Greetings from Kenya,
I fear this update is rather overdue as life here has been keeping me quite busy, but in a good way. My classes are going well and I teach most mornings from 8 until 1 with a serious amount of marking on breaktimes. Then, after lunch and a cup or two or three of tea, I head to the nursery for a few hours before the kids get done with school at four when I try and go hangout with them. Sometimes I need another cup of tea between the nursery and hanging out. Then, after evenings devotions, I eat my dinner quickly before going to the nursery to help again for an hour or two before heading back to my room around nine. We are a bit short handed in the nursery which has led me to volunteer and be assigned to extra time there, mostly with the little babies as the toddlers have started nursery school and have their own schedule now. It is a full, rich if at times exhausting life, and I am very thankful for tea and coffee. Back when I was getting ready to come to Kenya and people would ask what I was most worried about, my somewhat joking but truly honest answer was that there would be no tea or coffee... Thankfully, that fear was unfounded, and so even life is busy and full, I am happy so long as I can retreat for tea or start my morning with coffee...
This past weekend I was offered a break from the norm when the Madam invited me and the other volunteer here to come to one of the older boys military training graduation on Friday. It seems like only the other day we were throwing a going away party for this young man, but now his seven months of training are over and it was time for him to graduate. Here in Kenya, the recruits are not allowed to go home at all during the training period, so he had not seen any of his family since October. Our dear Madam was very anxious to see her baby boy...
It was rather a large group of us, seventeen in all, who headed for the graduation, leaving late Thursday evening to arrive Friday morning at the Moi Barracks in Eldoret, some six hour drive away. By the time we arrived, the place was already packed, and we had to park some 2km(1mi?) away from where we wanted to be and walk the rest of the way. Once we got closer, everybody was waiting and being told to move away from one area, and in Kiswahili the soldiers who were moving the crowds announced whoever was with the mzungus to please tell them where to go... it was amusing...
We had hoped to see our recruit before the parade, but then that wasn't possible, so our day of waiting commenced. We opted out of the parade if we even might have been allowed in as there were so many people, and as the President as Commander-in-Chief was attending, it really was no small affair. I can say I was in the general area of the Kenyan president even if I did not see him. Incidentally, he was late making the whole day run late, but I enjoyed waiting. I don't get out much, and this was prime people watching as there were so very many of us waiting for our recruits. Eventually they began to trickle out and it was fun to watch the young soldiers reunited with their families. Celebration here in Kenya is often accompanied with song, so you would see the young recruit surrounded by a throng of happy, singing people and it was a beautiful site.
Our poor recruit meanwhile had the hardest time finding his party as the cellphone lines were clogged, but after three hours with storm clouds threatening to let loose, he found us. It was a moving moment with the Madam, the recruit, and most of the others in our party in tears at the reunion. It was a big day not only for this young man, but for all of Hope because that is the vision here... That children who would have had no opportunity and been nobody in the eyes of Kenya can have both a hope and a future, and so when the children grow and achieve their dreams, it is a testimony to the possibility for each and every one...
We got poured on during these touching moments of reunion and had to race to our vehicles, and after dropping the recruit off to finish his last two days before we could pick him on Sunday, we encountered my worst traffic jam in Kenya, waiting five hours to get all of 10km back to Eldoret. That is what happens when everybody is leaving together... It was a little ridiculous though as we would move a few feet and then the drivers would all cut their engines, take naps and the passengers would get out of the car and walk around unless you were me and packed four tight in the backseat... Eventually we made it to Eldoret and had chicken and chips around midnight at a 24hr restaurant... yum!
Now, because Eldoret is near the border with Uganda and rather far from Kinangop and because we had to be back in Eldoret on Sunday and the Madam wanted to check on the girl in Uganda, she decided to go to Uganda between Friday night and Sunday morning, taking some of the party with her, including me and the other volunteer... So from our 24hr restaurant we headed to the border, passing immigration around 6:30am. I am getting good at crossing the border in to Uganda as this is my third time; once over Christmas, in March by myself and now this past weekend...
We were in Uganda for all of 22 hours, most of which we drove. First we drove to Iganga where the girl used to go to school to get the address for the school she was transferred to(around 100km...) and then we turned around and drove north to Soroti where she now goes to school(another four or five hours...). The new school seems like a good place though and is run by Catholic nuns who seem very committed. The girl seemed happy although I don't know if she remembered me from Christmas. It was good we went because Madam was able to straighten out her affairs, and show the school that she had somebody to stand by her as the girls family was playing rather absentee.
From Soroti it was back to the border where we arrived around 2am... I wish I knew how many kilometres we travelled... but it was definitely a lot. After crossing, we stopped over at a guesthouse in the border town and it was lovely to be able to bathe and sleep in a bed instead of the backseat after two days... Also, it came with a really good breakfast the next morning.
Then, the two hours back to Eldoret to pick up our recruit, but there were some delays so we spent most of Sunday afternoon waiting at a local restaurant where thankfully there was a playground for our three small traveling companions, Madam's three four year olds who do remarkably well traveling in cars, but loved the chance to run and play and swing and slide... Madam wants to get a playground here for the nursery school, and it would be lovely if she is able.
Around five we were able to pick up our recruit and start our journey home, arriving around midnight. On Friday, all the soldiers had been in uniform, but on Sunday they were in their street clothes and looked much younger. Most were catching buses home, so our recruit got to bask in the glory of being picked up by our beautiful Madam in her friends posh car as he leaned out the window calling fond farewells. Now he gets to spend two weeks with the greater family here at Hope before heading to his assignment. I think we are going to have a celebration one of these days...
It really was a fun weekend for me. I enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with Madam, the elements of roadtripping, getting to see the girl in Uganda again. The best part though was the celebration and reunion with our soldier that I was very honored to get to be a part of. Truly, the work of Hope is amazing. It is not to meet the basic needs of these children, but to give they a home, a family, a hope and a future and to help them by God's grace and faithfulness achieve their dreams.
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