Roasted Maize in Athi River

First, Phil and Judy want to thank the more than 2 dozen people who wrote encouraging emails after our last blog posting. YOU are appreciated and may God richly bless you for praying for us!

Judy took this favorite photo of a popular roasted maize stand in Athi River through the bus window, as she is a bit uncomfortable photographing people and scenes without asking permission--and then it's hard to get candid shots. Please double click on this photo to enlarge for full impact.

To quote from the Lonely Planet, "even in the dustiest shanty towns life is lived to the full." This is certainly exhibited in this photo.

Banana Cart in Athi River

We thought this photo would give you a little of the feeling of downtown Athi River. (Judy took the photo unobserved from the bus window.) Notice the very flashy motorbike in the background. Young men in this area have these bikes (though they also use bicycles) and pay for them by providing taxi service. We usually have 6-8 of these motorbikes going back and forth carrying mostly students from the Daystar entrance to the main road (about 3 miles). They charge from Ksh 20 to 40 one way (26 to 52 cents).

Shirley & Roger Brown

On Saturday, 21 Feb, we went in to Nairobi on the Daystar bus to have lunch with Roger and Shirley Brown at their home next to the Tumaini Counselling Centre. (Tumaini means hope in Kiswahili.) Shirley and their younger daughter, Hannah, picked us up at the Daystar city campus and took us to their home and centre in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi named for Karen Blixen of Out of Africa). Roger is a psychiatrist and director of the centre which is jointly operated by Africa Inland Mission (AIMCare) and Wycliffe (SIL). They provide counselling services to missionaries and missionary families from 180 mission organizations. Shirley Cadwell Brown is a graduate of the Roberts Wesleyan College nursing program, so is known to many of you. Their older daughter, Rachel, is at Taylor University in Indiana. Hannah is a high-school senior who will also be in college in the States in the fall.

As Shirley was taking us to the YaYa Centre for shopping after lunch, we met a motorcade with Kenyan President Kibaki. She quickly pulled off onto the shoulder, as did all the other cars in front of us and behind us. Shirley didn't come to a complete stop immediately and an agent in the motorcade pointed to her indicating that she should stop completely. She then turned off the engine, which is also required. This will probably be as close as we come to the President.

Zipporah & Ann

On 11 Feb. Judy had Zipporah and Ann come to the flat for tea. On 19 Feb. they took Judy on an extensive tour of all the women's hostels (dorms) at Daystar Athi River. The hostel rooms are really quite typical of any dorm room in a small college in the U.S. -- bunk beds, a desk, storage units, and four in a room. What is different are painted concrete floor (easier to keep clean with all our dust and mud during the rainy season); large containers of water in and around the rooms to be used for flushing toilets and taking bucket showers when there is no piped water; and a laundry courtyard at the center of each hostel (complete with a row of sinks and clotheslines). Each hostel also has a study room with tables and chairs, plus a small TV lounge.

Zipporah and Ann surprised Judy by hosting a small tea in one of their rooms. It was humbling to be treated to homemade (by Zipporah) mandazis (a small fried dough) and the milky sweet tea (called chai). They had invited a couple of other women students to join us and we had an informative time of exchanging stories about safety in Nairobi. Each woman had at least one tale to tell of having something stolen or their safety being threatened; this was for the benefit of keeping Judy safe. One woman asked if she as a Kenyan would stand out in NYC the way Judy stands out as a mzungu (white) here in Kenya. Judy assured her in NYC she wouldn't even be noticed; however, in Rochester she might be noticed when she began speaking :-) Judy then shared some funny stories about American cultures.

Aloe Vera Plant in Bloom

Even though it has been extremely dry and dusty, some of the desert plants are blossoming around the Athi River campus. The plants seem to be just like these hardy, persistent Kenyans who blossom even in the midst of sometimes very difficult conditions. In this photo, Judy's long skirt and long sleeves are strictly for sun protection. She took her hat off for the photo, so you could see her new very short haircut. Both she and Phil got very short haircuts while they were in Mombasa as they weren't sure when they would next see someone to do haircuts.

A rainy season usually begins in March. There is actually famine in the southern part of Kenya because the rains didn't come last October/November. Pray for rain!

You Helped Margaret

Margaret is a young Maasai student at Daystar who is a Community Development major. (This is a program that deals with water supplies and purification; alternate energy sources e.g., solar and manure producing methane gas; agriculture projects, etc.) This week we (from the Pearce Church fund) gave a small one-time scholarship to Margaret. She and her husband live in the married couples' hostel (dorm) close to our housing unit.

Phil & Students

This photo was taken during a break in Phil's Electricity & Magnetism class. There are 31 students in the class. Most of them are second-year Computer Science majors. The other class of 50 students is a general education course in Physical Science required of all students. Both classes are doing well, in spite of the fact that some adjustments were necessary because quite a number of students didn't enter the courses until the third or fourth week. One student entered in the fifth week. The students are very friendly and both of us enjoy interacting with them. We also enjoy worshipping with them in chapel on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.

Joyce, Lucy, & Judy's Culture Shock

Joyce (the lady on the left) is the one we pay to do our laundry and some of our house cleaning once a week. Her husband left her some time ago and she is raising two children. Joyce and Lucy are active in a small Anglican church just outside our campus. They currently live with Phyllis and Jon Masso, while Joyce is attending college classes. On Sunday, Phil and Judy gave Joyce and Lucy 2 of the 12 t-shirts we had brought. This was in celebration of Lucy (14 yrs old) leaving on Monday (16 Feb) for an Anglican boarding school. Lucy was one of the top students in her grade 8 class and earned a scholarship to be able to attend a private high school.

I (Judy is writing) have been somewhat overwhelmed with the plight of women in Kenya. This past week I had two of Phil's female students for afternoon tea. It is quite different to read about things such as wife inheritance than to actually talk with the women affected. Wife inheritance happens when a woman's husband dies. She is expected to become the wife of a brother-in-law. If he is good, he takes care of her children. Any land/possessions involved goes to the husband's family. If she doesn't cooperate with this custom (which they tell me is more common in western Kenya), she loses the land/possessions anyway and maybe even her children.

One of the young women told me her father had 3 wives. He died when she was 8 years old and her family was again assimilated into the community of relatives. Trying to be positive, I pointed out that at least there is provision in community. But, she strongly pointed out how different my widowhood had been in the States; that my husband's relatives didn't take my property at the death of my husband and I didn't lose that when I decided to marry Phil. They also told me that in the courts culture wins out over a will. This was a real eye opener for me. These two very intelligent women students will be part of the change here in Kenya.

On Saturday, Phyllis Masso and I took Joyce and Lucy shopping in Athi River, in preparation for Lucy's departure for boarding school. To my surprise, two of the purchases were a 20-gal bucket with a lid and an aluminum plate and cup. Lucy will use the bucket to do her laundry, etc., while she will wash and take care of her own eating utensils.

While we were shopping in Athi River (which is an amazing maze of small shops on dirt, trash strewn roads) Judy observed a small boy of about 2 1/2 years pull down his pants and use the dirt as a toilet. The mother calmly came out of the shop, wiped his bum, swept dirt over the pile and then swept it into a dust pan for disposal. I was glad to see that they care about disposal.

On our way home, one of Phyllis' car tires blew; actually the tire radials separated and the rubber shredded. Three Kenyan men quickly came to our rescue and changed the tire. Fortunately we had a spare as Phyllis said they'd had 3 punctures in 3 weeks. Joyce told us the men said to her, "You'd better tell those mzungus (whites) to pay us good." We gave each Ksh 50 (about 65 cents) and they left very happy.

Being honest-- For the past week I have been feeling like "I'm ready to go home." I remember reading that the joy of newness wears off after about 6-8 weeks and culture shock sets in (I'm there). Thankfully you then press on and eventually a deeper sense of appreciation of the people sets in (I'll get there). It is interesting to me that Phil isn't dealing with things at the same level as me. I tell him it's because of his math/science, even-keeled personality. We're a good team!

Ladies on the Beach

Judy captured this scene of two Kenyan ladies walking on the beach in front of our hotel. One of the women had a baby strapped on her back, although that is not easily seen in the photo. This is a very common sight here. We are enjoying mangos like those you see (if you enlarge the photo) in the tub on her head. They are delicious, and we usually pay 20 Kenyan shillings (26 cents) for one large mango. On the other hand all kinds of meat are very expensive. We are taking advantage of the fact that a good variety of fresh fruits and vegetables is available at a very reasonable price.

Bamburi Beach

This beautiful stretch of beach is in front of the White Sands Hotel where we stayed. It is just a few kilometers north of the city of Mombasa, the second largest city in Kenya. Being at sea level and near the equator, the weather was quite warm and humid. The vegetation is lush, with beautiful flowers and trees. Many of the palm trees on the hotel grounds were loaded with coconuts. A sign on the grounds reads, "Don't feed the monkeys."

Two Philips and Education

We spent some time talking with a group of school children while they were on their lunch break. One of the boys said his name was Philip and so Judy had to take a photo of the two Philips. Many of the children have Bible names which are given at baptism. Notice on this photo what the uniform is for this particular school. Each school has a separate uniform which the parents must purchase.

Although education isn't compulsory, it is of primary concern to Kenyans (with the literacy rate currently at 85%--which is high for Africa). Many parents and children make sacrifices so that children can be in private schools. Public schools are free BUT parents still have to pay school fees, buy uniforms, purchase school materials, and provide transportation. For some this is a large burden.

In our neighborhood, we've observed children catching the bus at 5:30 a.m. to take them to private schools in Athi River and some even to Nairobi. These same children return at 6:30 to 7 p.m. They leave home in the dark and return at dusk. They have very little waking time with their families. Even the little kindergarten girl, who is part of a Kenyan family that lives in a flat beside us, leaves on the bus at 7:30 a.m. and doesn't return until 5:30 p.m. It is also common for children, particularly of high school age, to attend private boarding schools for their education.

Camels at Mombasa

We thought you might enjoy seeing the camels on Bamburi beach. There are three heads in the photo. The camels were used to give rides to tourists; Phil and Judy did not take a ride as the fee was a bit high and they didn't feel like haggling over the price. The saddles are quite elaborate.

Mombasa Sewing Skills

This lovely lady is part of the WEEP center in Mombasa. She is Muslim by faith. One doesn't need to be Christian to be part of the WEEP program; but, they come into the program knowing it is fully Christian. It is a good tool for showing non-Christians the life of Christ in the believer. Judy spent some time talking with this woman's two daughters--ages 15 & 17. They were both dressed in the full-cover, black shapeless dresses with black shawls over their heads. We had no idea why the mother doesn't dress like that also. The husband/father died of AIDS and the woman is HIV positive. The two daughters are not infected. Judy had the opportunity of spending time with the girls when the other young people went swimming at the pool during the medical team activities. These two girls obviously couldn't get into the water and were sitting off by themselves. They were very welcoming to a conversation with Judy. The topics ranged from goals in life (one wants to be a journalist and the other an airline hostess), to school, to boys. They wanted to know if Judy had sons and were they available. Typical teenagers :-)

Please Write to Us!

February 3 we celebrated Phil's birthday. Judy baked cookies (instead of a cake) for the 30 students in Phil's class that day. We all sang happy birthday to Professor Ogden. (This Wednesday she will bake cookies for the 50 students in Phil's other class.) We'd love to hear from you either on this blog OR send us an email at philandjudyogden@gmail.com! Our hotmail account hasn't been working here, so please use this gmail address. We're hungry for news from our family and friends. We have no TV or newspaper here at our flat.

Please continue to keep us in your prayers and thoughts!

Your Dollars at Work

For those of you who have contributed to our missions ministry fund at Pearce Church, some of your money was used for our recent trip with the medical team to Mombasa. Mombasa is on the Indian Ocean, southeast of Nairobi. On Thursday it took 9 hours of driving in a large safari-type vehicle to reach Mombasa. The ocean area of Mombasa is beautiful, and at some point we'll post a few photos, but right now we'll concentrate on the mission of this trip. These 3 children were outside the fence watching us unload supplies at the HEART WEEP (Women Equality Empowerment Project) center in Mombasa.

Phil Gave Eye Tests

On Friday we spent the day at the Mombasa WEEP center. All of the women at this center are HIV positive, but their lives have dramatically changed for the better since becoming part of WEEP. During the day we gave various exams to these women and charted the results so that the medical doctor on our team had the info for his exam. Phil had the women read the eye chart and then also close-up print in a book. We had brought along eye glasses purchased at a dollar store in the US for these folks. Phil also did these eye tests on Saturday for the children bused to our hotel.

Judy Gave Medical Tests & Bible Teaching

In Mombasa, Judy was involved with various parts of the program. In this photo Judy is using dip sticks to test the urine of the WEEP ladies. She recorded the results on the chart which went with them to the medical doctor.

In the afternoon, Judy gave a teaching based on the prodigal son in Luke 15. This was adapted to these women. She called the teaching "The Lost Daughter of the King." It was a teaching of hope and restoration.

Dr. Tweet Examined 45 People

While in Mombasa, the HEART team (3 from CA, 1 from CO, Phil and Judy, Vickie Winkler the HEART director, and our Kenyan driver) stayed in a beautiful hotel. Before you shake your head in disbelief, let us tell you what happened. Even though it was expensive for us on the team to pay to stay there, the hotel allowed us to bus in 45 people on Saturday to use the hotel facilities for the day. This included their playground, an area where we did arts and crafts, a pool with a water slide and a luncheon for everyone. (The hotel did not charge a fee for the children to eat lunch.) These women and children live only about 15 minutes from this hotel, but had never experienced a treat such as this.

One of our bedrooms was set up as the examining room for Dr. Tweet (from the U.S.). We had a local Kenyan pharmacist donate his time so that medications we had brought along could be given to the women and children. According to law, this was necessary.

Teaching Basic Hygiene

During the morning on Saturday, while the medical tests and exams were happening, the team also had various activities for those women and children waiting their turn. In this photo Pam and Melanie are teaching how to properly brush teeth, using hand puppets. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were distributed to take home. They also taught handwashing and gave out bars of soap to take home. A fun craft was decorating a photo frame. We took digital photos of everyone present, printed out the photos on a printer we brought from the Nairobi HEART office, and gave these framed photos to each person to take home. Most of these people had never seen a photo of themselves. The lady on the left is Dalina; she was our interpreter for the craft area. Kiswahili is the major language spoken by these women and children--though many had the basics of English.

Hope for the Next Generation

When we were recently traveling in South Africa, Judy was sharing the passion she and Phil have for ministry in Africa. One of the tourists in our car skeptically asked, "Do you really think it will make any difference?"

Through God's help and grace, it will make a difference for this little boy. He will have a mother to raise him, instead of becoming a street child. Our HEART motto is on the back of the shirt of Dan, our team member from CO (a young single man). Can you read it? Knowledge=Power=Survival. Double click on the photo for enlargement.

Prayer Request

On Thursday through Saturday, we are going to be in Mombasa with a medical team (doctor and 3 assistants) from the US. The team is helping HEART by giving physical exams and basic care to women and children of the Mombasa WEEP (Women's Equality Empowerment Program) center. Please pray for us and the team as we minister to 8 widows and about 25 children at this center.


DID YOU KNOW? You can enlarge all photos on the blog by double-clicking on them.

Phil at Olive Branch

On Saturday, 31 Jan, John Parit met us at the Daystar Nairobi campus and then took us to see the Olive Branch Mission, where he is the director. As you can see from the sign, the mission is operated by the Free Methodist Church. The date 1867 on the sign refers to the founding by the FM Church of the original Olive Branch Mission, still in operation in Chicago. The mission here has several projects going. More than 200 women in the poverty areas in and around Nairobi are employed making jewelry and other items. John is from the Masai tribe and one of his projects involves helping the Masai to be more successful with their cattle. John is a very busy man with a big responsibility in the FM school near the mission, and as a lay leader in the Karen FM Church.

John & Dorcas Parit

Here you see John with his wife Dorcas. We haven't yet met their 3 children. Dorcas manages a shop in Karen where they sell jewelry and other items from the mission. After our tour of the mission, John and Dorcas took us to the Nairobi Java Junction for lunch. We had a great visit with them, and are impressed with all that they do.

WEEP Center in Muthare

Women's Equality Empowerment Program (WEEP) is a HEART ministry that concentrates on giving training (operating sewing machines and a loom) to 15 women in Muthare who have AIDS. There are 6 WEEP centers around Nairobi. In Muthare, these 15 women give care to 40 children. Along with taking their ARV medication, having good nutrition, and the hope that comes along with learning a trade while being employed, these women's lives are much better now than before coming to WEEP.

The previous week one of the women in this group lost her shack in a slum fire that wiped out a row of shacks. We (Phil, Judy, and 3 women from the U.S. HEART team) were going to this center to take her food, clothing, and supplies. We also spent a time of teaching and encouragement for all the women.

When Phil and Judy went up to Nairobi this week, they stayed at the home of Humberto (Beto) and Teri Paz. Beto is the Foursquare missions coordinator for all of Africa and the Middle East. Judy and Teri have been friends for awhile. Beto travels a lot and is right now away for 6 weeks. Teri graciously offered their guest bedroom as Phil and Judy's Nairobi dwelling.

Community Transformers

On Friday, 30 January, Phil and Judy joined 3 women from the U.S. (a small HEART team) to go into Muthare, one of the slum areas in Nairobi. We went with the purpose of supporting and giving training to about 30 young people who volunteer for a group called Community Transformers. This group was formed by a Muthare pastor during the turmoil in Kenya following the Dec 07 presidential election. These young people have pledged to be part of the solution instead of the problem.

We provided lunch consisting of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, along with pop and biscuits (cookies).

Little Girl in Muthare

The slum of Muthare is extreme poverty with massive crowds of people of all ages. This beautiful little girl was sitting outside her lean-to shack, along with her mother and 4 siblings. Thank God this family is one of those ministered to by the group Community Transformers.