Grandma's Letters From Africa: A Memoir: Driving through the lovely Taita Hills one last time

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Driving through the lovely Taita Hills one last time

Our final days of village living wound down and my thoughts centered on two things: (1) how eager I was to leave the Taita Hills and get on with life in a more civilized locale, and (2) Bwana and Mama Mwakodi’s extreme generosity despite their poverty. I will always remember how content they were with the little they did have. They had exhibited joy and kindness that material possessions could not add to or detract from.

And I will always remember the ways Bwana Mwakodi and his wife had shown us:

generosity that overwhelmed me,
patience with our frequent cluelessness about how to live in their culture,
grace upon grace, extended to us.

Nevertheless, living in their home felt awkward because of cultural and language differences. From the outset, I had counted the days until we could leave. During the final few days I even counted hours.

My thoughts went back to the first day of our three-month orientation. With only a vague idea of what to expect during the orientation, I knew I’d never experienced anything like it and that I’d need more strength, stamina, and tenacity—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—than I’d ever needed before.

For two years I had prayed, and prayed, and prayed, and psyched myself up for the orientation but, by the day of our departure, I still didn’t have a lot of confidence in myself.

Nevertheless, somehow (well, not somehow, but by God’s grace) my worries and doubts coexisted with faith that God would get me through if only I’d depend on Him and cooperate with Him.

The Bible says, “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength” (Isaiah 30:15, NKJV). I had told God I’d keep my mouth shut and take care of the quietness part if He’d take care of the confidence part.

So, armed with one very small chocolate bar and my friend Esther’s instructions on how to stare down a leopard, on September 9 Dave and I had set out on our three-month orientation, Kenya Safari. (From Grandma’s Letters from Africa, Chapter 1)

And then, when November 29 arrived,

I looked back with a soaring heart.

God had shown me His loving, strengthening,

calming presence every single day.

Indeed He showed that

He gives strength to the weary

and increases the power of the weak (Isaiah 40:29).

What a reason to rejoice!

That final day in the Taita Hills, I celebrated—I ate the last ragged square of my chocolate bar. (I had oh-so-carefully made that one little Cadbury’s bar last me through three months of stresses and surprises!)

We shook hands with Bwana and Mama. “Asante sana!” (thank you very much) we said, and we really meant it.

We climbed into The Pearl, waved goodbye, called out “Kwaherini!” (goodbye!), and then Dave motored down through the lovely Taita Hills for the last time.

(You might enjoy looking over a Google Map of the area: check out “Dembwa, Kenya” and “Wundanyi, Kenya.” Zoom out a little and see how close the Taita Hills are to Mt. Kilimanjaro!)

We gathered with our fellow trainees at Dembwa, the little village at the foot of the hills where that segment of our odyssey—the most demanding part of our orientation—had started.

The day we drove out of the Taita Hills was a happy, happy day for me, though I have only the best memories of our stay there.

The Taita people had shown us what it looked like to live as people after God’s own heart. (From Grandma’s Letters from Africa, Chapter 3)

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What others are saying about Grandma's Letters from Africa

Great stories, great humor, and real spiritual depth! (Susan Van Wynen, Director for Communication, Wycliffe International)

Grandma’s Letters from Africa is an engaging, memorable account of Linda’s years in Africa. It was a privilege for me to read over the shoulders of her granddaughters as Linda tells her story through a series of letters. Through both laughter and tears, she learns to balance her roles as missionary, wife, mother, and grandmother. In the process, Linda falls in love with Africa, its people, and her work. Readers will be moved by this compelling story that reveals God’s heart and extraordinary grace. (Bob Creson, President/CEO, Wycliffe USA)

No matter what age you are, Grandma’s Letters from Africa transports you to that intriguing continent and gives you a glimpse of everyday life there. Make sure you have a box of tissues nearby because sometimes you’ll cry and other times you’ll laugh until tears roll down your cheeks. One caveat: Don’t start reading this book late in the evening unless you want to stay up all night. It’s a “can't-put-down” book. (Aretta Loving, Author, Together We Can! and Slices of Life)

Grandparents and soon-to-be-grandparents, read this book and give a copy to all your grandchildren old enough to read. In it, you will discover how to leave a life-impacting legacy for the children of your children. You will laugh and cry your way through Linda’s four incredible years in Africa … away from her children and grandchildren, but connecting with them in powerful ways as she skillfully weaves a tapestry of how her life made a difference. (Don Parrott, President, The Finishers Project

Linda tells it like it is—she and her husband actually lived and experienced what she writes about. TIS recruits teachers for the mission field, including those over fifty, and Grandma’s Letters from Africa is a must-read for those potential teachers—even though many will never have the plethora of experiences Linda did. (Thom Votaw, Ed.D., President, Teachers In Service, Inc.)