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.

Another Dry Rainy Season (and other prayer requests)

2007-11-06T20:25:00.000+03:00

We are in the middle of what is usually the smaller rainy season. It should be raining every day or so. Instead we are enjoying very warm and sunny weather. In fact, it is the hottest temperatures that we've experienced in Nairobi. It has only rained twice in the past 3 weeks, and this when the country should be getting nearly 1/2 of its total rainfall. So far there hasn't been much in the papers about famine.

Please pray that the rains might begin so that farmers may be able to produce the needed food.

Many students at NIST have difficulty paying tuition and keeping up with support for the family. I'd like to ask you to pray for them, that they can find money for school fees, transportation and other needs.

Mid-terms for Alia

2007-11-02T08:03:00.000+03:00

Yes, that title is correct. Alia had mid-term exams in kindergarten. She had exams in science, literacy (reading and writing) and numeracy (math). It was an interesting exercise to observe. Alia never did fully comprehend what was going on. I think she saw it as a form of unusual school work. On one exam she told us that when she didn't know what to do, she just copied from her neighbor. In the end she received good grades on the exams, though I don't think that they seriously count for much. And we certainly aren't going to put any pressure on her to get good grades in kindergarten. I believe one purpose of the exams was to get the children used to taking tests.

She enjoys learning and especially reading. She doesn't always like to write, and spends a lot of time erasing her 'mistakes'. She likes to do it correctly. She also likes swimming at school, where she is now putting her head under the water, so she won't be afraid of it and she can learn to swim. But most of all she enjoys playing with her friends.

Alia in a new dress made for her by Ruth, who works for us.

Alia loves to laugh. She had just helped Mom to bake a pie.

NIST Picnic

2007-10-21T15:38:00.001+03:00

A few weeks ago, NIST had a picnic/retreat just outside of Nairobi in Ngong. I went and had a wonderful time. We had a devotion speaker, some time of sharing, some good food and time to play volleyball and just talk.

The group photo was taken at the end after several people had already left.Eating our picnic lunch of nyama choma (barbecue), chicken, ugali, etc.Some my students posed near the fountain. They are (from left to right) Nehemiah Bogale from Ethiopia, Mary Kabondo from Congo, John Mungai and Peter Ngugi from Kenya.

Nehemiah is in Kenya with her husband who is pursuing a Master's Degree at NIST in order to return to Ethiopia and train pastors. Nehemiah also takes some classes in the diploma program.

John Mungai is in his second year of the diploma program. He's an enthusiastic young man who is a faithful servant of Jesus Christ.

Busy - Musical Weekend

2007-10-14T19:40:00.000+03:00

This has been a very fun, and busy weekend.

For quite a few years I've been a Kirk Franklin fan, an American Gospel musician. Well, he came to Kenya. So Jordan and I went to Kasarani Stadium on the northern edge of Nairobi (about 10 miles from our house) to see him perform. The concert began at 3 PM and finished at 8 PM. First, there were several Kenyan Gospel singers: many doing hip-hop. several dance troups, and a few more traditional. Then the King of Kings Skateboarders, who are a troupe of well-known Christian skateboarders, performed. Finally, around 6:30 Kirk Franklin and his group came on stage. It was very good. He was very enthusiastic, and seemed to be delighted to be in Kenya. He even made up a song in Kiswahili on the spot from some Kiswahili expressions given to him by the audience. Jordan and I had a great time. It was very different than any concert that I've been at in the USA. People were dancing everywhere, almost everyone in the stadium. People like to dance together in groups in a coordinated manner. So there were groups of people, sometimes including total strangers, dancing together all over the stadium.

Then today (Sunday) I went to a choir competition at Christ the King Church in Kibera, which is the world's largest slum. Choir competitions are very popular among some churches in East Africa. There were 6 choirs and each one performed 3 songs; one of which they composed and wrote themselves. I'd been invited by a former classmate from our language school. I didn't know until part way through the competition that I was the 'Guest of Honor' and expected to make a speech and present the winning choirs with their trophies. I gave a two minute speech in Swahili, exhausting nearly all of my vocabulary. The whole experience was very enjoyable. The choirs were simply excellent. The judges gave some constructive criticism, and one was particularly entertaining and funny as he spoke.

While I was at the choir competition, Cindy took Alia to a birthday party at one of her classmate's home. There was a bouncing castle, two clowns and a magician. Needless to say, she really enjoyed herself. Cindy says that the family owns a catering business. Now Cindy is a little hesitant to invite Alia's friends to our house for a humbler party.

Teaching about Islam

2007-10-01T21:36:00.001+03:00

The People of God program, where Cindy is involved part time, invited me to do some teaching about Islam. We had an all day seminar on a Saturday at Mathare North Mennonite Church. Everyone seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. There was a lot of discussion and many questions.

Here are a couple of photos from that seminar.

I was also invited by Dove Christian Fellowship to do so some teaching on Islam for church leaders. I taught three 2-hour sessions. I'd originally scheduled for two sessions, but the church leaders were very interested and asked me to do an extra session. Again there was a lot of discussion, and it was a very gratifying experience. (I don't have an photos of these sessions.)

It was a real delight for me to be able to teach about Islam. Since leaving Djibouti and moving to Kenya, this has been my desire to teach Christians about relating to Muslim people. Everyone has seemed to feel very good about the positive approach toward relating to Muslim people that I propose.

Back to School

2007-09-28T18:09:00.000+03:00

Jessica has begun her junior year at Eastern Mennonite University.
She is majoring in history and Spanish, and helping students in French. We still miss her.

Jordan has begun his junior year Rosslyn Academy.
He is starting in central defense on the soccer team. Back spasms have slowed him down a little, but when he plays, goals are hard to come by for the opposing teams. He is also playing guitar on a worship team for high school chapel.

Mike has begun his second year teaching at NIST.
I am teaching two classes this semester: Spiritual Formation and Nurture, and Research Skills and Academic Writing. I'm enjoying both classes very much. We washed each others' feet in the Spiritual Formation class, which seemed to be a very good experience for all of us. While the Research class certainly has boredom potential, the students seem to be truly interested in learning these skills. They must all write a 30+ page paper in order to graduate, so the class is important for their education.

And Alia has begun kindergarten (or Year One in the British system) at St. Christopher's Preparatory School.

Cindy is the only family member not involved in school at the moment. She keeps busy working at the MBEA office and working on the school board of Rosslyn Academy, as well as taking care of the rest of us.

Alia is attending a British system school, where most of the students are Kenyans. She wears a uniform to school. After a rough beginning, when she firmly and forcefully stated (perhaps shouted) her opposition to attending school, Alia is now enjoying it very much. Oddly enough, as the head mistress told us, Alia came around through the "joy of school work". Evidently, her teacher, Mrs Kamau, had asked a question that no one could answer, except Alia. So she slowly raised her hand and answered the question. And after that she was fine.

She has swimming 2 afternoons per week and PE two afternoons each week. She enjoys these activities very much, as well as lunch! She's also learning Kiswahili. Other subjects are literacy (reading and writing), numeracy (math), science, history, geography, art, music, religious education, computer, games and activities. She reads a book about Biff, Chip, Wilma and Wilf almost every day.

Jessica visited in June

2007-08-03T18:48:00.000+03:00

Jessica was able to visit us in June for almost 3 weeks. We were together again as a family for the first time in 9 months. Jessica had been in Spain on a cross-culture term, and 'on the way home' she stopped in Nairobi to visit. We didn't have the opportunity to go anywhere special, but we enjoyed being together again - and in Africa - where we've spent most of our time together as a family.

The newest family photograph.

Alia was very excited to see her big sister again.

Dad picked up where he'd left off with his little girl.

Jordan shows Jessica his new friend, a chameleon.

Jessica is now back in the USA, working at Plain & Fancy Restaurant in Bird-in-Hand, PA. She is making some money over the summer to prepare for her 3rd year at Eastern Mennonite University, where she is majoring in history and Spanish. She will go to Harrisonburg in a few weeks. While in the Lancaster area, she is staying with our friends, Ivan and Mary Ellen Leaman.

A Busy Summer

2007-07-28T08:34:00.000+03:00

In late June I traveled to England to work on my PhD and submit the first chapter to my supervisor. While I was in Birmingham, I was able to visit some British missionary friends from our time in Djibouti. I was in England for a long 3 weeks, and I hope in the future to make such trips much shorter.

The highlight of the trip for me was that Jessica and I traveled together from Nairobi to Heathrow Airport in London. I hung out with Jessica at the airport for a few hours until she was ready to get her flight onto the USA. We sat and drank coffee, then roamed all over the rather vast airport. And Jessica ran into some friends who traveling to Israel. What a small world!
I returned to Nairobi in mid-July. Our family then went away for a few days of vacation. I hope to post more pictures of our vacation in a few days. The Brights now live in Birmingham working at the head office of their mission.

The Mitchells were visiting Birmingham, where Andrew is originally from, raising support before returning to Djibouti. Their children didn't accompany them, so I was unable to visit with them.
While I was gone, Erika and Sophia Minor were staying with Cindy in Nairobi. They seemed to have a good time.Sophia and Alia got their faces painted at the Carnivore Restaurant.
They also visited the giraffe park, where they were able to feed giraffes out of their hands. It seems that Alia was somewhat intimidated by the large animals (and from the pictures, Cindy may have been a bit intimidated also). But Sophia, as I was told, was fearless. In any case, giraffes are now Alia's favorite animals.
And by the way, my supervisor said that the chapter was excellent and very interesting. What a relief! as I'd been extremely worried.

Graduation at NIST

2007-06-15T08:03:00.000+03:00

NIST celebrated its 23rd graduation on Saturday, June 9. The commencement speaker was Tokunboh Adeyemo, who has written several books and is one of the most well-known evangelical African theologians. It was a very nice ceremony, and though 2-3 hours long, it really didn't seem so. There were about 30 total graduates and nearly 500 family and friends attending to watch. These sort of ceremonies and special ways of dressing seem to be very important here.

Four of my students graduated from the diploma program. I also knew several more students through interacting during wakati ya chai (tea-time) and lunch.

Dr. Adeyemo, the commencement speaker.

Me in my robe.

The four students on the right with blue on their robes were students of mine.

I didn't get many good photos, because the lecturers were seated behind the podium. So we mostly had views of everyone's backsides. Fortunately, my students were sitting in the front row.

Jordan Cleans His Room

2007-06-04T07:41:00.000+03:00

Jessica arrives tonight and she'll sleep in Jordan's room for the first week she is here. Jordan went to Camp Brackenhurst for the week. So for the second time since we came to Kenya, 9-10 months ago, Jordan cleaned his room. Here is a picture that Jordan took while in process.

Gray Season Begins

2007-06-04T07:25:00.000+03:00

When we were living in Djibouti, we joked about the hot season, the hotter season and the really, really hot season. Here in Nairobi the seasonal changes are very different. We have two rainy seasons - one supposedly shorter and less rainy than the other - though we couldn't tell you which is which after this year. In between the rainy seasons, and often between rains, it is usually beautiful, warm and sunny - never too hot, nor too cold.However, now we are entering the 2-3 month Gray Season when the sun only appears sporadically, rain is a light drizzle, and it is constantly cold. This is the time of the year when we used to visit Kenya from Djibouti. Our memories of Nairobi from that time were sitting around a fireplace trying to keep warm. Now we live here, and there is no fireplace!

Jordan's Recital

2007-05-25T21:14:00.000+03:00

Jordan had a guitar recital and he played a jazz piece, called Rhythm Changes, very well. The only problem was: he couldn't hear the background music that he was playing with. It had something to do with the placement of the speakers.
His teacher accompanied him on the drums.

A Nation of Cell Phones

2007-04-27T08:09:00.000+03:00

We've done it! We've joined the new era of mobile communication. Four Brislens in Nairobi and 4 cell phones in the family: one for each of us. I've resisted for many years. Why did I want to be interrupted by a phone call, possibly a wrong number, everywhere I go: in the car, in church, at school! But who can resist the waves of expectations from schools, students, colleagues and friends to have a phone constantly in your pocket.

Can you guess which belongs to who?

Cell phones are everywhere in Kenya. As I teach my class, New Testament Survey, phones ring in the purses of the women students and the pockets of the men. We haven't sat through many church services where a phone hasn't begun its song - most people have programmed their phones (simu in Kiswahili) to sing a hymn. Walking along the street, driving on the road, or sitting in a restaurant people are talking, at first it seems to themselves, but upon closer inspection there is a small silver phone hidden in their hand.

We also have a telephone in our house, connected the old-fashioned way to a wire, but it only works about half the time. It seems that maintaining the miles of telephone wires, patched and twisted and wet from rain is more expensive and difficult than keeping a few communication towers working and the air clear. So cell phones are replacing land lines through out much of Africa.

The Falling Tree

2007-04-24T23:01:00.000+03:00

Sunday morning, April 15, at about 3 AM a tree fell on our house.

Fortunately, no one was hurt, but it caused considerable damage to roof over parts of the house. Our car just escaped being crushed as the tree fell all around it, but not on it.

A large branch found its way down into our courtyard. Waking up early in the morning (or late at night) to find a tree inside your house is rather disconcerting.

Easter

2007-04-08T17:04:00.000+03:00

Cindy, Mike and Alia home from church on Easter Sunday. Jordan attended a different Easter worship and wasn't available for the photo.

Cindy's Sunday School class did a presentation.

Other classes also did presentations.Worship on Easter morning. There were fewer people on Easter morning than usual. People travel back to their home area for holidays, so that attendance decreases at Nairobi churches.

Getting a Package in Nairobi

2007-03-21T19:58:00.001+03:00

We have received a few packages through the mail since moving to Nairobi. We'd been told to keep them small; roughly the size of a large 8 in x 10 in envelope. And that had worked fine for the first few months.

Then we received a package slip which told us to go to the main post office in the city to get our package. I, Mike, took a matatu (van-sized public transportation) into the city, which took about 30 minutes. Then I walked another 15 minutes to the post office and found the correct place to collect packages from overseas.

First, I presented the package slip at a counter and showed an ID. Then a postal worker retrieved the package. The package was then opened and the contents inspected. When all agreed that it was personal, I was sent to the customs office, where the customs officer signed a paper saying that it was okay. Then I went to another window to get a different copy of the package slip, and learned that there was a 70 Kenya shilling charge for handling. Next I went to another counter to pay the fee and get a receipt. With the receipt I was able to take the package. As I walked out of the large room, another postal worker near the exit called me over to sign that I'd received the package. So, 7 counters (some were repeated) and about 45 minutes later I had the small package in hand. I found another matatu and was home after a total of around 1 hour and 4o minutes.

We thought that this was a bit of a nuisance, but doable. Little did we know. A week later we received 2 more small yellow package slips telling us to collect packages at the main post office. I decided to show Cindy how to get packages, so that either of us could do this.

So at 9 AM we boarded a matatu (sometimes called Nissans, because most are built by Nissan) after waiting several minutes, then promptly got stuck in a big traffic jam (or simply, a jam, as they say in Nairobi). We finally arrived at the bus terminal and walked 1/2 mile to the post office.

I thought it would be easier this time since I sort of knew the ropes. However, when we opened one of the packages, we learned that customs always needs to be paid on dietary supplements. We'd simply asked someone to send us some multi-vitamins. We were charged 1 Kenya shilling per tablet and sent over to the customs desk. I was expecting to get a document to take to counter S9 (as I'd done before) and pay the few hundred shillings. I was wrong!

A new anti-corruption measure now requires that all customs charges be paid to the Kenya Revenue Authority at the Kenya National Bank. Being new to Nairobi, we asked the customs official where this bank was. He told us, very casually, that it was just across the street over there, and that there was a special window to pay at. So, we left the post office (overseas package pick-up is on the 3rd floor), walking down three flights of steps, back up another flight to the walkway that crosses the busy Haile Selassie Avenue, and back down another flight on the other side of the street.

Just to the right was a large building with National Bank of Kenya written on it. We went to this building and showed them the bill for customs payment. We were told to go to Times Tower just down the street, where the Kenya Revenue Authority is located. This seemed logical as the customs bill had Kenya Revenue Authority written in bold letters across the top.

At this building we had to wait in a long security line, where security officers waved a metal detector around us. Women had a separate line (or queue), which was shorter, so Cindy got inside before me. I got inside just a few minutes later. Upon entering the building we saw hundreds, maybe thousands of people in various lines. We went upstairs, as we were told to do, and asked a few people about how we should pay this customs bill. The first couple of people sent us to various windows, and since we weren't certain, we didn't want to wait hours in line just to be sent elsewhere. Finally, someone told us that we were, once again, in the wrong building. We should go to the National Bank of Kenya, which was around the block.

A short walk later, and this time the directions given were precise and accurate, we arrived at the bank. We went in the wrong door, of course, and were directed to the correct entrance. Inside we again saw a line of a hundred people. Fortunately, we looked around and found a much shorter line waiting near a cashier window, titled 'Kenya Revenue Authority'. Though the line was short, the wait was fairly long. But, finally we were able to pay the 300+ Kenya shilling (about $4) customs fee.

We walked back to the post office and went to a few more counters, including S9 to get a receipt, and then, received our package. By this time it was approaching noon. We got back home just before 1 PM, as we did a couple of quick errands in town before boarding another matatu.

Now we are wondering! Will experiences like this make us appreciate packages more, or less?

Jessica in Spain

2007-03-11T17:57:00.000+03:00

We want to put a link to information from EMU about Jessica's cross-cultural semester in Cadiz, Spain. There are also pictures on the site of Jessica and the other students. Check it out!

http://www.emu.edu/crosscultural/spain07/

Alia's Birthday

2007-03-11T17:35:00.000+03:00

Alia turned 5 years old on March 1, 2007. Cindy made her a castle cake, as Alia has become very fond of princesses recently. She received several gifts from family in the USA and from us here in Kenya. She has been telling everyone she knows that she is now 5, and she can do many things she couldn't do before. At her school, 'Kids 'R Us', she has begun reading. So she seems to be right; she can do things she couldn't do before.
We invited our neighbors, the Yoder family, over for cake and ice cream; and Alia entertained everyone with stories. She was so excited she couldn't stop talking.

Church

2007-02-27T20:47:00.000+03:00

We have finally found and decided upon a church to attend regularly. We've gone to Dove Christian Fellowship, which meets in the Kilimani area of Nairobi. We've known the pastor, Ibrahim Omondi, and his wife, Diane, for several years, because Diane often helped with the children's program at the Mennonite Retreat held at Brackenhurst in Limuru, Kenya. The services and singing are full of life, which is different than what we often experienced in Djibouti.

Cindy has started to help with Sunday School for the children of Alia's age. Alia enjoys the class and being with other children. She is Mom's helper, or perhaps in her mind - Mom is her helper.

Jordan is playing guitar with the worship team. Robert, the leader of the instrumentalists, is an excellent guitar player and Jordan admires him and enjoys learning from him. As part of the practice on Saturdays, they spend much time in prayer, which will be a blessing to Jordan.

Mike enjoys the worship and the messages. We hope to get involved in some small groups also at the church.

Mike has begun teaching at NIST

2007-02-10T09:59:00.000+03:00

I've begun teaching New Testament Survey in the Diploma Program at Nairobi International School of Theology. We meet for two 1 hour 40 minute sessions each Tuesday. We have had 4 sessions so far. I'm enjoying teaching again, and the students seem to be enjoying our time together also.

It is often challenging when we begin studying the New Testament in an academic setting. Students are accustomed to reading the Bible in a devotional way, and now I am asking them to read it and see it in a different manner. We look at the historical and cultural situation of the writers and of the events, and read the New Testament as history and theology. My hope is that students will gain a deeper understanding of the Scriptures.

Students, also, normally begin with a vague idea of where the writings of the New Testament come from. They are often thought of as simply always being there. Now, when we examine how these letters and gospels were written, and how these separate 'books' gradually over 200 years came together to be considered the New Testament canon, students are especially challenged. For many this new information seems to diminish God's role in the existence of Scripture. Part of my job then becomes helping them see that God works through sometimes long, complex historical processes.

A movement from the previous almost 'magical' understanding of Scripture to a more historical view, also moves students to see Jesus Christ as the center of our faith more than the writings themselves about him. And I think that is a worthwhile endeavor.

I also have an office for the first time in my life. There are a few pictures of the office here. I hope to post some pictures of the school and students in the near future.

Alia goes to School

2007-02-07T16:05:00.001+03:00

A new preschool/kindergarten has opened across the street from us. So, Alia has begun school! The school is called Kids R' Us, and it is colorfully painted. It operates on the Montessori method, which seems to be popular in Kenya. Her favorite things about school so far are the snacks and lunch - Alia loves to eat - and finger painting. She is an enthusiastic pupil. So far, only 3 other much younger boys are at the school. We hope that some boys and girls her age will soon enroll.

Private schools face much competition in Kenya for students. This competition brings even preschools to put in swimming pools, provide pony rides, music lessons, tae kwon doe lessons, etc. It also reveals the vast inequality in Kenya. These preschools can cost more per month than most Kenyans can hope to earn.

As Alia's school is new and she is going half-days (reducing fees), we manage to afford it. Below are a few pictures of her first day at school.

Christmas Pictures (finally)

2007-01-11T19:38:00.000+03:00

Jordan, Cindy and Alia are playing with some Megablocks that Alia got for Christmas.

Alia received some play make-up for Christmas. Here she has made herself 'beautiful'.

Alia's friends, Susannah & Leah, make themselves 'beautiful' also with Alia's make-up.

Alia got a very big doll house for Christmas. We asked a local fundi (handy-man) to build it and Mike painted it for her.

Alia expresses joy upon receiving a gift.

We kept in touch with Jessica over Skype, while we exchanged gifts.

We hang the Christmas cards that our friends and family send to keep everyone fresh in our thoughts and prayers.

We decorated our 'fireplace' for Christmas.

Our wire-sculpture Christmas tree; a Kenyan original.

Menno Retreat at Brackenhurst

2006-12-29T09:01:00.000+03:00

Every year the Mennonite missionaries with Eastern Mennonite Missions (EMM), which is our mission, and Mennonite Central Committee (MCC), a development-oriented agency, who are living in East Africa get together for a retreat. The retreat is held at Brackenhurst in the mountains above Nairobi around Christmas time. It is a beautiful area at just under 7000 ft, which makes it cold in the evenings.

Our theme this year was Peacemaking (see Matthew 5:9). All of the resource people were from East Africa and active in reconciliation and conflict transformation work in the area. Churches and Christians in Africa where they have seen war and injustice recognize the importance of this Biblical work more than we often do in the USA.An old friend, Makonen, shared about his reconciliation work with the Meserete Kristos Church in Ethiopia.

A traditional event at the retreat is the talent show. Our family - being more timid - rarely participates though we enjoy this evening at retreat.
Brent, who is also from Stumptown Mennonite Church, was the emcee at the talent show.

Elaine and some of the children showed their talent by singing a children's song, complete with motions. Carl, whom we've known for many years, working currently in administration at the MKC college in Ethiopia, recited an epic poem he learned as a child in Canada.

Retreat is also a time to get reacquainted with old friends, and to make new friends, who are serving in other countries.

Sean, who has been living in Djibouti for many years, and I went on a walk along the mountainside.

Alia also made many friends: Lavendar, Leah, Susana and Alia. Our Alia is in the back.

The Shenks, old friends who had worked with us in Djibouti in the mid-90s, and who are now working at Haven of Peace Academy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The back row are Andre, Jamila, Elaine and Doug. In front are Nathaniel and Alia.

Garden Adventure

2006-12-15T20:44:00.001+03:00

Alia and I had transplanted 8 tomato plants into the small garden just in front of our porch. We'd been having a lot of rain and cool nights, which I've learned is perfect conditions for tomatoes to develop blight. So today's garden adventure began with a search for anti-blight treatment. Fortunately, the first hardware store that I entered directed me to the correct store, where I bought some chemicals for a few dollars.

We had also started a few tomato plants from seed, and they were growing in a milk container that I'd cut for that purpose. These plants were getting too big for the small space they were in, so I decided to plow up another small patch of the garden. I used a jembe, the larger hoe that small-scale farmers use around here, to break up the hardened soil. It hadn't rained for about a week so the ground was hard. I thought that I'd found a large root from some of the bushes I'd transplanted elsewhere, so I gave an extra tug - and broke the water line to our reserve water tank!!!

Soon the dry dirt of the garden was gooey mud, and I had a major job on hand. I had to shut the main valve from the city supply in order to repair the broken PVC pipe. However, this valve would close, but it water continued to flow. The old valve just wasn't working. So I decided to detach the pipe and let the water flow into the ground there, so that I could have dryer conditions where I needed to repair the broken pipe.
Cindy and I drove into the shopping area of Westlands (near where we live). The 1.5 mile drive can take 15 minutes due to the traffic, and the traffic was bad. We got an elbow, the piece that had broken, and some PVC glue at the hardware. I practiced my newly learned Swahili with a hawker trying to sell me a rechargeable flash flight, as Cindy bought some milk in Uchumi's, the local supermarket chain.

We returned home and I fixed the PVC pipe. After waiting some time for the glue to dry properly, I reconnected the line from the city supply and continued with the gardening work. I put in the new tomato plants and sprayed all the tomatoes with the anti-fungicide. I began watering some roses and then the tomatoes with a hose. There didn't seem to be much water pressure, but we often have water outages and low pressure, so I didn't think anything of it.

Finally, Cindy came back from shopping with Erika Minor, with whom we'd worked for several years in Djibouti. She checked the water situation at the Yoder's on the other side of the duplex, and they had good water pressure. So I went back out to see if I'd done something incorrectly in reconnecting to the city supply. As I disassembled the pipes, and put them back together, I noticed that the main supply into the house - not to the storage tank - had completely sheared off at a joint. The metal pipe (copper?) must be decades old and it had corroded so badly, that my manipulation of the pipes in disconnecting and reconnecting them had caused it to shear off.

So, now we had water running freely into the yard - through the water meter - and not into the house, nor the storage tank. It was also getting dark and shops were closed. I managed to plug the leak, and tomorrow the adventure continues.

Update on Jordan

2006-12-03T07:47:00.000+03:00

Jordan has begun guitar lessons at school. After the second lesson (He had lessons for a year while we were in the USA.) Jordan's teacher sent us a note telling us that Jordan was very talented, and asking us if we were willing to help Jordan record some of his music.
Jordan also won an award as the Most Valuable Player of the Rosslyn junior varsity soccer team.
Needless to say we are very proud of Jordan.Rossyln Academy had a Cultural Fair in which students represented different cultures around the world. Jordan and his friends decided to represent Mexico. They played Mexican-style music on their guitars and dressed somewhat 'Mexican'. Jordan was able to add some real authenticity as we borrowed a Mariachi hat from our classmate, Raphael, who is a Mexican priest working in Kenya.

People have told us that Jordan and his friends were the hit of the Cultural Fair. People followed them around to listen to the songs they were playing. They played "La Bamba" and "Feliz Navidad" as well as some 'Mexican-sounding' songs that Jordan wrote for the occasion.

Jordan and his "Mexican" band at the culture fair.

Flora in our Backyard

2006-11-21T20:21:00.000+03:00

These flower buds come out of a larger bud. They will become a head of several small blue flowers.

I enjoy taking photos of small delicate flowers and seeing them magnified.

The bird-of-paradise is one of Cindy's favorite flowers.

A lily pad and water lily in the small fish pond.

Living in our Backyard

2006-11-15T20:08:00.000+03:00

Several types of small animals either live in or visit our backyard, including two cats, lizards, chameleons, several types of insects and many birds of different colors and sizes.

This bird likes to come onto the back porch, even as sit in the next chair and read.

Another bird is enjoying the bird bath on a sunny afternoon.

A large ibis walks into our yard every afternoon looking for insects to eat.

This ibis is also enjoying the bird bath.

No! This isn't a thumb! It is a slug where we hang out laundry to dry.

A slug proudly displaying its antenna. We've been having a lot of rain and there are many large, slimy slugs in our back yard.

UN Summit on the Environment is in Nairobi

2006-11-12T21:10:00.001+03:00

The United Nations Summit on the Environment was held just down the road from Jordan's school.

I thought this article on the effects of climate change on nomads in Kenya was interesting.

African nomads to be first people wiped out by climate change.

Here are some other articles on Kenya.

Kibera slums.

Shameful Legacy.

Jacaranda Trees

2006-11-03T16:33:00.000+03:00

Nairobi seems to be full of jacaranda trees. We have several in our compound. They are beautiful, covered with their violet blossoms. There are so many of these small violet flowers on the tree, that you might think they have purple leaves. These blossoms regularly fall from the tree creating a violet carpet around the tree. Alia loves these trees and the carpets they make. When I sit and read on the back porch in the late afternoon, it seems as if it is raining large violet raindrops. The trees drop many flowers as the sun sets, but new ones consistently replace those that have fallen. Here are some pictures of various trees around Nairobi.

Language School

2006-10-28T07:10:00.000+03:00

As I mentioned on a previous post, we've just completed our mid-term exams. For the second half of our term we have a new teacher, "Mwalimu Bill". Hopefully, we will get some pictures of our teachers and post those, also. Bill is a very good teacher. At first, our class was disappointed to see Mwalimu Kiplimo go. However, we are now happy with our new teacher. He is a little more strict and we are working hard. We also have a new classroom, with carpet and padded chairs.
We are currently working on different verb forms, such as passive voice, prepositional verbs, etc. Cindy is examining some new verbs at the white board (ubao mweupi).
Our old classroom had a lot of pictures and charts for language learning. We sometimes miss the charts of noun classes and their subject prefixes. In our new class room we must simply have them in our head.
If you remember some Spanish or French from school, these languages have masculine and feminine nouns. The articles 'le' and 'la' in French, for example, depend on the noun. Greek and German have 3 of these "classes". In Swahili there are 8 noun classes. And the forms of the adjectives and subject prefixes (which we don't even have in English) must match the noun class. We are slowly getting it.

Pictures of Cindy and Mike

2006-10-26T20:51:00.000+03:00

Mike is reading for his PhD studies. Anyone interested in the history of the church, or missions, I'd recommend this book. It's long but interesting.Cindy had me pose for this one.

Here I am getting a kiss from a beautiful blonde!!

Cindy is walking through the yard. We compost our garbage, and she has just dumped some peelings onto the compost.

Cindy is watching Alia and I play in the yard.

Life, so far, in Nairobi

2006-10-26T19:10:00.000+03:00

Cindy and I continue to attend the Anglican Church of Kenya language school everyday, where we are learning Swahili. We recently finished our mid-term exams, followed by a few days off from school. Both of us did good-to-very-good on the exams, and we are satisfied with our progress. Of course, it will take time and practice to become fluent.
At home we continue to enjoy the beautiful yard with its flowers and plants. Alia loves to plant new things, so we have sown some wild flowers, as well as, tomatoes, mustard, passion fruit and papaya.
Mike is reading a lot about Kenyan history and the church in Kenya and Africa for his studies. We hope to learn soon what he will be teaching at NIST.

Jessica hugging an older man!!!

2006-10-24T20:11:00.000+03:00

Jessica hugging her new beau, Tom, in Williamsburg.
Jessica had a mid-term break from EMU. She and friends went to Virginia Beach and Williamsburg for 2 days. She said it was cold, but they went in the water anyway. She misses the beach after living on the coast of the Indian Ocean for most of her life.

She also misses her little sister, Alia. They talked for nearly an hour over the computer using Skype. Alia told Jessica several stories. She was very excited to talk to her big sister.

Rains and Pictures of Alia

2006-10-24T08:46:00.000+03:00

We got our first big of the rainy season, and Alia wanted to go out in the rain.The next day it was sunny again. Here I'm chasing Alia with the camera.

More pictures

2006-10-22T06:49:00.000+03:00

Jordan continues playing the guitar. We hear many very positive comments about his guitar-playing, including overheard conversations from some of his teachers at Rosslyn.
I like this close-up of a fly on a flower bud in our garden. It is now rainy season and the weather is cooler (60s) so the flies aren't moving much. Though we've only had about 1 inch of rain in a week. I hope the rains pick up for the sake of the farming.
Alia likes to take turns with me, taking close-up photos of flowers. Here she peaked around a leaf as I snapped the picture.

Getting Ready for the Rainy Season

2006-10-14T20:11:00.000+03:00

We haven't experienced a rainy season in Kenya, yet. But we've heard that it can come down pretty hard and fast. Jordan is on the roof cleaning out the gutters before the rains begin. Supposedly, the rains could begin any day.

Some pictures of the gray skies that we've been having lately. The clouds blow in from the east toward the west, coming a few hundred miles inland off the Indian Ocean. For the past week, mornings have looked rather menancing, but so far no rain.

In the sky you can some kites circling. A kite is very similar to a hawk or eagle.

In Virginia, Jessica climbs a mountain

2006-10-13T19:37:00.000+03:00

Here Jessica almost goes over the edge.
Jessica and a friend with their walking sticks in the Blue Ridge Mountains.
On top of the mountain.

Just around the House

2006-10-11T18:23:00.000+03:00

Cindy in Mike's "office", which is a small room off the courtyard, about the size of a walk-in-closet.

Some of Alia's artwork on the floor of our courtyard.

Alia has been watching Cinderella, and listening to the same bedtime story. So today, we returned from language school and Alia had her babysitter acting as the bad step-mother, while Alia scrubbed the steps on her hands and knees.

Nairobi Weather

2006-10-10T07:51:00.000+03:00

People often have the idea that 'Africa' is extremely hot. When we lived in Djibouti, in the Horn of Africa near the Red Sea, it was very hot. The hottest city in the world in fact. But Africa is a very large continent, so different climates are found throughout. Here in Nairobi we are 5700 ft above sea level (just over a mile high). While I doubt that we'll ever have snow, the temperatures are comfortable and the humidity is low. And it allows us to have a beautiful backyard.

Here the temperature is ~ 77F (25C) and 30% humidity on sunny Monday afternoon.

Views out of our bedroom window.

More pictures of our place and Alia

2006-10-07T10:04:00.000+03:00

Our back porch and Alia enjoying some chai.

Alia is posing for the camera in our garden.

Alia and I have been shredding newspapers to use as compost. Here she decided to play in the pile of shredded papers.

Alia and a friend play in Alia's new sandbox. Simon, the gardener dug out the hole and lined it with the boards. I bought a ton of sand and wheelbarrowed it to the sandbox. It is one of Alia's favorite places to play.

Insects at our House

2006-10-06T02:29:00.000+03:00

After experiencing primarily roaches and ants in, and around, our homes in Djibouti we have a new set of much nicer insects here in Nairobi.

Here is a butterfly on our back porch.

And a moth in the shower room.

Playing Sports in Nairobi

2006-10-05T21:11:00.000+03:00

Alia enjoys trying her luck at tennis at the Mennonite Guest House next door.

Jordan - in the green guarding #18 in the red - plays soccer for the Rosslyn Eagles JV team. He also wears #18, though you can't see his number in this picture. In this game they are playing their rivals RVA (Rift Valley Academy). Unfortunately, they lost 4-2, but it was a good match.

Pictures from 1st weeks in Nairobi

2006-09-21T22:17:00.000+03:00

Jordan unpacking upon arrival.
Alia drinking chai on the front step.
Alia at her desk in her room & 'at school'
Alia and Mike playing tackle football

Making Nairobi Home

2006-09-08T16:13:00.000+03:00

We are beginning to make Nairobi home. Alia enjoys playing in the yard and at the Mennonite Guest House next door, where there is a basketball/tennis court and large sandbox/playground. She is also very happy with her baby-sitters - who watch her while we go to language school. Many board games were left in the house, so Alia is also becoming a big game player.

Jordan has begun school at Rosslyn Academy. He says that there is too much homework, but other wise he is enjoying it very much. He is glad to be back in Africa. He says that everyone is super-friendly in Kenya. Jordan also had his first soccer match. It was a 3-3 tie. We were unable to go to the match because of its early start and our language school, but we've heard that Jordan was the star of the match.

Cindy and I have begun learning Swahili at the Anglican Church of Kenya school. We like the classes and after a week we can say a few things in Swahili. It has a very logical grammar, but we must remember a lot of new vocabulary.

Driving to school is the most interesting new development. We must now drive on the left side of the road. (Kenya was a British colony.) And Nairobi is a city of nearly 4 million people so the roads are crowded. I takes us 30-45 minutes to go about 7 miles to school. We can return home, during a lower traffic period, in a about 20 minutes.

We hope to include pictures some time in the next week or so. For now we are using internet cafes to check on our email and to post on this blog. Once we get internet at our house we put some pictures from Kenya here.

Blessings,
Mike for the whole family

Jessica goes back to school

2006-08-28T07:32:00.000+03:00

This weekend I took Jessica back for her sophomore year at Eastern Mennonite University. We rode down together with Joe and Cheryl Hollinger, who were taking their son Chris to EMU.

Jessica and I had a good weekend together in Harrisonburg. Her birthday was Sunday, and I took her to Subway for lunch - we didn't have a car, so we chose a place within walking distance.

Dad relaxes in the lounge.

Leaving Jessica at school is one of the hardest things that I have ever done in my life. She hopes to visit us in a year and a half in Nairobi. We are already looking forward to that time.

Jessica just hanging around at school.

Cindy, Jordan and Alia have made it to Kenya

2006-08-17T03:12:00.000+03:00

They left on Monday evening after a 4-day delay due to the uncovered terrorist plot. In the end they had no trouble at the airports and the lines were reasonable - though it did take nearly 2 hours to check-in.

Don Sharp, pastor at Stumptown, drove a car load of our family to the airport. I drove a van full of luggage.

Our family poses together in front of the van full of luggage. Jessica, on the left, remains in the USA to attend university at Eastern Mennonite University. I'm staying with her until she begins school, then I'll fly on to Nairobi and join Cindy, Jordan and Alia.

There was a rather long wait to check in at the Philadelphia airport. So Jessica and I took turns entertaining Alia on the escalators.

We had a chance to talk to all three of them in Nairobi on the phone this morning. They are doing well, a bit tired. All of the luggage arrived without problems. After the 4-day delay the trip was pretty much hassle-free. We thank you for your prayers.

Mike stays behind to be with Jessica

2006-08-11T22:53:00.000+03:00

Our original plans were for Mike, Cindy, Jordan and Alia to leave on August 10th. Jessica would spend a few weeks with friends in the Lancaster area before returning to Harrisonburg, VA and her second year at Eastern Mennonite University.

This began to feel very much like we were abandoning Jessica for those couple of weeks before she returned to university. So, we decided that I (Mike) would stay behind with Jessica and accompany her back to university. Then I'll fly to Nairobi the next day. So I'll be staying with Jessica until her birthday on August 27, and I'll fly out on the 28th.

We think that this plan is best for Jessica and our family. Please keep us in your prayers.

Problems in England cause a delay

2006-08-11T22:45:00.000+03:00

Hi. We woke up Thursday morning thinking that Cindy and the kids would be leaving that afternoon for Kenya. However, I often read BBC news on the internet in the morning, and we learned about the arrest of alleged terrorists in England and the problems with flying through Heathrow airport. We had a stop scheduled and a change of planes at Heathrow.

We began reading about what was happening and looking up information on British Airways flights. Finally, Cindy called British Airways and changed the flight to this Sunday, August 13th. Carry on bags are not allowed, so we have had to do some last minute repacking. Everyone is now relaxed and ready to leave in two days.

Please remember to pray for us as Cindy, Jordan and Alia fly to Kenya on Sunday.

Goodbyes in Ohio and a Wedding

2006-08-10T14:51:00.000+03:00

We visited my family in eastern Ohio. We also were able to go to my nephew's wedding. Jacob had been a ring-bearer in our wedding 20 years ago.

Here are some pictures of my brothers and sisters and their children, and Jacob and his bride Jennifer.

Jake and Jenn coming out of the church.

My sister Margie, her husband Gene and their family.

Our family posing with my mother, JoAnn Brislen.

Paul, Susie's husband, playing with Alia.

My sister, Sue, and her daughters, Kayla and Shayna.

Saying goodbyes to Ohio families

2006-08-08T18:24:00.000+03:00

We made a trip to Alliance, Ohio to visit Cindy's aunts and cousins. Unfortunately, we were only able to visit for one day, but it was nice to see everyone again.

Mike went to college in Alliance and got to know Cindy's extended family at church before meeting Cindy. Many people ask us how we met since I'm from Ohio and Cindy is from Baltimore. Well this is the answer. We met at the First Church of God in Ohio.

Here are some pictures of our visit in Alliance.

At the church with Aunt Lois.

Cindy with her Aunt Lois and Aunt Ruthie.

Jordan and I at the entrance to the college I graduated from.

Alia chips in to help

2006-08-02T21:05:00.000+03:00

Alia decided to help with the packing and the excess possessions by holding a yard sale to sell some of her toys.

MST Send-Off Meal

2006-08-02T20:35:00.000+03:00

Our MST (Missionary Support Team) had a meal and sending-off time with us on August 1. People from Stumptown Mennonite Church and Mellinger Mennonite Church and Cindy's Mom were there with us. (Our other supporters live much further away.) Deb Muenstermann, who is MST Coach at EMM, was there to explain how our MST may best help support us while we are away in Kenya. Her insights were found to be helpful.

It was a very meaningful time for us. Here some photos from the meeting.

Dennis Diller and I were the only ones wearing jeans, T-shirts and sneakers. Ivan Leaman, standing by the door (and pointing), is the chairman of our MST.

Don Sensenig (and Doris' arm) and Jane Landis are enjoying the meal.

John Leaman, a pastor at Stumptown, is talking to Leon and Leona Oberholtzer. Leon has an office at the church where I appreciated getting to know him this year.

Stocking up

2006-08-01T07:03:00.000+03:00

On a more humorous note... We have found that items such as good socks and underwear are difficult to find in at least some parts of Africa. So as we pack to leave in 10 days, we've also been stocking up on socks and undies.

Please pray for us as we go through the stressful time of packing and saying our good-byes to friends and family.

School for Apostles

2006-07-26T21:18:00.000+03:00

This week we are at Black Rock Retreat Center in Quarryville, PA. We are attending the School for Apostles.

Only Alia is with us this week. Jordan is visiting his cousins in Damascus, MD. And Jessica is by herself, continuing her summer job at a local restaurant.

Alia is enjoying the free time in the afternoon to test out her water wings in the pond. She is proud of her new found 'swimming' skills.

Alejandro Colindres, the main speaker, is being translated by Antonio Ulloa, an old friend of Mike's from seminary. We weren't certain what to expect this week. It is the first time that we have attended this retreat. We only knew that it was designed for church planters. Leaders from Spanish-speaking churches, Vietnamese churches, African-American churches, etc. are here this week. It has been a spiritually refreshing and uplifting time for us.

The most unpleasant part of being missionaries

2006-07-21T23:42:00.000+03:00

We are beginning the process of packing up and storing all those things that we won't take with us to Kenya, but that we may wish to keep in the long run; books, quilts, photos, winter coats. Cindy has also taken clothes, books and toys to thrift shops.

Shutt Family Gathering

2006-07-21T14:51:00.000+03:00

Cindy's family visits us at our house in Bird-in-Hand, PA in July 2006.