Green Pastures

Nate is on call this weekend, so he will be too busy to post about surgeries for at least a few days. I thought I'd steal the blog back from him and post about a hike. Today marks our 4th week at Tenwek, which is hard to believe. The first really free weekend we had was two weeks ago (our 3rd weekend). (1st weekend=arrival, 2nd weekend=Nate on call). Nate had been itching to hike up to Motigo, one of the tallest points around here. Honestly, I was nervous because I didn't know how hard of a hike it was going to be, and I had this faint memory of a time we hiked to a waterfall in Arusha, Tanzania that was incredibly difficult (for me, at least). However, after talking to our friends the Nugents, I was assured it was a family friendly hike. When we headed out that Saturday morning, their two older (out of 4) boys asked if they could join us, and we gladly took them along. They also lent us a hiking backpack for Elijah which he wasn't thrilled about at first but eventually got on board.

I think it took us about an hour and half to get up to the top. I can't remember exactly. It was a decently busy road, so we had to watch out for boda bodas and other vehicles. Trust me when I say, they do not watch out for you! We took a few water/snack breaks which we blamed on the boys, but they were totally for us.

 E as One of the Big Boys

The view was incredible the whole way up. It never ceased to amaze us when we'd get to a spot clear from trees to look out below.

We passed several tea plantations, but I didn't think to take pictures of them.

There was one place we had to turn off the main road near the Motigo school. At various points, random kids would join us for periods of our walk. Once we got up towards the school, there were a ton of kids. Many were students from Motigo as well as other schools. It seemed there was some sort of track competition. Some were kids that lived nearby, and those were the ones that joined us to the top of the hill.

And then we got to the top. It was pretty amazing. These pictures DO NOT capture how beautiful it was to look down around at everything. We could see Tenwek and Bomet (not pictured) and so much more.

My Poor Attempt at Taking a Panoramic Picture

  

Elijah's Audience

Elijah wanted to stand on top of all the rocks which gave me a bit of anxiety, but Nate assured me it would be fine. At one point, I just closed my eyes and trusted that Nate (and God) would keep him safe. I have to fight every urge to be a helicopter mom a lot of the time.

 

I can't stress this enough. These pictures really do not do justice to the view. This morning, I was reminded (check out this lent devotion from our friend Lee Hinkle) that Jesus is our Good Shepherd. It's a really strange thing to think about. On one hand, if you grow up in the church, you get used to hearing it, and it loses some of the strangeness to the claim. Honestly, it's weird (at least for me) to think about us being sheep. It might sit well for some, but I imagine most of us do not like to think of ourselves as sheep. Not the most exciting or impressive of animals. Must be our pride. That's not the point...rather the relationship between the shepherd and the sheep. Again, not something most of us know firsthand about, unless you own and tend sheep. But it sounds like quite an special relationship. If you don't know this relationship yet, I hope you will one day.

The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.

It requires nothing of you and everything of you at the same time. It's not usually easy, but there is something peaceful and reassuring about it when you stop fighting it. 

 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.

 

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 



 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.