The Last Walk Up Together

July 15, 2007

The twins turned six and graduated from kindergarten, so there were all sorts of celebrations and excitement. Truthfully, when you have six year old twins, there is ALWAYS excitement, but this was scheduled excitement, which means you could fool yourself into thinking you could prepare for it. One of their teachers made them birthday hats:

We have almost completed three more centers. We have a new guy building them who is a force of nature, and his enthusiasm has rekindled the original excitement we had with them.

Transporting the fitted-out container to the school.

Painting and putting on the roof.

(Students gathering at the site where the center will go)

The last time I was at this school, the kids just started jumping up and down with the excitement of it all. Perhaps their excitement was contagious, but I don’t remember jumping.

However, I turned over in my sleep, and managed to fracture my leg. I even had to get it x-rayed, which confirmed, in a great way, the joys of getting old. Using some fairly complex mathematics, I have determined that if I get the hiccups when I am 60, I will be in a full body cast.

High school graduation is a pretty complex thing at RVA. We have 23 countries represented on campus, and the kids get really really close. About ten days before grad, it starts to sink in that many of them will never see each other again. The night before graduation is Senior Night, and they do skits and reminisce. I believe that I have achieved immortality; I was rapped. I didn’t even KNOW you could rhyme Mr. Peifer with red hot Viper.

Graduation was a sweet time. Surprisingly, one of the traditions is an old Toto song called `Africa.’ You might remember the refrain: `I miss the rains down in Africa.’ To watch these seniors sing it was to hear the song like you’ve never heard it before. Afterwards, everyone gathered to take pictures, and JT got a surprise. The ladies who come to campus to sell vegetables have grown close to Nancy, and to honor her, they came in their Sunday best and gave JT presents and a song. As he started realizing that people with nothing were giving him gifts. He appreciated it, and I hope as he gets older he realizes what an honor and sacrifice it was for them.

Miriam, Martha and Theresia presenting JT a truly African shirt.

Margaret (one of the ladies who sells vegetables and Theresa, our beloved house helper.

When your oldest graduates from high school, and in a few months will be ten thousand miles from you, so much goes through your head. It was Jean Kerr who said: You lose not only your own youth but the youth of your children. And there is part of you, especially the knee area, where you know this is true.

JT’s coffee shop didn’t have running water, so every night when he closed up; he had to bring all the cups up to the house to wash them. So, every night, I would go down to help him carry the cups. Part of it was that he just needed the help, and part of it was to make sure I had some time with my overscheduled son. Some nights we didn’t talk; some nights were profound, but mostly, it was precious, because we knew it would end. And part of me will mourn the end of that kind of time together; the last walk up together was a sadness beyond tears for me.

But children are life’s greatest gift, and what Kerr misses is the excitement that you can sense in your child’s future. We will miss him so much, but the graduation felt great. It’s time.

We will be in the US for six months, and then we will return to Kijabe for 2.5 years. Nancy is the head of the language department, and will be taking some classes. Ben and Katie will start first grade, and Matthew will begin his sophomore year.

When we reflect on the past couple of years, we are so grateful to all of you for your support. There couldn’t be a less likely person to be successful in Africa than me, and somehow, He has delighted in being strong in my weakness. Thank you for what you have done. Ten thousand children fed and ten computer centers built; it’s amazing.

We are so grateful for what has happened, and so eager to do more.

Your pal

PS Please come by Milwaukee Joes in Bedford on July 28^th from 7-10 to say hi and eat great ice cream!

Steve and Nancy Peifer

Rift Valley Academy PO Box 80 Kijabe, Kenya 00220