Visitors From Germany

KELC was blessed with the presence of 11 visitors from  partner church district in Rantzau-Muensterdorf, Germany. The Visitors stayed in Kenya for two weeks in the month of October. Rev. Thorsten Pachnicke, the district pastor, headed the delegation. The group visited various tourists spots of interest in Kenya during their first week before dividing into smaller groups to make home visits in three of KELC’s parishes: Malindi, Mombasa, and Taveta. The Malindi group, which was hosted by Rev. Luke Mwololo, comprised Pastor Pachnicke, Cornelia Epha, Karen Meranis, and Natalie Lux. The Mombasa group, hosted by Rev. Phares Kiwanza, comprised Torsten Krall, Malin Seeland, and Hinrike Thomas. The Taveta group, hosted by Rev. Peter Mnene, comprised Sigrid Krause, Stefanie Elsasser, Birgit Kreutzfeld, and Waltraut Sachau.

The visit ended with a KELC Leadership seminar in Malindi sponsored by the Rantzau-Muensterdorf District. The agenda of the meeting consisted of local business (School Fees, Food Relief, Appraisal, Jubilee Insurance Pension Scheme Briefing, and Loans through Biblia SACCO); Church and Money presentation by Pastor Pachnicke; Faith and Public presentation by Natalie Lux, Public Relations Director for Rantzau-Muensterdorf District; Climate and Justice presentation by Saleem Chehe, Kipepeo Butterfly Project; and Marriage and Divorce presentation by Rev. Gideon Mang’oko. All presentations except the Faith and Public were followed by small group discussion. The Faith and Public presentation was followed by a plenary discussion on Mrs. Lux’s conclusion: Faith in Germany is private, whereas faith in Kenya is public.

At  the conclusion of the  Leadership seminar the visitor were treated with a farewell feast. The Germans prepared German dishes, and Kenyans joined them in the kitchen to prepare Kenyan dishes. The German food included frikadelli (meatballs); boiled potatoes; boiled carrots; fresh tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions; and creamed green beans. Kenyan fare included pilau, kimanga (Pokoma dish of mashed bananas and potatoes), and samosas. A skit on Maasai marriage rounded out the evening, with the German guests joining in on the marriage dance.

Bishop Kahuthu joined the guests for a final dinner at Dorcas Multipurpose House in Nairobi on their last day (23rd October, 2009) in Kenya for a farewell meal before they flew back to Germany the following day.  They left with fond memories and built relationships and stronger ties with KELC.