Here kitty, kitty

Kenya, how do I describe you? I could talk about your culture, or your vast roadways. I could express my interest in your economy, or possibly name your different foods. But, what draws my attention the most is your people; and what lies within their hearts.

Created individually in God’s image, each person in Kenya is unique. Though, the common bond of friendship gives me fresh look at life. After only two weeks in Kenya, I don‘t believe I am qualified to say I know everything about how things work here. However, I do now have a better understanding of what people think and why they believe what they believe. Kenya is a very Christian country, with a majority of its population professing a relationship with the creator. For those that I have had the privilege of meeting, their love for God and for each other is easy to recognize. Yes, there are those with mischievous agendas, but the majority lives for Christ. Praise God for that!

In Kenya, bartering is how things are done. Street venders will come up to the cars trying to sell you anything and everything. At one traffic jam, I purchased a hat for 300ksh ‘shillings’. Turns out, it doesn’t even fit me correctly; go figure. At another stop, I bartered for a large knife and bought it at 500ksh (Around 7 dollars). I just have to remember to check it in my luggage, as I doubt the airline will let me carry it on. (:

The other day, after filming Mr. Stewart's teaching for another five hours, we decided to do something fun and dropped by the Nairobi Safari Walk. Now, I’ve never really liked zoos, if only because when I was younger, my family all had free passes. So, we would go all the time. Mother’s Day, Birthdays, Easter, Groundhog Day, Kwanzaa, you name it and it was a trip to the zoo. In my opinion, when you’ve seen one monkey, you’ve seen them all; or so I thought. However, this time things were different.

First off, there’s one thing you need to know about most Kenyans, they can easily be bribed. It’s just how the society functions. With that in mind, after walking through the front gate of the Safari Walk we were quickly greeted by a guide. What was nice about showing up a couple of hours to closing was that we had this guide to ourselves. He was young, maybe in his early twenties, and was a student at a nearby university; a nice kid. So, as we were walking along, he was pointing out all of the interesting animals that are native to Kenya and we were really enjoying ourselves.

Eventually we came to the rhinoceros’s habitat. There was another small tourist group there, viewing the great animal. Though, it wasn’t long before they moved away, on to the next exhibit. Once they were out of sight, our guide was quick to leap over the fence into the same cage with the rhino. Being the courageous Iowan I am, *gulp* I swiftly followed him over the fence, as the Stewarts watched from the safety of the path. The guide and I then proceed to pet the two ton, mud coated beast, taking care to avoid his horn. After exiting the exhibit, I was quick to confirm that we really weren’t supposed to do that. Though, or guide was a nice and we were Americans that tipped; end of story.

At another stop we saw the great cheetah, known for its amazing speeds of over seventy miles per hour. Now, I’ve never really liked cats (sorry Tinkerbelle) but I wouldn’t mind owning a cat like this. Though, the wide pit, followed by a tall, high powered electric fence was a subtle reminder that these creatures can be very dangerous. Did that stop us from entering the cage without permission? Nope. Our guide said a few quick Swahili phrases to another employee with a key. All the while, he kept watch for any official guards that could get us all into trouble. After slipping him a few dollars, we snuck into the cheetah’s cage, broomstick in hand. By all appearances, if things went south, our guide would beat off the killer cat with a cleaning appliance. Encouraging, yes.

Fifty grit sandpaper is how Mr. Stewart likes to describe the cat’s tongue. When it started licking us, I thought it just wanted to see what white meat tasted like. Though, the moment it sat down beside us and started vibrating, I knew it probably wouldn’t kill us. All in all, it was a good day.

Today we went to the Masai Market. It’s pretty much a huge indoor farmers market with lots of handmade trinkets. There were probably fifty different vendors, each trying to sell you their product. All of them will great you, ask your name, and where you’re from, trying to make friends. Many of them will grab you by the hand and literally drag you over to their collection of homemade jewelry and carvings. They will individually pick up their items and attempt forcing them upon you at unreasonable prices, justifying all of this on our new friendship. After placing your first bid, they may laugh at you, as if your suggested price is so low, you don’t deserve to be taken seriously. If after bartering you decide not to buy the item and tell them ‘Hapana’, a few of them will actually stalk you. They will follow you around the market, seeing what catches your eye. If you walk past the same booth twice, they will remember your name and remind you that you ‘promised’ to think about their merchandise. It brings a smile to my face thinking about it.

It came to pass that we were to cross the bridge of Kitengela. This so called bridge, as pictured below, was made of nothing more than thin wire and glass beads. To cross it, you must first sign away your life earthly possessions, and firstborn. No seriously, the natives had us sign a cheesy waver, before we could cross. It wasn’t the fact that the bridge looked like it was made out of tinfoil, or that it was seriously swaying that made us nervous. It was the 75 foot drop into the rocky riverbed below. So, what else could Mr. Stewart and I do when it came time to cross back over, but to race? I am proud to say that I currently hold the fastest time in crossing alive.

Oh, but I’ve been telling you about all the carefree, enjoyable times in Kenya. Though, most of our days have been spent either speaking, or driving somewhere to speak. But, the time we have had for some recreation has made for a nice break. Early tomorrow morning we will drive two and a half hours to another town, where we will be staying a few days. During that time, we will most likely not have access to internet or other means of communication. Our plan is to meet with the former president of Kenya to discuss plans for the establishment of a new law program in Kenya. Please note that Daniel arap Moi is not a Christian. So, prayer that he would have an open heart and mind to what John and Laurie will be discussing is vital.

Also, Mr. Moi is a former president. To grasp the importance of this encounter, imagine sitting down with George W. Bush to discus American education. I pray that he will allow me to film this meeting, as it will make a great addition to Rolling Stone Ministries’ video outreach.

I pray for all of my friends back home, that they would be encouraged by the work God is doing in Kenya. May you know that His hand is guiding the teachings of the Stewarts and is His love is working in the lives that we have reached. To Christ be the glory!

-Andy Krueger

Psalms 119:74 - May those who fear you rejoice when they see me, for I have put my hope in your word.