New Names...

I understand that Oprah said something recently and I am not sure it is true. Now, mind you I received this second hand so I am not entirely sure of the direct quote...but she was indicating that she could carry heavy objects on her head the way women in Africa do because of her heritage. This sounds strange to me, but it did prompt me to share a couple of photos and a story.

Denise and I decided that we wanted to follow the women down to the 'river' to help them fetch water, knowing that they bring it back while balancing the jugs on their head.

They were most eager to help us do just that, showing us how to wrap a cloth for our heads. This first photo should give you an appreciation of just how steep and rocky the path to the river is. What you can't see is that it is some distance to the river.

We got to the bottom and watched them clean out the pails and then fill the buckets with water gushing through a hole in the ground. As a side note, Denise and I were expecting so much more from this 'stream' the ladies call a river - we had actually consider venturing down to bathe there...

Once the first pail was full one of the ladies plopped the head peice on top of my head and handed me a (half) full pail. I knew right away that I should not try to balance it without my hands, but felt content to carry it the way you see in the photo. However, the first time my sandaled foot stumbled on the rocky ground someone grabbed the pail from me - and we all had a good laugh.

Denise exerted a greater degree of determination than I. Not only did she balance that pail on her head with no hands (sorry, by the time I got the shot the pail had begun to tilt!) but she also carried the pail ALL THE WAY to the top...

I would say that while I thought it a good idea and much fun to try to carry the water up the hill, it was clearly Denise's 'intention' to accomplish that personal goal.

Later we were both rewarded with new names. For the rest of our stay whenever we were asked our names I would say "Nyinga Joanna Achieng nyar Kitere" and Denise would say "Nyinga Denise Atieno nyar Kitere" and we would both add "nyar Joseph Aludo"...we are saying "My name is __________ from Kitere, daughter of Joseph Aludo"...our answer to the question was always met with delighted laughter.

Mission Accomplished!

Last Friday we set out to pick up a box from the Post Office. From time to time Denise's friend Rick from the states sends a care package (my name for it!)...it feels like Christmas because he always sends goodies. We managed to complete every step until time to pay - which must be done across the street at the bank, which was closed by the time we were at that point in the process...perhaps I should start at the beginning...

In the first photo you can see Denise and William walking towards the City Square Post Office.

Then, of course we enter the building. You can see them walking to the counter at the far end, with our notice that we had a package, where we picked up the box (the first time!)

Once we handed over the notice we then had to open the box and empty all the contents, including the newspapers and even cookie crumbs...best to send cookies in tins!

You can see in this picture that Denise delightedly complying.

Rick was thoughtful enough to send a card expressing his desire that we enjoy all the goodies he sent to us - and we are!

The girl behind the counter meticulously listed every item that was in the box, assessing each one. Interestingly she assessed us for the food items, but put the word "free" next to the digital thermometer - go figure! Once the list was completed we had to put everything back into the box and tape it shut - securely! From this counter we walk the length of the room and up the stairs into the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) customs office.

This is where we received the first stamp on our yellow slip and two computer printouts of the total that would need to be paid at the bank across the street. Unfortunately by this time the bank was closed, which meant another trip to town on Monday morning.


Monday morning at the bank, only to discover that the system was down so they could not take our money! So back to the bank we went on Tuesday - in the rain! But, amazingly it only downpoured when we were in a building or in the car...God is so good! After standing in a long queue for an hour we paid the fees, then returned back to the post office, where we first visited the customs office next to the back counter and were told we would pay a minimum of 70 shillings 'storage fee' for the time our parcel was kept at the Post Office.

We then took our yellow receipt to the back counter to inspect our box to make sure it was still intact. Then we were directed to go to counter S9 to pay the storage fee. When we discovered they wanted to charge us for the two days the system was down, we protested. Denise discussed the situation with the Postmaster, who kindly let us pay the minimum. That is when we found out that the people at the Post Office are just as frustrated with this cumbersome system as we are - we are hoping that if enough people protest perhaps things will change...or not! Back to S9 to pay the fee, and receive a (stamped) white receipt. On the way out our package was inspected one last time and compared to the white receipt.

Then we took the box home!

Jubilee Christian Church

We visited a new church yesterday. But since I did not take pictures of the event, I decided to start this entry with some photos from Friday.

William and Denise are doing some furniture shopping - notice the 'furniture store' is along the side of the road...you can buy most everything this way - clothing, bedding, food, furniture... We need desk and table for the 'office' which doubles as Denise's bedroom. Dressers for Denise, William and Maggie and a book case.

In the first photo they are checking out one of the desks - and explaining to the fundi that we want to replace the two bottom drawers with one file drawer.

Once the decisions had been made and all the descriptions completed, they entered into intense negotiations...we believe we paid a fair price. The desk, table, one dresser and the bookcase were delivered on Saturday. Once we have the office set-up complete, I will take a picture.

Sunday we visited Jubilee Christian Church, which was a very good experience. This is a large church with an overflow tent which is where we sat - we watched the service on TV. I discovered that the Holy Spirit can move even if the preacher is not in the same room! We went from that church to pick up Tabitha and Vincent (William's brother and sister) at the GOA church in downtown Nairobi and arrived just in time for the sermon - so we were double blessed! The only regret is that we arrived at both services too late to enjoy the praise and worship time...

Today we spent several hours downtown (or city centre)...which is a separate entry!

Fetching Vincent

Thursday was an interesting day to say the least. It began innocently enough with a plan to visit Nyayo House in town to, hopefully, pick up Denise's entry permit (or work permit)...we knew the errand should take only a few minutes so we convinced the parking attendant to allow us to park behind some other cars in the car park (which holds only about 20 cars, maybe)...

First we were sent upstairs, being told it was still in process...but then we were shown 'proof' (a signature and a stamp) that the document was, indeed, downstairs. Back down we went to discover that the permit had been misfiled...that sounds like a bad thing, but God used it for good. As it turns out the man we are working with speaks the same language as William (Luo) and his father was greatly helped years ago by a man that William knew from his home town area. For this reason (actually by the grace of God) the man decided to help us out and opened the door for Denise to receive an Alien Registration Card instead of just a stamp in her passport. But - that meant obtaining passport sized photos then returning for finger printing and also taking time to pay a fee.

Well - all of that took MUCH longer than the 10 minutes we had originally anticipated. Needless to say, when we returned to the car park, we discovered that our vehicle had been towed away! Then we found out that the car we were blocking belonged to a Nairobi police officer...the attendant convinced him to wait for over an hour by insisting that we would be back within minutes...the officer became increasingly angry which facilitated a call to the police station and the vehicle being towed away.

So - we took a cab to the police station/impound yard where we had to apologize profusely for our gross negligence (all of this to avoid being put in a cell to wait for a court appearance)...the officer there graciously allowed us to leave after paying the 'breakdown' charge and receiving a stern warning - but not before Denise was 'detained' within a barricade of tables...that was our first trip to a police station! Sorry - no photos of this since my camera was locked in the car!

After a very long day we returned home, made dinner and were about to eat when William called his brother Vincent since it was rather late for him to be out alone (around 8pm) only to discover that Vincent had been picked up and was being detained at a police station in Kayole (not a nice place)...instead of dinner we travelled to the police station, which was an adventure in itself since we had no idea where it was. We picked up Peter (a police officer) at a police post nearby. He lead us to the Kayole station (which we would never have found on our own!)

We were able to see Vincent (they brought him out of the cell briefly) but were unable to take him home as no prisoners are released after 6pm. By the time we got home it was 10pm, but we could not be too upset since we were greeted by a hot supper and warm beds, neither of which were available to Vincent who sat up all night in a hot and stuffy cell. The next morning our first order of business was to 'fetch Vincent' hence the title of this blog entry. He was in decent shape, having lost only his belt.

Here he is in the back of the truck with his sister Tabitha after we left the police station. She is quite happy that he is safe - we know how worried she was all night. Fortunately we are all people of prayer and we believe that God was certainly present in that cell since we found out from Vincent that people were not only talking and telling stories, but also sharing the word of God with each other during the long night.

This photo was taken on the way to Kayole Friday morning. See the kokateni in front of that truck?...these guys are amazing - we see them all over town transporting almost anything from place to place - and risking their lives daily!

Here you see a picture of the town of Kayole...it looks innocent enough during the day, but I understand at night there are many gang members who hang out there at night. That is why there are regular 'round ups' like the one Vincent was caught in. He did nothing wrong and was actually heading home when he was picked up. He was not arrested and did not need to appear in court, which is why were able to get him out so quickly.

Here we are driving into the area of the police station. I decided to stop taking photos at this point, thinking it could become uncomfortable, at the very least and potentially dangerous, taking pictures of a government facility. After waiting a few minutes with all the other people there, William talked to one of the officers and determined the 'fine' would be 500 shillings (less than $10). We scrounged up the money, paid the 'fine' and Vincent was released.

We then requested a receipt, to which the officer replied "What does Vincent do?"...we let him know that Vincent is a student...that is when the officer decided that Vincent should not be fined and returned our money. Tabitha says she believes that the officers were convinced that the Mzungus (white people - that would be Denise and me) were there doing a report on police corruption...

We then dropped Vincent at a Caltex (petrol station) to catch a matatu (mini-van sized bus) back home to shower and change - were were amazed that he did not want to sleep all day. We dropped Tabitha a little farther up at a roundabout (what they have here instead of intersections) to catch a matatu into town where she was going to visit relatives...Vincent was to meet her there later. We then proceeded into town for our next adventure. Actually we went to Karen first (where many of the Mzungus live) to pick up money from GOI and for Denise to (finally) get her hair done. Watch for my next blog entry for the process to pick up a package in Nairobi!

Starfish Ministry

Rhonda Baxter is a missionary working through Gloobal Outreach International, the agency through which I am a short term missionary and Denise is a long term missionary.

Her vision is to provide services to the Masai people in this area. A local man has donated his property to help her fulfill God's vision for her ministry.

The first photo gives a feel for the beauty of the land. Rolling hills,
green grass and trees and a continual breeze make this a beautiful location.

The building on the left is where the staff live and the building on the right is where the ladies of the community will come to get water and there will be other services available to them as well.

Water is a major issue in this area - currently the ladies walk 3 miles up and down hills with 20 litres of water tied with a rope the top of their heads and hanging down their backs. This facility will greatly reduce the work load.
She also provides a location for the women to sell hand made jewelry and other items.

In this photo you see Rhonda speaking with Jeremy who is her assistant on the project. It was his father who donated the land.

I took this shot to show the beauty of the land - and the goats! There is a trough in the front of the property where animals can come for water.

Wes is the Executive Director for Global Outreach International. He is on a 'whirlwind' visit checking on various missionaries in Africa. Here he is speaking with Denise and Rhonda. We hope to spend some time with him on his way home when he comes through Nairobi on the 2nd of June.

To the left you can see a small building - that is the latrine. It is quite large, spacious and open. Those are excellent traits, believe me! It can become quite unpleasant to visit small, cramped stalls after a while...yes, we did try them out before leaving the project.

By the way, Kenya does have toilets with seats but in the rural areas you won't find them...even in town the seats themselves are often removed...I am not exactly sure why!

Here is Rhonda posing in front of her pride and joy. This is the well that accesses the water, which is so vital to the people of this area. She had to dig 900 feet down to get to the water source! The total cost to drill, install the apparatus and the generator to move the water was $50,000. I am sure the community appreciates the investment of many people who donated to this worthy project.

Mission at Kiambiu

On Saturday, a group from a local church visited the Kiambiu slum to minister to the people there. They held an open air crusade at one of the churches in the poorest sections of the slum.

These photos are in random order so I will describe them as they appear. This first photo is of two girls in the sweetest embrace as they listen to Jared preaching to the people who have gathered. The children were quite curious about the Mzungu (white person) in their midst. It is interesting to be so visible all the time every where I go!

This is Moffatt, the worship leader, leading the praise songs. The kids and adults alike enjoyed the excellent music. I do believe we have a future worship leader in our midst - see the little boy dancing next to Moffatt?





The raised hands are of the poeple who have accepted Christ during the crusade. There were many people from the church available to pray with and for them. We also had follow-up material for them. Plus many from the team returned the following day to hand out clothes and visit some of the homes in the slum area.



This is a photo of Jared as he is preaching passionately to the peopled gathered. I was amazed as I watched the reactions, even though he was speaking Swahili and I could not understand what he was saying.





One of the ladies on the team gathered the children together to sing songs of praise to the Lord. The children seemed to thoroughly enjoy the whole service.






They love to have their picture taken! Afterwards they crowded around me to see themselves in my camera.

Remembering Lydia

The first time I met Lydia she was in the hospital. I remember thinking - "she is so small!" I soon learned that although she is small physically she was huge in personality. After only a few visits I began to appreciate her courage and especially her sense of humor...

She has fought hard many times against TB, against meningitis and every day for several years against HIV/AIDS. On May 10, 2007 she lost that fight. We were in Kitere and received the message, which made us feel sad - sad that we were so far away and sad that we had lost a friend, and
especially that we were not sure she had accepted Christ as her personal savior.

This photo was taken within days after we brought her home from an 18 day stay in the hospital. She is posing with her po po - and Denise and friend Hannah...

Just a few days ago we received the news from Hannah that Lydia had, indeed, professed her faith in Christ before she passed away...she let her Muslim father know that she wanted a Christian burial. We are rejoicing that we will, indeed, see Lydia again.

I can see her now - dancing with Jesus!

Two random stories

Can you guess what this is? Give up?

It is a rooster leg - now you might have been able to guess that, but I'll bet you did not know that it is attached to a rooster who is resting under the back seat of the van...that is Denise's foot in the picture.

As a 'thank you' gift Joseph, William's father, gave us a chicken and a rooster...live ones! So, during the whole 8+ hour trip back to Nairobi we heard occasional squacks from under the seat...another first for me.

The second story involves a cow and a latrine...at Susan's place (I talked about Oasis in another entry)...in the corner of this yard is an outdoor latrine...it is pretty open with bamboo for a wall...I went down to use it and found a cow in the 'stall' area and believe me there was not room for both of us! I spied a rope around her neck so decided to use it to coax her out...and it worked! But - as soon as I moved toward her to get into the latrine she lowered her head and began to butt me with it!...

I was smart enough to back away, feeling rather foolish as I heard the sound of children's laughter behind me. Tom, one of the boys, came to my rescue with a switch that he used to beat the cow into submission (actually he just used it to convince her to move away). William still cannot believe that happened...except that he did hear the children laughing about it at the time.

If you look really close to the left of Nixon (the 'choir' director) in this photo you can see the latrine (and the cow next to it!) way in the background...

A Week in Kitere

The day we left Nairobi for the 6+ hour drive to Kitere was hectic to say the least. Among other things we had shopping to do as well as dropping William's sister to be transported to school in Nakuru about two hours from Nairobi. Our trip to Kitere was longer than anticipated as we were having minor car trouble on the way. We arrived at 1:30 AM and woke everyone up - so we were well-greeted but did feel a bit guilty that we disturbed their sleep.

However, we started that day with an amazing experience. A team of us went to a local girl's High School to 'minister' to the girls during their first day of school assembly. We felt such a move of the Spirit as we realized that the person chosen to preach, Pastor Margaret, had graduated from this school 20 years earlier! The Lord opened a door at that school as we were endeared to the principal whose name is also Margaret. She had a very strong feeling that we could assist her in helping with the spiritual welfare of the girls. The greatest need is moral training as they lose many girls to pregnancy. We are excited to be a part of making such a significant difference in the lives of these girls. We have 4 more dates minister on the calendar, one of which will be Pastor Margaret again.

Our week in Kitere was wonderful in many ways. We felt the presence of the Lord in all we did. This entry will be a bit random as I have posted photos from several activities and will also write about things we did when I did not have my camera with me!

Kitere is William's home town, where he grew up. Look at the "For Tishona" blog entry to see photos of the family "compound".



This first series of pictures is a new GOA church in Kitere. They have just completed construction and we travelled to Kitere in part to be present for the official opening and dedication of the church.

This is a very large church by GOA standards - the locals even call it a 'cathedral' since only Catholic churches here are large.








This next series of pictures shows a talk Denise presented to the women of the community. She spoke in english whileTabitha, William's sister, translated for her. The women were blessed by the message, which urged the women to love one another with the love of Christ and to receive new people into their new church with that same love.

She also spoke from her heart about her dear friend Lydia who had passed away just a few days earlier (see my entry "Remembering Lydia" for more details). Lydia had HIV/AIDS and died as a result of 'opportunistic' disease coupled with inadequate medical care.

She then opened the 'floor' for questions about HIV/AIDS. Many of the women had been educated about HIV/AIDS and had excellent and poignant questions. Denise was challenged and ecouraged by the level of interest. We were especially blessed when one of the women asked if they could be tested for the virus. This is a big step since having the virus changes the lives of many people. For this reason most do not want to know.

There is a tremendous need in the rural areas for VCT centers - that is where people go to get tested and counseling. There are many such centers in Nairobi, but very few in the rural areas.

We visited several clinics, VCT centers and hospitals during our stay, and were much encouraged by the openness and willingness to cooperate and collaberate with us - this is not always the case in this country.

To the right is a picture of the first clinic we visited - Migori Clinic, where we were encouraged by the range of services provided. Next we visited a Catholic hospital with a VCT, a TB clinic and other patient support services. There is a very funny story that would be too long to tell - I will say that Denise managed to break every Kenyan social rule in the book, but somehow Sister Judith decided that she very much wanted to partner with us in the future. We decided that God truly had gone before us to prepare the way.


We also visited a project called Oasis. Susan owns this property and houses several orphans. She feels very strongly that if any family exists that will take children who have lost both parents, that is where they belong. However, some of these children have no family and those are the ones she gives food and shelter to. As you can see she has a few cows and other animals on the property.




I have included some photos of the children - they are lined up here to sing a few songs they have learned




We have decided that our driver, Nixon, is a frustrated choir director. We were amazed at the wonderful performance he got from these kids. Later he brought them to Kitere...as the van drove onto the compound we could hear the children singing hymns from afar. It was a beautiful sound in our ears!



As we were leaving all the children lined up with Susan so I took a shot so you can see the extent of her ministry. I am very excited by what she is doing and plan to find a way to support her financially. I will post another entry with instructions on how to donate to her project for anyone who is interested, so watch for that!

We stopped for gas and imagine my reaction when I saw that the attendance was 'cranking' the gas by hand! That was a first for me!

Here I am with Enock Ondara. He lives near Kissii - this is a town about 20 minutes from Kitere. On Friday we were to meet Doctor Meshak Ongata in Kissii, so decided to also take a few minutes to meet one of my CCM contacts. He is a nice young man who loves Dr. Schuller and the Crystal Cathedral.

Our meeting with the doctor was productive, though not in the way we anticipated...but we are learning that he usually has his own agenda! However, we did meet a lovely woman, Lillian, from the YWCA who will be a valuable contact for the future, as they are active in the rural areas with HIV/AIDS support services.

Down by the riverside...

After the Sunday service we all walked to the river for a baptism ceremony...wow! This was a first for me - it was great!

As people waited to be baptised all were singing praises to the Lord!

To the right you see the hand of a young boy holding many shoes of people waiting to be baptised...

30 people were baptised this day - with one having given their life to the Lord during the ceremony and baptised the same day!

After each person is baptised they grab their bag of clothes and cross the river, run up the hill and change...

These ladies have been baptised and have already changed back into their clothes, now they are washing their feet.