You are. If, as Paul said in Romans 8:9, “if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.” If that is true about you then you are on a mission for God. You are not of this world. You are of the kingdom of God. Here is a sobering thought: You are called to make disciples and you ARE making disciples. There are those who are watching and learning from you. There are those who are learning about God through your life. What are they learning?
The occupational missionaries (i.e. the ones who have been appointed by and serve with a mission agency) that I have met on this journey are….
…empowered to seek, sacrifice for, and share ministry.
Empowered = ability + responsibility
ability – a process of being equipped to serve God in the way He has called you
responsibility – a knowledge that you can and must do ministry
Seek – to follow God and His leading in your life to find the kingdom work for which He has prepared you
Sacrifice – anything, everything, your life, your desires, your comfort, your ego, your reputation, yourself
Share – with other like minded people who are themselves empowered to seek, sacrifice for, and share ministry
Prior to coming to Africa I was asked if I could preach at several churches. I agreed, but was very concerned about being effective in a strange-to-me culture. I was enough culturally aware that I knew I had to present material differently, yet not culturally adept enough to know how to do that.
I began the sermon preparation process by asking Steve (the AIM team lead in Mocimboa, and the one who arranged the preaching opportunities) and Jennifer a ton of questions about the culture and the local believers. Where are they at spiritually? What do they struggle with? What are their recent successes and failures? What should I avoid? What are their needs? What are they good at? And, many more. Based on the initial responses to these questions we had an ongoing discussion that lasted several months. There were two main themes that emerged from these discussions: (1)The good news (gospel) (2)The use of stories to convey truth.
I should clarify that the local congregations are Makonde people. The AIM team is working with the Mwani people, who are Muslim. There are no Mwani churches. The Makonde churches have been around for many years and belong to various in-country denominations that are relatively mature in their structure. So, this discussion is about the Makonde people who attend the local churches.
(1)The norm within the churches is a works based salvation — do the right thing so God will accept you and let you into heaven. The good news, salvation by grace alone, is present, but works are placed on top of grace. Certain behaviors are considered critical (not smoking for example) if you are to go to heaven. Does this sound familiar to anyone? My tradition is Baptist in various forms throughout the United States. You do not have to go back many years to find the same kind of gospel being pushed in Baptist circles. Or, maybe you were thinking of the Pharisees from Jesus’ time. Same situation. Well, the Pharisees did not yet have the good news as we do. However, they certainly emphasized works and appearances.
After much prayer I presented an idea to Steve. I would preach on the bad news and then the following week the Pastor could preach on the good news. The idea was to take the audience to the depths of sin and our separation from God. The good news is really GOOD NEWS when we fully understand that there is nothing we can do to earn God’s favor. We are so separated from God that only God himself can initiate and complete our reconciliation to himself.
(2)Story telling to convey truth is a big part of what Jesus did. However, it is not a part of the normal teaching that occurs in the west. We tend to present ideas and concepts structured in a logical sequence.
Steve encouraged me that my sermon would be most effective if I presented the truths in story form. That was like telling a moose he could get somewhere faster by flying. I had no idea how to put a lesson into a story. I tried. I imagined. I prayed. Nothing. My mind would just not work that way. I could not come up with anything that was story based.
So, I flew to Africa with a sermon in hand – “The Bad News”. The sermon was very much western in structure. I used the word “story” once or twice, but I did not have a story to tell. Instead, I had a central passage, key points, supporting verses, logical progression of ideas, and a strong conclusion. I knew flying over that I was not ready, so I continued to work and pray on the sermon.
When we arrived in Pemba we were blessed to have not received any of our luggage. I am serious when I say “blessed”. The lack of luggage allowed us to stay in Pemba for several extra days, which allowed me to continue to struggle with the sermon and to seek advice.
The first thing that emerged from my discussion with the three AIM team members in Pemba was that they were not confident that the Pastors could adequately present the good news. This was championed by one of the team members, Mark, who I had not discussed things with before and the other team members (Steve & Jennifer) concurred. So the idea of a bad news sermon on one Sunday followed by the good news sermon on the following Sunday was not such a great idea. Later on in my travels I ran across other missionaries who echoed this same concern. One missionary from Rwanda, who teaches at a seminary for Pastors, told me that the very first class they offer is on the good news. They often have Pastors come to know the Lord during this class. If you have ever doubted the difference between religion and faith in Jesus Christ, here is your evidence to show you that one (religion) does not equal the other (faith in Jesus Christ).
The second thing that occurred during this waiting time in Pemba was that I had the chance to spend time with a very dear missionary couple from South Africa. The wife (Betz) had spent much time studying oral culture, and she was able to explain it in a way that made since to me. Over dinner we discussed my sermon preparation, and I was able to ask many questions about how to engage an audience in this culture and convey truth in a meaningful and lasting way. I headed back to our place of lodging and to bed with a lot on my mind.
At 1 am I awake knowing that I had to throw out the sermon preparation and idea that I had completed, knowing that I had to start over. I spent the next 2.5 hours praying and working through what I had learned and what the Lord intended for me to deliver. What emerged is the sermon in the previous post.
The first story is intended to illustrate that everything we think and do is visible to God. It also contains the idea that our sin is not just in what we do that is visible to other people. We sin against God, and he knows all about it, even in our thoughts. Football (soccer) is huge here, and the World Cup is being played in South Africa right now.
The second story is intended to illustrate the gift of salvation and our unworthiness of it. The crowds response to the thief is the norm here.
I want to tell you a story about a great football player (soccer for those in America). This football player made many goals for his team, and he led his team to win many games. His team was playing in the World Cup, in a very important match. The crowd was huge. Everyone was watching. The game was tied and time was running out. The great football player got the ball and knew what he had to do. He had to make a goal. So this great football player dribbled the ball down the pitch. His eyes were on the goal. He could see nothing else. He did not hear the crowd. He did not hear his own team mates. He only knew that he must make a goal, so he pressed on with his eyes on the goal. Finally, he shot and made a goal! He had rescued his team once again. He began to celebrate, but then noticed that his fans were not celebrating. His teammates were not celebrating. He looked around confused. Then he saw why there was no celebration. He had made the goal in the wrong net. Oh the shame! This great football player had great shame because of his mistake. He ran and hid, but he could not escape his shame. Even though he may have been the greatest football player in the world he could never loose his shame over making a goal for the other team.
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12-13)
God is like the crowd watching the great football player. God sees everything we do. More than that, God sees everything we think. You may try to do everything right, but like the great football player you will do something wrong. You will sin. God sees even your thoughts. We have great shame before God because God knows when we sin. So we have great shame before God. Like the football player we can not hide from our shame. What can we do? Who can help us rid ourselves of our shame before God? Who can remove our shame?
Let me tell you another story.
In a town much like Mocimboa, there were two men. One man was very good. He had much honor in the community. The other man was very bad. He had no honor in the community. The very bad man hated the very good man. The very good man did not hate anyone. One day the bad man was spotted stealing a chicken. He ran away when he was spotted stealing, but the crowd began to chase him. The crowd chased him with clubs and machetes. The bad man ran quickly and hid from the crowd. But the crowd kept looking for him. They were getting close to the bad man, but he could not run anymore because he was too tired and the crowd was closing in all around him. Just then the good man found the bad man, and the good man wanted to save the bad man’s life. So the good man changed clothes with the bad man. Just as they finished changing clothes the crowd found them. The good man’s plan worked. The crowd thought the good man was the bad man. The crowd caught the good man and began to beat him. They beat him until they killed him. The bad man was free to go. Will the bad man still hate the good man. No! The bad man will love the good man because the good man saved his life.
God is willing to save your life.
“If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. As the Scripture says, ‘Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.‘ For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’” (Romans 10:9-13)
You and I are like the great football player. We have brought shame on ourselves before God because of our sin. Our sin in what we do and our sin in what we think. You and I are like the very bad man. We deserve to be punished for our sin. The bad man did not deserve to be saved. You and I do not deserve to be saved. Jesus is the very good man. He was punished in your place. He was punished in my place. He was killed for your shame. He was killed for my shame.
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
Jesus died for you. It is God’s gift to you. The good man does not deserve to die, but Jesus did die for you and for me. He died for the very bad man. How will you respond to Jesus? Will you love him? Will you love him for dieing for you and removing your shame before God?
Hmmm….it has been three weeks since I last posted.
Here are my excuses: (1)Lack of Internet (2)Lack of power (3)Traveling
Here is a brief survey of the last three weeks.
- We left Nairobi, Kenya by bus on Saturday, June 12th. We spent three days in Arusha, Tanzania then continued our bus trip South. We arrived in Mocimboa, Mozambique on Friday, June 18th.
- Traveling by bus and boat as well as crossing two borders was standard, with one exception. When we arrived in Mocimboa our truck drive got in an argument with someone. As he went to leave the man pulled a pistol. We do not know if the man was official or not (he was in plain clothes), but he demanded our passports. He had the gun so we gave him our passports. We ended up at the local equivalent of border control and were released quickly. The bit with the gun was a bid hairy for a little while. The man was very agitated.
- We had the weekend of June 19 and 20 to unpack, do laundry, and repack. We left for an AIM regional conference on Monday, June 21st. The bus ride to the conference was about 10 hours. It was much more crowded than other long distance buses because they allowed people to stand in the isle. Fortunately, there were no goats, but we did have chickens.
- The AIM regional conference was attended by about 100 people. I repaired laptops for the missionaries. It was a good conference and I was able to solve many problems for the missionaries. They were very appreciative.
- The AIM conference ended on Sunday, June 27th. Jennifer’s team stayed several extra days for some additional training. I was invited to go visit the coast with a group of missionaries and the child program workers from the AIM conference.
- The coast visit was amazing. We spent two nights in a bungalow near the beach. We toured a museum that had been built in 1610 as a governor’s house. We also toured a fort that was started in 1558. The beach was wonderful, and I was able to do some snorkeling for the first time in my life. The water was very warm and very clear. We were able to see a lot of fish, starfish, and various other sea creatures. We found one giant clam that was at least 12inches across.
- We returned to Mocimboa on Thursday, July 1st.
It is great to be at my home away from home after over a month of traveling. I will not leave Mocimboa again until it is time for me to fly out of Africa on July 20th.
I spent Wednesday morning at the BTL headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya. BTL is one of the nine country specific Wycliffe agencies in Africa. They have been working on Bible translation and literacy projects in Kenya for nearly 30 years. Their director, Mundara, has served with BTL for 22 years. My meeting was with Mundara and the Human Resource (HR) director, Catherine. The meeting was set up at the request of a Wycliffe contact I have in the US.
Wycliffe USA has enterprise level software that all nine African agencies are required to use for some of their operation. However, the software works best on a high bandwidth Internet connection, something Africa is not known for. So BTL is seeking an African Internet friendly HR specific application that can be used to maintain personnel records, leave records, performance appraisals, and organizational structure.
The project is ideal for a group of three seniors I have next year at Corban University. First, the seniors are required to do a real world project that brings together what they have been studying in their major. Second, the BTL project must be developed using MySQL and PHP, which are the core of what these seniors will be studying this coming year. Third, the project matches Corban’s goal of training Christians who will make a difference in the world for Jesus Christ. This project has high kingdom value.
One possible extension to the kingdom value of this project is that Mundara, the BTL director, is moving to the position of Wycliffe Africa director this fall. He will be responsible for all nine country specific agencies of Wycliffe in Africa. We discussed the possibility that this HR application could be used by other agencies who likely face the same challenges that BTL faces.
Mark 5 Ministries is focused on the technology challenges facing missionaries in the field. There are many needs in the central offices of agencies that we have chosen to ignore so that we can focus on the needs of missionaries. This project is primarily a central office project. However, it does contain support for missionaries in the field. Currently, BTL personnel must submit a paper form for a leave request. This includes getting the form to and from some very remote locations in Kenya. If there are problems with the request then the form may have to travel back and forth to these remote locations multiple times. The new HR system will have a low bandwidth compliant leave request form available on the Internet. Most BTL personnel should be able to access and submit this form electronically through cell phone access of the Internet. Cell phone coverage in Kenya is very high. You can be riding along in a bus, hours from no where, through open grassland, mud huts, and Masai herding their goats and cows and then come across a massive three tower cell phone repeater.
I am very excited about this project.
country specific Wycliffe agencies in Africa. They have been working on Bible translation and
literacy projects in Kenya for nearly 30 years. Their director, Mundara, has served with BTL
for 22 years. My meeting was with Mundara and the Human Resource (HR) director, Catherine.
The meeting was set up at the request of a Wycliffe contact I have in the US.
Wycliffe USA has enterprise level software that all nine African agencies are required to use
for some of their operation. However, the software works best on a high bandwidth Internet
connection, something Africa is not known for. So BTL is seeking an African Internet friendly
HR specific application that can be used to maintain personnel records, leave records,
performance appraisals, and organizational structure.
The project is ideal for a group of three seniors I have next year at Corban University.
First, the seniors are required to do a real world project that brings together what they
have been studying in their major. Second, the BTL project must be developed using MySQL and
PHP, which are at the core of what these seniors will be studying this coming year. Third,
the project matches Corban’s goal of training Christians who will make a difference in the
world for Jesus Christ. This project has high kingdom value.
One possible extension to the kingdom value of this project is that Mundara, the BTL
director, is moving to the position of Wycliffe Africa director this fall. He will be
responsible for all nine country specific agencies of Wycliffe in Africa. We discussed the
possibility that this HR application could be used by other agencies who likely face the same
challenges that BTL faces.
Mark 5 Ministries is focused on the technology challenges facing missionaries in the field.
There are many needs in the central offices of agencies that we have chosen to ignore so that
we can focus on the needs of missionaries. This project is primarily a central office
project. However, it does contain support for missionaries in the field. Currently, BTL
personnel must submit a paper form for a leave request. This includes getting the form to and
from some very remote locations in Kenya. If there are problems with the request then the
form may have to travel back and forth to these remote locations multiple times. The new HR
system will have a low bandwidth compliant leave request form available on the Internet. Most
BTL personnel should be able to access and submit this form electronically through cell phone
access of the Internet. Cell phone coverage in Kenya is very high. You can be riding along in
a bus, hours from no where, through open grassland, mud huts, and Masai herding their goats
and cows and then come across a massive three tower cell phone repeater.
Ngorongoro Crater - click on the image to view a larger version
The Ngorongoro is an incredible ecosystem. We were picked up by our guide/driver at about 6:15AM. He was suppose to pick us up at 5:30AM, but got lost (or slept in…we are not really sure which). The drive there took about three hours. The early morning waiting and long drive were well worth the experiences of descending into the crater.
The crater is 2000 feet deep and 100 square miles in area. It is a semi-confined environment. Some of the animals leave the crater, but many do not. While there we saw elephants, lions, a cheetah, buffalo, hippopotamus, wildebeest, zebras, gazelles, and various birds. There are no giraffes in the crater because the walls are too steep for them to descend.
Our ride
We rode in Land Rover with a lift top. The picture was taken at a safe spot. In most of the crater you are not permitted to get out of the vehicle. The crater is not a zoo, nor is it man-made. The animals are use to the vehicles, but the crater is about as natural and wild as you can get. Our lunch spot was at a hippo pool where we were allowed to get out of the vehicle. More people are killed in Africa by hippos than by any other animal. However, they do not come out of the water to get you. If they are grazing on land or you go in the water with them they are very aggressive.
We were attacked by Masai warriors just before we entered the crater. They are allowed to live within the national park and graze their goats in the crater. At the last gate to enter the crater, just before descending the 2000 foot drop, our driver had to get out and log in at a gate. We were on what looked like a deserted dirt road. The driver told us we could get out, look around, and take pictures. As soon as our driver disappeared three Masai warriors came out of hiding in the bushes. They were dressed in traditional garb and carried a bunch of souvenirs to sell. There are rules about this type of thing and we were told not to take pictures and not to purchase items if approached. So we declined. It was not too hard to pass up the fake lion tooth.
The cause of the traffic jam
Our bus ride from Mtwara to Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) was a true African adventure. The ride was not bumpy. It was bone jarring rough. Our bus driver drove like a crazy man. Keep in mind that the road in these pictures was not necessarily any worse than any other spot. As you look at the pictures consider that our bus driver did his best to keep the bus traveling at close to Mach I over hours of this type of road. Our bus rattled like…hmmm…nothing else I can think of that rattles that much. Along the way the bench seat that Jennifer and Matthew were sitting on broke its front floor clamps. Matthew had to hang on to the seat in front of his (my seat) in order to keep theirs from tipping on to the people behind them.
Part way through our adventure we came to a stop and everyone piled out of the bus. We were part of an African traffic jam caused by an overturned truck. Who knows if the truck turned over in the “normal” road or if he was trying to find his own path through the mud. There really was no “normal” road. Just mud, with tire tracks crisscrossed showing where drivers had done their best to find a good path. When we arrived at the traffic jam the cargo, sacks of something, were being unloaded from the truck. I assume they were going to push the truck upright after unloading it.
Our bus is stuck
After a bit of gawking at the overturned truck we boarded our bus to wait. Our driver did not wait too long before he decided on an alternate route through the mud. After seeing an overturned truck every tip of the bus seemed to lean too far for our comfort. No real need to worry though, as our bus became stuck about 50 feet passed the overturned truck. We piled out of the bus again and did our best to gawk, decide how this whole mess should really be handled, and find some shade to wait in.
There were probably 25 vehicles on either side of the truck. None of them wanted to give an inch to let anyone else through. However, after a bit there began to be a little cooperation. Several vehicles would back up so another vehicle could get around and through. We saw maybe four or five vehicles, all that had been in front of us when we got stuck, get through. Our bus was blocking everyone behind us and the overturned truck was blocking everyone in front of us.
Getting our bus out
Eventually a road grater showed up on the scene. The grater was from the road crew since this section of road was “under construction.” There was actually very little construction going on. Anyway, the road grater pushed out some mud over about a 50 yard section to make a semi-stable driving platform and then pulled our bus out of the mud. Once our bus was out we climbed aboard and made our way out of the traffic jam. This involved driving within inches of other vehicles. We actually hit something one time, stopped for a bit while something was moved, and then headed out again. Eventually we cleared all the other vehicles and quickly accelerated to within reach of the sound barrier.
Did I mention that once you see a truck overturned in the mud that you pay very close attention to every tilt and lean of the bus? In addition to the crazy speed, there were many times that we held our breath as the bus navigated some dip-turn-hill-mud combination.
I am sure there must be some award for passengers who survive this section of the road. Maybe a special kind of arthritis that sets in as you get older. The day after this journey both Jennifer and Matthew complained about sore necks and backs. Jennifer said she felt like an old woman. She asked me how I was doing, but I am old enough to know that if I start complaining about aches and pains on a journey like this that I will never stop. So I was, and still am, doing just fine.
I don’t know why the previous blog post got garbled. Here is what it should have said.
Our ride showed up on time, at 2:30AM, to pick us up. We were suppose to have two seats up front and only one of us standing in the back of the pickup. Patrick had told us that the 170KM can seem like a 1000KM when you are standing. All three of us ended up in the back. At least they did not forget us.
We spent the next hour picking up other passengers and fueling the pickup. Then we headed north on our three hour journey to the boarder. We picked up and dropped off passengers at various spots along the way. The pickup was like a small Toyota. Our highest count in the back was 20.
We careened along at speeds up to 60mph over roads that looked like wagon trails. Jennifer found it easier to sit. Matthew and Eric preferred to stand. Sand pelted us the whole way and the jarring and jolting were significant.
The Mozambiquan checkpoint was lengthy but painless. They made everyone unpack almost everything in their bags. After the checkpoint we had another 4 miles of wagon road before getting to the Ruvuma river.
The river crossing was the highlight of this day–if you are into real African adventure. We loaded into the motor boat per Patrick’s recommendation. Then there was much arguing over our payment. The boat was held up. Would we be able to go or do we have to get off? Some of the locals motioned for us to stay seated. Jennifer paid a little more, but the captain wanted almost twice as much. Jennifer said, “No! That is all the money I can pay” and then she sat down. We took off shortly after that.
The boat motor started up and we headed into the current of this large river. Then the motor died and would not start. One of the Africans hollered at me, “Mazungu, this is Africa” in passing English. We all laughed. The motor started and we crossed the main river. They let us out on a steep bank with nothing in sight but sand and trees. We grabbed our luggage and followed the locals. We walked about 1/4 mile to another, much smaller, part of the same river. By this time there we had a friend in an Egyptian who could speak English well.
This next water crossing included much arguing. We loaded up and then discovered that they were going to charge us more. All the locals and our Egyptian friend got out of the boat refusing to pay. We followed their lead. After more arguing everyone got back in the boat. The boat got part way to our destination and pulled in to a sand bank to collect the fee. More loud arguing ensued. Our friend payed something and told us not to pay. The boat took off again.
The boat was being controlled by men pushing on poles at either end. It was way over loaded and the channel got deep. I was trying not to smash a 3 year old boy next to me. The current got much faster and the poles barely reached the bottom. We got caught in the current and carried too far downstream. Our boat operators worked against the current and got us to the right spot.
The bank was very steep and the current was fast. As people moved to starboard to get off the boat it tipped and began taking on water. It was all I could do to not smash the little boy next to me. The scrapes on my left leg from bracing myself against the wooden seat were just enough to distract me from my aching back from the jolting pickup ride.
During all of this mayhem our bags disappeared up the bank carried by eager bus drivers. I tried to watch to see which van they were carried to. We made it up the bank, found all our luggage, and loaded into a van.
The van ride to the Tanzanian checkpoint and on to Mtwara was uneventful. We rode in a minivan with up to 20 people, plus luggage and some cargo. The Tanzanian checkpoint was very easy. We each paid $30 for a 7 day transit visa. Then we headed toward the customs office. The official stuck his head out the door when we were about 10 feet from the door. “No problem. You can go.” That was the extent of their inspection of our luggage.
The checkpoints and river crossing took about 3 hours. Our ride to Mtwara took about 3 hours as well. We piled out at the main bus station in Mtwara and purchased our bus tickets to Dar es Salaam. Our Egypt friend us going on to Dar es Salaam as well. So he continued to help us. He called a cab, found us a decent guest house, and arranged for our being picked up at 5AM. We need to be at the bus station by 5:30. He is staying in the same guest house.
All in all it has been quite the African adventure. And just one day. I am not sure we could get much more authentic than today. I keep reminding myself that this was Jennifer’s idea and she needed Matthew and I to be her guards throug the journey. Doctor Livingston has nothing on her.
Tomorrow morning at 3am (6pm Oregon time) we will board a truck for a 100+ mile trip to the Mozambique/Tanzania border. The journey from Mocimboa, Mozambique to Nairobi, Kenya is about 1,200 miles. About the same as Scio, Oregon to Denver, Colorado. Our journey will include a few rough roads, a canoe crossing, maybe a goat or chicken on the bus, and will take about a week.
Patrick & Jennifer
In preparation for this trip Jennifer has spent a lot of time with Patrick. Patrick and his wife Violet are Kenyans serving with Sheepfold Ministries. Sheepfold is in partnership with AIM here in Mocimboa. Patrick and his family served in Tanzania for 12 years prior to coming to Mocimboa. They have made the trip from Mocimboa through Tanzania to Nairobi many times.
Jennifer has been busy asking Patrick a thousand questions and writing everything down. How much should we pay for ____? Is that Mozambican meticals, Tanzanian schillings, or Kenyan schillings? Where can we convert money? How do we book the next leg of our bus trip? Where can we stay in Mtwara? What is the best mode of transportation to our lodging in Dar es Salaam? Patrick answers all the questions with a smile and even a bit of humor at times. He was teasing us about the roads we will be traveling. He said back in the States we would have to pay for a ride — and he makes up and down motions like a roller coaster — in Africa you get it for free on the road!
We will spend one week traveling to Nairobi. This will include several intentional extra days. One in Dar es Salaam to see the capital of Tanzania and another in Arusha to visit the Ngorongoro national park, which is a full day safari and should include some great sight seeing opportunities. We have about a week in Nairobi before Matthew leaves, and then about a week after he leaves. During our time in Nairobi I need to do some development work with Kenya Bible Literacy and Translation center as well as visit with Steve Peifer at AIM Rift Valley Academy about his computer centers. Jennifer has people she needs to visit in Nairobi and some touristy places she wants to take Matthew and I. Our trip back from Nairobi will also take about a week. I think we have two days planned at Arusha on our way back.
We leave tomorrow, Sunday, May 22, and get back in Mocimboa on Friday, June 18th. I am taking my computer and Blackberry, so should be able to post and email all along the route. The farther north we get the better the infrastructure and technology. By the time we hit Nairobi we should not have to worry about battery life anymore. I am not sure how fast the internet connection in Nairobi will be though. It should be quite a bit better than Mocimboa.
What does normal mean for you? Here is what it means in Mocimboa:
*Geckos on the kitchen wall
*Rats in the rafters
*Frogs in the shower
*Sand in everything, including the bread you buy at the market
*Crowded marketplace with just the basics
*Mosquito nets over beds
*“Cooling” off to 84 degrees and very muggy for bedtime
*Never closing your windows
*Security bars on windows and doors
*Always feeling dirty and sticky
*Street vendors shouting out their products at 5 in the morning
*Muslim call to prayer multiple times in the day and night
*Children playing loudly in the sandy road late into the night and in the very early morning
*Some children running and crying when they see a white man
*Playing with some children on the front porch or in the back yard – they really enjoy watching juggling.
*Many people sitting on their front porches
*A friendly greeting from most people – “Salaama”
*Laughter from many when you practice your Kimwani greetings
*Small 50cc motorcycles that carry everything
*Sandy pathways that serve as roads for goats, sheep, chickens, children, bicycles, and motorcycles
*No refrigerator
*Limited solar power
*Doing laundry by hand
