Yesterday, I hosted my inside worker, Emily Maingi, her daughters Mary and Rose, and Emily’s mother – Mary – for lunch at my house.
What a treat it was to have 3 generations of Maingi women sitting at the table around me! It was a precious 2 hours of food, fellowship, encouragement, and laughter.
Here is Rose, snuggled in my lap…
…And, the elder Mary (pictured with me below) has lived in Kijabe-town most of her life. She moved here from a different region after marrying, and then became one of the “original” veggie ladies to sell her produce to missionaries here back in the day. Things have changed a lot in Kijabe since those days…Mary commented that life is, in fact, HARDER now than it was before. The town’s population has grown, and with it, the competition to make money and provide for families. And, even at the ripe old age of 80-something, she is still doing anything she can to help provide for her family! Although, Emily supports her greatly. Mary and her husband brought NINE Maingi children into the world, and today, she lives within walking distance of Emily and her two grand-daughters! As far as I could tell, she has one tooth left 🙂
After our meal, I served them Chai. Now, Chai essentially means tea…and in the Kenyan culture, it is a staple. It is boiled milk, sugar and black tea…served VERY sweet and hot. I must admit, I have not developed a taste for it at all this year. But, I have learned how to prepare it properly, and Emily praised me after her first sip saying, “You have now become a real Kenyan!”
We talked and talked, and talked some more…and the sad reality of our time was that I may never see the elder Mary or Emily’s daughters again! As my time here grows short, it’s getting harder to keep up with everybody, and so I wanted to make sure I hosted them one last time before things get too hectic in early to mid July.
I was so blessed by our conversation. The elder Mary spoke in Kiswahili the whole time, and Emily translated…but, it didn’t matter. Our hearts were united as fellow friends, and we joined hands to pray together before they left…and, the elder Mary prayed for me and over our Jansen family, sending her greetings and prayers to all that I have left back home in Maryland and D.C.
It’s hard to believe that very soon, I will be reunited with my own “female generations” of family…my Grandma Dahl, my Mom, my sister, and my niece, Kate….42 days to go!