Last week we went for our first drive outside of Nairobi since arriving here in July.Paul Carline (a Canadian Baptist Missionary) drove us north of the city to the escarpment overlooking the Rift Valley.Once again we were surprised at the beauty of the landscape and the people. On a Sunday afternoon there were many people walking from church – the roads are filled with people walking because owning a car is a luxury for most.
Most of the land in this part of Kenya had been used for coffee plantations. Over the years the number of coffee producers has dwindled because of corruption in the coffee market.Tea is now one of Kenya’s biggest exports.The tea fields are a lovely light green colour.
There were many homes along the road as well as schools and businesses.Here is a nursery school – that looks like fun!
There are vendors selling an assortment of wares all along the highway.Who wants a sheep skin hat for winter?Just 300 shillings (about 5 dollars).
After months of praying, our house has SOLD!!While we do not understand God’s timing. We do know that it is a wonderful family with two young girls that bought our home.
Some of you have been asking about our home here in Nairobi.We are blessed to have a beautiful 3 bedroom house on campus.It is 1200 square feet and has 2 bathrooms.We have started to do a bit of painting because some of the walls were never painted (the house was built in 2006).The previous owners did provide a splash of colour in a few places and some of that we would like to change also. The floor of our house is terra cotta tile.It is easy to keep clean as long as I sweep and mop every day!The roof is tin which has a few interesting consequences….. When it rains on the roof, it is very loud inside; the heavier the rain, the louder the noise.During a recent thunder and hail storm (yes, we have hail occasionally!) we couldn’t hear each other shout at the dinner table.The tin also makes loud SNAP sounds as it heats up and cools down each day.It also doesn’t do much to keep the house cool, like the more common clay tiled roofs. The kitchen is very similar to a Canadian home except for the essential water filter.We can not drink (or cook with or brush our teeth with) the NairobiCity water.Even local Kenyans do not drink the NairobiCity water.There is a water filtration system on campus which makes the water almost safe to drink.We filter it to be sure.The water is poured into the top and filters through sandstone “candles” into the lower holding tank until we turn the spigot.Also, the stove is half-size and gas-operated.I brought a couple of cookie sheets with me but only one will fit in the oven! We have turned the master bedroom into a family room/ home theatre/ guest room.Even now we have a guest from St. Catherine’s Ontario staying with us.Craig Danielson is the special speaker for Spiritual Emphasis Week and we are enjoying his company and his presentations.
This past week was a fun time for RosslynAcademy.Like a “Winter Carnival” there were activities and dress up ideas for each day. Monday was Pyjama Day.Here are Max and Simon on the playground with their science teacher, Ms. Walker (from Calgary).Tuesday was Twin Day.Max dressed up like Dad!He received many compliments on his professional appearance. Wednesday was Colour Day!Rosslyn’s school colours are green, black, silver, and white.We all have Rosslyn crested shirts. Thursday was Wacky Dress-up Day.Friday was Crazy Hair Day.Simon was mistaken for a girl all day long!The week ends with a football (soccer) and basketball tournament.17 schools come to Rosslyn for a day of sports, food, and entertainment.
Living in Kenya has a strange feel of having been transported back in time.The boys are enjoying the freedom of running around the campus without our constant presnwce.They can play in trees like this on the the school playground.We would never let our Canadian children climb a tree as far as the white marks without some safety measure for the cement below.And it has been many a year since I have seen a game of soccer played between “shirts” and “skins”.It seems like our children are growing up the way we did in the 1970s – fewer safety standards and greater freedom.
I have mentioned before that there are cute yellow birds here called Weavers.Their name comes from the way that they build their nests – woven pieces of grass.As I understand it, the male birds build the nest to attract a mate.Here is a tree in the Middle school courtyard with many nests hanging in it. The entrance to each nest is from the bottom. If the female is not impressed with the nest then she pushes it out of the tree.Hence, there are many weaver nests lying all over the ground…..
Simon’s class had a fun parade this week.The students were challenged to make a hat for a creativity contest.The hats were judged by the Elementary School Principal, Mrs. Weeks. Simon’s hat was entirely his own creation.He cut off the top of a water jug and filled it with tissue paper then added a Nova Scotia pin, a red maple leaf, and some Canada flags. The winner of the contest was Hanny.She is standing next to Simon on the stage.
We have been attending a local church on Sunday mornings called Karura Community Chapel. It is a non-denominational fellowship with a Kenyan Leadership Team of 3 pastors, 8 lay person staff, and a congregation of Kenyans and ex-patriots. Kenya is a Christian nation. The church here is very active in social justice issues. In the midst of the post-election violence in January, the churches were vital in bringing stability to the nation and in providing food and shelter to the thousands of displaced people.
It is a 25 minute walk for us to reach the church site. The main service takes place in a large tent, and a series of shipping containers have been converted to classrooms for the children’s programs. There is a second tent for the teen service and a Swahili service. The main tent seats about 400 people and the platform at front is always decorated with huge bouquets of flowers (at least 4 bouquets with 150 rose blooms each).
The service resembles a contemporary Canadian worship service in many respects. There is always a worship leader and band that sings hymns and choruses that we are familiar with. Today’s music included rock, hip-hop, and rap. There was also a youth drama team. Like our Canadian churches they use the PowerPoint projection system for the worship and teaching time. Technology is good for African churches because it means that they are able to avoid the costs of hymn books. Karura is a very active church and in its 10 years of operation has planted two other churches. Activities announced today included upcoming men’s breakfast, marriage retreat (which includes salsa dancing), and Mizizi class (“spiritual roots”). Karura and other local churches have a vision of empowering youth by linking sports with social, physical, and sustainable community development activities. The KYSA group will work on capacity building, environmental stewardship, and character development. The kickoff event was a soccer tournament and 550 young people came to play! The website for Karura Community Chapel is www.karuracc.or.ke
Most of the land in this part of 
s the number of coffee producers has dwindled because of corruption in the coffee market. Tea is now one of 
y loud inside; the heavier the rain, the louder the noise. During a recent thunder and hail storm (yes, we have hail occasionally!) we couldn’t hear each other shout at the dinner table. The tin also makes loud SNAP sounds as it heats up and cools down each day. It also doesn’t do much to keep the house cool, like the more common clay tiled roofs.
Monday was Pyjama Day. Here are Max and Simon on the playground with their science teacher, Ms. Walker (from 
Tuesday was Twin Day. Max dressed up like Dad! He received many compliments on his professional appearance.
Wednesday was Colour Day! Rosslyn’s school colours are green, black, silver, and white. We all have Rosslyn crested shirts.
Thursday was Wacky Dress-up Day. Friday was Crazy Hair Day. Simon was mistaken for a girl all day long! The week ends with a football (soccer) and basketball tournament. 17 schools come to Rosslyn for a day of sports, food, and entertainment.
I have mentioned before that there are cute yellow birds here called Weavers. Their name comes from the way that they build their nests – woven pieces of grass.
As I understand it, the male birds build the nest to attract a mate. Here is a tree in the Middle school courtyard with many nests hanging in it. The entrance to each nest is from the bottom. If the female is not impressed with the nest then she pushes it out of the tree. Hence, there are many weaver nests lying all over the ground…..
We have been attending a local church on Sunday mornings called Karura Community Chapel. It is a non-denominational fellowship with a Kenyan Leadership Team of 3 pastors, 8 lay person staff, and a congregation of Kenyans and ex-patriots. 
Kenya is a Christian nation. The church here is very active in social justice issues. In the midst of the post-election violence in January, the churches were vital in bringing stability to the nation and in providing food and shelter to the thousands of displaced people.
e. The main tent seats about 400 people and the platform at front is always decorated with huge bouquets of flowers (at least 4 bouquets with 150 rose blooms each).
There was also a youth drama team. Like our Canadian churches they use the PowerPoint projection system for the worship and teaching time. Technology is good for African churches because it means that they are able to avoid the costs of hymn books.
