…Amanda went to the doctor for her stomach, and is in the process of getting all fixed up. And my jaw hasn’t bothered me lately - its been days since i’ve popped an ibuprofen…

Thanks for the prayers, people!

so I usually something good for you when I write blog posts, right?

This past week I got arrested.

Seriously! Taken down to the station, booked, and guarded until I could post bond! OK, so it was just a traffic violation. Apparently turning on at a stoplight is very illegal here. Lessons learned the hard way, eh? I wonder if they have a handbook of Kenyan driving laws? but would I really read it anyway? Actually its a pain getting arrested, as you may imagine.

So here’s the story… I was driving to school with a friend. I got to a red right light, and after coming to a stop and seeing there was no traffic coming, I made a left turn through the light (you know, we drive on the left side here). I was surprised - well, mildly surpised - to see a policeman waving me to the side of the road. He was not happy. Quick and too the point, he told me he caught me jumping the light, so he was arresting me and taking me to the police station.

Last time I got pulled over the guy tried to bribe me for 10,000/- (about $150), so I was glad to run into an honest cop at least. This is the way it works in Kenya, though. You aren’t usually able to just get a ticket. If you commit a traffic violation, you get arrested. You get held until you can pay bail, the you go to court the next day (that is, if you want to get any of your bail back).

Anyways, so the policeman jumped in my car (ordered my friend to the back seat!) and escorted me to the station. once at the station, they booked me. Ok, they didn’t throw me in an actual cell, it was more of guarded waiting room. They set bail at 5,000/- (about $75), and of course, I didn’t have anywhere near that amount of money. So I started calling people. I’m pretty sure it was one of Amanda’s prouder moments in life when she got a text message from her husband saying “I’m in jail, and I need bailed out!”.

Eventually my Kenyan friend talked the policeman in charge into  letting him take my impounded car to go get money from my house. But the fatal twist!!! Our money happened to be in Amanda’s underwear drawer! Imagining being locked in a dark cell with a guy named “Tumbo”, I gave my friend the rash go-ahead, and instructed him to not look around. To any guys reading this, let me suggest maybe talking to your wife before giving another man clearance to go into her underwear drawer. haha That’s just smart, right?

So anyways, much thanks to Samie Maina for bailing me out! When I arrived to class an hour late, the teacher stopped class to point me out and ask how my cell-mates were doing. oh boy. Anyway, my court date was set for the next day at 8:00 am at the Kenya’s High Court (they really took this seriously, man!). The judge finally showed up by 9:30, and after sitting through a bunch of criminal cases, I finally got my sentence I was sent of at about 11:00.

The verdict: a 1,000/- fine. All that for a $15 fine.

I can definitely see why people are content with paying bribes now! If you can give the cop a couple dollars, you can salvage your next two days and save some money! Doing the right thing can be inconvenient, eh?

I gotta say, my favorite part of the whole experience was when Amanda texted me and said, “Is my handsome criminal out of jail yet?”

So I hope you’ve been entertained by my painfully true story. On a more serious note, we would appreciate your prayers for our health. It seems like not a week has gone by that hasn’t brought some kind of health issue for at least one of us, and we’re afraid its starting to wear us down. Amanda’s migraines having been coming and going, and fortunately they’re gone right now. But I have been struggling with pain in my jaw that tends to give me headaches, and they’ve been coming almost daily. Amanda has been having some stomach problems for the past week or so as well. Its not necessarily unusual for American to have a hard time adjusting to Kenya health-wise, but its seems like its been a little extra frustrating for us this time around. So we’d appreciate your prayers.

Thanks people. Hope all is well at home!

    This is our friendly, neighborhood rooster. Apparently residing in Apartment B4, or so said our guard, all too casually. This rooster and his brother spent an entire week as our personal alarm clocks, waking us at 4 am. Now, we do live in Africa, so perhaps you are thinking this is normal. We live in a city of millions of people! Our apartment building is 4 stories tall, surrounded by the beautiful grazing land of a parking lot.

And to think, when we first signed our lease, Sam and I had a good laugh over the “no poultry” clause. I am pleased to inform you that Mr. Rooster and Company fed apartment B4 quite well last week after Sam’s complaint. Although, it was quite humorous to watch Sam in his pjs at 4 in the morning run after the little guys who wandered into our courtyard just to hear their crows echo.

I suppose we are officially missionaries now. We have achieved the trifecta; contracted a food-born illness (dysentery when we first got here), been stopped for a bribe by police (successfully averted about 3 weeks ago), and last night Sam got robbed in downtown Nairobi.

Sam is fine. He was driving when someone tried to jump in the car. He sped away and the thief fell out of the car, but not before stealing Sam’s book bag, which held ALL of his school notes, his Swahili books and literature book, his Bible and a large support donation a friend had given him at school that day.

I guess it is expected in a city nicknamed “Nai-robbery,” but it still blows my mind. It is really upsetting to have someone so blatantly violate you and your property. I guess Sam can tell you more about how frustrating that feels.

So, I will once again reiterate the need for prayers for safety, particularly for Sam as he travels back and forth through rundown areas of town. Also, pray that Sam will be able to replace all of his notes and text books without much frustration!:)

Thanks everyone for your friendship and prayers! We love sharing our lives with all of you! Keep us updated on what is going on in your lives and how we can pray for you, as well.