Subtitle: A Tale of Two Cows (We’ve got two cows, two cows, two cows. We’ve got two cows to last us all our lives.)
Saturday has finally arrived and we met and celebrated with the Watafutaji widows and their children and grandchildren in Kasavai at the Mudere Quaker Friends church.
Last night (Friday) we tried to arrange for a truck to carry all our stuff and some of us (Maureen and Sandy) to Kasavai in the morning. We declined the first offer from our taxi driver, Felix, for his station wagon (too small and price too high), but he said he would try to find someone else who could help us out with a truck at a price we were willing to pay. He called back after 10 PM and assured me that he could find someone by 8 in the morning. We were planning to leave at about 8:30, so this was cutting it close. But, I figured I could always go to the line of trucks in town as we have in the past if he did not come through. Felix was true to his word, however, and by 8:10 he had informed me that his friend, Ben, could do the job for 1600 shillings. I thanked him and asked that Ben be at the hotel by about 8:30. Indeed, there he was at 8:35 with a nice little Toyota pickup. We loaded the truck by 8:45. Ben, Sandy, Maureen, and a helper were on the road a few minutes later with the helper riding in the bed of the truck. I walked down to the matatu stop and got on the road by 9, just in time to arrive at Kasavai after all the stuff had been unloaded – good planning. We had 8 or our 9 bags of checked luggage plus all the supplies we bought on Friday – it filled the truck.
The widows thought we would arrive around 11 AM and had expected to greet us en-mass at that time. Our early arrival turned out to work far better. We got to greet each of them individually as they arrived – a far more personal and moving experience, in fact.
Only a few widows could not attend. One, Leonida, had broken her leg and was housebound. Another, Janet, was in Nairobi with her daughter (Leila, who finished high school in 2011) who had given birth recently and was having medical complications. Overall it was the best attended annual celebration yet. There was a record number of kids, probably 75, in attendance too.
Ceremonies, songs, presentations, and speeches filled the morning.
This is more or less what I said to the Watafutaji widows in my address to them when it came to my turn:
To the Watafutaji -
As each of you hears this story, think of whether you are more like Joan or more like Louise. Also, think of whether the Watafutaji widows’ group is more like Joan or Louise.
Once there were two widows. Their names were Joan and Louise. Both were very poor and both had small children to care for.
Again, as I tell this story, think of whether you are more like Joan or Louise.
One day Joan and Louise were together in church praying for God to provide them with a cow. Just then, a man walked into the church and sat near them. He heard their prayers.
He said, “I’ll give you each enough money to buy a cow, but only this one time, if you promise to feed it and care for it.” Joan and Louise could not believe what they were hearing. Could it be true that their prayers were answered right then and there? Of course, both said they would love to have a cow and that they would do what the man had asked.
Each day, Joan and Louise would let their cows into the pasture to graze together, and each evening they would bring them into the house for safety. Each cow gave two liters of milk every day.
Joan used one liter of milk for her children and herself to drink and she sold the other liter. With all the money Joan was getting for the milk, she was able some to buy things she and her children needed and she also bought a TV (which she ran using an Exide). She had never had a steady source of income before and had never had a TV. She was very, very happy.
Louise also used one liter of the milk from her cow for her children and herself to drink and she sold the other liter. She used some of the money from the sale of this milk for things she and her children needed, some to buy vitamins for the cow, and she put a little bit of the money in the bank at the end of each week. Louise was happy, but not as happy as Joan. She could see Joan’s TV playing each night and she wished she had one too.
Are you more like Joan or Louise?
One day, two years after Joan and Louise had been given their cows, they let them into the field to graze on a nice sunny day. Louise’s cow was a little fatter than Joan’s cow because of the vitamins, but both cows still gave enough milk to satisfy Joan and Louise’s needs.
A storm came up suddenly while the cows were in the field and they were struck by lightning and killed. Joan and Louise were both very sad.
Thinking that their prayers worked the first time, Joan and Louise went to church to pray every day for someone to give them new cows. But there were no cows this time.
Joan also asked many people to give her a new cow. None did. They told her she had already been given a cow by the generous man and they asked where the money was that she had gotten from the sale of milk. She said she bought a TV but she could not watch it now because she had no money to charge the Exide let alone buy a new cow. She was very sad.
Louise had saved some money, but not enough to buy a new cow. So she bought a goat instead and planned for the day she would be able to save enough money from the sale of the goat’s milk and by selling the goat’s babies to buy a new cow. She still did not have a TV, but she was not so sad.
Are you more like Joan or Louise? Is the Watafutaji widows’ group more like Joan or Louise?
Tea, mandazi, and hard boiled eggs followed at 12:30 or so. Then we got around to the business of distributing the gifts and donated items we brought. We had enough blankets to give three to each widow and one to each of the five dignitaries present - the Quaker church’s two pastors, the clerk of the congregation, a village elder, and the village sub-chief. Following that, the matches, soap, Vaseline, toothpicks, and food we bought on Friday were distributed. Every widow got to carry three or four armloads of stuff home with a smile. Dinner for all, cooked by the widows, was served around 4 PM.
Our Saturday meeting and celebration is also described in Maureen’s email, a copy of which follows verbatim:
From: Maureen Lopes <mlopes@snet.net>
Sent: Sun, January 22, 2012 1:47:33 AM
Subject: Saturday in Kasavai
What a welcome we received! Each woman who arrived at Mudere Friends Church, just down the main road to Kisumu, hugged each of us and maybe offered a short dance or song. Such joy they had to see the return of Sandy and Terry, expressed in their own way.
At the start of the day, Terry arranged for our original taxi driver to hire a small open back truck to haul the stuff, Sandy and me to Ka, There was a simple police check on the road who gestured the truck to pull over. They politely checked that the white women were OK. And had a brief discussion about Obama - our support and Ben the driver as a Luo cousin. Terry followed on a "matatu". By the time he arrived, Ben, the women and us had everything into the church. First job was unpacking the 149 fleece blankets and sorting into medium and large size. One of the pastors helped with this warm work.
Women and children kept arriving and we handed out animal shaped stickers for each person to wear, just for fun. The littlest kids were not too sure about the strange faces! As people arrived they joined in with singing. Children sat on benches, ordered young to teenagers at the back. Women on the other side of the center aisle had chairs (plastic) or benches and wore the same colored T-shirt as members of the womens group. "Formal" activities started around 10:30. Speeches, singing, prayers of thanksgiving to God, and recitations by individual children lasted until 12:30. There were translators so we could understand the words of welcome and prayers from each of two Friends pastors, Presiding Clerk of the Meeting, local chief and a provincial sub-official. I gave greetings from New Haven Friends Meeting and thanked Sandy and Terry for their faithfulness to the widows. The emotional warmth in the room was wecoming and comfortable.
Connie reminded us that Dwight was the Clerk of Meeting the year she was at Yale. It was he who arranged for her to speak to the Meeting about her plans for the widows in Ka and hosted a dinner in our home where she met the Kenslers. From small acts the Spirit moves in powerful ways.
At 12:30 pm mugs of sweet, milky brewed tea was served along with buns and peanuts. Then began "Christmas" in January - every women received three blankets by lining up while Sandy and I handed out. A few women were not feeling well and were sent home by Connie. Their children received the family's gifts. Then a line for bag of sugar, soap bars, package of salt and jug of oil. Two more times through for bisquits, tin of jam, matches, etc. Final line for distrbuting rice into individual bags. At the same time I gave each child a card of greeting and a Tootsie Roll (Obama Pops were handed out earlier).
Around 3:30 the ladies served a full lunch for everyone - stewed chicken pieces, baked pumpkin, ugali, cooked spinach, bread, potatoes, etc along with a bottle of soda (a real treat for the widows and children). Connie and Chris spent time during the day encouraging/exhorting the children to do well in school and the women to work together. With 48 adults in a group there is bound to be disagreements at times.
By 4:00 I was hitting the wall but could just sit while activities wrapped up. A few final songs and arranged with Victor, the local CLOUT employee, to take school supplies and toys to lock in the office. Then wait by the side of the road for a matatu that could mash in three of us. Thank goodness trip is only about one half hour back to K. I was in bed by 8:30 pm.
Today we're off to the Kakamega Forest Reserve.
Sent from my NOOKcolor
Subject: Saturday in Kasavai
What a welcome we received! Each woman who arrived at Mudere Friends Church, just down the main road to Kisumu, hugged each of us and maybe offered a short dance or song. Such joy they had to see the return of Sandy and Terry, expressed in their own way.
At the start of the day, Terry arranged for our original taxi driver to hire a small open back truck to haul the stuff, Sandy and me to Ka, There was a simple police check on the road who gestured the truck to pull over. They politely checked that the white women were OK. And had a brief discussion about Obama - our support and Ben the driver as a Luo cousin. Terry followed on a "matatu". By the time he arrived, Ben, the women and us had everything into the church. First job was unpacking the 149 fleece blankets and sorting into medium and large size. One of the pastors helped with this warm work.
Women and children kept arriving and we handed out animal shaped stickers for each person to wear, just for fun. The littlest kids were not too sure about the strange faces! As people arrived they joined in with singing. Children sat on benches, ordered young to teenagers at the back. Women on the other side of the center aisle had chairs (plastic) or benches and wore the same colored T-shirt as members of the womens group. "Formal" activities started around 10:30. Speeches, singing, prayers of thanksgiving to God, and recitations by individual children lasted until 12:30. There were translators so we could understand the words of welcome and prayers from each of two Friends pastors, Presiding Clerk of the Meeting, local chief and a provincial sub-official. I gave greetings from New Haven Friends Meeting and thanked Sandy and Terry for their faithfulness to the widows. The emotional warmth in the room was wecoming and comfortable.
Connie reminded us that Dwight was the Clerk of Meeting the year she was at Yale. It was he who arranged for her to speak to the Meeting about her plans for the widows in Ka and hosted a dinner in our home where she met the Kenslers. From small acts the Spirit moves in powerful ways.
At 12:30 pm mugs of sweet, milky brewed tea was served along with buns and peanuts. Then began "Christmas" in January - every women received three blankets by lining up while Sandy and I handed out. A few women were not feeling well and were sent home by Connie. Their children received the family's gifts. Then a line for bag of sugar, soap bars, package of salt and jug of oil. Two more times through for bisquits, tin of jam, matches, etc. Final line for distrbuting rice into individual bags. At the same time I gave each child a card of greeting and a Tootsie Roll (Obama Pops were handed out earlier).
Around 3:30 the ladies served a full lunch for everyone - stewed chicken pieces, baked pumpkin, ugali, cooked spinach, bread, potatoes, etc along with a bottle of soda (a real treat for the widows and children). Connie and Chris spent time during the day encouraging/exhorting the children to do well in school and the women to work together. With 48 adults in a group there is bound to be disagreements at times.
By 4:00 I was hitting the wall but could just sit while activities wrapped up. A few final songs and arranged with Victor, the local CLOUT employee, to take school supplies and toys to lock in the office. Then wait by the side of the road for a matatu that could mash in three of us. Thank goodness trip is only about one half hour back to K. I was in bed by 8:30 pm.
Today we're off to the Kakamega Forest Reserve.
Sent from my NOOKcolor
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