He is Risen Indeed

Sunflower oil press

It now finally seems that the election is behind us.  The Supreme Court ruled on Saturday to uphold the election results.  There were several demonstrations, resulting in the loss of a few lives, but overall we are thankful for peace.  Congratulations from country leaders around the world are coming in for the president-elect, Uhuru Kenyatta, but there is some concern over the lack of comment from President Obama.  There was some controversy prior to the election at comments from President Obama and other officials which seemed to indicate support for Raila Odinga.  Kenyans did not appreciate any outside message trying to sway their votes and they insisted that other countries respect their sovereignty in choosing their own president, without perceived threats from other countries.  I loved that message of independence.  President-elect Kenyatta will be sworn in on April 9.  His trial with the International Criminal Court begins in May.  

One of many well tended farms in Butere

I spent Easter in Butere.  I missed being with my children and I missed the Lent and Easter services at Madison Square Church, with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ.  But the service at the Butere Miracle Center was good and I enjoyed the preaching from 1 Corinthians 15.  After the second service, I began my four hour training for the 71 business people in attendance.  Not a great way to spend Easter, but they insisted that the only day business people have to attend class is Sunday – since they work the other six days of the week.  

Fish farm of tilapia...it was fun feeding them!

Elizabeth (R) and her apprentice - she is now going to sew me a suit:-)

We spent time going through the Bible to study the many business people that God used through the Old and New Testament to forward His message (for example, Abraham, Joseph, David, Job, Daniel, Amos, Lydia, and Luke, just to name a few).  We then spent some time examining our cultural idols and studying how they can affect our business.  For example, in traditional cultures (which the Butere business people concluded they are in), the idols tend to be social stability and the good of the whole over the rights of the individual.  In modern cultures, the idols tend to be reason (progress, science, and technology), empiricism, and individual freedom.  In post-modern cultures, the idols tend to be uncertainty (i.e. there are no answers), technology, and the market.  [Taken from Timothy Keller’s book, Every Good Endeavor:  Connecting Your Work to God’s Work – a good read…as well as Jeff VanDuzer’s book, Why Business Matters to God (and what still needs to be fixed).]  We studied how the culture in Butere views work, wealth & money, success & failure, death, sickness, women, spirits, and time, and contrasted how the cultural worldview lines up with the Biblical worldview.  The culture in this area tends to believe that spirits, curses, and ancestors are heavily involved in success, failure, sickness, and death, which can have a negative effect on businesses.  This is not unlike what I saw in West Africa. [In contrast, modern cultures tend to explain death, sickness, and so on with science, leaving very little to no room for God or Satan.]  The last thing we spent time on was how to set SMART goals for our business and working towards timelines, objectives, and strategies to be able to achieve those goals.  This is always a challenge for business people who tend to have big dreams but are unsure how to move those dreams into tangible goals.

A very strong business man, his wife, and daughter.  They run an AgroVet shop, selling seed and inputs to farmers, as well as animal feed and medicines.  In addition, they have a poultry farm of broilers and layers.  His beautiful wife led us in worship on Sunday morning

As Pastor Andrew preached on 1 Corinthians 15, I reflected on one of Bob’s and my favorite verses:  “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” (I Corinthians 15:19).  I believe that Bob wrote a blog about living pitiable lives…or maybe he spoke on it several times.  The idea of this text is that we are to be living in such a way that should we be wrong about Christ, that we will have chosen to live lives that others would view as pitiable.  I started tying that in for the first time with businesses…and actually with business ethics.  Many of the Biblical business persons named above were called to do radical things in and through their business:  Abraham was called to leave his home and go to a foreign land; Joseph and Daniel were called to be governors in lands that were not their own, serving with excellence despite their loyalty or allegiance; David took his shepherding skills to meet Goliath (and was looking for the reward in it – truly a businessman!), and so on.  Many would look at them and think that if it turned out that their God was not the one true God, they were living pitiable lives.  Many business owners face many ethical challenges, all around the world.  For many, compromising these ethics is just part of business – the only way to succeed or even survive.  Christians in business are called to a different standard, even if it causes others to shake their heads at their foolish business decisions.  Doing business in Kenya is a challenge.  On a scale of 185 countries, Kenya ranks 121 for the ease of doing business.  Often fighting these battles as a small business owner seems fruitless…but when business owners come together, they can carry some weight.  I use the following picture when I talk about this concept: 

I am thankful for the faith that we are not living pitiable lives…that our Lord Jesus Christ is alive…and one day we will celebrate with Him in Heaven.  I am also thankful for those who are joining with me in this work by praying for some of these businesses…the challenges are great, but our Lord is greater!

I did get to see a white rabbit...not a sign of spring here...but certainly in the US!

Let the Work Begin

With the elections behind us (well, almost...the Supreme Court will hear the case of alleged improprieties on March 25...if they overturn the results, there will be a runoff election in April), it was time to get to work in a serious way.

ATS Mt. Eglon Campus - guest house where I stayed on left.

Last weekend, I went to a place called Kopsiro, on Mt. Elgon, a small rural town where the Africa Theological Seminary (ATS) has another site.  The road leading to this place gives the roads in Liberia (and some in Ghana) a run for their money.  I'm glad I wasn't driving!  The place is absolutely beautiful, and I've realized that the camera I have cannot capture the beauty at all.   But I will include some pictures anyway...just imagine a depth of color in red soil, green plants, blue sky, and a view that goes for miles.

Farms are ready for planting...waiting for the March rains.

Pastor Chrispine Juma and church members after the service.

On Saturday, I spoke to about 22 pastors and several business people about Business as Mission (BAM).  As seems to be the pattern, this was new information to them and they were very encouraged by it - of course, the majority of pastors here are also involved in a business as well.  They want this information for their churches, as well as to be trained as trainers, so that they can carry this ministry out.  So the ATS Mt. Elgon campus is going to begin working on a schedule for that.  At this point we are thinking that I will come to train businesses, with potential trainers in attendance.  Then in September, I will teach the BAM class at that seminary campus, followed by a ToT session.  That afternoon, I was invited to preach at one of the churches the next day.  I tried to beg off, but they said their church needed to hear this message.  So I quickly prepared...then at about 10 pm, they informed me that they wanted to give me an hour to make sure the full message was given.  :-)  I am finding that I am preaching a lot more than I had planned...but it went well.  I'm now learning to travel with a message or two ready to go...thankfully I can repeat the messages since I'm not often in the same church twice!

The church shakes everyone's hand in a receiving line and forms a circle after the service; they then listen to announcements. A great way to greet everyone!

Tomato farmer

On Fridays, I am teaching the Basic Business Principles class with the Friends (Quakers) Church in Kitale.  I had requested that the size of the class stay at about 30.  The first class we had 48...and then this past Friday, we had 60.  The pastor is having a difficult time turning people away, who are accusing him of trying to deny them this opportunity!  Thankfully, no one new can now join.  We will decide this week whether to split this group into two.  We are spending Mondays visiting the businesses, which is what I love.  Seeing the God-given creativity and initiative that people have is an inspiration.  Almost one-half of the participants are small scale farmers, and what they do on several acres is pretty amazing.  I've included some pictures.

Zachary (right) and Pastor Ashivaga (left).  Zachary is a crop farmer, growing mostly maize.  He also has these three dairy cows, whom we found in the unusual position of resting.  Many people own one or more cows and it is a viewed as a source of wealth in some areas.  The question is, if a person owns one cow...consumes some of the milk and sells the rest on a daily basis...does that qualify as "owning a business"?

Pastor Kibairu, Dana, Priscilla (owner of Adorable Creations), and Martin

This week, I start a project with a church called House of Hope, a small church in the "slums" of Kitale (as they call them); the pastor is anticipating about 25 business people...I preached at their church a few weeks ago.  Next weekend (Easter weekend), I will be in Butere again, where we will start a similar program.  That pastor is thinking that about 70 business people will be in attendance.  I will spend a few days there visiting businesses.

On Saturday, Dana Boals and Martin Mutuku flew to Kitale to visit me.  It was great to have some time with friends!  They visited some businesses with me, visited the Friends Church, and helped me process some of the challenges relating to quick growth!

This is Richard, my translator for the class.  He a teacher by profession and also a farmer.  I call him my "partner in crime."  He is (by his own statement) mischievous and I can tell he doesn't always translate directly...throwing in his own message or contextual jokes.  But he makes it fun.  You can tell by my face that he had just cracked a joke before taking this picture...and he does it with a straight face!

So lots going on...lots to do!

In the meantime, Hannah and Noah just had their Spring Break from Calvin College.  Hannah was able to go to Tucson, Arizona where she visited with dear friends Ev and Mary Vermeer.  She was able to soak up some sun, as well as visit the Grand Canyon, where she met other dear friends, the Barres.  Noah was able to travel to Washington DC with a Political Science group and attend the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC).  He then spent the remainder of Spring Break with long-time friends, the Steenwyks.  I thank God for dear friends who love my kids and open their home for them!!

Hannah and her good friend, Steven, at the Grand Canyon.

Noah loves wearing suits!!  Who would have guessed?!  He cleans up so well!  Looks like Bob in this picture...

Remembering Bob three years later...March 20, 2010

Just one of the looks I miss - the one that looked right into your soul...

It's amazing how the heart, body, and mind seems to know and understand a significant date is approaching.  For the past few months, I have been doing great...better than I have in quite some time.  But the last few weeks, probably once March hit...I started crashing.  At first I couldn't figure out why I was down...then I put it down to feeling isolated during the election wait...but now I've figured out that while I knew in my head that March 20 was coming...my heart, body, and mind knew in a deeper way.

I took some time to reread my posts following Bob's death, one year later, and two years later. The first two and a half years were such a blur to me - so dark and confused.  Last year I wrote that I was homesick for me...that I hadn't felt like myself for two years and I believed that I would never be the same again.  And while it is true that I am not the same, I have seen a change in the last eight months, for which I am thankful.  Let me share with you some of the reasons behind the change.

It was about a year ago, when I finally decided to take on the challenge of Jesus being my husband  - He is described as such in Isaiah.  Isaiah 54:4-5 says, "You will...remember no more the reproach of your widowhood.  For your Maker is your husband - the LORD Almighty is his name - the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; he is called the God of all the earth." There was definitely a reproach to my widowhood in Ghana, in large part because of the some of the cultural assumptions regarding widows.  That made my experience very different than if we had been in the US when Bob died.  Leaving Ghana, which was difficult because of my love for my friends, colleagues, and the work there, was also necessary for me to get out from under that sense of reproach.  Several people had talked to me about Jesus being my husband during the first two years, however my attitude was that I wanted Jesus to be my Savior and Bob to be my husband.   But with the crisis of self that I went through...along with becoming an empty-nester, feeling led to a career change, and moving to a new country...I finally came to a point where I told Jesus that I was open to accepting Him as my husband.  But I did stipulate that we would have to court first.  So I began to be intentional about exploring the idea of Jesus being my husband, and started having "dates" with Him.  And what happened was pretty amazing.  In the quote that I wrote from Jerry Sitszer last year, the last line said, "In the experience of loss, we come to the end of ourselves.  But in coming to the end of ourselves, we can also come to the beginning of a vital relationship with God."  The vitality in my relationship with Jesus is amazing; I have experienced true joy and peace at a level that I haven't known before. 

There are quite a number of stories that I could tell you about ways that Jesus has shown Himself to be my husband, but I will limit myself to just one - from this past Valentines Day.  While we lived in the US, Bob always gave me a dozen roses with one daisy each Valentines Day.  That tradition started on our first Valentines Day in 1990.  I was living in Toronto and the day before Valentines, he sent me one daisy, with a note that said, "Our love is simple and beautiful, like this daisy."  As our relationship was only about six weeks old, I thought, "Hmmm...interesting...one daisy...okaaaay."  The next day, Valentines Day, he sent me a dozen red roses, with a note that stated how that simple beauty has grown into an explosion of love.  If you didn't know Bob was a romantic, now you know!  The last time he gave me roses was in 2009, when we were stateside, in-between Liberia and Ghana.  I am ashamed to admit it but I didn't receive them well.  We had just returned from a land of great poverty, money was tight, and it was difficult to receive these roses, knowing how much they cost.  Bob was hurt...I felt bad...not a good Valentines Day. [Giving things was his love language ...unfortunately not mine...and I apparently hadn't thought through it that day before opening my mouth.]  Of course, I have wanted to redo that day many, many, many times since then.  Anyway, this past Valentines Day, I woke up and was "talking" to Bob, and I asked him if he had forgiven me yet...(of course he has) and if he were still on earth, would he try again to give me roses.  No answer.  So I said to Jesus, somewhat tongue in cheek, that as my new husband, I would be looking to see roses from Him today.  I then went on my way, not thinking twice about Valentines Day (the nice thing in Africa is that you aren't inundated with reminders of holidays at every turn!).

I went to Eldoret that day - about an hour and a half from Kitale, to visit the Reformed Institute for Theological Training.  They are on the other side of Eldoret, in a rural area, on a very bumpy dusty road.  At the end of the day, as we were leaving, we were advised to take another road on the way back - one that was not quite so bumpy.  We took that road and after driving for a bit, we saw ahead a number of greenhouses.  When we got closer, I was amazed to find out what type of fresh flower farm it was....roses.  I still get goosebumps when thinking about it.  Who would have thought....out in the middle of nowhere...on a dusty road in rural Kenya...on a road that we hadn't planned to travel on...on Valentines Day....I see maybe 15 or 20 huge warehouses of roses.  I was shocked.  And I imagine that Bob was watching....chuckling...and saying..."and it didn't cost a thing!"  And then I imagine Jesus chipping in, saying, "Well, it actually had a pretty high price for me...you know...the cross and all."

I can only imagine that the detour was arranged by Jesus for me that day.  That He would care enough about me to do that is amazing.  We serve a God who intimately cares about us and longs to be in relationship with us.  And I am so thankful and privileged to be in a relationship with Him!

Last year I posted the following video of our homes over the years, to the song Homesick by Mercy Me.  While I am grateful to God for His love, it doesn't change the fact that I still miss Bob.  I miss our daily conversations, our frequent debates about the mundane and the important, his wise input, his love and affirmation, his encouragement, his voice, his sense of humor, his cooking, his off-key singing, his touch, and so much more.  I have definitely been struggling with loneliness here...intense at times, but all within the context of knowing how blessed I am.  I do long to see Bob again and I do long for Heaven.  So I've decided to re-post this song of memories. 

 "Homesick" by Mercy Me
You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And at least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
Help me Lord cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
Cause I'm still here so far away from home
I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now
In Christ, there are no goodbye
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again
And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

And we have a winner...

After a long week of waiting, the Kenyan Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission announced Uhuru Kenyatta as the victor in the Kenyan Presidential election.  He garnered 50.07% of the vote - needing 50% +1 vote in order to win.  Kenyetta is the son of the first President of Kenya, Jomo Kenyatta (1964-1978), and is said to be the heir of one of the countries largest fortunes.  He served as the deputy prime minister following the 2007 post-election power sharing agreement.  He and his running-mate, William Ruto, have both been indicted by the International Crimes Commission in the Hague for crimes against humanity in the 2007-2008 post-election violence.  Their trial was scheduled for April but now it seems that it will be moved to May.  It was thought that the indictment would ruin his chances at the presidential bid, but it seems that the charges galvanized support for him.  Kenyatta, born in 1961, will be Kenya's youngest president, and will serve as Kenya's fourth president.

The outcome aside, the election process itself was an ordeal to watch.  Many of the details of what happened are unknown, but from the little I have garnered from various news reports and conversations, it appears that the multimillion dollar biometrics system, purchased to ensure that there would be fair and transparent elections, failed very quickly due to lack of electricity.  There are over 31,000 polling stations, and once the laptop batteries died, the officials had to go back to the manual way of registering.  However, it is unknown why the results from each polling station could not be fed back to the central tallying center.  By Wednesday they gave up on the biometrics system and began manually counting the more than 12 million votes (not an easy task, given that there were votes for president, county governors, senators, members of parliament, civic wards, and women county representatives).  Kenyatta's main rival, Raila Odinga, the current prime minister, has alleged massive vote tampering and has promised to pursue this in court.  There were reports of several violent demonstrations on Saturday night, but it appears the police quickly resolved them; Sunday so far has been peaceful.

As we watched and waited this week, I was reminded of a scene from Bob's favorite animated movie, Shrek.  Discovering truth is not an easy thing.  Understanding what happens in terms of election process, and even in terms of why people vote the way they do, is complex.  Like an onion, there are many layers that need to be peeled back to get to an understanding of truth.  And as Donkey observes, onions (like the truth at times) stink...they make you cry...and sometimes they get all brown and start sproutin' little white hairs....and not everyone likes them.  Here is the narrative from the movie that makes me smile:

Shrek: For your information, there's a lot more to ogres than people think.
Donkey: Example?
Shrek: Example... uh... ogres are like onions!
[holds up an onion, which Donkey sniffs]
Donkey: They stink?
Shrek: Yes... No!
Donkey: Oh, they make you cry?
Shrek: No!
Donkey: Oh, you leave 'em out in the sun, they get all brown, start sproutin' little white hairs...
Shrek: [peels an onion] NO! Layers. Onions have layers. Ogres have layers. Onions have layers. You get it? We both have layers.
[walks off]
Donkey: Oh, you both have LAYERS. Oh. You know, not everybody like onions. What about cake? Everybody loves cake!

Things that look incredible...like a country voting in a president who has been indicted by the ICC for masterminding the last post-election violence...begin to make sense when you peel back the layers of what was happening at deep levels at the time.  It's still hard to know what truth is...because it changes depending on who you talk to...but it does become a little more clear the deeper you go.  I'm truly happy that this election is now behind us and am thankful for all prayers that were said for peace.  And I am very thankful to God for the peace that has mostly prevailed.

As for me, now that the election is over, the work can start in earnest.  On Monday, I will begin visiting the businesses in Kitale who will begin the weekly training with the Friends Church on Friday.  They are having difficulty keeping the number down to a manageable group, as many people want to be in this first class.  On Saturday, I will have a workshop at the ATS campus in Mt. Elgon, with fifty business people expected.  Let the work begin!

By the way, I am looking for prayer partners for each of the businesses in the Kitale training.  If you are interested in praying for a business for twelve weeks, please email me at renitar@icmusa.org for more information. 

Election Day in Kenya

BBC picture of polling queues this morning.

Today is the national election in Kenya.  As with most elections, it is a day that has been anticipated for some time, with endless noisy campaigning and political talk.  But this day, more than other election days, is met by Kenyans with trepidation and anticipation.  The violence during the 2007 election, which took the lives of over 1200 persons and displaced 650,000 persons, came very much as a surprise.  There was no anticipation of violence.  However, the results, the alleged improprieties of votes, and the secretive swearing in of the president, brought a wave of violence from which Kenyans are still recovering.  So today is met with unease as everyone watches and waits.

Many Kenyans insist that "we learned our lesson from the last election - it won't happen again."  All of the presidential politicians made public statements for their supporters not to resort to violence...and assured supporters that if there are any complaints regarding the election, the candidates will take it up in court.  However, in the days leading up to the election, there have been a scattering of reports of violence and attacks in various villages, mostly along tribal lines.  Some of the issues go back to land issues dating back to the end of colonial times.  99,000 police have been deployed around the country.  Yesterday, around Kitale, I saw numerous police walking around in fatigues with AK47s - not a usual site here, so I'm assuming they are part of that police force.

With the new biometrics system, they hope to have reports of the results very quickly.  People are voting for the president, senators, county representatives, county governors, and members of parliament.  The presidential winner must secure 50% of the vote, plus 25% in half of the 47 counties.  If none of the eight presidential candidates achieves this, there will be a run-off election on April 11. 

For myself, I am staying on a ghost campus right now.  Everyone has gone to their respective hometowns to vote and the campus will be empty for a week.  I have been warned by the US Embassy to lay low for 72 hours.  They are sending regular emails and text messages to all US citizens in Kenya, keeping us abreast of the election news.

The National Anthem for Kenya is essentially a prayer - I would ask that you join with many Kenyans today in prayer, and echo the words of their national anthem:

O God of all creation
Bless this our land and nation
Justice be our shield and defender
May we dwell in unity
Peace and liberty
Plenty be found within our borders

Let one and all arise
With hearts both strong and true
Service be our earnest endeavor
And our homeland of Kenya
Heritage and splendor
Firm may we stand to defend

Let all with one accord
In common bond united
Build this our nation together
And the glory of Kenya
The fruit of our labor
 Fill every heart with thanksgiving

[If you want to hear the music, with lyrics in Swahili, please see below.]

Reed Update - one month in

Business meeting in Butere...me with my translator.

I just returned from a weekend in Butere, a city about 150 km south-west of Kitale.  I went to visit one of the pastors from my class, Rev. Ibrahim Makokha.  I had a chance to visit a number of businesses from the members of his church, Butere Miracle Center, and on Sunday morning was able to speak at both of the morning services.  Following the second service, they gathered all of the members of their Professional, Business, and Farmers Association, and I had some time to do some teaching on Business as Mission.  There were over 70 business people there, with a number of people missing due to involvement in the upcoming election.  It was an exciting and dynamic group.  Let me just pause here to say, I love what I am doing!  I get so much energy from visits like this - meeting with small business owners, seeing a church get excited about how pulpit pastors and marketplace ministers can work together to build the church!  The pastors are really getting it...and the business people are so appreciating the affirmation of their calling and the fact that God created and loves work! 

Mud block making business

[...By the way, did you realize that Jesus was a business man?  That for probably 15-18 years of his life, he worked as a carpenter... selling, negotiating prices, making sure his business was profitable, dealing with customers, understanding supply and demand?  Remember, he was the first born son and his father died early.  The weight would have been on him to teach his younger siblings in the trade.  Additionally, did you know that of the 132 public appearances that Jesus made, 122 were in the marketplace?  And that of the 52 parables that Jesus told, 45 of the parables had a workplace context?  Some of the themes were:  crop yield, management and labor, construction, misuse of money, ranching, hostile takeovers, wine-making, and so on.  Also, most of the disciples Jesus selected were business men.  And the gospel writers were mostly business men.  Jesus recruited people from the Marketplace to be the backbone of his redemptive movement!  That is just a little bit of what I present to business people...]  

Pastor on left, translator on right

Unfortunately, I had to tell them that their church was not selected for the pilot project, but by the time I left, I did promise to come back monthly to begin the Partners Worldwide model of basic business training, mentoring, access to capital, and advocacy.  While disappointed that I would not be moving to Butere for three months, they were somewhat placated by the promise of a monthly visit.  I also really enjoyed the church.  The preaching was very sound, the worship very worshipful.  But the highlight was the translator.  Each service is in English; the first service is translated into Swahili, and the second into the local language.  The translator was one of the best I have ever seen.  As I told him afterward, he not only translated the words, but he translated the passion.  The pastor and the translator worked so well together, it was amazing and so enjoyable to watch!

Alfred and his son, Harrison, outside the Friends Church.

Pilot Project:  I'm excited to announce that the pilot project for the ICM Marketplace Ministry has been decided.  It will be held right here in Kitale and will be with the Friends Church (Quakers).  [Apparently Africa has 46% of the population of Quakers, with Kenya having the largest number of all African countries.]  This church has about 200 members many of whom are involved in business.  In addition, they have a few daughter churches in the surrounding area.  The pastor who attended the Business as Mission class, Alfred Kibairu, was one of the pastors who said from day one that this class was an answer to prayer for their church - it was what they had been wrestling with and prayed for some way to better equip their business members.  There are two other good things about having the pilot here in Kitale - first, there are four other pastors from the class who have their churches in the area.  They will each be invited to send three business people from their church, making the class multi-denominational, and allowing for other churches to begin to embrace Marketplace Ministry a bit more.  Additionally, since ATS (the seminary) is right here in Kitale, it makes sense to start in the home town.  We hope to gather a number of churches to do prayer walks through the marketplace and begin to reclaim it for Christ.  Lord willing, the class will start mid-March, after the elections. 

A small, rural church that I attended last week.  I loved it!

Learning Swahili:  Learning a new language at the age of 44 is not easy, but I'm thankful that Swahili seems to be easier than other languages...at least easier than French and tonal languages.  I have a tutor who meets with me three times a week...and I have a pounding headache at the end of each session!  But I'm able to greet people pretty well, as well as greet churches.  The thing about Swahili is that each word ends with a vowel - I think I would enjoy playing Scrabble in Swahili - no more complaining about too many vowels!  For example, as I often speak in churches, I greet the congregation by saying this:  Ndugo na dada zungu, nawa salimu kwajina la Jesu Kristo.  This translates to, Brothers and Sisters, I greet you in the name of Jesus Christ.  Lots of vowels, right?  But then if I want to say, God bless you, it is:  Mungu awabariki.  However, Swahili has verb prefixes that determine if it is plural, present, past, future tense, or negative.  So when you remove the prefix, the root word for bless is bariki.  But the word for kettle is bakuli.  So I am afraid some day that I will say "Mungu awabakuli" ...God kettle you!  Oh well, I have to try.  I'm sure I'm not the first mzungu to mess up the language!

The congregants of the rural church - a lot of talent in that small group!

Weather:  The weather continues to be pleasant, with temperatures in the mid-70s during the day, but getting as low as 42F at night.  Since there is no heating system and the windows don't really close, it makes for some chilly mornings!  So, for those of you who laughed at me for needing a blanket when the temp was in the 70s in Michigan, you be happy to know that I think my blood is finally getting thicker!  The other thing is that because of the higher elevation, we do get some strange weather patterns.  The other day, it was 77F by about 4 pm, and a storm rolled in with hail.  It immediately melted, but it's not at all unusual here to see hail.  I like it because it gives me a sense of winter without what all of you are going through back in the US!

The instant hot water heater in my shower.

Electricity - I was spoiled during my first two weeks here (or maybe welcomed :-) with the electricity being on pretty steadily; and any time it went off, the generator on campus immediately kicked on.  But the last two weeks have been a different story.  The power seems to go off and on about 20-30 times per day, and I think the generator has worn itself out.  The frustrating thing about that is that each time the electricity goes out, the IP address for the wireless internet has to be reset...and it's in the administration building, so for most of the time, the internet doesn't work.  Thankfully I have a modem that allows me to get online without electricity.  The other challenge is showers...they have instant water heaters here, which of course depend on electricity.  If you know me, you know I must have a shower in the morning to be able to feel awake during the day...but taking a cold shower when it is 50 degrees in your room is quite a challenge!  (I wonder why these instant water heaters haven't taken off in the US.  It immediately heats your water - no more running out of water because someone takes a shower for too long, and the only power needed is while you are taking the shower.) 

Ugali with sikuma wiki

Food and Drink - The most common foods eaten here seems to be ugali with sikuma wiki.  Ugali is a maize flour (cornmeal) cooked with water to a doughlike consistency.  Because there is a lot of corn grown here, it is quite affordable.  Sikuma wiki is a stew made of kale, which is also grown in abundance here.  It is not spicy like West Africa at all, which means I need to carry hot pepper with me since I have grown very used to spicy food.  The main drink here is Chai.  As they say, "Every time is tea time!"  Because of the abundance of dairy farmers around (everywhere you go, you see grazing cows roaming around), so milk is in abundance. As I mentioned before, this area is called the bread basket of Kenya, with so much farming going on.

Election:  The election is scheduled for next week Monday, March 4; schools will close this week Thursday and will remain closed for one week.  It seems that much of the country will shut down during the course of the election.  Because they have implemented biometrics (electronic voting) for the first time, they expect to announce the results by the next day.  As we continue to move closer to the election, prayers continue to be needed.  Many churches are planning a fast and prayer time for the whole weekend, with people staying at the church to pray through the night.  The more time I spend talking with people here, the more I am beginning to understand the complexities behind what happened in the 2007 election, as well as the dynamics behind the current situation.  Kenya held their first ever presidential debate on February 11 and a second will be held tonight, February 25.  You can stream in to watch it online, as I will (I don't have a TV) if you are interested; it looks like one of the two frontrunners will not participate due to the focus of the debate on the 11th on the indictments on both he and his vice-presidential candidate by the International Criminal Court.  The BBC has a good summary of what is going on currently with the election.  If you are interested, click here.

Random monkeys playing outside my window while I worked.