11.16.08 A lesson in prayer

Jenn and I were invited to attend church this morning with our favorite teacher from school, Miss Musyoka. We love her so much. She is one of the few who actually loves her job and enjoys teaching. She goes to Redeemed Gospel Church up the mountain a little ways in Nunguni. We met right outside the gate to the compound at 8 am and hopped on a matatu around 8:30 to go up. It was a very long day for sure, but it was so so good. It definitely set the record for my longest amount of time spend at church on a Sunday morning. We got there around 9 am and we didn’t leave until about 3:45, haha! What a day! But it honestly was the best church service I have been to since I’ve been in Africa. The church was a long tin building and the “pews” were all different. On the right side there were backless wooden benches. Then there was a small aisle and the middle was rows of metal chairs and then a small aisle and then rows of big, wooden chairs. A little bit of everything, haha! When we first got there Miss Musyoka went to teach the New Believers class so she let us go and sit in on the children’s Sunday school class which was held in the sanctuary. There was a building next door where her class was, but we were in the tin building all day. The children were so cute! We met the pastor’s two daughters, Rita and Jaclyn. Rita is in Std. 3 and Jaclyn is younger, but I’m not sure what class. Rita spoke very good English though. We were so impressed! We met her mom a little later and she told us that Rita has an aunt who is married in London so her husband teaches them English; very lucky girls. We were given the opportunity towards the end of the class to go up in front to greet them and tell a little bit about ourselves. Ruth was with us too so she translated for us which was really good since they are so young. Service started around 10:00 or 10:30 and it began with some awesome praise and worship time. The choir, both youth and adults, went up on stage, no robes or anything fancy, and began to sing and dance. There were so many of them! They really couldn’t fit anyone else up there. It’s so awesome to see so many people want to be a part of leading worship. The congregation got really into it and everyone was singing and dancing! It was great! We were seated right up front, directly behind the pastor and his wife, so we were way up close! Just an example of the kind of hospitality we have been shown here. As we got more into the songs you could literally see the Holy Spirit come alive in these people. It was unlike anything I have ever seen before. Some people on stage were on their knees on the floor or bent over or turned around, praising the Lord. They had stopped singing, but the music was still playing and one of the guys on stage was praying aloud into the microphone. They worshiped like this for quite a while. People in the congregation were also praying aloud and you could see people’s lips moving everywhere. It actually looked and sounded like they were speaking in tongues. I don’t know if anyone really was, but with them all lifting up their prayers and praise at one time and seeing their mouths move and their eyes closed it looked like it. It was truly something else. I have never seen the Holy Spirit alive and present in a room with that intensity. I wanted to open my eyes and look around and close my eyes and pray at the same time so I kind of prayed intermittently and opened my eyes every once in a while to take in what was going on around me. I have been in many corporate worship gatherings, but this was completely different from anything I have ever experienced. The Holy Spirit took over every part of every person during that time like I have never seen. When the praise and worship was over Pastor Jefferson got up to preach and his sermon was so moving. He first of all said that he had wanted to preach in Kiswahili that morning, but because of their visitors (Jenny and me) he wants us to understand so he will preach in English. That was so awesome! He had another guy on stage with him translating the message into Kiswahili as he spoke which was really great too, but it just made us feel all the more welcome that he himself would preach in English for us. He started his message off talking about America. I was a little skeptical about what he was going to say and I was hoping he wasn’t going to talk about America the whole time. He didn’t though and actually what he said was really good. He started talking about how a couple hundred years ago in America, some men sat down and decided that our currency would read “In God We Trust” and now, very recently, some men have sat down again and decided that our currency will no longer read “In God We Trust.” He talked about how the devil is attacking America. I got really emotional listening to him speak. It definitely brought tears to my eyes. I mean, America is my home. I love America and I have a lot of pride in our country. To hear someone blatantly say “the devil is attacking your country” is hard to swallow. But it’s so true and that’s what makes it so scary. It really hits home. He preached on how we, as Christians, must not stand for it. We need to defend our country against Satan and the ways he is working to destroy us. Satan has a firm hold on our country and we are going to be handed over to him little by little if we don’t do something to stand up against him. It was really emotional. I had to try to hold back my tears, but it was good to hear and it was so true. It was even more moving coming from him because he isn’t an American. He is on the outside looking in and he can clearly see what is happening to our country. He isn’t afraid to point out the spiritual warfare that is taking place when most of us, as Americans, wouldn’t want to admit what is happening. After this he moved off the subject of America and preached his sermon. Then, he asked for anyone who wanted to be saved to raise their hands during the prayer and when it was over, he asked them to come up front. Two people, a young man and a much older lady came to the front and were saved. Then, he called a girl forward who was saved the week before when he was preaching somewhere else. She had found him after service and told him that she was not saved and her dad was very ill at home and she felt like the only thing she could do to help him at this point was to be saved. It really sounded like a story out of the Bible. Well, her dad was in church that day so the pastor called him to the front as well. He said that he was having a pain in the whole right side of his body and it was preventing him from tilling his land and working the farm. He pulled a bunch of items from his pocket that he had been using to try to heal him.  Among them was snuff he had been smoking and a charm from a witch doctor that had powder in it from a dead lion’s heart to make him as strong as a lion.  Its scrary that there are people who really believe in that kind of stuff.  Its lies straight from the devil.  Its not something you see everyday so its hard imagine that that kind of witchraft really exists, but it does.  It’s real in some parts of the world, and even in some parts of our own country, I’m sure.  It just shows that Satan is hard at work, looking for people to devour.  Then, the pastor did something I have never seen before. He placed his hand on the man’s head and prayed aloud for God to heal him. I have never seen someone touch someone who is physically sick and pray to the Lord on his behalf for healing and restoration. It was really powerful. I don’t know if he was healed or not, but I could feel the Holy Spirit’s presence in the room and I know Jesus answers prayer. Our God is the Great Healer and I know He is still capable of performing miracles today just like he did thousands of years ago. I think one of the biggest problems with the church today is that we aren’t bold enough in our prayers. We are afraid to ask God for something too significant, let alone a miracle. Our prayers are usually pretty much the same. We thank God for all our blessings and ask Him to keep us safe, give us good health, etc. Honestly, if our preacher stood up in church and asked for a miracle to be performed we would probably all feel very uncomfortable in our seats. We would wonder what he was doing and ask ourselves if he was serious. We don’t allow God to be God when we fail to ask Him for the things we really and truly need, no matter how large or seemingly impossible. We are taking from Him the opportunity to change lives and amaze us. God is capable of so much more than we would ever dare to ask for in prayer and He is just waiting for us to call on Him and trust Him. I think it all goes back to what Pastor Chadwick has called the root of every sin…faithlessness. We are scared to ask to for something too big for fear that God won’t come through and then our faith will seem futile and empty. Where is our faith? Would any of us be willing to step out of the boat and walk on the water towards Jesus? I think that would depend on how comfortable the boat is. Only if the situation is desperate enough and we had nowhere else to turn, like the man who needed healing, would we dare trust Jesus with something so risky. But He tells us to simply “ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will opened. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” Why do we not ask? The Lord knows what we need- He is just waiting for us to find the faith to ask. Before I came on this trip I felt that God was really teaching me to pray boldly. He put the story of Joshua on my heart, who carried out Moses’ task of freeing God’s people. Joshua had a battle to fight and he prayed to God to make the sun stand still in the sky…and He did! God knew that was the only way Joshua could win that battle and Joshua had enough faith to actually go to God and ask for it in prayer. He knew that the Lord was capable and that God was on his side so he did not hesitate to ask. So why do we hesitate to ask? God is on our side and there is nothing He is incapable of. Today was the perfect example of the necessity of boldness in prayer, just like Jesus taught. He hears our prayers. We just need to have the faith to ask.

At the end of the service they had a fundraiser for their Christmas party, which will be held on Christmas Day.  That was really interesting.  The pastor explained that some people don’t have the means to celebrate Christmas at home so they should all come together to celebrate at church.  It’s very different, but true.  In the States, you would never have a Christmas party, besides with just your family, on Christmas Day, but it gives everyone in the church the chance to have a nice celebration.  They estimated how much of everything they would need and asked people to raise their hands and pledge to provide whatever they would like.  When everyone was through, the pastor looked straight at Jenny and said “would you like to participate?”  That was awkward!  She didn’t know how to respond.  He said it so that it seemed as if he was trying to be hospitable by including us, but basically he was asking for money.  It’s a funny dynamic we noticed pretty much right away being here.  The Africans have a lot of pride in their culture and who they are, but then they don’t hesitate to ask for things and money.  Typically, someone who is full of pride is very independent and doesn’t want to take handouts.  Well, not the Africans!  They happily accept handouts!  They don’t hesitate to push their pride and dignity aside at any given moment and ask us for money, our cameras, the clothes on our back, anything.  Nothing is off limits.  It makes for some really awkward moments, haha.  Well, Jenny looked at me, confused and caught off guard.  We kind of talked for a couple minutes and decided to donate 500 shillings.  I mean, we couldn’t exactly say “Oh, no thanks, we’re fine.”  To the Africans, “American” equals “rich”  no matter how many times we try to explain that we are sponsored to come here, we don’t pay for it ourselves and that we just graduated and don’t have jobs and we have a lot of debt.  That all falls on deaf ears and we find ourselves constantly having to tell people “sorry, I need my camera,” haha!  We get used to it though and have come to expect it so it’s fine; just part of the whole experience.  TIA.  Service finally ended around 3:00 when the fundraiser was over.  Whew!  That was a record for sure!  Then, Miss Musyoka had to meet with some church members, which took about 30 minutes, so Jenn and I just hung around outside the church and talked to people.  There was this one girl who was in secondary school who kept questioning us about everything and she got really annoying (I know that sounds really bad, but its true).  Africans have so many misconceptions about America, its amazing.  They think things like we get money from our government so we don’t have to work and that it’s easy to find a job and just all sorts of things.  They think life in America is “easy” and no one has any trouble getting money.  I guess, comparatively speaking, life in the States is easier than life in Africa, but to us, our lives are not “easy” by any means.  We still have to work hard to get a job and work very hard at our jobs.  We aren’t just given things like they think.   They are surprised to hear that we actually have homeless and hungry people in America.  We talked to her for a while and there were like 15 other children standing around.  They just want to be near the Americans.  Sometimes I feel like we’re on display or something; like we’re the attraction at the zoo.  Sometimes it’s cute because the children are so fascinated and then other times, like today, its just annoying all I want to do disappear.  Finally, her meeting was over and we free to head home.  We had to walk into the market to get a matatu and wait for it to fill up, as usual, so we didn’t get home until 4:15.  Talk about a long morning!  Our entire day was gone, but it was definitely worth it because it was such an awesome service.  The Africans think its so weird that we spend only one hour in church.  I mean, if we think about it, it is weird.  The reason we were put on this earth was to worship the Lord and praise Him and we spend one hour a week doing it.  I know we do other things like have Bible studies, quiet times, church on Wednesday nights, etc. but still, after being here, a one hour service seems like very little.  But I know that God doesn’t care how long we are in church for on Sunday morning.  If we honor Him with our lives and praise Him everyday in all that we do He will look down on us and smile.

 

Jenn and I had a birthday/dance party tonight for two of the young girls, Mumo, std. 4, and Katiwa, std. 3.  Like a lot of the children here, they don’t know their actual birthdays so Jenn sat down with some of the children and let them choose their birthdays, haha!  And, they chose today so we had a very special celebration for them tonight.  Jenn did such a good job!  Armstrong had picked up a small cake when he went to Nairobi the other day, just for no reason.  It was really strange actually because he doesn’t usually get stuff unless we ask for it.  We had asked him to see if he could find peanut butter while he was there if he had time.  Jenn brought a huge container of JIF with her from the States, haha, and I had some I picked up last time we were in Nairobi and we both ran out like a week ago so we have been craving it like crazy!  Well, he couldn’t find any, but I guess since he was already in the supermarket he figured he would pick up some other things and one of those things was the cake.  So random, but it worked out perfectly!  It wasn’t a birthday cake, it was a more of like a small coffee cake, but all the same to the children.  It was perfect!  Jenn even had candles because she was actually in Africa for her birthday so we used those.  She also made a big card for each of them out of a huge piece of construction paper and taped a new ruler and candy necklace inside each of them.  They were so cute!  We had eight girls over and we sang Happy Birthday and everyone had a very small piece of cake and some lemonade.  Jenn had a huge container of lemonade mix, also from home, and they loved it!  They loved their cards too!  They were so excited!  Birthdays aren’t celebrated here just because it would be too expensive to celebrate 90 birthdays every year and not everyone knows their birthday so this was something very special!  After cake, lemonade and cards we put the music on, moved the coffee/dining room tables out of the way and had a dance party!  It was so fun!  They love to dance and these girls can move!  It was so great!!  We sadly had to cut it a little short because there were children outside the house who had not come for the party and they were feeling left out.  But, it was so fun while it lasted!  Mumo and Katiwa felt so special.  Their smiles were huge and just precious.  It was so wonderful to be able to have the party for them.  It’s weird to think about, but a birthday party is something we take for granted at home.  For us, it’s a given…a must.  When it’s our birthday all of our friends know and we celebrate either with a party or a special dinner or some other way.  We are sure never to miss a birthday celebration.  Here, a birthday party is such a special treat and it meant so much to these girls.  Their huge smiles said it all.  

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for the Std. 8 students as they took their KCPE exams last week. They were told not to discuss them afterwards so we don’t know much, but overall they went well. They are so happy and relieved to be done with those for sure! Unfortunately, they won’t get their results until Dec. 27 or 28 so I won’t know anything until after I am back home. I will be in touch with Armstrong though, via email, so I hope to eventually to find out how everyone did. Thank you for keeping them in your prayers. They worked so hard and they definitely deserve great results!!

11.15.08

I had a fun new experience today…an Africa hair salon!  Jenny and I went this morning with Ruth and Wayua so Ruth could get her hair done.  She got some extensions put in and she looks so smart!  Jenn was actually going to get her hair cut too, but we ended up not having enough time.  Ruth’s hair took a while and we were already late getting back for lunch so we decided we could go back some other time to get Jenn’s hair cut.  She decided it’s not a must at this point anyway since we are going to be home so soon, so we may or may not make it back again.  But anyway, Ruth was so excited about her extensions!  It’s something the girls really look forward to when they finish school since they have to keep their hair so short during school.  They don’t have to have their heads shaved in secondary school like they do in primary, but they still have to have it pretty short so it was a very exciting day for her.  We all had a good time going along and watching too.  It was so cool to see how it is done.  The stylist is actually Ruth’s cousin and she seemed to be the only one who works there.  Maybe there are others and only one stylist works at a time, I’m not sure.  I would think that Saturdays would be a busier day though so there would be more people working, but I guess that’s just the American in me.  Anyway, she was plaiting (braiding) another lady’s hair  when we got there so we had to wait about half an hour and then Ruth’s hair took a good hour and a half so that’s why we didn’t have time to do Jenn’s hair.  Its ok though.  She’s flexible.  While Ruth was getting her hair done her cousin insisted that we go in the other room and watch a video that some other children we were watching.  We weren’t bored at all, but I guess she thought we were so she escorted Jenny, Wayua and me to this back room where maybe 10 children were watching some really awful Japanese (or some other Asian) film.  It was the strangest thing I have ever seen in my entire life, haha!  It was all in whatever Asian language it was and really violent and the worst effects EVER!  Oh my gosh, it was terrible.  We were definitely laughing.  I really wonder where they ever got that video from.  We watched for maybe 30 minutes and then went back out to watch Ruth get her hair done.  It was definitely an interesting experience, haha!  When she was finished we left the salon and hopped in a matatu and got back for lunch just before 2 pm.  We were almost an hour late and we felt so bad, but Elizabeth wasn’t mad at all.  She said “no problem” and just heated up our meal and served us with a smile.  She’s amazing!  Jenny has made a point to talk with Elizabeth and really get to know her these past few months and she has developed a really great friendship with her.  Elizabeth doesn’t get any positive attention from any of the adults around here.  I mean, the children love her, but she is their mom.  They don’t substitute for a friend.  There is no one she can talk to and trust and relate to and laugh with.  Armstrong and Sampson order her a around a lot and don’t give her any respect or talk with her like an adult.  It’s really disheartening to see.  That is just the African way though.  Women get no respect or thanks around here.  So, naturally, Elizabeth really loves to cook for us because she knows we care about her and we have gotten to know her really well.  It’s amazing what a difference it makes when you just show someone you care. 

 

 

Well, we talked to the children and to Armstrong and it sounds like most of the children will be leaving Mukaa to go home for Christmas on December 1^st.  Most of them have some place they can go to for a month so their relatives will come and pick them up.  We were curious how many children will still remain here through December though since we will still be at Mukaa until the 7^th.  He told us that he can’t be sure because he doesn’t like to tell the parents/relatives that it’s a “must” that they come and get the children because a lot them really cant support the child for a whole month.  He said there has never been a December without any children here, but it changes every year how many remain.  It has happened in the past that after children are picked up and taken home they show up here a week or so later by themselves, having walked however far from their home because they are hungry.  They tell him they are only eating once a day and they are hungry.  How sad is that?  It would break my heart be here and see one of our children walking up all alone, starving and tired from a long walk, wanting to come back and stay here so they can eat.  That was so sad to hear so I am really glad that Armstrong doesn’t require them to leave.  He said he tries to give each staff member 3 days off in December so they leave one a time or, if there aren’t too many children, they will divide the children up among the staff and they will just take 3-4 children each home with them over December.  It’s definitely a full time job working here.  Every person on staff works all day every day.  They’re up with the children at 5 am, cooking or getting them ready for school and they don’t sleep until 10 or 11 pm when the children go to bed.  There is no such thing as a weekend or vacation.  Most of them are married so they can go home every once in while to see his or her spouse, but they don’t even live with their spouses.  I can’t imagine that lifestyle.  And we complain when we have to stay late at work or go in early.  I am learning so much more how important it is to do what you love-so that you will be willing to put in the extra hours “without complaining or arguing” like the Bible teaches.  God didn’t put us on this earth to be busy-bodies or workaholics.  He put us here to honor Him with our lives and to glorify Him.  Can we really and truly do that when we wake up every day dreading going to work and not looking forward to the day ahead?  If instead of waking up and thanking God for each new day we wake up with bitterness in our heart about the day ahead, how can we possibly be examples of Christ’s love to anyone that day?  We cannot be a blessing to anyone’s lives when we don’t experience joy in our own lives.  Therefore, I will work to follow my passions and listen to God as he directs my steps.  For in Him we are promised “not just life, but life abundantly.”

11.14.08

Sadly, today was the last day of classes.  It’s really amazing how fast my time here has gone by.  Jenn and I have all three of our classes on Friday though which is really good because we were able to say bye to all of them.  We will help give exams on Monday and Tuesday so we will see the children, but we won’t be teaching so we won’t get to say goodbye.  We gave pixie sticks to the students in all three classes who had completed all their homework this year.  They were so happy!  Then, we gave pencils to everyone just as a goodbye gift.  They were so excited, it was adorable!  It’s so refreshing to see children get excited and be so thankful for a pencil.  And these are not little children, they are middle school age.  I can’t imagine 6^th and 7^th grade students in the States getting excited over a pencil.  I know I surely wouldn’t have been.  But they were all smiles and it was wonderful to be able to provide them with something so little, yet that meant so much to them.  I will definitely miss that about the children here.  They are so grateful for the smallest things.  It has really convicted me of my materialism and my sometimes frivolous spending at home.  I just hope that when I return home I can remember how little these children have, but how happy they are and hopefully make some simple changes in my lifestyle.  I know that as I go back to the States I will have to acclimate myself back into that lifestyle, but I hope to be able to hang on at least a little to the simplicity of life here.  I definitely have plenty of pictures that remind me of these beautiful children and the joy they have found not from things, but from Jesus. 

 

Today was also the end-of-year party for the std. 8 students.  They finished their KCPE exams yesterday so they can finally relax and celebrate!  It was really nice.  There were chapatis so you know it was a special occasion!  Some women came to school early in the afternoon and started making the chapatis in the classroom right next to ours.  It smelled so good!  We ended up with a double class during that time because all the students from Std. 7 South had to come into our class, Std. 7 North, so they could use the classroom.  It definitely made for an interesting class period!  It’s all about flexibility here.  The sad part was that the Std. 7 students weren’t going to get to eat any of the food because the party was just for std. 8 students, but they had to sit there and smell it, poor things.  L We tried to encourage them that next year it will be their party.  I don’t think that helped much.  Anyway, the party was nice and there were many parents there too which was really encouraging to see.  It really wasn’t a “party” at all compared to what we would call a party, but the students enjoyed themselves and that is what matters.  It started at 2:00…ish and lasted until about 6pm so it was really long.  We began with a prayer and then all the students stood up and went down the line and said their names.  They went so fast though and spoke so softly that I could barely hear anyone and they were right next to me.  We were all crammed into one of the classrooms so everyone was very close.  There’s no reason why we should not have been able to hear anyone talk.  These students shy away so much from any individual attention.  I don’t know if it’s because they’re not used to getting attention or what, but its not healthy, at least I don’t think.  It’s past the point of humility.  Its like they’re scared of receiving attention for some reason, I don’t know.  Then, the parents stood up one by one and introduced themselves and also pointed out his/her son, daughter, brother, sister, etc. and the student again had to stand up to be recognized.  And again, they got so embarrassed.  There was a lot of giggling and laughter.  They hated to  be recognized in front of everyone so they did it as fast as they could.  After that we pretty much sat and listened to various people talk the entire time.  It was basically just like the prayer meeting we had with them last Friday except there was food so it lasted even longer, haha.  We had rice, potatoes, steamed cabbage and chapatis.  Three starches!!  (Mom, this meal is definitely not for you!  I could just see you cringe at the sight of all those carbs, haha!)  Jenn and I had unfortunately just eaten lunch and we weren’t expecting to be eating again at the party so we told them to just give us a little bit.  Not eating at all was just not an option.  Well, our “little bit” was not so little.  We felt like we were going to burst!  I felt bad though.  Not eating here is such an insult so we did our best.  I kind of wish I was hungrier because the half of a chapati I did eat was sooo good!  Its ok though, we had chapattis for supper tonight!  When it was time to eat the students got up and served all the teachers and parents and then went and took their food in another room to eat.  I’m not really sure where they went actually.  I thought it was kind of wrong that this party was for the students and yet they were the ones doing all the work.  And it was a lot of work.  Kristen, the “head girl” who is from the home, and one other girl, went around with a pitcher of water and a basin for all the adults to wash their hands.  They pour the water over your hands into the basin and you just rinse your hands and then kind of shake them dry.  That’s very customary here.  Anytime you go to someone’s house to take tea or before a meal the host or house-help, if they have it, will go around to all the guests with the water.  Whenever we have visitors to our house, like other missionaries or whomever, Elizabeth will rinse their hands.  We don’t do it when it’s just us though.  So they did that and brought food out to everyone, first the teachers and then the parents.  It was funny to see everyone pull their bowls and spoons out of their bags, haha.  They don’t do paper plates here.  If you go some place where there will be a lot of people taking a meal and you don’t think they will have enough utensils, no problem…just bring your own!  Like at Franciscah’s wedding they had bowls and spoons for everyone, but they were rinsing them as people finished for others to use.  So we were served and we ate as much as we could, but we still couldn’t finish our food.  When everyone was served the children went and took their meal somewhere else and came back in later for the rest of the “party.”  Several family members spoke and then Solomon, the “head boy” and Kristen, the “head girl” each said a few words.  They are both from the home, we are so proud of them!  Several teachers spole and then the head teacher asked Jenny and me to greet everyone and say a few words.  She talked and then he translated and then I spoke and again, he translated.  We congratulated the students on being done and wished them luck with whatever they do now and thanked them for having us here and for their hospitality.  We also mentioned what we will be doing when we go back to the states.  Not much; short and sweet.  After that more teachers spoke and then the head teacher gave his closing remarks and finally, it was over.  It wouldn’t be so bad for us if it were in English, but four hours of Kikamba is just not fun.  This party is a very big deal though.  Finishing Std. 8 is like finishing high school in the states so its a big accomplishment.  All the children were kind of sad though because they will be leaving their friends.  They all go separeate ways now either to different high schools or somewhere to find work, just like when we graduate high school.  It was really depressing to them so sad, but I think they enjoyed themselves nonetheless.  Im really glad we were there to support our students from the home.  I had my camera out snapping pictures and I totally felt like that proud parent who waves from their seats and tries to take as many pictures as possible and completely embarrasses their child, haha!  Wait, sounds kinda like my parents.  But, I still love you guys!  Not much happened after the party.  We came back to the house for supper and some of the children came over later on to hang out.  We have just started letting them use our computers so they can learn how to type.  They love it!  They write us letters all the time on the computer now.  It takes them a while, like a couple days, to complete one, but at least they are learning.  It is so cute. 

11.12.08

This morning Ruth invited me to go on a walk her to escort Teresia’s daughter, Stella, back to her home.  Teresia is one of the dorm moms and she also cooks our meals when Elizabeth is not available.  Very sweet lady.  Stella just finished Form Four and was going back home so I went with  Ruth and two younger girls, Mwikali (std. 6) and Katiwa (std. 7), to escort her.  She lives a really long way away so we only walked her halfway.  We walked about 2.5 km each way or about 3.2 miles roundtrip.  And most of it going there was uphill so it was quite a workout.  Not gonna lie, I can feel it in my butt today, haha.  But it was good.  It was beautiful outside and it gave me a chance to get away from the compound for a little while and see some of the mountain.  We passed a place called Gargetta which is where the dam is.  That is where all the water is pumped from for Mukaa so we stopped there and took some pictures.  We had a really great time just enjoying some fresh air. 

This afternoon girls were doing some laundry, as usual, and Ndanu turned her uniform inside out and said “Christina, look” showing me the inside of the collar, and started laughing.  She had added my initials on the inside where her name was.  Precious.  In Kenya you go by your first name and then your father’s first name so my name is ” Christina David.”  Well, she calls me her mom so her name is “Ndanu Christina David” and she had “NCD” in her uniform.  It was so sweet.  I am going to miss her so much.

One of the Std. 8 girls, Muthoki, got really sick yesterday.  Jenn went to the hospital with her and Elizabeth late last night, after devotions.  She said her lips were swollen and she had the chills, but she was really hot and sweating and apparently those are all signs of malaria.  However, the doctor wasn’t positive what was wrong with her, but he didnt even test her for malaria.  Jenn said he just pushed on her stomach and said it was stomach gas.  How stomach gas causes all those symptoms is a mystery to me.  He gave her 6 pills…all different pills, and sent her on her way.  Jenn told me he just started pulling medicine off the shelves and handing it to her, not really paying much attention to what he was doing.  So sketch.  The rule of thumb here pretty much is ”when in doubt, its malaria” so people get misdiagnosed all the time.  Probably some of the pills she was given were for malaria, but who really knows.  And if being sick here isnt bad enough, she has to contine with her KCPE exams today and tomorrow.  There is no way for her to take them another time.  There is no such thing as a make-up exam for these.  If you miss them, even for health problems, you must repeat class 8.  Craziness!!!  Elizabeth did tell us that if the child is too sick to come to school to take the exam, they will bring the exam to the hospital.  Seriously?  I think there is a point where enough is enough and a person’s health comes before some stupid exam.  Apparently, they dont agree.  My only response to that is TIA.  So we have been praying extra hard for her to feel better and not be affected by this illness on her exams.  It could even be her nerves causing her to be sick.  I mean, this exam is such a huge deal and she could definitely just get herself so psyched out about it that she becomes physically ill.  Its always a possibility.  Either way, it would be such a shame for her not to do well because of it so we are definitely praying for her.

11.11.08

One month from today I will be on a plane on my way back to the states.  Makes me so sad to think about.  So, I wont.

 

Yesterday was the second to last day of class.  There are no classes today, tomorrow or Thursday because the Std. 8 will be at school taking their exams so Friday will be our final day.  I really can’t believe our time is winding down so quickly.  We had Std. 7 English in the morning and we just continued reading aloud in our story, Stuart Little.  They are really enjoying it and we will actually be able to finish it on Friday!  We went back to school for our Std. 6 English class at 11:00, but about 10 minutes into class the bell rang (and by bell, I mean a hand bell that one of the students stands outside his classroom and rings).  Jenn and I were so confused.  I got one sentence into The Trumpeter Swan and all the students started laughing.  They knew that was going to happen, haha!  Jenn and I looked at each other and asked the students what was going on and they said “assembly” and rushed outside to the courtyard to lineup.  Assembly took about 10 minutes and all the students were dismissed for the day.  Ok, so Monday was a half day.  Thanks for the notice.  Unfortunately there is no way we will get through the whole book with Std. 6 so I think we will just have to summarize it for them on Friday.  Kind of stinks, but at least its more than they’re used to.  They never get to read story books so it’s better nothing for sure. 

 

Last night we had a special devotion for the Std. 8 children.  We have been having devotions with them every night at 9:30 down in the library since school began.  They lead it themselves and they do such a good job.  At the end of devotions each night they assign all the parts for the next night’s program.  One of the girls, Rose, is kind of in charge of getting everyone gathered and settled and choosing people for all the jobs.  She is so good.  She chooses someone for opening prayer, worshipping chorus, Bible reading and closing prayer.  Jenn and I are assigned parts too a lot of the time…anything besides worshipping chorus, haha.  Jenn can sing actually, but I sure can’t!  So that is the normal program every night, but last night it was pouring down rain and they wanted to get to bed early to get a good rest before their exams began today so we had them all over to the house at 8pm.  We sat in the living room and Jenn played a couple songs on her computer and then we talked about the words in the songs and read some scripture.  After that we went around and prayed.  We had each person pray for the person to their left so everyone has someone pray for them specifically and Jenn opened and I closed the prayer.  It worked out really well. 

 

The power is back on today, but there is no water so we can’t use the washing machine. But I am actually really grateful for it.  Some of the girls were outside doing laundry this morning so I went down and asked if I could bring some of my laundry down too to wash with them.  They said yes so I went down with a basin full of laundry and began scrubbing.  They laughed.  Apparently, I am not a good scrubber, haha!  They really wouldn’t let me try though.  Ndanu told me “Christina, this is not your work.”  How precious.  I tried to argue that it was my clothes so I would wash them, but they were pretty adamant.  So, I fetched water.  That was all they let me do, bless their hearts, as they stood there and scrubbed my clothes.  I love these girls.  They are as selfless as they come.  Thankfully, since we did still have power I was able to use the dryer to dry all my clothes.  The rain is so off and on so the clothes that are drying outside keep getting rained on. 

 

I was drying dishes this afternoon in our kitchen and one of the girls, Dduku (doo-coe), who is always over here helping Elizabeth prepare our meals, smiled and said to me “Christina, you dont like to be idle all the time.”  It was so precious.  She has the softest, sweetest voice too so anything she says just sounds so wonderful.  We love listenning to her talk.  She loves to help out with anything that needs to done.  She’s such a little homemaker, it is adorable.  When I was washing my clothes today she was out there with me scrubbing away and she sat by the dryer until all my clothes were done and folded them and came with me to put them away in my room.  She is a huge help to Elizabeht too.  She is just so sweet and dear.

 

Julianne, Armstrong’s secretary, gave me a Kikamba name the other day, Nthanya.  It sounds exactly how it looks, but the “n” is silent, like all names here that begin with “n.”  It means I was born during the day (2:43 pm to be exact, thanks mom).  All the names here have a meaning.  For instance, “Nduku” means you were born during the night and “Katiwa” means your mom died shortly after giving birth to you.  I definitely dont agree that a child should be labeled that way her entire life, but that’s how it is.  Later on this evening I was in the laundry room with a few of the girls waiting for my clothes to dry and I told them the Kikamba name I was given.  Well, they did not like it at all!  They were very upset, actually.  They told me “no, that name is not good.”  I was really confused.  I didnt know what was so wrong with it.  I asked why not and they said “it just means ‘the day.’  We dont want you to have that name.  We want your name to be ‘Mwende’ which means ‘you are loved.’”  Oh my gosh, it was probably one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me.  Of course I would rather have that name!  I told them I really liked that name so they can call me that, but I already told Julianne that it’s ok for my name to be Nthanya so I will still have to let her call me that.  They agreed that that is fine.  Now I have two Kikamb names!

11.9.08

Jenny and I were invited to join the boys at Mukaa Secondary School for their worship service this morning.  Its a boarding school right next to the compound; one of the best in the nation.  Students come from all over Kenya to go to school there and its really hard to be accepted.  They take only the brightest of the bright students.  It was my second and last time attending church there becasue the few Sundays we have left are filled with other plans.  We love going there because the sermon is in English so its very refreshing to actually understand it, especially after the long wedding ceremony yesterday all in Kikamba.  Today was a goodbye service to the Form Fours. They have been taking final exams for 3 weeks and will leave to go home after they finish their last two exams tomorrow.  It was a funny service, but slightly uncomfortable for us.  The chaplain’s message was about the “evils” of the world they will encounter when they leave school and go out into the world, but the only “evil” he talked about was women, haha.  So, yeah, slightly uncomfortable.  We were all just thinking “um, maybe this was the wrong service for us to come to.”  Oh well, too late!  He said that we (Jenny, me, and the two girls from the compound who were with us) werent included because we were worshipping with them, haha.  Thanks!  But it was a really good service, nonetheless.  Those boys create such an amazing worship experience, its truly unbelievable.  The whole thing is completely student-run and led.  Its just hundreds of 15-18 year old boys singing and dancing.  And they dance unabashedly!  They have a priase team that stands at the front and leads the songs and dances, its so great!  Some of them are actually really good dancers!  Its wonderful how they have no inhibitions, even with us there.  They give all of themselves to God completely as they worship with song and dance.  I could just sense the Holy Spirit in there among us.  Its really an awesome time of worship.  Most of the songs were in Kiswahili, but still, it was great.  You know they’re singing praises so I just pray that their words be the song of my heart too.  Hey, we had padded chairs and an English sermon so all was good!

Mom and Dad called today, as they do evey Sunday, and it was great to talk to them.  I was on a walk with the children when they called the first time so they called back an hour later, just when we were arriving back at the home.  Jenn and I took nine of the children on an “educational” walk this afternoon.  We told them they could only come on the walk if they journaled.  It was nice though.  We didn’t go far, but we found a spot that overlookd the mountain where they could spread out and sit by themselves and journal.  I went arond and took pictures of them.  They were so cute.  Jenn and I wil mark their journals and then give them back so they can keep improving.  We have seen such drastic improvements in the student’s English, it’s amazing!  It is so rewarding to see these children making progress and see evidence that learning is taking place.  Our classes journal at least once a week and its gotten so much easier to grade.  There used to be very many that I would have to give to Jenn to grade because they just made absolutely no sense, but now there are very few that I am unable to get through!  Its wonderful!  So anyway, I had a great conversation with mom and dad catching up on things.  After supper tonight I finally took a shower, haha.  This sounds really grosse, but I hadn’t showere since Friday night.  I was going to shower yesterday when we got back from the wedding, but there was no power and I wasn’t too excited about a cold shower.  It was still out this morning so I decided against it again, haha.  Finally, tonight I decided that a cold shower was better than no shower so I bit the bullet and dumped my head over a basin and just washed my hair.  I guess with the rain I should get used to this.  Maybe this is the Lord’s way of humbling me and I think its working

11.8.08 With this ring…

The power has been out since yesterday morning so I havent been able to blog until now (11/10) because both of our computers were dead.  But there is power now and I pray it lasts at least until I am done blogging for today.  We have rainstorms pretty much every night now, from about 8 pm to 9am and off and on during the day so the power goes sometime at night and there is no telling if or when it will come back on the next day.  I have learned to shower, get on the computer and charge EVERYTHING while you can because with all the rain now power is becoming quite a luxury.

I experienced my first African wedding on Saturday!  It was for one of the dorm moms, Franciscah.  She is the one we had a farewell for a couple weeks ago at devotions.  There were a lot of similiarities to an American wedding, but a lot of differences too.  The church was called AIC Tangu, (the name of the town) about 20 minutes away.  Almost all the children from the home went so she rented a matatu to take us all there.  The children’s choir performed a couple songs during the ceremony.  They were so good!  They looked so smart (as they would say) in their white, button-up shirt and black skirts and trousers.  I love watching them sing and dance.  They never sing a song without dancing.  Its great!  Our morning began at 8 am when one of the children came and got Jenny and me to go get in the Matatu.  The night before we were told that the Matatu was going to make two trips to the church b/c it couldnt hold everyone and we would go on the 2nd trip so we should be ready at 8:30 am.  Well, there was a ton of confusion and they were saying that the matatu would only make one trip so we had to go at 8:00.  I dont know what the heck was going on, but it ended up making two trips b/c there was not enough room.  But hey, like I’ve said all along, flexibility is key in Africa.  Good thing we were ready early!  It was pouring down rain outside so we put on our raincoats and went to get in the matatu only to sit for a good hour before pulling away.  We got to the church around 9:30 and the wedding was “supposed” to start at 10 or 11.  Yeah, it definitely didnt start until 1:30.  That’s Africa for ya!  We just hung around outside the church ALL morning long trying to find something to do and to keep our minds off our grumbling stomachs.  We hadn’t eaten since 7:30 am and the children even earlier, probably around 6 am.  They take breakfast very early every day because they’re up doing chores at like 5:30.  I was so impressed at how none of them complained though.  I know they were starving and they didnt end up eating anything until 5pm when the food was served.  Those poor kids.  And all morning they had absolutely nothing to do, but yet, they didn’t complain about anything.  All I could think of was how if I were in the states I’d be hearing “I’m bored,” “I’m hungry,” “I want to leave,” all morning.  But here, none of that.  Much to our surprise, Jenny and I were given something to eat around 1 pm, thank the Lord.  We went into where the bridal party was getting ready and had pilou, which is rice with a some spices and seasoning mixed in.  Its a special treat here.  Not bad at all.  Right after we finished eating the wedding was starting so we hurried over to the church.  Jenny and I stood outside and she videotaped and I took pictures of the bridal party walking over and into the church.  Both of Franciscah’s parents have passed away so a lady walked her down the aisle who is kind of her spiritual leader.  Elizabeth explained to us that the husband chooses a man whom he wants to be his spiritual leader and then whomever is his wife becomes the bride’s spiritual leader.  So pretty much the bride gets no say in it.  No surprise there; women have very little say in things over here.  TIA.  She said that Franciscah wasn’t very happy about it, but there was nothing she could do to change it.  So, it was what it was.  The entrance into the church was pretty neat.  While the bride was waiting outside at the back of the line, a lady stood holding an umbrella over her to block the sun.  It was really cute.  The wedding party was huge.  There were 12 flowers girls and then 9 older ladies who were the bridesmaids.  The flower girls were so funny.  They all had shaved heads except for one girl who was wearing this huge wig.  It was awesome!  It looked so fake and bad and she was the only one with any hair, haha!  I guess her mom really doesnt like the bald look.  The music began and they all danced down the aisle!  It was great!  Before the ceremony began, Dnanu, one of the girls from the home, was hidden at the front of the church.  When the bride started making her way down the aisle she stood up and said, in Kiswahili, Kikamba and English “Church, church, Francisah is coming!  Jepheth, Jepheth, Franciscah is coming!  Jephath, Jephath she is beautiful!”  Ndanu is one of my favorites (yes, I admit it, I have favorites) and she was so cute!  I was so proud of her!  When Franciscah was halfway down the aisle they showered here in silly string, haha!  Everything about this wedding was SUPER tacky and that was just one of them.  Fraciscah wore a traditional white gown, but with a very differnt twist.  On her head she wore a princess crown that little girls would use to play dress up.  It was a light up too, haha!  Awesome.  When they got to the front of the church everyone in the wedding party was seated.  They didn’t stand during the ceremony like we are used to.  And good thing because it lasted about 2 hours!  I definitely wouldnt want to stand for that long!  After everyone made it down the aisle Jenn and I took our seats at the back with Elizabeth.  The whole ceremony was in Kikamba so unfortunatley it was kind of boring for us, haha.  It was very much like a church service.  The congregation sang a couple songs, the children’s choir sang a couple songs and the pastor gave a pretty long sermon.  The last song was a lot of fun though.  The congregation was standing up and dancing.   People got really into it!  Then the wedding partty went back down the aisle, dancing even more this time and grabbing ladies from the pews to stand up and join in!  It was great!  There was LOTS of silly string this time too, haha, and not just on the bride and bridegroom-many people in the wedding party got sprayed!  When everyone got outside they did pictures in front of the church with a professional photographer.  It definitely wasn’t professional by American standards, but it worked for them and they loved it!  They did it very fast.  They got everyone together, snapped the photo, done.  Didn’t bother to make sure everyone was looking, smiling, etc.  Hope they turn out well!  After pictures the wedding party piled into three cars decorated with balloons and streamers and drove 10 minutes down the road.  They dont get out of the car, they just go for a short drive to take pictures in the car and kind of make a display of the wedding.  When they returned from the drive they did the cake cutting ceremony back inside the church.  There were 5 small cakes, not one big one, and they were set up on a tiered stand on a table at the front of the church.  There was a long ceremony before they cut the cake.  I dont really know what for as it too, was in kikamba.  Then the bride and bridegroom fed each other-with forks-and then they gave each other soda from a glass.  Soda is very special here!  Then, what I thought was really strange, they fed the cake and soda to the spriritual leader couple and also to their ”parents.”  Neither the bride nor the bridegroom have parents so Franciscah had a brother and sister act as her parents and Jephath had a brother, but no mother figure.  So different from an Amerian wedding, but a nice gesture to show the parents how important they still are I suppose.  The rest of the cake was cut into bite-size pieces and a couple of the bridesmaids walked around with a platefull and gave a piece to everyone in the congregation while we remained in our seats.  After we all got a [bite-size] piece of cake it was time to present our gifts.  Everyone took their gifts to the couple at the front of the church one by one, handing it to them and saying a couple words.  The pastor instructed everyone to keep it short because it was getting late and lunch had yet to be served.  Jenny and I got them a card and put some money in it so she took it up to them and then we all went outside to eat.  They served plain white rice, meat, potatoes and soda.  They had it all made in two huge pots so everyone grabbed a plate and stood in line.  Not exactly what I would get excited to eat, but all the children loved the food!  They were super excited to have something besides maize and beans so they all ate and were very satisfied.  Jenny and I decided to wait to eat until we got back to the house.  Elizabeth cooked us drops, which are basically pancakes, when we got back home.  They were delicious!  After everyone ate we piled back into the matatu to come home.  And I literally mean we piled in.  The matatu ended up not making two trips back to the home so we piled 60+ people into this vehicle that had seating for about 20.  It was pretty crazy.  Jenny and I sat in the front, each of us with a child on our laps.  We prayed that we didnt get stopped by the police.  I definitely didnt want to relive that experience!  We made it home safe and sound, praise the Lord, around 6:45 pm.  It was a really long day and everyone was exhausted.  We ate our supper and just relaxed at the house.  It was great!  It was a long, but very nice day and I am so thankful for the experience of an African wedding!

11.7.08

This morning I had the most awful experience since I’ve been in Kenya.  Two Std. 7 boys, including one from the home, got beat…bad.  It was worse than I have ever seen them beat any of the children.  They had to get down on their hands and knees and the teacher, Miss Muthoka, whipped them several times on their bottoms.  It made me cringe.  And if that isnt bad enough, she did it right in the middle of the staffroom in front of all the teachers.  How humiliating.  Jenny and I were in there grading journals between classes.  I tried to ignore it and just keep my eyes on my paper and continue grading, but I couldn’t handle it.  I had to leave.  As I stood up to walk out there were tears in my eyes.  I was so disgusted with the teachers and in such pain for the children.  It broke my heart to see them treated like that.  I had to try my best to hold back the tears because there were a lot of children outside and I didnt want them to see me crying.  One of the girls from the home, Virginia, saw me though.  She walked by and asked “Christina, why are you crying?”  I told her its OK, I will be fine and tried to act like I was alright, but I was far from it.  I cant imagine what those boys did, but I am certain it didn’t deserve that.  These are good children.  They get in trouble for having “long” hair (even though all their heads are shaved) so I’m sure it was something ridiculous.  I have that image etched in my mind now forever.  I will never be able to forget the  pain, physical and otherrwise, inflicted on these sweet children by the teachers at this school.  It is a part of this experience that I will not miss.

Later this afternoon there was a special prayer meeting for the Std. 8 students for their KCPE exams, which begin on Tuesday.  The head teacher, Mr Kingo’o, invited Jenny and me to come and told us it begins at 2 pm and will go until 3 pm. Well, silly us, actually got there at 2:00.  That was a mistake.  It definitely didnt begin until 3 and it lasted until 5:30!!  We were not prepared for 2 1/2 hours of sitting on hard wooden chairs and listening to 10 different people speak in Kikamba.  We do that every Sunday at chruch.  Once a week is quite enough, thanks.  But nothing we could do about it so we sat, and sat, and sat until it was finally over.  I dont know how we haven’t learned yet that 2:00 doesnt really mean 2:00 here, not even by a long shot.  We know thats how things work, but I guess we still dont feel right about being late for things so we go on time.  I guess some parts of the culture take more than three months to assimilate into.  Anyway, the prayer meeting was at the school in one of the Std. 8 classrooms so we sat in the staff room and listened to the other teacher’s conversation which was partly English, partly Kikamba so we understood it for the most part.  We were both bitter about the days events though so we didn’t say much.  Finally around 3 pm we headed into the classroom and the program began.  Despite the torture it was for Jenny and me, it was a really nice gesture towards the students.  They seemed to enjoy themselves so that is what matters.  Some parents/family came, maybe 15 people.  Kind of sad for 60-80 students though.  A few of them spoke, the head teacher spoke a lot, we sang some songs and Pastor John (the pastor we went to the pre-wedding for a few weeks ago) delivered a message and prayed at the end.  It was a good time for the students to just relax their minds a little bit and put this test in the Lord’s hands.  The only downside of it was that all the teachers were at the meeting, but only the Std. 8 students were there.  So where were all the other students?  In their classrooms…not learning.  No big deal though, right?  I mean, thats normal, for students to sit in their classrooms for 2 1/2 hours with no teacher and be expected to behave and just do work.  Come on people!  With the way things are run here I sometimes just want to scream “No, you dont get it!  That’s not how you do things!  It doesn’t work that way!”  There was no reason for ALL the teachers to be there anyway.  They didn’t say or do anything.  I guess it gave them a “good” excuse not to teach though.  I dont know how many times I can be surprised by the things they do and even more, the things they dont do.   

The rains definitely began last night.  It started raining around maybe 8 pm and it pounded down all night long, literally.  It didnt let up once until about 1:00 this afternoon and then it rained a little more during the prayer meeting.  It was crazy!  They say its likely to rain everyday now.  Its all very good because we need the rain desperately so it is definitely a prayer answered.  It was freezing all day though.  Skirts are very cold in the wind and the rain!  Well, some of the childen were over at our house last night just hanging out when the power went out.  But, no worries, we simply broke out the lanterns.  Jenny played music on her computer and she and I were grading journals and the children were just talking and hanging out.  I love that they feel free to come over and that they want to be around us so much.  It was great fun!  We all had a nice, relaxing time.  That is, until we had a very unwelcomed vistor.  Puss got in, but that’s not all.  It was carrying dead RAT in its mouth.  Sick!!  Jenny and I both screamed and I jumped on the chair with Rose and she pulled her legs off the floor real fast!  We were so scared!  The boys shooed it away, thank the Lord.  That was so disgusting!!  I was reminded of the time I freaked out over the mouse in my apt. at school.  Now, I would gladly have a mouse in my apt. as long as its not a rat!   So we finally calmed down after it was gone and everything was fine for a while until eventually…one of the lanters died.  Oops!  We had forgotten to charge them like Armstrong told us to.  When the children were leaving Jenny gave them her flashlight so they could find their way back to their dorms in the dark.  She and I continued to grade the journals and before we knew it…the other lantern went out.  It was definitely pitch black and we were kinda freaking out.  The only other light left in the house was a very small flahlight back in my room.  However, with all the bugs and who knows what that get into our house I was not about to walk back there alone so Jenny went with me.  I led the way, holding hands with her and feeling my way past the couch, through the doorway, down the hall, into my room and finally…grabbed my flashlight!  It probably sounds silly, but after that night it was a huge relief.  I went into her room and held it for to get in bed and then went into my room and climbed in bed as well.  We skipped the whole “getting ready for bed” part.  With no light and no water that was just not an option.  I was very glad to just climb into my bed.  What a night.

11.5.08 America Voted…Kenya Celebrates

Well, its official.  Last night Obama clenched his position in a “landslide” win over McCain as our country’s next President.  We were not excited, but not surpised either by the news this morning of his victory.  Come January 20th, 2009 he will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States.  Armstrong and Ruth (one of the Form Fours) are the only two we know for sure who were pulling for McCain also.  Ruth came over tonight and she was very sad about it.  She said she was the only one in her whole school who was pulling for McCain and she was questioned by the teachers about her reasons for doing so.  It takes a lot of character to be able to see past your own personal and national pride and consider what you truly believe to be better for a country.  She is very much a person of strong character and faith; a very dear friend.  There was much talk and speculation at school this morning of Obama’s win, but we got the official results when we returned home from class at about 9:30 am and checked online.  We may not be celebrating personally, but this country certainly is.  Kenya’s President has declared tomorrow a public holiday in celebration of Obama’s victory.  That news was the real surprise today.  Obama has a very close tie with the leaders of Kenya.  He is a Luo, the same tribe as Kenya’s Prime Minister, Odinga.  Jenny and I were just speechless when the head teacher mentioned the possibility of a holiday tomorrow at the staff meeting this morning.  We knew there would be a lot of celebration if Obama won, but a public holiday…really?   The last thing these children need is another day off school.  I feel like the “powers that be” here in Kenya are constantly searching for an excuse to have a holiday and they figured this sounded like as good an excuse as any.  Actually, now that I think about it, I wonder why we were really even surprised. There is nothing new about a public holiday popping up out of nowhere.  It just confirms what I said in earlier posts about there always being a reason these children aren’t learning.  It’s such a shame.  The Std. 8 children will face possibly the most important test of their lives next week and instead of taking that into consideration and allowing them one more review day in the classroom, they cancel school to celebrate a presidential victory on the other side of the world.  Call me crazy, but something just doesn’t seem right about that.  But I’m an American, what do I know?  I guess the positive side of Obama’s victory is that it gives the Kenyans hope.  I mean, Obama’s dad is a Kenyan so he has roots here and now he is basically the most important person in America, the richest country in the world.  He is the epitomy of the American Dream.  Kenya must cling to whatever they can to find hope and if Obama can be that hope for the people of this country than that is a blessing to them.  The Lord has chosen Obama to be the next leader of our nation and I will put my trust in His plan.  He tells us in Jeremiah that His plans are to “prosper us and not to harm us; plans to  give us hope and future.”  I believe that with all my heart.  I am curious to see how things will play out over the next four years, but whatever happens I know that God will bring glory to himsef in this situation.  We, as his followers, must continue to lift Him up and to seek His will for us individually and for our country.  He will never leave us nor forsake us, even in defeat, for He is merciful and faithful.  Praise be to His name. 

About the exams that I just mentioned.  They are called the KCPE exams and will be taken by every Std. 8 student throughout Kenya.  They determine whether or not the student will go to high school…basically their future.  If they score high enough they are given the privilege of attending high school.  If they dont score high enough they will attend trade school…maybe.  It’s pretty crazy to think of attending high school as a privlilege for just top students.  High school is a guarantee, a requirement, an expectation, for every student in the states.  I cant imagine having that much pressure on me in eighth grade…an exam that will determine my future.  And skipping class, a popular temptation for American students, would be such a foreign idea to any student here.  They work incredibly hard here in school and dont take one minute of education for granted.  The Std. 8 students here at the home have been preparing every night for several weeks now and we pray for them every night too that they may perform very well. 

Jenny and I have only one class on Tuesdays, 8:20-8:55, so yesterday moring before lunch she took me on a walk to her favorite place on the mountain.  It wasn’t far, but it was beautiful.  It’s the perfect place to look out over the mountains.  I have never lived in the mountains before and I forget so easily how beautiful this place is.  We see the same thing eveveryday, the school and the compound, so it was so nice to get out and explore this beautiful country a little bit.  We sat out there for about an hour.  Jenny sketched the view; I watched her and just laid down and soaked up the sun.  It was so relaxing and wonderful.

I have many prayer requests for tonight:

1.  We still need a lot of rain.  The storm the other day was wonderful, but we are in need of much more.

2. The secondary students who are still taking exams.  They have 20 exams over 3 weeks and will be finished on Monday.  They are so close to the end and need prayer for diligence in studying and preparation.

3. The Std. 8 sudents who will begin their KCPE exams on Tuesday.  They will have 7 exams in just 3 days so they also need prayer to study hard now to prepare and to perform well.  A lot is on the line for them.

My praise: the water came back on today!!  It is a little muddy, but its back on!!  Yay!!

4. My cousion, Kevin, who is applying to seminary school right now and, if accepted, will begin in January. 

5. The future of our nation with the new leadership.  There will be a lot of changes in the coming months and we need to pray for God to continue to be glorified through it all. Let us put our hope in Him and not in any person, President or otherwise.

11.4.08 America Votes, Kenya Watches

Back at home, today is a day of much anticipation, Election Day 2008.  History will be made today in one form or fashion, regardless of the results.  If Obama wins he will become the first African-American in history to become President of the United States.  If McCain wins he will be the oldest President elected to a first-term and his running mate, Sarah Palin, will become the first female in history elected as Vice President.  I remember Election Day 2004 very well.  I was in my freshmen dorm room at Clemson glued to the TV with many of my hallmates, awaiting the outcome.  Being in the south in a very small, conservative town, there was much jubilation, singing, dancing, jumping up and down and hugging at the announcrment that President Bush would continue to lead our country for another 4 years.  Things had gone our way and we were thrilled!  Now, four years later, I am reminded of that day as we wait in angst for the outcome of today’s election.  This time around there are all different players and I am in a very differnt place-far from that tiny dorm room in Clemson, SC-but the stakes are the same.  The future of our country is on the line.  Will we soon be burdened with higher taxes just for being “middle class?”  Will we switch to universal healthcare and watch the availability and quality of our doctors diminish quickly?  Will half of our troops be yanked out of Iraq, leaving a job unfinished and making all the sacrifice, effort and progress thus far in vain?  My prayer today is that when people go to the polls they know not just who they’re voting for, but what they’re voting for.  Too often people are blinded by the flowery speech, persuasive words, and ”hooker” lines they are fed from a candidate and remain ignorant about that person’s actual plans once he or she is in office.  I think young people especially fall prey to this.  My generation is all about “change, change, change.”  One particular candidate has embraced this mantra, making it the trademark of his campaign and fully realizing its appeal to the naive voter.  I fear that too many people will vote today for a candidate based on unfounded information and a desire to be a part of the “change” they hope to see, not even understanding what that change entails.  Votes will be cast for the “cool” candidate; the one that symbolizes youthfulness and change.  This is dangerous water to be treading and it scares me for what may lay ahead for our great country.  The whole nation of Kenya is waiting eagerly too for results, as I mentioned in yesterday’s blog.  They have a special interest in the victory of Obama as this is his home; these are his people.  Still, I pray for the opposite.  But only God knows what the final count will bring tonight.  I place my confidence in Him and His faithfulness to us, His children, knowing that He is bigger than this election and He is the one whom I follow; the one who directs my steps.