Friday

Unfortunately I only have a few minutes for this update so I'll be brief... We are headed out soon for our final day before leaving for the airport. Also, I probably won't have internet access after this until we return to the States, so Saturday's update will have to wait a few days.

Friday was a half-day of work. VBS and the medical clinic both jumped right in and the scaffolding was torn down from the mural wall.

Everyone worked steady until lunch - and then after lunch, several of the ladies involved in the mission's micro-business project brought their sewing and bead-work for us to see and buy. Very beautiful work!

Once this was finished, we were all ushered in to the auditorium where they had been screening people all week, but now there were children filling the room, singing and clapping. They presented a very warm thanks through song, recitation, and drama. I won't give the scary details - but it involved dancing (including Dick - I may have some video somewhere, for the right price...). It was very moving as well as heartbreaking to say goodbye to the Kosovo school. The children are beautiful and the workers are inpsiring. We have made some strong friendships here and they will be missed.

The evening ended with a nice meal at Oliver and Ednah's house. Oliver is the pastor over the Kosovo churches and trains the other pastors who operate throughout the slums. They gave us gifts and repeated thanks. This part of the trip always seems in reverse: It is US who are to be thanking them! (and we are...)

Today we go to a baptism service at a local pool and then out to their boarding school in the country, Joska.

Then - the plane!

See you when we're home!

Thursday

Whew! Another LONG day at the mission. We are bone-tired, but feel very good about the work being done.

Today the medical team continued exams for residents of the community. Much the same as yesterday, however, today they broke for a mid-afternoon meeting with the community neighbors to offer basic health teaching on sickness prevention, how to make clean water, and some advice on dealing with some of the more common diseases they have been finding this week. The center set up tables and chairs and said that it was their biggest turn-out to date.

VBS went back to the younger children today. The basic plan has been to alternate days: Tues/Thurs are the younger children (ages 3-6) and Wed/Fri are the older (7-10). I think the day took a beating on them (over 460 kids in the program!) - but they came out with smiles and ready for tomorrow.

The mural is finished!!! It must be a record: 3 days of painting on a 25' tall by 31' wide wall. And this on scaffolding made of sticks and scrap wood (literally). We're very proud of how it turned out and can't wait to show pictures. The community residents seem to be very pleased with the new splash of color introduced to their neighborhood.

For several in our group, the afternoon was spent with a series of meetings and sub-projects. Chris met with a couple of the key leaders to discuss medical software possibilities. He and Mike are also brainstorming how to create a simple, low-cost lap-dulcimer instrument that they could teach the kids how to make. Mike spent a good amount of time on the roof repairing broken desks. Dick had lengthy pastor-talk with the Kosovo pastor, Joseph.

After a surprisingly short trip back to the hotel (usually it's about an hour in bumper-to-bumper traffic), we cleaned up and headed out for an Ethiopian dinner. (Unfornutately, Mike and Danielle skipped out because Danielle is not feeling good) Several of the key leaders from the mission also joined us - good times.

Tomorrow we head into our final day at the mission. Hard to believe how fast the week has gone!

Wednesday

Today was a huge day. After breakfast we arrived at the Kosovo school to find a courtyard full of 50+ community residents waiting for clinic care. We were told they had been there since 7:00am. I think the group was a little stunned by the quick response - and the crowd did not let up for the entire day. We were told that by rough count, yesterday the clinic treated 194 people - and that was with a "slow start." Though we don't know how many exactly, today's total is sure to have been even higher.

The good news of this is that many people are receiving perhaps the only medical attention they have ever received. This is certainly true for the children. The bad news is that even if we spent the next 3 months working full-time, it would only scratch the surface of the number of residents living in the Nairobi slums. Inevitably, people have to be turned away at the end of the day. Tomorrow we are arriving a bit early, and likely staying a bit late...

Even with the numbers of sick people, our medical team is staying in good spirits. They are tired and verging on overwhelmed at points - but they are working hard and doing good. The Kenyan partners are a good inspiration for us - no one works as hard as they do. They are stressing to us that our team should "Take their time, do good work, don't rush..." Even with the countless numbers of people, they want to emphasize quality over quantity.

VBS is equally exhausting - but much more fun, I'm sure! The kids all pile out of their rooms with fingerpaints all over their faces, singing the songs they've learned, and laughing... The workers are the same way. Each member of our team is keeping the enthusiasm up and having fun. It's interesting to have a facility like the school simultaneously hosting a medical clinic and a kid's VBS. On the one hand is sickness and long waits to see the nurses and doctors - on the other hand are songs and laughter all around.

The mural is nearly complete! It is turning out really well. Phil and I work with 2-3 Kenyan locals each day to do the major sections, and then we are joined by a few others from our team during the second half of the day. It has come along very fast and we're sure we'll be finished tomorrow. It's great to have the local neighhorhood walk past, stop, and give big grins and thumbs up to the crew. The splash of color is dramatic in an otherwise grey and dreary landscape.

The day ended with a wonderful dinner at Doug and Jennifer Kurz's house - American missionaries. They made Mexican! We stayed awhile and laughed a lot. I'm finding that our group has a strange "balance" to it, and that the later the evening gets, the more the balance tips... One half of the group is unconscious with exhaustion, while the other half is about to explode with late-night energy. When the balance tips too far and the group becomes energetically polarized, it's time to call it a night! Anyway, that's my theory... :)

Tomorrow will be an even bigger day than today - so, good night!

Tuesday

(Sorry this post is coming late - I dropped dead on my bed last night when we got back to the hotel...)

Today was a whirlwind of activity. All three programs: VBS, Medical Clinic and the Mural got their official start at 9:00 and did not wrap up until about 4:30.

Megan hit the ground running with VBS. The moment we arrived she was up and down, in and out of classrooms... amazing. Her crew jumped to the plate and spread out to their respective areas of work. Kids were laughing, fingerpainting, being taught, and having great recreation time. At lunch I asked Mike how he was doing - he said that the kids were full of energy and ready to laugh. Then he grinned big and said, "It's great!" I think Big Mike has become Mathare's walking jungle jim.

Amy dove into the medical clinic with her crew. They screened and treated children of the school, parents of those children, and community residents who got word of the clinic. Word in the community is expected to travel fast. Amy said at lunch break (3 hours in) that she feels like she's just worked through a 30-hour shift at university. Flora said she didn't see Pat once without a smile on her face. I went once to see how Brook was doing - but she was in the zone and I don't think she even saw me! They were incredible!

The mural is progressing great as well. We are much farther along that we thought we'd be. I can now say I have climbed a Kenyan scaffolding (literally, scrap wood and sticks) and made it down alive. Phil's design is taking shape and already stopping traffic. WHen the kids came out of their classes at the end of the day, we were encouraged by a chorus of "WOWS". Wait until they see it finished!

In each of these programs, we are working side-by-side with Kenyan locals. Their presence, translation skills, and hard work is keeping us going. We're honored to partner with them and learn from them.

Heading out for more of the same today!

Day 3: Monday

Today we started out with a tour of the slum area known as "Mathare 1." The Mathare Valley slum is divded into 10 "neighborhoods" - and the first mission center (Pangani) started by Missions of Hope is in Mathare 1. We divided into groups of 3 and visited several homes, hearing the stories of those who lived there. While each story is unique, the homes are typically very small, sometimes measuring no more than 7' x 7', or smaller. The families are often a mix of children, grandchildren, parents and grandparents - with nearly every home being touched by death.

The home my group visited (Flora, Michelle, myself) was the home of "Mama Grace" (traditionally, Kenyan parents go by the name of thier first born - so her firstborn is named Grace. Father's go by Baba -(name of firstborn)). Mama Grace was a grandmother and mother. Her houshold was one of the smallest I've visited - possibly no more than 5'x6' - yet it was home to 10 people, seven of which are children. She shared how one of her adult daughters is HIV positive, and asked us to pray for her granddaughter, age 8, who just two weeks ago was diagnosed HIV positive.

Our group gathered together on the opposite side of Mathare 1 and then continued on to the Kosovo neighborhood just a short distance further. Upon arrival, we were treated to a wonderful singing performance by some of the school children, welcoming us warmly. Words on a blog simply cannot describe the beauty of their voices.

After a short tea, we began orienting ourselves to the school facilities and determining where each project would take place. Amy took the lead on the clinic and Megan on VBS. Meanwhile, several locals were continuing to prime and prep the outer wall of the building for the mural. Once the gameplan was in place, we brought out the medical supplies that we brought with us (many of which have been donated by you!) and started organizing.

A wonderful lunch followed - though most of us were stuffed already from breakfast and tea. One of the hidden challenges of a trip like this is being strategic about eating - there is so much offered that you find yourself surprisingly full most of the time.

After lunch everyone participated in their program called "Bring the Light." This involves going in teams to the homes in the slums, accompanied by 2 social workers per team, and bringing spiritual encouragement as well as physical improvement to their homes. While part of the group is inside talking with the residents, others in the group are outside, installing a skylight above. This involves creating a small hole in the roof and then inserting a transparent fiberglass sheet to protect from the rain. The result is dramatic - these tiny, dark shanties are suddenly flooded with natural light. Considering the fact that most of these only have daytime light by tapping into illegal and dangerous electric wires that have been pirated into the slums (they pay gang lords for service), this natural solution of bringing sunlight into their homes is a significant improvement.

After a couple of hours of this project, the team arrived back at the school building to find that more medicine had arrived (from the mission's supply). Everyone sprang into action getting these items organized and ready for the morning.

Once completed, we loaded up and headed out to Mary and Wallace's new home (finished just weeks ago, and beautiful) for a very relaxing, very delicious dinner. Lots of great conversation happening - some serious, but mostly playful and lively. David, their 3 year old son, entertained us all. The group is really deepening it's friendship with each other and with our Kenyan hosts. We are not only having new and challenging experiences - we're having fun together as well!

Currently we are back at the hotel, winding down and getting some rest for what will surely be a very busy day tomorrow. Several of the medical team are in one of the lobbies dividing up vitamins into packets for the children... and Chris and Laurel are rehearsing songs for VBS. A good end to a great day...

Day 2: Sunday

We woke up to a fresh morning and another wonderful breakfast. Each day the hotel lays out a great breakfast buffet and custom-order omelets.

We loaded up onto the vans around 9:30 and headed to Pangani - the largest of the slum schools. They host a church service every Sunday there, and this week's service was a special one. They had all of the students who are preparing to take the 8th grade exams come up for encouragement and prayers. I believe there were about 37 of these students. To explain, the average person in Nairobi has what is called a "standard 8" education - meaning that they have completed schooling through 8th grade. At this point, they are required to take a very competitive and intense exam to be considered qualified to advance to high school. Passing the exam is not a guarantee for a high school education - it simply means that if there is room in the high school, and if the parents are willing to pay (most can't afford it), they student can continue on.

What made this service especially special was that the students from the mission who will be testing this week are the mission's first "graduating class" of 8th graders. In 2000, Mary (director of the mission) gathered together a rag-tag bunch of 50 pre-schoolers. These kids were considered by the community to be the worst, most desperate cases in a portion of the slums that even other areas of slum were afraid of. Currently, the mission has over 3000 kids in 10 schools throughout the slums. These 37 were from that original seed group (the rest of the 50 are still in the school, but some are repeating grades). It was emotional to watch the Kenyans celebrate the investment that has been made in these children who would otherwise have not made it to this stage of education.

After the services, we had a lunch and discussion with Mary about the history of the mission, some of it's programs, and their hopes for the future. Mary is an amazing individual - and she has assembled an incredible team of leaders. It was really good for our group to hear from her firsthand about the vision and strategy of the mission.

From there we had a brief tour of the Pangani school. For the rest of the week we will be working on the other side of the Mathare Valley slum, in a "neighborhood" called Kosovo.

After coming back to the hotel, we all went next door to an open air market and tried our hand at haggling with vendors of various souvenirs. This is an intense experience for most of the group - up to this point the advice has been: be polite, ask questions, share your life with the people... In the market, the advice is opposite: Be rude, don't make eye contact, don't show your cards... Intense to say the least. But, some cool treasures found...

Dinner at the hotel - lots of laughing as a group.

We just wrapped up an evening meeting where we are getting our bearings on the plans for the next several days. We anticipate hard, hard work - but we're really excited to be rolling up our sleeves and diving in.

Off to sleep now... Day starts early tomorrow!

Day 1: Safari

We began our week in Nairobi with a safari today at the Nakuru Game Park, about 3 hours outside of the city. A very good day to rest up from travel, enjoy some overwhelming beauty, and get bitten by a monkey…

Yes, you read that correct.

When we first arrived to the game park, before even entering, Flora had an altercation with a nearby monkey involving minor theft, attempted retrieval, and attack. The monkey’s strategy was to go for her ankle, and from there, bring down the entire woman. Fortunately he was shoo-ed away in time and skin was not broken.

The general consensus was that nobody was surprised that this happened to Flora. In fact, I’ll bet that everyone reading this who knows her is now saying, “Of course that happened to Flora…”

Anyway, the rest of the day was violence-free. We saw impala, cape buffalo, zebras, baboons, giraffe (at a distance), wild boar, rhinos, flamingos and other birds, and… lions! A small group of female lions were lounging in the shade near a recent kill of a cape buffalo. Amazing.

After a sack lunch and the drive back (jet lag catching up to most of us at this point), we have just finished a great meal at the hotel.

Tomorrow: Church services at Pangani (school in the slums), lunch, open-air market…