Thursday morning we made a stop at the Lutheran Heritage Foundation in Karen to pick up Swahili catechisms for use in the schools we support. We talked with the men in charge of the LHF for a while and they described for us the translation work that they do of Lutheran materials (such as catechisms, the Book of Concord, various writings of Martin Luther, Lutheran pamphlets and tracts, hymnals, etc.) into various African languages and dialects. They do not charge for their materials, but send whatever is needed to churches and schools that request them. They sent us on our way with 50 Catechisms (the full-sized book kind which include questions and answers and Bible Passages) and 72 booklet-sized Small Catechisms.
We then made the long drive across central and western Kenya from the Nairobi area to the Kisii area.
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| The Great Rift Valley |
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| A “Curio” (gift) shop on the edge of the mountain road |
Along the way we drove on a steep mountain road overlooking the famous Great Rift Valley. The photos I took while the car was speeding down the mountain road to not do justice to just how vast and impressive the view of the valley actually is. There were many “curio” (gift) shops on the side of the side of the steep mountain, most of which looked like they were just about ready to slide right down the mountain at any moment! There were also many people on the sides of the road selling roasted maize (corn). In fact, on almost any road in Kenya (including busy, congested highways) you will find people on the sides of the road (or even between the lanes of traffic) selling many different items and various kinds of food (including live chickens!). Our driver noted that this mountain road was one of the most dangerous in Kenya. We certainly believed him. Driving/traveling on Kenyan roads is not for the faint of heart. We are thankful for our skilled driver–and thankful to the Lord for His protection!
Our trip was not completely uneventful, however, as we were pulled over twice by police. Once our driver was required to give the policeman “a little something” (cash) to avoid getting a speeding ticket. The next time we were pulled over a very stern looking policeman approached my window and asked Pastor Gurath and myself, “Are you Kenyans?” (Apparently he and I don’t look like Kenyans!). When we said “No,” he asked to see our “permits” (passports). We showed him our passports which have valid East Africa Tourist Visas affixed to them and he let us go. Once again, we are thankful for the Lord’s protection.
We arrived at our hotel near Kisii safely on Thursday evening after more than 7hrs in the car and met with Pastors Enosh and Joshua and chatted over a spicy hot ginger drink called “dawa” (which means “medicine” in Swahili). Even with a good amount of honey in it, it was very “spicy” with strong ginger, lemon, and garlic. It definitely cleared out the sinuses and lungs after a long and dusty day’s drive! We presented Pastor Enosh with a laptop that was supplied by the Mission Board to assist in his pastoral with his congregation and our Kinship school, St. David’s, in the small town of Etago.
- Pastor Luke
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