Back in the states...

Saturday, November 21, 2009

Our bus shuttle left the hotel at 6:45, right on time (we are not used to that at all after 4 weeks in Africa). We were at the airport by 7:00am and made it through the ariport and customs in record time (surprisingly, there was no security for us to go through here) so we were ready in plenty of time. We decided to sit down at the food court and get something for breakfast. After finishing our sandwhiches and danish we walked down to the gate to wait for our boarding gate to open.

The Airbus 330 that brought us home!

By 10:30am we were at crusing altitude over England and pointed in the right direction. "Go West young man..." It was very cloudy for the entire trip so there was very little of the very big Atlantic Ocean to see. Too wired to even try to sleep, even though I wanted to.

This was a nie hour flight, but we gained 7 hours from Amsterdam to Minneapolis, so it was just a little after 12:00pm that we arrived back on US soil once again. What a nice feeling!

Our families were all waiting for us there: Nancy and Amanda were waiting for Larry, Jenn, Isaac and Alex were there for Russ, and Debra had come with her mom and dad as well as all our kids. It was sure good to see them all again! When Mark first saw me, he hesitated and must have been thinking "You look familiar, but I can't place your name off hand!" Thankfully, it didn't take him too long to warm up to me again.

We are heading to St. Louis area tonight. The hotel there was nice enough to move our reservation from last night to tonight, so we are thankful for that. Then tomorrow we will finish up the trip back to Atlanta.

Thank you all for your many prayers over the past month. Surely, the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. We thank the LORD for our brethren here in the US and throughout the world who have assisted us in our work this year with your prayers and with your bounties. We thank the LORD for his guidance and protection over the past four weeks, for us, for those travelling with us, for our families who have been without us here at home, and for those in our churches here in the states. May the LORD continue to bless the preaching of His Word throughout the world, and may he keep us faithful to it!

In His service,

Nathanael

"I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest" (John 4:35).

Closer to home!

Friday, November 20, 2009

Our flight was delayed over 9 hours. There was a technichal problem with the plane in Amsterdam and it finally arrived in Nairobi at about 6am. We began boarding around 8:00am and were cruising down the Nairobi runway in our Boing 747 before 9:00am. In all my trips to and from Nairobi, I had never seen Nairobi during the day - this was a first. It was interesting to see all the places we have visited from the sky. It put things in a bit of perspective. Larry and I were sitting next to each other (with an empty seat in between) and Russ was sitting a row ahead of Larry. Larry and Russ like isle seats and I like the window seats, so it worked out well. I stayed awake for the first part of the flight a saw Mt. Kenya from my window and the beautiful country of central Kenya. But it wasn't ling before I put my head down and went to sleep. The next thing I knew we were over the Mediterrenean Sea! I was exhuasted from our night in the Nairobi arirport terminal.

From there we passed over Greece (we saw Athens and later Mt. Olumpus) and then up the coast over Austria and central Europe. We also were able to see the Swiss Alps from 30,000 ft in the air. It was pretty amazing.

It was an eight hour flight and we gained two hours, so we arrived in Amsterdam at 3:00 pm. We were scheduled to be on the 10:00am flight earlier in the morning so we knew that wasn't a possibility. I had checked the NWA website and had seen that there was another flight at 2:30pm. We were hopefull that they would hold that flight we that we could get out of Amsterdam yet today. Russ rushed off the plane (he even beat the first class passengers off - quite to their dismay) but found out that there was no afternoon flight.

The "buzz" of Amsterdam's Shiphol airport...

We waited in line (with 300 other Nairibi passengers) at the Travel desk to find out what our options were. Three hours later we had tickets for the flight from Amsterdam to Minneapolis for tomorrow at 10:00am. So much for making it home by Sunday. The airline gave us food vouchers, phone voushers and discounted flight vouchers, and provided hotel vouchers for those who had to stay over night (and asked). We used our food vouchers to eat at McDonalds at the airport. The coupon was for 10 Euros (about $17) and our meal almost used the full amount. That was the most expensive Big and Tasty I've ever eaten! Even though it wasn't Nebraska beef (or North Dakota beef as Larry would say) it sure was good after a month in Africa.

After supper we decided to stay at the hotel and wandered through the airport tracking down the information we needed. We went through customs, picked up our vouchers, and took a shuttle to the Claus hotel. It was dark already so we didn't get to see any of Amsterdam, which was a bit disappointing. It is such a beautiful area. We checked into the hotel, which was very nice. We guessed that a room like what we stayed in would go for at least $200 a night. What a change from even our nice hotels in Africa!

The welcome screen on the TV in Russ's hotel room in Amsterdam with a picture of our hotel

Boarding time was 8:00am tomorrow morning and the shuttle back to the airport left at 6:45am. So we have to be up and going tomorrow at 6:00am and ready to go. I guess we won't see Amsterdam tomorrow morning either!

In His Service,


Nathanael

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name!" (Psalm 103:1).

Returing home (we think...)

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Last night was a bit rough. We were staying in the Terminal Inn in Nairobi and had a room on the second floor with windows directly above the restaurant below. There must have been a soccer game on or some other event, because it was wild down below us and it went on fairly late. I worked on my laptop as long as I could, but finally had to quit because of my battery.
When I awoke in the morning (around 6:30am) there was dead silence – quite the contrast from the noise last night.

A picture of Nairobi

Russ and Larry went over to the Nakumat to do some shopping and check us in to our flight back to Amsterdam. At 9:30am Charles and the Nairobi men started to arrive. We walked over to the Kenya Comfort Hotel Lounge and visited about the work of the Nairobi stations. It was a good visit and a lot was discussed and decided.

A meeting of the Nairobi men in the Kenya Comfort

One of the exciting things about this visit was that the driver Charles had used to bring the Nairiobi men to Kisii for the conference was interested in joining our group. He had sat in on the conference in Kisii and told me that he was impressed how we base all our teaching on the Bible and allow people to ask questions so they can fully understand. Another exciting opportunity!
After the meeting was over we went to Charles’ mother’s home for lunch. We met Charles’ mother and sister and his niece and nephew. It was nice to get to know more of his family and enjoyed visiting with all of them.

Charles Wamithi and his mother (left) and sister (right)

Charles had to work at 3:00pm so we decided to go back to the airport extra early. Andrew was driving us today, and he took us smoothly through traffic and to the departure gate at the airport. We went through security but were not able to get checked into our flight since it was too soon. They asked us to wait about 30 minutes. After 30 minutes we checked back but they still weren’t ready for us to check in. One of the Kenya Airways ladies was nice enough to let me work on my laptop in a corner behind their counters where I could plug in my laptop and get wireless internet!

At 5:00pm we found out that our plane to Amsterdam had not yet left Amsterdam due to technical problems. They would not be able to do anything for another several hours. They told us to check back at 7:00pm. By 7:00 a huge line of people had formed who were now waiting to check in on the Amsterdam flight, but still the plane hadn’t left. We were given vouchers for a meal at the airport restaurant, so we decide to go and get something to eat while we waited. We met a young geologist from Canada during the wait who had been on vacation here in Kenya and was on his way home to Vancouver. He had been at the airport even longer than we had.

After supper we found out that our flight had been delayed until 8:00am tomorrow morning. There were a few people who were able to get flights into London, but they were few. Since it was already late, and we would have to be back here around 5:00am to check in for our flight, we decided to head into the terminal and wait it out there. This has been a bit frustrating, but there is nothing that the people here can do, and many of the passengers are not being very understanding about it. It makes for a bad feeling among everyone.

Larry and Russ are trying to get some sleep on the hard floor right now while I work on this. I have been able to find a wireless connection, and so I want to get this done while I can. I’ll close for now. Tomorrow is a new day, and day which the LORD has made.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that” (James 4:15).

Our last visit and back to Nairobi

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

One last church to visit. We left this morning at 8:30am for the hour drive to Misesi. Once again the roads were bad so Enosh and Fred met us at the hotel and we took an alternate route to get to Pastor Joseph’s home. We arrived at about 9:30 and were greeted by Pastor Joseph and his wife. She offered us bread and tea while we discussed the training of the four seminary students who had been going to school in Himo. There was a lot to discuss, and we all had ideas about how this could be made to work for the time being. We also talked about hymn books in our congregations here and what we might do to assist our people learn more solid, theological hymns and become more familiar with the liturgy. We are considering the possibility of printing our own small hymn book since the existing ones are lacking in many ways. This is something we will have to discuss more next year when I return.

Discussing a hymnal for the Etago churches (and singing a few together in Swahili)

After the conclusion of our meeting we walked down to the road and along the way Pastor Joseph pointed out the land he had designated as the location for the church in the future. Right now he is growing corn and sugar cane in the place where one day a church will stand. We continued on down the road to visit a small building which has been serving as a temporary orphan school. There are about 30 children being taught here now who have lost one or both parents. The church at Misesi works with the community to carry out this program and they would like the CLC to support it as they do at Etago. We will have to see what the KINSHIP committee and Mission Board are able to do.

After visiting the orphan school we went back to Pastor Joseph’s were we all ate lunch. Mrs. Nyaribo served us ugali, mutton stew and kale. I’m not a big fan of ugali, but the stew and kale was very good.

From here we had to return to Kisii to prepare for our trip back to Nairobi. We gave Fred and Enosh the Bibles we had purchased, then said our goodbyes.

The shuttle picked us up at the hotel and took us to the station where we waited for about an hour for it to fill up. At about 2:00pm we left Kisii with a full bus. This bus was nicer than the others. It had three big seats per row, and they didn’t put in more people than they had seats. It was a fairly new van and that we nice as well. As we left Kisii it was beginning to rain again. It sprinkled off and on almost all the way to Nairobi. At one point we had to stop because water was rushing across the highway and a car had become stuck in a sinkhole. A four-wheel-drive truck succeeded in pulling it out, but I hoped that we wouldn’t have to turn around. A road worker came over and directed us and others through so we would get stuck as well and we were off again. We came to the outskirts of Nairobi at 7:00pm but there was another traffic jam and it took us two hours to make it to the bus stop! This is just as bad as home, and maybe a bit worse!

A mechanic working on the engine of a matatoo (don't try this at home!)

Charles picked us up and took us to the Terminal Inn to check in. Then we walked down the street to Steers’ to get a hamburger and some subs. It really hit the spot after four weeks in Africa!

Tomorrow we meet with the Nairobi men and then head for the airport for our trip back home.
In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“And you became followers of us and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Spirit” (1 Thessalonians 1:6).

Church visits

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The rainy season is here. It has been raining lightly but consistently throughout the day yesterday and night last night. This morning it was still raining and we began to wonder if we were going to be able to follow through with our schedule. It was planned to visit three congregations today, but the first one was the farthest away. We had hoped to visit this congregation last year but were unable to because of the bad roads due to the rain. It wasn’t looking promising this year either.

We had arranged with our driver from yesterday, Cliff, to take us today as well. He was scheduled to be at the hotel at 7:30am to pick us up. I decided to check with Enosh and he said we were going to try to make it out to Olgumii in spite of the rain. When Cliff arrived we double checked with him and he said he would still be glad to take us, so we decided to go for it. Russ has been feeling a bit run down and decided to stay in town and get some things done here, especially since we were planning to be gone all day.

The roads were bad. They were muddy. They were slippery. They were rough. We saw cars, matatoos, and big tea trucks in the ditches and stuck in the mud. At one point we came to a spot where a tea truck was stuck in a ditch but was almost completely blocking the road. As we pulled up we saw a matatoo which had tried to go around it get stuck several times. There was an army of men with ropes pulling and pushing the matatoo out of trouble.

A matatoo being pulled out of the mud after trying to get around a stuck tea truck

At this point I felt like we should turn around and head back. We weren’t even to Etago yet! But Cliff was adamant that we try it. After the matatoo cleared the road he made a run for the gap between the front of the tea truck and the ditch on the other side. He passed the truck but slid into the ditch on the other side. I almost thought we were going to make it, but not quite. I was looking out my rear seat window at a wall of dirt less than a foot away! But to our rescue came the same guys who had just freed the matatoo (here is free enterprise at work – see a need and fill it!). They came and after a bit of shoving and pulling set us free as well! We gave them 500 shillings (about $8) for their help and trouble and it was more than worth it. We were on the road again. There were a few more hair-raising situations throughout the remainder of the trip, but we made it safely to Etago to get Enosh and Fred and continued on to Olgumii. It was very muddy and there were several times where I thought we were going to be stuck, but our expert driver pulled us through every time!

We visited the Masaai congregation at Olgumii and had a long visit with the “chief” of the congregation about their hopes to moves the current church building and make it more solid than the original, and discussed the possibility of an orphan school here. It was an enjoyable visit and I was glad that we had made the effort to visit here.

From Olgumii we journeyed back towards Etago to the congregation at Kenuchi. This church is built on a hill and our car was not able to drive up it, so we had to walk. We almost didn’t make it up walking either. My shoes were full of mud by this time and I couldn’t get any traction at all. Climbing up that hill was like going up hill on a slip-n-slide! By the time we reached the top we were pretty wet from the falling rain and muddy from the knees down. It was nice to get to the top but we still had to make it back down again!

Slipping down the muddy hill at Kenuchi

While we were there the rain stopped and the sun started to peak out. We decided to go on and visit one more congregation on the other side of Etago in Omotembe. Once we passed Etago the roads became much better and we were more at ease. It was quite a hike from the road to the church of Omotembe, and the path was pretty rocky at first. This is a very beautiful area surrounded by fields of tea, sugar cane and corn nestled into the rolling hills. We had a sort visit with the congregation here and then they brought us bread and soda for a “lunch” while the choir sang a few songs for us.

The members of Omotembe church

One of the needs here is that of Bibles. They only cost about $8 each, but many of the people here are very poor. After returning to Kisii I went across the street to a local bookstore and asked about Kisii and Masaai Bibles. They had both available and told me they would give me a 15% discount if I bought them in bulk. I decided to buy them out (they only had 16) and plan to give them to Enosh and Fred tomorrow. In the past we have had the people pay a small amount for them - whatever they can afford - so they appreciate the Bibles, and I thin that is a good procedure. I will talk with them about that tomorrow as well. I would like to be able to supply more Bibles, but there is a limit to how much we are able to do with the funds that we have. It is a difficult balancing act at times. May the LORD give us wisdom...

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Let us now go back and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they are doing” (Acts 15:36).

Etago Conference

Monday, November 16, 2009

Today was our seminar day. When I come to Africa we have the general Pastoral Conference with pastors from all the areas, and then we have local “seminars” in each of the regions. Today was the last of these seminars with the men of the Etago area churches.

There were a few things that we were not able to get done yesterday because it was Sunday. I needed to get money exchanged and copies made for the seminar, but was unable to because the banks and copy places were closed on Sunday. I figured that I would have to leave the hotel by 7:30am to make it to Etago for our conference at 10:00am, and the copy place and bank would not open until 8:00am. So we decided that Larry and Russ would stay in town to get that done and then come to Etago when they finished their tasks.

I left the hotel at 7:30 and walked to the bus station where I found a Matatoo that was going to Etago. I had to wait about 15 minutes while it filled up with people. Finally we were ready to go. We left the bus terminal and went to a service station to get a low tire filled. We then started our trek to Etago. We picked up even more people on route and soon there were four or more people to a row again!

I arrived safely in Etago and had to hike up the road to the church. There were motorcycle taxis at the bottom of the hill, and I considered hiring one to take me up to the church, and then thought better of it. I’m not ready for that yet!

I arrived at the church a little after 10:00am. One of the school rooms had been requisitioned for our seminar and we began at about 10:30. I presented two studies: Confessions and the Catechisms of Luther in the morning and The Pastor’s Job in the afternoon. Larry and Russ arrived shortly after the seminar began and I was astonished at how quickly they had made it. I found out they had hired a taxi and had not taken the Matatoo. Cheaters!

Pastor Fred translating for me at the Etago seminar

Russ taught his lesson on the second article of the Apostles’ Creed after lunch, but he and Larry were pretty occupied with the teachers and children most of the day. They conducted interviews with them and learned a lot about the school. It was a very productive day, for them and for me. We wrapped things up at about 4:00pm and had to rush to get a few other meetings in before we left. Our driver (Russ and Larry talked him into staying and taking us back after the seminar was over) was pushing us to get on the road because it was looking like rain, and he didn’t want to get stuck on the roads when the rain came down.

We hustled, but the rain came down and we did get slowed down as a result. They had made it out to Etago in less than an hour and a half and it took us a full two hours to get back because of the rain. It was 6:30 when we got back to the Zonic.

Relaxing for a minute at the Zonic Hotel in Kisii

We took a little bit of time to get some things done and then walked down the street to the Nile Restaurant for supper tonight. We learned about the Nile last year when we were here. The good thing about the Nile is that it is very inexpensive and they give you really big portions. The bad thing is that you have about a 50-50 chance of actually getting what you order! They held true to their reputation. Russ and I ordered chicken fried rice and ended up with fried rice and big piece of chicken. Not what we expected! Oh well, there is always tomorrow night!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus” (Colossians 1:28 ).

Church in Chotororo

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Since I have been visiting Africa, I have never seen communion celebrated. Part of the reason for this is that I am not here for that many Sundays, and may miss their communion service. Another reason is that they don’t celebrate it as often as we do in the US because wine is very expensive here. On this trip Russ brought some communion wafers along from the states and he purchased some wine in Kisii before we left. Today we were invited to attend church in Chotororo were Pastor Fred serves. We had to leave the hotel this morning at about 8:00am and we hoped to be at Chotororo at 10:00am. But we had some very rough roads, and our driver almost ran out of gas. I thought we were in big trouble, because there were no filling stations for miles of where we were. Thankfully there was a little shop in the middle of nowhere that had petrol for sale. They stored it in a big 5 gallon container, but couldn’t get the funnel into the tank. Improvising, they used a one liter coke bottle to fill our tank with 10 litres of fuel! Only in Africa!

Petrol in a Coke bottle filler!

Due to the delays, we were an hour late for church. Still, the congregation was there waiting patiently for us. How many in the US would do that? The service began after our arrival and we sang along with a somewhat familiar Lutheran liturgy (in a different language). Hymns, readings, and I was asked to give the sermon. After the sermon and offering communion was celebrated. It was a wonderful chance to fellowship with this group of like-minded believers and join in celebrating our Savior’s death and resurrection for us in this way! The service lasted two hours, and following the service we journeyed down the hill to have some home-made “donuts” and soda. The women and children were especially fascinated by Russ’s camera and ability to print pictures on site. Everyone wanted to have a picture taken.

The members of Chotororo

From Chotororo it was two hour trip back home (we had enough gas this time). We were joined on our trip by Crispin, our friendly waiter at the Zonic, and coordinator for the vehicle we used this morning. I had given him some Spokesmans and a catechism and he became interested in our church and its teachings. So we invited him to join us for church this morning. It was quite a ride for him to join us for church, but he said that he was glad that he had come. We were glad too.

The rough roads to Chortororo

We made it back to Kisii around 4:30, paid our taxi driver and then went up to our hotel room in the Zonic to prepare for tomorrow. We have our Etago leaders’ conference tomorrow and I need to get some presentations readied. Our time here is nearing an end, but there is still much to do.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Bless the LORD, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!” (Psalm 103:1 ).

Holy Cross Lutheran Church of Emmaus Milimani

Saturday, November 14, 2009

It was another very late night last night. It was about 2am when we finally settled in to our rooms and went to sleep. We had decided to sleep in a little this morning, and then meet for breakfast at 9am. I was up at 7 o’clock. With the noise from the dining room below, there wasn’t much chance of sleeping in! I worked on reports until the battery in my laptop was about dead and then plugged it in to charge while I went to take a shower. The Mid Africa Hotel was a very nice one, but no more expensive than the Southern Blue and the Zonic. It was clean and well maintained (which was a nice change from Kisii)!

After a nice breakfast in the dining room we packed up and called for a taxi to take us to Mois Bridge. It was about a 30 minute drive south, back toward Eldoret. Anna’s daughter, Mary, met us at the main road and then led us down the winding dirt roads to the family home near Mois Bridge. This area is a bit more secluded then other places we have been. Everywhere we go people stare at the white men in the car passing by. Children are less reserved. They see us and then shout to their friend: “Wazungu! Wazungu!” Russ now replies, “Indyio, wewe ninani?” (Translation: “Yes, who are you?”)

After another 20 minute drive we pulled into the beautiful Sagala property. You could easily tell that someone has a very green thumb and loves to work outside in the garden. The buildings are also well cared for and maintained. Upon our arrival the yard fills with people. We are greeted by Anna and her son Eric as well as a group of young children. Introductions are made, while the children sing for us (in English!).

Anna invited us into her home where we could eat and visit for a while before going to the proposed site of the church. As we walked into her living/dining room I heard Pastor Maas’s voice! On her kitchen table a CD player was going with a recording of a service from Holy Cross in Phoeniz, AZ. It was good to see that they were making use of the CD’s that were sent by our Phoenix church. We visited with the family and reminisced about Anna’s time in the US visiting her family there.

Visiting at Anna's house

Anna’s granddaughter, Linda, soon brought out lunch and we ate a hearty meal of stew with potatoes, and other vegetables, goat meat, rice and fruit. It was a very delicious meal (especially after the past few days on the road!). Following lunch we brought in a box of material sent by Holy Cross for the young church here. It was primarily made up of Sunday School materials and teaching aids, but we also gave them catechisms, a catechism workbook (and CD), English Bibles, Lutheran Spokesman issues, a laptop computer, and a some school supplies for the children. They were very appreciative and send their thanks to Holy Cross in Phoenix and to the members of the CLC.

We then made the trek to the property Anna donated to the church. They are planning to begin construction on a church in the near future by making bricks from the clay on her land. They hope to break ground for the church next summer, possibly during my summer visitation. It was quite the drive to the church property and took us about 20 minutes. We had to go back to the main road we had come in on, and then cross over it going the opposite direction.

When we finally arrived at the site, a tent had ben set up and there was a group of about 50 people gathered there. Larry, Russ and I were each asked to participate in the planting of a tree as a dedication of the property to the LORD for His work. After this ceremony, we were introduced to the group and we were given the opportunity to speak to the people. During the course of our stay there the number of people continued to grow to somewhere in the vicinity of 100 people! We directed their attention to the importance of the Word of God as the primary responsibility of Christ’s Church and the need to know and hold on to the truth of His Word throughout our lives. After the service the people ate a meal of rice and beans, while we walked the 2 acre property and discussed the plans with Anna’s son Eric and daughter Mary. Jeremiah had journey here with us on the return trip from Uganda, and plans to visit this group again on his trip to Uganda in December. They have several young men that are interested in going to seminary so that they can be the spiritual leaders of the congregation here in the future. It is an exciting opportunity here in Mois Bridge!

The people gathered at Emmaus Milimani

Although we would have liked to stay longer, Jeremiah needed to return home (he has not been feeling well since before the conference in Kisii) and we decided to return to Kisii to attend church in Chotororo tomorrow morning. So we said goodbye to the Sagala family and the people of Mois Bridge, and returned to Eldoret to catch buses there. Lord willing we will be able to spend more time with the Mois Bridge group next year and see how things have progressed following Jeremiah’s visits. We pray that the LORD would bless these believers through His precious Word of Truth!

In Eldoret, Jeremiah purchased a ticket for Arusha via Nairobi, and we found a mini-bus that was going “direct” to Kisii. The only one that was going was already full, but they squeezed us in (four-to-a-row instead of the already tight three-to-a-row!) Poor Larry was in the very back row with no leg room at all. He had luggage on the floor at his feet and couldn’t move one way or another, causing his legs to go numb for a while! I was in the next row up and had to sit on a wooden board that bridged the isle between two seats. That was pretty uncomfortable as well, although I had some leg room at least. Russ was a row ahead of me and probably the most comfortable of all of us (although he might beg to differ!). After they finished strapping our luggage on the roof (since there was absolutely NO room left inside the Matatoo!) we were off. We spent the next four hours crammed into that small bus with aching legs, knees, bottoms, and sometimes heads (from hitting the ceiling of the van when going over a bump). Let me tell you: Matatoo traveling is not for those who dislike when their personal space is invaded! There is no such thing as “personal space” here. It may be for those who enjoy riding roller coasters in confined spaces though...

As we came near to Kisii, they began to let people out and that helped to free up some space. We arrived at the Kisii bus station at 9:30 and walked through the near empty parking lot, up the hill and down the street to the Zonic Hotel. It sure was nice not to have to carry the extra box of material which we left in Mois Bridge. I lugged that box through five different countries in order to get it here, but I was sure glad to drop it off.

It was a very busy couple of days with many miles traveled, but it was a very rewarding trip. May the Lord continue to bless the members of KIUCLC and the new group in Mois Bridge. I look forward to visiting them both again next year. Please keep then in your prayers.

May the LORD be with you all,

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10).

Leaving Uganda

Friday, November 13, 2009

We had a very late night last night. After getting to the hotel and unpacked we went up to the restaurant where Larry and Russ ordered a plate of french fries (they call them “chips” here) and we all got something to drink. By the time we had finished our “supper” it was after 10:30pm. We went back to our room and since we had internet access, we used Skype to call home and caught up on our e-mail. It was after 2:00am before I went to bed. Since we weren’t supposed to meet with Eli and Jeremiah until 10:00am we were able to sleep in a little. In the morning we made some calls to the Sagala family in Mois Bridge, Kenya to make arrangements for our visit there tomorrow morning.

As the morning progressed the skies became increasingly dark and finally at around 10:00am the rain moved in. Lightning lit up the sky, and thunder ringed in our ears, but it was not a heavy rain and it moved past very quickly. The storm had rolled in from Lake Victoria, and eliminated any possibility of our seeing the beautiful African resource. I was quite disappointed!
Eli finally arrived at around 11:00am and the hotel called us a taxi to take us to the University where Eli went to school. Eli just graduated from Kampala International University with a degree in Business Administration and he is looking to return to get him Master’s Degree. He is actually from Arusha, Tanzania (where Pastor Jeremiah is) but left Tanzania to go to school in Uganda.

While Eli was at school he spoke with others about Lutheran teaching, and gathered a small group at the KIU campus. Pastor Jeremiah has been traveling here several times a year to meet with this group and teach them more. They have formally organized as the Kampala International University Confessional Lutheran Church, and have even elected officers to run the church. As the hymn writer penned: “The LORD works in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform...”

Kampala International University group

We met with the KIUCLC members for about an hour and a half, meeting the members, presenting a sermonette, and then discussing the work they are doing. They have members who are returning to their home areas and taking the Word with them. It will be interesting to see what the LORD works through all that as well in the future.

After our meeting we departed for the bus station to buy tickets for our return trip to Kenya. We decided to stay away from the minibus in favor of a big bus for this voyage. None of us had ever ridden on this kind of bus in Africa previously, so we decided to give it a try and compare it with what we have used. We purchased four tickets (Jeremiah was traveling back with us) to Eldoret, which is between Kampala and Nairobi. We boarded the bus at 2:45pm and were on the road a little after 3:00. The bus was big, but it was very old. Most of the seats didn’t work, the roof leaked, and windows wouldn’t open. Other than that it was alright! I was able to sleep a little at the very beginning, but once I was awoken by the conductor (who was checking tickets) I was up for the remainder of the nine hour journey.

Beautiful and prosperous rice fields of Uganda

We had a bit of trouble at the border. After getting stamped out of Uganda and then into Kenya, we were waiting for our bus to be inspected by the border police. While we waited we were harassed by a police officer who asked to see our passports and vaccination cards. He wanted to know if we had been vaccinated against the swine flu. We told him that the vaccination was not necessary when we entered the country three weeks ago, but he was persistent. Jeremiah later told us that he was looking to get money from us. During all of this, our bus past us and I thought we were going to be left behind! Jeremiah finally talked the officer out of bothering us and we hustled through the dark to catch up with our bus.

Not long after boarding the bus and starting down the road again we were stopped by the Kenya police. Everyone had to get off the bus and have their ID’s checked. It was completely dark and the passengers stood in two lines in the headlights of the bus: The men on one side and women on the other. A male officer checked our side and a female officer the other. Sometimes they would do a pad down search, other times, not. The officer who came to us spoke some Swahili to us and we responded. He was a bit surprised and proceeded to test us with other Swahili words and phrases. After this test he barely looked at our passports and bid us a good night! An interesting night to say the least.

We finally arrived in Eldoret at about midnight and had to get a taxi to take us to Kitale. We found one who offered to drive us for less than others and loaded our luggage into the back of his little Toyota station wagon. We asked how far it was to Kitale and he told us “Five kilometers.” We arrived in Kitale an hour later – it was actually over 70 kilometers! When we arrived we looked for a hotel, but the first one we checked didn’t have enough rooms. The second one was closed for the night and the third was still under construction. Finally we found one called the Mid-Africa hotel that had enough rooms for all of us. Exhausted, we climbed five flights of stairs to our rooms with all our luggage, knowing we were going to have to bring it all back down first thing tomorrow morning. You can’t say that I’m not getting any exercise while I’m here! Try it yourself – it’s quite the workout!

Another big day tomorrow with the people of Holy Cross Lutheran Church at Emmaus Milimani. An exciting opportunity.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching” (2 Timothy 4:2).

Kampala, here we come!

Thursday, November 12, 2009

“On the road again...” Today was a long travel day. We weren’t sure what to expect for travel time to Kampala, because we received estimates from “six hours” to “twelve hours.” We had agreed to meet Jeremiah and Eli at the Kisii Hotel and then go from there to the bus station. But right now we are carrying quite a bit of extra luggage for the people in Mois Bridge from our church in Phoenix. This wouldn’t be as much of a problem if we were taking a private car, but when you are taking public transportation, you have to carry your luggage from one place to the next. Because of this I decided to walk to the Kisii Hotel and meet with Jeremiah and Eli. From there we walked to the bus station to get our tickets and to ask if they would pick up Russ, Larry and our luggage at the Zonic Hotel. It all worked pretty smoothly, except for the fact that we had to wait for half an hour for the bus to fill up! It was an interesting 30 minutes “people watching” at the Kisii bus station though. There were people selling newspapers, drinks, snack, and trinkets. I almost bought a pair of reading glasses for Larry (since he gave his away at the conference), but I wasn’t sure what power he needed. Whatever your need, get it right here!

Finally we were ready to go and we sped through town to the Zonic to pick up Larry and Russ. We squeezed everything (and everyone) in and were off to Kisumu, Kenya. Kisumu was our first stop on this trip, almost straight north of Kisii. It was mid morning now and the sun was starting to beat down. I was in the window seat behind the driver and began to feel it heating up my right arm. It was warm. Kisumu is a two hour journey from Kisii, and we arrived there by 11:30am. In Kisumu we transferred to another Matatoo that was going to the border town of Busia. This was another two hour journey. The town of Kisumu is nestled into a corner of Kenya and borders Lake Victoria. We caught a glimpse of the Lake a few times from the road after leaving Kisumu, but it was always in the distance. We hope to be able to see more of this important African resource when we reach Kampala, which is also right on the lake in Uganda.

Crossing the equator (to the north this time)

After reaching Busia, we had to exit our Matatoo and cross the border on foot since the bus would not cross. There were no problems crossing the border other than the very long walk through “no man’s land” between the two countries. I exchanged some money at the border since the banks would be closed when we arrived in Kampala, and we now had to use the Ugandan Shilling for our expenses. With all the extra luggage, we were all carrying more than one bag. It was very hot and we were all a bit expended from the walk so we decided to stop at a vendor on the side of the road for a cool drink. After our reprieve, we located a bus which would take us to Kampala direct.

Once the bus filled up and we got moving, we found that Uganda was a very prosperous country. Among their resources we saw: bricks, lumber, sugar cane, corn, beans, rice, tea, beer, hydro electric power, and much more. It is a very prosperous country and called “The pearl of Africa.” We even crossed the Nile River where it comes out of Lake Victoria and heads north to empty into the Mediterranean thousands of miles away.

The Nile river - looking upstream

It was a four hour trip from the border to Kampala but it took us six hours because of a severe accident which completely shut down the highway we were on. The accident happened just a minute or so ahead of us. A matatoo and lorry drove off the road and the lorry crushed the matatoo, killing everyone inside. How sad, and yet how beneficial. Beneficial in that it should serve as a reminder to us of how important our work as Christians is – in Africa, in America, or where ever we might be.

Jeremiah standing in front of our mini bus waiting for the accident to clear.

We finally arrived in Kampala at around 10:00pm after a 13 hour journey. The Clarlton Hotel we stayed in was very nice and yet very reasonable (a little over $25 per person) for a large city. It even had complementary wired internet which was available in our room. It may be the nicest hotel we have stayed in while in Africa. Too bad we will only be here for one night!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

Conference - Day 2

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Day two of our conference again got started late. We had decided to start at 8:30am to make sure that we completed everything on our agenda, but there were very few people there on time. Many of the men from the surrounding area have a very long trip into Kisii, and are not able to make it that early since they are dependant on the bus schedules. We finally started at about 9:00am although there were a few people who had not yet arrived. After our opening devotion and hymn Pastor Joseph Nyaribo (Misesi, Kenya) was asked to present his paper on Law and Gospel. It was only one page, but he used it as a spring board to demonstrate how important this is in the ministry, and how readily the abuse of it can be seen in various churches. It was an excellent presentation. Following a quick break for tea, Charles Wamithi (Nairobi, Kenya) gave his paper on the Lord’s Prayer. Again there was some good discussion. It was about 12:00pm when Charles finished, but I was asked to present a final paper on Biblical guidelines for preaching. We went through this summarily, and had some discussion at the end.

Charles giving his paper on the Lord's Prayer

After the paper was concluded, time was given for announcements and suggestions. Finally the conference closed with a devotion and prayer at around 1:30pm. After the conference lunch was served in the hotel and goodbyes were said to many of the men.

During the following three hours we visited with various groups again to finalize plans made in previous discussions. We had a meeting with the Etago leaders, Nairobi leaders, and Arusha leaders who were in attendance before they had to leave. We also made arrangements with Jeremiah and Eli regarding our trip to Uganda tomorrow. Everything was taken care of and set in place. It was a very profitable day.


Since it was somewhat early in the day, I was able to get back to our room and finish up a few reports. After that I walked across the street to the Internet Café to do some catch up. It had been over five days since I had opportunity to check my e-mail and update the blog. I hope I’m not putting on so much that no one is reading it! With that thought in mind I will close for tonight. Tomorrow we begin our trek into the (for us) uncharted land of Uganda. We are looking forward to seeing everyone there.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1 Corinthians 1:10).

East African Pastoral Conference - Day 1

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

We got up and going early this morning to finish getting ready for the conference. The conference was scheduled to begin at 9:00am and I wanted to be there early to make sure everything was ready. I also hod to get copies of papers printed, but the computer place across the street didn’t open until 8:00am. I skipped breakfast this morning to get everything finished and ready for the computer place to open. At 8:30 we were picked up and taken to the Kisii Hotel where the pastors were staying and where the conference was being held. The hotel offered a beautiful backyard behind the office and rooms that were immaculately kept and cared for – they even had grass!

Russ standing beside the conference hall at the Kisii Hotel.

Our conference was being held in a separate building in the back that provided more than enough room for our conference. Table were all set up and a blackboard was ready for use. Several pastors began to emerge from the hotel, as well as church leaders from our area churches and we greeted them all. It is always such a wonderful opportunity to see these men again after a year, knowing the faith and work that we share.

Our conference started at 9:30am. Pastor Fred (Chotororo, Kenya) served as the conference facilitator, and after a few announcements, he asked Pastor Enosh to open with a devotion. Most of the men in attendance understand and speak English, but there were a few who have difficulty, so the conference was translated throughout the day. If someone spoke in English, it was translated to Swahili; if someone spoke in Swahili, it was translated to English. While this is time-consuming and cumbersome, it is important for everyone involved.

After the devotion I was asked to present the first study. I presented “Church Organization” which presented the benefits of congregational and synodical structure, and explained how this should be done in our congregations and areas in East Africa. It is our hope that we will be able to unite this different church bodies into one church organization in the future, and we are laying the groundwork for that right now. Many questions were asked and there was some very valuable discussion at the conclusion of the presentation.

Following lunch Pastor Fred presented his paper on “Walking with God.” His paper dealt with the topic of prayer, and also led to some very good discussion and application in congregational life. To conclude the days study, Pastor Malyi presented a study on Islam. Pastor Malyi presented a very beneficial look at the background and history of Islam, which is rapidly growing here in East Africa. This study was also very helpful.

We wrapped up our conference with the singing of a hymn and prayer at around 5:00pm. For the next two and a half hours I met with various individuals and groups of pastors to discuss the work in their various areas. This can be very tiring, but it is important to get as much done as possible with the little time that we have.

Tomorrow will be the final day of our conference. We will try to close at around 1:00pm so that those who have a long return trip home can catch buses. After that Larry, Russ and I will be getting ready for our road trip to Uganda. Usiku Mwema (Good night)!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossianss 3:16).

Etago Orphan School

Monday, November 9, 2009

Today is our first day with the Etago churches. After arriving in Kisii last night we slept well at the Zonic Hotel. It is a fairly new hotel, but it is not well maintained. We came in to our room last night and found the door knob to our room was broken and the door would not latch; only one out of five light bulbs worked; the door knob to the bathroom was completely missing and the toilet seat was not attached to the toilet. (We guessed that was for portability!) There were also no mosquito nets, which I was a bit concerned about after our first two weeks here. But in spite of all that, we all slept well and felt rested this morning. After breakfast Russ and Larry went to exchange money and get the gifts for the children of the orphan school. Every year KINSHIP sends money to buy the children Christmas presents. This year we again decided to buy them toothbrushes and toothpaste, but Russ also bought them some school supplies.

They returned at about 10:00am and made our way to the bus station for the trip to Etago. We all piled into a Matatoo that was going to Etago, and suffered through the painful 2 hour ride. Part of the road has been completed since last year, but much of it is still under construction, and the rest is in very poor condition. But the poor roads are only a partial cause of the suffering!

A sample of the poor roads!

People are crammed into the Matatoos like sardines and the chairs are made for smaller people. Imagine: Your knees are tight against the chair in front and rubbing against the metal frame of the seat since there is little or no cushion. You can’t move side to side because there are people tight on both sides of you squeezing together. It is quite an experience. The good thing is that it costs less than $3 per person for the two hour journey. Most of that must go to wear and tear on the vehicle!

When we arrived at the school the children were waiting for us, lined up on either side of the path to the church, and were singing: “Welcome! Welcome!” We entered the church in a lengthy procession of teachers, students, members, church leaders, and visitors. The children continued by singing songs and doing short skits, many of which were in English. It was quite a ceremony. After this we walked around the site, ate lunch and then visited with the school board about the accomplishments and needs of the school. They are eager to build two more classrooms for the next two levels; they would like to fence in the school grounds and build a separate toilet facility for the teachers – separate from the student toilets. It was a very beneficial meeting.

Etago school teachers

After our meeting we walked back down the hill to catch a Matatoo back into Kisii. It was about 5:30 pm when we boarded the bus and it was another long 2 hour journey back into town. It starts to get dark here around 6:30pm and it can be a bit scarier after dark, but we all survived! We stopped at the Kisii hotel to make some final arrangements for our Pastoral Conference in the morning. Most of the men from Nairobi had arrived, but most of the men from Arusha had not yet made it in. We are also expecting one man from Uganda who has not yet arrived.
After finalizing everything, we returned to the Zonic and had a light supper. Tomorrow is the beginning of our two day conference and so we pray: LORD, bless the travels of our men to and from the conference, our coming fellowship together, and the study of Your precious Word. Amen.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God” (Mark 10:14).

From Nairobi to Kisii

Sunday, November 8, 2009

The hotel has been full of activity this weekend. Yesterday when we arrived we noticed some “ushers” on the second floor by the conference room. The hotel is designed in a square shape with rooms all around the outside, but open in the middle from the second floor up to the roof. Our room was on the third floor and from the hallway outside our door we could look down to the greeters and conference room a floor below. There was some kind of church gathering going on. We heard singing, energetic addresses by both men and women (I hesitate to call them sermons), and chaotic prayers with many people praying at the same time. It must have been a charismatic group of some kind (no denominational affiliation was apparent.

This morning we ate our breakfast and were waiting for Charles to pick us up in front of the hotel. As we were standing there, Larry noted that there were two different church banners hanging up on the front of the hotel. One was meeting on the second floor (we again heard the prayer competition going on up there) and another was meeting on the first floor. The one on the first floor only had one or two people attending the “service” which sounded more like a praise concert than a worship service. There are all kinds of these small churches here that are basically Baptist or Pentecostal in their beliefs. This theology is very prevalent here, and so I am focusing my message on the proper understanding of being “born again” in a true, Biblical sense. Too many people here are influenced by synergism in one way or another.

Church banner in front of the Southern Blue

We were supposed to be picked up at 10:00am to get to church by 10:30, but our driver was not on time. It was almost 10:30 by the time he arrived, so when we arrived in Githurai, the church service was already in full swing. We pulled up into an alley with a big steel building on one side with a generator going and powering a microphone and amplifier system for a “Gospel Church.” We drove further down the alley and came to a stop in a area which was under construction. As we opened our doors we could here another church service going on, but not ours. Many people were praying (yelling) at the same time in the same way we had heard at the hotel before we left. I thought of the passage “For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

We walked through a gate and into a courtyard that also was clearly under construction. From there we entered a small block building that our members rent for church services. There were about 20 people there and Charles was in the middle of teaching them. He finished up what he was doing (after telling us that they were in the middle of the service) and then gave the floor to me for the sermon. When the service was over we met and visited with the people and took some pictures.

The members of Githurai

We said goodbye and were off to the bus station to catch our bus to Kisii. We were cutting it close and I didn’t think we were going to make it. We had a bit of a fiasco due to some misunderstandings between our driver, Charles and Russ, but that is an entirely separate story!
We made it to the “bus station” and boarded a Matatoo which was supposed to go directly to Kisii. Instead of the regular city Matatoos this one had individual chairs instead of bench seats that were a bit more comfortable than the benches. There were a total of 12 seats (including the driver), four rows of three seats each. Larry, Russ and I were in the second to last row and I had the seat that folded up to let the people in the back row out. It didn’t sit flat so I had to get used to sitting in a chair that slanted toward the side of the van!

We left around 1:30 and drove out of Nairobi with a full load (they won’t leave the station until they have every seat full – no matter what the schedule says!). Then we began the trip to the West toward Kisii. The area we drove through was mostly dry for most of the trip.

We took a different route from that which we had taken in previous years, more southerly than the other. But we didn’t care because the roads seemed to be better this way then they were on the other route. As we came to within an hour of Kisii the landscape began to change. We started to see tea and corn crops – a result of the regular rain that is received from Lake Victoria. This is a very prosperous area because of the rains it receives.

We finally arrived in Kisii at about 7:00pm after a six and a half hour trip. Fred and Enosh were at the Zonic Hotel waiting for us, so after checking in we sat down with them to go over the schedule. We wrapped up at around 8:00pm and after Fred and Enosh left, we went up the restaurant to get some something to eat. Other than a few peanuts I bought on the trip, we hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast at the Southern Blue! Chips for Larry and Russ and Cream of Chicken soup for me – with Coke of course!

Tomorrow we head to the Orphan School in Etago for the day. We continue to thank the LORD for keeping us safe and healthy. May He continue to bless our travels and His message of salvation!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“For God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians 14:33).

Out of (Arusha) Africa

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Goodbye for another year, Tanzania! This morning we packed up our things, ate our final breakfast at the Eland. I have become partial to using hot sauce on my Spanish omelette in the morning now (to the utter disgust of Larry and delight of Russ). There is only so much that they can do with eggs, and it has gotten a little old for me after two weeks. But it sure is good that I have gotten in the habit of eating breakfast while I’m here, because many days we don’t know when we will be eating our next meal. Today was one of those days. We boarded our shuttle to Nairobi at about 8:15am and were soon on the road. This shuttle was not as full as the one on the way down. The shuttle was the same size as the one we rode on the way down, but there were several seats that were unoccupied. They didn’t even have to put our luggage on the roof – they were able to fit all the luggage in the rear seats of the bus.

As we left Arusha, the roads became bad quickly. They are reconstructing this road, so we were diverted to a side “road” while the main road was being constructed. This really wasn’t much of a road. It had been plowed out for traffic while the main road was under construction, and was very poor. There were rocks protruding from the ground and ruts sinking below the surface. This diversion lasted for an entire hour and by the time we were finished, we felt like dice that had been shaken in cup during a game of Yatzee! There were several times where I didn’t think our bus was going to split at the seams or that the glass in my window was finally going to give in to the strain and shatter under the pressure! It was quite the ride. Finally we made it to the border town of Namanga. There we had to exit out of Tanzania in a customs building on one side and then enter into Kenya at a separate customs building. Our visas were checked, passports stamped and we were off once again.

In Kenya the roads were much better. Here most of the road have been completed or are nearing completion. In the past few years they have brought a lot of heavy equipment into these two countries in order to expedite the construction of their roads. It seems like it is working. I have been impressed with the amount that has been accomplished since last year. Hopefully it will be even better next year.

A picture of the new road (taken from the bad one!)

We arrived at our stop in Nairobi a little late - around 2:30 pm and Charles was waiting for us. He quickly reminded me that he is very “time conscious” – something that is unusual for Africans. It is not unusual for many people to regularly run an hour or more behind schedule here. From the bus station Charles took us back to the Southern Blue Hotel. Charity (the friendly and very helpful desk clerk) was there waiting for us and quickly checked us back in again. We unpacked and then came down to the restaurant for a late lunch. I had Spaghetti. It was good but it wasn’t like at home. Being in Africa sure makes me miss and appreciate Debra’s cooking....
The rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready for church tomorrow morning and for the rapidly approaching East African Joint Pastoral Conference in Kisii. Tomorrow we will be attending church here in the Nairobi area and then boarding a bus for Kisii.

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

Wrapping up in Arusha

Friday, November 6, 2009

It is about the half way point in our East African visitation. We have been here for just under two weeks and have about two weeks to go. Today was also our last full day in Tanzania and was reserved for wrapping up loose ends and discussing the beginning of a temporary Pre-theological institution for the training of pastors here in Arusha.

I had scheduled a meeting with a representative from a bus/shuttle service at 8:00am this morning to purchase tickets for our bus trip to Nairobi tomorrow morning. I decided to go with the Jamii Shuttle since they said they would pick us up right here at the hotel. This shuttle was a little more expensive than the one we rode down on, but it would save us paying for a taxi to get to the bus station. The cost was $25 each.

After breakfast we met with some of the men from the area and discussed some of the matters facing our congregations in this area. We met in the front gathering room of the Eland Hotel. We sat in padded chairs that were very low to the ground at tables that were also low to the ground. They were so low that you couldn’t put your feet flat on the ground and get your knees under the table. You had to extend your feet straight out under the table, or bend them back behind you along the side of your chair. They were very uncomfortable but we appreciated having a nice place to meet that we didn’t have to pay extra for!

Thinking back on our visits so far we recognize that there is much which could be done. The drought that is afflicting the people in Kenya and Tanzania and the hardship of the people here tears at your heart. As a Christian I want to help these people, but there are so many who are struggling in different ways. As the Missionary, my primary responsibility is to preach the Word and assist in the spiritual growth of the pastors, teachers, and members. The primary purpose of the Mission Board is to assist our fellow Christians here in the proclamation of God’s Word. And with the funds that are available, even that work has its limits. I continue to remind myself of Jesus’ words, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33). Our focus as a church must remain on the preaching of the Gospel, first and foremost.

With that in mind, we also met with three of the leaders in the CLCEA regarding the beginning of a theological training center in Arusha. The purpose is to prepare the young men of this area for the public ministry here in Tanzania. The cost of putting together such a program is high, primarily due to travel costs for both students and teachers. The teachers all have theological degrees and teaching experience, but some come from quite a distance. We discussed curriculum, schedule, costs, and other items of importance. We were able to brainstorm a bit and come up with some beneficial and cost saving changes. One thing that was discussed was the possibility of buying motorcycles for some of the men who live at a distance. The purchase of motorcycles would greatly reduce transportation costs, as well as assist them in their congregational visitations and pastoral work. In several cases the motorcycles would pay for themselves in one year! This would certainly be a worthwhile investment.

After our meeting we had a late lunch at the Eland and spent the afternoon preparing for our trip back to Kenya. I worked on reports and on my paper for the upcoming conference in Kisii. Larry reviewed proposals and considered different ways we could help the people of our congregations.
I was very glad to have been able to visit the two different Maasi stations this year. It was my first time visiting both of them, and it was very valuable. It would have been nice to be able to spend a few more days here, but with our upcoming visits to Uganda and Mois Bridge, we had to cut some other visits a bit shorter. It is always disappointing to leave an area with so much more to do, but in the end I tell myself that there would always be more to do – no matter how long we stayed. That is just the nature of the ministry. Still, it is my hope and prayer that some day soon the CLC will call a full time Missionary to East Africa. There is more than enough to keep one busy....

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).

Thursday, November 5, 2009

This morning we had another exciting trip planned. We were going to visit Pastor Papani’s district in Kijairdo, Kenya. That’s right, the barren wasteland of southern Kenya. This area is so remote that we needed to rent a 4 wheel drive Safari truck to get us to Papani’s church. We were scheduled to leave at 8:00am, but our transportation didn’t arrive until 9:00am. This is a pretty common occurrence here. Pastor Jeremiah, our driver, Larry, Russ and I piled into the big vehicle for the 4 hour ride east. To be truthful, even though it rode like a truck, it was very comfortable. There was a bench seat in the front and then four captains chairs in the rear. The roof had three removable partitions in case the riders wanted to stick their heads out the top to look at animals on the savanna. We didn’t remove them on our trip!

We drove east back through Moshi and at Himo turned north driving around the east side of Mt. Kilimanjaro. At Murangu we got off the nice paved road and began winding our way around the side of the mountain. This road was full of switchback trails curving around deep gullies and hills. The road from Murangu into Kenya was being completely reconstructed. Graters, dozers and rollers were in full service, and many small bridges were seen in different stages of construction. There were many diversions while this work was being completed. We were told that this construction was being done because an election was coming up and they were trying to get reelected. When the road is finished, it is supposed to go all the way to Nairobi around the east side of Kilimanjaro, as an alternate route to the Nairobi - Arusha highway. Maybe it will be done by the time we return next year....

Finally we turned east again and started to leave Kilimanjaro behind us. As we dropped in elevation the temperature began to rise and the landscape began to change drastically. The banana trees gradually thinned out and gave way to flatlands used for grazing and farming. We were on a rougher road now that consisted of two deep ruts between fields. After a while we turned off this as well. There was a road, although most people wouldn’t call it that. In many places we just drove in the direction we wanted to go. Kilimanjaro was in the distance behind us now, and the land here was very dry. The fields for crops were ready but waiting for rain which has not yet come. The cattle that we saw were very sickly looking with the ribs showing clearly through their tough hide. The goats looked better, but they can fair well on just about anything they can find. The people here are really struggling right now because they depend on the rain for their survival. The Maasai are generally herdsmen, but they do some farming as well. Pastor Papani has also received a loan from the CLC and has used it to drill a well for water. He is using this to grow tomatoes and other vegetables to provide for his family and the members of his churches. We were hoping to see his project but were not able to due to time constraints.

We arrived at Papani’s home and were shown around. His yard is surrounded by acacia branches wound together to form a thick three foot high wall to keep unwanted animals (like lions and hyenas) out. In sided the fence there was a corral for keeping goats and other animals in when necessary. There was a cookhouse which was a round building about 8 feet in diameter with mud walls and a thatched roof. Then there was Papani’s house. It was rectangular in shape, about 8x25 with a metal roof and mud walls. There were three rooms inside the house: A “living room” with bedrooms off to either side. It had a wooden door that could be locked from either the inside or outside and wooden window built into each room for sight and ventilation. In spite of the heat it was quite cool inside the house. They offered us sodas and then fed us a dish which included rice, cabbage (grown in Papani’s garden) and roasted goat meat. It was pretty good, although they gave us much more than we could eat!

Pastor Papani's house and "yard"

After the meal we walked over to the church building which was less than 50 yards from his house. This also was a mud building with a metal roof and holes for windows. It was about 15x45 with a dirt floor and a slight step at the back of the church for an altar area. Slowly the people began to arrive. The Maasai people dress in very colorful garments of red and blue and the women wear colorful beaded jewelry around the wrists and necks and in their ears. Soon the church was filled to overflowing with people. Today we had to use two translators since Pastor Papani doesn’t have a good knowledge of English and Pastor Jeremiah doesn’t have a good knowledge of Maasai. But it was still a very beneficial visit, and it was clear that the people were glad that we had come.

Papani has started about seven stations in the area here, and since we were not able to visit them all, the people of these churches traveled here to see us. The other stations have started building churches similar to the one we saw here, but they cannot afford the metal sheets for the roof. The problem is that if they do not get roofs on these buildings, the rain will wash the mud walls away and they will have to redo the work. They have requested our help to get these churches roofed, but the MDF has been almost completely depleted. It is hoped that we will have money in the MDF soon so that we will be able to get these put on before they are washed away. It would be nice to be able to get a mission helper trip here to put these roofs on and teach them how to do it.

The other thing that is needed is transportation for the pastors. We would like to get Papani a motorbike to visit the congregations, and bicycles for the other pastors so they would be able to travel more quickly in this difficult terrain. This too will have to wait until the MDF is built back up. We pray that the Lord will bless His people so that they are able to assist in the work of His kingdom in this way.

At about 5:00pm we said goodbye and loaded back into our Land Cruiser for the long trip back to Arusha. By the time we returned to the Eland, we had been gone for over 12 hours. It was a long day, but it was a rewarding day – for us and for the people we were able to visit. May the LORD be with them and bless them physically and spiritually.

In His service,

Nathanael

“But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.” (1 Peter 5:10).

Arusha Maasai visits

Wednesday, November 4, 2009

We are back at the Eland Hotel again, in our triple room on the second floor. The mosquitoes have been giving me some trouble this year – there is something that they like about me because they don’t bother either Russ or Larry. They have been telling me that I must be “sweeter” than they are! But I have had to pull down the mosquito netting over my bed almost every night to prevent a mosquito onslaught. The first night we were in Nairobi I didn’t pull the netting over my bed down and I had welts all over my arms and head. Since then I have decided to use the netting when it is available. It can be a bit troublesome, but it worth it to me. This morning I found a couple of big fat mosquitos in our room, but I don’t think they got me. The other tow guys must just sleep through it!

Usually we get up between 6:30-7:00am, depending on what we have going on. We generally head down for breakfast at around 7:30. This morning we were supposed to leave at 10:30, so I decided to take some extra time putting reports and letters together while the others went down for breakfast. When he came up from breakfast Russ told me that they had liver and onions in addition to the regular morning breakfast buffet. This excited me, since it has basically been the same thing every morning for breakfast for almost two weeks. But when I went down for breakfast, it was the same old tune: Fresh watermelon and muskmelon, tea or coffee, and eggs with a hot dog (they call it a sausage). Oh well - so much for something different!

After breakfast I walked down to the Bureau de Change to exchange US dollars for Tanzania Schillings. The current exchange rate was down a bit from 1320 to 1315 Shillings per Dollar. When you exchange money here, you end up with quite a wad of cash. The main bill here is the 10,000 Tsch, which is worth about $8. In the same building there was an Internet place, so I took some time to stop in and check my e-mail and try to get some info on the blog. I know that internet connections are a bit slower here in Africa, but this morning took the cake. I was in there for 30 minutes and I was able to read one short e-mail. It was almost painful! Finally at about 10:15 I gave up so I could walk back to the hotel in time to leave. The internet place is about 7 blocks from the hotel and it is an interesting walk. There are many small shops along the side of the road, cars rapidly driving by and honking at other drivers and pedestrians, and people crowding the sides of the streets. Arusha is a very busy town.

When I returned to the hotel Jeremiah and Pastor Lengutai were there waiting. Of course we had to wait another 30 minutes before our ride arrived! The leader of the Masai church we were going to visit was Sayore. He rented a Dala-dala for us for the day, so we had it all to ourselves for the trip out and back. It was almost like riding in style – except for the fact that the vehicle was dragging necessary parts on the street below, had holes in the floor where you could see the ground passing under you, and looked like it was soon destined for the automobile graveyard! It was nice not to have to worry about stopping at every intersection to pick up more people though. Two men traveled with us - the driver and the conductor (he is in charge of getting people on the bus and colleting the fares from them). As we were driving the conductor would regularly stick his head out the window and inform prospective passengers that they were not stopping for them with his patented wave of a hand and shake of the head. Yes, riding in style...

It was about a one an a half hour trip to the Masai village. We left Arusha heading due West. We passed a small airport, coffee farms, and left Arusha in our rearview mirror. We soon entered Masai land, which was covered with goats, donkeys and some cattle. The donkeys are used to carry water from rivers and other sources to the people’s homes. We were told that the Masai often have to leave two hours before sun-up to get water for their homes, and travel many, many miles to get it. This is a trip that is repeated every day of the week. This was one of the reasons why we were not meeting with them until the afternoon. The land here is extremely dry. It is not always been this way, but they have been suffering from a severe drought here for almost two years.

Maasai children's playground toys!

We pulled off the highway and began to head south on what looked like a “farm road” – basically a light path thought a very barren landscape. There were big ruts in the ground that functioned as rivers during the rainy season, but were nothing more than dried up crevices. We also saw a large number of rocks, many of which were volcanic looking. Sure enough, we found out that the was an active volcano in the area and that it had erupted only about 2 years earlier. In Masai, the mountain is called the “Mountain of God.”

After a very winding trip we arrived at a very secluded area with several buildings. The first was a hut used as a kitchen, the second was a larger building used for a school and church, and the third was a fence of sticks a bit more distant which served as a latrine. We were told that you should always be careful when entering a hut like the kitchen because cobras will enter there to find shade during the heat of the day and hide in the corners or in the branches of the roof. They also shield themselves from the sun in piles of rock, so you have to be careful where you sit!

The church/school building was made of the large towering shoot of the sisal plant. This is not a wood, but become almost as hard as wood, and will not be eaten by termites. The building was sheeted with iron and housed about 40 children. They would like to add another classroom to this existing building so that more ages can be added to the school. Right now the older children have to walk a very long way over very rough terrain to get to school.

After visiting the school we met out under the shade of a huge acacia tree. Rocks were already set up in a circle for the people to sit on. We were invited to sit with them and after introductions, we were given the opportunity to speak to them. Pastor Lenguati was with us and speaks both Masai and English so we didn’t need two translators (sometimes it can be hard to find such a person so one person translates from English to Swahili and another from Swahili to Masai. It can become quite the ordeal. After our meeting they offered us bottled water and sodas as a demonstration of their appreciation for our coming to see them. It is really amazing to see the Gospel at work in such a remote area, and with a people so far removed from society. Even more exciting was the fact that Sayore has several of these stations going right now – several of which have no church building at all, but simply gather for worship under an acacia tree like the one we met under. What an opportunity!

In His service,

Nathanael Mayhew

“And so I have made it my aim to preach the gospel, not where Christ was named, lest I should build on another man's foundation” (Romans 15:20).