Africa - Day#4 (Getting At It-6-6-17)

The "Kijani Boma Camp" From The Air

Ground Level-Our Tent In The Back Has The Maroon Bottom

Tuesday, June 6^th, 2017

            Yesterday had been a day of settling in and getting used to the immediate surroundings.  Today began in the early hours as I woke to dogs barking off in the distance.  Dogs here are not pets, but animals that follow their owners at a slight distance and are used to warn people of predators and/or danger.  Something must have been near a neighbor’s home area called a “Boma.”  Several large birds called from the trees as well.  From the gathering light, I thought dawn was arriving, so I pulled out my books and wrote in both my daily and blog journals on the previous day.  After writing, I stepped out of the tent for a minute and realized the moon was the source of the light.  Later, someone from our Team would tell me that the time had only been around 12 midnight.  I went back to bed, only to wake a while later to the sound of jackals carrying on just beyond the thorny hedge next to us.  I’m guessing the presence of our tents set them off from their typical hunting pattern.  As they made their way off to the south, hyenas laughed and yipped beyond them.  I drifted off to sleep again before later waking to the sounds of birds and zebras in the distance.  I could tell these birds were calling as part of their morning routine to set their territories.  Although a bit broken, I had slept well, and so I pulled out my books again and prepared a devotional lesson that I could share with the Team at some point on the trip; something each of us will do during our tenure here.  By then it was light out, although the sun itself was hidden behind clouds. 

            John Fay and I set ourselves to cutting up potatoes and peppers.  His son Paul did the same with the onions.  We cooked this over a propane cooker in a large skillet; adding eggs once they were tender.  It tasted delicious as the Team ate in two shifts since we could only get half of the cut up food into the skillet at one time and still stir it.  We gathered around the fire afterwards, as Brian Dellamater shared his devotional from a chapter in a book called, The Master Carpenter.  It was about sharp tools, and how we ourselves can sharpen ourselves to be resourceful and grow in God’s purpose for our lives.  Kristin Scholz played from her guitar as we sang a few songs.  It was a good way to begin the day. 

Preparing Breakfast

Morning Around The Fire

Almost Ready To Eat

Our Devotional Time

A "Von Der Decken's Hornbill" Landed In The Tree While We Met

            Brian then said he was going to need to run his neighbor John to the Dr. in a village just south of us, and proceeded to list some projects that needed to be completed.  We could jump in to anyone of those projects based on our interest and gifts.  Todd and I began emptying out the shed to be reorganized, and set ourselves to building a shelf for the chainsaws.  We both found it interesting that we wanted to be involved in something that required organization.  He would continue doing this with Noah Dellamater and Nyles Bates to the point where they even labeled the shelves between food, tools, and supplies.  Patty Scholz and his wife Kristin worked with Jake Rogers, and Gabe Dellamater along with John and Paul Fay; setting up the generator (which was surprising quiet compared to most) and began sizing and cutting older boards laying around the building structure to be fashioned into saw horses we could use for both tables and elevated construction.  I went around and began trimming tree branches within the Kijani Farm boma area.  The boma is specifically the home area within the property area (called the shomba), sectioned off by a hedge of thorny branches piled at hip to shoulder height.  The trees within the boma had been hacked off with machetes a few months back to help make the hedge.  I was simply smoothing out the cuts with a hand saw.  Raphael and John from the Maasai were concerned with what I was doing apparently, but were reassured that I knew about trees.  Raphael came over and tried the saw on a few branches and then offered advice on what branches I should take.  He did well when he tried considering he usually uses his long knife (called a “Kisu”) and only has his left arm; having lost his other as a child in a car accident.

Laying Out The Supplies To Organize

The Shelf Is Complete

Patty Scholz Cutting A Board

Noah, Paul, And Jake Measuring Boards

Paul, Nyles, And John Assembling The Saw Horse

            We broke for lunch as the clouds parted and the sun came out.  We also made sure we were drinking water and putting on sunscreen.  Paul Fay and I then began constructing the frame of a rectangular prism that could be used as a sort of seat over the hole in the outhouse.  It would help with the otherwise necessary squatting.  Our only interruption came from Brian who had just come back from his second run to the doctor; this time with our neighbor John’s wife.  Brian informed us that two giraffes were on the edge of the property.  We quickly walked down the two-track road and were able to get close to them; close enough to get some fantastic pictures.  It’s the kind of thing that just doesn’t happen in everyday life for most people.  We savored the experience.  On the way back, Nyles found a tortoise shell behind a termite mound, and brought it back to clean it up; eventually sticking it into some tree branches.  Later we would learn that this had become a sort of gag/joke that people before us would hide so that it could be “rediscovered” by the next group.  That was pretty funny.

The Outhouse Before

Paul And I Cutting Boards For The "Prism Seat"

Paul Sanding The Seat Smooth  : )

The Outhouse Seat Is Ready For Use

Giraffes Right Next To The Camp

Nyles And His Tortoise Shell

Noah Dellamater

Jake Rogers Organizing The Remaining Lumber

            I went back to trimming a few other trees as we finished our tasks and began to clean up.  I did stop at one point and talked to a young boy named Amos who came by and was watching us as his cows grazed.  We scratched our names in the dirt with a stick so we would know who each other was.   I followed him out to look at and talk about his 17 cows.

Brian In One Of His Many Discussions-Communication Is Key!

Amos And His Cows

Amos And I Watched Ants Putting Seeds Into Their Hole In The Ground

Patty And Krisitn Scholz With Todd Making Some Final Cuts

The Team Finishing Up The Day's Work

Todd And Noah Try Out A Hammock Out In The Shomba

Gazelles

            For dinner, John Fay put some water on to boil for our macaroni & cheese and flavored rice dinner.  About that time we also saw some gazelles browsing as they walked by.  In different groups, in different places around the boma, we talked and caught our breaths.  A delivery truck was coming with supplies and we were waiting.  When it finally came, Brian found warped and poor lumber in addition to the wrong roofing.  What had been built so far, came from this same company back in February and March, but this had been an obvious case of trying to unload some unwanted product, so it had to be sent back.  Already there had been some issues using the series of rutted roads to get into the Kijani property, so this added to the frustrations.  We set some previously made doors on top of the newly made saw horses to use as tables around the fire in the gathering darkness, and then the Team talked.  We shared the highs and lows of the day and then prayed.  We thanked God for his goodness, the things that we had seen, and the things we had accomplished on this day.  We also admitted to Him that the goals we want to achieve (specifically on the building and while at Kijani) are not always His goals.  We needed to be open to His plans, and let the frustrations of changed schedules go.  Sometimes it’s good to remember that life has complications that you have to patiently work through; even here on the flip side.

            See you along The Way…

Todd And I With A Selfie

Putting The Chickens To Pasture

One Of Two Hawks That Came To Watch Our Chickens!

A "Whistling Thorn - Acacia" Tree