Grateful Andre

Today, our branch met for fast and testimony meeting. They don't watch general conference live here. We just wait for the CDs to come out later. Once again, I was impressed. So many people got up one after another and bore their simple and sweet testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Relief Society meeting was interesting today. The lesson was on forgiveness. Some of the sisters brought up past wrongs and felt they were justified in not wanting to forgive. I shared with them that I knew that even though it's painful, if we pray on our knees and ask Heavenly Father for help to forgive others for an offense, that he will take our pain away, and that's one of the miracles of Christ's atonement. I know that's true, because I've personally felt a burden lifted after I asked for help to forgive. Anyway, interesting meeting.

We finally figured out how to get money out of the ATM, and did some decent grocery shopping. I made sandwiches for the first time today with cheese and deli meat and lettuce, and I was completely surprised at Andre. I counted five times that he said "Wow! Thank you!" "Who made the lunch? Thank you!" "Yay! Thank you!" He was so excited to eat a meal that was familiar to him that he expressed genuine gratitude five times! In Lehi, he would have taken one look at the sandwiches and would have said "Awww! I don't like lettuce!" or some other complaint. It made me happy. Yet another objective for this Kenya trip being fulfilled!

Lost

A couple days ago, I got lost on a matatu. We have no car. We have to rely on the public transportation or our feet to get us around. We can take a tuk-tuk, which is a three wheeled covered motorcycle with a bench behind the driver. Or we can take a matatu, which is similar to a jeepney in the Philippines, but it's more like a 12-seater van which people cram into. The matatu is much cheaper than a tuk-tuk. I had the three kids with me, and I was trying to get home from City Mall. I asked one of the conductors if he was heading to Nakumatt Cinemax (the nearest landmark by our house). He said yes. I said "You will take me ALL the way to Nakumatt Cinemax???" He said yes again. I paid him our fare, and we started driving. 

After a while he said he wanted me to pay more because it's a long way to my destination. I refused. He said this matatu is going to the ferry. I said I'm on the wrong matatu and I wanted my money back, etc etc. It was ridiculous.

I wasn't completely lost. I had a map in my mind, and I knew which way I should be going, so I knew I could get home on my own if I needed to, but he ended up dropping me off at an area where another matatu could take me to Nakumatt Cinemax. And then this kind young man who must have been riding in the back of the matatu said he would show me where to go. And he walked with me ALL the way to the next pick-up area (through a very slummy part of town, during rush hour) and waited with us until we got on the right one.

I felt like Heavenly Father sent an angel to help me. He was so nice and was able to calmly explain to me what the sign on the matatu should say for next time, and where my stop is and everything. I felt very protected and grateful for that man.

Outside the Wall.

Surrounding our house is a cement and stone wall about ten feet high with hundreds of pieces of broken glass and bottles cemented into the top edge of the wall, and then on some sides, there are several rows of barbed wire above that. The only way to get into the property is through a red gate that has a series of latches and locks. You have to buzz to get in, and then Lenik lets you in if you're an expected guest.

Because we live on the top floor, we can see over this wall into the neighbor's property on the south side. Our neighbor lives on a little farm with geese, turkeys, chickens and goats. The property itself is pretty large to accommodate the animals, but the home is a small shack with walls made of mostly mud and some sticks and rocks. The roof is made from scraps of corrugated metal layered in such a way to hopefully keep out the rain.

I haven't met them yet, but I've observed that it's a family living there with parents who look about our age. They have a son who looks about Paulo's age, a daughter around Andre's age, and a son who's probably around two.

The other day, Hunter caught Paulo peering out the window for a really long time at their home,

and then he said, "Daddy, I want to do service. How can I help them?" I've been thinking about it, and I've decided I'm going to figure out how to make some kind of cookies or something, and muster up the courage to introduce ourselves. Then the kids can be friends. I'll let you know how it goes.

Nothing is EASY here.

I don't really like to sound like a complainer, but I'm being real here. My house, I am happy to report has many "perks" for Kenya (minimum requirements for the US, I might add). But each "perk" has an annoying inconvenience to go along with it.

The house DOES have hot water for the showers--you just have remember to turn on the switch to the small water heater that is mounted to the wall above the shower a few minutes ahead of time.

The showers DO have decent water pressure--you just have to remember to switch on the water pump BEFORE getting undressed.

I DO have a washing machine for my clothes--it just has a quarter of the capacity of my old washer, and it uses a TON of water. It's being worked on as we speak because it's broken. I've been hand washing everything while waiting for it to be repaired. I hang my clothes to dry, btw.

I DO have a refrigerator--it's just that I have to remember to wash my produce BEFORE putting it in the fridge or else tiny bugs will crawl down from my bananas, spread out to all areas of the fridge and die there.

I DO have running water, but we've been advised not to drink it. So, I have to pump drinking water through a Seychelle filter that Mom and Dad told me about, and I have to dip my washed dishes in bleach water, and I also have to use the pumped/filtered water with added vinegar for washing my vegetables.

I DO have flushable toilets, I just sometimes have to flush a few times to get them to completely flush.

I'm just realizing how easy I had it before. It takes so long to do things here that I am seriously considering getting house help.

Invitation to Dinner

I forgot to mention that at church, I made friends with a woman named Miriam. She was so kind and said she lives not far from the church. She invited us to come to her home afterward. I accepted the invitation, and we walked with her

(not that short of a walk after all--it felt like a mile in my uncomfortable shoes, but probably less) to her home. She said, "My home, very small, but 'caribu, caribu' you are welcome any day, any time." Her entire home is smaller than our kitchen. Her "front room" was BARELY big enough for an old love seat, armchair and small coffee table. Like imagine you're packing those items in a walk-in closet and have only enough room to walk in between. They had sleeping rooms in the back. I didn't realize it, but we had passed through the "kitchen" on our way into the living room. It was just a tiny space where she cooks over her fire stove on the floor, and she had a few shelves of pots and dishes.

Anyway, I was SO PROUD of the boys. We had had a conversation with them before we ever left the comfort of our Lehi home, and I told them, "Kids, one day we're going to be invited to eat with a person from Kenya, and they're going to be very poor and it will be a big sacrifice for them to give us their food, and I want you to be brave and eat the food, even if you don't like it." I didn't expect that we'd be doing just that only a few days after arriving, but she prepared this lovely dish of ugali, which is made from corn meal, and it's like a loaf or cake--think of the outside of a tamale. And she also made this other dish--I can't remember the name, but it's basically like a savory cooked kale dish.

Anyway, it was very flavorful and good, and my sweet boys--after I discreetly reminded them of our earlier conversation--ate until they were full. Miriam and her husband, Fred, were so kind and soft spoken. There was a strong, good spirit in their home.

It was an amazing experience. I'd like to have them over in return. I feel a little sheepish having such a huge home in comparison, but oh well.