killed by lions just a day prior.  No part of any plant or animal is wasted in Africa, ever.  Before our eyes we witnessed the rawness of death and life co-existing, both essential to the health and balance of life on the African savanna.

Being in Kenya in a different context and out of routines, has opened my eyes to some things that need to end or change and to elements that have brought new life to my heart and spirit.  New life can takes many forms, a new vocational direction, passion, perspective, or any other step into the new or unknown.  Part of living here has been, for me, like taking a deep breath of fresh air, filling my lungs with that first breath of life- giving oxygen.

Sometimes hurtful patterns, stages or seasons of life, or involvements need to or naturally come to end or “die”.  Within the same landscape, without death there is often not space or nourishment for new life.  Some things must come to end, for something new to begin.  Neither death or life is wasted.

One afternoon we sat with baited breath as a family of elephants crossed in front of our jeep from the forest on their way to the swamp.  As they drew nearer to us, ever so gradually, two grown elephants aligned themselves on either side of the young one, putting their giant bodies as shields to protect the vulnerable among them.  As soon as they passed the perceived danger, they spread out once again, giving the young one space to roam and explore.  As with the baby elephant and giraffe, new life birthed within us, deserves protection and nurture as well.  The voices of doubt, fear, or insecurity need the strength of a stalwart shield to keep them at bay.

However, it is impossible to protect it completely from danger, and soon after birth, it must learn to walk.  It needs to stumble and try out its skills, as feeble and unpolished as they may be.

With the sun nearly setting, we set off to try to catch a glimpse of a leopard, the last for us of “The Big 5” of an African Safari.  Almost as soon as we arrived on the scene, a warthog, unaware of the leopard’s presence, ambled over to check on his hole.  The leopard instinctively knew this was easy prey, so he slinked around, flattened down into a pouncing position, and even checked out the warthog’s home.  The warthog and the leopard faced off, but despite the leopard’s posturing, the warthog walked away unharmed.  “He’s a young one,” Jackson said speaking of the leopard with a chuckle.  “He’s only about a third the size of an adult.  He knows he doesn’t yet have the strength to win the battle.”

Sometimes with new life it looks clumsy with lots of false starts.  It lacks the polished gracefulness of the more experienced around us.  New birth is risky and it’s messy, but as Jackson said, it’s always a blessing.
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Some other snapshots of the safari......

Seth flew co-pilot on the small plane to the Masai Mara

   

Our safari jeep- we all had a great view of the animals!

One morning we watched 2 cheetahs as they
roamed and explored

We saw lots of lions and their cubs.  It was fun to
see how they greet each other by a nuzzle and loud purring 

Our guide, Jackson, was an amazing animal tracker.
His gentle character and great storytelling made it
easy to spend hours together in the jeep

At the camp where we stayed, we ate outside with
beautiful views of the savanna.  Warthogs often
wandered through camp.

Watch part of the encounter between the leopard and the warthog that was described in the post:

 

The Joy of Giving

The assistant director, Winnie, asked us to teach the
toddler class.  We taught them new fingerplays and
action songs. The boys did great leading as well! 

Thanks to many of you, we had the joy of giving to several children’s homes in Kenya.  Thank you so much for your generous donations of books, toys, clothes, and baby items. We know these items will be well used and are deeply appreciated.  We are so thankful too that we had an opportunity to not only give material items, but some of our time as well. We are so humbled by the dedicated, faithful service of those that day in and day out love and care for the needs of the nearly 200 children these homes serve.  They may never receive public acclaim or high salaries, but their servant leadership is truly inspirational.

Our donations to New Life Children's Home

Seth in the special shirt he made for volunteering at New Life

We had the opportunity to teach the care givers how

to make home made playdough.  They were so excited!

We donated lots of books, clothes, and games to the CRCA
children's home

Kids at the CRCA loved the magazines!

We also donated books, clothes and games
to Mother's Mercy Children's Home. They were
excited because the social worker sees the need to create a reading culture at the home.

The kids at Mother's Mercy Home enjoyed learning a new game!

New leader training for the social workers and
"mamas" at the Mother's Mercy Children's Home

God also opened many doors for me to share about the international ministry I am a part of called, Moms in Prayer (MIP).  With the area coordinator in Nairobi we were able to lead two trainings for new groups to start!! This is really exciting in Kenya where the ministry is new and in its early stages of being established.

Training with the MIP Africa Global Ambassador for
church group in Nairobi

New leader training for a group in Nairobi

Training with MIP Africa Global Ambassador
of church group from Machakos

   

We came to Nairobi with the goal of Kevin developing an IT team at the Africa regional/Kenya office.  He hired and trained a manager and 2 programmers.  They are up and running and are already positively contributing to the team!  Having laid a solid foundation here, he has a vision of continuing to expand the team in the future. 

Crossing the Lake

After a weekend visit to the children’s home CRCA (known as Kenya Matters in the U.S.), our 7 year old, Joel, wrote the following excerpt from his journal entry.  For context, the children live at CRCA, but still have some contact with a guardian who is a member of their extended family.

“In the evning, the first day, we went to the home of two of the children’s guardian’s...  Next, we visited the second home.  When we got ther, we saw the naighbor kids playing with a tire and a stick.  He hit the tire with the stick and made it spin.  When we got in it [the home],,, looked like it was run down but to them it was a norml house.  It had no lighting and no runing water.  It had one room.  It had a couch two chairs and a bed.  It had a packed down dirt floor and huge water jugs that made a little tabl.  Next we met the baby and her mom.  Then my mom prayed for them.  Then we went out and saw the mom cooking on a pan with ashis in it.  Then we left.”

That afternoon, Joel experienced with all his senses someone else’s daily reality.  As we sat squished together in the dark room it encouraged us all to humanize people and situations that we may have previously made assumptions about or didn’t think about at all.

I was reminded of the time in Luke 8:26-38 when Jesus took his disciples across the lake from Galilee to the gentile region of the Gerasenes in order to heal a demon-possessed man.  Yes, he restored the man, but he brought the disciples with him to transform their hearts as well.  In order to show them that His love, compassion, and power reach beyond their own Jewish culture and way of life, He brought them out of their context and the familiar.  They went to a place and people they had no occasion to interact with and to a man who struggled with issues they personally never faced.  Jesus entered the hard places, and He brought his disciples with him to prepare them for a life of ministry.  Just as He gave his disciples on their excursion across the lake, He gave Joel and our family a real face and a true-life story from someone whose reality is very different from our own.

Mama Dorcas - The founder of CRCA

We spent the whole afternoon at CRCA playing games with the kids.  Armed with a few field games and indoor activities, we laughed and played together.  Each game we led needed in-the-moment modifications, but even this was a great lesson for our family in flexibility.  The aim was connection with others, not letting a plan or set of rules be the driving force.  That evening we heard some of their stories that rang clear with the common theme of, “Life was very, very hard, but Mama Dorcas (the founder of the home) found me, saw my need, and rescued me by giving me a place here, where we are family”.  With these core elements of the gospel being applied and lived out in these children’s lives, it is not surprising that their love for God is tangible and a sense of belonging is strong.

    

As a family we planned the evening devotional, each leading a part, on the impact of our words from the book of James.  We tried to bridge our two worlds and mother tongues by using volunteers to take part in our object lessons involving toothpaste and another using salty water.  Laughter goes a long way in building bridges.

It is possible and good to “cross the lake” by going to the other side of town and sometimes even by walking across the street.  However, this quarter, we have asked our children to cross the lake, literally an ocean, in coming to Kenya.  Exposing them to new sights, sounds, smells, and ways of living life, has both challenged assumptions they held and has begun to fill in the blank slate they held in their minds about Kenya.  Even within this foreign context, we have sought ways to board a boat and cross into parts of Kenyan life that are very different from our own and to put a real face to a complex problem.

When we cross the lake, our hearts and our minds are changed.  It not only changes the lens through which we view people, it changes the way we pray.  I’ve noticed over our months here, our boys have increasingly thanked God for having parents and a home and have asked God to comfort those who do not.  Recently, one of the boys prayed, “Dear God, please help everyone in the world to have at least one meal today.”  As the realities they experience broaden, their hearts do as well.

Seth is teaching them how to play a new game

A few times over our days at the CRCA, I caught out of the corner of my eye, two boys, arm in arm with beaming smiles on their faces.  One of them was my son, the other a new friend from the home.  The children there face great obstacles, but for a moment we could stand shoulder to shoulder, knowing there is a God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (Ephesians 3:20)  Although it was short, we thank God for this lake crossing.  Like it was for the disciples, I pray it is part of our preparation as well for a lifetime of ministry and compassion.

What I know now about Kenya

Here are some things that I didn’t know about Kenya before we left.  Now I know that:

• There is hardly any city planning: When you get on a new highway (which are rare here), you find that there is little to no median.  This means that if they ever wanted to expand the road at all, they would have to knock down the buildings on the side.  Also, there is no shoulder to pull off into if there was a problem.

• Paving stones are cheaper than cement here: When a new apartment building pops up, they usually have a paving stone driveway.  Why?  Even though Kenya exports cement, it is easier and cheaper to simply lay down paving stone, and then if you need to make repairs, you just move the blocks out of the way and put them down again when you're done.

• Anybody can be an entrepreneur: You will find that if someone doesn't have an official job, but they’re still healthy, they will sell things (usually food) on the street. Common items include little packages of nuts, soft drinks, and fresh produce.

Here is one of many streetside stands.

• People are very friendly: People in Kenya smile easily, and they are naturally hospitable. For example, we went to a children’s home a couple of hours away, and the founder/mom to the kids invited us to stay at her house, even though we were pretty much complete strangers.

Here we are with the 'mom' in the children's home - you can
see that the children gave us necklaces and bracelets that they
 made themselves.

• English isn’t really the national language: I thought that English was what everybody spoke, but that is not true.  If a Kenyan walked up to somebody in the market and asked to buy something, they would speak in Swahili, and the person in the market would respond in Swahili as well.  They generally only speak English among Americans and Europeans, or in schools.

• It is colder here than I thought: I expected Kenya to be pretty warm.  After all, some of it is desert and it’s right on the equator.  However, since Nairobi is in the highlands, it is cooler, especially at night, when it is actually nice to have on a sweater outside.

• Motorcycles are everywhere: The road traffic is probably at least 10% motorcycles, and they are aggressive.  For example, in Nairobi they will drive into the opposing traffic, then duck back into their lane at the last moment.  Some cars will also pass recklessly.

This is the size of Kenya compared to eastern
United States - you can see why it's nice to
fly when you need to go far.

• Kenya is big: I thought Kenya was a smallish African country, but it would take a couple days to drive across it.  Not only is it big in area, but since the roads are in poor condition outside of the city, it takes longer to get anywhere.  You have to fly to get most anywhere fast.
  
  

• Most of public transportation is very informal: Matatues, or small buses, take the brunt of all public transportation in Kenya.  There are hundreds of matatu companies that will take you all over the country in these rickety vehicles.

• The Chinese are building here: I had heard that the Chinese were investing in African building projects, but I didn’t know they were doing it on such a massive scale.  They have helped fund the construction of a bullet train between Nairobi and Mombasa (a coastal city) and are thinking of continuing it to Uganda, with Chinese workers and money.  This may seem good, but guess who owns the track now?  You guessed it, the Chinese now have the liberty to do what they want to with it, at least for the present.

This monkey was right on our street -
that is a straw wrapper you see him chewing.

• Monkeys are everywhere: Even in the city, you will find monkeys.  It's kind of like seeing a squirrel or a rabbit in the United States.  The locals are used to them, and I'm sure they thought it was funny that we took so many pictures of something they see regularly.

~Kyle

Mother to 108 Kids

The laundry area

It was 10:00 when we pulled into the dirt parking lot for the Mothers of Mercy Children’s Home.  We were expecting something like New Life - a nice stone building with a large yard.  Instead, we were greeted by a large building made of corrugated tin.  There were kids everywhere: on benches, at tables inside the building, and doing chores around the compound.  There are 108 kids under the care of the Home, between 4 and 18.  In part, there are so many because they will never be adopted.

The children get a cup of milk 3 or 4 times a week.  All
of the milk they drink comes from these cows.

 
When we first pulled in and stepped out of our car, we were greeted by Charles, who is the assistant administrator.  He gave us a full tour of the compound, everything from their barn (with 4 cows and a calf) to their laundry area, where we saw kids hand-washing their own clothes.  He also showed us their dormitory and community medical clinic, where German specialists fly in regularly to treat a long line of patients.  Teachers also offer sewing and woodshop classes on Saturdays to kids that want to build these skills.


Everybody was very excited to see us.  Many of the children came up and greeted us, especially when we joined them in the mulitpurpose room (dining, crafts, dancing etc. happen in this room).  They were doing embroidery with string, sewing needles, and paper with designs on them, along with some other crafts.  I joined them, and was soon swarmed with people looking at my watch and asking me what time it was.

 After I did embroidery for a while, we pulled out the games we brought (Uno and Spot-It) and we instantly had a crowd.  However, we had to keep order in the Uno game because people would just place down random cards whenever they wanted to.  Eventually we found order in the chaos, but it was still the most heated Uno game I’ve ever played.

After the games, we went inside another room to eat.  We were given a different meal than the kids, which we gladly ate because we were given rice and they were given ugali.  Ugali has the consistency of a cross between mashed potatoes and playdough.  It is ground white maize and is a staple in Kenya.  The food was very good, and we were full when we finished.





We brought many books in to donate.  Rockrimmon Elementary as well as a few friends generously donated stacks of books (THANK YOU!).  After lunch we read to the younger kids.  It was fun to see how excited they were about reading books, since they had very few in their library.  Some of them wanted to point out every single picture they saw, even when they had no idea what the word was for that item.  For example, one of them called a guitar “thrum thrum thrum”.
Overall, I think that our Saturday was well spent going to the home and encouraging these kids.  I enjoyed it and so did the entire family.  I hope we go back soon.

Their kitchen- check out the pot of sukamawiki (like kale),
another staple for Kenyans.  It is often eaten with shredded
carrots and cabbage. They have one refrigerator for 108 kids
and the only thing it was fresh milk.  Most of their vegetables
come from their plot of land.

One of the rooms in the girls dormitory. The home has
the capacity for 120 kids.

Leah, one of the 3 "mamas" at the home.  She also teaches sewing.

To see a video of the reading time, click here:

To see a video of a Saturday afternoon pastime at the Home, click here:

Field Trip Highlights

Kenya is an amazing country with so much to see and do.  Through our family read alouds, research, conversations with the locals, and field trips we have learned so much about their 43 tribes, food, history, animals, economy, politics, and many other aspects of Kenyan culture and life.

We thought we would pick a few pictures to highlights some of the fantastic ways we've been able to experience hands on learning:

Nairobi National Park:  It was amazing to see the animals in their natural environment and riding in the safari jeep was so fun for the boys.  It's the only African National Park in the world that is surrounded by a big city. 

Kenyatta International Convention Center:  Used to be the tallest building in Kenya.  People are able to go to the top and see 360 degree views of the city. Including the Ngong Hills and Nairobi National Park.

If you look closely you can see the traffic mayhem at the bus terminal area 

Trip to the Masai Market:  One of the most aggressive markets I have been to, but I boys were wise and kind.  They looked and compared prices until they found just what they were looking for.  Seth is very excited about his spear and Joel his carved rhinoceros.

The market about a 10 minute walk from our house:  Every day hundreds of stalls are set up with items varying from fruits and vegetables, to clothes, to kitchen items.  You can have your shoes washed, your knives sharpened, or have freshly trimmed sugarcane.  

The boys were infatuated to see him use his machete to trim the sugarcane

 The Bomas of Kenya: a cultural center where a dance group performs dances from the various tribes of Kenya. It was amazing to see the rhythm of these dancers and how they incorporate dance into so many of their celebrations and rituals.  The costumes were beautiful as well.  They also have acres and acres of land where the huts from the various tribes and regions have been replicated.  The boys loved exploring these and imagining living in them.

Foodplus Supermarket:  After trying various grocery stores, we have landed on one that fits well into our routine.  Good thing we are eating simply here, because the carts don't hold much!  They have outlawed single use plastic bags, so it's really important we remember to bring our reusable bags to the store!  We always learn something important about the culture when we go shopping!

Karura Forest:  One of only a couple green spaces for walking in Nairobi.  It is not free, but it was well worth the effort to get there.  This is where the resisters hid out when they were working to overthrow the colonial government.

All Saints Cathedral, downtown Nairobi:  We decided to go here for Easter and we were moved by their worship and their history.  They have taken an active role in combating corruption, preaching the gospel, and taking the lead on important societal and moral issues for nearly 100 years.  They have 4 services on a Sunday mornings and even when it's not Easter we sit shoulder to shoulder with others on the bench.

Building relationships with new African friends:  We are so grateful for new friends that have invited us into their homes for dinners.  We have enjoyed their company and the yummy food!  We have had wonderful conversations where we have learned so much about the history and culture of Kenya.

Our landlady, Judy, her husband, and granddaughter.  She has been so
 responsive to the issues we have had in the apartment.

She made a wonderful meal of traditional Kenyan food:
Ugali (looks like mashed potatoes), sukuma wiki (sort of like kale),
cabbage and carrots, goat (our 1st time- really yummy), and beef. 

The area coordinator for Moms In Prayer, Liz, invited us
over for dinner with her family.  She made us quite a feast: curry, fish,
beef, and chipati.(a cross between naan and a tortilla).  It was so great to
learn more about the political situation from them. 

We met David while we were volunteering at New Life.  They invited us for
dinner and we had a wonderful time. This week I will also be helping to train
Sharon and 3 other women in leading Moms in Prayer Groups!

Lake Naivasha, in the Great Rift Valley (about 2 1/2 hours from Nairobi):  We spent two nights at a place on this beautiful lake.  We hiked Mt. Longonot one morning and took a boat trip on the lake the next morning.  

At night the hippos come out of the water to graze

Hiked to the top of Mt. Longonot, elevation 9, 100 feet.  We also walked 4 miles
around the crater rim.  It was a tough hike in parts, but worth the effort! 

Part of the rim and inside the crater

The boat we took is on the right in the picture.  At times I was a
bit nervous when the boat got close to the hippos!

View of the Great Rift Valley.  It was incredible to see something that we have
only read about in books! 

National Museum: We spent most of the day at this museum.  They have a wonderful exhibit on the history of Kenya and another one on the incredible archaeological finds made mainly around Lake Turkana.

We've never seen so many birds in our lives!  Some of them
we have seen in the wild in the National Park and at Lake Naivasha.

Hotel Rooftop Pool:  Kevin traveled to Rwanda last week and it is our tradition that I plan a surprise of some kind for them when he travels.  A friend told me about this hotel that has a warm pool where we could pay a day fee.  Although this wasn't education, it was the perfect surprise for them, and a great break for me as well!

Arboretum:  After going to church, we spent Mother's Day here.  It was great to let the boys run and we always learn about a new slice of Kenyan culture when we are here.  There are families having picnics, preachers preaching to listeners sitting on the grass, young people playing games, monkeys eating trash, and several photo shoots going on- one today was even making a live music video.  Parts of the park are peaceful and quiet and parts are definitely full of life and activity!

Click here to see how lively a place the arboretum is:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cRmKHOtJ9U