Return to Eldoret: Part One

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 up to scratch.

Where do I begin? Well, my bags are indeed packed and I’m ready to go…..and my mind is buzzing with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. It’s been almost five years since I last made this journey and I’m definitely feeling older. Travelling alone doesn’t bother me but negotiating potential hazards as a lone older woman in a place like Nairobi (wonderful though it is) is another story. I’m on the day flight out from Heathrow tomorrow and will arrive after 9.00 pm Kenyan time so I will stay the night at the Anglican guesthouse in Nairobi (see featured image for the view from the guesthouse). I will fly up to Eldoret the next day. As long as all the arrangements with entry into the country and transport between the airport and the guesthouse go smoothly, then all should be well.

Five years is a long time from the point of view of things like development of infrastructure so it will be interesting to see how things have changed both in Nairobi and in Eldoret. When I returned to Eldoret back in 2019 I was astonished by how much the city had grown- evidenced by a new shopping mall, lots more houses and many of the dirt roads now sporting a tarmac overcoat.

As for the Diocesan project CBR (Community Based Rehabilitation) where I used to spend most of my working days, I’m very much looking forward to being reunited with the staff and to meeting the new Director Revd Grace Birech. The organisation has continued to faithfully serve people with disabilities in the Diocese despite facing enormous financial and logistical challenges so it will be truly wonderful to join them as they host the “Wheels for the World” team who will once again be undertaking a wheelchair distribution.

I’ll be staying with our friends the Thompsons who still live in the same compound that we shared back when we were based in Eldoret. It’s a short walk from there to the Diocesan offices which is really helpful as it means I can come and go as needed.

Our good friend Revd Maritim Rirei has already asked me to do the sermon at the main Sunday service in his parish. I’ve written it and printed it out but as I haven’t preached since being in Kenya (when we were made honorary Lay Readers) I do hope all will be well….

So fasten your seatbelts and let’s get Kenya- bound!