After speaking Sunday, November 30th, 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 8th, we walk the land of Uganda.
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