The Invisible War

Sorry to just now be posting this entry.  Internet was down before heading out to the bush on Sunday.  So blog may be a week behind.  Anyways, the title of our class on Spiritual Warfare was called "The Invisible War."  Below is a picture of us and our students.

Day 26:  Independence Day

...We divided up the info from the Spiritual Warfare packet so that we knew what each of us was going to teach, & I actually feel like we made a little bit of progress.  I went back and worked through my first section which primarily consisted of identifying the various names of Satan—The Accuser, Slanderer, Devil, Evil One, Tempter, Father of Lies—there’s a lot!  Gene’s packet had a lot of great stuff, but it’s almost too much, so I tried to find the verses I felt were most relevant.  I’m also supposed to discuss the 4^th truth out of 5 about spiritual warfare—“Respect your foe, but don’t fear him.”  We acknowledge Satan, but we don’t give him too much power.  We serve a bigger God, a God who has conquered Satan.  Our battle has already been won!...I definitely feel like I’ve been experiencing my own share of spiritual warfare the past few days.  Since we discovered that we were going to be teaching on this topic, my stomach’s been messed up & I’ve had these headaches & just felt really tired & stressed.  It’s tough to preach about spiritual warfare, much less team-teach.  And in Africa to make it even more challenging, a place where spiritual warfare is much more in your face.  What do we Americans have to teach them about spiritual warfare?  Shouldn’t they be opening our eyes to the hidden evils that our safe American worldview seems to neglect?  Gene told us a couple of stories yesterday that involved spiritual warfare.  He talked about people fasting b/c they had heard a diviner (like a witch doctor) was coming to kill all the church members.  And when the diviner arrived at the church, he dropped dead!  He told us about people being delivered from bondage and his experience rebuking blessings from diviners (their blessings are not from God & work more like curses).  Gene even told us a story about a long time ago when he was robbed & a man tried to shoot him.  Gene said he felt like something had pushed him down to avoid getting shot.  Years later, someone Gene knew saw the man, & the man told the guy to tell Gene that he had become a Christian.  The man said that the night he robbed Gene, he had intended on killing Gene, but when he fired his gun, an angel pushed Gene down & the man’s gun into the air, causing him to shoot through the ceiling.  It’s pretty crazy stuff!  It's a world I’m not used to.  We kind of feel like we’ve been living in the Matrix.  And we’re wondering if ignorance is really bliss? 

...We weren’t expecting it b/c they don’t make much of a deal about the 4^th of July, but we actually had a big dinner tonight to celebrate.  And Gene grilled hamburgers.  My first burger I’ve had since June 7^th, 2011, but who’s counting ;)  Mike even told his girlfriend the other night on the phone that he would seriously kill someone for a burger.  Luckily no one was killed in the process; at least as far as I know!  Lynn even brought over an American flag tablecloth and banner, & she made a cake that looked like the American flag. 

And Melba made baked beans.  We drank some glass Coca-Cola’s & it actually felt a little like being home.  Still wasn’t the same without ribs & my mom’s homemade ice cream though.  But it wasn’t too bad for being in Africa!

Day 27:

We started our teaching on Spiritual Warfare today.  Gene led us in a group prayer, & it was comforting to know that they were praying for us.  There were probably about 10 students, mid 20s-30s I would guess.  

  
We even have one female, which surprised me.  I assumed the Turkana would be anti-women preaching, but it appears they are much more progressive than I thought.  I think it’s great, but I will say it was a little distracting when she was breastfeeding during our teaching sessions!  Mike made his facebook status, “You know you’re in Africa when your class gets disrupted by passing camels, women breastfeeding, or wandering goats!”...We tried to give them a little break before I started teaching my session to keep them from getting too bored.  We sang “Ejoka noi Yesu” (Thank You Jesus), the only song we actually know the words.  Then Mike wanted to try and teach them to play “Simon Says.”  But our translator is named Simon, so we figured that might get confusing since Simon would always technically be saying what to do.  We played the same game and tried calling it “Do This, Do That” & you sit down if you follow the instruction when he says “Do That.”  Something got lost in the translation because the game turned into trying to sit down as fast as you could when Simon said “Do That.”  Not quite what we were going for, but they seemed to enjoy it! ...I tried to review what we had covered in the morning session & emphasize that we were meeting to learn from each other.  We, the emusuguts (white men), might be the teachers, but we realize that there is lots that we can learn from the Turkana.  I feel like my session went pretty well.  

I went through the names of Satan and talked about “Respecting our foe, but not fearing him.”  It was definitely God speaking through me.  Over the weekend, I had felt a little uneasy about teaching on the topic, but today I felt at peace & felt like God kept reminding me of the things to discuss outside of my notes.  It was cool to talk about the power we have in Christ over Satan; there’s something powerful about hearing those words jump off your lips…We had beans and maize for lunch, so we’re back on the Turkana diet.  But we’re kind of stuck in the middle b/c we’re eating Turkana style for lunch but Melba’s cooking for dinner…After teaching, we were all pretty tired. I’ve given a lot of elementary education majors a hard time about their classes being easy. But man—teaching is exhausting!  You end the day tired, & then you’ve got to start preparing for the next day.  It’s tough stuff!

Day 28:

…It was exhausting just thinking about trying to teach again today.  But after chai, I felt like I got a second wind.  God definitely lifted my spirits, & I really enjoyed teaching my session.  I talked about the second piece of the Armor of God from Ephesians 6—the “breastplate of righteousness.”  Below is a picture I drew to try & explain what a breastplate is.  I know what you're thinking--breathtaking, right;)

 I talked about how we are declared righteous in God’s eyes b/c of Christ, & how living out this truth allows us to stand firm against the attacks from the evil one.  We talked about how the Israelites failed to stand firm in Exodus 32 w/ the Golden Calf.  I realized that I really love to teach the Exodus narratives.  It’s powerful!  The Israelites are freed from persecution, see God’s plagues against Pharaoh & the Egyptians, cross the parted sea, receive mannah from heaven; yet they still chose to worship a false God.  They wanted to worship something they could see & feel, but 2 Corinth. 4 tells us that we place our faith in God who is unseen.  But I can relate to the Israelites.  So many times God works in my life, yet I still manage to doubt when trials come my way.  It’s so easy to forget all the miracles God has worked in our own lives…After lunch, we met Simon, probably the most awesome kid in all of Kenya.  

Simon is probably 5 or 6, & is one of the happiest kids I’ve ever met.  He has this huge grin & high-pitched laugh that can’t help but make you laugh.  I don’t have any nieces or nephew, so I’m still pretty inexperienced when it comes to dealing with kids.  Cy (my brother) told me the other year that he wanted to be an uncle, so he was hoping one of our cousins would have a kid pretty soon.  Unfortunately, he was a little confused to how the whole uncle thing works.  He didn’t realize I had to have a kid in order for him to be an uncle.  Sorry Cyrus—it’s probably gonna be a while!  Anyways since I don’t really know what to do with kids, I basically treat them like my dog Mully.  So I’ll wrestle them, pick em up, & even growl at them.  Simon thought my growling was hilarious, & he’d growl back at me.  And he’s not too bad at fetch either, especially considering he can throw the ball back ;)…Took a moment to stop & look at the mountains after today. 

It’s crazy to stop & just think about things over here.  It almost seems like I’m just at a camp somewhere in the States until you look around & really take in the scenery.  Camels, mud huts, the mountain back-drop—it’s pretty incredible!  

Day 29:

We finished up our teaching today.  I talked about the Shield of Faith, & how faith means putting our absolute trust in God, not in ourselves or in the things of this world.  I talked about the difference in how Eve handled temptation in the garden & Jesus handled temptation in the desert.  Eve placed her faith in the apple, in the things of this world.  But Jesus placed his faith in His Father…It’s really frustrating when you learn that what you’re trying to say isn’t being translated correctly to the students; that started to become apparent today as we reviewed for the test.  Simon & Sammy are emphasizing the pieces or armor, but we are trying to emphasize what these pieces symbolize.  Our battle is a spiritual one, & the armor we put on is not belts or shields or swords; it’s TRUTH, RIGHTEOSNESS, PEACE, FAITH, SALVATION, & GOD’S WORD!...I gave Simon an Auburn football keychain, so we threw that around after we finished class.  He’s got a cannon for a little kid, most of the Turkana have pretty good arms from throwing rocks & palm nuts.  Seriously, the Bigs need to start scouting over here!  But let’s just say catching is another story.  At one point, Simon completely missed & the ball bounced right off the middle of his forehead.  Simon just started laughing, & Mike & I couldn’t stop laughing b/c it bounced back like 10 ft.  But Simon never stopped smiling!

 ...Some of the guys from Nakor came outside & wanted to play soccer—Emusugut’s vs. Turkana like always, plus we got Sammy.  It was fun & we brought home a victory for the States in honor of July 4^th;) 

Staying in town this past week was a nice change of pace.  Teaching on spiritual warfare was tough, but I feel like I got caught up on some much needed rest these past two weekends.  I’m ready to head back out & do some work & spend some time with the drilling crew.  Only a few more weeks left.  It keeps flying by—gonna be over before I know it!

Peace 

Round 2 in Nakor

Day 19: Why Am I here?

Today was rough, and I’ll spare you from reading my journal entry, which mostly consisted of complaining to God.  Basically, I realized my shoulder couldn’t handle doing some of the drilling work, and to top it off, my quad tightened up on me playing soccer.

Instead of my journal, let me introduce you to the crew:

Akai—

Akai is the head guy of the drilling crew & is hilarious.  He looks like a college athlete, but sounds more like Yoda.  He looks like he’d be one heck of a wide-out.  It’s a shame that he doesn’t know about American football; only soccer—what a waste of athletic talent ;)  He’s fun to mess with & is probably one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.  Thankfully, or else he probably would have killed me by now for giving him a such a hard time!  Gene told us that he once asked Akai if he’d ever been angry with someone.  After some time to think, Akai responded that he couldn’t think of anyone.  And I’d actually believe him.  

1^st Peter—this guy is another stud.  Akai tells us he’s a professional fisherman & I wouldn’t doubt it.  I watched him swim along the bank of the river & catch 3 fish with his bare hands in a matter of minutes.

2^nd Peter—I stayed with his brother in Lodwar, who is also named Peter.  Apparently when they were baptized, they both got the same biblical name—Peter!  So we joke that they are keeping it really biblical—1^st & 2^nd Peter!

Danger—

 That’s what everyone calls him.  He’s a freak on the soccer field & is always up for slap boxing.  I also learned that he’s who saved Gene & Melba’s adopted son’s, Abraham, life.  When Abraham was 9 months old, he was dying, so Danger (his uncle) carried him all the way to Lodwar.  It’s about a 3 hour drive, & they say it was a 2 day walk.  So I’d say he earned the nickname!

Paulo—Paulo’s the old wise man of the crew.  He’s really funny.  Akai and Paulo give us a hard time for passing gas.  They say it’s polluting the environment, but they see no problem in throwing your trash on the ground.  But I taught him how to say “fart,” & he taught me the Turkana word for it, “ouken.”

2^nd to Last Born—They call me & Kyle 1^st born since we are both the oldest children of our families.  And since everyone’s name over here seems to be Michael, we just started calling him 2^nd to last born.  He seems to like it.

Lapunga—He’s Abraham’s biological father, & is a close friend of Gene’s.  He’s a good guy & has been my main connection for my business deals.  So far I’ve bartered with him for an ichilong (chair), walking stick, & spear.

Michael—

 This guy is awesome.  He’s about 5 ft. tall (if that) & reminds me a lot of the biter dude in Ace Ventura 2. 

 He’s always got a ton of energy, & loves the camera.  He’s always singing songs or dancing, & seriously, if I ever take out my camera, he wants me to take a picture of him.  We got some video of him running around with a spear the other day, & I’ve got to say he’s got a pretty quick 3-step drop—kind of reminded me of an African Doug Flutie!

Day 20: Learning my Role

I’m a supporter.  It’s the role I’m here to play.  The supporter is a small metal divider we place between each metal stem to keep it from falling down the hole. 

It’s a small job when looking at the big picture.  The lime light is in the grunt work, being one of the guys on the ladder lifting & turning the drill.  The glory is in the muscle, being the star of the show.  I came here expecting to be the star.  I was going to be digging wells, doing the grunt work, proving my manhood.  But God humbled me.  It really ticked me off last night, but it’s what I asked for.  Last week, I prayed for God to change my heart and take the focus off me.  And I think he answered that prayer.  The next day after praying that prayer—actually when fishing that afternoon—my shoulder started bothering me.  Yesterday, I realized I couldn’t keep trying to push through it b/c it was only getting worse.  I was okay with that though because I could still prove myself through soccer.  Last week, I felt pretty studly, so I figured this week would be another chance to show off.  Side note—these guys either got a lot better over the weekend, or they were sandbaggin’ like crazy last week!  But then, my quad tightened up on me.  I couldn’t run without it hurting, couldn’t kick.  What now?  Where was I to seek validation?  The supporter—not the position I would have picked.  I like being the center of attention.  I like feeling like a big deal.  I like being on the ladder, showing my strength, my work ethic.  But God has other plans for me.  And I think he’s speaking to me about more than just drilling wells.  I always like the focus to be on me, and I always want to be the one in charge.  I don’t like to be second string.  I want to preach, to lead, to be in control.  But God’s continuing to tell me that it’s not about me!  He’s teaching me what it means to serve, to really love others.  I don’t need to be physically strong to love other people.  And I should have learned that by now—elbow surgery, groin surgery!  But I’m stubborn, and I’ve usually got somewhere else to turn.  Not here!  I’m stuck with what I’ve got.   And what I’ve got is an opportunity to love people.  God, don’t let Satan distract me from the reasons you brought me here.  Keep speaking to my heart.  Keep molding me.

Day 21: 

Last night we introduced Sammy & Akai to Teeter on Mike’s phone.  I felt like we just introduced caveman to fire.  They were hooked!  I didn’t know it could be a 2 person game, but they would sit there & talk strategy with each other like both were playing…Kyle got stung by a scorpion last night.  It was tiny, but it definitely still seemed like it hurt.  He asked Sammy & Akai if he was going to die (I probably would have too), & of course Mike & I gave him a hard time about it.  We asked Sammy if he’d ever been stung & he said “Many times!”   So we felt pretty safe about Kyle waking up to see another day, especially since Sammy’s advice for dealing with stings was to drink water!  And I just freaked out a little bit while writing this b/c a spider just about crawled up my shorts.  Probably God trying to tell me to stop making fun of Kyle!...We finished getting the casing installed today, & actually got water pumping from the well.  Right now we’re in the process of moving everything to the next well.  It’s across the river, which meant we had a long walk w/ some pretty heavy stuff.  A ton of the girls from the village helped us move stuff, and it was pretty cool to see them help us out.  It was tiring, but it gave my shoulder a little break.  It’s funny how bent out of shape I was two days ago, when there’s really only been one day I couldn’t lift the drill bit…We read in 2 Corinthians today where Paul discusses the thorn in his flesh & talks about boasting in his weakness.  We don’t exactly have the most physically healthy intern team out here, but God is still using us despite our weaknesses.  Kyle ripped his pectoral muscle benching & had surgery over Spring Break; Mike’s got crow’s feet & has had multiple surgeries throughout his life; and my shoulder’s been irritating me & I just had surgery on my groin over Spring Break.  Not exactly an All-Star cast, but we’re learning more & more to depend on God for strength.  And don’t get me wrong—Kyle & Mike are both beasts & I’m thankful to have them to pick up my slack…We went a little deeper in Bible Study today.  


We asked about Paul’ “thorn” & why it is that we have “thorns” in our own lives.  They responded that it’s b/c  of our sin, & said that Job was punished b/c of the sins he committed.  This was HUGE b/c we were able to say that Job was righteous yet still suffered.  We got to reiterate that the Gospel is about more than being a moral person!  It was frustrating though b/c they wouldn’t look at Job & see what he actually said.  They were going by what someone had previously taught them & that really frustrates me that someone could teach them something opposite of what the Bible actually says.  But it also encourages me to keep learning as much as I can in seminary, so that I can help people find the truth in God’s word…Played goalie in soccer today, & my leg didn’t feel too bad—just tight, so I’m going easy on it.

I realized how awesome it is to be playing soccer w/ a bunch of Turkana on a dirt field in Kenya.  Before I had been so focused on showing off, that I was missing out on just how awesome an experience I was getting to have…Thank you God; thank you for my weaknesses & constantly reminding me that life’s not about me!

Day 22:

Woke up this morning & started packing up camp to head to the next drilling project.  Well, more like Akai started packing up camp.  We weren’t folding the tent up to his standards, so he just took over.  He’s a good leader, makes sure everything is executed properly.  It shows his appreciation of things.  He didn’t even sleep in the tent, yet he still wanted to make sure it was taken care of…2^nd to last Born & I carried the generator over to Gene’s old house.  It’s not light & it definitely makes you appreciate having vehicles to transport materials.  It’s about a 30 minute walk each way & the river was flowing today.  This morning it was waist deep, which made carrying materials more difficult.  Yesterday, there was almost no water, so we thought they were joking when they said the river was up.  But apparently it rained down country b/c it was about up to my chest when we crossed the second & final time today.  On the second trip, we had our packs & the girls from the village helped carry the rest.  It’s pretty crazy to see them carry huge boxes on their heads across the river when it’s chest deep.  

They’re funny to talk to—I usually just say random stuff about Sammy being single or sing love songs to them & see if they can understand any of it.  And they usually just tell me to shave my beard & ask me to give them my shoes or sunglasses.  Women—they’re always after your money ;) And yes, I'm wearing my special river crossing shorts in the picture below, a.k.a. my boxers!

…Crossing the river was an adventure.  We were a little concerned with getting our packs wet considering they had my camera & medicine & clothes all in there.  We had to carry them over our heads & pray not to slip.  Sammy was carrying our spears (that’s right—me & Kyle got spears!) 

& I was trying to avoid getting stabbed by them for most of the way across.  Little Michael wanted to help me carry my bag but I couldn’t let him b/c I was scared the water might end up being above his head.  I appreciate his big heart though.  The girls made it across with all the materials on their heads.  These Turkana women are tough!  It’s a little scary though b/c I’m not sure how many of these people know how to swim…We saw a huge scorpion under some of the casing this afternoon.  It could have had its own zip code.  It was black on top & it looked like it could have glowed in the dark!  I wasn’t nervous about sleeping in the tent after Kyle’s run-in, but now I’ll probably be a little more cautious going through my stuff…We rode 10 deep back to Lodwar in Gene’s Land Cruiser.  I was a long & crowded 3 hour drive, but it felt good to eat some good food & have some cold drinks at Gene & Melba’s.

Day 23: At Gene's Workshop

Found out at Gene’s today that we are not going back to the bush this next week.  Instead, we are helping teach a class at TBTI (Turkana Bible Training Institute) on Spiritual Warfare.  It should be interesting, especially after taking my OTI class this past year.  Apparently we teach for 3 days, & Simon translates & fills in any stuff he thinks we forgot to cover…We worked at Gene’s workshop today cutting & sanding wood for desks.  We cut up plywood with the table-saw, & by table-saw I mean upside down skill-saw that’s jimmy-rigged to a plywood table—OSHA approved, of course!

 
The desks look really great when finished

…There’s a different mindset about the value of life here.  Gene said people will just let their children die rather than have to pay money to get medical help.  And CMF will let them pay later, or even just cover it for them.  In America, we’d go broke to save a family member’s life.  Here, death seems to be more of a normal part of life.  People are willing to risk death just to try & save some money.  It’s really sad.

Please keep our team in your prayers as we deal with spiritual warfare & work to teach about this difficult subject this upcoming week.

Peace,

Digging the Well

Day 10: Taking It Up A Notch

…Got dropped off in Nakur to join the drilling team for the next 6 days.  It was a 3 hour drive and the roads are like dirt paths. 

It’s more like going off-roading and kind of feels like you're on a rollercoaster…Had to cross the river to get to the well project and gardens.  It got about mid-thigh deep and was pretty slick mud, really comforting when you have everything you need for the week in the pack on your back.  

Had to roll our shorts into basically a manthong (I’ll spare you from having to see the picture!) to try and keep dry!...The drilling crew reminds me some of the Lost Boys from Sudan in how they are all young guys making it through life together.  We think we’ve got it rough b/c we’re gonna be out here a week; they’re out here a whole month before returning to town!...I’m an emusugut, a “white man,” & I’m rich in their eyes.  I feel like it’s unfair for them to stereotype me as wealthy, but they are just going by the facts.  I traveled by plane across continents, have contact lenses—I even have a headlamp that allows me to write at night.  I have so many things.  God has blessed me in so many ways.  I have no reason to complain.  

Day 11: Trying to Survive

Sleeping last night was a nightmare.  It seemed like things would be perfect.  We got sleeping pads, there were no roosters, & the breeze felt really good.  Little did I know the wind would be my nemesis.  I should have known when Akai told me to put my pack above my pillow for protection that it was going to be a long night.  The wind just blew up all the dirt to where it was miserable to try and sleep.  You had to cover your face with the sheet or else it would get in your mouth.  And the sheet was too small to tuck around your whole body, so the wind would almost blow it off your body.  Even Sammy said, “Last night was bad!” the next morning, & he’s Turkana!  I asked if he’d ever slept through something like that & he said, “No! Worst night ever!”  But we trekked back across the river after lunch and got a tent from Gene’s old house, so that should help (it did!)  The tent’s a little too small for 3 people (it was!) but we’re going to try and fit Sammy, especially if last night was the worst night of sleep of his life!

 

...We went to church this morning…They meet under a large tree by the gardens

…Akai asked if one of us would do the second reading, so I said yes, assuming I would just read whatever the scripture was for the week.  Wrong again!  Right before I was supposed to read, they sang a song to welcome me, & I asked Sammy what verse I was supposed to read, & he gave me a look of panic.  I wasn’t just reading; I was preaching!  Yep, that's my name on the church board!

No prep, just stand up & preach.  I gave them the give me a minute finger (index) & scrambled to find Jesus’ reduction of the law to the two greatest commandments.  I had just written a sermon for class, so I just tried to remember what I had written.  I read & spoke, & Sammy translated for me.  Afterwards, a few people told me they really liked my preaching, mainly b/c it was short (usually hear people complaining for me being too long!). It was definitely one of those moments when God was speaking through me b/c I was definitely unprepared!...They slaughtered a sheep for dinner & we got it all on video, including Sammy’s anatomy lessons!  I wasn’t as disturbed as I thought I’d be watching it.  Once they throw it all on the grill, it all just looks like meat.  I tried the liver & the tail & they weren’t too bad.  One guy even drank the blood--Twighlight Fans, eat your heart out!  Here's the before & after:

…Jesus washing his disciples feet has taken on a whole new meaning.   

My feet are nasty at the end of the day, covered in dirt and mud.  The thought of washing someone else’s that look like mine (yes, I know I need to clip my toenails…and I did today!) is pretty gross.  But that’s what it means to love, to lead by serving.  

Day 12: Digging the Well

…We actually started doing some work today which felt good.  It’s tough work, much tougher than I expected.  You basically push press & spin the handle, then upright row it up while balancing on a ladder & the well casing. 

 

The bottom piece is slippery since it’s hitting water, which makes lifting it up even more difficult…Lunch tasted a lot better after actually working today…We do Bible Study everyday at 3 PM.  They have a reading plan they go through where they do an Old Testament & New Testament reading each day.  We read 2 Corinthians 3:1-11, & I asked them what Paul meant when he talked about the greater glory.  I asked which holds greater glory: the law or the cross.  Initially, they said the law, which shows how they view Christianity.  Everything operates under a system of right & wrong.  They seem to believe that God’s love for us is conditional, they can’t quite understand grace.  None of us really understand God’s grace, but it definitely appears to be a barrier for spiritual growth here.  We tried to discuss with them that the law reveals our sin, but the cross reveals God’s love & mercy.  Jesus fulfilled the law, so we could stop trying to earn God’s love.  We follow the law by following Christ, by embracing His love.  The law no longer defines us, love does.  I don’t know if it all clicked for them, but it was a good discussion.  

Day 13:

…We learned more about Turkana marriages.  Apparently marriage defines when a boy becomes a man.  Akai keeps calling us boys, & we say “Mam (No!)” & make him call us men, just to give him a hard time.  We learned that the educated marry later, closer to age 30, which surprised me.  Uneducated people; however, marry young…I told Sammy not all Americans marry, and he said that was “very bad.”  He said it must be lonely to sleep alone, wash utensils alone, and not be able to, well you know.  He said even the animals get to, and said they have it better than the unmarried!...We also learned some more about men and women.  Akai & Sammy both said you have to make sure women cannot beat you physically.  It would be very shameful, so you have to be smart.  So if it seems like your wife could, you should divorce her & get another wife.  I asked them how that’s biblical, & they tried to justify it.  It’s funny to hear them say, but I really hope they don’t physically abuse their wives; just feel confident they are physically stronger & not feel the need to demonstrate.  And they are adamant that there are jobs for men & jobs for women.  Feminists would flip out over here!...Been doing some bartering over here.  Currently trying to trade my flashlight for a walking stick & ichalong (chair).  Also hoping to get a spear to bring back to the States.  

Day 14:

Had some more funny conversations last night.  They couldn’t believe the man doesn’t have to pay anything to the family of his wife when he marries her.  Over here, it cost like 5 camels, or 200 goats to marry a girl.  Apparently it all depends on the amount of men in her family b/c each of them get something.  Sammy once again said this was “very bad!”…Carrying the water jugs this morning was a good reminder of just how much these women do for their families.  They are heavy to carry, got to be around 50 lbs, & they carry them on their head!

 

...We went fishing Turkana style this afternoon.  It was awesome!  Basically, you run around with a basket & randomly push it in the water hoping to trap a fish.  My Turkana fishing was about as good as my American fishing—so pretty bad!  They somehow have a strategy though.  They fish as a group & move together & funnel the fish towards one another.  It’s pretty crazy to watch them actually run down a fish & trap it.  Some even just catch it with their bard hands!  It’s a whole different league of fishing!  Kyle caught one & a kid pulled it out of his basket & just bit the sharp fins off the fish with his teeth, cut up his gums.  Pretty wild!

Day 15:

Can’t believe I’ve been in Kenya more than 2 weeks now.  Last night I noticed a hole in the top of my pack.  Beginning to understand why it only costs $30.  I really hope it can last, or there’s some way to fix it.  I really don’t need that much out here.  I could probably survive with a plastic bag and my water bottle.  But there’s a sense of security with that pack…I’m ready to be back in town, but I also realize how short my time is in Kenya this summer.  I don’t want to spend each week just waiting to get out of here.  I didn’t come over here to count down the days until I go back home…We got a soccer ball tonight and played with the crew and some of the people from the village.  It was basically Emusugut’s (White People-so me & Kyle) vs. the Turkana people.  And we should have beat them.  They are really athletic.  Me and Kyle tried to race them today, & they killed us.  Racing Kenyans—what were we thinking!  But they’re not that great at soccer.  You can tell they just haven’t played very much.  We just played in dirt area between the gardens where there aren’t too many thorns.  We lost 10-6, and that’s only because our goalie had to leave halfway through the game.  I had 4 goals—yeah, they’re that bad ;)  But this week, Mike’s joining us & Sammy’s bringing his soccer shoes, so I think we can take him.  I’ve been telling Akai, “Mimi ni baba Akai.”  Swahili for, “I’m Akai’s daddy!”  Should be fun to keep playing after work this week.

 

Heading back to Nakur for another week with the drilling crew tomorrow afternoon!  Thanks for the prayers & support! 

Peace

Emwono Ayong...

Emwono Ayong…It means “I’m satisfied” in Turkana.  Generally, this is the phrase you say when you are finished eating to let people know that you are full.  Before leaving for the bush last weekend, I would say I was anything but satisfied.  We had come back into town on Thursday, and I spent most of Friday shoveling sand and gravel expecting to have the weekend to relax.  I wasn’t exactly thrilled when I heard we would be going back out on Saturday until the following Friday.  So I spent most of Friday night griping and frustrated.  Why aren’t we getting to rest this weekend?  Why won’t the Internet work?  This did not fit into MY plan!  But God reminded me that it’s not about me!  It’s not about my crazy summer in Kenya.  It’s not about my blog.  It’s not about my class.  It’s not about what’s next in my life.  It’s about God!  And it’s about doing HIS work this summer—for HIS glory, not MINE!

Gene & Melba (my host missionaries) have a picture in their house that I keep thinking about when I get frustrated or anxious over here: 

“It’s not about having what you want, it’s about wanting what you have.”  I didn’t really understand that sign until reading it before leaving for the bush last weekend.  I was frustrated thinking about how things could be so much easier over here.  I wished we had a more laid out schedule, a day off, fast internet, cold drinks, air conditioning, etc.  And that sign reminded me that I was so concerned with what I didn’t have that I was forgetting about all the blessings I did have.  I had forgotten how blessed I was to have great teammates, great host missionaries, a supporting family, food, clean water, and a God who loves me unconditionally.  So this past week, when things started to get difficult, I kept trying to think about that sign.  I cut up my hands the first day working, and was worried how I was going to be able to grip the slippery drill pieces.  That worry was soon forgotten when I didn’t put on sunscreen (dumb, I know!) and got these bumps on the back of my arms.  Then, I noticed mid-week the hole in my pack and started worrying about how I would survive if my pack broke.  And now my shoulder has been irritating me, and I’ve been a little concerned about it slowing me down working.  But I realized through all of my anxiety that there always seems to be some nagging thing preventing me from being happy.  If only I didn’t have these cuts on my hands, this hole in my pack, this pain in my shoulder—life would be so much better.  But when I look back on my life, I can see that God has always been there to help me through any difficulties.  So what if my bodies a little beat up?  These Turkana guys work six days a week—no gloves, no ibuprofen, no anti-inflammatories.  So what if my pack breaks? These Turkana guys don’t have more than two sets of clothes, if that! I could probably survive out in the bush with just a plastic baggie if it came down to it (still hope my pack holds up though!).

God is so much bigger than me and my problems.  And he’s doing great things in the Turkana people’s lives.  Many of these people are meeting daily for Bible studies—discussing the Word, praying together, sharing life together.  He’s working through missionaries like Gene & Melba & the drilling crew to provide proper nutrition, clean water, and education to so many people over here.  And He’s working in my life, and I just want to say thank you so much for supporting me and allowing me to be a part of HIS work in Kenya.  I hope that this next week I can go to bed exhausted and dirty, with my “old man” wounds and smile, knowing that I am blessed to be a child of God.

“Emwono Ayong”—may we all sleep peacefully knowing that WE ARE SATISFIED because we serve a loving and merciful God who is actively moving in the world today!

Peace,

Men Who Stare At Goats

 That basically sums up the men in the bush.  Threw this together pretty fast so sorry for mispelling or confusion.

Day 6: Into the Wild

This morning we loaded up the trucks and headed into the bush.  I thought we had left civilization when we stayed in the village, but this is a whole new level of roughin’ it.  I got dropped off at the school where my new host dad Daniel teaches and lets just say I didn’t make the first impression I was hoping to make.  When I got out of the truck, the kids started crying and took off running.  A few even hid behind the chalkboard on the ground!  Daniel told me the kids were afraid of my beard.  I mean, I know the beard might not be the biggest draw for the ladies, but geez- I never thought my face would actually bring people to tears!  I guess, beauty can sometimes scare people ;)  But I made some goofy faces and did some dance moves & it didn’t take long for them to start laughing & wanting to pet my hair like the kids in the village…I am staying with the Ekisokiria people of Kakamat.  These people remind me a lot  of the people from the video we watched during PDO.  Their huts are made of palm trees and leaves & are awesome. Below is where I stayed…

The flies here are insane.  They are like suicide bombers for chai- I had to fish some of the extremists out of my chai.  Really gives you a peaceful feeling about germs and diseases…For lunch we had uji which is like oatmeal only you drink it.  It’s not bad but let’s just say I wouldn’t be too excited if I heard it’s on the menu for tomorrow (which it was!)…Daniel is pretty cool.  His English is great and he’s very talkative.  He even knew about Osama being killed.  I forgot about the bombings on the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi and the effects terrorism had on Kenya…The place is Ekisokiria, which means donkey and I learned why.  They were everywhere by the “river.”  I say “river” because there was no water in it and I don’t think there has been for a long time.  There were probably 50 donkeys and I saw a group of camels too…

I finally got to see one of CMF’s farm irrigation plots and it’s pretty impressive.  They have a solar panel that pumps water, so they can keep the different crops crowing.  The garden is pretty incredible.  I mean in the middle of the African desert sits about half a football field of sorghum, cow peas, and a few other crops. 

  And the people are really proud of the their garden…It’s funny how cultural differences seem to fade when people look at their pictures.  Some teenage mothers kept wanting to get their picture taken again & again & they would point & giggle just like American teenage girls.  They even asked Kyle to get a picture with him.  Apparently the African ladies love them some cat daddy (Kyle’s signature dance)…Definitely had some funny Sammy moments today.  

 
Sammy is great for translating but he always thinks we’re trying to get him to translate.  So sometimes we’ll ask him a question & just want the answer, & he’ll respond back with how to ask in Turkana.  We joke that we need an intermediary between us & Sammy to make sure we understand each other!  For example, we’re in the middle of nowhere & I wanted to know if we can just urinate wherever.  But if you say you need to go to the bathroom, people generally assume “number two” & tell you to go way out in the bush.  So I was trying to ask Sammy and told him “I need to pee right now!  Where do I go?”  And of course, he told me how to ask in Turkana.  We all started laughing, but eventually we got it figured out.  Here's Sammy

 
We each took a bath later in the afternoon near one of the wells.  Not sure why because there’s a bath at Daniel’s.  But he just told me I could pee in there so I’m glad we bathed elsewhere.  I guess peeing in the shower is not only normal here, but also encouraged!  The bathing rooms are basically roofless huts of palm leaves.  It’s a pretty interesting experience to be butt naked in the middle of Kenya under the shade of palm tree bathing yourself

 …I don’t think I’ve ever been somewhere so silent.  If no one is speaking, you can hear the wind the stir up the dirt.  There’s no animal noises, no vehicles, just pure stillness.  It’s almost eery.

Day 7:

Romantic stage is starting to wear on me.  It’s definitely more primitive here.  My host mom just walks around topless & most of the boys don’t wear pants.  In Lodwar, there were breasts everywhere.  Now, it’s that plus an abundance of penis.  What ever happened to wearing clothes?...I woke up to the fury of “Little Jerry Seinfeld” this morning.  He started crowing around 3:30 AM.  He crows again every hour until about 6 AM when he just goes insane for about an hour or so.  I thought he was right by my head, so I was getting prepared to strangle him.  But it ended up that he’s in an elevated cage in the middle of camp.  I thought this was to avoid snoozing, like when I put my alarm clock on the other side of the room on the day of a big test, but I discovered it was because a dog ate many of Daniel’s other chickens.  If I could find the dog, I’d probably pay him off to take this one out too!...Daniel’s wife found my morning routine to be really funny.  She keeps laughing at me and all my luggage (my one pack!).  I woke up this morning & saw their baby covered in flies. 

 It’s disturbing to see it not even phase him.  I can say he because he’s never wearing pants and almost always naked.  I thought Daniel’s two boys were the cutest boys I’d ever seen but discovered the next day that they were girls when they’re mom put dresses on them.  Otherwise, they are very confused boys!  Regardless, they’re adorable.  I gave them Auburn keychains & Toto added it to her necklace.  

So now I’ve got Sammy repping an Auburn hat & kids in Kakamat & Lodwar repping Auburn keychains-Gotta keep spreading the good news!...The African girls are definitely after Kyle.  One even told me to greet Emoru (his Turkana name) for her!...…A few of the girls wanted to braid my hair & we talked them into braiding my beard.  They were afraid at first and said the hair was rough but eventually they braided a strand and eventually almost the whole thing.  It looked ridiculous.  I looked like I needed to be smoking weed or eating shrooms or something.  It was pretty uncomfortable, so I eventually unbraided all of it

 
…More good Sammy moments today.  Some of his responses remind me of Borat.  We tried to get Sammy to admit that the women are mistreated.  Sammy (& most Turkana men) will tell you that the women like to work all the time & carry heavy things.  We asked Sammy if the women were stronger than men, and he said yes.  We were a little surprised and asked who would win in a fight, and he said men.  This didn’t make sense but he explained that all the carrying & working made the women tired, which gave the men a chance!  We couldn’t stop laughing!  I asked Sammy which ranked higher in Turkana, goats or women, & he thought about it and said, “I don’t know.”  It’s funny to hear him say but it’s really sad.  Women do everything.  They even build the houses.  The men seriously just chill and walk with their animals.  We joke with Sammy saying the Turkana men are living the good life, but it’s really pretty boring.  I would feel worthless…Sleeping on the ground with no sleeping pad is tough to get comfortable…Kyle pooped in the “shower hut” this afternoon.  They call it the bathroom but it’s only for bathing, & surprisingly, urinating!  But Kyle pooped in there, & even left toilet paper.  Imagine if the tables were turned and some African visitor came and pooped in your shower.  It would be a little strange…Hopefully I can get some sleep before Little Jerry starts screaming in a few hours.

Day 8:

We made it back to civilization!  Our trip got cut a little short due to some stomach sickness by Kyle & Mike (not saying I was disappointed it got cut short!)  Life in the bush is difficult.  It’s definitely more primitive, but it’s also really boring.  There’s just not a lot going on.  Yesterday & today we seriously sat in the same spot under a tree for like 5 hours.  We joked and said we felt like Bill Murray in Groundhog Day—what do we need to do to get things right?

I feel like I grew a lot over the past few days.  I used to joke with people that food was only a meal if it included meat.  I went most of the past 3 days without meat, & now I realize what a blessing proper nutrition really is…I think I expected to see death and poverty up close and personal in the bush, people unable to walk or stand.  But instead I saw something else.  I saw people dieing more slowly, unknowingly.  These people are unaware that there food intake contains almost no nutritional value.  Most of their food is from maize & does nothing for them other than fill them up.  I ask Gene about the bloated looking children & he said it’s from a continuous malnourished diet.  

 
These children are being served uji, thinking it’s providing them some substinence.  But uji has nothing in it, no nutrients, pure starch.  It will fill you up; it definitely filled me up.  And it taste so bland, there’s nothing to it.  I could understand if it was really good for you & tasted bad like protein bars, but it’s not even good for you.  But these people are unaware.  Both Kole & Toto have bloated stomachs & Sammy said it’s from malnutrition.   Daniel keeps pointing to their stomachs saying “Emwonit,” which means satisfied.  I think he thinks they are full and doesn’t understand the harm that’s being done by their improper diet.  So they eat the same things over & over again not knowing the damage it’s doing to their bodies….I don’t know how these people make it through life.  It wasn’t bad for a couple of days, but it would be depressing if it was your whole life.  And if you’re a guy, life seems pretty lame.  You just sit around all day, maybe go to look for your goats.  But most of the time, just sit around…Sammy changed his answer yesterday & said Turkana men were stronger than women.  But he said the women were stronger for carrying things.  How did these guys possibly convince the women to believe this.  Geniuses—teach me!  Completely kidding!...I got to meet the elder of the Kisiriak people.  His name is David but everyone calls him “the old man.”  Supposedly almost all of the land of Kakamat is his, at least he says it is.  The Kakamat people would agree, but Gene says the government would say otherwise…We went back to Daniel’s school today.  We learned some things along with the 3-8 year olds like colors and animals in Turkana.  It’s encouraging to know we’re on about the same level as them!  I taught the kids how to say War Eagle.  It was pretty awesome to see a ton of African kids yelling, “Waaaaar Eagle! Hey!”  Now whenever I start to wave my hand in the air they’ll start to do the cheer—just spreading the good news!  

Heading back to the bush tomorrow…at least this time we will be working on wells and doing more than “goat watching!”

Peace