Jesse James...I mean Joel

Like everything else in Kenya, I found very little information when I googled "New Testament Church of God." Which is where I was on Sunday attending the "welcoming" for lack of a better word of Jese Joel...the newest member of the King'atua compound. Jese was born to Hannah and Githingi on Dec. 24. He is our Christmas miracle. And at the risk of being rude (which I'm not being but it might sound that way) ...the funniest lookin' little dude I've seen in a while. There is a TV/Movie character he reminds me of with big bulging eyes that never quite focus on you. And he has this amazing curly hair - lots of it! He was way overdue so we were all pretty sure he would come out talking...

Hannah and Jese at church.

Githingi, Jese's dad, came over in the morning to tell me I could do with his mother, Mama Jeri (her actual name is Eunice but I've never actually called her that so why start now) and Hannah who would be leaving for church about 8:30. Githingi is the assistant pastor (with no formal training) at New Testament Church of God, so he went on ahead to get ready for the big day.

At 8:45 I went to look for Mama Jeri. She was at Faith, Grace's daughter's, house drinking tea and eating chapo, so I told her to call me when she was ready and went home. About ten minutes later we left for church. We walked up to the main road, took a matatu to the road that leads to the junction before the church, took a tuk-tuk to the junction and walked to the church. It was a very dusty, bone-jarring ride.

The church had a stone foundation and iron sheet walls. The wind whistle through the windows and the open doors. The first thing you will notice about churches in Kenya is that no matter how poor they are they will have a sound system. The amp at New Testament was turned all the way up so that the prayers literally hurt my ears. I felt bad for baby Jese even though he was wearing a knitted hat with ear flaps over his head!

We sat through one hour of praise and worship and then another of speeches and introduction (mind you it's all in swahili)...come hour three the bishop got up to preach. And preach he did in Kikuyu with translation into Swahili. Now I have a fairly extensive Swahili vocabulary but I still suck at stringing sentences together. So by hour three I'm fighting to stay awake... Thank heavens I'd gotten by phone settings fixed and was able to get FB on my phone again... (Not that I was on FB instead of "listening" to the sermon...wink, wink!

Grace spoke.

John spoke.

Even me.

The introduction/welcome of the baby was an interesting affair. The family was called up along with the pastors in attendance...which it turned out there were quite a few and some members of the congregation.

Prayers were said.

The baby wasn't baptized. Instead we passed him first one way and then the other around the circle of people who had been called to the front of the church.

Passing Baby Jese Joel around the circle of family, congregation and spiritual leaders...a very symbolic ceremony.


At this point I'm standing in the circle and trying to take pictures at the same time. Near the end John King'atua took the microphone and asked Githingi and Hannah a series of questions...like what we do at a baptism.

Blessing Jese.

After that we ate rice and beans with a bit of meat in it and arrowroot and tea.

I still haven't figured out the theology of the New Testament Church of God. All I know for sure is that Hannah wears a pink head scarf because she is not supposed to show her hair and never wears pants. Not much to go on.

What I know for sure is that I'm really over sitting through four hour Swahili church services... I need to get some Swahili lessons ASAP.

The happy family. They kind of remind me of those couples in the 70s that used to make their clothes out of the same fabric.

The happy auntie Jessica with baby Jese Joel. Hannah made the dress I'm wearing!

Class, Wedding, Class...what?

New classroom, more new students everyday, and a wedding on a Wednesday afternoon...huh?

I arrived in Ilkiloret just before 10 am on Wednesday ready to teach. The first thing Rebeka said to me was, "Chief's celebration today, me cook."

"Really," I said.

I went to school to find Janet all dolled up in a pink suit.
"What's the celebration all about," I asked.
"My step-brother is getting married," Janet said.
"Do people normally get married in the middle of the day on a weekday?" I asked. (I was full of questions all afternoon.)
"They get married whenever," Janet said.

We had all of five students, one, Isaya, came about 5 minutes before the end of class. Come to find out he was just passing the time before he was due to preach at the wedding!

Janet and I went back to Rebeka's to eat lunch before the wedding. I wasn't told there was going to be a celebration. I had on a black and white skirt and a black tank top. I put on a belt so I could wear my camera case on my belt. Rebeka gave me one of the necklaces she made to wear. I put on a beach hat to shade me from the midday rays that are oven-like in Ilkiloret this time of year. As we were leaving, I grabbed a blue leso to put over my shoulder should I not find any shade. Rebeka immediately took it away from me and pulled out a red one and wrapped it Maasai-like around my shoulders. She took another look at me and grabbed another more Maasai-like necklace and put it over my neck. "Good," she said. "White Maasai!"

Janet and Jessica on the way to the wedding.

Waiting for the bride with a small friend.


Then we walked over to Janet's father's (the chief's) compound and sat in plastic chairs under a tree while we waited for the bride to arrive. The wedding was supposed to start at noon. A pick-up truck with some branches stuck in the grill came up the path toward the compound in a cloud of dust just after 2:30 in the afternoon.

Some of the brides relatives (all male) climbed out of the back of the pickup. The chief climbed from the front seat. Seated between him and the photographer, who doubled as the driver, was the saddest most stoic bride I have ever seen in my life.

Here comes the bride...

The not so happy bride. And yes that's a baby on her back and no, not sure whose it is.

I asked Janet why she looked so sad. Janet said she had to leave her family and move to her husband's compound and Janet said, you are not supposed to look happy to do that.

The mayhem that followed was nothing short of hysterical. The bride and what I assume were her maids started to make their way inside the compound when one of the women flew out of the crowd of women who had gathered and went off, yelling and carrying on like the world was about to end. I took a few photos and then went to find Janet.
"What's going on," I asked.
Janet laughed,"The woman yelling wants to know why they haven't laid down leso's for the bride to walk on."
The "conversation" went on for 5 minutes. I shot a 3 minute movie of it. I'll add a link to the video soon.

After 5 minutes of shouted "discussion" the leso walkway is laid down.

Anyway, the bride and the wedding party go into the new husband's manyatta and his family gives her presents and she drinks milk from his families cows.

The crowd gathered under a tree and when the bridal party emerged from the manyatta they joined us in the shade for prayers and singing and then a small offering was taken, (I assume it was for the newlyweds).

Preaching and praying...

And singing...


After the prayers, the crowd was fed rice, potatoes, meat stew and chapati. I gave most of my food to Ezekiel as we had eaten a big lunch of meat and chapati and I wasn't the least bit hungry. Ezekiel is Rebeka's five-year-old son who has an uncanny ability of knowing when I'm likely to give him food. He appears at the exact moment when I can't put another bite in my mouth and then gives me a huge smile when I hand over my plate.

The chapati was made on a three stone fire by young women from the area...most of whom are my students.

Chapati made over a 3 stone fire is the BEST!

The finished product!

Goat Stew! Num!

Mashed Potatoes!

The happy couple...I did see her smile...once...

Resolutions...

As a rule I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions. But if I did the list would look something like this (not necessarily in this order):

Resolution #1: To be a better mom.
Resolution #2: To be a better teacher.
Resolution #3: To learn Swahili, even if it kills me.
Resolution #4: To be a better listener.
Resolution #5: To take time for myself.
Resolution #6: To stop getting in my own way.
Resolution #7: To pray more.
Resolution #8: To be more loving.
Resolution #9: To focus on what’s important and let go of what is not.
Resolution #10: To make time for exercise, even when I don’t want to.
Resolution #11: To control my temper.
Resolution #12: To do a better job and staying in touch with friends.

What are your resolutions? Have you ever looked back at the end of the year and been able to check any off your list? That’s my goal this year…to check one or many off the list. I want this year to be one I can look back and be proud of. It may be the most challenging year of my life to date, but that doesn’t mean I can’t strive to be the best person I can be while meeting the challenges ahead. Keep reading the blog, at the end of 2012 we can look back together and you can help me decide if they’re any check marks to be made. Until then – happy reading.

Blissfully dirty

Dirt is beautiful! Getting dirty usually means you’ve accomplished something or tried to.

Hanging on my wall in Ngong are three photos from when I was young, one is my father holding me when I was very young wrapped in a blanket outside our home in Litchfield. The second one is of me at about the age of 6 feeding our horse Joshua. The third picture is of my dad crouching down petting our dog Custard in field and me at about the age of 3 standing next to him in my bib overalls with Jackie O sunglasses on and a white clutch purse. I remember two other photos from my youth. In one I’m about 4 years old, I have on a white mini dress with big flowers on it and red mud boots. My right hand is firmly holding my dad’s hand, my left hand is holding up a gopher in a trap and on my face is a huge smile. The last photo is when I was about 9, my dad and I have big smiles on our faces­ – shoes off, pants rolled up, arms around each other walking through calf deep mud.

As I grew, I found less and less time to get dirty. With the exception of farm life like mucking out horse stalls or haying, and a few adventures along the way like mud volleyball in college you just have less opportunities to get really grubby.

However, when dirt makes you as happy as it makes me, you will always find your way back to it. Consider my current job with the Maasai. By the time I reach Ilkiloret, I’m covered in dust and the dust just accumulates during the day. My life in Ilkiloret is filled with visiting dung covered huts and swatting flies and children who play in the dirt and then come and rub their hands over my white skin and soft hair - and I’m blissfully happy.

Of course, purging the dirt is nice too. Bathing is an exhilarating experience in the bush, no simple shower in tiled sterility can compare. Where else can you have a clear view of nature while washing a thick film of dirt from your body? Once the dirt is gone however, and I’ve relished the cleanliness of my skin and hair, I often begin to muse about the next time I will be blissfully dirty…fortunately, I never have to wait long.

Filling the Space

I’m the daughter of a perfectionist. It just so happens that my father is a carpenter, so I pity the Kenyan craftsman who has must endure my critical albeit unskilled eye.

On Friday I picked up the furniture for the adult education classroom in Ilkiloret that was made in Ngong – 12 tables, 1 cabinet and 1 desk. This particular fundi was recommended by someone on Wezesha’s board so I thought he would be able to cut the mustard, I was unfortunately mistaken. He forgot to make the teacher’s desk, the cabinet leaves a lot to be desired and is not what I had designed, and a few of the tables have obvious flaws. It’s to be expected really, most of the furniture here is poorly made, or maybe my standards are just too high – thanks Dad!

I got a lorry from another board member who owns a hardware store and the driver, George, and some helpers proceeded to pack it.

Loading the truck in Ngong.

Amazingly everything arrived in Ilkiloret intact. The hardware store had provided one helper, but unloading the lorry was a three- person job and there were no able-bodied Maasai men around, so I got to do the honors. About a half hour later we were back on the road to Ngong, smellier and lighter than we started out and that meant George could drive faster on the road that in many places is not actually a road. My back ached by the time I was back in Ngong. I could write my name in the dust on my arm…lovely! And below is a picture of what I wiped off my face!

You have to love the summer dust in the Rift Valley.

Next week I will go down on Wednesday afternoon and help Janet clean and arrange the classroom. My first class will be on Thursday, January 19. With the new building I’m expecting a lot of new students and hopefully the former students will come more regularly. The real test of a teacher is how much his/her students remember after a school break. I also have to cram of course…I had learned a lot of Maasai and Swahili vocabulary… where did I put those notes!

Christmas, etc.

Omena

Every culture has its own food. When you grow up with it you think nothing of eating lutefisk or haggis, but the rest of the world may not have your taste buds… thus it is with Omena.

Omena are tiny fish that you eat - scales, eyeballs and all. They are dried and then fried and they smell…lets just say, I’d rather spend a whole day in a garbage dump then anywhere near the smell of frying omena.

Omena cooking on the jiko in the backyard!

My son is a Luo. That’s a tribe in Kenya that lives near Lake Victoria and whose main staple diet is omena. Never having eaten it, I let him by 80 shillings worth (about a cup and a 1/2) of omena one day before Christmas. It stunk in the market when we bought it so I made him carry it home instead of putting it in my cloth shopping bag. The smell was making Judie and I nauseated so I told him he would have to cook it on the jiko (charcoal stove) in the back yard.

Even though Omondi said he knew how to cook omena, his big sister helped him out.

Little did we know that omena when cooked is much worse smelling than before it’s cooked. Needlesstosay, my poor son was asked to eat his supper in the back yard! And was told in no uncertain terms that the only place he would eat omena was when he went to visit his grandmother in Nyaoga. Living in a cross-cultural family does mean making sacrifices…but this is one I’m not prepared to make!


More for less

While the economy bounds out of control, and people everywhere are complaining about rising costs… I have to say that in comparison to what I would pay at home for the amount of food I bought in the market the Wednesday before Christmas I am exceedingly grateful to be in a place where good food is plentiful and cheap!

Judie and I were just barely able to carry all this food the mile home from the market. All the vegetables and fruits in the photo below cost a total of about $8 USD.

A lot of produce for just $8!


Apartment shopping

No rental brokers exist for apartments here. It takes a lot of shoe leather to find a good apartment and some friends who’ll keep their eyes open. The next problem is that there are a huge number of apartment buildings that are only partially constructed. Builders run out of money and instead of selling the property as is so that someone else can finish the building they wait until they have money. I’ve seen ivy growing on the scaffolding outside unfinished apartment buildings. It’s not just one or two here or there – they are everywhere. We have looked at a lot of two bedroom apartments, but nothing that was workable. Judie would like her own room even though she’s in boarding school. I don’t blame her, but three bedrooms are hard to find.

We found a nice once that is under construction, but who knows when they will finish…they supervisor said they would be ready for occupancy the end of January, but with the construction track record in this town I don’t want to wait around.

Apartments are relatively cheap. A two bedroom rents for around $150 to $170 a month plus utilities. A three bedroom usually starts around $180.

But you have to have all your own appliances, which is where the cost comes in.
We currently live (all three of us during school breaks) in Grace and John’s house in town. It’s a tiny two bedroom. We have one bedroom in the house. The room is about 12x6. Omondi sleeps in the living room. Judie and I sleep in a 4x6 bed in my room. Grace and John stay at their farm in the Rift Valley most of the time, but once every week or two they spend a night or a few nights here with us usually unannounced.

We only have running water two days a week here and we haven’t even had that for the last month.

More space is definitely needed. When I was running regularly I didn’t feel so claustrophobic but the walls seem to be closing in…here’s hoping God guides us to a new home in the New Year.

Footnote: We looked at another 3-bedroom apartment yesterday. It was huge and only $180 a month. The problem is that there are only four other apartments in the unit and one is rented by an American man married to a Kenyan woman. They have already been robbed once at this location and have only been there four five months. So having two mzungus living in the same building means we would be an even bigger target! There is no guard at the gate or even dogs in the compound.

We saw a two bedroom today. It was small and a bit far from town, but the owner turned out to be a great guy. He works for a joint government/EU project and is does ministry with high school youth. He said he would be interested in being on the board of Wezesha By Grace! Where God closes a door - he opens a window!

The apartment search however continues!


Christmas

I met with Grace about a week before Christmas and we agreed that the King’atua family would spend Christmas apart. Each with their own family or friends - (We had just had everyone together at the Celebration of Thanksgiving on December 10.) But there were two older orphans who had nowhere to go.

“I’ll take them!” I said..

Ruth and I getting in the Christmas spirit.

Omondi also got in on the Christmas spirit.

Raymond and Ruth came Friday night and Judie and I made dinner and then we read our Advent Calendar text and scripture for the 23rd and then I let them open the gift I’d bought for my kids. The board game, “Life.” We had a blast playing the game. I’d forgotten how fun board games can be.

On the matatu on the way to visit friends on Christmas Eve.

My friend Wawira and her husband Joe had invited all five of us over for Christmas Eve. They live in an estate in Nairobi, so we all piled into a matatu Christmas Eve morning and headed to their home, which is right next to Kenyatta Market (a big open air market with everything under the sun for sale).

Judie was in need of a new pair of sneakers and there were some vendors selling used sneakers near the street so we took a look. The first vender wanted $30 for a pair of used Nikes. We said no thanks and went to the next vendor. That vendor started at $25 but I talked him down to $15. And we walked out with an almost new pair of Merrill sport shoes…I whispered to Judie as we were walking away… We just bought shoes that cost around $100 in the US for $15! A Christmas miracle indeed.

The Merrills Miracle!

We continued on to Wawira’s house. She has two children. Ivy who is 14 and Matt who is 4. They are both characters. The kids watched a movie while Wawira and her mother and I cooked lunch.

We ate outside in their courtyard and were accosted by monkeys’ - about four of them who were looking for a handout. There is a game park the borders Nairobi and the monkeys discovered long ago that stolen food is plentiful and easy to come by. You don’t leave your back door open if you live where Wawira does or you will have uninvited guests. The kids had a good time watching the monkeys and guarding their desserts.

Monkeys are big fans of mango.

This mama and her baby are leaning over the porch roof above my head.

They even strike a nice pose in black and white.

Mama and baby sitting on the fence in front of the house.

Christmas Eve lunch in the courtyard at Wawira and Joe's.

Wawira and I relaxing after sending the kids to buy ice cream!

At about 6pm they drove us to a bus stage so we could catch a matatu home. There was a movie theatre at the shopping complex by the bus stage so we decided to go check out what was playing. The movie “New Year’s Eve” was playing at 7:10pm so we stayed for the movie. Raymond, Ruth and Omondi had never been to a movie theatre before. Judie had only been once with me last Christmas. It was a very fun day.

On Christmas I got up early and was throwing the tea grounds out when I saw my neighbor Githingi in the yard. His wife Hannah had a baby boy on Christmas Eve. I congratulated him and asked him what they named the baby. “Joel!”

I said every so proudly. “That’s my dad’s name.”

Well Githingi said, “Then you have a father in the compound.”

We went to church. It was a combined service. Meaning it was done entirely in Swahili (They usually have an English service and a Swahili service after that). So I didn’t get a whole lot out of it, but it’s just nice to be in church on Christmas!

Then we went home and ate a huge lunch of almond/gram Marsala breaded tilapia, garlic mashed potatoes, honey glazed carrots, sesame greens beans and salad. After lunch we read our last advent calendar text and scripture verse and opened presents.

Judie and I cooking Christmas lunch.

Omondi made sure we had plenty of photos of cooking fish!

The finished product!

Judie and I model jewelry sent from Auntie Joane!

Raymond opening his Christmas card from the Hasslen family.

Then the kids watched a movie and I went for a run. My first run in over a month and a half! I went about 4K. It felt great. And it was timely as it rained most of the night. So now the dust is gone and the mud is back…at least through this afternoon!

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and are as excited as I am for the year ahead!

Our Christmas Tree!

It's been a while...

I was looking forward to relaxing around the holidays, but that doesn’t seem to be happening. For one the building project in Ilkiloret has just finished! That’s right, I said finished. The fundis completed construction on December 13. I however still have to finish all the paperwork, which I am hoping to do by tomorrow, Friday morning.

Anika, from Give Us Wings was here last week to check on the progress of the building project in Ilkiloret and meet with Grace. It was a whirlwind visit as usual but we accomplished everything we needed to. We went down to Ilkiloret in a pick-up truck with what I thought would be the last supplies needed. Unfortunately, when we arrived we were told they were missing one fascia board and needed 3 more tonnes of cement! So on Friday I sent a truckload of sand and the board and a few other small things down to the site. The transporter who has hauled the stone and sand for this project has a lemon of a truck that he gives me anytime I don’t have a huge load to haul… the last time it went they brakes had problems, this time it overheated. The truck left Ngong at around 9:30 am and arrived in Ilkiloret around 4:30 pm! At least I didn’t travel with it this time!

Friday evening we took a break from the chaos of our lives to go have dinner with my new friend Jill, a retired American early childhood special Ed teacher who is working for the Methodist church here in Kenya. We met in the line at the supermarket and discovered that we are both mzungus (foreigners) who use public transport… this is not the norm for mzungus who reside in Kenya. Jill invited the kids and over for pizza. However, when we arrived at her house she told us that she didn’t have power and her oven is electric. So we rounded up enough pasta (some Kenyan friends were staying with her) for all of us. I had brought fixings for a Greek salad and we feasted like kings and queens by lantern light. It was a wonderful evening and a nice way to start the weekend.

Saturday was Wezesha’s Thanksgiving Celebration at Kimuga Farm. It was a wonderful day. Many of our Maasai neighbors and members of the Ilkiloret community joined us.
We gave certificates to all the children for their hard work over the past year. Their guardians had all been invited and came up to receive their certificates with them. The certificate read:

Wezesha By Grace
Certificate of Excellence
Is hereby granted to:
Child’s Name
For outstanding performance in Class/Form
Way to go Child’s Name. Then something like, Keep up the good work. We are so proud of you.

The audience participated by saying “Way to go” and “We are so proud of you.”
The kids beamed - even the big kids!

Joseph Kiranti and his mother Hannah.

Raymond Waweru with Grace and I.

Omondi and mama as he has started to call me.

Judie asked if she had to come to the celebration, but ended up having a great time.

A testimony was given by, Peter, the man who owns Testimony Hardware (where we got some of our materials for the construction project in Ilkiloret) and who was once given funds for college by Grace and John about how important it is to empower youth with education. He used his life and success as an example of what can be accomplished with hard work and a helping hand.

Peter Kihika giving his testimony.

The Wezesha kids sang some songs and put on a skit called, “Peer Pressure.”

The Maasai from Ilkiloret also sang a few songs.

Grace, Janet and I spoke about the progress for Wezesha in the last year.
A pastor spoke and there were lots of prayers and praise.

Grace and John dance and sing at the end of the celebration.

A nice lunch was served. It was a fun day. The weather even cooperated to give us a pleasant day.

On Sunday it was back to Ilkiloret with Njenga to make sure the fundis would be finished on Schedule on Tuesday. And to plan a walk thru of the site upon completion.

Monday, December 12 is Jamhuri Day (Independence Day) in Kenya. I had made plans to spend the day with my friend Bea, who currently works for the European Union in Nairobi. She adopted a Kenyan daughter five years ago. Zawadi, Bea’s daughter and Judie are good friends. We met Bea at Junction and bought some food while Omondi and Zawi went on a trampoline type thing in the parking lot. They put you in a harness and you can jump and do summersaults – it’s pretty cool.
Then we went to Bea’s friend Lisa’s house. Lisa works for Save The Children and also has an adopted Kenyan daughter. They live in a very fancy housing development near where Bea lives in Lavington. The kids played outside and after lunch they went swimming in the pool. The wind was a bit brisk so Judie, Bea and I decided not to swim. But Lisa and the kids jumped right in.

Tuesday morning Omondi had an interview at the Presbyterian primary school near our home. The full name of the school is Presbyterian Church of East Africa Enchorro Emuny Primary School… it’s a mouth full! Omondi didn’t do very well on his test. He got a 385/500, which is a low score for a private school. The principal said she was very impressed with how well he could read and they would accept him provided he came to a few weeks of tutoring before school started. That was fine by me because having him under foot all day is a bit more than I can handle. And miracles of all miracles…he loves to go to school! Today is just his third day, but I have to hurry to keep up with him when I walk him to school.

In the afternoon Grace and I and Omondi and Ian and Nyambura, Grace’s grandchildren all headed to Ilkiloret for the final walk thru of the classroom building. The fundis asked for a Christmas bonus… I didn’t give it to them. I did however give money to Janet who is no longer being paid for her work by Give Us Wings and has put up with a lot of guff from the fundis over the last few months. We are hoping to get her paid by the district literacy office… but just like in the US, all the government agencies are having to reduce their budgets…so at this point we can only pray.

Entryway to the new Ilkiloret Adult Education and Community Center

My fundis!

Inside the classroom.

The forewoman.


On Wednesday Grace and I went to Joram GM Academy, a school in Matasi that offers boarding for primary students, to speak to the Kenyan founder who has just returned from many years of living in the US. He was late for our appointment and I had to pick Omondi from school. But while Omondi and I were apartment hunting in Ngong, I got a phone call from Grace saying that the founder wanted to speak to me and would I please come back. Luckily Matasi is only about 15 minutes by matatu from Ngong. He and his wife are career educators and they are looking to invest a lot of time and energy into the school now that they are back in Kenya full time. Grace and I are excited about the prospect of taking the remaining primary school children at the farm there in January. It is not very expensive and I can see that the children will be well cared for at Joram GM Academy. A big plus is that they have a clinic on their school grounds and an agreement with the hospital in Matasi to care for the students.

Omondi and I had no luck looking for an apartment; we might have to settle for a two bedroom versus a 3-bedroom. There is just not much available in Ngong. People are moving here in droves. We even talked to somebody about booking a space in a building that is still being built…so basically without seeing what it will look like – scary! But it is right up the hill from the Bounty Hotel and the Bounty has a gym and aerobics that are open to the public (for a fee, of course)… but that’s a huge plus for me. And it’s on the way to Judie’s school so she wouldn’t have to walk so far when she gets dropped off during her school breaks. It is a bit further from Omondi’s school, but I’m betting we could find some shortcuts.

Today I made an appointment to get a holistic massage. With so many trips back and forth to Ilkiloret over the past month, my back has really suffered. I’m hoping Omondi will behave himself, while I’m getting the massage because Judie is not here to watch him at the moment.
I sent her to Meru on Tuesday to apply for her identity card. She’s 22 and doesn’t have one yet. When she turned 18 I wanted to get her one, but people told me not to because she was still in school. Now the law has changed and she has to have one! In order to get it she needed her father’s id card. Finding him took some effort and then he complained that he didn’t have the $3 fare to bring her card to Nkabune where her grandmother lives. Judie was pissed. She told me later that she told him that he brought her into the world and that this was the least he could do after not supporting and caring for her for most of her life! I think we’re still going to have to pay at least part of his fare, but I’m proud of my girl for standing up for herself.

I had about half an hour to figure out the logistics for Judie’s trip. I first asked around the compound if anyone was going to Nairobi. Luckily, Sammy was headed to Ngong and then to Nairobi, so he called us when he was leaving Ngong and we headed up to the main road to meet the matatu he was on. Judie is an amazingly bright young woman but she is definitely not a city kid. So I needed Sammy to get her from the stage where the matatu from Ngong dropped her to the stage to go to Meru, which is only about 6 blocks away. My friend Justin, who drives a taxi in Meru, picked her up when she arrived around 7 pm and put her up in his house. His family has invited us to stay with them whenever we are in Meru even though their house is very small. Justin has been helping us for about 4 years and Judie refers to him as her Meru dad. He has even done school shopping with her and taken her to school when I’m not in the country.

Judie has been having a nosebleed on and off since Sunday. She is a big girl, I can’t force her to go to the clinic to be checked, but if she doesn’t go when she’s in Meru – she will go when she gets home! I’m sure her Meru dad will be all over that!

Please join me in prayer for her – that her journey is safe and that she accomplishes all she needs to. I’m really hoping she gets home before Friday evening. We have a fun weekend planned with my friend Jackie and her son Kyle and I don’t want Judie to miss out on a minute of it!