Installment 22

Installment 22
Thursday came for us, while it was still Wednesday for most of you. Carla held down the fort while Jeff and I went into Kitale for a couple of reasons…not the least was to keep the blood levels up in our urine. If we take it easy for very long, I think our kidneys would shut down, thinking that we must be dead….being as they have become accustomed to abuse. Every couple of weeks, J & C have volunteered to take lunch into the jail for the juvenile population. Instep takes turns with a few other organizations providing lunches to the kids that are in lockup. It’s pretty simple, just some bread and milk, but without it the kids wouldn’t be fed at all. Just one more thing that these two crazy people have taken on….something about a good heart or something….. So after dropping off the lunches, we drove out to Kitale Airport to pick up Dale. He is another one of those misguided individuals who have told God that they want to be obedient to what He wants. I assume the Dale probably was in a Christian meeting of some kind, praying something like this: “Oh Lord, I am willing to do your will and go wherever you want….but just please don’t send me to Africa…because Kiser is there.” And so God listened to Dales request and that’s why we drove out to the airport… to console Dale…..that and we wanted to take advantage of him while he was still in jet lag…before he realized that he was in Africa. Getting to the airport well after the scheduled arrival time because the ’arrival’ time is sort of a hoped for event rather than an actual event. Don’t get me wrong, African airlines do have schedule… but evidently it’s a well guarded secret. Expecting to have to sit for awhile, waiting for Airworst Airlines, were we surprised to find that the 1:50pm flight came in at the unheard of time of 1:50pm. I mentioned to the security (riffraff) guard the I was surprised the flight was on time. “Some times they misjudge and accidentally come in on time.” he said…”If it has created a hardship for you we apologize.” Anyway, standing in the parking lot surrounded by 3 pretty young girls was Dale. (I know that Dale would want me to make sure his wife knows about that) “Oh, yes, I have come to convert Kenya to Jesus”, I overheard him modestly say as we drove up. And that was Dale’s introduction to the now widespread “Jeff’s look” from the girls. As we escorted Dale to Toyota, the girls profusely thanked us for coming and getting Dale…..wow, does he know how to impress women…..not to worry, Karolyn!! Now the road from the airport is actually paved and is in good shape and Dale mentioned something about maybe I had been exaggerating abit about the roads. I said, “believe what you want, but in the meantime I think you should put this NFL mouth guard in and put the helmet on…..all is not as it seems. Rounding the corner leaving Kitale, Dale blurted out what all 1^st timers do…..”I thought we were taking the road!!!” Jeff has his normal response; “this was one once.” But, we did get to the home, and after we took turns on the dialysis machine, we showed Dale carefully around, keeping ourselves between Dale and the kids…..who were circling and chanting…”look, clean clothes“, or something like that. Dales response, “I’d like to meet Maytag and Whirlpool next please”. Overcoming his justified fear, Dale went into dinner with the kids and after examining the ‘food’, turned pale and said something in what sounded like Swahili. “How severe has the famine been the you have to feed the kids this?” he asked. I didn’t have the heart to tell him that this was the good dinner. But oddly enough, Dale took right to being overwhelmed by the horde and seemed to enjoy them.
Next day he and I spent most of it using his knowledge and equipment to map the property so that we will have the information we need for building placement and drainage issues. Dale would set up his equipment and hand me the “target pole” and send me walking the property as he took readings. “Now don’t be afraid to use the pole to kill snakes when you get in the tall grass” he said….knowing that that kind of concern for my wellbeing would be of great comfort to me. Later in the day, J, C, Dale and I got into Toyota and went looking for our latest baby’s mother at the market she lives in. Mama Dorcas has family near Nairobi but had no money or anyway to get there…..so, wouldn’t you know it, J & C bought her a bus ticket, took her to the bus station, gave her a little travel money and sent her on her way. Next morning, today, we found out that Mama Dorcas was back in the market. She had the ticket and the money and was trying to let Jeff know that she hadn’t gone…..why, you ask…..well, she said that they wouldn’t let her on the bus. It’s probably true too. MD is somewhat mentally challenged and was wearing dirty clothes. Kenyans are afraid of “simple” people and so probably just threw her off the bus. So Jeff went in to talk to the bus station manager with me in tow. The manager said she wandered off, but it was pretty clear that her story was most likely correct. Anyway, tomorrow, hopefully MD will be on her way to her family…..but because of her mental state, there is some concern that she might get ‘dropped’ off somewhere. This is where English Lady comes in. She has offered to buy an employees way to Nairobi to go shopping if she would take care of MD and get her to her family. EL does lots of things like that…caring for those who can’t care for themselves…..and I know she reads this work of art, and will no doubt want to bless me with a free lunch for making her sound so good….which she is. With all the corruption and weird people here, there are a few that are willing to pay the price to help those in need.
So, tomorrow is Sunday and Pastor Sam will be out and hopefully corral the kids so Dale and I can finish taking the property readings……I have discovered how to find Dale in the mornings….find the biggest pile of black kids and start peeling them away until I find a white guy….I know the novelty will wear off, but for now I’m basking in my new found ability to move unhindered by mzungu loving kids….But Dale …not so much.