Recently Bishop Elias Taban was interviewed describing the incredible impact of the T4 Global project in Southern Sudan. Our pilot project placed 500 MT4 mobile schools in Central Equatorial State.
Bishop Taban calls the MT4 project “one of the most successful projects ever done in Southern Sudan.”
Bishop Taban wants MT4 devices on the ground in all 10 states in Southern Sudan. It would take about 20,000 devices to provide that kind of coverage and they would reach around 6 million Sudanese. We got our work cut out for us, but from the sound of his interview, we have a strategy that is working!
One of the many lookout points for the Great Rift Valley at 7,917 ft above sea level. The creative hand of God is amazing here, isn’t it? The trip from Maralal in the Samburu region is about 6 hours – we traveled 3 hours yesterday to Nyahururu and stayed at Thomson Falls Lodge. The wedding below was in this city, so obviously it was important to stop! This view is about 2 hours south of the city – maybe an hour north of Nairobi. This picture obviously cannot do the beauty justice. As Kyle says, this is on his “Bucket List” (referring to the movie) of things to do in your lifetime. I would agree.
What a celebration it is on arrival! At some point, I may load video here, because a single picture just doesn’t work. This “procession” begins at the bride’s home and the cars honk all the way to the church. Once on the church grounds, the women start the process of singing and dancing around the car. Then a few men join in, jumping, dancing, singing. Compared to how we celebrate weddings in the West – I would say this is a superior way to exhibit the joy of a wedding ceremony. Wow!! So much fun, it’s hard to describe.
The man of the day, Wilfred (or as we heard his Samburu mother, who can’t speak English, call him, “Willie”) and Kyle before the bride showed up. As you can imagine, Willie had a grin all day much larger than his face. A great friendship has grown between Kyle and Willie and it’s obvious it will last a lifetime. Unfortunately, our time was cut short, as we had to get one of our party to the Nairobi airport and Kyle was not able to preach at the wedding as originally planned. Let’s face it – when the ceremony is scheduled to start at 10a, but they forget to tell you that this is when the “negotiators” arrive at the bride’s home to persuade the family to release the bride (usually a few more funds are required), you never know when she’s going to show. I think the car arrived at 11:15a – and they weren’t in the building until 11:40a. We had to leave at 11:45a!
A traditional Samburu mother and her son, Wilfred – the groom. She can’t speak a word of English, other than to call her son “Willie” – which we immediately picked up on. So much for formalities with Wilfred anymore. She’s a lovely woman and I was so thrilled to catch her in this picture with her youngest son.
In Kenya, groomsmen go to the bride’s family’s house to negotiate to bring the bride to the ceremony – which can create a challenge in terms of the start time for the wedding. That means nothing to a Kenyan, but to Americans that have to get to the Nairobi airport (3 hours away) in time for one of them to catch an international flight, it can be a relevant issue.
In the mean time, the children patiently await the bride – perfectly behaved and enjoying the wait quietly.
Here are some of the absolutely beautiful children at the Good Shephard Orphanage in Nyahururu. They were perfectly behaved and a blast to be with. They all have responsiblities in keeping up the garden, feeding the cows, rabbits, chickens, etc. But, they were having some fun playing “football” (soccer for us Americans) and volleyball – but they stopped as soon as we showed up – all shook our hands and welcomed us with a blessing song – how beautiful it was to hear them sing and see the joy on their faces!!!
Another new friend trying out the tasty goodness of a Lifesaver. . Kyle and I did what other irresponsible adults will do with overly adorable kids. We fed Philip sugar – a Snickers bar here, LifeSavers there. Kyle fed him the Snickers bar – it wasn’t my fault!!
We got to meet his father, Daniel, later – but he was unaware that we had set him up for a day of buzzing around. Philip followed us around the entire time we were wrapping up the last survey – but he was a great buddy to be with.
When Fred stopped and talked with me, particularly after he told me that he was a Christian, I asked him where his church was. He pointed into a field and this tree and said “there is my church”. ‘Nuf said.
. Kyle and I did what other irresponsible adults will do with overly adorable kids. We fed Philip sugar – a Snickers bar here, LifeSavers there. Kyle fed him the Snickers bar – it wasn’t my fault!!
