Until Next Year, Kisii
One of the final hurdles is out of the way leading up to the return trip in two weeks. The November and December sessions of seminary in Kisii were combined into back to back weeks. I wasn’t able to join them from the beginning of last week because we had the team from Eldoret come up to the church and school property to complete the survey to find water. They did extensive work and found the best place for drilling. We will soon receive the full report along with a list of potential drillers located throughout the country. The good news is that they found a substantial aquifer. The bad news is that this aquifer is 250 meters below the surface. I will wait until I have opportunity to see the official report and get quotations from drilling companies before I get too excited or discouraged regarding the well project. Either way, we have the permit now, and all the preparations are done.
I would like to share the full accounting of experiences from my time in the Kisii area, but most of the things are definitely “had to be there” moments. First off, it rained….and rained….and rained. Every day, gigantic downpours. At a certain point it has devastating effects on travel. For example, On Sunday, coming from Etago where we had a worship service with the congregation at St. David’s KINSHIP Academy. The sem students headed back up to Chotororo and I headed the other direction back to Kisii. Later that day, the showers came and flooded the roads. One matatu was swept off the road in a deluge, after the driver ignored the pleas of the passengers to slow down. Getting up to Chotororo is another matter altogether. Motorbikes can only reach so far until it’s time to start “footing” as they say. Maybe I’ll be one of those grandparents one day who talks about walking uphill to school…in Kenya.
As tiring as the back and forth travel can be up to the school, we had a good session. It was very encouraging to see some of the teaching over the past year having taken root with most of the students, as indicated in their exams. They know how to have a good time and get along splendidly, with seven different tribes and two different countries being represented there. On the last day I was with them for teaching I had a moment where I knew, even though I was bone tired, that I would miss it. I pray that they continue in their faithful study and are able to serve the people in their respective communities.
In the evenings, upon returning to Kisii, I’ve had the chance to spend time with Samwel, a tailor who owns a shop located below the place where I stay in town. As long as I’ve known him he’s had such a wonderful insight into the Word of God and I’m encouraged that now he is beginning his own ministry down in Awendo. We’ve spent many evenings talking about any number of subjects, exchanging valuable information about one another’s culture, all while his sewing machine is going and churning out the next project before the deadline. I’ve even gotten him started on the Davis’ beginners Greek grammar so he can dig in and do his own exegesis. Good times.
After many days of public transport, trudging through mud and rain, and ending up with mud on my shoes and pants, I was given the courtesy of being called a Kisii man. Until Next Year, Kisii, Farewell.