Back to the basics

The missionaries here are true people of craft and skill. They have skills that we don’t really see anymore in the modern world but here, they are needed in everyday life not only to live but also to teach the nationals so that they are able to provide for themselves as well as start a small business. Bee keeping has been one of the most exciting I’ve watched and participated in. Yes, you are talking to a now experienced bee keeper, ha. Ted and Kim Rebenold, who serve down in the valley, came up to Mumba to harvest all of the hives around the campus. Ted teaches the nationals the art of bee keeping (it is an art because if it wasn’t you would be stung to death!) so that they can start their own hives and harvest the honey and wax to sell. So I suited up in my big ole’ white suit, had a huge hat with a net on it, and three pairs of gloves (I don’t like being stung, it’s not enjoyable to me). Off we trudged into the hills to purposefully mess with hundreds of bees in their hives (doesn’t seem like the smartest idea). But, watching the process was amazing. The men started fire to produce smoke to pump into the hives which causes the bees to become drunk in a sense, they become numb, allowing the harvesters to cut away the comb from around them. After the hive was opened, swarms and swarms of bees poured out. Ted then gently carved out each piece of comb, brushed off the bees with a brush, and separated the honey comb from the pollen comb. Each comb looked like it had been hand crafted, each hexagon was perfect. It is so hard to believe that a bug that kills itself by flying into the fire because it sees light (stupid) can craft such an intricate and beautiful thing. And they say there isn’t a God…….
I wish I could describe the smell of this process but I just don’t have the words to do it justice. Wonderful? Divine? Heavenly sweet? Honey straight out of the comb is the sweetest thing I’ve ever tasted. I jammed my finger down into one of the combs still attached and out came oozing, gooey, wonderful goodness. Ha ha I then realized that I had a net over my head that was attached to my suit…zero access to mouth. Problem. Easily solved: I stuck my finger up against the net and sucked the honey through it. Natural filter eh? SOOO GOOD! We are harvesting the honey later on today.

We have finally gotten all of our classes that my fellow teachers and I are teaching during camp. We are teaching things that are useful and applicable to village life. Me, myself and I are teaching all the girls (4 sessions a week) how to sew, surprisingly something that none of them know how to do. I am also teaching a session on how to teach the kids to share the gospel with their friends. I do this really cool thing where I tell them a story and as I tell it I’m folding a piece of paper and then ripping it in different places and the end result is a cross (I’m brilliant I know and will shock them all with my skills ha ha). Kelsey has the hardest topic and class to teach. She will be doing health and aids awareness. They still believe things like you can get aids from the water and that sex with a virgin will cure them of aids…no. Leah is teaching map reading and baking (she’s amazing, she made the best banana bread I’ve ever tasted over coal in the back yard) Megan is sharing the gospel with the kids (big task), and Scott is teaching them how to make their own water filters (coolest thing, clay+rice hulls, molded into a pot, dried, and then fired. Proven to grab 99% of nasties). Side story. So in order to get a fire hot enough without a kiln to fire the pots you have to use cow manure. Cows are scarce here so you have to go in search for it. So that’s what we did. Anatoli (gardener), Scott and I heading out into the fields in search of manure. Oh we found some alright and had the joy of picking it all up and filling rice sacks. Don’t ask what I used to pick it up but we’ll just say thank the Lord for hand sanitizer : ). So classes and sessions are all ready to go for Monday. Here is what a day of camp will look like:
Rise with the roosters at dawn.
Staff devos (all in Swahili).
First session of teaching.
Tea time at 11 (they make this amazing Chai tea) served with donut type bread.
Chapel.
Ugali, beans, and greens for lunch at 3.
Second session of teaching.
Games and group activities in the afternoon.
Ugali, beans, and greens for dinner at about 7.
Three hour church service.
Crash into bed at about 11 (more like crash into dirt floor with reed mat, thank goodness I like the outdoors and own a camping sleeping mat which will prove to be my best friend)
Wake up and start all over again.

This is going to be epic!

There has been an outbreak of Cholera down in the valley which is threatening our third week of camp. The threat is not towards us as the teachers, we have the ability to get the medicine to stop it (death by diarrhea, zero fun sir). The threat is towards the campers and their villages. The campers come from miles and miles around (some will walk 8 hours to get to the host village) and even if just one comes with Cholera, it will spread due to the living conditions (sharing plates, cups, sleeping in close quarters) and then when everyone goes home there is the possibility of further spread by the campers carrying it back to their own villages and spreading it there. That would be so bad. So we are waiting to hear how bad it will be in the next two weeks before we make the call on what to do for that last week of camp (the pastors in church on Sunday made the announcement that no one should travel to the valley at this point in time because they don’t want anyone bringing it back to the mountains). Not something we see every day in America is it? Life shutting down completely because of a spread of a disease that has the ability to kill, and the people don’t have access to the medicine that can cure them…hmm.
Don’t worry Mom, I don’t share my water bottle with anyone and Amanda, you are a lifesaver with the hand sanitizer.

That is all for now. Our camp counselors arrive today for staff training (the campus is buzzing with excitement) so there is lots of last minute prep to be done.

Upendo