Kalenjin Culture Dictates Burial Rites

"A good name is better than precious ointment; 
and the day of death than the day of one's birth.

Ecclesiastes 7:1

Hello,

We lost my uncle (although we refer to him as grandfather most of the time because he is the oldest of the generation of our grandfathers).

Many people really admired him as he was a very strong Christian and never engaged himself in fights. He lived in harmony with everyone.

In Kalenjin culture, a place for my uncle's burial is usually the prerogative of the clan to decide.  Uncle married two wives and one of the wives died a long time ago.  So he was staying with the wife who is called his second wife whom he married in the 1950's. He stayed with her for most of his working life and through his illness.

 

The second wife is also the younger wife and because he was living with her there was no need to keep a second home for the first wife since no one would be living in it. Kalenjin culture does not allow a man to be buried near the house of the younger wife so we had to build a house quickly so that he could be buried next to his first wife.

This was a learning lesson for us  as we had never witnessed this before.  We learned a lot  though what was of interest for me is to see what the Bible says and how far culture can be changed by it.  I did learn my lessons though and am weighing the pros and cons of this culture (cultural practises).

My uncle has been laid to rest and we are now are now comforted.

Enjoy the photos.

Emmy Launchs New Album in Eldoret

My time in Eldoret is mostly going to the hospital concerning little Kigen's care, and back to my hotel. But I had a change in routine this Sunday,

After a visit to church then to the hospital, I was happy to visit the launch of a new album by Emmy Kosgei. Emmy is a renowned gospel artist in the country of Kenya though she sings mostly in the Kalenjin language.

I was happy to see her father the Rev. Jackson Kosgei, who has been in a wheelchair since he was young because he had polio. He thanked his wife for accepting to marry him, the way he was, and now his kids are making him even more popular.

He himself is a great speaker and very knowledgeable speaker.  He is now pursuing his Ph.D studies even though he started Grade one when he was 21 years old!

I have been able to make friends in Eldoret and it is a great place to be. Enjoy the pictures of the launch.

Have a great day.

Kalenjin Bible - Bukuit NE Tilil

I got an opportunity to own a new Bible and it looks great! It is the newest production of the Kalenjin version of the Bible. The first edition was written in 1969 and they are still revising the newest edition.

I just love looking at this great Bible that has been made ready to spread the Word of God. Everyone I met likes it. The title of the Bible is "Holy Bible" or "Bukuit NE Tilil".
I love it a lot and take wherever I go.

God Bless
Jonah

The Loss of a Bright Kalenjin Light

EMO society chairman, James Kiprop Bett died. See the news story here http://www.emosociety.org/

He died after his car hit buffalo's on the way to Nairobi. He was with his family and I know them personally.

A fundraiser was held this afternoon to cover medical and funeral expenses, and I attended, though we were disturbed a lot by the rain. The burial has been set for this Saturday.

James was born in 1966 and is one of the Kalenjin community's leaders. The Kalenjin is also my tribe and his life has really impacted me in a positive way.

I am thinking of attending his funeral in Eldoret on Saturday.

Please continue to pray for this family and the Kalenjin community as whole, as we come to terms with the loss of a young and great leader.

God bless.
Jonah

Boys are now Men

hello,

it was pomp and colour, after the boys who had been separated from their mothers to stay with their fathers for a month came out from seclusion. in seclusion (during Kalenjin initiation and circumcision rites) the boys learned life skills that will steer them during their adult lives.

it was a great joy to see them looking rested, happy, and really, very handsome. we (church leaders) have been praying with them and it is my prayer that what they learn during their seclusion will be enough for to help them move ahead in the teen years.

the boys are now 'Morans' and are expected to guard the community (this was how things were many years ago anyway). we taught them God's Word and were happy to see them ready to accept Christ a few days before they came out of seclusion.

have a great day and enjoy the pics.

Kalenjin Circumcision & Initiation

hello,

the month of December is always like our summer here in Kericho, Kenya, as the rains stop for a few weeks.the month of December has also become a time for a long time now, that my people group,(the Kalenjin) were involved in circumcision of the boys. I'm told that in some other countries,circumcision is done when the baby boys are 8 days old or so. in our communities, we circumcise when the boys are between 10-12 years and they are also given lots [of teaching] of life lessons.



as a church we have used the ritual time of circumcision to "meet the people where they are. in our nearby communities we have over 100 boys and we hope we can reach all of them for Christ before they graduate after 30 days of seclusion in the bush.
u can read more about circumcision in the following. i was reading through some of them myself and these articles give the pros and cons concerning circumcision. just know that true circumcision is that of the HEART.

enjoy reading
http://www.kalenjin.net/newsite/content/view/678/234/
http://www.cirp.org/pages/cultural/glass2/
http://www.kenyarunners.com/pages/167371/index.htm


God bless.
Jonah
Note: For some reason the first link does not appear to be working at the moment. I'm leaving it up as it was working when the post was uploaded and hopefully will become active again. The other links appear to be working fine.