The Eburru Sojourn: Day 4
Tuesday dawned bright and early and our presence on the construction site was requested earlier than we had planned. Mary Njenga, a nurse, has long been wanting to open a clinic and dispensary there in Eburru. However, money and resources have been scarce until the present. They had just received enough cement and blocks to begin the construction of a permanent facility, for which they were most pleased. Five Kenyans and a team of green Americans set out to work together to pour the footings of this 20 by 40 foot building.
Naturally everything was done by hand: the footings had been previously dug, the rocks hauled in, the cement carried over and water (which was to come) was all to be combined. The process was not at all explained to us and random shouts in Kikuyu were all we had to go on. However, we learned the immediate need for water and Brandon and I were quickly assigned to the water detail. We were responsible for hauling the water 200 yards from the tank to the site. This was a continual process throughout the entirety of the morning. Once the water arrived, they begin mixing all the contents: rocks, cement, sand and water, directly on the ground, shoveling them into wheelbarrows for transport to the footings.
This process continued over and over until we neared completion near lunch time. Lunch promised to be especially exciting as it had arrived on a bicycle the day before. The work went on without a hitch and finished with excitement on the part of both Kenyans and Americans. We all posed for one of those “look what we just did together” type photos just inside the newly poured footing and gathered our tools for lunch at the main mud hall.
The previous night, just before sundown, a man came riding up to camp with a sheep on the back of his bicycle. People there can haul all manner of things on their bicycles and this sheep was certainly no exception. The rider dismounted the sheep from the back, tied a rope around the sheep’s leg and tied the other end to a tree. Everyone looked at each other a bit strangely, but in my mind I already knew: a meal had just arrived. The morning of the construction, just prior to the work’s beginning, the sheep was untied and led to the back of the camp.
Curiosity fueled the presence of some while sheer grotesque horror drew the others. I suppose many had never seen an animal slaughtered before and the process came swift and effectively. Our friend and resident handy man had slaughtered over a thousand prior to this one, by his own confession, so he worked with precision and speed. The sheep was slaughtered, cut up and put in a stew before we knew it and by lunch time it was to be ready. Once lunch came around, several had made the claim that they would eat no lunch as they had seen it walking around the day before.
I have to admit the sheep was good. Perhaps I shall even go so far as to say that I liked it better on the plate than standing around making all kinds of guttural noises during the night. Either way he was met with mixed reactions. Brandon named the sheep and wrote a song about him while others avoided the creature all together. We had one team member who has not only sworn off of sheep but eating meat in general. I suppose a hungry enough appetite will cure any previous vows of vegetarian behavior.
After lunch we were given a brief reprieve before surprised with a spontaneous open air service. Instead of much rest, I found myself summoned by some workers in the field who were cutting the tall weeds with machete-like contraptions. I began helping them as fast as my arms could slash the field until I saw the rat’s nests nestled in the fallen stalks of old corn. Adequately distracted, I began digging up their nests and hunting for the voracious ‘spoilers of crops’ as the residents called them. Wielding a shovel, I marched through the hacked up weeds hunting for rats and killed several as the afternoon progressed on. I like to think that word had already reached that far of our rat exploits here in the slums but that may be hopeful thinking.
Once the rat hunting had reached an end it was time for the open air service. Not more than ten minutes down the road was a small convening area where many villagers came to trade and buy goods. Although the number was significantly less that afternoon than is usually there, we sang, acted and preached the Gospel in as many ways as possible. The night fell on us quickly and we had to leave earlier than we thought, but all in all, many were blessed even though conversions were not counted very high.
Tuesday dawned bright and early and our presence on the construction site was requested earlier than we had planned. Mary Njenga, a nurse, has long been wanting to open a clinic and dispensary there in Eburru. However, money and resources have been scarce until the present. They had just received enough cement and blocks to begin the construction of a permanent facility, for which they were most pleased. Five Kenyans and a team of green Americans set out to work together to pour the footings of this 20 by 40 foot building.
Naturally everything was done by hand: the footings had been previously dug, the rocks hauled in, the cement carried over and water (which was to come) was all to be combined. The process was not at all explained to us and random shouts in Kikuyu were all we had to go on. However, we learned the immediate need for water and Brandon and I were quickly assigned to the water detail. We were responsible for hauling the water 200 yards from the tank to the site. This was a continual process throughout the entirety of the morning. Once the water arrived, they begin mixing all the contents: rocks, cement, sand and water, directly on the ground, shoveling them into wheelbarrows for transport to the footings.
This process continued over and over until we neared completion near lunch time. Lunch promised to be especially exciting as it had arrived on a bicycle the day before. The work went on without a hitch and finished with excitement on the part of both Kenyans and Americans. We all posed for one of those “look what we just did together” type photos just inside the newly poured footing and gathered our tools for lunch at the main mud hall.
The previous night, just before sundown, a man came riding up to camp with a sheep on the back of his bicycle. People there can haul all manner of things on their bicycles and this sheep was certainly no exception. The rider dismounted the sheep from the back, tied a rope around the sheep’s leg and tied the other end to a tree. Everyone looked at each other a bit strangely, but in my mind I already knew: a meal had just arrived. The morning of the construction, just prior to the work’s beginning, the sheep was untied and led to the back of the camp.
Curiosity fueled the presence of some while sheer grotesque horror drew the others. I suppose many had never seen an animal slaughtered before and the process came swift and effectively. Our friend and resident handy man had slaughtered over a thousand prior to this one, by his own confession, so he worked with precision and speed. The sheep was slaughtered, cut up and put in a stew before we knew it and by lunch time it was to be ready. Once lunch came around, several had made the claim that they would eat no lunch as they had seen it walking around the day before.
I have to admit the sheep was good. Perhaps I shall even go so far as to say that I liked it better on the plate than standing around making all kinds of guttural noises during the night. Either way he was met with mixed reactions. Brandon named the sheep and wrote a song about him while others avoided the creature all together. We had one team member who has not only sworn off of sheep but eating meat in general. I suppose a hungry enough appetite will cure any previous vows of vegetarian behavior.
After lunch we were given a brief reprieve before surprised with a spontaneous open air service. Instead of much rest, I found myself summoned by some workers in the field who were cutting the tall weeds with machete-like contraptions. I began helping them as fast as my arms could slash the field until I saw the rat’s nests nestled in the fallen stalks of old corn. Adequately distracted, I began digging up their nests and hunting for the voracious ‘spoilers of crops’ as the residents called them. Wielding a shovel, I marched through the hacked up weeds hunting for rats and killed several as the afternoon progressed on. I like to think that word had already reached that far of our rat exploits here in the slums but that may be hopeful thinking.
Once the rat hunting had reached an end it was time for the open air service. Not more than ten minutes down the road was a small convening area where many villagers came to trade and buy goods. Although the number was significantly less that afternoon than is usually there, we sang, acted and preached the Gospel in as many ways as possible. The night fell on us quickly and we had to leave earlier than we thought, but all in all, many were blessed even though conversions were not counted very high.
posted by Scott Anthony Williams | 8:14 AM
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