New life in Kenya : May 2019

Just a visitor …

I’m currently reading Alicia Elliott’s book, “A mind spread out on the Ground”. An interesting perspective on the treatment of Native people in North America. A paragraph in the book caught my attention today. “In Leslie Jamison’s essay “Fog Count”, she goes to visit a friend in prison, and while there, realizes her experience of the prison as a visitor will never be the same as his as an inmate: “The truth is we never occupied the same space. A space isn’t the same for a person who has chosen to be there and a person who hasn’t.” Jamison can ask as many probing questions as she wants, can write down all the details, but she will always, in effect, be a tourist in that space because she can always choose to leave.”

Morris and I know we are visitors in Kenya. We work and live side by side with indigenous Kenyans every day, yet we never occupy their space in the same way. Nowhere is this more evident than in Turkana. Bordering South Sudan, Uganda, and Ethiopia, it is the hottest and most barren, thirsty area in our region. We had the privilege of being there again recently for our third visit. Our Secretary for Program, Lieut. Colonel John Olewa, accompanied us and, despite his fear of flying, he was so excited because it is his first trip to Turkana, though he retires at the end of this year.

Flying into Lodwar, the central township, we see how the long periods of drought dehydrate the land and the rivers, leaving miles and miles of scorched terrain. (Ironically, the long-awaited rains also come in extremes, often causes flooding.) Either way, people struggle to sustain their livelihoods. Recently the territory dispersed food and water supplies from IHQ’s emergency response efforts due to the drought. Our trip was an opportunity to visit and encourage the Salvationists in their ministries and conduct a District Review.

For three days we drive in nearly 40 degrees heat for miles, across desolate rugged roads and bleak river beds. I remember how the Bible describes creation “groaning” to be restored to a place of wellness again. Driving over the rugged, rocky terrain, the flatlands are peppered with gnarly sparse trees and low-lying bushes. The parched earth seems to long for refreshing water. I began to imagine a day when the light brown soil would turn to lush green healthy vegetation and crops would flourish. I kept reminding myself that while this craving may be very real, people survive here. They build a life. They are resilient. They have families. They work hard. We see herds of camels, sheep, and goats roaming from place to place as the nomadic pastoralists seek for better conditions for their animals. The camels survive well in this hot land because they can go for long periods of time storing water in their humps. For the locals, they are a good source of milk and meat, and their skin is also used for making shoes.

The first stop of our tour is Kaeris corps where a new Lieutenant is leading the congregation. The locals are doing well and have constructed a church hall on their own. Naturally, I ask “where is the quarters?” I am told, “the Lieutenant lives in the office.” At the back of the church, the office has been converted into a one-room living space, using a curtain for sleeping privacy. His shower is outside and his bathroom is an outdoor latrine. In December the Lieutenant is getting married so they are hoping to have a quarters constructed by then.

Our visit also included two Salvation Army schools. One of the secondary boarding schools was so was clean and organized. About 320 male students were placed here by the government from all across the country. Fortunately, many of the 16 teachers stay on site which we hope means mature mentoring and helpful security. The principal of the school has been on sick leave for six months with a very serious medical condition. The teaching staff are working extra hard to help improve the boy’s academic achievements. The trophies on the filing cabinet indicate the boys are physically active, winning several awards in their sports programs. We stop to greet the boys, encouraging them to keep investing in their education and reach high to fulfill their capacity.

As we leave the school and venture up the hill to the adjacent corps, we quickly hear the strains of African songs. Ladies dressed in their colourful kangas and beaded neck jewelry are vibrantly dancing outside. What I didn’t know ‘til half way through our visit was they were singing “Welcome Madam Vincent to Lokitang!” I had been with these women in January at a District women’s seminar and they were so excited that I was now visiting their corps. (I think they were happy to see Morris too!) Lokitang is the hub for the northern area of the District. The corps is small and the attendance sporadic. We can tell there’s lots of work that needs to be done. The people are very kind and generous with their traditional gift giving to visitors. Morris and the Program Secretary are presented with handmade walking sticks and sitting stools as well as a Masai blanket. I too get a colourful blanket and a lovely beaded headpiece. These gifts all represent respect for their ‘elder’ leaders.

Then it’s on to Nachukui and Nashechubeni. (Don’t you just love these Kenyan names! I can barely get my tongue around some of them).To reach these corps, we literally drove ‘through the hills’ and across more parched river beds, with Lake Turkana peeking through some foliage in the distance. It felt like off-roading through desert sand dunes and not really being sure where we were headed. Finally, the DO says “there it is!” and for the first time ever, Morris and I arrive at a corps and it’s a tree! Under the canopy of branches shooting out from a tree trunk, about 30 people (adults and children) were shaded from the hot sun. This small group of worshippers come every week to sing and dance and hear a Bible message from a retired Envoy. There had been several attempts to build a church and a house but each time an infestation of termites destroys the structure. The people seem happy with our visit but I really felt that deep down they were not unlike the parched dry ground, groaning for a better day. We look into the faces of the children and we know the needs are huge. Several young women are carrying babies on their back and we wonder what their future will be. One of the gentlemen asked if he could speak. He shared his longing for a way to have resources to help them, including support for the children’s school fees. We knew there is a much bigger conversation needed. All we could do today is shake their hands, encourage them and pray with them. More dialogue would have to happen in the coming days.

Because Turkana District covers such a large geographic area, and the roads are so rough, we become keenly mindful of the financial burden and time issue it takes for people to travel. Only two of our Salvation Army corps have motorbikes for their officers. The others depend on public transportation which in this area is often a business lorry that could take 2-3 days to get an officer to Divisional Headquarters.

On Saturday afternoon, following the District Review, we visit a corps that is just outside Lodwar, located on the outskirts of an IDP - Internal Displacement Camp. When violence broke out in 2007 during a rough election year, many residents were displaced around the country. Hundreds of families landed in Turkana. The young Lieutenant couple is so loving and innovative. They were appointed here two years ago to no church building and 6 people to call church members. Initially, their living space was a rented one-room apartment – they had one little boy and she was pregnant with their second. They must have seen the work which was before them but they were not discouraged. They were there to serve. Apparently, the people who previously attended the corps had been chased away from their building through a land dispute and were left without any place to worship, thus many abandoned the church. The new officers immediately began doing outreach, visitation and making connections in the area. They now have a lovely two-room house and a church structure built from iron sheets – currently working on replacing their dirt floor with concrete. To date, they have about 25 adults attending each week as well as an active youth and children’s ministry. They declare their commitment to seeing the corps grow. We were so inspired by their leadership, and while they too are in some ways ‘visitors’ in this northern land, they have requested to stay.

Our excursion concluded on Sunday following the morning worship service at Lodwar corps. We were quite inspired by the quality of music they have. The band and songsters were exceptional. Many young adults have moved into Lodwar for employment due to the decentralization of many government services. The Corps has benefited from the commitment of many young Salvationists.

A visitor comes and a visitor goes. The people remain. It is their home - their space. They are resilient. They are proud. They deserve our respect and support. We leave this northern land of intense heat and waterless clouds with our notes. We will never occupy their space as they do.
We will come again.