Housemates in what has become known as the kuku (hen) house. Colleagues at Tirrim schools. Co-workers in the gospel. Comrades against the local wildlife. Sisters in Christ.
Christina, Misha and Sarah (left to right in the picture) are three wonderful, godly women (or, as the locals would say, 'girls' as none of us are married) who joined me in Korr from America last week. We've enjoyed getting to know each other, joining to fight the camel spiders, and figuring out our new timetables. And we've started praying together in the evenings for AIM missionaries and for different countries around the world.
I pray that they will have an amazing year in here and that God will work in their lives and use them in Korr.
The Rendille use donkeys to carry things. When animals are grazing far away the donkeys are usually with the herders and will only make occasional visits into Korr. However, since the rains before Christmas and the better grazing closer to town, there are more donkeys around. I like the look of donkeys - here they are well looked after, and have big, thoughtful eyes. But I don't appreciate the sound of them...day and night you can hear piercing 'eeyore' cries that sound like the donkeys are being slowly slaughtered! Along with the influx of spiders, they are one of the less welcome results of the rain!
Chai is a very popular drink here. It is served to
students at morning and afternoon break and students are most put out if they
have to miss it! It is a very sweet, normally milky tea, brewed over the school
kitchen’s fire. As teachers, we have it brought to us in thermos flasks. I’m
adjusting to the sugar…it doesn’t seem as refreshing as tea without sugar. Quite a lot of time is spent sitting outside of the classroom like this and is I am still getting used to the pace of life, even at school, where noone is in a hurry. Relationships, not time or tasks, are what is important.
In many of the local go’obs (villages), chai will be all that is
taken at breakfast and lunch, with goat or camel milk. If the animals are far away then there may not
be any milk available and it will be drunk black.
Earlier today I saw some women moving house. Literally. They were carrying the curved poles of their houses, called mins, on their backs.
This week I returned to Korr after spending much of the long end of year school holidays travelling and staying in other places. I have missed the big open skies with bright sunshine, stunning sunsets and starry nights, and the friendly people here. I am glad to be back and excited about the year to come.
I have also moved house this week. I thought that I was travelling light and that moving would be a very quick and easy task. However, I ended up using a car to move my bags and boxes the few hundred metres. Compared to the local Rendille women I saw, I don't live as simply here as I thought. I certainly still have more stuff !
I will be sharing the new house with three American teachers arriving tomorrow. It is a large, basic, concrete house, with two bedrooms and a big kitchen/dining/living room. Clean water, solar electricity, satellite internet. Toilet and shower are just outside. I haven't shared with so many for many years...I hope it is going to be a lot of fun!
Last week I got to help out at a holiday bible club at a Nairobi church. Part of each day's craziness involved practising for the play that was performed during today's church service. Titled 'Countdown to Christmas', the play told the story of the Old Testament; of God's plans and provision for His people, culminating in the birth (and death and resurrection) of Jesus.
Last week I went to a
conference with other people who work with AIM in Kenya. This was a refreshing
and relaxing time, and it was great to meet others and find out what God is doing in different
parts of the country.
I heard about how
modern technology is being used to bring God’s message to the Gabra, another
nomadic tribe in the north of Kenya. Few of the Gabra people have heard about
the good news of Jesus, they can’t read and don’t have access to Bibles or
churches. Yet the Bible in Gabra language has been recorded onto these easy-to-use
solar-powered MP3 players which are then distributed to interested villagers.
Up to about 20 people can listen to the recordings at a time, which they do at
night until the battery runs out! The people have been excited to hear the
message and often memorise passages and then pass on the Treasure.
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching,
for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of
God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy 3:16-17
Treasure indeed!
Who'd have thought I'd miss something as ordinary as blackcurrant and
apple squash?! The juice drinks available here are very sugary and blackcurrant
isn’t very common. Today I discovered a selection of imported Robinsons drinks
and started by buying the blackcurrant and apple. Next might be pink
grapefruit.
