Courage by Meshack Leina (This story has been slightly edited.)

Kelly was brought up in a traditional African family.  Her family did not believe in any “foreign” religion for they believed in the religion of their ancestors.

One day as Kelly was fetching firewood, she cam across a gathering  at the market center.  She stopped to find out what it was about and it turned out to be a Christian crusade.  As she listened to the evangelist preach, something inside her was moved by his words of love and Jesus.  When the altar call was made, she was among the first to respond and felt she had found her true salvation.

When she returned home she informed her family of her new found faith, but all did not go well.  Her father was angry and gave her a stern warning to either denounce her new faith or leave home for good.  Kelly chose to follow her new faith and as a result she was sent away from home.

The organizers of the crusade heard about her fate.  They were sympathetic and took her into their care.  She was taken into the leaders home and provided with an education and basic needs of food and clothes.  Her father was approached to accept his daughter back, but he refused.  Kelly was full of sorrow for her family and continued to pray that they would come to accept her and her new faith.

Years later, after she had completed her secondary education, she enrolled in a theological college and became a successful pastor.  She went back home and due to her persistent prayers for her family and faith in God, her father’s heart had softened.  He accepted her back and eventually, her family members converted to Christianity.  The saw the benefits of becoming Christians.

DAY SIXTEEN

Rose colored air, bird songs, the wide open planes of the Maasai Mara and roads of red dirt fill my senses,  while a family of baboons  compete for my brains attention.  I shut my eyes tight.  My first day on the Serengeti and I am unable to breathe through my nose.  My bones ache, I’m lightheaded and sweaty from the heat of a fever and all I want to do is curl up in bed and sleep.   Yet I’m bouncing around in a jeep, staring out the window as the Mara sprawls in front of me.  From this distance, everything appears still and silent, but as we drive down the red plank of dirt, I can’t take my eyes from two vulture, defying gravity as they hoover above something hiding under some brush.  I find them both appalling and beautiful.   The car creeps along, staying on the designated path until we reach the Mara river.

It is this river that draws the Wildebeests to their death as they slide down the steep riverbed slopes into the jaws of crocodiles.  but today, we are lucky, very lucky to see a family of elephants crossing.  After sitting for about a half hour watching the elephants, Emmanuel heads across the open plains to the herds of zebras and impalas.

It is a humbling experience, looking across the great savannah and sighting the animals that have roamed free for thousands of years.  The Maasai are also a part of the landscape, for this park allows them to continue to graze their cattle.

Although the animals have little interest in the jeeps that dot the landscape, we are on the lookout for a group of cars off in the distance, for they must have spotted something interesting.

Emmanuel is an expert spotter and he soon sees a lion scoping out a lioness, hidden behind a bush.  It’s difficult to make her out for she blends in so well with the colors of the land.  We are so close I could reach out my hand and touch her.  The urge to step out of the jeep comes over me.  Why, I can’t explain.  Perhaps it’s that the animals seem so dis-interested in us that I think they would ignore me.  When I say this aloud, Emmanuel turns his head slightly.  He seems not to be listening to me as he runs his hand over his head where it is shaved as is the tradition for Maasai men.  He takes his time to speak.  “Betty,” he says at last, his voice sounding weary, as if he has repeated this talk numerous times to the many people he has taken on safari, “the moment you put one foot out the door, the lion that appears so disinterested will pounce on you within seconds and will have torn your foot off.

I turn red and breathe out like I do when I’m embarrassed.

The late afternoon sun is casting a faint light across the landscape as we all watch the lion creep forward towards the lioness.

I am ready to crawl into bed and do so after we return to the hotel.  Linda orders me room service and I eat a bowl of vegetable soup as images of the animals I saw float through my mind.    I will dream of them, although I feel as if I have been in a dream all day.                     ,                                                                                                                                                                                           

by Tasur Muteyian Veronicah  (This essay has been slightly edited.)

I am one girl who is always moody.  I can decide to be happy or to be sad.  I can hate someone and I can show that I hate you by my facial expressions.  My big round and white eyes can make Mrs. Lucifer take to her heels. My eyes become bigger when I’m annoyed.

“Veronicah” is the name which I’m always referred to by cook, teachers and fellow students.  Any cook at my school will always know me first.  I really do not know the main reason.  Perhaps because of complaints.  I’m known for my complaints about little food.

There are some things that I hate and do not tolerate, but also there are good things I love.  Being called rude or stubborn is something I hate most in my life.  I prefer being called Miss Luicfer to being called rude and stubborn.  The other thing I hate is being accused of something I did not do.

In my life, I have undergone a lot of challenges at Sirua Aulo school.  I cannot tell you all the challenges because they are very many.  There is one that I will live to remember.  I vividly remember the day as if it were yesterday.

It was Saturday, 14th of July 2013 in the afternoon.  According to Sirua Aulo routines, we were supposed to go to the river and wash our clothes and also clean our bodies.  We were used to the school routine.  It was on this Saturday a girl by the name of Sheryl whispered to me.  “There are some girls gossiping about you.”

I was shocked.  Gossip is what I hate most and I went to the river angrily.  I could not talk to anyone.  This was unusual because I am always talkative.  My friends were curious.  As I told you earlier, I am always moody and was really annoyed.  I decided not to be silent and warned my fellow girls about their behaviour.

I became more emotional and began to fight with a suspect.  In our fight my fellow students began making a lot of noise which attracted our teacher.  We told her our cause of fighting.  When invetigations were found to be true, we were told it was “A dangerous stage called adolescence.”

It was in this stage I became involved with a boy.  I had been replying to his letters and was ashamed at what I had done.  I swear never to let the dangers of adolescence ruin my life.