Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Merry Christmas |
I hope everyone is doing well and had a blessed Christmas
day. I have to apologize for not communicating more this fall. I did not
realize how being here during the holidays was going to negatively affect me so
much. Going to Nairobi at Thanksgiving was to be a time of rest and
refreshment, but ended up being more stressful due to many meetings and extra
time needed to shop for supplies. It left little time for relaxation. It was
nice to be back in the land of beautiful colors, cool weather and clean stores,
but I was more overwhelmed by the stores and the shopping than I had anticipated.
Also my fun time shopping at the Maasai market turned into me having a total meltdown
when it rained and I slipped and fell on the muddy wooden steps. Luckily I was
not badly hurt, just bruised, drenched and dirty. I think everything just hit me then and I
could not quit crying. It was not a pretty picture.
Forgot a picture with ornaments |
I really do try to find the good in bad situations, but sometimes
it is hard. Missionary life is full of many ups and downs and I have to admit
there are days when I would rather be at home with my family, church family and
friends and not here. Of course things got better after Thanksgiving and God
blessed me with a chance to come back to Nairobi for Christmas, which has been
very refreshing. So a little late, but still appropriate for the season, here is
a list of things I am thankful for.
Christmas Decorations
The tree for my room |
I got excited when I saw 3 boxes of lights and a few cards
in one of the stores in Lodwar on November 1st, unfortunately other than
a few more cards and some tinsel strands, that was about the extent of decorations
available to purchase in Turkana. Nairobi was better and the malls were
decorated but still rather minimally compared to the malls and stores in
America. It was such a big contrast that I had not expected. However, I managed
to purchase a couple small trees and ornaments and a teammate donated some
lights. I will not go into the light buying and trying to return fiasco of
2014….also occurring on the day I fell in the mud!
I made cut out snowflakes from white printer paper and a
wreath for my front door from the green and white tinsel in Lodwar. Even though
it was 90+ degrees and I was wearing flip flops as I sang Christmas carols it
was beginning to look a lot like Christmas.
Christmas Music
Candle light caroling |
The music is what really makes it seem like Christmas to me,
so I brought over Christmas CD’s and music loaded on my Kindle. I knew I would
miss singing the songs at church and going caroling with my church friends. No
American Christmas songs are sung at the Turkana churches and that is as it
should be, but still sad for me. In the blessing of coming back to Nairobi, I
arrived on the day that one of the churches here held their large picnic and
caroling event. I sat on a blanket eating cheese (dairy is what I miss the most
in Turkana) listening to songs as the people all streamed in before the real
sing along event began. Then it got even better. As we had driven to the event
we passed 2 camels being led along the road. They had on riding pads and we
joked that maybe they were coming to the caroling. Those were the first camels
I had seen in Nairobi. They are so commonplace in Turkana that I almost did not
think it was odd, until the people I was with pointed them out and said
something. Wow how my perspectives have changed. About an hour later, those
camels showed up where we were. I was probably more excited than all the kids
who wanted rides. So now I can say I have ridden on a camel in Kenya.
The camel I rode |
Language Learning in the Bush
Language learning in Lodwar has been hard. I was blessed to
have my language helper from my vision trip back in the area to work with me
for about 2 months when I got to Turkana, but it is too easy to use English
there in my daily life. About the time I was realizing this, my language helper
got a full time job. This made me sad at first, but I am thankful for the
time I had with her and am thankful that she has a job to help her provide for her family.
I will now be spending more time in the bush during the week.
This will push me to use the language more and not fall back on English. I will
also have a better chance to see how we can incorporate growing food for the
animals in the farms. I will be able to see and learn more about the farms and
the wells and begin to develop relationships with the people. Please pray for
me and my language learning and some of the other stresses that will come with
building relationships.
My new "friends" |
One example of that is when I visited the farm and talked
with ladies I had previously met. It took only about an hour for them to
declare me their new friend. Great, I thought, until I realized that that meant
they had the right to start asking me for things. Although I could barely
understand the words, I was catching most of the meaning of them pointing at my
clothes and their beads and saying Lodwar and lotaun (in town) a lot. Later
someone else translated for me. They had asked for rides to town, new clothes,
more beads, watches and for me to slaughter a goat when they came to my house
to visit. I said I did not have a goat. They said I could buy one. I said “no”. So seriously, pray for my language learning
and for the relationships, that I can develop some genuine ones and not just be
asked for things all the time.
CHE (Community Health Evangelism)
I came here to be a part of the CHE program and I still know
this is God’s leading for me. However, the CHE program has gone through some
changes recently and I am not sure what it will look like in the future. I have
been blessed by my CHE training and still know that CHE can work in Turkana. I
am thankful that just when I was feeling frustrated about it, God showed me two
examples of CHE at work.
Digging the trench |
Refilling the trench with sand |
The first was in a location where the pipes from the well
and water tank were leaking. The community leaders contacted the missionary and
told him about the problem. When we went out to see the area, they had not only
identified the problem, they knew how they wanted to fix it. They just needed a
couple different connectors and the tools and then concrete for the water run
off for the animals. I was so impressed as we suggested they put the spicket in
the shade and they stood up to our suggestion and said no that was a bad
location. As I remembered being there a month earlier and seeing all the people
gathering in the shady area I realized they were right, it would have been a
bad location and I was glad they told us that. After some initial work by the
missionary, they dug the needed trenches and got everything ready for the
concrete. We had left to get the concrete and by the time we came back they
had already been gathering the rocks and sand needed. We had not told them to
have it ready, they knew what they needed and they did it. What a blessing to
see this. I love the picture where we wazungu (white guys) are standing around
watching them work. That’s a community working together, identifying a problem, the solution and then fixing the problem and taking ownership of the project.
Concrete in place |
Patching up the holes |
The second example was the next day when we went out to
build a shelter on one of the farm plots so tomatoes could be grown there.
Tomatoes are more sensitive to the heat and mites, so the netting used would
provide shade and eliminate a lot of the mites blown in with the dust. I had my
doubts about the design when we started, because the wind was actually so bad
that day that I was being blown over just trying to hold the netting, but in a
few hours we had it secure and stable. The whole time the people at the farm
gathered the needed sticks and cut the ends. They helped remove the netting
from another area and move it over. Then when we mentioned that there were some
holes in the netting that needed to have patches sown over them, immediately,
the lady whose plot this was whipped out a needle found a loose thread from the
edge of the netting and began to sew the patch in place. By
the time we had finished securing all the netting to the frame and gathered our
supplies she was almost done. She had taken ownership of that shelter and
understood what she needed to do. She did not tell us we needed to sew it for
her, she took the initiative and did it herself.
These may seem like very small things, but they were not.
They give me hope, even with a culture that has been led into dependency by the
many NGO’s that come and do nothing but give handouts over and over. Please
continue to pray for the work we are doing teaching development. Pray that the
people will understand that they have resources and knowledge. They can have a
better life for themselves and not just resort to begging and taking handouts
all the time. The fact that they have learned how to survive in the harsh
elements of the desert in the bush is amazing to me. They live a hard daily
life, but they also know how to have fun.
Cultural Learning at a Turkana Wedding
Which of these does not belong? |
Often I learn about the culture through discussions that come
up as I learn the language, but sometimes I just have to experience it to
understand it. I was really excited when my language helper in the bush asked
if I wanted to go to a wedding. My first question was “Is it ok if I go?” and
then “Do I need to change clothes?” although I was already wearing the best
outfit that I had with me in the bush that week. Luckily the answers were, Yes
and No, in that order. Then I had my
first culture lesson when I asked what time the wedding began and I was told it
had started the night before, when the families got together to discuss how
many animals would be given for the dowry. I thought that should have been done
long before the wedding started, but I guess maybe this was just the final official
negotiation.
So, after a morning of language learning that included some
dancing lessons with the ladies in the farm, we were driven out to the site of
the wedding and dropped off. I do not like being the center of attention,
especially at someone else’s wedding, but I have realized most times that is
hard for me to avoid, especially in the bush. After the initial excitement of
me being there, I was able to just blend in a little more and enjoy what was
happening. I still have a limited understanding of most of it, and one question
always led to more questions. I may not have all this completely correct so
someone with more Turkana cultural experience is welcome to comment and correct
this, if needed.
The men entering |
· The father of the bride had 2 wives and the mother of the bride received the slaughtered cow. As each piece of meat was taken to her the men danced as they carried it to her hut and then danced back to the pen. After that was done a camel was brought over and it decided it did not want to be a part of the wedding that day, but unluckily for the camel some brave soul caught its tale and it too became part of the wedding feast. However, it was given to the father of the brides other wife. Having more than one wife is still rather common here.
The men talking about the next dance/song |
The large dancing circle |
· I left when the sun was going down, but the next
day my language helper told me the wedding had continued until past midnight
and there would still be more of the wedding that day until the afternoon,
when everyone would finally go home.
·
At one point I tried to explain a typical
American wedding to share some of the contrasts with what I was seeing there. My
comments were met with many strange looks and many questions from the Turkana.
Here are just a few more things I am thankful for:
Monitor lizard |
I do not have to pump gas here, like a blast
from past (my early years of driving) the gas station attendants pump it for
you. Even getting your gas pumped is very social and you need to chat a little
first.
that I can get more to grow from transplanting branches.
cats or I were stung.
Ice skating in Kenya on the same day I rode a
camel for the first time. I hope its not the last time for either one of those
activities.
Ali and Bonnie |
My cat and kitten. I cannot wait to get back to Lodwar to see
them. Ali is 10 weeks old now and very mischievous. I had to post a sign on my
refrigerator that says “Please make sure kitten is not stuck in the frig.” Yep
the little bugger climbed in there one day when the housekeeper was there and
luckily I got home about an hour after she left and heard Ali mewing and let
her out, before she got too cold.
My teammates here in Kenya. I am thankful for
all they do for me in Nairobi and in Turkana and how they made this a great
Christmas.
I am also thankful for my family and friends.
Thanks for praying and partnering with me in this ministry.
Most of all I am thankful for God leading me to
Turkana and for the sacrifice of His Son Jesus to save me from my sins. I am
thankful to spend Christmas celebrating with teammates here and at a church
where we did sing American Christmas songs and freely and openly read
scriptures. It has been refreshing to my soul to be here and I am thankful for
that.
I have Joy because of JESUS. |
Thanks to everyone who has sent emails, messages, cards and
notes of encouragement. I do not always get to respond to each one personally,
but they really do mean so much to me to receive them.
Thanks also for my many partners, for the prayers and financial
partnership. You are so important. I can always use more partners, so if you
would still like to make a year end donation you can do that at my CMF page
http://www.cmfi.org/wherewework/missionary/stucker
Or contact my parents and they can get you a prayer card
that you can mail to CMF.
My address for letters and cards:
Shannon Tucker
PO Box 98
Lodwar 30500
Kenya East Africa
If you wish to send other items please contact me to discuss
where they should be sent. I have to pay taxes on everything that is sent and right
now I am still happy with what I have been able to get here and have brought
over with visitors. Thanks