Halftime - Our February Update

It is 8:15 a.m. on a Friday morning. The staff of IJM Kenya (investigators, attorneys, social workers, and administrators) are gathered for our daily devotion time. This week, the topic is worship, and one of my co-workers, a social worker, has us spend some time reflecting on the ways God, his Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit love us daily. In my time of meditation on this, I think about a study I had led the night before with some people from our church on how we can worship God by simply trusting Him with the circumstances of our lives. It’s something Paul talked about in Romans 12:1: living our lives in such a way that it amounts to worship of God. As I continued to reflect on this, I was struck by how something that sounds so simple (trusting God with our circumstances) can be so hard to live out. In this work, every day we hear stories of incredible abuse (and I mean “incredible” in the way it was originally intended: to mean “unbelievable”): children preyed upon by those who should be protecting them, and innocent people held in prison for months or even years for something they did not do. In hearing these stories, I find it hard to believe someone in these situations can trust God with their circumstances. More close to home, Anna and I are wrestling with what the next step is for us come August, when we leave Kenya. Although our decision pales in comparison to the problems being faced by our clients at IJM, even in this I find it difficult at times to trust God with my circumstances. But, as a good friend wisely said to me long ago (thank you, Mr. Nelson), “It all comes down to what you believe about God’s character. Do you believe He is good and has your best interest in mind? Or, do you not?” I believe God is good, and that He loves me, and Anna, and you, and each one of our IJM clients. Based on this belief, I have to believe that I can trust Him with my circumstances, even when I wish they were different. And, even while we at IJM Kenya wrestle with the justice system here in getting justice for our clients, I must trust Him with the circumstances of our clients’ lives; I must trust that He is with them in their suffering and that even when we are not victorious, He can bring victories in ways we do not expect or understand. I have to believe this. If not, what is the purpose of saying I believe in God?
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On February 5, 2010, we officially crossed the mid-point of our time in Kenya with IJM. Time is flying by. It is the middle of summer here now, and while Kenyans complain about how hot things are, generally the highs are in the low-80s and the lows around 60. Pole sana (“I’m sorry”) for those of our friends in the States getting buried with cold and snow. We have an extra bedroom if you want to escape!

Since I last wrote you about Daisy, we have had some not-so-good events in the case. If you’ll recall, in our last update I mentioned that Daisy’s clothing had molded, making it impossible to extract enough evidence to tie it to the police officer who abused her. After weeks of praying, brainstorming, and strategizing on what to do now, we have settled on a strategy that could get the officer or officers responsible to be administratively punished within the police force, but very likely will not lead to any officer serving time for abusing Daisy. While this is a disappointment, the silver lining is that over the last several months of our office’s contact with Daisy, she has experienced tangible emotional healing, and appears to be a joyful, innocent girl of 9 years. And, after months of Daisy wanting it to happen, she was finally free to head back to her home village and be reunited with her family. Some of our staff went to deliver Daisy to her family, and she was radiant with happiness to be home and out of a rescue center. Thank you all for your prayers for Daisy. While what I was hoping for (a conviction for her abuser) did not come to pass, God used IJM to help bring healing to Daisy and to reunite her with her family. He is trustworthy with the circumstances of our lives.

Beyond this, it’s been an eventful month, especially for Anna. I will turn over the reins of this update to her, and then we’ll close with more answers to the questions many of you have posed about our life here.

Anna’s corner

One of the things that I (Anna) have really enjoyed while living here in Kenya has been the women’s Bible study I attend each week. There are about 500 Kenyan women in this particular Bible study (called “Bible Study Fellowship”). Yes, wow, that is a lot! I walk in this room full of Kenyan women, and let’s just say, it is easy to find me in the crowd. I am different, I am one of the few non-Kenyans in the crowd, but that is what I love about it. It is great to have close ex-pat friends, but this has been my connection into the lives of Kenyan women. We have a time of worship when the gathering starts each week. We sing some hymns I recognize from back in the States and some I don’t. And often there is a song or two in Kiswahili, the national language of the Kenyan people. (The official language is English.)

Once a month we gather in someone’s home for a small meal and then a time of sharing. What a highlight for me! I get to be in a different Kenyan home each month. I enjoy trying the new food (yum!), hearing stories about their culture, and “taking tea” with women all while in a Kenyan home. In just a few weeks, on March 10th, it will be my turn to have the 15 women from my small group in my house. How exciting! I am already thinking about whether to cook Kenyan or American food. The pressure is on! As for our group, each woman has a story. Many of the women come from different tribes, or “cultures” as they say here. They are all bilingual, speaking English and Kiswahili. We greet each other with kisses on the cheeks and the women speak softly during our small group discussions so I often have to lean in to hear. Sometimes I don’t get the cultural jokes. But, that is ok. I am learning and feeling more a part of the group each week. I look forward to going. And when I walk in now, it feels comfortable and familiar.

I realized in the beginning that not everyone in the group was a Christian. Our group is a mix of people in many different places on their journey with God. One woman in particular has been a joy to watch as she asks questions each week about the Christian faith. Each time it opens the door for more questions and conversation in our group. For a few weeks she even asked for prayer about her decision whether to become a Christian or not. Something was clearly happening in her life. Then one day before coming to Bible study she woke up crying and went into her mom’s room (she is a single mom and lives with her mom, which is common here). Her mom asked “What is wrong? Are you ok? Is the baby ok? Do you need money?” She replied no and said that something else felt heavy to her but didn’t know what was wrong. I was amazed at what her mom said next. “God wants your heart. Get dressed, go to Bible study, and you will find Him there.” That day in Bible study she told the group that she had thought about it long enough and now, finally, her questions had been answered and nothing was holding her back. She wanted to become a Christian. Right there in our time together that morning she prayed to God and became a Christian! I was ecstatic. It was such a thrill to see this happening in front me. God is moving in people’s hearts all around the world!

In January, I had the joy of having my two sisters, Clara and Kelley, visit from the States. All three sisters were together for 10 days (still working on getting my brother to come for a visit!). They were our first visitors and it was so nice to show them the daily things about our life here. We took them to Caleb’s school, they walked to work with Lane one day, went to the grocery store with me, met our friends here, and much more. Of course, we had to show them some of the fun touristy things to do in the city of Nairobi and out in the country at the Maasai Mara for a safari to see the animals. I stayed up late talking with my sisters many nights and the kids especially enjoyed the gifts Clara and Kelley brought from the grandparents. It was a great to have them here!

I have also added a few entries to our blog lately. Specifically, I shared about my first experience going to a children’s orphanage in one of the slums of the city. It was really impacting to see over 200 kids in such a small place. The little ones Luke’s age didn’t have pants or diapers on. One of the rooms was packed with bunk beds inches from each other where about 60 kids slept, often 2-4 per bed depending on the age of the kid. Mama Mercy is the woman who has run the home for over 15 years and is such an inspiration. I am praying about how to get involved with the home and I am hoping to go back soon. For more about this and other daily happenings, head on over to our blog at http://mearsfamilylife.blogspot.com/

Now, some answers to YOUR questions…
 
• Are you ever in any danger?

First off, let me say that we have not been the victim of any kind of violence or theft in our six months here. Our house is secure, we drive only during the day, and we are alert when out walking, etc. Having said all that, we do hear reports of car-jackings and petty theft around town. No place is completely safe and Nairobi is no different. But, we remain vigilant and trust God in all of our circumstances.

• What is your favorite Kenyan food?

So far, our favorite Kenyan foods have been chapatti (“cha-POT-tee”) (a flat bread that is similar to a tortilla)—Abigail’s favorite; samosas (“sah-MO-sahs”) (a triangular breaded food that contains beef or vegetables with great spices, somewhat like Spanish tapas)—Caleb’s favorite; mukimo (“moo-KEE-mo”) (very much like mashed potatoes, but green and containing peas)—Lane’s favorite; chicken choma (“CHO-ma”) (chicken grilled with excellent seasoning and sometimes served with soup); Anna’s favorite is a Kenyan beef and vegetable stew, served with rice and chapatti (served in Kenyan friends’ homes a couple times).

• Is it a challenge to find “normal” food?

By normal, I think this person meant U.S. food. There are places where we can get decent pizza and salads, although I still haven’t found a good burger in Kenya. And there ain’t no real Tex-Mex, as you can imagine (O, for some Chuy’s or Trudy’s!). Overall, though, there is excellent Indian food (numerous places), as well as Italian and Chinese. As for the “abnormal” food, the best-looking thing I’ve seen is grilled intestines (I’m pretty sure I want to keep all intestines on the other end of my body than my mouth).

• Is there a grocery store like they have here or is it more of an outdoor/street market?

There are both, although we shop a lot more at the grocery store. The one we use most is called “Uchumi” (“oo-CHOO-mee”), followed by Nakumatt (“NAH-koo-maht”) (more expensive but larger selection of Western goods). We do buy eggs and other items at a nearby kiosk run by a guy named Dickson. They don’t put preservatives in the food here like they do at home, so we can only buy milk that expires about two days after we buy it. And nobody refrigerates eggs here.

• What food do you miss the most?

I (Lane) miss most Tex-Mex, a good burger, and Texadelphia. I also miss not being able to drink the tap water — it’s a bit of a pain to keep having to buy the water we drink. And, with baseball season rapidly approaching, I will desperately miss watching the Texas Rangers.

• How much does gas cost over there?

86 Kenyan shillings per liter. To translate, there are 3.785 liters in a gallon. So, it is roughly 325 shillings per gallon. 75 shillings makes one dollar. So, the math works out to be $4.34 USD/gallon. Be thankful for what you are paying for gas there.

Thanks for reading our update!  We are so thankful for your friendship and prayers.  Please keep those prayers coming! Specifically, please pray for the Lord's guidance in our decision about the future after this year is over, safety and health for each of us, Lane's mom, sister, and boyfriend as they travel back home from Kenya to the states in a few days, Lane and the others at the IJM office as they deal with so many horrible cases each day, and finally, freedom and victory for those each person IJM is fighting for. 

We'd love to hear from you! Send us updates on your life and how we can be praying for you as well.

Blessings,
Lane, Anna, Caleb, Abigail, and Luke

Kenyan Drive-Thru

The kids and I were driving home from somewhere and noticed something fun about Kenya. You see there are no such thing as Drive-Thru's that are in the states, where you drive you car around the side of McDonalds or Starbucks or Speedy Dry-Cleaners, talk into a microphone to make your order, drive a few more feet and talk to someone in a window with a headset on and purchase your food, coffee, dry cleaning, whatever. Nope, here it is different. I have yet to see one of those drive-thru's I just described here in Kenya. Some days, I really miss those drive-thrus. But, then I realized Kenya does have them. They just look a little different. It is very common here in places where the traffic is slow to have people walking up and down the street, in between the cars selling items to all of the cars waiting in the traffic jam. It is crazy all of the things you can buy on the street. On the way home from Bible study each week there are 5-6 guys selling bananas to the 500 women coming out of the Parklands Baptist Church on Wednesdays. I buy bananas from these guys often. The price is 10 bob per banana. ("bob" is the local word for schilling, about 10 cents). Then, on the way home from somewhere else, I remembered that Abigail is outgrowing some of her clothes and she particularly needed some shorts. So, I waved to the lady carrying kids clothes, rolled down my window and asked if she had any shorts for girls. She picked out a few things and then as the traffic started to move, she just ran along side the car. I found the pair I thought would fit and paid her the 200 schillings (about $2.50). Everything happened through the window of my car while I was driving, so I consider that a drive thru. :-)

Here is a list of things you can by at a Kenyan Drive-Thru:

• puppies - Abigail often asks for me to buy a puppy!
• kittens
• love birds - Caleb asks for birds!
• kids clothes
• bandanas
• desk flags
• world & Kenya maps
• hats
• sunglasses
• windshield visors
• car first aid kits and safety triangles
• magazines
• newspapers
• trinket kid toys
• knife sets
• women's skirts
• new release movies
• and more...

I will have to do another posting on "Side of the Road" shopping. I'll give you a hint. I bought Luke's crib from a guy who sells and makes furniture everyday on the side of the road. I'll work on getting a picture to describe this!

Do You Know The Muffin Girl, the Muffin Girl...?

Well, I did today what I had only heard stories of other ex-pat women doing! For those that are new to the term "ex-pat", that isn't a reference to a SNL skit, but rather short for ex-patriate. A label for those living not in their home or native country. So, here in Kenya, all Americans or westerners are call themselves ex-pats. When at the grocery store, it is natural to look for the labels and items you used to buy going to the store in your home country. For example, you love Cheerios, so you just instinctively look for Cheerios. Even if they never have it, you still keep looking in the hopes that one day it may appear. Well, I am noticing around here that a shipment may come in from the states of American food items and they hit the shelves in several stores on the same week. One item in particular that is not found in Kenyan grocery stores are muffin, cookie, and cake mixes. I never realized how much I depended on these mixes. Someone would say "Did you make those muffins?" And the answer would be "Why, yes!" But, really that means that I opened the box and baked them in my own oven and not bought ready-made from the bakery section, that is it the new modern definition of baking. True baking muffins from scratch is nearly unheard of among my friends back in Austin (Am I right girls?).

So, to get to my story of today...I saw muffin mixes back in August when we arrived and nothing since then. And then today, on a speedy trip to the store with my daughter I saw them. I saw on the tip-top shelf a box of Betty Crocker muffins, even better, they were blueberry muffins with the little can of blueberries inside. (You know the ones I am talking about!). So, I quickly grabbed a box and tossed it into my cart. Then, grabbed another, and another, and another. I did it! I bought all 4 of the only blueberry muffin mixes on the shelf at the Chandarana Supermarket. Whew, I said it for all to hear! I cleared the shelf of muffin mixes. The simple reason why is that I may not see any muffin mixes until June. So, I figured that is about 1 box per month for our family. What a treat! 

Now, here is my fear. I fear that when I am back in the states, will I hoard the muffin mix section when I go to the grocery store? I have heard of ex-pat women seeing something in the states that would be rare in her overseas home and feeling the urge to buy several of them. Then some little voice speaks up in her head "Anna, there are always muffin mixes here, you only have to buy one, there will be more here when you come back next week."

Mama Mercy and her Children's Home in the Slums

Yesterday, I went for my first visit to a children's home in one of the slums of town. It was amazing! Well, heartbreaking and encouraging all at the same time. There are about 200 kids living in this sort of house. One room I went into, about the size of my living and dining room area had wall to wall bunk beds and slept 60 girls. Mostly 3-4 per bed, depending on the size of the kid.  Mama Mercy has been running the place for 18 years. She has a huge heart and an open door policy for any child that needs a place to go.  I saw her room with a bed for her, 2 bunk beds, and a baby crib all packed in very tight with barely any room to walk. She sleeps with the babies in her room as well as several of the other girls. The boy's room was similar, just a sea of bunk beds and off to the side an opening to the sky where I am sure the rain leaked in. The space is small and there are lots of kids. But, it is the place they all call home.

It seems that the kids are helping out somehow.  I saw some of the older ones cooking two big pots of food on a huge firepit.  Some kids gather wood for the fire to cook the massive amount of food needed to feed all of these kids, and others were carrying around some of the infants.  The kids are anywhere from 6 months old to 20 years old.  One of the older boys who I met, grew up there, went to school, learned a trade to be a hairdresser and now comes back to help the home. Amazing! One little girl, Faith (pictured left), was found in a dumpster as an infant and is now running around playing like all of the other little kids. Some of the kids who have gone off to school come back to the home on holidays because this is the only thing they know as home.

The home has cows, goats and pigs behind a wall of metal sheeting across the dirt street. The cows produce enough milk for the kids in the home. They use the goat's milk for the babies since the goat's milk is richer. And I think she raises the pigs to sell for money. The little toddlers running around didn't have diapers on. I am guessing they can't afford them. The older boys collect and sort trash from the neighborhood and make money from any recycling items they collect. When I heard that the kids can make money this way, I started saving my recycling at home and give Shiro a trash bag full each week to take when she goes.

When I was there the meal of the day was served. Oogali (like mashed potatoes but made from corn meal) and beans. Shiro said she thought that was their only meal of the day and she had noticed before that several of the kids would eat their food really slow and would still be munching on it a few hours later, of course with no utensils, just hands, to make it last longer.

Mama Mercy feels that education is very important for the kids. If you don't educate them she said, then they just repeat the cycle of poverty. If you can get them to school then they can get out of the slums and make a better life for themselves. One problem though is paying the school fees, getting uniforms, black shoes, socks, and school supplies required for the kids that can go to school. The kids are not allowed into school unless they are wearing a uniform. I was super impressed with Mama Mercy's dependence on the Lord. She does with what they have and prays for God to provide the rest. Someone donated uniforms, but she doesn't have shoes to send the kids to school. She is depending on God to provide.

There are a handful of the kids who have HIV and need to take the anti-viral medicines each day. But, evidently you have to take the medicines with food, so they have to wait until a meal before taking them.  Shiro also mentioned that the community around the home is supportive of what they are doing. Evidently, several neighbors come to help wash clothes by hand. And I met Pastor Joseph, a man helping with the home, while I was there as well.

Someone donated desks, but there is no room to put the desks, so they are piled up in a corner. Another group came and built the bottom floor of a building foundation, but the roof didn't get finished. It is Mama Mercy's (pictured right) prayer that the roof can be completed and another level built on top of that so they can have space for more bunk rooms, a kitchen, and a school room. The foundation is strong, like the one you can see of a neighboring building that goes up 4-5 stories. There is potential to add several levels and expand the home. I pray this can happen sooner than later. For now, the open concrete slab is the place where the kids eat all of their meals on the ground and play during the day.

I forgot to mention this, but I went with a group of students from a local private high school. We met at the school and piled into a mini-bus and made the 20 minute drive into the Mathere slum area in Nairobi. Working at the home was part of their "community service" hours needed for a school requirement. But, it has obviously made a deeper impact on the students because they are getting others involved as well. For example, one of the student's father is a doctor at Nairobi Hospital and he brought a team to the home to conduct a medical clinic. Praise God!

Anyways...I could go on for a while...but, I did find a website about the home if you want to learn more. http://www.gsamaritanchildren.or.ke/  I am going to start praying for these kids and all of the adults, including Mama Mercy and Pastor Joseph.  I would like to go back and help in some way.

Anna

Kenya IJM office in the spotlight

Friends,
In our last update we mentioned a huge VICTORY in one of the cases the Kenya IJM office has been working on. That good news has spread!  Peter's (or, Palmer as we referred to him in our update) story of freedom is now being told around the world via the IJM website. The website article goes into more detail than what we shared and also has a video clip. Thank you Lord for freedom for this man. We are encouraged by this story and pray that more people receive freedom & hear the good news of Christ. Click on the link below!

On another note, some crazy family is now pictured on the IJM website in the fellowship section! See below for the link...

Blessings,
Anna

 

Peter’s story

http://www.ijm.org/articles/caseworkbulletin

 

 

Lane and his family!

http://www.ijm.org/getinvolved/9-12monthfieldofficefellowships

 

Freedom for a Captive...our January update!

“He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives 
and release from darkness for the prisoners.” Isaiah 61:1

Palmer* is a mentally disabled Kenyan man in his late-20s or early-30s. He finds things strewn along the road and picks them up as if they were treasures. One day, he found a suit coat lying on the ground and he picked it up and put it on — his newest treasure. However, a few days later, in August 2008, the police grabbed him and took him to jail. Palmer believed that the police arrested and charged him for the offense of picking up a coat off the ground (as if it were a crime). Palmer remained in prison from August 2008 until October 2009, awaiting his trial and thinking he had committed a crime for picking up the coat. In reality, he was charged with robbery with violence, a crime for which there is no bail and which carries a penalty of life in prison if convicted. It turns out the coat had been stolen (along with around $275 in cash) in a violent robbery a few weeks before the police arrested him. The person whose cash and coat were stolen knew Palmer was not involved with the robbery, and pled with the police and the prosecutor to have the charges dropped, to no avail. IJM Kenya heard about Palmer’s case in October 2009, and it did not take us long to discover that Palmer was innocent of the charges. Since then, we have made it our mission to see that justice is done and that Palmer goes free.

After two months of dealing with various levels of authorities in the justice system, his case finally came up for trial on New Year’s Eve, despite the efforts of the investigating officer to have the case adjourned once again. Once the magistrate judge heard the evidence and learned that the police lost the one piece of evidence that even remotely tied Palmer to the crime (the coat), the judge accepted the plea of the complainant (the guy whose money and coat were stolen) to have the charges against Palmer dropped. Thus, 16 months after he was jailed for a crime he did not commit, Palmer was free! Praise God that He allowed us to be His representatives in fulfilling Isaiah 61:1 in Palmer’s life. (Picture: Palmer eating his first meal as a free man with Benson, Director of Aftercare and Joe, Kenya Field Office Director)

Alongside this incredible high, we have also experienced a very tough low in our work here recently. Since I last wrote you, there have been some developments in Daisy’s* case. After much wrangling, four of the five police officers who were on duty the night she was abused have submitted DNA samples to the private lab. However, Daisy’s clothing that contains her abuser’s DNA has begun to mold as a result of poor storage. Unfortunately, the mold has made it difficult to extract sufficient DNA to match the samples given by the police officers. Bottom line, our great hope for a DNA match between Daisy’s clothes and the officer that abused her appears over. As you can imagine, this is a crushing blow for Daisy, for us as we pursue justice in her case, and for me, as the thought of the officer that abused her going free makes me angry. Please continue to pray for wisdom as we pursue alternative avenues to seeking a conviction in this case and for Daisy — she is a sweet girl.

Happy New Year from Nairobi! Obviously, this holiday season has been different from any other for us but we have enjoyed all the new experiences and the building of some new family traditions. Some of these new experiences include: shopping for gifts at the Maasai market (an open air market which entails some hard bargaining), video skyping with parents as we open presents, Anna making cinnamon rolls from scratch for Christmas morning (preparation time: 2+ hours!), having our Muslim neighbors cheerfully wish us a “merry Christmas,” explaining to our kids the true reason we celebrate, and lastly deeply missing our family and friends for our first Christmas away. But, we are so thankful to be here and do what we are doing. So, again, thank you for allowing us to do this.

We have recently begun attending a church here called Karen Vineyard Church and have loved getting to know people through a home group that meets each week and a men’s group that meets once a month. The congregation is a mix of Kenyans, Kenyan Cowboys (Brits who have lived here for decades), and Westerners from all over. As part of the advent season preparing for the birth of Christ, the church held an evening of outdoor Christmas caroling. Upon arriving at the caroling event, we saw  a sprawling green field right next to the Karen Blixen Museum and house in which parts of the movie “Out of Africa” were filmed. As we walked up to the festivities, I (Lane) glanced at the front porch of the house and recalled the scene in which Robert Redford (playing Denys Finch Hatton) is asleep on the same front porch as Meryl Streep (playing Karen Blixen) arrives home. We found a spot on the grass and enjoyed our picnic dinner. As the sun set, the candles that were dispersed to the crowd were lit. For the next hour, a group of two hundred or so sang Christmas carols in English and Kiswahili while holding the small, lit candles. Pretty stinkin’ cool.

In other news, we have our first visitors coming in less than a week, as Anna’s two sisters will spend 10 days with us. Anna, the kids, and I are all very excited as my sisters-in-law are awesome and it will give us a chance to show to people dear to us the life we are living. I feel that this visit will help pull us out of some of the culture shock doldrums as we will get to experience anew life here as seen through the eyes of those who have not yet experienced it. Please pray for safe travel for Anna’s sisters. (Picture: Our three kids Abigail, Caleb and Luke in the middle with friends David at the top and Ethan at the bottom of the slide)

Finally, many of you responded to my handsome plea to send us your questions about our life here. Over the next few updates, we will venture to answer some of those questions. The first installment is below. Enjoy.

Have you learned any Swahili?
I have not learned as much Kiswahili as I had hoped, but I’ve learned a little bit:

• “Habari yako” (“ha-BAR-ee YAH-ko”) essentially means “How are you?”
• “Mzuri sana” (“Missouri SAH-na”) means “I am very fine.”
• “Asante” (“ah-SAHN-tay”) means “thank you.”
• “Karibu” (“kah-REE-boo”) can mean “welcome” in the sense of “welcome to the party” or it can mean “you’re welcome” in response to asante.
• For you “Lion King” fans, “Simba” (“SEEM-bah”) actually means lion, and “Rafiki” (“rah-FEE-kee”) means friend.

Is there any cultural racism?

Very interesting question. While there is not very much cultural racism here in the sense of how it might be in the U.S., there is an exceptional amount of tribalism here. What I mean is that (as I am told by Kenyans) for Kenyans, your tribe largely defines your identity. Whether you are Kikuyu, Kalenjin, Luo, Luhya, etc., that tribal foundation has largely resulted in a “we” versus “them” mindset (certainly among the older generation here). In fact, there are not political parties in the sense that we have them in the U.S.; the political “parties” are based almost exclusively on tribal affiliation. This tribalism bore its ugly head on the heels of the 2007 Kenyan Presidential election. The election was very close between two men of different tribes, and because both sides distrusted each other and felt cheated in the process, there was extensive rioting. From what I can gather in reading the papers and talking to people, it seems that the tribal dissensions have not eased any since the 2007 election. The next election will be in 2012, and many fear even greater chaos and violence.

Which way does the water swirl in the potty (and bathtub)?
Counter-clockwise. We are 60 kilometers (about 38 miles) south of the equator.

Do you see anything that looks familiar?

As we drive around the city and live life here, about 90% of things look unfamiliar and about 10% of things look familiar. We live in the city, so there are lots of cars and people walking everywhere. When I (Anna) am in the grocery store, most of the labels are in English (which is nice), but most of them I didn’t recognize before I got here. Some of the familiar labels are Heinz Ketchup (but it tastes different), Hershey’s chocolate syrup, Betty Crocker cake mixes (only for about a month, now they are gone — ack!). Some of these things may be in the store one day and gone the next, so I try to grab 2-3 when I see them. There are lots of Westerners here, so you can find several familiar things around town such as a few modern coffee shops like Java House, a few movie theaters, and some shopping malls. Depending on your perspective and where you go, things can look reasonably familiar to home (Westgate, an upscale shopping mall) or radically foreign (Kibera, the largest slum in the world). (Picture: One of the main roads on Lane's walk to work each day.)

What’s the strangest thing you’ve seen over there?

Wow, let’s see. Here are a few… we’ve seen lots of skinny cows grazing on grass right next to busy roads in the middle of Nairobi and often wandering into the road (there are no fences), men peeing in the bushes in residential neighborhoods and on the side of busy streets, a homeless woman following me like Glenn Close and asking me to be her husband, a baby elephant head-butting Caleb, baboons on the side of the road near the Nairobi National Park, incredibly frustrating roundabouts with traffic lights no one pays attention to, trucks ridiculously over-packed with goods (we should get a picture for you to see!), watching a matatu (public bus) slowing down, but not stopping, so a passenger can jump out, watching the trash collector guys climbing around in the trash and ripping open bags of trash with their bare hands while they are riding in the back of the truck in between stops. (Picture: Skinny cows grazing a few feet from our car in the middle of the city . I took this picture from the left window from the same spot while waiting in traffic as the picture above from the right window, ha!)

Thanks for asking these questions! We’ll answer more next time. Thank you again for your support and friendship. We are honored to be here serving God in Kenya. Thanks for walking with us in this journey.

Lane and Anna, for the Kenya Mears-kats

* Palmer and Daisy are pseudonyms

Merry Christmas 2009 from Kenya

Dear Friends & Family,

Greetings from Kenya! We hope you have a wonderful Christmas and a happy New Year.  We pray that in this time of celebrating the birth of the Hope of the world you would experience peace and joy in the midst of all the bustling activity.

We just finished celebrating our first Christmas in Africa, and here are our top 10 new things for us in celebrating Christmas here.

1. We hear "Happy Christmas" instead of "Merry Christmas" (John Lennon must have been big here).

2. It was 80 degrees today, and it's the middle of summer. We hear folks back home are freezing cold and making snowmen.

3. Most people here have never seen snow, except on Mt. Kenya.

4. Nairobi's population has dwindled seemingly in half the past couple weeks, as many people go "up-country" (pretty much anywhere outside of Nairobi) to visit family.

5. Kenyans often think of December as a month to be "thankful" (Americans usually think of November & Thanksgiving).

6. Cooking a nice Christmas meal is a bit of a challenge when the power keeps going out (thankfully for us it came back on just in time).

7. Learning how to cook recipes with "high altitude" adjustments.

8. Starting a new family tradition of root beer floats on Christmas Day (too hot for hot cocoa here).

9. We love technology and are thankful to be able to video call on the computer with family on Christmas Day.

10.  Instead of NFL playoffs and college football bowl season, the big sporting interest here is the English Barclays Premier League (a.k.a., British soccer). Turns out a guy I knew in elementary school in Ohio is a star goalie for one of the teams.

We want to again thank all of you who've made it possible for us to be here for this year to fight for justice for the poor in Kenya. I hope to have our next big update out by the end of the year (answering some of the questions about life here that you sent us). In the meantime, I pray that you have a blessed time of rest and reflection on the goodness of God in Jesus over these holidays.

Peace,

The Kenya Mears-kats

Happy American Thanksgiving!

Dear Family & Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving! Here are some pics from the past few days.

First, Caleb had a party in his 1st grade class on Wednesday (I am a co-homeroom mom!). The kids sang the "Turkey Song" during their party. It was really cute.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlejhi5sH2M  I caught some of the song and posted it on YouTube. Check it out. And Abigail came to help with the craft to make "Wreaths of Thanks" with cardboard and paper leaves with things the kids are thankful for around the wreath.




Then on Wednesday night we had a small Thanksgiving dinner at home (my first time to do this! I just cooked some turkey breast, not a whole one.) and invited the two interns from the office to join us.

On Thursday, Lane headed with everyone from the office to all-staff overnight retreat and will be back on Friday for dinner. Kenyans don't have Thanksgiving, ha! (Oh, yeah right, it is just an American holiday!)

Meanwhile, Anna and the kids were invited to spend the morning at a friend's house for a playdate.  That was so sweet, Thanks Laurie! Later that day we went to another first grade family's home to have Thanksgiving dinner with them and a bunch of their friends. They cooked a big turkey and everyone brought sides. They live in an amazing place with a sloping backyard on a hill and garden (and trampoline) at the bottom. Nairobi has such amazing green landscapes, especially in the rainy season. It was a great time. One pic is of Abigail eating ice cream on china (ack!) all dressed up in her pink dress and hat she insisted on wearing.

It was great to skype call with Gigi & Pop-Pop and Grammie & Grandad yesterday. And we hope to skype call Nana & Pop when Lane gets back on Friday night (Friday morning Texas time).

Yes, that is Luke in the picture below after he climbed up to the table and found the jar of yogurt this morning!

We are so thankful to God for how he has brought us here to Kenya and guided each step of the way. We look back and it was so obvious God's hand in each major step of the way. I was just thinking the other day how thankful I am that I know that I am where we are supposed to be for this season. ahh. That feels amazing to not wonder about that. It seems like so often in life, I ask that question. "Is this where you want me, Lord?"

Happy Thanksgiving!

Love you all!!
Anna for the family

Send Us Your Questions . . . Or Else!!!

In our November update, I asked you all to send us any questions you might have had brewing about our life here, my work, the culture, etc. Well, if you don't start sending those questions, I'm going to keep growing this . . .

November Update...Field Work Update & Culture Shock

“Be glad, O people of Zion, rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given you the autumn rains in righteousness. He sends you abundant showers, both autumn and spring rains, as before.” – Joel 2:23

IJM Field Work Update
Kenya generally has two rainy seasons: the “short rains” which take place in late-October through November, and the “long rains” which take place from March through May. We are now in the short rains and the showers have brought new life to the city in the form of greener grasses and the budding of new flora all around us. Along with getting to enjoy the natural beauty which the rain showers have brought, we at IJM Kenya have experienced abundant showers of blessing in the sense of some significant breakthroughs in a couple of our cases.

When you last heard from me, things were looking grim for Daisy. To reset her story, she is an 8 year-old girl who was sexually abused by a police officer in a police station where she had been taken, presumably for her protection. Five officers were on duty the nights she was held at the police station and we do not know which officer abused her (Daisy had difficulty identifying him in a lineup, as well). We thought we had solid evidence in her clothing, as at least one article of her clothing had physical evidence in it from the abuse she underwent at the hands of the officer. My last update came on the heels of a report from the government chemist which said that what we thought was physical evidence of the abuse was, in fact, just dirt. This was a terrible blow to the case.

Well, just this past week we got a wonderful break in the case, thanks to the prayers of you and others! The judge in the case is determined to see that Daisy gets justice (an answer to prayer in itself!) and three weeks ago ordered that Daisy’s clothing be taken to a private laboratory to be tested for DNA. We got the private lab's results this past week and the technician found physical evidence on BOTH articles of clothing to support the fact that Daisy was abused! This is a huge breakthrough in the case, as it means that there is now evidence to link Daisy’s abuser to the crime. The next step in the case is for the judge to order that the five officers who were on duty the nights that Daisy was held at the police station to submit blood samples so that the private lab can see which one (if any) match the physical evidence found on the articles of Daisy’s clothes. The one whose DNA matches that found on Daisy’s clothing is very likely the one who sexually abused her. This will not conclude the battle for justice, however, as there will be several legal wranglings in court over the admissibility of a private laboratory’s test results. So, please keep praying for: the judge to order all five officers to submit blood samples, that the officers would do so, that at least one would match, and that we would get the results admitted into the court proceedings.

Next, just this week some folks in our office met with some high-level people in the country’s Police Commissioner’s Office to talk about our work and to seek their help with some long-standing issues we have faced within the public justice system in prosecuting sexual assault cases. In short, the meeting went better than any of us expected it would: we got assurances of assistance in some of our tougher cases as well as some real hope for movement on the issue which has been one of the biggest hurdles to justice for many of our clients over the past several years. Praise God for the favor He has granted us within the Office of the Commissioner of Police!

Finally, a Kenyan IJM colleague and I monthly go into a local prison to talk with clients and/or potential clients about their cases. Over the past three months, we have befriended one of the prison guards. The last time we were in the prison, my Kenyan colleague told the guard specifically what we do at IJM Kenya and that if he (the guard) suspected that any of the men being held there were innocent that he should call us and let us know. Well, not a week later the guard called us about a man he thought we should talk with. We will go and interview the man later this week. How cool is it that we are now getting referrals for potential illegal detention clients from prison guards!

All in all, it has been a very exciting couple weeks at IJM Kenya. Thank you so much for your prayers. Keep them coming!!

Culture Shock!
Well, we’ve reached the 3-month point of our time in Nairobi. They say that people tend to experience culture shock anywhere from 3 to 6 months into moving overseas. Both Anna and I have had our days of starting to feel it. I felt it acutely one day two weeks ago. On that particular day, I got in a wreck . . . with a parked car . . . in my own apartment complex parking lot. Lovely. I think I was already feeling a bit overwhelmed with things that morning, and the frustration of hitting a neighbor’s parked car had me in the dumps. Two hours later, a policeman flagged me down for going the wrong way on a street. The only problem was, the street I was on was a 2-way street for the 2 miles I was on it up to that point, there was no clear marking that anything had changed, and there were still two clearly marked lanes separated by a bright yellow line. Nevertheless, I had apparently broken the law. Mercifully, the officer gave me a warning (I think I must have looked pitiful at this point) and he sent me on my way. While these are only two incidents in one day, the cumulative effect was devastating and I went into a tailspin for the rest of the day. It was an awful, awful day.

But, the next day I awoke with a verse in my head: “This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” – Psalm 118:24. It’s amazing how much a changed perspective can impact a day. Thank goodness, I have only had a couple more dark days like the one described above since. The fact that I have had years of ministry and missions training give me no illusions that I am beyond feeling the effects of culture shock.

Anna’s Birthday
We celebrated Anna’s birthday since our last update. We loaded up the car and went out to the Elephant Orphanage, which is a “shelter” in the Nairobi National Park where baby elephants are brought from all over Kenya that have been orphaned due to the drought or other reasons. The kids had a ball seeing elephants as young as 6 weeks old (which were the height of Caleb & Abigail), and one even head-butted Caleb when he wasn’t looking (he wasn’t hurt – in fact, he said later it was his favorite part of the day!). As an added bonus, a baby rhino wandered through the area while we were gawking at the baby elephants. You can see a video of the Elephant Orphanage at http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/world/2009/11/15/mckenzie.elephant.orphanage.cnn. After this, we went to the Nairobi National Park Animal Orphanage, where we saw cheetahs, lions, baboons, monkeys, African buffalo, and many other local animals. Very cool! The next night, we continued the celebration of Anna with an Italian dinner from a local restaurant, chocolate cake, presents, and birthday words from home for Anna.

Two Cultures Clash
Something funny about experiencing a new culture…One of my Kenyan co-workers invited the staff over for a baby shower a few weekends ago. We are very happy for this couple and their new baby girl. The shindig “started” at 1pm, he said, with lunch being served. Predictably, the prompt (and hungry?) North Americans (the two other interns, Anna, and two of our kids – I was at home with a sick Luke) showed up just after 1pm and were the first ones to arrive. They laughed at us [Anna speaking] and commented that we were the only ones there on time. The Kenyans showed up about 2:30pm and lunch was served about 3:15pm. Lesson learned -- next time we’ll make sure to show up on Kenyan time. :-)

{Pictures - a group of school girls we talked with at the Animal Orphanage, a baby elephant at the Elephant Orphanage, and Anna and the kids at the Elephant Orphanage.}

Send Us Your Questions!
Have you had any questions for us that have popped up while reading our updates/blog? We'd love to hear them! Please send them along to us either by e-mail or by commenting on the blog. We think it would be fun for our next update to include our answers to a collection of the questions we receive from you. So, whether you've been wondering about our life here, our typical day, my work, Kenyan culture, food, people, etc., the security situation, what our church or social community is like, or anything else, please ask away!

How You Can Pray...
Thank you so much for partnering with us both in prayer and financially.  Especially in this season of Thanksgiving and as we talk with the kids about being thankful, we are reminded of how many of you are making it possible for us to be here. Again, thank you. Finally, please pray for:

• Physical Health – We have battled various forms of sickness for two months now and we are sick of it! Rashes in the kids, colds, etc., enough! Please pray for health for everyone.

• Emotional Health – We are experiencing culture shock, and covet your prayers to see all things (ourselves, each other, circumstances, peoples, etc.) from God’s perspective.

• Lane’s work – We have had great successes the past couple weeks and we are praying that these successes will continue. Please pray for Daisy’s case, for fruits from our meeting with the Police Commissioner’s office, and for sustained faith that God is greater than any enemy that we face.

Thank you so much!

Lane, for the Kenya Mears

Heart for the Poor?

by Lane

Here’s something I think I have discovered about myself in my time here: I have always thought that I had a heart for the poor, but I am not sure that’s the case. I have worked with the homeless and kids in public housing communities in Austin, and served desperately poor people while on mission trips to other countries, etc. But, what has struck me here as I daily pass one particular homeless Kenyan woman named Rosegaitha (whom I generally talk with briefly) is this: I’ve come to think that what I had thought was a “heart for the poor” was really just I that am quicker with offering platitudes and friendliness to the poor and homeless than many others. Now, this is not a bad thing (and often just what someone who is an “outcast” desires – a friendly word – I think Rosegaitha is this way, as everyone laughs at her, and me, when I talk with her) but it often doesn’t go very far toward meeting their real needs. Jesus offered more. And James (who wrote my favorite book of the Bible) says the same: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him: ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.” – James 2:15-17.

So, convicted of this as I walked by Rosegaitha every day, I started to look for ways I could do more than just offer her platitudes. One day, I had on a Dora the Explorer band-aid (Abigail fetched it for me after I had cut myself — a dad’s got to keep it on once his daughter puts it on him, right?) and Rosegaitha noticed. She then showed me a cut she had on her finger and asked if I had any more band-aids. I didn’t have any more on me, but it gave me my means of meeting a physical need of hers (she has never asked me for money, which is VERY rare here). So, a few days later, on my walk in I handed her a bag of band-aids (NOT Dora band-aids; Abigail would have been very upset with me), some antibiotic cream, and some money. She was extremely appreciative, and continues to be so every day that I see and talk with her. I do not say all this to preach, but just to convey something about how God is sharpening and teaching me here, by teaching me to put more “legs” onto my faith. I think He would have that from all of us.

October Update...Flying Termites!

“I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. 
That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant.”

Martin Luther King, Jr.

It’s been almost a month since I’ve sent you all an update and in that time we at IJM Kenya have experienced some bumps on the road to securing justice for the victims of injustice here. In mid-September, a judge acquitted [found innocent] a man who had defiled one of our clients. It was a blow, as we believed (and continue to believe) the evidence of guilt was solid. Nevertheless, we as a staff met to see what lessons we could learn from the case to avoid a similar result in future cases. In the meantime, please pray for our client, the girl who was defiled, that she would find healing, through God and our counselors, understanding of her true worth, and a vision for her future.

Next, you’ll recall that in my last update (September 8, 2009), I wrote about an 8 year-old girl I called Lucy. I jumped the gun in taking it upon myself to assign this little girl a pseudonym without checking with IJM headquarters. From now on, I will refer to her in this and any future updates as Daisy. Sorry for the confusion; it’s my mistake. Anyway, to the update: If you recall, Daisy was sexually abused by a police officer in a police station. At this point, we still do not know which officer was the abuser, and we are encountering some opposition in discovering that truth. Please continue to pray for wisdom for our lawyers and investigators, as well as for the judge overseeing the case, for God’s truth to reign, and for Daisy to know His deep love for her.

Despite the setbacks and obstacles in these and other cases, we believe, as Dr. King espoused years ago, that we are fighting for the right, that these are temporary setbacks, and that God’s love for justice is stronger than any power of the enemy to stop His ultimate victory. Thank you for joining us in this battle!

Two months ago this week, we landed in Nairobi. It’s hard to believe how fast time is flying by. In fact, I have felt acutely of late that time is flying by too quickly! While I do deeply miss my family and friends, I have never loved what I am doing as much as I do right now (no offense to any of my former bosses or co-workers who may be reading this!). I feel made for this, that I can’t imagine doing anything else, that this fits like a glove, and all the other clichés you can think of. Thanks to you for allowing me to be here doing this!

And, the family is doing well, too. I’ll spend the rest of the update giving you some snapshots of what our life here has been like.  This picture is of Caleb and Abigail riding a camel on her 4th birthday! (along with some other kid in the middle, not Luke).

Recently while walking back from lunch with a friend, a homeless woman approached me and told me she’s been looking for a mzungu (white man) like me to marry her and take care of her. I thanked her for her kind offer, but I politely declined. (Anna liked that).

A few weeks ago, an old friend flew into Nairobi for an engineering mission trip. He was good enough to bring some necessities for us (read: ranch dressing, laptop battery), so I drove out to the airport early in the morning to meet him as he flew in. As I got into the airport grounds, I was pulled over at a police checkpoint, a commonly-encountered thing here, but my first experience being pulled over. I was a little nervous, as I had heard others tell unpleasant stories of their experiences at such checkpoints. Nevertheless, I was as polite as I could be. The officer wanted to know what was in the “boot” of the car (for those of you have not been to England, the “boot” is the trunk). We had bought the car from a missionary only a couple weeks previously and I had no idea what all was in the boot, so I was a little nervous as I popped the trunk (you never know about those missionaries ;) ). As I walked around back, I noticed that all that was in the truck were two tires and two Bibles. Whew! The officer picked up one of the Bibles and asked me what I do with it I said, “Read it.” He said, “Can I have it?” I said, “Of course!” He then picked up the other Bible and pointed to another officer and asked if she could have the other one. When I assured him she could, he took it and sent me on my way. Just here spreadin’ the Word in Kenya.

As I am sure most of you know by now, I am a baseball addict ([Me]: “Hi, my name is Lane, and I am a baseball addict.” [The Group]: “Hi, Lane!”). When I came to Nairobi in June on a scouting trip, I heard about a softball league that plays on Saturdays here which, as you can imagine, excited me just a little bit. So, once we moved here, I got in touch with the coach and got on the team. We’ve now played four games (there are four teams in the league —two American teams, a Canadian team, and a Japanese team) and we’re 4-0 and this dude’s not playing half-bad, if I can say so myself! On Sunday afternoons, virtually the same group gets together to play 3 hours of ultimate frisbee (like soccer but with a frisbee for you uninitiated). Anna’s the frisbee player of the two of us, so that is generally her time to shine (and get some exercise). It’s so cool to have these outlets here. God is good.


Just last weekend we were hosting for dinner a family with whom we are quickly becoming good friends when it began to rain in a downpour. As we were eating during the rains, the husband (who grew up in Africa as a missionary kid) mentioned that we may want to consider shutting our windows soon, which are usually open all day. When we inquired why (as the rain sounded really nice and it was not coming in because of our eaves), he responded that when the ground got sufficiently saturated, the "flying termites” would come out and seek the light in our house because their homes in the ground would be flooded. Well that didn’t sound very good. Sure enough, not five minutes later we saw the first of these critters (see a sample picture below) in our living room. You should have seen the speed with which we scrambled to shut all of the windows of the house! By the time we got them all shut, only five of the said termites had gotten in and were easily terminated. We did have fun watching the hundreds of them gathering on our front and back porch, along with the opportunistic geckos who had a nice feast that night (as did we, Anna had cooked up some nice enchiladas).

I had promised Caleb that if he got five “green lights” in class in one week, I would take him to lunch at a restaurant of his choice on Saturday. (The kids in his class get green, yellow, or red lights in class every day depending on their behavior that day). Well, he got five greens this week and he picked “Pizza Inn” for lunch. Now all you trademark lawyers stop reading at this point, because this is not the American chain. Regardless, Caleb loved it, and he earned it. Well done.

Lastly, Anna went to her first Bible Study Fellowship class this past week and enjoyed being surrounded by over 130 Kenyan women all desiring to study’s God’s word. Abigail is excited that there is a class for her there, too!  At home, they are reading lots of books, doing some crafts, and working on ABC’s. Luke wants so bad to draw and color like Abigail, so he usually joins us at the table, at least for a few seconds to scribble and then runs off!

We would appreciate you prayers on a few things:

• Lane’s work and all of the battles they face everyday fighting for what is right. Pray for grace, wisdom, and favor to win the battles.

• Cultural adjustment to a new city and a new country. Most days, I (Anna) enjoy the new adventure and the challenge to figure out how to do something or where to go to set such and such, other days I get frustrated. Pray for fewer of the latter.

• Times with God. No matter where we are, He is still there. I long to spend more time in his Word and journaling what he is teaching me.

Well, that’s it for now. Thank you all so much for all of your support and prayers. We are so thankful to be here and owe it all to each one of you. Please feel free to write us with any questions about my work or about the family. Or, just drop us an update on how you’re doing!

Peace,

Lane, for Anna, Caleb, Abigail, and Luke

Would you choose Water or Electricity?

We often don't have either water or electricity, so I have a new appreciation for both. There is barely any water pressure from the city water, so all of the families in our complex have a storage tank that  slowly fills at night. But, due to the drought our tank isn't getting replenished very much lately. So we  by necessity are being very conservative with our water.  I figured out a few tricks to washing dishes to use the least amount of water possible.  And for showering, instead of letting the water run during the shower, I just get wet, turn off the water, wash, and then turn the water back on to rinse. Yesterday was a great day because our water tank got filled. yeah!

As for the electricity, the city of Nairobi depends on water to generate the electricity. So, with low water, comes the a shortage of electricity as well.  Today, I went to get a gas tank for cooking  when the electricity is out, and there is evidently a shortage of gas as well. But they said come back tomorrow to check again. Glad our stove is gas and electric for just this reason. 

In light of the city’s water shortage, our housing complex is installing a well on the property.  So, Anna, the civil engineer, has been closely watching the progress. As of today, they have drilled the well...

 

installed the pump...

and lifted a huge 10,000 liter tank over 30 feet in the air with only Kenyan men and ropes...(there are 4-5 men on the top platform pulling the tank up in the air).

The final step is to get a new power line from the city to run the pump, hopefully in the next week or so. We are really looking forward to the well water. It will be a breath of life.  

Please pray for others in the city and around the country that still do not have water at their homes. I couldn't imagine not having water at all. 

4 and 40...our September birthdays

September brings two birthdays in our family and more in our extended families. It is a fun month in our house!

On September 9th, Lane turned 40 years old! We celebrated at home with a good ole' Mexican meal of our family favorite tacos with a little lime juice squeezed on top. Then after dinner we had a delicious chocolate cake with chocolate icing. The kids decorated the top of the cake with Lane's favorite Whopper candies. yum! I am so thankful that you heard the voice of God in leading us in this huge leap of faith to do this work and be in this place. Thank you for listening and trusting Him. My prayer for you, my husband and friend, is that this next year will be marked with fulfilling the destiny and calling God has placed on your life.I also pray that you will continue to listen and hear the voice of God all throughout the year. I love you dear.

On September 13th our daughter Abigail turned 4 years old!  We celebrated with a vanilla cake with sprinkles inside and a family outing later that day. We went to a place called Paradise Lost just on the outskirts of town. For her fouth birthday, she got to ride a horse and a camel! So cool. She rode the camel twice (the rides cost 50 shillings each = about 50 cents) but said it was not as much fun as the horse because the camel was "too slow" and on the horse she got to gallop. The place was surrounded by a beautiful coffee plantation and also had a beautiful lake and a cave to hike. We all enjoyed the outing! Our  prayer for our daughter is that during this next year you would know the love of God in a deeper way, that you would know that you are cherished by the King of Kings, and that you would know that you are a daughter of the King. We love you very much.

Fighting for Daisy*

She has nowhere to go — she was duped into coming to Nairobi. She left her home far from here on the promise that she would be placed in a good school; instead, she ended up forced into serving as house help in an abusive home. So, Daisy (not her real name) runs away to the streets of Nairobi. The local police pick her up and take her to the police station where she is safe, presumably, as they seek to find a place for her to stay. Instead, the officers on duty hold Daisy at the station for four days and one officer repeatedly sexually abuses her while she is detained. The four other police officers on duty do nothing to stop the abuse.

Daisy is eight years old.

We at IJM Kenya found out about Daisy’s case not long after she was “released” from police custody. We have since made it our passion to see that Daisy gets justice: that her abuser(s) goes to jail for what he has done to her, and that she gets the counseling she needs so that she can heal from the pain she has suffered. The path to justice in this case is not without its challenges, however, so please pray for Daisy as she presses on in the face of the incredible suffering she has undergone. Please also pray for us at IJM Kenya as we endeavor to ensure that those responsible for Daisy’s suffering are held accountable for their actions.

It has now been one month since we arrived in Nairobi. Time sure is flying by. Even in the down times, God has been faithful and good. And He’s been good to me in ways that show me He knows me intimately. This may sound really simple (or even heretical to some of you super-spiritual folks ☺) but on two separate really hard moments early on, I was sitting in a taxi and close to despair. Yet, in the middle of Nairobi, Kenya, our God sent me as a pick-me-up (on Kenyan radio, mind you) two great songs: Kenny Rogers’ “Coward of the County” on one occasion, and “Wish You Were Here,” my favorite Pink Floyd song, on another occasion. Now, if you want to debate whether or not our Holy God would send me a Pink Floyd song, go for it; I just know it really brightened my day when I needed it. I chalked it up to Him!

Overall, I am loving it here. The work is eminently fulfilling and I feel like I can make a real difference in the lives of these real people who have suffered real injustices (all because you have sent me here). And, I want to say that I could not be more impressed with the people that I am working with. In addition to one other North American, my co-workers are composed of fifteen Kenyans (lawyers, investigators, counselors, administrators, etc.) and they are some of the most passionate, intelligent, hard-working, and faithful people I have ever met. I am so blessed to be a part of this team, and I am learning so much about what it means to be an advocate for individuals who have suffered more than we could ever know. Please pray for the staff, that they would continue to have the strength and vision to carry the individual causes of justice daily.

Our family is doing very well also. Caleb began cub scouts last week. He’s a Tiger Cub, and got a cool Kenya patch which will make all the kids back home in the states jealous when we return. In Unicorn Preschool, Abigail is learning to write her letters and her name, and she’s very excited about it — she shows me her work every day when I come home. Luke is also doing well — he is definitely the monkey of our kids. The maintenance man of the complex recently built a gate on our stairs so that monkey-boy would not climb the stairs anymore and risk a tumble. Luke’s going to be an athlete. That’s my boy!

Anna is also acclimating well. She’s grown more comfortable driving to the grocery store and to Caleb’s school, which makes it much easier for her and Abigail to connect with other moms and kids during the day. She has more and more “playdates” on the calendar, it seems. We hope to get a date night sometime next week, as a coworker from the office has been offering to babysit.

That’s about it for now. Please continue to pray for our health, as we’ve all suffered a little gastro-intestinally recently. Please also pray for Daisy, as noted above. This case has hit me more than any other thus far. Finally, please pray for Kenya, as there is much suffering country-wide right now with regards to famine and drought.

Thank you and know that we miss you.

Peace,
Lane