Winner, Winner, TURKEY dinner!

I am aware that the question on most people’s mind is… “What happened to that crazy turkey?” Well, I am here to report that I did have a meat meal yesterday! And yes, it was turkey! Now, I am sure you are wondering, “Who killed that turkey?” As you may guess, there is not a meat processing plant down town where you take your animals, leave for a few hours, and return with beautiful butterball turkeys with thermometers in them. Nope, you have to kill it, de-feather it, and gut it yourself. Once again, please keep in mind that I am not from a farm area. So, on Wednesday we set out to prepare Tom for dinner the next day. Luckily, Mr. Mike had removed a few “necks” before so he took the liberty of making the first chop. I joined in to remove the feathers and the “middle”! I must admit that the experience was… well… interesting. If I am ever present at a Thanksgiving celebration that does not know how to remove the feathers or prepare a turkey, I’ll be ready. Once the meat inspection was over and the turkey was deemed “good enough to eat”, I proceed to have a biology lab class for John. You guessed it, this included walking through the anatomy of the bird, hands on of course. I am so thankful to the Buddingtons who gave me the initial experience. And, Dr. Buddington if you are reading this you will be glad to know that I asked what shape the colon took in the bird and everyone (including the vet) looked at me like I had three heads.

As for other interesting news, last night was quite the…celebration? Around mid-night I was startled by the booming sounds of explosion. My heart immediately started pounding and preparing for the war cries. I was just taken by such surprise that I had no idea was the noise could be. It was shaking the house! I was at Mrs. Terry’s and turned to ask her what it was. We proceeded to go outside (why, because we’re just like white people in scary movies!) to check out the situation. In the near distance, we could see fire explosions and hear the boom. We watched for about 45 minutes as every speculated to what the cause could be. The original idea was that they were fireworks from the Asian community that might be having a celebration of some kind. This made since to the locals because that had happened before. However, I kept asking if fireworks look like FIRE! Eventually, we learned that a government building that has gas containers in it for the use of the government had exploded. Somehow the building caught on fire and all the cylinders begin to explode at random after that. Oh but wow, the commotion. I really felt like I should have been writing the star-spangled banner from the safe distance of shore as I watched the explosions, smoke, and horrible noise rise up.
Once the excitement settled down, we took the moment to look up at the stars. The night is so dark in Kenya and the stars are absolutely beautiful. They seem to extend from the highest sky to the point of connection between sky and ground. It’s Amazing! Some things never cease to amaze me, “as I consider all the worlds thy hands have mad

Turkey Circus

I must begin with a misclaimer! I am from Senatobia which is not exactly a metropolitan city, but I did not grow up on a farm or around a lot of farm animals. So, the only chicken I’ve ever held was dead or the small chick at my friend’s farm. I’ve never personally milked a cow, or gathered eggs from the coop.

Now for the narrative: Grace, Susan, and I are on our way back from a place called Embu. We are on a matatu, which is extremely dangerous and stressful. Grace turns to me and says, we need to stop in Kutus to get a Turkey. Huh? “There is a lady in Kutus who wants to give us a one of the Turkeys she’s been raising.” Oh, well that makes sense, right? Naturally I ask, “Is it dead or alive?” She responds as if there is only one answer… “ALIVE”. OH, okay… no big deal! Ha! Now image with me you hop off the matatu and walk about 2 kilometers to a little dirt road. We turn onto this dirt road and it is covered on both sides with banana trees, flowers, and all kinds of vegetation. It is absolutely beautiful! We walk and walk and wind and walk until finally we reach this lady’s shamba. We sit and have lunch chat until it’s time to go. Grace turns to me and says, “How are we going to get this turkey back?” At this point there is one choice, we’re going to carry it. I immediately phone Mr. Mike to see if he can meet us on the main road because no matatu would dare pick us up with a live turkey. He agrees and we gather our things to head to the road. Sweet Nancy decides she’ll let me pick out the turkey she is going to give her. Now listen, my only experience with a turkey is one that comes processed in a package labeled deli meat or one that my dad has deep fried for the holidays. I laughed and said, “Well, since I have to carry it, please not a huge one.” She chases it down in a display that quickly makes me aware of the challenge before me. She hands it to me to hold so she can bound it’s feet. So here I am in Kutus, Kenya holding a turkey under it’s wings getting read to carry it about 2 miles. Turkey’s are not light!!! And their neck is very flexible making it completely possible to peck at your hand while you are carrying it. I walked faster than I ever have to get to the road to get this turkey in the van. However, once in the van, the crazy bird had to be held down so he didn’t go psycho during the trip. We finally arrive at BCH after a detour for the camera because Mr. Mike was dying to have a picture of me carrying this turkey. I wrestle it out of the van and during the process knock the binding off its feet. While I’m holding the turkey up, John reties its feet together. ( I’m calling it, it because I have no idea if it is a him or her!) I go to put it down thinking, well, it will flap its wings for a second but will stop when it realizes it can’t go anywhere. Then we can put it in the cage that was made. WRONG!!! That turkey had his feet unbound within 3 seconds flat and was off! In all my wisdom, I access the situation. I quickly reassure everyone that turkeys can’t fly so it’ll be fine. WRONG!!! Turkeys can’t fly but they sure can move. He moved right through the hedge into the neighbor’s shamba. John and I take off to capture our dinner. He has moved beyond their yard into the back neighbor’s land. So, John and I quickly make our way through the barbed wire as Mr. Mike joins us with the camera. That bird took us all over the place and just enjoyed his freedom the entire time…Until, it all ended dramatically with Grace coming out of no where to catch the bird by the neck. She caught it and handed him up to the professional turkey carrier! HA! It was hilarious! One of those moments I thought, I am really in Kenya and yes… I am really carrying a live turkey! Don’t worry… most of it was caught on camera!!

Practice of the Presence of God

The whole world seems to me no longer real; all that my outward eyes behold pass like fantasies and dreams. That which I see with the eyes of the soul is what alone I long for, and to be not yet in the possession of my heart’s desire brings to me sorrow and drooping of spirit. On the other hand dazzled by the brightness of the Sun of Righteousness, the Scatterer of the shades of night and, on the other, with eyes dimmed by my own sin, I feel at times as if I were beside myself. And yet, I make it my ordinary business to abide in the Presence of God with the humility of a useless, though a faithful servant.

-Brother Lawrence-

Free Willy!!

After another week of chores, all of the girls had improved! So… they got to watch a movie, Free Willy. As we were all sitting there watching, I almost forgot where I was. Then it hit me… I’m in KENYA, watching a movie with 12 wonderfully, beautiful orphans. WOW! I choked back the tears that are coming so freely now. It seems I finally realized how crazy life is, a paradox, I suppose. I have more than my share of a loving, caring family, and these girls still questions whether or not they belong anywhere. I’ve questioned this week if my expectations of love are unfounded scripturally. Is it wrong to expect them to hug, kiss, and actively love on the girls? I have decided the answer is no! In John’s writings alone, the love of Christ is emphasized continuously. And time and time again, the Father’s love is expressed in actions of love. It’s not cultural, it’s Christian. Oh, if only I knew how to teach that or express that without offending. I pray, Lord, that you offer wisdom in breaking the mold, that I may be empowered by your strength against resistance, and above all, that your love for me may overflow in abundant measures into the lives of those around me.

The sweetest moment came at the end of the movie, when I turned the lights on and found tears on Jane’s cheek. Her sweet, tender heart! Thank you Lord for glimpses of you in these children!