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Friends United Meeting |
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November 1999
Musings from Kaimosi
By Bill Ratliff
Last July I was in Kenya, teaching and preaching for a week at Friends Theological College (FTC) and leading a workshop for the general superintendents of the yearly meetings.
From my journal, written in the middle of my stay there:
“What do I do with the poverty? How can I reconcile my relative wealth with the desperate poverty and frustration in this country? Only through an accident of birth am I in America, where life and government are far from perfect but where there is enough for most people. Even the poor in Appalachia or in our inner cities would be considered well-off here…I can’t reconcile it or explain it away. It is there and it bothers me. The crass commercialism here also irritates, as well as so many wanting educating in the U.S.—but I can also understand it. I left Appalachia for education.”
I was seen as wealthy, although I do not see myself that way. In the eyes of people there, however, I was. In comparison to them, I certainly am.
My wristwatch was often noticed, and more than once I was asked how much I paid for it. (It was a gift from my wife over twenty years ago, so I had no idea!)
I came home with the question: Is it possible to be wealthy and to be a Christian?
Stories of hardship and poverty:
expressing deep faith in God, hopes for a better future;
of frustrations with the government;
of desires for further education and preparation for ministry;
reports of malaria outbreaks and many deaths;
of a hailstorm that damaged fragile strawberry plants;
of struggles to make enough money to support a large family and send the children to school;
of trying to pay for expensive monthly treatments for wife who has cancer;
of planning for Friends Theological College upgrading more buildings, increasing enrollment, raising standards and fees.
Needs, needs, needs.
Stories of problems in Quaker churches:
presiding clerks leading worship services and conducting business during worship;
pastors feeling not supported and lack of power to make changes;
young people leaving Quaker churches and going to Pentecostal churches;
transitions from traditional ways to modern ways and where Christianity fits in.
I heard the good news that in some Quaker churches pastors are now able to lead the worship service while the meetings for business are held at other times. When this was shared at the workshop with the general superintendents, they were encouraged.
Sunday morning at Losengeri Monthly Meeting began with the children gathering to sing and learn. With hands clapping, two drums keeping the beat, and led by two adult women, the children sang chorus after chorus. Simon read Scripture, then one of the women gave a short talk. The children were quiet and attentive. Adults began to drift in, with the presiding clerk sitting up front. After the service began, I could hear singing in the distance. As it got closer, Simon whispered to me that a bereaved family was returning to church for the first time after a death. The service stopped as the family arrived at the door and then entered. Prayers were said on behalf of the family, and various family members stood and thanked the congregation for their support during their loss. I was touched by the pastoral care that the faith community offered this family, and the way their loss and return to the community were marked.
Random thoughts:
Their accents and humor were hard to understand at times, and it was hard for others to understand me. I kept reminding myself to slow down, speak clearly, repeat important points; listen carefully and often ask them to repeat. I felt that I understood perhaps 60% of what was said to me.
The weather was wonderful: cool nights, when a wool blanket felt good, and warm days with hot sun when the clouds cleared from the mountains of the Western Province.
I learned to drink filtered water, eat no fresh vegetables unless washed in bleach and to take anti-malarial Lariam.
The guesthouse at Friends Theological College:
Plumbers in the attic were working and banging and talking, attempting to install a water storage tank;
The night of the flood, when water poured through the ceiling, I was catching water in all the pots I could find and mopping up the floor! Finally the plumber was located and turned off the main valve, which was hidden underground in the yard. Rich and Sandy were at Triennials and had to sort out the problems when they returned.
Creative improvisation is required, one person said, because things often don’t work. I often saw creative improvisation. A sense of humor and flexibility are essential to survival.
Kenyan Friends have a lot to teach us about living with little, about deep faith in God’s Providence, about staying close to the land, about hospitality in the midst of scarcity, about deep family connections.
I gave and shared and have sent things there since returning. But that is only a drop in the ocean. Basic structures and government and larger systems need changing. How can we Westerners and Quakers help that kind of change to occur?
Personalities are reflected in faces:
dark, old, thin, laughing, smiling, praying, children, school kids, sleeping on buses, somber, intent, talking, open, wrinkled, twinkling eyes, bowed, inscrutable;
faces of the students at FTC as I stood to preach and later to teach;
faces of the general superintendents as they sat around tables at the Friends’ Teacher Training College, intently listening and taking notes as I talked and wrote on the blackboard.
I thank God for getting to know these people.
Rich and Sandy Davis (principal at Friends Theological College)—open and friendly, smiling and welcoming, speaking Hoosier English! What a good job they are doing!
Edith Ratcliff (retired FUM Missionary)—direct and open, bright eyes, responsive, open to learning and sharing. A surprising gift from God, as she appeared unannounced for the workshop for general superintendents. She shared the story of her first coming to Kenya in 1946 and what the boat trip and the country were like at that time. The deep respect with which she is held by the general superintendents was a joy to see.
Joseph Andugu (head of Africa Section of Friends World Committee for Consultation)—hard worker, warm and friendly, with pastoral tones. His initial letter to Jay Marshall, ESR dean, asking for help from our faculty, was the impetus for my trip. He arranged the workshop and was present, in spite of many pressing duties.
Elizabeth Yano (tutor at Friends Theological College)—engaging, verbal, sharing, open, welcoming. She taught the third-year class of students in Pastoral Counseling and invited me to teach that class. Her presence in the class encouraged the students to engage in discussion; her sharing at tea break afterwards provided cultural information and context that helped me understand and better teach.
John Muanji (secretary of Pastor’s Group, pastor)—bright, eager, efficient.
Alexander Muyega—learned my name first day, always greeted me and sent his love to my house mate when I passed by his little stand on the corner; entrepreneurial spirit and embodies hope for the future.
Tom Isutsa (Friends Theological College student)—took me on walks to see the “hill of vision,” where the Quaker missionaries first came and surveyed the area; to the water treatment plant, and to see a soccer game. A soft, warm, friendly, curious person who will make a good pastor.
Ben Hill—staying at the guesthouse of Friends Theological College. He is teaching computers across the road and knew the area and people; became my cultural informant. In my mind’s eye, I see an open, friendly face with big eyes and an easy laugh.
Kennedy Nabie and Simon Oyiengo Lubanya (students at Friends Theological College) took me to Losengeri Monthly Meeting my first Sunday. Simon translated what Kennedy was saying when Kennedy preached. They provided my introduction to village church life and customs. I found them to be serious students as well as kind, sensitive leaders in the church.
Thank you, Creator God, for the wonderful variety of people on Your planet, and especially for the people in Kenya whom You love. For the students whom I taught at Friends Theological College, for the general superintendents who want to make the Quaker churches stronger and more alive and relevant to the people’s needs, I give You great thanks and pray that You will supply their needs. For another piece of my enthnocentricism that has been chipped away, thank you. Amen.
Bill Ratliff is professor of pastoral care and couselling at the Earlham School of Religion, Richmond, Indiana.
Copyright (c) 1999 Friends United Meeting
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