This morning I am sitting on a front verandah with hens and chicks clucking close by. The rooster is making himself known from time to time. The air is comfortably cool from the night rain. I am still at Beatrice and William’s home. Here on the compound there are four grandchildren and a daughter and a daughter-in-law. Rebekah, the daughter who drove us, is only here for a 2 week leave. She works in Nairobi and is staying through Easter. The younger women are heating water for bathing and doing the cooking and cleaning. This has been the case in each of the homes I have visited. The home is now only occupied by either a widow or an older couple but family comes in to help with the visitors. The smaller grandchildren entertained last night. They were watching a gospel video from Tanzania and imitating the dancers. It was obvious they have done this many times! They could duplicate the moves of the Masai dancers!
Today is my grandson Dylan’s 20th birthday. He is still (I think) in North Dakota although he may have decided to come home by now. Ricque and Dalton are in Cancun for Dalton’s Spring Break.
Our breakfast was simple..mandazi, sausages, watermelon, tea and mango juice. We were off early to get to Lugulu Meeting. We followed several tractors with trailers loaded with sugar cane. In the market places and villages where the tractors had to slow down, naughty children would run along beside and steal stalks of sugar cane. The stalks are 4-5 feet long and the thieves would run alongside the trailer pulling the stalks from the bottom. I talked to Beatrice about this later. She said the children may be hungry and may survive on sugar cane. Several children from this market have died in the last year attempting to get the canes off. Sometimes they are dragged or slip and fall under the trailer wheels. Since the rains are late this year, there may be even more children attempting this. Most people have not yet planted and it will be 2 months after the planting before vegetables and maize are ready to harvest.
We arrived at Lugulu at about 10 and were welcomed by the USFW ladies who took me into their office for a short time of fellowship. It has rained and the women were saying that visitors bring blessing and visitors who bring rain bring double blessing. I was glad to be the messenger as it has been so very dry this month.
We walked to the church and arrived as prayers were being offered. They respectfully waited outside as the different ones prayed….long prayers. It was about 15 minutes in the sun but none would consider walking in during the prayers.
The scriptures were read in Bukusu (mother tongue), then in Kiswahili and in English. The passage was from Jonah. That was followed by singing and testimonies. The introductions of Quarterly Meeting Clerks came next. A first year student from FTC (Friends Theological College where I taught 2001-2006) introduced himself as Lukas Juma and encouraged the people to send students to the college. Lukas said that the USFWI clerk (me) is the “mother” who unites the family and the peacemaker in the community. He offered much thanks to the USFWI for the John Sarrin Scholarship. More introductions were offered, now the pastors and evangelists from the various Monthly Meetings. It was now that the loudspeaker system arrived. The introductions continued as the young man set up the system…and yes, checked it out.
It was now time for me to give greetings, an introduction and share something. They gave me a translator and we started off. I gave greetings and began to tell a little about myself. Beatrice stopped us and said that because everyone has studied English and because I speak slowly and clearly, I would not need a translator. That was good because now it would not take twice as long! I told them about USFWI, about our projects, about our goals and our achievements and then shared from John 17 about unity and how Jesus prayed for the church. I told them it was also a model prayer and we should pray for one another in the Body of Christ just as Jesus had. It was at the end of this that the loudspeaker went out. I prayed for the church in a louder voice.
Beatrice did the summary and challenged the women to pay their membership. She reminded them of the projects that benefit Kenya so their money is indirectly benefiting their neighbors.
Now the preacher took the podium preaching on the Jonah passage. He spoke in Kiswahili and only preached about 30 minutes. That was followed by singing and prayers. Then the choir came and the offering (sadaka) was received. Beatrice came forward again to give a certificate of appreciation to the presiding clerk who presented it to me. I read the certificate to the congregation and expressed thanks.
We were dismissed from the worship service at about 2:15….almost 4 hours. The USFW had prepared a lunch for me and some of the men. We met in the USFW room for rice, cabbage, chapati, chicken, mango, oranges, bananas.
After lunch Beatrice, Alice, Rebekah and I left to go to Alice’s home. There about 25 women met us in front of the house singing. They escorted me in and we had prayers, introductions and a snack of soda (again I had a Black Currant) and biscuits (cookies). Alice asked me to give a word of encouragement so I tried. There was dancing and gift giving. Rebekah asked for my camera. I told her later that she can add photographer and driver to her C.V. (resume).
From Alice’s we went to a church a few miles away. We were greeted in the yard with singing and about 30 women. This was Jane Muturo’s church and the women are all widows who are working together to survive. They meet monthly and each contributes a few shillings. Jane connected them with a woman who volunteers at Lugulu Hospital who gave them two sewing machines. They have hired a tailor and have a small business. They have educated some of the children/grandchildren as school fees are needed for secondary school and of course, university. These are the poorest of the poor but they are proud and hard working. They served a snack of soda and biscuits to us, the visitors. I told them we had just come from the table but they insisted that we have something. I asked if I could share a soda so I chose pineapple and shared it with Jane’s 4 year old daughter, Valentine! Jane asked me to share some encouragement and pray a blessing on them. I shared about the sower and the seed and prayed that as they are faithful with the seed, that God will return a yield for them as in the Bible…30, 60 or 100 fold! We left that place with the women escorting us to the road singing.
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| Valentine and Jane at left |
Rebekah drove us back to the house, again picking her way around and between all the lorries (semi-trucks) that congregate near the border of Uganda awaiting either the scales or waiting for evening to continue the drive. It was very congested. Beatrice’s home is in Bungoma area, very close to the border. It was 6:15 when we got back to the house. It had been a long day and I was exhausted-being a visitor is hard work! I went for a nap!
Beatrice came for me at 8:15 for supper…chapati, matoke, beef, chicken, cabbage and orange quarters. After supper we had a time of fellowship with everyone in the house. The daughter and daughter-in-law are teachers and will be going back to work tomorrow. After each one in the family expressed appreciation for the guest, I gave appreciation to each of them. It is a good tradition!
This home has no running water so I made my way to the choo (outside toilet) and then to bed!
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