Hoodii, Hoodii!

In Kenya, whether you are Somali, Kikuyu, Komba, or a mzungu (like us) the common Kenyan way to enter a home is to come to the door and shout "Hoodii, Hoodii!" (Ho-dee! Ho-dee!). We have found that almost anywhere we travel that people are happy to stop and meet a stranger, even welcoming us into their homes. Children, especially, are eager to use their limited English vocabulary on a white face. "Hi, how are you?" is a common chorus we will hear from children throughout the Kenyan country side. When we answer we get a mixed reactions: some kids squeal in laughter, others run away in fear, usually a few become glued to our side and others wave back "Fine, fine!"

It is disarming to experience such warmth and hospitality in the most unexpected of places. On Saturday, for instance, we were caught in a three hour traffic jam along the Kiambu Road leaving Nairobi (a two lane road had become a nine lane river of cars, matatus, and transfer trucks spanning both ditches in a painfully slow ebb of traffic). To make things worse it was extremely hot! Tempers flared (most notably amongst the white expats in their shiny cars and trucks). We saw no police or resemblance of order as we snaked through the chaos. But then we began to notice young men coming out of a nearby slum (My first reaction was, O NO, we are sitting ducks here! Lock the doors, this could get scary!). But to my surprise, the men began to direct traffic. Boys appeared with water, and make shift gas cans to aid people who were in need. A man even appeared out of the blue selling frozen juice out of a grubby cooler (talk about a smart business sense). I was astounded by the patience and "no worries attitude" of our Kenyan brethren. On the back of one of the Matatus (the local public transports) was scrawled the words -- "Give it to Jesus!" I can't think of a better way to face our hardships in life.

It is exciting to be able to experience our first Kenyan Christmas. We pray that your experience of this holiday season will be rich in the beauty of the Spirit at work in the lives of His people.