We’ve been ok, just occupied with the challenges and joys of what life looks like for us at the moment. We’ve both spent time in reflection and contemplation, some solo and some in the company of our friends at Chichester Cathedral.
It’s a fruitful thing for us to do and for David has provided the incentive to write more poetry.
These last four days have passed so quickly and have been so special. Climate Change is making its presence felt once again. This time of year it should be warm and dry so that everyone can harvest their maize crop- vital for food security in Kenya. Instead of which it is currently cool and wet and so Tuesday saw me dodging the downpours as I made my way across to the Bishop’s Office. But what’s a bit of mud compared to a reunion after almost five years? The first surprise was discovering that the Bishop’s Office has recently relocated to another part of the city but CBR with its wonderful record of serving the people of the Diocese still stands. I spent the morning reconnecting with my remaining colleagues at the centre and getting to know the new Director. The Wheels for the World team arrived in the afternoon and settled in quickly- four of them have been here before which no doubt helped.
Then on Wednesday morning, the 20th anniversary of the opening of the CBR Centre, we began the distribution. The wheelchair consignment is always shared between CBR and another in country partner in Kimilili on a roughly two thirds/ one third basis. This time we had the smaller portion of 30 plus wheelchairs and various walking aids. There were a few logistical challenges which was probably inevitable after a gap of almost five years but knowing that life has been transformed for these people transcends any sense of frustration.
Thursday proved to be another extraordinary example of God’s providence. At the end of Wednesday’s session there were ten wheelchairs left and many, many names on the waiting list. The therapists worked to decide which clients would be most suited to each chair then Revd Grace spent the whole of the evening calling them to attend and telling all the others that they are on the list for another time. On Thursday two people did not arrive but their allocated chairs proved to be a perfect match for two different clients who turned up unexpectedly. These are very special moments of the right thing at the right time, when you honestly feel like you are on holy ground.
The team left early this morning and I spent some time with the staff at CBR. It’s been very hard to say goodbye this time. I have a sense that the winds of change are blowing and I’m not at all sure what the future might hold. In the words of one of the many Tracks of my Years: “We had joy, we had fun, we had seasons in the sun…..”
Greetings from Eldoret where after a leisurely first day my feet haven’t really touched the ground- I am without doubt not as fit as I used to be and the altitude is really affecting me this time. I am also apparently becoming my late father whose impatience with what he deemed to be idiotic behaviour was legendary, evidenced by my inward reaction to the following: bag drop at Heathrow involved three different queues after I was misdirected when I was flagged up for an extra document check. We were then late taking off due to several passengers not boarding and the inevitable delay as their bags were removed. This meant we landed at Nairobi at the same time as another international flight so clearing passport control took a very long time and I was anxious that the guesthouse driver would have given up on me. Thankfully he made enquiries, realised all was well and stayed outside with his car.
My goodness, things have changed here! In Nairobi there is now a newly opened toll expressway between the airport and the city centre making the journey both quick and pleasant. It was lovely to be back at the Anglican guesthouse which was our home back in 2013 during our intensive course in Kiswahili. After a good night’s sleep I returned to the airport for the quick flight up to Eldoret, accompanied the whole way by the most glorious cloudscape.
My friend met me at the airport and the drive back to the house provided ample opportunity to see how much Eldoret has developed. There is now a bypass which has greatly eased traffic congestion on the main Nairobi road and most of the other roads are in really good repair. Eldoret has just been granted city status and is thriving. The supermarket at the new mall was an eye opener- you can now, albeit for a price, buy anything and everything. Of course (just as in the UK) there are still many people who are struggling to survive and it has been good to renew contact with some of the lovely people here who are working to help others overcome the challenges they face.
On Sunday morning Revd Rirei and his wife picked me (Kenyan English drops the up) at 8.00 am and off we went to his parish. I expected to be on rough dirt roads as in the past and was very happy to discover a new tarmac road for a considerable part of the journey. Thereafter we went deep into Nandi County where I used to go into the field looking for people to assess for wheelchairs. The parish is huge with ten congregations and we finally arrived at the church where I was to speak….
The congregation worship in a small building around which they are constructing a new church. The land was donated by an elderly parishioner and members of the congregation provide materials and labour as and when they can. As ever, I was received with great kindness and my homily was ably interpreted by Revd Rirei.
Today is a newly created national holiday- Tree Planting Day- so I will report to CBR tomorrow morning and we’ll prepare for the arrival of the Wheels for the World team. I’m looking forward to so many things but especially to experiencing the sense of providence, kindness and hope that always seems to accompany these wheelchair distributions.
Hello, Liza here signing in for the first of what I think will be three blog posts documenting this return trip to Eldoret. I’ve decided to travel lightly so all digital content will be created from my smart phone- apologies if the quality is not … Continue reading Return to Eldoret: Part One
It’s been a busy few months for us and there’s been lots to think about, on both the macro and micro levels. Back in May here in the UK we had the Coronation of our new King and as we dipped in and out of … Continue reading Transferrable Skills
Recently bumping into old friends with their now adult son inevitably led to the following words being uttered: “Blimey, you’ve grown!” The same sort of thing our parents and grandparents used to say, the very thing we promised ourselves we’d never do. Except we do … Continue reading Measuring things
In November our eldest daughter, Lucy, paid us a flying visit from New Zealand and we shared our first Thanksgiving meal since 2009 together as a whole family. It was truly wonderful and it got us thinking. The marking of past events which are still … Continue reading Trust a kinder world
Here in glorious West Sussex it feels like that in recent months we have trundled along with the normal rhythms of our lives and nothing of much note has happened, apart from one very special piece of family news: In April Christina and James welcomed … Continue reading A Kenya Catch Up
Last week we were walking back from Compline, an evening service for Holy Week at the Cathedral, and had just reached the road on which we live, when this happened. It was a very special moment.
Well, we’ve had the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness so beloved by Liza and now another strange year is drawing to its close. We gathered as a family for Thanksgiving (sadly without the NZ contingent) at James and Christina’s new house and despite life’s … Continue reading Life itself is grace
David and Liza Cooke 