Words to Remember

We had many good laughs together as a group.  For your enjoyment, here are a few of our favorite quotes from the trip!


"I woke up this morning and thought I was blind!"  Jeremy

Anyone: "How are you, George?"
George: "Tremendous and getting better!"

"I don't want to talk about it.  College was crazy." Theo (in reference to his monkey child)

"Is this a road?"  Bob (every 3 kms)

"Sorry, I'm listening.  I just can't look at you or I'll be sick."  Megan

Kristen:  "Oh Helga, I thought we were friends."
Helga: "These things are temporary."  (spoken during an intense game of Phase 10)

"I feel better than I smell."  Theo

"Very delicious!"  Mugasa (in reference to every animal we came upon during the safari)

Highlights and Challenges

During the final days at Maasai Mara the group had time to reflect and debrief about our time together. Here are some highlights and lowlights that were shared.

We'll start with the challenges: The drive to Maasai Mara (Bob could not get over the roads in Kenya. This was a clear challenge for him and others.)
Leaving Utooni was hard. We grew very fond of the staff and work experience. It was also hard having to split our group. We like each other. The second week was good, but very different.
After our week with sand dams, many of us were unsure of how to use our down time. We felt like we needed to be doing something. It was good for us though.
Trying to figure out what poverty in Kenya looks like was a struggle. Were we seeing poverty everywhere we thought with our Albertan perpective?
The Najile group had a difficult time on day 1, not knowing what to expect (and not knowing when dinner would actually be served!) We were tired.
How do we accept gifts and praises? It seemed we were thanked for any positive experience that anyone had with Canadians.

Highlights: Seeing so many local solutions to local problems was very encouraging.
Travelling with our teammates resulted in many good times:)
We heard that the sand dam we worked on was filling up! God blessed the rains down in Africa! Seeing the hope center and hearing Lucy's story was inspiring. This was a good example of seeing MCC partner with an organization in a healthy and positive way.
Spending time at Maasai Mara was a really good way to relax, spend time together, and debrief. It was nice to just be able to hang out and be together after such a significant experience together. Not to mention we saw cool animals, all of which Mugasa has eaten.
Learning from our hosts in Najile. They taught us so much about Maasai culture and were warm and welcoming.
We were able to visit Joseph Kiranto's family. They overwhelmed us with their generosity. We were fed a feast, given gifts of Maasai jewelery, and sent home with many warm greetings.
Connecting with Simion Sitonik (a former IVEP participant) was wonderful! It was great to see his life in Najile.

Safari thoughts from the coolest people in the group:

Hippo: Reading on the back porch of our Massai Mara paradis to the sound of grunting hippos in the distance. What a highlight. We had a family of hippos living in the river right behind the lodge. We also found one lost far from water on our safari drive. We really hope it survived the day. Mugasa: It appears he’s eaten every animal on Safari. Lions: Saw a pride of 16 today. Wow. (by Jeremy) We’ve actually seen the whole cast of the Lion King. Timon, Pumba (many Pumba’s) The wildebeests who killed Mufasa, Simba, Nala, Hyenas, Rafiki, and a Zazu impersonator. We didn’t see to many the grubs, but we are thankful for that. Elephants: Moses was an older elephant we named. He wandered behind a huge herd. We saw big grandpa Moses all the way to baby Dumbo. There were lots of elephants. Cheetah: There were 3 cheetah’s this morning fighting over an African Hare. We saw a variety of other animals as well. Helga, aka: Mama Safari, kept track of the list for us all. Two days at Simba Lodge in Massai Mara were a wonderful way to wrap our trip. We were able to visit and process the many wonderful experiences we’ve had over the past two weeks and enjoy spending time together as a group. Overall, a truly successful learning tour. We look forward to sharing more stories when we get home. Check here for pictures and hopefully video’s next week.

Visiting Family

Last year we were the hosts for an IVEP person, Simion Sitonik. This week, as part of the MCC AB tour to Kenya, we met again. His parents graciously invited us to stay with them. We gladly accepted. We met Simion’s parents and siblings and other relatives. They threw out the red carpet for us, served us traditional Maasai food: sorghum porridge, chai tea, ugali, and kale, but also cornflakes and coffee (once). I did not realize that bonding could happen so quickly. We had had a very good relationship with Simion, and now after only 3 nights, we also feel very close to his parents and family. They wanted us to stay longer. We felt as though we were at home. We are excited to be on this tour with MCC AB to help build the sand dam, and visit MCC projects and express our thanks to those who have organized it and served us very well. George and Helga Loewen

Kenya, beautiful people, beautiful country & MCC's Global Family Program

When gifts were handed out,the gift to blog was not in my package! I don't think the word was invented then.. It has been quit an experience already. From learning about MCC programs in Kenya to being welcomed by dancing folks at the dam site and working alongside the people of Woni Wa Matwiku self help group building the dam then attending the completion ceremonies, it's like a dream come true. Now the people of the community are waiting for the long rainy season to bring some rain to at least partially fill the Dam. ..... By the way just got word from James, MCC's water worker that they received rain on Tuesday and the damn is partially filled and looked like probably got more rain Wednesday morning! Prayers answered! Mondays story about Hope Community Centre and how the dreams of Lucy have come true. Tuesday as we drove into the yard of "Tumaini Ia Watoto Children Development Centre" I noticed the following verse painted on their school building. " For I Know The plans I have for you.... To give you a hope & a future. ( Jer 29:11 ). This is what happens when you follow Gods plan. We visited with Alice Hinga who along with her Pastor husband David started the Centre when they saw the needs of the children (now 582) in this area of coffee plantations. But what really struck me is how much the funds from Global Family program help the two schools we visited. They use the funds for teacher stipends. Even with these funds the teachers only get about half as much as teachers in other schools get, although they work many more hours. Let's spread the word about MCC's best kept secret "The Global Family Program" . Your sponsorship does not only help one child it helps the whole community. .. Jake

Lessons from Lydia and her Girls

While staying with Solomon’s family, we had the privilege of being two of Lydia’s girls. Lydia is Solomon’s wife. We learned many lessons around their Massai household and we’d love to share some with you. 1. We thought fast food was greasy, but chapattis are right up there. Lydia taught us to make this Kenyan staple one evening. The ingredients are really similar to bannock. Flour, salt, sugar, and Water. Add a bit of oil “to make it soft”. Mix it up and knead it. Break it into pieces and roll them out to a flat tortilla shape. Don’t roll the middle too thin or it will be hard. Megan made this mistake. Oops. Throw them on the flat pan over the charcoal fire and fry them up. Don’t forget a generous scoop of lard for each side as you fry. 2. We don’t how to spell so we’ll write it phonetically. ka-ji Kristen =I am called Kristen Ay-ng-wa Canada = I come from Canada 3. Milking cows with small teats is slower but necessary for morning Chai. Another Kenyan staple. 4. Lydia asked Pauline a local teacher who stays with them and enjoys cooking a lot to show us how she makes dinner. That night the menu was rice, beans, and kale with tomatoes. It was delicious and we can likely replicate it. In their outdoor kitchen in the dark by a kerosene lamp, Pauline cooked over a wood fire and shared the instructions with us. 5. Dowries are important in a marriage agreement for the Massai. A woman is typically worth 3-5 cows, blankets/tea/other household goods and 30,000-100,000 shillings. Take note Megan’s future husband and Jay, you better pay up. We think we’d be worth 5 cows. It is hard work to take care of a family in Massai land. Solomon and Lydia do very well but work so hard and even host their friends’ children so they the kids can be closer to school. Lydia started a school, she owns and runs and stocks a shop in Najile town center, she’s the head of Sunday School for their region, she milks the cows every morning, as well as takes care of basic household duties without running water and electricity. A whole new world indeed. Solomon owns a larger shop in Ewaso, stocks it, the board chair of the GAR (Generations at Risk) program, he cares for and finds his cows every evening, and is a very involved father helping his girls with school work in the evenings. On top of all of this they were more than happy to have us in their home. They are amazing. AMAZING. They also want to host any friends we have traveling to Najile so if you have any plans let us know. We can hook you up.

Notes About Najile (Day 2)

Notes about Najile The reason I decided to come on this trip to Kenya was to come and visit Najile, especially Najile Primary School.  I was very excited that today was the day that would happen, although it wasn't the only exciting event of the day. Megan, Kristin, Theo and I walked about 5 kms with Matt Kistler, to meet Joseph Kiranto's family.  It was very surreal to walk through the countryside and realize that we are in the middle of the Rift Valley.  Unfortunately the only wildlife we saw were cows and goats, but it was still a spectacular sight. When we arrived at the Kiranto compound, George, Helga and Simon were already there, and we were very warmly greeted.  In honor of our visit, a goat was slaughtered for lunch.  Most of us watched the slaughter, but none of us was willing to wield the knife.  We did enjoy the goat meat when it was served to us a few hours later for lunch.  We also enjoyed a special treat of a variety of fruits, including the most tasty mangoes ever. While we were eating lunch we heard thunder in the distance, and before too long, rain began to fall.  This is the first rain to fall in this area in about a year, so it was much anticipated.  Things will begin to turn green in a very short time and there will be more good pasture for the animals to go along with that. Next it was off to Najile Primary School.  The roads were full of water, because there is very little soil on top of the volcanic rock.  It was amazing to find that the thick dust we had driven through previously, was now completely gone.  We arrived at the school to find the children and teachers waiting for us, and were treated royally.  Theo and I were thrilled to be able to meet the students who have been writing to our students at Menno Simons Christian School for a couple of years now, and they asked us to be sure to pass along their greetings.  We are also taking home a big envelope full of letters to pass along to our students again. To be among the Masaii people for a few days has been a real honor.  They are extremely warm and welcoming.  It has been an inspiration to see how the people in this community are living a life of complete faith in God.  We have been blessed to spend these few days here.  Judy Epp

A Whole New World (Day 1 in Najile)

This really is a dazzling place I never knew. We’ve heard a lot about Massai culture and Najile but nothing can really make you understand it until your there. Our host dad asked us what our expectations were coming to Najile the other night. We really didn’t know what to say. Everything is so different. We arrived in Najile on Sunday afternoon. Najile is a village in Massai land, which is in the Rift Valley of Kenya. We bumped along the road through sand and dust, seeing Zebras, gazelles and impalas just hanging out like deer in Canada. How they knew how to get where we were going, we have no clue. It looked like we were driving down the middle of a desert. We are very thankful for our driver, Hudson, and Solomon and Simon for escorting us. As we got closer we began seeing homes every so often. Mostly traditional Massai homes, which are made of sticks, cow dung and mud, and built in a rectangular shape. We drove through Ewaso, which is a larger community that is home to more than just Massai people and a market center. My best description of it was that it looked like an old town in a western movie where everything had been made of cement and bricks but looks fairly abandoned. However we found it was not quite abandoned at all. There are many people who gather there, which we saw on Monday: Market Day. We first went to Matt and Stephanie Kistler's house. They are MCC Service Workers who are just finishing up a 3-year term and have two gorgeous 1-year-old babies. After a bit of time to relax after the drive (Driving here seems to be much more tiring than in Canada. Anyone who complains about roads in Saskatchewan could use a little perspective) we heard what the next days would look like and traveled to our host families. We had the privilege of staying with Solomon and Lydia and their family. Solomon was a wealth of information, encouraging us to ask any questions and spending hours sitting and visiting with us. We learned about everything from dowries to schooling to cultural dress. We heard him share about the struggle to balance the importance of education with traditional Massai culture. We don’t even know what else to say. We talked about so much but if you see us, ask and we’re happy to share. The next day Solomon took us to Najile town center in the morning. We saw the school that his wife Lydia started for young aged children as well as her shop and greeted a lot of people. Supa, Apa. After that we were picked up by Hudson and traveled to Ewaso to see the Generations at Risk program here, referred to as GAR. We met the staff and heard about their struggles to reduce the stigma around AIDs and encourage people to be tested and receive treatment and counseling. If someone is diagnosed and takes ARVs daily, while also getting proper nourishment, they can live a long life. Some factors that make this difficult for the staff are food security issues and cultural concepts of time (ARVs need to be taken at the exact same time each day). Another challenge is communicating to different age sets. Traditionally younger people aren’t able to speak to those older than them. GAR is working to communicate with people in different age sets to have them share with their peers. An example of this is the peer educator groups that are in schools. Later on in the day we were able to visit the peer educators at Ewaso Primary School and hear about what they do. Through skits and songs they teach each other and other schools about how to avoid HIV/AIDs in lifestyle choices and from our perspective they normalize talking about it. This helps reduce stigma and encourage testing and awareness. It was a highlight for us to visit them. We also spent a large part of the day walking around the market. This is where Massai and Kikuyu gather and exchange food, clothing, household needs, etc. There is also a separate market where they buy and sell goats and sheep. Simon explained the chaos to us as we watched this fascinating world. We were confused as to how they don’t get their goats and sheep mixed up with others. Simon explained that they just know. He would know all 55 of his goats because he spends so much time with them. Simon also told us that he was raising his goats to sell in Nairobi. I asked how he transports them there. He matter-of-factly responded that he would just walk them there. It’s just a short trip. One day’s walk with goats. I don’t know anyone in Canada that would walk his or her animals to market. Kristen Green and Megan Enns

Tumaini la Watoto

For us here at the mcc guest house our day has been great! Thanks to the way our schedule worked out we could all enjoy a very relaxing morning and lunch at the restaurant compliments of Ron and Martha. Continuing on our mission to visit some of the mcc partners here in Kenya, today's journeys led us to Alice and her school Tumaini La Watoto children development centre.  After receiving a heart-warming welcome by the littler kids and all their smiling faces we got to hear the unique story of how the school started. Alice and her husband who is a preacher, had moved to this area to start a church for the families who worked the land of the many nearby coffee bean plantations. After seeing all children with no means of an education, Alice took it upon herself to start a school as well. With time came more students which meant expansions and new buildings and to see how far they've come is amazing. Hearing that this all started in their small church with no roof 14 years ago and now seeing the school yard complete with classrooms, dormitories, a kitchen, and a church shows just how much God has provided for them over the years. Talking to Alice, it became very evident that her faith and love for God are very important to her in the way she runs her school and influences her students. Once again it was great to see another amazing global family school and the positive effects it is having on the students and the community.  Jeremy You can see a video about Tumaini at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3w651ahyOI

Pictures!

I've figured out how to add pictures with our limited bandwidth. You can find them by going to the pages on the right bar.

No video from Kenya, the files are too large to upload from here. Look forward to some great high definition videos at our presentations.
Paul

Hope Community Center

Menno Simmons wrote: True evangelical faith cannot lie dormant.  It cloths the naked, it comforts the sorrowful,  It shelters the destitute... This quotation kept coming to me as I thought about the Hope Community Center and Lucy, the woman who created it. Like Utooni, this a local solution to a local problem. It started with Lucy bringing home one street boy that she found. He then brought all his friends home too and it quickly began to grow. Once it hit twenty children, Lucy finally decided she couldn't do it in her home anymore and since that time the center has slowly grown from living in a church, to plastic tents, to wood huts all the way to the multiple cement buildings she now has that house more than the official 173 children she has. She now runs schools for all the children and shepards them all the way to a job.  It is remarkable to look over a sea of happy, healthy faces singing together and realize that they would be on the street or worse if it were not for Lucy.   It is inspiring to meet someone who when faced with the suffering of others, did not complain or ask why no one was doing anything about it, but instead just started to help.  -Cara

Hope Community Center

Another one of those incredible days. We leave by bus from the compound at which we are staying by @ 8:30 We make a stop along the way to get a spectacular view of the Rift Valley. Although there is some fog we get an idea of the vastness of this natural phenomena that is what Africa is famous for. After some very bumpy roads we arrive @ Hope community centre. Although this centre in itself is amazing it is it's founder and Directorthat captures our attention. Lucy started taking in orphan children app. 14 years ago. Today she is mother to approx 100 boys and 70 girls, aging from new borns to high school age. We listen with fascination as she tells her life story, explains her philosophy behind how she runs her home and allows us to interact with her family. Her absolute dependence on God is central to her story and the key to her existence. As we tour the facilities we realize some of the logistics of running a home of this size - it now is on a site that includes 18 acres of land and many buildings,some of them still under construction. What also becomes very apparent is that she has been able to transfer her vision to others - some obviously with deep pockets. A chapel service that includes hearty clapping and singing, a number of prayers, and brief speeches are the conclusion to a very emotional and encouraging tour. We are about to leave but first we enjoy watching the kids line up for chocolate popcorn that Martha Ratzlaff and Marianne have prepared and brought along for all the kids. We leave with mixed emotions, happy for the kids, sad that so many children have to grow up not knowing who their parents are. Back in Nairobi by 4:30 for afternoon tea @ the guest house. By Bob

Finishing the Sand Dam

Our last day at the sand dam!  A good breakfast of eggs, toast and fruit and we are once again on the road, prepared to navigate the so-called roads.  We are again greeted warmly, but now without much dancing and singing, because everyone is excited to complete the task.  One more opportunity to interact with someone new or continue with a previous connection, to gift gloves to someone, to listen to various types of proposals and to again be served the tea and lunch.  Work is done quickly, moving from passing concrete, then rocks or sand assembly line. There is a very real sense of urgency!  After lunch the closing program begins.  There is singing, dancing and laughing before the speaches begin.  We are each honored to receive the gift of an animal carving, presented by community individuals amid much photography clapping and again, laughter.  Such joy!  There are closing words and prayer by a Pastor. Once again we pile into the vehicles and leave with mixed emotions.  The week is done!

Highlights: According to not Bob

Kyler Fehr here. You should consider yourselves lucky, not too many people get to read my work, mainly because my it's extremely minimal. So here it goes: I love hymns. This morning was such a blessing. On the first Sunday of every month there's a "Hymn Sing" here at the Mennonite Guest House where we're staying. Sunday, April 1st. It worked out perfectly for us. A small room filled with 60-70 people from all over the world singing hymns for over an hour. If you want to get goose bumps in Africa that's the way to do it. There was our group from Alberta, others from Pennsylvania, Ohio, Germany, Ethiopia, Kenya, and I'm not sure where else. No doubt a vast array of people. When I first stepped into the room I was a little disappointed, there were three rows of chairs on either side of the room facing each other. This meant that no matter where I sat there would be someone sitting right in front of me. Usually I like to sit in the front so that I can sing as loud as I want and not worry about the people in front of me passing out. I really do love to sing, it's just definitely not one of the gifts that the Lord has blessed me with. Once we got going my anxiety dissipated. I love to sing and I LOVE hymns so it wasn't hard for me to get over myself and really get into it. I thought I knew a lot of the songs we sang in the big green hymnal at chuch but we sang a few that I had never even heard before, this only deepened my appreciation for hymns. The time was filled with a few I didn't know, a bunch that I did. Including one of the greatest songs of all time in my opinion, Come Thou Fount(along with the theme song from Veggi Tales), which I didn't even have to request. All in all an absolutely amazing experience. Well, this is in all likelihood the last time you'll be hearing from me on this blog. God Bless.