First Week

It has been such a busy week I have hardly had time to breathe it seems. They sure have put me to work. I went to my first Boardroom meeting on Wednesday and they piled on the work. A team of American students from Sterling College in Kansas (I think) came to St Andrew's yesterday. I was put on the team to host the students. I will spend a lot of time over the next 10 days with the group.

On Thursday I met with the Moderator/Senior Pastor to talk about the details on my internship. We have set up weekly meetings and he is very focused on me seeing all aspects of how they do Church here in Kenya. I will preach three times to this congregation and they want me to go out to some of their mission areas and will possibly preach there as well. I guess getting thrown into the fire will help me get over my timidness in preaching. This Sunday I'll help this congregation accept new members into the church.

So Friday I had a minor moment of embarrassment. I helped the person over the Children's Ministry, her name is Mercy, sharpen it felt like thousands on pencils, probably actually only hundreds of pencils for the Sunday School classes. We used the type of sharpener that you hold with one hand and twist with the other hand. Well at the end of it I had three blisters on the hand that was twisting. I was teased like you could not imagine. Mercy was like, "You need to go up country and swing an axe for awhile until your hands get tough." I told her I'm from the City, we don't have much need for axe swinging. She asked if we sharpen pencils in the US and I told her yes we do, just not so many at one time. We laughed and it's OK, I just thought I should tell the story so you all can have a laugh at it as well.

Also on Friday the team from Sterling arrived. I was introduced as a local Kenyan who could help the team with some Swahili words. The running joke now is that I'm a local Kenyan. I know maybe 15 words in Swahili but I have taught the students some of the words that I know. Thankfully there will also be true Kenyan locals with me to help host so I can't screw up these American students too much.

So today I went on a quick driving tour of Kenya. We drove out to the Rift Valley to take pictures. Then we went to a pretty upscale mall for lunch. Later we drove to Karen, a rich white area in Nairobi and then drove to Kibera, the largest slum in East Africa. It was in the Rift Valley and Kibera that there was violent reactions to the elections in January and February. I took some pictures but did not bring a way of transferring the pictures to my computer with me today so I'll have to upload them later. The difference between the upper class and the lowest classes are simply immense. I could not bring myself to take pictures of the slums as I just felt wrong being a tourist of a slum so you'll just have to take my word for it.

I will be offline for a few days this week. I'm going to go with the American students to Mashuru which is Maasai land. We will be camping with the Massai and I'm told it is very dry, dusty, and hot there. I did not really expect to camp while I was here so I hope someone can lend me something to sleep on and that I have what I need to camp. Sunblock and bug spray I do have so I guess I won't suffer too much. I will have to start taking anti-malaria medicine tomorrow in preparation for the trip. I will be in Mashuru from Monday until Wednesday. Thursday I hope to upload pictures from my time with the Maasai. I'm told I will be offered cow's blood because that is something quite sacred to the Maasai so I'm already mentally preparing myself so I can smile when I taste it and thank them quite heartily for giving me some. Between you and me, I am very nervous about this but hope to have a good poker face when the time comes. Mom, please don't be scared, many Kenyans from other tribes have had the blood, which not normal for them, and have lived to tell the tale so I expect to as well. I doubt there will be pictures however.

I am having a great time here. I am making real friendships and have been given a Kikuyu name, Jenri. I'm not sure how to spell it but it means one who visits. The N is silent so it sounds basically like Jerry.

Ok it's getting late and I have to walk home by myself so I'm off.