I applied for a work visa! Up until now, I have heard that getting a work visa is a looooong, annoying process. But the new constitution that was voted on in July has supposedly made things cheaper and easier. Juma has been helping me with it though. He got me the application, and helped me fill it out. The only question I could answer was my name, and passport number. Literally. So I am thankful for his help!

I am officially here to write a children’s Bible curriculum and train others to use it. Which is what I started doing two weeks ago. The Bible course that I am doing through Paul and Jayne is an adult Bible study; so I have been editing it to gear it towards children – specifically between the ages of 6 and 16. It is a bit time consuming, and a bit challenging, but I love it! I really, really enjoy writing. And some friends have given me books to read, and so I am spending time reading and writing. I don’t think I’ve ever been more content in my...’work’ before. Well, I can’t classify reading as work, since I’m reading mostly just because I want to, but the writing is work. But it’s wonderful.

When I was in college (the first time) I had a music professor and an English professor tell me I should get into writing. I didn’t listen to either of them. Actually, I just dropped out instead. Ha. Anyway, years later, I realize that they kind of knew what they were talking about. But, God still uses people without degrees. Or people who have degrees, but not at all in the field they’re working in. It is very kind of Him to give me this opportunity, and to make me so content in the process.

On to a different subject…Wal-Mart. Now, I know lots of people don’t like that store because they’re trying to take over the world or something, but what people may not realize is that you can go to Wal-Mart, buy something, and that something will work. And if it happens to break, you can return it and get your money back! Or exchange it for something else that works! They let you do anything you want, and they try to make things nice for you! There’s customer service, even! In Kenya, if you buy something, and it breaks (which it will), you still have to pay for it. They usually don’t let you bring it back or exchange it. Plus, you have to go buy something else, hoping that that something else will work. Which it probably won’t. And then there’s the power. You have to pay for it, even though it goes out all the time. They don’t give you a discount on your bill when they shut it off just for the fun of it. Or when it rains and the power goes out. Or when the sun shines and the power goes out. They just make you pay. And then there’s the water. They pump when they want to. So if they don’t want to pump water, you just don’t have it. But, again, the bill never shows that you ran out of water 22 times in one month. And then there’s the internet. I’m thankful to have it when we have it, but sometimes it’s so bad, that we have to write down alllllll the days in a month when it wasn’t working, hoping to get a discount. Why would I pay for one month of internet, when we had it for about 15 days? That’s not fair. But it’s Africa. The way they treat people is just not kind. Especially each other. They steal, and manipulate, and over charge for junk, and they just don’t care that by doing those things, they are hurting others! I have learned to ask my Kenyan friends what I should pay for something that I am going to buy. This way, when I am over charged I know, and they won’t rip me off. They’ll still try, and argue and barter, but I give it all back. I don’t win every time, but more often than not, I do.

I’m not saying these things to complain, or to make anyone think that I think America (and Wal-Mart or Target, or any of those other amazing stores where you can by working products) is perfect. Any list that I could ever write of things in Kenya that could be worked on, I’m sure could be written about any and every other country. Maybe not the same exact types of things, but no country is perfect. I know America has its problems. But, man, there is still some sense of justice left. And at least if prices are inflated, everyone is paying that same price. They don’t look at your skin color and charge you based off of that. Sometimes, I am so overcharged here, that I actually laugh, out loud, at what they say something costs. Because I know it’s not true. And they’ll even laugh too. And then drop the price by like two cents. Thanks.

I’m a foreigner though. If they want to get stuff out of me, I can almost understand that. I mean, it’s not right, but I didn’t grow up here. They look at me, and they see a white woman. They think I’m rich. They want money. Whatever. Why they treat each other the way they do is beyond me. There’s a food crisis in northern Kenya. The Rift Valley has tons of food. But the food won’t make it 10 hours north because of corruption. It’s okay if someone dies, as long as someone else is making money in the process. Seriously, that’s what they think here. That’s the mentality of the leaders here. Life has such little value in Africa. They think, if you die, you die. Oh well. It happens. Out of all the things God created, He created mankind, human beings, in His own image. This is a big deal. He put all other created things under us. He told the people to rule the earth and the animals. God values human life so much that He sent Christ to die for us. You don’t die for something of no value. If something has no value, you throw it away. Lives here in Africa, just get thrown out. But God sent Jesus to show His care for people, and to give them value. Human life, above all else on this earth, is the most important part of creation. God loves us, God loves us, God loves us! And we are supposed to be like Him, since we are made like Him! The end of Ephesians chapter 3 says, ‘I pray that He may grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, and that the Messiah may dwell in your hearts through faith. I pray that you, being rooted and firmly established in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the length and width, height and depth of God’s love, and to know the Messiah’s love that surpasses knowledge, so you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think – according to the power that works in you – to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen. ’ The interesting thing is that Paul said he wished that they would be able to comprehend God and Jesus’ love…which surpasses knowledge. He wanted them to understand something that they could not understand. But, if we did understand the love of God more, how much better would we love people? Maybe we would value the life of another a whole lot more. Because of the value He put on us.

There you go. My thoughts on Wal-Mart and the value of human life. I’m going to go drink chocolate milk now. Thank you for reading.