Chatting with Joseph

The following ‘conversation’ is the first major communication we have had with Joseph in two weeks. Other than this, we just read his blog and sometimes get a random one sentence email. Because internet has been very sporadic, he has not been able to do a great deal. Today though, he sent us the message that he was on ‘instant messaging’. If you are not familiar with this, it is sort of like live talking, but you type everything, no audio---called ‘chatting’. Good news is that it is free, but Joseph had to hike over to a neighboring compound though in the dark and ‘borrow’ the internet because he had the password for that compound, but he didn’t have one for the one he was staying in and he also says power has been out for a few days. They are running a generator to compensate. He now has a ‘pay per use’ cell phone and he actually called and talked a few short minutes on Thursday. Our conversation that day centered around us suggesting strongly that he hire a local person to escort him around. Because of the civil unrest, we are concerned for his safety. Joseph is being careful, but it takes a while to learn the local street smarts (who to avoid, how to escape an escalating situation, local geography) so we are glad he is taking precautions. He has found a young man named Peter that will travel down to the ghetto area with him. On days that Peter cannot go, they will take a taxi and go direct rather than riding on the public transports. In the transcript below: MotoPopster is Duane and gojoego7777 is Joseph.

July 3, 2009.
MotoPopster (11:17:09 AM): Hey Joseph, are you there?
gojoego7777 (11:25:47 AM): hi
gojoego7777 (11:26:07 AM): its 7:24 pm here and very dark
gojoego7777 (12:40:08 PM): it’s been dark here since 6:30
gojoego7777 (11:26:17 AM): I’m outside, hacking kind of onto internet

MotoPopster (11:31:16 AM): Are you meeting nice people?
gojoego7777 (11:31:43 AM): yes, many nice people working in the church here

MotoPopster (11:32:07 AM): Who sets up the ghetto visits?
gojoego7777 (11:33:28 AM): well for the last two days we go to a church at a place called Kawangware, and there is an organization of Lutherans, pastors and lay, called Heart to Heart orphans, and we visit the single parents, or whoever the kids are living with and interview them to see about getting them scholarships, and then share a Bible passage and pray
gojoego7777 (11:33:29 AM): so i tag along with a lady who did that the last two days
gojoego7777 (11:33:33 AM): went to 8 places
gojoego7777 (11:34:08 AM): work day is from 10 to 4 and that’s Africa time, meaning the only time to maybe get stuff done is 11 to 330
gojoego7777 (11:34:55 AM): here you schedule appointments not from 10 to 11 or 1030 to 11, or 1 to 3, you get one for the morning and schedule one for the afternoon and that’s all you’ll get
MotoPopster (11:34:33 AM): Sounds like they move on Godspeed, meaning the relationship and the journey is more important than the destination or the immediate results
gojoego7777 (11:35:43 AM): well, not really, no, they say that, but we spent a lot of our time just walking to the destination, slowly, slowly, slowly, or waiting until 1045 or 11 to leave the church because someone hadn't showed up yet
MotoPopster (11:36:19 AM): They are not slaves to time, i can see that
gojoego7777 (11:36:33 AM): its called Africa time

MotoPopster (11:35:32 AM): Are you learning some life lessons?
gojoego7777 (11:38:03 AM): i'm learning some life lessons, becoming more comfortable sharing, and leading, that’s probably the biggest thing, and also learning to deal with things i would use to not want to deal with like filth and extreme poverty, and learning many other things, like stuff I would’ve learned just staying in Springfield going on house visits with a pastor, but its neat to do it here

MotoPopster (11:46:03 AM): are the police visibly present?
gojoego7777 (11:47:18 AM): I see very few policemen
gojoego7777 (11:47:20 AM): even fewer police cars
gojoego7777 (11:47:44 AM): only 4 sirens while I'm here the whole time, 2 on one day, that is unheard of in a big city

MotoPopster (11:53:05 AM): What is for dinner?
gojoego7777 (11:56:02 AM): For dinner I had a burrito from a shop by the grocery store when I was getting groceries
gojoego7777 (11:56:35 AM): Its the closest thing to Wal-Mart and the cashiers average checking out an item every 4 seconds if they are fast, 20 if they are not
gojoego7777 (11:56:43 AM): and it closes at 8:30
gojoego7777 (11:56:49 AM): talk about efficiency....

MotoPopster (11:56:41 AM): do they have regular grocery stuff - what's the weirdest thing you've eaten? I'll bet you would be totally happy with a falafel now!
gojoego7777 (11:58:02 AM): they do have somewhat kind of regular grocery stuff
gojoego7777 (11:58:39 AM): some American brands on things like cereals as well as lots of imitations, and no American brands on other things, like beers, and chips, and crackers, and etc.
gojoego7777 (11:58:53 AM): I haven’t eaten all that weird of stuff
gojoego7777 (11:59:10 AM): other than poor parts of meat at times that I just have to keep chewing it hasn’t been bad

MotoPopster (11:59:26 AM): Do they all have good refrigeration, e.g. no dead birds hanging out for sale in the markets unrefrigerated?
gojoego7777 (12:01:49 PM): better refrigeration than in the Israel market in terms of the good stores, but not at the markets in the ghettos

MotoPopster (12:01:18 PM): how’s the electric supply system - off and on? do they need a good coop power engineer?
gojoego7777 (12:03:58 PM): no, they need power lines that weren’t made by Europeans years ago, all of their nice things over here are just either brand new, or were really nice when they were made when the British were still here and haven't been up kept since
gojoego7777 (12:05:18 PM): all we have is a blown transformer and no one will come out and work on it

MotoPopster (12:07:34 PM): Who was with you on your safari
gojoego7777 (12:09:54 PM): this family (pastor Dan, wife, daughter 15, daughter 12) the Wehmeiers, as well as Pastor Carlos and Lidia
MotoPopster (12:11:51 PM): The safari sounds good, like the movie "Daktari" - I liked that movie when I was a kid. It is every kids dream, to be on a safari
gojoego7777 (12:14:14 PM): I never saw Daktari, but I started watching Out of Africa, about how Karen Blixen settled this area and started the coffee crop
gojoego7777 (12:15:16 PM): the area of Nairobi I am in is called Karen because of her. I bought a map of her old plantation and can point out where I am staying on it

gojoego7777 (12:13:04 PM): phones are huge here, all are the prepaid types, everyone in the slums has them even

gojoego7777 (12:14:30 PM): coffee is huge here, even pastor Carlos admits it’s as good as in Brazil
MotoPopster (12:15:51 PM): Cool - do you like the coffee? I hear people rave about it
gojoego7777 (12:16:41 PM): i haven’t had the chance to try it yet
gojoego7777 (12:16:48 PM): tea is huge here too, also a biggie
MotoPopster (12:17:05 PM): Tea is a holdover from the days of the crown
gojoego7777 (12:17:44 PM): it is
gojoego7777 (12:17:44 PM): and some still observe tea time

MotoPopster (12:17:58 PM): Think about what you want to achieve before you leave, these last days will fly by and you won't know where they went
gojoego7777 (12:18:41 PM): we already have a schedule for me and Matthew. We have some good things planned
gojoego7777 (12:20:04 PM): I will be "preaching" at the lost boys service at Kawangware in two Sundays, so that’s really neat
gojoego7777 (12:20:29 PM): I will work two days with LCMS World Relief at Kibera church (in the huge slum) for their free medical clinic

MotoPopster (12:20:32 PM): are you leaning Swahili?
gojoego7777 (12:22:40 PM): i am barely learning a few words
gojoego7777 (12:23:10 PM): hakuna matata really means no worries
gojoego7777 (12:23:10 PM): and simba means lion
gojoego7777 (12:23:10 PM): jambo hi
gojoego7777 (12:23:10 PM): choo toilet
gojoego7777 (12:23:27 PM): I’ll have a whole other post on languages here too though

MotoPopster (12:23:45 PM): Mosquitos bad, or so what?
gojoego7777 (12:25:51 PM): they are semi bad but nothing too bad compared to that one time in Canada or many places in the states
gojoego7777 (12:25:59 PM): and there is no risk at this altitude of malaria
MotoPopster (12:26:20 PM): Does that mean no need to take malaria pills?
gojoego7777 (12:32:45 PM): probably don’t need to take the pills but I am anyway

MotoPopster (12:31:24 PM): See any good music or dancing?
gojoego7777 (12:32:02 PM): well the best example of that is a group of former street boys and orphans that does music with a band called The Conquerers (Romans 8:37) and their music is great, they have a partially completed album and shirt and I want to support them because it’s Christian music and they spend all their time going to schools, working hands-on with the street boys, and doing the orphan feeding program. I would like to bring back some of their music to the states to sell here as a fundraiser for them or something, they are selling the cd/dvd combo for 500 shillings and their shirts for 500 and the five songs on it are great, some acappella African, others more of an upbeat almost hip hop but not really

MotoPopster (12:37:00 PM): Has the political unrest settled?
gojoego7777 (12:37:05 PM): kind of
gojoego7777 (12:37:24 PM): but as I said, there was almost an assassination and coup attempt on the government but the U.S. stepped in

MotoPopster (12:43:56 PM): Did you do much driving?
gojoego7777 (12:45:42 PM): i only drove in the national park, but i drifted a bit a couple times, and since it was a bumpy dirt road i didn't have much a lane to stay in
MotoPopster (12:46:03 PM): Lots of motorcycles?
gojoego7777 (12:46:10 PM): a few
gojoego7777 (12:46:14 PM): lots of bikes
gojoego7777 (12:46:17 PM): lots of walkers
gojoego7777 (12:46:19 PM): bad roads
gojoego7777 (12:46:50 PM): no traffic rules obeyed
gojoego7777 (12:47:05 PM): only "traffic rules" are the silent policemen they have aka tons of speed bumps
MotoPopster (12:46:33 PM): Do you think it would be safe for a middle-aged white man to go riding around Kenya on a motorbike? Sounds like probably not...
gojoego7777 (12:47:15 PM): well depending on the time of day and where it'd be fine
gojoego7777 (12:48:02 PM): but the roads are terrible, crowded, filled with potholes, and people drive crazy, its a wonder there are n't more wrecks, and bikers and motorcyclists dead

MotoPopster (12:50:30 PM): How many people in the LCMS compound?
gojoego7777 (12:50:40 PM): just me and Matthew right now
gojoego7777 (12:50:55 PM): the Houges who sent me the letter, Claude and Rhonda are in the states right now
gojoego7777 (12:51:02 PM): this scripture mission is huge though
gojoego7777 (12:51:11 PM): several families with their own houses
gojoego7777 (12:51:49 PM): plus a few guest cottages scattered around, plus a big center that has a kitchen and like 15 or so rooms on its second floor for guests, so that’s where the group stayed
gojoego7777 (12:52:36 PM): my compound also contains all the offices for the LCMS in the area too, as well as Claude and Rhonda’s nice-sized house and the garage with my guest house on it
MotoPopster (12:53:11 PM): wow-sounds very nice
gojoego7777 (12:54:42 PM): yes, it is very nice
gojoego7777 (12:54:54 PM): so is Pastor Winterle’s house and the three or four houses in his compound
gojoego7777 (12:55:01 PM): if only the internet would work!!!!!!!!!!
gojoego7777 (12:55:41 PM): right now its not bad between us, but try loading a web page
gojoego7777 (12:55:56 PM): over an hour to load that youtube video that you guys put up

gojoego7777 (1:05:28 PM): I look forward to returning
gojoego7777 (1:05:47 PM): but still have a lot of work to do before I'm ready to leave
MotoPopster (1:06:29 PM): ok, TTFN Joseph, God Bless you