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