Happy Hallow's Eve, Kenyan Costumes, and Drunken Policemen

Greetings (Jambo) on this Hallow's Eve from Eldoret, Kenya. Of course everyone in the U.S. is celebrating with costumes, parties, and giving away candy tonight, but we can't find a trace of that here. Cheryl thought she found a hint of Halloween here when she found a wide assortment of wigs on the supermarket shelf a month ago and asked Rachel Gallagher if the wigs were costumes in preparation for Halloween. Rachel informed her that they were not costumes, but that Kenyan women frequently used wigs and extensions to change their hairstyle.

We all got a laugh out of that one, but none of us laughed at an incident that happened last night when David Gallagher and Matt were out with the ministry leader for our street children in downtown Eldoret. Our ministry leader for street children, Morris Mordecai, does a fantastic job of regularly meeting with the hundreds of street children in downtown Eldoret, counseling them, speaking with them, loving them, and feeding them, helping them get off the street. Open Arms had received a donation of nearly 100 quarts of milk from a local dairy to distribute to the children and David and Matt went downtown with the milk ready to help Morris distibute the milk. Unfortunately, they were met with what appeared to be a mob of angry street children being dispersed by the police with whips.

Matt and David intervened by talking to the police and pleading with them that their interests in helping the street children were entirely peaceful, and eventually the police allowed them to continue their gathering undisturbed while Matt, David, and Morris spoke to the children and distributed milk. Of course the street children in Eldoret face their own challenges in relating to the broader Eldoret community, since many of the children are involved in theft and also addicted to sniffing glue, the local drug of choice (I believe there is a BBC documentary on YouTube about the street children of Eldoret which is well worth watching). In defense of the street children, they are often abandoned, orphaned, and they steal and sniff glue to alleviate their ongoing problems with hunger, homelessness, and all of the related challenges that come with these two blights. Open Arms is beginning to offer short term and long term solutions to the challenges these children face, but there is still a lot of work to do.

However, starving children and children sniffing glue was not necessarily what disturbed Matt the most during this evening. As Matt and David confronted the policemen, they smelled alcohol on the breath of most of the officers. The only thing scarier than a mob of street children or a Freddy Kreuger Halloween costume tonight, was several drunken policemen holding assault rifles and whips in downtown Eldoret. That is something really scary to think about this Halloween. Be safe and enjoy some candy corn today!!

Matt and Cheryl

P.S. Happy birthday to my sister, Beth Tallman!!!

Sour milk, babies, and more Kenyan fun

This week wasn't quite as adventurous or as scenic as last week, but it was nevertheless memorable. We had our hands full of babies (or at least Cheryl did) changing diapers, feeding them, bathing them, and allowing them the priviledge of enjoying our company at 3AM are all part of a day's (and night's) work with the babies entrusted to us. Matt even changed his first diaper all by himself this week (it was a little loose, but at least it didn't leak (praise God for the absorbent power of Pampers).


We got the babies registered with immigration services here, and hopefully we will get them passports in the next week. Belle is planning on going on her first plane ride with Rachel Gallagher for Christmas, and Esther Ruth is going to do the same on a plane ride to the UK with Ruth Major. Otherwise, Cheryl might have to juggle three babies at once during the Christmas season (with a little help from Matt now that he knows how to change diapers all by himself).


We also went through the process of applying as a school over the past month, but this week it seemed to reach a fevered pitch as we were introduced to the bureaucracy of Kenyan government. It seems easier at first because people in government here are too polite to admit how hard it is, but in the end it is just as difficult as American bureaucracy. Ultimately, in the end things were signed, and it looks like, with a little more work, we will be able to start a school in January at the Open Arms village.


Speaking of the village, this week Matt went out to the village several times to check on the progress of the orphanage homes and to assist people from the Public Health Department who were inspecting the village in preparation for the start of the school. After their inspection, Daniel and Lydia, the house parents for some of the children, invited the two inspectors and Matt for lunch. As lunch was set in front of the guests, Daniel proceeded to offer them the local village delicasy to drink...sour milk. They drink it there like we eat yogurt in America. However, as Matt saw the chunks of curdled milk plopping from the pitcher into his cup, he questioned if he would like it as much as yogurt. As he politley slurped down a big gulp into his mouth, the taste of putrid, sour, fermented milk filled his taste buds and his nostrils, and he wondered if he was going to lose the lunch he had already consumed. He tried to sip down a few more gulps and wash down the chunks with a glass of water, but as he looked up, he saw that his guests had already emptied their cups with a smile and he had barely made a dent in his glass.


Well, I think it is back to taking care of babies. I think I hear them wanting more formula, burping up more curdled formula, and wanting Daddy Matt to change some more diapers. Until next week, enjoy a few more baby photos.



God bless you,






Matt and Cheryl Tallman

Hippos, Crocs, and much more at Lake Baringo

Sorry we weren't able to submit a new blog during our usual time this past weekend but we were at Lake Baringo in Central Kenya where the weather was warm, the scenery was spectacular, the wildlife was extraordinary, and the internet reception was questionable. We left Eldoret Saturday morning after another busy week working at the village, trying to get the school started, and trying to help out at the Open Arms office. It was a much needed break from the business of our work in Eldoret and our first adventure outside of the area.

We drove on a long windy road for two hours and 60 miles until we saw Lake Baringo in the distance. Then we drove another 90 minutes and 30 miles until we finally arrived at the lake and began to take in the scenery. The lake is very large, the 3rd largest in Kenya, It looked about 20 to 30 square miles in size, with 3 or 4 islands in the middle. We were greeted at the hotel by three ostriches, 2 peacocks, 20 guinea hens (and a partridge in a pear tree).

The weather in Baringo was noticeably warmer and more humid due to the lower elevation, but we also noticed the effects of drought in the region due to the dry creek beds surrounding the lake and the lower water level in the lake. However, we probably wouldn't be able to get to where we were staying during a regular rainy season since we drove to our final destination through about a dozen dry creek beds that would have been swollen with water in wetter conditions.

The first evening we walked down to the waterfront and were greeted by four or five good sized crocodiles that were happily eating the leftover fish entrails left behind by the local fishermen. The next day we went on a boat ride in the lake and got to see wild hippos for the first time (check out the video at the bottom of this blog), Kenyan fish eagles swooping just like many bald eagles I've seen in the past to catch a fish in the lake (also check out that video at the bottom of this blog, a few other storks, cranes, and of course more crocodiles. When we got back to shore and were walking back to our room, we saw a curious friendship between what's called a cliff rocks hyrax (I think they're related to the badger in North America), sitting on top of the back of a local goat. They sat there for some time, and eventually the hyrax jumped off the back of the goat and they played with each other for awhile longer until we disturbed them as we walked by to go to our room.

That night we watched the sun set over the lake as we fed ourselves, our three babies, and the local mosquito population. In the morning we were greeted by Colombus Monkeys walking around in the yard and the trees just behind our balcony (check out the video at the bottom). After breakfast, we took a leisurely drive back home to Eldoret the next day, looking at more crocs in the Kerio River at the bottom of the Rift Valley, a proper African sized ant hill, and even enjoying lunch at a nice restaurant overlooking the Rift Valley (the photo below was taken from our dining room table). It was a memorable trip, but now we get to go back to starting a school, playing with orphaned children and babies, cooler weather, and no hippos or crocs.

Kenyan worship, a herd of goats, and a street fight

Last Sunday Matt was invited to preach at a church in Eldoret (Halleluya Church). The service started at about 10:30 and the church began to sing and dance and celebrate with the worship that is typical for many if not most African churches. The length of the service was also typical of most African churches. After numerous worship songs and about 30 testimonies, Matt was offered the platform at about 12:30. He spoke for about 45 minutes (probably a little brief for an African sermon), but afterwards, as the service continued, the Bishop, his wife, Matt, Cheryl, and two elders exited early to have lunch as the service continued until about 2PM.

They had a wonderful homemade stew with rice, (no goat intestines this time), and some typical Kenyan chai tea. Afterwards, Matt and Cheryl went to the Bishop's house and watched some Kenyan Sunday afternoon television with the family which mostly consisted of various preachers speaking in Swahili, although one show was broadcast in English with an American evangelist. The Bishop invited us to stay for a nearby outdoor evangelistic service they have in a neighborhood every week. As we got out of his car, we saw several singers on a stage singing and several dozen people in front of them dancing and singing. As we continued singing dozens of onlookers watched, dozens more walked by, and a large herd of goats walked right through the middle of the worshippers. Cheryl and Matt smelled the aroma of raw sewage directly behind them in a ditch, and a street fight began to erupt less than twenty feet from the crowd of worshippers. The street fight subsided, the goats managed to find greener pastures, and the congregation of worshippers continued to grow as the night went on.

Speaking of Kenyan worship, every weekday morning, the staff at Open Arms International enjoys a brief time of worship and prayer to begin every work day. Matt took the liberty to videotape one session so I hope you enjoy these Kenyan worship songs as much as we do (at least I hope I'll be able to download the video - we'll see - it's about ten minutes long) (sorry couldn't download it. I will try later).

We are enjoying a nice three day weekend as we are writing this blog. In fact we get two of them in a row thanks to what is called Moi day this weekend, and Kenyatta day next weekend courtesy of the first two presidents of Kenya (this is the equivalent of President's Day in the U.S.). Next weekend we might go out of town for the weekend and go see some wild hippos and crocodiles (we will certainly send photos in our next blog if that is the case). For now we are just busy putting formula into bottles and changing diapers.

At the village, things are progressing at a good pace. It is probable that the first orphanage home will be completed sometime in the next week. However, we still need to hook up water, sewer, and electricity. It looks likely that we might finally get this situation resolved with the well, and get good water supplied to the village so that we can hook up the homes to water in the next week. The sewer might be done in two weeks. We don't know when electricity will be supplied to the village, but we can likely move the children into the first two homes before the end of this month (even without electricity - they certainly don't have any right now, and the homes they will be moving into are much nicer than what they are living in now). We'll keep you updated on our progress and blog again soon.

Blessings,
Matt and Cheryl

Monkeys, digging wells, and roasted maize

This week was busier than some and slower than others. Slower because all the teams that were here last week have gone back home (the film crew and a team from the UK). We started out the week returning some equipment that was utilized by the film crew, and while Levi and Matt were driving around Eldoret, a large grey monkey ran across the road, a rare sight for this part of Kenya. Birds are plentiful here in Eldoret (I think I mentioned that in a previous blog), but land mammals (other than the human type), are more common down in the Rift Valley or further South where we will be going hopefully to visit sometime in the next 4 to 6 months. However, one new mammal arrived at the OAI village last Saturday, a brand new baby cow (the village now has four dairy cows to provide milk for the orphans and the surrounding villagers.



Matt spent the rest of the week working at the village and keeping an eye on new activities related to the construction of the village. The most significant activity this week is the arrival of the well drilling company to repair a well they had dug over a year ago which has never properly worked. The drilling company is still at the property as of the writing of this blog, but hopefully they will be done in the next day or two so that a clean, fresh, and reliable source of water will be available to the village for years to come. Progress on the rest of the village is moving along nicely. One of the orphanage homes should be done in the next few days, and three others should be completed in the next month or two.



Cheryl has been working at the office training to be the interim operations director for OAI Kenya, coordinating teams, the budget for the Kenyan staff, and a variety of other duties. In addition, both Matt and Cheryl have occasionally and eagerly been assigned baby duty, and they will be taking care of Belle for the next several weeks while David and Rachel Gallagher are in the U.S. for several OAI functions including the OAI fundraising banquet next weekend. (Which reminds me, if you are in the Portland area, and you haven't purchased a ticket for the OAI fundraising banquet at the Portland Zoo, feel free to call the Portland office at 503-296-9989 - the banquet is on Saturday, October 10).



While out at the village this week, Matt has been able to enjoy a little more of the local cuisine. He had roasted maize, a much better delicasy than goat intestines. You cook ears of corn over a fire and it tastes a lot like popcorn and it is very filling. However, the favorite Kenyan food for both Matt and Cheryl has been chipote, a flat bread cooked over a hot griddle. It goes well with everything. I need to sign off now, but I'll try and add a few photos and videos to the blog later. We'll keep you updated about the village and the adventures of Matt and Cheryl.