First week of school...

We are finishing up the first week of school - the kids started at Rift Valley Academy this week, and Rick and I started Swahili lessons.  There are lots of new things, new places, new people, and new routines.  Sometimes it is the little things that strike you, like the ring binders and notebook paper here only have 2 holes instead of our usual 3.  And the paper is a slightly different size.  Not a big deal, of course, but when you put the paper in with paper from home, you realize it doesn't quite fit.  I think we have all felt a little like that ourselves at times over the last few weeks - we don't always "fit" exactly.  But we function and adapt, and it is good. :)

First day of school

Sign of the times

 Hello again!  Whew - I made it!  See photo below to explain our lack of posting.  Please note that the speed on the y axis is kilobytes per second (not megabytes), and it is consistently averaging about Zero!  Anyway, Rick made the brilliant discovery that if you open the door and hold the computer up, the photos will upload.  Way to go, Rick! :) 

 The last 6 days have been packed - I almost don't know where to start!  We went to the local AIC (Africa Inland Church) church last Sunday.  We learned about some of the local outreach going on from there....a team going to East Pokot, Kenya this week to work with the people in that area.  That is an area in Kenya where the practice of female circumcision is still very much alive.  I have mentioned before about how many Kenyans are striving to build up, support, and edify the family unit, and working to end this practice is yet another way to love and protect each member of the family. 

They are also starting a ministry that has a dual focus:  helping people start beehives/raising bees/selling honey.  This will give those people a source of income AND it will help protect the forest in Kijabe that is being cut down by people wanting to sell the wood or the charcoal that is made from it.  Without the forest, many habitats will be destroyed and it puts innumerable people at risk for mudslides caused by deforestation.  It is a fascinating ministry!  I think they are working with a ministry called Care of Creation here in Kijabe: you can read about it at http://kenya.careofcreation.net/

Last week was a whirlwind of some meetings, lots of school orientation, some unpacking and shopping, and getting to know some wonderful people and learn the immediate area. 

One of our new neighbors! :)

                                  This photo is for my Texan mom. :)  A beautiful yellow rose in front of the kitchen window in the house we are being moved to in a few weeks.                                                             

Mt. Longonot in the mist....taken in the evening after a rain.

The bag of beans was the type on the right, but I found these others in there too. Still trying to learn the new types and how to cook with them....

I showed you our washers and "dryers" in previous posts...here is the dishwasher!  Wash in tap water, rinse in filtered water.

I have walked by this sign numerous times now on the way back and forth from our home to either RVA or the market area, but it struck me anew today.  In hospitals in the US, there is always some type of signage indicating the way to the Emergency Department (called Casualty here) and often to clinics in the hospital or immediate vicinity.  Have you ever seen signs to the business office or mortuary/morgue on the main entrance sign to the hospital?  To me, it highlights the very real struggles that so many people have here with providing for the physical needs of their families and also with battling against the very real threat of illness and death.  We have so many safety nets in the US - we will never be turned away from medical care for the inability to pay.  We may get a terrible bill in the mail, but no one will be allowed to die for lack of funds.  I don't fully understand how all of the various hospitals in the country function, but I don't think it is quite so easy to get care if funds are scarce.  I do know that Kijabe Hospital is committed to serving the poor and vulnerable, but it is still quite a struggle.  And people die.  I understand that the infant mortality rate here at Kijabe has improved greatly over the last few years, but every baby, every child, every teen, every adult that dies is a huge loss.  Please pray with us that we will function here with skill, sensitivity, grace, and - above all - love.  Christ is the true healer and we are but His hands.

Love,
Sarah
Acts 9:32-35

We have arrived!

Yes, we have said that several times over the last few weeks, but this time we really mean it...we arrived in Kijabe on Friday afternoon and are beginning to settle in.  It is quite a beautiful place and we have been welcomed with open arms. :) 

Immediately after arriving - a long day, but happy to reach our home . :)

We are in the left side of this duplex.

These are the "welcome signs" for the Kijabe institutions (not including Rift Valley Academy, where the kids will be in school).  I was giving a walking tour of the small market, dukas (stores), and surroundings by Hellen, a delightful Kenyan woman who works in the housing office at the hospital.

I have to get an East African bird book!  I took this from the dining area.

I think these are verbena growing along the walkway to the house.

Poinsettas grow everywhere - you really can keep them alive after the Christmas holidays! ;)

The flowers in the various yards are amazing and lush!

I took this from the RVA campus, which is "up the hill' from the hospital.  This kids will be in great shape from walking the hill daily!!

I took this down closer to the hospital - the peak in the center is Longonot and the one to the right is Kijabe Hill.

 Internet has not been as easy here, but we are figuring it out - so I am finally posting! :)  I had intended to tell you about the last few days but, alas, it is late here and will have to wait.  If we have indeed figured out this internet, I will follow through tomorrow!

We are so happy to be back "in touch" with you all! :)

Love,
Sarah
Psalm 19:1-6

Freedom

Freedom - a concept that we in the US can identify with and appreciate.  A beautiful thing that we fight for and protect...and count as a right.  We are free to come and go as we please, choose our schools and careers, say what we want, participate in government and democracy, have fair trials, and worship without fear of interference or punishment.  Freedom means a lot to a lot of people, and many people we know have served in the Armed Forces to preserve our freedoms in America.  I have not felt that freedom at all times here.  To begin with, I am not a citizen and I do not understand how to navigate society here.  The dealings with police work differently, the traffic laws definitely work differently (for instance, sometimes everyone just ignores red lights - how do they know when to ignore and when to obey??), and there are things that I don't even know that I don't know. 

The more things change, the more they stay the same...

As we become more and more comfortable with our new home, we are sometimes struck with how different things are than we are used to in the States...and sometimes we are struck with how similar certain things are to the States.  For instance, here is a common little animal in Kenya...can you identify it?

Jackson chameleon...evidently he is mad about being held, because he is brown.

 Another thing you won't see in the West is a monkey nonchalantly eating your neighbor's corn (that he stole!)  in your yard while you hang your laundry out to dry!

Several people have told Ted that he needs to find a slingshot to "take care of" the monkey problem!

A couple that we met at ABO and who have lived in Africa for 30 years now invited us to go to dinner with them the other night - we went to a wonderful Italian place, and it was a very refreshing time.  This next picture you can totally imagine in the US!! :)

Yummy spinach and ricotta ravioli!  The only real difference was you can't eat the veggies and we got bottled water.

Then we went here - I couldn't believe this!  We felt like we were home...

I was amused by the phrase on the right end of this package of eggs...dust is ubiquitous.

This is not the gate to our neighborhood, but very typical - 'hooting' means honking. :)

 We went to another church in Nairobi this morning and were able to get a ride with another dear couple that we had met briefly at ABO.  The service actually felt similar to the "style" of worship we have been accustomed to in the US.  Of course, the style matters very little to the actual worship and teaching - it is just what we are used to.  We have come to see how much even worship is influenced by our culture and backgrounds. 

Overhead projector with words of songs.  There were 3 or 4 people playing instruments.

Sanctuary after service - I am guessing there were roughly 150 people there.

In the pastor's sermon, I heard again (as I had in Machakos) about the lament over the breakdown of the family and the influence of media.  There are so many more influences (at least obvious to me) here in Nairobi than in Machakos - for instance, there is a large tv monitor in the vestibule/check out area of one of the nearby supermarkets.  I tend to be very aware of tv moniters everywhere - even at some gas station pumps in the US!  It is a very distracted way to go about your day - and (depending on the content) can be very hard to follow Phiippians 4:8...
Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Well, our internet has been out for 2 days, so I am just getting this posted on Tuesday.  Our language class is going well, and we are learning some Kiswahili and some techniques for how to approach learning the language.  As expected, Ted is shaming his parents with how quickly he picks it up!  We are getting some good practice in the market and little dukas (shops), and the people have largely been very friendly and eager to help us learn.  I'll include some photos of where we are living below.  We head to Kijabe on Friday! :)

Love,
Sarah

The name of the washer brand is Fuzzy Logic - a very fitting name when trying to figure out how it is programmed!!

Clothes line on the covered porch - I hang the clothes in the yard, but bring them in at night so the monkeys don't walk on them.

Back yard from upstairs window.

Kitchen. Except in the kitchen, the light switches are outside the room they go to - a great setup for practical jokes while showering. :)

Shower with "real" shower head.

Two Celebration Dinners

I really didn't mean to lead you on when I said that I would post about the farewell dinner "the next day."  But our arrival back in Nairobi came with some....unexpected difficulties.  You would think I would expect them by now, but I had this image in my mind of getting to an easier, more pleasant situation once we left Machakos.  I think I need to realize that nothing will be easy here...the sooner I come to terms with that, the sooner I can begin to take things in stride.

Tall pews, charcoal irons, and napping cows....

Yesterday and today have been spectacular days - sunny and clear and warm! :) 

Beautiful flowers on campus, bubbling up over a fence.

Culture R Us

We have been learning so much about cultural differences over the last 3 weeks - it is amazing to see how much our home culture is a part of who we are!   I find it fascinating, because you really can't see it until you are removed from it. 

A Thankful Heart...a work in progress

Have you ever thought about what you could give up?  How about what you could give up easily vs. with great difficulty?  Short term vs long term?  With thankfulness or not?!

This week we have been faced with frequent, multiple power outages, usually in the evenings at dinner while the sun is setting, while we are trying to get a glimpse at the Olympics (they have a 14 or 16 inch tv that they have hooked up with satellite in the evenings).  We were getting somewhat used to that....  Then the water stopped coming out of the faucets.  Hmmm.  I am a self-professed germ freak, but it doesn't take medical degrees to know the public health effects of a large group of people in one place with no water....many of whom are already suffering from traveller's diarrhea.  I won't go into the explanation of why it happened, but we had a day with no water to speak of, and now we are collecting the water from (no longer hot) showers for flushing toilets.  We still have food - last night I had rice, cole slaw, and mango for dinner, and we have pb&j in our room to supplement.  Lest I sound too pitiful, we did find some chocolate bars that were made in South Africa and some cookies that are quite good.  :)   So, what's my point?

Paul tells us in Philippians that we should rejoice with him.  His circumstances were infinitely worse than the ones I describe!  He was in prison - and not a cushy US prison with warm beds, clean water, and plenty of food - but a filthy Roman prison.   Here Paul is speaking in Philippians 4:

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!  Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.  And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

And again in Colossians 3:17:
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

When I read The Hiding Place, I was struck by how Corrie and Betsie ten Boom could truly apply this while in a German concentration camp.  Dutch Christians, they were there because they risked their lives to help smuggle Jews out of German occupied Holland - a testimony to their lives of sacrifice.  If you have read it (and I highly recommend it!), you will recall the story about how Betsie and Corrie applied 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:   Rejoice always;  pray without ceasing;  in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  They thanked God for the horrible lice in the women's quarters!  And not because they FELT thankful, because they didn't really.  Later, they saw the benefit of the lice, but they thanked God before they understood the why of the situation. 

Am I able to do that?  Not well.  Here is a photo
that I took last night of the moon - really beautiful! 
But when I got back to the room and looked at it,
it occured to me that so often I am looking up at God
in heaven through a thorny attitude!  And it detracts
from His majesty and beauty.  
















So, today I am choosing to say thank you for the water shortage, and the electricity outages, and the monotonous food, even though I don't FEEL like it; and I will be thankful, also, for the things that do come easier:  the warm friendships, our overall health, warm dry beds, the cultural instruction we are receiving that will be invaluable, the food from the grocery, this beautiful safe campus, our relationships with all of you, and God's love and relationship through Jesus!  Please join me in praising Him for His love and continued provision (even if we want more or something different!). :)

Love,
Sarah

The USB modem we use to communicate - I am VERY thankful for that!!! :)

This is actually a seed that litters the ground here.  I thought it was trash for the first week here. If anyone can identify it, please let me know!

They are all over the ground like this.

Chai time - every morning and afternoon!  We will miss this. :)

Passion fruit.

A large avocado tree on campus.