Africa - Tumaini

Kenya, Africa

            This past fall, my son Todd came to my wife and me and expressed interest in going with family friends to Africa.  Our friends, Brian and Heather Dellamater, are going with their family to Africa to begin the work of developing a piece of property called Kijani Farms located in southern Kenya.  They need help establishing the property with housing, etc. as they build relationships with the Maasai Tribe and grow the farm.  Todd’s request was somewhere between asking us and telling us, while hoping that we would say yes.  Hope.  At first our thoughts were “Ah no, we’re not letting you go halfway around the world”, although we didn’t necessarily express that directly to him.  Our thoughts focused around the limitations of time, cost, travel, and the simple fact that our son needs to be putting money aside if he wants to continue going to college.  Later, when he shared that they also needed someone who liked to cook over an open fire, that it would be a wild adventure, and that we would be working with others in a team; all while building relationships with the Maasai, it began to look interesting.  He knew the passageways into my heart.  Perhaps we needed to look at this trip as an opportunity, and with a different perspective.  Both my wife and I began to look at it more as a chance for me to share an experience together with our son; father-son bonding on another continent, in a different country, with a significant purpose.  We prayed about it daily and over several weeks, while talking with Todd, as well as Brian & Heather.  We didn’t know how it would all work out, but the decision was made that we would begin the process, put one foot in front of the other, and see where it would take us.  The mystery, revelation, and excitement will come in seeing how such an endeavor comes together.  Hope.

Todd & I talking about the possibilities on a winter hike

            Through Global Outreach we are going with a team of twelve local people, led by Brian Dellamater, to help develop Kijani Farm.  His wife Heather will act as our Base Camp Director here at home, while with their baby girl, until they can all come over to Africa together later this fall.  Presently the farm itself is made up of brush and trees; all of which have thorns on them.  Apparently it’s hard for the Maasai people to imagine that most of the trees that we have here in America don’t have long, sharp thorns on them.  Kijani Farm will someday be a self sustaining farm serving the people living in the surrounding region.  Eventually it will be a farm that they themselves will call their own, to provide what they are calling “The Kijani Five.”  The Kijani Five consists of: a health clinic, clean water (So far the only thing on the farm site is a recently constructed 5,000 gallonwater tank that weighs 11 tons), a school, a church to train pastors and leaders, and of course agriculture.  Together, everything on Kijani Farm is designed to train up the next generation.  It’s about having the people of the area build into Kijani Farm (For more information see:

http://www.kijanifarm.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/kijanifarm/) .

            This will be my first mission trip out of the country, and only my second time on a passenger plane.  The first plane ride I ever took (outside of a brief outing in a single engine plane when I was a kid) was an hour and a half trip to see my sister in Atlanta nineteen years ago.  Our trip to Kenya will be an 18 hour ride with one stop along the way.  Perhaps I better bring a good book and a thick journal to keep myself busy.  Hope.  It will be a trip “full of firsts.”

            Two teams will be a part of this mission.  The first group that comes to Africa will be “Team Tumaini,” which means “Hope.”  I know it’s ironic.  Team Tumaini will leave the United States on Saturday, June 3^rd and arrive in Africa the evening of Sunday, June 4^th.  We will be in southern Kenya for 11 days and then leave on Friday, June 16^th arriving in the U.S. on Saturday, June 17^th.  A second team, “Team Rafiki” (which means “Friend”), will overlap our visit as they arrive a week into our visit and stay a week later.  Brian Dellamater and his son Gabe will be there a few days before all of us getting things ready.  We will travel with Brian’s other son Noah.  Noah was Todd’s best friend in high school, and they have continued to stay close throughout college.  Noah will be our guide through international travel as he has done it many times before.            

            Growing up in a Christian family in Northern, Lower Michigan there were several different times when I experienced a “Missions Week” that our church would organize.  I always enjoyed hearing stories from the missionary people that our church sponsored.  They invested their lives to make a difference in the lives of others throughout various corners of the world.  At the same time, the missionaries were quick to share how the people they lived with helped change their own lives.  While attending Trinity College (Now Trinity International University) I met my wife Cindy.  We earned our degrees in education, as we both had a passion for working with kids, and became teachers at the middle school level.  Within our local school community we have taught and coached.  We see teaching as an opportunity given gracefully by God.  Not every day or situation is easy, or works out according to plan, but it has helped develop within us a spirit of flexibility, compassion, and fortitude.  Often we see situations at school or in life that can only be explained as a “God Thing.”

Training to run, work and build relationships in Kenya

            Now on the cusp of actually going on a short-term mission overseas this June, I am slightly giddy.  I am preparing letters, emails, and a blog entry to share the dream and vision of going to Africa with my friends and family.  Yesterday I ran eleven miles on the trails of a local forest preserve.  I imagined what this trip might entail.  I pictured being able to run while I’m there.  How cool would it be to say that I actually ran with the Maasai Kenyans?  Even if that meant that I was dragging along behind them, but somehow managed to keep them in my sight far off in the distance.  Hope.  Do you think it will matter that Kijani Farm is over 4,000 feet higher in elevation than what I’m used to here in Northern Illinois?  Hope indeed.  I’ve been doing push-ups and sit-ups every other night just so I can feel like I can do and/or participate in whatever comes my way.  I can’t wait to gather around a campfire after a day of work, cooking a meal, looking at a night sky void of artificial light, and going to sleep in a tent somewhere in Africa out beyond my wildest dreams.  I look forward to seeing Kijani Farm’s resident warthog, as well as some of the gazelles and zebras that live in the area.  I am looking forward to seeing God at work, both through the projects that have been planned for our team, but also for the things that are unplanned, and for what I myself will learn beyond what I can physically and mentally give.  This opportunity has the potential to change lives in so many ways.

            We are going to need your help on this journey!  First and foremost we need your prayers; for the travel logistics, safety, unity, and our trip as a whole.  If you would like to be a part of our Prayer Team, Heather says this, “For each of our teams, we ask people if they would like to be a part of a Prayer Team just for your group.  This group gets more updates than our general email list... our expectation is that they would really commit to praying for you during your preparation, time in Kenya, and return home.  Please invite anyone you wish to join the Prayer Team and get me their email address.”  If this sounds like something you’d like to commit to then please email me, or leave a comment below, and I can pass your email along to her.  Todd and I are going with a minimalist mentality, but with big hearts; open to serve, looking to see God at work, and eager to humbly learn from the Maasai people.  To do this, Todd and I together are going to need to raise a total of $6500.  To help in this process, Todd and I are also applying for scholarships for first time mission’s work, while trying to get some money into our account soon in order to purchase airline tickets at a cheaper price.  At the same time, we would appreciate it if you could prayerfully consider giving money to help us reach our goal.

            See you along The Way…

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**You can be a part of our team by donating to Global Ministries at: https://globaloutreach.org/ (Tax-Deductable – Please click on “Give,” and then click on “Missionaries & Projects.”  You will see a search where you can type in the account# of “Ingersoll 06-17.”  After you “Check Out,” there is an option under the title “Anonymous” that says, “+Add instructions to the finance office” that gives you the ability to designate the funds for “Mike & Todd Rhines” specifically).

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Mailed donations need to include the team name (Ingersoll 06-17) in the memo line of your check, and please attach a note that it goes to Mike & Todd Rhines.

Address:

Global Outreach

PO BOX 1

Tupelo. MS 38802

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Tumaini = Hope

Life Of A Prairie

“A people without history,

is like wind on the buffalo grass.”

-An old Lakota saying

This is a blog entry that will be pretty self explanatory.  Pictures and captions will tell the story beyond what I write.  The prairie on the hill was reestablished in the summer of 2009.  It’s a prairie next to (and a part of) Willowbrook Middle School, which is one of two schools in the Prairie Hill School District - and just off of Prairie Hill Road.  That part makes sense.  Of course there is a story behind a few of those names, as there are to most names, that might not seem to make sense; but I’ll refrain from going into detail on all of that just now to protect the (semi) innocent.  Let's just say that Prairie Hill School is on Willowbrook Road and Willowbrook Middle School is on Prairie Hill Road.  The prairie on the hill, however, is legitimate, noteworthy, and fitting.  Two hundred years ago this seven acre, tall grass prairie was the norm of the Midwest and Central Plains, before it was plowed under for agricultural use. 

In the fall of 2011 my teaching colleague, Cindy Froman, and I started Willowbrook Middle School’s environmental club.  The name of the club became Servo Terra (Protect the Earth).  One of the first endeavors for Cindy and I was to have the fledgling club name a few of the surrounding areas.  The prairie was put to a vote and named “Bird’s Grove Prairie.”  “Bird’s Grove” came from the name of a trading post built by Stephen Mack.  He was one of our area's first pioneers.  In the early 1830’s his original trading post was located at the mouth of Dry Run Creek as it entered the Rock River.  Dry Run Creek winds through our very own school district, albeit several miles upstream from the mouth.  Later, Stephen Mack would have to move to what would become Pecatonic/Macktown (across from present day Rockton), due to an attack that burned down his trading post at Bird’s Grove.  That attack, which was at the beginning of the Black Hawk War, nearly cost him his life.  For those who live in Northern Winnebago County, you know that Stephen Mack’s wife was Hononegah; a Winnebago/Ho-Chunk Native American whose name became that of our local high school.

The second area that our club named was the seasonal pond that lies up on the top of Bird’s Grove Prairie next to our school.  It was voted on to be named “Odonata Pond.”  Odonata is a taxonomy grouping for insects that are carnivorous, such as the dragonfly.  Several species of dragonflies are a common site throughout the warmer months, as they zip over the grasses catching and eating various flies and mosquitoes.

An 1827 Oil Painting by American Artist Alvin Fisher
Entitled "The Prairie On Fire"
Picture taken at the Chicago Art Institute Dec 2016

            Our prairie was mowed for the first couple of years as the plants threw down their long roots.  Native plants grow down into the soil 15 feet or more.  It’s no wonder that we have erosion problems in our present day and age when you compare this to our blue grass lawns that only grow roots about 4 inches in depth.  Once the native plants began taking hold, we planned our first fire burn during the spring of 2014.  The South Beloit Fire Department rose to the occasion, using the controlled burn for a training exercise.  As Mrs. Froman and I watched that first year, one local neighbor and one school family joined us.  Two years later in 2016 we burned again, and a few more from the community came to watch.  This year, 2017, saw families with children of all ages attend the prairie burn (some kids complete in their firemen costumes).  Many people even brought their chairs and blankets to watch the burn while eating their dinner picnic style.

Bird’s Grove Prairie is still in its infancy, but compared to the prairies that once covered our region, its history goes back to a time that is now only a whisper.  That whisper, barely audible, is carried on the winds that sway the grasses of the prairie; those same grasses that once supported the vast herds of bison that called this area home long before us.  It’s a history that now can be set to pictures and videos.

See you along The Way…

2014

Cindy Froman and I after the First Burn

2016

Window Reflection

Panorama

Odonata Pond

After the Burn

A Video of the 2016 Burn

The sunset on the prairie during a Servo Terra cookout

Late May 2016

A deer running into the prairie - July 2016

An October 2016 sunrise

November 2016

Sunlight through the Bluestem

2017

February 2017

April 12, 2017 - Before the Burn

End of the Line

The Smoldering Remains

A Video of the 2017 Burn

April Fools' Day

                My best “April Fools’ Day Joke” of all time came at my Mom’s expense.  God bless her.  We had a Dishmaster faucet on our kitchen sink.  It was one of those brands that had a scrub brush wand attached to a hose that you could activate by pulling up on a little knob.  When it was not in use, the wand laid across the top of the faucet.

I was around 14 or 15 years old when I had the great idea to prop up the knob with a toothpick broken off at just the right height.  I almost didn’t live a day longer when that afternoon of April 1^st my Mom came into the kitchen and turned on the water.  Instead of water coming out of the spigot, it sprayed her directly from the carefully positioned end of the scrub brush.  I of course had been waiting and could hardly contain myself.  I laughed so hard I gave away my innocence.  She caught me halfway up the stairs and beat me with a dish towel.  We both were laughing by then.  My Mom was a good sport; and pretty darn quick too!

            That’s not where the story ends though.  Fast forward 33 years into the future.  I told the story of fooling my Mom to my kids, as we were gathered around the dinner table.  Soon after, my son Todd snuck in and set up the sprayer that we have on our sink.  We should have known.  Actually we did.  Actually it didn’t matter, because Todd forgot about it; rookie mistake.  He came waltzing into the kitchen that evening and turned on the water and immediately got doused.  It was hilarious.  He couldn’t believe he had gotten fooled by his own joke.  In fact, in his sheepish frustration he jumped up and down; not a good idea on a wet tile floor.  He slipped and went down like a sack of wet potatoes.  We all laughed so hard we had tears running down our faces.  Somewhere we have a picture of Todd laying there soaked through and through, gasping for breath, and laughing.  You reap what you sow I guess; funny, real funny!

            Today (4-1-17) my friend Justin and I had planned a cross country excursion that involved hiking through backwater swamps from a point A to a point B.  It was going to be tough even on a good day due to multiple creek and river crossings.  In addition, we had to skirt a few sections of private property where we had been warned that they shoot first and ask questions later.  That is perhaps a bit extreme, but it makes for a good story, and the idea of trying to outrun buckshot would definitely be adventurous.  So, we needed to stay clear of that land obviously.  Unfortunately Mother Nature had different ideas this Spring Break.  It rained a lot, and other than one afternoon, the sun never showed its face; funny Mother Nature, real funny.  The idea of swollen waterways and low lands under water literally put a damper on what we wanted to do.  We decided to use our God given brain and revamped our plan so we didn’t risk jeopardizing ourselves for future outings.  Crossing moving or stagnant water was still inevitable, but we opted for a simpler hike in and cook out.  Mother Nature had a few jokes still up her sleeve, because today was absolutely beautiful.  When we first started, some of the puddles had a thin layer of ice on them.  The skies, however, were baby blue which allowed the round spherical thing in the sky to warm the Earth and our souls.  The high temperature by our adventure’s end was 65 degrees.  Apparently the Midwest was not to be outdone on this day!  Spring Break indeed; take that all of you coming back from some southern beach far, far way.

            Justin and I trudged fields and muck and made it down to the main river.  When we tried to hike along its bank though, we were stopped and turned away time and time again due to oxbows, drainage ditches, creeks, and marshes coming off the main river.  Identifying the main river was difficult because the currents that were coming off from it, and into the woods, was almost as strong.  We rerouted ourselves so many times; continually backtracking around fingers of water that extended off into the woods, that it was downright confusing.  We had to laugh aloud at our seemingly aimless wandering; funny, real funny.

            By late midmorning we realized we were not going to see the main river again.  We had been cut off.  We made several log bridges, but even those wouldn’t have worked for some of the areas that technically would have required a Huck-Finn raft or flat out swimming.  We decided to find an area void of poison ivy suckers that were sticking up all around us and make our fire.  We were getting hungry.  While working with a bundle of tinder, and the spark off the steel, ignition happened so fast I singed my eye lashes a bit; funny, real funny.

            Around the fire we talked and cooked our meal.  Our day camp was water-side on what amounted to a large pond, fed from the series of canals and channels we had spent several hours walking around.  Our conversation was different today, but good.  It was personal, but helpful.  It allowed us to gain a perspective on each other’s thoughts and views of life.  It was nonthreatening and gave each of us the opportunity to understand where the other was coming from.  Life can be funny, but it can be tough, unfair, and confusing too.  Good conversation can help iron life out and make sense of it.

            By the end I think I was probably jabbering.  I was getting tired.  After being dropped off by Justin, I fell asleep for about 45 minutes.  Fortunately that took the edge off.  I wanted to make use of the weather.  Driving over to school with my dogs, I quickly varnished a project I’ve been working on.  Once back, I went to work on a small garden area of gooseberry bushes that I have in our backyard.  The dry ground gave me the chance to get out and use some of the rocks that I’ve collected.  I built a small retaining wall using chunks of limestone to hold back the sod and soil.  It felt good to get my hands into the earth and feel the warmth in the air.

Before

After

            It was a good Saturday today; a good April Fools’ Day as days go.  Rain is again in the forecast throughout this next week.  But for today, this one day, Mother Nature was nobody’s fool and instead gave us a sneak peak at what it can once again feel like to have the sun on our face.

            See you along The Way…