PICTURES!! Our week in Kitui--Melanie Hardacker

We spent a week in Kitui where we experienced so much and our lives were changed forever. While you have read of some of our experiences here it is again in pictures:

The first thing we did when we arrived in Kitui was attend a funeral. Well the last part of an all day service. After finishing the service they simply walked behind the house where a spot in the backyard was waiting to bury him. It was facinating to watch the me cover the hole, mix the concrete and create a nice squred off cover to the grave all while wearing suits and dress shoes.

The kids loved having their pictures taken and seeing themselves.

Isabelle always drew a crowd, this one was fairly tame but the girls she met here were the ones she was most comfortable with the whole time we were there.

Christian asking a few last minute questions Sunday morning in Kitui before the service started.

Cutting up the sugar cane we bought at the church when they auctioned off the items people brought in for an offering after the service.

Enjoying a little sugar cane.

Practicing the puppet show we did for the kids the next day.

The big rock which I cannot recall the name of at the moment. The area myth is if you walk around it 7 times you will change gender. Note the staircase on the side which we had to climb to get to the top.

The origin of the myth is also interesting. An anglican missionary was going to be killed by some tribal people and decided that if he was going to die he wanted to be killed in his robe (there is some anglican name for this but I forget what it is). When he emerged wearing a "dress" they thought he had become a woman and they're rules forbid them to kill a woman. They ran off and he was saved.

At the bottom of the staircase. I don't even know what possessed me to begin climbing them. After about 2 or 3 of the 10 stories I was turning around but someone was behind me also pausing. Frankly going down looked terrifying as well. I had some sort of out of body spiritual moment where I just told my legs they needed to keep walking while I distracted my mind from stoping them. I told John to just keep moving and not slow down and somehow we made it to the top.

The view was worth the effort.

I was not alone in my fear but we all made it to the top. After catching our breath we all realized we were going to have to go back down, no less terrifying than going up but God gave us the courage to make it to the bottom.


Afterward we were resting from the climb and we saw a parade of ants going from one location to another. Everyone went over and watched for quite some time while the Africans all looked at us like we were crazy. At the end of the week Isabelle announced that the ants were her favorite part of the trip so far.

Unloading the computers to bring to the school.

All of us at the school with the computers.

Presenting the to the school.

Our friend Joshua who drove us all over and answered our many questions. Each morning he would come over and say, "hello toto" to Isabelle. "toto" is swahili for child or baby or something that would define Isabelle. A couple days after we left he headed off to start Seminary. He is an amazing man.

At the Kenya Forestry Research place where we stayed in Kitui.

Our room in Kitui.

Making playdough one night to use with the kids the next day. They loved it.

Some of the kids that came to see us at the Chapel.

The pastor and the Arch Bishop working side by side laying bricks on the building we helped build. We provided the funds to build the building which will be completed after we have left.

A wider view of the building.

The water barrel on the downspout is nothing new to the people of Kitui. They find ways to save as much rain water as they can.

They were showing us how bricks were made and suddenly John was putting Isabelle down and getting into the pit. They were excited to show him how to make a brick.

If dad can do it so can the son.

The proud brick makers with their bricks.

We visited a group that with the help of Village to Village has started a basket making business. Of course we bought a few things...

Isabelle often fell asleep, John was super dad carrying her around for hours on his back.

Here they are stacking the bricks up to prepare to bake them.

At the Nzimbi home where we ate all our meals in Kitui. John is standing in front of a pitcher of Avacado juice. Really an avacado smoothie. After drinking it Christian announced that it was making him "angry". He was angry that he had gone so long in his life without every having such a delicious drink. The Avacados that grew there were huge and delicious both fresh and as a drink.

Isabelle was constantly surrounded by children wanting to see her or touch her. This picture was taken at the end of the week when she was becoming more comfortable with the attention and they were used to seeing her. The first Sunday we were there we got surrounded by about 20 children when the Sunday school got out and it was a little scary for both of us. After a few minutes the teachers shooed all the children away and then Isabelle wanted to follow them. Too much attention is frightening but no attention isn't any fun either.

St. Paul's Chapel. This was the night we did a crusade.Inside the home of an elderly couple. He is over 100 years old. There were little chicks running around on the ground.

Jake and Leumas, Mwende and Sammy's son.

The market in Kitui.

Ok this is a crazy moment. Some kids had this rabbit and Isabelle wanted to see it and went over to pet it. They had picked it up by the ears like this and apparently Isabelle thought that looked easy enough because the next thing I know she has calmly done the same thing. Where is the video camera when you need it?

These are bricks getting ready to be fired. The stack them in this pyrmid shape and then light those bundles of wood. I believe it burns for 2 days and voila, bricks for building.

This elderly woman was doing a little dance to greet us as we are told is tradition for the oldest woman to do so our own "mama" Carol, our eldest member, joined her for the dance.

A farm we visited that is being helped by the Village to Village group we worked with. This farm has a well and the plants were notably greener and bigger.

Walking up the hill with members of the Dr. Kraft Memorial Church to consecrate the cross that was re-installed after being removed by witch doctors who think it is weakening their powers.

At the top with the cross.

John and Maxwell. Our last day in Kitui.

Grace and Margaret.

Benzi and Alica, Mwende's niece and nephew.

Isabelle and Alica. They are the same age and became friends while we were there. They were trying out some new pronouciations of english words after listening to Isabelle's american english as opposed to Queens english that they learn.

Melanie and Grace. She was the first friend I made there and it was always nice to see a friendly smiling face each morning. Isabelle became comfortable with her and would occasionally allow her take her around without me.

Home at last - John Hardacker

Home at last!

Arriving home has been bitter sweet. The thought of how much more we could have done, certainly how much more needs to be done, floats around in my head and appears in the strangest of places. I am admiring the lush green that returned to our lawn while we are gone, smelling the wonder that is Minnesota summer, and listening to the sounds of our neighborhood and 'bang' I remember the drought in Kitui or the sewage running in the streets of Kibera. I knew we weren't going to fix all the problems in the area while we were there, or that we were even there for that.

Melanie showed me a book that she is reading through. To paraphrase, it talks about how the life of the people we were staying with was difficult for us to live in. It then talks about how we left and the people still live there. They still live the life we found difficult to live in for our stay in Africa. They still look to the sky and pray for the rain to come. They still don't have electricity or plumbing in their houses. It makes me wonder how much change we made while there. I know we were able to help with some construction on a building that will be used to change the people of Kitui for years to come. I know we were able to feed the children for a week. I know we were even able to be there when people saw God at work and accepted His invitation to follow him. We were able to encourage people in the work they are doing to change the people of Africa one village at a time. We were able to employ some people as they drove us around, worked at the places we stayed, sell things to us from their shops, and we added to the tourism of the area. All that to say I know we have changed the people of Africa by our trip to Kenya. I rejoice in that when I think of the trip.

A wise woman asked me a question (she knows who she is), "What if WE haven't changed?" What if our lives aren't changed by this trip and it just fades away into a fun vacation we remember when we are looking through pictures. I know we have been changed! I don't know how each one of us has been impacted but, I know we have all been changed. We see the world a little different than before. Some of us had never been to a third world country before. Some of us had never shared our testimonies in public before. Some of us have never gone that long without a shower. Most of us had never eaten (or seen someone else eat) goat intestines. No matter what the first was, it was the first. Even the slightest changes in our lives are reflected later in life. We won't all keep speaking the little Swahili we know or search out restaurants that offer goat parts on rice and beans but, we will have a part of our hearts turned towards God and to the people of Africa. Maybe when we see someone on the street that doesn't seem to know the language we will help them find where they are going. Maybe we will invite an immigrant to our home and share a meal with them (most foreign students spend their entire college career in the USA without seeing the inside of a natives home). Maybe we will be willing to share our faith with a person who seems to be looking for answers and not feel locked with terror. Maybe, just maybe, we will show the love of God to the people around us in ways we don't even understand. Maybe the change in us will be something only the people around us see. Or, maybe the change will be profound and everyone will see it. I don't know what the changes will be. God knows. I know that, and after this trip, I am more comfortable knowing only that. And that is a change for the better.

As God Created - Dan Fine

As you now from the previous posts...we are now at Tsavo National Park for a few days of Safari. Literally spread before us is God's creation. It's surreal to watch water buffal0, giraffes, baboons, zebras and ostriches all together at the watering hole and realizing this is as God created - not something created by man for optimum entertainment.

It feels very appropriate as I feel like our entire experience here in Kenya has been as God planned. We have seen His hands in our work - from his hands in getting our 13 computers from the US through Kenyan customs for free to the individual lives we've seen Him touch (both American and Kenyan).

Amongst the many thoughts I'll take home with me, the strongest is how clearly I've seen the God I serve in the US faithful to show up again and again here in the faces and lives of our Kenyan brethren. It may look different at times but there is great lessons to be learned in those differences!

Thoughts from Christian

As we soak in all the sights of the Safari I think all of us are needing to resist a bit the sense of guilt that comes with suddenly being tourists. It is really nice here--and it was the Nzimbi family who insisted that we do a safari--but I think all of us felt more comfortable in Kitui meeting and worshipping with people than being here surrounded by white people. I will leave here with a greater love for all of Kenya, but my heart is in Kitui. An unforgettable moment in Kitui for me came during one of our "crusades" (we did two--one in front of the church we were serving in and another in a marketplace near another church we were visiting). During the worship time a line of people formed and began to dance--one leading the moves and the others following him--sort of like a big worship conga line. And as I watched I really wished I was in the line--and it hit me that there was absolutely no reason I couldn't be in the line (I'm not sure if that's normal for pastors here, but being a visitor has freed me up from caring too much about what's normal, we're already abnormal). So I jumped in and followed along as best as I could--it was very energetic dancing, genuinely hard work. As I started to worry that maybe I was embarassing our team, I noticed that most of the rest of them were also in the line. I tried to follow Dan, who is a much better dancer than me, but when that failed I just called up memories of David Byrne from the video Once in a Lifetime (some of you know what I'm talking about). So dancing like David Byrne to songs in Kamba praising Jesus with Kenyans and members of Church of the Cross was a powerful and actually soul healing moment for me--there was a freedom and joy in worship I felt at that moment that I have rarely experienced. Honestly the only thing that would have made it better was to have my wife and children right there next to me (May it be so Lord, some day).

I should add that here on the safari we are still so blessed by the people of Kenya. The folks working here are delightful, and we are especially enjoying the drivers of our vans who are very knowledgable about animals and very patient with us (our team asks a lot of questions--our poor drivers in Kitui and Nairobi were exhausted after a day with us). I look foward to seeing everyone soon.

Sunday in Nairobi - Pam And Carol

We went to the early service at All Saints Church. It is the Cathedral Church of Kenya and seats 2000 people. This was a special service honoring the Mother's Union. The Mother's Union were all dressed in blue and sang a song for us. We left that service early to get to St. Francis Church where the order of the service was very similar to Church of the Cross. Madeline and Jake went to the Youth Service and the leader of the Youth Service had them stand up and introduce themselves, where they were from and what they were doing in Kenya.Everybody got up and introduced themselves. We sang one of our African songs, and Mwende's brother, Peter, accompanied us with his guitar. Unfortunately, there was a second verse which none of us knew which ended up being Peter's solo, and he quickly ended that verse and went back to the first. After the service, we had tea with the pastor. Then we went to a mall and ate at the food court. Some of us went SHOPPING. After the mall we went to the market which was completely different -- a very different experience. The women were given only an hour to shop. We were bombarded with people wanting to sell us their goods. It was very difficult to walk around because people were in your face. Everybody called us brother and sister when they wanted us to buy things, so we made many new "friends". Many bought scarves, wood carvings, paintings and jewelry. Later that evening we went to a Chapel Service at the Arch Bishops former home which has a small chapel attached to it which was built in the fifties. They meet for prayer and devotion every Sunday night to get ready for the next week.

Safari--Melanie Hardacker

Here we are on safari. It is beyond what any of us could have imagined. There is a deck off the main lodge with a watering hole off it and we have witness an continual stream of animals coming to drink. Water buffallo, giraffe, elephant, warthogs, baboons, zebras, various antelope/gazelles/impalla/whatnots, ostrich. And we can also see the water from the deck off our rooms. It was hard to finally pull ourselves away and go to bed last night. Even as a type this I am watching them. We have had excitement in the vehicles as well seeing a lion feeding on a water buffallo earlier this morning. We headed out at 6:30am for a pre breakfast tour and will go back at 4pm to try and see a cheetah. It is fabulous.

Carol, one of our team members, has been sick for several days. She is past the severe stage but still feeling a little cautious. The blessing is that she made it the entire 4 hour car ride from Kitui and into her room in Nairobi where she stayed for 2 days. Many others have had some stomach problems but we are mainly doing well and are thankful for the medicine we brought. Please pray for Carol's continued recovery and all our continued health during these last days of the trip.

Right now we are all enjoying some down time. A group is playing cards, some napping, me blogging and Isabelle and John are at the pool where I am now going to join them.

Back in Nairobi -- John Hardacker

As we return from Kitui, we have been able to travel to a couple tourist type activities. We went to 'magic mountain', a local restaurant in Machakos, a big mall (it felt close to home and I think we needed that as a team today), the market, and a wood carving wholesale "plant". It was fun to step outside what we have been doing and see more of the beautiful country of Kenya. The mountains and valleys were breathtaking.
The entire time we were traveling and exploring Kenya, I couldn't help but think of the people we left in Kitui. Even the people we were driving by on the road. We were able to step out of the poverty (not the dust) and have a different experience than before. The Kenyans can't. We have to keep track of how much drinking water we have so we stay hydrated while riding in the cars, they have to walk kilometers to bring barrels of water home on their backs or bikes before they boil it so it won't make them sick. Poverty is ugly. It makes me tired thinking about the strength it requires to continue on through it. Drinking is a big problem here. You can see why someone might give up and drink themselves blind (literally). The only thing that seems to be able to keep them going is hope. Not hope in the comming rains because that has been years and still no sign. Not hope in the government, they seem only to care for themselves and their careers. No, the hope that makes change is Hope. Hope that is more than a dream but hope that brings peace. Hope that restores people, relationships, familes, countries, and sometimes even land. That hope is God.
This trip for us (me at least) has been about helping the people of Kenya, growing in my relationship with God and growing in my family relationships. The team helped build part of a building for the Viviti ministry, fed hungry children, fed hungry families, delivered computers to a school, and unknown other little things. I have grown in my faith. My family relationships have been strengthened also. The thing I pray we have done the most is, brought hope to a place that needs it more than many I have seen.
There is a man that lives near the church we worked at in Kitui. He is an older man, and relative of the Arch Bishop. When I say he lives near the church, I mean he lives across the road. He has never been inside that church. He said it was because he had never felt the love of Christ in the church until these crazy Mzungus (white people) came and spent so much time with the children and people of the area. We didn't do anything special. We just went where God told us he was working and did what He said to do. I think we had nothing to do with him feeling the love of Christ. I think it was that we were there when his heart was finally ready to hear. If that is the hope we could 'bring' with us, I think this is a job well done. I can't wait to hear what God does with that hope. Or who he brings with him to do the work. Maybe it could be you :-) I can tell you from personal experience, it is worth all the work you might need to do to get there, and more!