Keep up with our team as we travel to Nairobi and Tenwek, Kenya to serve alongside missionaries there! We will learn from various ministries about how God is using gifts and careers for the kingdom.
The main event Thursday was a trip to the town of Narok to visit Nasaruni Academy, a girls school in the Maasai region of Kenya (about a 2-hour drive from Tenwek). This was a very personal visit for Melissa as her recent 6th graders learned about and raised funds to benefit Nasaruni through a clean water initiative called H2O for Life. The money they raised will go directly to Nasaruni to help provide a new latrine block, hand washing stations and expand their gutter system for rain cachement. Getting to visit Nasaruni in person was a full circle moment for Melissa, and also very meaningful for the whole team.
Nasaruni Academy plays a vital role in the Maasai community as they attempt to offer hope and an alternative of educating young girls who would otherwise be caught up in the traditional Maasai practice of being married away very young—ages 12, 13, 14—as a second or third wife to older men whom they may not know nor have chosen. In Maasai culture, girls are mainly valued for their ability to work in the home and for their “bride wealth” which means a girl’s family receives a certain number of cows from the man who marries her. The girls are encouraged to bear children as soon as possible because the more children and members of a family, the greater their stature in the tribe community—even though large families are rarely able to meet needs with so many mouths to feed. Education is the only way out of this cycle for girls and it is very rare that traditional families would sacrifice to pay school fees for girls.
We met Michelle and Lisa, two dynamic women from James Madison University (JMU), who are spending some time at Nasaruni this summer to help lead, plan strategically, and evaluate the school. Michelle and Melissa are actually slated to present together at the National Council for Social Studies about project-based learning and cross curricular connections, using H2O for Life as an example.
Lisa, Michelle and Melissa
We also met Moses and Alice Sayo, who founded Nasaruni out of a vision from Alice who herself, as the 11th of 12 children, was the only girl in her Maasai family to escape early marriage and pursue an education due to the miraculous advocacy of an older brother and her mother. Alice went on to graduate high school and attend university in England where her school fees were paid through Save the Children. Her story is powerful and it is obvious God has set her aside for such a time as this for so many Maasai girls who will get a chance to be educated. She is a light and a miracle. Alice and Moses are giving their lives to the mission of Nasaruni and it was an honor to meet them.
Dean & Lesli with Alice & Moses Sayo
Moses and Alice, JMU, the Nasaruni Board and various fundraisers conducted by JMU students thus far have played a significant role in getting Nasaruni off the ground as it expands. Nasaruni currently boards and educates girls through grade 8 and they are very anxious to secure funding for another classroom building so they can continue to educate the girls in high school. It would cost $7K for them to build another classroom building so they can have a 9th grade class. They hope to eventually add a total of four classrooms to complete their high school. Another need is sponsors for school fees. It’s only $80/semester to cover a girl’s school fees and many of the girls currently at Nasaruni need sponsoring as their families cannot afford to pay these fees. For more information and to learn how you can help Nasaruni grow and provide for these girls, please visit www.nasaruniacademy.org
Zebra crossing as we were en route to Nasaruni!
Our welcome from the girls and staff at Nasaruni. Kenyans really know how to welcome you! We've noticed this everywhere we've gone.
Some clips of Michelle giving us a tour of the facilities at Nasaruni.
Truman removes multiple ticks from Nasaruni's school dog, Simba. Thankful, ticks do not carry lime disease in this area but Simba should feel like a new man after losing all those "friends."
Visiting a Nasaruni class of 6th graders.
Melissa and her 6th grade teaching Nasaruni counterpart.
The values painted on the side of this building were values that the parents of the girls came up with: respect, honesty, love, hard work, faith, peace, patience, self-reliance and cleanliness.
Inside of one of the cubicles in one of the two dormitories. The bedding usually comes from the family and whatever belongings each girl has go in her trunk. The iron beds are made nearby.
All the girls in the dormitory share this bathroom. This may seem primitive by American standards, but having regular access to water in this way for hygiene is quite uncommon for most Maasai girls who would be used to traveling very long distances on foot to obtain a container of water for their family to use.
Painted on one of the original buildings that they used when they started Nasaruni.
Books in the school library. Magic Tree House!
The girls have begun learning about computers and this dry erase board shows them how to navigate the creation of a document on their computers.
Nasaruni has a compound of tents called "Camp Madison" which is open for visitors and is a way for the school to generate income. The tents were very nice and would form a great base for exploring the Maasai Mara for safari!
What time is it? Chai time, of course!! The dining area for Camp Madison where we had chai and biscuits. We also got to hear more from Michelle and Alice here!
Several Nasaruni students came in and put a special beaded necklace around each girl's neck as a way to say thank you for coming to hear the story of Nasaruni. We all loved our necklaces.
More at Nasaruni than any other place we visited on our trip, Mamie attracted quite a crowd for the duration of the visit. They loved touching her hair and asking her questions.
And of course, as always, there was soccer!
Mamie with the Nasaruni 6th grade girls (her own age).
This giant locust/grasshopper was attached to Mamie's back as we started to leave. SO big!!
Our Nasaruni visit left a deep impression. Hearing Alice's story and seeing with our very own eyes how her story is impacting a new generation of Maasai girls was truly inspiring and provoked reflection. Several of us on the trip are now considering how we might partner with Nasaruni to help this school and the girls. They are off to a good start but there are more girls out there who need what Nasaruni is offering and they will need help to get the school where they want it to be. Please be in prayer for these girls, the staff at Nasaruni and for any Believers who may feel led to join in this mission.
Wednesday afternoon, our group had the opportunity to visit a nearby children’s home called, Umoja. The visit was organized by Dean, a Friends of Tenwek Field Director. A few other Tenwek temporary staff/family visitors also went with us. We stopped in Bomet to get some oranges, pineapples and some other treats to take to the children and staff.
We received a tour of the facilities. There are two buildings for sleeping (one for boys, the other for girls) which had iron bunk beds and small trunks near the beds, which presumably contained each child’s belongings. It's hard not to notice how very little they have. There was a main larger building which they use for assembly, recreation and dining and a few other small out buildings for offices and storage. Umoja began as the mother of the current director, Joseph, began taking in orphans when Joseph was a child.
When we first met the children, they were all seated on benches together and in groups according to their age, they came to perform various songs and to tell their names. They whispered their names so quietly, so sadly we couldn’t understand them. They were all precious.
Then it was our turn to perform. Tenwek Dean and Knoxville Dean debuted a juggling act! Then came entertainment from some of the other Tenwek visitors—Sarah, a visiting doctor, and her three children, originally from Albuquerque. They plan to be at Tenwek for a month this summer. Sarah’s two teenage daughters are competitive jump ropers and brought their ropes with them. Pretty soon, everyone wanted to try double dutch—even some of the children at the home! Very impressed with our team’s jump roping abilities. We hope to have been a blessing to the children at Umoja and lightened their hearts!
Please pray for the children and staff of Umoja—that God would provide for them all, that the children would grow up healthy, cared for, educated, knowing the unmatched love of their Savior and their value in His kingdom.
After such a busy day on Sunday, it was back to the regular groove for Monday and Tuesday. At this point in the trip, it’s safe to say most of us have started to long for a good shower, good night’s sleep and a fresh variety of foods. We are trying to balance our immense value for the the experiences we are receiving here at Tenwek with our desire for physical comforts. Our hope is to finish well even though weariness may be settling in!
Hospital time for the team has continued the past couple of days along with a community health visit yesterday for Melissa and Kate as well as a hospice visit for Brooke and Caroline. Both of those visits were not close by and involved several hours of car rides for each. Zander has felt a little under the weather since Monday night with sinus trouble so he has been resting and medicating!
Here are some pics and videos....
Truman and Melissa after observing orthopedic surgery and a hip fracture which required a nail and screws.
The ortho surgeon explaining the procedure to Melissa and Truman.
With the bounty of avocados Evans's family gave the Douglasses last Friday, Lesli made some guacamole which went over like a house on fire. Thank you to the Manys for donating the tortilla chips!!
Everyone carrying their post-guacamole "babies."
Caroline with Caroline, who works in the dental center.
Here is Josh's view from the balcony of the dental center.
Monday night games in the racquetball court!
A little piece of the USA spotted at Tenwek!
Ben and Jenny Roberts have been at Tenwek for almost thirteen years and have raised their three boys here. Ben is a retinal surgeon and Jenny's background is nursing. Small world moment: Dean and Lesli went to Samford with Jenny "a few" years ago! Their boys have formed a thriving coffee delivery service here at Tenwek and as soon as our team found out about it, they began utilizing the Bros' Coffee delivery! This is their menu and below is their delivery vehicle. Thanks, Roberts bros!
Jenny Roberts invited Angela and Lesli to come for tea on Tuesday morning and it was great to get to catch up with an old friend! And the chocolate zucchini muffins were delicious. Thank you, Jenny!
The younger set "hanging out!"
Mamie and Squirt, one of the Many family pet tortoises, out for a casual walk! Also, Mamie's t-shirt we spotted in Tenwek village for sale at someone's booth. It was the only one and the only size they had. We have no idea what the significance of "Truman" is here but obviously had to buy it!
We've had several bumpy and precarious car rides since we arrived at Tenwek, but this one with Melissa and Kate during their community health outing yesterday wins! It actually appears they drove through a mudslide.
Kate helping weigh a baby at the rural clinic. One of the nurses told Melissa that the relationship between community health and Tenwek is a bit like a soccer team. Tenwek is the defense and the community health team is the offense--trying to approach from a proactive and preventative standpoint so that they can catch illnesses or unhealthy patterns at an early stage.
Here is Melissa, carrying vaccines to the rural clinic.
Yet again, Kate finds someone to cook with!
Taking in a gorgeous scenic view from Caroline and Brooke's hospice journey yesterday.
As I write, it's Wednesday morning and suddenly it feels like our time at Tenwek is coming to a close. This afternoon, we have plans to visit a local children's home and tomorrow, the entire day will be spent traveling to/from Narok to the Nasaruni Academy for Girls, which Melissa's 6th graders this past year worked to raise funds for through their H2O Water Walk, which will help to provide clean water, sanitary latrines and hand washing/hygiene stations. Then Friday morning, we will say our goodbyes and head off to safari! Please pray for the health and well-being of our team, that we would continue to be a blessing to all we encounter and that we would be strengthened by the Holy Spirit in our inner beings to finish well.
Our first Sunday, we attended Bethesda African Gospel Church, which is Tenwek's local church. This Sunday we had the opportunity to attend a "village church," Kapsimbiri, also in the AGC denomination, and in coordination with Tabitha Ministries to attend a cow dedication for one of that church's members. If you'll recall from the house mudding blog post, Tabitha Ministries is a women's Bible study which coordinates compassionate outreaches through local churches--mud houses, gift cows and seed/fertilizer for needy women and families. So we made our way to the village church, the route to which was possibly the worst specimen of roadway yet on the trip. Hang on, Sloopy! Our driver said it was a shortcut, which he followed with the life advice of, "And shortcuts are always the most dangerous!"
Before we can get to the cow dedication part, we must first describe the actual church service part and the fact that it was Compassion Sunday. There were many parts to the church service--announcements, offering, worship, attendance (attendees raised their hands when mothers, fathers, children and visitors were called to do so), different groups of children and adults did coordinated dances to specific songs, there was a dramatic interpretation of Joseph being reunited with his brothers (done by a group of ladies), prayer, the sermon and more singing and prayer. We arrived at the church around 10:30 a.m. and walked back outside for the cow dedication around 2:15 p.m. Yes folks, that's almost 4 hours. Which is amazing in and of itself but when you consider that aside from our students delivering a message in English that lasted about 30 of those minutes, we could only understand about 10% of what was being said during the other 3.5 hours (even though some of it was translated, the translations were also difficult to understand), let's just say we were ready to dedicate that cow.
"Rock of Ages" in either Swahili or Kipsigis (the main tribe from this area of Kenya), not sure which.
A leader in the church gave us the guest book and asked us all to sign.
The younger set of children doing their dance for the congregation. Loved it. The girl closest to the camera is Angela--more on her later in the post. Sister has moves!!
This is an adult song and dance during the offering. We didn't understand at first, but as the offering was conducted, whoever wanted to contribute walked up to the front and either put money in a basket or placed something of value next to the offering baskets on the stage. After the song was done, the elders held each item up and asked who in the church would be willing to exchange money for the item offered. Whoever needed a bunch of lettuce leaves, bag of potatoes, eggs, bottle of fresh milk--received the item, gave their money to the elders and that money went in the offering basket. It shed new light on giving whatever you have.
Here is one of the elders asking who would be willing to exchange money for the item offered.
The church's hymnals
When the church heard we were coming, they asked us to "preach." Our students organized the entire lesson themselves and each took a part. They spoke on a theme of "Unity in Christ" and worked with Hannah, the translator, to communicate for them as they spoke and quoted Scripture. They first led the church in singing, "Good Good Father," and then each took turns giving their words. They did great!
"Good, Good Father" and the two precious little boys sitting next to me.
Solomon gave a word during the service and he and his children danced and sang. Watch as our team eventually catches the Sunday Morning Fever!
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As part of the Compassion Sunday offering, one of the members donated a chicken so the leaders basically held a brief, informal auction of sorts where they asked if any church members wanted to bid for the chicken, with the proceeds going to the Compassion offering. Melissa was quick to offer 1,000 shillings ($10) and she ended up winning the chicken so she could give it to the family who was receiving the cow. Winner winner, chicken...!
Melissa named the chicken "Noodles," as in "chicken noodle soup."
Melissa pretending Noodles was going to get the children with "bok bok bok" chicken noises for added effect, which they thought was hilarious!
Cow dedication underway. They let our group also name the cow and the name chosen was Abigail, which means, "my Father is joyful." Abigail didn't seem overly joyful about her dedication and tried to pull away a couple of times.
Hannah, from Tabitha, with hand raised gives a word in honor of the grandmother receiving the cow (in the red plaid blanket to Hannah's right). Hannah was also the main translator for the day.
This happened to be "Compassion Sunday," where the church had a specific focus for compassionate outreach to its community and a separate offering was taken for this. Because it was Compassion Sunday, that's why the cow dedication was taking place today and also why it just so happened to work out that Solomon (head PT at Tenwek) and his family attended the same church to deliver a wheelchair to the grandson of the lady receiving the cow (I think I have this right). Earlier this year, he fell trying to pick avocados from an avocado tree in his yard and sustained spinal cord injuries which paralyzed him from the waist down. His name is Emmanuel and he is 12 years old.
After the cow dedication, the ladies of Tabitha asked all of us to line up and sang while handing out gifts to each of us, including our two drivers. The boys, girls and men received a ceramic mug and the ladies received a shawl. Their kindness just goes on and on! After this, the church members served us a lunch of rice, beans, potatoes and a little meat. So kind.
The girl singing the solo/lead on this song has the coolest voice. This was what they sang as they handed out all our gifts. Confusion toward the end was because they had an extra mug for one of our drivers and couldn't find him in the line. Peter, come get your mug!
Mary Taylor, Mamie, Ava and Walker with their tea mugs and shawl they received from the Tabitha leaders.
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After lunch, we proceeded to the home of the family receiving both the cow and the wheelchair. Once the wheelchair dedication was finished, we thought it was time to head home so we started walking to the van when someone flagged our group down and told us to turn around, they were serving tea! How dare we think we could leave a Kenyan ceremony without having tea?
Many individuals spoke at the wheelchair dedication for Emmanuel--both his parents, his grandparents, Hannah from Tabitha, Angela Many, Rose (Solomon's sister who was instrumental in Emmanuel getting seen at Tenwek), Gladys with Tabitha and Solomon. Solomon is so anointed at what he does both in the clinic and as he relates to and encourages patients and families in their faith. He is so direct, so encouraging, so filled with the Spirit as he speaks. I could listen to him talk for an hour! My phone died in the middle of his speech but since this is one of the few recordings we have from the dedication, so I wanted to share it.
Emmanuel in his new wheelchair
Brooke and her little shadow. This little girl did not let go of Brooke's hand during the entire wheelchair dedication nor the lunch/tea that followed.
Once inside the house, it quickly became apparent that "tea" was actually a second lunch of rice and beans, followed by chai tea (we had just been fed lunch an hour earlier at the church). One of the little girls who attended the ceremony, Angela, was sitting beside Angela Many on the sofa when they brought the food out. She said, "They say they are bringing tea and they bring food! We are not even hungry and have full bellies! Kenyans are just like this!" Which made us all laugh. Angela is a very smart cookie with good English and you will see her above in the videos as the closest one to the camera with the best dance moves in the children's dance at church. Her father is the pastor of the church. Several of us fell in love with Angela!
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And finally, Dean, Lesli and Josh initially hung back and stayed outside as the rest of the team went inside for the second lunch/tea. We found a bench under a shade tree and thought wrongly we would have a moment of quiet. We immediately drew a crowd and so we tried to ask all of their names. Those who weren't too shy would tell us, almost in a whisper, what their name was. Then we would try to pronounce what they had whispered, say it totally wrong, and all their friends would roar with laughter.
At one point I looked down and noticed the purple blooms from overhead in the tree matched the new shawl I had just received. This evolved somehow into all the children thinking it was hilarious to put flowers from the yard in Lesli's hair. I told them I looked like I'd gone to the salon and they had made me pretty! They laughed and laughed. When they ran out of pretty flowers, they moved to giant leaves and then just any random piece of debris lying on the ground! Haha!
