Time Flies
Lo, and behold, I woke up this morning and found myself in the month of September. Everything seems to be cruising. Let’s rewind a bit.
Saturday I headed back from Kisii very early in the morning. I have finally discovered that there are two premium shuttles that leave from Kisii to Eldoret in the wee hours. Premium here meaning, you get your own seat (no overcrowding, people getting shoved onto you along with their chickens…), and no stopping. Dare I say, the journey is still long, but much more tolerable and less draining this way. I reached Matunda around 1 in the afternoon and was just getting settled back in and getting ready for the following day up at church. Suddenly, I feel the house shaking a bit…wait, my house doesn’t shake. Ever. What is going on? A helicopter swooped directly over the house and landed a mere 100 yards away at the local Catholic school here in Matunda. At first I thought maybe there was a medical emergency? No, those kind of resources wouldn’t be wasted for medical care. Why had I never seen a chopper, or any air traffic, in this area before?
It was a bit surreal. The chopper lands, kicking up dust, with palm trees swaying and everyone stops what they are doing. Children goes absolutely nuts, people of all ages flock to the scene. As it turns out it was the Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, getting a head start on his campaign for the 2012 presidential elections. I understand one of the questions asked was “What are you going to do about the price of sugar!?” The PM affirmed that he would make that issue a top priority, of course.
I’ve been told this is just a foretaste, nothing compared to the circus that ensues as the elections draw closer and closer. The Mission Helpers next year will get to experience the campaigning in full swing as the voting will take place in August.
On Sunday two of the young men in our congregation were baptized. One of them had never before attended a church of any kind before joining in with the people of Emmaus Milimani. We had one of the men in the congregation confess of a public sin, repented and was absolved and restored back to the congregation. Anna has said that since going through the Biblical Teachings in our Catechism class with the congregation that people are coming to appreciate more and more the means of grace that God has entrusted to all of His people. This past Sunday’s class was very lively as we went off on a tangent during the open discussion time about Abraham and his proper place in the “Religious Landscape.”
This week has been one of preparation for the ensuing journey coming up. On Monday I will head down to Nairobi in order to meet Pastor Mayhew and Russ when they fly in on Tuesday at around noon. Much traveling ahead.