The adventures are still happening. A few weeks ago we went "up-country" about 75 kgs or 1 1/2 hours tn the side of Lake Victoria. We had some members with us to help us find our way. It's amazing when you get off a "main road" how far back you wander past small selltlments until you finally reach where you are going.
A funeral is a big event, that can last for days. The deceased has expired 10 days before the official funeral and burial. He was encased in a lovely coffin with the open part with a glass covering. There were canvas awnings set up and at least 200 chairs set up under the awnings. As usual there were children running around and coming to see the Mzunga's (that's Swahili for "white people) We were quite the oddity. I was wearing a dark dress with black knee high stockings..One little boy came up to me, looked me over and saw my white skin and black legs. I could see the look on his face saying, "what kind of Mzunga is this?" I had to smile.
I think everyone from miles around came to this event. The service and burial lasted over 6 hours, with everyone wanting to say their last regards to the deceased. He was a member of our church and had a son on a Mission.
I always take pictures, mostly of the children. One girl of about 10 years was holding her sibling on her back and gave me a longing look as if to say, "please come back." We had to leave as it was getting dark and drive home. It's so hard to see people on the road at night, especially those on bikes. But we got back safe and had another adventure to write about.
I have been teaching a Literacy class to 2 members now who want to learn English. The English language is a really hard language to learn. This course is put out by the church and a lot of the words that we take for granted like cower, loft, or knack, are words they have never heard or have a Swaheli word for it. So I invested in a dictionary and we look up the meaning for these words.
We are looking forward to going on a Couples Conference the first weekend in September and going on a Safari. We'll take lots of pictures and add them to the next blog report.
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
a few pictures
Sunday, July 17, 2011
2 1/2 months already
We've been here in Kenya 2 1/2 months now. We are getting used to our daily routine. We crawl out from under the mosquito netting on our bed at 0630.Take a shower and hope the water heater on the shower is working. For breakfast we usually have some kind of hot or cold cereal, boxed milk(like evaporated milk) juice, toast and take our anti-malaria pill. We can't drink the water that comes straight from the tap(that's if the water is on). It has to go through a three filter system that is connected to the kitchen tap. We have a bottle of purified water handy for such things as brushing our teeth, taking medicine, and cooking with.
I try to write in my journal everyday, so I won't forget all the wonderful adventures we are having.
Monday is our "P" day(preparation day) Just like at home we clean the flat,, Errol does most of the laundry in our small washer & dryer(that's better than having two wash tubs out in the yard, one to wash and one do rinse with.. Our flat really is easy to take care of, The floors are all tiled with area rugs in the living room, office and bedroom. There are open air vents in the ceilings that I dust with a long pole with a brush on it . Usually we go to the Nakamatt (Kenya's version of Wal-Mart) It has just about everything that we will need.
Errol, being a farmer at heart has a nice little garden(or Shamba) where he has tomato's, carrots, peppers, lettuce, butternut squash, Swiss chard, and merrigolds. It's quite a challenge to keep it watered, as the ground here is like a sponge.
I am teaching a Literacy Class two day or more a week. We go out visiting the members of our Branch and still need to have a guide to help us find our way but we are getting better.
We know why Errol was sent here, because there seems to always something that needs to be fixed or adjusted
We visit an orphanage once a week to do a service project there. One of our branch members is the grounds keeper there so Errol and our four Elder's work on the grounds and I get to go to the Nursery to help feed babies. These are beautiful children, with names like Josiah, Benedict, Mary and Judy.
We do a lot of traveling to different areas, some that take us 2-4 hours to get to over roads that look like a goat trail, or have so many potholes in them we weave all over the place.
We are busy and having new experiences every day that we never expected to have, but it seems like the "Norm" Our favorite expression is, sigh "it's Africa"
I try to write in my journal everyday, so I won't forget all the wonderful adventures we are having.
Monday is our "P" day(preparation day) Just like at home we clean the flat,, Errol does most of the laundry in our small washer & dryer(that's better than having two wash tubs out in the yard, one to wash and one do rinse with.. Our flat really is easy to take care of, The floors are all tiled with area rugs in the living room, office and bedroom. There are open air vents in the ceilings that I dust with a long pole with a brush on it . Usually we go to the Nakamatt (Kenya's version of Wal-Mart) It has just about everything that we will need.
Errol, being a farmer at heart has a nice little garden(or Shamba) where he has tomato's, carrots, peppers, lettuce, butternut squash, Swiss chard, and merrigolds. It's quite a challenge to keep it watered, as the ground here is like a sponge.
I am teaching a Literacy Class two day or more a week. We go out visiting the members of our Branch and still need to have a guide to help us find our way but we are getting better.
We know why Errol was sent here, because there seems to always something that needs to be fixed or adjusted
We visit an orphanage once a week to do a service project there. One of our branch members is the grounds keeper there so Errol and our four Elder's work on the grounds and I get to go to the Nursery to help feed babies. These are beautiful children, with names like Josiah, Benedict, Mary and Judy.
We do a lot of traveling to different areas, some that take us 2-4 hours to get to over roads that look like a goat trail, or have so many potholes in them we weave all over the place.
We are busy and having new experiences every day that we never expected to have, but it seems like the "Norm" Our favorite expression is, sigh "it's Africa"
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
July 6, 2011
We had a delightful Fourth of July Celebration with the Elders. We roasted hotdogs over a charcoal fire, had potatoe salad, baked beans, Jello, soda pop and chocolate cake. The two African Elders didn't quite to know what to make of it but enjoyed themselves anyway. Elder Keno asked what potatoe salad was since he had never seen it before but had two helpings.
We did go back to Busia all by ourselves and made it there and back without a guide. We went up on Saturday to participate in their activities for that day and planned on staying over. We made reservations at the Farmview Hotel since it was recommended by Elder Fox, our predecessor. When we got there after driving down another rutted boulder strewn track that is supposed to be a road we found that they had no room. A church group had came in and they had given away every room. They offered to escort us to another hotel but we said "No thank you" and drove back to Kisumu. On the way to Busia we passed a semi truck that was lying on it's side with the drivers side of the cab mashed. Several other trucks were parked and the drivers were sitting in the shade of one of the parked trucks discussing the matter. When we came home that evening it was still there. We went back up on Sunday to participate in their meetings and the truck was still there. After the meetings wee over we drove home and it was still there. I guess no one was in a big hurry to move it. They had filled in a lot of the potholes in the road with dirt. The dirt had been forced out of them and the holes were still there with dirt all around them. The rain turns the dirt into mud and tires just squish it out of the potholes.
We drove up to visit the Saints in Nyabondo. When we turned off on the dirt road it was being worked on. They had dirt piles all along one side where the dump-trucks had deposited it. The road is narrow anyway and this made it really narrow. I said "I sure hope we don't meet a truck coming down". We did, three of them. I was forced to pull over between the dirt piles to make room for the downhill traffic. We had a very delightful day as usual and as usual they insisted on feeding us. On the way back down the dirt road I had to pull over several times to let traffic pass. At one point there were a couple of women herding two donkeys laden with something. As I pulled in the space between the dirt piles I heard the women yelling at me. The Elders said that the women were telling me not to hit the donkeys. I figured that donkeys are smart enough to get out of the way and I wasn't going fast enough to hurt them if they didn't. I sure hope that they fix that road before we go back again.
Fifteen things to Love About Kisumu and Western Kenya
1. Romantic Candlelight Dinners
Power is off again
2.Refreshing showers in the morning
waterheater is still broken
3.Doing laundry
I am sure the water will be back on in a day or two, are you sure you can't wear your underwear a day or two longer?
4.Exotic nightlife
Look at the size of that cockroach, Don't step on the Gecko
5. 6:30 a.m. serenade of the birds.
GRAAAAAK, TOO-TOO TOO-TOO-TOO
6.What is the new perfume you are wearing?
Deep Woods Off!
7.Scenic drives
Watch out for that Pothole!
Watch out for that Truck, bus, matatu, bicycle!
8.Speed bumps
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9.Smooth roads
Fasten your seat belt and you WON'T hit your head on the roof!.
Yes, I am sure mufflers aren't an essential part of the truck.
I am sure that if we put it in fourwheel drive we can make it through.
It LOOKED like a shallow puddle!
10. Helpful store clerks
What is Jello?, sour cream?
11. Good directions
Ten kilometer down....THAT'S A ROAD??????????
You go straight that way to.........
Turn left just past the rock crusher
You with the hammer, where is the rock crusher? What, that is you???
12. Street addresses
1/2 kilometer past the UN compound on Nehru Road, turn left
13 Modern toilets
That hole in the floor IS IT??????????????
ACK, GAG, CHOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
14. Rain storms
Where'd the road go?
I don't remember a river being here!
15. Internet connections
Hurry and check your email while the internet is on....Too Late
We did go back to Busia all by ourselves and made it there and back without a guide. We went up on Saturday to participate in their activities for that day and planned on staying over. We made reservations at the Farmview Hotel since it was recommended by Elder Fox, our predecessor. When we got there after driving down another rutted boulder strewn track that is supposed to be a road we found that they had no room. A church group had came in and they had given away every room. They offered to escort us to another hotel but we said "No thank you" and drove back to Kisumu. On the way to Busia we passed a semi truck that was lying on it's side with the drivers side of the cab mashed. Several other trucks were parked and the drivers were sitting in the shade of one of the parked trucks discussing the matter. When we came home that evening it was still there. We went back up on Sunday to participate in their meetings and the truck was still there. After the meetings wee over we drove home and it was still there. I guess no one was in a big hurry to move it. They had filled in a lot of the potholes in the road with dirt. The dirt had been forced out of them and the holes were still there with dirt all around them. The rain turns the dirt into mud and tires just squish it out of the potholes.
We drove up to visit the Saints in Nyabondo. When we turned off on the dirt road it was being worked on. They had dirt piles all along one side where the dump-trucks had deposited it. The road is narrow anyway and this made it really narrow. I said "I sure hope we don't meet a truck coming down". We did, three of them. I was forced to pull over between the dirt piles to make room for the downhill traffic. We had a very delightful day as usual and as usual they insisted on feeding us. On the way back down the dirt road I had to pull over several times to let traffic pass. At one point there were a couple of women herding two donkeys laden with something. As I pulled in the space between the dirt piles I heard the women yelling at me. The Elders said that the women were telling me not to hit the donkeys. I figured that donkeys are smart enough to get out of the way and I wasn't going fast enough to hurt them if they didn't. I sure hope that they fix that road before we go back again.
Fifteen things to Love About Kisumu and Western Kenya
1. Romantic Candlelight Dinners
Power is off again
2.Refreshing showers in the morning
waterheater is still broken
3.Doing laundry
I am sure the water will be back on in a day or two, are you sure you can't wear your underwear a day or two longer?
4.Exotic nightlife
Look at the size of that cockroach, Don't step on the Gecko
5. 6:30 a.m. serenade of the birds.
GRAAAAAK, TOO-TOO TOO-TOO-TOO
6.What is the new perfume you are wearing?
Deep Woods Off!
7.Scenic drives
Watch out for that Pothole!
Watch out for that Truck, bus, matatu, bicycle!
8.Speed bumps
YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
9.Smooth roads
Fasten your seat belt and you WON'T hit your head on the roof!.
Yes, I am sure mufflers aren't an essential part of the truck.
I am sure that if we put it in fourwheel drive we can make it through.
It LOOKED like a shallow puddle!
10. Helpful store clerks
What is Jello?, sour cream?
11. Good directions
Ten kilometer down....THAT'S A ROAD??????????
You go straight that way to.........
Turn left just past the rock crusher
You with the hammer, where is the rock crusher? What, that is you???
12. Street addresses
1/2 kilometer past the UN compound on Nehru Road, turn left
13 Modern toilets
That hole in the floor IS IT??????????????
ACK, GAG, CHOKE!!!!!!!!!!!!
14. Rain storms
Where'd the road go?
I don't remember a river being here!
15. Internet connections
Hurry and check your email while the internet is on....Too Late
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
June 22 update 2
We had a baptism in Kisumu on June 4 with nine people being baptized into the Church. The next day they were confirmed members in Sacrament Meeting.
We drove up to the branch at Busia on Sunday June 12 to visit with the members there. They had held a baptism service the day before and had one new member to be confirmed. They were so appreciative of our being there and invited us back to participate in branch council meeting which we will do on June 26.
Brother Jonah from the Kisumu Branch offered to go with us and be our guide to get us to Busia and back. We were grateful to have a guide since we had never been there and weren't sure how to find the place. After church meetings were over he asked if we could stop by his son's house and pick up something for him. I said sure since he had blessed us we could surely return the favor. Turned out the "something" was two sheets of rolled up corrugated tin roofing which they loaded in the back of our truck. They stuck out quite a ways so they tied them in and flagged them to be legal.
We were driving back when he asked if we could drop the tin of at his place just up the road about ten kilometers. I thought that was great and I wouldn't have to worry about driving in Kisumu with them. Turned out "about ten kilometers" were ten kilometers down a couple of rough dirt roads. He finally said turn here at a nice little place just off the dirt road. I started to pull into the drive when he said "No, down the next road". The next road was a narrow dirt cow trail with brush on both sides and washouts in the bottom. I shifted the truck into four wheel drive low and proceeded down the trail. It had started to spit rain and now it was really starting to rain. We came to a clearing where there were two maize fields and he said "here." I turned off the trail into the clearing thinking this was a bad idea since the ground had been worked up. We unloaded the tin and I was thankful for the umbrella we carry in the truck. He shouldered one roll and started off down a trail while I dragged the other one. About a hundred yards later we came into the clearing where his house (a small mud hut with thatched roof) was and dropped off the tin. He wasn't quite as old as me but he is no spring chicken and not a big man either. I was impressed that he could carry that roll. We slogged back through the mud to the truck and I was muddy and wet from the knees down.
We started back up the track which now resembled an irrigation ditch with so much water running down it. The truck spun and lurched and I had to drive up on the bank around washouts while Sister Jorgensen had a fit saying we were going to tip over. I assured her we wouldn't tip, get stuck in the mud maybe but not tip over. With the windshield wipers going full speed and me trying to see the road we finally made it back to the dirt road, heaved a sigh of relief and headed back for the highway. When it rains it really pours.
We had another storm a few nights ago where the lightning was so close there was hardly any time between the flash and the clap. It was so loud that we almost jumped out of bed.
We drove up to Eldoret for a conference on June 18. I studied the map we have, the directions Elder Fox left and the satellite map on Friday and downloaded part of a map of Eldoret so I could see how to get to the chapel there. Elder Beecher sent us directions to the chapel and so on Saturday morning early we set out without a guide. Following the maps that I had studied we drove the trip I had planned out and made it right into the church compound there. The meeting with Elder and Sister Usi the area authority and President Kogo of the Eldoret district was really inspiring.
We had a typical meal of rice with a meat in a broth to put over it, cooked vegetables and cabbage, fresh bananas and soda pop. The only thing missing was the ugali. With our confidence high we started back home. It was cloudy and Sister Jorgensen said we might get rained on. Her words were very prophetic. As we approached Knapsabet a bolt of lightning hit the cell tower in front of us and it had started to rain. When we drove into town it started to rain so hard with hail mixed in that I could not see where the road was so I pulled off. I soon realized that we were in a bad spot when water was running around us. We moved to a driveway in front of a business but had to move when a car honked for us to get out of the way. We inched down about a block and parked in front of a service station to wait it out. Very few vehicles were moving and we waited about a half hour until it eased off some and then started out again. About twenty kilometers later we drove out of it and had clear roads from then on arriving home safely. The Lord really does watch out for his missionaries.
We drove up to the branch at Busia on Sunday June 12 to visit with the members there. They had held a baptism service the day before and had one new member to be confirmed. They were so appreciative of our being there and invited us back to participate in branch council meeting which we will do on June 26.
Brother Jonah from the Kisumu Branch offered to go with us and be our guide to get us to Busia and back. We were grateful to have a guide since we had never been there and weren't sure how to find the place. After church meetings were over he asked if we could stop by his son's house and pick up something for him. I said sure since he had blessed us we could surely return the favor. Turned out the "something" was two sheets of rolled up corrugated tin roofing which they loaded in the back of our truck. They stuck out quite a ways so they tied them in and flagged them to be legal.
We were driving back when he asked if we could drop the tin of at his place just up the road about ten kilometers. I thought that was great and I wouldn't have to worry about driving in Kisumu with them. Turned out "about ten kilometers" were ten kilometers down a couple of rough dirt roads. He finally said turn here at a nice little place just off the dirt road. I started to pull into the drive when he said "No, down the next road". The next road was a narrow dirt cow trail with brush on both sides and washouts in the bottom. I shifted the truck into four wheel drive low and proceeded down the trail. It had started to spit rain and now it was really starting to rain. We came to a clearing where there were two maize fields and he said "here." I turned off the trail into the clearing thinking this was a bad idea since the ground had been worked up. We unloaded the tin and I was thankful for the umbrella we carry in the truck. He shouldered one roll and started off down a trail while I dragged the other one. About a hundred yards later we came into the clearing where his house (a small mud hut with thatched roof) was and dropped off the tin. He wasn't quite as old as me but he is no spring chicken and not a big man either. I was impressed that he could carry that roll. We slogged back through the mud to the truck and I was muddy and wet from the knees down.
We started back up the track which now resembled an irrigation ditch with so much water running down it. The truck spun and lurched and I had to drive up on the bank around washouts while Sister Jorgensen had a fit saying we were going to tip over. I assured her we wouldn't tip, get stuck in the mud maybe but not tip over. With the windshield wipers going full speed and me trying to see the road we finally made it back to the dirt road, heaved a sigh of relief and headed back for the highway. When it rains it really pours.
We had another storm a few nights ago where the lightning was so close there was hardly any time between the flash and the clap. It was so loud that we almost jumped out of bed.
We drove up to Eldoret for a conference on June 18. I studied the map we have, the directions Elder Fox left and the satellite map on Friday and downloaded part of a map of Eldoret so I could see how to get to the chapel there. Elder Beecher sent us directions to the chapel and so on Saturday morning early we set out without a guide. Following the maps that I had studied we drove the trip I had planned out and made it right into the church compound there. The meeting with Elder and Sister Usi the area authority and President Kogo of the Eldoret district was really inspiring.
We had a typical meal of rice with a meat in a broth to put over it, cooked vegetables and cabbage, fresh bananas and soda pop. The only thing missing was the ugali. With our confidence high we started back home. It was cloudy and Sister Jorgensen said we might get rained on. Her words were very prophetic. As we approached Knapsabet a bolt of lightning hit the cell tower in front of us and it had started to rain. When we drove into town it started to rain so hard with hail mixed in that I could not see where the road was so I pulled off. I soon realized that we were in a bad spot when water was running around us. We moved to a driveway in front of a business but had to move when a car honked for us to get out of the way. We inched down about a block and parked in front of a service station to wait it out. Very few vehicles were moving and we waited about a half hour until it eased off some and then started out again. About twenty kilometers later we drove out of it and had clear roads from then on arriving home safely. The Lord really does watch out for his missionaries.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
June 22 update
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| Add caption |
Monday, June 6, 2011
June 6
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| faithful Saints Dennis and Bethsheba in front of their house. She insisted on carrying the backpack even though she has to use a crutch and has a leg brace. He uses two crutches because both legs are crippled. No such thing as government welfare |
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| Elder Larson by partially finished hut. more mud will be added |
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| chapel at Nyabongo. mud walls over poles, mud floor |
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| Victor from Nyabongo |
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| children sitting in front of their house. |
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| crushing rocks for the road |
Nyabondo is about sixty kilometers from Kisumu. The people there have no electricity or running water but were so gracious and welcoming to us. We met with them for three hours and taught them. Sister Jorgensen and I met with the members and the Elders met with the Investigators to teach them more about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They were so honored by our visit that they insisted on feeding us. I know that was a lot of work and a financial burden on them because they have very little to share except for the produce from their garden and trees. My first experience with genuine mud huts. Some are two rooms with a wall, Some just have a curtain dividing the living space. Some have a board door and some just have a curtain. The more affluent have tin roofs. Never seen any milled lumber except for doors and shutters.
We drove up there on the one month anniversary of our mission and took the four Elders, Larson, Olsen, Jackson white and Jackson black. Elders Larson and Jackson black have been transferred to Nairobi. We will receive two new Elders on Thursday.
We baptized nine new members in our branch on Saturday. Fortunately we filled the font before the water went off.
Our water has been off for three days. Church services in this building went on without any water for the bathrooms. The people have to walk or ride bicycles, tuk tuks or matatus to church and some come from quite a long ways out. They really need the bathrooms. It smelled really rank as we were loading buckets from the back storage tank to flush and clean the bathrooms.
I will get pictures of tuk tuks and matatus.
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