Trip to Mwamba
In these first couple of weeks, I’ve had a lot of time to sit down with folks here and go over a lot of the plans for the future of Emmaus Hill School and Holy Cross Church at Milimani. We need your prayers. That we are led to make wise decisions, that we submit to God’s will in these things, and that we remain faithful in the work set out before us.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to head down to Mwamba (Swahili for Stone) and visit the hometown of my friend Reynold. I first met him last time when he still lived up in Matunda and was serving as the caretaker for Mary Sagala’s apartment building. He has been a good friend and I’ve learned a lot from him, he’s also shown a great deal of enthusiasm for digging into the Bible. Unfortunately, a couple of months ago he was attacked at night while taxiing a police officer on his motorbike. He was forced to move back home with his wife and daughter Ashley. She’s the little girl who was baptized in my home in Matunda Villa earlier this year (you can go back and see a picture from an earlier post.) He has been at home recovering since that time.
I met up with Reynold down at Mile Tisa. If you are handy with a map you can find that this is the main junction in between Eldoret, Bungoma, and Kitale. He was under strict orders (from a source that shall remain nameless 🙂 to not keep me waiting at the junction for long. During the day these places can appear to be innocent enough. You’ll find people milling about running to each matatu that stops hoping to sell a tin of onions, tomatoes, oranges, or any number of sundry items. It’s not a place I enjoy hanging around for long, as people will descend like vultures hoping to make any kind of sale. Come nightfall, no vehicles will stop at this junction, no one who values their safety will loiter around and the bus fare can skyrocket. Either you pay the exorbitant prices or you take your chances with what awaits you in the night.
But this was daytime and Rey was waiting there. It wasn’t too difficult for us to meet up since he simply had to keep an eye out for the only white guy that would ever come out of a matatu. We headed to Mwamba which is on the way to Bungoma. Upon first arrival we had to stop and greet one of Rey’s brothers (he has 6 sisters and 5 brothers) who owns a small shop in the main part of Mwamba. “He’s a man of people…old ones, young ones, everyone in Mwamba knows my brother Daya.” He’s a bread distributor, getting a supply very early in the morning and then bombing around to all the local shops along the back roads and in the small villages.
We then strolled on down the road, heading towards their parents home. It’s always a treat when “going footing” through some of the more secluded areas. Kids will be playing, spot me walking, and all activity will freeze while they process what in the world is happening here. That’s when they spaz out, “Ona! Ona! Mzungu anatembea hapa!” See! See! There’s a white person walking here! Rey would tell you that most people think that white folks don’t know how to walk since most of them are ferried around in private vehicles. One lady asked Rey if I was walking because I didn’t want to get my nice vehicle dirty on these muddy back roads. True story.
Arriving at their place I met Rey’s father and mother, his older sister Miriam and his wife and daughter. Rey’s father was born in 1912 and has been in Mwamba since the 1960s. He served as a driver for a British ‘businessowner’ for almost 35 years. For this reason, he knows quite a bit of English. He was also surprised that I had walked from Mwamba town center to his house, but was glad that I had come for a visit and was eager to hear about other travels around Kenya. “When you travel around, you learn a lot of things.”
Rey and Miriam showed me around their land. Each son has received 2 acres each as their inheritance. Vishi, the youngest son (pictured in his living room), lives right next to his parents house and operates a small shop out of his house. They grow mangoes, bananas, mostly maize, avocados, and timber for building or for sale. Miriam shared as we walked about her recent work in Saudi Arabia, caring for disabled children. After two years living in a place hostile to foreigners, working under harsh conditions, she was glad to be back home. I met Rey’s mom in her ‘office’ as it was called. I was able to take a short video of her workspace and see her hot stone stove in action.
For lunch we enjoyed some matoke (a cooked banana mash), rice, and beef stew and conversation under the shade tree in their front yard. Rey’s father and I said prayers at the end of our visit and I made my way back to Matunda, reaching home just before the late afternoon rains hit.