Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Official Statement from EMM regarding the Kenya team
Stefan has asked to step down as leader of the Kenya YES team in order to work at some of his own personal, spiritual, and leadership struggles. EMM has affirmed this and released Stefan from his responsibilities as team leader. Stefan will spend 2 weeks in Nairobi for further healing, counseling, and mentoring in his personal life. During those 2 weeks EMM will counsel and evaluate with Stefan the best way ahead for him. Brook as been invited (and accepted) to lead the YES team for the rest of their ministry in Kenya.
Monday, March 2, 2009
meeting of pastors
After a month and a half here in Chepolat, we’re finally seeing some progress in the peace and reconciliation side of our mission. On February 14th and 27th, we held meetings for first the Kalenjin, then the Kisii pastors of the town. From conversations with many locals, we found that in the area around the border town of Chepelat, even the pastors are still harboring distrust and hatred. We were of the opinion that if even the pastors, the ones who love Jesus, cannot love their neighbors, then there is no hope for the community, so we decided to start our ministry there.
On the 14th, we invited as many of the Kipsi pastors (the Kipsis are a subtribe within the larger Kalenjin tribe) as we could track down to our little church in a burnt out medical clinic. We invited them to come at 10 am, expecting them to be a little late. By 1:30, five had arrived so we started the meeting by serving bread and Fanta. We led the meeting, with Pastor George translating for the pastors who couldn’t keep up with our English, by asking three main questions: 1) what were the causes of what happened, 2) what is the status of peace now, one year later, and 3) where do we go from here. One at a time we presented these questions and all five of the Kipsi pastors gave us wonderful answers. They explained the events and the background of the tribal conflict in ways we had never heard, and showed us several new elements of the violence which we were unaware of. We had hoped that in the end, they would come up with the idea for a joint meeting with Kisii pastors sometime in the future, so that it would be their idea and not ours. They did this and even scolded us for not inviting them to this meeting. We were very happy to see their eagerness to work with pastors of the ‘enemy’ tribe.
On Friday, the 27th, we called the Kisii pastors together for the same type of meeting. Three pastors came and brought along three of their elders. We offered bread and Fanta and asked the same three questions. This meeting was very different though. The Kisii, as a people, tend to be very progressive, always forward looking and task oriented, where as the Kipsi are more traditional, more focused on relationships and holding on to their tribal customs. We noticed this difference at this second meeting. First, the Kisii pastors were cautious of us, not quite skeptical, but unsure of how to work with us, being so young and inexperienced. Several of them seemed to think that they should be the ones leading this meeting, not us. They noted our disorganization in calling and running the gathering and even asked us bluntly “what are you after in calling us together.” They certainly weren’t shy. They were very focused on the future, what types of programs to establish and how to bring many people to God, but needed a little push toward the idea of uniting with Kipsi pastors to achieve these goals. The three pastors seemed slightly less enthusiastic about working together with their Kipsi brothers but by the end we had a plan in place and were looking forward to this alliance, as they called it.
This second meeting was much more stressful for us, being put on the spot and just having things run less smoothly, but God used us in all of our inadequacies and youth. It was a blessing to be able to encourage these pastors to work together for peace and to initiate a revival of a pastors’ fellowship that died out during the violence. Witnessing pastors from both sides getting excited about meeting and working together for peace in this town was so encouraging and helped to remind us that our efforts aren’t what will bring peace to Chebilat. It will be God working in that strange and mysterious way of His that is so far beyond our comprehension.
In other news, since this week began the month of lent (we think?), we decided to make individual sacrifices. Taylor is giving up chocolate, Stefan cheeseburgers, and I will be abstaining from fast food.
Praises:
-God is moving!
-We were all more or less healthy this week
- The church building is consistently overflowing with new people
- We are going to have warm showers on Thursday night in Nairobi
Requests:
-Wisdom in helping to address disputes within the church
-Team unity
-Endurance in bringing the message of salvation to those we meet
-Possibility of having land donated for a permanent church building
Peace and Laughter,
Brook Musselman
On the 14th, we invited as many of the Kipsi pastors (the Kipsis are a subtribe within the larger Kalenjin tribe) as we could track down to our little church in a burnt out medical clinic. We invited them to come at 10 am, expecting them to be a little late. By 1:30, five had arrived so we started the meeting by serving bread and Fanta. We led the meeting, with Pastor George translating for the pastors who couldn’t keep up with our English, by asking three main questions: 1) what were the causes of what happened, 2) what is the status of peace now, one year later, and 3) where do we go from here. One at a time we presented these questions and all five of the Kipsi pastors gave us wonderful answers. They explained the events and the background of the tribal conflict in ways we had never heard, and showed us several new elements of the violence which we were unaware of. We had hoped that in the end, they would come up with the idea for a joint meeting with Kisii pastors sometime in the future, so that it would be their idea and not ours. They did this and even scolded us for not inviting them to this meeting. We were very happy to see their eagerness to work with pastors of the ‘enemy’ tribe.
On Friday, the 27th, we called the Kisii pastors together for the same type of meeting. Three pastors came and brought along three of their elders. We offered bread and Fanta and asked the same three questions. This meeting was very different though. The Kisii, as a people, tend to be very progressive, always forward looking and task oriented, where as the Kipsi are more traditional, more focused on relationships and holding on to their tribal customs. We noticed this difference at this second meeting. First, the Kisii pastors were cautious of us, not quite skeptical, but unsure of how to work with us, being so young and inexperienced. Several of them seemed to think that they should be the ones leading this meeting, not us. They noted our disorganization in calling and running the gathering and even asked us bluntly “what are you after in calling us together.” They certainly weren’t shy. They were very focused on the future, what types of programs to establish and how to bring many people to God, but needed a little push toward the idea of uniting with Kipsi pastors to achieve these goals. The three pastors seemed slightly less enthusiastic about working together with their Kipsi brothers but by the end we had a plan in place and were looking forward to this alliance, as they called it.
This second meeting was much more stressful for us, being put on the spot and just having things run less smoothly, but God used us in all of our inadequacies and youth. It was a blessing to be able to encourage these pastors to work together for peace and to initiate a revival of a pastors’ fellowship that died out during the violence. Witnessing pastors from both sides getting excited about meeting and working together for peace in this town was so encouraging and helped to remind us that our efforts aren’t what will bring peace to Chebilat. It will be God working in that strange and mysterious way of His that is so far beyond our comprehension.
In other news, since this week began the month of lent (we think?), we decided to make individual sacrifices. Taylor is giving up chocolate, Stefan cheeseburgers, and I will be abstaining from fast food.
Praises:
-God is moving!
-We were all more or less healthy this week
- The church building is consistently overflowing with new people
- We are going to have warm showers on Thursday night in Nairobi
Requests:
-Wisdom in helping to address disputes within the church
-Team unity
-Endurance in bringing the message of salvation to those we meet
-Possibility of having land donated for a permanent church building
Peace and Laughter,
Brook Musselman
Monday, February 23, 2009
Encouragement and Dissappointment
Bwana Asifiwe!
Three memorable events dominated this last week for me.
1. Clair's visit.
We woke up in the morning in anticipation of the long awaited day. Though Clair would be with us for only a couple of hours, we spent hours preparing for his arrival, anxious for the wisdom (not to mention the gifts). That he would bring. Colin and Brook had a little contest going to be the last to speak to him - as the person who managed not to would hold the record for longest time gone without speaking to a white person. We were given a minutes warning before he walked into our door with four others to finish the final preparations. Finally he and his brothers walked into our small apartment and were served lunch, while they questioned us on our activities and our status. He left us a few hours later, leaving us very encouraged that we were making a difference here.
2. Visiting a Church
We had been invited to visit a friend here at his church, and, since it was meeting on a different day, we decided to go. Quickly after we arrived into a large open area with tin roofs set up over abundant pews, we were noticed and escorted to the front, where we sat in our usual place of honor when we visit churches in Kenya. Most of the people we met here were kind and hospitable, and even invited us to lunch after the service was over. As we sat trying to understand what was going on in the little building up front through the infrequent translations we received from the Africans sitting beside us, we grew more and more disappointed, for the bible study seemed very shallow, the 1st sermon seemed to be a collection of man-made ideas preached from the pulpit rather than God's word, and the main sermon both told the congregation not to go to other protestant churches so as not to be deceived, and a mockery of excitement in charismatic churches. I feel a strong call to help bridge gaps between churches and help bring greater unity in the body of Christ, so comments like these saddened me greatly. I wish I could say that it was only this church, or this denomination that put up walls, but I know from experience that this isn't the case. I thank God for the pastors we've already met who have been so willing to work together.
3. Church Service
I was very nervous come this Sunday morning, because, for the first time, I wasn't going to be listening to someone else give the sermon, but would be giving it myself. Africans have a different mindset from Americans, and view guests as a blessing rather than a burden. This is reflected in church by the tendency to invite guests to give the message. I preached a sermon on greatness in the bible, based on Mark 9:33-35 and Mark 10:35-45. After I had finished I noticed that the woman we had prayed for to release from demonic oppression had slipped in. When George instigated an altar call, she, amongst many others, went up. We were so thankful for this fruit, and we continue to pray for more.
Praises:
-We've come halfway through Outreach!
-We remain alive despite cooking for ourselves all this time.
-For the first time in weeks, no one is sick!
Prayer Requests:
-For the second peace meeting to be successful.
-For us to take advantage of the time we have left on outreach.
-For continued personal spiritual growth, even when it's hard.
Mungu Awabariki wiki hii! (May God Bless you all this week!)
-Stefan
Three memorable events dominated this last week for me.
1. Clair's visit.
We woke up in the morning in anticipation of the long awaited day. Though Clair would be with us for only a couple of hours, we spent hours preparing for his arrival, anxious for the wisdom (not to mention the gifts). That he would bring. Colin and Brook had a little contest going to be the last to speak to him - as the person who managed not to would hold the record for longest time gone without speaking to a white person. We were given a minutes warning before he walked into our door with four others to finish the final preparations. Finally he and his brothers walked into our small apartment and were served lunch, while they questioned us on our activities and our status. He left us a few hours later, leaving us very encouraged that we were making a difference here.
2. Visiting a Church
We had been invited to visit a friend here at his church, and, since it was meeting on a different day, we decided to go. Quickly after we arrived into a large open area with tin roofs set up over abundant pews, we were noticed and escorted to the front, where we sat in our usual place of honor when we visit churches in Kenya. Most of the people we met here were kind and hospitable, and even invited us to lunch after the service was over. As we sat trying to understand what was going on in the little building up front through the infrequent translations we received from the Africans sitting beside us, we grew more and more disappointed, for the bible study seemed very shallow, the 1st sermon seemed to be a collection of man-made ideas preached from the pulpit rather than God's word, and the main sermon both told the congregation not to go to other protestant churches so as not to be deceived, and a mockery of excitement in charismatic churches. I feel a strong call to help bridge gaps between churches and help bring greater unity in the body of Christ, so comments like these saddened me greatly. I wish I could say that it was only this church, or this denomination that put up walls, but I know from experience that this isn't the case. I thank God for the pastors we've already met who have been so willing to work together.
3. Church Service
I was very nervous come this Sunday morning, because, for the first time, I wasn't going to be listening to someone else give the sermon, but would be giving it myself. Africans have a different mindset from Americans, and view guests as a blessing rather than a burden. This is reflected in church by the tendency to invite guests to give the message. I preached a sermon on greatness in the bible, based on Mark 9:33-35 and Mark 10:35-45. After I had finished I noticed that the woman we had prayed for to release from demonic oppression had slipped in. When George instigated an altar call, she, amongst many others, went up. We were so thankful for this fruit, and we continue to pray for more.
Praises:
-We've come halfway through Outreach!
-We remain alive despite cooking for ourselves all this time.
-For the first time in weeks, no one is sick!
Prayer Requests:
-For the second peace meeting to be successful.
-For us to take advantage of the time we have left on outreach.
-For continued personal spiritual growth, even when it's hard.
Mungu Awabariki wiki hii! (May God Bless you all this week!)
-Stefan
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
I am left without words
This week is so full of something good, but after writing, and rewriting this, I will have to leave it unnamed. Can someone explain smell to me in words?
Today we visited again the house of some of our friends. Their daughter has had some problems for a long time. She wasn’t able to keep up in school, or help with things at home. When we saw her she didn’t look like she understood much, and was only partly seeing things. They asked us to pray for her, and we willingly accepted. We talked to them a few days later when they came to church, and they said their daughter was doing better, and was helping with bringing water. Today we visited them again and she was even making food, and was visibly sharper of mind.
It reminds me of the story when Jesus sent his disciples out, and gave them the power to heal and drive out demons. They came back to him ‘astonished’ at what they had seen, because it was for real. I have read a lot, and talked a lot, but when the rubber hits the road, I am left without words.
What can I do? Who am I to do this? Why would God use me? It is in these things that God continuously humbles me. I have often looked up to people in the Bible who have done great things, but the more God works in, around, and through me, the more I understand that my place is very small in this world.
Riding home from Kisii on a matatu, an older woman was sitting in the back seat next to me. She had a basin with a plastic bag of things inside. When we got to her stop, she gave me a smile and we exchanged parting words. She wasn’t able to squeeze through the tight isles while she held the basin, and she couldn’t leave it behind. I picked up the basin and she moved down the isle. When she got to the end, I handed it to her, and exchanged another smile. Something in that moment. Something in her face.
Tonight I am sitting outside on our third floor balcony, looking out on the town of Chepilat. Every night a woman comes out of her run down, tin roofed shack next to our apartment. I see her walk over to the pile of rocks and dump the ashes from her charcoal grill. She does this every night. She must have been inside cooking food for her family. Or does she have a family? A dog comes over and sniffs at the pile, then walks away. Tonight is different than most nights. Tonight she exits her home a second time, and pours water on the coals, then stops and looks up. She pauses for a second, then walks inside. What is her story?
Does Jesus love unimportant people like these too? Are they really unimportant? What is it in her that would make Jesus love someone as simple as this? Is it the simplicity of our createdness that he loves? When we have understood how to love our neighbor, I think we will have understood many of the mysteries of life.
Praises:
-The church on sunday was packed
-We have running water
-We have recovered from sundry illnesses
Prayer Requests:
-Continued health
-That something good would come from our meeting with the Kisii pastors
-Taylor
Today we visited again the house of some of our friends. Their daughter has had some problems for a long time. She wasn’t able to keep up in school, or help with things at home. When we saw her she didn’t look like she understood much, and was only partly seeing things. They asked us to pray for her, and we willingly accepted. We talked to them a few days later when they came to church, and they said their daughter was doing better, and was helping with bringing water. Today we visited them again and she was even making food, and was visibly sharper of mind.
It reminds me of the story when Jesus sent his disciples out, and gave them the power to heal and drive out demons. They came back to him ‘astonished’ at what they had seen, because it was for real. I have read a lot, and talked a lot, but when the rubber hits the road, I am left without words.
What can I do? Who am I to do this? Why would God use me? It is in these things that God continuously humbles me. I have often looked up to people in the Bible who have done great things, but the more God works in, around, and through me, the more I understand that my place is very small in this world.
Riding home from Kisii on a matatu, an older woman was sitting in the back seat next to me. She had a basin with a plastic bag of things inside. When we got to her stop, she gave me a smile and we exchanged parting words. She wasn’t able to squeeze through the tight isles while she held the basin, and she couldn’t leave it behind. I picked up the basin and she moved down the isle. When she got to the end, I handed it to her, and exchanged another smile. Something in that moment. Something in her face.
Tonight I am sitting outside on our third floor balcony, looking out on the town of Chepilat. Every night a woman comes out of her run down, tin roofed shack next to our apartment. I see her walk over to the pile of rocks and dump the ashes from her charcoal grill. She does this every night. She must have been inside cooking food for her family. Or does she have a family? A dog comes over and sniffs at the pile, then walks away. Tonight is different than most nights. Tonight she exits her home a second time, and pours water on the coals, then stops and looks up. She pauses for a second, then walks inside. What is her story?
Does Jesus love unimportant people like these too? Are they really unimportant? What is it in her that would make Jesus love someone as simple as this? Is it the simplicity of our createdness that he loves? When we have understood how to love our neighbor, I think we will have understood many of the mysteries of life.
Praises:
-The church on sunday was packed
-We have running water
-We have recovered from sundry illnesses
Prayer Requests:
-Continued health
-That something good would come from our meeting with the Kisii pastors
-Taylor
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Refreshment from God
This has been a week of beginnings and renwed hope for our team. The "beginnings" may surprise many of you because we have now been in Chepilat just over 4 weeks but it has taken time for us to begin some of the ministries that have been on our minds and hearts. There are many questions that still remain unanswered though such as how to show and not just preach the love of God, how to let people see the truth we bring in a manner that separates it from the lies all around us and especially what to tell the drunkards, prostitutes and witch doctors to show them that there is a lasting hope that can bring purpose in other ways than what are they are involved in, a hope that won't fade after the last of their money is spent and the pot of food that should have lasted longer is scraped clean. Yet as a guest to our church stated, "wherever darkness is found there is also always a presence of light--no matter how small." We got a glimpse of that very light this week. On Monday, we had the privilege of hosting two very important and respected figures of Chepilat for lunch, one from each side of the tribal divide in this region of Kenya. We have been eager to begin peace talks since the moment we stepped into this town but making "peace" happen is easier in theory. Realization as to the challenge at hand became evident from the first conversation we had with a local resident who was personally affected by the violence. Yet we came out of our lunch meeting with renewed energy because both men were very open to the idea of replacing tribal division for Christ-like unity again. Of course, we find it necessary to begin this process with the churches because they hold the foundational beliefs as we do for reconciliation and if peace is going to happen here it is going to be by the hand of God and what better testimony of Christ's church and its truth than to have them lead this transition. On this Saturday the 14th (yes, Valentines Day:)) we will be meeting with the local Kisii church pastors allowing them to come together and talk and process about how they were affected only a short year ago. They also will have the opportunity to begin discussing ideas about where to go from here as Christian individuals and church bodies. In a few weeks we will do the same thing for the local church leaders on the Kipsii side. We are then hoping for a third meeting that can include pastors from both sides who will be able to willingly come together with the same desires and under the same title (Christians) and take steps forward together, in unity. The leaders of these churches must be on board before their congregations can be and if they, as the representatives of Christ and their respective churches, cannot be unified what chance does the secular community have in coming to peace and being reconciled with someone they recently considered an enemy and murderer? Yet God's got bigger plans than what looks to us as impossible and we got a glimpse of that by hearing the desires of two community leaders who have been seeking the same thing but not knowing how to take a first step. The first step has been taken.
We've also seen the light of God in our church here. This last Sunday was one of the best services I've ever been part of and I know God was looking down on it, smiling and saying "just wait, you haven't seen anything yet." We were filled with joy and excitement seeing people cram into the church (comprised of one small square room) so that the children were forced to sit on the cement floor along the edges and the aisle so that each adult could squeeze onto some form of seat. The energy in that sanctuary was contagious and the enthusiasm was pouring out of the doors and windows. It seemed that the energy continued to grow as the service progressed. Yet the best moment of the service, especially for me, was when each first time visitor had the opportunity to stand up and introduce themselves. We took nearly 30 minutes just for them! Before, during and after each introduction the enthusiastic church members clapped, shouted, cheered and praised God just for bringing them to the service regardless of tribe and even whether they would see each other the next Sunday. Our team was also encouraged by the familiar we saw. They were people we had witnessed to, some were people we had held brief conversations with that wanted to see what "all this" was about and others had heard the loudspeaker (it had been rented for the day) that projected the service through much of the neighborhood. Many of them didn't know the church was here and just wanted to see what this new church was all about.
These two stories I've just shared have been a light to us in the midst of a place that often appears dark and hopeless. Yet they are only a few of the revelations to spiritual light we have seen this week. A light provided and revealed only by the Father, the source of all love, truth and hope. We have other stories of Christ's faithfulness in our prayers, poured out in His perfect timing and creative ways but these touched us especially. I hope they have encouraged you as they have us. After all, this God of wonder and creativity is the same God you pray to when you close your eyes, the same God you worship and glorify every Sunday in church, the same God of each and every tongue, tribe and nation, and the same God that is watching over you right now.
Barikiwa (Be blessed).
All for his glory,
Colin
Praises
-all the encouragement we've seen this week in progress of ministering to the town and church
-continued safety
-friendships
-we find our preaching is improving:)
-Colin's health is finally improving (Bwana asifiwe-Praise God) after many weeks
-growth in Chepilat Mennonite Church
Requests
-direction and discernment as we continue taking steps in our ministeries and peace talks
-wisdom in how to reach those who are currently unreached (drunks, witches, prostitutes specifially)
-Brook's ear infection (in his right ear)
-the congregation (living deliberate lives in Christ)
-return of visitors and guests to church
-an effective peace meeting on Saturday with the Kisii church leaders
We've also seen the light of God in our church here. This last Sunday was one of the best services I've ever been part of and I know God was looking down on it, smiling and saying "just wait, you haven't seen anything yet." We were filled with joy and excitement seeing people cram into the church (comprised of one small square room) so that the children were forced to sit on the cement floor along the edges and the aisle so that each adult could squeeze onto some form of seat. The energy in that sanctuary was contagious and the enthusiasm was pouring out of the doors and windows. It seemed that the energy continued to grow as the service progressed. Yet the best moment of the service, especially for me, was when each first time visitor had the opportunity to stand up and introduce themselves. We took nearly 30 minutes just for them! Before, during and after each introduction the enthusiastic church members clapped, shouted, cheered and praised God just for bringing them to the service regardless of tribe and even whether they would see each other the next Sunday. Our team was also encouraged by the familiar we saw. They were people we had witnessed to, some were people we had held brief conversations with that wanted to see what "all this" was about and others had heard the loudspeaker (it had been rented for the day) that projected the service through much of the neighborhood. Many of them didn't know the church was here and just wanted to see what this new church was all about.
These two stories I've just shared have been a light to us in the midst of a place that often appears dark and hopeless. Yet they are only a few of the revelations to spiritual light we have seen this week. A light provided and revealed only by the Father, the source of all love, truth and hope. We have other stories of Christ's faithfulness in our prayers, poured out in His perfect timing and creative ways but these touched us especially. I hope they have encouraged you as they have us. After all, this God of wonder and creativity is the same God you pray to when you close your eyes, the same God you worship and glorify every Sunday in church, the same God of each and every tongue, tribe and nation, and the same God that is watching over you right now.
Barikiwa (Be blessed).
All for his glory,
Colin
Praises
-all the encouragement we've seen this week in progress of ministering to the town and church
-continued safety
-friendships
-we find our preaching is improving:)
-Colin's health is finally improving (Bwana asifiwe-Praise God) after many weeks
-growth in Chepilat Mennonite Church
Requests
-direction and discernment as we continue taking steps in our ministeries and peace talks
-wisdom in how to reach those who are currently unreached (drunks, witches, prostitutes specifially)
-Brook's ear infection (in his right ear)
-the congregation (living deliberate lives in Christ)
-return of visitors and guests to church
-an effective peace meeting on Saturday with the Kisii church leaders
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Pictures!
I have pictures!
We went for a walk through some tea fields the other day.
This is George.
This is our team.
Don't expect pictures too often as it is very hard to upload any, but we'll try to put some from time to time.
Stefan
We went for a walk through some tea fields the other day.
This is George.
This is our team.
Don't expect pictures too often as it is very hard to upload any, but we'll try to put some from time to time.
Stefan
Monday, February 2, 2009
enlightening the next generation
On Friday we got a taste of the Kenyan education system when we were all tossed into our own classroom with seemingly simple directions: "teach English." Now we've all graduated high school English, each at a different level, but we speak it so we naturally assumed that we could pass on some of that information to the youngsters at St. Annes Academy in downtown Chebilat. When I was 12, my grandmother taught a little phrase about what happens when one assumes anything ... clearly I didn't take it to heart. We were given a lesson book, two pieces of chalk, and a pat on the head before we were sent into the fray.
Our experiences in the classroom varied but we found several things in common: they don't have their own books to look out of, the chalkboards are the texture of heavy sandpaper, and we haven't the foggiest idea how to teach, despite our 13+ years watching our own teachers pass on their knowledge. On the bright side though, a few did know English well enough to help the others along, and the cadets were very well disciplined, a fact i am attributing largely to corporal punishment (an institution whose evil I've been taught all my life but am beginning to rethink). We each taught a different level, the ages of which don't necessarily correspond to their American counterparts. Taylor had the privilege of enlightening level four, Colin had five, Stefan six and I trained level seven, with about five students in each level. We all found that the books we were given to teach with were slightly over the heads of its target audience, and that its difficult to explain a language in the language one is trying to explain. We all had different levels of success. My level seven students were able to grasp the concept of making nouns and verbs into adjectives using the suffix -ful quite well, though imperatives were a bit too much for Colin's kids and Stefan's all stared at him blankly for an hour as he tried, among other things, to explain what a veranda is using Swahili.
In the end I think we all learned more about teaching than they did about English, but it was an adventure that we'll laugh about in a few years. After teaching we went out back to a big field for game time with them, where the students were called together to sing an adorable little welcome song for us which included the lyrics "welcome to our sisters" (with the kenyan accent, the words 'sisters' and 'visitors' sound very similar). After our official welcome we all took our shoes off and the teacher divided the students for a game of futbol.
And there we played, on the fields of St. Annes Academy, 30 waafricani and their two wazungu against 30 more waafricani and their own two wazungu. The mass of screaming, jubilant children swarming the ball as it made its way all over the large open space made for a wonderful spectacle, which is largely what it was for us, since we'd have had to push and shove to get to the ball. Under the ominous daily rain clouds, which arrived right on time, we scampered after the mass, occasionally getting a touch in, though more often running around, holding a child's hand on each side, laughing and together enjoying the wonderful feeling of the coming storm and soft grass under our bare feet. The whole afternoon was a wonderful time of interaction between these beautiful Kenyan kids and our YES team. We built many new relationships which we look forward to developing over the next few months.
Praises: -the discovery of large, cheap mangos
-answered prayers in the healing of a sick girl from the congregation
-wise leadership within the church
Requests: -continued healing for Colin's sickness
-timely and effective resolution to conflict within the congregation
-continued growth of the young church here in Chebilat
Thanks and God bless.
Lovin' Him,
Brook
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