You Asked ... We Answered!

Thanks to everyone who took part! This was fun, and some questions really made us think!

Best question winner .... you're all winners! Prizes will be distributed when we return :)

1. Are you coming home for sure at the end of May?
We head back in the beginning of June. We fly out on the 3rd and will land on Canadian soils some time on the 4th.

2. What was the most rewarding experience during your time in Kenya?
As a whole, the most rewarding thing for both of us has been the relationships we have developed throughout the past 5 months. In terms of experiences, though, the mission trip to Maralal tops the list.

3. Is there a child that you have connected with that you wish you could take him/her home with you? Why?
There is a part of us that would like to fill many suitcases with many children! So many of them have touched us … they’re just adorable. But, in reality, we really don’t want to bring any of them to Canada permanently as we’d rather see them thrive in their own culture.

4. If you had unlimited funds what would you do for this community that would matter most for their future?
Our first choice would be to support Christian, quality education.

5. What can others do for this community without having to travel to Africa?
Become educated on where the needs are (which are many). Then pray and support the causes that God leads you to support. You can also support and encourage missions in your local church.

6. Are you settling down now in Canada or where is God leading you next?
We are planning for Canada (that’s where we’re looking for jobs) … but only God knows :)

7. Any surprizes not told yet? Maybe a new addition to the family on the way?
Our neighbour lives 4 feet away from us….

8. Do you have any good Kenyan recipes you could share?
Try this with your coffee or tea: use boiled/steamed milk instead of cold milk (2% or higher) – and use lots of it. We also love the mundazis and chapattis …. but we haven’t received cooking instructions yet (Taryn only has experience rolled out the chapatti dough).

9. Who are the boarders you talk about?
The boarders are students from the academy, high school and vocational college. Most of them reside here because their homes are too far away. Last term, there were about 40 boarders.

10. What is your house like?
We have a small bachelor apartment – 1 room, but we’ve divided it with a large sheet and set up the living area in a way that lets us functionally have a living room, office, kitchen and bedroom. There are also low crossbeams that Ryan still - after four months - hits his head on … ouch!

11. Often when God sends us out to do a work for others in service to Him we end up being the one to benefit by personal blessing, learning a deep life lesson and growing spiritually through the experience – have either of you sensed that from a particular situation/person in Kenya? And if so can you share it?
Truth be told, we feel as though God has used this time to bring us closer together and to make us a better team. We also feel as though this experience as a whole has given us more direction for our future.

12. What have been your favourite moments in Africa?
Some of our most favorite moments have come from hosting dinners for our friends and PACE staff – they have been a great way for us to get to know individuals and the Kenyan culture. In fact, we had the entire maintenance staff over for dinner the other night and they were a total hoot! And for Taryn, we must add to the list her creative arts classes … very little can beat entering a classroom and having a room full of students cheer!

13. What will you miss most when you leave?
We will miss: 10 o’clock tea and mundazis; the carefree and slow pace of life; the overall happiness of the children; the focus on relationship building

14. What do you think I (others) would love most about Kenya?
We think you would like the serenity of the rural countryside and the slow pace of life we have here. You would also like the mountains that create the backdrop of Nyahururu and the friendly nature of the people.

15. What were the hardest things to adjust to?
Probably the hardest thing is always standing out in a crowd - it’s impossible to go for a quiet walk because people (especially children) are always trying to greet us. Another difficult thing is that many assume all foreigners have lots of money. As a result, we are regularly asked for money or things, and some people assume that we will pay for things. At times, it has also been hard seeing the cultural gender roles of men and women – which we realize resemble how gender roles probably existed for our grandparents and great-grandparents.

16. What's the biggest thing you've learned from the experience?
We’ve learned that cross-cultural ministry requires a lot of cooperation, understanding, compassion, and love between locals and foreigners. More importantly, we have acquired a greater understanding of the importance of keeping Jesus at the center of our lives (and ministry). We also learned, on a practical level, how God can use difficult circumstances to refine something in us, and draw us closer to Him.

17. Do you think you'll ever return to Kenya?
We hope to. There is just something very inviting about Kenya and its people.

18. If you had to pick one more country to do missions work in, which would it be?
Hmm… tough question. We both feel pulled to Central America and Africa, so we’d probably (unless God pulled us elsewhere) head in that direction.

19. If someone was going to do a mission trip in Africa, what do you suggest should be required for preparation?
Here are some of our suggestions: know your spiritual gifts so you can determine where you can serve best; learn as much about the culture as you can before departing; learn the native language; transition to the new culture with the help of someone (your church, a sending organization, a local, etc) that is familiar with both cultures; be flexible and open to creating new relationships; understand your worldview and know when to set it aside

20. I’d like to know what quality stands out the most that you have each learned from the Kenyan people that you hope with God’s help, you’ll be able to maintain long term once you are back in our culture again.
Kenyans are a very social people, and what we’d like to bring home with us is their idea of “taking time for people and relationships” amidst the busyness of life.

21. What are some things you will appreciate most when you get home?
Bathtubs; fully stocked kitchens (with fridges, ovens, microwaves, dishes, etc.); fully-stocked grocery stores with things like freshly baked bread and skinless, boneless chicken breast; personal space in vehicles; televisions; cheap phone calls to family and friends; cold drinks; long summer days (the sun sets in Kenya around 7pm – 365 days a year!); not having to wear skirts everyday; returning to Harbour; throwing dirty clothes in a washing machine instead of washing by hand; clean tap water (thank goodness for water filters!)

22. What has been a pro and a con of serving with PACE?
Ryan: The answers are almost the same – pro: never a shortage of work and anything done is appreciated; con: there’s so much to do that without time management and boundary setting, it can be overwhelming
Taryn: pro: getting the kids excited about school activities; con: jumping into an unfamiliar school system without much guidance
Both: pro: new friendships; con: lack of privacy and the spiritual formation isn’t what we thought it would be

23. Describe the church services.
They are very different from what we’re used to at Harbour! For one, they are much longer – we’ve been to many that approach two hours in length (and a couple longer ones, too). Each service starts with something called “presentations” where children, youth and adults are asked to come up to sing or share a testimony or verse. This usually lasts about an hour. Interspersed in this is congregational singing (the hymnals are from the 1950s). Announcements and the sermon conclude the service.

24. How hot is it in Nyahururu?
Surprisingly, it isn’t very hot. In fact, the mornings and evenings are usually quite cool – sweaters are a must! From what we’ve heard, it gets colder when the rains come. The afternoons are usually quite warm, but there is no humidity so it is always comfortable (only on a couple occasions have we felt really hot). Not what most would expect in Kenya, right?

25. How do you relax?
Watching movies that we borrow from other missionaries; reading; listening to sermons; playing guitar (Ryan); getting out of the area (to Nairobi or Nakuru) when we get a chance