I spent last weekend a night in a tent at Mount Paka, a really remote place (imaging the middle of nowhere!) where the Pokot tribe lives. The following facts about the Pokots may help you to think in my shoes before reading the more detailed explanations of what I experienced there.
Pokot-Facts
Housing: wood constructed huts
Surroundings: thorn bushes, sandy ground
Climate: sunny and hot
Profession of men: protecting the goats, cows and huts (literally sitting around with rods in their hands)
Profession of women: build the huts, cook, care for the children, carry the water (different mindset: why should animals carry the water when we have women to do it)
Trademarks: ear full or earrings, necklaces, vermeil African hairdo, men wear skirts with no undergarment
Culture: men have more than one wife, men and women sit in separate groups, men don’t care for children (they not even hold them), spitting on somebody is considered as a blessing
Saturday, 12thof January
After loading the cars with all the supplies and food we needed for the time there, we headed off for the 4 hours travel to Mount Paka. We took a break at the Equator for lunch, passed plenty of donkeys, saw ostriches and enjoyed a scenic drive.
The car I was in had suddenly a breakdown. We were the only ones on the dusty road. The sun was shining bright. Thankfully, our driver Justice could fix it. The problem was the nitro stick that got shifted during the ride. And on the way we were again…!
Once we got to Mount Paka, we went to the church the Pokot tribe built on their own walking through thorn bushes on tiny dusty ways. After giving thanks to God for safe travels we set up our tents, built fires and started preparing dinner. First of all, we served African Chai tea with Mandazi (sweet bread) to the Pokot people. After that, we cooked rice and beans. And we killed a goat (People there drink the blood because they like it and they think it strengthens them).
Shortly after eating dinner, we just hang out with the Pokot children, women and men. We enjoyed their company. We were touched in how openly they welcomed us into their home. Even though they didn’t speak English (with exception of two people), we felt connected with each other through smiles, gestures, music and dancing. And in between all of these happenings, I enjoyed a beautiful sunset.
No running water, no toilets, no electricity: After baby-wiping myself off and peeing in the bush (yes I consider this as an important fact – “twinkle twinkle”) I shared a tent with two teammates for the night. I got a little chilly in the middle of the night but woke up not too bad rested and ready for what the next day had to bring.
Sunday, 13thof January
In the morning we took down our tents, made African Chai tea with Mandazi for breakfast and drove then 10 minutes to the crater. This is a place where the Masai people worshiped evil spirits. The Pokot tribe came and expelled the Masai tribe from the territory. They continued worshiping the evil spirits. Once they stopped worshiping them, it happened that children disappeared. Because they concluded these happenings with their quitting of worship, they resumed to worship the evil spirits. So we went to this place to pray for the Pokot people, to pray for the whole unreached area in Kenya, to cast out darkness and to speak light and truth into existence. Besides, we were fully enjoying the beautiful view on top of the crater.
Later on we drove back and went to the church. The people were singing songs of praises in their tribe language. John, their pastor, who travels to the Pokot people almost every weekend memorized Scripture with them and each of my teammates and I introduced ourselves and shared something quick. Yes, it had to be quick because the attention span of the Pokots is really short because they’re not used to it as we are. At the end of the church service we prayed for them individually – most of them had requests for healing of physical pains. We served them rice and beans and goat meat for lunch. Then we headed back the 4 hours’ drive to Nakuru.
This blog post cannot nearly describe this experience. The smell there, the sand grains between the toes, the heat of the sun on the skin, the nostrils clogged because of the dusty air, the sounds of drums and cheerful shouts in the ears and the wind in the hair are missing out. It was an impactful adventure. A magical place in the middle of nowhere, where you witness God’s creation in new ways!
