Sikukuu Njema (Merry Christmas in Swahili)

As I write this blog Christmas is over in Kenya and in the continental US (it is still Christmas in Hawaii, and I believe in some parts of Alaska). We spent Christmas eve in Eldoret doing some last minute shopping and errands for the children at the village as we prepared Christmas stockings for all of them. We finally did see the Christmas Eve rush in Eldoret as last minute shoppers prepared to purchase gifts in the local Nakumat, cramming the aisles, and barely leaving any room for us to get to the checkstands. We knew that all was well in the universe as we walked by the large robotic Saint Nicholas and heard him singing Jingle Bells on Christmas Eve (please read our previous blog to understand this). We finally got back to the Open Arms office/home in Eldoret in time to eat a quick dinner and make final preparations for the stockings.

We were hoping to get the stockings done in time to send them to the village on Christmas Eve so the children could wake up with the stockings in front of the fireplace, but it was already too late in the evening for us to travel out to the village so we opted to get up early on Christmas Day and hopefully catch the children waking up. We made our best effort by getting up at 5AM on Christmas Day, but getting two babies fed, diapers changed, babies clothed, and getting us clothed and showered, in addition to loading up the stockings, babies, and other assorted presents took their toll as we arrived at the village at 8AM expecting to find impatient little ones eagerly waiting for their presents.

However, I suppose this is importing Western culture and expectations onto African understandings of Christmas. Here there seem to be very little expectation of the children eagerly waiting to open presents under the Christmas tree although they do give gifts to the children, especially new clothing. Christmas Day seems to be centered around a Christmas Day church service and a Christmas Day feast. We celebrated the church service at the village, and Matt was the surprise guest speaker even though he didn't know this until he was asked to come to the front and speak to the children. Many of the children came up and led songs, even two year old Beatrice did a wonderful job of leading the congregation in a great rendition of "Our God is Able".

However, as Matt and Cheryl arrived at 8AM with two babies, we didn't think the village knew what to do with us other than to give us some tea. The children were busy doing chores, taking showers, and getting dressed for church, but Matt and Cheryl wondered when they would be able to present their carefully prepared Christmas stockings to the children. They had communicated to the house parents that they wanted to give the children Christmas stockings on Christmas morning, but the house parents and the children seemed too preoccupied with chores, showering, preparations for church, and preparations for the afternoon feast. Finally at 11:30am Matt and Cheryl were able to get the attention of the children and the house parents in Upendo Home long enough to lay out the Christmas stockings on the fireplace and explain the tradition of Christmas stockings. The expression on their faces changed from one of nonchalance to one of eager excitement as they began to realize that their were actually presents in these stockings, even new Christmas clothes! We figured that somewhere in our communication to the house parents and the children, something was lost in translation (we theorized that the house parents actually thought all that we were going to give the children for Christmas was a new pair of socks - Christmas stockings).

As we sat in front of the fireplace, we explained how the Christmas tradition of stockings began. For those of you who don't know, this is likely the closest traditional explanation to the historical truth. In about 250 A.D., a baby named Nicholas was born into a small community in what is now modern day Turkey. He was born into a wealthy family, but as a young man he became a Christian and decided to give away all of his wealth to the poor and needy in his community. However, he decided to do this in a unique way that would insure that the proud impoverished people of his community would receive his gifts since many, if not most of them refused charity. When he found about a family in need, he would take some gold coins and stuff them in a stocking. Then he would proceed to quietly climb on the roof of that home and drop the stocking down the chimney. For his acts of charity and his Christian leadership he was eventually appointed as the Bishop of Smyrna in Turkey, and after his death, he was eventually nominated as Saint Nicholas (or jolly old St. Nick as some of us in Western culture have added on our very nicknames and cultural traditions to this story). For those of you who are interested and still want to take the Christmas quiz in my previous blog, I have just given you two answers as a freebie.

We also gave another gift to each house, a Nativity set, crafted in Nairobi, but nevertheless a rare site in Kenya as most houses don't use Nativity sets or even recognize them. However, as we began to explain the Nativity set, the children began to instantly state the characters in the Christmas story as their knowledge of the Biblical story far exceeded any recitation of Western Christmas traditions or decorations. The children also decorated a simple Christmas tree which consisted of a freshly cut fir bough planted in a pot and decorated with tinsel (a tradition they inherited from the West and is honored in some Kenyan households).

The children had lined up patiently listening to this story, but also eyeing these stockings closely, and finally they began to open up the stockings as they pulled out candy, toys, stuffed animals, books, oranges, puzzles, coloring books, and a new Christmas shirt which they all wore to the church service. There was also a new one dollar coin in each stocking in tribute to the origins of Christmas stockings. The children played with their new toys, and gobbled down their new candy, as the house parents profusely thanked Matt and Cheryl for filling these young children with lots of sugar.

After the church service was over, the family prepared to eat a meal of boiled potatoes, sausage, a roasted ram, cole slaw, and sodas. The children were served first as the family began to feast and celebrate. The carefully cooked ram was a little tough, but tasty as a local health inspector came to the village and inspected the meat before it was cooked for the safety of the village. That poor ram had just sired two twin ewes as the newest addition to the Open Arms Village, and what was his reward, but becoming dinner on the Christmas table.

After the feast was over, we gathered back at the Upendo House for some Christmas cookies that Cheryl had baked on Christmas Eve, a tradition which the children quickly embraced and consumed. While the children consumed their cookies, Matt set up his computer to watch a movie with the children, a rare treat for them. Since movie selections here are scarce, and Christmas movies are almost non-existent, Matt selected the movie "Because of Winn Dixie". The other choice was likely "Little Mermaid" but since Matt and Cheryl had already watched this movie with Diana for the 100th time (it's her favorite movie), they opted for this wonderful children's movie.

After the movie and more Christmas cookies, Cheryl and Matt left the children in their sugar induced state and made a hasty departure back to Eldoret with two weary babies and two weary adults. They sat by the small "Charlie Brown" size artificial Christmas tree in the Open Arms office, holding the two babies, drinking chai tea, and eating more Christmas cookies as they reminisced on the activities of their first Christmas in Kenya (and their first Christmas outside of the US).

From Kenya we want to wish you a Sikukuu Njema and a blessed New Year!!

Matt and Cheryl

Signs of Christmas

Here in Eldoret, signs of Christmas are a bit different than they typically might be in the US. Some things we take for granted in the US are rare; some just don't make sense; others are non-existent. Not to say people don't celebrate Christmas here. Actually most do. However, there isn't the sense of overwhelming materialism as people rush to the malls to do their last minute Christmas shopping in America.

First of all, there are no malls in Eldoret in spite of the fact that it has a population of over 600,000. The closest thing is a Nakumat, or an Ukwala, both supermarket chains here that are like a VERY small Walmart but about 10 percent the size of a normal Walmart. One sight that always makes me scratch my head is a lifesize robotic Santa Clause in front of Nakumat who jiggles and shakes (not completely out of the ordinary) but who likes belting out "The Yellow Rose of Texas (a major disconnect even if you are from Texas).

The stores here are not all decked out in Christmas lights and other Christmas decorations and neither are the houses although a few businesses and houses have artificial Christmas trees (the don't grow natural Christmas trees here). Of course we have a Christmas tree at our house/office in Eldoret and we have strung up a few Christmas lights.

We celebrated a Christmas party with the children in the feeding program at Kambe Teso on Friday, the 18th. The party focused mostly on giving these children beef stew for their lunch meal (beef is a luxury here and most families eat it only on special occasions; this is probably the only meal with beef these children will eat all year). Cheryl also baked several cakes the night before, enough to feed 120 children, and it was a big hit with the children. Several families that have sponsored children with Open Arms were also given food baskets purchased at the local Nakumat that will give them plenty of food to feed their families through the Christmas season.

We also had a Christmas dinner with the Open Arms staff here in Eldoret and out at the village. There are 26 employees in total and 22 of them joined Cheryl and I for dinner that evening. We took them out for dinner at Mamma Mias, a local restaurant owned by an Indian businessman who offers some good Indian, African, and American cuisine. We had a great time as most of the staff enjoyed their only dinner out all year, and some of them likely enjoyed their first dinner out ever. We had a Christmas quiz that evening which had some interesting results. I made most of the questions centered around the Christmas story in the Bible, but Cheryl thought some questions were too difficult so she added a few cultural questions that may seem obvious in our culture. Interestingly, most everyone did excellent on the Biblical portion of the quiz but most people didn't do as well at the cultural portion of the quiz (my theory is that most Africans did not inherit the cultural portions of Christmas from their colonial counterparts - in the case of Kenya, the British - but they do tend to be more Biblically literate than Americans or Europeans).

Here is the quiz as follows. I made it up myself, and I've given it or a similar quiz in various venues, but no one has gotten 100% as of yet. The best anyone did at the Christmas dinner was 15 out of 20 correct. Try your hand at it and e-mail the answers back to me.

To be fair to those who took the test in Eldoret, try and take this without consulting the Bible or any other resources other than your own memory.

A Christmas Quiz

1. How many wise men or Magi came to visit Jesus?
a. one
b. more than one
c. seven
d. three

2. Where was Jesus born?
a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c. Eldoret
d. Bethlehem

3. To which continent did Jesus’ family flee when King Herod tried to kill him?
a. Africa
b. Asia
c. The Middle East
d. Europe

4. Which two people prophesied at Jesus’ circumcision?
a. Zechariah and Elizabeth
b. Simeon and Anna
c. Ananias and Saphira
b. Mary and Joseph

5. Where did Jesus grow up?
a. Nazareth
b. Jerusalem
c. Bethlehem
d. Caesarea

6. How old was Jesus when he was circumcised?
a. One day old
b. Eight days old
c. Eight years old
d. Fifteen years old

7. Jesus was born in a manger. The manger was also used as:
a. A storage container
b. A room for storing grain
c. A feeding trough for animals
d. A hostel for travelers to sleep in

8. Who was the Roman Emperor during the birth of Jesus?
a. Augustus
b. Quirinius
c. Tiberius
d. Julius

9. Who witnessed the birth of Jesus?
a. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, angels, and wise men
b. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, King Herod, angels, and wise men
c. Mary, Joseph, Elizabeth, Zechariah, angels, and wise men
d. Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and angels.

10. Which prophet prophesied where Jesus would be born?
a. Isaiah
b. Jeremiah
c. Zechariah
d. Micah

11. Who started the tradition of celebrating Christmas with a Christmas Tree?
a. Jesus
b. St. Nicholas
c. Martin Luther
d. St. Augustine

12. In which modern country was St. Nicholas born?
a. Greece
b. Germany
c. Turkey
d. Israel

13. Where does St. Nicholas currently live?
a. Eldoret
b. The North Pole
c. Heaven
d. Jerusalem

14. Who started the tradition of hanging Christmas stockings under the chimney?
a. Jesus
b. St. Nicholas
c. Martin Luther
d. St. Augustine

15. Who is the most famous reindeer of all?
a. Donnor
b. Blitzen
c. Comet
d. Rudolph

16. What sign did the wise men follow to find Jesus?
a. A rainbow
b. A dove
c. A star
d. A road sign

17. What day is Christmas celebrated?
a. Saturday
b. Sunday
c. 1st January
d. 25th December

18. What is a White Christmas?
a. A Christmas when it snows
b. A Christmas where everyone wears white clothing
c. A Christmas when all the presents are wrapped in white
d. A Christmas when the Christmas tree is sprayed with white flocking

19. What tradition takes place under the mistletoe?
a. A special kiss
b. A special dance
c. A special gift
d. A special poem is recited

20. What does the phrase “deck the halls” mean?
a. Decorating a house with holly
b. Dancing at a Christmas party
c. Attending a Christmas church service
d. Wearing a special Christmas outfit

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day we will be spending time at the village with the children and the house parents and introducing them to the tradition of Christmas stockings, a tradition they are completely unfamiliar with. They do exchange gifts every year at Christmas and the children typically receive a gift of new clothing but stockings will be a new and hopefully exciting tradition for them. The second existing home of children at the village, the Upendo house (that is Kiswahili for "love") which includes Peter and Stella Kimeli and the 14 children they care for, moved into their new home just in time for Christmas. The children were excited as they wandered around from room to room exploring their new home.

In addition, shortly before the house was ready, both houses were hooked up with electricity from the generator that runs the well (this is a short term solution for electricity but it provides electrical power for the village at least a few hours every day). As the electricity was turned on for the first time earlier this week, at least one or two of the house parents and all of the children got to experience their very first hot shower. What a great Christmas present (although we have to ration the time some of them want to spend in the shower, with it being such a novelty).

Tomorrow, on Christmas Eve, Cheryl and I will go to the village laden with Christmas stockings for the children and house parents. We'll fill the truck full, eat lots of lamb at the village Christmas dinner, and share the Christmas story with 28 children and 4 house parents. We will send another blog this weekend after all of us have celebrated Christmas with our families. Cheryl and I want to wish you a Sikukuu Njema (Merry Christmas) for you and your loved ones.

Mungu Acuba Riki (God bless you)

Matt and Cheryl

Police, cars, and Cheryl's knee again

This week in Kenya had a few interesting occurrences. The week started out with Cheryl bedridden with a prognosis of a torn miniscus in her left knee and the likelihood of not being able to walk for 4 to 6 weeks and the possibility of surgery according to the physical therapist. She had been stuck in bed for three days already and Matt went into town to find some crutches so she could pull herself and her gimpy knee out of bed.

After one day of hobbling around on crutches and much prayer from a lot of friends and family, Cheryl was happy to have some sense of mobility but her armpits were getting sore from the crutches so she sat down to do some e-mail on the computer. While sitting at the desk doing e-mail, she heard a pop in her knee, and got up to grab her crutches. While getting up she put a little weight on her left knee and realized there was no pain. From then on she has been walking pain free. In fact, yesterday Matt saw her running across the street. Thanks for your prayers and God's healing touch. Now all Matt needs to figure out is what to do with the crutches; but I'm sure someone we'll need them here in Eldoret.

We spent the rest of the week meeting with teachers who are helping us to get the school started. Lots to do between now and January 4th when we open the school, but we are making progress. In the interim, most of the children are taking some extra tutorial help until Christmas with the help of our new teachers in order to catch up on their classes. Many of the children are several years behind in their education because of their circumstances (many of them missed out of several years of school because of the loss of their parents, a loss of income to assist them with school, or simply because some of them were living on the streets).

On the way back from the village this week to meet with the teachers, Matt got pulled over by a policewoman for the first time. Matt was determined not to give the officer a bribe, but she was determined to find something wrong with the truck. She spent several minutes walking around the truck and discovered the annual inspection sticker had expired. Matt caught some interspersed comments between Swahili and English regarding court dates and jail and decided to call the Open Arms office in Eldoret. One of the staff members talked to the police woman and mentioned that they had the truck inspected but that they had still not received the new sticker. Eventually the officer let Matt go and Matt hopped in the truck only to realize the vehicle wouldn't start. Matt called the Open Arms office again and one of the staff members came out and helped him push start the vehicle; later they realized the battery terminals were dirty and needed cleaning. The problem was corrected; the truck, Matt, and Cheryl are mobile again, and no more officers have pulled over Matt. However, Matt is carrying the paperwork for the inspection report with him from now on.

Progress at the village is carrying on at a good pace. The 12 children in Home #1 are beginning to make their new house a home. Homes #2 and #3 will be completed before Christmas and Matt and Cheryl plan on spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with the Tumaini and Upendo Homes as they enjoy celebrating Christmas in their new homes. Home #4 will be completed possibly before the end of the year and more children can move into the village as we begin a new year at the Open Arms Village. In addition the Visitor Cottages for guests coming from the US and the UK are almost halfway completed with preparations being made to place roofs on all three Cottages before the end of the year so that the Village can accomodate teams and individual visitors as they arrive in 2010. As you prepare for Christmas this year, and complete your busy holiday shopping, as many of you try to stay warm in frigid winter weather, we will keep you informed of our everyday events as we prepare for Christmas. Bear in mind as your hands go numb in this wintry weather that it is 80 degrees and sunny here for Christmas, so consider not only reading our blog but come and visit us in this New Year.

Blessings,

Matt and Cheryl

Cheryl's knee and other assorted news

Most of our interesting news this week has been overshadowed by Cheryl's knee. On Friday night as she was going to bed, she felt a sharp pain in her knee and just about passed out. For most of the night she was in pain and got very little sleep. Matt gave her advil and ice packs but otherwise felt helpless. The next morning she was still in pain and could not walk on her leg or even get out of bed.

By the grace of God, it just so happens that a physical therapist from Connetticut had just arrived to stay with some missionary friends one block away, and we called her. She came over in ten minutes and gave Cheryl a brief examination. Her initial diagnosis was a torn miniscus or torn cartilidge but she will come by again today to examine Cheryl further. Either way, without a miraculous recovery (which we are praying for), physical therapy is the first and best prognosis for treatment outside of surgery which hopefully and prayerfull won't have to be considered as an option. We are very thankful that Kim, the physical therapist, is staying here for five more weeks. We are also grateful to God that with the help of Advil, ice packs, lots of bed rest, and God's healing touch, Cheryl got a full nights sleep last night, her pain has subsided, and she has begun getting a little more mobility in her knee.

Other than this major incident, we are busy with getting the school started. We invited ten people to come and interview with us on Tuesday and twenty people showed up. We had to turn quite a few of them away unfortunately, but I guess word gets around when the unemployment rate in Kenya is over 65%. We are grateful that we found some qualified applicants and we will be meeting with them this week to help get the school started and begin meeting with the children before school starts on January 4.

We are also busy preparing the school building classrooms by refurbishing the old temporary orphanage homes and making them into classrooms. We are knocking out some walls to enlarge rooms, put in new and larger windows to add natural light, and painting the inside of the rooms before January 4th. In addition, the building of the new orphanage homes is progressing nicely. The second and third homes are almost completed and the Kimeli household along with their fourteen orphans will be moving in sometime in the next ten to fourteen days. I included a cute photo of Lizzie, one of the orphans in the first new home, who has already settled in and is enjoying her new diggs. As the fourth house nears completion possibly before the end of the year, we will be looking for more house parents and orphans to fill up empty homes as we approach a new year. On our way to check on the village construction I took this photo of another overloaded vehicle. I don't know how they do it and still keep the suspension of these vehicles above the speed bumps and pot holes on the roads here.

I have included a brief video of the Tumaini household moving into their house along with a few photos from our past weekend retreat to celebrate Matt's 50th birthday. We'll update you on the progress and recovery of Cheryl's knee in the next blog.

Adios or Kwahere for now,
Matt and Cheryl