Sunday

The Ki-Swahilli service was actually a little mild compared to what we were expecting. The girl’s school that normally attends ABC church was not there that day and this had the effect of calming the dancing a little. The choir was still an amazing experience and they sang and danced with great emotion. It was nice that they had actions to a lot of the things they were saying somehow this gave more meaning to their words. The church took great care to have interpreters sitting with us during the service and also to interpret the sermon from the pulpit which was done by Sam Mutisia. Sam is a really wonderful person whom a lot of us have a growing respect for. His work with the Sharing Way is leading the charge on a number of issues in Kenya.

After church we went to a restaurant for lunch and all of us seemed to enjoy eating some new fare or some more familiar 'western' food. The afternoon was spent relaxing and napping. A number of couples took the opportunity to reconnect with each other which was refreshing. Living in a dorm style doesn't allow a lot of opportunity for the normal connection we are used to in Calgary. This makes Sunday afternoon all the more valuable.
lisa

Tired

We were in Mitaboni again today to build and it was hot. Again we danced, sang, threw cement, chucked dirt and dug rocks but somehow it was more tiring today. Some of us walked from the work site to the Mitaboni church for lunch and that was most definitely the highlight of my day. It was great to feel like you were really here amongst the people doing what they do, walking! We also got to walk back and again it was really relaxing and exciting all at the same time.

The kids here are soooooo filled with joy. Their smiles are the epitome of infectious and you can't help but laugh with them. When they see us drive or walk by they immediately stop what they're doing and wave. They smile a huge smile and flash their white teeth and often follow us down the road great distances. It makes us feel so welcome and excited no matter how tired or sore we were five minutes ago.

Tomorrow we go to a Ki-Swahilli service that should challenge our abilities to keep a beat in a whole new way. So exciting!

lisa

Sang and danced all day

Today we met the people of Mitaboni. What amazing people they are. We worked alongside many of them and helped them build two holding tanks. The tanks will have water pumped to them from a pre-existing weir, it will then be purified and used for villagers to drink and water their plants with. These tanks will change the lives of everyone in that area. Currently some women have to walk up 6 kilometres and pay for just 20 gallons of water. If you want to know what that's like then get a large camping water jug and strap it to your back, now hike six kilometres, fill the water jug, and hike six more. Oh wait I forgot the important part, I'm pretty sure it really is uphill both ways! That was tiring just writing the sentences let alone actually doing it. Not only will they have cleaner water closer to home but they will also be able to use all the time they would have spent fetching water to instead grow plants to feed their families and sell at the markets. This is LIFE CHANGING!!

When we got to Mitaboni we split into groups and some of us started hauling dirt while others helped finish the mortar and bricks for the first tank. Those of us who were digging and hauling dirt worked alongside the women for the most part. They are an inspiring group who kept us all singing Ki-Comba and dancing as we went. Somehow the work seems better when you're dancing.

lisa

Took a walk

This morning Peter, Wendy, Nada and Janet went for a walk around the compound we were at to see what animals they could find. Turns out there were a lot of them, giraffe, zebra, gazelle, antelope, and lots of birds are just the ones I heard of. Those of us who are not so motivated slept until breakfast and then we all piled into the vans and headed to the ABC headquarters.

We learned a lot at ABC headquarters. They do something I found very interesting, after every second Sunday the women and men meet separately and talk about what they are interested in and their current ABC projects. The ABC headquarters is responsible for telling each church how much money they need to raise for some projects and other targets they set themselves. During these meetings they talk about how they will raise the money and more importantly how they will use the money. This is a really simplistic take on what they told us but the best I can do for now. Besides the meetings they also toured us through the rest of the headquarters including the church, the area offices, the bishop's house, the development office and also past the day care. The day care was by far a highlight for a number of us. The kids were VERY excited to see us and Peter and I took video and pictures of them and then showed them what they looked like on the screens. Their reactions were priceless and we were nearly knocked over while they clamored for a look. At some points we even had to stop and let the small ones at the back see. It was made more interesting by the fact that none of them spoke English so telling them to stop or getting one child to the front was all hand gestures.

As I mentioned yesterday we met the Bishop. He is a very kind man who has more recently taken over the 'bishopdom' (What do you call that?). In his past life he was a teacher who taught Math, English, and some other subjects that my mind refuses to recall the names of. He is now married to his second wife, as his first wife passed on some time ago, and they have seven children and two orphans that they care for. It makes for a large family and they are too large for the rooms they now have in the Bishops offices. They rent a house close to the compound where the boys live most of the time. It seems as if both this and the fact that he is 'always on duty' because they now live in the offices is very tiring for him. I know that in my own life while working with family I sometimes feel as if I can't leave it and so being a bishop in a huge church organization and having people feel as though they are entitled to your presence whenever they like would be frustrating. He must be a man of great patience.

Because of the Bishop's past experience as a teacher he is very dedicated to the church's newest mission of building a University. I'm sure that all the pressures of being the Bishop are easier to take now that he can help guide the church towards a goal which is so dear to him. They have made a plan to have the university open in 15 years but I would be surprised if it takes that long when you have such a dedicated leader pushing the project along.

The Bishop, Sam, Titus and Peter took a great deal of time to tell us about all the things the church is doing and how many churches they have throughout Africa. It was a very informative day but also very tiring. Even I had to fidget purposefully during our last session just to keep myself from nodding off.

We are now at the ABC Guest House in Machakos which has its own compound and garden etc. It's amazing to see all the flowers that I would normally see only in flower shops at home. This guest house will be our home for the next seven-ish days before we move to Nairobi. We actually got to walk most of the way from the ABC compound to the guest house and I must admit it was a little weird being stared at. All of the children and some of the adults we passed waved and were very excited when we waved back. We passed more of the small roadside shops and I'm dying to get a chance to stop at some eventually. Tomorrow we expect to get to Mitaboni and work on the water project we have helped with there. We'll do our best to take many pictures for all the folks at home to understand what we are doing here.

Lisa

Good night to Crossfield!

In Canada my parents live in a small town north of Calgary named Crossfield. Often while I’m laying in bed falling sleep or waking-up I hear large planes overhead waiting to land at Calgary International. As I was sitting in bed last night talking to my husband about the experiences of the day I suddenly heard that familiar sound. A plane went overhead and brought with it an overwhelming sense of calm and peace. I felt completely at home.

lisa

We’re in a Kenyan Paradise!

Well we made it here and we’re all alive. We even kept everyone together for the most part. Unfortunately our luggage was not so lucky, Darren’s bag never made it on the plane to Kenya. Apparently Heathrow figured this out before we even got here because when we did get all the Visa’s figured out and the rest of the luggage found we noticed a huge list of people whose luggage apparently is still at Heathrow. After many lines and a new appreciation for Air Canada and West Jet we’ve come to find out the bag should be on the next flight and in his hand tomorrow.

Tim met us at the airport and two vans took most of the team to our lodge for the night while Lynn, Nada, Eric and I waited for Peter and Darren to brave the Lost Luggage Line-up. The lodge we’re at for the night is called Lukenyan Getaway and it’s really spectacular. There are all kinds of trees and plants that we don’t get to see much of at home, even a Ficus tree that’s at least the size of a large lilac bush!!! Not only that but there are also animals, we all caught a glimpse of a small herd of giraffes on the way here and then found the BIGGEST BEES IN THE WORLD in one of the flower bushes. We all have rooms for the night and got to have nice warm showers before meeting for our first briefing. Tonight we get to have dinner in the bush, so cool!

All this is in stark contrast to the people/towns/houses we passed on the way to the lodge. Many people seemed to live directly under the trees which while romantic to me I’m sure is slightly less than that for them. Many unfinished apartment type buildings line the sides of the ‘highway’ we traveled and we saw nearly every shop you can imagine on the way to the lodge. It’s giving us all a great appreciation for our new found paradise and the care and safety afforded us even here.

Tomorrow we expect an audience with the new Bishop which will really be an honor. We hear he’s pretty wonderful and not much for protocol. Should be interesting!

Lisa

Sleep Deprivation and Boats

Good Morning to Calgary!!!

We're in Heathrow and I'm fairly certain that everyone is sleep deprived. The first leg of our trip was long, cramped and stuffy as most plane rides are. EXCEPT for Peter! Peter managed to get an entire row to himself and was able to stretch out in relative comfort and sleep almost the entire flight. We've all decided that this really isn't fair at all and there should be some sort of punishment for it. We have yet to figure out the form of punishment though.

Heathrow is a busy place with five terminals and one flight coming and leaving every three minutes. Now that's organized!! Some of us found a shower and managed to 'hire a towel' which was a pleasant surprise. It's very humid in London today and it's been raining off and on all day. It appears that the movies are true, in London it's always raining.

We don't have a gate for our next flight yet but should find out shortly. The trip to Nairobi is about 9 hours and that's longer than the one we just left. I'm not sure anyone really relishes the thought of getting on another plane at this moment. Maybe CBM should look into boat rides instead of planes?

Lisa