Dear faithful followers,
I apologize that it
has been quite a while since my last post. However, with the hustle and bustle
of the end of the school term Becca and I have been extremely busy. I equally
apologize for the fact that this will be my final post since we will be
returning back to the states on April 1st. For any future
correspondence about Kenya, our ministry and life in general please email one
or call one of us upon our return. In addition to this, we have been asked to
share about KIST and our internship at both Oregon State Camp meeting and North
American Convention (Indiana Camp Meeting) and would be more than glad to fill
you in on much more of our Kenya trip at each of those two events as well. As
always thank you all for your support and prayers. You all have been a true
blessing in our lives not only here in Kenya but throughout our lives as a
whole.
So, I am happy to say
that the school term is finally over. It ended last Friday with the last final
and with Becca and I finishing the curriculum for the new course that will be
offered next term (thank goodness for finishing the curriculum, for all you
non-teachers creating a curriculum from scratch is a lot of work). It is always
wonderful to see how your students started and grew throughout the course that
you taught. It was awesome to see how my students writing abilities improved
dramatically over the course of my writing course. I am relieved and happy for
the end of the term, however, equally sad knowing that it means that this amazing
time that Becca and I have had in Kenya getting to know the missionaries,
students, staff, puppies, teach students and faculty, minister/serve and just
come closer to God is winding to an end. I must take this opportunity to thank
God for the experience and people that we have had here these past three
months, knowing that our time here and the relationships that we formed will go
on to be a continued is a blessing to the both of us. Thank you all who have
touch our lives in here in Kenya, we will miss you very much and pray that we
will have the opportunity to fellowship with you once again in the future. To
some of you we already said our goodbyes (very sad moments), and to the others
we will say good by this coming Saturday (very sad approaching moments).
Although Becca and I are leaving KIST we will always be thinking and praying
for KIST and each and everyone one of you.
Before I start
shedding a tear, I must change subjects and will revisit the sadness of
goodbyes and thank yous in concluding this final blog. So on to the new
topic...where to start? I guess acknowledging God's glorious wonders would be
the most appropriate. Two weekends ago Becca and I spent the weekend with the
Baltes' at the Kakamega Rainforest at a missionary retreat called Rondo. First
off, I will not go on and on how wonderfully relaxing a short retreat is out on
the mission field except to say that, “oh my goodness, it's wonderful.” I will
focus on how amazing God is to create something so wondrous as the rainforest
and all of the amazing and beautiful creatures that he created in it. Upon our
return to the states we will be posting Facebook pictures of our weekend trip
to Rondo, but in the mean time I will try to do justice to it and paint a
picture of its beauty and our experience there. I say I will try to do justice,
however, truly the pictures cannot portray the true wonder of it and God. With
that said I will try my best. Try to imagine every color of the crayon box
splashed all over, intermingled to make some of the most beautiful flowers and
plants that I have ever laid eyes on: plants that hold every color of the
rainbow within each tiny petal. I cannot begin to fathom or describe the shear
marvel God used in imagining and creating the rainforest. What is more
marvelous is that these are only the plants of the Rondo.
There are many hiking
trails all around Rondo for the visitors to explore and enjoy God's creative
hand. Imagine walking through lush trees, bushes and plants while Red Tail,
Blue and Colobus monkeys jump from tree to tree overhead. We have many pictures
of these monkeys to share, however, the pictures do not capture them making
impossible leaps of faith across trees, grooming one another’s' babies, and
dropping nuts and fruit on us. Imagine 50 or so different kinds of butterflies
in all manors of color and pattern fluttering about in every direction and you
will begin to imagine part of one of the trails that we walked along through
the rainforest. I can go on and on and not even scratch the surface of how
awesome the trip to Rondo was. Relaxing at the edge of the serene rainforest
and walking through the beauty of the many living creatures was simply breath
taking and marvelous.
At the end of the term
the school has what is called a Wisdom Circle. This is a gathering of all the
students and faculty, to roast a goat (yes roast a goat, well more like dry out
a goat into goat leather and eat it) and use gained wisdom to discuss one of
many theological topics. As always I did not miss this opportunity to
experience Kenyan culture (Becca was sick with a fever and slept). It was very
interesting to witness 30 or 40 students and faculty (many students had left
for the weekend so the number was small) debate and argue back and forth the topic
of the Family of Christ. This was an experience that you truly needed to
witness to fully understand what took place.
Since this is my last
blog I feel it is necessary to discuss the final chapters of the insect war.
After countless and I mean countless explosions of DOOOOOOOOOOOM upon the ants
living in the walls and roaming subsequently everywhere else in the house I
have come to realize that I am fighting a losing cause. The ants will always be
here as long as this house exists. I have only curbed the magnitude to which
their invading forces have overrun our home. Although the sheer extreme
manifestation of black dots roaming across the walls has been limited to one a
few ants here and there it has been futile to attempt complete genocide upon
the pesky little things. Not a day has gone by without a size 13 flip flop
(affectionately know in these parts as the Black Hammer) crushing a dozen or so
ants in various places throughout the house. It is safe to say that some amount
of equilibrium has been reached with the bugs for our remaining days here.
Besides I know the moment we leave the population will explode once again and
the ants will once again reign complete control over the house. This house will
remain a smorgasbord for Baby Lizard and Norman for years to come.
I am glad to say that
since the early war against the Cockroaches in which in used extreme chemical
warfare to claim dominance we (I mean I) have had only one battle with the
evils menaces. Raochzilla, the queen mother of all Kenyan roaches found her way
into our bathroom one night. I was unpleasantly surprised by her appearance
from the shouts that woke me up from my sleep by Becca. I locked my self in
mortal combat (literally Becca shut the door on me and I was not aloud to leave
until I killed her) with roachzilla for five minutes that night. Half asleep I
chase the nasty thing all over the bathroom. Why did it take so long to kill
one bug you ask? This monster flew, I mean since when do roaches have wings and
the fly/leaping abilities of an Olympic high jumper. Furthermore, she had an
exoskeleton body armor that was nearly impossible to smash through. I will
applaud her on her endurance, I have never seen a bug take such a beating and
last so long. She must have taken at least a dozen Black Hammer smashes before
she was immobile, and three or four toothpick spearing before she died. Yes,
toothpick spearing in Kenya one form of entertainment is creating new and
unique ways to kill bugs. Like breaking the legs of big bugs so the ants come and
eat them. Terrible and evil I know, but so much fun too. Needless to say
roachzilla was killed and the people of the International House (Becca and I) were
free from her terror once again.
One final note about
the Bug Wars (as they will go down in the history books as being called) I
completely devastated the Beezillas. I am not sure if any of you have ever seen
a wood burrowing bee but they are giant; I'm talking Texas huge. I mentioned
these terrorists in my previous blog I believe and how I fought them. Little
did I know that these things would be back and in force. Two nights ago I had
enough and my person vendetta against them came to an end when I used probably
half a can of DOOM on their tunnels. It’s such a satisfying sound listening to
them buzz to death as the DOOM poisons them to death. However this battle was
much greater. I dropped so much DOOM on them (its safe to say that I dropped it
like it was hot...thank you late nineties music) that they fell from the sky
landing on head...which I will have to say was kind of nasty but wonderful to
know I killed each and everyone of them. I'm sure they will return some day,
but leaving Kenya knowing that I killed them all currently make me a happy man.
All right this is
freakishly too long and there is far too much more for me to write about so I
am going to end this final blog. If you want to know more about our time in
Kenya please ask, email and or call. My one request is although I enjoy telling
stories (if you didn't figure this out by my blogs), please do not bombard
Becca and I with a thousand questions all at once. Three months of life and
God's ministry is quite a large amount of info to share and we will do so over
time. I must end by once again saying that we are going to greatly miss living
here. We are going to greatly miss the students and staff here. We will greatly
miss the missionaries here. Becca and I have been so blessed to meet and
fellowship with everyone. We love you all and look forward to getting to know
you throughout our lives even if at time oceans separate us. We will always be
praying for KIST and everyone here. Becca and I pray that once again we will
get to see many of you again. To our friends and family back in the states, we
will see you soon.
My final goodbye (sadness),
Ryan and Becca too
P.S. We are also gonna miss Rondo puppy and Nalla (not sure
of the spelling but the same spelling like Nalla in the Lion King) older puppy
too. I am going to here how we need a dog for months thanks to you amazing
dogs.
