It has been an extraordinary month for us, and I hope we can share some of the highlights. We spent three amazing weeks in Pearl River, New York getting prepared for a year of service in Africa. The instructors were amazing; PHd’s who had lived in the brush for years. The combination of wisdom and experience was fascinating. Three things stood out:

• One instructor spoke of the difference in culture. In the West, if a kid hits a ball through a window during a game, it is his fault and he pays for it. In Kijabe, when a kid hit a ball through the window, the whole team paid for it because `the game did it.’ There is much more a community and family spirit here.
• One missionary talked about being invited to a family’s home and the tradition in that tribe was to give the oldest male a chicken head to eat. When the missionary asked him how to eat it, the national laughed until he fell down, and then summoned all his neighbors because he could not believe that an adult male did not know how to eat a chicken head. FYI: you eat it all, including eyes and beak_It is considered rude to not try; if you truly cannot eat something, you say `It defeats me’ which is something Matthew now says when we have spinach.
• Our cultural view of the world can lead to different conclusions. A professor talked about one tribe (FYI: there are 52 tribes in Kenya, and it is the greatest source of affiliation among Kenya’s) about a tribe that still practices multiple marriages. The practice is that tribe was that each wife had a different hut, and the husband would only stay with a wife if he was planning to be intimate with her; the entire tribe would know when he was going to be with his wife. The professor looked at his four wives and concluded that the national was oversexed. The national came to the professor’s home and looked at the bedroom, and asked if he slept there. The professor said yes. `Where does your wife sleep?’ he asked. `She also sleeps here’ replied the professor. `Every night?’ asked the national. His conclusion was that the American was oversexed…

We left New York and went to London, where we had a 15-hour layover. Seasoned international travelers will not be surprised that we were seriously jet lagged, but London was wonderful. You can buy an all day pass on the subway and the double Decker buses for about $6, so we were able to see Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey.

We went on to Kijabe, which was another time zone and another 7 hours of flight. We slept on the plane this time, but it was about 6 hours of sleep in 48 hours so we were pretty out of it. The ride to the Rift Valley Academy was memorable; more people walking on the sides of the road than any place I’ve ever seen, along with goats and donkeys, no stop lights and mattes, which is a van with 30-40 people packed in it. The Rift Valley Academy is located 7500 up, to be above the malaria level. It is over 100 years old, and it is like a small college campus. There are dorms and classrooms throughout the campus. Although we are at the equator, our elevation means that it is cool during the winter season, which is now. There is no heat except our fireplace, and the house is cement block (which all houses are here because of termites) so it can get pretty cold for us Texans. It was 53 yesterday. We also have a fireplace outside to warm our water for bathing.

The national language is English/Swahili so Nan and I will be attending language school next week for several weeks. My bride received her degree in linguistics, so she is thrilled. Since her slow husband can make her break out in a rash with his French accent, I am sure it will be more of a challenge to me, but we are excited about it.

It is beautiful here, and the nationals are wonderful people. The poverty here is almost beyond understanding; the average African makes $280 a year. Kenya has the highest amount of AIDS in the world, and the medical center here says 1 out of 4 people in the hospital are there due to HIV. There is currently a draught too. We are in the rainy season, but are not getting any rain, just fog and damp. The crops are already damaged, but if no rain comes soon, they will be totally lost. Please be praying for rain.

There is more to say, like the vegetable ladies who visit from the valley on Tuesday and Saturdays with 150 pounds of vegetables on their backs to sell, and the questions about America (Does the pollution overwhelm you every day?) but that is for another day and another letter. We do get visits from monkeys and baboons that are only 300 yards from our dorm!

We would ask you to remember the children who are coming to the school next month; we will be dorm parents to 10-12 5th-6th grade boys, both nationals and missionary children. We want to provide a family atmosphere for them, and help them feel loved and supported. There are almost 500 children at the school.

We would love to here from you. We do not have Internet access, and our email is sporadic at best, so it is best to not include big graphics or forwarded lists. Power outages and phone lines are out more than they are on sometimes, so be patient if we don’t respond as fast as we should.