Sorry for the long delay in updating the blog. I have had the following written since June 12th, but have not been able to get on the internet to post it. I prefer to compose my blogs on my laptop and then post in an internet café, so that I have access to my pictures, which are also on my laptop. However, I have tried for almost two weeks but the place where I go to post has not had functional wireless internet. So, I will post this without the pictures and try to get them done late. This is a very long blog.

Kenya Excursion
I just returned safely from a 5-day journey to central and western Kenya. We had a wonderful trip and a great time. The trip was planned around a leadership conference in a town called Malaba, that is near the Kenya-Uganda border. It is the home church of one of the KIU students, and he had invited me to come speak there. Once we decided that we were going to Kenya, we thought that it would be good to include some sightseeing, which was a very good decision.

The Team
We departed on Wednesday, June 6th from Kampala with Kevin, Christian, Frank (a recent graduate of KIU), and Kennedy (the pastor of the campus church). We were not sure whether to allow Christian to accompany us or not, but thought that it was such a unique opportunity for him to get to see Kenya. He did really well and was a good travel companion.

The Drive
It was 500 kms from Kampala to Nakuru, which is about 300 miles; however, it took 11 hours of hard driving to get there. Travel in east Africa is exhausting and difficult due to poor road conditions and heavy traffic. We left at 6 am and did not arrive until 6 pm. My whole body hurt after a day of traveling over the many bumps and potholes.

Nakuru
We spend the entire second day of our trip in Nakuru National Park. This was a special experience because it was also my birthday. The park is incredibly beautiful and diverse! I was trying to decide if I had ever been to a prettier place and the only thing that compares is when I went scuba diving in Bonaire. Interestingly, that trip was in 1995 but also fell on my birthday. We were surprised at how cool the temperature was in Nakuru. We had been told that Kenya was much cooler than Uganda, but had no idea how much cooler. Christian and I were not prepared for the low temperatures and did not pack properly. Kennedy was gracious and allowed Christian to wear his jacket for most of the trip. I really like the climate in Nakuru because it was warm during the day but very cool in the evening and morning, which makes sleeping much more comfortable.

This was only my second game park, the other being our trip to Queen Elizabeth in Uganda last January. The park is only a couple of kms from town, but as soon as you enter the gate you can see the beauty. The park is situated around a large lake, with plains between the lake and the surrounding bluffs that encompass the entire park. It makes for very diverse habitats of forest, open plains, and mountains in a relatively small geographical area. We saw many, many animals and I have included some pictures on Flickr if you would like to view them. The lake is full of pink flamingoes and very colorful. We saw zebras, giraffes, rhinos, buffaloes, several types of antelopes, hyenas, and lots of birds. This was my first time to view zebra, giraffe, and rhinos in the wild and it was exciting. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts to find some, we never saw a lion or leopard though they are present in the park. Cats are often elusive, and when you only have one day off viewing it is very happen chance on finding them. We had a great time and I got some awesome pictures.

During the whole excursion, I was trying to plan a way that our whole family could come to Kenya. I am not sure if we will be able to do it or not. I am mostly concerned about the expense and safety. They charge $50 per person to get a tourist visa, and then another $40 per person per day for park entry. If we go to parks in Uganda, then we pay no visa charge and we get a resident rate for park entry. Therefore, it is much cheaper and easier to stay in Uganda. Also, the length of the drive and the border crossing is such a hassle. Kenya can also be more dangerous than Uganda with crime. I know how to stay safe in Uganda, but would need guidance in Kenya. The best way to get guidance is to take a Kenyan with you, but our car will not accommodate a 7th person. I would love to spend 2-3 weeks traveling as a family through Kenya and go all the way to the coast of the Indian Ocean. I will continue to contemplate if we can feasibly do it. This is a unique opportunity to see the beauty of Africa, and what I saw of Kenya was incredible. I would like to see more and allow our entire family to as well.

Thomson Falls
We spent the first part of Day 3 going to Thomson Falls, which is about an hour’s drive from Nakuru. It is a beautiful waterfall and was also a place where we found some really unique chameleons. We traveled prepared and had a small animal cage with us just in case we had such an opportunity. We found six chameleons and put them in the cage to bring back to Kampala. I will soon include a picture on Flickr of this unique species. While at Thomson Fall’s we also went to a nearby lake that contained hippos, which provided another photo op. The falls are located on one of the bluffs that surround the Great Rift Valley and in majestic setting. The drive to the falls passed through coffee and tea plantations and provided some great scenery. We left at noon to make our way to Eldoret for the evening. The drive was only about 150 kms (90 miles), but took us over three hours. This was a very difficult stretch of driving.

Elodoret and Malaba
We spent Friday afternoon and night in Eldoret. While in Eldoret I had the privilege of meeting Kennedy’s parents and one of his brothers. They were very kind and I was amazed at how much Kennedy was like his father in both appearance and mannerisms. When they would laugh, it was identical. His father spoke to me about coming back in a few months to help with a church conference, so I will most likely be going back to Kenya in July or August.

We left Eldoret on Saturday morning early so that we would arrive in Malaba for the leadership conference. It was my understanding that I would be speaking in two or three sessions on Saturday and preaching Sunday morning, and I had prepared to do so. When we finally got to meet the pastor, I discovered that the conference would not officially start until Monday, with church services on Sunday to get it started. This was quite a shock to me because we had been planning this event for several weeks. I have been in Africa long enough to know to be flexible, but I have to admit that I was really exasperated with this one. I had spent many hours in preparation and planned three days of our 5-day trip around this conference. I still am not sure how to respond. Do I just ignore it and go on, or try to explain how frustrating this was. I spent a lot of time praying on Saturday to ask God if there was something that I was supposed to be learning from this and what I should or shouldn’t say.

Saturday was a relaxing day that we spent in the pastor’s home. They fed us two traditional African meals that included ugali and sekuma wiki. The food was nice and the hospitality was wonderful. The pastor also has four sons from ages two to twelve, and Christian bonded quickly with them. They spent most of the day playing with the chameleons we had found the day before. Most Africans are afraid of chameleons (actually all reptiles and amphibians), but these boys quickly adapted to the new creature. They took the chameleons out to the rubbish pile and watched it catch flies with its very long tongue. It is really a fascinating site. Christian left one behind for them to keep as a pet. The youngest son was named Simon and was quite shy. Christian was working diligently to befriend him when they told us that he doesn’t warm up to people very quickly. My interpreter told me that he has been trying to get Simon to be playful with him for a long time but has had not success. Well Christian kept trying until Simon finally enjoyed it. By the time that evening came, Simon was always with Christian and fell asleep in his lap. I wish that I had my camera with me because it would have been a cute picture. When we had to leave, Simon was crying to go with Christian. He is really good with little kids. I just hope that he will be as kind and gentle with his own brothers. If we adopt a sister (and brother?), I am sure that he will be a huge help.

On Sunday morning, church was scheduled to start at 9:00 in the morning but did not start until 10:00. This type of delay is not too unexpected. I was helping to shuttle some people to the church, when it was discovered that I had a broken belt on my Toyota. The belt ran the water pump and alternator and a couple of other things, so it could have been a huge problem. I thank the Lord that the belt was dragging under the car and that Frank spotted it. Otherwise, we might not have known that it had broken before further damage was done to the car, and we also would have had a difficult time finding the right replacement if we had not had the original belt. Frank missed church in search of a belt and mechanic to fix it, but thankfully all was well when the time came to return to Uganda. This could have been dangerous if we had broken down out in the bush somewhere. This was truly God’s protection to find the problem early and correct it while we were in a town. It is also the first mechanical problem that I have had with my vehicle in 9 months, for which I am also very thankful.

So, Frank worked on getting the vehicle repaired while we went to church. I did finally have the opportunity to speak to the church at about noon, and spoke on Joseph and his leadership traits. I hope that God will somehow use it, because we spent a lot of money, time, and energy for just a 40-minute sermon that included interpretation into Swahili. This lack of planning seems wrong to me. Or, is it just a cultural difference? Many of the churches here will spend many hours singing but only give 30 minutes to God’s Word. There is a lack of knowledge of the Word and a greater lack of application. Music and dancing are a huge part of the culture, and it is difficult to discern between what is true worship and what is just cultural. When so much emphasis is placed on this worship, and so little emphasis placed on knowing and obeying the Word, it is not surprising that Africa continues to battle corruption in all areas of life, including the church. I don’t want to leave the impression that all churches are this way because I have been to some churches that have a great balance between worship and teaching and have strong bible-based teaching. The fellowship at KIU is one of these churches. However, the vast majority of churches that I have seen and know about follow the pattern of lots of very loud music, very loud prayers with lots of repetition, and very little teaching from the Word. The room that church was meeting in on Sunday was about 60 feet by 30 feet, but they had two huge speakers and an amplification system. I have yet to go to a church that did not have an amplification system, no matter how small. My ears are still ringing a bit from this most recent experience.

There were many kids at the church and we had a great time interacting with them. There were probably twice as many children as adults. Many of them looked quite poor based on the state of their clothes and how dirty they were. Christian entertained them with his chameleons, though the older girls were terrified of them. The children loved having their picture taken, which was fun but prevented me from getting natural shots. One boy tried his best to get in every picture. I finally learned to be pretending to shoot in one direction so that he would go there, and then quickly turn around to take a picture in the opposite direction. There was also a little girl who loved to have her picture taken, but she was so photogenic that I didn’t mind having her in half of my pictures. Spending time with the children got me more excited about starting an orphanage and also adoption. We really feel like God is leading us to adopt a girl, but I am now wondering if we should get a boy as well. Seeing Christian with Simon made me think about it more than anything.

I must admit that I left from Malaba discouraged. I was frustrated by the lack of planning and lack of respect for our time. Church frustrated me because of the lack of priority on God’s Word and the huge emphasis on emotions. As I face these situations and try to discern between what is biblically correct and what is just my cultural preference, I keep looking to the Word for what is right and try not to be biased by my own preferences and traditions. This is a constant challenge, but does keep me busy studying the bible. The cultural differences in time keeping are not such a problem, but the lack of study of the bible clearly needs correcting.

Violence
While we were in Kenya, many people were killed in Nairobi as part of a sect called the Mungiki. The Mungiki act similarly to the mafia in America by intimidation and killing in order to extort money for “protection”. The Mungiki killed around 40 people and then the police retaliated and raided the village slum and killed 12 Mungiki people. It is very sad to see how quickly life can be taken away here and how people so easily accept it.

The last night that we were in Kenya, a grocery store owner was returning to his home and was shot and killed while driving his truck and then robbed. After he was shot, he crashed into a support pillar of a local shop and collapsed the overhanging structure and part of the roof. The accident scene was still undisturbed, with the vehicle amidst the rubble as we drove to church. This had occurred while we slept and only about half a mile from where we were staying.

Conclusion
Overall, I had a great trip. I got to see some amazing landscapes and animals from God’s creation. I had fun getting to spend so much time with Kennedy and Frank and learning more about their cultures and getting to know them better. Christian did very well on the trip and seems to have matured from the experience. I was mostly pleased to see his interaction with the small children. The main purpose of the trip was supposed to be ministry in the conference, but it did not occur. So, maybe that was my main purpose, but God just wanted to work on my flesh some more. Being conformed into the image of Christ is seldom a pleasant experience and I know that I need much more shaping, chiseling, and purification. My patience is tested almost daily by the lack of efficiency, traffic jams, and late appointments.