Slow Cooking in Kenya

THE DAY OF SUNDAY JUNE 6: Written on Monday June 7, posted to
FourKenya on Wed June 16
The day was a day that reminded me of cooking a beef stew in a crock
pot (slow-cooker). Let me walk you through the steps so as to make
clear what I mean by this.
Step 1: Preparation
Preparation for a pot roast or stew requires washing and dicing of
vegetables and meat as well as collection and measuring of spices,
water, and other ingredients. One could also include in the
preparation stage shopping at the market for the goods or even the
making of the list for the stew. Like this process of planning and
preparation, I had been mentally preparing for this day since about a
week before, knowing that I would finally be on my own, away from the
group, somewhere in rural Chulaimbo, Kenya. You see since our arrival
in Nairobi on Friday May 28, the FourKenya group as well as Ellen
Daniels had all been together, experiencing things as a group and
having that support and familiarity to rely on.
Step 2: Cooking
Now if you have ever cooked anything in the crockpot,
especially on low, you are aware of the long time period from when you
load the pot full to when it seems that things actually begin to cook.
This was how the morning of Sunday June 6 felt—we arose, took a
breakfast of tea, white bread, and avocado with sugar. Ellen and I
then walked to Winnie's house to visit with her mother who is very
sick. We then tracked back to Margaret's home, where we were all
staying for a couple days because of a funeral, and awaited Joseph's
arrival.
Comparing these morning activities to the apparent non-activity of
early stage pot-roast is not to diminish their importance, but rather
to say that like the first couple of hours of cooking, when to the eye
it seems as if nothing exciting is going on, the slow heat is building
up and working its magic on the vegetables, meat, and spices. The
anticipation of my departure from the presence of our foursome KBLS
(our initials) and Ellen was slowly cooked away during this time of
waiting, without my awareness. All the time that I assumed was spent
waiting was actually time my spirit and emotions needed to get ready
to be on my own.
However, you know when you take the lid off 2 hours into
a 10 hour cook and you freak out because it looks like nothing is
happening? Well that is what happened during the first part of my
move. After a delightful lunch with Father Caroly, the rector and head
master at St. Gabirel's Jr. Seminary, my new home for 2 weeks, I laid
on my bed and had moment of emotional distress as I fully realized the
gravity of the fact that it was up to me now to make my experience
here in Kenya meaningful. But as I slowly succumbed to the afternoon
nap, I awoke relieved of that anxiety.
The rest of my day completed the cooking process.
Flavors were melded together, juices sizzled, and sweet aromas made
their way through my body in the form of comfort and peace. Father
Caroly and I drove into Kisumu where we went to the Nakumatt for a
brief shopping stop and then to St. Theresa's Secondary School for
girls where Father Caroly had some business to attend to. We talked
for a while with some of the Form 1 students (9th grade) and I was
able to observe Father Caroly's unique blend of humor, philosophy, and
wisdom that he imparts on students when he interacts with them. The
cooking process came to fruition when we arrived at Green Garden
pizzeria to meet some of Father Caroly's friends for dinner.
Step 3: Eating (together)
As fellow slow-cookers know, the reward of tasting what you have been
anticipating is oh so sweet (unless you totally botch the recipe). I
don't think it's coincidence that the 3rd stage of this analogy
involves eating on both sides. After all my anticipation, worry,
anxiety, and uncertainty, the meal and fellowship time at our table at
Green Garden was certainly the culmination of the process of slow
cooking. At that point, I had switched from being alone in Kenya,
separated from the familiarity of the first 10 days to learning to
humbly and happily accept my new blessings of not-knowing what God had
in store for my future in Kenya. My prayer changed from one asking for
strength to cope with the novelty of being alone to hope that in the
days ahead, I will learn that the process of waiting and letting God
work in and through me is a process that will always yield sweet
results.