Kenya Day 5 – The Mzungu Zone
Aug 28th
Day 5 in Kenya began with a great church service at the Karen Vineyard Church. The church, pastored by Doug Brown, is an international church – meaning, in this context, that it is an English-speaking, westernized church that appeals primarily to those from other countries who are here as missionaries, aid workers and the like (although, this particular church has also attracted a large number of young Kenyan families.)
As we pulled into the parking lot of the school where the church meets on Sundays, things were typically Kenyan. All of the gates and security were there that you find almost everywhere here, the parking lot was filled with LandCruisers and Land Rovers (the vehicles of choice in this part of the world), and the air had that smell that only someone who has been here would recognize.
Once we parked and got out of the car though, it became obvious that we had left “normal” Kenya. We had now entered “The Mzungu Zone.” Mzungu is what Kenyan’s call Caucasian people, and, in most of Kenya, a mzungu sighting is rare. In fact, light skin is so rare here that I find myself wanting to shout “Mzungu!” along with all of the kids on the street when I see one. But in this church, there are a lot of mzungu sightings.
Over the course of a few hours, we met families from the U.S, UK, South Africa, Australia, Canada and all parts in between. They come here not because of the color of their skin, but because of the familiarity of the culture. As cross-cultural workers living in Kenya, this church provides a little taste of home. The songs are familiar. The preaching style makes sense. And the people in the community have a lot of common ground and stories to share. In short, they come to this church for the same reason most of you go to your church – because they fit there.
All over the world, other churches like this provide a refreshing local church community for those who, for whatever reason, have been displaced from their home church. These churches are dedicated to serving those who are serving others. Churches like these help to keep long-term cross-cultural workers in the field longer by giving them a strong local church community. In the process, the Karen Vineyard Church has also proven to be a spiritual oasis for native Kenyans looking for an alternative to the very complex church landscape of this country. Please join us as we continue to pray for this growing, vibrant and critically important church community.
Kenya Day 4 – Cows, Goats and a Game of Chicken
Aug 27th
They say that in the U.S., we drive on the right side, in the UK, they drive on the left side and in Kenya, they drive on the good side. That is true so very often in this country. The roads are quite an adventure. In addition to bumps and potholes that can swallow a whole car, there is an infinite variety of obstacles to impede the flow of traffic. Dude on a bike carrying a ladder…sure! Three ladies with corn stalks on their head trying to cross the road…you betcha! Herd of cows…of course! (Goats, by the way, will simply stare down your vehicle, daring you to move another inch.)
All of those things are fine and you quickly get used to them as you travel the roads of this country. However, there is one thing that may take a little more getting used to: the 80 MPH game of chicken. We returned to Nairobi today after spending several days in Thika. The journey is probably about 100 miles, which sometimes takes a couple of hours. Today it took 4.
However, before we hit the massive traffic jam that is Nairobi, we had fairly open roads in front of us. And, as if he knew what was waiting for us down the road, our driver, Joshua, was doing his best to make good time. Taking advantage of a long stretch of smooth, freshly paved road, Joshua got our Nissan pickup roaring up to 80 MPH (I had to look twice to be sure that the speedometer measured in miles and not kilometers per hour). He was passing everything in sight.
And that was where we encountered a problem. You see, coming the other direction, there was Joshua’s northern-bound counterpart – also trying to make good time by driving 80 MPH on a two lane road. Since we were in the process of passing several trucks at the time, we found ourselves in a precarious game of chicken. As the two cars approached each other, I began to wonder if either was going to back down.
Now, perhaps your life isn’t really complete until you’ve contemplated the idea of a combined 160 MPH collision. But one thing’s for sure…if you actually experience that collision, your life will certainly be as complete as it can get. Luckily for us, the truck we were passing wasn’t 10 feet longer. As Joshua swerved back into the correct (in this case, left) lane, I took a deep breath and pulled my seat belt a little tighter. I was glad to be alive and, more than anything, I would have gladly welcomed the site of a herd of goats to help slow down my lead-footed friend Joshua.
Kenya Day 3 – Papa-Paparazzi
Aug 26th
This morning was a little bittersweet as we celebrated what God is doing in this country while also having to say goodbye to some new friends. Over the past two days, we have spent time teaching, encouraging and praying for some the brightest young leaders from Vineyard churches all over Kenya. This group is the future of the church and, if what we have experienced over the past two days is any indication, the future is bright.
As the young leaders prepared to leave (we will remain in Thika another day with the pastors and spouses) we began saying our goodbyes and taking a few pictures. In a matter of minutes, we found ourselves in a paparazzi-fest that would make Lady Gaga jealous. Everybody wanted pictures with us. Every camera and cell phone came out and pictures were being taken from every angle.
You see, this is the new generation of Kenyan. They are as technologically connected as their western counterparts. Everywhere they go, their cell phone follows. They rely on the internet for information that their parent’s generation had no access to. In many ways, they are us. They have the same joys and pains, the same personal issues and the same questions that young people in the U.S. have.
Fortunately for this group, they are looking the right place for answers. Not only that, but they are leading the young adults, teens and kids in their churches to that same source – Jesus. It has been an honor and privilege to spend time with these young leaders and I am excited about the possibilities that they represent. I truly believe that this generation has the potential to transform Kenya in a way that has only been dreamed about in the past, but is now fully possible.
Please join Melody and I in continuing to pray for these young people as they mature in their spirituality and leadership. Perhaps one day, they’ll be the ones teaching and we’ll be the ones learning from them.
Kenya Day 2 – I Love This Place
Aug 25th
When you tell people you’re going to a pastor’s conference at a retreat center in Africa, it sounds kind of romantic. Some may picture primitive, but quaint huts out on the Serengeti with interesting animals all around. You know, the kind of National Geographic meets Travel and Leisure Magazine resort.
Yeah…um…not so much. Make no mistake, if you are a native Kenyan, the retreat center in Thika is really great. In fact, for most of the people here, this is a five star resort compared to their living conditions at home. However, for a couple of spoiled Americans (yes, all Americans are spoiled…if you don’t believe me, take a visit to Africa) this is not so romantic.
We are housed in a small cottage – the upper-end of the lodging arrangements here. The cottage does have running water, though I was unable to get any to come out of the shower head and ended up showering with a bucket. Oh, and the boiler that is supposed to make the water hot is evidently not working either. There is electricity in our cottage, although it did not work for much of the night and, even as I’m typing this, I’m on battery power on my laptop, because the power is out again.
Our cottage has no A/C, no fans, no heat. The door is locked with a padlock that is so oddly located and has such a strange key that you are almost guaranteed to injure yourself simply unlocking the door. In short, this is Africa!
They do things differently here. Drivers tell you they know where they’re going and then make it very obvious that they don’t. People tell you to meet at a certain place and a certain time and, if you’re lucky, they get the place right and are somewhere withing an hour of the designated time. Those things that we Americans consider necessity (like lights, toilets and showers) are luxuries here. This is Africa.
But here’s the thing about Africa: If you can stop being a spoiled American for a moment, it actually is a really cool place. I’m writing this blog on a desk that someone crafted out of the best wood they could find, sitting in a room with no electricity, with the doors and windows open, which lets in a nice breeze. Outside, birds are singing and I can here the roar of the river just down the hill.
When I stop and take it all in, I love this place. Of course, if you had asked me at 3AM when the dogs outside were barking non-stop and the one pillow that Melody and I had to share was proving to be woefully insufficient, I might have had less affectionate words. But now, as I type this post at 10:30AM (the time I’m supposed to be teaching a session), I love this place. I guess I should start heading over to the session hall. We’ll probably start sometime in the next hour.
Kenya Day 1 – Greetings Earthlings
Aug 24th
Waking up on the first morning in Kenya is like waking up on another planet – and not for the reasons you might think. Sure, the air smells different, you can hear exotic birds singing outside the window and, of course, you are keenly aware of the fact that you’re “not in Kansas anymore.” But the reason things feel so strange has very little to do with those things.
Nope, it’s almost 100% biological. You see, as human beings, we weren’t meant to travel halfway around the world in a day. Our brains weren’t made to comprehend the dramatic shifts in environment and time. Our bodies weren’t created to adjust quickly to spending a whole day in a tiny cramped seat on an airplane and then to be convinced that it’s time to wake up when they think we should be going to bed. All of these factors result in the foggy, sleep-deprived, state that makes you feel like you’ve just stepped off some galactic cruiser. It is not a normal feeling.
What makes it better, though, is Doug and Sue Brown. The Browns pastor the Karen Vineyard Church outside of Nairobi. They are American (well, Doug is sort of American, which is a story for another day) and they are some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. Not only that, but they are incredibly thoughtful hosts.
This morning, before heading out on our 2 and a half hour drive to Thika, Sue treated us to some of the comforts of home. We had eggs, toast, coffee, juice and bacon (or as close as you can get to bacon in Kenya). We also had good conversation and a moment to just breath deeply and remind ourselves that we are in Africa.
Then, as we were heading out the door, Sue loaded us up with a bag of goodies. You see, she knew that over the next several days at the somewhat “simple” retreat center in Thika, that we might have need of things like banana bread, peanut butter and crackers (for those times where the local fare just doesn’t quite cut it), soft toilet paper (in case you can’t find any or find that the local sandpaper variety isn’t really to your liking), and clean, soft towels, because…well, nothing is a guarantee in Kenya.
And so, in this alien land, a couple of kind-hearted souls welcomed us, fed us, equipped us and sent us on our way. Thank you Sue and Doug! We’ll see you again in a few days.
