From the Kentucky Derby to Kenya's Camel Derby

Camels running around town practicing for the “Derby”..........what? 

A few weeks ago I was reading that comment in a newsletter from my missionary friends in Maralal, Kenya. I had to stop and ask myself is there really another Derby in the world? Once again before I even reach the mission field in Kenya, my world view has been challenged!

 Growing up in the Louisville area means that the Kentucky Derby is The Derby.  It is so much more than a 2 minute race. It has turned into a 2-week extravaganza with more events than you could even imagine. While I have never been to Churchill Downs on Derby day for the races, the festival has been a part of my life since I was a little kid.  I remember going to the balloon races early in the morning, watching the steamboats race on the Ohio River downtown, marching in the Pegasus Parade with my high school band and battling the crowds at Thunder Over Louisville, the massive fireworks event that now opens the festival each year.  

All of a sudden my idea of Derby changed. It went from graceful horses, ladies in large hats and hearing everyone join in singing "Weep no more my lady" to gangly camels (with lips and legs flailing), sand covered people with baseball hats and traditional tribal songs. 

                               

Kenya's Camel Derby actually is a relatively new Derby.  It began 23 years ago, much more recent than Kentucky's, running for the 140th time next year. While both Derby’s help the local economies and are big tourist events, Kenya’s also helps promote peace and environmental conservation. The Camel Derby is a great way to promote aspects of Kenyan culture that are very different from those in the safari areas, beach areas and the modern city life of Nairobi.

 I will be living and working in Lodwar, Turkana in the Northwest desert area of Kenya. The town of Maralal is not close to this area and in the pictures is much greener than Lodwar. However camels are very important to the people of all of Northern Kenya and this festival helps promote them and the way of life for the people there.

The festival includes many cultural elements like guessing the weight of a goat or sheep. Maybe I could win that one, but I must remember to answer in kilograms. There is also a race to climb a greased pole and ring a bell. I wonder how much sand gets stuck on that pole. Maybe you would like to try the Camel Triathlon, where you won’t have to swim, but instead ride a camel, then bike and run in the desert.  The event that I have added to my Kenyan Bucket List is participating in the Amateur Race, where I can hire a camel and guide and race to victory, if I can stay on for 10 km.

These things made me laugh at first, but as I said earlier I know that I need to check my “American Worldview” at the door. The Derby I have known my whole life became the norm and there is a big world out there with other Derbies to learn about and experience also. I love spring time in this area and the anticipation of the Derby and all the associated events. I am going to miss this, but it is so exciting to have the chance to learn about something new and the hope that I will get to experience it in the future. 

God is so good and I thank him for all he is teaching me and all the lessons I am learning right here each and every week. 

Philippians 2:4

Don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.

Proverbs 18:15

The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge, for the ears of the wise seek it out. 

Watch a video about the Camel Derby

Click here to learn more

Fun Facts to compare the 2 Derbies 

(Can someone familiar with Blogger, please let me know how to insert a table, obviously I was unsuccessful!)

Kentucky Derby: 

• Louisville, Kentucky
• 1st Saturday in May
• Began in 1875
• 2 weeks of festivities
• Race length 1 1/4 miles (2 km)
• Other events:
• Running races
• Fireworks
• Chow wagon
• Balloon glow and race
• Steamboat race
• Bed races
• Parade
• Basketball, volleyball and golf events
• Parties and concerts

Kenya's Camel Derby:

• Maralal, Kenya
• Sometime in August
• Began in 1990
• 3 days of festivities
• Race length 42 miles (21 km)
• Other events:
• Running events
• Triathlon
• Camel polo
• Local food
• Arts and crafts for sale
• Climb a greasy pole
• Donkey rides
• Pin the tail on the camel
• Guess the weights of goats and sheep
• Cultural ceremonies and music     

Reality Sets In - The Plunge

I was getting more and more nervous with each step I took up to the platform for the green slide.  Up to this point I had been going down the blue slide. It curved and twisted at a "manageable" speed down to the pool. This was my idea of fun. The green slide on the left of the picture (that basically drops straight down) was not.

My 5 year old niece and 11 year old nephew had been happily going down the green slide all day without any fear, but here I was at the top looking down and about to faint. To me it looked like I would be going down something like this.

As I stood at the top I remembered the graph I had seen in the book Serving as Senders by Neal Pirolo. I realized that this green slide was a great illustration of what I would be experiencing on the field next year. This is a representation of a missionary's physical, emotional, spiritual and mental life time line as they prepare, reach the field and serve in the ministry.

The horizontal line is the "baseline" of where a missionary was before they felt "called." It seems great to have that steady rise of excitement about going to the field and serving the Lord, however, when you reach the top you take a plunge and "Reality Sets In."

Right now I am slowly climbing those steps and getting more and more excited about the journey that I am taking with God. I am learning and studying and making connections that will help me on the field and every day I am getting a little closer to being ready to leave.

"No matter how much you plan and how well conferences prepare you, this missionary stuff is going to take you for a ride!"

This quote is not from any missionary book or conference speaker, rather it was written by Cherie, my missionary friend, who has now been serving in Ethiopia for 6 months. I am so thankful for her insights and those of my other missionary friends already on the field and those who will soon reach the field. The "ride" will take a steep plunge for us all and when reality does set in we will need your prayers, love, and encouragement more than ever. You likely won't understand what we are going through, but please try to be compassionate and share kind words, while remembering that this is something we must go through to get back above our "baseline."

So, back to the water slides. What do you think I decided to do?

1. Move over to the blue slide, since just seeing the illustration in my mind was good enough. 
2. Take a peaceful walk back down the steps, since I really didn't even like the curvy blue slide. 
3. Sit down at the top of that green slide, push myself over the edge and scream like a girl the entire way down. 

If you were at the pool last Saturday you know that #3 is the correct answer and I thank you all for your cheering, applause and laughter as I came up out of the water after my plunge.  I am glad I was able to provide some comic relief. 

Since I  hope to reach the field by next March, it is likely that my plunge will be sometime next fall. I just hope that everyone who reads my blog and is partnering with me in the ministry will be as gracious as those people at the pool last Saturday and will be there to encourage, cheer, clap and laugh with me as I make my way back up and over the baseline once more.

"Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. You're not the only ones plunged into these hard times. It's the same with Christians all over the world. So keep a firm grip on the faith. The suffering won't last forever. It won't be long before this generous God who has great plans for us in Christ - eternal and glorious plans they are! - will have you put together and on your feet for good. He gets the last word; yes, he does. 

1 Peter 5:8-11 (The Message)

Different, not right or wrong.

Driving, language, church, family, holidays, work......These are just a few of the things that will be very different for me when I reach in Kenya (hopefully by next March).

One key thing I have learned from other missionaries is that things are different, but not right or wrong. There will be times when I am in Kenya that everything seems so strange and unfamiliar and I will just want some "normal" in my life. I will need to remember that the Kenyan way is not wrong and the American way is not right. If I can always keep that thought in mind my transition will be much smoother and my frustration less.

Driving – Yes it is done on the right (literally) side of the road and yes I am the passenger here on the left side of the car. I need to learn to drive a stick shift on and off road, in the dessert, while missing the animals, people, bicycles, pici-pici’s (motorcycles), and other vehicles that will all be sharing the road with me! This picture doesn't even do justice to all the "traffic" on the roads and this stretch actually has more road than potholes. Bonus! Anyone want to help with driving lessons?

Language- This is just a sampling of what Turkana looks like (Jeremiah 29:11). There is no Rosetta Stone for Turkana, so my primary Turkana language learning will take place during the first year I live in Turkana. Until then I will study from the Bible, a Turkana dictionary and some recorded lessons my language helper made when I was there in January. I will also need to learn some Swahili, which will be the easy language and the one I can learn from CD's and on the computer. If you know anyone who speaks Swahili (the Kenyan version) please send them my way! At least English is one of the official languages in Kenya and all the road signs and labels on products are in English. What a blessing, although when spoken it is "British English”, therefore, I often needed a translator to help me understand the Kenyans and to help them understand my “Southern Indiana English”.

Church- I will worship at the Community Christian Churches. I enjoyed this so much when I visited in January and even taped some of the songs they sang. While it is great to worship with brothers and sisters in their language and with their cultural music and context, it isn’t mine. It is different. I will miss my church and style of worship and my favorite worship songs led by our worship team. To help with these differences I will be able to listen to sermons and music on the computer and I will have Bible studies with other missionaries in Turkana. After some time there I will be able to understand more and more during the services and as with other areas of "different" it may become such a "normal" that when I come back to the US I will have to remember that things here will be different but not right or wrong.

Family- I will miss mine terribly, but I know that God has a great family in Kenya just waiting for me and I can’t wait to get to know them and build relationships so that we can work together in the ministry.

Holidays- Next year there won’t be any fireworks on the forth of July for me and it is hard to imagine what Christmas in the dessert will be like. I do like the heat better than the cold and I did save a few Christmas ornaments to help remind me of home. These stars are actually from Africa and are made from rolled up paper beads. Making paper beads (from painted construction paper or magazines) is a typical craft that you see in many foreign countries and something I may have to try when I need some stress relief and a break from language learning. I have even been checking out homemade mod podge recipes on Pinterest and posting a lot of other paper crafts and projects that could be fun to do and share.

 

Work- Camels, sheep and goats...oh my. These are the primary animal species in the Turkana desert and camels were not on our syllabus at Iowa State! Luckily, God has allowed me to make connections with veterinarians who do know something about camels and are willing to help. Did you know that camels have very long eyelashes to help keep the sand out of their eyes? More fun facts and camel stories to come!

Memories

A few weeks ago I had a good feeling as I cleared out my storage unit, but at the same time I was rather sad. Last year my house sold, and I donated many items to Goodwill and other yard sales and packed the others and put them in storage. Over the past year, I didn't miss too many items that were already gone or sitting in the unit, but sorting through them now brought back a lot of memories. These were the items I hadn't been ready to part with a year earlier and now it was time to make some choices.

The week before the yard sale, I prayed that I wouldn't have a "melt down" and chase someone down the drive way just to retrieve an item that had no real value but brought back memories to me. Luckily everyone made it out unscathed.   

The past month, I have also been scanning and uploading old pictures to web based storage, so I will be able to view them no matter where I am. 

Going through the pictures has been so much fun and I even included my niece and nephew a few weeks ago as we looked at old pictures of them and then me and my brother (their daddy) as kids.  They laughed even harder than I did.

While the memories are always going to be with me whether I have the items or the pictures, it really is fun to look at these and share them. Enjoy :-)

My cousin Denise babysitting me.

Grandma Tucker, me, dad, Grandma Littlejohn and mom....Look at that hair and mom always claims I get my big wild hair from the Tucker side of the family. 

 

 

 

 

 

 I was so happy to have a brother. He cried a lot, but as he grew up he was a lot of fun.

We still have this rocking chair. It was my dads and we have an old picture of dad in it. We also have pictures of my niece and nephew in it and it still sits in the hallway and now holds the teddy bears. This picture made the kids laugh alot and comment that their daddy was "chubby".  I just love his curls. Mom waited a long time to cut them off.

Many of my favorite memories are from church and the plays and musicals we did as a youth choir. Thanks to Norma White and Sandy Martin for their dedication to us kids.

I hope these clothes never come in style again. Wait maybe they already have!

Yes the clothes did get worse! The stocking on the right is mine and I still use it, even though it is very stretched out. It was made by my Aunt Jackie and it just wouldn't be Christmas without it. I decided it needs to stay here with all the family stockings even though I will be in Kenya. That will make me feel like I am still a part of Christmas here.

The "blankie" covering the table is mine and I still have it. Although it is now a little smaller and rather thread bare in the center. It served me well for many years and then became the cat "blankie" for every cat we had as a family and for Hershey and Sherlock. I found it when going through a bag of sheets and blankets. I did not sell it or throw it away.  Not yet sure if it will travel to Kenya with me. At least it won't take up much space or weight if I do take it!

Speaking of cats. Our first was "Punkin" and yes he is wearing a baby doll dress.  He was such a good little kitty.

And last but not least....the picture of my dad with that horrible mustache and side burns. Not that my hair is any better in this picture.

Launch

What could you do that would be exciting, thought-provoking, a little scary, tiring and fulfilling all at the same time?


I just returned from Launch, my official orientation for long term missions, held at the CMF (Christian Missionary Fellowship) office in Indianapolis. During those two days reality began to set in for eight of us, who are the new recruits that God has called to the mission field.

During Launch I learned more about the four strategies used by CMF to reach people for the Lord. These strategies include:

• Church planting - the  main strategy in Turkana, Kenya where I will be going
• Globalscope - international campus ministry
• Urban poor - work in slums and urban centers in many countries including Kenya
• Marketplace ministry - used in closed access countries

We are a diverse group of new recruits and there is at least one of us representing each of the strategy areas listed above. It was great to learn more about CMF and the other strategies and to meet many of the staff at the Indianapolis office.

  

We spent time talking to our area directors and the mobilization team to learn about training we needed to complete and books we should read and study before leaving for the field. We received our budgets and learned about support raising. We discussed our different personality types and how knowing this can help us interact with our teams on the field in positive ways. We practiced our presentations that we will make to churches and mission boards when raising support. We got our pictures taken for our support materials and spoke with the communications team about those materials. This list is not even inclusive, but you get the picture that we were very busy. The great thing was that the Lord was present with us and we know He will always be there along every step of the journey.

The thing that impressed me the most about this training was that I was able to see the "fellowship" that truly exists among the CMF staff and missionaries. I know this is the "right fit" for me. I am so excited to be a part of God's plan. 

God's Plans are Perfect

At the end of November I met with CMF employees and discussed possible opportunities for long term service with them. About a week later I met with one of their missionaries from Kenya who is in the US on furlough. By the end of that week I had received permission to apply to CMF and plan a vision trip to Lodwar, Turkana, Kenya in January. That meant that I had less than 30 days to plan a trip....or should I say, I had less than 30 days to be faithful and trust that God was in control of this trip. I did not have time to question or research much about Kenya. I did not have time to worry or over analyze anything about this trip. It is not really typical for me to be this "out of control" (as I was just reminded of by my Myers Briggs test results and Psych evaluation). However, I knew that this was God's trip and He would guide me and allow me to experience what life would be like in Kenya.

The airport in Lodwar, Turkana, Kenya. There is a runway to land on.

All my travels went smoothly and the first week of my trip I was able to join the short term group from two churches in Colorado who were there building a school out in the bush (desert) at Kakimat. It was great for me to experience being a part of this group, especially since all my short term missions trips have been with medical groups. I really enjoyed getting to know them and working with them on the school. Their commitment to the people and students in Turkana is incredible. It extended to donations of school supplies, sponsoring children to attend school, and buying school uniforms. They also helped the local economy by not bringing sandals from the US for the children, rather buying sandals made from old tires right there in Lodwar.

Picking up the shoes "ordered" earlier in the day.

The 10 members of the group from Colorado were also joined by Prosper, a pharmacist from Tanzania. He was friends with the group leaders and was invited to join them on this mission trip.  It was really interesting to talk to him about his mission experiences and life in Tanzania and to see him interact with the Turkana kids.

Prosper is wearing the blue hat and tan shirt.

He is helping lead the kids in a song.

Prosper had never been to Turkana before and his family and friends had concerns about him going there on a mission trip. While I was in Nairobi many people seemed to question me about why I was going to Turkana. I did not fully understand this until I talked to Prosper and to the missionaries about this. It seems that Turkana is not really considered part of Kenya, by the rest of the people of Kenya, and the area is rather discriminated against. I think that is the best way I can describe it. I am sure there is more to it than I even began to understand during my short time there, but sadly there are people who asked me "why" I was going to Turkana not in a curious way, but more like "Why in the world would you ever want to go to Turkana or even live in Turkana?"

Turkana women in traditional dress.

This made me sad and made me realize that this is the place that I believe God wants me to serve with Him.  I also came to realize that this would be much harder than I could have ever imagined. The people of Turkana have endured many droughts and hard times. They have seen a lot of relief come to the area from many different NGO's (non- government organizations, secular and religious) and often that relief was needed. However, the people have become very dependent on the relief and have not understood the benefits of development that could help empower them to do for themselves and not just wait for the next relief truck with food to show up.

One of the CMF farms,  helping people understand and experience development through Farming God's Way,  with irrigation water provided by solar powered pumps for the wells.

 During the Community Health Evangelism (CHE) training that I attended last fall, I learned that the hardest places to do CHE are the places where the people are already dependent on relief from the NGO's. It was rather discouraging to come to the realization that Turkana is that type of place. I know that I will not be facing this challenge alone. It will be God, me and many others working together to make a change. It will also take a lot of prayers and I need you all to begin praying for this area right now. Pray that those who have the vision for development and CHE continue to be encouraged and that this knowledge will multiply as we also spread the love of Jesus and the hope that we have in our loving God. He loves everyone, including the people of Turkana. 

While in Kenya I was able to learn a lot about missionary life from the perspective of a missionary who has lived and worked in Turkana for over 16 years  (Gene Morden) and from a newer missionary who has been in Turkana for 3 months, but was in Kenya previously as an intern for CMF (Eric Pitts). It was great to just sit and listen to them talk about anything and everything, from the frustrations of the city electricity being out more than it was on (I will need a generator) to Eric's feeling that the people of Lodwar were finally starting to accept him. He was really happy that I was there and could take over the label of  "newbie" even if just for a few weeks. 

Gene in the "grocery store".

Eric and the aquaponics system. I think he added the fish this week.

There were many things that made life in Lodwar seem "normal", from being able to speak English while shopping in Lodwar and ordering food in the restaurant, to watching TV shows and movies on DVD's and Netflix while eating popcorn. Other things were definitely different, such as driving on the opposite side of the road and vehicle while, dodging potholes, people, piki-piki's (motorcycles), goats, sheep, chickens, more people, more potholes, more piki-piki's, more chickens, more goats and the speed bumps and other vehicles. I must say that going 4 wheeling in the desert was also a new experience, especially during a rain storm. It was also a great experience to worship with the Turkana people in 2 different services. I love to hear their singing and praising of God.

Worshiping together in Kakimat on the 6th.

Worshiping together in Lodwar on the 13th.

At the produce market.

Flat tire.....I got a little scared when they put the jack right on the sand to raise the vehicle!

This is a rather good and non crowded area of the road!

Had to take one of the vehicles in for service at the Lodwar Toyota. 

Turkana baskets. I will be buying a few.

When Gene initially asked me what my expectations were for the trip I honestly told him that I had none. I really wanted God to show me whatever he wanted me to see and that was fine with me. It worked out well and I was able to experience so many aspects of life and meet so many people associated with CMF and some from the local government and other NGO's. We met with a veterinarian from Somalia working with Veterinarians without Borders and another Turkana business man with a heart for development. Each of these people seemed interested in following up with me when I return to Turkana.

So at this point I have to remind myself and you all that I have not been accepted by CMF. I should get the news by the end of next week. I had my interview and Psych evaluation on the day after I returned from Kenya.  In my heart I know that God planned this trip and allowed me to have such great experiences for a reason. I choose to believe at this time, it is because I will end up in Turkana. But if this is not the place or the group, I know that what God allowed me to experience is not without reason. I stepped out in faith and allowed God to be in control of this trip and it was awesome. I am so glad that He allowed me to see Turkana and to meet so many wonderful Turkana people. God's Plans are Perfect.

Seeing camels all over became common and normal.

Patience

"Don't mistake God's patience for His absence. His timing is perfect and His presence is constant. He is always with you!" 

If you know me, you know I am not a patient person. Sorry! I'm continuing to working on that, but you will need to keep praying for me. Do it now, please!  :-)   Over the past few months I have been wondering about God's plan for my life and when he would let me in on it.

At the end of November I met with members of Christian Missionary Fellowship (CMF) in Indianapolis. I had met some of their employees and missionaries at the various meetings I attended during November and I felt God was leading me to that group. After talking to them and learning about possible opportunities,  I met with a missionary serving in Kenya, who is home on furlough. I learned that it would be possible for me to do a vision trip in January. So, with less than a month of planning I will travel to Kenya on January 1st.




I will be going to Turkana in the northwest corner (west of Lake Turkana).  I will spend about 2 weeks learning as much as I can about the people and their culture and how God could use me to work with Him in that area. I hope this will be the place I will end up serving and the group that I will work with. I have started the application process with CMF, but I am not guaranteed acceptance. I have been praying about all this and I hope that you will continue to pray also.

Please pray for:

• God's blessing on the missionaries and Kenyans I will meet, let me not be a burden to them
• For me to always show God's love through my interactions with everyone I will meet 
• For me to have patience as I learn about a new culture and experience new languages 
• For me to be still and listen to God as he lets me know of His plans for me in this place
• Safe and on time flights, I have short layovers in Washington and Zurich
• Timely arrival of my luggage
• Minimal jet lag and good health during the trip, there is an 8 hour time difference
• Peace for my family at home while I am gone
• For my CMF application

Thanks so much. I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Shannon