Water

Water has been a little scarce in parts of Kenya lately. Northern Kenya has been experiencing a pretty severe drought which unfortunately, is an almost annual occurrence there. Here in Nairobi, the city has been rationing water, just in case they need more. From what I have read there isn't a crisis yet, but there could be one soon.

So, from time to time, they turn off our water. On our compound, the longest we have gone is four days with no water coming in to our houses. Imagine turning on the faucet in your kitchen and nothing. We have a 200 gallon water tank in our attic and a 1000 gallon tank in the yard for back-up, but when the water is off we try to be extra careful. The rule here is "if it's brown flush it down; if it's yellow let it mellow."

The water we get in our faucet isn't safe to drink so we have to filter it. Sometimes it comes out smelling strongly of bleach, sometimes it is full of fine sand, sometimes quite dirty. When we wash our dishes, we then rinse them in bleach water to kill everything off. Our fresh fruit and vegetables get soaked in bleach water as well.

One of the problems is the the road workers. When they are thirsty, they dig up a water main near them, crack the pipe and fill their bottles. Then we have a bubbling hole in the road for a few weeks until someone patches it (usually with a strip of rubber - like a bicycle inner tube) and sometimes they even fill the hole back in after they fix the pipe.

It took us all a little while to get used to brushing our teeth with bottled water and not rinsing our toothbrushes in the faucet. We constantly have to remind the kids not to put bath water into their mouths (which is not a great habit anywhere.) And I think most of you would be surprised at how much water gets into your mouth when you shower.

We are thankful we have the water though, and a way to purify it. Most don't, and there is a lot of sickness that could be avoided as a result. When the water is on we try to remember to fill our bottles so we are prepared when the water is off. Next time you get a drink or flush a toilet (only your dog should associate these two things), remember to be thankful for some of the simple things you might take for granted.

Fall Party

We went to a "Hoe Down" the other day. It was an opportunity for some of us Americans to celebrate the season of Fall (even though here we are getting ready for Summer.)

We had a bonfire for hot dogs and marshmallows and some games with pumpkins for the kids. We enjoyed baked beans, potato salad, popcorn balls, watermelon, and caramel dip with apples (all things we really miss here.)

Lexi and Nate got to ride a horse, which was a really big deal. For a while they didn't even want to go near the horse. Nate formed a friendship with the Kenyan (something Nate is becoming very good at) who was leading the horse, and that man convinced Nate to give it a try. So when Jason turned around, there was his little boy riding the horse, all by himself. Daddy couldn't talk him into trying it, but the stranger could. When Lexi saw her little brother having fun, she decided she was brave enough to try it too. They got to ride the horse for about 5 minutes each.

After dinner there was square-dancing and a lot of laughter. It was nice to have hot dogs cooked on a bonfire, and to remember all of the fun we have had with all of you at this time of year. Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying the night.

Random Musings

Here are just a collection of random thoughts:

Two things I just can't stand about living in Kenya:
1. Two-ring binders. I have no idea where this idea came from, but it is terrible (I blame the British, but have no idea why). The paper rips out all of the time. Frustrating. I think Americans have a better idea with the three-ring binder.
2. Diarrhea. It comes and goes all the time (pun intended). Are you sick, is it something you ate, was it the water? Who knows. The nice thing here is you can take in a sample and get it checked out for about $5.00. Enough said.

Three things I have learned about driving at night:
1. If you see just one light coming at you, don't assume it is a motorcycle.
2. If you see two lights coming at you, don't assume it is a car.
3. If you don't see any lights coming at you, don't assume there is nothing coming.
Generally we try to avoid driving at night. It isn't very safe, there are no lights and pedestrians everywhere. Not a fun scenario.

On the way to church today we finally felt like missionaries: In the back with our kids was a Bass guitar, an empty gas cannister, a box of Sunday School curriculum, a camera, a bag of tools, a stroller, a roll of toilet paper, and two extra missionary kids. It pays to be prepared!

Things we love in Kenya:
1. Little bananas.
2. Banana bread covered with Blue Band.
3. Pancakes cooked in Kimbo.
4. Ushindi soap, it gets everything out!
5. Dishes, fruits and vegetables soaked in Jik.
6. Fanta! (Black currant, citrus, and orange - all great.)
7. Potato crisps - Lay's aren't the best anymore.
8. Bartering at the market.
9. Nakumatt.
10. Our missionary family.

Things I try to remember everyday:
1. Never leave without kissing my wife goodbye - you just never know.
2. Take every opportunity to play with my kids.
3. Never trust a fart. (see above - things I can't stand #2).

Now the question is, what picture do I put with this blog?

Close call

This week we had a scary moment. One of our good friends and fellow missionaries was held up at gun point. He was stuck in a traffic jam (about 8 AM) and two guys ran up and stuck a gun to his head and took his money, phone, wedding ring and watch.
As they were leaving (about 20 feet away) the man with the gun turned, pointed the gun and fired at the missionary's head. Either God intervened or the man's aim was off, but the bullet dropped miraculously fast and hit the bottom of his car door, and didn't penetrate all the way through.
Uncle Steve is one of our favorite "uncles." We have given him several hugs since the event and he is still a little shook up. He has a great wife and 3 fantastic kids.
We thank God for his safety, and for keeping us safe as well. Nairobi is a dangerous city, but we trust in a Great God.