Anniversary

With our anniversary coming up, I tend to find myself looking back. I got to thinking about the spring before our wedding. At my bridal showers, my sister put together a quiz about our relationship. One of the questions was “In Summer 2009 where will Matt and Steph be living?” The correct answer was South Africa. We had planned for Matt to enroll in a masters program that took him to South Africa each summer for 3 consecutive years. Instead, God opened the door for Matt to complete his masters in only 1 year and for us to be in Africa doing development work within our first 2 years of marriage. Every-once-in-a-while we have to remind ourselves that we’re really doing this. We’re in Kenya. Doing development work. Working toward real, tangible change in the lives of the people here. We feel incredibly blessed and thankful for the privilege to serve God in this way.
Maasai mix-up: So I was trying to tell some ladies after church today that Matt and I are celebrating our anniversary tomorrow. There is no word for anniversary in Maa, so I was trying to say we have 2 years of marriage. [Kiata enkiyama ilarin oare] Instead, I said, we have 2 months of marriage! [Kiata enkiyama ilapaitin oare] Luckily, Matt noticed my mistake and corrected it before there was too much confusion.

Time to Party

If there’s one thing the Maasai know how to do, its have a party. One of the young men from the Najile community had been selected to participate in MCC’s IVEP program (an exchange program between developing/developed countries) and live in Canada for a year. As most people had never seen an airplane, much less went to Canada, his departure was a major event for the community. Even more so, when Joseph returned last week, a party of massive proportions was in order.

First, there were the planning meetings. From the first day we were in Najile, we heard about the meetings for Joseph’s return party (a month and a half away). At least 5 and probably more like 10 meetings were held by the church to decide every detail of the party day. Often meetings would continue for hours as people decided who would cook, who would pick up Joseph from the airport, and which choirs would sing at the party.

Next was the greeting entourage. While Joseph flew back to Kenya on the 12th in the evening (around 10pm arrival time), the party wouldn’t be until the 14th. Therefore, the process of picking him up was its own event. Around 90 people went to the airport in 7 vehicles (including the MFSP land cruiser and the boy’s school bus). They left in the early afternoon and were planning to return around 2am. While to Stephanie and I this seemed absolutely ridiculous, we were reminded that this was a community that really missed each member and everybody truly would find it worthwhile to be at the airport when Joseph arrived.

On the way home, one of the vehicles, the one carrying Joseph, the pastor, and other dignitaries was in an accident. As it drove over some loose sand, it flipped. Many people here account the accident to a work of Satan, as it was a true testament of God’s goodness to bring Joseph home and continue his good work in fighting HIV/AIDS here and serving the community. Despite immense damage to the vehicle, miraculously, nobody was hurt beyond band-aid scratches. Truly God was protecting the people in that car.

The events of Sunday night, made Tuesday an even greater occasion to celebrate. Around noon our friend Daniel came to escort us to Joseph’s family boma (complex of houses for an entire family). As we approached, we could see many people congregating together, coming from all directions to celebrate. We were told 8 goats and a cow were slaughtered just for this day (more were slaughtered on previous days), animals worth about 3 months wages for a casual laborer. The community provided many of the animals as one family would be unable to provide such a feast.

What Stephanie and I were not expecting was a church service to be a majority of the party. Filled with speeches, testimonies, and worship times, the service went from 1-6pm under a beautiful spreading acacia tree. Under its shadow squeezed over 200 people with hundreds more milling about. Choir after choir sang songs of praise, many with words specifically for the occasion. For example, one chorus translated as “Lord bless Joseph with joy as he returns from Canada.” It was amazing to hear how deeply the people wanted to show their thankfulness for Joseph and his return.
Finally, Steph and I had to leave as we didn’t want to walk home in the dark. After a meal of cabbage, potatoes, meat and tea, we headed home with the sun setting behind mount Suswa. The party continued for hours, to 1am as there was more singing, more eating and more time together.

Truly, the Maasai love one another. I think there is much to learn of God’s love from the Maasai. They celebrate together, mourn together, and see God together. In many ways they seem unorganized or completely ignorant of time management, but they also benefit from hearts that truly know some of God’s love.

Kingdom Work

“Come, you who are blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited me in……”
Matthew 25: 34-35

What is Kingdom work? When I’ve read this passage about giving to the hungry, I normally think of buying a meal for a homeless person or maybe sharing with some neighbors in a time of need. It has been a great blessing to be given the opportunity to live out this command to service on a different scale.

From July 15-17 MFSP underwent its monthly food pickup for the 6-month Food for Work (FFW) project, funded by Canadian Food Grains Bank (of which MCC is a member). In total MFSP, one of two partners implementing this project, would distribute over 2,000 bales (24kgs each) of flour, 250 cartons (12kgs each) of cooking fat, and about 100 sacks (90 kgs each) of beans. This food would be sent from a warehouse in Nairobi to 2 central distribution points (Najile and Ewuaso) and then be taken to 14 substations throughout the division. Through these 3 days, work was non-stop, but in the end I could see that this truly was kingdom work, and to serve God is my life’s ambition.

The first step was traveling to Nairobi to pick up the food. 7 10MT trucks were hired to transport the food to the distribution sites and each was guided by a person from POMC. The 15th started slowly, as I decided to stay in Najile and work on this side of things, saving my energy for the unloading process and letting others travel to Nairobi (6 hours of driving in total).

While the MFSP crew was traveling to Nairobi, Simion and I organized the church (/distribution center) by setting off areas for each substation, noting the flour, oil, and beans each location was to receive on signs around the church. We also cleared the church floor and discussed how we would unload the trucks, using both doors of the church to unload two trucks at once. We expected the first truck to arrive around 3pm and even by 1pm workers from each substation (save one) were arriving at the church.

The afternoon became evening and still no trucks were to be seen. The workers, now numbering around 40 were getting tired and hungry, as many had left their homes the day before to walk to Najile. I went home for dinner with Steph, with one eye always out the window for the telltale dust plumes of the heavy trucks.

At 630, we heard the rumbling of truck number 1. We were filled with excitement as we rushed to the church. Steph received the delivery; the first truck was the leftovers of the 2 trucks which unloaded at Ewuaso. This made for an easy practice run as we had only 44 bales of flour to unload. Only five more trucks to go, but these would be full trucks with around 300 flour bales, 80 fat cartons and 15 bean sacks each.

The second and third trucks rumbled in by 730, and it was now dark. The church has no lights so we operated by the light of 2 flashlights, one a windup given to us by the Kleinerts. The lights were not enough to illuminate the entire church, but at least helped people count bales as they entered the church and were piled into towers of food.

Two more trucks replaced the first two, now giving us work upon work. Numbers didn’t add up, people stacked food in the wrong places, some workers hadn’t eaten all day and didn’t want to work anymore. Steph and I were limited by our Maasai language, trying to both count every food item that entered, direct people where to unload, and organize the piles of food at the same time. It was tiring work, often interrupted by people asking us mundane questions (like, where are you from?) after learning we speak some Maasai. Both of our basic math skills were put to the test.

It was 10pm when the 5th truck was unloaded. One truck remained to come to Najile the next morning as it had broken down on the way. One thing that remained was to deal with the tired and frustrated un-loaders. A major point of contention was that one substation had not sent anybody, and the people wanted to punish the lack of cooperation. They confiscated one of the missing stations’ bales of flour for food that night, and then each worker received one 2kg packet of flour for their work, at the expense of the recalcitrant substation.

At 630am, we heard the rumblings again. The local transport trucks had arrived to load up and take food to the substations. After waking the field extentionist (running the show now), we realized there were not many people around to help, so on Thursday we got our workout. We carried bale after bale, bale after bale, and then our numbers began to fail. Each pile seemed to have too few items, and soon we were wondering if all our counting had been in vain.

After we loaded two trucks, the last truck to be unloaded arrived. Before anything was unloaded we recounted every pile and calculated what we should have. It turned out we were short 10 cartons of fat, but otherwise ok. We worked the rest of the morning loading and unloading, and it wasn’t until 4pm when the last truck (save one) rolled off.

The last day consisted of again waking up early, loading the last truck and then driving to visit some of the distributions. We got to see people receive their food, and it was a great joy to be part of the final step of the distribution.

All in all, it was a lot of work. We were tired, a little sick, and annoyed that our plans of organizing didn’t work as well as we’d hoped. But it struck me that while we were carrying those bales of flour, or counting cartons of fat, we were feeding the poor. We were where we needed to be, in the midst of the reality of living out God’s command for us. Whenever you can see that you are doing just what God wants you to do, it is a great blessing and I pray that you too can know that joy.

Cows are Coming

The cows are coming to Najile. The rains have been better this year, even a good rain in late June which flooded the Ewuaso river. A drunk man was swept 50m downstream by the water and heard God speak to Him, “Go to church and repent.” He did and the community rejoiced.

The coming of rain means the coming of cattle. Earlier this year, the cows from Najile had to travel far distances, even to Maasai Mara to find grass. Many died and carcass piles are not uncommon sites, even months later. Now, cows from Kajiado, from Isinya, from many miles away are coming to Najile. These days, most people own plots of land privately. Many even have begun to reserve a quarter or half acre for hay baling so they may feed their cattle in the lean months. Now as herd upon herd of new cattle enter the community, people are asked to share their grass. I asked my friend if they could refuse. Surely this was their land and they had worked hard to set aside grass for baling. “Nope,” he replied, “you cannot refuse.” Just as the cows from Najile were given access to grass, such generousity must be reciprocated in times of plenty.

From my western eyes, something seems wrong here. Why are those who plan ahead at the mercy of moochers from the outside? Shouldn’t land rights be preserved? Shouldn’t their example of frugality be rewarded? However, I also see the beauty of community life. Are the Maasai not more human by valuing others as highly as themselves? Are they not living life as it was meant to be lived when they give and receive blessings easily?

There is a time to store and a time to use. There is a time to travel and a time to stay. There is a time to give and a time to receive. All these things God has made, each in its own time.

Kenyan-isms

A typical day for Steph

o Wake up around 7am, but no set timeline… (we have it rough)
o Eat breakfast of yogurt and cereal or pancakes (using the milk straight from the cow our neighbor brings over)
o Quiet time
o Clean the house: sweep, wash dishes, straighten up, & once each week- do laundry by hand, once each week: thorough scrubbing to get rid of dust
o Violin practicing for close to 2 hours
o Work on computer: notating Maasai songs- words, melody, harmonies, rhythms & accompaniments
o Maa Language Curriculum – write sequence of lessons of dictation, grammar, conversation, writing & stories
o Editing/Writing reports & project proposals
o Reading
o Capacity-building: project development- roles, plans, coordination/organization, fostering work ethic, doing computer & writing skills training, etc.
o At any time I might have visitors come by: men who just wanted to look at our house, women from the church coming to say hello & sing songs or play the keyboard (we borrowed it from the church, since it was sitting there unused), Paulina who often comes to talk, help me clean, teach me new words & Maasai songs, & drink tea together (tea is milk-based, not water based)… or some of the other young men around our age who enjoy coming to discuss just about any topic.
o Anything else that might come up: such as assisting with logistical coordination of food-for-work deliveries of 50 metric tons of food until 10:30pm and then the next morning continuing at 6:30am for most of the day…

Last Week's Offerings

LAST WEEK'S OFFERINGS


Each year the church receives the ematua, or tithe where each parishioner brings 10% of their herd to give to the church. As money is rarely used as currency in Maasai-land, this is the major fund-raising event in the church year. One by one, cattle, goats, and sheep arrive at the church. It is a time of joy and loss, of friendship and hope for the future.

One of the animals is slaughtered. As I approached the meeting place under a cool acacia tree, I see the carcass being worked on by 5 young men on a wooden table. Needless to say, there are no gloves or antiseptics involved. They ask if I have ever slaughtered a goat, and were amazed to hear that I had never. It was a great shock for them to learn that nobody I know had ever slaughtered either.

They hand me the knife and tell me to try. As Christians, they had slit the goat’s neck so the blood was spilled on the ground. Traditional Maasais strangle the goat to preserve the blood for drinking. The next step in slaughtering is removing the skin from the flesh. It is surprisingly easy as they can even separate the two with their fingernails. I try to cut at some skin but am unsuccessful. Maybe next time I’ll do better.

While the skin was being removed, people were picking raw meat from the body to eat, piece by piece. Others were arguing over who would get the kidneys, as they are a delicacy normally eaten raw.

An older man watching the proceedings asked if Steph and I eat meat (probably assuming we were vegetarians since we have never slaughtered an animal). I said we loved to eat and cook meat, so of course a portion was set aside for us. I asked for it to be wrapped so steph would not be startled by a bloody mass appearing on the door step.

That night we feasted on BBQ Goat. It is tougher than most meat we’re used to, more stringy, which may be why the Maasai normally boil their meat. The following night was pineapple/Hawaiian Goat which was excellent over white rice. The final pieces were then put in a pot with some pidgeon peas for what I call “Goat Pea Soup.”

Praise God for the generous spirits of the Maasai, willing to part with their precious animals to express their gratitude to God. Old testament passages about sacrifices and giving, expressed in the Hebrew context make much more sense when living with other pastoralists. It is truly a sacrifice to give up your animals as they are your income, your bank, your food, and your hope. To give them up is to turn over all you have to God, saying, “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ Blood and righteousness.”

Pictures

Goat carcass hanging from tree! Read the following blog post for more info.

Najile Women's Fellowship

All of Matt's age-set. All called "Oimerawuesi"

Sunset near Mt. Susua