Happy Belated Thanksgiving to each of you! We hope you had a delightful day enjoying good food, special times with family, and remembering the many things which cause us to give thanks. We had a delightful celebration with the three residents from Pittsburgh and a lovely Korean missionary who is currently here in Kapsowar. We had roast lamb (fresh from the morning slaughter), garlic mashed potatoes, corn, amazing avocado/tomato salad, cabbage salad, and kimchi. We ate by candlelight as there wasn’t any electricity for the entire day and into the evening on Thanksgiving. It was a rich time as we each recounted what we were thankful for and we finished off the meal with an amazing apple pie and chocolate chip bars also made by the residents. We played games late into the evening, laughed, and enjoyed the good company (still all by candlelight).
We read an account of the Thanksgiving story with the children earlier that day and marveled at the rugged determination of the early settlers. Their relationship with the surviving Indians was such a blessing and their celebration of the harvest lasted for three days.
Most of us no longer ponder the importance of an annual harvest as we make our way to the nearest grocery store to purchase our boundless supply of food. Being here among subsistance farmers has reminded our family of the importance of the harvest and the vulnerability of these precious people to the forces of nature. Thankfully, the harvest of maize seems to be abundant this year, although there is a disease spreading across Kenya affecting the maize crops. I am not familiar with the specifics, but heard from the locals that they are being advised to vary their crops and even consider planting tea (which is not typically grown in this area). Please pray for our friends as they save up money to buy the seed for next year and that they would have wisdom to know what and how much to plant given the possibility of the disease.
We had the privilege of helping a dear friend, Jane Chebii, and her family with their annual harvest. One week ago we hiked down a hillside to Jane’s home. The work had already begun with the older boys taking the maize from the stalk in the shamba (garden). The younger children then placed the ears of maize into feed bags and carried it up the steep mountainside. After that it was dumped into large piles at the feet of those husking the corn. The huskers worked quickly removing the outer covering and tossing the bright white ears of very hard corn onto piles to dry. These ears of maize are the main source of sustenance for our friends for the rest of the year. They will be placed into thatched-roof storehouses, removed when needed, stripping the maize from the cob and letting it dry out even more and then it is taken to the nearest posho mill (grinding center) where it will be ground into flour and made into the Kenyan staple of “ugali”. Our family loves to eat a meal with ugali, beef stew, and the local course kale-like vegetable called sukumawiki. Most Westerners think ugali is flavorless, but after you eat enough of it for a reasonable duration, you start to realize it has a flavor and certainly fills your belly.
Jane was such a gracious host. She is a widow with four children and a young grandson who she cares for. Jane became a good friend of mine in 2006 when we first lived in Kapsowar. I was eager to get to know her as I would watch her radiant smile as she sang in the local church choir. Her joyful expressions are contagious, and despite her heartache and continual struggles, she has a peace about her. She attended our ladies Bible study during the two years we were here and we have been good friends ever since. Juliana, Chara, & I set to work on harvest day helping to shuck the maize. It was fun to sit together in the hot African sun, catching up on the past several years. We had to be careful for there were many safari ants in the maize that was being carried up the hill and several of us would start jumping around and screaming in the middle of our work as a tiny little ant caused us severe pain with its death grip. We eventually got used to them and started to pick them off more calmly as the morning progressed. Stephen found a line of them marching with determination toward the maize storehouse and declared war on them stomping as hard as he could on their organized lines. As a baby, he would often be brought to our door, covered in safari ants. Perhaps he has some type of immunity to their bites. The boys enjoyed descending the hill into the shamba and carrying the sacks of maize to us for shucking. We all worked hard (at least by American standards) and it was a new and rewarding experience for all of us.
We’re thankful for the harvest of maize here in Kapsowar this year, but we also give thanks for the spiritual harvest. There are so many beautiful Christian people in this place and many who are sharing the love of Christ with their neighbors. Please pray for the pastors, teachers, and hospital workers who have a lot of work and not a lot of resources. Pray that they would remain strong in their faith and encourage those who are downhearted. Pray that the community would continue to care for its widows and orphans and that we would all share from our rich resources. Please remember the many areas of the world where the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. (you might look up the song by Brandon Heath, "The Harvester" )
Happy Harvest!
