Safari at the Mara

Last week we went on a short safari in the Maasai Mara. We stayed in upscale tents on the edge of the National Park and spent a few days driving through the wilderness viewing the animals. We saw all kinds of creatures and had close encounters with lions, cheetahs, elephants, and antelopes. At one point we stopped the van to watch a lioness and two cubs in the grass along the dirt road. After a few minutes of photography and observing the cubs wrestle and play, we heard Anne scream. While all of us were focused on the lioness and cubs, another lion had come up behind the car and was standing right outside our window. This lion was watching us carefully and slowly made a half lap around our car before joining its family in the bush.

Watch our Journey to the Mara:

Elephants, Cheetahs, and Lions

Merry Christmas

Krismasi Njema na Mwaka Mpya Mwema! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Kenya.

Mount of the Buffalos

The hike up Kilima Mbogo was long, but not too steep. We started hiking at mid-day so the sun was quite intense. Kilima Mbogo is home to many antelopes, baboons, and other creatures, but is known primarily for the many buffalos that gather on its slopes. Hikers are required to travel with an armed escort for protection from the beasts as well as from potential bandits. Our guard was named Benjamin and he hiked the whole day carrying his gun without a single drop of water. Half way up the mountain we came across the tombstone of Sir William MacMillan, a wealthy settler and close friend of Teddy Roosevelt. William’s dying wish was to be buried at the top of Kilima Mbogo, but since he was a rather large man (400 lbs), his servants could only take him half way. We were the only hikers to go up Kilima Mbogo the day we went, and it was very calm and peaceful at the top. We saw lots of birds, heard a few animals rummaging around in the bush, and enjoyed spectacular views of the Athi River and surrounding farms and forests.

Fourteen Falls

Recently Amber and I took an excursion to Fourteen Falls and Kilima Mbogo, two lesser visited National Parks outside of Thika. The region is home to the Kamba peoples and features forests and farming communities as well as picturesque waterfalls flowing from the Athi River. To get close to the falls, we jumped in a makeshift wooden boat belonging to a local fisherman and were paddled across the river to a small island. The island was home to goats and mudfish, as well as a group of boys who spend their days swimming in the river and jumping off the cliffs over the falls. They offered to teach us cliff diving and showed us the best places to jump. We decided to pass this time around. Here’s a picture of Amber with her new friends at the falls.

NEW: Watch a video of our trip to Fourteen Falls

Corruption 101

On the way back from one of my visits to the landlord’s office, my matatu was stopped by the police. Something about having too many people on board. A child was sitting on someone’s lap, so there were 16 of us in the van instead of the requisite 15. After we were pulled over, a police officer confiscated the van keys. Meanwhile the driver and conductor argued vehemently and tried to convince the police to leave us alone. After a few minutes another officer hopped in the front seat of the van, returned the keys, and instructed the driver to start moving. He pointed out directions for the van to travel and several of us thought he was taking us all to the police station (which apparently is not uncommon in Kenya). At this point, two passengers in the front seat began collecting bribe money. One man refused to pay and pleaded with the officer to let him go because he had important business and was in a hurry. After ten minutes of arguing, the matatu driver handed the officer a wad of bills. The officer smiled, got out of the van, and told us to continue on our journey.

Lying Lies and the Liars who Tell Them

Washington D.C. has plenty of con artists, but Nairobi has more than its share too. Recently, I’ve been learning that real estate agents in Kenya are notoriously deceptive. I’ve heard stories of agents who’ve collected viewing fees or deposit money and run off. Others are known to create fake leases and even hand out phony keys to already occupied flats. As I’ve been searching for a new flat, I’ve had my own experiences with deception. The real estate agent I had lied about rental price, security and water fees, apartment availability, and tenancy duration, all in an effort to extract supposedly refundable viewing fees based on a false contract. I lost about $40, but in the process was able to find a great flat. I’ve met with the landlord several times and it’s legitimate. I will be moving in to my new home within the next two weeks. It is a 1br flat in a great location and is only a few blocks away from where my friends amber and anne are staying.

Closing Day at Akiba

Students and teachers celebrated the end of the year at Akiba with skits, songs, poems, and even an eating competition.. . .When all the students left, the teachers threw another party to celebrate. We played volleyball, basketball, and soccer, slaughtered a sheep, ate chapattis, and danced wildly to reggae praise music. Here’s a picture of several of the teachers preparing Abe the sheep. Kinda makes me want to eat more vegetables.

Jesus in the Slums

“Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame. . .Go out to the roads and country lanes and make them come in, so that my house will be full” – Luke 14:21,23

“Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little children will never enter it.” Mark 10:14-15

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden light.” – Matthew 11:28-30

“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” – John 6:35

Swahili in Syngala

On Sunday, I went with some Kenyan friends from Carlile College to Emmanuel church in the Syngala region of Kibera (i'm not sure if that is how you spell Syngala, there weren't any signs, people just said we were in Syngala). Kibera is the largest slum in the world and an area of great poverty, malnutrition, and disease. That said, it is actually one of the nicer slums in Nairobi and has been improving dramatically in the last ten years. Most of the homes here are made of mud and tend to be cooler and believe it or not provide better protection from the elements than the corrugated tin and plastic of other slums. Also, there is a very strong sense of community in most regions of Kibera and crime rates are remarkably low compared with other slums. Still, there are very few toilets, little sanitation, and many idle, uneducated children. . . During the walk to Emmanuel Church, I was greeted by many smiling children chanting “how are you? how are you?” (for most of them the only words they know in English). I was also greeted by some patrons of a local bar as “mzungu”, “white man”, and my personal favorite “coloniser.” . . .At Emmanuel Church I was asked to preach during the Swahili service. Because of the shortage of clergy, churches in Kenya tend to encourage lay participation and are always excited to receive missionaries. By God’s grace I shared on Psalm 27 and did my best with Swahili and with the help of a translator. Even though I didn’t understand 95% of what was going on, I felt strangely connected to the people and to the Lord, and I am grateful to my friend Jackson for taking me along. After the services we enjoyed some Chai together and began the long walk back to the matatu stand.

Nyama Choma

Nyama Choma means roasted meat. It is a lightly seasoned staple of the Kenyan diet and is commonly shared at celebrations. Here’s a group of us gnawing on our nyama choma at St. Paul’s University in Limuru. The group is Graham, David, Charles, Amber, and myself. Graham has been in Kenya for the past couple of months working with Comfort the Children and helping with an orphanage about an hour and a half north of Nairobi. David has been helping him out and is currently in driving school in Nairobi (by the way, I don’t know what they teach people in driving schools here because everybody drives like they are on crack). Charles is a student at St. Paul’s and a great conversationalist. We had a fun discussion the other night about witchcraft and the Kikuyu understanding of the role of deceased ancestors in the living community.

Where’s the Beef?

Eland are Africa’s largest antelope, weighing up to 1000 kg each. They are abundant in Kenya and can be found throughout much of East Africa. On Saturday, I sampled an Eland steak from a local Swiss restaurant. The restaurant specialized in cheese fondue, but the Eland was pretty good too. Eland tastes like beef, except even better.

Thanksgiving in the Two-Thirds World

Recently, I celebrated Thanksgiving with some fellow Falls Church residents. Sam and Sarah Thielman returned to Kenya with their son Daniel and have been working with the U.S. embassy here. Daniel was very involved in Cornerstone in the states and is now a Junior at Rosslyn Academy. We’ve enjoyed playing cards and games of taboo, and visiting some of our ministry partners in Nairobi. . . For thanksgiving we consumed the traditional turkey with gravy as well as some sweet potatoes, and even a chocolate-pecan pie. Everything was delicious. If I could have watched a football game it would almost have been like home

Building Immunity

It takes time to adjust to a new culture, to adjust to new foods and new faces. According to my new friend Dr. Chunge (MBChB, M.Sc., C.N.M., M.Sc., DLSHTM.Ph.D ) it takes 6 months for Westerners to adjust to microbes in a typical Kenyan diet. So, I guess that means I’m still building immunity. . .In the meantime, Cipro continues to be very helpful.

All that you can't leave behind

When I was packing for Kenya, I was told to bring everything I thought I'd need, because there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to find it here. As a result, I carried two very heavy bags through countless security checkpoints and have already unpacked in three different homes. But if there's one thing I've learned in the month we've been here, it's that you can buy anything and everything in Nairobi. Street vendors are on every corner, and on each major road dozens of vendors stand in the middle of the road waving merchandise at passing cars. There are dollar DVDs, fresh flowers, stylish sunglasses, handcrafted furniture, giant spears, and even bunnies. That's right, a group of guys sell bunnies, kittens, and puppies from a cardboard box in the middle of Ring Road. . .So, here’s a picture of me with my new pet. . .

Dirty Laundry

A woman at the Card Center told me she could tell where I'd been based on the color of my shoes. Kibera has black mud, Kawangware has red mud, and Kangemi has a reddish-brown mud. There is lots of mud in Nairobi, especially during the rainy season. This means a regular laundry day is essential. Unfortunately, there aren't too many washing machines in Kenya. So, like most people I do my laundry by hand. It's a laborious process involving multiple buckets and giant bars of soap. Somehow Kenyan women are remarkably effective at transforming dirty clothes into fresh, crisp, cleanness. I'm still learning how to get the mud out.

Nairobi National Park

On Saturday a group of us went to Nairobi National Park. We spent the day driving through grasslands in a Mitsubishi Pajero. Half-way through the trip, we realized it was easier to spot animals if we sat in the luggage basket on top of the car instead of in the back seat or passenger seats. It was a bumpy ride, but we saw a pair of lions, a hyena, herds of cape buffalo, eland, hartebeest, impala, and wildebeest, as well as many giraffe and zebras. We also had a close encounter with a black rhino, he was not very happy to see us. . .Here's a group of zebra we spotted near our picnic site.

NEW - watch a video of our safari, complete with charging rhinos:

Lunch and Lounging with Sammy

Sammy Mobile is a good friend. People call him Mobile because he’s always on the move. He travels throughout Kenya with a program called Rites of Passage. It’s a Christian camping and backpacking program offered to adolescents as an alternative to traditional rituals of circumcision. Often Sammy will take groups of students to climb Mount Kenya, other times he’ll lead retreats or organize conferences for young people. . . Last week Sammy took us to his church near Nairobi University and then out to lunch at a popular Kenyan restaurant. We shared a meal of boiled and fried meats, kale, and the tortilla type substance known as chipati. Chipati is a staple of the Kenyan diet and is served by itself with tea or alongside any type of meat or vegetable. The other day Sammy came over for an American dinner and we cooked him chipati pizzas. Then we played an intense game of Cranium. Amber and I won. . .

Breaking and Entering

There is a lock on every door in our apartment. In addition, there are three gates, four guards, an armoured car and an iron door in between the road and our front door. For some reason, however, the previous tenants thought it also necessary to include four locks on their front door. . .Unfortunately, last Saturday one of those locks broke. So when I returned after a long day with Amber, Anne, and our friend Graham, the front door of the apartment would not open. We wrestled with lock and key for half an hour, then wandered about trying to figure out a way to get in. Graham scaled the side of the building and tried to break through a sliding glass door. Amber scrambled frantically to remember the master lock combination on a neighboring laundry room. Anne called other friends in Nairobi and solicited their advice. Meanwhile, I sought out the apartment caretaker and told him our plight. Joseph came to the door, wrestled with the key for a while, walked the perimeter and saw that all our windows were locked shut. Then he took me aside and told me “I’m sorry, it is not possible. You can no longer enter here.” I asked if there was a locksmith we could call of if there was a way to break down the door, but Joseph merely repeated, “I’m sorry, it is not possible. You can no longer enter here.” . . . At that point, however, I really needed to go to the bathroom, and our groceries were already sweating in the heat. So not entering didn’t seem like a good option. . .After some prodding we convinced Joseph to procure a ladder (note: ladders in Kenya are not like they are in America. Here they are usually made of sticks and people who climb them seem to have no idea that heights can be dangerous), and we devised a plan to break into the apartment. Joseph placed the ladder against the bricks, scaled it and balancing on his tiptoes on the top tier of the ladder pried an upper ventilation window. He reached through with a long stick, flipped open a bathroom window, leaped from his precarious position and squeezed through the narrow opening. Thus Joseph was able to enter the apartment, release the broken lock from the inside, and let us in. . . P.S. I’m moving to a new place soon. Please pray for another smooth transition.

The Great Floods of 06

The rains have started in Nairobi. Now is the season of the light rains. The sky will be clear one moment and the next thing you know you wish you weren’t walking outside. Rain wrecks havoc on the dirt roads here creating pools of reddish brown mud. It turns the path to Akiba into an impassable puddle, and causes the marshes of Gatina to overflow, making the journey to Light and Power a treacherous trip. . .The flood I experienced recently, however, didn’t come from the rains, it came from the toilet. The plumbing overflowed three times this week. I woke up on two occasions to find a trail of water leading from the end of the hallway to the base of my bed. Fortunately the plumbing is now fixed, but the moisture has taken its toll on the floor. Most apartments in Nairobi have beautifully paneled floors with wood imported from Uganda. However, the floor basing warps easily with water. Here’s what it looks like now. . . It’s funny because earlier this summer, my basement room in Falls Church was underwater for a week. This flood wasn’t nearly as bad.

Rift Valley Academy

On Saturday, Amber, Anne, and I drove to Rift Valley Academy, the largest missionary boarding school in the world. We went with our friends Todd and Patsy McgGregor to watch their eldest daughter play in an intense all-day basketball tournament. RVA hosts the annual tournament and has a tradition of preparing home-made donuts for the guests. I enjoyed fresh from the oven vanilla frosted yummy goodness – my first donut in Kenya, and until next year, probably my last. On the way to RVA we saw goats, donkeys, cattle, and even a family of baboons cross the road in front of our car. Here’s a the view from the school.