I walked into the little shop and handed the lady behind the desk a thumb drive with a picture of myself in my pilot uniform (that I had taken at home with my iphone).  I told her what I wanted and walked out 15 minutes later, with six dollars less and two AIM Air pilot badges that, I am told, when worn with my pilot uniform (available on amazon), can get me just about anywhere on almost any airport in East Africa.  Oh, and did I mention that I didn’t have to show any credentials of any kind?  This was one of my intros into Kenya’s brand of aviation where things can at times be really simple and other times very complex.  (Although now that I think of it, that’s not too much different than the US!)

DC-3 in for maintenance

I’ve enjoyed the last 6 weeks spent working on the hangar floor helping with maintenance on the AIM Air fleet.  So far, I’ve done a variety of things from inspections on Cessna Caravans and 206’s, to replacing windows on a DC-3, to sheet metal fabrication, to troubleshooting electrical components like magnetos and alternators.  If you’re about to hit the “x” or your eyes started scanning this paragraph faster because the last sentence almost put you to sleep or made you feel like I was speaking another language, don’t worry, no more airplane jargon today.  Suffice it to say that I am getting a broad range of experience while helping keep our fleet running and getting to know the rest of the AIM Air staff.

I have a few more weeks in the shop before we move into intensive language learning and then flying.  Thanks for your continual prayers and financial support, and for taking the time to finish reading this!

Have you ever felt so blessed by the people around you that you are not quite sure how to express it sufficiently? To realize and be aware of the deep gratitude and thanks you are experiencing, but know that words can only express so much, and most certainly fall short in this case?

That is the position I find myself in this morning as I get ready to head to the hangar for another day’s work repairing and inspecting airplanes so they can be used to serve people I haven’t even met yet.  I find myself deeply grateful to so many people who have come alongside us on our journey in so many different ways.  Financial giving, prayers, moral support, encouragement notes and letters, phone calls, emails, skype, buying stuff for us and shipping it around the country or world….  There is more to thank than can be handled rightly.

It’s part of why we hope you get to see these pictures and hear these stories.  Because we know that simply saying “thank you” just doesn’t communicate the breadth and gravity of the impact your relationship with us has in our lives.  We are so aware with every post, picture, and detail how impossible any of this would be without you.  So thank you so much for being a part, for letting God use you to come alongside us on this journey that has proved to be quite the adventure as well!

I figured I would update on several topics:

VEHICLE: We have traveled in many forms of transportation the last few months.  Pictured here is a TukTuk.  We traveled on Tuk Tuk, BodaBoda’s (a motorcycle for hire), Matatu’s, and buses.  Well, the 3 weeks in Machakos for Africa orientation, and last time I was in Kenya in 2007 (in a smaller town than Nairobi) we took public transport with no problem.  We had heard how expensive vehicles are here, so we were hoping that Tom could get a motorcycle (called a Piki here), and take that to work, and I could get around by walking and by public transit.  That is more difficult here in Nairobi, and unrealistic.  Matatus (a van discussed in previous posts) are sort of like buses here (though there are actually buses here also).  The Kenyan who gave us Matatu lessons in Nairobi, showed us how to get to Wilson Airport where Tom is working via Matatu, though as we were getting the lesson said we should take a car because there was really no good way to go via matatu.  We did do as much walking as riding.  As we were waiting for one of the matatus to pick us up to head home, we asked our Kenyan friend if he though we really needed a car, and he said: “absolutely!” This surprised us, but in the 3 weeks that we have been in Nairobi, we are realizing he was correct.  So, in humility and with hopeful prayers, we are starting to raise money for a car.  Vehicles here are 2-3 times as much as the equivalent vehicle in the US.  Will you help us subsidize the cost?  We will use the money from the two vehicles we had in the states, but it is not enough.  We have a specific fund for our car that the usual administrative funds do not get taken out of.  To give, click here: Vehicle Project

FLYING: Many people have asked if Tom is flying- I think he would like to be.  First, there is a 3 month maintenance rotation that every pilot does when they first arrive. After the maintenance rotation, Tom has to pass a series of Kenyan flight tests.  Each test is about $400.  If Tom “fails” the Test, he pays another $400 to take it.  As a result, we have been told he should expect to have to take it several times.  Of the last three guys who took it, the number of times it had to be taken before a pass was 7, 5, and 3.  We are still hoping and praying for 1! Will you join us in praying for that? And, if you want to donate towards the cost of a test- Karibu (you are welcome).

MARRIAGE: There is something bonding about doing this together.  Tom and I continue to look at one another and say: “I can’t imagine doing this without you.”  He is loving, loyal, wise, patient, kind, and an amazing father.  We are so blessed to have one another and hope our marriage will be one of the greatest witness of Christ’s love here.

MONEY- I confess I am tempted to stress out about it; (and sometime I give into temptation) but, I continue to remind myself of all God has provided.  We are in a house that is fully furnished and has many appliances (included a washing machine that washes the cloths without intervention like the previous one), and we have been able to borrow a car from missionary who is in the states to get married.  God has provided a vehicle and home conveniences for yesterday and today, why do I struggle so much to trust Him for next week?  We have talked about how we rely on the Lord for money now more than ever.  There were ways in the states to make more money when time and circumstances allowed (like Tom doing an “annual” on an airplane).  It is illegal for us to make money here.  We are dependant on the Lord, and many of you for our resources.  It is humbling and I am praying the Lord will continue to strengthen my faith in the matter.

HOUSE HELP- Having help is foreign, amazing, difficult, a gift, awkward, bonding, and wonderful.  As I write this, our house help is cleaning our floors and making gluten-free tortillas.  It is humbling to let someone else do your dishes, and to leave them piled in the sink after dinner for someone to come do in the morning, and at the same time, it is absolutely wonderful.  It is difficult to navigate cultural differences and having someone else in your home comes with challenges.  For example, the second week we were in this house, I remember opening the fridge and thinking: “didn’t the fridge have a light?” as it was dark.  I wish I had followed my instincts as the next morning I pulled out warm almond milk.  Turns out, when our house help plugged in the microwave (which we hardly use so it does not get precedence to plug space), she unknowingly unplugged the power strip to which our fridge is plugged into!  Now we know which plug is for the fridge and check it OFTEN!

An aspect that makes it awkward is that house help tends to ask for more days, money, and a higher salary.  These women are desperate for work, and it is the ONE factor I cling onto as I feel funny having someone else do my work.  Haha, just last night I was cleaning a dish, and Tom said: “why don’t you just leave it?” To which I responded: “I acknowledge its silly, but I like to have something in the dish drier to show I actually can and do wash dishes.”  House helps ask for school fees for their children and for money for other various things, and they have no shame in asking for a higher salary.

CRESCENA:  She is “talking” up a storm.  She says “dooug, doooug, dooug” in reference to the dog next-door to us; “booooo, booo, booo” in reference to a book; “moe, moe, moe” in reference to more (and, yes, she generally says things 3 times); and has been saying mama and dada clearly for several months.  She took her first steps at ABO, and continues to dabble with walking (the most I have seen her take consecutively is 8), but she prefers crawling or walking with her “train” (pictured right) most.  She is very stubborn and opinionated, but also daring, social, a cuddler, and full of joyful energy.  Please join us in praying she will sleep through the night!

Tom previously processed ABO (Africa Based Orientation) where we lived in dorms and were in “class” most days.  So, we have been in Kenya for almost a month, but Wednesday, February 29 was our first day “on our own”.  My original idea was to post a “picture-story” of the first day, but I only managed to take 2 photos.  My hands were wet and dirty and the day flew by.  I soaked vegetables (you have to “clean” produce so you don’t get sick) for the first meal I planned to make.  As the vegetables were soaking, I did laundry.  Now, in the states, I would start the wash and accomplish all sorts of things while the machine did its thing.  Well, I am thankful I did not have to wash by hand (it is HARD work- I washed some by hand at ABO and was sweating profusely and my back started to ache), but the washer for the apartment we are in right now is labor intensive.  You fill the washer with water from a hose, add the soap, add the cloths, and then you turn it on.  About 12 minutes later, you return to move the setting to “drain”; then you wait for the washer to drain; after it drains, you move the clothes to the spinner to spin the soap and water out; and then you fill the washer with water again to rinse the clothes, and then you put the clothes back in and start the rinse cycle.  Then, you come back and move the clothes to the spinner again to spin the water out.  Finally, you hang the cloths on the clothesline in the hot African sun.

Basically, doing 2 loads of laundry and attempting to cook a meal took me ALL day!  I did join a prayer time for AIM Air with some of the other wives on the compound.  (The COMPOUND:  AIM has several compounds.  We are living on the compound until we move into our temporary house in a Kenyan residential area on March 3.  We will be in a temporary house a few blocks from where our “permanent” house will be; work needs to be done to the house before we can move in).  While I was at the prayer time, the rain came!  I was so thankful that one of the other wives (not praying with us) took my clothes down for me while we prayed so they did not get too wet- so helpful!

Why I only “attempted” the meal: The plan was for me to make lunch because other missionaries were providing dinner the first two nights as we settle in- what a blessing!  After I did one load of laundry it was about 1:00pm and our friends stopped by (about when I was going to make lunch).  Our friends were headed to a shopping center called “YaYa” to get a hair cut and some groceries.  Well, apparently that is the best place to get a hair cut on this side of Nairobi if you are white, and Tom needed a haircut.  Tom decided to go to YaYa to get a haircut leaving me home with laundry and Crescena.  I was determined to survive!  I did manage to do another load of laundry and to chop onions and garlic, and brown them with the ground beef.  But, when the meat was prepared it was 4:00pm, and Tom said he would just bring some food home for lunch.  I was happy to have meat ready for future meals, but discouraged by how much time had flown by.

Well, after we ate the dinner that had been brought to us (Praise the Lord!), I folded the clothes and put them away as Tom got Crescena ready for bed.  Normally, I am a night owl, but I have been so tired in the evenings.  We have been informed of “cultural fatigue”… fatigue due to a new culture and all the new things you take in all day.  I think of it in terms of Crescena… the whole world is new to her so she naps as a baby- I am a “baby” in Kenya and am tired because of it.

Ali & Crescena at ABO

ABO, a.k.a, Africa Based Orientation; 3 weeks of orientation to what it means to live in Africa.  We had a variety of speakers who facilitated sessions on topics such as African culture and worldview, Islam, transformational development, HIV/AIDS, cross-cultural communication/conflict resolution, and security/contingency planning in Africa.It opened our eyes to all of the nuances of the African way of life and more specifically, how we as western Christians interface with the culture here. Without assigning blame or pointing fingers, orientation raised issues and questions of which some were answered and others were left unanswered.  Questions such as, “Why are some of the most resource rich countries in the world (also in Africa) some of the most impoverished?” and “If 34% of Kenya is considered “Evangelical Christian” (which makes more than all of western Europe) why is Kenya listed in the top 10 most corrupt countries in the world?”  It challenged how we have been trained to approach evangelism on an individual basis by asking, “how do you reach an African whose basic worldview says not ‘I think therefore I am,’ but ‘I am because we are’?” It has given us much to think about and process as we return to Nairobi and begin to settle into our new home.

Tom & Crescena enjoying the variety show

We laughed at the humor of the presenters, especially as we realized that we will probably experience the awkward situation/event about which they were talking.  One of the favorite quotes was “And when you are faced with an unpleasant looking dish that you cannot refuse, you pray the missionary prayer; ‘Lord, thank you

In addition to the deep issues and questions, we also enjoyed the lightheartedness of building friendships with the rest of our orientation group.  Dorm style living, while having its challenges, meant that we got to know the others in our group well and built friendships over evening games, a fun, variety show night, and other activities.

All in all, the ABO experience has been a stretching, building, and enlightening time that I know has helped to prepare us in ways that I can’t yet even begin to fathom.  Thank you for praying for us during this time; continue to pray for us as we settle into life in Nairobi and start our specific AIM Air orientation next week.

Today we were put into teams of 4-10 and went downtown in Machakos (the town in which we are doing our orientation) to relate and interact. We walked to the main road to catch a Matatu into town (Matatu: a white van that picks people up; between a taxi and a bus.  Its like a taxi because there are no set pick up and drop off points, but it is like a bus in that you do not call for it; you just stand on the side of a main road and wait for one to come; but they are NOT on a set schedule like a bus).  Once in town, we went to a restaurant first; most of the table ordered a hamburger, but were told there was no beef.  Many of the sodas on the menu were also not available.  Because there were no hamburgers, we decided to split chickens.  Tom and I ordered a grilled chicken, and the other three in our group ordered deep fried chicken.  When the chickens came, they were exactly the same- fried; but not breaded and fried, just fried. One of the girls went to the bathroom (I am glad I didn’t have to go) as she said it was just a hole in the ground and you had to dip a cup in a bucket of water to wash your “business” down.  This was the first set odd encounters.

After lunch we walked around the market.  Most of the people selling in the market were women.  And, there were 100+ people selling (picture a farmers market on the ground).  I (Ali) grew up in Pleasanton and loved the Farmers Market. However, in California, most of the “farmers” sell different produce.  At the market we went to today; most of the farmers sold the same thing (ie one would have potatoes and onions; the next would have mango and potato; and the next would have potato, onion, and mango; etc).  There were lots of potatoes, green oranges, TONS of mangos, cabbage, onion, garlic, grapes, plums, etc.  My favorite was the avocado… selling for less then 10 cents when you convert shillings to US dollars.  It was hard to know who to buy from when 25+ people had the same thing.

What was the most fascinating was how many of the women asked to hold Crescena.  The children at church wanted to hold Crecsena, but most of the white children doing orientation with us also love to walk around holding Crescena like a live baby-doll.  Having young and old women just grab for your child in the market was a new experience.  Think about it, what would you do if the person you were trying to buy corn from at your local farmers market grabbed for your baby?  It’s just foreign that as we looked at the fruit, they would ask for or grab for the baby.  Crescena usually cries, as she does not like to be held by strangers at this point.  We were sent out with questions to help us relate, but, with a baby, we didn’t need the questions.  Three women were sitting on a bench on the side of the road as we left the market; they called us over and asked to hold Crescena and within minutes several other women had come out of shops to be included in the passing of the baby.  The picture (above) is of Crescena and one of the women that came out to hold her.  This particular picture was taken because the lady holding Crescena had a friend take a picture on her phone; because she was taking a picture, I felt comfortable doing the same.  There are so many sights I would like to catch on camera and share, but I feel uncomfortable taking pictures as if the people here are a spectacle or an exhibit.  So, I tend to shy away from snapping photos.  I wish I could capture the smells, sounds, and sights for you though.  The sounds are usually pleasant, the smells usually not so much. = )

On the whole, it was nice to be out in the town.  We spend most of our days in a large spare room, sitting in a chair, listening to presenters.  It was a welcome break to walk around and interact.

One year ago today, Crescena was born.  A fellow mom asked me the birth story.  Many of you know that the weeks leading up to Crescena being born were full of prayer as there was an unknown problem.  Labor was a bit traumatic for me (I imagine many women can relate), and today as I told the story, I was grateful that the sting of the trauma was less potent and the memory faded as there is a year full of other memories to distance me from the birth memory.

As I reflect on the fading of the memory of the pain and trauma of Crescena’s birth, I am reminded of the power of time and the grace of the Lord.  The challenges we have faced, and the challenges I imagine we will face living in Kenya, will one day be a distant memory.  It puts life, both the joys and challenges, into perspective.  I wish I could put the last year in a jar and open it in years to come.  What a delight to watch a child grow.  Crescena, at 1, has two teeth; loves to stand; has taken one accidental step; and is social, opinionated, animated, happy- until mad or sad, and beautiful.  She is still practically hairless and prefers to have human contact when sleeping.

I look forward to what another year will hold.  Yesterday, the Kenyan children were so excited to push Crescena in her “push cart” (BOB Stroller).  We let the fun continue until the stroller tipped and Crsecena had a crying face full of dirt… then, we let the children push without our child in it!

Tom and I both reflected later that we felt awkward and uncomfortable as we watched our white daughter in her big cart being pushed around by African children.  It was as if she was royalty being paraded around… the children were just having fun, but we couldn’t help but take it a step further.  We hope that Crescena will be a bridge to building relationships (she sure does attract attention) that hopefully result in lives changed by Christ.

We are in Kenya!  Now before I share about being in Kenya, I need to back track and share about the few months that led up to this moment.

Tom “graduated” from JAARS where he was doing his flight training in North Carolina.  The week we were packing up to leave North Carolina, Tom got so sick he did not get out of bed for 24hours.  He just laid there sweating and moaning.  I was so thankful to have Mom Brown, Dad Brown, and brother Jacob Brown there to help us pack. Crescena got a cold and pink eye that week as well.  So, the Browns basically did all our packing and cleaning as I cared for Tom and Crescena.  We left North Carolina on Sunday, December 18, headed for California.  At that point, Crescena had a fever, was breathing very rapidly, and was extremely lethargic.  By December 21, Crescena ended up in the hospital with pneumonia and anemia.  Both Tom and I had head-colds as we prayed over her and spent the next 4 nights in the hospital.  With joy, we headed home on Christmas morning, Dec 25.  A few days later, Tom and I got the stomach flu.  I would be puking in the shower while Tom puked in the toilet, and then we would switch; not the bonding moment we would ask for.  We are so thankful for Mom Weaver, Dad Weaver, and brother JR Weaver who cared for Crescena, as Tom and I were very sick.

In the midst of sickness and trial, 2 Corinthians 4:8-10 rang so true for us: “⁸ We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. ⁹ We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. ¹⁰ Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.”

I was so perplexed why the Lord would allow the time with family and friends in California, that we were so looking forward to, be spent in the hospital and with sick bodies preventing energy for fellowship.  We truly felt pressed on every side, but we were not crushed, and not driven to despair.  Our church home in Spokane (New Community) sent timely and uplifting encouragement notes in the midst of these trials.  God used the body to build us up, and we are so grateful.

I can’t say enough times how much I learn each day that the Lord cares more about the state of our hearts than our physical bodies… He has allowed so much trial and we are being molded by it and pray that the life of Jesus is seen in us both in the USA and in Africa.

We did go away for a night without Crescena for our anniversary in early January and it is amazing how refreshing a night away can be.  We are grateful to have had a night to rejuvenate.

We left CA and visited family and friends in Kansas, and then headed to visit family in FL.  In mid-January we got an e-mail saying Tom and Crescena had medical clearance to go to Kenya, but I(Ali) did not.  We figured that AIM just needed more information and did not worry until we spoke to the AIM doctor one week before we were supposed to leave for Atlanta, GA (where the AIM headquarters are and where we flew out of) and learned he was seriously considering not giving me medical clearance.  If you have not read other posts, I (Ali) was diagnosed with Graves Disease (an autoimmune disease of the thyroid) in October while we were in North Carolina.  So, basically, a week before we were supposed to leave, we found out we might not get to go.  The uncertainty definitely made us press into Christ and learn to trust Him.  We believed that going to Kenya, despite my illness was obedience to the Lord, and that He would provide; that our God of strength will be my strength.  We also had to trust that if the AIM doctor did not give us clearance, it would be obedience to submit to that authority (but that was harder for us to grasp).  I read Jesus Calling and as we were waiting for the doctor’s decision about whether or not we could go; the Lord had perfect timing as one of the verses was:

“They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the LORD.” Psalm 112:7

For us, bad news would have been that after 4+ years of preparing, and months of anticipating leaving on Feb 2, 2012, we would be told we could not go at this time.   I was reminded to trust, and not be afraid of what the decision might be – a needed challenge.

On Friday, January 27, we got a phone call that I was being cleared to go.  We were filled with great joy!

Ali was diagnosed with Graves disease in the fall of 2011.  We were originally told that it wouldn’t be an issue for us to go to Kenya with AIM.  Because of miscommunication with our doctor, we didn’t get the forms from the doctor to send in to AIM until the beginning of January 2012, with a departure date scheduled for February 2^nd.

We got word on January 16^th that Crescena and Tom had been cleared by the AIM doctor, but that Ali couldn’t be cleared until they got more information.  Over the next week, we worked with the AIM doctor to get him the information he needed.  One of the items he wanted was a letter from a doctor describing how Ali was doing and the possibility of her having issues in Kenya.  We asked our natural doctor to write the letter and she agreed.  On Jan 24^th, we still didn’t have any word from the AIM doctor and found out that our natural doctor had been in an accident that day and was taken to the ER.  From her bed and home, she had her assistant write the letter for us and emailed it to the AIM doctor.

On Thursday, January 26^th, we got a call from the AIM doctor telling us that he had decided to clear Ali to go to Kenya!

This is clearly a work of God to make the way clear before us.  We believe it is no coincidence that our doctor was in an accident on the very day she was to write us that letter.  We have no doubt that Satan was doing his best to prevent us from going to Kenya this February.  Thankfully, God is bigger than he is and was faithful to allow us to move forward.  As we sought Him and prayed that week, He brought us a peace and confidence that He was in control.  We were willing to go to Kenya with Ali sick, trusting that He would be strength in our weakness.  We were also brought to a place of trusting that if the AIM doctor said no, it was God’s guidance and goodness to us just the same.  We could trust that no matter where He led, even if we didn’t understand, we could and would follow in faith.  Praise God for where He chose to take us and thank you for praying for us!!

Strawberry Ridge - 16% slope

About a month ago, I (Tom) went up to the Smoky Mountains with the other Orientee and the Orientation staff for 10 days of flying in the mountains.  The purpose was to take the things we had learned up to that point in Orientation and apply them in an environment similar to what we’ll see in Africa.  The schedule included making and evaluating runways in grass fields, landing on those short grass runways that were sometimes level and sometimes sloping, practice dropping packages in a specific location, and low level maneuvering through valleys and canyons.

We were checked out at each runway so we could fly several solo flights at each of them – it was one of my highlights and a significant confidence boost to know that the instructors trusted me to takeoff and land at those places.

Valhalla - Ready for takeoff...the runway disappears down the hill

To give you an idea to compare with, the “normal” runway you would use with an airline is about 10,000 feet long, doesn’t have any slope, and is paved.  Most people who fly small airplanes like we do use runways that range from 2,000 feet and up, most are paved although some use grass, and there is hardly ever anything with more than 4% slope.  At mountain week our runways were between 900 and 1,400 feet long, all grass, and ranged from 0% slope up to 16% of slope.  Two of the many unique characteristics of landing on a steep runway is that you actually have to add power when you land and continue to add power as you go up the slope, since otherwise you will get stuck halfway up the runway.

Moving past the technical… I really enjoyed getting to know the staff better; JAARS has a great group of instructors here who not only have a wealth of knowledge and experience, but a depth of faith and maturity that is inspiring.

In short, I thoroughly enjoyed the flying and the company, and it causes me to look forward to the flying in Kenya as well as building relationship with the AIM Air team.  Thanks for being a part of this!