Hipposaurus Rex and Plenty of Passion Fruit

We continue to dig deeper into Kenya, both in day-to-day life and through the work itself. For instance, Rebecca started to learn to drive a stick shift. We moved into our apartment on Wednesday, and Thursday had our first houseguests, David and Rebecca Khisa, two of my friends I lived with on my previous visit. It was great to share a meal with old friends, and to continue to learn more about Kenyan culture and perspectives through our relationship with them. I love Dave and Becky, and Rebecca is becoming a fast friend as well. Sunday we went to our first Kenyan Premier League futball game (professional soccer). Professional sports are a little different here (our ticket cost $3.00), and we found ourselves standing outside a chainlink fence immediately surrounding the field in the middle of thousands of screaming Kenyans. I won't say anything else about that, except that nutty UT Vols fans got nothing on these guys. Trust me.

This weekend, Rebecca and I went on our first ever "family camping trip." Sometime on Friday we just found ourselves spontaneously loading up the Suzuki and heading into the Rift Valley (an absolutely gorgeous part of centralish Kenya) to camp on the shores of Lake Naivasha. The campsite we stayed at was pretty similar to the ones from my youth, except for the swanky full-service bar and electric fence to keep out the hippos. Those unfamiliar with hippos might wonder why bother, but these things kill more people in Africa than any other animal. I'll say this: I've laid awake in Montana listening to a howling pack of nearby wolves, and I'll take them any day over the hippos; these things straight up sound like the T Rex from Jurassic Park, and I mean all night long. Surviving the hippos, we spent Saturday doing a fun mini-safari, complete with giraffes, zebras, antelope, warthogs, monkeys, etc, did some great hiking around the lake and one of the many volcanic craters in the area, and even caught a glimpse of a flock of about a million pink flamingos. At any rate, I'm afraid we may have sort of set a high bar for future camp outs.

Work has been excellent as well. Last week we continued to meet with the farmers, and Rebecca and I got to get together with the Mang'u passion fruit group leadership twice to discuss our options with the farmers who are defaulting on their loans and to help them open a bank account (complicated here in Kenya). These farmers are very hospitable and very funny, and we've really enjoyed hanging out with them. Based on our meetings, I'll soon be going with them to visit struggling farmers to find out what the issues are and what might be our way forward. The CCS staff member, James Njeru, has also been a real joy, not only introducing us to lots of farmers, but showing us where to eat around town, giving us eggs for breakfast from his chickens, and showing us his personal collection of rabbits that he raises (and teaches others to raise) for some extra cash on the side. I also got travel up to meet with some of the members of one of the new groups. One thing that no Community Development class can teach you is the need to be constantly on your toes: on this particular day, I thought I was observing, and found out, uppon arrival, that I was giving a presentation on group savings. All in all it went well, and I guess things like that are good at holding you accountable to knowing your stuff. This week, Rebecca and I will both get to travel to meet with three groups (two new ones, and the Ngare Ndari group). This will be a great opportunity to hopefully build some relationships with the farmers as well as the CCS (Anglican development partner organization) staff, as well as to begin the group formation process with the 2 new groups. Please, please, please pray for this week, as it will be a time with lots of logistics, and a real need for Spirit empowered communication. On top of it all, tunataka kujifunza kiswahili (we try to speak kiswahili), and our lessons continue to be great. Pole pole na kidogo na kidogo tunaenda (Slowly slowly, and little by little, we go).

Rebecca and I have really been edified by the great cloud of witnesses this week, through emails and books written by believers, and through the music of some old-school rockers like Keith Green, Phil Keaggy, and Rich Mullins. A new favorite author for me is the Anglican theologian, N.T. Wright. In The New Testament and the People of God, Wright gives a detailed description of the hope that Jews had at the time of Christ. In this and other works, Wright makes the strong case that Christ did not come to merely save believers out of a sin-filled world for an eternity of harp plucking, but as the perfect fulfillment of the Old Testament hope for the full redemption of the world. Jesus' resurrection isn't just about avoiding hell, it's about the King of the Universe coming to set all things to right, to turn back all the works of the Fall "far as the curse is found," to make for Himself a people from every tongue and tribe and nation who will honor and serve Him in the New World forever and ever.* Maybe the reason that my faith walk, and the faith walks of those around me can tend towards apathy, is that our hope isn't big enough. We're satisfied with Sunday sermons and fire insurance, when Christ is calling us to a perfect intimate relationship with Him, and to full reconciliation with our neighbors, destroying racial, socio-economic, and cultural barriers, and bringing us into the full peace of the body of Christ. To do His kingdom work, within all of our various vocations, today in the here and now. As Rebecca and I go through life here in Kenya, we've already been stunned by the "bigness" of what the kingdom would look like here, of how great is the kingdom hope that is breaking through the cracks of a fallen world. And as missionaries of sorts, we feel like we have the privelege of telling you that out here in Kenya, Jesus is doing great things, and we're seeing them and participating in them because of your prayers and support.

Thanks for all of your communication and prayers. Please pray that Christ would bring His kingdom "on Earth as it is in Heaven" in our life and yours. We posted a video or two on facebook, so if you'd like to see me kissing a giraffe, or a tour of our unfurnished apartment, feel free to check that out. We'll be happy to "friend" you if you aren't on our list already. Let us know if you have any questions, and we'll be glad to address them in later posts!

Peace,

Michael Rhodes

*If you're interested, I think Wright's book Surprised by Hope is one of the best, most formative books on the faith I've ever read. I'd really encourage anyone to pick it up and give it a looksie.