The road less traveled.

Good morning!

On this Saturday morning as I start to write, I am alone in the house.  Ted had an early morning tennis practice after overcoming almost a 50% cut rate to make the tennis team.  Anna is at Junior High Splash Day in Nairobi for the day - sometimes RVA feels like part school and part camp.  

**Several hours later...**  

Emily went to a health fair up at school, where they record each child's height, weight, and vision and have discussions on safety, etc.  Rick is rounding at the hospital - we are splitting the weekend on call, and he took Saturday.  Those activities sound pretty typical for the average American family on a Saturday.  So, what's different?  I hung up a load of laundry on the line while mist from the rain over the crest of the mountain blew down on me.  I had to step over monkey poo several times on the way to and from walking to RVA for the health fair.  I bought grapes from Samuel who came to the door this morning, and then soaked them in a sterilizing solution of sorts.  Our chicken is "broody" (Read:  If history repeats itself in the Gessner coop, that hen will sit on a bunch of eggs, eat half of them, one egg might hatch, and then she won't lay eggs again for 6 months!  Sigh...), so Ted decided to buy 10 fertilized eggs from someone in Kijabe, marked them with a sharpie, and then put them in the nest box where she sits.  I'll let you know in 21 days.  I boiled some bones from a recent goat roast, so Mak can have a gourmet meal of goat-infused dog rice tonight.  Just a few differences from the average suburban activities!

This summer, during my blog hiatus, we were blessed with many visitors.  What an encouragement it was to each member of our family!  A family that we are good friends with from Raleigh came in mid-July, and we traveled with them to the Maasai Mara.  They travel to India every couple of years and told us how they had once gone on a "safari" there.  They traveled many hours to the interior of India and reportedly only saw the hind end of one elephant disappearing into the foliage, so they were thrilled to see the abundant wildlife that Kenya boasts.

***Two days later....***


On another of our jaunts, we drove in 2 cars to a place called Ole Pejeta Conservancy.  We got a kick out of this clever sign positioned before a small bridge.

After spending the day in the conservancy, the afternoon was winding down and we were preparing to leave significantly later than we had planned or hoped.  You know how you plan the time you want to leave (including the buffer), then the time you should leave (to still allow for emergencies), and then the time you must really, really leave - well, we were about 30 minutes after that.  And there was a most impressive thunderstorm raging in the direction we were heading.  Did I mention that we took 2 cars?  That means Rick drove one and I drove one.  So, we headed out to find the turn onto the short cut that we had taken that morning (the green mosque was our landmark).  Yes, the 15-20 miles short cut that seemed a little dicey when the ground was dry now had to be navigated with flowing streams where the cavernous potholes had been that morning...in the light rain and the gathering darkness.  I don't have much experience with 4 wheel drive either, but I certainly got an entire course on the way home.  The photos don't do it justice really, but the guys took a photo of us coming down the road - and those are not superficial little puddles.  It felt a little like a video game while trying to choose the most navigable path before getting my car stuck...except that I couldn't just press "New Game!"

I love this next picture that I stopped to take of the guys' car in the distance.  (They drove a lot faster and, I think, actually aimed for the deepest puddles.  They later said they were only worried about having to pull us out of the mud, if we got stuck!)  This short cut was quite uninhabited and the sunset was phenomenal with the clouds and mist.  Kind of makes me think of Robert Frost's poem about "I took the road less traveled by, and that has made all the difference."  It also makes me think about how we can get all caught up in our worries and immediate concerns in life, but if we don't look ahead of us at the goal, then we will miss the beauty of it all.  We will either see the mud and the potholes and discomforts around us, or we will see the stunning beauty of the reward that awaits us at the end of our journey.  Let us not miss the chance to take the road less traveled, and let us certainly not take that path mired down in worry.  But let us each one remember to keep our eyes focused on what God has in store for us "down the road," and that His beauty is all around us if we will just lift our eyes to see.

Love,
Sarah


Forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Philippians 3:13-14

  

Insights from Africa

You know when you don't write for a while, and then it seems like there is so much to say that the sheer enormity of it drives you away?  Okay, enough excuse making...

We have now lived in Kenya, East Africa for just over a year, and I thought I'd make a non-exhaustive list of insights that we have observed along the way...

Backwards things:

• Turning the shower water down when you want it hotter

• Driver's seat on the right side of the car (We call it an "American moment"  when you walk to the front left door to drive....or turn on the windshield wipers when trying to turn on the blinker.)

• I don't run to the hospital as fast as humanly possible when there is a baby crashing, because I won't be able to breathe myself when I get there (Our house is downhill from the hospital, and Kijabe is at 7200 ft elevation.)

• Seasons - we are just emerging from winter

• Giving up what you cannot keep to gain what you cannot lose - Jim Elliot

Funny things:

• I can tell if whomever picks up the phone in our house is speaking to a Westerner or to a Kenyan, by the accent they use!  (Okay, I can also tell if Rick is talking to his brother on the phone, too, because he picks up an even-more-Southern accent than usual!)

• There are termites emerging from every wooden crevice of our house, and it is a rueful observation when a new tract is discovered - not a frantic call to the pest control service.  (Our house may fall down around us....)

• We can often tell when a chicken is laying an egg from inside the house (maybe not impressive to you folks familiar with farms, but a big step for us)

• All hands on deck to run get the laundry off the line during the rain

 
 New Lingo: (Not necessarily new, but definitely distinctive here.)

• To confirm - to make sure   "Let me confirm about the meeting."

• To pass by - to stop in   "Pass by the nursery and see if the baby is getting its transfusion."  or  "I'll pass by tomorrow and feed your dog."

• Contact info - usually cell phone number, but may be email also

• To pick - to pick up.   "I need to pick some groceries in Nairobi."

• Sawa - okay   "I'll see you tomorrow."  "Sawa"

• Sawa sawa - really okay   "The car will be ready to pick tomorrow."  "Sawa sawa"

• Pole - sorry   "I broke my hand."  "Pole!"

• Pole pole - slowly  "The repairs are happening pole pole."

• Piki piki - motorcycle 

• Cafo - school cafeteria

• Vac - school break

• Chips - french fries

"Only in Africa..."

•  4 people to a piki piki

• Goat being transported on a piki piki

• Soaking disposable CT contrast syringes in bleach solution to reuse

• Waiting 18 hours for a bilirubin level on a baby

• Tapping on the ventilator dial to make it register

• Kids noticing and commenting "This is a smooth road!" (Especially when it is not compared to US roads - it just is relative to other roads here.)

• American food days in the cafeteria (hamburger and chips...see above)

• Vac takes students home to twenty-something countries

• Creative ways to procure Crystal Light, Bacon Bits, and children's clothes!

• The electricity goes off and no one seems to notice

• Goat roasts 

• A pediatrician running a radiology department

Things we miss from home in the States:

• Family and friends - always the most important!

• Convenience - you name it, and it applies.  Having apples or grapes in the house is not a foregone conclusion - you can't just stop by Food Lion on the way home.  If you run out of something, you make-do until the next trip to Nairobi...or someone can bring from the States.

• Smooth roads/quality infrastructure

• Public library

• Local restaurants - I can't wait to hear "Welcome to Moe's!"

• Swimming, and warm weather to go with it

• Ice cream

• Potable tap water

• Dishwashers

Things we appreciate about living here:

• The kids' freedom to come and go in Kijabe 

• Walking to school (Okay, the kids may disagree, but I think it's great!)

• Walking to work

• Only driving rarely

• Much less bureaucracy in the medical world (I had to look that up in 2 dictionaries!)

• Appreciating things more, perhaps, after realizing that so many of the things we have are not rights but privileges

• No tv (Yes, you read that right!)

• Flowers blooming all year long

• The stunning beauty of God's creation on safari

• The view of the Great Rift Valley from my bedroom window

• The emphasis placed on relationships above tasks and schedules (can also be maddening at times....) 

Now that we have lived here for a year, we are starting things again that were new to us last year.  We understand our roles better; the kids are not the new ones at school this year; we know the people/hospital/school/community; we know how to shop in Nairobi, where to get your hair cut, and how to navigate life in general.  In short, life here is not as difficult and overwhelming as it was a year ago, because we have learned the ropes.  Don't get me wrong - life here is difficult compared to the States, but it has blessings in the difficulties and can be refreshing in its beauty and simplicity.  I pray that God is using these difficulties to stretch us and grow us into the people He wants us to be.

Thank you for joining with us during this past year!  We look forward to walking together with you again during this coming year, Mungu akipenda (God willing).  [This is a photo-deficient blog, but the next one will be full of cool animals. :)]

Lots of love,
Sarah

“For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it” –Mark 8.35 

Ilchartuiani Church Women's Conference

A couple of weekends ago, a friend of mine who helps start and run children's homes through Oasis for Orphans invited me to a Maasai Women's Retreat out near their first children's home.  The children's home, which they refer to as The Hill,  is located about 5 hours from Kijabe, and this first-ever women's retreat was held in the local church there for all the Maasai women in the surrounding communities.  We left just before 6am, in order to arrive by 11am for the all-day conference.  I made coffee before leaving and had my travel mug all ready - why I keep filling travel mugs with coffee around here, I will never know.  I think it just must be a comforting ritual from carpooling days in the US, because I certainly can't drink it on the roads near Kijabe.  The only way to consume the coffee on the roads leaving Kijabe is to sniff the splashing coffee as I bring the mug to my mouth! ;)

Once down the escarpment from Kijabe, we drove across the Rift Valley floor toward the west.  The land here truly is beautiful, and I loved seeing how the various communities through which we drove grow different crops.  I saw wheat growing in Kenya for the first time.

Dawn on the Rift Valey

Wheat fields....

.....dotted with beautiful acacia trees.

Typical Maasai dwelling in the rural areas

"The Hill" is so named because it is located on the far side of the Rift Valley, as the escarpment on the western side begins to rise again.  It is located at about 7000 feet - similar to Kijabe - and the land is lush and incredibly beautiful.  On our way, we drove through the land of various tribal groups, including Maasai, Kipsigis, and Kisii.  We saw many interesting sites, most of which I will have to save for another blog.  Near The Hill, the Kisii and Maasai lands are next to each other.  The Kisii tribe is somewhat wealthier than their Maasai neighbors, which is evident in their living arrangements and farming success.  I am not sure of the reasons for the differences, or if the differences apply to other settlements of these tribes.

Maasai dwelling on the crest of a hill - notice the terracing for the crops.  Also notice that their mud huts have thatched roofs.

Kisii land in the distance - notice most of the homes have tin roofs (costlier than thatch) and their fields are well-organised.

This photo is quite telling and remarkable to me:  just before the children's home, this is a view of the Kisii land on the left, separated by a roadway from the Maasai land on the right.  It is obvious that the Kisii land is much more developed.  

We arrived at the church to a very warm welcome by many of the men in the church - they had held early (and short) services that morning, in order to allow the conference for the women to begin at 11 and run most of the day.  The church is set near the crest of a hill - a small mud structure with a tin roof and a dirt floor.  There are wooden benches for seating and plastic chairs at the front for the folks leading the conference or service.  After trying to sit on the benches with the women, we were ushered by the pastors' wives (2 different pastors - not multiple wives!) to the front.  The Kenyans are very gracious to their leaders, and I always think about the passage from Luke 14:8-11 when I am in that situation or notice someone else in it.  But, I hardly feel distinguished enough to be given a prominent seat.

The church in the background, before the conference.

The inside of the church, from the rear.

The conference was very well organized and ran remarkably on a schedule.  Each speaker, and there were many of them, had an allotted amount of time, and a bell was rung to indicate that their time was done.  Early in the morning, Emily the community health worker spoke to the women.  I was amazed that this was one of the most interactive of all the sessions - the women obviously have many questions and misinformation about their health, particularly reproductive health.  Rick and I would love to return and work with the community health workers to offer a conference dedicated to health related topics for the men and women separately.  What a neat ministry that would be and such a necessary resource for the people!  They have to walk several kilometers to the nearest clinic - a huge commitment of time, not to mention the money that is required for any services provided.  Comparatively, we in the States have almost unlimited access to the internet, medical offices, and other resources to answer so many of the questions we have...plus we have cars and telephones to easily make contact with those resources.

So, the day was filled with great teaching from the Bible and fellowship among the women of the church.  I'll include some photos below of the sweet women...

Lunch was included - rice, hot coleslaw, and boiled beef...plus soda.  Soda is safer than water in many places.

This woman intrigued me - she obviously dressed in her finest clothing, and probably went to the trouble to have a hat that matched, but she wore very rough boots on her feet.  It is actually unusual to see this kind of footwear on the women - they usually wear dress shoes or some other lightweight shoe.  I wonder how far she walked to get there and what her life is like.

Towards the end of the conference, the women were invited to write something they were struggling with or something they wanted to give over to God on a slip of paper and tape it to a rough-hewn cross.  At the end, we prayed for God to remove these struggles or sins from the women's lives - to forgive them and offer them freedom.  The women seemed to rejoice in the opportunity.

At the end, my friend Ann had brought small beaded gifts for the women to choose from, as a token to remember the conference.

The men outside were measuring off the footprint for a larger church building.

A few of us after the conference.

This is most of the women who attended the First Annual (hopefully)Ilchartuiani Church Women's Conference.  (You won't find me here, because I am the photographer.)  The pastors' wives who organized it did such a fabulous job in pulling together the program, the speakers, the food, and supplies.  They have a real love for the people they serve.

I hope to share with you more stories on another day.  For now, please pray with me for the Maasai women of this community and rejoice in thanksgiving that they were even able to spend a whole day away from their homes in a conference dedicated to women! 

With love,
Sarah

I Thessalonians 5: 14-18
We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Attitude

When I was little, my mom always stressed the importance of one's attitude.  She had, and still has, a clipping on the refrigerator that says "Attitude is Everything."    As you know, everything seems better when you have a positive outlook on what lies before you....and your outlook is largely controllable, albeit sometimes with great effort.  On the other hand, everything can seem so much incredibly worse if you have a negative attitude - ie, pouty, sour, or just irritable.  

Sometimes, I find myself pouting "on the inside," and I have to stop and make myself give it over to God.  I can't continue in my bad attitude, if I have really given it up to Him.  The hardest part is giving it up.  Sometimes, the little daily things here start to pluck your nerves.  For instance, here is what our water looks like intermittently, since the mudslides...

Peach tea - right from the faucet!

Very thankful for the filter!

 The roads...

The equipment...

Pulse oximeter probes are reused until shredded.

Xray equipment from the 1970's in significant disrepair.

The bugs!  Every few weeks we have a new influx of a new category of insect.  We are coming up on a year of living here, so we should at least be aware of all the bugs that are around.

Rick took this photo of our side door one morning during a recent moth invasion - he said it looked like something out of Alfred Hitchcock!  Since the doors and windows aren't sealed well, we also had a healthy population inside the house.

But, then I think, "Look at the incredible blessings that you have!!!"  For instance, I don't live in squalor or have to pick through garbage to sustain myself!

I took this in Nairobi from the car.

I have my arms, legs, and sight and am in good health - and so is my family!  I don't know this boy's story, but he was always smiling as I passed him in the corridor.  He liked to look at things on my phone. :)

We have another another boy in the hospital right now who is from South Sudan.  He is 7 years old and his leg was blown off last week while playing in a minefield, leftover from the fighting there.  .....and he is the fortunate one - the three friends playing with him didn't make it.


There are laws in Kenya about not having electrical outlets in the bathrooms, so I have spent almost 11 months now drying my hair (I have electricity and a hair dryer!!) by looking into a 2.5 square inch mirror on the window sill.  I realized one day, probably as I was feeling grumbly about leaning over trying to see, that I could either be grumbly because I had to deal with this arrangement.....

Focusing on the problems

Or, I could be cheerful because I have this AMAZING view every morning while I drying my hair and drinking coffee!  Really, it is a matter of perspective and how you choose to live....am I going to be thankful and cheerful, or am I going to be grumbly and complainy?  Am I going to keep my mind on the things above and be thankful, or wallow in my earthly (minor) difficulties?

Focusing on the blessings

I was talking to one of my kids last week, and I mentioned that each of us were born where we were and into our specific family for a purpose and through no power of our own.  God could have just as easily placed us into a middle class American family, a wealthy Asian family, or a poor Kenyan family - we had no control over it and should be thankful and humbled for our individual situations.  We have also been given a big responsibility to serve those who have so much less.  

Today, I am rejoicing for my blessings and quite humbled by my circumstances.

Mount Longonot before sunset.

My favorite things this week:

Sound: The hum of the bees as I walk under the flowering loquat tree in our yard.

Sight:   The millions, literally, of stars that we could see in the night sky last night, broken   
             only by the distinct Milky Way.
Feel:     The warm sunshine on my skin in the cool air of "winter" here. 
Taste:   The homemade strawberry ice cream that we served with chocolate chips.
Smell:   These flowers blooming in the yard. 

Lots of love,
Sarah

Proverbs 15:13

A joyful heart makes a cheerful face,
But when the heart is sad, the spirit is broken.