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Day 1
I have arrived in Kenya. Got in
late Wednesday night. I am writing this to you from
Stu and Linda's dining room table--it's almost noon
here. They are letting me rest a bit this morning before
we head out on the bumpy, dusty roads.
My flights were wonderful. I actually
slept! And then slept through the night last night--much
better than last summer's jet lag.
We're meeting with Stephen Mparankoi
tomorrow (Friday) to discuss the dedication service
at Najile on Sunday. Stu has made it very clear to me
that the invitation to preach is a distinct honor (asking
a Mzungu [white man] to preach is a big deal). And then
we're off to Masaai Land tomorrow afternoon--Stephen
wants to show me a site for a proposed church. Sounds
like he might want us to consider sponsoring the build.
I've seen Peter and Anne--they
send greetings to all their friends at Covenant.
I'm staying at the guest hostel,
unit B, at the PCEA Orthopedic Hospital. (It's where
the nurses stayed last summer.) Very comfortable--but
it was also quite hot last night--it's summer here.
Tell Brian W. that I made it through
the first Swahili tape. But I've forgotten most of what
I practiced! Except for "Wewe ni Mwamerika"--"I
am an American." Maybe that will come in handy!
More later. Love to all.
Mark
Day 2
Karibu! Welcome to Day 2 of my
safari to Kenya.
Is this Friday??? Already?
Thursday was an up and down day
for me--two naps before lunch and one after. Stu and
Peter took me to the Nakumat (Wal Mart-esque shopping)
to buy a 16" oscillating fan for my room. What
a relief from the heat!
We also visited two churches on
the edge of Masaai Land. At Emenyatta, I sat in on a
meeting with the church elders regarding the next building
phase of their project. At present they have a stone
church, 8 classrooms (227 children 3 year olds through
4th grade), a small kitchen, a bore hole for water and
six rental properties. They sell water to the local
community, a colonial era slum, for half the going rate;
and the profit they make from the rental units pays
for one teacher's salary. The Emenyatta church is seeking
state certification for its school, so they will need
a larger kitchen and at least two more classrooms. This
church is having a positive effect on the community.
At the second church (I don't
remember the name), we met Pastor Margaret, and had
tea (chai) with her, the church evangelist, the clerk
of session, the church secretary and the chairlady of
the church. A wonderful, restful time.
A nice surprise--we happened upon
Pastor Stephen Mparankoi today. What shining eyes he
has! He is still so grateful for Covenant's gift of
the stone church. He tells me that they expect over
a thousand people for the dedication on Sunday--and
they will be slaughtering a bull for the occasion.
The day ended with a tasty meat
loaf (no bull!) at the Ross homestead. In fact, as I'm
writing this Friday morning, I will be having more of
the meat loaf for breakfast. (Linda raised her eyebrow
when I requested it, but I think it's similar to having
cold pizza for breakfast.)
Today, we set out early for Renguti,
the church and orphanage we visited in June. Covenant
has raised enough money for all 80 children (up from
50 last year) to have at least one meal a day. This
is also the church where Bob Kerr had the inspiration
to devise a water collection system using gutter work.
The work has not yet been begun, but will soon.
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Day 2 continued...
Friday was a long day. We left the compound by 8
a.m., bound for Renguti. The place hasn't changed much, except for the addition
of about 30 children. There are two playground sets now. And the classrooms have
desks, the students have textbooks. I sat with a young boy, who read to me from
his Kiswahili reader. Very touching visit.
Last year all we saw in the kitchen was ugali and
beans (and chai of course). This year, the kitchen staff was preparing beans,
carrots, potatoes, and ugali. Jeffery, the clerk of session, and Mama Rhoda, the
chair of the women's guild, send their warmest regards to all of Covenant and
genuine gratitude for the gift of food for all 80 children.
Tell Bob Kerr and the Men of the Church that the
water retrieval system has yet to be constructed. Rainy season begins in two
weeks; Stu encouraged them to get to work. They assured us that they will, very
soon.
We had lunch at the Rusty Nail with Pastor Stephen
Mparankoi. After lunch we traveled to two projects underway in Masaai Land. The
first, a foundation for another stone church in Kimunga. I met the church's
elders, chairlady (in beautiful Masaai clothing) and teachers from the nearby
school. They have approximately $12,000 in the bank for their construction fund.
Stephen has challenged Covenant to prayerfully consider joining in partnership
with the Kimunga church in the completion of the stone church, approx. $25,000. I
will speak to the session upon my return to Covenant.
Next we traveled to Camp Womba, a John Knox like
facility--well, not really! Huts, primitive kitchen, water from a mountain
spring, and now electricity! This camp is used by the Ngong Presbytery as a
training facility for evangelists and tent-makers. They can host 72 people at a
time.
On this day's journey, we saw 20+ giraffe, the
Masaai variety, and the "king" of the herd, a white headed big guy. All of them
looked like they were chewing gum.
We had a nice meal at the Rusty Nail with Stu and
Linda's friends, Frank and Nancy Bertram, from Lakeland FL. Frank is an
orthopedic surgeon volunteer at the Ortho hospital here. Nancy is a travel agent
back home, involved in many projects while here.
Day 3
Saturday was a leisurely day, a day to rest before
the big dedication Sunday. We ate at the Java House for breakfast, and then I
accompanied Stu and Linda on their weekly grocery shopping safari--three
different stores! I've spent the afternoon finishing my sermon for tomorrow. We
are headed to the Horseman restaurant for dinner later, to meet the Bertrams and
another couple, the Dykstras. Lyle Dykstra is a volunteer on the faculty at the
Presbyterian College here.
I will send an e-mail after tomorrow's service. Stu
said it will probably last at least six hours--three languages, 20 baptisms, and
probably a bull for dinner. It will be a good day.
Later,
Mark
Day 4
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Sunday was awesome! I can't do the dedication
service justice with words. But I will try. We left for Najile at 7:30 to arrive
by 10. Najile is on the road to Kimelok, where we built the school last June.
Kimelok is another 30 minutes beyond Najile. If last summer's group remembers
where the water tower was on the road to Kimelok, then they know where Najile
is.
Six and a half hours--that's how long the service
was. Over 1000 people. Over 300 children. The whole sanctuary filled to capacity
with many standing in the back and along the sides. At least 100 more standing
outside looking and listening at the windows and doors.
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The delegation included the PCEA's General Assembly
moderator, Rev. Gitthy. He is Kikuyu, not Masai. This was the first church
dedication in Masai land that he has visited. Very important! Stephen Mparankoi
was there as Moderator of Ngong Presbytery and parish pastor of the Najile
district. Other pastors from around the PCEA were also in attendance,
representing their congregations.
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We began outside the front door, with the knocking
of the door and the passing of the keys. We entered the sanctuary with great
pomp, singing all the way. The church has a sound system and two musicians, one
on electric piano, the other on bass guitar. As soon as most people were in
place, Stephen led us in prayers. First silence, and then the audible prayers of
the congregation began to swell like an approaching locust storm. As soon as
prayers had ended, the singing began.
There were at least twelve singing groups present,
and each sang two or three songs. Very enthusiastic, rhythmic singing. Very
happy faces and voices everywhere you looked. I don't think that we at Covenant
had any idea of how significant this new church is for the Masai Christians. I
certainly hadn't anticipated a celebration of this magnitude. Stu kept reminding
me that this is the first stone church in Masai land. There's reason to
celebrate.
After the choirs, the Moderator led the clergy in
blessing the children, then the infants. All the children came forward and while
the clergy raised their hands in blessing, the moderator prayed. Then the
mothers brought their infants. The Moderator asked each of us to hold a baby
during the blessing. Then, with a twinkle in his eye, the moderator announced
that we would bless all who were 75 years or above--only a handful of mostly
women. (He didn't ask us to pick them up!)
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After the blessings, the Moderator addressed the
congregation to announce that, contrary to previous word, Pastor Stephen would
not be reassigned in the Presbytery, that he would be staying in the Najile
district. A loud ovation!!!
The Moderator blessed and dedicated all of the
furnishings in the new sanctuary. Even the benches where the people
sit.
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Stu was invited to speak. Choking back tears, he
remarked how proud he is of the Masai, for persisting over the past 25 years
since the church's inception. He thanked Covenant for its great faith and work
of compassion. Then we unveiled the plaque announcing that the church had been
built in partnership with Covenant--another loud ovation!!!
One of the elders read a history of the Najile
church, first in Kiswahili, then Masai, and finally in English. I'll bring a
copy home.
Then we moved to the reading of Scripture. Two
elders read, the first opening his Bible to 2 Samuel 7:1-11, and the second to
John 1:1-14. I was introduced and invited to deliver the sermon. One of the
pastors translated. I began with the words of Psalm 127--"Unless the Lord builds
the house, those who build labor in vain." I asked the congregation to raise a
shout of praise to God for building this house. A longer ovation!!!
After the sermon (only 15 minutes long with
translation--many were grateful), Stephen announced that 20 people were to be
baptized. The catechist called the converts forward, asked them the questions of
faith, and then we marched outside--everybody. The church's baptismal font is a
"dunker"--Stephen asked if I wanted to try it. I said , "Yes!"
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Most of the children and a couple of the adults
were sprinkled. I watched Stephen immerse one person, and then he invited me to
do the next one. I'm afraid that I almost drowned the lady! Forgot to place her
hands over her nose. Oh, well!
After the baptisms, I was asked to pronounce the
benediction, then we proceeded to Stephen's home for dinner. The bull was chewy,
the goat was hairy, but the cabbage was superb!
On the long drive home, Anthony, our driver, asked
if it had been a good day. "Yes," I said, "a very good day."
Day 5
On Monday, I didn't want to wake up. But Stu had us
scheduled from dawn to dusk, so I met Stu and Peter at the car and off we went.
Our destination was Marang'a, another mabati church and school project. Marang'a
is about two hours to the northwest, and much better roads. We met with Pastor
Alice and heard of the wonderful things they were doing. She asked Stu for help
with equipment for a laboratory for the school, because many parents want a
scientific education for their children. This was a secondary boarding school,
with 15 girls enrolled. They just opened their doors last December, and look for
more students in May at the next term.
Three stops in total on Monday, with three
opportunities for chai and chapata (fried bread). We arrived back at the hostel
about 6 p.m.
Day 6
Today, Stu and Peter traveled out to Kimelok to
investigate a water project. I was invited by Linda and Gilbert to take a
morning off. So we went to the Java House, a coffee shop/restaurant with very
good Western style food.
I plan to take Stu and Linda, Peter and his wife
Janet, and Frank and Nancy Bateman to dinner tonight as a way to thank them for
their warm, generous hospitality. I wish you could all be here for this
wonderful experience. Know that you are with me as we celebrate the good things
God has done and is doing through Covenant.
See you on Friday. I leave Wednesday
evening.
Ciao,
Mark
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