Tomorrow morning we leave around 5AM for our flight to Kisumu, so in all likelihood I won't be blogging for a few days since that part of Kenya doesn't have much in the way of wifi. Wanted to write out a few short stories at least before leaving...
Story 1
Last night we went back to the Centre around 8:30PM to visit the 30 kids who live there. When we walked upstairs we found the kids either doing laundry or back in their classrooms studying together. School for the older grades runs from 7AM until 6PM or later (with lunch and recess breaks), plus homework afterwards. Not a lot of time for these kids to wander or get in trouble and it shows in their grades. Our visit was a little unusual, so the kids put down their homework and went to their rooms to show us around. All the girls sat on their bunkbeds and I asked them some questions, including their career ambitions. Lots of great answers, but in particular these:
Me: who else wants to tell me what job they want?
4th grader: I want to be a pilot.
Me: oh cool, you can fly to America someday! Who else?
6th grader: I want to be a nutrologist.
Me: nutrologist? You mean nutritionist, like with food?
4th grader (the one who wants to be a pilot): No, with the brain. Neurologist.
...what kind of 6th grader wants to be a neurologist?? And what kind of 4th grader even knows that word?? Amazing...
Story 2
Today we drove through some of the "other" Nairobi, the slums and semi-slums housing millions of people including most of those the ministry works with. This particular road is slated to become a 6 lane highway and they've begun clearing some of the right of way. In one traffic jam, a cop pointed to us and motioned to Tom to pull over. The cop, a young slender guy, told me to get in the back seat and got in front with Tom. We then drove around to nowhere in particular for 45 minutes as Tom and the cop talked in Swahili. I didn't pick up everything they said but I knew he was trying to negotiate a bribe price; the common code is the cop asking the supposed offender to "buy me lunch." Later on Tom (and Jerry, who was with us), filled me in on some of the conversation. This isn't word-for-word, but here's basically what went on:
Cop: I thought I saw you talking on your cell phone. And your winshield is cracked. The fine for that is 10 thousand shillings (about $120).
Tom: We don't have that with us.
Cop: Instead you can buy me lunch. 5 thousand.
Tom: 5 thousand shillings for lunch?
Cop: Maybe another price is better?
(they continue to talk, apparently just making friendly conversation, as they drive down the congested road that is supposed to become a highway)
Tom: When is this highway supposed to be finished, anyway?
Cop: Maybe not for 5 years. (shaking his head disapprovingly) The government is so corrupt.
Story 3
As you guys may know, Tom employs several young men part-time for roles at the church and school. In addition to Jerry, a man named Dennis is also a key guy, leading worship on Sunday, managing equipment, and serving wherever needed. Dennis is a great guy who has served consistently for years. He got married in 2012 and had a son in 2013, so he needed to increase his income somehow. He and Tom talked last year about how he might come up with more money. Rather than ask Tom for increased support, they discussed other ways forward. In the end, Tom found an anonymous one-time donor in the United States to pay several hundred dollars to help Dennis start electrician school. Dennis completed the program, got certified, and started to get jobs. He also wired the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Centre for Tom, something that would have cost much more without a ministry partner who was trained in the trade.
I happened to talk with Dennis today, and armed with his new, marketable trade skill, he is a confident husband and father moving forward in his calling. This is why we do what we do.
Story 1
Last night we went back to the Centre around 8:30PM to visit the 30 kids who live there. When we walked upstairs we found the kids either doing laundry or back in their classrooms studying together. School for the older grades runs from 7AM until 6PM or later (with lunch and recess breaks), plus homework afterwards. Not a lot of time for these kids to wander or get in trouble and it shows in their grades. Our visit was a little unusual, so the kids put down their homework and went to their rooms to show us around. All the girls sat on their bunkbeds and I asked them some questions, including their career ambitions. Lots of great answers, but in particular these:
Me: who else wants to tell me what job they want?
4th grader: I want to be a pilot.
Me: oh cool, you can fly to America someday! Who else?
6th grader: I want to be a nutrologist.
Me: nutrologist? You mean nutritionist, like with food?
4th grader (the one who wants to be a pilot): No, with the brain. Neurologist.
...what kind of 6th grader wants to be a neurologist?? And what kind of 4th grader even knows that word?? Amazing...
Story 2
Today we drove through some of the "other" Nairobi, the slums and semi-slums housing millions of people including most of those the ministry works with. This particular road is slated to become a 6 lane highway and they've begun clearing some of the right of way. In one traffic jam, a cop pointed to us and motioned to Tom to pull over. The cop, a young slender guy, told me to get in the back seat and got in front with Tom. We then drove around to nowhere in particular for 45 minutes as Tom and the cop talked in Swahili. I didn't pick up everything they said but I knew he was trying to negotiate a bribe price; the common code is the cop asking the supposed offender to "buy me lunch." Later on Tom (and Jerry, who was with us), filled me in on some of the conversation. This isn't word-for-word, but here's basically what went on:
Cop: I thought I saw you talking on your cell phone. And your winshield is cracked. The fine for that is 10 thousand shillings (about $120).
Tom: We don't have that with us.
Cop: Instead you can buy me lunch. 5 thousand.
Tom: 5 thousand shillings for lunch?
Cop: Maybe another price is better?
(they continue to talk, apparently just making friendly conversation, as they drive down the congested road that is supposed to become a highway)
Tom: When is this highway supposed to be finished, anyway?
Cop: Maybe not for 5 years. (shaking his head disapprovingly) The government is so corrupt.
Story 3
As you guys may know, Tom employs several young men part-time for roles at the church and school. In addition to Jerry, a man named Dennis is also a key guy, leading worship on Sunday, managing equipment, and serving wherever needed. Dennis is a great guy who has served consistently for years. He got married in 2012 and had a son in 2013, so he needed to increase his income somehow. He and Tom talked last year about how he might come up with more money. Rather than ask Tom for increased support, they discussed other ways forward. In the end, Tom found an anonymous one-time donor in the United States to pay several hundred dollars to help Dennis start electrician school. Dennis completed the program, got certified, and started to get jobs. He also wired the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Centre for Tom, something that would have cost much more without a ministry partner who was trained in the trade.
I happened to talk with Dennis today, and armed with his new, marketable trade skill, he is a confident husband and father moving forward in his calling. This is why we do what we do.
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