july 27
juan:
Most of the servants went on a retreat this Friday and Saturday. We couldn't go because we are helping to resolve network/internet lag issues, which is fun stuff. This entire week has been focused computer stuff because John is going back to Egypt on Monday. We have set up a mail server for the compound, which they are excited about because up till now, a lot of things have been done by word of mouth. We have been going to bed quite late and even keeping some of the kenyans here late, which I have been told is not cool :)
Today, as we were all hanging out together, one of our servants fainted. Apparently, she suffers from hypertension and has contracted typhoid as well. Immediately all of the servants ran to her aid. The doctors and pharmacists tended to her, checking her blood pressure and taking blood samples to the lab. The bishop and Abouna, together with all the servants spent the evening with her, joking around and making sure she felt loved. It was awesome to see how the servant family takes care of its own.
Quiet time was nice today. I am reading Ephesians, from start to finish, and it is Beautiful.
Dad, thank you for calling me today. You don't know how much it meant to me. It was so nice to hear your voice. I am glad you and mom are doing well. Say hi to Sue and Grant. I was telling dad that I think Christine and I are the worst servants that ever lived. I have told this to Abouna many times. He said that he always waits a couple of months for a new servant to adjust and Wake Up, and after that, serving will be the will of the person, not a set of tasks. We both really need God to change us. This is what we pray for the most. Please pray for us for this reason. More than our own safety, we need to change, to be like Christ. This is what matters most.
One thing that scares me is the corrput police check stops. At night, there are these police check stops where the police pull you over, especially if you are a muzungu (white or foreigner), and make up any reason for you to give them money. They all have machine guns. It is very unsettling, but it seems you get used to it.
Last night, our friends Tamer and Sherry took us out to eat Indian food for dinner. It was really good. We ate chicken in special masala and garlic naan.....mmmmmmmm.
Vinny, thanks for the Linux tips. They helped me out.
Carm, we have a mailing address: Ngong Road, Between Kindaruma Lane & Rose Avenue. P.O. Box 21570, Nairobi. We heard there can be customs issues with mail, so don't send me an envelope full of cash :) Give Mocushla and Jeju a kiss for Christine and me.
Manny, did you get the beemer yet? Could you be a dove and comment on the blog or send me an email? I love you bro.
I saw pictures on Facebook of the Calgary youth with MarClaudine and the kids. It was nice to see you guys. How are you doing? If any of you guys read the blog, please write us a comment :)
I'll post pictures on Facebook soon. We don't go to bed until around midnight everyday, so I'm just too tired, but I'll find time.
Lastly, please know that God is taking care of us here. I pray that you are all doing well. God Bless.
July 28
Christine:
We have had some very interesting couple of days at the mission lately. Yesterday morning, we went to Mass and I had communion and it was just awesome! The bishop didn't attend the mass because he went with a kenyan priest to go visit and bless a bunch of coptic churches outside Nairobi. After communion, Juan went to help with some more IT stuff and I went with our new friend Neveen to her apartment to make us some breakfast. We made some very tasty eggs and sausages - my first since we left Canada! After breakfast, we started watching an old arabic movie on the computer at which time Lydia also joined us. It was alot of fun to hang out with the girls and watch a movies. While watching the movie, Lydia got a phone call from the bishop telling her to go make pasta because he's bringing a goat with him for everyone to eat!! My first thoughts were....A GOAT?? A LIVE GOAT???? and indeed it was! So we met up with Mickey and Sherry and we all started cooking a big tub of pasta for about 30 people. We later found out that the bishop (sayedna as we call him in arabic) apparently was given a goat as a present from one of the churches he visited. But knowing that one goat won't be enough for everyone at the compound, he drove around for another hour or two going from one shephard to the next asking if they can buy another goat. God as always was with him and they managed to return to the compound, 2 hours late, with 2 goats and a chicken...all alive and kicking! The goats were just trasported in the trunck of the van...one of the servants that went with sayedna got very acquainted with them. Anyways, once they arrived, all the boys took the goats to the back and killed them. Magdy, thank God, knew how to butcher and skin the goat so he was managing the entire procedure...I asked him how he learned to do that but he just laughed...I figured it's probably best if I don't know so I didn't ask any more questions. By then, it was already the evening so we decided that we'd save the goats for the next day so we went for dinner. While at dinner, Tante Mona (she's awesome!) came to ask who wanted to help her clean the goats after they were skinned. THANK GOD me and Juan got out of it or else I think we would be puking for the next week. She managed to capture 2 guys from LA to go help her (and I mean capture!). So today, we went to prayer meeting and then to dinner. At the end of prayer meeting, sayedna finished talking and then he said "Yalla, lets go eat goats!" So we all flock to the Center where we have dinner and they bring out 3 different types of goat; barbequed, in a tomato sauce and the third in a garic sauce. They also made fata (an egyptian dish). It was pretty good, it tasted like beef! And that's the end of our famous goat story.
Also, today we went on visitations to Lanana. It was the best visitation I've had yet. We went to get people from their houses but they didn't really want us to go in to their homes and they just said they're busy now but they'll come later. Lucy said that most of these ladies don't have a job and need the money for their children so they sell liquor out of their homes (which is why they didn't want us to go in). Anyways, she didn't think they were coming.
So we gathered in an open area on the grass with the few that came and started singing. It was awesome! everyone was so in to their singing and a guy came and started dancing in the middle which made more and more people want to come.
The children started moving towards the music and laughter so by the time we were done, we were all standing, clapping, dancing and singing our hearts out. Even though it was all in Swahili, I'm starting to pick up some stuff so I sang a little too. I loved it. There were at least 30 people there listening with us to the word of God. Lucy shared today and people started giving testimonials afterwards. It was really great, I can't wait till next week when we go to Lanana again.
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Wednesday, July 23, 2008
Update - July 23
july 23
juan:
Hi guys, get ready for a geeky blog entry! The past few days have been very busy. The Bishop got word that I know the UNIX O/S and appointed me the 'LINUX EXPERT', which is a laugh. They are running Linux Fidora 9, because hey, it's free. The hospital keeps most of its records manually on spreadsheets (a real pain). A couple of years ago, they contracted a local software company to create a hosptial administration system for them, but it is not in production due to bugs and also due to a needed linux upgrade. Needless to say, everyone has been waiting for this to go into production, but the expertise here is limited. So last night, the software company, the IT team, as well as a Godsend named John from Egypt and Christine and myself were upgrading linux and installing the new version of the software. It was challenging, but it was fun and we all learned a lot. We were up until 3am and successfully completed the job. We rock! John is very skilled at building networks, so he is going to teach us and help us improve the existing network because it's crazy slow. He is also going to setup an Exchange email server so that the compound can have internal mail, another much needed tool. I can't wait to learn all these new things. Geek alert!
Their linux system is quite neat. There is one server, and everyone has these 'thin clients' which are the size of a typical router and are nothing more that mouse, keyboard and monitor ports to interface with the linux terminal server. So everyone shares the server. I've heard a lot of complaints that the system is slow. I have been monitoring the system and have found processes that typically take 100% of the CPU and remain indefinitely. I have written some scripts to manage this and hope to find or turn on some kind of system monitoring tools. The IT team doesn't know linux very well. They have struggled to support it. Hopefully I can teach them a few things to help them out.
On the missionary side of things, we are getting more and more comfortable here. I am beginning to enjoy the visitations more and more. I like yapping about my beloved friend Jesus. Quiet time is a struggle. I still find I'm half asleep during it, but I expect it to get better. The cooks here are amazing. Every meal is delicious.
One of the guys has found out that I brought an international driver's license. I had no real intention of using it. He wants me to start to drive, which scares me a lot because the traffic here is crazy, there are no rules, you have to be a bit aggressive (which I'm not), you drive on the other side of the car and on the other side of the road. I expressed my cowardice and hope they don't make me do it. The reason they want me to get comfortable driving is that they recently lost a driver (how irresponsible) and need a replacement. This is for driving the group to do
visitations. We'll see. I have a real gift for avoiding work :)
Vinny, your comment was hilarious bro! It made my day. You have a heart of gold my friend.
Winn, we don't have our own internet connection, so skype is difficult. Best to keep our converstations in email or blog form. We thought we would have internet, but we don't. We have to walk to a nearby internet cafe or use one of the computers in the lab. Thanks for your comment bud. Keep them coming :)
We really appreciate your blog comments. Please continue to write them. We miss you all. Keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.
Please pray for a lady name Beatrice, who is struggling to feed herself and her children. God Bless.
juan:
Hi guys, get ready for a geeky blog entry! The past few days have been very busy. The Bishop got word that I know the UNIX O/S and appointed me the 'LINUX EXPERT', which is a laugh. They are running Linux Fidora 9, because hey, it's free. The hospital keeps most of its records manually on spreadsheets (a real pain). A couple of years ago, they contracted a local software company to create a hosptial administration system for them, but it is not in production due to bugs and also due to a needed linux upgrade. Needless to say, everyone has been waiting for this to go into production, but the expertise here is limited. So last night, the software company, the IT team, as well as a Godsend named John from Egypt and Christine and myself were upgrading linux and installing the new version of the software. It was challenging, but it was fun and we all learned a lot. We were up until 3am and successfully completed the job. We rock! John is very skilled at building networks, so he is going to teach us and help us improve the existing network because it's crazy slow. He is also going to setup an Exchange email server so that the compound can have internal mail, another much needed tool. I can't wait to learn all these new things. Geek alert!
Their linux system is quite neat. There is one server, and everyone has these 'thin clients' which are the size of a typical router and are nothing more that mouse, keyboard and monitor ports to interface with the linux terminal server. So everyone shares the server. I've heard a lot of complaints that the system is slow. I have been monitoring the system and have found processes that typically take 100% of the CPU and remain indefinitely. I have written some scripts to manage this and hope to find or turn on some kind of system monitoring tools. The IT team doesn't know linux very well. They have struggled to support it. Hopefully I can teach them a few things to help them out.
On the missionary side of things, we are getting more and more comfortable here. I am beginning to enjoy the visitations more and more. I like yapping about my beloved friend Jesus. Quiet time is a struggle. I still find I'm half asleep during it, but I expect it to get better. The cooks here are amazing. Every meal is delicious.
One of the guys has found out that I brought an international driver's license. I had no real intention of using it. He wants me to start to drive, which scares me a lot because the traffic here is crazy, there are no rules, you have to be a bit aggressive (which I'm not), you drive on the other side of the car and on the other side of the road. I expressed my cowardice and hope they don't make me do it. The reason they want me to get comfortable driving is that they recently lost a driver (how irresponsible) and need a replacement. This is for driving the group to do
visitations. We'll see. I have a real gift for avoiding work :)
Vinny, your comment was hilarious bro! It made my day. You have a heart of gold my friend.
Winn, we don't have our own internet connection, so skype is difficult. Best to keep our converstations in email or blog form. We thought we would have internet, but we don't. We have to walk to a nearby internet cafe or use one of the computers in the lab. Thanks for your comment bud. Keep them coming :)
We really appreciate your blog comments. Please continue to write them. We miss you all. Keep us in your prayers, as we keep you in ours.
Please pray for a lady name Beatrice, who is struggling to feed herself and her children. God Bless.
Sunday, July 20, 2008
Update - July 20
juan:
Mom and dad, thank you for the phone call. Even though it was hard to hear each other's voices, I felt your love. I love you both so much and miss you and can't wait to see you again. To comment on a blog entry, click on the comment link below the blog entry.
Carm, thank you for posting pictures of Mocushla :) She is adoreable. Please show her a picture of us everyday so she doesn't forget us:) Jeju, I miss you bro.
Manny and Nashi, how are you? Please comment on this blog and let me know how you are. I love you and miss you both :)
Tia, thank you for your concern. We are fine and God is protecting us. How are you? Give Jim a hug for us please.
Alex, how are you buddy? I can't believe grandma hit me with a chicken bone! How is your job? May God protect you, as you are doing His work.
Abuelita, como estas? Espero que todo esta bien. Nosotros tambien estamos bien. Dios nos esta protejendo. Te amo mucho, mi querida abuelita.
Mike Lee, I miss you bro. Thanks for commenting on the blog. I can't believe you're getting paid $100K at work to read our blog :)
Bobby, how are you? say hi to Tammy. I miss you also, you are dear to me. Please write us a comment :)
My beloved oriental family Winger, Vinny, Geoff, Glorious and Brianna. I hope that all is well you guys. I will miss the camping trip this year. Can someone please moon Geoff in my abscense? Christine asks you to eat lots of bacon :)
Mina Rostom, thank you for your prayers :) We will keep you in ours.
Today we had mass in the morning and after that we went with some of the doctors and pharmacists to a bbq at a place called Paradise Lost. It's a nice place with a lake and waterfalls and some cool caves. There are also camels walking around freely and some ostriches that are in an enclosure. The gang brought 10 KG of meat - pork, goat and lamb, of which I thought goat was the best, and it was my first time trying it. We were stuffed by the end. I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat so much food, but these Egyptians are opening my eyes to new levels of glutony. By the end, some of the guys were so full that they behaved as if they were intoxicated, mumbling and stumbling. We had a great time.
A guy named Ramy had a new baby boy, Martin, so we had a celebration for him.
In the late evening, we all met with the bishop. He was very passionate about not becoming a stagnant mission. He sees that we have become al little too comfortable in our activities and he wants us to be a ever-changing mission. Currently, the mission in Nairobi is mostly a medical mission, with a handful of servants like us reaching out to the people. He wants now for us to reach the prostitues and the homeless and the street kids and the drug addicts. Actually, it's quite funny. I don't know if you know, but Christine and I got rid of all our stuff in Canada BEFORE we contacted the mission. Once we were ready, we then contacted the bishop and told him that we were on our way! We didn't ask if he needed us, we more or less invited ourselves! He was saying that when he heard this, he was like, 'Oh no, what am I going to do with these two?!'. So he prayed a lot about us, asking God what to do. God kept telling him that he should use us to start a new service in a new building that tends to the needy - prostitues, homeless etc (ahem, MC, interested to come help us?). He said that somehow he knew that we were very loving people and that we would be well suited for this purpose. He said that when he looks at us, he sees Christine as the loving mother and me as the funny father, and this is what is needed to love people. He says that these people want to feel loved. So Christine and I will pray very hard about this, as it is both exciting and scary. He also said that even though he was worried about what he would do with us, he really liked the fact that we came here of our own will and didn't have to be asked. He says he knows a lot of servants that he thinks would be great additions to the mission, but he has to beg and plead with them to come, and this is not the way it should be. Doing the work of God should be in our hearts, and we should be voluntarily ready at any time.
So please pray for us, as we know we are the most useless and lazy missionaries that ever lived. Even today, when we were at the bbq, we were supposed to be at some youth meetings! We are the worst and we need God to change us.
We tried quiet time this morning for the first time. Christine really liked it. I have to admit I was sleepy and kept falling asleep during it, but it will get better with time. For those who are interested, here is the guide to successful quiet time with God, of which the goal is to meet Him.
It's important to note that it's not an appointment you set up with Him. Instead, it is an appointment He has set up, and you show up to it. He longs to be with you and talk to you and for you to know Him. Wake up a half hour earlier to start your day with Him.
Mom and dad, thank you for the phone call. Even though it was hard to hear each other's voices, I felt your love. I love you both so much and miss you and can't wait to see you again. To comment on a blog entry, click on the comment link below the blog entry.
Carm, thank you for posting pictures of Mocushla :) She is adoreable. Please show her a picture of us everyday so she doesn't forget us:) Jeju, I miss you bro.
Manny and Nashi, how are you? Please comment on this blog and let me know how you are. I love you and miss you both :)
Tia, thank you for your concern. We are fine and God is protecting us. How are you? Give Jim a hug for us please.
Alex, how are you buddy? I can't believe grandma hit me with a chicken bone! How is your job? May God protect you, as you are doing His work.
Abuelita, como estas? Espero que todo esta bien. Nosotros tambien estamos bien. Dios nos esta protejendo. Te amo mucho, mi querida abuelita.
Mike Lee, I miss you bro. Thanks for commenting on the blog. I can't believe you're getting paid $100K at work to read our blog :)
Bobby, how are you? say hi to Tammy. I miss you also, you are dear to me. Please write us a comment :)
My beloved oriental family Winger, Vinny, Geoff, Glorious and Brianna. I hope that all is well you guys. I will miss the camping trip this year. Can someone please moon Geoff in my abscense? Christine asks you to eat lots of bacon :)
Mina Rostom, thank you for your prayers :) We will keep you in ours.
Today we had mass in the morning and after that we went with some of the doctors and pharmacists to a bbq at a place called Paradise Lost. It's a nice place with a lake and waterfalls and some cool caves. There are also camels walking around freely and some ostriches that are in an enclosure. The gang brought 10 KG of meat - pork, goat and lamb, of which I thought goat was the best, and it was my first time trying it. We were stuffed by the end. I didn't think it was humanly possible to eat so much food, but these Egyptians are opening my eyes to new levels of glutony. By the end, some of the guys were so full that they behaved as if they were intoxicated, mumbling and stumbling. We had a great time.
A guy named Ramy had a new baby boy, Martin, so we had a celebration for him.
In the late evening, we all met with the bishop. He was very passionate about not becoming a stagnant mission. He sees that we have become al little too comfortable in our activities and he wants us to be a ever-changing mission. Currently, the mission in Nairobi is mostly a medical mission, with a handful of servants like us reaching out to the people. He wants now for us to reach the prostitues and the homeless and the street kids and the drug addicts. Actually, it's quite funny. I don't know if you know, but Christine and I got rid of all our stuff in Canada BEFORE we contacted the mission. Once we were ready, we then contacted the bishop and told him that we were on our way! We didn't ask if he needed us, we more or less invited ourselves! He was saying that when he heard this, he was like, 'Oh no, what am I going to do with these two?!'. So he prayed a lot about us, asking God what to do. God kept telling him that he should use us to start a new service in a new building that tends to the needy - prostitues, homeless etc (ahem, MC, interested to come help us?). He said that somehow he knew that we were very loving people and that we would be well suited for this purpose. He said that when he looks at us, he sees Christine as the loving mother and me as the funny father, and this is what is needed to love people. He says that these people want to feel loved. So Christine and I will pray very hard about this, as it is both exciting and scary. He also said that even though he was worried about what he would do with us, he really liked the fact that we came here of our own will and didn't have to be asked. He says he knows a lot of servants that he thinks would be great additions to the mission, but he has to beg and plead with them to come, and this is not the way it should be. Doing the work of God should be in our hearts, and we should be voluntarily ready at any time.
So please pray for us, as we know we are the most useless and lazy missionaries that ever lived. Even today, when we were at the bbq, we were supposed to be at some youth meetings! We are the worst and we need God to change us.
We tried quiet time this morning for the first time. Christine really liked it. I have to admit I was sleepy and kept falling asleep during it, but it will get better with time. For those who are interested, here is the guide to successful quiet time with God, of which the goal is to meet Him.
It's important to note that it's not an appointment you set up with Him. Instead, it is an appointment He has set up, and you show up to it. He longs to be with you and talk to you and for you to know Him. Wake up a half hour earlier to start your day with Him.
1. Clear your mind of everything. This is difficult, as we all have lots on our mind. This takes about 3 minutes.
2. Thank Him. He has given you much, even His own Spirit and even His own life.
3. Praise Him. He is all that matters and all that is good.
4. Confess to Him. Recognize that you need His help and ask Him to change you.
5. Ask Him. Whatever you need, He can supply. 'Ask and it shall be given to you' Luke 11:9
6. Clear your mind again.
7. Read the Bible. Follow a quiet time guide or just pick any book out of the Bible and read it from beginning to end, not necessarily in one day of course! Ask God: 'What are you trying to tell me?'. Meet Him in that passage.
Christine:
I just wanted to say that we miss everyone very much, please keep your news coming, we love hearing all about you guys back home.
Mom and Dad, I miss you guys lots, hope you have a good trip back to Calgary and make sure to call us when you get there...hope the jetlag doesn't cause too many problems :) Also don't forget about Cirque de Soliel, let me know how you like it.
George, I hope you're liking Toronto and your new condo. Miss you lots and can't wait till you come visit us here.
Irene, thank you for your phone calls. It's great to hear from you, keep doing them :)
Adel, we miss you and Hako lots already. Can't wait to see you again...hopefully when the weather isn't as hot :)
Menreet and Tante Soso, hope you guys are having TONS of fun in Sharm. I know you guys will go back with awesome tans. we got one from just a few days and we're already peeling.
Jonny, I don't know if you're reading this but Happy Birthday! Hope you had a great day and remember, you're one year wiser now :)
Prab and Shawn, miss you guys TONS! I hope work is going well for both of you guys and make sure you tell us if and when you're going to India. I really want you to go so we can see each other sooner than April. Take care of each other!
Arezou, I miss you so much. I hope everything is going well. Make sure to say hi to your parents, Arash and Sarah. We need to catch up very soon!
Everyone in Calgary, please pray for us and we miss you guys so much. we will remember you in our prayers and we really want to see you in Kenya one of these days!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Hi Everybody!
june 17
juan:
today we visited another slum called Kibera. these are supposed to be the worst slums in Kenya, but I found the people to be quite nice. There was one man who was carrying around a bottle of glue. They sniff glue to get high or to suppress their appetite. He wanted to be part of the sharing, but Abouna was firm and told him to give him the glue or else he could not join us. It was a bit scary because the man was quite large, but Abouna has no fear. In the end, the man could not part with his glue, but he still wanted to take part (I think mostly because there is a meal involved), and Abouna got up played the heavy and threw him out! Abouna............you so crazy. Abouna shared today, but next week it's my turn! I look forward to it :)
Abouna is a very gifted man. He has a unique charm that appeals to young and old. He is amazing.
Another wonderful thing about the Kenyans is how they love to sing and clap. They love to sing to God and clap their hands, as if they mean what they are saying. It's an awesome example for us.
june 18
juan:
There are two kenyan guys here, David and Brian, who are hilariuos. They've known each other for some years now and both play a key role in the service. They are servants like us, but don't live in the compound. They have to take two busses to get here, and yet they are here early every day and leave very late at night. they are fun to hang out with and we are beginning to be good friends. I told them I went to the store today and bought tea and coffee and would like them to come over to have some with me. They didn't seem too interested, until I told them I also bought cookies...their eyes lit up!
One of our lead servants, Lucy, has contracted typhoid so we'll pray for her. Another guy, Mina, got malaria, and he's just getting over it now, so we'll pray for him as well.
Bible study was awesome today. I love it when someone reads the Bible, but is able to extract the meaning out of every line. Christine and I tried it this evening, and it was awesome! EVERY LINE in that sweet book has so much wisdom. It's like, if God wanted to write down everything word for word, the Bible would be a huge set of books, so instead He made it 'from concentrate'.
We think about our family and friends back home all the time. We miss you all. THANK YOU to all who write comments on the blog!!! We really love reading your comments. It makes us feel like we are not so far away.
Mom and Dad, why have you not called me? To call here: +254 733 814 712
june 19:
juan:
Today was really cool. We did a 'Medical Camp'. This is where we load up the minivan with all sort of medical equipment and visit people, like a travelling hopsital. We had two doctors, a nurse, two pharmacists and 5 servants. The place we went to was high in the mountains and the roads were crazy - they reminded me of mountain biking trails - dirt roads with huge ruts and ditches. That little minivan has heart. It was bobbling back and forth and the kids were singing and I was praying :) While the doctors did their thing, the servants shared the Word of God. This was the first time I shared with such a large group - about 50. I prayed to God to help me. I told Him that I am lazy and useless and that it would be cool if I just opened my mouth and He did all the talking. Well, I think He was listening, because they seemed to enjoy it and asked me to keep going! That was lots of fun actually.
We met the bishop today. He is a really nice and cute old man. He says we will pray about where God wants us. He says he will send us to a place called Maseno, which is the other mission here that is less 'administration' and more serving. We are looking forward to this. The mission here in Nairobi has a need for IT people. They need a network put in place, so Vinny, if you are reading this, please tell me what to do! We are hoping not to be pulled in to the administrative stuff. The bishop says that our work here may be a combination of serving and admin stuff. What we care about most is that we grow spiritually. The bishop today told us about a 'shortcut' to get to know God. It's called Quiet Time. this is where every morning, you spend time alone with God, with the sole purpose of meeting Him every morning. We are quite lazy so we will pray to God to make us less lazy so we can do this.
We are getting more comfortable in our flat. our stove works well now. In general, the place is not as cold as before, so this has helped tremendously. For a while there, we were so uncomfortable that we were complaining a lot about it and didn't feel happy. Then we remembered all the miracles that God did for us to get us here and chuckled that all it took was a few uncomfortable days to forget that. But, we're back on track now.
Again, I thank you for putting comments on the blog. Please keep them coming. We love them. God Bless you all.
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
What are we up to?
Monday july 14
juan:
it's cold. we are both wearing multiple layers. I am using the laptop to warm up. today we did something called Visitations for the first time. We visited a part of town called Lenana. This is where a small group of us go to the slums to share the Word of God. The boys go to one part of the slums to hang out with the local boys who don't have jobs. The girls go to another part of the slums where there are mostly single mothers. The slums are as I expected. Houses made of corrugated metal, dirt streets, garbage everywhere, goats and dogs walking around, and lots of people. Father Moses (aka Abouna) has been coming to this part of town for 6 months. There is a small following of about 25 boys and men. We found some rocks to sit on and then Abouna began sharing. He told a true story about a young boy who was swimming in a lake and was attacked by a crocodile. His mother ran to help him. The boy was caught in a tug of war between his mother and the croc. This story is a vivid example of how we are constantly being pulled by our Heavenly Father and by the devil. And just like the mother would never let her son go, our Father will never let us go either. No matter what, He will always have his hands reached out for us, and we have to be willing to accept his invitation. Abouna spoke about the biggest thing that stops us from accepting this invitation - FEAR. Fear of being judged by others as 'not cool' or as a coward, even though it actually takes great courage to accept His invitation.
At the end, we handed out sandwiches. Abouna also has this program where if the boys attend 4 times in a row, they get a t-shirt. On our way out, there is a lady that Abouna pays to make samosas for the little kids. There used to be a small amount of kids waiting in a line for the somosas, but now there are about 80. The somosa lady knows when Abouna will be there, and has all the somosas prepared. The kids all wait in 'line'. When Abouna gives the green light, the line turns into a mob, and we become shepherds, trying to keep the kids in line and from getting back in line once they've gotten their samosa.
When we got back to the compound, we had a prayer meeting, consisting of singing songs and praying. There is a guitar and a keyboard player and I played the drums - it was fun. Our flat was freezing when we got back, so we made some tea and went to bed.
Oh, we have hot water now! Also we have people fixing our windows that won't close. Last night, a mosquito must have gotten into my shorts at night because I woke up with about 15 bits on my thigh. They don't itch though. I can't wait for warmer weather.
Oh, and for a while there, we thought Christine might be pregnant, but it is not so. I was scared to have a baby right now, so I am relieved, but Christine was looking forward to it.
Truthfully, I kind of like it here and kind of don't, and this is expected seeing as how we've only been here a few days, and this life is the complete opposite of our old life. I don't feel like a stranger here, but I don't feel at home. The visitations intimidate me a bit, but I'm sure I'll get used to them because we'll be doing them 3 or 4 times a week. I wish Christine and I didn't have to split up during the visitations, but this is the way it happened today. Also, Abouna is great, I mean, wow. He is so charismatic, like a child, yet such a force for God. After only a couple of days, it is easy to see why he is so loved.
Christine:
YES! it's freezing. We came here thinking that it'll be so hot with Kenya being right on the Equator but July and August turned out to be their winter month so...for better or worse...we're here. I have been learning so much from spending time in Egypt and from the few days that we spent here. Yesterday, the girls went on visitations and i went along with them. We got to the houses and like Juan said, they were all tiny run down spaces. We went in to one of the houses and the lady that owned it (whom we all called Mama) welcomed us all in, including me. After a few minutes more and more girls started coming, young and old. The little room couldn't hold all the people that came. We started by singing songs, they were all in Swahili so I was just clapping and listening, they were beautiful. Then I was asked to talk and share something with everyone. Ofcourse I couldn't say no...but I started getting really stressed. Giving lectures and talking is not one of my strengths. So I did the only thing I could do, I prayed and asked God to guide me and let his words flow out of my mouth. I then found myself looking for a passage in the Bible about deeds vs. faith. I found it in Romans 2. We read the passage and I started talking about deeds vs. faith and what the fruits of the spirit are. God really really helped me but even so, I felt that these people should be giving me speeches not the other way around. They are so loving and are true Christians. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of that. We will be going on visitations tonight as well in a different part of town called Kawangware. I'm looking forward to that experience (but hopefully no one will ask me to talk again).
Being in Kenya has been really emotional for me. The first day or two we arrived, I felt EXTREMELY homesick. I just wanted to be with family and friends again in our nice warm condo in Canada, that's all I could think of. But with God's help, I'm tring to get used to this new place...and this very uncomfortable temperature. I am also so lucky to have Juan with me. I feel so strengthened by him, he gives me so much courage and love that I just don't care where I am as long as he's here. Without him, I could never have enough strength and courage to be here.
Tuesday July 15
Today was a busy day. At 9:00 we helped our friend Magdi to cleanup/arrange one of the storage rooms. It was in total disarray. The storage room had 4 smaller rooms: one for medical machines, one for medical supplies, one for medical waste, and of course, one for kids toys. After that, we rewarded ourselves with tea. Then we went for lunch. All the servants have lunch together everyday at 1:00. Then Abouna took us downtown. He had some business to take care of and we tagged along.
We visited a part of town called Kawangware. Today's visit was really nice. We visited a lady named Beatrice. She has 3 kids and they all live in a very small house made of wood and metal. Her husband recently left her for another woman. She asked us about forgiveness. We read to her from the Bible. My Bible has an awesome blurb about forgiveness. It says that forgiveness is choosing to live with unbalanced scales and letting God take care of things. In my experience, forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes we have to ask God for help in forgiving others. After visiting Beatrice, we went to another lady's house. After the chat, she served us chapatis and chai, but not before washing all of our hands! That's right, she wahsed our hands. And I learned after that they have to travel long distances to get water and carry it home, so this is nothing small. In Church, the deacons wash Abouna's hands in the same way. I was humbled by this.
Today was warmer than yesterday, which made the day more enjoyable. We spent the evening at Tamer and Sherry's. They are very nice and welcoming.
juan:
it's cold. we are both wearing multiple layers. I am using the laptop to warm up. today we did something called Visitations for the first time. We visited a part of town called Lenana. This is where a small group of us go to the slums to share the Word of God. The boys go to one part of the slums to hang out with the local boys who don't have jobs. The girls go to another part of the slums where there are mostly single mothers. The slums are as I expected. Houses made of corrugated metal, dirt streets, garbage everywhere, goats and dogs walking around, and lots of people. Father Moses (aka Abouna) has been coming to this part of town for 6 months. There is a small following of about 25 boys and men. We found some rocks to sit on and then Abouna began sharing. He told a true story about a young boy who was swimming in a lake and was attacked by a crocodile. His mother ran to help him. The boy was caught in a tug of war between his mother and the croc. This story is a vivid example of how we are constantly being pulled by our Heavenly Father and by the devil. And just like the mother would never let her son go, our Father will never let us go either. No matter what, He will always have his hands reached out for us, and we have to be willing to accept his invitation. Abouna spoke about the biggest thing that stops us from accepting this invitation - FEAR. Fear of being judged by others as 'not cool' or as a coward, even though it actually takes great courage to accept His invitation.
At the end, we handed out sandwiches. Abouna also has this program where if the boys attend 4 times in a row, they get a t-shirt. On our way out, there is a lady that Abouna pays to make samosas for the little kids. There used to be a small amount of kids waiting in a line for the somosas, but now there are about 80. The somosa lady knows when Abouna will be there, and has all the somosas prepared. The kids all wait in 'line'. When Abouna gives the green light, the line turns into a mob, and we become shepherds, trying to keep the kids in line and from getting back in line once they've gotten their samosa.
When we got back to the compound, we had a prayer meeting, consisting of singing songs and praying. There is a guitar and a keyboard player and I played the drums - it was fun. Our flat was freezing when we got back, so we made some tea and went to bed.
Oh, we have hot water now! Also we have people fixing our windows that won't close. Last night, a mosquito must have gotten into my shorts at night because I woke up with about 15 bits on my thigh. They don't itch though. I can't wait for warmer weather.
Oh, and for a while there, we thought Christine might be pregnant, but it is not so. I was scared to have a baby right now, so I am relieved, but Christine was looking forward to it.
Truthfully, I kind of like it here and kind of don't, and this is expected seeing as how we've only been here a few days, and this life is the complete opposite of our old life. I don't feel like a stranger here, but I don't feel at home. The visitations intimidate me a bit, but I'm sure I'll get used to them because we'll be doing them 3 or 4 times a week. I wish Christine and I didn't have to split up during the visitations, but this is the way it happened today. Also, Abouna is great, I mean, wow. He is so charismatic, like a child, yet such a force for God. After only a couple of days, it is easy to see why he is so loved.
Christine:
YES! it's freezing. We came here thinking that it'll be so hot with Kenya being right on the Equator but July and August turned out to be their winter month so...for better or worse...we're here. I have been learning so much from spending time in Egypt and from the few days that we spent here. Yesterday, the girls went on visitations and i went along with them. We got to the houses and like Juan said, they were all tiny run down spaces. We went in to one of the houses and the lady that owned it (whom we all called Mama) welcomed us all in, including me. After a few minutes more and more girls started coming, young and old. The little room couldn't hold all the people that came. We started by singing songs, they were all in Swahili so I was just clapping and listening, they were beautiful. Then I was asked to talk and share something with everyone. Ofcourse I couldn't say no...but I started getting really stressed. Giving lectures and talking is not one of my strengths. So I did the only thing I could do, I prayed and asked God to guide me and let his words flow out of my mouth. I then found myself looking for a passage in the Bible about deeds vs. faith. I found it in Romans 2. We read the passage and I started talking about deeds vs. faith and what the fruits of the spirit are. God really really helped me but even so, I felt that these people should be giving me speeches not the other way around. They are so loving and are true Christians. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of that. We will be going on visitations tonight as well in a different part of town called Kawangware. I'm looking forward to that experience (but hopefully no one will ask me to talk again).
Being in Kenya has been really emotional for me. The first day or two we arrived, I felt EXTREMELY homesick. I just wanted to be with family and friends again in our nice warm condo in Canada, that's all I could think of. But with God's help, I'm tring to get used to this new place...and this very uncomfortable temperature. I am also so lucky to have Juan with me. I feel so strengthened by him, he gives me so much courage and love that I just don't care where I am as long as he's here. Without him, I could never have enough strength and courage to be here.
Tuesday July 15
Today was a busy day. At 9:00 we helped our friend Magdi to cleanup/arrange one of the storage rooms. It was in total disarray. The storage room had 4 smaller rooms: one for medical machines, one for medical supplies, one for medical waste, and of course, one for kids toys. After that, we rewarded ourselves with tea. Then we went for lunch. All the servants have lunch together everyday at 1:00. Then Abouna took us downtown. He had some business to take care of and we tagged along.
We visited a part of town called Kawangware. Today's visit was really nice. We visited a lady named Beatrice. She has 3 kids and they all live in a very small house made of wood and metal. Her husband recently left her for another woman. She asked us about forgiveness. We read to her from the Bible. My Bible has an awesome blurb about forgiveness. It says that forgiveness is choosing to live with unbalanced scales and letting God take care of things. In my experience, forgiveness is not easy. Sometimes we have to ask God for help in forgiving others. After visiting Beatrice, we went to another lady's house. After the chat, she served us chapatis and chai, but not before washing all of our hands! That's right, she wahsed our hands. And I learned after that they have to travel long distances to get water and carry it home, so this is nothing small. In Church, the deacons wash Abouna's hands in the same way. I was humbled by this.
Today was warmer than yesterday, which made the day more enjoyable. We spent the evening at Tamer and Sherry's. They are very nice and welcoming.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
We have arrived in Nairobi!
We are now in the compound and met a whole bunch of sweet people today. We feel so welcomed here. Everyone has treated us like family - it's like we've been here a while. It is amazing to live among a family of servants. This morning we attended mass, then a Holy Families meeting for young couples, then a short Bible study with Father Moses. After that, our new friends Tamer and his wife and daughter took us to go eat Turkish food - YUM!
We have a phone number now: 733814712 I don't know how to dial it from outside Kenya, so you'll have to find out. Incoming calls are free for us, so feel free to call us anytime!
The weather is nice, around 20 degrees, however inside the buildings is a bit cooler, so we have to wear sweaters. Our 'flat' is sweeet. It's as big as our condo. it has a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms! Way more than we imagined. We don't have hot water yet, but I'm sure that will be fixed soon. Whoever set up our room was so sweet. They filled our fridge with veggies, milk, eggs, sausages and yogurt! And they also left us cereal, cookies, crakers, bananas, a big mango, 2 pineapples, coffee and hot chocolate! WOW! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of these people.
So far, we are really happy here. Bishop Paul comes in a couple of days, and that's when we'll figure out what we're going to be doing. Until then, we'll continue to pray and get used to our new home.
We have a phone number now: 733814712 I don't know how to dial it from outside Kenya, so you'll have to find out. Incoming calls are free for us, so feel free to call us anytime!
The weather is nice, around 20 degrees, however inside the buildings is a bit cooler, so we have to wear sweaters. Our 'flat' is sweeet. It's as big as our condo. it has a living room, kitchen, bathroom and two bedrooms! Way more than we imagined. We don't have hot water yet, but I'm sure that will be fixed soon. Whoever set up our room was so sweet. They filled our fridge with veggies, milk, eggs, sausages and yogurt! And they also left us cereal, cookies, crakers, bananas, a big mango, 2 pineapples, coffee and hot chocolate! WOW! We are overwhelmed by the generosity of these people.
So far, we are really happy here. Bishop Paul comes in a couple of days, and that's when we'll figure out what we're going to be doing. Until then, we'll continue to pray and get used to our new home.
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