into the home. As she was showing me the rooms in her house, I
noticed in the children’s room that it was full of many toys of all
different kinds. For sure, American children love toys. Even the
way parents buy toys for their children can tell someone that they
are really trying to do their best to please their children.
As I was growing up as a young child, I never saw toys
throughout my childhood. I even never imagined there was some-
thing called a toy to be bought from a shop to play with. Either it is
because I lived in the country, where they never sold them, or it was
not a priority in my home.
Even my older siblings
never played with toys. All
that my parents could pro-
vide to make us happy was
food. It was, and still is, a
great blessing for most Af-
rican families to eat two
meals a day. Truly, it is a
blessing to be born an
American child. Most of
the American children do
not know what it means to
go hungry or to starve.
I can remember when I was about eight years old we used to
herd cattle in the fields and mountains. At times we enjoyed bull
fighting and always made them fight. I considered myself a hero
when our bull fought and chased another bull. It was fun. That is
when we made our own bull toys. We made them using clay and
let them dry in the hot sun. Then when they had dried and became
hard, we played bull fighting with them. Those were our only
toys. Esther, who has visited us, knows that most of the children
here do no know what toys are, or even how to play with them.
Those who are at the Center are lucky because they have received
toys from their sponsors and have learned to play.
Tim Kritzell does a lot of physical fitness and every day, re-
turning from work, he goes for the exercise and practice. My
country (Kenya) produces the best long distant runners in the
world and in my discussion with Tim, I found he knows the ma-
jority of the runners from Kenya. I thought he is also a long dis-
tance American runner. He is a very interesting man.
From this home, we went to Larry’s and Vicki’s home, which
is not very far from Tim’s. Larry is jovial and loving, and very much
welcoming. I think that is why he looks younger than his age. When
I first saw him, I thought he was in his late forties. When he told me
how old he is, I couldn’t believe it. He is truly a very interesting
man. We truly had a happy time in his home. While there, I saw the
love that Larry has for Vicki and she for him. In fact, they speak of it
openly. I was truly blessed to visit this family.
To the Funeral
From Vicki’s home, we headed for the funeral of Marshal J.
Harvey in Michigan. We went and booked rooms in a motel.
There we met several family members who had come for the fu-
neral. In the same motel, we stayed with Esther’s daughters and
their husbands and the sons and their wives, and all the children.
Unlike Africa, America is a continent where relatives hardly
meet. The only occasion which brings them together, is a time of
death or organized family reunion. I’m sure they were happy to
be together even at such a difficult time.
We went for viewing of the body. The place was about
twenty minutes’ drive from the motel. It is called a funeral home.
Actually it was my first time visiting a funeral home. It is one of
the cleanest places I have ever visited. I tend to think that they
probably charge a lot of money for caring for the body. The
rooms were big and very clean, with chairs enough for mourners.
To date, I’m still wondering why M.J.’s body was not taken
back to his home for viewing and burial, a practice which is the or-
der in Africa. Things are done differently in this world. Another
thing I expected when we were going for the funeral was to see
people wailing and running all over, to show how touched they
were. That is always the trend in Africa. I also expected to meet at
least three hundred people. That was not the case. I’m sure those
who were there could hardly reach sixty. I concluded that the rea-
son could be because, unlike Africa, American families do live all
over the continent and traveling at times is also expensive.
The casket (coffin) looked very expensive. It was so beautiful I
wished it were mine. Later on I thought that surely, why should the
remains of my dead body be put in a very expensive coffin in the
name of “paying last respect” to me? I expect people to respect me
while I am still alive and not my dead body. The only similarity I re-
alized was during the time of speeches. Even here in Africa, people
tend to praise the dead and heap a lot of praises that make the dead
look like someone who lived like an angel. I like it, but to some ex-
tent it is deceiving to the living.
I know of an African witchcraft (witchdoctor) that before he
died, confessed of having been responsible for the death of over
sixty-two people by bewitching them. Everybody knew he was
evil and people feared him and wished him dead. Even children
feared him and cursed him. Nobody wanted him alive because he
was dangerous. But when he died, people made very beautiful
speeches. He was praised
to have been a good farmer
who grew cotton and em-
ployed people in his farm.
He was praised to be
someone who welcomed
strangers in his home and
gave them food. The presi-
dent sent a message of
condolence praising him
to be one of the freedom
fighters that fought the co-
lonial rule. People wailed
and said that death had robbed us of a very good and important
man. Yet, he killed the innocent. Several children are orphans be-
cause of him. This African type of wailing is sometimes deceptive.
Some of it is just crocodile’s tears. I know that is not the case in
America. It is a continent where people are just so sincere in what-
ever they say. Truly M.J. was a good man. I heard it from his chil-
dren, and all those who spoke. We hope to meet him in glory.
Then came the burial day. I was shocked. We had gone to
bury him but he was not buried. They just lowered the body and
left the grave open. The Pastor prayed and people left. I was truly
shocked. I wonder if they later buried the body. Who did it? In
the presence of whom? How sure is the family that the actual
burial took place yet they never witnessed?
It is hard for me to believe that it was later buried. In some
parts of Africa, if you do a mistake of leaving the body that way,
-7-
Josiah Beachy, Elijah Kritzell and
Rebekah Beachy play with toys at
the Kritzells during Maurice’s visit.
Maurice attends the graveside
service of Marshal J. Harvey, Jr.
