Christmas Dinner On The Stove

The Silent Screams

Early Sunday morning we head toward the church. Everything looks the same. Very few that we meet along the way say "Merry Christmas".

 

A man joins our stride and begins to be part of the conversation.  As he fumbles his words the smell of alcohol fills the air.  We encourage him as we walk. We assure him that he is valuable and he is loved. We hear snickers and laughter coming from those we pass by.  Yes, this notorious thief is on his way to church. Many have fallen into the hands of this man only to leave bruised, beaten, bleeding and with much less in the wallet. 

 

Today is Christmas and God has brought our paths together.  Once inside the church, Shem falls to his knees and with hands lifted up he asks Jesus into his heart.

 

During the morning service there is a commotion at the back door.  Two women burst through the door and walk straight to the front.  They fall to the ground sobbing. With the smell of alcohol covering them and the air around them they ask for prayer.  They also ask Jesus into their heart.

 

Much work went into preparing a hot meal for everyone to enjoy after the service. There were many busy hands and many satisfied stomachs J  No one left hungry. The balloons that hung from the rafters soon became balls in the hands of the children. Fellowship, food, lollipops, the laughter of many children, and the Jesus movie filled the afternoon.

 

With night moving in upon us fast it is time for me to leave. Walking out of the slums I come eye to eye with many blood shot lost & lonely souls.  I meet those staggering left & right trying, but failing, to find the right path for their life.  The use of opium, glue and alcohol are so evident.  The screams for help are silent but obvious.

 

Does everyone walk by?

 

Luke 19:10

 For the Son of Man came to seek & to save what was lost.

Merry Christmas

The hot days of Christmas are here. J As I was walking the other day a native spoke of the "dust of Christmas".  We walk with our heads down at times, trying to keep the dust particles from hitting our eyes.

 

It is different celebrating Christmas in Africa.  No one here has the need for mittens, scarves or winter coats. Balloons become the holiday decoration in many homes. A Christmas card received becomes a cherished gift for many years.  One cookie & a glass of juice, diluted with water, becomes a treat for the children attending church on Christmas morning.

 

The hungry stomachs of children & adults still prevail no matter what the calendar says.  The parents desire to satisfy the child's pain of hunger intensifies as the holiday nears.

 

Discussions of shopping, gifts bought, wrapping, a tree to cut & decorate, and lights for the house are never heard. What echoes in my ears are the over heard conversations of   -

 

I have no food to feed my children.

I've sent my children away.

Do you have food at your house?

What will you eat on Christmas day?

Let's all bring whatever we have to the church & eat together.

 

Many will gather together and share what they have with friends & neighbors.

 

Our Christmas Day Service will start at 9 am. We will be showing the 2hr Jesus video followed by a hot meal for all the adults and children that attend.  We want every child to go home with a lollipop and a happy tummy J 

 

We pray it will be a day of rejoicing and happiness for many here in the slums of Kawangware.

 

Let love fill your heart & home as you celebrate the birth of our Savior, "Jesus Christ".

 

Merry Christmas.

The Ugandan Slopes of Mt Elgon

Early Monday morning, Dec 8^th, we were taken by buda, buda to the matatu stage on the other side of town.  We traveled from Kakamega, Kenya to Mbale, Uganda by using 4 different matatus.  The last leg of the trip we had one flat tire which was quickly changed after we all got out. It was late in the afternoon when we arrived in the city of Mbale.  Pastor Charles was waiting there to welcome us.  It was nearly five and we needed to find a matatu to take us toward his home in the slopes of Mt. Elgon.

 

As we walked toward the matatu stage area the incline of the busy main street takes us up toward the mountain. The street is covered with vendors and people.  Food and vegetables of all kinds decorate the sidewalks.  Crowds of people are gathered everywhere.  Shoulder to shoulder we press through the crowds.  The business of the area leaves an unsettled atmosphere.

 

We squeeze into the matatu and our luggage is tied on top.  I feel something crawling on my hair and quickly remove a cockroach. The matatu takes us through village after village as it moves its way up the slopes of Mt Elgon.  The sun is setting and we slow down as a large group of people surround us and dance around the vehicle.  They are preparing for "Imbalu" / circumcision rite / the ritual of manhood.  Painted faces, no shirts, bells strapped to their thighs, sticks & clubs in their hands and with drums beating they run up and down the mountain slopes for three days & nights.

 

Around 7pm we arrive in the village of "Bushika".  This is the last stop. Our ride is over. The area is dark and very much alive as the excitement of the circumcision ceremony fills the air.  As I stand there a group of chanting and singing candidates runs towards me. At one point I am completely surrounded, before they run further on.

 

From this point I was to be taken by motorcycle the rest of the way up this slope of Mt Elgon.  Pastor Charles has a home at the very top.  It was dark and it had rained that afternoon.  The driver of the motorcycle said it was just too dangerous.  I agreed J . So we did it African style "Foot Express".  For three long hours we climbed up, up, up, up and up in the dark. No flashlights, no candles, just the light of the moon guided our way. A well used rocky foot path winded its way through banana trees and thick vegetation.  One person followed the other, caravan style, while suitcases were being carried on the heads of those helping us. The cool night was appreciated as the body felt the pressure of the "work out". We rested a few minutes here and there along the way for the white woman. My body required it. It was screaming for rest J  Every one else seemed to be doing ok.  I assured them the white woman would finish the race.  It might take me a little longer to get there but I would not give up.

 

Through the light of the moon the eye could behold the beauty around. It surrounded us. The higher we went the more in awe I became.  The sounds of the still night made me realize I was in a new land.  What would daylight hold?

 

At the end of our 3 hr hike up the mountain we arrived at Pastor Charles home in Bushinokho Village.   We entered his home made from the mud of the earth and cow dung.  His wife and 6 children quickly gather around us and a prayer is said thanking God for our safe journey.  We sit and rest as meal is prepared for us.

 

Early the next morning I pushed opened my little wooden window.  I couldn't wait to see the area in the daylight. I wanted to see the sun rise over the mountain ranges.  There to my surprise stood a young girl just waiting to see what the white woman looked like.

 

The daylight did not disappoint me. It is the most beautiful area I have ever been in.  High on top of a mountain range with deep valleys below and mountains completely surrounding me.  It is a photographers dream.  Everywhere you turn is an opportunity to capture beauty in its natural form.

 

The day was spent meeting and praying for people up and down the slope. The chief was one of the first people to greet.  Before the day was over we had gone to the very last house on the highest point of this slope of Mt Elgon.

 

A group preparing for the right of circumcision stops and asks me to attend their ceremony.  With this invitation they are honoring me and welcoming me into their community.  The next day I walk down the slope to a flat piece of land where others had gathered for the ceremony.  The ceremony brings many people together from the mountain. Men dance about with clubs and sticks in their hands. There is singing and dancing. Many are drinking, "Malwa", home brew made from maize. 

The boys faces are painted with cassava flour and malwa yeast paste.  Beads decorate their bodies. Women and children dance about. It is a happy occasion. Gifts of cows, chickens, goats, food, and money are given to each of the boys. The air is charged. I had three men watching over me as I was given the place of honor at the ceremony. Each boy stood before the knife. To pass into manhood he could not cry, he could not move, he could not look down, he could not blink his eyes.  Each one passed successfully into manhood.

 

My time in the slopes of Mt Elgon is way too short.  The door has been opened to me here, high on the mountain.  Their culture has been expressed to me with openness.  I came for a short stay but leave with much knowledge of the ways and culture of the Lumasaba Tribe. My time here also makes me realize I have so much more to learn.

 

I will miss hearing the songs of praise before the crack of dawn each morning. I will miss the meals shared around the latern in the evening. I will miss the beauty I saw in each woman as she knelt to the ground out of Respect when she greeted a man or an older woman. I will miss it all but I will never forget how it gripped my heart.

 

We started back to Kenya that evening.  We took a matatu from Mbale to the Kenya border. Once in Kenya we took a bus to Nairobi.  As we are finding our seat they are working on the bus.  Then they proceed to push the bus backwards to jump start it. A few miles down the road we are stopped for a police check. It's midnight and everyone is ordered out of the bus.  The women are to line up in front of one headlight and the men in front of the other headlight. One by one we show them I D and then they go through our suitcases. When the last one is back on the bus we head toward Nairobi.  A few miles down the road we are stopped again for another police check. From there we stop at a police station. They come out with equipment to scan the bus for bombs.  We are cleared and travel the night hitting pot hole after pot hole. Thankful, tired and with many memories we arrive safely back in Nairobi at 8 am.

 

Psm 95:3 & 4

For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.

In his hand are the depths of the earth and the mountain

                        peaks belong to him.

Where has Linda gone?

After speaking Sunday, November 30^th, in Kawangware slums, I returned to Nairobi to pack my suitcase. The next morning I was up at 5 am and walking at 6 am with my suitcase rolling behind me. Once on the bus and in our seats the bus wheels started rolling toward western Kenya. We had a week of special services planned in the small village of Shinyalu.

The views changed quickly as we distanced ourselves from Nairobi. Carts pulled by donkeys, farm land, markets lining the corners, open space and cattle grazing became the norm. Not only do the views change but the roads do too! Massive pot holes begin to take over the road. I've been thrown to the left, tossed to the right, had every bone in my body rattled, and literally been airborne as the bus continues full speed ahead. We've passed traffic on hills and driven on the wrong side of the road more than once. The taste of dust is one I know well as the roads turn to dirt. To the bus driver this is all part of a days work.

All in all it seemed like a great trip. The bus was working fine. It hadn't broken down once! Then it sounded like we had a blow out. The woman behind me grabbed her child and with terror in her face ran to the front of the bus. The back window shattered and fell to the ground. Several had seen a group of boys run toward the bus as we drove by. They shot and hit the back window. The bus driver continued on full speed ahead and dust rolls in on us from the missing back window.

Nine hours of travel and we arrive safely in Kakamega. From the bus station we roll our suitcases through the roads busy with buda, budas (bicycles with a cushion on the back for a passenger). Exhausted, I was happy to finally see a bed I could call my own. I prepared the net around my bed and quickly realized there was a lizard on the wrong side of the net. The second night I had eye to eye contact with a mouse.

From Kakamega to the village of Shinyalu it is about a 45 minute matatu ride. Twenty one people are packed into this vehicle before it will start the journey. There are many villages along the way. We drove through one village known for its witchcraft. We pass a small landing strip. While in Shinyalu the President of Kenya lands here. He spends the day in Kakamega as it is the political headquarters for western Kenya.

Shinyalu is a fertile land. Banana trees, corn, onions, sweet potatoes and sugar cane fill the landscape around the homes. Saturday mornings there is bull fighting and cock fighting in Shinyalu. The bulls are taken to an open field and the viewers become the fencing as they stand in a circle around the bulls. There have been times when people have been killed as the bull runs into the crowd.

It is market day when we arrive in Shinyalu. The unpaved streets are lined with vendors. Cattle, sheep and goats are being sold in another area. Buda, budas are ready to give you rides for a fee.

The crusade is on a green patch of earth at the end of their main street. It is held at a loading point for the matatus, motorcycles & buda, budas. The speakers are turned up. No one comes close but small groups begin to form at a distance. All around the area there are people standing and listening. Each afternoon the reaction is the same. They listen but only from their comfort zone.

Each night after the crusade I was taken out of the village by motorcycle. Matatus and vehicles stop running at sun down. It gave great pleasure to the natives to see a white woman zoom by.

Saturday morning before the crusade I was invited to speak at the Central Yearly Meeting of Friends (Quaker) in the village of Lirhanda. With over 300 women attending I was honored as they welcomed me into their society. They adorned my head with a wrap that says "United Society Friends Women - Kenya For Peace".

The hours between meetings were used walking the hills of Shinyalu. We visited and prayed for the sick in their homes made of mud and cow dung. Fine African meals have been prepared for me throughout the week. I've enjoyed cooked green bananas, peas, cabbage, corn, rice, chicken, pan fried flat bread and tea.

Pastor Herbert, a former forest ranger, gave us a guided tour through "Kakamega Rain Forest". As you walk into the forest it is amazing how quickly the air changes. The cool air welcomes you. The monkeys swing and jump happily from tree to tree. The birds sing as we walk beneath the towering trees. Black & white Colobus Monkeys watch us closely as we tread on their territory.

The need for a church in Shinyalu was evident. With prayer and accordion music the doors of "Word Alive Church" opened for the first time on Sunday, Dec 7, 08. The first service was held in a small rented room. During the week the room is used for the seating area of a restaurant. The restaurant has a dividing wall between the seating area and the kitchen.. As we have our service four people are working in the kitchen. That afternoon all four of them accepted Jesus

This week 22 adults and approx 20 children accepted Jesus into their heart. It was a busy week, a good week, but our time in the village of Shinyalu comes to an end. As good byes are said, I see sadness in the eyes of those I leave behind.

Tomorrow, Dec 8^th, we walk the land of Uganda.

Linda has returned back to Nairobi

I just got word today that linda has returned back to Nairobi. I would expect an update from her in the next couple days. Here is a couple of pics she sent me yesterday.

Linda is in and around Uganda

Uganda Flag

Linda has been spending time in the African bush country.  Her contact with computers is very limited at the moment.  She wants everyone to know that she is doing well and is excited on updating everyone on all the good things that have been happening.  She should be back in Nairobi around the middle of this month.  I will try to keep everyone updated as I hear back from her. 

Please continue to pray for her.