The new look

Greetings!

I'm trying out a new site for the blog:

jsmundy.aimsites.org

Please let me know what you think! AIM is providing blog space now, so we're giving it a go.

The new look

Check out the new blog! http://jsmundy.aimsites.org/

AIM has started making blog space available so I'm trying it out. Please let me know which you like better!.

Cheers!
J

Animals and Runways

This week has been a big one for animals on runways. Wednesday I took the nurses to Olturot for a mobile clinic. It took me three attempts to land because the locals were driving their herd of camels down the runway. Not across, but along. Sigh. I had a long talk with the village elders after that. The gist of it was "When you hear the airplane coming, please clear the runway. I'll go around once in case some one hasn't realized, but if the people are still driving their animals along the runway, and I have to go around a second time, I'm not coming back." They thought that was pretty reasonable and said they'd see to it. We'll see. I went back there the next day to pick up an injured man and bring him to Gatab. No animals near the runway. Maybe they listened.

Then yesterday morning there was another clinic at Nolpilipili. As I was landing I saw a boy driving a few donkeys across the runway. No hurry, not chasing after animals, just going here to there. I buzzed the kid and his donkeys and brought the nurses back to Gatab. I've been telling them for months in Nolpilipili to keep the animals off the runway. "We'll do it. We'll fix the fence..." etc., etc. I'm curious to see what the reaction is. I'm a little surprised I haven't heard already.

The reason for all this is summed up by an incident another flight organization had recently. The pilot was on the ground, repositioning the airplane. Due to the runway conditions the pilot had to keep a bit of speed up. The pilot saw goats running up on the side of the airplane, the side toward which the pilot was turning the plane. Then the pilot saw two herd boys running after their goats. Straight toward the propeller. The only option to splattering the two herd boys with the prop was to put the airplane into a ditch. Herd boys safe, people on plane safe. Plane damaged to the tune of $100,000 to $250,000.

Here at Gatab a go-around from a landing isn't always an option. Nor is it always possible to abort a take-off, and never after a certain point. Thus the reason I'm building a fence around the runway here (having it built, I should say), as mentioned in previous blogs. Anyway...I'm curious about the reaction in the villages to the last couple flights.

What price man?

I flew down to Loiyangalani a few days ago and spent the night. There'd been a cattle raid at Moite, a lace about 75-90 km north of Loiyangalani on the shore of Lake Turkana, by the Gabra (one of the tribes in north Kenya). One of the Turkana men had been shot, in both legs and through one testicle. The raid was Saturday night.

Monday about noon the merchant who'd been hired to go get the injured man got back to Loiyangalani (it's the closest airtrip). I took him to Wamba hospital, and have since heard he's doing well. Tough man...shot twice and survived 2 days with just minimal treatment.

So...what price a man? About 20,000 kenya shillings to get him from Moite to Loiyangalani, and another 23,000 for me to fly him to Wamba. That translates to a total of 43,000 shillings, or about $750.

The man's father told Jim Teasdale, who arranged both the merchant and the flight, "I'm not wasting 20 goats (selling them) on someone who's probably going to die anyway."

Another part of the mind-set. A man's status in the tribe is allabout how many animals he owns. The drunkard who no one likes, who never finished primary school, but who owns 500 cattle is listened to before the MP (member of Parliament) who went to Harvard and graduated with honors, but only owns a paltry 100 cattle. Along with status, animals are wealth. But beause of the tie in between status and wealth, the owners are VERY reluctant to ever sell the animals.

Not a mind-set I deal well with, but it does explain oher things, like why it's so difficult to keep animals off the airstrip at Gatab. I don't own any animals, so my status is rather low, comparatively. And they value the lives of the animals more than that of the herdboys, or me and my passengers on the airplane.

I know that sounds rather cynical, or bitter, but it is true. The question that remains, is how, as a Christian, does one respond?

The easy part of the answer is to keep working on keeping the animals off...finish the fence, enforce the no animals policy, etc. I have a duty to yself and my passengers, and the herdboys with their animals, to keep them safe while I operate the airplane. I'll leave the harder part of the question to your imagination. I'm still working on it, for one thing.

Loading Up

When we went to Nairobi last time we flew...AIM Air needed the Gatab airplane during the week we were in Nairobi. The DC-3 was going from Nairobi to Sedar (near Kurungu, just south of us at Gatab) empty to pick up folks, so Jim Streit our general manager, offered to put some freight on the DC-3 for us. Seven flats of juice (84 liters) 20 liters of cooking oil, 10 kg canned dog food, 100 kg dry dog food, 20 two liter bottles of soda, and a few other things... Also by the time the DC-3 left Nairobi it had the Middletons and the Maples on board for Kurungu, and the Hamptons, to go to Kalacha, and all of their things. So from empty to 3 1/2 tons of people and cargo. Wow.

Nairobi was EXPENSIVE! We had alot of things to get, and when you're shopping for nearly 3 months, the bills get largish. There were groceries, of course, plus 2 solar panels, and some tools, and some car parts and .... you get the idea.

Then it was time to go. Somehow we had to get all these groceries, plus me, Susan, Alex, Beth, and Samantha into the airplane....

That's one of 3 such carts, that Alex is tugging into the hangar.

Samantha amused herself while we were loading by playing peek-a-book over a pile of groceries and cargo.

Then of course came, 'Will it all fit?' 'Of course it will.' It took some doing, but it did.

Just Stuff

It's quiet here at Gatab just now. The Kenyan schools are on break between terms, so all the children at Haven Home have gone home to their families. The weather has been very dry. We've had no rain since mid-July, and that was a one day event. So...the baboons are back in the garden, plus a porcupine that comes in the night to nibble the vegetables.

The fence around the airfield is nearing completion. We're about 2/3 done. It's already starting to have an effect, too. Lots less critters on the airstrip. This is good. MAF (mission aviation fellowship) just had an incident at Mfangano Island (a Kenyan island in Lake Victoria) due to people and animals on the airstrip. I've been to Mfangano Island. The people there use the runway as a main road, and seem to delight in playing chicken with the airplane...how slow can I go and still get off the runway in time seems to be the game. Not one of my favorite airstrips. Anyway, the MAF pilot was turning the airplane around at the end of the runway, saw some goats run past, said 'oh well, diced goat' then saw the herd boys coming (on the side the plane was turning to) and put the airplane into the ditch next to the runway rather than dice the herdboys. Good decision, but it's probably about $200,000 worth of damage to the C-208. This is why I'm building the fence here at Gatab, since that sort of incident ranks high on my nightmare list.

Alex, Beth and Samantha are in the middle of home-school. It's going well so far. Alex is enjoying the science experiments. All of them enjoy the reading. We're using the Sonlight curriculum which is reading based rather than text book based (though they do have math and science texts). Susan is doing well with it...it hasn't driven her crazy yet, anyway!

No flying this morning...we're fogged in. Gatab looks alot like the popular image of London at the moment...misty and grey and you can see about 100 yards is all. This is good as it means water put into the ground as the fog condenses on the trees and bushes.

A Week in Gatab

I had meant to write this post two weekends ago, but then, as is usually the case, other things came up. Here’s a week….

Sunday: Having breakfast and relaxing early, before church (Sunday school at 10, church from 11 to 1230) Joel, one of the nurses at the hospital comes to the door. “There was a policeman stabbed in a fight last night, we need you to take him to either Nairobi or Wamba.” About a half hour later the police have settled on Wamba, so I take Joel, the wounded policeman, his wife, and another police officer to Wamba. Susan stayed home from church to provide flight following on the radio, since there’s no one at AIM Air Sunday morning. We get the policeman handed over to the hospital (it’s a Catholic mission hospital, and a very good one) and walk into town with the other officer while he makes his report. On the way back to Gatab I’m loaded with luggage from Njelly and Potris, two nurses from Gatab who are doing upgrade training at Wamba. Their course is about done (exams in September).

Monday: No flying today, but I spend the day working on the airfield fence, and on our car. We’re building an ano fence around the airfield to try and keep cattle, goats, and people off. The huts and gardens are getting closer and closer to the airfield and more and more animals are on the airstrip and it’s starting to get dangerous. Ano is a plant commonly used for fencing here…you dig a ditch about a foot deep and plant cuttings, and it takes off. The car: we had an electrical fire in it a while back: the radio put in by the dealer we bought it from wasn’t properly mounted, just braced up with a couple plastic bags. It chafed some wires and caused an electric fire. I got most of it fixed, but the heat/defog wasn’t working and the warning light that the spare wheel is open is always on. I’ve gotten the heat fixed, now for the warning light. Meanwhile Susan and the kids are doing school: the second full week of homeschool. So far so good. Susan is also dealing with a steady stream of ladies coming to the door: Nangopa, who works in the garden for us, Ntepesan, who works around the house 3 afternoons, and others who come wanting to sell bead necklaces or are asking for work. I didn't have a picture of Alex helping with the car repair (which he did), so I grabbed this one of him helping with loading empty fuel drums in the airplane a while back. That's Peter, my airfield worker in the middle, and Steve Hoekstra on the right, he and his wife came to visit us back in April for a few days to get a break from Nairobi.

Tuesday: Flying again. The hospital is doing HIV/AIDS training for people from the local villages, so I fly to Nolpilipili, Olturot, Ngororoi, and Loiyangalani to pick up three to five people from each place and bring them back to Gatab for the training. So four separate runs that day. I’m busy all day flying since at each place I end up waiting around an hour for the people to get their things together and get to the airplane. When I get back I have to take an hour or so and lay the string marking the next section of ditch for the airfield fence. Susan and Alex and Beth and Samantha are all doing school, of course, and of course there’s a steady stream of people to the door. Later in the day (around dinner time actually), we start getting phone calls and emails about changing the scheduled flight. I’m supposed to go to Nairobi on Thursday, but...

Wednesday: Off to Nairobi. Monday night the (grown) nephew of the missionary family in Kalacha (42 miles north east of Gatab) died unexpectedly due to a heart infection leading to a stroke. The family was looking at driving down, but we moved the scheduled flight to Nairobi up a day so they could make it to Nairobi easily and cheaply and in time for the memorial service at Kijabe (just outside of Nairobi). So Gatab to Kalacha, load 5 people up and head for Nairobi. Wednesday evening is station prayers, which Susan and the kids went to at the Heidorns (the other missionary family here at Gatab).

Thursday: Since we have a whole day, it’s aircraft inspection time. The certificate of airworthiness for my airplane is up for renewal so we do the test flight, the compass calibration, the altimeter calibration and radio inspection. God even arranged for the KCAA to do their inspection….they didn’t have time today, originally, but the airplane in the hangar next to ours wasn’t quite ready for them so they came and did mine. A couple minor issues (put slip marks on the wheels, and put tire pressure labels…) and off we go. The paperwork is submitted two weeks early so there should be no delays in getting the renewal. Back in Gatab, meanwhile, Susan and the kids are at homeschool again, and Susan is dealing with the usual stream of visitors asking for work or help or to sell something. Thursday I also get some grocery shopping done.

Friday: Originally I’m supposed to take a family of four (mom, dad and two small kids) from Nairobi to Gatab, and two adults from Nairobi to Loiyangalani, stopping at Eldoret on the way to pick up another lady to take to Kurungu. And if there’s room stopping in Maralal to drop some tools off to the missionary there. Whoo! No way all those people will fit in the airplane. God makes arrangements though: The family of four cancels, and the lady in Eldoret cancels too, as she is ill. So I just take the Russels to Loiyangalani, and about 450 pounds of freight up to Gatab (building materials and tools for the Heidorns and about 100 pounds of groceries for us). And we make the stop in Maralal to drop the tools off. In Gatab it’s home school again. Beth is getting lessons in bead work from Ntepesan as part of her home school as part of arts and crafts. We’ve also started taking pictures of the Haven Home (children’s boarding home) staff for health insurance ID cards…along with family portraits. Susan has gotten stuck with these since I’m off in Nairobi. That's the Leparsantys there to the right.

Saturday: The HIV/AIDS training is over so I have runs back to all the villages to take the people back. The people and all their groceries! All of them have taken advantage of the fact that the gardens here in Gatab have extra and have bought produce, and most have also visited the dukas (kiosks) and bought rice, sugar, and flour. All four takeoffs from Gatab are at max weight for Gatab. Susan and the kids are NOT doing homeschool today, it being Saturday. Instead, Alex is bagging grass to build an archery target, and Beth and Samantha are puttering around the house. Susan is in the garden talking with the workers. We’ve had issues with baboons raiding the garden for the last two weeks. Baboons are NOT cute. They are vicious and destructive. The workers throw rocks at them to drive them off, and the baboons pick up the ones that miss and throw them back! Samantha has not been allowed in the garden without an adult for about a week and half now. We’re probably going to have to get someone with a gun to shoot several of them, which will drive off the rest. More pictures, too, of Haven Home families.

Sunday: Flying again. A group of four came in on Saturday (flew into the lower airstrip at Gatab) and I’m flying them to Ngororoi so they can hike up to Mt Kulal’s caldera and from there back into Gatab. One used to live here on the mountain as a boy and is friends with Pastor Job. I’m flying the men so that Job doesn’t have to drive them, and can be at church. I get back in time for church. After church the kids and I get ready to go camping up in the forest on the mountain. However, a group of tourists has driven in, one of them with a break down. I spend about 2 hours helping get the land rover repaired. Then Alex, Beth, Samantha and I hike up into the forest and camp. A quiet night, which all four of us enjoyed immensely. Susan and Hunter (our dog) stayed home and also had a quiet night.

So, there’s a week! Fairly typical in a lot of ways. Just living here takes longer and takes more effort than back home. It’s harder to get things done, and as missionaries we’re always getting interrupted and asked for help with this or that, as well as trying to live out our faith in Christ in a way that honors Him, and allows us to credibly present the gospel. It’s a balance that takes some effort, and LOTS of wisdom.

Praises:
Wycliffe’s wife and son are in school and enjoying it immensely. This is a chance for this family to work their way out of poverty. Wycliffe works for us in Nairobi, you remember from our last letter. That's them in the picture.
More than a year of safe flying.
Transition to home school has gone well.
Finances: Thank you for your generous support!

Prayer requests:
Safety in flying, and in travel.
Wisdom in working with the people in Gatab
Home school continues to go well