If your salvation is secure...

One of my favorite parts of living in Kenya was taking the matatus to get around Nairobi. These vans would take you basically anywhere for very low cost. Technically there is a limit of 14 passengers per van. However, on one particular trip we counted 24 all packed in there!!

Most foreigners have cars there so we were usually the only white people on them. Riding them not only gave us a sweet discount on transport but it really helped us to build repore with the Kenyans we worked with who have no other option but to ride them.

Today I found a website with good pictures of what they are like. The second picture shows a pretty typical matatu. The other ones they show are the more "trendy" ones and would sometimes even have like "Dallas Mavericks" or "Dr. Dre" on the side! Those ones too had really loud squealing mufflers. We didn't ride those very often.

Halfway through the summer I realized that sitting in the front of a matatu is quite a rush. If your salvation was secure you could sit up there and enjoy the ride!!

Here's a description from the website about what they are like:
Tatu is a Swahili word meaning three. Minibuses got the name matatus from the fare they used to charge back when this means of transport was first introduced. With time due to the use of Sheng [mixture of English and Swahili] they are known as mathrees among the younger generation. Today there is what we call the matatu culture. Matatus are not just a means of transport but a form of expression - a statement- which show energy, vibrance, attitude and creativity at its best in the young and middle aged of this day and age in Kenya.

My favorite one was called "Bobo Train". After seeing it around only twice all summer, I actually got to ride it in when I went to Wangechi's house! It doesn't get much better then that.

Hot dish on a stick

Last weekend was spent in a whirlwind in Minnesota, and it was oh so much fun! I was able to spend some good times with my bro and his fiance and attend two showers for her and her bachlorette party. It was such a treat for me to be able to go since once of the bummers about me living so far away is that I do miss out on things.

Here were some of the highlights:
-swapping stories and insights about my trip to Kenya with my aunt Sherrie, who was also there the last two weeks of my trip with a medical team that came down.
-hearing stories about my brother's cat Caddie who will eat anything including, but not limited to, dry broccoli and jalapenos.
-having a very "macho" time at the bachlorette party.
-learning what a "credit card" move was at the bachlorette party (this was not so much a highlight, but just an educational moment, maybe more for my cousin Jamie who was the victim of the credit card. I fortunately escaped. This time.)
-eating at Red Robin with my brother and hearing about his recent promotion, while eating a sweet Turkey burger and wondering at the same time why we don't have Red Robin's in Georgia and why I did not get into the security business as a career.
-going to the Minnesota state fair with my uncle Andy and his oldest daughter Maddie who is 6.
-riding the realllllly big slide with Maddie and legimately asking her on the way up if it was ok if I was scared.
-eating a pronto pup, a fried snickers bar, a spagetti dinner on a stick and some fried pickles with dip at the fair.
-watching Andy eat more then that and still be alive today (to be fair, he did share his cheese curds, corn on the cob, and ice cold milk with me but since I'm writing this blog I choose to omit how much of these things I had)
-wishing I had room to try the hot dish on a stick and fried alligator.
-sending personal phone calls from Samuel L. Jackson to people who really appreciated it I am sure.
-spending some quality time on the plane reflecting, journaling and praying.

Worst fears realized

This year I was invited to join an NFT fantasy football league. The official draft was last Saturday and I couldn't participate because I was in Minnesota, so I had to let the computer make my picks. I was reassured by two very reliable resources that in the end, it's quite likely I would end up with a better team this way.

I was on MARTA yesterday heading home from the airport when I got the news from Heather about how the draft went.

I ended up with Brett Favre as one of my two quarterbacks.

Back to work/back to school

Daniel ordered this mini-cubicle off of EBAY last spring, complete with stick-on pics of family and a computer screen for the little worker man. I of course thought it was hilarious and quite an accurate representation of how it feels to be workin' in the cube, or the hole, as I call it. I never found a way to get this pic on the blog until now because this sums up how I am feeling to be back in the hole after being out of it for two months!!

There's so many good things about my job, but sitting in a desk all day answering emails and phone calls was not something I totally missed. There's something about being with people and out walking during the day and having only tasks to do that are rarely on a deadline or specific time frame that never really got old.

I do think at some point I'll be back in a job like the one I had this summer. And I think that's a big part of why I'm going to counseling school, which started back up this week. I think I'm going to really love my classes this semester which is awesome. So I know there's going to be a cumulative purpose to the temporary walls and homework for the next 2 years.

At least my temp walls now are decorated with some pretty snazzy Kenyan facades!!

Like the best Kenya movies ever

My teammate Fouk posted some of her videos on this website that you can view for free. When you click on the link you'll see the one she did to show her supporters and prayer partners and the others she filmed with her camera while she was there.

They are soo good!!

Link to MTW streetchild

Here is a good link with more information about what the church we worked with is doing in Kibera to help streekids and people with AIDS. There's also a neat picture of Pastor Imbumi and Martha Makuku with Kibera in the background if you click on "an interview with Pastor Imbumi". Enjoy!

Braids with a "piece" (extentions)

This is what we did with part of our last free day! Mine took four hours.

25th anniversary

2006 marks the 25th anniversary of the first people found with HIV/AIDS. This global epidemic began in Africa, and today in Kenya alone 1 out of every 5 people are HIV+. In the slums it is 1 in 3.

I had never made friends with someone who was HIV+ until this summer. Little did I know that these people by August would become so dear to my heart.

In these pictures are my friend Wangechi and her sons: Bendeson, 10 and Churchill, 6. And then me with Mary Angela, a woman I made in the Kibera slum AIDS support group. Mary Angela and her husband Michael are HIV+ and so is their youngest daughter, Sylvia. As you know, Wangechi is HIV+ and so is Bendeson.

If you ask Wangechi what her prayer requests are, she always says "for health!". She has a deep desire to do what she can to stay healthy so that she will be able to continue doing the this work. By leading the support groups the Lord uses her to allow people to come to terms with their HIV status and to have the tools to be able to move on with their lives.

When I think of Romans 8:28, I think of Wangechi. She is someone who took a horrible thing that happened to her and trusted God to use it for the good. I always told her she was the most popular person in Kibera. If you walk around the slum with Wangechi, so many people come up to greet her it's like being with a celebrity!

Story of Niva

One of my team's favorite ministry spots was at the girls shelter, Shurname, which was started by the main church we worked with.

The girls shelter consists of 17 girls and 3 boys, mostly rescued from abusive situations or from being forced into marriage at a very young age. Primarily they come from a slum called Kibera, the second largest slum in Africa and the main slum we worked in.

When the girls come to the shelter, they are cared for by house moms Caroline and Dido, who were also two of our translators. At the house, the older ones also care for the younger and they work hard to keep the place clean and even cook for one another. They all go to a really good school and most are in the top of their class. In this house is usually the first time they also hear about the gospel of Jesus, and all of them are now Christians.

One of the hardest things about ministering here was hearing the girls' stories. Niva is the girl featured in this picture who has on the pink and blue hat. When Niva was brought to the shelter, she had been sexually abused for at least three years. She walked with a limp and had many infections. At the shelter, her and her sister Sundae (right of Niva), received love, medicine, were cleaned, and started to get an education. As you can see here doing their "monkey faces" with Jessie, they are quite happy now. For the time being the courts have ruled that they can stay at the shelter away from their abusive stepfather.

The goal is to eventually raise enough money to build a bigger home that includes a boarding school. Right now, most of the donated dollars go towards the children's school fees because education is not free in Kenya at any level. With a boarding school, they could provide adequate education and a larger facility to rescue more girls. It will be neat to see how God answers our many prayers about this!!

New perspective

I didn't anticipate how much my perspective on life in America would change after coming back from Kenya. I find myself noticing the most random things. Like I am amazed by the ease of the toilet flushing and how much water it uses to flush. It's a ton. I guess we need to use that much water? I'm not really sure.

Everything also smells really good. I told Jamie like three times my first day home that she smelled good and that the house really smelled good. I think the first two times she thought it was sweet but by the third time I think she thought I had a problem.

Some of the difficult things to readjust to has been the new sounds in my house at night and to how technology driven we are in our society. A good example of both of these things happened last Saturday night. I awoke at 2:30am to a loud screeching beep downstairs that would go off about every 30 seconds or so. I remembered that we had a carbon monoxide detector and maybe that's what it was and we were about to die. So I ran down there and discovered it was the smoke alarm. I stared at it for awhile and then it occurred to me that smoke alarms do that sometimes if the battery is low. I'm not totally sure if we had smoke detectors or not in our house in Kenya or not but if we did they probably don't beep when the battery is low. I was able to fix it though the next day and by God's grace it only took me about 15 minutes.

Here is also the first of the pics. My teammate Jennifer emailed this to me and so it was super easy to post. This was us explaining Ephesians 6 to the kids in Muthiga (where we were the bubble and crayon police) which talks about putting on the armor of God. I was the soldier as you can see and the others are putting on my armor and explaining it.

I feel like for me even more so now I need the armor of God. If you've never read Ephesians 6 check it out. It can help us to get through anything we may face.

update #7- final one folks

Jesus said, "My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place."

"You are a king, then!" said Pilate

Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on this side of truth listen to me."

"What is truth?" Pilate asked..
~John 18:36-38

So I am back in America safe and sound.
When I am hungry I can eat right away.
When I am thirsty I can drink straight from the tap.
When I have to go to the bathroom there's one nearby that's clean w/toilet paper.
I can go to my favorite restaurant, Cresent Moon.
I will get free refills and ice in my drink while I'm at Cresent Moon.
I can get real ketchup and not lame Peptang tomato sauce at Cresent Moon.
I can drive.
I can go places at night.
I have money to buy what I need.
I have a beautiful house with my own bed and bathroom.
I can go back to holding, petting, and annoying my cat.

America so far has been a mix of relief to be back in my own culture with my friends and family around me and general overwhelmingness of how fast paced and technology-driven we are. I've already had a couple of re-entry feux pas with customer service people at the apple store and kinkos. Why does everything have to be done with a credit or debit card here I ask?? =)

I'm sure that in about a week things will hit me that I've really left and I'm not sure when I'll get to see my new Kenyan friends again or my team. I hope that when I miss them it will drive me to pray for them and encourage them via email and letters as much as possible. Like the above verse says I have learned again that really as Christians we long for the kingdom that is in heaven and not in this earth. As we hope in the truth found in Jesus, we long for a time where we can be with him in heaven, where there is no more pain, sadness, suffering and tears.

I hope to continue to post things on my blog including pictures as soon as I can get my computer fixed. My blog is http//:jessrings.blogspot.com. I can't wait to show you what some of these adventures look like.

I look forward to sharing these experiences also in person as time allows.

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support! You all were so incredibly encouraging and I couldn't have done it without you.

Talk to you all soon,
Jessica

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update #6 written originally on July 27 but wasn't posted for some reason

"Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat...for my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts....you will go out in joy and be led in peace." ~excerpts from Isaiah 55

 

We really felt our final days creeping up on us today as we spent our last day in the Kawangware slum and then took Jennifer to the airport as she is leaving 4 days early. Pastor Makuku and his family came over and we all prayed for her and then rode together to drop her off and say goodbye. Although it was a pretty sad car ride it became quite exciting when Steven and I spotted our favorite matutu, the "Bobo Train" for only the second time since coming to Nairobi. I'm going to miss Jennifer and the random matatus a lot.

 

We had our last days in Kibera and in the Mukuru Kiaba slums earlier this week and then Saturday is our last day in Muthiga. Muthiga is where I have to play crayon police because we always let the kids color after our bible lesson. We actually ran out of crayons a few weeks ago and so we've moved on to bubbles and the bubble police. So I am super grateful for some packages that came from home this week stocked full of awesome cards and more crayons!!!!! So I will be thinking of all of you back home this Saturday as the kids get so stoked to have their color time.

 

I am very much looking forward to tomorrow. Four of us, including me, are going to get our hair braided in the morning and then we're going to make a final souvenir stop at the mall. After that the Makuku's are taking us to the new home they are building that they've talked about the whole summer but we've never been able to see it. Then we are having debriefing with them over Martha's sucumaweke for dinner. Sucuma is the kind of food that I normally don't like when they serve it in Kibera but Martha insists that hers is much better. So I am super stoked. I think Martha's Sucuma Debriefing night is going to be a new annual tradition for interns. I am looking forward to looking back at the summer and talking through the strengths and weaknesses to continue to develop a good internship here in Kenya.

 

For me I still have a lot of mixed feelings about leaving. Realistically I have no idea if I will ever be able to come back. But I know that it is in God's hands. I know that in my wildest dreams I would have never pictured doing this with my summer. But I have been shown over and over again that God's ways are not ours and that's a good thing. It has been a good gift to be here and I have been blessed and humbled by what a good experience it was. I pray that the Kenyans have too been blessed.

 

My aunt Sherrie and the rest of the medical team has done a tremendous job this week. It's been surreal being in Africa with one of my relatives. Such a treat for me. It will be fun to compare stories with everyone when I go to Minnesota at the end of August for my future sister in laws' shower.

 

Instead of ancedotes (I will save those for next week so I can do them in person) I will end this update with one of the worship songs that my whole team knew before coming here except me. Now I have learned it too and it's one of my favs.

 

Pray for us next Monday around 4:00 or so your time as that is when we are flying out.

 

Talk to you soon for real,

Jessica

 

You Said

 

You said

Ask and you will receive

Whatever you need

You said

Pray and I'll hear from heaven

And I'll heal your land

 

You said

Your glory will fill the earth

Like water the sea

You said

Lift up your eyes

The harvest is here; the kingdom is near

You said

 

Ask and I'll give the nations to you, Oh Lord

That's the cry of my heart

Distant shores and the islands will sing your light

As it rises on earth

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update #5 written originally on July 20 but wasn't posted for some reason

"I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his imcomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." ~Ephesians 1:18-21

 

I was sitting in the KRPC church office in Kibera last week talking with Martha Makuku (the pastor's wife) about ministering in Kibera, and she shared the above verses with me. She said that they are words of great encouragement for the people of Kibera, who do often seem quite powerless to overcome their life situations. I've been reading over this passage a lot as well and thinking about my time and ministry particularly with KRPC and the Makuku's. Although I have greatly enjoyed all of the places where we have worked here in Nairobi, Kibera has been my favorite, and I have loved getting to know the Makuku's, especially Martha.

 

Kibera is the place where the movie "The Constant Gardener" was filmed. There is about 1 million people who live in 1 square mile in one-room houses made of tin, straw and mud. This is where the Kibera Refored Presbyterian Church (KRPC) is located and where Pastor Makuku and his wife minister alongside other Kenyans who help with the AIDS support groups, drop-in streetchild program, school, feeding program, etc.

 

At first walking into Kibera every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday seemed a bit daunting. We are always greeted by kids who shout "wazungu" (foreigners) and "how are you??". We always greet them by shaking their little hands or by glenching our fists to smack knuckles with them and saying "go-ta" which is like slum slang for hello. The sewage streams add to the anxiousness because we cross three of them just to enter Kibera and you cannot always see the rocks you have to step on. Steven found out the hard way one day that the sewage river is about 1 1/2 feet deep. I don't think he'll be wearing those pants again.

 

Once we're in KRPC we get together with the pastor and the other church staff to sing a Swahili song, an English song, and pray. Then we all head to our various ministry activities. As I am in the KRPC "health dept" I work with Mary Wangeshi mostly as I mentioned in a previous update. Wangeshi, as she is called because everyone is named Mary, and I have gotten to develop a neat relationship. I have loved getting to know her and her life and how much she knows about health and HIV. She leads the AIDS support group and also does a feeding program for mothers and children who are HIV +. So depending on the day we might visit people in their homes, attend the support group, distrbute food, and talk with anyone that comes by with a need.

 

Wangeshi has an amazingly difficult job as everyone she ministers too is usually quite ill amongst having many other concerns. So it can get quite draining. For example, one woman named Evelyn this week shared in group that in addition to being HIV+ some tests showed that she has breast cancer. She also has 7 kids, three of which are triplets, and she has a difficult time finding enough food for everyone and to have enough good to take her ARV meds. So clearly it can be overwhelming.  I have enjoyed encouraging Wangeshi and providing her with a laugh or two when I can. She's also usually askes me to share a word of encouragement from the bible with people in the support group while she translates. This week I got to share my testimony and talk about my mother's passing away, and how even though it was incredibly difficult, God is still using that in my life. One of the main ways he does that is to minister to others who also suffer. I think it went well but it's always hard to tell in cross-cultural scenarios =).

 

My friend Mary Angela and her husband Michael attend the KRPC support group. I believe I've also mentioned them before. Please pray for them as Michael has been very ill and bedridden for the last 3 weeks. Both of them are HIV+ and one of their daughters is as well.

 

One neat thing to mention is that my aunt Sherrie and the rest of the medical team is joining us tomorrow and are staying through the time until we leave I think. So they are in the air as we speak. Sherrie will be able to stay at the same guest house but just down the driveway from where me and my team are staying. So I hope to get to see her bunch. I'm so excited!!

 

We also had a chance to go on a safari in Masai Mara (where Survivor Africa was filmed) July 13-14. It was the best one ever. We saw cheetas, hippos, elephants, buffalo, and lions, including one male lion that walked right by our van. Nightime was a little scary b/c we stayed in a lower budget place in tents where you could hear hyenas and other unidentified animals from the distance. It was really cool though and you could see a TON of stars.

 

It's really hard to believe that we will be flying out July 31. All of us are pretty sad to leave because we have all grown to love Kenya and the people here. It's been a humbling experience in many ways. I remember how anxious I was to come here and now I am anxious to leave. Such is life I guess. I've been praying a lot about how I will be able to continue to use this experience back in the states as I will still be in Atlanta for a while finishing up school and such. I know God will provide an open door somewhere. I really hope this is not my last time in Kenya.

 

I will end this update again with some fun antedotes. If I get a chance I will try to write again next week. Thanks again for all your notes and prayers and thoughts. They offer much encouragement to us.

 

Jessica

 

Antedotes:

-Being called a man because you can't handwash your clothes or cook very well.

-Seeing a matatu called the "bobo train".

-Watching the World Cup with the nuns who went crazy and even fake head butted each other after that happened in the game.

-Having goat tonight for dinner (I hope it's good!!!!!!!!!!)

-Having your team ask you if it's ok to buy a cow for one of our translators who needs 14 total in order to get married and only has 13 right now.

-Remembering that here, pets are meat.

-Realizing that teammate Fouk has a hidden talent as the "goat whisperer".

-Fitting 24 people into a 14 person matutu.

-Fitting 12 people into the pastor's 5 person suburu hatchback (there's always room in Africa they say).

-Kissing a giraffe at the giraffe sanctuary

-A cat going in and out of the church service and meowing the whole time.

-Seeing monkeys on the ride home.

-Finding hats in the church office that say "Jesus is my Boss".

-The church staff wearing the hats that say "Jesus is my Boss".

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