Rich in the Lord

In the beginning of this video the lady is asking me to buy something from her...Since I had no money, I told her that I was rich in the Lord but not in pesa...that means money :) She then offered for me to come and stay at her house - even though she had no bed for me. That is love.  Next you'll see a musical instrument that a little boy made from things that he found - a plastic cup, a wire, and a stick. Incredible!! The last part shows us giving back to God. We decided before the Challenge that we wanted to tithe. We set aside the 1st 10% of our 'income' and saved it until the last day of our Challenge. We held onto that money and gave it as an offering at our Sunday church service.  He blessed us beyond measure! 

HE IS FAITHFUL!!

Amanda's End of Day 3 Journal - 2011

Wednesday February 16, 2011

2011 A-Dollar-A-Day-Challenge

I woke up this morning remembering the challenge I gave to the girls at the orphanage from the night before… Say a prayer before your feet hit the floor.  To be perfectly honest I could have gone 3 more days before having the slightest desire for my feet to hit the floor.  My feet were so sore I didn’t even want to wiggle my toes.  I thought to myself, “maybe we should start this assessment from the top.” As I attempted to wiggle my fingers instead, I actually thought I had become an 80-year-old woman overnight.  My joints in my fingers felt numb and tight. It didn’t get any better as I accessed the pain in my neck, shoulders, back, and legs.  This Kenyan livin was kickin my tail.  Never mind my nasty breath, slimy teeth, dirty feet, and stinky armpits.  I was a mess.  I considered walking to the corner shop to see if they sold toothbrushes, or deodorant, but even if they did, I didn’t have enough money to purchase them. My daily allowance today needed to go for 10 ksh worth of kerosene because we ran out of light last night.  If I really wanted a toothbrush, I would have to save for at least 3 weeks.  One week to save enough money to get to town, one week to buy the toothbrush, and another week to have enough to get back from town.  I’m not sure it’s worth it.  Instead, I will just use my pen lid to pick my teeth and some thread from sewing buttonholes as my floss.  I’ve definitely learned to be resourceful.  So my feet did finally hit the floor and I found the strength deep inside to ask the Lord to guide me throughout the day. (This is often a prayer of the kids living at Tumaini) The morning routine has become bathroom, then tea, and then washing clothes… so I proceeded.  After tea (with sugar… awesome and worthwhile purchase) we realized we did not have enough water for washing so we headed to the spring.  It didn’t seem quite as bad today even though my muscles were aching.  I think I was so excited to take a bath after washing clothes that it motivated me to move quickly.  The bath was nice although the place for bathing smelled like sewage, and the water was as cold as ice.  After bathing, we took a break for some journaling and then off again to the lunch reading program with the kids.  I must say the lack of nutrients is starting to take its toll.  My body feels lethargic and my mind cloudy.  It’s becoming more difficult to process the thoughts associated with poverty because it is taking every ounce of my energy just to survive it.  I’m beyond hungry… just numb and tired.  As soon as I do eat, my stomach growls for more.  The high concentration of starchy carbs leaves my stomach heavy but my palette unsatisfied.  It’s like finishing a dinner and being full yet having a craving for something more.  Now imagine tasting this and that until something hits the spot.  It may take several try’s to find the right food, you are already full but that right food is SO satisfying.  Now imagine that craving and not having a single option to satisfy it.  That’s the reality for those living on $1 a day.  There’s no such thing as options, it’s all about survival. Today we’ve had to be very careful.  We are weak and I’ve been dizzy many times today.  It’s hard to finish thoughts and some thoughts keep repeating themselves. After lunch we walked a short distance to buy our kerosene and now I find myself trying to catch you up to speed along this path I walk… I may not have the words right now but let me assure you, it’s a DIFFICULT journey.

Lacey's End of Day 3 Journal - 2011

February 16, 2011                        TMSC, Kenya – Day 3

This morning I woke up feeling so dirty. We haven’t bathed since Sunday night :/ We decided that we would set out all of the water that we had left to start warming in the sun. We did that and then had our morning tea w/ sugar! It was the best breakfast yet! We decided that we would need more water to do our smelly laundry so we walked to the spring for more. This was surprisingly easy because we talked the whole time. Surprised? JWE didn’t talk about our feet hurting or anything about the challenge itself. The walk went by really fast! I have to say I’ve been quite sore today…so carrying the water up the hill was more difficult than in days past. I prayed again for God to give me strength becase I had little to none on my own. At the top of the hill there were people waiting to watch the wazungu (white people) attempt to carry water. This has ben a big frustration of mine. People just sit around and gawk at us. I know that some are just curious and that they’ve never seen wazungu doing these things…but it gets old. I’m a little tired of being such a spectacle.  So we just stood at the top of the hil and stared back at them until they finally left J I found a plug for my water jug so that I could carry it on my back better without getting so wet. As soon as mine was on my back and Amanda’s was on her head, we started back and then it was bath time! I was starting to repulse myself :/

Bath Time: It wasn’t too sunny this morning so the water that we had left out wasn’t too warm. It didn’t matter to us though – we were GROSS. As much as I needed that ‘shower’ I soon remembered that we have to bathe in our outdoor bathroom…it’s an outhouse. There are 6 stalls that all use the same big pit – imagine. We got out water and our bar of soap and headed to the stalls. We didn’t want to risk our clean clothes getting gross so we decided to scamper across the yard in our lasso *it’s a piece of fabric that serves as our blanket, water carrier, and now towel!* Through this bathing experience I learned the real value of some of the things that I am so fortunate to have. I DROPPED THE SOAP…it didn’t fall in the hole but it may as well have :/ ughh. Before this Challenge I would have said ‘forget it!!’ but not today. That soap is valuable to me. It cost me 24ksh to buy! Not to mention it’s my only bathing soap AND my laundry soap! When you have close to nothing, you have a greater appreciation for everything. So I picked up my soap, washed it off really well, and kept on going. This was an amazing bath! Although the ammonia fumes were wofting all around me, I felt so clean! Then it was laundry time. We washed our clothes with our bar of soap and then hung them to dry. There is something so nice about clothes that are dried in the sun! We’ve found that doing laundry every day is so much easier than waiting to do it all at once (this is for after the challenge – we only have2 pairs of clothes now).

We rested and journaled a bit before it was time for the reading program at school. My lack of energy and motivation really took a toll on me today. I found myself wanting to walk out a number of times. The kids were the same as they always are but this Challenge is taking its toll on me. When I caught myself getting frustrated, I had to tell myself that it wasn’t them – it was me. I can’t imagine being this way all the time. The teachers here get paid very small amounts and I don’t know how they do it. It’s a different world.

After the reading program we came down to the orphanage to check in on sweet Irene. She looks a TON better but we also found that my little, precious, Doro is sick, we’re pretty sure that she’s coming down with the chicken pox as well. L She walked slowly over to me and all that she wanted to do was hug me. I have never felt so helpless in my life. Here was this sweet child who I could do nothing for…I could do nothing to ease her pain. I held her for a while and she started to fall asleep. I took her inside so that she could rest in her bed. My sweet girl – I love her so much.

We went over to the house and had lunch. By this time it was 3 o’clock and we were having our first and only solid meal of the day. I was hungry but didn’t look forward to just ugali. In America I would say that we live to eat. Everything revolves around our meals. I Africa, they eat to live. It’s not always good and most times isn’t satisfying…but they do it to survive. It’s a totally different world in poverty. *All of Africa isn’t poor – I’m just talking about the part of Africa that we’re experiencing* God is showing me that I need to appreciate what I do have and not dwell on the things that I don’t. I have enough to live and I need to be thankful for that. My stomach may growl once in a while, but I’m alive.

We ran out of Kerosene last night (for our lamps) so we needed to get some more for tonight. This is our only source of light when darkness sets in. we have 10ksh each day to spend…yesterday was mangos and today was kerosene. I would have loved to buy more fruit but there was a greater need above it. God is really showing me the difference between needs and wants. I WANT a mango because it would taste so good…but I NNED kerosene to see a night. There is a difference – it’s clearer to me now.

We came back to our house and took some time to rest. While Amanda journaled, I laid down to rest my body. About 30 minutes later I woke up! I didn’t mean to fall asleep but I guess my body needed it! I went to find Amanda and she was sewing some buttonholes for our kids school uniforms. Hesbon 1 had told us earlier in the day that we would be fetching water this evening. We gathered the troops (all of the older kids) and headed for the spring. This time we too the cart AND the donkey J Our feet are getting a little more used to the torture of walking the road so it was a bit easier this time. We all carried water up the hill and loaded the cart. Again, we didn’t realize that this water was for the school and that we would have to go back again for the orphanage.  On our second trip to the spring I had the pleasure of walking with Hesbon 2. We talked about the Challenge so far and how we’re feeling about what we’re experiencing. We also talked about his childhood and how he had less than we do now. He said that sometimes there would ne no food…so all he would have is 1 cup of tea in the morning and one in the evening. This is all while having to go to school every day. I can’t imagine. My brain is so blurry now and I have more than he did. It’s so humbling. I never even went to school without breakfast. If I did, it was because I CHOSE not to eat. These people amaze me.

After retrieving the water again we headed home. By this time it was close to dark and very hard to see the ground we were walking on. We had to ‘walk by faith’ as not to step on something that would harm our feet. We made it back and were greeted by our night watchman, Ezekiel. He is a straight up gift from God! He’s a wonderful man. He told us that it was time to put our shoes back on because he was worried about our feet! Not matter what, these people care about each other…he genuinely didn’t want us to get hurt. Bless him!!

We talked with Rose for a few minutes and then our sweet ‘rich neighbor’ (Rose) invited us in for tea!! In Kenya, it is an honor to be invited in to someone’s home. She let us drink HER tea and use HER sugar! It was such a blessing to have Rose and Natasha’s company. *Natasha is the sweet girl who is staying with us at Tumaini* We were also able to ‘eat’ with the lights on because they have electricity! I now know what it’s like to really appreciate electricity! Before, I never really thought about it bc it’s something that I’ve always had. I know that it is a luxury and that I shouldn’t take it for granted…but it’s hard when you’ve never had to go without it. After our short stay in the land of riches, we returned to our humble abode. Sophie (one of our kids at Tumaini) came to visit and all that we had to offer her was water. We can’t afford anything else. When she left, Amanda and I debriefed our day and then it was time for our nightly devo with the girls at the orphanage. Tonight’s lesson was perfect for me and Amanda…we talked about how our faith should be bigger than our feelings. We need to trust that God has it all figured out - instead of focusing on how we feel at the moment. It was cool because I have been focusing so much on my stomach growling when I should be praising God that I have something to eat. I need to focus on what I DO have and not on what I DON’T.

Day 3 Complete

End of Day 3 Videos

So today has been tough. We've had bouts of dizziness and are just plain worn out. The lack of energy is a direct result of the lack of nutrition that our bodies are receiving...but welcome to the lives of millions of people around the world.

Thank you for your prayers and support!! Please visit our 

'Get Involved - GIVE!' page to join us in this labor of love!

A Labor of Love

So here we are - Valentine's Day 2012. I remember waking up last year with love as last thing on my mind...it was the first day of our Challenge and I was anxious. This year, love is the FIRST thing on my mind. Love for those that are less fortunate and love for my God who provides so much more than I could ever imagine. This Valentine's Day we are focusing on love. Not the love that is wrapped up in the commercial holiday...real, God given love. He calls us to care for the 'least of these' and to love our neighbor as our self. According to http://www.merriam-webster.com, one definition of neighbor is 'fellow man'...We are called to love our 'fellow man' as ourselves. This year we are using Valentine's week to show our love for our neighbors.  We invite you to be a part of this labor of love. Each of us can make a difference in the life of another. We can show love because we ourselves have been shown love. Please join us this Valentine's Day and help us raise funds for our future work in Kenya. As I've said before, not everyone can/will/or wants to go to Africa...but everyone CAN help. We've been blessed and now it's time to pass on the blessing. Every little bit counts and is greatly appreciated. You can even give in honor of your Valentine...Help us help them as we continue to show God's love to the 'least of these.' 

To support our labor of love, visit our 'Get Involved - GIVE!' page. We LOVE you all!!

Lacey's End of Day 2 Journal - 2011

February 15, 2011 - TMSC, Kenya

            This was our first wake up in our new home. We actually like it a lot out here. It is SO dark bc of the mud that it’s built with. Last night was so incredibly cold, though! Since we live on only $1 per day, we can’t afford blankets for our beds. All that we have are the clothes on our backs and our lasso (piece of fabric). I hardly slept bc it was so cold. I had my legs curled up, my arms in my shirt and even my face in my shirt part of the time.  * Note- in my journal I had scribbled out the word shirt 2 times…my brain was so foggy that I couldn’t even spell correctly! * It was a really long, really cold night. When I woke up I realized that it was my cousin Lisa’s birthday! Happy Birthday, Muz!!

            After getting up we went to have our breakfast of 2 cups of tea, w/out sugar. It was so nice to have something hot to warm up my body! We decided to do laundry early so that it would be dry earlier in the day. As we were washing, w/ our bar of body soap, Hesbon 1 (there are 2 Hesbons) told us that he needed our help fetching water. Amanda and I had already agreed that we didn’t need to get any water this morning bc we had some left from yesterday. But here they live as a community. Everyone helps everyone else. So off we went to the spring…

Fetching Water and Playing Donkey-

            Hesbon decided not to take the donkey to the spring, but he did take the cart. We had about 10, 20 liter jugs to fill and bring back. The cold water of the spring felt so good on my aching feet. It was, if only for a minute, a great relief. It was so hard carrying the water up that steep hill today. I had muscles aching that I forgot even existed. All that I wanted to do was stop, but I couldn’t. There was an important task to be completed that wasn’t just about me. When we got all of the jugs to the top, it was time to load them. Hesbon stood in the cart, being careful to load the jugs in the right places. It was our job to hand them to him…talk about an upper body workout! Before we took off, Hesbon informed us of our role in this adventure…”you are to be the brakes”….Say what?? Our job was to stay behind the cart and slow it down when it sped up too fast. Now remember, we’re still barefoot on this rocky, pain filled road! We pressed on trying not to complain but it didn’t last long. We were literally being pulled by the cart..almost to the point of a slow jog. What normally takes about 10 minutes took us about 5 :/ We finished “braking” down the slight slope that is our road and then pushed it up into the yard of the school. As we were unloading, the cart flipped backwards and water came rushing out of the remaining jugs! It turns out that Amanda had removed a jug at the front of the cart and all of the weight shifted to the back. Physics, and common sense, tells you to hold down the front of the cart before removing those jugs…but hunger has a way of clouding your brain. Common sense goes straight out the window! When everything was unloaded, Hesbon crushed our spirits…we had to go back and fetch more water! We had gotten enough for the school, but we needed to go back to get more for the orphanage. So, we began the painful journey back to the spring. It took some serious prayer for me to carry the water back up that hill. I had no strength on my own at that point. Prayer is powerful. I made it back up that hill with 80 liters of water. Thank you, Lord, for giving me strength! Then began the dreaded job of being the brakes. *Oh, I forgot to mention that I played the donkey on the second trip to the spring! I pulled the cart to give Hesbon a break :) * Painful step after painful step we pressed on. We finally saw relief in the form of about 10 young boys running to our rescue…what a beautiful sight it was!!

Sweet Irene

            After arriving back at the orphanage, the boys took all of the water to the back. One of those jugs was for me and Amanda, so as soon as we caught up, we went to get it. That’s when we found Irene. She has been suffering with the chicken pox for a few days, but they have gotten really bad. She now has open wounds where her boils have popped. She was obviously in a lot of pain and couldn’t stop her endless flow of tears. Irene is normally a little ball of smiles and joy. But today, the chicken pox were winning. We decided that she needed medical attention. Although it wasn’t in our budget for the challenge, we knew that she was more important. We got her dressed and the 3 of us headed to Kakamega. *We took a time out from the challenge to focus on her. We took the car to town* We took her to a wonderful doctor that we had been to before. As Amanda sat with Irene, I went to get her a treat from the Nakumat to take her mind off of her pain. Talk about temptation! Even though we came to town, drove the car, and had to use our phone to call the doctor, we still carried on with the rest of the challenge. So walking in to the Nakumat, where I could buy anything before, I now could buy nothing. I would never say that I am thankful for Irene’s chicken pox but I am and will forever be thankful for the lesson that I learned because of it. Usually when I walk through Kakamega I don’t think about the other people’s circumstances. That changed today. Walking through the grocery store and not being able to buy anything for myself was a challenge in itself. It made me think about these people who are surrounded by everything and can afford nothing. It also made me think of the parents who must sacrifice so much if their child is sick. Some just have to watch their child suffer because they can’t afford to do anything. God is really teaching me more than I expected to learn through all of this. It is my prayer that He continues showing me these things that need to be brought to light. *It turns out that Irene has a viral infection, a bacterial infection, and a fungal infection. Good news - she’ll be ok!!*

Lunch and Mango Search

            When we got back to TMSC we made sure that Irene’s caretakers knew how to properly treat her. Then it was lunchtime! Although I knew that it was only going to be ugali, I was so excited because I was hungry! It was so good to be able to chew again. Built into our daily budget we have 10ksh each to spend on anything. Yesterday we didn’t spend it, so today we had 20ksh each to spend! We decided that we needed something with some flavor, so we opted for a mango. We went for a walk in search of mangos and found ourselves at the corner. *This is short for Kakoyi Corner…a matatu stage* We came upon a shop that sold sugar in small quantities! Since we had money from yesterday, we pooled it and bought ¼ kilo of sugar for 20ksh! Praise the Lord we can have sugar in our tea!! This was a cool find because we never knew that there were places that sold things like this. We went on in search of mangos. We had to cross the HOT asphalt road but we found some! The best part…they were 5ksh each! We both bought 2 for our remaining 10ksh :) We’ll have 1 with our tea tonight and 1 tomorrow. The walk back from the corner was excruciating. Our feet were so tender from walking so much today. *The mango search was about 1.5 miles RT* The plan when we got back was to cut up the mangos, but we were sidetracked by a game of volleyball that the kids were playing. Amanda got right in there and played while I watched. It was really fun and took our minds off of our hungry bellies. To keep ourselves busy after the game, we came to sew button holes onto the kid’s new uniforms. It’s amazing how keeping your hands busy can help keep your mind off of the rumbles in your stomach. Tonight’s dinner was so good! We had tea with sugar and a mango! Dang it was good :) I ate the ENTIRE mango…I even learned a lesson by it. I am SO wasteful. At home, we say “there are starving kids in Africa” when we leave food on our plates…it’s true. As a society, we are so wasteful. Before this, I would have never picked up the remaining pieces of a mango to suck them dry. When I was finished tonight, there was only a seed and the skin left. It was so good. We did our nightly video blog and debriefed our day. Soon after, it was devo time with the girls and then off to bed. I also ran out of kerosene for my lantern, tonight :/ I guess I know where my money is going tomorrow!

Day 2 Complete

Amanda's End of Day 2 Journal - 2011

Tuesday February 15, 2011

2011 A-Dollar-A-Day-Challenge

Waking up this morning was tough.  I did not want my bare feet to touch the dirt floor below.  About midway through the night I awoke and thought it surely was time to get up, but it was still pitch black dark.  A few hours later I awoke again to the sounds of people passing by along the street just beside our house.  It was still pitch black dark. I thought to myself, where in the world are these people going.  It was then that I remembered, I was sleeping in a hut in rural Africa where people often begin their commute to work as early as 4 am, walking miles in the dark just to earn a dollar.  I recall hearing the shuffling of children's feet pass by on their way to school.  This was my first hint as to the time… it must be 7 am.  I got up and walked on tender feet to the bathroom and then it was time for tea.  I was excited to have something to warm my belly, but the thought of another tasteless meal left my stomach unsatisfied… hunger remained.  We had discussed our water situation and determined we wouldn’t need to fetch water today, which was a relief to my tender feet. But as we were washing our clothes, Hesbon approached us to assist him with fetching water from the stream using the cart and donkey.  I’m learning a lot about community here and how the needs of others always seem to take priority over your own needs… Even when it hurts.  We told Hesbon we would be happy to help and we walked the long ¼ mile walk to the stream.  When we arrived we found Hesbon and the cart but no donkey. Before we even made it down to the stream my mind was already churning as to how in the world we were going to get all this water back to Tumaini.  After filling all 15, 20 liter cans and carrying them up a steep embankment we had to lift them up to Hesbon who then strategically placed them on the cart.  Hesbon said he would be the donkey and pull the cart, so that left us to push the cart from behind and also serve as the brakes.  We began our ¼ mile hike back to Tumaini and I tried to prepare my mind for the pain.  Mind over matter usually works well for me but as we started the downhill trek back to Tumaini I could feel every single pebble grinding into my feet as Lacey and I attempted to slow the cart.  The cart seemed to go faster and faster the further we went and the pebbles now seemed like boulders.  I’ve never in my life had so much conflict between my will to hang on and my physical pain telling me to let go.  I could see the school in the distance and even though it felt like a few more steps might cause my feet to start bleeding, the will to do it prevailed.  I remember the thankfulness in my heart that it was over and then Hesbon hit me with the atomic bomb.  We had to go back again and get water for the orphanage.  My body exhausted and my mind fading fast I proceeded to help Hesbon unload the cart.  Not thinking of the physics involved I unloaded a bottle from the front of the cart causing the cart to tip backward.  I wanted to cry as I saw liters of water spilling onto the ground.  All that work, sweat, and pain to see this precious commodity spilling out onto the grassless earth.  I quickly recovered and used all my remaining strength to pick up the tongue of the cart and salvage what was left of the water.  As I reflected on this common sense mistake I realized the toll poverty takes on the mind.  I was tired and hungry.  What would normally be common sense was now hard to process.  My mind was clouded with hunger pains, and the thought that this process that nearly broke me moments earlier was about to be repeated.  So back to the stream we went.  This time I stood in the cool water allowing it to sooth my tender feet.  No wonder the watering hole is the place to be.  Water is life and that’s the only place it seems to be in abundance.  I see so clearly now why Jesus chose to minister to so many at wells and long rivers and seas.  It’s not only the place where people gather but also a place where they are most social and open to conversation.  Anyway, we finished filling our cans again and headed back to Tumaini.  Oh my how I was dreading that walk with every ounce of my being.  I prayed, asking God for the strength to carry on.  I asked him to provide relief to my feet.  Only moments later I looked up to see several Tumaini boys running to our aid.  Praise the Lord for those precious kids in the form of an answered prayer.  Just as we got to the downhill slope the boys took our place as the breaks.  What a relief.  We walked down to the orphanage and found Irene (a girl at the orphanage) with a severe case of the chicken pox.  We were forced to take a time-out from our dollar-a-day challenge to take her to Kakamega for treatment.  Lacey and I decided to stay in the game other than the necessities of driving the car and paying for Irene’s treatment.  It introduced a whole new element to us that we did not expect.  When you are in the rural areas, you don’t have access to very much. Sometimes you don’t even know what you are missing.  But in town there are so many more amenities and luxuries that quiet literally slap the poor in the face.  We were also faced with the choice of providing for our sick child or buying food to satisfy our hunger.  All the smells and images of our favorite snacks wafted around and it was hard to turn and walk away.  I was surprisingly glad to be back on the compound.  Maybe life in the rural area is better… it certainly is simpler.  The remainder of the day we spent taking care of Irene and eating a late lunch.  After lunch we decided to make the 1-½ mile trip for fruit and sugar. It was a long haul but it was worth every step to know that we would be re-introducing taste to our diet in the evening.  Just to pass time until dinner we helped sew buttons on the school uniforms.  The evening tea was fabulous with 2 scoops of sugar, and for dinner we sucked every last drop of juice out of our mangos.  After dinner I walked by the light of my lamp over to the orphanage for our nightly devotion and prayer.  I love doing this, especially this week, because it’s the only access I have to a Bible.  When I was deciding what I could and could not have for this challenge I thought bringing my Bible along was a no brainer.  Then I considered how we could best emulate those around us and realized many of them cannot afford a copy of God’s Holy Word.  I had to leave it behind.  I’ve never been so thankful for the times in my past where I decided to hide God’s Word in my heart.  I’ve been amazed so far at the times that God has come to my rescue by whispering His words into my spirit.  Too many to count really.  I do look forward to regaining my most prized procession once this challenge is over but I am overjoyed that no matter where I am or what I’m doing that His Word is alive and active in me.  As I laid my head down on the pillow at the end of a long day I fell asleep praising Him for His faithfulness and asking Him for enough strength to do it again tomorrow.

End of Day 2 Videos

Here is a look into our debriefing session from the end of day 2...

Please join us on this Valentine's Day in sacrificing on behalf of the 'least of these'.  As we continue on with this labor of love, we ask that you would consider helping us fund our future ventures in Kenya. Visit our 'Get Involved - GIVE!' page to make a contribution. We LOVE you all!!

Morning 1 - Video

Here is what we had to say on the first morning of the Challenge in 2011...

Amanda's End of Day 1 Journal - 2011

Monday February 14, 2011

2011 A-Dollar-A-Day-Challenge

I woke up this morning around 6:30 ish and immediately my mind began to churn with thoughts about the coming day.  Any other day I would have reached for my phone to check the time, then probably rolled over to catch another hour of sleep.  But today there wasn’t a phone to grab.  I sat up and removed my mosquito net from around my bed and swung my legs around to touch my bare feet to the floor.  No flip-flops today.  I sat there for a moment, unsure of how to proceed.  I am such a routine girl; even here in Africa I go through the motions of morning grooming. You never really think of looking at yourself in a mirror as a luxury.  There was no deodorant to apply, no body spray, no tweezers, no lotion, no Q-tip, and no toothbrush.  I said to myself, “Okay, check… what next?” I guess I will put my clothes on and be on my way.  That wasn’t a hard process either with only one outfit to choose from.  It was time for the dreaded outdoor toilet… the one where I always seem to pee on my feet.  You would think being a country girl and all would help with this, but not so much. Returning from the toilet to the “western room” for the final time brought me into my present reality.  As I picked up my Nakumatt bag with all my belongings and closed the door behind me, I was determined to embrace this lifestyle.  I could already hear my tummy telling me that it preferred the PB & J sandwich. Instead I reached for all that was available… a tin cup of tea with milk… no sugar.  I drank slowly today, not because it was too hot, but because I knew it would have to last till lunch.  After morning tea we collected out 20-liter cans and headed barefoot to the spring.  I recall the pain on the bottoms of my tender feet as we walked the short 10-minute walk to the water.  When we arrived many others gathered to do their daily washing and fetching.  We fetched our 20 liters each and hiked back up to the dirt road from the spring below.  Many curious bystanders looked on as these 2 wazungu (white people) attempted to strap water to their backs. Let’s just say it was an epic failure.  Lacey opted to try carrying the water on her head, as did I.  Her arms were not quite long enough to hold it on her head so she had to switch to carrying it on her back again.  I was able to go the distance and even greet people along the way, but it was tough.  My neck and arms were exhausted but I must say that my feet were not so tender on the way home.  It’s amazing how quickly you mind shifts from one pain to another.  I couldn’t help but compare this revelation to the vicious cycle of poverty, where a greater pain relieves the lesser pain, until the pain becomes completely unbearable.  Then you just become numb, helpless, and hopeless.  So so sad.

As we were struggling to carry the water we really drew an audience of children and adults alike wondering what in the world these 2 white girls were doing trying to carry 20 liters of water a mile barefoot.  It actually made me sick when a kid looked at me and asked me to give him something because of the color of my skin. Here I am trying to understand the painful depths of poverty and now he wants a sweet that I don’t have.  Not that I ever gave sweets before, but now I couldn’t if I wanted to.  We finally made it back to Tumaini already exhausted and weak.  The greetings we received from the teachers encouraged me to keep going and they kept asking if we needed assistance.  We took the next few minutes to wash our clothes with our bar of soap and then journaled a bit before it was time to report to the school for the reading program.  My stomach was growling at me most of the morning, but we put off lunch until 2:30 pm. I was excited to have the ugali but quickly realized it wouldn’t make much of a difference.  It was nice to chew, but the foreknowledge that it would be a full 24 hours until I was given the opportunity to chew again was overwhelming.  It’s so hard to decide if you want to eat it fast or slow.  Fast is probably more filling but slow you get to “enjoy” it a bit more. After our late lunch we helped sort books and then went for a walk.  It felt like walking on sand paper.  With every step I was dreading the next hoping that my feet would eventually become numb to the pain… they didn’t.  When we arrived back at Tumaini around 4pm  (I know this because that’s the time the kids are dismissed from school and we had met some along the road) my feet were on fire and I couldn’t stand one more idol moment to think about my hunger.  My hands needed something to do.  I went to the orphanage and sewed buttonholes onto the uniforms.  For a moment I had forgotten about my humble circumstance.  I was busy and I liked it.  It made me think about all those people who walk around town trying to sell random things.  I’m sure they never aspired to sell junk on the side of the road.  My guess is that they are not even that interested in selling much at all.  I think it’s more likely that they just need something to do to forget about the hunger or the pain.  I’ve heard it said a million times by that guy just outside my matatu (taxi) window, “please I’m hungry… buy from me these things.”  Now I’m not so naive to think that all 100 guys that pitch me this line on any given day in the city are legit or that they don’t drink their earnings away on illegal homemade brew, but to some this is a true statement… they have no idea when they will have enough money for their next meal, so walking around town gives them something to do to ease the hunger and maybe just maybe earn them enough change for their next meal… now I am humbled.