Our last few days have been spent on the start of a building project- a church in the village of Olang-Uri. After trekking through the rivers (roads) in the mini-van, we arrived to find the trenches for the new church foundation overflowing from all the rain throughout the last several days. Instead, we crossed the road to dry land in the village, hauled lumber and cement blocks, and worked on building forms and cutting re-bar for the foundation. The people, of course, warmly welcomed us and we enjoyed the minimal conversations we were able to have in Swahili.
It was a busy scene with so many projects—women churching butter, grinding ginger for tea, Maasai men using a skill saw and power drill for the first time, many a dog and goat roaming around, and children excited to have their picture taken over and over again. After several hours of work, we were invited in for fresh ginger tea and a community bowl of rice and potatoes. We’re getting the hang of eating with our hands. Overall, it was a great two days with the satisfaction of working in community toward meaningful results. And we had to laugh at the offers Pastor Hafermann was getting for us from some of the Maasai men-- if they had their way, some parents would be receiving 15 cows in exchange for their daughters! Never a dull moment…
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