More Hodges Life in Kenya

Hello blog followers,

Thank you for your continued prayers and support for Becca and I. I want to start out by asking additional prayer for many of the students, staff and faculty here at KIST. Malaria seems to be hitting quite a few of them and I would just ask for prayer for healing and for their families who worry for them. Secondly the dry season is wreaking havoc on KIST. Yesterday our home ran out of water and we were told that the city probably wouldn’t send KIST water for several more days. The Deputy Principle had water pumped from his tank to our tank so we now have water but it is becoming a scary situation all over the campus. SO Please, please, please pray for rain here. Normally the dry season ends by March, but pray we get good rain sooner for the crops that we cannot water as well as water for the houses, dorms and kitchen. Finally, prayer for the school in general would be wonderful as well.

This past Sunday Becca and I started attending Christian Ministry In Action (CMIA) with two students here at KIST. The students on Sundays are required to go out and help in some ministry capacity at the local churches around the area and Becca and I are going with two students to one of the local churches and help in any way as well. It is about a kilometer walk from KIST. We had a great time this past Sunday. Becca helped the female student with teaching Sunday school for elementary students, while I helped the male student with Sunday school for junior highers. It went great but I was not prepared to be put on the spot to teach a Bible lesson. Thank goodness the topic was youth leadership so I could quickly read 1 Timothy 4:12 and discuss how it tells youth not to let anyone to look down upon them for their age but to be leaders. Side not of humor…As customary after the service the church leaders fed us some food and Chi. This was great because it was about five hours since breakfast. However, hospitality is huge in Kenya so despite my several attempts at telling the hostess that I was full, the hostess filled and refilled my mug until Chi was coming out of my ears (ok not literally). Thank you Dr. Hawkins and Lisa for showing me a cultural way of saying I am satisfied so that I don’t walk home Chi and groundnut logged again. These are the two big updates on what is taking places in our ministry/internship portion of our time here at KIST, Becca and I pray and look forward to see how the remainder of God’s plan for us unfolds for the last month and a half for us here.

General Happening and Life:

Not much to report about this portion of our experience here in Kenya. I did discover that if you do not keep up with causing DOOM to the ant colony that live in our walls they will try to stage a cue and invade with what I consider to be the largest invasion force in bug history. Norman, one of our house lizards was keeping the tiny little sweethearts at bay until last week when I discovered the living room just caked (I mean lines of ants all over the walls). For better understanding of the ants find the pictures Becca posted on facebook and you will see how I spent an afternoon last week raining (or should I say spraying) destruction…DOOOOOOOOOM down upon our wall ants, mwahahaha (dastardly evil laugh). The bugs are truly harmless, but the boy in side of me comes out when causing ant genocide and it is a great form of cheap entertainment. Maybe that is a little creepy but has become a part of life.

I began a journal last week which I have titled “Reasons to laugh at a Musungu.” (Translated to reasons to laugh at the weird white man). I am saving this journal for story telling when Becca and I return home, however, I can give you a flavor of what it includes. It has Topics such as: Sneezing in front of the church when the pastor starts praying, Bugzilla landing on your head freak out dance, chalk handprints on your butt (and no not Becca’s hand prints my own thank you very much...gosh perverts), the white man can’t tell the difference between a Kenyan avocado and passion fruit. These titles do not sound very entertaining but come with hilarious stories, believe me. These are only a taste of the humor a tall musungu brings to Kenya.

Alas I must start helping Becca cook dinner (although I keep telling her its culturally weird for a man to cook and thus shouldn’t). We are having a much-needed stay at home date night tonight. I somehow allowed her to con me into this three days before valentines day in which we will be having another one (ok, so yeah she fluttered her eye and used her girly voice and I caved. What can I say but married me can be weak sometimes). I pray that all of you are doing well back home and Becca and I look forward to talking to you when we return.

Adios (Until the next installment of Ryan and Rebecca in Kenya) Love from,

Ryan (and Rebecca who is baking me a make up birthday cake…she insisted because on my birthday she used a Kenya cake mix to bake one and it was disgusting. This one is hand made from scratch…I truly am the luckiest man ever to have such an amazing wife)