Volleyball

With the beginning of this new school year the Light and Power Center (our school at Challenge Farm) will begin competing in games against other public and private schools. The catch is that we don’t exactly know when the games will begin therefore we have no idea how much time we have to practice before our first game. I’ve been put in charge of volleyball. This will be a challenge since I must have a Kenyan helping me in order to have an interpreter and sometimes there is a conflict. The kids are used to playing volleyball freely using whatever method they can think of to get the ball over the net. Today we worked on learning how to rotate. There will be a boys' and a girls' team so I get to teach two groups of middle school students how to play volleyball. Prayers over this area would be greatly appreciated. This will be a lot of work!

Daily Kenya updates

For daily trustworthy news on the happenings in Kenya, please visit Daniel's blog.
dlipparelli.blogspot.com

I also have a link to his blog site on the right of my blog entries under Other Great Blog Sites

Farm life update

If you’ve read my previous blogs, you will already know that I’m completely fascinated by the farm life here. Today I was walking to the kitchen to cut up some pineapple when I saw a small pink animal dash off in the distance of the shamba. I immediately knew that we must have piglets and no one told me! Excitedly, I hurried down to see the filthy yet cute animals. There are a total of nine one-month-old piglets running in the shamba pin. I’ve never been around piglets before that I can recall. They really are fun to watch and cute as can be. I’m excited to watch these little guys grow up. I’m not too fascinated in the full grown pigs as they are just big and fat but I’ll enjoy watching these little ones run around for a few months.

Later in the afternoon during lunch break I was relaxing in the grass when one of our 3 month old calves walked up. He was very interested in me as I lay in the grass in a green shirt. I kept wondering if he thought I was grass and wanted a nibble. I had kicked of my flip-flops to become more relaxed and the calf came right up and started licking the bottom of my foot. Oh how it tickled but it was so sweet that I let him continue.

I left around 5 o’clock to head home. I had driven the car to work because I was transporting a couple of large things from my last home back up to my office. It’s always nice to drive home because I get there so much quicker than my usual routine. On this particular day, I didn’t manage to get home as quick as I should have. I don’t drive the car much so the gas light usually stays on because I never fill up too much at a time due to cost. I guess I didn’t judge correctly on how far I could go today because I ran out of gas on the way home. The most unfortunate part was that my phone was completely dead to where I could not even turn it on to find anyone's phone number. So, when I waved down a Kenyan on a bike, I couldn’t even use his phone to call because I didn’t know anyone’s number. The gentlemen that stopped were very helpful. One took my gas can and left by matatu to go get some gas while the other one stayed with his friend’s bike and me. Everyone that passed us stared a while wondering what we were doing chatting on the side of the road. Within 15 minutes the guy was back with my petrol. Luckily, I had one empty water bottle in my car and we used my trusty Swiss Army card that included a knife to cut off the bottom and use it as a funnel. I was on my way after a 40 minute delay. Whew!

To live the life of a gypsy or nomad

I’m referring to myself now as a gypsy or nomad. Last Sunday I moved for the second time in the four months I’ve been here. At the end of March I will be moving yet again so I’m not getting too settled into my current residence.

All the moves are within the same neighborhood, which is all walking distance but then I guess everything is walking distance here in Kitale. The house I’ve moved into is the one I’ve posted pictures of before when celebrating the recent big holiday occasions. It’s different living with other people in the house but so much more fun than living alone. It’s like being in a co-op in college. We have a daily schedule for cooking and washing dishes so I’m having normal meals for dinner instead of brainstorming last minute for something to eat. We play games often and follow rules like no guys in the girl’s part of the house and vice versa. All food in the refrigerator is free game unless you put a name on it. It’s really nice to call this my temporary home for now. Even though I’ve just been there two days, it has been fun to have a change in my daily schedule. Having people at home when I arrive after a long day has been the best part.

My Dallas friend Whitney Dickens arrives at the end of February and she’s agreed to sharing a room with me while we stay at this house. That is going to take me back to the good ‘ol camp days when we used to laugh ourselves silly at night. I do hope I’ll catch up on extra rest before her arrival.

An Emotional Saturday

A week before my return to Kitale I was told about a boy named Sammy who had run away from Challenge Farm on December 28th. The news was sad as I’ve become fond of this particular child. I’m not sure how to get used to children running away so often, but I’ll do the best I can to understand that the reason usually stems from the difficult life they have had so far.

I arrived Kitale on Wednesday, January 23, and rested at home a few days to recover from jet lag. Friday, January 26, was my first time back into Kitale Town. A friend had picked me up in her car to grocery shop and to make a quick stop at the Internet café. We had finished errands and were walking back to her car when I heard my name called. As I turned, I saw Sammy smiling up at me. My heart began racing; I couldn’t believe my eyes. I said many things to him, but I don’t recall what it was and I’m not sure what he understood. My adrenaline was rushing so fast. I wanted to take him back with me, but I was not in my car so I told him I would come back to pick him up. An hour later I went to find him but he was not around. After talking with some co-workers at the Farm we decided to look for Sammy again Saturday morning.

Around 8:30 Saturday morning I arrived in town with Mike, who takes care of the boys' dorm at night. We parked where I had seen Sammy the previous day and started walking through the streets. The boys had told Mike where we might find Sammy as they all hang out in the same area. I had never been behind the buildings in town. The scene was much more difficult to grasp than I had dreamed. One street boy came up to us asking what we were doing. His glue bottle was all but permanently attached under his nose. We asked if he knew Sammy and if so where we might find him. This boy was so high on glue that he hardly knew his right hand from his left, but he led us to where many kids hang out.

After walking through trash and stepping over streams of liquid smelling like beer, we turned a corner into an open courtyard where we saw many street kids just walking around with their glue. I even saw a toddler with them. She was maybe two. About five boys stood around us conversing with Mike; each one had glue. I had only been standing there for 10 minutes before I was completely light headed, dizzy, and felt a headache coming on and I was at least 5 feet away from any of them. I could only imagine what that two-year-old toddler must be inhailing. My eyes began to well with tears at the scene. I couldn’t get a handle on the situation and for that moment, I had forgotten about Sammy and was transfixed on the courtyard. What were these kids’ stories? How did they get to this point? Did they have any family who cared for them or who had loved them at any point in their lives? A friend had told me before I moved to Africa that I would want to rescue all the children I met but that there was no way I could reach them all. On this day, I did want to rescue all these kids and show them that God has a plan for each one of their lives.

One of the older boys walked with Mike and me to some other locations where we might find Sammy. He was nowhere to be found, but we decided to stay on the street awhile just in case. Around 10:00 Sammy came walking up with some street boys who had found him. Mike began to quietly talk to him, but a group of 20 kids were surrounding them making the situation extremely distracting! I stood back not knowing what was being said in Kiswahili but prayed fervently over Sammy from a distance while being tugged at for money by the little street kids. My focus was on these two right in front of me. Sammy was not wanting to return to school. He said he wants to work for his uncle and become a mechanic. He does enjoy fixing broken things around the Farm. He played a large role in repairing the well which I blogged about before I left for Dallas. Many young kids cannot understand why they have to go to school. What they are learning does not seem to have anything to do with their future. These were some of the same complaints I heard at Shelton. Other elementary and middle school teachers reports the same attitude.

In order to talk seriously with Sammy we had to get away from the crowd. The three of us went to a restaurant and had tea. Mike began explaining what good comes from school and that God has a specific plan just for him. Sammy didn’t want to budge, but I could tell that he was happy to be there with us. I got him to smile at me the few times he lifted his head and made eye contact. I also expressed how much I wanted him back at the Farm and that each day would not be complete without him. Realizing that I had tears in my eyes, I stopped talking and let Mike take over. I see now that I get a little too emotional in these situations and should probably step back and watch from afar. After an hour he agreed to come back with us. I pulled the car around to a different spot to pick him and Mike up so that Sammy would not be bombarded by the other boys. Mike had him dispose of any glue before getting into the car to return to Challenge Farm.

God was with us today and I thank Him for bringing Sammy back to the farm. Please pray for Sammy over this next week as he goes through withdrawal from glue and readjusts to the rules and routine at Challenge Farm.

a quick word

I do apologize for not having posted but one entry over the last month. I am now posting my entries for Christmas Eve and day as well as some others I have written upon my return to Kitale. I will do much better at keeping you all updated now that I have an Internet connection at home! I hope you are all having a great start to 2008.

I apologize for not having posted any information recently. I have been home in the States but very caught up in what has been happening in Kenya. On December 20th I made a last minute decision to fly home for a brief visit and flew out of Nairobi on the 27th just barely missing the repercussions of the election. Now I'm trying to decide when to return. The country seems to be calming down, but I get conflicting reports from different sources. Of course no one knows what might happen next.

Most of the Challenge Farm kids are back from holiday break; everyone there is fine as the Farm had stocked up on food and other supplies. However, Grace, the Kenyan director, has not yet returned from holiday. She is of the Kikuyu tribe which is in some danger as it is the same as that of the re-elected president. Please pray that she can soon safely travel back to Challenge Farm as it relies heavily on her guidance. Also pray that the political crisis in Kenya will be resolved so that the country can return to normalcy.

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.