Covenant Presbyterian Church - Kenya Mission Trip 2004

The team is on their way. They left from the parking lot here at Covenant at about 10:00 our time. They arrived safely in Houston and had some extra time in the terminal as their flight was slightly delayed. A good time was being had by all.

Nairobi is 8 hours ahead of our time. They will arrive in Kenya then at about 11:30 our time on the 22nd, which will make it about 7:30 am "in country" there on the 23rd.

The team arrived about 8:00 am their time. They had a very uneventful trip, a wonderful tour of London and ate fish and chips at a 450 year old pub. They are going to get to sleep early and will get started tomorrow building the church with the Nuthu Gilgil congregation. They are tired but excited.

There are no pictures from today. The cameras and the computers did not interface...but there is a promise of more pictures tomorrow. However here is the news from today.

The church is finished! Yes even with the bus breaking down on the outskirts of the Rift Valley (Great views they say!) the team and the church members were able to complete the outside. The people are grateful that they now have a place they can worship every Sunday, regardless of the weather.

Tomorrow the team will bring in the furniture and then visit some of the other local churches. The banners from our old sanctuary are a great hit. They look wonderful.

The devotional was given by Bob and Travis Kerr. They read from the devotions for a Man in the Mirror. They spoke on the kingdoms of this world and how they do not last. God's kingdom lasts forever. When reflecting back we see the Gilgil church acts in accord with this belief. They are not worried about the perfect building. All they care about is a place to worship. It is wonderful to see their excitement and hear of their appreciation.

We had a fantastic day today! We visited three beautiful churches in the area. The van ride took us down several dirt roads that were the roughest I think we've experienced yet. We've all vowed never to complain about another pothole back home again! We met several lovely, warm people at each church who showed us around and made us feel very welcomed. After a little shopping for the gifts we will bring to the worship service tomorrow and additional gifts for the orphanage next week we enjoyed a relaxing afternoon touring the grounds of the compound as well as two more churches within walking distance. One of them was the Old Watson Memorial church that was the first Presbyterian church in east Africa build over 100 years ago.

This evening Stew and Linda took us out to dine at The Rusty Nail. There was a winding path that cut through beautiful gardens and led to the entrance of the restaurant. There was a fire burning in the fire place, fresh flowers everywhere, and wonderful food. A great time was had by all and it was a nice break after working at the church site the last two days. We are all excited about the worship service tomorrow and know it will be a blessing to be with our fellow Christians in the sanctuary we all worked on together. We continue to laugh together and strengthen our bond as a group each day. We are all so grateful for the opportunity to be here.

Then began the hour or so of dedications. The Nuthu congregation started out with gifts of Kangas (colorful fabric wraps) for the mission team ladies, and beautiful wood carvings for the men. There were never ending words of gratitude for the entire Covenant congregation for all they have done to make this church structure possible. They appreciate the financial assistance, but more importantly the physical and spiritual presence of Covenant. They truly feel one with the Covenant congregation in Texas. Then the Covenant team presented the ladies of the church with flour, sugar, and oil to show our appreciation for their hospitality during construction. We also presented wall banners, communion table coverings, offering plates, a foot washing bowl, and communion plate and chalice. The Nuthu congregation was so very thankful.

To raise funds for benches for the Nuthu congregation, an auction was held. Cabbage, potatoes, beans, peas, long stalks of sugar cane, and live chickens were brought into the sanctuary for sale. This was quite a shock to us Americans, but is common practice here in Kenya. Mark and Bob won the chickens, which ended up at their feet at the front of the church where they were seated. Many others in the group bought produce, and all the items were donated back to the congregation. The clucking of the chickens during the remainder of the service was quite interesting.

The dedication of the church building was next. This consisted of a short ceremony wherein Mark and Samuel (the Nuthu pastor), along with the elders of Covenant and Nuthu, unveiled the plaque.

Scripture readings and a short sermon in English and Kikuyu followed. Communion was shared by all church members, and was led by Mark and Covenant elders. A benediction was given, and the service ended.

A meal of goat, rice, and beans was enjoyed out doors in the cool mountain air. Hot Chai (tea and milk with spices) was served before our trip home. All in all, this was a Sabbath celebration that won't be forgotten.

We arrived in Masai around 11am and were greeted by Steven, the minister in that area and several of the Masai people. Stu said that Steven had smiling eyes and Steven sure did. His eyes smiled with the Lord. The Masai people wore red Scottish patterned Chukas (somewhat like a shawl/covering), beautiful jewelry on both men and women and the men also carried spears with them and knives/machetes. Several children came up to us and were curious about the van and about meeting us. We worked hard through the day and had a working lunch so we could finish the school in one day and we did it! At the end of the day we all gave our thanks and praise to the Lord. We formed a circle and the Masai people sang and danced for the blessings from the Lord. God is good all the time.

We had a devotional this morning with folks from the hospital and then sang Happy Birthday to Anne. She is a young 38! We hit the road around 10am to do some shopping. We drove to Karen for bread, water and to mail postcards. There were lots of vendors selling their goods and lots of activity. Stu then took us for lunch at the Java House where we proceeded to have hamburgers, quiche and believe it or not Mexican food! We did a little more shopping at the local Wal-Mart type of store. We returned to take a tour of the hospital. The hospital here is incredible and the people are very caring.

We walked past three traditional Masai houses and herds of livestock (sheep and goats) and came to a small clearing with a large tree in the center. The shade of the tree served as the area of worship for the small church gatherings every Sunday. Now that they have a building to worship in, the tree serves as a playground of sorts for the Masai children. After visiting the church we were graciously accepted into a Masai house. Since the houses serve only two functions, to cook and to sleep, they are quite small and only five of us could enter at once. The house we visited contained an entry way, three small bedrooms and a central area for a fire. There are no windows in order to reduce the amount of insects that can get inside. The only light source for the entire house is a continually stoked fire.

We walked quickly back to the school and waited for the dedication ceremony to begin. Pastor Steven opened the ceremony organizing the teacher and students in front of the church and leading everyone in a beautiful praise song sung in Masai. He then called forth the chairman of the local land commission to speak on behalf of the organization and present the deed to the school land. The chairman made a wonderful speech and Pastor Steven accepted the deed on behalf of the PCEA. He then asked everyone in attendance to take a stick from the ground and when he gave the word to make the sign of the cross in front of the school. He said they did this in order to remember the origin of the school; that it was built for God's children, by God's children in the grace of God. An elder of the church was asked to enter the school and await the knock of the children. The eldest child in the group knocked on the school door and said, "We are coming to school," and the door was swung open. The children excitedly rushed inside and crowded into desks.

After viewing the wonderful complete school room we went to a small clearing where gifts of music were offered first by the male evangelists, then by the children of the school, then by us. There were quick speeches given on behalf of the school and then it was time to eat. The Masais had given gifts of goat meat, rice and chipita (a tortilla like bread) for lunch and we all ate in the school with the elders of the church.

With bellies full we headed out on the long road back to Kikuyu. We realized the benefit of unpaved roads when we saw zebras, giraffes, gazelles and antelope on our way back to the main road. Two thirds of the way home we got a flat tire, but we were on the road again in no time, safe and unharmed. We ended the day by having tea at Gilbert's house with his family and four lovely ladies from Ireland and Holland who are volunteering at the hospital. After eating our fill of wonderful homemade food, we came back to the hostel for some much needed rest. --Katie Judson

What a wonderful day we had!! We started out at 9am to go to Sigona Church about 10 minutes from our hostel to observe the ground breaking for a school. It will be a three story building, and they are hoping to include a clinic in it. We all had our turn at tuning over some dirt. After about an hour at Sigona Church, we went on to Renguti orphanage about another 20 minutes away. Our driving was so much easier today. This is also a church and a day school for 3-5 year olds who have been orphaned due to HIV and Aids. We colored with the children and played ball with them. They are so in need of adult attention, and they are so adorable. The teachers are so good with them. The children sang to us and we sang to them. What a blessing it was to be there with them. We decided that we would all chip in to buy them food today to take back tomorrow. --Katie Judson

We went to the Renguti Day Orphanage for children orphaned by Aids. The children range in age from two and half and are very precious little one. We took them flour, corn meal and sugar to last a month for the cooking of the meals needed by the little ones. We had so much fun with the soccer balls that we brought yesterday and then today we had even more fun with the tiny ones and bubbles. They had never seen such a thing and had a ball blowing them and then chasing them catching them on their noses and foreheads. There were also games such as London Bridge and Ring Around the Rosy. After getting all the children back in the schoolroom we had singing and Play Dough...also a new product. They sing with such enthusiasm they put us to shame.

It was difficult to leave after lunch but they needed their naps as badly as did we since we had kept them in constant motion. It was a satisfying day for all involved. Tomorrow is a day off when we will tour Karen House, a giraffe house and have lunch down in Karen - there will be more pictures from that trip. Home is just over the hill now. Love from all in Kenya.

We had a beautiful day today! Warm, breezy, and full of fun. We got to sleep in a bit today since it was Saturday. On days when we worked on the church, school, or visited the orphanage we rose quite early so this was a treat for all of us, especially the teenagers. The first place we went today was the Giraffe Center. It was a spectacular experience. The giraffes ate right from our hands and as long as we were feeding them they would allow us to pet them. We were on a platform so we could be at eye level with them. Their tongues are about 18 inches long. They are beautiful animals with the longest eyelashes you've ever seen. There were warthogs running around all over as well. They ate right out of your hand, too. Mark had us all laughing when he fed the giraffes by putting the food between his teeth and letting them take it out. Needless to say we got plenty of pictures of that.

From there we moved on to the "Karen Blixen House". She is the woman that the movie "Out of Africa" was based on. It was like stepping back in time. Those of us who have not seen the movie left with the desire to view it when we return and those who had already seen it want to see it again.

The next stop was the "Kasari Bead Factory". Kasari means "small and pretty". The women took the tour of the factory while the men relaxed in the lush gardens on the grounds and visited with a dog, big enough to ride, named William. After our tour we enjoyed looking at their extensive collection of beads in their shop and making our choices for friends and family back home.

By this time we'd worked up quite an appetite so we headed to a charming restaurant in the town of "Karen" (named after Karen Blixen) called The Horseman. Most of us ordered the delicious mango juice, passion fruit juice, or incredible Kenyan coffee they serve here. The teenagers couldn't wait to get a pizza! There was a cat that hung around the table waiting for scraps, one of many we are told, and decided to jump up in my lap (Carol) and make himself comfortable while we waited for our food to arrive. Though once the food arrived he had to go, I wasn't sharing. We enjoyed observing a chameleon on the way out of the restaurant hiding in the garden eating flies.

We are heading for Safari tomorrow morning so we are all packing for our departure tonight. We will have Mark's birthday celebration tonight. It is a few days early but we will be traveling on his birthday. Any excuse to eat cake! We love and miss you all back home and can't wait to share our experiences upon our return.

Love in Christ, Carol

PS I miss you tons Nicholas and Katherine!