A Day at the Office

Much of the work Cathy and I do requires a bit of studying, preparing, and writing. There are the daily devotions at the Children’s Home, the Teacher’s Seminar coming up on July 27^th, preparation for the graduation of the Training Center’s Agricultural and Computer Programs, and most recently a new Bible study for some of the agricultural students staying at the Training Center. I am also still preparing to teach a new course called Comparative Religions this upcoming school year. All of this means quite a few hours down at the gazebo by the river, affectionately known as “the office”…and what an office it is! The “wall hangings” are beautiful 3D images of nature, “air conditioning”, a 674,215,897,325 gallon fishbowl (the Kipkarren River), an alarm and security system that runs on leftovers and dog food (a local dog that has adopted us), and a sprinkler system that functions most every day in the late afternoon (rainy season here).

The office happens to be the best zone for connecting to the internet. Who needs a TV for local news? Just look out and watch the latest developments at the water project. Now THAT’S local news. If you hang around enough you might catch the latest cobra snake snapping at the behind of an innocent bystander (that was me… thanks Wayne for frantically yelling, “Mark! Move away from there!” I actually listened. No harm done.)

Directly above “the office”, high up in a tree is an eagle’s nest… home to two awesome and quite large eagles. One morning we discovered one of the eagles walking and standing in “the office”. As we got closer, we realized the poor magnificent bird was injured. As the “security system” approached, the eagle spread its wings, stretched out flat on the cement floor and hissed. The “security system” ran away. I took multiple pictures and video of the injured bird throughout the day. Eventually it hopped/flew over the fence and into a bush. Nearby an elderly man saw this incredible creature and began making his way towards it. He motioned to me as if to say, “Did you see that?!!!” I acknowledged I did with an attitude of awe. As the man got closer to the eagle, I wondered what he was going to do. In a split second, he raised his walking cane and clubbed the bird to death. One quick swift blow to the head and this magnificent bird became idle, one claw quivering. With a bit of pride the old man picked the eagle up by one wing and raised it high as if it were a trophy. Then just as quickly he threw it back into the brush. Needless to say, my jaw was hanging wide open. What had I just witnessed? My friend Wayne and I just turned around, went back into the “office” rather stunned. “They don’t treat eagles here in Kenya like we do back home… do they Wayne?” “Nope.” Later that day, and for several days following, the locals explained to Wayne and I that those eagles come and snatch up their little chicks, which are quite significant to their families for economic reasons. As one House Parent told us, when the eagle takes a chick that the children were trying to raise, it brings them to tears. So, I guess they treat eagles like snakes… if you see one, KILL IT! The surviving eagle can still be seen from time to time. We have been thinking… perhaps the snake went after the cobra, the cobra won the battle, and the eagle was stunned from the venom. We really don’t know… but that’s a day at the office.