Seth & Hannah

Dust Clouds and Moving Boxes…

So the other day as I was unloading boxes and trying to sort out the mounds and mounds of laundry I noticed a rather large dust cloud had, oddly enough, made its way in through the sliding glass door and had settled on the floor next to me.

I unearthed the nearest broom and was preparing to sweep dust mess back out the door when it opened its mouth and joyfully proclaimed “Tezzia wained dirt on me, Momma”!

The fenced backyard in our new home has been a wonder to my little ones, unfortunately so has the large dirt pile under the ever shedding pine tree.  J

After an afternoon of pouring (yes pouring, out of a large bucket) dirt on her own and her brother’s head, Keziah gushed at bedtime “Momma, I want to stay here forever!”.

Wednesday we huddled around to pray with Tim & Ginger and girls before waving goodbye as they headed out to CO for 6 weeks of training before they hit the tarmac for Central Asia in January.

We have gotten our bed set up, the kids beds set up, and Daddy and kids have played Ratchet & Clank so Jared is now willing to officially call it home.

We are for the most part happily settling in…so from us to you THANKYOU for all your many prayers for us.

Seth & Hannah and the (rather dirty) Wild Things

Roadsign of the Week: Welcome to Washington.

An interesting blend of emotion as I re-enter the home of my birth. Many good memories here but after seven years away how will it be to once again dwell in the “Great Northwet.” So far none of us has sprouted gills. I’ll keep ya posted.

Food Find: CLAM CHOWDER!!!!!! Have I ever mentioned my deep and abiding love for all things sea food? Seth, amazing man that he is, shares this love of mine and we have begun the tasting joys of living not so far from the sea.

Monday the kids and I visited the Lobsters (live in tanks), clams, and crab legs at the grocery store. We may go back on a retrieval mission today.

James Helms

Welcome to Washington/Oregon you guys. I'm looking outside and note that your dirt pile may have actually turned into a ...

23 October 09 at 12:16

On The Road Again…

Our little traveler

Off on another adventure. This time we go West!

After two years in the Arctic North we are loading our bus and heading West to a land of much rain and seafood. : )

My oldest brother Tim, his lovely wife Ginger and their three girls, who live in Vancouver, WA  are following the Master’s call to stint in Central Asia. Seth and I are taking over their house stateside  for them.

It has been said “all are called, some are called to stay and some to go, what have you been called to?”

In this next season of life Seth and I believe that we have been called to stay in order that Tim & Ginger can go. It is our wish to do everything that we can to send them at their most supported and most effective.

All for Jesus!! We are thrilled to see the work that He will do and hope to be a part.

Here we are…some of us.

A rash of wild hair has swept our household…here’s just a few of the latest and greatest styles.
No Mom, I have not dyed my hair blue or any other color. I think Seth would go into deep mourning if I did.
Isaiah’s hair on the other hand has gone from blue to green and is now a violent shade of purple.

Love you all and thanks for keeping us all in your prayers. We remember you all too and hope this finds you blessed and in His will.
And hey congrats to one and all on the baby boom!!!! I can’t wait to gush over all the sweet little bundles.
Hannah
(and all the ‘kovsky super-heros big and small)

Here We Are…All Of Us!

Sorry, guys…I pulled a Dad and am emailing you ten million pictures in one email. I take full responsibility if it should cause your computer to crash.
Love you all lots and miss you more than we can say…

Hannah and The Wild Things
P.S. Hope you enjoy them at least. : )

Snakin’ Right Along…

“All snakes in Kenya are poisonous.” 7-year-old Cailin announced as she hefted aside Keziah who was just about to step on the small (poisonous) black snake making its way across the carport.

Nancy grabbed a long pole and while making a quick snake slaw casually suggested that maybe Kez should have shoes on.

Note: never kill a snake with your foot shoeless or otherwise, always kill them with a VERY long pole or stick…or machete.
Ahhh, Kenyan wildlife. Wild indeed and the perspective of Kenyans was a study in culture all of its own.

Kenyan’s will run in terror from the smallest yappy dog but take little notice of the rat (15-20 lb. carrier of typhoid, yellow fever, black plague, rabies and various other nasty diseases/germs) that walks through their kitchen.

And oh the terror of the dreaded CHAMELEON!!!!
From a very young age all Kenyan Mommas teach their little ones that a chameleon will spit poison in your eye and cause life-long blindness…thus their abject terror of these friendly creatures.

There are a few exceptions however.

Seth once asked a Masai man if he was afraid of chameleons. With a smug look of disdain he informed Seth “I am a Masai. We kill lions with our bare hands, I am not afraid of anything.”
This was not an exaggeration…the Masai really do kill lions with their bare hands…these people are very good friend material and woe to the man who makes them his enemy. : )

As for my own run-in with the wilds of Kenya…well as I watched the death of snake and held my little girl I thanked the Lord for His grace for the moment and the not so subtle reminder of just where we were – in His ever so capable hands.

A place I continue claim gratefully for as we wade through the joys (?!) and trials of transition and all that our next steps have brought.
Please keep us in your prayers as we walk through the unexpected (good yet stretching) surprises that our homecoming has brought.

We are now (much to our own surprise) in process of purchasing the house that Seth’s Mom lives in while remodeling the basement into an apartment for ourselves.
God has provided beyond our imagination and made what seemed ridiculously impossible a happening reality.

Pray for us as we move in obedience into this next place of ministry that we will continue to trust in and marvel at the Lord’s provision.

~Roadsign of the Week~
Sign seen on the side of a tanker truck in Nairobi “Exhauster Services”. !!!!?????!!!!
This sounds like something that would be really useful for Mothers of children like my own Wild Things.

Someone to come wear your children out for you…hmmm, now there’s a business to take stock in.

I have no idea as to the duties of said service truck but (taking their name at face value) feel as though I, myself, have been a regular client…way to much travel, remodeling, transition, and re-entry stress and I am utterly exhausted. : )

~Food Find~
Chai.
Chai actually means tea in some language so to say chai tea is a redundant statement…just to let you know.

ANYWAY…Chai is the Kenyan beverage of choice and is much preferred over just about anything. Any meeting, home, or visit that you are a part of will get you a steaming hot (as in almost boiling in your cup) mug of chai.

Kenyan’s make it by boiling water and milk, then adding the tea leaves and then adding sugar as desired.

10am and 4pm are the official tea times and any time in between will do as well. Seth got so used to having tea all the time that since we’ve been back he’s been going through caffeine withdrawal.

Goodbye Nairobi…


Our new home.

Keziah and friend…

Kenyan Carwash.

Cari

Welcome Back !

22 December 07 at 13:04

Home again, home again…our America home that is.

“Welcome home”!
I think we both could have hugged the customs agent as he stamped our passports and smiled his welcome in our direction.

After 24 hours of travel, 38 hours of no sleep, 8 ½ months of absence from the land of our Fathers, and many, many days of homesickness Seth and I agreed as we gazed at the welcome sign posted beneath a huge American flag that we had never been more patriotic.
Keziah summed up the moment with a joyful crow “ we at owr ‘Merica home!”

Though we loved Kenya and the adventures that God gave us in that sunny land nothing can quite compare to these United States that truly have been blessed by God.

Since arriving at home the familiar blessings of life and family at home have been overwhelming at times.

Oh, the wonder of a big, juicy, rare burger with pickles and an ice cold root-beer.
I think the waitress at Applebee’s was more than a little amused at our amazement over the food. : )

I find myself feeling strange and a little bit guilty when I turn on the water and it comes out hot…more often I just use the cold.

Kez and Jared have done great.
Adjusting super fast and super well.

They’ve been sleeping pretty close to normal and we are way less tired than we were expecting to be.
Yeah!

Grandma, aunts and uncles have delighted our little munchkins to no end and Keziah wakes up asking “can I see Gwama”

Thank you all for your prayers.
Transition is never an easy task with small children but the prayer and support we have felt through the process has been a huge comfort and an oh-so-big help.

And now the joys of giving you the full story!
This Wednesday we will be traveling to WA to see and share with all of you there that have gone on this journey with us.

Sunday, September 30, at 2:30 we will be at Northern Peaks Christian Fellowship in Sedro-Woolley.

We would love to meet with you, give you a personal THANKYOU FRIEND and a bit more of a taste of this Africa that we have come to love. For all of you that are in between MN and WA, if you look up when you hear a plane passing over on the 26th you just might be able to see us waving our greetings to you…ok maybe not but we will be thinking of you.
For those of you in MN we will set up a meet and eat when we get back mid-October.

~Roadsign of the Week~
Sign seen on many of the streets of home “STOP”. Now you might not think this remarkable but it struck me the other day after a few outings on the streets of Litchfield, I don’t remember ever seeing one stop sign in my entire time in Nairobi…not that anyone would stop at them anyway.
Probably why there are none to be found.

~Food Find~
Mc Donald’s. Never will I forget the look that crossed my dear hubby’s face on discovering a McDonald’s in the Amsterdam airport. Joy sublime…with a bit of drool at the mouth. : ) Considering our four carry-ons and two sleepy children we moved through that airport at record speed.

Kez and Friend

Matatu merging.

Rahab makes pizza.

Baby Elephants at Play.

Roadsigns: Speaking of Travel…

And for those Kenyans who are not in the road there is a faster means of travel that brings the same “I may die any second” life on the edge kind of thrill.

May I introduce the infamous “Matatu”.
The means of travel for 95% of Kenyans…and any and all extreme sports tourists that visit the country. Matatu drivers are known for their skills in forging paths where no vehicle has ever gone before…

And in paths that no vehicle should ever even consider going (ie. Sidewalks, jogging trails, driveways, any place that there is no formidable barrier).

The funny thing is that most of them have stickers on the back that say “be a courteous driver, please give way”. Most Matatu’s are a 14 passenger Toyota van.

There is a driver…who does the driving. And the conductor…who collects passengers, collects money, and when all the seats are taken hangs off the side of the van hollering for more passengers to come aboard. There is now a law against overloading Matatu’s but in the not to distant past (and not all that uncommonly now) you could see one of these wild rides stuffed with twenty plus passengers. Each Matatu is generally a privately owned vehicle and the décor is of utmost importance…

The general goal seems to be to take some western/American/Christian/Musical slogan and plaster it in sticker letters to your van. The result is often humorous and sometimes puzzling.
Here’s a few we’ve caught as they whiz by:

“God is Able” – Good thing cause without Him you may not live through the experience.

“Snipers” – Very appropriate as the goal seems to be to take out as many other moving objects on the road as possible.

“Bruised and buttered” – ????????????????? No joke, we see this one all the time.

“E=MC2″ – Ok, must be the smart people bus.

“In God We Trust” – Once again, it’s a very good thing cause He is your only hope on this ride.

“Divas” – This one comes complete with ear-piercing music videos. You can see the people inside vibrating along to the bass.

“The City Hoppa” – These are actually a company and are a bigger, comfier, safer ride.

“Half-Baked” – As in you must not have spent enough time in the oven if you’re climbing on this machine. Seth just asked Rahab what other Matatu’s she’s seen. She just looked at him like he was a crazy person and told him that she had never noticed that they said anything other than where they are going…

To answer the question now burning on all of your lips: Yes! We have ridden on these contraptions…and lived to tell about it. I have actually only been on about 5 Matatus. Seth has been on them numerous times and oh, the stories there are to tell…
Coming soon to a church near you…if you live in WA or MN. : )

~Roadsign of the Week~
Sign on a tanker truck “Foul Drainage Sub-contractors”. HHhhhhmmmmm. I can only guess at what this means. As observed before Kenyan culture is a very polite and discreet culture…

~Food Find~
Bag of guts. Yes, in the meat case at our local Uchumi you can get (along with your chicken and sliced ham) a bag of innards….and I don’t just mean kidneys, heart, ect. This is more like intestines. To go along with that grilled goat head.
I may be a proficient cook but I have yet to find a use for this meaty treat…somehow I don’t think Seth would go for gut stew.

P.S. pictures wouldn’t come sorry all…

Business Weekly

Actually here the big name newspapers are The Standard and The Nairobi Star. The Nairobi Star just came out last month and for their first edition they had girls in shorts selling the papers on the streets.
The entire city was scandalized. : )
Ah, culture.

So, our time here, it cometh to an end.
August is our last full month in Nairobi. We will be canceling our internet service at the end of the month so our correspondence will be a bit sparse for a short while in September.
Before then there are a few business items you need to know.

We touch down in the Grand Old U.S. of A on September 19th. We’ll take a week to recover from jet lag and then march on to Washington State.

We’ll be in Washington September 26th to October 16th.

In both Washington and Minnesota we will be doing a Kenyan Open House to say thanks for what you’ve done for us.
We really want to give to you a taste (literally – Mint-Choc’s a comin’ your way.) of our time here and share the blessing of your ministry in Kenya.
As the time gets a little closer (and details a little clearer) we’ll get back to you on dates, times, and places.

For all of you dear ones stretched across the States in between. How we wish we could come see each of you personally. Know that you too are in our hearts and thoughts and we will do our best to catch up with you via phone/mail/email.

For those of you who have been supporting us financially. Here’s the scoop: As I said before, we return Sept.18th.
Because of our re-entry costs/needs Bethany will be accepting funds for us through November 30th. You are under no obligation to continue until this time but for those of you wishing to do so the set-up is still the same until Nov. 30th.
Any funds received after this time will be absorbed into Bethany International.

Roadsigns to be continued…
There is still so much to share. I will be, for a time, continuing Roadsigns/Kenya…maybe after that I’ll move on to Roadsigns/Minnesota.
Now there is a cultural place if ever there was one.
Stories that have remained untold (for the peace of mind of a few certain loved ones….Dad : -) will be the theme of our post-return newsletters.

All that to say…um, talk to you again soon. : )
I will try to send out the regular (fun) Roadsigns once more before we leave. And then you should hear from us shortly after our September return.
THANKYOU ONE AND ALL!!!! Not only for taking the time to read this but for your continued love, friendship, and support.
We have learned that the mission field can be a very lonely place…thanks for being friends at home that came to Kenya with us.
We can’t wait to share the experience!

Jared’s new role model…he’s a climber.

Hey Mom…check out my new friends!

Speaking of new friends…

The Definition of Utter Darkness…

…an African, in a black suit, walking after dark in the middle of an unlit road (highway, street, thouroughfare, ect.).
No I am not kidding.
Going out in your car after dark here is an exercise in shear terror.
Since the majority of Kenyans do not drive they have little to no understanding of the limitations of vehicles and their operators.
Thus there is no hesitation to walk in, around, across, through the middle of a high speed road.
After dark, in a black suit. AAaaaaaahhhhhhhhh!
You’re driving along and suddenly you see a flash of white five feet in front of you and realize it’s the teeth of an African hollering at you for almost plowing him over…
I come bearing good news of neon clothing and reflectors.
Kenyan dress is very formal so until they come out with neon suit and tie combos I don’t think there will be much of a change.
Just the other day our garbage man brought to the door our monthly allotment of trash bag…dressed in suit and tie.
Our compound plumber arrives at work in suit and tie and simply puts coveralls over while he is working…and loses the coveralls once again to make the trek home.

If our white skin does not do a sufficient job of setting us out as Americans our casual dress certainly does. : )
Rahab usually inspects us before we leave for church…she also washes our shoes weekly.
I don’t think I’ve ever had my shoes washed before.

Lots of other firsts this week:
Jared is walking!! Like a typical second born he beat his sister’s ten month record and took off toddling two days before his ten month mark.
Keziah’s response alters between utter joy (now he can play with her) to utter dismay (now he can play with her toys).
And Seth, my handsome prince, has added age to his repertoire and now boasts the impressive achievement of 29 wise years.
I can remember when my Dad was in his thirties and now my husband is almost there…weird.
We had steak and whoopie pies to celebrate the momentous occasion. If you know what whoopee pies are I don’t have to say any more than “amazing”.
If you have no idea what a whoopie pie is all I can say is, next time you are in Pennsylvania, stop at the nearest farm and ask for one.

~Roadsign of the Week~
Sign posted on a building (possibly a church) just outside of Nairobi, “Maximum Miracle Center”. As opposed to the minimum and medium miracle centers down the street…ok just kidding on the last two.
Prosperity gospel is rampant here and it has been more than a little frustrating watching the horribly poor of Kenya be taken in by these false teachers.
All the more reason I suppose to preach the Gospel of the Savior.

~Food Find~
Grilled Goat Head. I was not there to witness this ghastly sight but while Seth was at lunch with a fellow missionary today they sat just across from the grill where a man was grilling a goat head…teeth, skin and all.
I presume it was to eat.
Seth said every so often the guy would take a huge knife and scrape some of the hairs off. No, Seth did not eat any.

Happy Sand Eater.

Little princess.

The pool at Tiwi…to the left you can see the swim up bar.

My Pool Boys.

Paradise Under African Skies

The welcome sign as we pulled into the resort drive was very welcome indeed.
After six months of culture shock, two months of 12 hour work days, a very, very long time with no “real” Mexican food, and an eight hour bus ride we arrived at our vacation spot.
We were greeted with cool wash clothes and glasses of fresh cold passion fruit juice…a very promising start.
Tiwi Beach Resort is located in Mombasa on the Indian Ocean – the coastal region of Kenya.
For those of you planning an African vacation in the near future I would HIGHLY recommend this place. After you come visit us that is.
We were able to get an amazing rate and booked six days of bumming on the beach with our kidlets.
Tiwi is an international resort with Europeans being the major vacationers. It was actually very odd to be back in a caucasian majority setting.
Seth was able to get out and snorkel, Kez and I visited the salon, we went shell hunting, used hot water on tap at all hours of the day, soaked up the beautiful sunshine, were blatant American tourists, swam in the pool, and laid on the beach.
Keziah was a regular ocean crab jumping waves like a pro but Jared took more of the sand flea route; very un-impressed with the noise and the waves. He did his best to become human glue whenever we ventured to the waters edge.
And the swimming pool…it was really more like three pools attached by a “river” with tile slides that went from one pool to the next. The main pool even has a swim up bar…I had to go order a non-alcoholic Pina-Colada just because it was so cool to be able to swim up and order.
Keziah in her little floaty swim suit was in heaven and woke up every morning asking to “go swimmin’ Momma?”
The food was European style which I must admit was different. Baked beans for breakfast just kind of threw me. Incredibly beautiful presentation though…I have never seen a more beautiful buffet line. They did have a Mexican night but all I can say is “ dude! Those Europeans have got to get down south a bit more.”
We met a young single American missionary girl who is stationed just four hours from Nairobi and were able to share some enjoyable dinners with her talking “American English” and being understood. : )

Anyway, all that to say we had a wonderful, relaxing, quiet, beautiful, enjoyable vacation on the beach and I can’t say thankyou enough to all of you who made it possible.

It makes all the difference in the world to be able to come back rested and restored.
For all of you that are taking your breaks at this summer season I pray that your vacation is everything for you that ours was for us.

~Roadsign of the week~
Sign seen painted on the gate of a mosque near our home “Welcome, pay first.” I don’t know if you have to pay to get in, or what the sign is in fact referring to but it certainly gave me some pause and caused a bit of reflection.
How wonderful it is to belong to the God that says “Come on in, I’ve already paid for you”.

~Food Find~
Grilled Fillet of Barracuda. Need I say more? For all of you sea food lovers out there, this truly is one of God’s master pieces. Delicious. They grilled it right in front of you on the buffet line over a jiko (small charcoal fire pot…the way of cooking for the majority of Kenyans). No sauce needed here, a taste sensation all on its own.

Beach Bums

Momma and Jared…the human super glue.

Room Service!
These guys were everywhere and even tried to heist a banana off me.

Keziah was just sure that this was the boat from “Finding Nemo” and had to tell everyone that came by that “Nemo tutsed da butt”.

Kez and Daddy…swimming in a tropical paradise.