This is a picture of me, Tim, Bishop Buliba, Tom, and Iris checking in at the airport in Norfolk.
About 8 people met us at the Nairobi Airport and loaded our 10 boxes and 4 carry-on bags on this ancient vehicle. Talk about an act of faith!
Picture of Bishop Buliba's wife and youngest daughter at Nairobi Airport.
A picture of my modest accommodations in Nakuru, Kenya.
Another picture of my room.
7 The view outside my room's window.
Students with donated computers in the Riftwide Institute of Computers and Accounts (RICA).
Students with donated computers in the Riftwide Institute of Computers and Accounts (RICA).
Students with donated computers in the Riftwide Institute of Computers and Accounts (RICA).
A view of a street market outside RICA.
Crater Travel who sent me my tickets in advance of payment.
They say they don't give credit, but they do for Bishop Buliba.
A view down the street towards Bishop Buliba's house. Notice the goat grazing. Goats, cows, and sheep graze about anywhere. Not sure how they keep track of which animal belongs to whom.
A herd of goats grazing down the street.
Architect's office where we installed one of the systems. Architect has agreed to tutor anyone in Bishop Buliba's church who has an interest in architecture.
Pastors visiting from "up - country" Kenya.
More of the same.
Computer installed in Bishop Buliba's house for church records and training.
More visiting pastors.
This is the usual dinner of ugolli, greens, stew (beef or chicken),
and sometimes rice and/or beans. Tastes great to me.
This is how they filled my plate every evening. I did not lose a single pound on this trip. The hospitality was wonderful.
Before and after each meal, a pitcher and bowl are passed around for hand washing. Most Kenyans do not use spoons or forks. I did use a spoon or fork most of the time.
Candy canes and crayons were sent to give to the children of the church.
Some visiting pastors on Sunday morning in the church.
For the first part of the service, the children sit on the stage area. Later, they go out to Sunday School.
A shot of the congregation. Some of these people walked for an hour and a half to get to church.
Another shot of the congregation.
More visiting pastors.
This is the only running water in the church compound. DO NOT DRINK THIS WATER.
They use a generator to provide electricity for the keyboard and sound system. Quite a contrast: A mud walled church with modern sound system.
Notice the BIG supply of ugolli, a corn meal and water mixture. Very bland, but not unpleasant tasting.
As you can see, there was no serving table. Pots were placed on the dirt floor and food was served from there.
They didn't use spoons or forks. I did.
These are pictures of the Sunday School kids. Wonderful children. Happy and respectful. Had a ball with them.
Same.
Same.
The lady here is the Sunday School Teacher, Leah. She is Bishop Buliba's older daughter. A sweet lady.
This child never smiled for me. Just stared at me the whole time.
These kids are part of Bishop Buliba's neighborhood. Like kids everywhere, they were having fun with whatever was at hand.
They still wash your windshield and check your oil and water, there. However, gas costs almost $3.00 per gallon.
Street vendors at every market place. The corn is slightly different from ours. Kind of a cross between sweet corn and field corn. They roast it and sell it for snacks. Quite good, but a lot of chewing required.
Being at a high altitude, the sky was beautiful. The landscape is quite beautiful, also.
This is a shot of a tea plantation in Kerico. Notice the housing for the workers. All tea is hand picked. The tea plants are harvested year round and a plant is good for about 5 years. Then they plant new tea plants. I saw thousands of acres of tea.
Another cash crop is sugar cane. Here, you see 2 boys riding atop an overloaded truck. The boy on the left is enjoying a snack of sugar cane as he rides.
In the background is Lake Victoria, which borders western Kenya. It is supposed to be the largest fresh water lake in the world.
This is the outside of CBC's lawyer's office. Not too fancy, huh?
This is the inside of the same office. Notice the copier.
The roads are traveled mostly by foot. Very few travel by foot at night, though. Too many bandits.
A sign for one of the "up - country" CBC churches. There are 71 congregations associated with CBC as of last count.
Most all of the wild animals are kept on the game preserves. No problem with lions roaming the streets in Kenya.
All the market places are busy. Think of the market places as malls.
This is where Bishop Buliba grew up and where we spent the night, that Tuesday evening.
Actually quite comfortable considering dirt floors, no running water, and no electricity.
They did have a portable radio playing, though. I awoke with the roosters and it was very
chilly outside until the sun got up.
Here I am with the founder of CBC, Bishop Buliba's father. He started preaching in 1938 and founded the church in 1952. Kenya did not get their independence from England until 1963.
For the first few days after I arrived, Bishop Buliba's youngest daughter, Anna, would scream when I came close. A few days later, she would shake my hand. Finally, the day before I left to come home, she let me hold her.
Bishop Buliba carries a heavy load with the church and was up until 02:00 AM the night
before taking care of things for a women's conference his church had started, the day before.
The visiting women came from quite far away and many slept in the church on the pews for the conference.
It was a wonderful trip and I appreciate your letting me share it with you. Thanks for your support, also.
Dan Harris