It is easy to get into the routine of doing the same thing
each day. Slightly different things happen each day but mostly our days have
become a bit predictable. I’m not saying this is a bad thing but i had just
begun to notice that we have settled into just sticking with what we know and
not doing exciting new things. After thinking this we then probably the most
full on adventure day so far! It started out going material shopping at
‘material lane’ one of my favourite places to go to. We have done this many
times and have our set order in which we visit the shops! We had just reached
our first shop when suddenly about 100 men come running past from all directions.
We learnt from the lady in the shop that someone stole something and now they
were trying to catch him. We do not know what he stole but these men were
chasing him with big rocks in their hands. We even saw one man with a mallet
and another with a hacksaw. The chase lasted a little while with them running
backwards and forwards and when we thought it was safe to leave we left our
shop and carried on shopping. As we turned up the lane we saw the crowd at the
side of the road, they had clearly caught the guy. We hurried into our next
shop and as we did so a gunshot rang out. Safe in the shop we heard another
couple of shots and saw the crowd moving away from us down the street. I do not
know what they did to the guy but my guess is they killed him or seriously
injured him. It was quite scary being so near to where i knew someone was being
really hurt and hearing shots so close but i think the even scarier thing for
me is seeing the look on the guys faces as they chased this man. They looked
and behaved like animals and also looked to be enjoying themselves.
Back at Rehema we quickly recovered and then headed out to
visit Bhoke. Some of you may have heard about Bhoke. She is a women that works
at Rehema making jewellery. She has been going through a particularly rough
time recently and has been in hospital so we wanted to go and see how she was
and take her some food. Isabella from the kitchen saw Nat, Flora and I getting
into a taxi and decided she would come and visit as well. We had a little food
shop and then piled back into the car for the bumpy long ride to Bhoke’s house.
I was amazed when the taxi could make it down the bumpy roads and was willing
to take us there. We walked the rest of the way and when we got to Bhoke’s i
really didn’t know what to expect and how she would be. I was totally amazed when she came running to meet us and then went running to the next house to
grab some chairs for us to sit on! She was a proud mum and introduced us to her
children who were absolutely adorable! It was such an answer to prayer to see her looking so well. We had been there a little while when
she told her sons to catch a cockerel. Nat and I discovered that we were both
thinking the same thing, we are either staying for lunch and eating that
chicken or she is going to give us that chicken. Sure enough as we were leaving
she ran into the house and came out with it! I’m very happy that she handed it
to Nat to carry and then we put it in the boot of the car! He spent the rest of
the day sat outside my workshop but when we came to go home we tried putting
him in a box and for a while he was quite content but then he started flapping
his wings and we both freaked out! Fortunately the taxi driver knows us by now
and so he took the chicken and put him in the footwell at the front and even
carried it to our back garden for us! He has had a couple of escapes but is now
happy in his new home and even goes into the chicken coop at night of his own
free will! He is far better behaved than Kip! We gave Kip another bath today. I hold her and Nat chucks water over her (and me!). It was going well and she was being a good girl until we washed her head. She then freaked out and decided the only safe position was to straddle my arm, wrapping both front and back legs around and refusing to move! She looked like a hog roast!
If that wasn’t enough adventure for one day we then went to a
party! Joyce, one of our beauticians had invited us to a party that we thought
was a wedding but sadly it wasn’t. We weren’t sure whether to go or not but
then she turned up at our house and said she had come to take us to the party!
We put on our party dresses and trekked up the track to the party with no idea
what to expect and no one who spoke English! When we arrived everyone was sat
in a big semicircle and cheered when we walked in. Feeling very awkward we were
given front row seats and given a drink. I am so glad i said i was full and
didn’t want food as i couldn’t even identify what meat the lady next to me was
eating! It was like no party i have been to before. Joyce and this guy (who i now
know is her husband) stood at the front with a bowl and people came up and put
money in. What we didn’t realise is that this goes on for a while so we go
straight in with the big notes and soon realised our mistake when the bucket
kept coming to us! So even though we realised we had probably only been invited
because we are white people it was lovely that the other spa women were there
and came and sat with us! We didn’t want to stay long as it was getting dark so
Joyce said if we had a dance we could then go. I said we would only dance when
others got up but clearly my Swahili isn’t that great or she just ignored me as
the next thing we know some old school English music is blaring out and me and
nat are up there, dragging the other two women with us and expected to dance. I
decide we are not awkward shuffling like Nat wanted so much to her horror I launched
into a speedy macarena! She soon joined me and it got quite a good reaction
from the other guests!
On Saturday we had an amazing time with the Go Mad team doing
a ceilidh. It is so much fun even if everyone is so sweaty and it is a great
form of exercise! Some of the cafe women came over to watch and even joined in
which was cool.
Yesterday was awesome as we did Sunday School for some of the
missionary children. A local missionary lady was being ordained at the
cathedral and so to help out Deb, Nat, Andrew and I took the kids and had a
great time acting out the story of Noah, playing games, singing and of course doing
some craft! It was so good to do Sunday school again and it was great doing it
here and actually being able to talk to the kids without needing a translator!
It turned out to be a 3 ½ hour service with everyone staying for lunch
afterwards. With a big rice lunch I was ready to join some of the team in the
afternoon climbing dead chicken rock.
We have had some crazy times here but we feel safe in God's loving arms and trust in him to guide us and protect us each day.
Sorry it has been such a long one! If you have made it this
far, thank you for sticking with me!
