In Search of Peace

Sunday, March 6, 2106 Once we are on the other side of the slums the views change and the peaceful country side stares back at us.  The vast open fields give the people here a future. Soon they will plant and the crops will bring food and seasonal jobs. The small river that we cross over is used for bathing and the sight of the car doesn’t seem to cause any alarm.  Mount Elgon is today’s backdrop and it looks like we are going to drive right into the side of this massive extinct volcano.  This mountain stands in Uganda as well as Kenya and reaches toward the clouds without shame.

Rafiki village is a settlement made up of people that left Mt Elgon in search of peace. They were tired of the tribal clashes that continued to flare up in the mountain ranges.

They left their homeland and traveled down the mountain not knowing where they were going.  When they settled in their new land they called it “Rafiki” which means friends.

When I arrived I was stunned at all the changes that had taken place since I saw them last. Stunned and impressed as I know how little these people have. The church no longer stood by itself on the little knoll but was in the center of a long row of classrooms.  They had added classrooms to both ends of the church making it possible to continue with the village children’s education.  Their precious school and church had been demolished one Saturday night in 2014.  When they went to church in the morning there was nothing standing only a pile of rubble could be seen.

It makes me happy to see how they worked together to reach a goal that had to look impossible in the beginning. They have kept the church looking nice and they even added a cement floor!

It was good to be together once again and to thank the Lord for all that he has done.  The Lord had certainly taken a very dark hour and turned it into showers of blessings for the people of Rafiki. They now had a better property, a nicer church, lots of class rooms and a well!  

They were so thankful for the gifts from USA.  Just knowing that someone was thinking about them and cared enough to send a gift really spoke to their heart.  

The men each went home with a tie and the ladies were given a cloth money bag that will be used repeatedly.   

Everyone went home with a gift, even the children!  They received colorful slipper socks that my mom, Charlotte Towne, made.  When the rains come they will have something to keep their feet warm during the nights.

The ladies hurried to their kitchen behind the church to make tea and we sat in a circle and visited some more.   

The day was coming to a close and it was time to leave the quiet village of Rafiki.  A few of the children gathered around the bike as I made myself ready to go and from a side road I hear my name being called. There in the distance are a couple small children dancing from side to side and waving at me. A woman with some binoculars in a nice case comes running up to the bike.  She wants to sell them at a good price. Where would a woman in Rafiki get binoculars? The red flags go up and they are left behind.

Monday, March 7, 2016 People in Kitale town have heard that the President is coming and with some international investors. So things in town are changing and are getting put in order. The paint brushes are out and a coat of fresh paint is being added to the faded store fronts.  Garbage is being picked up and bushes and flowers are being planted. 

It is customary to be checked before going in to the store for groceries.  The guards will scan underneath your car with a large round mirror and look inside your vehicle and the trunk before allowing you through the gate.  It doesn’t end there as everyone has to walk through a metal detector at the entrance of the store as your bag and pocket items are placed on the belt to be screened. It is also customary to have random police checks on the roads coming in to town. The spike mats put across the roads are reminders that it will be very costly if you do not stop.  These security measures are routine and have become part of life but now there will be more officers and military present.

The street children, no matter how young they are, will be picked up and thrown in a cell with older criminals. They will make a sweep through town and take them away.  Some of the older street boys have already “hit the road.”  They have managed to find their way to another town about an hour and half away.  

 A group has been formed to help care for the children that are willing to leave the streets and stay at a center during this time. They will be fed, kept warm, play games, make crafts and do things that children love to do.  The word is out and they have a choice and although it sounds like an easy choice the pull of the street life is very strong.

In one morning the little shops on the corners and beside the roads were demolished. These small kiosks are simply made and usually without the skill of a good carpenter but the investment is costly for those trying to find a way to feed their family.  In time they will find a way to start over.

Traveling is dangerous here but there are some roads that are just too small for all that is going on. There isn’t any order and everyone is in a rush.  Today a bike came so close to me it caught my arm and started to pull our bike over but with a quick twist of the body I set us free and the bike remained upright.  A bruised arm but a thankful heart!

Our windows and doors are finished and the next challenge is to find a way to get them to the school.

Even though the motorbike is popular and used for delivering eggs, hay, couches and all kinds of things. I still would like to find something else. 

Our delivery vehicle might have taken a little longer but it did the job just fine.  Everything has to be stored and locked up to prevent it from disappearing and Mama Rhoda has offered to let us use her kitchen which is a separate building outside the main house.

The men are busy working on the inside walls. The brick pile is getting smaller and the walls are getting higher! The mama's don't hesitate to work hard either and their goal today is to clean up the piles of dirt in front of the school. The little guy wants to help too! This soil will not go to waste as they have plans to make portable gardens by using maize sacks.

The children continue with their studies even with the work going on outside but today they get to leave class for a haircut! It is costly for the girls to have their hair braided so most school children, boys and girls, keep their hair cut short. It’s about a twenty to thirty minute walk, which is “not far” for a Kenyan, and it will give the children time to release some energy.   

Not only do we make sure their hair is kept neat but we send them home with a pair of slippers that my mom, Charlotte Towne, made for them. They looked very “smart” as they left school today. Their hair was neat. They had slippers in hand and big smiles on their faces :)

 

Psalms 90:17 May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us - yes, establish the work of our hands.