child at heart

6/30/2008 – Day 6

Yep, 5.30a mosque prayer time was a hit again today. I guess God is trying to tell me something early in the mornings.

Daniel flies in and joins the group tomorrow!

Today was our first day at KTC. Mrs. Marinda stayed at the hotel today with Catherine and got things ready for the women’s meeting tomorrow. Dr. Trull dropped us off and left to go take care of some errands, namely, the broken window in the van.

Today we did ALOT of manual labor which was pretty fun actually. We were supposed to start painting  the new building but the paint was not there yet. We went to the old chicken house and started cleaning it out so it could be painted at some point. We pulled out old roof tiles, old fashioned sewing machines, tin, old pipes and tons of old rotten termite infested wood. We did that for an hour or two, then we started to shovel out all the dirt and broken tiles.

After that we had lunch, more rice and beans!! I actually love that meal. Then we painted for a couple hours. We put the base coat down in 2 of the 3 rooms. The painting really wasn’t that bad, it was the half-dollar sized spiders that freaked me out!! :(

After we were done painting and were waiting on Dr. Trull our KTC friend John showed us the huge garden around the compound. John has 3 children, 2 are currently battling malaria, but he has such a strong faith in the Lord and is such a blessing. 

We will go back tomorrow and Wednesday to work at KTC then Thursday we will have our first bonding day!

Oh I forgot something, at supper tonight we talked a lot about the KTC. The KTC is a 15 year project and it is entirely Dr. Trull’s baby. {Possibly help financially support it?} He alone raises the money that supports the overhead cost, the course cost, the principle’s salary along with the many other things that it costs. I cannot imagine how accomplished and proud he feels when he hears preachers that KTC trained preaching the truth, and how wonderful it must feel when he sees how well the KTC is still doing. 

Before supper us students decided to walk around in the city and see things and stores. It was rather fun walking around, messing with the goats eating all the trash. We walked a good ways down the road and stopped in a couple stores. (we walked about 1.5 miles each way) We found a bookstore with children’s books that are in English but with African stories. I think I might end up getting a couple along with a suka or two. The one thing I did not enjoy about our walk was the fact that we were stared at, ALOT. Cars would stop, people would follow us and stare. But if the tables were turned I believe I could understand what they see/are fascinated with. We (4 white kids and 1 really light black girl) were a strange sight. 

We were about 10 minutes from the hotel when the evening mosque prayer started. We passed 1 place doing it and then we heard our familiar man’s voice. The 2 of them were drastically different in tone, length, style and even the chant sounded like it had different words. It was a very interesting thing to hear. Now if only I had seen people fall down and pray – THAT would have been a sight. 

7/1/2008 – Day 7

Today 7a came way to fast, and Emily and I went to sleep at 9.30p. I am sore all over. I feel the hike to and from the waterfall, all of yesterdays work and our 3 mile joy walk from yesterday up and down the hills. It’s going to be a long day. 

Dr. Trull will leave at lunchtime today and head to the airport to pick up Daniel. They should be here some time tomorrow afternoon.

We just finished lunch, which was amazing! We ate at the KTC with the women of the tailoring class. They were asking us all kinds of questions. We were teaching them about tattooing :). I feel a strange sense of accomplishment in getting to know them. They are all around my age, 19-24ish but they have such huge goals and aspirations. I have enjoyed the cultural differences. 

After lunch we watched a movie with Murithi, and planned a little for our youth meeting on the 10th and 11th. 

John introduced his little boy Monique aka Nicky to us today. He started off by helping us clean out the room we were working on – ADORABLE! He was super sweet but terribly shy. By the end of the day he was playing with us and having lots of fun. By that I mean kicking around a plastic container with us, chasing us with water, and throwing it on us, oh and chasing me with giant grasshoppers before stepping on it about 20 times to kill it. Did I mention he is 2.5 years old? Precious! 

We just got into the hotel, its about 5pm but we are going to nap or enjoy free time because we just walked 1.5 miles from the KTC. Murithi walked us home, so sweet. He is the perfect gentleman. Let me just say… If he didn’t live on another continent I would look for a deeper friendship. He’s the kind of guy you introduce to your parent and marry. 

We finished cleaning out the old chicken house, hopefully next week the boys will work on putting up the new roof and us girls can go ahead and paint it so it can be used again. I shoveled barrels upon barrels of old concrete/sand, mixed roof tiles and dirt out of that room, and my back has never hurt more. But the Lord is showing me the kind of life I desire. 

This trip has already shown me how much I depend on. I’ve made all the junk at home my own God. I do not depend on Christ for my food, clothing or luxuries – nothing. I rely on myself and I am so so selfish. I had who I have become at home. I expect to be given so much and I do not work for it! I hate my lackluster faith, the fact that Christ is my co-pilot and not my provider and sustainer makes me sick to think about. Who am I to complain? 

For example, John has 2 children with Malaria yet he is so faithful to his Christ. Elizabeth has an infected bone in her leg that needs to be amputated and the woman can hardly walk. Yet she still walked for an hour to get to church on Sunday just to praise her amazing God. I could name so many more and each one I think about slaps me in the face. I cannot be the same person anymore, to do so I slap my Jesus on His cross. I am pitiful and unworthy, and I deserve Hell. Praise God in His love, and for the work he is doing in my cold black heart. 

7/2/08 – Day 8

Today has already started our pretty awesome. After breakfast we went to downtown to a lot of the shops looking for materials to make clothing as well as for suka’s. We found quite a few shops and got very good prices. It was very different – we had lots of people yelling to look at the white men and lots of people saying “hi” and giving us hand shakes.

What broke my heart us that we saw lots of street boys who beg for food and money. Most of them had a plastic bottle of some kind up to their noses. 9 times out of 10 they are sniffing glue or kerosene in order to get high. That just breaks my heart! Murithi says lots of boys around here get addicted to at least one of these three things: kerosene, cigarette or alcohol. He says there is a big problem with alcohol here because most of it can be made at home with simple things like mango’s or banana’s. For example on sunday alone we came across 4 drunken men on accident, that doesn’t even include all the ones that went by us unnoticed. I cant help but pray for them every night and for the Lord to help break those addictions.

Today turned out to be rather interesting. We finally got to our little tin church. It had dirt floors and about 10 benches for people to sit on. Mrs. Marinda and Catherine were doing the 2nd woman’s class, and for that area we had about 10 women show up. Good! 

After the woman’s conference we drove home (by the way we saw an 18ft anthill – no joke! It’s so incredible that safari ants could make something so massive!)  and were fortunate enough to see the peak of Mt. Kenya! We saw the whole mountain. The Trulls have only seen it a handful of times in all their years here. It was beautiful! We saw all 3 peaks, the glacier on the right and the mini-peak on the left. Emily and I looked like big old retards. Mrs. Marinda pulled the van over on the road and Emily and I ran across the road and took all kinds of pictures. A little boy told Emily “look that’s Mt. Kenya. Pay me 10 shillings for telling you.” It was hilarious! About 20 minutes later Emily and I had to go to the bathroom but there were no choo’s around. So we pulled over and ran behind a chunk of bushes to pee. My first time going bathroom on the side of the road in Kenya. :) Emily and I had such a unique experience today.

By the way Daniel is finally here! Clay is no longer the only male… and he is so happy for that. 

7/3/08 – Day 9

Today on our way to KTC we saw a monkey jump off a tree, run across the road and jump into another tree.

Today was super productive. In the computer room we put our 1st coat of real paint – it’s very pretty.

Emily got her native skirt and blouse finished, which took all day.

I got a hug from john after we took a picture. That man is so sweet. We hung out with nicky a lot today. And John’s wife walked us home from KTC. We took a short cut through a valley versus walking the main road. I think I took some pictures, but our stair case was dirt leveled off into somewhat safe stairs. The flowers we saw were beautiful. The yellows were so vibrant, it was like the sun dripped onto the land, and the pinks were so dark. 

Ok so about our work. We (being Daniel, Clay and I) started off by taking the old chicken house roof off, let me just say- this was not my favorite task for several reasons: 1) the tiles were covered in old/new, dead/live spiders, roaches and a smorgasbord of other insects. 2) I swear to you there was a ton of dirt and dust and gunk laying on those tiles, which in turn ended up on my body, down my shirt and into my eyes. Daniel, being the gentleman that he is, offered me his sunglasses even though he needed them more. I ended up not using them to his contacts wouldn’t fall out. 3) There were 6 boys and me. So I’m already scared of the insects so I’m moving kinda slow and I’m working with a bunch of guys telling me to speed up! Either way they were sensitive about my working with them and they lightened up on me and even spent some time joking with me.

It only took us about an hour to get the whole roof off – which isn’t that bad honestly. We had a nice assembly line going so that helped to speed things up a bit. After we got the roof off, John and 2 other men that I’ve never met took a crowbar, sledgehammer and shovel and got all the wood off the windows and the old chicken house feeders and cage windows. That side of the building is a stone floor, 4 walls and a wooden roof frame. It looks pretty darn good. We also spent some time getting all the debris from the roof and walls off the floor. So I helped shovel again today – man I am going to be sore tomorrow. 

7/4/2008 – Day 10

Happy Independence Day!

 Today was not so good. I woke up this morning with a horrible headache and just did not feel like myself at all. I went downstairs to help plan the youth meeting and only made it about an hour and a half before it was to much to handle so I went back to bed just to rest but ended up sleeping off and on for about 4 hours.

Mrs. Marinda was so sweet – she stayed here at the hotel with me so I wouldn’t be alone. She is such a good mommy. She would come and check in on me every hour or so to see if I needed anything and if I was feeling any better. Emily and clay even wrote me a little note.

While I was sick the group got alot of the youth meeting planned out, had lunch with Murithi and went to the big market day. From all the pictures I saw, and what I was told – I missed out on a lot, but as bad as I was feeling there was no way I would have been able to go. 

After some nice rest, a granola bar and a sprite I decided to try to sit up and see if I was feeling any better – which I was. I propped myself up and watched some tv: 1 episode NCIS, 1 episode Gilmore Girls, 2 hours (scattered here and there) National Geographic on Meerkats in Africa, and news about Kenya riots, presidential problems and local news. 

It was fun, but I also got to do alot of thinking. God is just doing alot in my heart. For example, I have been single for 2.5 years now, and on this trip I have been blessed with having several handsome, intelligent, God-fearing men in my group. And I do not desire a relationship other than friendship with any of them. I just honestly do not want to start anything right now because I know it would be purely my wants and desires and not something that was truly a God send. I’ve also realized how much I use music as a crutch and how much I really do not need it in my life unless It was God glorifying. I did not bring any music at all with me on this trip and besides what we heard the first 2 days in the public taxi I haven’t listened to any. I think I flipped on the music channel today and it just didn’t do anything for me. That constant desire to be engulfed with music just is not there – and I am so thankful for that. 

I’ve also realized how blessed I am in this life from coming on this trip to the wonderful godly friends and mentors I’ve left at home. I never realized how much they really have taught me until now.

Oh and I truly believe some form of missions is for me. I have no clue if its short term or lifelong, done with a life of singleness or with a family, if its at home or someplace overseas. I have no answer to any of these variables, I just know it has to be done, and it needs to be now. I’m really scared to think about it honestly, I am staring down my life and I don’t know which path to choose. Easy life of missions in the US, or the short, bumpy, narrow way of the unknown. I am trying to trust God about it but can’t help but be uncertain. 

After a time of rest and mental exhaustion the group came home from the market and I talked to Emily for a little bit when we all packed up into the van and headed to Catherine’s place for a good home cooked meal. In all honesty – that was the best food I’ve ever eaten. I don’t know how Murithi isn’t 400 pounds. His reason – “I get lots of exercise.” When we first got there it was still light outside so we got a tour of their compound. 

Catherine showed us her very pregnant sheep, it looked like it was going to pop right that minute. It kept walking back and forth and wouldn’t settle and I think its because Mama was to big to be comfortable on the ground. 

We then saw the cows, and they were short one because it died from ticks. It was a sad day – but we also got to see her 120 chickens! She had 8 sold that day, and about 20 had died the week before and she still had an insane amount of them. They seemed to be her baby, her pride, and thats good.

Before we took a tour of their croups we met a lady named Esther and her daughter Miriam – who was incredibly precious by the way. She said she would braid my hair for me sometime. She was raised so well. She kept asking if we needed anything and talked to me and Emily the whole time – we even got a hug at the end of the night. Mrs. Marinda says that is rate, the people of Kenya are not really touchy feely people. 

Before supper Catherine, Jeoffry and Murithi showed us around their farm. They have such a variety of crops – I can understand why they can afford electricity. Some of their crops are: finger bananas (smaller, alot juicer and sweeter. they are 100 times better than what we have at home), regular bananas, mangos, avocados, pumpkins, coffee, macadamia nuts, sweet potatoes. I think that is mainly it but I think that I’ve forgotten a couple. He also had a nice little patch of sunflowers close to the house. I’ve honestly never seen flowers that big before. They were some with heads as big as showers, and some so small you could fit them into your pocket. And they were so healthy – dark, rich browns and vibrant, luscious golden. Murithi said he’s not really a fan of those so if I lived here he would give them all to me. He said he’s more of a rose guy. I’m really happy I rested all day so I would be able to go tonight. I would have been so sad if I had missed this sweet, dear fellowship time.