Continuing the Journey

Family Photograph

2010-01-01T07:00:00.000+03:00

The family photograph was taken in April 2006 by Dale Gehman.

From left to right: Jessica (18), Alia (4), Mike, Cindy, Jordan (15).

Leaving Africa

2009-07-22T01:59:00.001+03:00

I've been wanting to write this for sometime, but couldn't seem to get started. It seems like a good idea to explain to friends what is happening in our lives, especially since we are going through a major transition.

We've basically lived outside the United States since we left for language study in France on New Year's Eve 1988. After a year in France, 16 years in Djibouti and 3 years in Kenya (plus some time in the US on home leave), we are returning to live in the United States for an indefinite period of time.

We left Djibouti in 2005 for a variety of reasons, including some difficulties in the educational situation for our children, a general fatigue from the way in which teachers are treated in Djibouti (The Ministry of Education tries to squeeze as much out of teachers as possible, then replace them when they burnout.), and a desire for further education.

We spent a year in Bird-in-Hand, PA then moved to Kenya in 2006. I taught at a theological school there. My desire was to teach about Islam, using my extensive reading in the area, the PhD I'd begun and my experience in Djibouti. While I did teach a course in Islam, I wasn't able to do as much as I'd hoped. I also found it difficult to work on my PhD - whether it was the situation, or a lack of self-discipline - I don't know.

Just a few months ago, in discussion with our boss from the mission, we decided to complete our service with Eastern Mennonite Missions and return to the US. While we were growing to like our work in Kenya, we never felt quite as called to it as we'd always felt in Djibouti. Cindy ended up doing a lot of administration work, and found herself in an awkward position of having lots of responsibilities without having any authority in them. We also found ourselves relating to other mission workers quite a bit, which was very different for me. My strengths had always been developing relationships with local people and learning languages and cultures. I've actually been pretty poor at relating to other workers, and I always found it more stressful being with Americans than Africans. I never was a very supportive co-worker. But in Kenya we found ourselves being with Americans more than Africans. Also, Jordan graduated from high school and now we have 2 children living in the US, so it seemed like the time to return here - for at least a few years. While this is all rather confused, it's been a part of our decision process. I'm still not completely convinced that we made the correct decision, but it has been made, and we must move on.

Our plans (if they can be called that) are to stay in the US for 3-5 years. We may buy a house, but we are still working through all the financial aspects of doing so. Jordan will go to Hesston in the fall. Cindy will go back to school to get her BSN (bachelor degree in nursing). She is already an RN. She will probably go on to study for a masters in nursing, or a nurse practitioner, or physicians assistant. Cindy will also work full-time and support us. I'll continue to work on my PhD from the University of Birmingham (UK) in Muslim-Christian Relations. I'll be spending a lot of time in libraries reading, researching, taking notes and writing. I hope to get a part-time teaching job at a local college.

Once Cindy and I finish our degrees, we may go back to Africa (or maybe elsewhere) to work and teach. We really don't know where we might go: Djibouti, Ethiopia and Kenya are places we know. We could go with Eastern Mennonite Missions again, or maybe with Mennonite Central Committee, or with who knows?? After a few years here, we may decide that we'd like to remain in the US. Then I'd search for a full-time teaching position at a university - and we'd move wherever I might get a job. As a nurse, Cindy can find a job almost everywhere.

Who knows! We may end up enjoying life in America, but for now we often think we'd like to return home to Africa.

Mike's Hospital Experience

2009-04-12T14:06:00.002+03:00

Many of you know about my stay in the hospital, but also many probably don't. So I thought I'd write this little note to tell ya'll about what happened.

About a year ago I got hurt trying to sprint. It turned out to be an inguinal hernia. So this past Thursday, April 2, after my trip to the UK, I went into MP Shah Hospital in Nairobi for laparoscopy surgery for the hernia. I was scheduled to have the surgery, then spend the night.

The surgery went fine. However, back in the hospital room, where I was to spend the night, I began to get chest pains soon after coming out of the anesthesia. By 8 PM the pain was so severe, that I simply could not inhale. I think that it might have been the most painful experience of my life. The nurses called in doctors who gave me oxygen, and morphine to ease the pain and help me breathe. Then they took me into the Intensive Care Unit.

Before going to ICU, I telephoned Cindy on my mobile phone with the help of a nurse, thinking that it wouldn't be so great if she came in to see me in the morning and found that I'd died the previous night. So Cindy and Clair Good, our EMM boss who happened to be in Nairobi at the time, came to see me that evening in the ICU. I was hooked up to an EKG (ECG in British English) and the doctors took blood to see if I'd had a heart attack. It wasn't a heart attack. The doctors believe that it was a pulmonary embolism, which is having blood clots in your lung.

By Friday evening I was out of ICU and back in my private room. The primary treatment for blood clots is medicine that reduces clotting of the blood, what we sometimes call a blood-thinner. For some reason I wasn't responding to the oral medicine, so they had to give me injections, which is why I had to stay in the hospital for nearly a week. It seems that the oral medication is now working, so I don't have to get anymore injections.

So now I am home. Since Cindy is a nurse, I was actually able to leave a day or so earlier, and she gave me more shots until the pill began to work. Overall, it was a bit scary - probably more so for Cindy than for me.

I want to thank everyone who knew about it for their prayers. God is good, and I am doing fine. Because of the hernia operation I'm still walking a bit more slowly, but I'll soon be back to normal - not that I ever was exactly normal!

Facebook??

2009-02-09T08:07:00.002+03:00

Cindy and I have both joined Facebook, which is an internet social thing. If you see our blog from time to time, and you have access to internet, you can find more frequent updates and more photos, there.

Facebook is easier and quicker to update, so we do it more frequently. We can receive communication, as well as post photos and stories. And it is much easier to put photos on Facebook.

You do have to join Facebook. It doesn't cost anything. Then you look for Cindy Brislen and then for Mike Brislen on friend finder and request to be our friend. Or if this is confusing, simply join Facebook, then send an email to brislen5@yahoo.com telling us and we will find you.

Visitors from Pennsylvania

2009-02-09T07:26:00.004+03:00

In January we had 8 visitors from Stumptown and Mellinger Mennonite Churches. They were in Kenya for about 12 days and we managed to squeeze in quite a few experiences in that short time.

The group has also made a blog with better stories and more pictures. (Click this link!)

We began with a conversation with Kenya Mennonite Church leaders from Nairobi. We talked quite a bit with how we do church and mission in Kenya and in the USA. Then on Sunday we split up into 4 groups and visited all 4 of the KMC churches in Nairobi. That was quite an experience for most of our visitors, as most of these churches are in poor sections of the city. We were also able to visit Menno Academy at Mathare North Mennonite Church, Eastleigh Fellowship Centre and Mukuru Menno Academy at Mukuru Mennonite Church. Jonathan Pageau took us to an artisans cooperative where we met some of the men who make carvings for Ten Thousand Villages, as well as many more artisans. Jonathan has told us that the artisans were delighted with our visit, as they don't get many visitors, and our group made quite a few purchases, including Baraka the Giraffe.

The group also enjoyed a safari at Masa Mara Game Park. Two members of the group were unable to go with us, because they caught a flu bug. We spent one night at Sekenani Camp, which was excellent. We had two game drives. We didn't see as many animals as Cindy and I had become accustomed to on safaris, but our friends from PA saw more than they had ever seen. And we did see some lions from very close and a group of 4 cheetahs.

After the safari we stopped in Olepolos, which is a Masai village where a Mennonite church is located. The village has basically been transformed from one without hope into a village where children now finish school, fields are planted, cows are well-managed, and men are not drunk. We spent the night hosted by various families. For a few people this was a real stretch. On Sunday we worshiped together at Olepolos Mennonite Church, which is always a great pleasure.

A group photo.

The women's Choir at Olepolos.

Alia made a friend with one of David's daughters. David is one of the leaders at the church, and we spent the night at his house. Before the trip, Alia was complaining about going to Olepolos. (She can be the object of much unwanted attention - imagine being a little blonde-haired girl and having 20 kids watching your every move from a couple feet away.) However, once we were there, and Cindy had helped milk a cow, and Alia and I had played in the river and she'd found some friends - Alia told me that she now wanted to live in Olepolos.

Have you ever seen these Noah's Ark carvings at Ten Thousand Villages? Here is the artisan who creates them.

Teaching English

2008-11-21T15:20:00.004+03:00

Cindy has begun teaching English to a small group of Somali ladies. These are the same ladies that I did Somali literacy with last year though in a different location. There are currently 4 - 5 ladies who come together each Tuesday morning. We start with a Bible verse in Somali, then I rephrase it in very simple English. Then we sing songs in Somali. We've also started learning the song God is so good. Three of the ladies are very motivated, and one woman especially wants to learn. I worked with her, working on pronunciation very closely. However, each time she sings this song, she sings:

God is so good,
God is no good,
God is no good, He's no good to me.

She gets the first line correct, but always changes that one letter from an s to an n, and changes the whole meaning of the song. We are having a fun time, laughing at silly mistakes, and hoping that this dear lady will get these words down pat.

More News on Obama Day in Kenya

2008-11-06T19:25:00.002+03:00

One of the leaders of the Mennonite Church in Olepolos (a Masai village) called Cindy and told her that people in the village and church were slaughtering bulls to celebrate Obama's victory in the elections.

Holiday in Kenya

2008-11-06T08:44:00.004+03:00

Today has been declared a national holiday in Kenya to celebrate the election of Barack Obama as president of the USA. For most people here Obama is a symbol of hope that change is possible and that Kenya can succeed. At NIST, where I teach, people were very happy with his election and they assume that most White American Christian opposition to him was based on race. I, unfortunately, think there is probably a some truth to that.

In Nyanza province near Lake Victoria the celebrations are even more exuberant. This is the area that Obama's father is from. Culturally people are recognized as children of the clan to which their father belongs. National boundaries do not hold much importance. Therefore, the Luo people from this region consider Obama to their son. It can seem rather odd to us, especially considering that his father basically abandoned him when he was 2-years-old. However, for now people are very happy, and they seriously believe that Obama's election will help their region economically. I hope they will not be too disappointed.

Just including a few flower pics from our garden.

Throwing Heavy Things

2008-10-29T18:24:00.002+03:00

Early in the school year Jordan had decided to lift weights rather than play sports. But he was told that the weight room was reserved during after school hours for members of the track team, so he decided to go out for track. He now throws the discus and the shot put. Last Saturday was Rosslyn Academy's first track meet of the year. The whole family and some other Mennonite missionaries went to Rosslyn to watch the track meet. Jordan finished 3rd in the discuss, and he was first in the shot put, setting a new Rosslyn record in his first meet.

Saying Goodbye, Again!

2008-10-25T07:45:00.004+03:00

One of the sad parts of being a missionary is saying goodbye. Having been in Africa since 1989 we have said goodbye to friends more times than I can even remember. Many people have come into our lives over these years, and we've had to say goodbye as they've left. I think that after a while, at least for myself, I've become a bit hardened to establishing close friendships with those I know who will be around for only a few years.

Jim and Cathy Bowman served in Kenya with MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) for the past 4 years. They returned to Virginia this past week. We will miss them. Jim is the man in the blue shirt sitting next to me, and Cathy is in a white dress across the table. Cindy took the picture, so she's not in it.

Rainy Season in Nairobi

2008-10-24T08:24:00.002+03:00

The short rainy season has begun in Nairobi. This is our third such season, but seemingly the first normal one in that time. We've been having rain every day, often more than an inch. The Nairobi water supply isn't very reliable, so we've been collecting rain water in our reserve tank - and we can use all the water we want every day, which is not usually the case.

However, it does get cold and muddy during the rains. The soil in Nairobi is red and the mud gets every where!! Sirius, our puppy, wants to jump on us, but his paws leave red mud streaks all over. Drainage and sidewalks are generally not the same in poor countries as you find in the United States or Europe. So walking along the road means dodging water puddles, mud swamps and cars. Even driving becomes more difficult as many pedestrians won't get off the road to step into the mud, which makes narrow roads even more narrow.

But the rains certainly beautify our garden. It is so green and the flowers are coming out.

New Dog(s)

2008-10-14T21:05:00.003+03:00

We got two new dogs: one in August and one in September. Cindy and Alia bought a puppy, Sirius, from a 'dog vendor' along the road. Then we got Simba, a five-year-old female dog, from a family that was leaving Kenya. Unfortunately, it didn't work out the way we would have liked. On her first day here, Simba bit Cindy when Cindy had approached her from behind and Simba was still nervous about her new home. However, she seemed to settle down. Generally, she was a friendly and playful dog. But she didn't like anyone bothering her food as she ate. Of course Sirius, the puppy, couldn't quite understand that. A couple of times Simba attacked Sirius and injured him. So we decided that we had to give Simba away. So now she is gone.

Sirius remains with us, and he is an enthusiastic and growing puppy. He gets very excited when I come home from work and leaps like a gazelle. His excitement intimidates Alia though.

Cindy and Jessica with Sirius when he was just bought.

Simba before we gave her away.

Sunday at Mukuru Mennonite Church

2008-10-13T09:10:00.000+03:00

Mukuru Mennonite Church is not easy to find. You must go down several small muddy paths through the Mukuru slums to find it. It was our first time to go there for a worship service and we weren't sure what to expect. I had visited during the week about a year ago with Clair Good.

I was preaching and Nairobi has been having problems with power outages. As I get older, I don't see as well without good lighting - so I was hoping there would be no power cuts while I was preaching. Well, not a thing to worry about! The church building doesn't have electricity anyway. There is simply a large hole cut into the mabati, iron sheet, near the pulpit to give light. It was enough light, but I did have to ask the man translator (into Swahili) to move to my left side so he would not block the light.

Sunday School was before the main service. Unfortunately, in Kenya there is not much discussion in Sunday School. It usually consists of another, possibly more teaching-like sermon. Pastor Manoa was talking about how God is still God, even when we have difficulty. In Kenya there are many 'Miracle Crusade", so Pastor Manoa told the church that chasing miracles isn't the answer, because it leads to the worship of miracles rather than God. One of his examples was that if you didn't have food to eat yesterday, God is still God. WOW!! I wasn't expecting that. That is the daily experience of people from Mukuru.

For myself, I preached for the first time in my life a sort of prosperity Gospel sermon. People need hope! And they need to know that God is on their side. I said that God blesses us because of His love, not because we give money to a preacher. I also encouraged them to use whatever blessings that we might receive from God, to increase the blessing. I used Jesus's parable about the three servants and the master who gave each a different amount of money (or talents in the KJV).

There were about 30 people at church. After the service we toured the compound. They also have a primary school (K thru 2nd) at the church. They hope to add grade 3 next year. None of the classrooms have electricity. Kids sit on wooden benches and the rooms are fairly dark, with a few small open holes in the iron sheets for windows. You can't make these 'windows' very big because of the rains. The blackboards are small pieces of plywood that have been painted black. The church feeds the students a noon meal, which is sometimes the only meal these children receive in a day. The leaders of the church and school said that the hope to get larger black boards and another small building to add additional classes.

Alia at Rosslyn Academy

2008-09-05T17:57:00.002+03:00

Rosslyn Academy likes to think of itself as an international school rather than an American school. This is certainly correct, as many students come from Korea, Kenya and various European countries. However, the changes we have seen in Alia since leaving a Kenyan school and entering Rosslyn are interesting.

She now wears jeans and a t-shirt to school and to play in around the house rather than dresses as she did before.

She talks about the girls having boyfriends in the class. Many may not realize how typically American this is, for small children to speak of having boyfriends or girlfriends. But Jordan and Jessica in the French and Djibouti systems never heard of children talking in this way. The same was true for Alia in her Kenya school. So it seems to be an American thing.

She also has a lot more opportunity for extra-curricular activity. She is taking piano and ballet lessons.

I find it to be an interesting cultural difference.

Back to School

2008-09-01T06:44:00.002+03:00

Our lives seem to follow the school calendars. Jessica has left to return for her senior year at Eastern Mennonite University.

Jordan has begun his senior year at Rosslyn Academy here in Nairobi, and he has begun to think more seriously about where he might go to college next year.

Alia has begun first grade at Rosslyn Academy. It is her 4th different school in 4 years and she is only 6 years old. She now gets on the bus with her brother and goes to the same school. She enjoys her new school and she has made many friends already.

I'm teaching 3 classes at NIST. I had taught two of the classes last year, Spiritual Formation and Nurture and Research and Academic Writing, so preparation time for those classes is somewhat minimal. However, I have one new class which is challenging me very much, Introduction to African Theology. While I enjoy the subject, and I have read quite a number of theology books by African writers, I'm not African and I haven't read all of the books.

Now that we are back in school, Cindy has more time to put into her EMM office work and other duties.

Vacation to Malindi

2008-08-23T17:11:00.023+03:00

Jessica, who begins her senior year at Eastern Mennonite University, was with us from May to late August. We took advantage of this and had our fanciest vacation ever as a fa
mily. Cindy's sister has a timeshare, and we were able to rent a week relatively inexpensively at a resort along the Kenyan coast in Malindi. We traveled to Malindi on a bus, which took nearly 12 hours. It was, however, a comfortable trip and the driver did a good job. We traveled back on a night bus, which also took close to 12 hours. The bus trips were well worth it as we enjoyed the week at the beach and visiting 1000-year-old Malindi very much. The town is an old Muslim Swahili town, that is now home to many Italians, making for an interesting mix.
We stayed at Coral Keys Resort. We swam in 4 different pools and the Indian Ocean. Alia liked to switch pools every 30 minutes or so, making us play 'musical' swimming pools the whole week, but we didn't mind. Each pool had its own character. There was also entertainment many evenings, such as a demonstration of local snakes, including poisonous ones and huge pythons, and a night of local African traditional dancing, which was very interesting to watch. The hotel's restaurant was very expensive, so we normally went into town asking the tuk-tuk driver to take us to a low-priced local restaurant. We got to eat some excellent biryani rice, pilau and masala sauces for just a few dollars that way. (see the pictures for a tuk-tuk) We explored some of the older Muslim sections of town, which felt like home to us!! I, especially, enjoy walking and exploring new places, above all in an old town like Malindi. Jordan, Alia and I visited a reptile park, where we saw about a dozen species of snakes like, cobras, green mambas, black mambas, puff adders, pythons and others. We also saw lots of crocodiles and turtles and lizards. All of the animals had been caught locally. We took a boat to visit the Kenya Marine Park and snorkelled. We saw hundreds of fish of many different species, including clown fish, like Nemo (from the Disney movie). Cindy, Jessica and I visited the Malindi museum. A coelacanth, a large species of fish that has been around since the dinosaurs, was caught near Malindi about 20 years ago, and it was on display at the museum. Cindy found this exhibit very interesting. Alia and I, and Jordan and Alia (different days) took a long walk at low tide through the tide pools, seeing several starfish, sea urchins, sea cucumbers, sea worms, crabs, sea snails and so forth. Alia, especially, loved riding in the tuk-tuks.

The following are photographs from our vacation. They include some at the hotel, and some of the historical sites in Malindi, and one of a tuk-tuk going down the main beach road of Malindi. The large white monument was put up by Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama, in the late 15th century. The white building with a thatched roof and a cross on top is explained in another photo. It is the first church in East Africa, built more than 500 years ago. There is also a photograph of the ruins of an ancient mosque in the ground of a newer one.

A New Puppy

2008-08-21T07:08:00.003+03:00

We bought a puppy. This was a long process. First, we went to the KSPCA (Kenyan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) to buy one. But we got the impression that we were to either get an older dog, or pay a bribe to get a puppy. So we decided to look elsewhere. A local shopping centre had several ads on a bulletin board 'puppies for sale'. So Cindy called around, but they all wanted $250 - 300 for a puppy. We weren't going to spend this much for a dog, plus there are costs for shots and getting the dog 'fixed'.

Along the streets in Nairobi, like in many African cities, there are young men selling various items, like sunglasses, flowers, toys, paintings, and puppies! One road in particular has many puppies for sale. So Cindy, Jessica and Debbie Digennaro stopped on this road to buy one. They were inundated with puppies being thrust through the window of the car. A few ended up on Cindy's lap. And they chose the puppy in the photo with Jessica above. He's been named Sirius B by Jessica and Alia. Sirius B is a star, which is sometimes called the 'dog star'. Alia says that the B stands for Brislen.

Graduation at Nist

2008-06-19T11:40:00.002+03:00

Graduation at NIST was held on June 14th. Now that I have been teaching there for a year and a half, I've learned to know many people. So graduation was more interesting this year. Several students that I've taught graduated and it was exciting to see them graduate.
John Baridi is a 'local officer,' similar to an assistant pastor in the Salvation Army Church. He is also an employee at NIST. Each student must write a project in order to graduate. Mzee Baridi received a Diploma (similar to an associate degree in the USA), and I was his project supervisor. Mzee Baridi and work the last two weeks before graduation to make certain that he completed a satisfactory paper. In the end, he did a very good job and received his Diploma.

John Mungai is being congratulated by his family after receiving his Diploma in counseling studies. It seems to be a tradition in Kenya to decorate the graduate in celebration of their achievement. John was also in a few classes with me.

Sandhia also graduated with a Diploma in counseling studies. While I didn't supervise her project, I did help her with some proof-reading. She wrote on the need for pre-marital counseling in the Kenyan Indian community. It was an excellent paper and she may get it published. Sandhia is also our neighbour. She often rode to school with Alia and I in the morning, and just after dropping Sandhia off, Alia would always ask, "Why is she so nice?"

Sandhia is standing next to Dr Lois Semenye, who is Academic Dean at NIST and one the leaders at Sandhia's home church in Nairobi.

Alia's Birthday

2008-04-01T14:00:00.003+03:00

Alia celebrated her 6th birthday on March 1st. She loves Ethiopian food, especially shuro, which is a spicy sauce made with chickpea flour. She asked to go to the Pink Lady restaurant for her birthday, so we did.

'Patiently' waiting for the food to come.

Enjoying her shuro!A new bike for her birthday.

A Long Few Months

2008-03-31T18:41:00.004+03:00

The last few months in Kenya have been rather stressful. At first we weren't certain if we would even be able to remain here. The country looked like it could fall apart. Gradually, things have gotten better but we still await all of the agreements to be put into place. Tension has returned as the political parties haggle over cabinet positions.

During the crisis Cindy was very busy making arrangements for EMM leaders who visited the country. Mike wrote a few emails to keep friends and family informed about the situation here. These updates soon became a bigger deal than he was anticipating and much more time-consuming than he desired to keep on top of all the events.

We hope to update the blog with some photos in the near future. Our internet connection has become rather slow, and it makes it difficult to post photos.

Please Pray

2007-12-24T21:25:00.000+03:00

Elections for both the presidency and for the parliament will take place in Kenya on December 27. I fear that violence is a real possibility after the elections. Ethnic differences are playing a major part in the campaigns and elections. And the opposition has already said that if they lose, it will be because of electoral fraud. It seems a recipe for confrontation and violence. Please pray for peace in Kenya over the next few weeks.

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T21:17:00.000+03:00

Merry Christmas!

This Christmas, Jordan has traveled to Djibouti to visit friends, and Jessica is in Guatemala. But we are not alone. Of course, Alia is with us, but also Anny Smucker and Kara Burkholder are staying at our house after having visited some medical missions in Kenya over the past week. We are delighted to have them here with us for Christmas.

Pipe Cactus Blooms

2007-12-02T20:29:00.001+03:00

The cactus that we wrote about in our newsletter has bloomed tonight. It is the only night that it will bloom, and in the morning the flower will fall off. We promised some photos, and here they are. It also as a sweet, but subtle smell. However, we don't know how to put that on the blog.

Jordan's Guitar Recital

2007-11-26T06:55:00.000+03:00

Jordan had a recital with Sonata Music School. The recital was held at Oshwal Academy Nursery School. He played a few songs in a group with others and one solo. The solo was his own jazz arrangement of Heart and Soul, which you should recognize.

Champions!

2007-11-09T19:38:00.001+03:00

Jordan's school, Rosslyn Academy, won the International School League soccer championship 3-2. It was a good match. Rosslyn was winning 2-0 with just a few minutes to play and Strathmore scored two goals, the second in the last minute, to send the game into overtime. Rosslyn then won in the second half of the overtime. Jordan didn't play much in that match. After beginning the year as key part of the defense, some back problems kept out for a few weeks, and he never quite regained his form.

Rosslyn also won the girls basketball championship.

Jordan played a few minutes in the championship match.

The Rosslyn soccer team waiting to receive their medals.

Jordan receives his medal.

Alia also received an award today. She got a 'world' certificate in the school assembly for having a positive attitude. (We aren't certain why she calls it a 'world' certificate, but that is what she insists that it is called. Her school likes to encourage the students by giving different awards. Her teacher sometimes puts a star on the student's forehead when the student does some work very well. Alia also received a star today for numeracy.