02.27.07
Posted in RoadSigns at 11:20 am by Hannah
Please keep us in your prayers.
Keziah seems to have developed an infection in her knee. We visited
the Docter today and there are a few explanations for her symptoms
(warm swollen knee, fever, pain - won’t put weight on her knee) but
the most likely is infection.
The Doctor told us to observe her for 24 hours and if it doesn’t
improve to come back in for blood test and prescriptions. He said its
not an emergency situation (she’ll be ok for the night) but to come in
if it doesn’t subside over the next few hours.
We are doing ok. Keziah is fine so long as her knee is not moved,
which has slowed her down quite a bit but she’s enjoying the extra
attention. : ) Especially the ice cream.
Pray that we are all able to get some sleep tonight - last night was very long.
Pray that she begins to heal on her own or that the diagnosis and
treatment tomorrow go smoothly.
Pray that Seth and I (me especially) are able to be peaceful for Keziah.
We are so thankful that we caught whatever this is early and that we
had the connections to a good pediatrician, for the Germos (our
supervisors) who have made this a much less stressful experience, and
for all of you who keep us in your prayers.
We’ll update you as soon as we know more.
Love and thanks,
Seth & Hannah, Keziah and Jared
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02.22.07
Posted in RoadSigns at 11:45 am by Hannah
WE HAVE WATER! Today at about 4:00pm the meter was fitted and our apartment was no longer a water free zone.
For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about here’s the skinny: We have been in our flat for about 3 weeks. In all that time we have been borrowing water by the barrel full from our very gracious neighbors.
Apparently the officials at the city council noted our very non-Kenyan names on the application for a water meter and decided to stall the process (possibly trying for a bribe). And so we have been waiting…this morning they gave up the wait and we were the joyous recipients of a water meter and our big beautiful apartment now has water. : )
We are thoroughly enjoying being on our own in our new home. It is so beautiful; sunny, big, and warm…we have a guest room too should any of you come to visit. : ) We feel a bit lost in all the space but I think we’ll get used to it.
Rahab (the angel who does our laundry by hand) comes three times a week to help around the house and keep us from making any huge cultural blunders. House-help here is extremely cheap and culturally expected. The Kenyans are perplexed as to why we don’t have full-time (live-in) house help while I often have a hard time figuring out what to have Rahab do in the time that she is here. She has promised to teach me some good Kenyan cookin’ though which I am looking forward to.
I think she gets a good laugh out of us Muzungus (white people) and is often mystified at our strange ways. She was astonished to hear that Americans try to cook with little fat in order to stay thin…Big is beautiful in Kenya and she just couldn’t understand why Americans would want to be skinny. We’ve had fun comparing cultural differences with her.
~ Roadsign of the Week ~
“Power is nothing without control”.
It’s a tire sign that is posted everywhere in Nairobi…which I have found rather ironic the last three weeks considering our water situation but it’s a good thought anyway.
~ Food Highlight ~
Cadbury Drinking Chocolate. What more can be said? We got some this week at the store…its not very sweet but rich and chocolatey all the same. Seth said all the Kenyans he’s had it with add sugar and milk to it.
And I must close before you all give up and stop reading. : ) Thank you to all of you who have been writing to us via email/skype. Its been such an encouragement to us an has kept us going more than once. Seth and I both hover over the computer and feel all warm and fuzzy (and occasionally teary) as we read the news from home. So, thanks.
Lots of love, keep praying, Water conservationists in the making,
Seth & Hannah, Keziah and Jared
Our dining room.
We saved money on chairs and made the table Kez height.
Our lovely kitchen.
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02.14.07
Posted in RoadSigns at 10:10 am by Hannah
As I type this Keziah is sitting at the table watching Veggie Tales and chowing down on a passion fruit. For those of you who have never had the privilege of tasting this fruit it is a bit sour, crunchy, slippery…you’d have to taste it. It’s a bit of a sensory overload for me. Anyway, all that to say the pucker on Keziah’s face is quite priceless. She won’t eat the mangos or the plums (both quite sweet) but apparently she’s happy with the slightly sour passion-fruit.
She is also a connoisseur of Ethiopian food. We went out to an authentic Ethiopian place for her birthday and after filling her tummy she danced around the restaurant. She also enjoyed the music. : ) I also enjoyed the food (greatly) but Seth and Jared both agreed that it couldn’t out-do chicken nuggets. : )
Please pray for us as God brings us to your minds. We are thoroughly enjoying life here…but at the same time all the beauty surrounding us is punctuated by crime, poverty, and bizarre accidents that remind you how frail life is.
We know that God has called us here in this time and thus can fully trust His protection. But it is odd to have a friend speak of being mugged the night before as no big deal. A death announced at church (a young newly married woman) is met by no shocked gasps and whispers but rather simple resignation.
Car accidents are a regular occurrence, which might have something to do with the way people drive here…you’d never know what the traffic laws were let alone that there are any by watching people drive.
It is not that life is treated with less respect it is just that it seems so much more fragile here.
God has given us much grace even in the few incidents that we have faced and enabled us to live confidently. However, if God should bring us to your minds, please take a moment to pray for us…the importance of prayer is so much more obvious here. Or maybe it is just the new circumstances we needed to shake us out of our complacent security. Surroundings here definitely cause you to look for something stronger, bigger, more powerful than yourself.
Our hope is to share that security, The Security, with those around us. Pray that we will be a witness even in our every day lives.
Road-sign of the week: “Polite Notice: No Parking.” Have I ever mentioned how much more formal Kenyan society is…even in their traffic signs. : ) This one just made me laugh.
Reliant on Christ:
Seth & Hannah, Keziah and Jared
P.S. For those of you who have been checking our website I apologize for the lack of pictures…I am having a snag in the uploading process but am working on getting it figured out. Feel free to check out all the journals though as well as “Seth’s Two Cents” to get Seth’s side of the picture.
Our smokin’ deal of a car.
Keziah’s 2nd birthday!
Helping with the laundry.
Keziah with our friend and house help Rahab.
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02.08.07
Posted in RoadSigns at 5:32 pm by Hannah
Don’t have much time as my battery is running low but here’s the news…
Singing is fun with friends.
Jared with Pastor Karanja and Joyce.
We are online! Thus you should be hearing from us much more often.
We are reaching the end of our set-up phase and very much looking forward to being settled in our new flat and getting into a regular pattern of life.
In Kenya everything runs at a much slower pace…consequently at times it seems like every little thing takes forever! But we are learning to slow down our “American Rush Syndrome” and just enjoy the process…especially since there’s not much else we can do.
Our flat is a lovely little apartment in a compound we have affectionately titled “the concrete jungle”. Due to the fact that the compound it is in is mainly concrete. Housing choices here are made mainly on security issues and all dwellings are built in compounds complete with walls, fences, razor wire and security guards.
However despite the high crime rates the greater majority of Kenyans are very friendly.
Kenyan seems to be centered very much around the family. Everyone here LOVES children…as in everyone, everyone.
Strangers on the street, the grocery store clerk, the visiting electrician, and the crowd of teens you pass in the store will all coo and smile at your baby, ask his or her name, age and if they can hold him. One of the worst things in the world is an unhappy baby or child. At any sign of tears they will do everything possible to bring back the smiles.
All mothers are very respectfully called Mama (first child’s name). So I (Hannah) am called “Mama Keziah”. And as a mother there is a lot of consideration given by society. How can you not love a society like that?
When we first arrived at the Nairobi airport and were waiting at the back of a mile long visa line an official passing by saw us and said “You have small children. It is not good for you to wait.” She then escorted us to the front of the line. Have I mentioned that I am enjoying Kenya? : )
Keziah and Jared are both doing quite well. Keziah loves it here and is a friend to any and every Kenyan (yes she is quite popular) and is already starting to pick up a British accent. Jared has started down the road to mobility…he rolled over for the first time. He’s also started laughing…it is so cute! Baby laughter has to be one of the sweetest sounds in the world.
And speaking of sweet sounds!!! There are many opinions of what the worship in heaven will sound like…I am firmly convinced that a good portion of it will be somewhat like what we are treated to every Sunday here. God has truly given the Kenyan people the gift of song… There are few sounds more joyous in exuberant worship than a Kenyan church. It s a beautiful thing. And this email is getting much to long so more later,
Hannah
For more on our adventure, Seth’s thoughts on Kenya, contact info (yes, you can call us) and prayer requests check out our website: Sethandhannah.com Which I will be updating as soon as I charge my battery.
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