Meet...Eysimbasele and Bagajo

This is me with Bagajo, one of our two night guards. He works alternate fortnights.

 

 

He arrives around sunset with animated Rendille greetings for us all, eats his supper and, then as we start getting ready for bed, he pulls out a mattress on the front porch.

 

Then there is Eysimbasele, who is not as scary as the picture below suggests! He is sometimes called upon to kill a spider, failed in his attempts to kill the mouse that was in the pantry and enjoys the electric racquet-shaped bug swatter.

 

A fearless-looking Eysimbasele!

 

But one evening a while back he did the wonderful job of killing this snake, or toff. Christina discovered the snake in the hallway outside the bathroom and promptly climbed onto the high bathroom cabinets while I called Eysimbasele! Whilst he was clearly wary of the snake he nevertheless managed to beat it to death with his stick! This is the first snake that I saw in Korr, and apparently it's a pretty big one!

The following week housemate Misha was stung on the foot by a scorpion while out with some Kenyan friends. After squashing the offending animal they found a car and got her to Jim and Laura who have a one of the electric shock machines. This helped ease some of the pain, although she had to have many electric shock sessions and remained in discomfort for several days.

Interestingly the Bible records how Jesus spoke of snakes and scorpions: 'Look, I have given you authority to crush snakes and scorpions underfoot. I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you.' Luke 10:19

This seems quite relevant to us in Korr although I don't think that Jesus was speaking literally of these dangerous animals but about the evil that is in the world. Jesus said 'In this world you will have trouble.' But he continues, 'But take heart! I have overcome the world.' (John 16:33). Those who walk in faith with Jesus don't have to be consumed by these troubles but can use his authority to overcome the 'snakes and scorpions' that we face.

Last weekend I visited Eysimbasele in his village, go'ob Neybey. I met his wife, mother and two youngest children. They live in a traditional Rendille house called a min into which we were warmly welcomed to drink chai.