A little sightseeing before the mission work begins started in Kapchorwa, a small but very lush town near the top of Mt. Elgon National Park close to the Kenyan border. By “town” I mean that there are a lot of people living there, not so much that there is a lot of commerce as the American imagination conjures. Maize covers the tops of these hills along with coffee beans not yet ripe. The side of the road was littered with tarpaulins containing coffee beans drying in the sun – when the rain doesn’t force them under cover. I even saw one man "stirring" the beans with his feet. Good thing this is pre-roasting.
Where the tarmac ends in Kapchowra, the car rolled to a stop. Children gathered to see the Mzungu, but these children, seldom seeing a mzungu, were afraid to approach. When offered some giant sweet pineapple chunks they still stood off. Gabriel watched while he continued to allow the children to warm to me, which happened with only a few. The adults came, perhaps rather protectively, and shared the juicy pineapple with those who continued to stand off. Finally, a few approached. A shortage of children can never be found.
A little sightseeing before the mission work begins started in Kapchorwa, a small but very lush town near the top of Mt. Elgon National Park close to the Kenyan border. By “town” I mean that there are a lot of people living there, not so much that there is a lot of commerce as the American imagination conjures. Maize covers the tops of these hills along with coffee beans not yet ripe. The side of the road was littered with tarpaulins containing coffee beans drying in the sun – when the rain doesn’t force them under cover. I even saw one man "stirring" the beans with his feet. Good thing this is pre-roasting.
Where the tarmac ends in Kapchowra, the car rolled to a stop. Children gathered to see the Mzungu, but these children, seldom seeing a mzungu, were afraid to approach. When offered some giant sweet pineapple chunks they still stood off. Gabriel watched while he continued to allow the children to warm to me, which happened with only a few. The adults came, perhaps rather protectively, and shared the juicy pineapple with those who continued to stand off. Finally, a few approached. A shortage of children can never be found. 
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