Last Sunday, we drove to Kisii to attend the 6:30 am Mass since we needed to get on the road and head to Nairobi.  Because we never know what time Mass will start for sure next door, we decided to go to one that we know starts on time, and because it did, we were able to begin our trek to Nairobi by 9:30 am.  Nairobi is about 180 miles from the Mission house and takes between five and six hours to get there because of the traffic, driving up the escarpment, and having to slow down along the way for the approximately 250 speed bumps Wes has counted in the past.  The drive up the escarpment was nerve wracking, as it usually is, because of the crazy drivers who take chances passing on stretches of road they shouldn’t be.  The escarpment itself is probably 12 to 15 miles in length but it easily takes a half hour or more to drive it.  It is heavy with traffic, especially the trucks that are hauling anything and everything and at times the trucks seem to be going at a snail’s pace as they climb the escarpment.  We arrived safe and sound in Nairobi around 3 pm.  The views of the escarpment on the way to Nairobi were not the best because it was windy and dusty which made it hazy.  On our return trip to the Mission house on Tuesday, the views were better so Kathy was able take in the beautiful landscape while Wes kept his eyes on the road and the crazy drivers. 

The reason for our trip to Nairobi was to make another visit to Immigration to see if Kathy’s Alien ID card was ready - a card that foreigners must carry with them along with their passport if they are residing in Kenya for more than ninety days though we have been here for 13 months!  We originally applied for our cards in June of last year and at that time, we were interviewed and had our biometrics done.  As was noted in one of our blogs last June, Wes was able to do his biometrics electronically while Kathy, because she is missing part of her left ring finger, had to do hers the old-fashioned and messy way.  At that time, we were told it would take a few weeks and to check our portals for notification that the cards were ready.  When we first applied for our work permits in December of 2022, we had to set up separate accounts and anything we have done since from applying, uploading documents, downloading forms, applying for an extension, paying fees, etc., has been done on-line and in turn we are to get notifications when something has been accepted or needs attention such as paying another fee, etc.  In the perfect world that is supposed to be how it works but we are in Kenya.  We never did receive notification after our June visit so Fr. David advised us to go to Nairobi, present to Immigration, and tell them we were there to pick up our cards (even though we were never notified they were ready) and so we did that last November.  Wes’s card was ready while Kathy’s was not.  After a substantial amount of time was spent investigating, the supervisor realized that Kathy’s information was never entered because the person working on Kathy’s file saw the name Pepple and decided that it was already in the system.  Had the clerk at that time paid attention to the first name, he/she would have realized that the Pepple in the system was Wes.  In November, the supervisor stated they needed time to locate the file and so we were to check back in thirty days and, if not found, Kathy would have to do the process again.  So, on Monday of this past week, we arrived at Immigration shortly after 8 am.  Kathy presented to the Alien Card window and gave the clerk her file number.  The clerk looked through the card files on her counter but couldn’t find one with Kathy’s name on it.  She directed Kathy to go to the back room and talk to the supervisor and as Kathy made her way there, she didn’t have a good feeling about it.  When Kathy approached the supervisor’s desk – the same person she dealt with in November - the woman looked up at Kathy and said, “today is not a good day as it is Monday and the computers are down”!  What struck Kathy was that the only computer that was down was the one on the supervisor’s desk.  Kathy started to tell the woman the issue from last November but the lady didn’t want to hear it because she couldn’t get into her computer and therefore would not be able to check the status.  Kathy really wanted to ask why she couldn’t use someone else’s computer since all the others seemed to be working but thought better and kept silent.  The supervisor told Kathy to go find something to do and come back in one hour.  We decided to just stay in the building as we would have to go back through security if we left.  After one hour, Kathy walked back to the supervisor’s desk and saw that the computer was still not working.  The supervisor proceeded to tell Kathy to call back tomorrow to see what the status was.  Kathy then explained that we came all the way from Kisii just to get the ID card to which the woman simply said, “come back later” though Kathy wasn’t sure what later meant so she asked, “one hour, two hours?”  Kathy could tell by the woman’s response she was getting a little irritated though we all know that when computers aren’t working at our places of work, we can all get a little testy.  We decided to leave and walked back to Flora Hostel where we were staying.  We had some errands to do so we drove to a mall and then back to Flora Hostel.  At noon, we again walked the thirty minutes to Immigration though by that time it was getting warmer out and we were getting a little tired.  Once at Immigration, Kathy immediately walked to the back room and upon approaching the supervisor’s desk, saw that the computer was up and running which was a good sign.  The lady then took Kathy’s serial number off the paper she had from when she did the manual fingerprints in June and tried to enter them in the computer but nothing would come up.  The lady then wanted to know where Kathy’s first card was to which Kathy tried to tell her she’s never had a card though the lady was sure she did.  Kathy then explained everything starting from June when she and Wes came to do the biometrics, the manual fingerprints for Kathy, the trip back in November when it was realized that the paperwork was never entered into the system because it was thought that it was a duplicate, etc.  It was at this point something jogged the woman’s memory and she pulled up Wes’s file.  She then went to her phone and on What’s App pulled up a picture of Kathy’s form sent to her by the person who was supposed to have entered it in the system.  The supervisor then retrieved a big book with files of those who were still pending and went through it twice but could not find Kathy’s file.  Kathy then asked if she could just do the process over since this has been going on since June and still can’t find the paperwork.  Kathy got no response and for a moment was wondering if she should offer chai (aka bribe) to see if that could help but decided it was best to not do that even though we hear all the time that people expect chai (bribes).  The supervisor then walked to another room to have a discussion with someone and upon returning said that she will approve the process to be done again but needed three things all which were in our portal and we didn’t have access to because we didn’t have a computer with us.  She told Kathy that if she brought these items today, she would approve having the process repeated.  Kathy made the comment that we didn’t have access to a computer to which the supervisor gave Kathy a funny look and simply said, “go outside down the street there are cyber cafes and they know about such stuffs”.   So, Kathy picked up Wes in the waiting room and together headed outside to find a cybercafe.  We haven’t heard many good things about cyber cafes here so we were a little leery but at the same time needed to find one.  As we looked outside and searched the faces of people, Wes made the comment, “who looks reputable?”  We decided the security guard across the street looked reputable so asked him where we could find a cybercafé.  He responded, “you wait here I will call someone to take you” to which we said, “we don’t need to have someone drive us anywhere”.  He got on his phone and we weren’t sure if we should walk away or trust the guy but decided to trust him.  After a short time, a well-dressed young man came to up us and said, “I take you to cybercafe” and so we followed.  We walked a few blocks and along the way through conversation, came to find out the guy’s name was Duke and his brother owned the business.  He led us into a building that looked legitimate so we kept following until we reached a small room that had about 10 people in it with 4 of them working at a computer.  Duke gave Kathy a chair next to one of the guys at a computer and told him what Kathy needed from her portal.  The guy brought up the website for Kathy to put her information in and, once logged in, the guy knew exactly where to go to get the needed forms and printed them out.  Once Kathy saw that he had logged out of her account, she proceeded to find Wes and Duke.  It didn’t take more than 5 minutes for this process and for their services, paid 50 Shillings (40 cents) which we thought was a very good deal. We hurried back to Immigration to get through security as we knew that it would be close to lunch time which meant we’d be waiting, again.  We arrived around 1:15 pm, went through security but as we approached the door, an armed security guard informed us the staff were on their lunch break and to come back at 2 pm.  We found a place to sit on a curb under a tree as the sun was quite intense.  At 2 pm, when the building opened, we made our way back to the Immigration department where Kathy headed to the back room to give the requested documents to the supervisor.  The woman looked through them, made some notes giving her approval to have fingerprinting done again and directed Kathy back to the waiting room to wait for someone to come and get her.  After 45 minutes, someone finally did come and took Kathy to get her fingerprinting done manually – a process that took five to eight minutes.  Once completed, the man who did the paperwork told Kathy it would take two months.  In June, this same guy said it would take a couple of weeks!  So, we know we will be traveling back to Nairobi in March and hopefully, the card is ready.  If it is, we will immediately head to the KRA (Kenyan Revenue Authority) office to apply for a KRA pin number, which the bank here is requiring us to have in order to be signatories on the checking account.  Things do move slowly in Kenya which can be very frustrating but there is nothing we can do about it…we’re thinking our three-year commitment will be up and just maybe by then all the paperwork will finally be in order!

This past Wednesday and Thursday, we traveled to Emenyenche for Water with Blessings trainings.  The church, where the training was held, sits high on top of the mountain and the views were breathtaking.  Photos taken just didn’t seem to do any justice to the beauty that surrounded you no matter where you looked.  The location sits at 7000 feet and the terrain at times is at a 45-degree angle.  When standing outside the church, one could look toward the next mountain and see huge tea fields hugging the sides of the mountain.  The climb to this church was steep and we were just glad it was not raining…if it had been, Kathy would have gotten out of the vehicle and walked to the church!  Truthfully, we won’t be traveling this road should it be raining after having traveled it when it was dry.  Both trainings went well and in the two days, 29 women were trained.  On both days, a number of children came and they sat at benches/desks off to the sides of the church and didn’t make any fuss or noise.  The older ones listened to the whole presentation and at the end, they could take apart and put the filter assembly back together as well as the mamas.  In fact, as the mamas - especially the older ones - were trying to put the filter and bucket together, some of the young ones helped.  Kathy tried to demonstrate to one of the older mamas which direction to turn the washer but the mama wasn’t getting it (they don’t understand righty tighty and lefty loosey).  A young boy, a sixth grader, watched with amusement as Kathy tried to demonstrate and since she wasn’t getting anywhere, asked the boy if he could tell the mama what to do in Ekegusii which he did and almost immediately the mama did what she was supposed to do!  After the trainings each day, the mamas insisted on serving us chai and food.  We didn’t want to on the first day as we still had three to fours hours ahead of us to get Emma and Lilian to their homes as well as clean all the filters, cups, and other equipment we use at the trainings when we got back to the Mission house plus get ready for the next day. Lilian did her best to decline the invitation but according to Lilian, the “mamas said they will be angry if you do not stay” so we didn’t want to make them angry!  Being able to give of themselves and offer the gift of food is a way for them to show their appreciation.  On the first day, we were served ugali and two kinds of mboga (greens) – one was pumpkin leaves while the other was nightshade leaves.  To prepare these greens, they first boil the leaves and then fry them with onions and tomatoes.   To drink, they had chai and sour milk which Kathy declined both while Wes drank some of the tea.  The sour milk, when it is poured into a cup, comes out in chunks with some liquid and it is something that neither one of us will probably ever be able to take…it is hard to even watch it be poured into a cup since it is chunky.  Again, because they don’t have refrigeration, this is how they take their milk.  On the second day, we were offered chai and bread.  During the meals, we were asking about means of getting water when they live at the top of the mountain.  They collect rain water if it rains but that is not enough especially right now when it has not rained for over a week.  The mamas relayed that getting water from the river is a two to three-day process since the distance for some of them could be up to a mile or more one way.  They will start their trek early in the morning and once they reach the river at the bottom of the mountain, they will fill their containers and carry them part way back up the mountain, leaving their filled containers at someone’s house along the way.  They will then go back to their home, get up the next day and walk back down the mountain to where their filled containers are and start the trek up the mountain.  They have to carry all their water up the mountain – water for cooking, drinking, bathing, washing clothes and dishes as well as for their livestock.  As beautiful as the views are from the top, Kathy decided she’d probably rather live at the bottom of the mountain or at least half way down the mountain closer to the river!  We just can’t imagine this way of life but for these people it is what they have to do as they don’t have a choice.  When you see what people here have to do and how hard they have to work to survive, you cannot help but step back and express gratitude to God for all He has given to us…we have no idea how easy our lives are in America when it comes to certain things and with all the conveniences we have.  It was an interesting two days of trainings and one that we will not soon forget.  We will conduct follow ups at Emenyenche over the next six months so we will be able to enjoy the breathtaking scenery but at the same time will also think of these people and the efforts it takes to have water, something so vital to life. 

Shamba update:  this week they finished pouring the concrete into the forms for the support columns.  They plan to bring the posts from the first level to the second to put the plates in place that will hold the next layer of concrete.  The masons continue to shape the stones.  When one drives by and into the shamba itself, you can always hear the men chipping away at the stones.  They have been doing this six days a week since November 17th under the hot sun.  The goats seem to be enjoying their new residence and already the new barn doesn’t smell so new! 
Please know that we keep you in our prayers and ask that you keep us, the Mission, and those we serve in yours.  Mungu Akubariki!
See photos from this week in the album section by clicking on the link below.  Note:  If unable to view the photos using the link below, you can still view them by going to St. Joseph’s Parish website and scrolling down to the section titled Kenya Mission – photo album.  The website is:  stjparish.com


https://stjparish.com/photoalbums/kenya-1-22-23