Which war?

As I walked into Mayfield this evening, I found two of my favorite occasional-Mayfield-dwellers in the lobby, waiting to go out for dinner. "Merry Christmas!" they announced. They're here from Sudan for an early Christmas break. "Did you just come in [from up-country]?"

I explained that I had been out this evening and had seen Lions for Lambs. (How could I resist a movie with Meryl Streep, Tom Cruise and Robert Redford in it? Plus, the tag line was too good for someone with my passions to ignore: What do you: live . . . die . . . fight . . . stand for?) It's sort-of a political commentary on the war, I continued.

"Which war?" they asked. An obvious question to ask when you're from a country where war may break out any day again. An obvious question to any person in Kenya, really, when you're surrounded by war-torn countries - Somalia in the east, Sudan in the north, Congo not too far south west. Not to speak of tribal warfare going on on our own soil, even just an hour from where I live.

It's only because I had just come from the movie that was about the war on terror that I forgot for a moment that it's not the only war going on right now. Far from it.

When I stopped by the girls' room later on to drop off The Kite Runner (Excellent book, by the way. It gives you a greater understanding of the war in Afghanistan through the eyes of an Afghan) they had Christmas lights strung up in their room. Just to be sure it feels like Christmas.

To me, it does feel like Christmas eve tonight. How so? Because tomorrow evening, I'll be heading to the airport to meet the team from Iowa. I know I said it earlier, but you have no idea how exciting it will be to have good friends around for a few days! Their days will be packed with ministry, but I'm determined that after the conference every day, after the team meeting and debriefing, that Nan, Danette and I will play hand and foot at least a few times. (It's very similar to Canasta.) Because we can. And because that's one of our favorite things to do in Iowa.

Problem is, they'd probably be jet-lagged and more than ready to sleep by the time the women's conference is over every day. Perhaps they should come and knock on my door at 3 am, when jet lag typically wakes visitors up. Not that it would be anything unusual for me to be woken up then. Flannel does it all the time. But at least I won't squirt them with water or throw a pillow at them! Not a chance!

Lazy Friday Night

Flannel and I are watching Monk tonight.

It's been one of those days: My car has some issues (the gear box seems to be getting stuck, it has to go in for more expensive work next week), so I had to arrange to go to town with colleagues so I could go and meet a new intern at the airport. After getting there and waiting a while, I called our agent in Nairobi and found out that the intern has been put on another flight, tomorrow morning, since her luggage hadn't arrived with her... So, I spent the rest of the day in town, waiting for a ride home. Fortunately, I was able to have a few random meetings at the office, and I had some postcards with me so I could get some writing done. And I was able to go and take care of some business at the bank, part of my work permit arrangements. It was after 5 by the time I got home. It's one of those days when you simply have to smile at the events. Can't get upset at stuff like this.

Got back to Ilula and took care of a kid's finger. One of our kids cut his finger a week ago, and the wound isn't healing well, so I have been cleaning Obediah's wound in the afternoons to see if we can get it well. May I say that I am glad that I am not a nurse! Every time I clean his wound, I have to pretend I'm brave...

So, since our intern's not here yet (so the welcome dinner has been postponed till tomorrow) and since my car is broken (and I cannot drive to Kipkaren to go and pick up the staff I'm taking on a team-building retreat tomorrow), Flannel and I are having an impromptu movie night tonight. As I said, we're watching Monk. Flannel seems to like it.

Wish I could call for pizza. It's one of those things I miss at times, being able to get pizza for an easy dinner. Alas. I'll have to figure out something else. Ah! Just remembered. I bought fruit today. I'll make a smoothie.

Smoothie, anyone?

"We cannot help them all!"

While working on a somewhat mindless task much of this evening, I had The Constant Gardener playing in the background.

Though there are several scenes that are truly powerful, two stood out for me this evening. The first one is right after Tessa is discharged from the hospital, she asks her husband Justin to stop. She wants them to offer a ride to a family she had met in the hospital.

"It's 40 km to [their home]. It's going to take them all night. "

"We can't involve ourselves in their lives, Tess," Justin objects. "... Be reasonable. There are millions of people. They all need help. It's what the agencies are here for."

"Yeah, but these are three people that we can help!"

And then, later in the movie, when Justin is fleeing from a raid in Southern Sudan and tries to save one girl by taking her on the UN plane, he's told that there are rules, that the UN plane can only evacuate aid workers. "There are thousands of [children] out there," the UN pilot says. "I can't make an exception for one child."

"But this is one we can help. Here!"

Often, when I simply feel overwhelmed by the needs around me, I sense the Spirit reminding me of this very concept, " . . . but you can help this one!" (It doesn't make the needs less overwhelming, though.)

I literally cannot go into a day without asking God for discernment in how/when/who to help. Because there are people who ask.

Every. Single. Day.

Saturday Night

The power just came back on after having been off for 5 hours. The kids were watching Cars and were just getting to the last 20 minutes or so of the movie when there simply was no power. Not here. Not in the entire region. It's funny how dependent you get on power... After visiting various parents at the children's homes, I came home, lit my lantern, made a cup of tea, and worked on a message for tomorrow. I have been asked to preach in Kipkaren. I'd appreciate your prayers for the time at church, that the message won't simply be yet another message, but that God would truly touch our hearts through this message on trusting Him.

Whatever bug I had on Friday seems to have passed. I'm feeling well again. But I'm still trying to catch up on work. It's always an interesting challenge to get things on my plate done while teams are here. I love having them in the area, that's for sure, it's just hard to keep up with the rest of my tasks at the same time, all while remembering to focus on relationships here, not get buried in my task list...

I'll be up very early in the morning to spend time with God, have breakfast, then head to Kipkaren no later than 7. I bought some stuff--including a fridge--for my place in Kipkaren, and with all that in the back of the Land Rover, I'd have to drive slower than usually over the bumps and craters along the way. Pastor Peter wants me there around 8, but I know that's an African 8 since church starts at 9 only. He wants to get the main points of the message from me as he'll be translating. Anyway, I'll be there early.

On a totally different note: The dogs here in Ilula have been going nuts recently. They, along with all the many dogs in the neighborhood, go on a barking frenzy every night. They just did. Will do the same again around 3 or so. I'm not sure what would get them to hush. Me shouting at them or whistling doesn't work.

Ah! It just hit me. I am doing a cultural taboo by whistling at the dogs at night. When one of the visitors was whistling the other evening, he was told that the Kalinjin believe that whistling at night calls snakes... Well, no snakes have showed up when I tried hushing the dogs. Maybe a show like "Kenyan Myth Busters" would do well here. Or then again, not at all.

On that note, it's off to Dreamland.

The Juggle

This morning, after spending several hours in the office working on projects, I got to go and see my friends at the ELI Drug and Alcohol Rehab Center. I've been back in Kenya for a week now, and the times spent visiting and greeting people is far from over. Many others have invited me over for chai. I may have mentioned this before, but the driving value in Kenyan culture is relationship. (In the US? Entertainment/Leisure) So, unless you spend time visiting people and building strong relationships, your work might as well be in vain. It's simply not received well.

Let me tell you about the Ronos who are the directors of KAA (Kenya Anti-Alcohol). Pastor Philip (or simply, Rono) is younger than I, and for the past 8 years, he's been directing the KAA program. It started in 1999, when a visitor came. The man was a recovered alcoholic, and Rono was asked to take him around and be his translator. During that time, the visitor and others encouraged Rono to start an anti-alcohol ministry. He wanted nothing to do with it since he came from an house where alcohol was a problem. (He himself never was an alcoholic, though.)

But before the visitor left, God spoke clearly to Philip. “You’ll continue this ministry,” God told him. Philip says that he was scared at first, but God taught him and strengthened him. The first group to meet consisted of just 5 men and quickly grew to 18. When he started meetings across the river, there were 38 men who got saved from the grip of alcoholism. He then started meeting with officers at the nearby police station, and soon afterward, a group of soldiers at the Kenya Army Barracks.

Since that time, 1200 men and women have graduated from the Kenya Anti-Alcohol program. “But there are more,” Philip says. “Many of the men and women have helped others get free. I want to continue doing this ministry till the day I die. I have seen the hand of the Lord here. It is so moving to see the reconciliation between families when they come to visit for the first time after their husbands/fathers are sober!”

I love being able to work alongside people like the Ronos. They have an amazing heart to see people set free!

***
After coming back to Ilula, the team returned from Sudan. They were tired and ready for showers. I listened to their stories till our last visitor for the week arrived, a lady from Saddleback Church named Tammy. After dinner (and the usual post-dinner team meetings) I took Tammy to say good-night to some of the girls.

It was 10 by the time I got back to my home, and then I had to type up information from interviews (such as of the visit with the Ronos) for a project the home office is working on. It's after 11, and I'm ready to start heading to bed. I have a 5:30 am prayer commitment with Ruth, one of the moms at the home, 7:30 breakfast with the team, and then we're off to Kipkaren.

In Kipkaren, I get to track down the last of the staff whom I need to interview/photograph and will see what other opportunities God brings. If nothing (and if the team doesn't need my company), I have a very long list of tasks to tackle, including working on learning Swahili.

Friday we'll probably leave for Moi's Bridge/Natwana no later than 7:30 and we'll be at the AIDS campaign the ENTIRE day (and into the night), where I'll be taking photos and praying for those being tested.

I'll head back to Ilula early on Saturday morning, attend Laban and Angelina Rono's 25th wedding anniversary celebrations, whereafter I'm putting on the first-ever Ilula Birthday Bash. Since there are 100 kids, it's hard to celebrate birthdays. The moms had mentioned to me last year that they'd love to do a monthly celebration, but they're not sure how they can do it. We visited about it again last week and have come up with the plan to celebrate the first Saturday every month. Ruth (a mom) is baking a big cake. I've got cards for the 35 kids who've had their birthdays from January till April. And then we'll watch Happy Feet. Or Cars. Or Charlotte's Web. Not sure yet. The boys want to see "the movie about the cars that talk." The girls want to see "the one about the pig that can talk." I'm thinking I'm going to have to show them something else, just so no-one wins! :) And then I need to remember not to say much when the kids ask me what other movies I brought back... :)

In case you're concerned about me showing the kids movies and basing my relationship with them just on that, it's far from it. I was hesitant to start showing movies again right away, but the parents asked me to please show the children movies whenever I have time on Saturday afternoons. They say that the teachers at school have been commenting how good our children's English is, and what amazing stories they come up with for their creative writing assignments.

I've started showing the children one or two pictures I've taken of birds in the area. My goal is to create an awareness with them of the intricacies of God's creation, and show them what to look out for in identifying different birds. I'm hoping at least a few of them will realize what a wealth of bird life they have around them, and who knows, perhaps they might grow up to be game wardens in Kenya's parks. At least they'd know about the birds in this area, I hope. :)

Anyway, it'll probably be Saturday evening before I get to connect online.

As you can see, the lines between work and leisure are very blurred in my world, especially when teams are here. It's not like you can walk out of a late-night meeting or choose not to show up for early breakfast.

I'm babbling. It's late. I still need to pack for my 2 days in Kipkaren.

Lala salama. Or have a blessed day, wherever you may be.

Disaster Area, and more

Turns out I live in a disaster area. The entire state of Iowa has been declared a disaster area due to the weather. Where I live in Cedar Rapids, we've had it easy. No power outages. No real challenges other than being stuck in the house. But all around us there's terrible effects of last week's ice storm. I drove down a rural road this week en route to a meeting. There were at least 50 power poles, snapped, toppled by the weight of the ice. Some other poles and trees had a sheet of ice around them perhaps 3 to 5 inches thick! It was bizarre to see! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera with me.

Danette had to fly to South Dakota for work and got stranded. When flights got canceled, she decided to rent a big SUV and ride out the storm. Fortunately, she decided to do the right thing and pull into a hotel in a litte town in South Dakota when visibility got too poor. (A lot of highways have been closed due to the strong winds causing white-outs. Apparantly, lots of cars are in the ditches on the side of the road. With travel nearly impossible even to rescue vehicles, volunteers have been taking to the highways on snow mobiles to rescue stranded motorists.)

I'm thankful Danette was smart enough to pull over. It's a bummer that she's stuck in a hotel out in SD, though.

I miss my friend. It has been such an incredible blessing to spend this "recompression time" at her house. She travels a lot due to work, so though I stay at her home right now, she's actually gone more than she's home. In fact, she was stranded in Atlanta, Georgia, just this past weekend due to weather.

It's rare to meet a friend like her, someone with whom your heart connects instantly, who makes you laugh and who challenges you. She's been a huge blessing to me. I've realized that I don't write much about her. For those of you here in Cedar Rapids who know her, you'll agree with some of the things I love about my friend: Her love for God. Her love of life. Her passion. Her smile. Her laughter. Her heart. Her guts. Her giftedness in working with people.

I've been blessed with several amazing friends in my life. Danette stands out as one of the best, a Proverbs 27:17 friend.

Speaking of friends: Pam and I were able to go and see Amazing Grace this evening. (We were supposed to go last Friday but got snowed in.) I absolutely loved the movie! It's truly inspirational. I wholeheartedly agree what Pastor Kim says about the movie!

I found this clip from the movie on Christianity.com. (Click on the link for more clips from the movie.)

The movie truly makes you wonder: What would it take to change the world?

This is just WRONG!

It's -9F outside. That's -22C! But it's windy, so it feels like it's -25F (-31C)! That's just not right! I was out earlier, taking Danette and her mom to the airport. My computer was in the back seat for just a while, and even though I've been indoors for a while now, it still feels like my arms are resting on a block of ice. I'm very, very thankful for good heating. In fact, I came straight from the airport to Java Creek, one of the local coffee shope to sit here and work. There's a fireplace, but both comfy seats closest to the fire are taken right now. Can't wait for those people to leave so I can get closer to the fire...

Last night, my friend Karen and I went to see a movie. It was sort of silly to go out considering the cold weather. Meetings were being called off everywhere, but there we were, heading out. There were no long lines at the movies. In fact, until about 20 minutes into the movie, we were the only people in the theater. We saw The Last Sin Eater. Based on Francine Rivers' book by the same title, it's a powerful story of redemption, but also about the power that one person can have in changing their culture by seeking to know the Truth. It's well worth seeing. Perhaps not in sub-zero weather, but nevertheless, it's worth seeing.

We have a winner!

I was out running an errand late this afternoon, slightly ticked at myself for waiting till rush hour before heading out. Granted, Cedar Rapids rush hour is nothing like that which I never got used to in Taipei and Los Angeles. But the wait at the traffic light was longer than usual. So I turned on Life 101.9, one of the local Christian stations.

Just then, the announcer started talking about the daily Route 66 contest. Since traffic was slow, I pulled out my cell phone and typed in the phone number, thinking, "Well, I have nothing to lose. Let's see if I can guess where today's Bible verse is from."

It was unmistakenly a Proverb, so I hit call, thinking, "What's the chance that I'd actually be the third caller? Not big. But I'm sitting in traffic, so..."

"Life 101.9," came the voice on the phone. "What's your name?"

OK, so I won. Not a trip to Africa or anything flashy, but a DVD, Facing the Giants. Cool. What things have I won in my life? A mountain bike, a trip for two to Singapore, a trip to Vienna, Austria. Oh yes, and an iPod shuffle. It's been a while since I won anything. So the DVD was a fun win. Should be a good movie to show the older kids in Kenya!

A New Year

Tonight, we had friends over for an evening of simply visiting, eating, laughing. Time and again, people ask me, "Do you miss the food here in America? I bet you're enjoying having all this great food."

My answer? "Yes and no." Thing is, I do enjoy having lots of food that I don't get to enjoy in Kenya. I love being able to run to the grocery store and pick up fresh ingredients and whip together fun dishes! I love having meals at people's homes, or having friends come over with fun new dishes, and to try and figure out if I can make the same dishes in Kenya.

But that's not what I enjoy most about being in the US.

Nor is it being able to hop in the car and be at the movies in less than 5 minutes (rather than the more than 5 hours it takes to get to a movie in Nairobi...). You bet I have been enjoying some great movies while home, of which Happy Feet (at the IMAX!) was probably my season favorite. I can't wait to show it to the kids in Kenya!

The best thing about being home? Spending time with friends.

I have realized in the past month just how hard it's been not having close friends in Kenya. I'm still trying to figure out what changes will need to be made in terms of how I spend my time in Kenya. More time with the kids? More time at our second base at Kipkaren where there are other missionary friends who I can connect with? Keep a calendar of events to make sure I get out often enough? Not sure. Like I said, I'm still trying to figure that part out.

But for now, I am savoring every single moment with good friends. Laughing hard at Pam's hilarious stories. Cooking with Danette. Hanging out with Nan. Spending time with the Ya-Yas. Just being with my Cedar Rapids friends.

I've taken very few pictures. I have, however, started with the gargantuan task of sorting through my collection of digital work photos in order to have a better system going. That, in and of itself, is enough of a task to curb my photo taking. But then again, it has me itching to get back to Africa to take better pictures...

But I'm not ready yet to return. For one: I have a long way yet to go in terms of support raising! I have gotten good news that we finally have an online-giving system set up! I'll post a separate post on how to set up secure online giving.

But for now, sleep well. And a very blessed 2007 to you.

Countdown

OK, so it didn't snow. Bummer! In fact, it's still pretty warm and cozy over here. Not balmy, but comfortable. As in, I rarely wear my coat and gloves.

I saw The Nativity with friends last night. Strangely, I wasn't too excited to go and see it, having read some not-so-good reviews about the movie. However, it was a wonderful movie! I was disappointed that Mary was played with so little feeling, but other than that, I cannot wait to get this movie on DVD and show it to the kids in Kenya! I know they may have questions about the birth scenes, but hey, it might just open the door for their parents to sit down and have a chat about the facts of life. :)

So it's two days till Christmas, and I'm blessed to be with friends to celebrate. I wish I could be in South Africa, with the rest of the family at my parents' home. They've been going to the beach and spending fun times with the grandkids. Some other year I'll be there again for Christmas. God willing.

Danette and I are off to go and buy a few things so we can have friends over for dinner on Christmas Eve. What a blessing to be close to good friends, to be able to go and see movies, hang out, laugh and simply relax.

Connections

I've been sharing at various church services and ABFs (Adult Bible Fellowships/Sunday school for grown-ups) recently, telling people about what God is doing in East Africa. It's been refreshing to step away and tell people about what's going on, yet also draining in a way. But tell, I'll tell. I'll boast in the Lord, because the good he has done cannot be left untold.

Right now, though, I'm heading to a place where I won't be doing much talking... the dentist's office. Hopefully, there's no work for him to do. Hopefully, I'll just get my teeth cleaned.

Then I'm off to Ely to meet someone from church, after which I'll see if I can get some work e-mails answered.

Tomorrow morning, I'll be heading to Kansas City for a 4-day retreat at the International House of Prayer. IHOP. Not the pancake place. I am looking forward to spending time away from the busy-ness of life in the US and simply focusing on God.

How's my support raising going? Thanks for asking. :) Slowly. Very slowly. I don't like asking for support. I have to remember that I'm inviting people to partnership, inviting them to be involved in what God is doing in Africa. But it's still not easy to ask. It's probably the part of being a missionary that I like the least.

On a different note: I just read another article on Blood Diamond, posted on World Vision's Web site. For my friends who are feeling like they have to hide their diamond rings now, don't worry... "Boycotting diamonds isn't the answer," World Vision says. The diamond mines in South Africa and surroundings provide a livelihood to thousands of people. Read the article to know what you're supposed to do then...

Off to the dentist. Open wide!

Truth

Sometimes--if not always--it's easier not knowing the truth. It's easier going through life ignoring the truth and fooling oneself that everything's just wonderful.

One of many things that has caused me to travel down this road of seeking to know the truth, is seeing Blood Diamond today. It is an excellent movie (even though Leonardo DiCaprio's South African accent isn't consistent throughout the movie... But most non-South Africans will most likely not pick that up or be bothered by the inconsistencies.)

The movie made me feel very much like when I first saw Cry Freedom as an exchange student in New York... It saddened me immensely at that time that the bad guys in the movie spoke lines that possibly no-one but I understood as they were in Afrikaans, my mother tongue. Similarly, I do hope that the old man's line in the movie about oil (see the movie, you'll understand) would sadden Americans.

What does one do with knowledge such as that gained from a movie like Blood Diamond? I can certainly hope that it would affect consumers' behavior when it comes to purchasing the ring of their dreams. And beyond that, I don only hope that people will seek to learn more about child soldiers in other countries such as Uganda.

"If we refuse to embrace the truth," a friend recently said, "we are rejecting Jesus. He said, 'I am the way and the truth and the life.'" (John 14:6)

How can we know the truth and refuse the embrace it, yet say we believe in Jesus? Granted, Jesus wasn't talking about how one South African company controlled the diamond supply of the world and financing wars in order to keep the supply down. But I truly believe that His words do pertain to our social responsibilities, how we shop, what we speak out about.

As for me? Someday, if a man would decide to present me with a ring, I'd not want there to be a diamond in the setting.

I'll get off my soap box now.

*****
Tomorrow is Sunday. I'll be doing a 5-minute presentation in all four church services. How does one summarize a year's experience in 5 minutes? I can but pray that God would speak through me and touch lives with the knowledge of what He is doing in Africa.