Steve was reading to me from the epistle to Philippians in his American language and after praying we went to have breakfast. Sure enough, we couldn’t do without adventures. Having left the wallet with my papers and money I recalled about it in 15 minutes and to find it sure enough cost me many neural cells. But it went well… since the hotel we are staying at is Methodist and the majority of the employees are Christians.

My second familiar in Kenya was the first Moses in my life. By lunch I found out that biblical names are widespread here. The third person I met was Lazarus. The forth sister we came to was Mary! The fifth person I met there was Peter! Interestingly, my Moses No1 chose this name on his own being baptized at the age of 12. He used to be Kimmeria. But in his youth he watched the movie “10 commandments” on and on and that is why he decided to become Moses.

He is a Presbyterian alike Mary. We found much in common with this sister who sings in a church choir, having sung with her couple famous hymns we could relate to each other in direct and indirect meaning. She was in coma only 3 weeks ago. And Steve came to see her and pray for her – his pal and partner in Kenyan mission.
 
Unexpectedly for myself I find out that I am a real Muzungu! Namely so they call white skinned people in this part of Africa and you can come across one of those not so often in the capital of Kenya. I don’t know why but I really like this title. Perhaps, the child’s reading program effects: probably, the excuses of Fennimore Cooper and his “The last Magikan”.  In my childhood while playing Indians I used to be called the pale faced brother!

Chatting with Moses, I realize that he knows about Ukraine only one thing… that there Steve ministers as much as here in Kenya! However, as always, Andrei Shevchenko rescues…! If you mention him in Kenya it works like password since Kenya loves soccer!

Moses has 3 kids, thus he is an average Kenyan father. His family consists of 10 people (including Mom and Dad) and has 5 cows!!! It can be considered a sign of prosperity.

It is worth to mention cows again since they are to some extent a measure of success. Steve told me that he witnessed one morning how a family was weeping over their dead cow. By the way, one must ransom for a bride he takes from her parental home with cows.

Passing through the downtown of Nairobi Moses shows me where the largest Crusades had taken place for the whole history of Kenya. One of those crusades made by Reinhardt Bonke numbered over 1 million people.

The second incident within this day has happened – I dropped my video camera into the water. Of course, I am not guilty; it is all fault of my fostered sons who tied the thread of the recently bought tripod. When I come home, I’ll discipline them…I say to myself when I think about failed video movie about the trip. Habitually Steve rescues. He has a portable flip camera of rather good quality. He shows me how to use it.

Sneaking along the city I am surprised with the plenty of red clay dust, endless traffic repair works and jams. People who hung on the pegs of city buses (here is the paradise for our traffic police!), and sometimes on the roofs of the lorries overfilled with stuff, those men look weird especially combining with some yelling and shouting and mentioned above left hand traffic. I get the feeling of a terrible mess, but the tranquility of Moses and Steve has a positive influence on me.
  
One of the things which strike the eye – is the number of people traveling on foot along the roadsides. In both sides, parallel to the road, moving streams of people. I find out how much their dimensionless minibuses cost and understand the reasons for such pedestrian activity. The average fare in the city can cost you a dollar, and it is a lot.
 
By the evening, having finished our job in city we come back to the Methodist hotel as to the military basis after a special mission. We can hear prayers of different missionary groups from the windows. These groups are located here as a rule for a short period of time. They also get ready to start to real non capital Africa.

«Missionary group of John Wesley” – the chart on the next table says. The Grace Church – is written on the reserved table to the right. Behind us several Catholic sisters have supper. In the conference halls at least two Christian events are taking place. The Christian of different confessions are discussing the news of the  past day and working out strategies for the next day sitting at the tables. It strengthens more and more my association between this hotel and a spiritual military basis where the divisions of God’s Army train, retreat and get ready to their fights. Before sleeping I pray and read the 1st Peter…

The rain season makes itself felt pouring out “the blessing” (namely so they perceive even a small drop from the sky!) on the fields and roof of the hotel.

I am falling asleep with the thoughts that the fight for human souls is going on here on the equator in quite a dynamic pace. Christ is at equator! Mzuri! ( Swahili – “good”).

Day No 3  
The corpses on the runway and get ready for the regular guard. Omnipresent Saddleback and beggars – micro terrorists. Dump of million people and extreme on my way towards Uganda.

Prayer. Alas, warm shower, 2nd epistle of Peter. We’re packing suitcases, I am thoroughly packing charged equipment –computer, camera, flip camera… – everything is in the backpack. And again I catch myself thinking it looks like Army service when I was getting ready for the regular guard.
 
Having our last breakfast in the hotel we had a surprise. It confirms my numerous observations that Christ is earnestly doing His business here at equator. Jana, a sister from Saddleback, good pal of Steve, is sitting at our table after joyous greetings. She has recently been to our children’s rehab center “Pilgrim” and participated in Crimean children’s camp we make annually. I am asking: “How did she find herself here?” Steve is answering with an ironic smile: “One day accidentally she came here with me!  The smile of the skilled missionary says a lot. Many times he saw people, who left their American comfortable world, having tasted the joy of ministry, took a strong liking of the missionary fields to the heart completely changing their priorities and lifestyle.  

This is exactly what happened to Jana. She came to Africa once and couldn’t forget it and so she is here again to fulfill His will and to spread His Kingdom! Literally for some years this little woman launched a great missionary work in Kenya having received a permission to minister in all, it seems, 83, prisons of the country. She is attached to Africa wholeheartedly and a group of children here have become almost like her family members. Permanently and thoroughly she cares for them beside her wide spread prison ministry.
  
Unexpectedly, she handed me a donation for our “Republic “Pilgrim” prepared in advance for our meeting. It was so unexpected to get in Africa the blessing for our orphanage! Yeah! Christ is at equator!

The next guide in our expedition is a local businessman, brother Stonik. He’s 43, but, to my mind, he looks way much younger like everybody here. He told me a story of Steve preaching on TV for the whole country 15 years ago when there was only one TV channel in Kenya. Ah, probably, this is a reason why everybody recognizes him here at every corner!

We’re going to the downtown of Nairobi where not so long ago Ben Laden tried his terrorist strategies for the first time, having exploded the American Embassy. Many people died in this terrorist attack and after it the US embassy moved from the downtown since it is hard to make a safety control from here.

Couple years ago the country was close to Civil War because of ethnic and political contradiction. We’re starting at night to the region where it actually started and led to thousands of victims. Fortunately, though a bit late but at least not so late as in Rwanda, the intervention of international community could prevent the catastrophe of national scale.

I am trying to calculate the percentage of Muzungu (white) in the capital. Denying complex sociological technologies I am starting calculating. The white skin is 187th after 186 black people. And it is in the very center of the capital! I wonder what will be in the west in small towns…

Shock! Real shock. The brothers took me to “Slum”. They call so the local ghetto where the poor live compactly. This slum is the biggest in Africa… they say they have something similar in SAR. In those barracks about 1 million people are in total mud and unimaginable need. It’s getting scary…  The architectural construction of this slum – hostels – strengthens realizing of catastrophe even more. Directly around those ruins there are quite decent houses with bars mentioned above. What makes me glad is that above the ruins and slums where millions of destinies are milled simultaneously, several roofs of church premises rise. Christ is even here! And it is the only thing that gives hope.

We’re starting to the airport to get to our main destination – Eldoret city. At the entrance I was expected by one more pleasant experience connected with the fact that Christ is here at equator. We met a couple from Saddleback Church! They were taken to Kenya by Steve like Jana one day. And this blessed couple of American businessmen suffered the same fate. They got “crazy” of the mission in Africa. And again and again Michelle and Michael Robinson fly here and do their charity in the sphere of agriculture.

Having landed in Eldoret I can’t stop thinking of those runways that were piled with corpses just 2 years ago. It’s hard to believe that in hatred to each other even in 21st century people can slide to the level of animals. But it is just what happened when local citizens decide to find the way out of the political conflict in the way of liquidating one of the local national group – kikuyu. Eye- witnesses told me that in those crucial days of the fight of politicians for the power in the country each car on its way to the airport was stopped dozens of times examining and searching for the political enemies. When found they were dragged out of cars and were immediately killed.   About 3000 people were murdered within several days. And the corpses were piled in to so called “Zero zone” – namely to this airport…

Regardless of external welfare you just want to get out of here as soon as possible. We are taking 2 cars and following each other start to Kitale town which is 2 hours from here and is located very close to Rwanda’s border. Terrible feeling. Total absence of pavement with huge pits on the road torn down into small pieces that adds to the total darkness special color. The shouts of drunken crowds and crazy drugged eyes of local inhabitants knocking at the windows of the cars it provokes adrenaline splash which is already out of scale. I feel like I am in a bad movie of thriller genre.
 
In two hours of terror we are approaching to Kitale. Steve rents a big house here with a big acre land which is one of the largest missionary headquarters in the region.

Spiritual children of Steve, refugees from Rwanda, are meeting us and hugging. They have been living in this house for awhile helping to their, in fact, adoptive father. I have become a witness of a pleasant scene of handing gifts to the kids. I get acquainted to them; write down their names because it is hard to rely on my memory taking into consideration that the faces here for our European eye are typical and standard. Hannah, Emmanuel, Julia and Leila – the youth introduces themselves and through the tiredness of the shocking day I try to get acquainted to the kids. Looking at the guys who were converted from Islam and had a lot of distress at their 18-20, I am trying to have some tea and not to fall asleep.
 
I can say just couple words of prayer before sleeping and of course – Mzuri Jesus! ( Swahili – thank you!)