Wegner Family Website

Well, I must be close to the worst blogger in history, but for any who are stubbornly persistent, here is some information on where we live.

We currently live in Carline House which is the first floor of a duplex.  The walk to Rosslyn Academy takes about 15 minutes (house to classroom).

Above is a 180 degree panorama (hack-stitched) image of the yard and below is what we are driving – 3.0L turbo-diesel, 4-wheel drive automatic that seats 8 (so as to accomodate guests).

There is a cold going through the family, but other than that all is well with us.  The Kenyan shilling has dropped in value since we arrived, so we have seen significant increases in the price of groceries, etc.  Can’t complain about the weather.

I had the opportunity to travel to the Garissa area, about 5 hours east of Nairobi for the weekend of September 30 – October 2.  The church that meets on the Rosslyn campus (International Christian Fellowship) took up a special collection to help those suffering because of the drought.  I travelled up with about 15 others and then 12 more flew in just for the day on Saturday, October 1.  We were there to deliver about 400 family bags of food.

On Friday, those of us who drove endured 37°C temperatures, travelling about 25km south of Garissa to a mission station called Sombo where a Kenyan Assemblies of God missionary lives and works.  The station is along the largest river in Kenya and has a school, farm, and church.  The farm is irrigated by water pumped up from the river, stored in a huge concrete container, and then allowed to flow down troughs to water the plants.  Some of our group helped (on Saturday) place a water tank on a tower to be used to store water from a recently dug well.  The pump for the water tower will be solar powered, making it much more efficient than the system pumping water from the river.  The well water is also cleaner and better for drinking.  Among other plants they grow Moringa trees, sometimes called a miracle tree because of its amazing range of nutrient and life-giving properties.  It sounds like all parts of the tree—flowers, leaves, bark, pods, etc.—are incredibly good for us.  A Google search will tell you much more.

After spending the night in Garissa (air conditioned rooms, thankfully), we dropped 100 family packs of food at the mission.  We then travelled past the mission station to a village where we were expecting to deliver two food bags to each family from two villages: one Kenyan and one Somali.  We found people from four villages waiting.  After the “elders” from our group (group leaders, men with white hair, and the man with a red beard—apparently among Muslims, those who have read the Koran colour their beards red) met with the tribal elders, some of the people sang and danced before the elders addressed the crowd.  Pastor Dave (Sombo missionary) then explained that we were bringing food in the name of Jesus, and we began the distribution.  We were really too many people for the small amount of work that was involved, but it was great to be there to witness the giving.

I really did not realize how I had been impacted until Monday morning when went to school and felt the culture shock of having been with people who would spend their Monday struggling to survive and I would be teaching Math.  Initially, it made teaching Math seem trivial.  But then I remembered a story told by one of the team members.  Before the food distribution began, some of the women were singing.  According to a student from the Sombo school, they were singing “We did not receive an education, but our children can—let the white people come!”  God cares about our physical need for food and water.  God has also created us to fulfill what Nancy Pearcy calls our cultural mandate:  being fruitful and multiplying, filling the earth and subduing it.  This involves building and contributing to societies.  It involves teaching and learning.  I was also reminded that right now, there is a rock in the farthest corner of the universe that exists because God chose to create it and because he sustains it by continuing to consciously think about it.  What could be more trivial than that?!  Apparently God does not think it trivial.  It brings him joy as it reflects his creative beauty.  Mathematics shows the beauty of the mind of God.  It is worth my time to teach that.

by Nancy

In the afternoon, Carey and Joel and I went to a poorer part of Nairobi to our houseworker’s house as it was her daughter’s 3rd birthday.  We Americans (thats what they call us) were the special guests.  There was us on one couch, two easy chairs containing 2 people each, and another couch holding about 8 little Kenyan kids, and the Mom and her sister, a coffee table in the middle, and a cupboard with a small tv and other household item, all stuffed into an 8 by 12 foot room.

 I think we were supposed to be the entertainment.  We brought the gift.  The mom asked for covered shoes in pink.  So we found two different sizes of pink runners, so she has one for right now and one to grow into.  We also gave her a package of candies.  I slipped her 7 year old brother a package of candies too.  Carey and Joel took lots of pictures of everyone there – the kids love to have their pictures taken and then to see themselves on the digital display.

We have a guard who watches over our home at night. Evans is the regular guard but we have not gotten to know him very well because he took August off. We look forward to getting to know him better. Vincent has been our guard throughout August and it has been wonderful getting to know him.

Vincent is a husband and father of two daughters whose names I would not spell correctly if I tried. He invited us to visit his family at their home in South B, which he refers to as a “shanty town” but most would call a slum. We were greatly honoured to be his guests on Saturday, August 27.

After he finished work on Saturday morning, Vincent guided us on a 45 minute trek through town as we drove a van borrowed from school. He pointed out various buildings along the way including his parish and the Catholic church he attends. As we turned off the paved street, we drove along a very uneven and narrow dirt road through sheet metal structure businesses likely with homes in behind. We parked across from a barber shop run by Vincent’s friend, Simon, who agreed to watch the vehicle while we walked to Vincent’s home. At this point, the street was walled on one side, marking the boundary to some estate homes – again, the contrast of wealth and poverty side-by-side.

We turned left into a narrow alley that led into the structures, along another narrow walkway and then up some stairs to the second story where Vincent’s home is.

The home is one room, no more than 10′ by 12′, with a cooking area just to the left, behind the door.  The floor was spotless, and we felt bad walking in with our dirty shoes, but they told us to keep them on.

The walls and ceiling are lined with old tarps to provide some insulation for warmth and to act as a vapor barrier for the condensation that forms on the metal and brick walls.  After visiting for a while, we were able to leave a few gifts with the family and then Vincent took us on a tour around the shanty town where he has lived for the past seven years.

Groups of children followed us, some of the younger ones calling out “Wazungu! Wazungu!” which literally refers to wanderers or people of foreign decent.  Jori, Rachel, and Joel all took photos and enjoyed showing the photos to the kids who followed us.

Vincent was so eager for us to meet his friends and to show us that the slums are communities of people who live and work together, helping each other out as they can rather than places filled with danger and people to be feared.  He is well known in the community and with him we did not feel at all unsafe.  At the same time, there is tremendous need, which at times drives people to do things they would otherwise not do.

Tuesday night (August 30) was Vincent’s last night providing security for us at Carline House.  We visited with him for a while that evening, and he told us that working to provide security for others as he does can be very dangerous.  He carries no weapon, only a panic button to call for help should the need arise.  He reminded us that God is the only one who can really provide security, and so we pray and trust in Him.  That’s how Vincent provides security.

This morning Vincent called, just to say hi and ask how things are going.  He said he misses us very much.  The feeling is mutual.

Walking from where we live on Wispers Avenue to Rosslyn Academy, we walk up a hill on United Nations Boulevard. It has sidewalks that have been under constructions since we arrived. Sidewalks are not very common outside of the downtown area of Nairobi, so these sidewalks speak of the wealth in the area. The fact that they are interlocking brick is further indication of wealth to North American eyes. But here, the brick also speaks of poverty: manual labour is cheap in Kenya.

Perhaps I will have time to tell more of the story sometime, but here are some highlights from Saturday’s car shopping trip:

Another teacher (Fred) and I (Carey) travelled with a kenyan man (their house/yard help, named Victor) to look at some vehicles.  Fred drove.  The passenger mirror was bent in by close vehicles twice.  Our car salesman (Martin), who was driving us between two of Toyota’s lots was arrested for reckless driving without a license and it looked like we were all headed for the police station until Victor recognized the police officer speaking his tribal language and intervened, getting the three of us dropped off at Toyota while Martin drove himself and the police officer to the station.  The car we were driving (a Rosslyn vehicle) overheated so we added water and waited about 20 minutes for it to cool down.  We made it back to campus with the temperature gage on red.  We saw some vehicles but did not buy any.  It was an adventure.

One week ago tonight we arrived in Kenya and there is so much I could report on.  Here are some highlights (Some of you received most of this in an email already.):

After a long visa line-up, we were admitted to the country on a visitors visa (good for three months) and then enjoyed the Nairobi roads and traffic on a 30-45 min. ride to Carline House where we are staying – 155B Wispers Avenue.  Hubs (the dog) was very welcoming as was the night guard.  Dora (the Rottweiler) was not so much so, but after a few days and a few treats we are all good friends.  There are guards at the residence day and night – the day guards are new since the Carlines left and the upstairs tenant did not like being alone.  We are not sure if this will continue or not: along with bringing a sense of security, they are also reminders that there are dangers- hmmm.

Upon arriving at the house, the power promptly went out until mid-morning Saturday – welcome to Kenya and the unexpected!  We have been very thankful for power since.

The home is spacious and stays cool during the day.  It has typically been overcast until mid-morning and then clouding over late afternoon.  Monday the kids spent the afternoon at the school pool with Nancy while I did some vehicle shopping with a group of Rosslyn staff.  It looks like I will spend more than I was hoping on a vehicle (typical for Canada as well).  Japan exports a lot of used vehicles once they reach a certain age, so most of what I saw were recent imports, 2004 models.  The one dealer I am leaning toward charges a little more, but installs lift kits in all the lower vehicles, which is necessary for Kenyan roads.

While returning home, it started to rain (very welcome) and we drove past Nancy and the kids walking toward the Village Market.  After dropping a fellow teacher off, we came back and picked them up and we all got a ride to the Market, which would be at least a half-hour walk from our home.  The market is open-air and mall-like with many shops on multiple levels where you walk inside and outside travelling from shop to shop.  Nancy has not seen much of it but has gotten to know the Nakumat (the Kenyan equivelent to a Walmart that has groceries) quite well (our host family took us there on Saturday as well to get us started with supplies).

People have been very generous offering help and rides.  We were given a ride home from the market by Kevin McGee, the campus Chaplin (?) who had dropped us off.  Although it had stopped raining, we had learned that this red soil really cakes on when it is wet.

Back on Sunday, we attended the campus church which was very enjoyable:  the songs were full of truth, with good music (some familiar) and the message was given by a linguist (specializing in OT languages) who was completing a third pass through the book of Ruth, focusing on Boaz this time through.  Although it is an international church, we were told it is the most North American we are likely to experience.  We are still looking forward to experiencing other churches.  After the service, our host family (Tim and Paula Moore) took us to another market area where we had lunch – pushy waiters from different suppliers all battling for customers in a common eating area.  We had roasted chicken shoulders with “naam” (flatbread) and some other stuff that was like sliced potato fries.  Quite good, but it will be a while before we are ready to go to a place like that alone.

Saturday night the Moores had us for supper – they have two daughters at home (15&17) and two other kids in the States.  Tuesday we went out with Phil Dow (Rosslyn Director/Supervisor) and his family to a Java House restaurant where we experienced another power outage, hail (extremely rare in Nairobi) and some fairly North American-ish food.  The restaurant is not far from our home – a driving distance that I am comfortable with.

Speaking of driving, I (Carey) think the kids only felt like I was going to kill them once.  I’d say that’s not bad!  That was on our farthest excursion yet – about 20 min. one way toward downtown.  Driving is an adventure!

Yesterday I (Carey) met with Rosslyn’s Curriculum Coordinator whom I am replacing in the classroom, so I have a clearer idea what my courses will look like – two levels of Math 7, two levels of Math 8, and a Boys PE 7-8.

Thanks for your love and prayers.