Will I Still be Three in
Have you ever met a hero and made a fool of yourself?
A few months ago, I was leaving a school which has one textbook for
every seven children, and I was in a rather foul mood. An official government procession went by,
and by law, you must pull over to the side of the road, stop your engine and
get out of your car.
And I counted over 15 new Mercedes.
I had one of my hitting the steering wheel of my car drives home, but I
read something the next day in the newspaper that spoke the truth about the
Kenyan budget. Sunny (the journalist at
the newspaper) was so on the money that I had to write him and thank him for
articulating what I felt in a way far more eloquent than I would ever be able
to.
And another unlikely friendship in
But we found a bond in our view of economic policy in
And I would write to him to comment, and we began to forge an email
friendship. We had both been consultants, both worked in technology, and both
had a love for
He asked me once about what I was doing, and I told him about the
computer center and the feeding program. He asked if he could visit sometime,
and we set a time.
It was going to be a great day for him to visit. We were going to award
prizes for kids who typed the fastest and the most accurate. After three
months, children who had never seen a computer before were typing 50WPM with
95% accuracy.
I wanted Sunny to see the project, because he has been in technology,
and I have been out of it for so long that I don’t trust my own judgment sometimes.
He was complimentary and helpful with suggestions.
But I was like a fan boy at a Star Trek Convention who asks Mr. Spock
questions like `In episode 23, you began a sentence in the first 15 minutes and
had an unusually long pause. WHY?’
I was saying things to Sunny like:
Me: `You know the column you
wrote about the effects on regressive tax policy on economic growth?’
Sunny: Yes?
Me: `It was awesome.’
.
The twins are not exactly sure about all this
ME: You will have so much fun in
THEM: Will Lauren be in
Me: No. But you will make LOTS of friends in
Them: Will I still be three in
Me: Yes!!
Many of you have asked what our plans are for our year in
But you probably wouldn’t.
So after a few weeks of rest, we are going to shop for clothing. It
would be in bad taste to tell you the state of repair that my underwear is in,
but my friend Chris would say that it is held together with baling wire and spit.
We want the older boys to get reacclimated to the
states, and try to see
RVA has given me encouragement to get certified in college guidance, so
I am going to take a series of classes online through UCLA to get further
training in that area. The goal the Lord has put on my heart is to come back to
In addition, our own support level is low enough that we would not be
allowed to return until it is at our mission approved level, so we need to seek
out new support. I hope to find some
kind of work once the older boys start school in the middle of August. And,
someone is planning to publish a collection of our emails for a book, which
still amazes me.
It has been a wonderful three years. Someone asked me: `What accomplishment are you most proud of?’ Upon
consideration, I realized it was something most of you don’t even know
about. I decided that I needed to be home on Tuesday mornings and Thursday
afternoons so
Recognizing that
I know this has been lengthy, but I wanted to end with thanks to all of
you. It would be difficult to sum up what you all have meant to us without
getting sappy or weepy, both of which are things I like to avoid. What comes to
mind is an old TV show called The Invaders. The plot was about this guy who discovers
that aliens have landed and are plotting to take over the world.
And no one believes him. Worse, no one cares.
In you, we have found people who would weep with us in what we have
seen and experienced in
But you have stood with us, and often times, it was an email from
someone who gave us the fuel to continue the fight, and to be encouraged in it.
I still go back to the end of the TV show. On the last show, the guy is
seated at a table with a small group of people. The stern voiced narrator says
`Finally, he has discovered allies. Those who also know.
Those who believe.’ And the guy looks at the
group of people at his table, and he weeps.
Thank you for all you have done for us, and what you have done for the
people of
Please don’t take this wrong, but when I think of you guys,
sometimes I just weep
Your pal,
Steve
http://peifer.kijabe.org
PS. We are inviting all of our friends in the DFW area
to join us at Milwaukee Joe’s on Friday July 23rd at
Bedford,
(817) 581-1953
Steve and Nancy Peifer
Stateside Address: