Mar. 23, 2007 - Homecoming

Hi Everyone,
Nme rudy...I have returned.

Just wanted to let you know I got home okay.
Thanks for your prayers. Also I just wanted to let you know how else your support was used. Just before I left I was able to use your support money to buy
someone a bed. And I guess she had no idea and prayed the week before to
get a bed...and there she got one thanks to you guys!! I guess God does
hear us :o) God bless you guys. Hope to be making my "rounds" and visiting
when I get the chance. Until then...barikiwa...(farewell)

I believe this will be the last entry from Megan, as she has returned to her homeland (USA). Thank you for stopping by to read of life in a country that is so different from ours. I hope from this glimpse of life in Africa, that you've found that the people, while different, are also just like us!  Judy

Dec. 18, 2006 - Christmas In Africa

What would it be like to have 119 roommates, rice and beans practically every day, clothes that hardly fit with holes every where and be the happiest person in the world because someone came to visit you?  This is just a taste of what it’s like at the Children’s Orphanage.  This trip Ihave been trying to organize for about 2 months came and went.  There were a total of 6 of us that brought clothes, coloring packages and some other tid-bits like gum and plastic rings (thanks Aunty Karen and Cous Dani). 
We went to give them gifts for Christmas and they were the happiest kids just for the smallest of things.  And if you had a free hand, they would come and grab it and hang on to you as tight as possible.  I met a little girlnamed Jane, and we played with a tire pushing it back and forth with each other. 

Dec. 1, 2006 - #1 Africa, Finding My Way

Habari my rafikis - hello, how are you my friends? 

I'm a bit behind on e-mails but now am at a place w/Internet access(although it's extremely slow and testy) so will be able to communicate a bit better for the next 3 months 'till we move again.

There is much to share so I will do my best to write so you can get a good picture in your heads :o)

This is what our typical week looks like. Monday's and Tuesdays - we will go to TULIP - Tumaini Ladies Integrational Program. This is one of the more dangerous slums called Korogocho. Some of the things we'll be doing - leading devotionals (there are currently 7 girls living at TULIP), tutoring, doing house visits (in to the slum), sports and life skills (such as sowing, which they will probably teach us that, not the other way around!). TULIP is a program for girls 12-19 years old that get mentored and built up because of their background and where they come from. The slums smell real bad and there is trash burning everywhere…to get rid of it they burn it. 

Let me give you some info about the slums in Nairobi (I believe there are at least 10). It's usually 1 room that is 8ft by 8ft (a room would be separated with sheets) constructed from mud and old and rusty iron sheets. Everything gets done in this tiny room…they bathe and then use that water to clean. They use small trash bags for the toilet and then toss it anywhere outside. There is extreme limited access to resources and basics needs like food, medicine, education and security. There is joblessness and a high level of crime, drugs, prostitution and violence. 70% of Nairobi's population lives in the slums, but occupy only 2% total area of Nairobi. The rent is usually 100 shillings per month-this is just over $1. Pray for Nairobi, and that we can make a difference here. And of course for protection but we go in the day so I don't feel scared.

I believe I mentioned in my 1st e-mail about people selling stuff on the street…well they call these kiosks and they are everywhere. In the slums, and even the nicer areas. It's how a lot of people make a living (so as the girls are sowing, this can be something they sell to make a living). I mostly see people selling fruits and veggies, nasty fish with flies all over them (looks like fish jerky), clothes, shoes and even bed frames. Oh I can't leave this out for your minds-cow legs with the hooves cooking!!! Ugghh!!!

Okay (sowa), now to Wednesdays. We go to CCP (Chosen Children of Promise). This is an orphanage in another slum called Kawangware. The day we went it was raining a ton. So we were sliding all over the place almost like on ice but in mud as we walked from house to house with the social workers. Our shoes literally were caked with mud. Mostly in the slums the kids yell, "how are you?" over and over and most don't even know what it means. And they will keep shouting it louder and faster until you respond either verbally or by waiving. The Kenyans have the best smiles. They will stare at you and when you say something or smile they get a smile from ear to ear. At one point Faith (the Kenyan social worker I was with) and I walked by a little girl (oh, by the way, there are people walking around everywhere all the time along with chickens, dogs, cats, goats and sheep and this girl started yelling "muzungu, muzungu (white person), come look at the muzungu" (but said it in Swahilli) and all these kids ran out and started waving. They love to come up and shake your hand. 

Thursday's and Friday's we will be at LifeSpring Chapel (where we will be going to church) and looks like I may be doing some work to help with the youth. LifeSpring is made up of a huge tent (like a green circus tent but squarish), gravel for flooring and plastic chairs. It also reeks, but not as bad as most everywhere else, with b.o. The bathrooms don't have toilets but holes to where you have to squat. 

(The weekends we have off :o)

I have adopted a new nickname - "chizi." This means "crazy." Pastor Bob's family has given it to me. For a week we stayed with them. His family has really made my transition here a lot easier. His

wife Yoland is my favorite person here, in fact I am calling her my Kenyan mama. Their kids are the best…Sande, he is 9. I am helping him play his trumpet. I am surprised how much I remember. In fact,

I wonder if the reason I did play (since I just loved it sooo much when I did play) was to be able to connect with him in this way. Ladoma (or Doma we call him) is 7. He and I have a special handshake.  The 2 boys  and I play football (soccer) together. And then there's Msimbi whom I'm certain is the funniest person on this whole earth (she is 3). This family is filled with laughter and joy and I already love them dearly. We will be back with them in Dec. through March. We ate with them all week so we ate Kenyan food. Most everything we eat is the same just sometimes something new mixed in every couple of days. Chipote is like a tortilla only thicker, sweeter and oilier. And ugali that is like a tasteless thick grits. Both you eat with like stew. I also had goat, but like 2 small pieces as I don't like the idea of it. 

The food here is not too bad, but I'm getting used to it. One night I was helping peel potatoes with a knife. Rose (Yolands cousin, a very awesome girl our age and we are becoming friends) is peeling

one after another so easily. I say to her and Yoland, "Do you guys have a potato peeler?" "No, what's that?" Then after about 5 hard working potatoes, "okay, give Megan the potato peeler now!" .

Krystle and I ordered pizza last night and I was so excited that I was jumping up and down in the kitchen with her. Then we went bowling and to play foosball and pool with some people from Lifespring. I was the champ over all, except pool but Eric only won by default. They were quit impressed, and I enjoyed kicking the Kenyan's butts (especially the guys as they are the same anywhere - they don't like to lose, especially to a girl). 

The kids speak with little British accents and the adults are a bit hard for me to understand. Our first night at Pastor Bob's we were tucking our mosquito nets in our beds. Mine was very small and all up in my face. Krystle's was nice but her bed smelt like pee (aka in Kenyan talk, wee). She said, "just think of it as camping." Well some of you know how much I just love camping but I think after this trip I might actually enjoy it :o)..Then at 5am every morning and like 4 other times in the day the mosque is yelling out over it's microphone across the city it's gibberish. We decided that in the states that would be a disturbance of the peace! Krystle said the first morning, "how rude!"

Now Krystle and I have been learning our way around town on matatus. They are like taxis but with like 14 people. It smells of diesel, b.o., rarely do you get a breath of fresh air. If I lived here I would want to be a matatu driver. I could honk my horn continuously, come inches away from other cars, people and drive around other cars if they are going to slow. When we get close to another car I yell to Krystle, "whack!" as I want them to hit the car. Well, just the other day we got "whacked" from behind - but not hard at all. If you want to get on a matatu, you have to be rude. Otherwise you'll just stand there waiting for your number all day. You literally have to push people out of the way and somehow shove yourself on there before it gets full. And if you have to cross the street to catch another…well here we don't play dodge ball like in the states - here we play dodge cars! It's really not bad, in fact it's actually really fun for me.

I apologize this is so long but hope you are getting a good picture. Please pray for me to adapt well to the culture as someone from church asked how I was adapting and I couldn't get the words out as I was so upset.  It's been challenging to do the work they've assigned as I feel lost in it - not knowing how to do things that don't have much structure. And I’m also being challenged in a way that I'm not able to see or talk to my friends and family so easily. Please let me know how I can be praying for you!!!

Love and Blessings, Megan

Mar. 31, 2008 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure_FinalChapter08

The following was written by Mark's dad, Dale, prior to Mark heading back to the states and home to his family and friends. Mark has arrived safely home now and once again does what he does best; helps others. There had been a fire in the building where he used to work and he's joined in the fix-up to get the place open again. WELCOME HOME, MARK!

February 27, 2008

Mark has been busy, and at 10:45 AM this morning (8:45 PM) Nairobi) was preparing to board a bus to Mombasa. One final holiday before preparing to head home! As I write this. Mark and Marica should be back in Albuquerque in 172 hours. They traveled to Uganda and Rwanda the week before last. They left Rwanda, the day before President Bush arrived. They said that there were a lot of American flags in Kigali. They witnessed the motorcade for Secretary of State Condelesa Rice. The genocide museum was slobbering. In one churchyard, 5000 people were hacked to death in 3 hours! Almost one million people killed. There are around 200 memorials in Rwanda. If you look on a map, you will see it is not a very large country. They did not have time to visit Burundi. We've not heard much more about it, but I'm sure we will when he returns.

He apologized when we spoke to him yesterday for not having gotten an update to everyone. As for the lack of an update, apparently Marica's computer was infected with a Raila Odinga Trojan/virus after visiting a cyber-cafe. Mark, being handy with computers was trying to clear her computer of the virus, and somehow infected his. A Google search for Raila Odina virus will find several pages about what it does. It is a very large annoyance. He will try to work on it during some free time in Mombasa. He ought to enjoy the Indian Ocean instead. :-)

There are members of the family that are going to Mombasa for a wedding. So they are getting the room at the rate for the wedding guests. So what is the first thing he wants to do when back in Albuquerque? Visit the Frontier Restaurant. I've been on the Northwest flight that from Minneapolis many times, and it gets in around 11:00. The Frontier closes at 1:00 AM. It used to be open all night, but they changed that just recently. In reality, he has sounded home-sick of late, or maybe his mom and I are just reading that into what he says. Or maybe it's just the food and his friends. So, the Frontier is the first stop. Then, I imagine, a lot of sleep.

I talked to Ann a couple of weeks ago. She said that Mark has a Kikuyu name, as do Stephanie, and Marica (and maybe June too). It is quite an honor to be accepted into a family as they have been and given a name. We have not been told what it is.

He says he is returning in 2009, and he wants his mother and I to come and visit him. We'll see.

As I write this, I await a text message. He said he was going to text me when they arrive in Mombasa. Lucky dog!

(My Thanks to Dale for keeping us all informed. I'm sure they all appreciated your prayers, too.)

Feb. 6, 2008 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure6

As you know by now, Mark is a cousin that I've never met, but feel close to as family has provided me with photos of him and tells me about his life experiences. I hope one day to meet up with him. I think he's going to be a man that helps the world. In his trip to Africa, you begin to see how he's making a difference as he enjoys meeting the people in Africa and learning about the country. He's one heck of a story teller, for sure! Stay tuned for more updates..

Hey everybody!

So when I wrote my last update, we were in dire straights, having had no idea what to do. Still stuck in Nairobi, we took another look at our calendars and tried to arrange some way to make a trip. We had been planning to make a trip to Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. We ended up dropping the Mombasa part of the trip (which is ok, because we've managed a way to go at the end of the month), and planned to go to TZ ( read as: T-Zed).

We boarded a bus last Friday morning at 6:30 am, and began our journey. We were traveling via a reputable bus company called Dar Express. They are known for making quick trips and always being on time. As the bus pulled out of Nairobi, we realized that in order to keep to schedule, our driver would be driving like a madman for the duration of a trip. He swerved his large coach in and out of traffic at high speeds and narrowly avoided hitting farm animals as we passed through the Kenyan countryside. Within a blink of an eye, a few hours had passed and we were at the Kenyan border. Everyone unloaded and we all had our passports stamped and crossed into Tanzania.

At this point, I was beginning to feel a bit nervous. We still hadn't lined up a hotel in Dar es Salaam, and virtually everyone in Tanzania speaks about as much English as we speak Swahili. Putting any apprehensions aside, we dove head first into the adventure, as we bought our visas and re-boarded the bus. The next stop was Arusha, the home of African justice. This burgeoning city is where the UN designated to have its war-crime tribunal for the Rwandan genocide. Despite this fact, Arusha looked very dull. Supposedly its a cool place though, and I regret that we didn't arrange a day or two to stay there. As the trip rolled on into the afternoon, we picked up a stewardess who would serve us soda and water and would be on board for the remainder of the trip. We made a quick stop for lunch at a decent little buffet-style restaurant. In the late afternoon, the stewardess put on a crappy horror film called "Wrong Turn," which had even crappier subtitles, a source of some amusement. At sundown, we were just arriving in Dar es Salaam.

By this time, we had been contacted by Wambui to let us know that her friend would meet us at the bus station and take us to a hotel where he had booked us a room. After a short wait at the terminal, during which we were constantly being harassed for a taxi, he showed up and took us to the Grand Hotel. The name was a bit of a misnomer -- rather than being grand, it was actually quaint. It was a small hotel, with an on-site restaurant, from which we would order several meals on our trip. It was set in a normal neighborhood, reminiscent of our neighborhood back home, which was several minutes driving time from the 'city center'. It was also a bargain, at only 30,000 Tanzania shillings ($28) a night for a double. Tired from the trip and unwilling to adventure at night, we spent the evening in our hotel.

The following day, we ventured to city center, which is actually the coastal part of the city. We found a bookstore which had TZ travel guides for sale and invested in one. We used the included map to find our way around the area. We had been told that Dar es Salaam was very similar to Mombasa, which wasn't entirely true. Although it is a coastal town, its not really a beach resort town, as we came to learn. We did spend some time on the beach, however, collecting shells that had washed ashore.

In the evening, we walked around the neighborhood surrounding our hotel and bought lessos aka pagnes, which is brightly patterned cloth sold in pairs that feature Swahili phrases. The following day, on the way to the market, Marica and I encountered 3 men who snatched her camera bag off her shoulder and ran. We spent the rest of the morning in the police station filing a report. That afternoon, having decided Dar es Salaam was boring and didn't have too much to offer, we bought tickets to take the ferry to Zanzibar's Stone Town, a small town on the west side of the island.

The following morning, we checked out of our hotel and took a ferry to Zanzibar. After arriving, we went looking for a hotel. In an attempt to lose a broker that was trying to get us to follow him across town to a shady hotel, we ducked into a very nice old-fashioned hotel, which incidentally was recommended in our guidebook. We looked through the guidebook for things to do and decided a trip to the island's Jozani forest and a walk to Stone Town's market area were a must. We wish we had more time on the island, but we were scheduled to return to Dar the following afternoon. With more time, we could have taken a spice tour, which is one of the most highly recommended activities. We talked to the nice woman at the hotel's front desk who recommended a couple restaurants and a tour agency. We had lunch, booked a tour for the following morning to Jozani, and walked to the market, buying a few goods as we went along. That evening we had a very delicious seafood dinner at a restaurant near the hotel.

The next morning, we went on our tour of the forest, which was about a 40-minute drive from Stone Town, in the center of Zanzibar. The tour took us to 3 different areas. The first was a nature walk, where our guide pointed out some of the features of the forest, and described trees and wildlife. The forest floor has coral all over it, since Zanzibar was at one time completely underwater. This area of the forest also has fresh water just under the surface, so there were a number of fresh water crabs. Several lizards and and insects were pointed out to us. Overhead there was a family black monkeys fighting in the treetops. We also spotted an animal that is very rare to see (according to our guide) for its propensity to hide. This creature, called an elephant shrew, was about the size and shape of a rat, only it had a snout like an ant-eater. We continued onward to the next part of the forest, crossing the highway to a natural grove of almond trees. This area is inhabited by 1,000's of Red Colobus monkeys, who unlike the black monkeys, are not afraid to come near humans. At times the creatures played and ran within inches of us, as we stood in a small clearing. After observing and photographing the monkeys, we went to a third area, the mangrove forest. There is a salt water river running through this swamp, and the government has built a boardwalk that loops into part of the forest. This area has millions of small salt-water crabs that burrow into the swampy muck, in the shade of the mangrove trees.

We returned back to Stone Town, had lunch and went back to the market to buy spices, before we boarded the ferry back to Dar. I was a little sad to be leaving Zanzibar. Although it was very touristy, there was plenty to do and it felt nice to be a tourist again. We bought our bus tickets back to Nairobi from a company called Classic Coach, since we had been told Dar Express had already sold out. I realize now that this was a mistake. In the morning, we reported at the specified time of 6:30 am. The bus was scheduled to leave at 7:30, but didn't leave until 9:30. By the time we pulled out of the lot, we had already essentially been on the bus for 3 hours...It was going to be a long trip.

This time, on the way back, we decided to look for Mount Kilimanjaro, since we had completely neglected to spot it on the trip to Dar. As the sun had begun setting, we saw its snow-capped peak sticking out of the clouds in the distance. Marica was even able to get a picture through the windshield using my camera. We reached the Kenya border well after dark and finally pulled into Nairobi around 1 am, where we took a cab back home. The 16 hours spent on the bus had been exhausting and we were happy to be back.

Well, that's about it for now. We literally only have a month left here (we leave 4 weeks from tomorrow). Besides the trip to Mombasa, we're still going to attempt to head out west to Uganda, Burundi and Rwanda, although the assassination of a Member of Parliament is leading to continued violence in Western Kenya. We're also going to attempt to get some more humanitarian work done. Until next time...Kwaheri! Mark

Jan. 3, 2008 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure5A

Jan. 1, 2008 - Marks ExcellentAdventure_Africa5_Election2007

RE: Election and Aftermath

Faithful readers,

I have been intending to send a mass update for a while. I have done many interesting things since my last entry. I still intend to write the e-mail, but first I have to cover a much more important topic: the state of Kenya and my safety. Please be sure to pass this on, as I feel people back home may be worried...

When I first arrived in Kenya, posters heralding the election hung on every street corner. Billboards showing presidential candidates lined all major road-ways. On my first visit to the local supermarket chain, I witnessed a Public Service Announcement on television that denounced election violence. I knew nothing about the candidates or the upcoming election at this point, so I began asking questions. Who are these candidates? What do they stand for? Is election violence probable? There were 2 major presidential candidates in this election (and 7 other third-party candidates who didn't garner much attention).

Meanwhile, Kenya had 142 registered political parties being represented in the election (mostly for positions of Members of Parliament [MP's] or counselors). Amazingly, most of the political parties were young, less than 5 years old. Even the parties of the 2 prime candidates were less than a year in the making. The differences between these parties were minor. The formation of parties usually bordered on the refusal of one candidate to work with another.

The first major candidate in this election was the incumbent, Mwai Kibaki, running on the ballot of PNU (Party of National Unity). The octogenarian is no stranger to politics, having been an avid supporter in the fight for independence in the 1960's and an economist by education. During the 1980's and 1990's, he was considered a valuable MP and spent many of those years as appointed Minister of Finance. He was hardly contested when he ran for his first-term as president in 2002. During his 5-year term, the economy had grown by 7%, infrastructure had blossomed, and international relations had improved. Kenya was looking great. Despite all of the development, Kibaki's major opponents complained that he had not done enough. There's one other important thing to know about Kibaki: his tribal affiliation is Kikuyu.

The other major candidate was a bit more controversial. A mechanical engineer by trade, Raila Odinga was backed by the party ODM (the Orange Democratic Movement). Odinga's father was the first vice president of Kenya in the 1960's. In 1982, Raila led an attempted coup against the president at the time, Moi, and as a result spent seven years in prison (1983-1990). He fled to Norway for a year and stepped into politics upon his return. His first unsuccessful bid for the presidency in 1997, followed by another in 2002. Despite this, he has remained a deeply supported MP, overseeing a region of Nairobi that includes the Kibera slum. Raila Odinga's tribal affiliation is Luo.

Why, might you ask, is tribal affiliation important? Kenya has 42 tribes, the largest of which is the Kikuyu, who make up a 5th of the population. During British Imperialism, the Kikuyu were favored by the Brits because of their keen business sense. The Kikuyu have close ties with many tribes, but also garnered many enemies because of their control of a large majority of government, industry and commerce within Kenya. No tribe overtly dislikes Kikuyu more than the Luo, however.

The Luo, incidentally, make up large section of the lower-class, including the population of many slums. They blame the Kikuyu for many of their economic hardships. I have one more aside on the relationships of the tribes. Kenya has come a long way from tribalism, but not far enough. Occasionally, past discrepancies or minor tribal differences rear their ugly heads and end up profoundly affecting tribal relations. For instance (and this is important), the Luo do not circumcise their boys, whereas virtually every other tribe does as a mark of manhood. The Kikuyu are not necessarily opposed to having a leader from another tribe, as long as a boy (read as: the uncircumcised Raila Odinga) does not try to lead men.

Ok, so let's flash forward to the present. As the election neared, mud-slinging was inevitable. Things began to look ugly, so to say, and it was guaranteed to be a close race between Kibaki and Odinga. There was even a notable bout of violence in mid-November when several women campaigning for Kibaki/PNU in Kibera were severely beaten by some of Odinga's fanatical followers. Meanwhile, all candidates for all government positions preached non-violence and a free and fair election. Last Thursday marked election day.

Supposedly, over 9 million voters turned out, out of the 14 million registered. When polls closed, the votes began being counted. By Sunday, the results would be announced and the president would immediately be sworn into office. Friday went on without incident, but on Saturday violent skirmishes began. In a couple areas of the country, including Nairobi, several groups of Odinga supporters began trying to invade ballot-counting locations, in an uproar that the counts were not coming in fast enough. At this juncture, Odinga has taken an early lead. Then on Saturday came an announcement of several contingencies and their votes that brought forth controversy. A large Rift Valley contingency, for instance, announced 99% voter turnout with Kibaki garnering 0 votes. It was clear that Odinga and his party had done some rigging.

By Saturday night, all but 15 contingencies had been reported. These 15 were all located in the Central province, the most highly populated areas of Kenya, and predominant Kibaki supporters. The race was close, with Kibaki only lagging by a few hundred-thousand votes.

Now this next part is speculation, and will never be admitted to, but it is commonly thought that by Sunday morning, Kibaki had done some counter-rigging. So much for free and fair elections.

Also by Sunday, e-mails and text messages were being circulated that Kibaki would be declared winner. When the official announcement came around 6 pm Sunday evening, Kibaki was declared the winner by a margin of 200,000 votes. Within 30 minutes, he was sworn into office at the state house. His first act was to declare the 31st as a national holiday, with work to resume on January 2nd.

Violence continued yesterday, as residents of Kibera slum and other areas of Kenya had small uprisings that were quickly squelched by police and military. A rally had been called for in Nairobi's Uhuru park, where Odinga would be declared the "people's president" (an act of treason). Military surrounded the park and closed it to the public before a rally could take place. Meanwhile, the government banned live news broadcasts for a good part of the day, to help prevent the spread of violence.

So that brings us to now. Odinga has scheduled a "peaceful" and "non-controversial" gathering in Uhuru park set for Thursday afternoon. Violence is dying down for now and things aren't looking too bad.

So the question arises: am I in danger? The answer is no. To put things in perspective, let me state my position in American terms. When the LA riots broke out in the early 1990's, was it safe to go to California? Yes. Was it safe to go to LA? Yes. Did you dare set foot in South Central LA? Hell no. So right now, travel is limited by violent areas, but I am still in a safe place, surrounded by the whole family (including Ann's siblings who live in other parts of Nairobi). We will stay in the neighborhood until everything dies out and returns to normal. I assure all of you that mine and Marica's safety are of the utmost importance to the family and many of our neighbors. If I'm in any danger, I will not hesitate to take a trip to the US Embassy and get out of here.

I received a question from my dad this morning, via text message, concerning a food shortage. Apparently the news has been showing a clip from Eldoret of Kenyans waiting in long lines to get food. So is there a food shortage? In some parts of the country, yes. Why? Well the country has been at a dead-standstill for the last week and a half. Since before Christmas, virtually every business (including those that deliver goods to outlying areas of Kenya) have been closed. This is by no means a 24-hour 365-days a year type of country, which is very unlike what we're used to. When there are a series of public holiday (December 20 and 21st, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, Election Day, December 28th, the recently declared December 31st, and last but not least, New Year's Day) , grocery stores close, government offices close, trucking businesses close. The only things really open are hotels, police/fire stations and hospitals. Even if I wanted to go to town, I couldn't because there are no matatus running and rental car businesses are closed. My only option would be to borrow the neighbor's car. So hopefully I have covered everything you may have seen or heard on the news.

Again, I assure you I'm safe. My trip to Kenya is not a suicide mission, so I'll leave if I need to, but for now there is no reason to be alarmed. I'll try to write a less-serious mass e-mail update in the next few days and as always, if you have any unanswered questions, please pass them my way and I'll try to respond.

My internet access has been limited (since more people are using their cellphones and usually the system is too busy). Its been taking, on average, about 2 hours of non-stop attempts just to get an e-mail sent (not to mention how long it takes to download my incoming e-mail), so if you don't hear from me right away, then don't worry. If all else fails, I'll go to a cyber cafe when they open again. Until next time, Mark

Dec. 29, 2007 - MarksExcelllentAdventure/ElectionTroubleInKenya

Dec. 15, 2007 - Marks ExcellentAfricanAdventure_Dad&MarksConversation

Dec. 13, 2007 - Marks ExcellentAdventure_Africa4

Dec. 6, 2007 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure3

Nov. 19, 2007 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure2

Saasa, everyone!

In this update, I want to tell you about some of the things I've seen and done. First, I'll introduce you to the group I'm with -- Besides myself, there is Stephanie (a friend I had classes with and graduated with at UNM), her mother June, and Ben who is a native Kenyan and our guide and translator. YWIDC was started by Ann Githinji and Ben is her adopted son. In December, June and Stephanie will leave; Ann and another former classmate/current friend, Marica, will arrive. We are all living with Ann's wonderful family.

My first purpose was to bring school supplies to 5 schools in return for survey research they gave us on HIV/AIDS. At the schools, we took time to have a short discussion about the topic and created an open forum for the students (aged 11-14) to ask us questions. Some of the questions we received included: "What is the difference between HIV/AIDS?" "I heard a rumor that the condoms coming from America and Europe already had HIV in them. Is this true?" "Can dipping the penis in lemon water before sex prevent the spread of HIV?"... As you can see, there is great need in these schools for an education program.

Three of our schools are in Kibera, a slum of Nairobi. I spent two afternoons in Kibera during my first week here. Kibera is the largest slum in East Africa. It only takes up a quarter mile squared, but has over 30,000 residents. Right now, the government is trying to turn Kibera into project apartments, but many residents are unwilling to leave their homes in fear that the government will permanently displace them. The only property many of these people own are the clothes on their backs and their scrap-metal huts, but these are their livelihood.

When arriving in Kibera, all you see from the top of the hill is a village of scrap metal, running on either side of railroad tracks. As you enter, you see garbage piled high on the ground. All the foot paths are have raw sewage running alongside them. Small children try throwing stones on top of the passing train, nearly naked infants crawl in the garbage as they cry out for their mothers. Right outside a school, a dead dog lays in the shade, as the flies and rats start to seek out the stench.

On Monday, we went left Nairobi for Nakuru (about 2 1/2 hours outside of Nairobi). Along the way, we stopped at a viewpoint at the top of the mountain. From 8000 feet, you can see a great span of the Rift Valley and it is spectacular. In Nakuru, we were visiting a woman named Josephine and her orphanage and VCT (HIV Voluntary Counseling and Treatment Center) called Little Lambs/Hope for Life. There, she feeds and counsels over 100 children and teens who are either orphans or who's parent/s are infected with HIV/AIDS. We were intending to stay for 4 days, but we knew we couldn't. In addition to me getting a head cold, the living conditions were uncomfortable. Josephine's house (about a mile from the orphanage) was very dirty and cramped. Her live-in house/orphanage help had to sleep on the floor outside the kitchen so we could have beds. We knew we couldn't stay. We spent one day touring the facility, documenting Josephine's struggles and playing games with the children. We learned that on the premises, the following Friday, 8th grade boys would be circumcised in this small unsanitary room. (It is custom for males and formerly females to be circumcised around the age of 12, after the completion of their 8th grade examinations).

On the late-morning matatu ride home from Nakuru, we spotted several herds of zebra and antelopes along the roadside. There were also groups of baboons, one of which brought our vehicle to a stop as it crossed the road. This is the Africa I have always dreamed about.

Today, we visited an orphanage in a small town outside of Nairobi called Kikuyu. The orphanage called Amani Children's Center is a home to 27 children, all of whom are mentally and physically disabled. The woman who started the home 2 years ago, a former school-teacher named Elizabeth, is fulfilling what she calls a pact she made with God. In the course of 2 hours, she spoke, unloading her trauma on us as she told us stories about how 8 of the children had come to her home. As the stories unfolded, we all began to realize that most of the physical and mental disabilities that existed in this home were as a direct result of neglect, abuse, and rape.

All of the children are under the age of twelve, and at least 1/2 the girls had been raped. Perhaps one of the most terrible stories is about one of the very first children to come to the home. Her name is Faith and she is 9 years old, although looking at her, she looks 5. When she was found in her home (where one parent had HIV), she was on a mattress that had been soiled for years. She was still wearing diapers and was in a fetal position. She was 6 when she was found, and because of the fetal position, her muscles had grown week and she was stuck with her forehead nearly touching her knees. She had rotting bedsores running the entire length of her body. Now 9, she has barely enough strength to hold up her head. She still cannot walk and only speaks 3 words (mom, rice, and water).

I mentioned previously Ann's amazing family. Every day that we return from our expeditions to the city or to schools/orphanages, they greet us with smiles and warm welcomes. The house here is so clean and comfortable. There is always enough clean water and food available and we are always offered warm water to shower. Every day starts and ends with warm tea (made the British way with milk). At night, I look out my window and see lush greenery and city lights far off in the distance.

Every morning I awake to the sounds of birds chirping and the smell of breakfast being prepared. I mention all these things about the house to let you know how we live in contrast to what we see and hear every day. After only 2 weeks, I have absolutely no qualms about calling this place home or calling these people an extension of my family. I already feel eternally grateful to everyone here for providing a place of safety and rest after encountering the worst of humanity.

Its time to wrap this all up. I'm currently working on plans to visit a national park to see more animals. The end of November will bring a wedding for one of Ann's brothers. A greater part of December will be spent traveling to Rwanda and Burundi as well as spending the holidays with Ann's extended family. I will keep you all posted as my journeys continue. - Mark

Nov. 16, 2007 - QuestionAndAnswers

Answers are in green! Enjoy!

Do you have toilet paper? Yes!

What do you eat? Meat, a lot of vegetables, rice, ugali chipati, samosa. (see my other e-mail and google for more info.) Even I have that question.

Are food supplies bought daily for the meals, as is done in many parts of Europe? Yes, we visit the store every day.

How big is the house you are living in? I don't know the square footage but I would assume its about 1800 square feet or so. It has 3 bedrooms and the garage has been converted into an apartment.

Are you sleeping on a mattress, or some kind of mat on the floor, or what? I sleep in a bed with a matress, sheets, pillow, mosquito net .

How do you get around; does Ben have a car? We take the public transport (matatus).

The house has electricity, what other modern conveniences does it have, i.e. range, refrigerator? Refrigerator, TV, kerosene stove.

Do you hear Lions roaring at night? Lions live far away from where I'm at. The noises heard at night (and in the early morning) are the wild birds, the roosters and the local dogs.

Nov. 16, 2007 - MarksExcellentAfricanAdventure

Hi Everyone!

My cousin from Albuquerque, NM is fresh out of college and taking some time to meet some folks in Africa and learn about the country and people living there. He's allowing us to peek into his life and times there, so we can all enjoy learning and visiting vicariously! Join in the fun and if you have any questions you'd like me to ask Mark about, let me know and I'll update you with his response. With that said, here are his first impressions.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11-12-07 Hi, everyone! Saasa (a local greeting)!

This is my first update.

Well, I have been in Kenya for a week now. Things here are very different than I expected, but I have fit in quite well. I miss home a bit I'm doing great. This is a very good place for me to be in this stage of my life, and I am learning a ton.

Despite any travel warnings and such, I assure all of you that I am completely safe and very well cared for.

In this update, I want to outline a few important things about life here:

l. *Home* The home life is very nice. We are living in a very nice place called Kasarani, a suburb of Nairobi. Traffic pending, it is about a half-hour outside the city. We sleep under treated mosquito nets at night. We shower out of a bucket and the toilet is a hole (called the loo). Clothes hand washed in a bucket and hung to dry. There is a water spout, which pumps treated water from inside the city. All the water and food is heated using either the kerosene stove (inside the house) or charcoal (outside the house). The garbage is burned in a pit outside, except plastic and metal which are recycled. There are many birds and lizards around. The lizards come into the house at will and eat the mosquitoes at night, which is a-ok with me. There is little light pollution from the city and even less from this area, so the nights are incredibly dark and the sky is filled with stars. The yard is very green and there are bananas, avocados, berries and mangoes which are grown here.

l. *Transportation* Matatus are the mode of public transportation. They vary in size, but are always very crowded and smelly and cost anywhere from 10-90 Kenyan shillings (KSH) depending on where you go and at what time of day. They drive very fast and very dangerously and are the cause of 90% of the traffic accidents here. The traffic in the city is crazy; traffic laws rarely exist. Pedestrians do not ever have the right of way, but despite this, people walk up the roads anyway because the sidewalks are crowded with sidewalk vendors (sidewalk vending is actually illegal in the city limits). At 5 pm, the traffic jams everywhere and since there are few stoplights (and a ton of roundabouts), it takes 3 to 4 times as long to get somewhere. We take matatus for long distances and walk everywhere else.

l. *Culture* The food here is incredible. Besides being very tasty, it is also nutritious. So far my favorites are chipati (sort of like a whole-wheat tortilla), samosa (beef and cabbage wrapped in dough and fried, tastes exactly like egg rolls) and mendazi (a pastry that is similar to a sopapilla, only better). Every dinner here features ugali (a cornmeal dish), rice or chipati, some type of meat, two types of vegetables, and fresh fruit for dessert. The dress here is very western (inside the city, especially), but some of the women wear more of the local traditional dress. The only tribe that still sticks very close to their original culture is the Masai. They can even be seen herding their cattle through the city. Tea and soda are taken several times a day,especially when you visit someone's home.

l. *Politics/Economics* Right now $1 American is about 66 KSH. There are no fractions of a shilling here (whereas we have quarters, dimes, etc.)

Some things here (like locally grown foods and matatu rides) cost much less than they would in America. Other things, like clothes and electronics cost exactly the same as they would in America, which is problematic because the income level is lower. Nairobi is home to the biggest slum in Eastern Africa. Called Kibera it has over 30,000 residents in about a quarter mile squared of land (and growing). I visited this place twice this week and it is very sad to see a town of garbage and scrap metal, sewage running down the side of the paths, unclothed children running around, a dead dog laying next to a house. Despite this, the people go on living their lives, ignored by the government.

The presidential campaign is in full swing. They campaign by hiring people to drive around in vehicles and ride bicycles, blasting music and rallying on the streets. On Thursday, the president (who's running for re-election) spoke in Kasarani, and the entire area shut down so everyone could see the speech.

l. *Mass media* Radio and television are very popular here. The 6 most listened to radio stations are: Reggae, British/American alt-rock, Motown/R&B/Soul, American Hip-hop and Rap, local music and worship. As far as television is concerned, the popular station is Citizen TV. They broadcast BBC World news, Kenya news, and an assortment of cartoons, dramas and comedies from America, with a spattering of local favorites and other imports (soap operas from Japan and Mexico). DVD's are also very, very popular. They watch American movies and TV shows mostly. As I've been writing this, the kids of the household have been watching CSI and the movie Antz. The local news and newspapers don't focus on much negative news. They are currently covering a lot about the election and politics, as well as a little international news. There is not a whole lot about murders or other violent crimes.

Well, I guess that's enough for now. My internet access is somewhat limited, but I am looking into a solution besides the cyber cafes.

Please let me know if you have any specific questions about life here, and I will attempt to answer them in a timely manner. - Mark

Feb. 21, 2007 - Time Passes and Life Education Continues

Krystle and I are continuing with our ministry work which is all basically
the same as I’ve been telling you so I don’t want to bore you with the same
stories. But I do ask you to pray for us as we are trying to "wrap" things
up by the beginning of March so we can have the last 2 weeks to see people
and say our good-byes. CCP has released us – we are done with our work
their. We continue to stay busy with the profiles for TULIP and I’ll be
teaching a class on "managing money" to the youth at Lifespring in to the
2nd week of March (just on Thursday’s for 2 hours).

I must be a target for pick-pocketer's. Not once, not twice, BUT 3 times
they attempted to steal from me and only the first time were they
successful. I think I shared with you the first two…the first one when they
stole my phone, the second was in Mombasa when they tried to steal my
camera. This third time was in a matatu (where I was a target before I even
got in). It went something like this: 1 guy was sitting behind me, then a
guy on my left and one on my right – they arranged it that way making me
move in the middle so at that time I said, "you better not be trying to pick
pocket me!" The two on the side had "briefcases" that are empty that they
probably use to store their stolen goods and the one behind me continued to
pull at my seatbelt trying to distract me. I was concerned about the
valuables in my pockets so kept them covered where as my backpack on my lap
just had some paper work and hand sanitizer. I kept getting my seat belt
tugged so I turned around, shoved the guy and yelled, "this is my seat
belt…get off!" The very next second the guy next to me had his "briefcase"
over my bag so then I began to fight him off by shoving him and his
briefcase now to discover my backpack just magically opened on its own. I
gave this guy a piece of my mind as well almost crying when I was done
yelling! This all happened in less than 90 seconds. As the 3 thieves were
alighting I yelled, "Nice try!"

There is an 8 year old racist Indian girl in our estate. Some time early
last week I was walking in to the front gate as she approached me and said,
"My friend told me to tell you that mzungus smell like mafi." So I asked
her what that was and she quietly whispered, "Mzungu smell like poo-poo." I
was so shocked and kind of mad so I just replied, "Tell your friend to come
tell me himself." One or two days later the girl approached Krystle saying
the same thing, and the day after that approached another mzungu - Canadian
Christie living with us. Once we all discovered she had been saying the
same thing to us I told the girls we should poop in a bag and give it to
the girl. That would show her! We didn’t do it.

Friday Krystle and I were craving a hot fudge sundae. So we went to
Nakumatt where they have an upstairs restaurant and cyber. First we got our
ice-cream and then checked our email. Then we discovered "Mexican" food on
the menu and ordered a beef chimichanga. It tasted like mongollian beef. I
have stocked up the carbs here staying away from the meat as much as
possible. At home I don’t eat much meat anyway, but when I get home, Shad
please cook me a steak and when I eat that one, please bring me another one!

Have I mentioned before how people generally arrive late? On my way to
Lifespring I have to take 2 matatus. On Thursday to my first connection it
took about an hour because of a jam (later I heard they had some roads
closed due to a shooting some where) and it should have taken me no more
than 5 minutes. Then I crossed the road to get my next mat and traffic
wasn’t even moving. So what did I do? I decided to go in to Nakumatt, eat
breakfast (the place where we got our Mexican Chinese food). By the time I
came out about 40 minutes later the jam had gone. I got to Lifespring about
2 ½ hours late. So if I come home and am SLOW or late, please be patient
with me.

I keep mentioning how fast the time is going by but it’s so true. Imagine,
I used to say "6 months is too long" and now I’m saying it is not enough.
Please continue to pray as time is ending and am feeling many things. May
God bless you and all you are doing! I can now count to 20 in Swahili. I
won’t count for you but don’t have any thing else good in Swahili to share
with you – "uma shiba?" Are you full? See you’s…

Feb. 13, 2007 - February 2007 in Africa

It has been a while…there’s lots going on. Happy February to you all. 1
month down in 2007, 11 to go. Can you believe January has already come and
gone?

Sunday, Krystle and I were treated to a new Thai restaurant inside a posh
hotel in town. I went to use the restroom before we ate so I could wash my
hands. I was shocked with happiness as my hands were touched by hot water.
We have hot water at the house, but only in one place…when you turn the
water heater on to take a shower. Otherwise you boil the water if you want
it hot. I was just so surprised I had forgotten about hot running water
from a sink and how much I enjoyed it.

There have been many birthdays in the house. Yoland’s was the end of
January. We mostly just hung out at the house and me, Yoland and her mom
went to the fish market. Fish is really expensive and a real treat so
Yoland’s parents were treating everyone for her birthday. I used to pass by
the fish market almost every day because it is in Ngumo, the first place we
lived. And every time I passed it I would hold my breath. Now I want you
to imagine the fish market in Seattle. And imagine this fish market here is
nothing like it…ha-ha! It’s at the beginning of all the kiosks to Kenyatta
Market (where all the yummy fruit is), the floor is dirt, the dead fish are
staring at you and they are being deep fried (so much food here is deep
fried… "chips" are very popular). For those of you who know that fish and
sea food is my favorite thing to eat (sike) I was rude and didn’t eat it…but
I did try it.

I was having pain with a tooth in the back of my mouth and was referred to a
dentist. She told me I was brushing too hard, blah blah blah and something
about my roots or nerves being exposed AND that "we can take care of that
right now." WHAT? I didn’t have any time to prepare myself for a needle
being stuck inside my mouth, plus all that screeching, unbearable drilling
sound. During the "procedure" she asked me if I was nervous because that sucky
thing that sucks out your nervous saliva was sucking nothing, because my mouth
was so dry. YES, I WAS NERVOUS! I didn’t have time to prepare…in the States
it’s, "okay such and such is wrong so make an appointment for next week and
we’ll take care of it then." They give you time to prepare for all that
scary tooth stuff they do…but not here. But one thing is for sure, you can
actually afford the work done with out going into debt over one tooth!

James the gecko came to visit me. I told you before about the geckos in our
old house. Well, they live here too AND they are all related and look out
for each other (I knew that mama gecko wasn’t happy I moved in and threatened
her baby). One night I was in the kitchen washing out my dish and out of
the blue something lands on my hand. Before I could finish the thought,
"what is this", I realized it’s a gecko flying through the air to attack me
and I shook it off as fast I could (I think while jumping back) and freaked
out. I now have a sign on my door that says, "no gecko’s allowed…everyone
else karibuni." (welcome)

We are busy with a new project which I am asking for you guys to pray about.
Krystle and I want to "take TULIP back with us." We got the "go ahead"
from the directors at TULIP to present their ministry to a church at home in
attempt to fund raise and get sponsors for these girls to go to school. It
would be something like compassion child, with Krystle and I being the
middle person between TULIP and a church. This is obviously just in the
"dream" stage and don’t know where it will go, but we are praying God will
use us and raise support for these girls to go to school. Please pray for
us…Where to start and how to go about doing such a responsible and dedicated
task?

That’s about it from here. At CCP we are finishing up some documentations
and putting together some paperwork and presentations for their home church
in California. Things at Lifespring are still in process with the life
skills training. Right now I am just trying to take it one day at a time,
otherwise I find myself mourning my departure. 5 weeks will be here what
seems like tomorrow, but I want to make sure I cherish every last moment and
spend time with the loved ones dear to my heart.

Thank you all for your continued prayers – I know God is listening and is
blessing me tremendously. I pray He is blessing you as well and you are
aware to them all. Take care and God bless.

Jan. 6, 2007 - Heaven and Hell on Holiday in Africa

How can I write about my last 2 eventful weeks in a page and a half?  I struggle every time I write: I have so much I want to share in a way you can experience it as well.  I guess I can start off by wishing you all a HAPPY NEW YEAR!  I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and your 2007 is off to a good start.

I decided to get my hair done like an African.  They style is called
"rastas."  So as my friend Nicole mentioned, I am a true "rastafarian." 
My braids have been in about 3 weeks now and Yoland and others are astonished my hair has stayed so long.  They keep asking my heritage which I (of course) respond, "IRISH!"  So I guess now I am part Kenyan and Irish.

Christmas was one of the most memorable - one I won't forget and don't want to.  Of course it was emotional too; I missed my friends and fam.  We kind of celebrated on Christmas Eve.  Before we ate we sang Christmas carols and Pastor Bob read a few words from the Bible and prayed.  Then we ate African pancakes, fruit salad, sausages and a few other things (sorry, no nyama choma - roasted goad - that was for the next day).  After that we just hung out and played this awesome game that basically had to do with encouraging
one another.  Then us girls watched a movie and the boys watched
football (soccer).  I had been feeling quite strange up to that night.  What was missing?  I realized that gifts was missing and it was nice they were -no "pressure" of buying.  Then once we started hanging out as a family that "strange" feeling started to disappear as I was quickly reminded and comforted through being together the meaning of Christmas.

Although there wasn't the pressure of buying gifts like I said before,
I went ahead and "got" some for a few people.  Rose, one of my dearest friends here (Yoland's cousin) went "up country" a few days before Christmas so I took her out for dinner as a gift.  We went to a place called Carnivore.  It's real nice and real fun.  I really got to spoil her (and me too I guess).  It was such a fun evening; we at lots of good food, there was a DJ and a dance floor.  We got our groove on and everyone stared at the mzungu girl 'till they saw I had moves.  Rose was so thankful and kept telling me she felt so honored and told me none of her friends has ever done that for her.  For my Kenyan family I had a little picture project I was working on for a few weeks and made a big picture frame with 5 of their pictures in it. 
I have to say I'm very proud of my work and they already have it
hanging and like it a lot.  Lastly, some of my family sent some money to buy a TV for Charles which I delivered to him on Christmas day.  His smile was priceless, from ear to ear.  All he could say was, "I don't know what to say, I am just so happy."

The short version of my holiday from the 26th - 1st...Safari in Maasai
Mara and then in Mombasa, was that it was the holiday from heaven...and hell.

I'll start with hell.  Flooding on the safari - we made national news. 
People were not allowed in and a tractor had to pull us out of a river
of mud.  We got stuck countless times.  Camping in mud - I have no further comments on that.  The tent behind us got torn in to and their things stolen included $3000 worth of camera things.  There was a reward offered, and with in 1/2 an hour it was returned.  It's sad, even remote areas are corrupt, as it was obvious they have a system that they all work together there.  The heaven of safari - God's creation.  It was so open and green. 
We saw lots and lots of elephants and giraffes, and some lions (our first animal we saw a lioness with her cubs enjoying dinner...zebra).  We also saw live zebras, gazelles and lots others I can't even remember their names.  We also saw a cheetah, just one and just for a moment...I was so thankful to God! 
The hell of Mombasa - it was so hot and humid with out any a.c.  Five men tried to pick pocket my backpack.  They were unsuccessful (praise God) after I pushed one and gave them a piece of my mind.  Heaven:  sailing on the clear blue Indian ocean, walking on white sandy beaches and celebrating the New Year at the nicest resort I've seen or been to.  And the other heaven was returning back to my home in Nairobi and being with my Kenyan family.

And now it's the end of the holiday and back to work and the reason I
came.  Only 2 1/2 more months...I can't believe it.  My hope is to make the most of my remaining time and just take it all in.  I hope your new year is off to a great start and you can make the most of where you are at as well.  God bless and happy 2007.

Tuanane, Megan

Dec. 8, 2006 - Week 1 in December Africa

Dec. 3, 2006 - Africa Week 4, Struggles, Sadness & Funny Stories

Dec. 2, 2006 - Africa #4 Heading to Tanzania,Struggles & God

Nov. 29, 2006 - Betty Crocker's in Africa

Subject: Betty Crocker

Date: Mon, 27 Nov 2006 05:28:18 -0700

Seasons Greetings! As I type up my letter I am enjoying a "Celtic Christmas" cd (thanks mama!) in the background. I love the Christmas season as I'm sure all of you do…that joyful feeling that just over takes you…at least I hope it does :o) I imagine what it is like at home…all the beautiful Christmas decorations starting to go up, people running around busy doing their Christmas shopping (unless of course you are that last minute, Christmas Eve shopper), families decorating the tree. 

Just one month to go and Christmas is in the air! It's not quit like that here, at least not so far.I was so happy Wednesday. My friend Nebert (he works for the Niemeyers just next door) took me to get a package at the "Posta." I was supposed to be at CCP that day, but going to pick a package is an all day event! In fact I went one other time just after I had gotten here. I didn't share with you the trouble and inconsistency of the postal system here (or any system of that matter). When receiving a package that goes through customs they tax what's inside. But if they are in a good mood you don't have to pay as much. 

If a bad mood, watch out! It's whatever they decide. And before paying it's wise to check to make sure they didn't jack anything that they decided to keep for themselves! In public transportation ,if it's raining some times they charge us more...just because of the weather! So anyway, half the day was over when we were on our way back Nebert realized he needed to get some things at Yaya. On our way in I saw a Christmas tree in the entrance and as we entered deeper in to the "mall" there was a whole display of Christmas decorations by "Dormans" (that is a coffee place). I was so happy and decided that if Java didn't put up Christmas decorations then Dormans would be my mocha spot!

Thanksgiving dinner was great! Krystle and I have become little Betty Crockers! Who would have thought that we needed to come to Kenya to learn to cook? We worked real well together and Pastor Bob and his fam were very impressed and enjoyed themselves very much. We didn't do a turkey though (a little bit at a time ya know). We did chicken and got it from Kenyatta Market. I already shared about my issues with the meat and chicken here so I didn't have much of it. I tried to make my favorite Green Bean Casserole. Yoland said she really loved it but I had to improvise as they didn't have all the ingredients I needed. I have to brag though. I made a killer pumpkin bread with out a can of pumpkin. I actually had to buy two squash (they were like our pumpkins) and boil them and mash them! Krystle made awesome mashed potatoes too! 

It was so good and very much fun although I really missed my family and friends. I miss all the traditions (and fighting, haha) and my grandmas such good cooking and my grandpa carving the turkey as I don't have to pick around bones and whatever else to get some meat! 

Tonight we are cooking again (but something simple). We are having the TULIP girls over to spend the night since they are leaving us soon :o(

Friday Joyce took me to a place called Amani Ya Ju (something like that, and Amani means

peace, I forget what the whole thing means). Joyce works there twice a week. I'm not sure entirely    what the ministry is, but one of the things is they take women who basically have nothing and help them get on their feet again. It's near Westlands, so it's a pretty nice area (Westlands is where the rich people live and were all the mzungus go to hang out…like for bowling and movies). There is a little gift shop there, where the women sell their products. And they are good! It's mostly things they have sown…blankets, clothes. And then their bead work…all their beautiful jewelry. It's so neat to me because I realized that every woman there was different, therefore all their products were uniquely different and all so good. It was also a very good day for me to go as I was having little pity party in my head, and Joyce brought me to this place and I realized that I don't need to focus on myself, that God is a BIG God and doing BIG things right here in this place.   I like talking to Joyce too because she is so selfless and a good reminder to me that it is helpful to myself to help others.

It's still raining but the last 3 days not as much. I'm hoping this "short rain season" is coming to an end. I'm tired of having muddy shoes and pants and an umbrella always occupying one of my hands! When it's not raining the skies are beautiful. There are always big puffy clouds and a bright blue sky. But I hate getting sunburned when the sun is out because our malaria medicine makes it easy for us to get burned. I always am carrying around sunscreen. 

I will be going to camp on the 3rd – the 8th, please pray for me! So I will not be in contact for about 2 weeks. I’m sure I’ll have some good stories to tell. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving with lots of great food and friends and family and laughter. And I hope that as Christmas approaches we are all in "good spirits" and joy would over take our hearts, no matter where we are :o)

Take care and God bless! Megan

Nov. 29, 2006 - Kenyatta Market

Date: Tue. 21 Nov 2006 08:56:37 -0700

Ngumo, the estate we are living at is shaped like an "O." We are at the bottom right of that O and there is a place called "Kenyatta Market" which is in the top left of that O. Kenyatta Market is a place with tons of kiosks, people doing their business and is where most of the time we get our fruit. Did I mention how good the fruit is here? I'm surprised I'm not "bananad" out. They have these mini banana's that are so sweet and good! 

Anyway, I tell you about Kenyatta Market because although I love to get fruit there, I try to avoid it as much as possible. You see the market is also a place of street boys and basically the Ngumo dump where trash is piled high and burned. When walking by, the street boys come up and say, "sister" or "friend, buy for me…tea, bread, chipoti…" Krystle has asked me a couple times, "did you smell the glue?" as they get high off of sniffing glue. I am ashamed to say no and to write this because I purposely don't get close to them, I purposely stay as far away as comfortable for me.  

I will come back to this. I now want to share something with you I read out of a book called, "Blue Like Jazz" which I want to ask this author, "are you a fan of Seinfeld" because his humor and writing is so similar and simple…if I wrote books I would write as he does. Anyway I was convicted after reading this. He was talking about his friend "Andrew the Protester" who is "a flaming liberal." He goes to protests where he gets pepper-sprayed. 

He feeds the homeless, makes breakfast for them, drinks coffee with them and if they want prays with them. He said a few things about Andrew, and these hit me the hardest: 1 - "What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do." 2 - "Andrew does not believe in empty passion." 

I wrote those because it made me ask myself, "what are you doing here?'" 

Is it to be here and love those street boys even if it's just for 5 minutes? Or is it to get my weekly fix of my mocha addiction, or should I say comfort addiction? Just sharing my heart with you. If you want you can pray for that for me :o)

Things have been getting kind of hectic around here. The 3 places we have been serving at have given us a lot to do all at the same time…surprise, surprise. But here it seems like everyone is shuffling around, getting everything to a close by the end of the year. I've put together part of a display for the TULIP ministry so that when they go to Nairobi Chapel at the beginning of December (for fundraising for the girls to go to school)they can show with pictures what TULIP looks like. I unfortunately am not able to go and see what comes of it as I will be on my way to camp for the youth from church. I have to be onest…I tried to get out of it. Camping is such a scary idea for me in the states, I'm lucky to go for 3 hours (if you can even call that camping). So having no idea what it will be like here –for 6 days especially, is a bit stressful! You can be in prayer for me about that too :o) Haha, I'm such a baby!

When I walk by the butcher I hold my breath, and even put my shirt over my nose if no one is looking. It is such a horrific smell I don't even think I can begin to describe it. I even wish I could cover my eyes when walking by. They bring the meat in a truck - not a semi truck where it is kept cold and nicely packaged up. No, it is brought in the back of a pick-up truck (there is a camper shell over it), meat piled high and an occasional fly or two.

Speaking of meat, I'll talk about what I've learned about my mouth. When I worked at camp, in food service, the saying was, "when in doubt, throw it out." I think the motto for my mouth should be, "when you're not sure, keep it shut!" There are times when I'm not sure to say something and I do, and then I'm the other extreme where I need to say something and I don't. I get confused. But I guess 90% of the time everything brewing in my brain does not need to be shared as public information. But I did get a kick out of this although it probably wasn't "the Christian thing to do." Krystle and I had just gotten on a mat (don't you love all my matatu stories) and she had to sit towards the back and me the front because it was already so full. 

Next to me a girl, next to her a guy who decided to "give me the eye." He hasn't been the first and that day I just didn't feel like dealing with it so I didn't, but I think I may have rolled my eyes. After that he turned to his friend behind him and spoke in Swahilli and then what felt like everyone laughing. So, since my tolerance for Kenyan's hitting on us girls and hearing things in another language I can't understand had overflowed, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and spoke in Spanish. 

I asked him if he understood "shut your mouth" but in Spanish (I can't actually spell it so I'm just telling you). He didn't understand so I repeated it for him. His facial expression gave me this look of shock but told me he knew. What I wanted to say after that was, "why don't you practice it then" but instead said, "good" and we were at our stop and got out.

I like to say cool words in Swahilli cuz "it's cool." Like when I end my letters and teach you the huge amount of Swahilli that I know. Some time last week I went to Yaya to do some grocery shopping. As I crossed the street to catch a mat, one of the toa's recognized me and knew where I was headed and knew I needed to catch his mat. He gave me a big smile,held up the mat for me, I think gave me a good deal on the short trip (10 "bob" instead of 20 - bob is the same as shilling) and helped me with my 2 bags of groceries. When I got off at my stop, I thanked him and said, "barikiwa" which means "be blessed." Okay in the states, yea I might say, "be blessed." But it's much more cool to say it here cuz it's in another language. Haha, so you've learned earlier that I am a baby, now you are learning I'm a nerd too :o)

In two days it is Thanksgiving. Well it really doesn't feel like it here. Maybe cuz they don't celebrate it? Krystle and I are going to celebrate, but on Saturday instead of Thursday. We are having Pastor Bob and his family over, plus a couple more. There will be a total of 9. I realize for you mama's that really isn't much, but for 2 girls who haven't prepared Thanksgiving dinner, let alone much anything else we are a bit nervous how the food will come out. We are able to prepare a lot of things like at home, it's just a bit more difficult. Krystle had a really good idea…we wrote cards for each person that is coming and just a small note to them and why we are thankful for them. I wrote on Msimbi's card, "I'm so thankful I know the funniest person on this earth!" It's true, every time I see her she cracks me up…so that will be a special 3 months with them coming up. So anyway, I am thankful that we can celebrate Thanksgiving even in a country that does not celebrate our holiday, and with very special people…but I will till be missing my family and friends. I hope and pray you guys have a very safe and good and grateful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for each of you. For your support in physically making it possible for me to be here. Just for getting my emails…I hope that it is encouraging to you in some way (in my sarcasm even) and that you just enjoy them…thank you for your responses to them as well. And I'm thankful for your prayers that go beyond what I can understand. Have a "baraka" (blessed) :o) Thanksgiving! 

Mungu aku bariki!!!

Nov. 29, 2006 - Modern Day Tales from Africa* toilet for sale

I hope you enjoy reading these adventures of a young woman named Megan M. and some friends that are there on a mission to help others in Africa. It's her personal account of what she's seeing and when she has time to reflect on it. I have her permission to add these stories to my blog. Enjoy!

Subject: toilet for sale

Date: Sun, 12 Nov 2006 12:43:54 -0700

It is the "short rain" season…although to an Arizona girl, and I think anyone besides those living in Oregon (mom and aunty j) would agree it is really "long rains." Last week as Krystle and I were going to TULIP we basically got poured on. We didn't bring an umbrella and got soaked. But we had a good time. I mean how often does someone walk in the pouring rain and mud for at least 10 minutes? Oh wait, that does happen quite often here.

But really, being from Arizona and the only time I had an umbrella was when I was a little girl having fun. So thinking of caring an umbrella does not come naturally to me. If it isn't raining during the day, it is raining during the nights…and it is muddy! I think God is still teaching me that having dirty shoes (and pants) is okay and I need to get over little spots of dirt, or in this case mud all over my clothes and shoes.

If something is for rent it is "to let." If something is for sale, it is either "on sale" or like normal, "for sale." On the way to the Giraffe Center there were 2 signs next to each other. One was "to let" the other "for sale." Someone scratched an "i" on the sign between the "o" and "l" on the sign "to let" so it read "toilet for sale." The Giraffe Center was a nice little place. It was out of the city…so quiet and peaceful, and clean!

If I stayed there for a week I think I would get all the pollution out of my body and actually blow clean boogers and not black ones. I got to pet, feed and kiss them. I even rode on one. Just kidding 'bout that…gotcha! But I did put some of the giraffe food in between my lips to get a kiss, but ended up getting my face cleaned. Sick, but fun. And just a couple fun facts for you: Some giraffe's hearts can weigh up to 25 pounds and pump 20 gallons of blood per minute!! Isn't that awesome?!

When saying hello in Swahili, "habari, jambo, mambo, sema, sasa" or the 45 other ways, they are all tied with "how are you?" So if you say "hi" in English to someone who doesn't speak very good English, they follow it with "fine." So I say, "hi" and the person responds, "fine." The other day I was walking from the church office to get some lunch and I passed by a man who was in his Masai tribe outfit…whatever you would call it. But he wasn't from the city. It was a bright red/plaid skirt with some kind of throw over thing on his shoulder. He had a long stick and huge ear lobes from whatever it is they stick in their ears. As we passed each other I gave him a little smile but wasn't returned with one. But it was so funny because once we passed each other we both turned our heads at the same time to get a second glance at each other. He still wouldn't give me a smile :o)

I am learning some about myself in the work place and my so called "leadership skills." I think I mentioned in another email how I am in charge of taking the youth from church to the Nairobi Children's Home (one of the orphanages). To be blunt I don't like it. Doing work here, but especially at the church office is huge culture shock and flat out frustrating. To get something printed literally takes over an hour. 

When I asked for a pair of scissors I was handed some kiddy ones (and not as a joke). I have found a creative side in me I didn't know existed; I am able and really enjoy creating things on the computer…brochures (for camp coming up) and "business cards" I used today to hand out at "WAVE" (which is the youth service) as a fundraiser so we can put little packages together for the orphans. The message conveyed to me is "do as I say, not as I do" and I see so many Kenyans passing off responsibility. It's like there is a whole lot of nothing going on (and a whole lot of drinking tea) which adds to my frustration. The way things get done (or don't get done) are completely opposite of the states. If their could be a balance between Kenya (relationship oriented) and America (work driven) I think things would be nicer…but I don't think there is such a place.

Before I left for Kenya I was told by many, and agreed with them all,that "6 months really isn't that long." My first thoughts when I woke up Wednesday were "6 months is a long time!" In my 24 years of living, 6 months is a blink of an eye. But in the moment, it seems like forever! 

My outlook and attitude has been changing as I am experiencing more and accepting those experiences. For instance I am able to enjoy it here so much more, but as time goes on I grow in my appreciation for home and loving America. Maybe I am becoming a bit homesick again as the holiday season is approaching and wanting what is normal to me. Frozen turkeys in the grocery store vs. chickens and roosters running around and watching them be butchered. Green bean casserole (oh my fav) that I can eat with a fork vs.tasteless ugali and "greens" to eat with my hands. The sound of Christmas music in department stores vs. reggae music vibrating against my butt. Driving around with my brother to look at all the Christmas lights at night vs. getting home in a crazy matatu (and bargaining the price) before it gets dark cuz it's not safe then. I am thankful for the weather as so far (minus the rain) it is so similar to home…I think it's actually a little bit warmer in Chandler than it is here…I am imagining people still driving in their convertibles with the tops down. I miss bragging about that to all my mid-west friends!

Things are getting a little crazy here as the year is coming to an end. Can you believe the new year is just around the corner?!? Krystle and I have been given a lot of tasks at each place we are at, but nothing more that we can't handle. But I am looking forward for things to slow down a bit and experience mzungu or "touristy" Kenya. I hope things are going well for you in "normal" land and are enjoying the end of the year. Please continue to send prayer requests. I'm sure there will be a lot of traveling coming up for some of you? 

May God bless you and keep you.                Love always, Megan

Jan. 6, 2007 - A Mission in Africa

The following articles are e-mails from a young woman doing missionary work in Africa. She tells of the trials and accomlishments of her work there. I found her stories interesting and hope you do too.

Enjoy!

Dec. 4, 2006 - Africa #5 Hyenas, Monkeys and Lions, Oh MY!