YARNS--
Home Spun and True

By Steve Van Nattan

 


 

 

 
 

INTRODUCTORY BLATHER

Having passed the age of sixty, I have been told that I now have the right to indulge in reminiscence without apologizing. Thus, those of you who venture into this section of the Journal will have to tolerate my attitude if you please, and I hope that I can reward you in some small way with interesting stories of my past experiences. It sure beats having a "mid-life crisis."

The baboon in the picture looks very much like the ones who stole my mangos as I was growing up.  Hopefully, I have acquired a few more civilizing traits than this fellow, but I think he is very much in context on this page. They are almost as troublesome as the IRS.




Christ Jesus is due all credit for anything I may contribute to life. I shall not, however; make silly scenes of false humility. My life has been rather colorful at times, not because of my own cleverness, but because my Lord has graciously chosen for me a life trail which is rather fun to look back over.

Elizabeth is my good wife, and my class mate at RVA. She is consulted on these yarns since she was with me in most of them. We now live in eastern Tennessee. It is green, well salted by the Gospel, and hopelessly Laodicean. Churchianity prevails in most places. It is sad. Powerless-- our small rural county has 90 Baptist churches and is known as the nation's number one meth lab County.

We have web business selling piano related things by mail order.

Come by, and we will roast some Harrar coffee and boil the ibrik (Arab coffee pot), and we'll spin a yarn on the front porch. We have wog chai for those who appreciate it. Our tea comes from Ramash Patel in Knoxville-- special import quality, AND a bakshish thrown in. If you need it badly, we have wimbi on hand and can make up a pot for you. And, teff for you Ethiopians-- call ahead so we can get the leet aged properly.

For several years I have thought of gathering my experiences, along with those of my past friends, and writing a fiction of a missionary's kid as historical fiction. Forget it. Life is too busy to figure out the details. So, what follows is partly mine, partly yours, and partly someone else's.  

Someone once said, and it might have been me, "Don't look back when things are getting rough-- Look back when it is good now. The past will add peace to the moment at hand."

FORMAT: Please be patient. I shall also fail gloriously to keep things in chronological order. What fun would that be? So, in order for you to figure out when a given yarn took place, I give you a BIO PAGE TO BROWSE

Also, a more detailed BIO PAGE FOR THE JOURNAL

Enjoy.

Someone in the hut has the short-wave radio on.

Click on the door, say "Hodi,"wait to hear "karibuni," and you may enter and hear the Mwanza Town Choir singing. Enter with many Jambos and quiet kindnesses, and you will be invited to stay for chai and mandazi (fried corn fritters).

Mind your manners and be a blessing in any way, and I promise you, you will be invited to stay for ugali na kuku (corn meal mush and curried chicken.) If you hear a chicken out back squawking it is too late to decline-- your supper is already being prepared :-)

My Daddy recorded the
Mwanza Town Choir
in the 1970s. He played
the bass in those days.
Mwanza is a small sleepy
but industrious city at the
south tip of Lake Victoria
in Tanzania.

This man lived there, and this man still loves the music of the saints in Mwanza.

If my Lord let me live out the whole of his coming Messianic Kingdom in Tanzania, I would be happy for one thousand years.

Listen to the Mwanza Town Choir as you visit here.

 

 

 

 

YARNS OF STEVE VAN NATTAN

NEW- WALJI LOSES OUT TO HP PATEL

NEW- WALKING MY MONKEY

A MACHINE AND HALF A HOLE-- Life in Tennessee

THE AFRICAN ADVANTAGE--
An African view of White Race Sophistication
This article is finally complete

MY KEEPERS

MY DAD THE IMPROVISER

THE SEVEN CYLINDER PONTIAC-- Adventures with devils

AZIZ AND AKBAR-- Muslims who were not the enemy

THE STORY OF MOUNT LONGONOT-- My adventure with Bob Capen

BABOONS-- The Smartest Apes in the World

EGGS-- Buying them and tithing them

FETCHING THE MAIL--  Online browsers may load this one.

MERV ROSELL and the four ships

PAUL BEVERLY takes me on a bicycle ride.

RVA FOOD  Strange things-- Wonderful things

HAM BY MAIL  Or, The Ham that crawled in From the Cold.

BULL DOG, MUD FIGHTS, Dinky toys, nyabs, and hill climbing

PINCHING ANTS-- Keep moving

MY MOST SPACED OUT YARN

AFRICANS I HAVE KNOWN

 

BOOKS I HAVE READ

 

STEVE'S WEIRD TALES "COMING SOON"
You can see what is coming by the unfinished list below.

CHARLIE HESS-- Still being written
HUNTING HIPPO
HOW I WAS BORN AGAIN
YOU CAN FIX ANYTHING WITH BUNGIES
MUD, CHIKKA, MBUGA
MAKING A SHORT WAVE RADIO
FERRY BOATS-- SIMIU, RUGEZI, NYAMTAKUZA
SERENGETI VACATION
MZUNGU DINNER FOR THE PREFECTS
THE ROBIN WENTLY AND 1954
MWANZA
MAU MAU EMERGENCY IN KENYA- 1950s
MY CONTRIBUTION TO THE COLD WAR AT KIJABE
VENTURES TO THE HILL TOP
NAHASHON AND MWANGI
CHIPUKIZI
LIVINGSTON HOUSE, STANLEY HOUSE
SHEGE
BITIRU
BOREMA
DANNY KEIHU
 DR. GOBIZI
GEBRE MICHAEL
MARIO AT BEKELA MOLA'S RESORT
UHURU
NIGHT SCHOOL IN ELDORET
SAMMY KAMAU
BAPTISTS IN AFRICA
MWANZA MISSION HOME
FISH COURSE ON THE LAKE STEAMER / BEKELA MOLA FISH
AUGUSTA MANNING
1943 INDIAN
COMMUNION SERVICE AT MENNONITE GATHERING
MRS. MILLER DIPS SNUFF!
MY CANOE
MY DAY OF FAME ON ART LINKLETTER'S HOUSE PARTY
MY COOKING EXPLOITS- Shark stew, fried lettuce, egg fuu yung
MOTHER SYWALKA
YANKEE CRICKET
CROSSING A LIVE VOLCANO
TEA TIME AT KIDONG DORM
THE GUDGE
HIKING IN THE FOREST
HERB LION AND CARL ULINE PLAY A TRICK
ARTY DAVIS SEES A LEOPARD
FIELD DAY
RECIPE-  HIPPO FOOT
BWIRU COFFEE CALL
KIAMBOGO BUILDING
A WEASEL CHASE
CHIPPING ROCKS
SORTING CARROT AND CELERY SEED
HYENAS
SOME DAMNED FOOLS I HAVE KNOWN
(Damned by their own rebellion against the Gospel of Jesus Christ)
AMERICAN FLAG FLIES IN TANGANYIKA
KISUMU
SERGEANT MAJOR IN CHARGE
200 NECK TIES
WILHELM MAY KEEPS IT IN "ECONOMY GEAR"
BURNING FETISHES
HANS NYMAN RIDES A DONKEY
SIAFU-  ANTS IN YOUR PANTS
FRANK MANNING
INTERNATIONAL MISSIONS CLUB-- LONDON
NYC Automat
TRAVELING ON THE LAKE STEAMER
ENGLISH FULL COURSE DINNER AND OTHER STRANGE CUSTOMS
HOW TO EAT THE FISH COURSE FIVE TIMES
BARGAIN BANANAS
GOD'S KITTY SAVES MY DAD FROM A COBRA
BROTHER VAN GOES TO TOWN
CHECKING UP ON DOMINO PLAYERS
PREACHING IN THE OZARKS
DEACON JONES WAKES UP
KEY OPENS THE WAY
HILLTOP CAFE
NEWAYGO BIBLE SIGNS
WAR IN THE DONUT SHOP
FRED WHEAT
GREYHOUND BUS STATION-- SAN FRANCISCO
OLD MINE IN CALICO MOUNTAINS
SPIRITUAL WARFARE IN THE HIGH DESERT
AFRICAN FOOD VARIETIES
MIRACLE OF THE POWERED MILK
"THE HOOVER KIDS ARE NORMAL"
CRAIG POSEY RINGS THE BELL
DROUGHT IN AFRICA
PETER DIGS A DITCH AND TOPS A TREE
MARY'S FRIEND SAVES HER LIFE
ARABS AND KITANI
FORESTS GOD MADE--  KENYA HIGHLANDS, ARUSSI LAND, REDWOODS
RESTAURANTS I HAVE ENJOYED--

OMAR KHAYAM, VILLA VERDE, ADDIS ABABA RESTAURANT, CHUNG HUA, ITALIAN IN ASMARA, DEBRE BIRHAN, NAKURU TRUCK STOP, STAGS HEAD, LUNDIANI, NORFOLK, NEW STANLEY, FAIRVIEW, LINCOLN, U.S. EMBASSY, CEDARS OF LEBANON IN DEARBORN, BLUE NILE IN DETROIT, PALM IN BARSTOW, HILLTOP IN BAILEY, LION'S HOUSE IN LONDON, YE OLDE KING'S HEAD INN- WINDSOR, INTERNATIONAL HOUSE OF PANCAKES IN LA MIRADA, HUNAN IN LOS ANGELES CHINA TOWN, MA GANSIE'S IN KENTUCKY.

NO FAZER, NO MUZER, HUNGRY TODAY
RIDING THE BUS TO ADDIS
SHOPPING IN ETHIOPIA
BEKELA MOLA'S HOTELS
MR. SPEEDY'S TEA PARTIES
DECAMHARE SCHOOL DAYS
GOD SENDS A MAN TO PUT TRUSSES UP
TRAIN TRAVEL IN KENYA
ROAD BUILDING
RED TAPE IN AFRICA
THE KEFO
BUILDING A DAM
ZETEN BIR
JACK JOHNSON-- Pastor from N. Ireland to missionaries
ASMARA
"SOLD"
ITAKO AND AFRICA ISRAEL NINEVAH
SIMON STANDS TALL
DINI IN ELDORET
KIPKAREN CHURCH
KITALE CHURCH
DOWNTOWN ELDORET-- BANSAL, BAHARILAL, AZIZ AND AKBAR
C__________ SMITH REPENTS
CHRIS LEAVES THE ROMAN WHORE
NEWAYGO SIGN STORY
ETHIOPIAN DOCTOR IN GRINGO LAND
FIGHTING AN ADULT BOOKSTORE
"AND THE LORD GOD PLANTED A GARDEN..."
DEAD BODY IN THE MINE AND OTHER SPOOKY STUFF

 

ELIZABETH, MY WIFE, TELLS SOME OF HER OWN TALES:

POWERED MILK MIRACLE

 

LINKS:

Great Place to Eat Ethiopian food.

Another one in Colombus, Ohio

This made tears come as my mind went careening back with David's help

 

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