I know.
It’s been a really long time. My first reason (excuse, you say?) is that my laptop went to the big Dell playground in the sky a couple weeks ago. A few months ago this wouldn’t have been a big problem, and I would have just blogged on lunch breaks. But now lunch breaks are becoming a little shorter and a little more devoted to relaxing after a busy morning and gearing up for a busy afternoon, read: eating.
Now that I am done legitimizing my absence from cyberspace, here’s what’s happening in my life: Assembly. We are full on preparations with less than a month to go. In just over two weeks I will be heading to Maputo. In other news Obama’s win was felt in Kenya, and felt ecstatically – in the Kenyan-president-made-Thursday-a-national-holiday kind of way. It was really fun to sleep in and horde newspapers on Obama Day. But more seriously, watching election proceedings on TV at 5 am and hearing Obama’s first words as president-elect alongside Kenyans so proud of their American son was tremendous.
I would like to take a moment to blog about shoes in Kenya.
It is currently what I hope to be the end of the short rain season in Kenya. In fact, the rains, usually considered a blessing, are now causing flooding across the country. But one thing I noticed this rainy season for the first time was people washing their shoes in rain puddles. Actually, this is a pretty great idea – why show up to work with muddy loafers when you can shine them for free? Especially in a culture that can boast the cleanest shoes I have ever seen. For all the rain, puddles, and resulting mud, I always have the grossest looking footwear of anyone I know. Even the women in stilettos who share with me the muddy slope on the side of the road to work will reach their jobs with pristine feet. I do not understand how this is possible, but I am in awe.
To conclude, things are going. I will try to blog once more before the Assembly if I can make myself stare at a computer screen in my extracurricular moments. Thanks as always for your continued prayers and support.
Friday, November 14, 2008
Friday, October 24, 2008
The Road
Last week I tried to blog about the book I was then reading – The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I stopped typing when it became apparent that I was not reflecting the light of Jesus and instead wheezing about gloom and doom. If you’ve read The Road, you know why this may have happened. But a week after finishing the beautifully written, beautifully soul-crushing story, maybe I can try again to express the emotions the book conjured up. It is a novel of a man and his young son traveling across a post-apocalyptic US; they sleep on discarded tarps and spend their lives trying to survive one more day off food found from before whatever disaster befell the earth. The characters and the words have the power to penetrate even the most callous reader (or so I imagine, being a most uncallous reader myself). It got to the point where if Leslie and I were in different rooms while I read, she would call out after an interval to make sure that I was alright.
One morning after reading I walked to work in the rain. As I trudged along, the man and his son still bouncing around in my head, I looked across the street to the UNHCR building where refugees sat bundled under their tarps in the damp. No apocalypse, just real life.
This set me to thinking.
What am I doing help? Yep, I work for the Church. The Church is to be a beacon of hope and love, and I see the AACC doing so much good in the continent. This is reassuring, but how about on the personal scale? Every morning we start out the day with devotions in our office. Read a section of scripture, a short meditation, and pray. These prayers sometimes ask that we be focused on the reason for our Assembly preparations; the Assembly is for the people of God to dialogue faithfully for positive action on the continent. When I am mechanically sending e-mail after e-mail or getting frustrated with a contact who will not call me back, how is that in anyway achieving this positive purpose of the Assembly? The action of e-mailing is a necessary step towards bringing people together, but if my attitude isn't properly aligned, am I really doing my job? We're humans, we Church e-mail writers, and so we get frustrated and we get tired and we - maybe just I - get cranky. But I get really excited when refocusing can happen, and I can stop whining long enough to remember the Church's ultimate goals to help people down the street.
In other, less self-righteous sounding news, Monday was our 3rd public holiday in October. This means that next week is the first full work week I have had without the promise of a 3rd day weekend in a month. Intimidating. Luckily it also will herald the return of Margaret and my boss from their various forays into southern African nations. This means I will no longer be answering e-mails for three. Sunday school is going well. I still love 3rd graders, and they still seem to be tolerating me. We're trying to memorize the books of the Bible. When I start to think about that goal and the fact that my last day teaching will be in less than one month, it puts too many things in perspective. So I will stop doing that now but will update you more about the books of the Bible saga next week.
One morning after reading I walked to work in the rain. As I trudged along, the man and his son still bouncing around in my head, I looked across the street to the UNHCR building where refugees sat bundled under their tarps in the damp. No apocalypse, just real life.
This set me to thinking.
What am I doing help? Yep, I work for the Church. The Church is to be a beacon of hope and love, and I see the AACC doing so much good in the continent. This is reassuring, but how about on the personal scale? Every morning we start out the day with devotions in our office. Read a section of scripture, a short meditation, and pray. These prayers sometimes ask that we be focused on the reason for our Assembly preparations; the Assembly is for the people of God to dialogue faithfully for positive action on the continent. When I am mechanically sending e-mail after e-mail or getting frustrated with a contact who will not call me back, how is that in anyway achieving this positive purpose of the Assembly? The action of e-mailing is a necessary step towards bringing people together, but if my attitude isn't properly aligned, am I really doing my job? We're humans, we Church e-mail writers, and so we get frustrated and we get tired and we - maybe just I - get cranky. But I get really excited when refocusing can happen, and I can stop whining long enough to remember the Church's ultimate goals to help people down the street.
In other, less self-righteous sounding news, Monday was our 3rd public holiday in October. This means that next week is the first full work week I have had without the promise of a 3rd day weekend in a month. Intimidating. Luckily it also will herald the return of Margaret and my boss from their various forays into southern African nations. This means I will no longer be answering e-mails for three. Sunday school is going well. I still love 3rd graders, and they still seem to be tolerating me. We're trying to memorize the books of the Bible. When I start to think about that goal and the fact that my last day teaching will be in less than one month, it puts too many things in perspective. So I will stop doing that now but will update you more about the books of the Bible saga next week.
Monday, October 6, 2008
It's 4:00, do you know where your YAV is?
At two different 4 o'clocks, 36 hours apart, I was doing some pretty interesting things.
The first 4:00 was Wednesday afternoon, when the celebration of Eid meant a midweek break. Yep - working at a Christian organization, and yep - taking Muslim holidays off work. Before 4:00 I had yoga, luxurious brunch, and then . . . adventure. Leslie, Robert, and I struck out to find the Nairobi Arboretum which I assured them a) existed, b) existed in a location I could vaguely track down, c) would not be closed for the holiday. Luckily a and c were true. Point b was eventually cleared up by a helpful, if confused by my awkward Swahi-nglish, construction worker wearing a Simpsons t-shirt that Robert could not get enough of. He told us that we should not have turned onto Arboretum Drive (of course not!), and instead should go back to the street we were on before, and walk *THIS* way. He indicated *THIS* way by extending both arms, locking elbows, and pointing his hands.
But did we give up? No, no, we take our afternoons off far too seriously. We trudged back up the right road *THIS* way and found what can only be described as magnificence. The Arboretum is not dissimilar from Central Park, from the paved paths to the forgetting-you're-in-the-country's-biggest-city to the ice cream vendors. I fell in love right away, and an afternoon of frisbee playing with 4 year old joiners and painting jacaranda trees did nothing to change my mind.
Fast forward 36 hours. It's pitch dark, Leslie and I are trudging down the road. Our thoughts groggy, our footsteps dragging, with only our the dim hope of our final destination keeping us going. Suddenly we arrive upon a fellow 4am traveler. He joins our ranks, and the 3 of us keep trudging. Finally, the dark streets give way to the gate of an apartment complex. We knock several times, waking the sleeping guard with our unexpected taps. Almost there! We can feel the anticipation building as each step brings us closer, closer . . . And then we're in! Out of the cold into the bright warmness. We're in Phyllis's living room just as Palin and Biden walk on stage for the VP debate. There was coffee, and warm spice bread, and lots of healthy political discussion. It was awesome. Yes it was 4:00am on a work day, but it was so worth it.
Both these events made me think about a subject that is on my mind a fair amount (such a fair amount that I may have already discussed it here). There is such joy in looking forward to events, the anticipation of good things/plans on the horizon. I was giddy on Tuesday with the thoughts of a day off exploring Nairobi. It was difficult to put myself to bed at 10pm on Thursday with anticipation of the debate (although, yes, the fact that it was 10pm may have had something to do with it). I often wonder if the anticipation is better than the actual event. Obviously getting lost on a Nairobi hill was entertaining, but did I have more fun thinking about getting lost? This often leads me down another, less optimistic path. Perhaps letting yourself get so excited about future events actually makes them less exciting; maybe anticipating is asking a little too much of the future. Was I happier in the moments before my chocolate milkshake arrived on Saturday or after I dug in? I doubt this line of thought will ever lead me to any fundamental life changes - I'm a bit too excitable. Nonetheless, it is a real question I debate - what do you think?
The first 4:00 was Wednesday afternoon, when the celebration of Eid meant a midweek break. Yep - working at a Christian organization, and yep - taking Muslim holidays off work. Before 4:00 I had yoga, luxurious brunch, and then . . . adventure. Leslie, Robert, and I struck out to find the Nairobi Arboretum which I assured them a) existed, b) existed in a location I could vaguely track down, c) would not be closed for the holiday. Luckily a and c were true. Point b was eventually cleared up by a helpful, if confused by my awkward Swahi-nglish, construction worker wearing a Simpsons t-shirt that Robert could not get enough of. He told us that we should not have turned onto Arboretum Drive (of course not!), and instead should go back to the street we were on before, and walk *THIS* way. He indicated *THIS* way by extending both arms, locking elbows, and pointing his hands.
But did we give up? No, no, we take our afternoons off far too seriously. We trudged back up the right road *THIS* way and found what can only be described as magnificence. The Arboretum is not dissimilar from Central Park, from the paved paths to the forgetting-you're-in-the-country's-biggest-city to the ice cream vendors. I fell in love right away, and an afternoon of frisbee playing with 4 year old joiners and painting jacaranda trees did nothing to change my mind.
Fast forward 36 hours. It's pitch dark, Leslie and I are trudging down the road. Our thoughts groggy, our footsteps dragging, with only our the dim hope of our final destination keeping us going. Suddenly we arrive upon a fellow 4am traveler. He joins our ranks, and the 3 of us keep trudging. Finally, the dark streets give way to the gate of an apartment complex. We knock several times, waking the sleeping guard with our unexpected taps. Almost there! We can feel the anticipation building as each step brings us closer, closer . . . And then we're in! Out of the cold into the bright warmness. We're in Phyllis's living room just as Palin and Biden walk on stage for the VP debate. There was coffee, and warm spice bread, and lots of healthy political discussion. It was awesome. Yes it was 4:00am on a work day, but it was so worth it.
Both these events made me think about a subject that is on my mind a fair amount (such a fair amount that I may have already discussed it here). There is such joy in looking forward to events, the anticipation of good things/plans on the horizon. I was giddy on Tuesday with the thoughts of a day off exploring Nairobi. It was difficult to put myself to bed at 10pm on Thursday with anticipation of the debate (although, yes, the fact that it was 10pm may have had something to do with it). I often wonder if the anticipation is better than the actual event. Obviously getting lost on a Nairobi hill was entertaining, but did I have more fun thinking about getting lost? This often leads me down another, less optimistic path. Perhaps letting yourself get so excited about future events actually makes them less exciting; maybe anticipating is asking a little too much of the future. Was I happier in the moments before my chocolate milkshake arrived on Saturday or after I dug in? I doubt this line of thought will ever lead me to any fundamental life changes - I'm a bit too excitable. Nonetheless, it is a real question I debate - what do you think?
Friday, September 26, 2008
Spring Rolls and Deputy Prime Ministers
This week saw me at my most famous and my most toxic.
Let me start with toxic because it is not as fun a story. It would seem that just as I picked up some really silly* virus on every single piece of computer-based work I have been doing for the last . . . forever number of days, our office's anti-virus expired. So there has been a lot of that frustrated if-I-don't-laugh-now-I-might-say-words-unacceptable-in-a-Christian-organization kind of thing, but really, we're moving forward as an office. No one can stop us. Not even evil computer gnomes.
So famous story time! On Tuesday I went with Dipti to a book launch, because I had never been to a book launch, and I figured there might be food there. There was, in fact, food, and we ate and mingled until running across the evening's program of events. And then I discovered that the special guest speaker was Ida Odinga, the Prime Minister's wife. So I got really psyched and nibbled on my spring roll. But the famousness doesn't stop there! Apparently Mrs. Odinga and the Deputy Prime Minister get invited to similar social functions, so he was there too! Yep, all three of us were in the same room. And the book actually sounds really interesting - the author started writing it in 1981, and urged the audience to persevere when attempting writing pursuits. So it was not only highly famous, but highly inspirational as well.
While it was an eventful week, I do hope that the next one manages to find more of a happy medium. And maybe some happy computers while it's at it.
Let me start with toxic because it is not as fun a story. It would seem that just as I picked up some really silly* virus on every single piece of computer-based work I have been doing for the last . . . forever number of days, our office's anti-virus expired. So there has been a lot of that frustrated if-I-don't-laugh-now-I-might-say-words-unacceptable-in-a-Christian-organization kind of thing, but really, we're moving forward as an office. No one can stop us. Not even evil computer gnomes.
So famous story time! On Tuesday I went with Dipti to a book launch, because I had never been to a book launch, and I figured there might be food there. There was, in fact, food, and we ate and mingled until running across the evening's program of events. And then I discovered that the special guest speaker was Ida Odinga, the Prime Minister's wife. So I got really psyched and nibbled on my spring roll. But the famousness doesn't stop there! Apparently Mrs. Odinga and the Deputy Prime Minister get invited to similar social functions, so he was there too! Yep, all three of us were in the same room. And the book actually sounds really interesting - the author started writing it in 1981, and urged the audience to persevere when attempting writing pursuits. So it was not only highly famous, but highly inspirational as well.
While it was an eventful week, I do hope that the next one manages to find more of a happy medium. And maybe some happy computers while it's at it.
Friday, September 19, 2008
I'm old.
Last week I met the new volunteers. This obviously sent me into a whatdoesitallmeanwhyamIstillhere kind of tizzy, but it was also really exciting to look at their enthusiasm and my, well, lack of un-enthusiasm.
Because as exciting as it was to start a new adventure a year ago, it's still pretty exciting to be here. Work for instance has considerably ramped up as we get only days away from the Assembly. It was also very fun to catch up with friends and host families and be back on the equator. So last weekend was lots of running around: bringing clothes from my church in ND to a home here, meeting up with my friend Ashley and the dozen or so Hungarians she was hosting from a theological school - which also involved catching up with delicious Kenyan cuisine! - visiting my host family, making sure my freezer got some ice cream back in it after 3 weeks being empty, and teaching Sunday school. phew.
I have been chilly lately. I got excited to hit summer clearances back home and stock up on work clothes, but short sleeves are just not cutting it. I am ready for some heat - but I know that in about 3 weeks you will see a new blog post about how miserable and hot it is. Although, since I have not had hot water since Monday, it is convenient to bundle up out of the shower in the morning. I foresee hot water getting fixed and weather warming up so that balance will be restored to the universe. Until then, I will drink hot chocolate. It'll be quite nice.
Because as exciting as it was to start a new adventure a year ago, it's still pretty exciting to be here. Work for instance has considerably ramped up as we get only days away from the Assembly. It was also very fun to catch up with friends and host families and be back on the equator. So last weekend was lots of running around: bringing clothes from my church in ND to a home here, meeting up with my friend Ashley and the dozen or so Hungarians she was hosting from a theological school - which also involved catching up with delicious Kenyan cuisine! - visiting my host family, making sure my freezer got some ice cream back in it after 3 weeks being empty, and teaching Sunday school. phew.
I have been chilly lately. I got excited to hit summer clearances back home and stock up on work clothes, but short sleeves are just not cutting it. I am ready for some heat - but I know that in about 3 weeks you will see a new blog post about how miserable and hot it is. Although, since I have not had hot water since Monday, it is convenient to bundle up out of the shower in the morning. I foresee hot water getting fixed and weather warming up so that balance will be restored to the universe. Until then, I will drink hot chocolate. It'll be quite nice.
Monday, September 8, 2008
I've been away. And it was great.
So while you are really reading this blog to hear about Kenya, let me tell you a wee bit about the last 3 weeks out of the country. I left Nairobi for vacation, and instead of choosing a glamorous island nation here on the East Coast of Africa to put my feet up, I went to Fargo, North Dakota. And I'm so happy!
I spent two weeks with my family, going to see Batman, chilling (literally - it was too cold even to swim) at the lake, eating mind-bendingly delicious Dairy Queens, and occasionally petting cats and a dog kind enough to remember me. I also got to see many more friends from high school than I anticipated, a very pleasant surprise. Brianne even organized my second Shaky Monday of the trip!* Also thrown in was a discussion at church about Jenna's and my time in Kenya, replete with chapattis, mandazi, and milky spiced tea. I was expecting about 6 people to show up (including my parents - and Jenna's) but we had about 40some, and they even seemed to be entertained/informed.
After a couple weeks of soaking up the ND sun, I turned east for a wedding and friends from college. From Boston to NYC to DC I caught up with my friends a year (some more than a year) into real life. We traded world-weary anecdotes and reflected on how cynicism grips those out of college gates. Actually we did none of that, just chatted happily about whichever stage of life we found ourselves in.
Highlights: Josh and Gowri's beautiful wedding which included seeing a ton of old friends with Ritu as my date, Jayson and I pulling on the push doors in Harvard's Physics building, taking over a small Ethiopian restaurant with noisy friends in NYC, cupcakes with Khang, setting up Laura's classroom with Jeff (and Laura), catching up on every NBC sitcom ever made with Jim, and a day of globe-spanning cuisine with Dede and Nicole. Of course my best friend who should have been part of the DC-ness was stuck in Guantanamo Bay.** Although it was fun to tell people that bit of info and see their reactions, so it all works out.
I am now typing this from work, back in Nairobi for the next 3 and 1/3 months. Go AACC Conference Planning team Go! (Jet lag has either not set in or is making me loopy, please forgive the excessive exclamation points.)
*Shaky Mondays = Buy one get one free milk shakes at a cute little diner at home. They're delicious. And Dad, Mom, and Grace brought me there straight from the airport. I love them so.
**Megan is not now nor has she ever been a detainee, just on a trip for work that got delayed by Hurricane Gustav.
So while you are really reading this blog to hear about Kenya, let me tell you a wee bit about the last 3 weeks out of the country. I left Nairobi for vacation, and instead of choosing a glamorous island nation here on the East Coast of Africa to put my feet up, I went to Fargo, North Dakota. And I'm so happy!
I spent two weeks with my family, going to see Batman, chilling (literally - it was too cold even to swim) at the lake, eating mind-bendingly delicious Dairy Queens, and occasionally petting cats and a dog kind enough to remember me. I also got to see many more friends from high school than I anticipated, a very pleasant surprise. Brianne even organized my second Shaky Monday of the trip!* Also thrown in was a discussion at church about Jenna's and my time in Kenya, replete with chapattis, mandazi, and milky spiced tea. I was expecting about 6 people to show up (including my parents - and Jenna's) but we had about 40some, and they even seemed to be entertained/informed.
After a couple weeks of soaking up the ND sun, I turned east for a wedding and friends from college. From Boston to NYC to DC I caught up with my friends a year (some more than a year) into real life. We traded world-weary anecdotes and reflected on how cynicism grips those out of college gates. Actually we did none of that, just chatted happily about whichever stage of life we found ourselves in.
Highlights: Josh and Gowri's beautiful wedding which included seeing a ton of old friends with Ritu as my date, Jayson and I pulling on the push doors in Harvard's Physics building, taking over a small Ethiopian restaurant with noisy friends in NYC, cupcakes with Khang, setting up Laura's classroom with Jeff (and Laura), catching up on every NBC sitcom ever made with Jim, and a day of globe-spanning cuisine with Dede and Nicole. Of course my best friend who should have been part of the DC-ness was stuck in Guantanamo Bay.** Although it was fun to tell people that bit of info and see their reactions, so it all works out.
I am now typing this from work, back in Nairobi for the next 3 and 1/3 months. Go AACC Conference Planning team Go! (Jet lag has either not set in or is making me loopy, please forgive the excessive exclamation points.)
*Shaky Mondays = Buy one get one free milk shakes at a cute little diner at home. They're delicious. And Dad, Mom, and Grace brought me there straight from the airport. I love them so.
**Megan is not now nor has she ever been a detainee, just on a trip for work that got delayed by Hurricane Gustav.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
When Worlds Collide (a long entry making up for last week's one sentence)
As hinted at last week, my mom is in Kenya!!!!
She arrived last Wednesday in one of the most triumphant reunions of all time. Bigger than Led Zeppelin. Ok maybe not bigger, because there are more of them than us and they have amplifiers and big hair, but it was indeed joyous.
Thursday her group (11 people from Presbytery of the Northern Plains, a majority of them from my home congregation who are now visiting our sister churches in Kenya) came to the AACC to hear a bit about the African church and experiences of church workers in the AACC and Kenya. Arranging a panel discussion the day after people have flown for approximately 24 hours was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I think those who were conscious enjoyed the dialogue. My mom and I finished up the day by going to Margaret's for dinner. Now my mom knows exactly why I rave about spending time there - from hot off the pan chapatti to a walk through the garden, it was a tremendous evening.
Friday was traveling! My mom and I met up with her group at their guest house and sat around for about an hour waiting for transport to arrive. It was fun to get caught up with Fargo news and have an opportunity to meet the group. When both cars arrived, we discovered that we would be making the journey in a matatu. I didn't mind so much, but watching everyone pile in to what was doubtless the most crowded vehicle they'd ever been in for that long before made me realize that my attitudes toward public transportation have definitely changed in the last year. Last August I might not have been so nonchalant about riding 4 hours crouched over so as not to hit the ceiling. Everyone was also very concerned about matatu driving, but not only could I not really see so much from the back, but I also think my standards for road conduct have been transformed.
After arriving in Chogoria the group learned that instead of spending all day Saturday planning their church school activities, they would actually be performing their church school activities. So we spent Friday night in groups of 6 planning and getting excited for meeting 100 kids with crafts and games.
Saturday we walked into the church to begin the day and for a momnet I lost the ability to breathe. Instead of leading a group of 100 kids, we probably had about 350, and my carefree "we can do it, we don't need a whole day to plan" attitude instantly disappeared into the sea of many many pairs of eyes staring back at us from the church pews. The kids split in two groups by age, and my mom, Matt (my pastor), and I began to teach the little bitties with the gracious help of pastors and teachers translating and providing crowd control. There was nothing to do but throw ourselves into the activities and try to make some kind of connection across language, cultural, and number barriers.
Our first activity involved writing down your name (you are unique and special to God!) and then gluing sequins on the paper (very avant garde new-wave art scene). Matt, Mom, and I decided to avoid the glitter that came along with the activity kit and only let the kids use the larger shiny objects for decor. It went well, we kind of shepherded the kids through the activity - again with help from amazingly patient teachers - sang some songs, and then broke for lunch. While were eating I sort of noticed that all the teachers were in the lunch hall with us, and it did cross my mind that children weren't under their custody. But I didn't think too hard and kept eating my maize and beans.
Until . . .
We left the lunch room and walked back to the church to find large and small children mingling outside the doors, their faces and hair COVERED in glitter. I believe I heard the sound of Matt and my mom's jaws dropping behind me, but I was too busy laughing hysterically to be sure. I stopped laughing when I saw the glitter COVERING the church floor and then started worrying how and when we would be escorted off the church premises. "Thanks for sharing your time and destroying our sanctuary; please leave our continent immediately. You and your art supplies are not welcome back." This shockingly did not happen, and we got through the rest of the afternoon without incident. But I will never forget that first sight of hundreds of miniature Kenyan David Bowies.
Sunday was all church all day. It was a service in which the Boys and Girls Brigade (kind of Boy and Girl Scouts) were holding a fundraising event. So we saw 15 feet tall sugar cane stalks marched down the church aisle and auctioned off along with assorted veggies, a rooster, and a bunny. Matt preached and was given a wrapped present which Jackie and I hoped was a bunny, but alas it was only cute little plastic tumblers.
Monday the group and I parted ways so I could come back to Nairobi and earn a living. As mentioned about 10 months ago, I get a little nervous when taking new forms of public transportation on my own. Thus jumping on a bus just hoping it would take me to Nairobi was a little nerve-wracking, but one of our hosts - David - assured me it was a good bus. He is among the most reliable people I've ever met, so I stopped panicking. It also helped that the 3-year old sitting on his dad's lap next to me started imitating every move the driver made. The driver would turn the wheel, small child would turn his hanky. The driver waved at an oncoming bus, small child waved at an oncoming bus. It was beyond adorable, and every few minutes I looked up from Eric Clapton's autiobiography (definitely recommend it) to watch him shift gears on his dad's knee. He was still at it as I hopped out of the bus when the streets became familiar in Nairobi.
If you're still reading, I'll share a little bit about the emotional side of the experience. Going a year without a hug from your mom is inadvisable. So I was delighted to finally spend time with her and show her a little bit of my world in Nairobi. Rural life at the base of Mt. Kenya is not exactly my world, but it was still fun to be able to answer some of the group's questions about East Africa more generally. I was rather surprised how quickly I melded into the group, thinking that after a year away I shouldn't be quite so comfortable around North Dakotans. Aren't I a completely transformed being? There were definitely some moments when I made comparisons and saw how my belief system has changed in the last year, but those were not quite as frequent as I had anticipated. I also noticed that I have picked up the Kenyan habit of making your "active listening" a verbal proccess - I say mmm every couple of seconds just to show that I'm still engaged. Who knew that not everyone does the same?
Thanks for bearing with me to the end! There are a ton of details I have left out (which you probably can't believe this far down the page), but I hope this gave the general impression of how lovely it was to see a group from home who were so excited to approach a church partnership in Kenya.
She arrived last Wednesday in one of the most triumphant reunions of all time. Bigger than Led Zeppelin. Ok maybe not bigger, because there are more of them than us and they have amplifiers and big hair, but it was indeed joyous.
Thursday her group (11 people from Presbytery of the Northern Plains, a majority of them from my home congregation who are now visiting our sister churches in Kenya) came to the AACC to hear a bit about the African church and experiences of church workers in the AACC and Kenya. Arranging a panel discussion the day after people have flown for approximately 24 hours was probably not the smartest thing I've ever done, but I think those who were conscious enjoyed the dialogue. My mom and I finished up the day by going to Margaret's for dinner. Now my mom knows exactly why I rave about spending time there - from hot off the pan chapatti to a walk through the garden, it was a tremendous evening.
Friday was traveling! My mom and I met up with her group at their guest house and sat around for about an hour waiting for transport to arrive. It was fun to get caught up with Fargo news and have an opportunity to meet the group. When both cars arrived, we discovered that we would be making the journey in a matatu. I didn't mind so much, but watching everyone pile in to what was doubtless the most crowded vehicle they'd ever been in for that long before made me realize that my attitudes toward public transportation have definitely changed in the last year. Last August I might not have been so nonchalant about riding 4 hours crouched over so as not to hit the ceiling. Everyone was also very concerned about matatu driving, but not only could I not really see so much from the back, but I also think my standards for road conduct have been transformed.
After arriving in Chogoria the group learned that instead of spending all day Saturday planning their church school activities, they would actually be performing their church school activities. So we spent Friday night in groups of 6 planning and getting excited for meeting 100 kids with crafts and games.
Saturday we walked into the church to begin the day and for a momnet I lost the ability to breathe. Instead of leading a group of 100 kids, we probably had about 350, and my carefree "we can do it, we don't need a whole day to plan" attitude instantly disappeared into the sea of many many pairs of eyes staring back at us from the church pews. The kids split in two groups by age, and my mom, Matt (my pastor), and I began to teach the little bitties with the gracious help of pastors and teachers translating and providing crowd control. There was nothing to do but throw ourselves into the activities and try to make some kind of connection across language, cultural, and number barriers.
Our first activity involved writing down your name (you are unique and special to God!) and then gluing sequins on the paper (very avant garde new-wave art scene). Matt, Mom, and I decided to avoid the glitter that came along with the activity kit and only let the kids use the larger shiny objects for decor. It went well, we kind of shepherded the kids through the activity - again with help from amazingly patient teachers - sang some songs, and then broke for lunch. While were eating I sort of noticed that all the teachers were in the lunch hall with us, and it did cross my mind that children weren't under their custody. But I didn't think too hard and kept eating my maize and beans.
Until . . .
We left the lunch room and walked back to the church to find large and small children mingling outside the doors, their faces and hair COVERED in glitter. I believe I heard the sound of Matt and my mom's jaws dropping behind me, but I was too busy laughing hysterically to be sure. I stopped laughing when I saw the glitter COVERING the church floor and then started worrying how and when we would be escorted off the church premises. "Thanks for sharing your time and destroying our sanctuary; please leave our continent immediately. You and your art supplies are not welcome back." This shockingly did not happen, and we got through the rest of the afternoon without incident. But I will never forget that first sight of hundreds of miniature Kenyan David Bowies.
Sunday was all church all day. It was a service in which the Boys and Girls Brigade (kind of Boy and Girl Scouts) were holding a fundraising event. So we saw 15 feet tall sugar cane stalks marched down the church aisle and auctioned off along with assorted veggies, a rooster, and a bunny. Matt preached and was given a wrapped present which Jackie and I hoped was a bunny, but alas it was only cute little plastic tumblers.
Monday the group and I parted ways so I could come back to Nairobi and earn a living. As mentioned about 10 months ago, I get a little nervous when taking new forms of public transportation on my own. Thus jumping on a bus just hoping it would take me to Nairobi was a little nerve-wracking, but one of our hosts - David - assured me it was a good bus. He is among the most reliable people I've ever met, so I stopped panicking. It also helped that the 3-year old sitting on his dad's lap next to me started imitating every move the driver made. The driver would turn the wheel, small child would turn his hanky. The driver waved at an oncoming bus, small child waved at an oncoming bus. It was beyond adorable, and every few minutes I looked up from Eric Clapton's autiobiography (definitely recommend it) to watch him shift gears on his dad's knee. He was still at it as I hopped out of the bus when the streets became familiar in Nairobi.
If you're still reading, I'll share a little bit about the emotional side of the experience. Going a year without a hug from your mom is inadvisable. So I was delighted to finally spend time with her and show her a little bit of my world in Nairobi. Rural life at the base of Mt. Kenya is not exactly my world, but it was still fun to be able to answer some of the group's questions about East Africa more generally. I was rather surprised how quickly I melded into the group, thinking that after a year away I shouldn't be quite so comfortable around North Dakotans. Aren't I a completely transformed being? There were definitely some moments when I made comparisons and saw how my belief system has changed in the last year, but those were not quite as frequent as I had anticipated. I also noticed that I have picked up the Kenyan habit of making your "active listening" a verbal proccess - I say mmm every couple of seconds just to show that I'm still engaged. Who knew that not everyone does the same?
Thanks for bearing with me to the end! There are a ton of details I have left out (which you probably can't believe this far down the page), but I hope this gave the general impression of how lovely it was to see a group from home who were so excited to approach a church partnership in Kenya.
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