Arrested…. Was it Troy or Bekah? Well lets just say both of our driving records remain intact and we have not been put behind bars due to our sleeping angels in the back seat, but having Bekah pulling up with the police lady in the car announcing that she was arresting my wife was a rather humorous situation.

After a successful weekend of navigating around Nairobi and visiting the Bussell’s we had only one errand left, to try and get a few items from the local market for our house. Our car, which I had remarked the night before how much I was liking for its sturdiness, promptly ( within 20 seconds of the remark) had the front window mechanics break. So the following day with a window stuck in the down position and two sleeping kids we think this is a great time to shop but we have to do it from the car. Well it worked, they brought the merchandise and we bought until we had to get out of the car to barter. I passed the drivers seat to Bekah so she could just leave if things got too crazy. It was a waiting game and the car was very hot so Bekah drove around in circles. After about four circles she was done, I was unsuccessful at getting a Kenyan price and not the Mzungu price (foreigner specifically white) so I grabbed our stuff waiting for her to surface. Finally after what seemed a longer time then would take to drive the loop I see the car and then see a Kenyan in the passengers seat. I was perplexed trying to figure out why she let a vendor get in the car, so I flag her down and she is pointing toward the other direction but finally pulls up for me to get in. I then realize the white uniformed shirt and hat was not a normal passenger but a police lady. She rolls the window down and says “I am arresting your wife.” I reply well that’s not good because we are suppose to leave for Nakuru. I ask what bekah has done to be arrested and apparently she crossed illegally during a U turn and needed to be sentenced and ticketed the next day. Well with the excuse of no money to give and sleeping children that would not allow that she decided that these Mzungus were not giving in and let us free to go. Bekah whisked us down the street where I took over and took us back to Nakuru where the rest of the trip was uneventful and the window could be fixed with out hassle. So Bekah’s slipped through the cuffs of the Kenyan jail and the rest of our journeys while bumpy and stop and go have been safe in the beautiful hands of our Lord. Oh those small things make life so different and yet still fun for us. Just thought I would share so you can give her a bad time about it next time you talk to her.

Here is our excerpt from our next newsletter from december but the story is pretty funny and worth reading if you haven't heard it yet.

Then Bekah walks out

As I pull into the driveway just completing my inaugural drive on the backwards side of the Kenyan roads, I was feeling accomplished and confident in our survival in Kenya. Then Bekah walks out. Thinking that she is curious about the drive, I wait for the question only to hear, “Kate locked herself in the bedroom.” “What?” confused for a second and processing. She proceeds to tell me that the key on the inside of the room she was playing with while supposedly napping got turned and now she is locked on the other side. What to do now?

Option 1: Find another key. Every key in the house doesn’t work.

Option 2: Push the old fashion style key out the key hole and have her pick it up and put it into a purse slide through the crack over the window at the top of the door. Kate takes the candy from the purse but doesn’t register the rest and by this time has taken the key elsewhere.

Option 3: Get a ladder from the neighbor and have her give the key to us from the open but grated window. Windowpane breaks in process of raising ladder. Kate doesn’t understand. Key is nowhere to be found and Kate goes into hysterics.

Option 4: Take Dakota up the ladder with me squeeze her through the bars and have more communicable and capable kid in the room. Option works, Dakota gets scared at the end of the squeezing but manages to compose her self and search for the key. No key found.

Option 5: Break windowpane above the door and squeeze through the opening to find the key. Success, Douglas, our guard and grounds keeper, breaks the pane and I squeeze through the opening to rescue the key from the bottom of a cardboard box that Kate had dropped it in. Everyone is safe not even a scratch from the broken glass despite bare feet.

Lessons to be learned. 1. Remove all keys before attempting to put a jet -lagged kid down for a nap in a new country with fun old fashion locks. 2. Keep laughing. 3. Trials are better with a Kenyan counterpart that can help. 4. God has unexpected lessons in store to grow us in faith and wisdom.

Life apart from the lock in

Our time here has been good, full of REAL adjustment which hurts and is hard to express, but simultaneously full of unexpected hospitality and blessing. Our reception by everyone has been incredible especially our family, the Bussell’s in Nairobi, who have showered us with time and genuine welcome to Kenya. We have also been blessed by the Staley’s, a South African family, who has helped us get our bank account and graciously invited us to their home treating us to the giraffe center close to their home as a welcome to the continent that they love. The Kenyans we have met have also graciously welcomed us and are genuinely excited that we are here. I will introduce them more fully in letters to come. Thank you for your prayers we know that the transition was smooth because of them.

Our vow to you.....

We,, the Sammons are sorry that we have so neglected the job of updating our blog. We vow from this point forward that we will blog at least twice a month with updates on how our family is doing. To start we will update you on our life so far in Kenya with the funny and sentimental things we have experienced to date. Thanks for your interest and support in us.