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Back from Nairobi safely
We are back here at Tenwek, thankful for a very safe journey.
The adoption court date went well on Friday--thank you to all who were praying. The judge was new and very efficient--they were in and out within a half hour. Because I was not involved in the proceedings--I was just hitching a ride into the city-- I spent that time running some errands and shopping. Friday was a very nice day.
I went to the zebra dukas--a city blocks of small stalls selling all kinds of things in the city. (I am not sure where the name came from as they are painted with giraffe spots.) I had never been there, but it was like many markets I have been in. I made the mistake of going there earlier in the morning--which meant I was one of the only customers they could yell at.
But it was an interesting experience and I managed to barter a few of the vendors down to a price I was willing to pay. :)
Then I went to my favorite store in all of Nairobi-- Amani Ya Juu. It’s Swahili for “high peace”. It’s a women’s sewing project, started several years ago by three women. They have dozens now--women who came to them, very destitute, many refugees from other countries. They bring these women in, teach them to sew, help them buy a sewing machine, and then sell their products in the store. They have devotions with the women every night and minister to them in a variety of ways.
I actually got a tour of their building this time and got to meet many of the women who were working there. I also had a chance to see their reconciliation quilt, which hangs in their chapel. Around the edges, there are pictures of various customs of conflict resolution from all around Africa-- people eating or drinking together, people washing their hands together, working together. But in the center of the quilt is a woman dancing and pointing to a cross to show that, while all those other traditions are good, they all break down at some point and the only thing that can bring lasting reconciliation is Christ. The woman in the center is dancing to show that she has finally found that higher peace--amani ya joo.
I actually went to the store because I had heard that, in addition to selling the reconciliation quilt, they had also started making wall hangings just of that one panel, of the woman dancing. Unfortunately, they did not have any in stock, but I hope they will when I go in next week.
Anyway, it was a fascinating experience and I am glad I had the chance to hear all about it.
After shopping around at Amani, I went to a shopping center that puts American malls to shame. (Well, in a way.) The new Nakumatt (the Kenyan version of Walmart) is HUGE and part of a much larger shopping center which includes, among other things, an Adidas store, Colors of Benetton, and a store called Mr. Price which greatly resembles Bed, Bath and Beyond. It is almost brand new and very fancy--elevators, escalators, very fancy railings and floors. So it was nice to browse around and see all the things available, even if I couldn’t buy much--we were flying back in a very small plane and did not have much room for extras.
All in all, Nairobi was fairly calm. We were a bit nervous after we arrived and heard the news that another MP had been shot. It turned out not to be political--he was involved in a love triangle and was shot by the boyfriend of the woman he had in the car with him. We were unsure what the response would be, but at least within the city, there didn’t seem to be much violence in retaliation.
Unfortunately, that was not the case in the rest of the country. There were more riots in Kericho and Eldoret, where the shooting happened. So please keep people there--and people who have family there--in your prayers.
We did fly back, to avoid the roads that were a bit less secure. Having learned my lesson from the flight in, I took two dramamine an hour before the flight. . . . but it didn’t help. In fact, I was much sicker on the way back, despite the medicine and sitting up front. It was VERY windy and the plane bumped around much more than on the first flight. I did manage to get the “sick sack” out in time, to avoid a complete repeat of the flight in. Oh, well.
I am very happy to be back at Tenwek (and out of the air), but I won’t be for too long. I am hoping to get the final word about my work permit tomorrow, but, chances are, I won’t be approved and will have to leave East Africa for a few days before I can come back in on new visitor’s visas. So as soon as I hear from Immigration office, I will call the travel agent to let her know whether or not to purchase the ticket to Athens for next week. Last year, I had a few weeks warning, but this time we are right up against the wire.
So pray for Kenya. There was not violence in Nairobi over the weekend, but there were in other parts of the country, including some closer to Tenwek. There are many words coming from the leaders about resolution and agreements, but we will have to see if they actually act on those words.
