Happy Easter

Last night I dreamt I bumped into my old school friend in the supermarket..

seemingly a very normal dream that gave me lots to think about today, since I am a million miles away from her, and that kind of lifestyle…

From school days, when my friend and I had so many similar dreams and interests, now our lives have turned out so different. In my dream, she was buying a steak for her husband and nappies for the baby, talking of dropping a few things in the trolley for their holiday away in a month’s time. Her son was so smartly dressed in all the designer baby gear and, as always, she looked beautiful and happy in the security of her lifestyle.

I woke up to another warm morning. It’s Easter Saturday, but doesn’t feel like it. The schools have all closed and so all the children are playing outside…Behind our banana trees, I can hear them loudly chanting African songs and the neighbour is burning her rubbish a few meters from where the children are playing, but despite the smoke and blatant fire hazard, they don’t take any notice. The cow is making her usual noise which sometimes sounds like a deep "moo" and sometimes almost something from Jurassic park, but the cow boy, about 9 years old, is doing a good job of looking after her as the cow chews on whatever greenery she can find. We normally get milk delivered from friend’s cows every day, but now, both of their cows have dried up due to lack of rain.

Again I am challenged that I am only used to complaining about the unpredictable weather because of how it affects my social plans and not my livelihood.

Today I think I will go and look for a place that we can plan to take all the children for a day trip on the school bus next week. IcFEM normally plans this exciting excursion every holiday (or exciting execution as someone advertised it in church last time) but the problem is that there are about 5 possible places to go in a 100k radius of western Kenya, and we have exhausted all our options on previous trips. We usually end up using the entire budget on fuel, since we have to travel so far and spend half the day on the bus, but this time I am thinking of a different approach.

There is a place that has just opened in Bungoma, our nearest big (ish) town about 40 minutes away from here. It has a grassy area and a playground. (ok the playground is hardly Alton towers, it has a slide and a climbing frame but that will be exciting for these kids) I realise that the children just need a treat and a change of scenery, so if we spend less on fuel we can go and use the play ground and then spend the rest on ‘Nyama choma’ ( roasted meat) for lunch which I am told is a very big deal instead of the plain dry bread we normally can afford. Then, if the budget allows we can even send someone to Bungoma to buy ice-cream. I think ice-cream will be such a treat as I am sure that the majority have never tasted it before and for about 25p each, that could keep these children chatting all weekend. My friend here suggested we could even take them into a supermarket in Bungoma for their day out, (“really a supermarket for a day out" I had  questioned….but apparently many have not seen one before)… my thoughts flashed back to my friend and her son in UK and again, I am reminded, as I am daily, how different life can be.

It seems strange to have an Easter without access to the usual chocolate eggs, it will be the 4th Easter I have spent in Kenya and I still cant really accept the lack of chocolate…. but our chickens are ever hatching new chicks and so, despite the lack of daffodils, we have that great reminder of the new life which God has enabled for us.

 

Happy Easter Everyone!