Sweat Equity

The building project in Ilkiloret has become a real pain in the behind. But I'm guessing most construction projects are like that because of the nature of the work and many variables involved.

The project was supposed to have two head fundi's and four helpers. Three from Ngong and three from Ilkiloret. But the "real" fundis from Ngong, complain that the Maasai workers recruited in Ilkiloret are lazy. By the third week of the project I'm told that they can't use unskilled Maasai workers anymore and will only bring one back (after the work stoppage for five days because the head fundi's mother died). They don't end up bringing him back at all. Then two of them ask to come back to deal with family issues. One does not return. I had stupidly paid him for all the days he had worked so far. The other one is one of my head fundi's and returned to Ilkiloret Friday with materials.

The deal we made with the head fundis from the beginning was that I would give them an advance for food. They live down there once they get there. The fundi who left told me he would communicate to the rest of the fundis about this, but on Thursday I found out he hadn't and I had a mini revolt on my hands. Somehow they think I should be supplying food for them while there on the job site. Interesting but not the agreement. Now they are refusing to pay Steven, the current head fundi, for food. What they don't realize is that I can just deduct the money for food from their salaries and pay Steven back directly. Or tell the Maasai community that they are not living up to their end of the agreement. Every tribe in Kenya is afraid of the Maasai! Neither way is conducive to a happy ending so I'm hoping they will come to their senses and pay Steven!

I have also added to their work which didn't help anything. I got permission from Give Us Wings to paint the interior of the building, but that will take an extra day or two so I volunteered to come help paint. I happen to have more than adequate painting skills, which I own to the fact that my parents house was built around me and sweat equity was part of being a member of the family. I also did minor renovations in the house I rented in St. Cloud, which included painting. I went down on Wednesday to put the undercoat on the walls. Only to discover that two of the four walls weren't ready for painting. Grace Laton, one of Wezesha's sponsored children who comes from Ilkiloret and I put on two coats of undercoat on two walls. It was Laton's first time painting and I think the only reason Steven left her continue was that it was undercoat!

Njenga my pikipiki (motorcycle taxi) driver was supposed to pick me up at 4:30 but he never showed up. I walked out to the network tree and called him only to find out that he had a puncture and had gone back to Ngong.

When he dropped me off on Wednesday, Steven had taken measurements of the window glass panes and told Njenga where to get quotes. The place Steven thought would be cheaper was closed so Njenga got a quote from the more expensive place, whose owner I know well. They gave him a big hassle both that day and the next morning. So I finally told him around 12:30 on Thursday just to come back and pick me up!

Thursday morning I had gone to find network and had to walk farther than normal and was unsuccessful. The clouds hung over the mountains like frosting on cupcakes, blocking all network connections. While standing on the top of the network hill, not to be confused with the network tree, I saw a path off in the distance and decided I need to see what lay on the other side of that mountain.

So later in the morning when Laton and I walked back to the network tree and contacted Njenga and determined it would take him at least a half and hour to arrive in Ilkiloret, I convince Laton to accompany me over the mountain.

On the way, is a Maasai compound where some of my students stay. We stopped and had tea with Margaret and then headed up the hill that was full of loose rocks and a bit difficult to navigate. I haven't however seen anything more magnificent than what appeared when we crested the mountain. A beautiful canyon, green mountains, that famous purple-gray mist that blankets the rift valley... all of it breathtaking! (I have pictures and will post them soon...so check back.)

There is also network near the compound where we stopped to have tea. I called Njenga again to make sure he was on the way, only to find out he was still at testimony and they hadn't started cutting the glass yet. "Come NOW," I said. "I'll figure out the glass when I get back to Ngong."

Njenga arrived in time for lunch around 1:30 and we ate and then rushed back to Ngong where I ordered glass from the shop that had originally been closed in about 15 minutes!!!

My short trip to Ilkiloret had turned into an exhausting saga. I was thumbing through FB on my BlackBerry when I got home and discovered it was Thanksgiving. So I called my parents and talked to some of the people gathered at my house for my family's favorite holiday!

When I hung up I started thinking about what I was thankful for this year...
1) God's abundant blessings in my life
2) a job/mission I LOVE
3) my children
4) the work of Wezesha By Grace
5) the support and encouragement from churches, friends, family and even strangers in the US who have funded, prayed for and sent care packages for Nomadic Chameleon Missions.
6) health
7) an active prayer life
8) the good friends who email me daily (you know who you are)
9) Facebook - yeap you heard me right, I feel so much more connected to friends and family around the world
10)Peace of mind that I'm in the right place, doing what God wants me to do.
11)-can I have an 11? My new friend Jill who gave me about 15 mystery novels yesterday - I was dying for something to read after my Kindle died! She has an iTouch which she says is way better than a Kindle...God, please forgive my iTouch envy!

My wish - that we are as thankful everyday, as we are on Thanksgiving Day!