Last Sunday (Oct 16), we were told by one of the Sisters that there would be one Mass starting at 10 am.  We decided to drive to Kisii to attend the 6:30 am Mass at the Cathedral as one Mass at Gekano meant it would be held outside under the hot sun, there would be lots of people, and it may or may not start at 10 am. The Mass at the Cathedral started on time and the priest had a five-minute homily which surprised us.  But, the end of Mass made up for the five-minute homily as the list of announcements took 15 -20 minutes.  We went for a one hour walk once we got back from Kisii and as we were coming back to the Mission house on our walk, we encountered a lot of people on their way to Mass one of which was a group of several hundred high school boys from St. Paul’s School located about 1.5 miles from the church.  Each of the young men was carrying a chair (up the mountain) to sit on during the outdoor Mass. These were not the light plastic chairs – these were the steel chairs most likely found in their classrooms. Being that the Mission house is very close to the church, we could tell that Mass started around 9:45 am - instead of 10 am as Sister thought - which was another surprise because Sunday Masses don’t start on time unless the celebrant is Fr. David.  There was a second Mass (Sister told us there would be only one) and that one lasted until after we got back from taking Faith to her boarding school.  We have found that a scheduled start time for functions doesn’t really mean anything – it is just a suggestion.  For us Americans, that can be quite frustrating but we are getting good practice with the virtue of patience!

Last Sunday morning, around 11 am, we picked Faith up to drive her back to her boarding school in Ichuni.  When we got to Faith’s house, she greeted us with a hug and a big smile which told us she was feeling better.  If we had not taken Faith back to school, she would’ve had to travel by pikipiki (motocycle) about 45 minutes across bumpy dirt roads and with her recovering from pneumonia, we felt it best to give her a ride. It also gave us a chance to see more of the countryside as it was a beautiful morning for a drive.  Faith was happy to see her friends who came to greet us upon our arrival at the school.  They were studying in the classroom (remember this is a Sunday) and happened to see us drive up.  We arrived back at the Mission around 1:30 pm.  At 4:30 pm we headed next door to the Sister’s chapel for Adoration.  We, along with the Sisters, have Adoration every Sunday and Thursday at 4:30 for one hour.  It is a nice time to sit, relax, and pray in the presence of the Lord. 

On Wednesday, Lilian, Emma, and Kathy made visits to mamas that received a water filter and bucket in the past (approximately one year ago).  Visits are being made to the nyumbani (home) of the mama to see that the filters are still being used and cared for properly.  If they are using and cleaning it as they should, the women are given a 210-liter water drum to collect rain water.  This drum will save the women about 10 trips up and down the mountain to collect water from the river.  It was interesting visiting these women in their homes - all of them were very welcoming, inviting us into their home to sit briefly, show us the bucket and filter, and to answer any questions we had.  These visits were not announced and Kathy mentioned to Emma and Lilian that back home it might not work to just come unannounced but here it is not a big deal.  What strikes one when you walk into a home, is the layout of the room and the walls.  You are brought to a sitting area where there are many couches.  One of the homes had 5 different couches which could have easily sat 15-20 people.  The walls tend to have religious posters covering them but one in particular had its own kind of wall paper – it was covered with pages from newspapers pasted to the wall.  All but one of the houses we visited was a mud home and so most likely putting a little “wallpaper” on helps to cover the mud walls and brightens up the room.  For all of the five visits we made, we could only drive so far and then we had to walk through a maze of footpaths in between tea fields and grassy areas up and down the mountain to reach the homes.  Sometimes, Lilian would try to call the woman to verify we were where we should be and other times as you are walking, a neighbor would just start talking to us through the hedge (acts as a boundary or fence) though you couldn’t see a face.  The one neighbor told us where a particular mama was and when she would probably be home!  Some were out in tea field and others at the market in the village.  For one of visits where the mama was not home, it didn’t take long before the mama appeared as word traveled fast that there were visitors at her door.  As we walked to the different shambas, we had some spectacular views and often Kathy would stop to take a picture though the pictures don’t do any justice to the scenery.   Kathy had made the comment how beautiful this land is and how the scenery is a “feast for the eyes” no matter where you look which Lilian and Emma found surprising.  They made the comment that “you see the beauty in all of it and to us it is not a big thing because we are around it all our life” to which Kathy said, “we often take for granted what we have right in front of us - we fail to notice and fully appreciate it”.  Kathy explained that back home the land is beautiful in its own way but here in the Kisii area, there are so many shades of green with the trees and tea fields amongst the shambas dotting the mountain sides which all together looks like a giant patchwork quilt though they didn’t quite understand the concept of the patchwork quilt.  Of the five women we visited, we found that all have been using the filter and bucket and several of them were still filtering water for neighbors long after they were required to (once trained women are asked to filter water for their neighbors for a minimum of six months).  One of the women had actually taken her bucket to her neighbor to filter water since they had a funeral in the family this past week - we found this to be a very kind and compassionate act in their neighbor’s time of grief and we thanked the woman for doing that. Another women told the story of having visitors from some distance away and after giving them the filtered water, they asked where the water came from because it tasted so good.  The mama told her visitors it was river water and the visitors couldn’t believe it and of course, they wanted to know where they could get such a bucket and filter.  The WWB program has touched many lives since the pilot project in 2018 with well over 600 women trained to date and children reaping the most benefits.  It is a project that has been fine-tuned since 2018 but it has been a worthwhile project and Lilian, our WWB coordinator, has done an excellent job with helping it to be where it is today.

In addition to the water drums and visiting the mamas, we met with a total of eight different groups of women for WWB follow-ups in the past week.  The follow-ups are truly a joy for us to attend especially if there are children to babysit!  The women are usually very engaged especially those attending their first follow-up after their initial training.  At several of the places, we were given gifts including several bunches of ndizi (bananas), mayai (eggs), and mboga (vegetable – the green leafy kind that looks somewhat like weeds to us).  At one of the follow-ups, several of the women told us how amazed they were when they did their daily backflush to clean the filter.  They said they thought the water they were always drinking was pretty clean because it “looked” clear but when they did the backflush, they saw the brown water that came out.  One of the women said, “we have been drinking dirty water all this time”!  It was a great observation on her part and a visual one helping them to understand how well the filter does work. 

On Wednesday while the gals (Lilian, Emma, and Kathy) were making visits, the guys (Wes and Rogers) drove around the area to finish inspecting sights for houses and heifers that will be awarded in the next month.  They also checked on one of the calves that will soon be given back to the Mission.  As explained in an earlier blog, the first heifer calf born from the cow given to the recipient is taken back by the Mission to be awarded to another recipient for the Heifer program.  There are far more people who could use a heifer on their shamba but because they do not have the land to raise the nappier grass to feed the cow, they cannot receive a cow which is unfortunate.  Cows have had to be repossessed by the Mission at times because of the animal not being fed as it should though they have the grass to feed it (they are not awarded the animal unless they do have the land and grass to feed it).  In some instances, the grass is being sold and the animal fed less; thus, why visits are made to check on the welfare of the animals.  Wes had spectacular views as well as he and Rogers traveled to the shambas.  At one place, they had to walk a considerable distance up the mountain at about a 45-degree angle and when they reached the shamba, the views were stunning and worth the arduous walk. 

On Friday, we took Dominic, one of the orphans, to Tenwek Hospital for a follow-up eye appointment.  Dominic, who is a third grader, had surgery last year for what they refer to here as “squints” which basically means he was cross eyed.  His sister Celestine, who is in Form 3 (Junior in high school), came along as well.  When we got to the road that leads to their shamba, Dominic came up to the driver’s side of the Hilux and greeted us but he kept looking at Kathy who was in the front passenger seat.  Though we were pretty sure we already knew the answer, Kathy discreetly told Wes to ask Dominic where he wanted to sit so Wes asked Dominic if he wanted to sit in the back or the front and with a big smile, Dominic pointed to the front.  So, Kathy moved to the back which was quite alright.  We left the Mission house at 6:30 am and didn’t return until 3:45 pm.  The drive to Tenwek is about 46 miles from the Mission house but it takes about 1 ½ hours with most of the drive on tarmac (highway).  As with all medical follow ups here, you don’t have a scheduled appointment – you show up, pay the fee, and then get in the line to wait your turn.  Upon arriving, we waited a short time to pay the consultation fee of KSH 500 ($5.00) but then the long wait began and 4 ½ hours later Dominic was finally seen by a provider.  I can’t imagine in the United States how people would take waiting this long but here, people calmly sat in chairs waiting for their name to be called never saying anything or yelling at the receptionist, etc.  It is just the way it is here.  After Dominic’s appointment, they went to eat lunch having beans and rice.  As we walked back to the parking lot, we stopped at a duka (shop) alongside the street to purchase a soda for them.  After purchasing the sodas, Dominic looked at Celestine and said, “mkate” which means bread.  Kathy turned to Celestine and asked if they wanted a loaf of bread and she said, “yes” so we purchased a loaf of bread for them.   As we walked back to the vehicle, Celestine told Kathy that Dominic asked for it so he could share it with his little brother when they got home.  Dominic and Celestine didn’t drink their sodas on the way home, either – they saved them to share with their brother.  It was very heartwarming to see these siblings think not just of themselves but of their little brother.  We have seen this very same thing with the children who come for lollipops – they look out for one another and always make sure everyone gets a lollipop before they leave.  As we drove back from Tenwek, Kathy and Celestine were talking and the subject of increased food prices came up with Celestine saying they cannot afford to buy cooking oil and the cost of maize is about three times what it was a year ago. When we got to the road leading to their shamba and before Celestine got out of the vehicle, Kathy gave her some money to buy cooking oil and maize for the family…Celestine was most grateful.  Everyday, we encounter people who are living on the edge and little Dominic and his family are one of many that are in need for just the basics in life such as food…seems so unfair.    

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: 

https://stjparish.com/photoalbums/kenya-10-30-22