Welcome to my exasperatingly long Kenya missions journal. It's been a few months since I finished writing this and my spiritual life has grown. I hope that you enjoy reading this; I intentionally did my best to keep this as conversational as possible.
Feel free to write back to me or write a comment on any of these posts.
-Jennifer Silvey
It has taken me almost the entire summer to write about Kenya. I decided to write this journal so that my supporters could have an idea of what happened on this trip and how their money was provided so we could touch countless lives. Also, I felt that if anyone was curious about a missions trip they could have a first account experience of one that went smoothly in Kenya. We were only there for a little more than two weeks but we reached out to thousands of lives in this time. Also, I would love to go on a trip like this again, but it is not easy to get away from the hustle and bustle of life and nor is it easy to find those that will support you. If you want to read through my journal I suggest going back to the first post. Please keep in mind this is only one person's experience of this trip. I have also included several pictures-- some of which are mine and some our from other team members. All of the pictures, except for the ones in the politics and AIDS post, were taken on this trip.
It was our last day in Africa. It was wonderful to be back in the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. We went to the Masai Market one last time. I planned to use all my shillings since each time currency was exchanged the money would lose its value. As soon as we got there I had someone who was working on commission follow me. I had to stay with him; I don't really like being pushed into shopping. Yet, it was better than every seller chasing after me. I did end up having to pay a higher price for things but it was still cheaper than what I would have paid at an actual store.
He would get mad every time I shot down his prices. He would make them nine times higher than what I knew was even close to being right. I bought a lot of jewelry and a limestone elephant-- also some shoes that broke after a few days of wearing them. I'm not a big shopper myself but as for this experience I hate haggling prices and being yelled at by the seller and that no is not an answer. I was still firm but that didn't matter because anything that I considered had to be bought. I had accidentally put my euros with my shillings and ended up having to give those away-- then I gave up the five dollars of American money that I had.
We went to a pizza place that was nearby and we looked through everyone's random purchases. Eric and I passed April's plates around the table. We were hoping that they would be passed all the way back to her, but I suppose people were getting tired of her complaining. We then headed back to Ufungamano and the YMCA to get our bags ready for the airport. Most of my belongings where in one suitcase now while I had a few emergency type items in my carry-on. I had an extra suitcase that had been used for resources.
We said our last goodbye to the Journey and then headed for the airport. It was going to be a long flight home plus I would be going to a wedding once I got back to America. First we would fly from Nairobi to France. We were looking forward to Paris but unfortunately it was more like a three hour security hoopla and so we had no extra time to explore the city. We played mafia for a short while, and I hadn't slept in hours because I didn't sleep on the Kenya plane. We then headed to Chicago where we had a slight lay-over and delay. Then we headed for Springfield, Missouri on a short flight. Our team went their separate ways to various homes and friends. I went with Jenny to her house to stay until my parents could pick me up from Arkansas. I then headed to Oklahoma City the next day for a wedding. For seven days I had been sleeping in a different city and bed.
Hebrews 13:5
Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you."
We were in the vans for our safari before sunrise. It was a long adventure trekking through the safari. It was incredible to see animals completely free. The place was huge and exquisitely beautiful. Earlier we had said we weren't really in Africa unless we saw a lion. But first we saw monkeys, baboons, and the sort.
Near the end of our first tour we saw the lions. One of them walked past our vans to the other side. I've never been so close to such a fierce animal, and it was impressive to be by it when it was so calm. I still can't get over how the lions roam free along with the other animals.
We saw even more spectacular sights and even walked on the beach outside our van. We were close to zebras, hippos, pelicans, and all kinds of wonders. It was an unbelievable experience. I kept thinking that the Lion King did an amazing job depicting everything I was seeing, and there's no doubt that this is completely different than going to a zoo. The animals were by far much more healthy than I had ever seen in a zoo; it's always sad to go by the lion cage and to see it restlessly pacing back and forth.
We had to clean our shoes then we traveled up a cliff to see the most spectacular view I think I will ever experience. Being surrounded by all this beauty gave me this unreal feeling that we have a great and beautiful creator. Seeing this oasis God had created and how everything could coexist just sounded so impossible; there's no way that life could begin from nothing.
We went to the Java House-- are you surprised? Andrew came with us and told us that while we were gone he had gotten a job. Isn't it crazy how many changes can happen in a week?
We left the next morning after praying and saying our goodbyes to Sevo's parents. The vans were much lighter this time since we weren't carrying the school resources and groceries. As we were leaving Western Kenya, April waved to every single person-- which accounted for some weird stares. Lance and her ended up playing a game to see who could get more waves on their side. It wasn't near as long of a ride coming to Butula because we stopped midway at a safari lodge. I had an extremely nice lunch-- at this point we had to be careful about what drinks we ordered money wise. No more entertaining juices for me!
April said everyone else went swimming. I woke up in time to go downstairs and watch the traditional dancing. A few people from our team ended up dancing with the dancers. Then I had another safari style lodge meal-- which were full of choices that were all delicious. Except, the dessert always tricked me. There was a man going around singing songs on his guitar and he ended up singing for one of our tables.
Who had the genius idea of bringing bubbles to Kenya? I don't know but I do know that I volunteered to play with bubbles during our block party. On our last day in Butula, we made a fun carnival like place for the children so they could play games and learn more about Christ and also have a way to have their parents meet the people they've been talking about and see who is giving them all the crafts. We had a ring toss, balloon animals, our own version of bowling, a face painting station, a fish game with magnets, and bubbles-- there was more.
Unfortunately, we never had a strong bubble solution. We wanted to make our own because the liquid would be extra weight that was unnecessary at the airport. Our solution didn't make bubbles; it was too soapy. I used some of the solution that was in a few of the wrapped bubble wands. It was enough to keep the children entertained for a couple of hours. The bubbles that could be made from that were huge-- I'll try not to stay on this topic too long because I'm sure some of you don't want to spend that much time reading about bubbles. There's probably two reasons why: one you would rather play with bubbles yourself and secondly reading about bubbles isn't exactly the greatest scholastic piece of literature. But it is not like I was attempting to write the greatest piece of scholastic literature when writing this journal.
To be honest, it wasn't what I had expected. It was kind of awkward at first because the kids would just stare at you while you waved bubbles. This was truly the job for me; it fits my personality in so many ways. The kids would attack the bubbles and clap for more. At the beginning they loved it but I think a few of them caught on that I was desperately trying to stretch what little we had. It was sticky. It was pretty when there was a ton of bubbles in the sky but kids are more interested in popping them than being in awe of all their colors. Some of the kids tried to use the wands that we had in the soapy detergent solution but it didn't do much. I gave out the wands that had solution to a few of the kids and they enjoyed those but of course the kids were competitive about who had them.
When those bubbles were out I was in a sticky situation. I was the only station that was finished and there was still plenty of time. But I had a consistent crowd and the kids were entertaining me. Eventually, it was just the place to play and not have to stand in a line. A few of the boys asked me to do tricks like their somersaults but I told them I couldn't. Instead it turned into a show of human tricks where they would do a trick and then I would. Surprisingly, I was more flexible than them and by putting my foot behind my head they were fairly impressed.
I was surprised they couldn't do some of the silly things I had been doing since I was a kid. One of the school teachers, I think the one who grilled us with questions in the 5th, 6th, and 7th grade combined, tried to help me with one of the tricks and he demonstrated it. I just sat on the ground, not intentionally I just couldn't hold my weight on my ankles. Somehow the solution in the bucket that wasn't being used was being thrown around by the kids with the bubbles. So, in my warped sense of humor I began taking a full handful of bubbles and water and ran around in a circle acting like I was going to throw it at the kids. Most of them just laughed at me. I, for the most part, ended up with the whole batch of solution on me. Even though it was just soap and water, I imagine it was a good thing I was the one covered in it. Anytime I would step back the kids would get closer to me. Then I would run after them with the bubbly solution. My team members thought I looked insane but the kids seemed to have enjoyed it. They had thrown bubble wands here and there and showed their disinterest and for most of the day I was entertaining them with jokes and silly human tricks.
Later, once we started closing all the stations down and gave out more candy-- which had an instant reaction in the kids blood sugar-- we had our last and final assembly of the whole trip. There were plenty of parents that had come to their children's school to see what had been happening. The whole day reminded me of elementary school. The teachers were also there to support their children and to cheer them in all the myriads of events. Also, there was a guy going around taking pictures for everybody and also if a child, or if parents or even teachers, wanted a picture with one of us he took one.
Someone from the team said that basically if you were a girl or if you had blonde hair they wanted a picture otherwise they didn't seem to care. I didn't mind although it was weird when someone would just hand me a child and ask for a picture-- there was no choice at all. My favorite was when I was with April and they made each of us hold a child and then after the picture we switched the kids we were holding and took another picture. I took pictures with whole families and with each child of the family. They would ask me to hold their child or hold their hand and it was a bit intense I must admit.
But things started cooling down as we came closer to assembly time. We had a sack race where a child and their parent had to race to the finish. At this point, I noticed that beyond the fence there were children who were not from the school that were watching. I felt a little sad that they could not be apart of it; I think it was just because they didn't go to the school. Then again, if they had been at the school I'm not sure anyone would have noticed. It was interesting that they stayed to watch us for so long. One of the girls ended up going to them and giving them candy.
For the assembly we we thanked everyone for letting us be there and Sevo introduced all of us. We had loved being with the children and we wanted them to know how special they all were. Some of the children who had performed in the music festival-- we ended up paying for their bus with our extra donations so that they could compete-- they did a short play for us. Then the younger kids came and sang-- we ended up singing with them.
We also sang a couple of popular Christian songs and then had a skit with a final message. We reenacted the story of when Jesus was preaching and the children came racing to him but the disciples pushed them away. We acted as the disciples and parents that brought children to Jesus. The children instantly flocked to us and helped us with our story.
Sevo made it clear to them who Jesus was and how much he valued everyone. He asked everyone to close their eyes for prayer and that if anyone wanted to know Jesus they should raise their hand. I of course had to peak and I saw a little boy shyly rise his hand in front of me. As for anyone else, I have no idea but it's definite we gave these children a new understanding about Christ and we had also conquered prejudices. We gave out juice and cookies to all the children and a few more pictures were taken.
After we had finished and families, children, teachers, and the like were making their way home I made an effort to get to where our welcome greeters had sat and wished everyone goodbye. Some of the older students tried to teach me some Swahili to sing and they danced with me and the music that was playing over the stereo system. They told me they were thankful that we had come and they wished we weren't leaving. They told me things seemed different while we were there and they felt change. They begged for us to stay but I told them we had to leave, for at least a little while. They said I had to come back and they had no doubts in their faces. It was as if I had no choice and was supposed to come back.
I high fived people as they left and also shook many hands. Many of the parents told me how thankful they were and also they were glad to see their children with lifted spirits. But the last person was the most memorable. The boy who I had been playing with the whole week was trying to hide. He was running around people and smiling heavily. I chased the kid and rubbed his head; I even carried him around and swung him in a circle. He was sad that we were leaving; it was written all over his face but yet he smiled proudly. I told him he had to keep being amazing for me and to watch the younger kids. He waved as he walked away. Mami had seen the whole moment. She asked me if I had known that he was an orphan. I didn't. I wanted to run after him so I could take him home. She told me that even though he didn't have parents that the community had been kind to him. He often stayed with a certain family and he was able to go to school. I have no idea how he became an orphan, whether his parents just could not raise him or if they had passed away-- yet I always saw him smiling and helping others. He stood out to me the entire week. He had a certain presence that was captivating.
Just now I was listening to the song "Adia." The original meaning behind it is about friends who have gone separate ways and is an apology for leaving, but there is a promise of healing from that pain. Sarah McLachlan gave little insight about the song and stated that she was merely looking for a name in the song. What's so peculiar to me is that the name "Adia" is a Swahili name that means being a gift. That boy was a gift to me and I hope that with my life I can write about him so that not only I will remember him but so will others.
(He's the boy in the front on the left side)
Matthew 19:13-15
On Friday, Jordan and I taught the older students about the boy who gave his lunch to Jesus in the new testament. It was the first time that I had a chance to teach a lesson in Butula. Each time we taught the lesson I think it got a little better. One teacher did an entire reenactment with his class. He found someone to split his biscuit (cookie) with their classmates. In the combined 5th, 6th, and 7th grade class we were attacked with questions that we think the teacher was giving to the students. These questions varied from: "Where was Jesus traveling when this happened?" "How many people were following him?" "Where's Gilead on a map?" "Did the boy get in trouble for giving up his food?" "How many days was Jesus in Gilead?" "Which disciples were with Jesus during this miracle?" "What did Jesus do before?"
I personally think we came up with plausible answers for those questions and if we ever honestly didn't know we would say it does say in the Bible but that wasn't something that we felt was important for today's story, or something along those lines. The question of whether the child got in trouble for giving up their lunch has to do more with the context of their culture. Here in America giving up your lunch might seem strange or even may show signs of something deeper mentally. There it could potentially be grounds for punishment since for some people, not all, food is scarce. I never would have asked that question myself so it was nice to have a new insight.
I was more energetic that day, and had gotten used to the strange dreams I was having. The nights kept repeating their self but I was too exhausted to care and as Sevo put it "We've already won." So there was nothing to fear.
Later that night, or the night before --I'm not sure how badly I'm mixing this week together-- we went to a hotel to eat at a buffet. I ended up sitting with Tim, he was our new team member that came for the week of Butula and he is Kristina's brother; I also sat with Lance and April. There were more people at the end of the table. We had a little more variety in diet and some of the best steak I've eaten in my whole life. I also tried a quiche for the first time along with some different fruit recipes-- the pineapple or something was fried somehow. They also had French fries which they called chips. Before we even traveled to the restaurant I actually saw what life was like around Butula. It was somewhat like I had imagined. The roads were filled with holes and life for the most part was obviously rural. The houses that we traveled by were open, and interestingly decorated. There were plenty of bonfires outside, and considering it was the rainy season, and this seemed colder to them than us, they were trying to make sufficient heat.
I remember lanterns that gave off an orange and yellow like glow, and I don't remember seeing many children. The stars were brighter here than in Nairobi, of course, but from my home in Mountain Home they weren't that much easier to see. Some of us were disappointed because we expected light pollution to be decreased in comparison with America so we were expecting a spectacular sight of a sky.
At night we had a bonfire and sang worship songs. Later a few of us stayed by the fire to have a few nightly talks about church and the sort. One of Sevo's brothers told us all about Kenya and what was happening with church. He told us about jealousy in the area and how that brought, or spawned, witchcraft. Also, when Christians had originally come through Kenya many of them allowed witchcraft alongside the teachings-- which makes no sense at all considering witchcraft is about giving yourself to an unknown source and the worship of Satan.
Sevo's brother also told us about some of the things that had been happening such as people being jealous of Hekima Academy and its success. It made others jealous to see success so they did what they could to throttle that. The witches would present their selves as teachers without letting their fellow teachers fully know their background. I find it disturbing to think that a child who is innocently going to school could be taught very sinister and backwards things. In fact, that may be the darkest thing I've ever heard.
These teachers of course were trying to bring down this school and what it was offering. Some of our original plans were to go into the community around the compound to do projects to allow more people to hear the message of Christ. Sevo's parents were uncomfortable with this idea and after hearing about more of the area I can understand a little of why they would feel that way. We were stretching his parents quite a lot with the things we were doing. Also, not only were teachers coming that were disguised witches but children of these witches were sent to foil the school.
But regardless, the school kept growing and more standards (grades) were being added. It started with one child and after fighting the circumstances and being patient the school grew to 261 students by the time we had arrived. It was amazing. Of course it's tough when people are trying to scare you or destroy your plans. I wouldn't find it easy to wake up and find a chicken with its head cut off on my porch or when they go through hanging laundry, but a lot of what they are doing is just trying to scare you. I know hardly anything on this matter.
While we were there during our trip, eleven supposed witches fairly close to this area were murdered from a list of made names. I didn't know this until I started doing research at home on events that happened while we were in Kenya.
I apologize because I know that I am writing things in an incorrect order. This bonfire had to have occurred before I met with Mami when I was headed to the school to take pictures because of a pertinent part of the conversation that had built to that moment. It's unbelievable how different these two weeks panned out.
