Kenya Mission Newsletter 10 (Sunday): We've a Story to Tell

The Kenyan paster on Ash Wednesday asked each of us what we were going to do for Lent … and in order to make room in our lives to do this thing, what were we going to give up?  It was a question the team came back to this evening in our final debriefing session.  The "what were you ready to give up?" question was particularly potent since we had had no water all day.  The Thiiri Centre where we are staying had hosted a local girl's school overnight … think 50 high school girls and their water consumption.  It had emptied ALL of the storage tanks by the time we awoke this morning.  We headed off to church more than a bit "ripe" and the situation just got worse as the day went on.  Remember NO water for ANYTHING.  Be thankful the photos below are not the "Scratch & Sniff" variety.  By tonight the group was getting a bit testy as workmen continued to bang on pipes trying to get the pumps to refill the tanks. We are all hoping for water for showers and toilets by morning when we depart.  

The sobering thought is that most of those we worked with all week face this every day.  Few have reliable running water (and certainly not for showers); many have no electric power.  For us it is an inconvenience versus a way of life.

The question the FUMC team asked itself tonight was "What are we bringing back from Kenya?"  The list ranged from friendships, gratitude, smiles, and love … to anxiety about how do we come back and adequately convey this past week.  The team  represented 27 trips to Kenya … and all agreed this trip was different.  The challenges are new, but we did not flinch.  We TRIED a lot of new things … and not all of them worked.  We learned from every trial.  We worked with the BLISS staff in ways we had ever attempted to use them to help us get a handle on the primaries.  We met with local community leaders who are dedicated to continuing the primary school porridge program and parents supporting the BLISS secondary school … even if it means paying tuition in bags of corn or chickens.  We did a lot of listening to teachers about what they face each day and the resilience of children to learn in all kinds of conditions.

All of you will hear more in the coming weeks.  We've a story to tell .  FUMC is transforming lives in Kenya.  We look forward to sharing the story.

Your hands, feet and hearts in Kenya,

Kathy, Greg, Julie, John, Debbie, Marcos and Dixie

[Monday AM UPDATE:  Greg was the first up and discovered there was still no water.  As he walked to the main building, he passed one of the units the HS girls had occupied … (you may have guessed by now) … the shower was running full blast.  That's where all the water had gone!]