How time does fly when you are having fun! On Saturday Marv worked until the early afternoon and was exhausted so we both took a nap! Afterwards we went for a long walk on the station as he had really not had a chance to see or experience any of it since arrival. One interesting stop was the cemetery which has markers dating back nearly 100 years. Again it points out that the Lord has been at work in Kijabe through missionaries for many years! That evening we spent a quiet time reading. Sounds exciting, huh! But you know there is something very peaceful about our simple life here. There are few outside distractions and the pace is Kenyan time. Not all bad for Westerners to absorb.
On Sunday morning we walked up the hill and over the ruts to church for the 8:30 service at the AIC (African Inland Church). The early service is mainly in English with a later service in Swahili. It was wonderful to worship with our Kenyan brothers and sisters and particularly to watch all of the children as they went up to the front and sang “God is So Good” in both languages before leaving for Sunday School. After the service we walked to RVA (Rift Valley Academy) and toured the campus before going to the 11 AM service. It reminded Marv and me of our childhood and 2 services a Sunday!
The service is held in a large assembly hall and was packed with many young families. It is a contemporary service and the music was soulful and uplifting as everyone really participated. After the service we were invited to lunch at the cafeteria with the woodworking teacher, Mr. Baker and his wife Esther. What an interesting story they have to tell. He is a retired LA public school teacher of 40 years who came to RVA as a widower 10 years ago, met Esther and they were married 4 years ago. She is a former banker from Toronto who now works in the business office and manages a 2 million dollar budget at RVA each year. Mr. Baker is the type of dedicated teacher that we all want for our children; patient, gentle, and disciplined. I think that he is particularly effective as a father figure to these children who are living apart from their parents.
Guess what, the Sunday afternoon nap is universal after a big Sunday noon meal! That evening we were invited to Marv’s Kenyan colleague’s home for supper. He, Alfred, and his wife Monica and their two sons made us feel right at home and we enjoyed Kenyan food of chicken, rice and beans, delicious cabbage seasoned with turmeric and “white tea” (much like warm milk) for dessert. Dad taught the kids the magic spoon trick which has served him well for many years and many occasions! I was amazed at the boys knowledge of world geography as I quizzed them about where North Carolina was, etc. Monica is a math and chemistry teacher at the Kijabe Boys School which is a government run boarding school just outside the mission station. She has 60 students in each class and teaches 4 sections each day! That’s right, 240 students per day! She expressed frustration at not being able to meet the needs of individuals, especially those at the lower functioning students.
Alfred has been funded to come to the US and receive a Master of Public Health under a grant that would study perinatal HIV/AIDS transmission. He is very eager to do this, but we sensed a lot of anxiety on Monica’s part as to whether she wants to come with him. While we found this surprising it was a good lesson to us in cultural differences. The reason she is afraid to come is that everyone in her personal experience who comes to the US comes back to Kenya and gets a divorce. Why? She feels that it is because women sense the empowerment that Western women have and cannot adjust back to Kenyan tradition of female submission and this creates a lot of tension in the marriage. I would like to talk to her more about this and hope that I have that opportunity. My heart went out to her as I could see that she was really struggling with this decision.
We loved Skyping Betsy, John and family this weekend!
Love to all,
Mom and Dad, Nana and Poppy, Marv and Micki
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