Here's the scoop. A week ago we got this information from the embassy:
The main water feed pipe for all of Nairobi broke, ironically because of the flooding. Engineers thought it would take 3 days to fix, but they cannot access the area (again ironically) because of the heavy rainfall. They are now saying that it may take 10 days to repair.
Houses in Runda and Rosslyn Ridge (THAT'S ME!) access water via bore holes, so these families should continue to have water. If you are not in these areas (and this includes the chancery compound), it is likely that you will not get water for the next 10 days. Your house has a water tank, but the tank will not last for nearly 10 days. The embassy can truck water when you run out, but obviously the large number of houses we have will be difficult to service quickly. PLEASE CONSERVE! Take all steps possible to minimize your water usage.
So after that initial email a week ago, having been told that we wouldn't be impacted by the shortage, I sort of forgot about it. And why wouldn't I? I'm here on this little compound and never have to leave if I don't want to.
So imagine my shock when my water ran out while washing the dishes. I immediately felt a panic - - how would the kids bath? how would I clean dishes or clothes? how would my water distiller fill up (that's where we get our drinking water)? I immediately started filling up pitchers of water JUST IN CASE!
Thankfully we had enough water for the kids' bathtime, but I worried if there would be water for MY morning shower!
And it hit me. Like a bolt of lightening. Sometimes this is how God speaks to me. It just hits me like being hit over the head with bricks or something. And then I just know. This was a major shift, a major paradigm shift for me.
As you know, it took us a long time to settle here. And I've not been content. And honestly I have not enjoyed living here. There were so many things for us to adjust to and get used to. I have complained. I have gotten frustrated and sometimes very angry. We make snide comments and sarcastic remarks. None of this an indication of a Christian home. (I'm reading a great book entitled Grace-Based Parenting and have really noticed we need to incorporate more GRACE into our home!). All along this process I have heard God say to be Peaceful in the process. Some times have been easier than others. But I definitely haven't succeeded (just look at any of my prior blog posts!).
So this one little inkling of how a Kenyan must live every day (the water shortage) really made me understand the culture to an extent I never understood before. Sure, there is poverty all around me. There's nothing I can really do about it but get angry about it. Angry at the government for not taking better care of their country. Angry at the individual people for not trying to make it better. But these folks ARE trying. They work very hard. It is hard to rise out of poverty! This is nothing THEY did. There is no water. And everybody in this city is impacted by that. Half the time the electricity is out. This is nothing the individual people DID. This is something they have to ENDURE. So I realize it does no good to think, "Gosh why can't they fix their electrical problems in the city?"
The next morning at breakfast, I made the kids stop eating their cereal long enough to explain to them that we need to ask Father God to forgive us for complaining, for not being content, and for making snide comments about the problems here.
The kids put their spoons down, Kevin was there since he hadn't left yet, and as a family we asked Father God to forgive us for these things.
And that's it. Burden lifted. Wish I could've been at this point months ago, but I am happy we are here now. Whew. Now I can embrace our Kenyan child with a full heart for Kenya. My biggest fear was going back to the States as a bitter former Kenya resident with just complaints about our time here. Thank you, Jesus, for this breakthrough.
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