My Christmas Eve and Day in Africa

Christmas Eve

I spent most of Christmas Eve with Challenge Farm staff and kids. About half of the kids went home to visit family. The other half stayed at the farm because they either do not have any family in the area or it is not in their best interest to let them visit home on overnight visits. Since this is a very hard time for half of the kids, Challenge Farm tries to take them on outings. On Christmas Eve we went to the Kitale Nature Conservancy. I had never been to this place. It is a farm that takes care of animals that were born with defects. During the walking tour I saw a goat with five legs, a cat with three eyes, many animals missing or having more than regular number of organs, one cow with two stomachs, and quite a few animals with three legs. The visit was very interesting and the kids had a great time. The farm has only been open one year, but I was happy to find that my little town of Kitale was doing such a great thing for these animals. Around 8 o’clock I went over to some friends' house where we stayed up till midnight playing 10 rounds of Uno.

Christmas Day

This same group of about 14 short term Anglo missionaries met around 10:00 Christmas morning. There were four cooks who had slaved in the kitchen and produced a spectacular and unusual combination of breakfast foods: scrambled eggs, bacon, German pancakes with Maple syrup, mocha cappuccinos, and crepes with powdered sugar, chocolate sauce, cinnamon, and ice cream. I can honestly say that I have never had ice cream for breakfast, but it surely was good! Afterwards, we opened the gifts we had received from home and then most everyone played the white elephant exchange game. This is always enjoyable as it brings so many laughs. You can imagine just how funny it can be when everyone’s gift came from the market in this small African town.

Most everyone went their separate ways during the afternoon, visiting orphanages of Kenya friends. We reconvened that evening for another excellent meal. All in all, it was quite different from my Christmas in Dallas, but it was a very great Christmas in Africa.

Christmas Wishes!

I have just returned from a safari holiday in Tanzania, which I will blog about later but I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas before I missed the 25th. While on safari I was in search of some Christmas spirit. Here are a couple evidences that Christmas is celebrated in Tanzania.

For those fellow Grey’s Anatomy fans

I decided three weeks ago to go ahead and buy a season pass to itunes for season 4 of Grey’s Anatomy. I began downloading the first episode with such excitement. It took three hours, but I was ready to go home and watch and knew that it was well worth the wait. Turns out, I had only downloaded the new music video by Matt Kearney to kick off the season. You could imagine the disappointment I was feeling. The next time I went to the Internet café, I began downloading the real first episode. It took me somewhere close to 20 hours to download ONE episode! So, every time I went to the café, I would first open itunes, wait to see that the downloading began, then I would start to email. Just one hour before my departure to Nairobi, the downloading finished.

I was ready for the holiday and couldn’t think of a better way to begin. I rushed home, copied it to my ipod, and waited for the hour drive to the airport to watch it. Kitale is about one hour from Eldorat International airport. After getting into a seven passenger matatu sort of van, I began sinking into my seat and the Grey’s Anatomy world. Not much swayed my attention from the show. Only once did I pause because I could have sworn I was smelling BBQ, so I had to glance out the window; there was no Sonny Bryans or Stubs anywhere to be seen. The credits began to role and I stared out my window to soak up my new surroundings. I smiled at how great technology is that it enables me to watch a new season of my favorite show while in the middle of East Africa.

God is watching over us

About one and a half weeks ago the Challenge Farm water system broke. I would enjoy giving specifics, but I still do not understand it myself. I did not realize for three days that the water system was down and that this was a very big problem. I have since recognized a major cultural difference between Americans and Africans; we Americans show emotion quite openly through facial expressions and body language if not having already spoken in words. Africans, on the other hand, always seem to be "fine." I have yet to see anyone of my co-workers have a bad day. So in the middle of the water crisis, I never noticed that there was anything to worry about. I knew that I couldn’t get water from a few sinks, but I just figured they were fixing some things. It never dawned on me that we had a limited supply of water because no one spoke of it and everyone was walking around as though life was normal. It came as quite a shock at staff meeting when the director spoke up and said something close to “concerning the water issue, I would take any suggestions as to what we could do to get water. We are running out and this is a major issue.” Keep in mind this was all spoken in a calm voice, but I knew at that moment that this was a large issue since it was being brought up at staff meeting.

I went home that evening wondering if there was any way I could help. I figured it was worth a try telling my handy mzungu neighbor Allen to see if he had any suggestions. He gladly came out the following three days and worked with our head maintenance man. The main problem is quite a major issue and costly, so they were conjuring up an alternate solution to get immediate water since it could take a while for the other. I went out on Saturday to hang out and relax plus Allen sent me with a few more items that might help the temporary solution. An hour after I had arrived, one of my happiest moments took place. I was standing around the old well with three other adults and five kids. I had been watching them for a while hoping to see some good action. Phillip, the maintenance head, flipped a switch for a pump to begin and we all stared at the water. It was actually draining! He did a quick dance while praising the Lord and then began lowering this pump into the well. He flipped the switch again and the water began pumping from the well! He did another dance and we began pumping water into buckets. I have not seen something so exciting in quite some time. I was smiling from ear to ear while thinking of how great God is for watching over his children. I’m so happy I went out to Challenge Farm on Saturday.

Thanksgiving – African style

My day began differently this morning; I decided to run before school. I used to run at home, and I’ve really missed this exercise since being here. At 5:00, Allen, who lives in the main house, knocked on my window. We walked first until I built up to jogging. At 5:00 it is still pitch black so there is no way to see for the next 40 minutes or so. I felt so refreshed afterward and ready for the Thanksgiving Day.

I left school at noon to help cook. I didn’t realize that this day was the beginning of a busy season for riding matatus. I had waited for 45 before a Kenyan friend told me it could be one and a half hours before a seat would be available on a bus. I decided to call a cab. After finally arriving home, I found out that Todd had secured a generator because electricity was out all over town and would likely not be back on until 5:00. I couldn’t believe this was happening on our holiday! The two of us drove with the generator to the house where a group of 14 would be celebrating. After greeting everyone with an enthusiastic "Happy Thanksgiving, Amanda, Kate, and I discussed what needed to be baked in the oven. It tuned out that Todd’s generator was broken. We decided we would begin cooking at 5:00 when the electricity came on but nothing ever happens when it’s supposed to in Africa. For all we knew, the electricity might not come on until 8:00 that night.

I had ordered three pumpkin pies from a wonderful baker down the street. I texted her on my phone to see if she had been able to make the pies. With great excitement she wrote back to tell me they were ready because she has a gas stove. Now we had an option. So we three girls finished making lunch and walked down the hill to get the pies and ask if we could use her stove. Ebraham, the husband and chef, told us it would be fine if we used their stove so we headed back up the hill to assemble the dishes and bring them down. During our walk back, Amanda received a phone call saying the elecricity was back on. We couldn’t believe it. Like I already said, nothing ever happens early in Africa. So, we were able to use both our stove and our friends' which allowed us to serve dinner by 6:30 right on time.

Our meal consisted of variations of most traditional dishes that Americans eat for Thanksgiving except for turkey, very expensive, so we had steaks instead. Our side dishes were mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, baked macaroni and cheese, northern style stuffing, pumpkin pie, and chocolate cake. Everything was delicious and we managed to stuff ourselves just fine. Once the meal was over, ten of us changed into dark or black clothes and headed out to the back yard for what turned out to be three hours of capture the flag. The day was a complete success. I am very blessed to have other Americas with whom I can celebrate holidays.

Closing of school

Friday, November 23rd, was the official close of school. The students spent time cleaning up in the morning and at 10:00 parents and family members began to arrive. At 11:00, everyone convened for a chapel service and school awards. I couldn’t fight back the tears as I saw many students very dressed up for the occasion. They were wearing clothing that I’d never seen before. Many girls had done their hair differently and they all looked so pretty. We have 60 kids that attend school and about 20 visitors were able to come and support their children. Seeing the looks on some of the kids’ faces was enough to make my week. They have looked forward to this day for a while. How special it was finally to meet some of the parents.

Maximilla update (one week ago)

Maximilla returned with her father a few days ago. She had come up with some reason that she did not come back right away. Without divulging her business, I will just tell you that she will not be living at Challenge Farm at this time. The staff here will be monitoring baby Rick on a regular basis at Maximilla's home to make sure the baby is getting the nourishment he needs. They will not allow that child to suffer because of the choices she has made.

Trying to stay warm

The past two days have been very cold here. My nose and toes never get the chance to warm up and I haven’t yet taken off my coat. Today I decided that I had to do something about this situation. The kitchen is the only logical place for warming up so I usually go and stand next to the very large jiko. Today I wanted to help out and get involved. The cooks all laughed but gave me a choice of two knives I could use. I took the one that was not as sharp. I sat cutting sekuma wiki for 45 minutes. Not only did I finally warm up, but my back, hands, and arms became very tired. I don’t know how these women do what they do for feeding 60 children 3 times a day. Sekuma wiki is a green leafy vegetable that is eaten every day around Kenya. Before it is cooked, it is tough like collard greens. I really enjoy it!

I returned to my office since I had warmed up only to immediately freeze again. I’ve been told many times that we are going into the summer months, but I haven’t seen any evidence.

David and Maxamilla

I want to fill you in on the happenings at Challenge Farm. All the kids that live here have previously lived on the street; therefore they have many battles with detachment disorder. Even though life on the street was not good, they fear their current good life will be taken from them, so they go ahead and leave before it can be taken from them. It’s hard for me to understand why anyone would want to leave Challenge Farm, but I’ve seen it happen four times since I’ve arrived. I want to informed you about the kids who have left so that you can pray for them.

David, who has been gone for 3 months, has just returned. Hallelujah! While Cheri was here, I heard her praying often for his return. I could not believe my eyes this morning as everyone gathered around for the parade (announcements). I was able to introduce myself afterward and tell him that many people had been praying for him. I want to be able to do that for each child who returns home.

Maximillia is 16 years old and has a nine month old baby boy named Rick. I have a few pictures of Rick posted on my blog. Maximillia was told to take an important paper back to her father’s house on Friday afternoon and return that night, but it is Monday morning and she has not yet returned. Everyone here has feared that she would leave because here she has to take full responsibility for her child. Once before when she ran away is when she became pregnant. Please pray that both she and the baby will return safely and soon.

It blows my mind when I think of all these kids have been through at such a young age. There are many adults who haven’t come close to experiencing what these kids have dealt with most of their young lives.

Little Tizan's birthday party

Last night I was invited to Rachael’s home to celebrate her daughter’s birthday. Rachael is my Kiswahili Tutor I was a bit nervous being out late by myself, but I arrived safely. It was such a treat being a part of Tisa’s birthday. I was told later that she was just as excited as I was about my being there. Earlier at school that day she bragged to her teacher that her mom had invited a white person to her party.

The cake was brought before dinner, which is part of the tradition. We sang happy birthday and everyone had a taste. The four year old was actually allowed to cut the cake! After everyone ate some cake, dinner was served. We ate yummy beef stew over rice and chipati on the side. I have posted a picture of the chipati as it is my new favorite food to eat here. It is very unhealthy but just too good to pass up. After dinner the adults chatted and watched T.V. I found out that they watch some of the same shows we do in the States. Some of their favorite shows are Desparate Housewives, 24, and Scrubs. Rachel’s husband asked if 24 depicted what life is like in the States. After I finished laughing, I noted that some people in the US wished life were as cool as it is depicted on 24.

Shoes….shoes…and more shoes!

The kids at Challenge Farm are in much need of new shoes! I took this picture of a pile that was sitting right outside the girl’s dorm. Many of the kids go barefoot all day long. They look cute in their uniforms but it is not expensive to make the clothes and we have women who sew them right here on the farm. The shoes are what is expensive. All students are supposed to have a pair of black leather shoes for school, but the cost of one pair is equivalent to $25.

The other pictures are of our boys’ soccer (football to them) team. The team competes every 3 months when everyone is out of school. Many of these kids do not have shoes; none of the shoes have cleats. The day I took these pictures, they got very excited at the possibilty of getting cleats. That thought made their week.

It would be wonderful to show them just how God provides. If anyone would like to give money for leather shoes or for cleats for the team or maybe host a fundraiser, please let me know. I assure you that you would really make some kids very happy.

End of school and matatu rides

We are one week away from ending the school year. In the States, when we are one month before closing school for the year, you would think the world is coming to an end. Here, you cannot even tell a difference. The kids go about their business preparing for exams and playing during breaks. I sit outside watching the kids during their recess time while trying to cover my skin as it burns so quickly here. I have yet to even see an argument on the soccer field. I know they do have arguments, but I have not witnessed one yet.

Yesterday I was riding on a matatu (bus) at 1:30 in the afternoon. This part of Kenya is very cool in the morning, but as summer approaches,it is becoming very hot in the afternoon. As I boarded, I was told to go to the back of the matatu - the worst place to sit because I feel very hemned in since I can see every person in front of me. The bus is only supposed to seat 14 people as clearly stated on the side of each matatu, but rules are rarely followed. The driver continued to stuff people in till there were 20 of us. Now I know this is normal but what always makes me wonder is why the passengers refuse to keep the windows open. Here we are stuffed like sardines into a closed vehicle at the hottest part of the day and just when we begin to pick up speed, they shut the windows. Everyone must be as hot as I am! I pondered this question during my entire ride. Later I found out that Africans don’t like wind. I don’t like wind either, but in that situation I’m for any gust coming my way. Each ride is an adventure for one reason or another.

My new home for a few months

Prayer requests

I am working with a student named Linford. He is a delightful young boy who contracted cerebral malaria at a very young age. I have been told that the medication he was taking is what caused problems with his speech and learning. I don’t have the experience working with a student like this. At times I think of Anne Sullivan and what she felt like with Helen Keller. I know the situation is far from hers, but I imagine Anne knew just as little about working with Helen as I do with Linford. I ask for prayers that God show me just how to work with Linford. I already know he is a talented child that just needs unlocking.

I am slowly working my way into the school system, the new culture, and completely different environment, but sometimes days are a bit rough. I have made many new friends, but they just aren’t home. During this big holiday season, I ask for prayers over my loneliness.

I am working with a total of 13 kids right now. They only have two more weeks of school before their final exams for the school year. I just ask prayer over each one as they continue working hard through these next weeks.

Thanks Alabama

Thank you for all the quick and long email messages I've been receiving from the team. They make me smile and laugh. Yall are wonderful!

No school - harvest day

On this Wednesday there was no school. All the kids were helping to harvest the maze. I arrived late because of my Kiswahili lesson. As soon as I was able, I jumped right in on the action. Anytime there is something happening that I have not yet tried, I get excited about the new experience. I never would have imagined that harvesting could be fun.

Trip to Runno

On Saturday, Paul took six Americas including myself to North Pokot. This area is where he has many building projects finished, some in progress, and some on paper. Samuel, a Kenyan who runs a school Paul built in Runno, invited us to the village where he grew up. It seemed as though we drove forever to get to the village. The area was right by the mountains and covered with Acacia trees. The land was beautiful. It was my first time to see what life is like in the bush. The school that is held for village children takes place right under the largest tree in the village (take note as you look at the pictures). The children performed two songs they had prepared and then the elders stepped up to do their performance. You will see that they had all dressed in matching outfits for the presentation.

After two song and dance routines, they grabbed up all of us muzugus to join in the fun. The constant jumping exhausted me quickly, but they didn’t allow us to stop. Paul commented that they could jump all day long if needed. Luckily we did not have all day. Everyone was very kind and generous. They passed out the most delicious mangos I’ve ever eaten. To close our time together, many villagers gave their own trinkets as gifts. I received a gourd, bracelet, and necklace. It was very touching that they were willing to share their own possessions. I will cherish each item that I received as well as the memories of this extraordinary African experience.

Farm Life

I’ve grown up in Dallas from the day I was born so farm life has always been very foreign to me. I find it so fun to be sitting in a classroom and look out the window at the cows grazing 10 feet away.

At 9:30 every day the students and staff have a Chi break. Chi is tea made with lots of milk and sugar. The milk is straight from our cows! This just amazes me.

During a break on Wednesday, I asked Sammy, who tends the farm, if I could have a pumpkin. I really want to make some pumpkin bread this weekend. He told me that he would have to grab it later. After 40 minutes, the littlest student, Selina, came walking to my office carrying a long green fruit. She barely speaks English but she could understand pumpkin and apparently that was what she brought me. It looks nothing like ours in the States, but I’m going to try to make the bread anyway.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

I began my trek to work this morning at 7:20. I was not sure how long it would take me so I began my stopwatch when I walked out the door. Halfway down the driveway I realized I didn’t have the keys to the office. Once arriving at one matatu spot, I was recognized by Charles. He works at the corner selling cookies and other things. (Once he tired to get Ashley to buy him cookies. These were the same cookies he was selling.) When the bus comes to this spot it stops and waits for a little bit. During the waiting time another gentleman came up to the van and expressed to me in front of the other passengers that he wanted to marry an American and could he have my phone number. Flattering as it was, I did not give out my number. The only problem I have with riding the bus is that I don’t know the signal to tell them of my stop. The other is that I never recognize where my stop is located. Luckily a man got off at my stop and I quickly jumped off. Everyone was looking at me with a strange stare. I had a 10 minute walk to school which had me arriving at 8:10. So I found out that the entire journey takes me 50 minutes. The school day went really well. I sat in on some more classes and memorized even more names. When I left this afternoon I got about 10 minutes down the street and realized that this time I had left the keys to my house in the office. During my second attempt at leaving school, I encountered many little school children leaving an elementary school down the road. They came to Challenge Farm one day when the team was here with medical care and we’d give them Tootsie pops. When the kids saw me, they came running to shake my hand. Precious!

Off to work

Today is my first official work day at Challenge Farm. This means that I have been sitting in on classes and taking notes about the kids. I drove today because I had a lot to bring to the farm, but my current plan is to walk to the main street and then ride a matatu (mini bus). Driving here is very expensive and a little dangerous at times.

One of the highlights of sitting in on classes was watching them find their writing utensils. One boy had hid his on the wood scaffolding above the room. He stood on the table to reach up and grab his pencil. I was trying my hardest not to chuckle at his great hiding place. So far, one could say that the classroom setting is quite different than in the States. Students were lying on the tables, dancing and singing at any given time during class.

I have made and brought my lunch today, which consists of zucchini, some unusual tomatoes, and some fresh mozzarella mixed with olive oil, pepper, and salt. This was quite tasty with the exception of the tart tomatoes. I didn’t know how to tell if they were ripe.

Saying Bye to the last group for a while

I rode with Paul to Eldorat airport to drop off Ashley, Cheri, and Ian. It was very sad to see them all leave. I knew the moment would arrive when I would say in astonishment, “I live in Africa!”

I had to move from the Brittany House after arriving back home, which added to the sadness. After unpacking most of my belongings at my new home, I sat down on my bed and didn’t know what to do. I quickly became stir crazy and had to leave. I drove to town to check my internet and do some small grocery shopping. Not too much later I received an invite for dinner and I quickly jumped at the opportunity. Much to my surprise and happiness, the dinner that some friends (they are also from Texas) had prepared was soft tacos! I could not begin to express the joy I was feeling. It’s the little things that can really turn a day around. I ended up having a wonderful night and was even excited to come back to my new home. I enjoy seeing how God works in times when I’m down. I can almost feel him pick me back up to my feet and set me to running.

Rondo

Paul wanted to take Ashley and Mr. Sing to his favorite place in Kenya. Even though we've just met, he invited me to come along. I was very happy to take advantage of this opportunity. We left early in the morning and drove an hour and a half to Kakamega Rain Forest. We had tea then went for a nice walk through the forest. At 1:00, we sat down for a nice lunch together then spent the rest of the afternoon reading or napping. It was quite nice to have the rest because that night Ashley and I stayed at the Challenge Farm dorm with the girls. We did NOT get much sleep but it was an experience.

The day of the picnic

This past Sunday, Ashley and I began the day with a morning walk. We passed people walking to church in addition to cows, goats, and lambs. At times during the day I forget that I am in Africa, but when I encounter 30 animals in my path, I quickly remember and chuckle to myself. Later in the afternoon, Paul (who runs the Brittany guest house where I’m staying) took Ashley, Karen and Opp (founders of Seeds Ministry) and me on a picnic about 40 minutes from Kitale. None of us had any idea it was going to be such a magnificent spot. The pictures don’t begin to do it justice. We carried with us camping chairs, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and other snacks. Luckily, I packed my jacket because it turned out to be quite cold. We laughed about how people in the States imagine Africa to be hot. In this part of Africa anyway, we can't ever seem to get warm. We were about 8,000ft up so the wind was a big factor that day. This country is far more beautiful than I ever imagined!

PB&J at the best picnic spot ever!

I have also included two pictures of the how we are protected at night while sleeping at Brittany House.