Gatab - the mountain getaway!

We drove across the desert...
We drove through dust, lots and lots of dust...
Avoiding the dust.
We drove up the mountain road that is quite narrow and drops off into nothingness on the one side... just hope you don't meet any on-coming traffic!
We drove until we reached the forests of Gatab. Ah, beautiful, wonderful Gatab.
Gatab - a small village up ontop of a mountain. Just 5 hrs drive from Kalacha you can come to a place that has flowers, trees, gardens, cold and other things that we are lacking in the flat desert of Kalacha.
Ezra being super cute as always.
It is so 'cold' in Gatab that we got to enjoy a fire place! Oh how wonderful it feels to be cold enough to wear long sleaves and sit by a crackling fire and smell the smoke of the cedar wood... paradise!
There has been no rain since October. The elevation brings in a cold mist every morning that sustains the life of the forest.
Way up at the very top there was a Samburu village, it took a good half hour of hard 4x4ing to get up the very steep road (if you can call it that!) Here they have some farms, shepherd their animals and enjoy the best views around!
The crazy road up was worth it because of the amazing view that we got from the top... 7,000 or so feet above sea level.
On top of the world!
Paul and Salome were so happy to be in a forest! Their home is much MUCH more lush and green than Kalacha. Paul was ready to become nomadic and 'shift' to Gatab.
We got to visit Ponisa, who came to be a nurse at Kalacha for a few months last year... I can see why she was excited to go home to her family in Gatab, it's so beautiful up on the mountain!
Salome and Ezra outside of Ponisa's family's house. The Samburu huts are much different than the Gabra huts. The walls are made out of mud and cow dung and it is almost as strong as cement mix!
Ponisa's mom showing us her gourds that they use to milk the cows.
Ponisa's garden... FRESH VEGGIES! What a blessing!

Water = Life

Its amazing how much the Bible comes alive when you live in a place that is similar to where the Israelites lived. It is easy to read about things and think you understand them, but they don't really sink in until you experience them. I had never known real thirst until I went out with the goats all day in the blistering sun (and ended up drinking some questionable water). And I had never known the importance of an oasis in a desert land until now. Fresh water, clean water, water that does not dry up even in the worst of droughts is essential to life. It’s not just a mere comfort… it is a must, it is vital.

Jerimiah 2:13
My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water.

We cannot survive the desert with out the 'living water' any more than these tough desert goats can... water = life.

Karawe, an oasis hidden on the edge of the bare Chalbi desert.
To the south is the vast expanse of dry nothingness...
And to the north is the lava rock fields that go on forever... those rocks are the 'green pastures' for the goats. In the middle is this beautiful spring of water!

We went to Karawe with the car to pick up some palm branches for building. Palms are amazingly strong and are used to make things like this 'outside' bed. This is the 'bed' that our 'Abbo' (Father) made for Dad when he came to visit so that he could get the cool breeze at night.

Visitors are a Blessing!

Mom and Dad brought so many fun things with them that Barbara and I didn't know what to do with outselves!!!
Dad showing Isako how to fly the stunt kite.
More kite flying! This time we had to stop 'cause we were 'scaring the camels'.
Dub and Barille took Dad and I to the 'shambas' (gardens) to cut some trees. It was neat to see what they are trying to grow there - carrots, spinich, watermellons, sweet potatoes. etc.


Dad enjoying his cold (or almost cold) coke out in the Chalbi desert.
We flew kites untill we ran out light, and then we tied military glow sticks to the stunt kite and flew it in the dark!!! What fun! I'll bet the nearby camel herders were having a hard time figuring out what those strange green lights were!
Jarso, Warrio, Me, Dad, Paul, Barille, Robe, Ware and Barbara on our way out to a nearby village to tell Bible stories, sing, visit and drink chai.
We took a sunday afternoon drive to the Ethiopian border and saw some neat things on our bouncey and dusty trip.
This place is fondly called 'Dead dog plain' becuase it is so hot and so bare that the dogs can't make it across and just die. We drove by flat, barren land for a very long time!
And in the middle of the flatness and barreness you would come across herds, or people or camel trains who seemed to be going from nowhere to nowhere!
Eddie was looking for a place called Sabarei... and as we got closer the road started looking less like a road!
After all day of driving we finally reached out destination... Sabarei. Marked on the map yet in real life it is nothing more than 5 very unfortunate policemen posted next to the Ethiopian border.
I think they have radio contact, but otherwise their only contact to the outside world is one supply truck that comes once a month. To think that I use to think that Kalacha was remote!!! Sabarei teaches me... it could be worse! With too much time on their hands ALL of the buildings (only 3 in total) had many 'de-motavational' writings on them.
Dad coveting the policemen's dinner.

The road less traveled.
Dusty.
Dusty. (Mom and I making out own shade as the guys tried to fix the car)
Dusty. All in all it was a good trip!
Uriah (Rachel's oldest) taking Guchi for a walk by our house.
Dad got invited to teach a few classes at the Kalacha Primary School. The kids sure enjoyed having him and he had fun teaching them.
Even though its drought time and there is little or no milk around, there is still a lot of chai drinking.
Dad watering the donkeys.
We got to visit a singing well, where the men spend much of the day hauling the water up out of the well for numerous herds of animals... they sing in rythm to make the work more enjoyable.
Dad learning how to 'herd' sheep... they do not like to leave the herd and will lie down in protest unless you physically make them go.
The car was not wanting to work, so we made sure to park on hills or flat spots!