4 langauges???

I've spent the last year attempting to learn Swahili, along with a bit of Maasai. The longer I'm here, I've also realized that I've been learning a 3rd langauge...British English! It makes sense, though...Kenya was colonized by the British, so the English here, along with many other things, definitely has had a British influcence. Here's some differences I can think of from American English:

• pudding = fruit salad
• custard = American pudding
• torch = flashlight
• serviette = napkin
• nappy = diaper
• petrol = gas/fuel
• football = soccer
• lift = to give a person a ride
• bonnet = hood of a car
• boot = trunk of a car
• gum boots = rain boots
• lorry = semi-truck
• rubber = eraser
• plaster = bandaid
• windcreen = windshield
• biscuit = cookie/cracker
• chips = French fries
• crisps = potato chips
• chest of drawers = dresser
• queue = a line of people
• trolley = shopping cart
• flat = apartment
• full stop = period (.) in grammer
• aerial = antenna
• chemist = pharmacist
• cooker = stove
• dust bin = trash can
• flyover = over pass
• ground floor = 1st floor
• 1st floor = 2nd floor, etc
• holiday = vacation
• maths = math (the subject in school)
• nursing home = private hospital
• puncture = a flat (tire)
• trousers = pants
• pants = underwear
• pram = baby stroller

Now you know:)

How to count to 10 in Maasai...with your hands!!!

Special thanks to Eunice for her hands in this video:) Sorry it's sideways!

Ndovu = elephant

This past week, Narok made the news on the BBC!  The Kenyan Wildlife Service has a plan to move 200 elephants from Narok to the Maasai Mara reserve, starting with about 40-50 this past week.  Check out these videos...what a sight!  I hope it helps...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-15035491

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/africa/06/15/kenya.wildlife.maasai/index.html

The Maasai...

The Maasai from Ryan Schultz on Vimeo.
(Thanks to Ryan Schultz for making this for NMSI & AfricaHope!!!)

Caedmon's call...

I got an email recently about Caedmon's call. It made me curious about the musical group & how they got their name. Legend has it there was a cow herder named Caedmon that lived in the 7th centruy that was afraid to sing in public because of his perceived lack of talent. One night, an angel appeared to him & called him to sing. He refused at first, but when he finally did, he sang beautifully, & verses that had never been heard before. God uses us in ways we never think are possible:)  Here was the story written about Caedmon...

Caedmon’s call to become a voice for those who have no voice.
I cannot speak,
Unless You loose my tongue;
I only stammer,
And I speak uncertainly;
But if You touch my mouth,
my Lord,
then I will sing the story
of Your wonders!

Teach me to hear that story,
Through each person,
To cradle a sense of wonder
In their life,
To honour the hard-earned wisdom
Of their sufferings,
To waken their joy
That the King of all kings
Stoops down
To wash their feet,
And looking up into their face
Says,
‘I know—I understand.’

This world has become
A world of broken dreams
Where dreamers are hard to find
and friends are few.

Lord, be the gatherer of our dreams.
You set the countless stars in place,
And found room for each of them to shine.
You listen of us in Your heaven-bright hall.
Open our mouths to tell our tales of wonder.

Teach us again the greatest story ever:
The One who made the worlds
became a little, helpless child,
Then grew to be a carpenter
With deep, far-seeing eyes.

In time, the Carpenter began to travel,
In every village challenging the people
To leave behind their selfish ways,
Be washed in living water,
And let God be their King.

The ordinary people crowded round Him,
Frightened to miss
A word that He was speaking,
Bringing their friends, their children,
All the sick and tired,
So everyone could meet Him,
Everyone be touched and given life.

Some religious people were embarrassed
--they did not like the company He kept,
And never knew just what He would do next.

He said:
‘How dare you wrap God up
In good behavior,
And tell the poor that they
Should be like you?
How can you live at ease
With riches and success,
While those I love go hungry
And are oppressed?
It really is for such a time as this
That I was given breath.’

His words were dangerous,
Not save or tidy.

In secret His opponents said:
‘It surely would be better that
One person die.’

‘I think that would be better,
If he could.’
Expediency would be the very death of Him.
He died because they thought it might be good.

You died that we might be forgiven,
Lord; but that was not the end.
You plundered death,
And made its jail-house shudder
--strode to life
To meet Your startled friends.

I have a dream
That all the world will meet You,
And know you, Jesus,
In Your living power,
That someday soon
All people everywhere will hear Your story,
And hear it in a way they understand.

So many who have heard
Forget to tell the story.

Here am I, my Jesus:
Teach me.”
(Celtic Daily Prayer, New York: Harper-Collins. 2002. Pp 198-201.)

1 year later...

I wrote this devotion for my 1 year anniversary of moving to Kenya this month. I thought I'd share:)

One year ago, I did one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. I stepped onto a plane & left behind every person, place, & thing I had ever known. I was headed for a new life in Kenya.

I had spent the months prior trying to see everyone & say ‘good-bye’, knowing that I might not see some of my family & friends for another 3 years. But, God had been working on my heart & preparing me for this adventure for almost 8 years.

He had given me dreams & desires of starting up a community health development program in rural Maasailand. I couldn’t picture myself anywhere else. So, here I am…1 year later!

For devos this morning, I’d like to share some of the scriptures that led me here & have encouraged me:
• ‘The Great Commission’ in Matthew 28: 16-20 helped get my eyes focused on mission work & ministry. It’s very motivating scripture for me, but I like John 20:21 a bit better:
"Then Jesus said again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, I now send you.’”
Jesus told his Disciples this after he beat death on the cross. God sent Jesus. Jesus sent his Disciples, & now us…to spread the Good News everywhere.

• There were many times in preparing to come serve in medical ministry here that I felt unqualified. All of my previous experience is with sick & premature babies in the hospital! And now that I’m here & am beginning this work this month, it’s easy to get overwhelmed at the task at hand. But, the first part of John 15: 16 is a really good reminder for me:
“You did not choose me; I chose you. And I gave you this work: to go & produce fruit, fruit that will last…”
We’re all here working together with AfricaHope because God chose us. And he chose our work. I’m grateful for the great collegues:)

• And then there’s Isaiah 58: 10-11
“…if you feed those who are hungry & take care of the needs of those who are troubled, then your light will shine in the darkness, & you will be bright like sunshine at noon. The Lord will always lead you. He will satisfy your needs in dry lands & give strength to your bones. You will be like a garden that has much water, like a spring that never runs dry.”
God guides us in the work he gives us…caring for people physically, emotionally, & spiritually. And He uses us to bring the light of hope to the people he places in our lives.

As I look back on this past year, things have been kind of crazy! I moved around a lot –

a conference in South Africa,

worked with a missionary doctor in Ethiopia,

went to 2 Swahili language schools in Tanzania,

lived with the Kileteny family for a couple weeks,

& then Sammy’s family in Naroosura.

I’m happy to finally be settled in Narok, getting to know each of you better, & making more friends. Some things have been an easy adjustment, others have been difficult. The only constant in the midst of the daily differences of new places, languages, cultures, & life, has been God.
• Let’s read Joshua 1:9
“Remember that I commanded you to be strong & brave. Don’t be afraid, because the Lord your God will be with you everywhere you go.”
And also Psalms 37: 3-5
“Trust the Lord & do good. Live in the land & feed on truth. Enjoy serving the Lord, & he will give you what you want. Depend on the Lord; trust him, & he will take care of you."
No matter where he sends us - alone or with others, near or far – he’s always there, & always taking care of us.

A question I get asked a lot here is ‘What are the differences between Kenya & the States?’. I usually try to focus on the similarities since we’re all people living on the same Earth. But today, I want to think about some of the differences. Compared to my life 1 year ago,

I have new friends, a new place to live,

new driving skills, a new name (my Maasai name - Nashipae),

new animals to see, a new language,

new cooking skills,

a new country to explore, a tan (even though all of you may think I’m still really pale:) ), & a new culture in which to view how God loves all his children.

God’s pretty amazing. Thank you all for any way you’ve helped me in this past year. It is a joy to serve alongside each of you.

Mstuni (the bush) Adventures...

A short-term team from Crossroads Christian Church (my home church Evansville, IN) came to visit all of us at AfricaHope last month. It was wonderful...having a taste of southern Indiana here, friends, time in the bush together at the lovely school of Olosirua, & watching people experience Kenya & the people here for the fist time, just like I did 6 years ago:) We camped out next to the teacher's housing at Olosirua Primary School for 4 days. Part of the group did VBS with all the school kids, & the other part taught at a pastor's conference in a nearby town. Here's some highlights:

• Rainstorm…a badly needed rainstorm. Only a couple of the tents leaked:)
• Hyena wake-up call
• Building about 20 new desks for the students, & repairing broken chairs
• Trying to carry water like Maasai women (place the strap tied to the large jerry can full of water on your forehead & let the jerry can hang on your back). Warning: it’s heavy & you could end up on the ground:)
• Watching the Jesus film projected on the outside of a manyata (mud hut) in nearby villages at night. Quite a few people were saved!
• Tomato sauce does not = tomato paste! Anyone know how to make spaghetti sauce with ketchup? :)
• Luncar eclipse. Amazing. And it made the stars even more radiant than they already were.
• Time around the camp fire. We ended up teaching Jackson (a co-worker of mine at AfricaHope) John Denver’s ‘Country Roads’ :)
• VBS craft time with the school kids…bags with finger print people on them, prayer journals, a banner made with handprints in the colors of the Kenya flag. Love their little hands:)

• Watching the kids play with a large parachute…you know, those parachutes we used to play with at VBS that you try to run under before it comes back down on you. It brought back memories:)
• Nashipae…the Maasai name the students gave me. It means ‘happy’:) They gave us all Maasai names after they performed some traditional Maasai songs for us on our last day there. Precious!



• Passing out deworming medication to all the students. Not glamorous, but definitely helpful.
• Visiting a nearby bore hole that AfricaHope helped make possible
• Nyama choma = roasted meat. On our last day, men from the community slaughtered a goat & roasted it for us! The goad fat soup that also comes along with a slaughtering was….an experience.
• Being able to witness a community meeting led by Tim, AfricaHope’s director, about improving the school for the children
• Maasai beaded jewelry from the parents that we were all given before leaving
• A few Moran (Maasai warriors) came by for a visit & performed a song for us! They requested that we remember them & bring back pictures. We just so happened to have a Polaroid on hand!
• Getting to know the amazing teachers & kids at Olosirua :)
I do love being out in the field:)

**If you'd like to see more pictures from our time in the bush, click here**