Seth & Hannah

Home again, home again…our Kenya home that is

As Seth reported the other day…all was well the week of the Uganda Trip. Seth had the opportunity to teach during the conference while they were there and gave a 3 hour class on the history of missions.
He really enjoyed the trip (took amazing pictures) and though we missed him (dreadfully) we were all ok at home. Thankyou all for your prayers…I never like being away from Seth and in a different country it seemed even more daunting but the Lord was faithful to us. The time passed quickly and there were no major mishaps.
I did have to brace up my womanly courage and deal with the nasty, furry, slimy, gray wormy creature climbing up the sink in my bathroom but in the end I was the conquering hero and said creature has never been heard from since.

This last week has been an adventure in potty training!! Oh yeah! We have been having a difficult time finding diapers Keziah’s size. It seems the only brand we can find on a regular basis are very expensive and just happen to be produced by Al Jizeera (sp?), not exactly an organization we want to be supporting. So, needless to say, the time has come for Keziah and Momma to spend some time in the bathroom. Praise the Lord for tile floors!
She’s doing fairly well for having a Mother who is at a total loss as to the mysteries of potty training (all suggestions and advice are very welcome) and is especially taking to the M&M rewards that come with “goin’ potty”.
Pray for us. That we survive this step of child-hood…we don’t really have any other choice but to persevere, but pray that all involved come through unscarred. : )

New guards on our compound. We have set out befriending them with cold sodas and hot Mandazis. Pray for them (and us) as we seek to impact them for the Lord. Justice & Justin are the night guards and Patrick & Collins are the day guards.

~Roadsign of the Week~
Sign seen in Uganda, “Schmuck’s Investments”! : ) Now there’s a company to put money behind! Oh, the power of idioms! Those little cultural sayings that vary, not with language so much, as with culture. The other day I explained to Rahab what I meant by calling Keziah a “booger”. She was more than a little amused and considering the day we were having had to agree with me.

~Food Find~
Dorman’s Coffee. Can anyone tell me if they have Dorman’s in the States…if not I will be transporting large amounts. I’m a sucker for good coffee (I grew up minutes away from Seattle, its to be expected) but now I think I have become an addict! Brewed just right this stuff is INCREDIBLE!

Toilet training masters (in the making),
Seth & Hannah and our slightly drippy crew Kez & Jared

At the source of the Nile River.

Overlooking the Rift Valley.
This valley starts here in Kenya and wanders all the way to Israel.

Man selling charcoal. Yes, there is a bike under all that.

They stopped Seth on the road here and demanded that he come sign the book. : )

To Uganda and Beyond

Due to unseen circumstances Hannah is unable to write the normal beautifully written and executed Road signs for this week. Please bear with me on this one…
This past week has been a crazy one we want to thank everyone who has been praying for us during the time I was away in Uganda. Things went great in Uganda and at home. Hannah had a full week with moving to the Germo’s and watching their three year old daughter Ellie while Nancy was out of town daily for a nursing conference.
On the ministry end Dan and I had the opportunity to speak at a 5 day conference on mission mobilization for ELIM Pentecostal Church a denomination in Uganda. There was a huge response to the new found knowledge they began to see the great commission as a church mandate not a mandate from Christ to the Western world. We are hoping the excitement we saw there will not die off but grow in this group.
The kids are doing great and as we have enjoyed the week with Paul Hartford our supervisor from the US we are ready for the day of rest that is coming soon. Today we attempted a trip up country but we were forced back to Nairobi with electrical issues on the 4-runner.
I did see a funny road sign this week but Hannah will fill you all in about that soon enough. We love you all and wish to know your prayer concerns. Please feel free to write and let us know if there is anything we can petition the Father on your behalf about. We miss you all and are looking forward to your replies as usual…

Seth, Hannah, kez, and jared

An Average Day

One Day In Kenya

Morning breaks to the sound of the Muslim call to prayer that is broadcast over the loadspeaker from the Mosque five blocks down from us and get up whenever the kids manage to pry us out of bed while bellowing for their Weetabix (the Kenyan breakfast of Champions).

Seth’s days generally revolve around working with the FTT office or preparations for the future Global Intern Site that Bethany is starting here in January.
FTT stands for Finish The Task. It is an organization for Kenyans by Kenyans equipping Christians for Missions.

I am at home with the kids. Rahab (our wonder of a house-helper) comes four times a week to help out with house work and teach me Kenyan culture and culinary fare. Lately we’ve been trying to make friends with the other Mommas and children in our compound and keep the guards happy with freshly made Mandazis (the Kenyan equivalent to the doughnut) and tea.

Seth is often home in the late afternoon and we generally spend the evenings at home relaxing occasionally taking a trip to the corner Dookah …that would be our soda stop. : )

Monday and Friday evenings are supper and Swahili lessons with friends Pastor Karanja and Joyce.

By 7:00 we are at home for the night. The sun goes down at 7 (year round) and being out after dark is not a wise choice here.

So on the rare day that there is no unexpected circumstance (such as the random sprained knee/car problem/gas leak in the stove/canceled meetings) that is what our day would look like.
By the way thankyou all for your prayers for Keziah. It was a sprain and she is healing up nicely. Her limp is completely gone today and she is back to her extremely active self…just a little more cautious on wet tile floors.

This next week Seth and Dan Germo will be traveling to Uganda to do some teaching at a Missions Training School…Please keep us all in your prayers. Pray for Seth to be a blessing and to be blessed through it. He will be teaching two 90 minute classes on the history of missions. Pray that he is able to prepare and communicate what needs to be heard and that he won’t get too nervous.
Pray for me and the munchkins. We will be staying with Nancy Germo and helping out there as she has a nursing conference scheduled the same week. Pray that we will be a blessing to her and that the time will pass quickly while our guys are away.
Pray for the safety of all of us…the guys traveling and us (women and children) at home. It seems that often things go wrong when the Men are gone so please pray for the Lord’s protection and wisdom during this time.

~ Roadsign of the week ~
Hand painted on a crude wooden sign “Road Works Ahead”.
As in working roads are so rare here that when there is one it is to be noted. : ) You think road construction in the States is bad!!! At least they do road construction! We’ve almost gotten lost in some of the pot-holes that are the roads around here. : )
There are actually roads in Kenya that have been on the maps for twenty years (or more) but have yet to be built.

~ Food Find ~
Hot Dog flavored chips. As you all have guessed, Seth and Keziah are avid fans. I think they just taste like Ketchup but all in all they “ain’t that bad”! I personally go for the grilled meat flavored chips or Nyama Choma Crisps.

Whoever said modern art had no purpose?

A little bit of the security system that is everywhere in Nairobi

Bird in the trees…
Kenyan birds are much bigger and louder.

Kez Update

Thank you for praying and responding to our e-mails were very grateful
to know that we are connected with our friends and family. Keziah is
doing better after some thought and another day we realized she has
most likely sustained a sprin to her knee. She slipped on the floor
the other night and landed funny. There has been no fever or redness
so the Doctor is thinking it is only a sprain. Today as the day
progresed she began to move about more not walking but crawling a
little and scooching. Please continue to pray for us as she heals up
and we will keep you all posted as we know more

In Him

seth

Please Pray…

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

Hannah’s Hair-raising Adventure

Yes, for those of you who have been inquiring, I did cut my hair. About three weeks before we left for Nairobi I donated approximately 18 inches to Locks of Love; an organization that makes wigs for kids with cancer. I do miss my long hair at times but am loving the ease, the lack of weight and heat, and the small amount of water (: ) needed for washing that my short hair has been.

I’ve never had short hair in my life and was somewhat surprised to find that minus all the weight I have curly hair! I guess now we know where Keziah got it. I’ve shocked quite a few people and (I think) offended a few but Seth loves my new look and I am definitly enjoying the advantages of it. I can actually let Keziah play with it now and not have to spend an hour untangling it afterwards. : )

So, wonder no longer. I am a changed woman. In the hair department anyway…and in my appreciation of water but that’s a different topic.

All in a (3) days work…

2-15-07

Today has been one of those way too frustrating days. Today we had hopes to have security doors installed. So we were grounded to our house waiting for the workmen to come. Rahab came and worked through the morning while we waited for them to arrive.

It was a crazy thing to sit in anticipation of a call or the arrival of a work crew to put in the doors. Tomorrow I am supposed to be in the office and so I was hopeful for everything to be in place so Hannah would feel safe and I would have no worries of her at home with the kids.

So here I am this evening writing this saying that I wasted a day and I know this is a western feeling but it still is a real feeling that has to be worked through. In the end the workmen came, dropped off the doors and the tools, and left. I tried to get them to stay and do at least 1 door but no dice. Hannah and I have had a few movies to watch and this will be a great distraction from the day. In Africa nothing happens fast except crime. Note to self.

12-16-07

The day of mass craziness as it was heralded quickly changed into the day of patient(?) waiting. Little to anyone’s knowledge there was a 12 hour scheduled power outage. No power for the workmen to use their power tools to get the doors installed. Oh, the relentlessness of life.

I was supposed to watch the workmen finish the doors by 3 so we could go pick-up the furniture that was supposed to be finished a week ago. The furniture will not be done till “tomorrow”. So here I am at the end of the day with security doors finally (because of a generator that arrived at 4) but with a whole boat load of tools in my spare room. Hannah had quite a day as we are getting low on groceries and I was stationed watching 3 workmen talk and so couldn’t leave.

We had a long evening without water or power. Hannah and I are beat, down cast, and to top it all our friend said “well this day has been depressing�?. Making us feel like complete failures. God is good, but I’m done with this day.

12-17-07

Well the tools got picked-up at the crack of dawn so I was up to arrange 4 strange men in my house but I was glad to see the small equipment gone and the doors basically completed minus paint.

It is also very nice that up to know there has been no bill (yet) which I am dreading but, good news about that! I’ll pay the bill now but deduct it out of the rent later because the land-lord was pleased with the gates and decided she wants us to leave them here for her. I wasn’t going to take them when we left (don’t quite fit the carry on regulations) so it was a fair trade in my mind.

Groceries were the focus of the day and Hannah’s world brightened as we walked through the store picking out the needed items from the store. The afternoon was spent together as a family between naps and some down time for Hannah and I, we were glad to have a break from this week. It is Saturday and we’re very glad that the next week although not completely figured out should bring a refreshing wave of rest for us. Dan is supposed to get back on Wednesday so until then it is all about going and figuring out the necessary issues at FTT and recovering before the chaos begins.

The Many Lives of a Pail of Water…

How many uses can you get out of a pail of water? Here’s what I found:

1. Use bucket of water to wet and rinse your hair.

2. Take that same bucket of water to soap your clothes saving out a small portion to wash your child or let her wash the walls/clothes/toys/entertain herself.

3. When finished washing clothes, use the water to mop the floor.

4. Last, but definitly not least, use that same bucket of water to flush the toilet.

And that, my dear friends, is a good look at “normal” water usage for many people on this earth. Having been born and raised in Washington State, water shortages are a new (not so wonderful) experience for me and I am learning fast how to make the most of little water.

So, tonight as you brush your teeth, thank the Lord for all the safe, clean, running water you have used today. Its not something to take for granted. : )

Streams in the Desert

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.

Cool, Pure, Water…

Please pray that we get water soon. No don’t worry we are not wasting away in a parched dessert. What I mean is that the water meter has not arrived in our beautiful new flat. Thus we are “jerry canning it” (ie. borrowing water by the jerry can full from our gracious neighbors).

All the paperwork has been done, money paid, ect. And this is where the corrupt government/bereaucracy fits in the picture. Unless you have a lot of weight in the government (money, family, friend of the water meter people) you can end up waiting up to a month for them to simply come out to your flat and hand over the meter.

We’ve had many people tell us to just wait till night, fit in a piece of pipe, fill the tanks, and then take out the pipe. “They’ll never know, hey I can do it for you!”… Which is very tempting at 9:00 at night when a hot, full, bubbly bath sounds wondrous….forget bath just to flush the toilet every time its used would seem like such richness. But we want to live honestly and example Christ in every area. So we’re waiting… : ) God has given us grace to handle this situation but please pray that water comes soon! We don’t want to outwear our welcome at the neighbors and it just would make life a lot easier to have ready water.

Its amazing how much of life requires water…and its amazing how for granted you take it until its not there anymore. I think I am becoming a master water conserver. I wonder how that would look on my resume’. Or on my tombstone: Here lies Hannah Jankovsky; she sure could conserve water. : )

Ok, that was a little morbid but you’ve got to laugh at somethings or you’ll just end up getting very depressed. : )

Thankyou for all your prayers. You’ll never know how much it means to us that we are being held up in prayer; even in the (seemingly) trivial things. And what a Great God we serve to know that He cares about the little things in life.