It took 10 tries at this new site & a whole summer of work to actually see a well get finished, but it finally happened this past week. And it was awesome!
Day 45: The Goodbyes Begin
…Sammy knocked on the door to let us know that Danger was outside wanting to see us. Since the crew is closer to town this week, he won’t be working with us. So today started the first of many good-byes. Apparently 2nd to Last Born won’t be working with us either. Danger said he would come by, but he never did. It was sad saying bye to Danger knowing that there’s a good chance I’ll probably never see him again. I showed him a bunch of pictures of my family, Malindi, & the summer. He couldn’t believe how much different I looked w/o my beard. And he thought a lot of the pictures & videos were hilarious. We gave him a bunch of gifts—shirts, including an Auburn one that says “Champions” since Danger’s always claiming to be the Ekedwangan (Champion),
some shorts, & underwear, bug spray, & he asked if he could have a picture of me & my family to remember me. I told him God bless him, & he told me that God would always provide for me & to greet my family for him when I see them. It’s gonna be weird w/o him out there this week…At one point today, Albert knocked asking me for computer help. And that’s saying something b/c I’m a technological moron! He wanted me to show him how to make tables in Word, and luckily I know how to do that. And I really blew his mind when I started using the keyboard shortcuts for copy & paste!
Day 46: Ejoka Noi (Thank you)
Went to TBTI this morning for our last church service in town. Will I miss the 3-hour church service in a foreign language when I return home? Probably not! But man I’m gonna miss the people. There’s a part in the service for testimonies, & visitors will usually introduce themselves or people will lift up praises or prayer requests. I decided to get up & say good-bye & get Sammy to translate. Didn’t expect to get choked up, but I probably didn’t make it 2 sentences before I was having to cough to hold back the tears. Luckily, with Sammy translating, I bought a little bit of time between sentences to regroup & hold it together. I basically just told them thank you for loving us well & to know that we would always be praying for them. And usually the testimony speakers lead them in a song, so I got “Ejoka noi Yesu! (Thank you Jesus!” going one last time!... I brought 2 pens & a book to give to Ekamais & Kelvin, but when we got to church, Ekamaias wasn’t there. He’s usually waiting to greet me smiling & saying, “Todd Lion (b/c of my beard!)”. I asked Kelvin if he were coming & he said no. Kelvin really doesn’t pay attention during church & they live like 5 min. away, so I told him to go get his brother b/c I wanted to see him one last time. I don’t know what took him so long but he came back w/ his brother about 45 min. later. Ekamais was looking through the book I brought—Stephen James’ Story (I haven’t actually read but I hear good things & figure I’ll get another copy in Johnson City)—so I figured I’d go ahead & give it to him.
I wrote him & Kelvin a note in the front telling them that it was a gift & to share it. They’re both really sharp kids. Ekamais wrote me a note inside the back cover:
I didn’t have the heart to tell him he misspelled “thaks”; I was just glad he was happy to have the book. I really do hope he reads it & as many other books as he can…After the service everyone came to tell us goodbye. So many people told us to have safe travels & to greet our brothers, sisters, parents, & even entire congregations in America for them. It was tough to leave. These were many of the people I met my first day. People like Peter & Esther, who invited me into their homes & treated me like family. All I could say was, “Ejoka noi (Thank you)”…I asked Sammy where the supermodel girls on t.v were in Kenya when we were eating in town, & of course he said, “I think down country.” Basically we’ve learned that anything good we ever hear about is from “down country”. Sammy said those girls were “crazy”, I asked him why, expecting him to say they were promiscuous, or drunk, or “sinful”. But what was Sammy’s reasoning—they were expensive! Man, dating sure is different over here. But maybe the Turkana are the smart ones; at least they’re saying some money ;) … Driving through town we actually ran into 2nd to Last Born. We told him we had gifts for him back at Gene’s house, so he hopped in the car & went around town with us. We spent most of the afternoon entertaining him & Sammy. Like Danger yesterday, we hooked him up with w/ shirts, shorts, & underwear.
And I grabbed him a soda for my boy Mike as well. I showed him some pictures & let him keep one of the ones he wanted. And we showed him pictures on facebook, & that’s when we decided, “Why not make these guys a facebook?” Well, first we had to create an email for both of them & then we got their facebook accounts set up. I seriously felt like we’d just struck the first match in front of a caveman. They were fascinated & thought it was awesome to see their name & pictures & be able to see our pictures. So feel free to add “Lowoyakaru Sammy Ekitela” & “Lodio Michael Eremon” to your friends list! We wrote down all their log-in information & step-by-step instructions for the whole process. Hopefully someone over here can help them figure it out after we leave. And that’s the thing; there are people over here who are really up-to-date with technology. Some even have facebook on their phone—I don’t even have internet on my phone in the States! There’s internet cafés around, so they should be able to get internet access for pretty cheap. It would be pretty cool if they can figure it out b/c we’ve got a ton of pictures we can send them & we’d be able to keep in touch … After getting facebook accounts created & finishing our tutorial sessions, we put in “Alvin & the Chipmunks” (we’re really running out of movies—Kyle even put in “Sweet Home Alabama” yesterday). Sammy couldn’t believe the chipmunks were talking & he said it was “personification.” Both of them thought the talking animals were hilarious & couldn’t stop laughing.
Day 51: Just Walking Through the Desert
Day 47:
…We left around 10 AM for the bush this morning & stopped on the way to grab some sodas for the crew, compliments of our old teammate Mike. We are only about 30 minutes from town, so it was nice to not have to drive 3 hours on Turkana roads like previously. It’s a cool drive the first time out, but it gets old pretty quick…We finally got what we asked for & are drilling a well in a place that does not already have one. There’s no garden here, & they have to cross the river to get clean water & food. So hopefully this well will allow them to have clean water nearby and possibly a farm one day. But we may have gotten more than we bargained for. In the other places, we could get clean water to drink from the pre-existing well, but here we don’t have that luxury. I realized that right about the time Sylvester drove away. I asked Ekai where we get water for us to drink & he told me from the river. They pump from below the river, but the water’s not really filtered & it’s still brown. I bathed w/ it tonight, & let’s just say it’s not something I would want to drink. We might could drink it, but it just doesn’t seem worth the risk of having diarrhea all week. And diarrhea in the bush is no picnic—trust me! We filter the water we get in town & it’s clear, so I have a hard time imagining that this brown water is really safe for us to drink. Today, we got by thanks to some guys going across the river to fill up a jug for us from the hand pump over there…They’ve had some tough luck here & were on the 9th hole when we arrived. But we eventually hit rock and had to start #10. I’m really hoping we get to finish a well this week. Gave out gifts to Ekai, 1st Peter, & Paulo.
You might have noticed a pattern in most of my gifts—gotta keep spreading the good news-WAR EAGLE!...Most people use their ikichilong (small wooden stool) as a pillow out here. I’m not much of a napper, but for some I’m out cold after a couple of minutes lying on my mat & ikichilong—it’s weird. I think it’s b/c there’s nothing else really to do & I’m not really stressed about anything, just completely relaxed…After dinner, I gave Sammy the “mosquito spray” to share w/ the crew. He asked if he could be the “boss” of the spray & I said yes as long as he shared. So what does the “boss” of the spray immediately do? Spray himself right in the eyes! Luckily, not too much got in there, but it was hilarious. I had to show him how it worked & eventually he got the hang of it. But he used enough for a whole week in about 30 seconds!
Day 48: Sammy the Prophet
Last night, Sammy started predicting our futures for us, & saying when we would come back to Turkana. So at approximately 9:15 PM, Sammy “prophesied” about my life. He said that I would be married at age 30 to a smart woman who looks like me (white skin) w/ black hair, & that I will have 2 kids & return to Turkana by age 32 (Apparently we’re gonna be popping out babies immediately!). And he said that my kids will be friends with his kids. I started to figure out how to manipulate Sammy’s prophecy by how you asked him questions, & it ends up my wife is also going to be slim, Italian, & a great cook! So if you meet the criteria & are looking to get married in about 5 years, have 2 boys, & move to Turkana, then give me a shout! But you might want to wait a few years b/c I supposedly get rich at age 29 ;) Kyle’s prophecy wasn’t quite as encouraging as mine. He doesn’t get married until 35, & since he’s only 19, that means around 2027. After getting married, he’ll move to Turkana w/ his 4 kids. He kept asking Sammy to bump the date up some years, but Sammy & I agreed that you can’t change prophecy! So while Kyle tossed & turned thinking about his lifetime of being single, I slept peacefully dreaming about my smoking hot Italian wife cooking me lasagna & cannoli in a few years!
We must have been talking pretty late though b/c Ekai eventually told us to be quiet & “have a sleep”… Our REACH devotional had a pretty strong quote from David Platt today: “I wonder if followers of Christ 150 years from now will look back at Christians in America today & ask ‘How could they drive such nice cars & wear such nice clothes? How could they live in such affluence while thousands of children were dying b/c they didn’t have food & water? How could they go on w/ their lives as though the billions of poor didn’t even exist?’” Pretty powerful quote! In Luke 3:11, John the Baptist says, “Whoever has two coats must share with anyone who has none; & whoever has food must do likewise.” What if we actually listened to him? I hope I return to the States changed—not super hippie “if it’s yellow let it mellow” kind of changed, but changed nonetheless, more aware of the needs around me. I really hope I never forget what I’ve seen here, & I hope this experience changes me for the better… Went through Esther & Phillipians today for Bible Study. The reading plan is great for them except when it involves multiple chapters. They get confused & think it’s saying to read only 2 verses instead of “Esther 3:13-4:17.” So we spent about 10-15 min. arguing about it. They finally gave in & read all of it, but they told us they would double check w/ their bible teachers. We got sidetracked even more talking about & explaining the eunuchs in the story…We’re out of tea leaves, so chai is just hot milk & sugar. And the soccer ball popped yesterday on the thorns, so it seems like tomorrow will be a good time for us to finish up here. It’s weird to think tonight could be my last night in the bush…
Day 49: 10th Time's A Charm
Found out from Ekai that we were not going back to town as we had planned. Instead we were moving up the river to a new spot…We spent a good bit of the morning waiting on Sylvester to bring the handpump. I tried read for a little bit & ended up trying to help Paulo with his homework. One of the assignments was to find certain words used in scripture, & I searched everywhere looking for “proof” & “prove” & couldn’t find either anywhere. It's for a class he's taking to learn English, so if I can't find it & I'm fluent in English, then that either means I'm an idiot or it's pretty difficult (not sure if I want to know the answer to that one!) … Once Sylvester showed up, we got to work finishing the well. We got the hand pump level & put a small concrete pad around it. I felt like I was back at Maxus Construction floating footers again! We got everything installed & got to see the well in action—first one we’ve actually gotten to see get finished b/c we usually end up leaving before the well is completed.
It was pretty cool to see how excited all the people were once we started pumping out water. Some women came over & filled up jugs, & people kept getting handfuls to drink or wash off.
Considering the other hand pump is across the river, this could be one of the few—if not the first—times these people have bathed with clean water.
And we all gathered around to pray over the well.
It was awesome to see & be a part of…We made it to the new spot just in time for Bible Study. It’s been fun going through the Old Testament with these guys & talking about these stories. I know God has really spoken to me through these texts, & it’s always interesting to see where the discussion goes each day… We’re really close to the river again at the new spot & the scenery is awesome. There are more hills here & there’s a huge rock wall bordering the river.
It looks like something you’d see out of a movie or magazine… There’s another Ekatorot (my Turkana name) here, so it’s good that I’m now known as Baba Ekai (Ekai’s Daddy).
The smack talk got lost in translation b/c he just accepted me as his father & seems happy with the name. He even calls me Dad!
Day 50: Last Day of Work
Today was weird b/c it seemed like we shouldn’t be working. We finished a well yesterday, so it seemed like today would be the perfect day to return to town. But we still had one last day of work. I really wasn’t feeling it today, but I tried to suck it up & put the nose to the grindstone one last time. After about 20 ft. digging without hitting water, we ran into some clay & started a new spot…Got a pretty good sized blister on my hand today working, and I ended up popping it so I could put liquid band-aid over it & keep working. There are thorns everywhere in Turkana, so I used one of them to pop it. These thorns are HUGE! Probably 1-2 inches in length.
It got me thinking about the crown of thorns Jesus was forced to wear. It really puts it in perspective. Having one poked in a blister wasn’t bad, but having multiple crammed into your head as it crashes against the ground; that’s something I can’t imagine trying to endure. We serve a mighty Savior!
Day 51: Just Walking Through the Desert
Woke up this morning to Ekai saying, “Dad, get up!” at about 5:30 AM. Our decision to walk back into town wasn’t seeming as appealing early this morning. We decided to end our last trip in the bush by walking through the desert back into town. They’d told us it was about an hour walk, so we thought it would be pretty cool, a manly way to end our summer in Turkana. But Sammy warned us that the walk was closer to 3 hours—should have listened to Sammy! We started our journey around 6 AM, & by 8, I was realizing we still had a long ways to go. We arrived at Gene’s house a little after 9 AM completely exhausted. It was a little over 3 hours, & we hadn’t been strolling either. But despite my feet hurting right now & being really tired, I’ve got to admit that it was worth it. It was cool to walk the road many of the Turkana walk into town & really experience what it’s like to “walk in their shoes” (cheesy, I know)…We got to see some cool stuff. It was awesome to experience an African sunrise as you’re walking through the desert.
And we came across a group of donkeys. It was pretty cool to walk through the villages & hear kids yelling, “Mzungu” one last time. And in one village we came across a huge termite mound (notice the size compared to the kid in the picture!).
And it was awesome to watch the mountains slowly creep closer & closer along the way.
The trip was tiring, but I feel it was the appropriate way to end an awesome summer…Got to have some time to talk to Sammy along the way too. I learned that he wouldn’t be able to work in August b/c we were returning home & the schools were out until September. Sammy volunteers at the primary school & teaches math & science to the kids there. He doesn’t get paid for the work, but he gets fed, & that really meets the bigger need. Sadly, he told me that it will be difficult for him to get food this next month. He’s been giving all his money to his family each week this summer so that they can buy food, but now he has no income or source of food. He told me they just have to go without eating for awhile. That wasn’t what I wanted to hear. That’s not how you want to return home, eating complimentary food on the plane & knowing that your friend & his family are starving. And what’s worse is that I know they’re not in the minority. We gripe about missing a meal (I know I do) in the States, & we forget there are people actually starving in the world. It breaks my heart, & I’m hoping we can give Sammy some money for this next month, not as charity, but as a friend…Got our spears and everything packed up. We ducked taped some sugar bags together, & it seriously looks like something straight out of Tommy Boy!
Can't believe we're leaving tomorrow. I'm too exhausted from walking today for it to really sink in. Ekai & Sammy are coming with us to the airport in the morning to say goodbye & "push us off". I'm definitely ready to be home & see my family & friends, but I'm not ready to say goodbye to these guys.
Please pray for our travels over this next week. We'll be in Nairobi for a couple days before heading back, so I'll probably update the blog again sometime next week. Sad to think this summer is coming to an end.
Please pray for our travels over this next week. We'll be in Nairobi for a couple days before heading back, so I'll probably update the blog again sometime next week. Sad to think this summer is coming to an end.
Peace,
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