Teach Me To Rest

All that God has Done

2012-01-10T12:25:00.002-05:00

I was reading 1 Chronicles 16 yesterday. Most of the chapter is giving thanks to God, because Israel had just received the ark back, and it says in verse 7, ‘That was the day that David inaugurated regular worship of praise to God…’ David’s first response to having the ark put in the tent he had put up for the ark, was to worship and thank God for all He had done. I’ve been home for a couple weeks from Kenya, and looking back on the 7 months I was there, I have so much to be thankful for. I won’t write a beautiful poem of thanks to God the way David did (because I’m not as artsy as that), but I will share with everyone what God has done. You’re already familiar with these things if you’ve been reading my blog, but I want to list them. I don’t want to forget.

The very first Sunday that I saw Daniel (Juma) and Anastasia when I got back to Kenya, we talked for a couple hours. They told me how they had ideas to become completely self-sufficient. They didn’t want to have to rely on donors anymore to send their kids to school, to feed their family, and for other needs that they had. They had a five year plan to look for land, start growing food on it, and over time, buy it so they could then move onto it. They wanted land big enough to raise their family on and support all their needs.

Within just a couple of months, one of Juma’s friends told him he was selling a piece of property just outside of town, about a 10 minute drive from where the Juma family was living. It was a farm, bigger than the property they had been living on, between 4-5 acres of land. They made an agreement, and they switched property so Juma only had to pay the balance that was left. A couple more months later the Juma family finally moved on to it; and they were happy! It was so much bigger, so that means it was a lot more work to take care of, but no one seemed to mind! They were happy to have land big enough for their animals, and land big enough to grow their food.

When they first moved onto the land, Juma said he was trusting God to provide for the balance they had left to pay. They had a few months to pay, but when the time came, Juma didn’t have all the money they needed. And the previous owner threatened to take away the land. Juma called me and asked to meet with me. He told me the whole story and he asked me to pray. So I came home and asked my family and their church to pray too. Within a week, so many people from the church had given to the Juma family, that they were able to pay off the land in full. Juma and his wife had a five year plan. God took care of it in seven months. This family was blown away by God’s incredible blessings, and it’s teaching me to trust in God’s timing for all things. They paid off the land, in full, a few days before I left. It was an incredible thing to see!

Another thing that God did in seven months, that I thought would take years, if it happened at all, was that Juma started using the Bible course I had given him to start discipling a young man from his area. Before I even went to Kenya last year, I had always wanted the Bible course that Paul and Jayne had written to be used there. It was written for the African culture, and they respond well to it. Last year, when I met Juma, I was talking about it and he was very interested in it. I ended up giving him the Bible study, and he has continued in it, and really enjoys going through it. I never told him that I wanted to see him teach it to others someday. But that was a huge goal that I had; that a Kenyan would use this to teach other Kenyans, and that discipleship would spread that way. I prayed about it, but again, I never told Juma that was a goal that I had. He is so busy I never thought he could find the time to add something like that into his schedule. I don’t know that I ever would have asked him to do it. But God did it. Juma even has other young people in mind to go through this course with, and I pray that God will continue spreading His word through all the people who are changed by it, and that true disciples are raised up in Kenya. Personally, that is what made me the happiest. I really thought it would take years for something like that to happen, and I had absolutely no idea how to go about having Kenyans teach through this course. I didn’t know how to set something like that up, how to approach it, how to make people interested in it. And God did it all, in seven months. Juma told me about this a few weeks before I left.

Another blessing for the Juma family came in the form of a couple other missionary families partnering with them to start home churches. Every Sunday, I went to the Juma home for church. Juma kept his kids at home, and he taught them there (churches and pastors in Kenya are incredibly corrupt, so they started church in their home a couple years ago). I have no idea why, and I don’t know that I’ll ever understand it, but they really, really liked me being with them on Sundays. They kept saying I was the only white person who would do something like that, but they were my Kenyan family. So I was with them. When I decided to come home, I was hoping that wouldn’t be a discouragement for them. And then Juma told me that two missionary families who want to start home churches, went to him to ask him what he did, and if he’d be willing to partner with them and help them out. And then on some Sundays, they could all meet together. Juma was so encouraged and thankful for this! And it was even an encouragement to me, to see other people wanting to follow his example, and walk alongside him. Juma told me about this a few weeks before I left, also.

I also had to the chance to give my friend Caroline the first few books of the Bible course that I had started editing for children. She has an eight-year-old, and she said she wanted to go through it with him. I have no idea what will come of that, and if she really will, but I was happy to give it to her the day before I left!

I went to Kenya thinking I’d be there for a really, really long time. I wanted to get people into the Bible course I was doing, and I thought that would take forever. And in the first six months, I didn’t see anything happening. I actually spent my first couple of months digging and planting in my garden, and helping Betsy with the girls in the internship program. Then I spent the last few months writing and editing the Bible course for children. And none of those things really had much to do with Kenya. I enjoyed my time with the girls a lot; it reminded me of when I had discipled a couple girls in Washington when I was living there, and I loved it. But it had nothing to do with Kenya. The girls were American girls. Then I started writing, and I thought God really brought me all the way to Kenya to write? Because I can write anywhere. And then after six months, I decided to come back home because God made that clear to me. And then in the last three weeks of my trip, God just did so much that my head was spinning, and I came home so thankful that God has much bigger, better plans than I could even imagine. We have a big, big God. We really can’t comprehend Him. What I thought would take years, God was willing and able to do in months; and He definitely did more than I was expecting, too. I didn’t even know till I got to Kenya that the Juma family wanted to move, and I had no idea I’d end up starting to edit the Bible course for children and actually give the material to someone. It’s like God brought me to Kenya, just to watch Him work and show His great power, and then He brought me back home. Why don’t we expect much more than we do of our Almighty God? He is capable, and He is willing.

1 Chronicles 16:8 – 37:
‘Give thanks to the LORD; call on His name; proclaim His deeds among the peoples. Sing to Him; sing praise to Him; tell about all His wonderful works! Honor His holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. Search for the LORD and for His strength; seek His face always. Remember the wonderful works He has done, His wonders, and the judgments He has pronounced, you offspring of Israel His servant, Jacob’s descendants--His chosen ones. He is the LORD our God; His judgments govern the whole earth. Remember His covenant forever--the promise He ordained for a thousand generations, the covenant He made with Abraham, swore to Isaac, and confirmed to Jacob as a decree, and to Israel as an everlasting covenant: “I will give the land of Canaan to you as your inherited portion.” When they were few in number, very few indeed, and temporary residents in Canaan wandering from nation to nation and from one kingdom to another, He allowed no one to oppress them; He rebuked kings on their behalf: “Do not touch My anointed ones or harm My prophets.” Sing to the LORD, all the earth. Proclaim His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations, His wonderful works among all peoples. For the LORD is great and is highly praised; He is feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the LORD made the heavens. Splendor and majesty are before Him; strength and joy are in His place. Ascribe to the LORD, families of the peoples, ascribe to the LORD glory and strength. Ascribe to the LORD the glory of His name; bring an offering and come before Him. Worship the LORD in the splendor of His holiness; tremble before Him, all the earth. The world is firmly established; it cannot be shaken. Let the heavens be glad and the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, “The LORD is King!” Let the sea and everything in it resound; let the fields and all that is in them exult. Then the trees of the forest will shout for joy before the LORD, for He is coming to judge the earth. Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; His faithful love endures forever. And say: “Save us, God of our salvation; gather us and rescue us from the nations so that we may give thanks to Your holy name and rejoice in Your praise. May the LORD, the God of Israel, be praised from everlasting to everlasting.” Then all the people said, “Amen” and “Praise the LORD.”’

Rain, and America and Such

2011-12-05T18:00:00.002-05:00

So, it’s been raining lately way more than it does even during the rainy season. Typically rain starts in April, and then the heavy, daily rains come in June or July. Then it’s usually very hot and dry starting in November. This year, the rainy season was normal. But in November it started to get way worse. For weeks it’s been mostly raining, and the sun hasn’t been out much.

Rain is a really tricky thing here. You’d think it would always be a good thing, because rain means food. But if the rains start too early, when people are just beginning to plant things, the rain will wash away the seeds, or kill plants when they start to come up because they’re too little to handle the really hard rains. If the rain starts too late, things shrivel up and die because of the hot sun. It basically has to rain a perfect amount, and not too hard, for food to grow well.

People start harvesting corn, beans and lots of other things around October/November, which is the perfect time because that’s when the dry season starts. Once they harvest everything, they lay it out to dry, and then live off of that for the rest of the year. Since the dry season this year turned into a more wet season than the actual wet season was, food has started to rot. The sun has not been out enough for things to dry, the ground has stayed wet, and then people lose potatoes, onions, corn, beans, and lots of other stuff that they need dried. Even the Juma’s had to sell all of the corn they just harvested because it was starting to rot (that sounds mean that they would sell it, but let me explain). They had harvested enough for a year, but if they kept it all for a year, it would have just gone bad. But if they sell a little to families who need it and can use it right away, it’ll be used before it goes bad. Anyway, they had to sell all theirs, and then buy corn that was already dried.

Another thing is that rain affects everything here. Because most people walk or bike around, when it rains, they have to stop and find shelter. That means that all the women who sell things in the markets (a lot of the markets are open air – there’s no shelter) have to find tarps to cover everything, and then go find shelter. So they’re not making money, because no one is walking around. And because the markets are just big, open…dirt areas, it turns into a mud pit after the rain stops. Which makes walking around really difficult and horribly messy (do you know mud is about as slippery as ice? – I never knew that till I got here and had to walk in it – or saw cars sliding down roads just like they had hit a patch of ice). Anyway, when you go through town when it’s raining, everyone is just lined up under any kind of roof that they can find. They stand there and wait. And wait. And wait.

It’s so weird because in America, rain stops nothing. If you need to go to a store, you get in your car and just go (while complaining that you have to walk all the way to your car from your house, or all the way from the parking lot to the store entrance in the rain – I do this, I’m assuming others do too?). Or, if you’re doing laundry it’s okay, because you’re in your house using a machine. And then you stick your clothes in the dryer, and they get dry! You don’t even have to think about what’s going on outside. If you want to make dinner, you make it, because, again, you’re under a roof. Here, the laundry stops, and you run around like mad trying to take in the laundry that’s already hanging up and getting wetter from the rain. The cooking stops (most people have their ‘kitchens’ outside here – they don’t cook inside because they don’t have stoves – they start fires outside and just cook over that). Life literally comes to a halt. I see this because, unfortunately, I am bad at timing when the rain is going to start, and I get stuck on piki piki’s on my way to town, or in the middle of my jogs, more often than I wish to admit.

Side story…the other day I was going from Juma’s to town on a piki piki (motorbike). I truly thought I could make it to town before the rain started, and I really needed to go to the store. So I told Elisha (the driver) to just keep going and not to take me home. But it started down pouring about 3 minutes before I got to the store. So, in those three minutes, I was drenched. My hair was matted to my head and dripping. My jeans were wet through the front. My shoes were a mess, and my legs had mud splashed up them. I had to walk into the store through a crowd of people who were just waiting there for the rain to stop. And I heard one guy go, ‘Whoa mzungu’ as everyone else just stared at me. Now, I get stared at a lot here because I’m white. But everyone in the store wasn’t just staring; they’d actually slow down their walking and turn their heads to look at me. I know I looked ridiculous, but really. I didn’t do it on purpose. I was very cold too.

Back to the real issue with rain…it’s just sad to see rain start to ruin food when so many people have a hard time getting food here. And Kenyans have been saying that this kind of rain at this time of year means a drought is coming next year. So, right now, food is rotting, while next year, there may be no food?

This makes me think of how every single aspect of life is harder here in Kenya. Rain makes for a very muddy, uncomfortable, cold messy life. Especially for those moms who have little ones, running around in the mud. Then they have to wash all those muddy clothes by hand, if the sun happens to come out. It takes hours to prepare food here. Nothing is packaged. You make everything from scratch. If you want cheap beans for dinner, you grow them yourself, you beat them out of their shells, you dry them, you sort through them...and then you cook them. You do that with most food that you don’t want to buy at the stores. Nothing is simple or easy for the people here. Nothing. I look at all the work they have to do to simply live, and I think I complain for them. I mean, people here still have to go find water! There are many who don’t even have a water source on their property, never mind in their house…or hut, or whatever they’re living in. They walk everywhere, so things take much, much longer. The sun makes work so hot and miserable, and the rain makes work impossible. But they all just go on living, not complaining, not even trying to change anything. They have a contentment that is almost non-existent in America, but I think they’re too content. They don’t think to change things or make things better. Like, there were these men unloading huge bags of maize flour at a grocery store. They were at least the 150 kg bags, which is over 300 lbs. There were two men in the bed of a truck, they’d lift up a bag of flour, put it on one guy’s shoulders, and that guy would walk up the flight of stairs into the store, then walk up two huge flights of stairs to put it into their storehouse. So, they unloaded one bag at a time like that. Now, if they had a dolly, and a ramp, they could just pile up the bags and push them. But they don’t. They break their backs over bags of flour. And then there’s America.

America is not a different culture, it is truly like a whole different world. Everything has to be perfect, everyone always wants things to be better or faster. That’s not bad, but when you have that kind of mindset, you’ll get upset and discontent over little things that really don’t matter. Kenya and America are such polar opposites that it’s just…confusing. I can’t reconcile how the guards who work on my compound, make $35 - $40 a month, after working 12 hour shifts, full time. But I made $30 for a half hour piano lesson in Washington State when I lived there. I made that amount because that’s what was normal. And the guards here make that amount, because that is what is normal. But I don’t get it, I just don’t understand. It’s very, very strange to think about. People here are content in their $6 - $8 dollar a month rental ‘house’ (concrete structure with no running water), while people in the States are discontent in what is a mansion compared to houses here. But both are wrong! Why are people here in Kenya content to live in such...horrible conditions, sending their kids to work instead of school, selling their own bodies instead of things you can make, letting everyone and everything oppress them till they become accustomed to submitting to all kinds of absolute and horrible injustice? And why do Americans (like me) complain all the time, when they have machines that do their laundry and dishes, and when they can buy food that comes in a package, and when they have a job so that they don’t have to eat out of the trash? What is wrong with this world? It makes no sense, except for when you read the Bible, and you see that sin has screwed everything up.

When I came home from my first trip to Kenya, a friend asked me if I could do anything, all reality aside, what would I do. I said I’d be a missionary. I was such an idiot. See, I had been in Kenya for two months. Everything was new to me, so I just followed other people around, and saw them save orphans, and give out food and do all this stuff, which I thought was really cool (and I still think that’s cool). It actually seemed kind of glamorous. But I wasn’t here long enough to really understand things. Because sometimes, living in a foreign country is the exact opposite of glamorous. Not every moment is some climactic scene that could be made into a movie. I got an email from a good friend today, who reminded me that, so often, we want to live like that. We expect or wait for something big to happen, and get bored when we just have to live through the normal daily grind. And living in Africa can definitely be boring. Sometimes it means sitting in your house for days on end while it pours outside. Sometimes it means laying in bed for days because you get weird sicknesses, and you can’t even think straight, so you can’t get anything done. Sometimes it means seeing a kid get beat on the streets, or children high from sniffing glue. Sometimes it means seeing an eleven-year-old with her baby on her back. Sometimes it means being misunderstood by a culture that doesn’t understand you, or misunderstanding a culture because you don’t understand them. Sometimes it means being misunderstood by other white people, because you don’t do everything the way they would do it. Sometimes it sucks.

Then sometimes, you go to an orphanage, and you literally see hundreds of lives that would not be around, had it not been for God putting someone in their lives to love and care for them. You see God’s grace in situations that seem to be without hope. You see prayers answered. You see a family take in tons of children from the streets, and then you see God transform their lives and provide for every single one of them. You see God provide in almost unbelievable ways. You see God’s faithfulness, you see God’s power, you see God’s justice, you see God just never giving up on His children. You see God working in ways that you’re not used to, because you’re in a strange and unfamiliar place, but God is still at work, here and everywhere. He’s got it all under control.

Plans Change

2011-11-25T12:18:00.002-05:00

I think some people may be confused or have questions as to why I am leaving Kenya so much earlier than planned. This is the story…

When I got here, it was great to be back, because Kenya has given me some sense of home over the past few years. And as soon as I got back, I jumped into all the work that the house needed. The house Betsy and I moved into needed a lot of work. It was time consuming, but fun to paint everything, get the house set up, and even dig up our huge shamba in the back yard. I stayed busy with these things because I didn’t know what else to do. Other than being with the Juma family a few times a week, which really wasn’t all that time consuming, I literally didn’t know what to do. So after a couple months, when the house was set up and the shamba was looking better, that’s when I decided to work on writing the children’s Bible course that I’ve had in mind to do over the past few years. That kept me busy and helped me have a focus, and thankfully, I really enjoy the work. When I said in my past posts that I’m content in the work here, I did really mean that. I am loving editing Paul’s notes and re-writing his notes for children. But that has nothing to do with living in Kenya. I can write anywhere that I have a power source for my laptop.

When I started to really focus on writing, I kept thinking, ‘I came all the way to Kenya to write?’ I thought I’d be doing a little more than that. Of course being with the Juma family does require me to be in Kenya, since that is where they live, but writing is what I was really focusing on consistently. And others even asked me why I needed to be in Kenya to write. I’d always say that living here in this culture would help me write more appropriately for this culture. Which was true. Kind of. Except that I send all of my notes to my Swahili teacher anyway, and he lets me know if it’s understandable, or if I need to change something for this culture. It was just an answer that I threw out, because I didn’t know what else to say.

And then, not even three months into my stay, I started having a really hard time with the thought of saying bye to the many people who come through here. There are a lot of missions teams that travel through this area, so you meet lots of people and become friends with them, just to say bye to them over, and over, and over again. Which made me feel more and more alone. I started questioning how long I could handle that.

Then I started to feel guilty. I’d think that I came here for the Juma family, so it didn’t matter how I felt. Sometimes you have to be alone, and you have to deal with it. I thought I was being a wimp, and very selfish, so I didn’t mention to anyone how hard things were getting. Lots of people have done much harder things than this, and I know that.

Now, let me say, I do love the Juma family. I know I’m not ‘alone’ when I’m with them. But when you are the only one to walk into someone else’s family, culture, and whole little world, you do feel incredibly alone, regardless of how wonderful they are. After six months, I can still have only short conversations with most of their children, because I speak very little Swahili and they speak very little English. I know these things take time, and that’s okay. But I ignored all the thoughts and doubts I was having about how long I could live here, because at least I did have a good friend that I lived with. So, no matter how awkward, uncomfortable, or annoying the day was, I could come home and talk about things with a friend…and we definitely talked all the time about how strange Kenya is to us. Beautiful at times, but always, always strange to us.

I did pretty well ignoring things for a couple months, thinking that everything would pass and I’d be fine again. Then Betsy left a little earlier than planned, and also decided not to come back (which I support and thought was a wise decision of hers). When she left, I stopped being able to ignore things.

I talked with my parents and with Paul, and they all encouraged me to be honest with God; to tell Him how I really felt, and even tell Him I didn’t know how long I could handle this. Even more honestly, I told Him I didn’t have a desire to handle this anymore.

I had come here thinking I was going to live here for a really long time. I did not take into account what it would be like to kind of live alone in a new culture, and a culture where men are just mostly horrible all of the time. I did not take into account that Christ sent His disciples out two by two. That two are stronger than one. That Paul (Bible Paul) seemed to always travel with a companion, or even a group of people on his missionary trips. I thought I’d be fine alone. It took not even three months for me to see that is not the case. I just didn’t tell anyone right away. I really thought it would get easier, not harder.

So I spent two weeks crying (it doesn't take much to make me cry, no worries) and praying. It took a lot for me to admit I didn’t want to be in this situation anymore. And I didn’t know what God was going to do, but I just kept praying. My mom suggested going home in June for a visit. The lease on my house in Kenya was supposed to be up in June, and I had a friend to stay with at home in June. Then the thought of staying here all the way till June started to horrify me, so I told God that I would go home whenever He told me to. Like I said in the email I sent out, I woke up one morning praying that God would actually tell me. I literally prayed that prayer for hours. I was sitting in the lab in town waiting for my malaria results for an hour with that prayer going through my mind like a song that you put on repeat. I came back home and I was still praying (and thinking at the same time ‘how is God going to tell me when to go home?’). Then my phone rang in the early afternoon with the guy who leases my house saying the lease would be up January 1st. I was shocked and confused (I had just talked to him about the house and was sure we had it till June) but so relieved. I know it sounds weird to say that I was relieved after just finding out I would have no house in about six weeks, but I knew this was God working. I was excited the whole day, because, as one of my friends said, I prayed and God called me on the phone. Well, it wasn’t actually God on the phone, but it was an answer from Him in a phone call. I knew I was leaving around January 1st. That’s a pretty precise answer. But that night it did hit me that I didn’t really have a home anywhere. I don’t have a house or apartment in the States anymore, I got rid of everything except some clothes and some things friends have given me. I don’t have much, but I had a clear answer from God. So after crying myself to sleep that night (I know, I know, I’ve always been a weeper), God has just been reminding me how faithful He is, how wise He is, and that it doesn’t matter if I am confused, I just need to hear His voice and obey. He has truly led me in the past and will continue to do so.

I’m 28 and have been able to do so many things, meet so many people and go to so many places! He’s been reminding me to be thankful for all these crazy opportunities, all the homes I do have spread over the world (I’m thinking home is just where loved ones are – there’s Massachusetts (or New England in general), Pennsylvania, California, South Africa, Kenya, and all the other states in America where I have friends). It’s chaotic, but really neat. It makes for some interesting stories. Rather than be worried about what I don’t know regarding my future, I can be thankful for all that God has done. He is a very good, very big God. He’s full of surprises.

Knowing I was going home meant I had to tell the Juma family. That was unpleasant. I think they understood to an extent why I was leaving, but they want me to stay, or to come back here to live in the near future. I didn’t even know how to respond to that. But their oldest son seemed to understand the most. That God is doing something, and it’s okay if it looks different than what was planned. I’ve just started thinking that since the Juma’s want to be totally self sufficient, maybe it’s good for them I’m leaving. Maybe the less white people they see, the more of God they’ll see. They really do trust in Him for everything, and if you ask them how they raise such a big family, they always say they don’t, but God does. Maybe this will help them to believe that even more. But there is a genuine love there between us, and so I have assured them that I will keep in touch and continue to support them in any way I can. I hope others back home will continue to do so also. Just because I’m leaving, the helping does not have to stop.

Also, I never doubted coming here. I just started to doubt how long I could stay here. God made it clear to come here when He provided a house and a friend to live with. But He took those things back, and that’s okay.

On to more important things…the other day my friend Caroline, the wonderful girl who does laundry and does some other house things, was sitting with me outside. I had my Bible on the table and she picked it up, found a verse in John, and read it to me. She said her pastor had spoken on it, and it was all about how we need to know who Jesus is because He is the only way (to the Father). She goes to a Catholic church, so I was surprised how much she was talking about needing Jesus. So, of course, I agreed with her. He’s all we need.

For a while, I’ve thought about going through the kids’ notes with her. She’d understand that version much better than the adult version because of the language barrier, and she also has a son. I’ve been praying for a long time, that at the right time, something would happen there. But then I decided to leave, and I had never talked to her about the notes. If you ask a Kenyan if they want something, they’ll say yes, just to be polite. If you ask them to do something, they’ll say yes, just to be polite. I don’t want to treat the Bible or Caroline like that. So, there never seemed to be an opportunity to talk about it until the other day when she started talking about the Bible to me. So I brought up the notes. I showed her the adult version and told her I was re-writing it for children. I said I’d print out the notes I have so far and leave them with her, so she could go through it with Linus, her son, whenever she wanted. I also told her that as I continue writing them, I send them to Juma. So he would always have the notes available for her. She agreed to that, but she actually seemed interested. I didn’t feel like I was pushing her into something. I am going to print the soon and get her started! And I pray she’ll continue on. God does things at the strangest times, but it’s so good :)

As I also said in my last email, I will continue to work on writing these notes for children, no matter where I am. That has been on my heart for years, and maybe God brought me here (partly) to start working on them. I wouldn’t have started if I was at home; I would have been too busy. I was actually planning on writing it when I was like 70, and had nothing else to do. But it turns out God brought me to Africa for a little while, and I had nothing else to do. So I’ve started and I’ll continue till I finish.

I’m relieved to be going home. I can’t stop thinking about December 23rd. I cannot wait to hug my family, and to visit family that’s spread out all over, to be with my nieces, nephews and friends, to play the piano, and, that’s right, to get a little Dunkin’ Donuts coffee. America really does run on Dunkin’. I should get some percentage of their income for that advertisement on my blog…

Thanks again for your prayers, support, encouragement and emails. It means more than I can explain.

A Little About Life in Kenya

2011-10-22T12:37:00.006-04:00

I don’t even remember the last time I blogged, so I’m going to back up to the vacation I went on a little while ago…

Betsy, my roommate, wanted to celebrate her birthday at the beach, so we spent ten days (thanks to my tax refund :)) on the coast in Diani, Kenya. It was pretty nice, but the beach does get boring after, like, 5 days. And there were SO MANY prostitutes in the area we were in, that it really messed with my head for the last week we were there. After a few days of being there, we were able to spot them really easily. Betsy and I stayed in a villa, and there were three other villas on our compound. This guy that was staying in one of them brought home multiple prostitutes in the 10 days that we were there. It was so horrible. Then there was this restaurant/bar on the beach. We’d often eat there because the food was amazing. In the day, it was a really nice place to sit and just look out over the water (the restaurant was literally right on the beach). But then at night it turned into this crazy, gross-man-prostitute-filled horrible place. The men were SO blatant about…the prostitutes. It’s like there was no shame in something like that. It’s no better to be with prostitutes and hide it, but at least if you’re trying to hide it, it’s because you know there’s something wrong with that. Again, that’s not okay, but there was just no shame with some of these men. Or women. I was really happy to get back to Nairobi and spend a couple of days in a normal place.

And Nairobi is even more ‘normal’ to me, because it is incredibly westernized! We went to two malls! And they were both too expensive to shop at! Really, they were built for only incredibly wealthy people. I was trying to find a pair of shoes, preferably around $10. So I was going in store after store that sold shoes, and I was able to find a couple pairs of shoes for about $80, but most of them were over $200, and I am not kidding! It was crazy! I ended up finding a store that’s comparable to Payless in the States, but it was the only ‘cheap’ store in the mall! And I had to pay, like, $13 instead of $10! But the food and restaurants in Nairobi are just heavenly. They have real restaurants, where they look at you when they talk to you, and they acknowledge when you need something, and they’re polite, and they serve things other than rice and beans and maize! Like, they serve meat without strange things attached to it that you can’t actually chew! It was soooo yummy. I could have eaten and eaten and eaten. That’s all I wanted to do there. And look at all the clean, shiny things in all the stores. When we walked in to that first mall, I actually stopped abruptly, my mouth was hanging open, and I didn’t even realize I was doing that till Betsy looked back and asked me what was wrong. I was kind of embarrassed, but I just wasn’t expecting to walk into a place like that. It was all really pretty and clean, and just beautiful. Even better than Walmart or Target.

I took the picture of the building in a tourist town called Malindi, last year. If there are buildings, those are the typical buildings that you see here in Kenya. And although they may look somewhat decent to you, I promise that inside they are filthy, smelly (I don’t know why, but everything in Kenya smells very bad) and parts of the ceilings, walls and doors and anything else inside, is falling apart, or crumbling, or just missing. We have similar buildings in our town too, but they are just not comparable to American buildings. And that was a big touristy town.

Typically, a ‘duka’ is a ‘store’, and they’re those wooden/tin shack things, and they are everywhere because that is where Kenyans shop. So you can understand why an expensive mall would shock me! I also got really greedy really fast. I wanted to buy things just because they were clean or pretty, not because I needed them. But there are no malls in Kitale, so I don’t struggle with that here :) Actually, everything is covered in red dirt, so I don’t even want to buy things here.

Anyway, it was nice to be in Nairobi, but I really like my home here in Kitale. It was so wonderful to finally be back home! Since then, I have just been spending a lot of time editing notes for my Bible teacher, and re-writing a Bible course for children. I’m really loving and enjoying that kind of work! It’s challenging, but just so wonderful! Now I know what I should have gone to college for, 10 years ago!

I still spend 2 or 3 days a week visiting my Swahili teacher and his family. I spent a couple hours there today with my friend, Caroline, another Kenyan girl I met last year, so that was really nice. She’s wonderful with children, and I truly hope that someday I can go through the children’s Bible course with her, so that she could teach it to others. She is such a sweet-spirited, genuinely kind and compassionate person. And she is only 19! She would be a wonderful teacher. I’m praying about an opportunity to show it to her soon, to see if she would be interested in going through it. She has a son who is eight, and she could start out by teaching him.
I also spend a day, once in a while at In Step, the baby home in my area. Last week when I went there, I went there with a couple (usually I am with a group of people), but they spent the day in the house with the people who started the baby home. So I was outside by myself, and the children literally attacked me. I lasted half an hour with them. When there’s a group of people who go, the kids can fan out and pick who they want to jump on, and whose hair they’re going to pull out, but when it’s only you, it’s rough! They always call white people ‘mgeni’ because that means visitor in Swahili. But I have a name, so I don’t let them call me that…so now they all know my name, and every two seconds someone was saying ‘Alyson, na mimi!!!!!!!!!!!!’ See, I was on the swing set, so I’d have a child in my lap and we’d swing. But all of the other 8 million toddlers wanted to swing with me, so they were saying ‘Alyson, and me!!!!’, meaning it was their turn to swing with me. So after a half an hour, I went to a secluded area where an aunty was sorting corn with 4 other children, and I spent the rest of the morning with them! This baby home is up to 105 or 106 babies, I can’t remember which. Actually, they probably have about 90 infants to toddlers, a handful of kids around the ages of 4-7, and then a handful of kids around the age of 10. It’s an amazing baby home, but it’s crazy tiring to go there.

Yesterday, Betsy and I went to town for a couple of things. We saw a little street boy, so Betsy told him she was going to buy him some food. When we came out of the store we sat with him and talked with him while he ate. See, if you give a street kid food, they’ll often sell it for money to buy glue to sniff (they get high off of the glue), or they’ll get beat up by other street kids who want the food. So he sat in between us, and he was so cute and little, and filthy and hungry. And he was probably one of the most polite children that I ever met in Kenya. Kenyans really are not polite people (they even say that about themselves, so it’s okay that I’m sharing this with you). He kept thanking us over and over. We found out he has a mom. Our whole conversation was in Swahili, so I didn’t really know how to ask him why he was on the streets if he had a mom at home. I asked him if she was at home because she was working, and he said yes, but I’m not so sure that was true. It is really likely that she was home, passed out from being drunk, and her kid was walking around trying to find food. A lot of the street kids actually have homes, but it’s so bad at home, that they run to the streets. Typically kids here are beaten, and sometimes it’s just so bad, that they’ll go anywhere but home. There are a lot of orphans, but there are also a lot of kids who just choose to leave home at a young age. But this kid was just too young to be on the streets. Watching him eat was one of the most disturbing, sad things I’ve seen since I got here.

And last week, on my way home from In Step, we were in a taxi, and the couple I was with told the driver to pull over. I hadn’t even seen what was going on, but when we stopped, I could hear this kid screaming. Sean and Meredith ran out of the car, down the road to where this kid was being pulled, and shoved, and crammed into a car. There was this older man trying to make a kid, probably around 8, get into his car, and this kid was fighting back so hard. Sean pushed the guy out of the way, and as soon as the kid was free, he ran off with this other little boy. Sean asked this man what he was doing and the guy said he saw the kid on the side of the road, alone, so he was just going to put him in his car and take him. You can’t just take children. Sean asked him again what he was doing, and he gave the same answer, so Sean said he was going to call the police right away if the guy did not get back in his car and leave. So the guy gets in his car and leaves, so now we’re right behind him in our car. After a few minutes he pulls over. Then he turns around and starts driving back! I thought this couple was going to make our taxi driver follow him, but Sean said since the kid took off running, the guy probably wouldn’t be able to find him again. I seriously got sick to my stomach and couldn’t stop thinking about it all day. People try to get rid of their children here, because it’s too much of a burden to feed them and send them to school. So if a guy is willing to take a kid he doesn’t know off the side of the road, I couldn’t help but think what he would have made him do. Or how he would have treated him.

This culture has almost zero concern for women and children. Do you know how many ten year old pregnant girls there are here? I don’t know the exact number, but I know it’s actually not uncommon. Young girls are so often molested by their fathers, grandfathers, uncles, brothers, teachers and other boys that know them. That is why my friend Caroline, who is 19, has an 8 year old. And Kitale, specifically, has an incredibly high rate of incest. It’s disgusting.
Women and children here are treated like they are less than a piece of crap (and this isn’t even the worst place in the world for women to live). I don’t know why it’s accepted. A friend told me that she heard a woman say once, that if her husband doesn’t beat her once a week, she doesn’t feel loved. Now, that is not human nature. If a human is beat, they automatically feel rejected or scared, not loved. That shows how twisted things are here. There is no way that woman actually feels that way, but maybe she’s tricked herself into thinking that. It is more normal than not here, that if you are a woman or child, you get beat. I don’t know why. I really do try to figure out what happened sometimes. Everyone says Africa is more relational. No it isn’t! They might do things a whole lot slower here, and they’re not ever in a rush, and they might do more things together, because it’s hard to do most things here alone (like laundry, or planting your shamba and things like that), but it is not more relational! No one care about each other! If people need something, they find the nearest white person, instead of a family member! I don’t think that counts as being relational. Something is incredibly broken in the family unit here. It almost doesn’t exist. Couples rarely ever seem like they like each other, never mind have a good marriage (how can you when you’re abused?). Parents don’t spend a lot of time with their kids because life is too hard; mom’s have to cook and clean, and those things literally take all day to do here. Many, many, many fathers and husbands are alcoholics and a lot of women are too. Especially in the slum areas which are all over the place. Children often get dumped with grandparents or aunts or uncles, because the mom or dad, for whatever reason, can’t care for the child. Or the kids are left to the streets or orphanages.

I know this might sound like such a stretch, but I really think that a huge reason why Kenya is so impoverished is because of the family structure. There is none. It’s mostly survival here. If a family can’t survive, how will a nation be successful? Do you know how rich Kenya is? The land, the things they grow and could export, the natural resources…it’s all here. It doesn’t have to be a third-world country, but it is. Because the government is corrupt, and because there is such a broken down family structure. When sin works its way into a family, it’ll definitely work itself into the nation. Maybe that’s why Israel often had to suffer the consequences of sin as a whole, and not as individuals. Remember the story in Joshua chapter seven? Israel had just made it into the Promised Land. They defeated Jericho. Then they were about to enter into battle with Ai, which they thought wouldn’t be a big deal. But they lost the battle. All because a man and his family had taken something that they were told not to take at the end of their previous battle. Joshua kind of freaked out, laid down on the ground all day, along with others, and asked why God brought them through the desert, to be defeated in the Promised Land! God told him to stop his nonsense because the reason they lost that battle was because someone sinned. Actually, God says that Israel sinned, but we find out later in the chapter, that it was really one man who took something. But the nation of Israel suffered some of the consequences of this man’s sin, and his whole family died for his sin (maybe they were all in it too though). So, sin is a big deal, and sometimes our sin even affects others. Sometimes it literally affects a whole nation. Why don’t we learn from these Bible stories?

I think about four people read my blog, and even that might be a stretch…most of which are family members who are wonderful people. But, still, if you have a child, raise them with your husband or wife. Don’t let someone else raise them; like school teachers, or people at school programs, or nannies, or day care workers. Don’t disregard them. Train them up the way God wants you to. It’s got to be incredibly time consuming, and probably the most difficult job in the world, but a nation can be changed for the better through a child who has been raised with godly, biblical principles. The lack of the knowledge of God will lead a person, family, and nation to despair. Because sin will take over. But a true knowledge of God will bring His kingdom here, now.

It scares me to think of the way American families are slowly being pulled apart by so many things. And it’s subtle too. But the average American family does not spend much time together. There’s either too much going on in one family, so there’s no time to be together, or there are just other things raising kids, like TVs and the other electronics that replace human interaction. I see the way Kenya is. I know it has a lot to do with the family unit. America is following suit in some areas. Love your kids, and train them well.

2011-09-09T16:23:00.002-04:00

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.

Kids ask the darndest things

2011-08-31T10:37:00.000-04:00

I know it’s been a long time since I’ve blogged. I feel like nothing too exciting has happened, so then I think people won’t want to read about non-exciting things. Not that my first two posts were exciting. Anyway.

An update with Juma’s (my Swahili teacher) family is that they are moving to their new farm tomorrow! When I first got here 3 months ago, Juma and his wife talked to me about how much they wanted a bigger piece of land so they could be self-sufficient and not rely on donors for their kids’ school fees and food and things like that. The compound they’re on now is an okay size, but not big enough to grow all the food they need. So they had plans to find land to lease, and over a period of about five years, they would hope to pay for it and actually buy it. But then this guy that Juma knows had inherited a piece of land just outside of Kitale town. I don’t know ‘this guy’s’ name, so let’s just call him Bill for now. Mr. Bill had a brother who was killed in the post election violence of 2007/2008. So when his brother died, Bill got the land. But he already had another piece of property where he lives, hours away from Kitale. So he rented out the land. He heard that Juma was looking to lease land, and because they have known each other for many years, Mr. Bill wanted to help Juma. Anyway, the property that Juma is moving to is much bigger than where they are now, so they swapped properties. This way, Juma just has to pay the difference in value for the properties, instead of paying for the whole entire farm outright. It is just crazy to see God work sometimes. Just three months ago, they were thinking about a five year plan, and now, three months later, they are moving to an amazing piece of land!

Today I stopped by to help them pack. I actually just put some clothes in bags for them, which did not take very long. So, I sat outside with the kids for a long time. And they started pelting me with questions. Some of which were, ‘have you ever been arrested’? I responded by laughing for about two minutes, and then telling them, no, I have never been arrested. Then they asked me if people in America own guns. I told them some do. Then they said, ‘so it must be easier to kill each other in America than it is here in Kenya’. I said that I guess having a gun might make it easier if you wanted to kill someone, but not everyone with guns kill people. I tried to explain that people like to hunt and they own guns for different reasons. Not everyone gets them to murder people. Not sure if they believed me. Then they asked, with big, round eyes, if I have ever held a gun. And I said I have, and I have done target shooting too. I don’t think they were crazy about that. I think they think guns are very, very bad. Then they asked if I’ve ever shot a bow and arrow, and I said a few times, but just at a target. I think they thought that was cooler. Probably because bows and arrows are familiar to them. Then they asked how old I am, and I made them guess. The age range went from 17 to 22. Except one girl said maybe I was 50. I wish I could have recorded their questions. It was literally over an hour and a half of question after question, and some of them were so funny. They kept asking if, when I was little, did my mom shave my head? And I kept telling them we don’t do that in America. People usually shave girls’ heads here because it’s easier than always braiding it or fixing it. And, for whatever reason, if their heads aren’t shaved, their hair still doesn’t really grow very long. Well, it’s hard to tell since it grows up, but it never seems long. Anyway, they couldn’t believe that my head has never been shaved. And they still always pet my head when I’m there because my hair feels different from theirs. Even when it’s pulled back, they try to run their hands through it, and like, pull it out of my head.

After Juma’s, I started to walk into town. I was only about 15 minutes into the walk, when an Indian woman pulled up beside me and asked if I wanted a ride. I’d never even seen her before, but I knew she was just being kind, so I got in the car with her. We asked each other our names and things like that. She said she was born here, and even her father was born here. So she has lived here all her life. Then she said she lives with her parents right now, and she has a brother in Australia, and a sister in India, but her sister is moving to Australia too. And she said she was married, but separated now because her husband was so abusive. He even electrocuted her once. She showed me the scars on her wrist. She also has two sons, but the father moved back to Zimbabwe (he is also Indian, just born in Zimbabwe) and took the children. She has not seen her sons in three years. She looked so torn up by that. I can’t even imagine. I didn’t know what to say after she told me everything. She poured out all these horrible things in like, a four minute car ride. After all that, all I could say was, ‘I am so sorry’. And she said, ‘it’s okay; it’s just a part of life sometimes’. But that can’t be the end. I know God can heal her and give her a full life. I didn’t say anything about God because all I know about her is that she’s had a hard life, or at least a hard life since she got married. I have no idea what her religious background is. So I just listened to her. But please pray with me for her. I would like to start visiting her, and I pray God will take her, heal her, and make her His. We all need God so much. Every day, in every part of our lives, He is needed. And He is there!

Seventh Day Adventists and More...

2011-07-16T13:13:00.002-04:00

Jambo!

I’ll start off with a story about how one of the guards who works on our compound, tried to convert me. He is a Seventh Day Adventist. And I guess they are supposed to try to convert everyone they meet. Anyway, this guard just started working for us a few weeks ago. He is VERY quiet, so other than greetings, I really hadn’t talked much to him. I talk to the other three guards a lot because they are all very talkative, but I never know what to say to this one because we have a hard time understanding each other because of the language barrier, and he’s so quiet that it’s just awkward. Anyway…

I got locked out of the house for a few hours this past week, because the lock broke. I had to wait for Betsy to come home with a hack saw so we could cut it. We were both under the impression that she was about to come home, except that she was with other people, and she didn’t end up heading home for over two hours. So I was stuck outside, with Benard, for three hours altogether. And it was maybe the most awkward three hours of my life. He tried to make conversation a couple of times, but it was the most random things that I truly did not even know how to respond to. Like, he told me what time he had gotten up in the morning. What do I say to that? I think I just said, ‘Oh!’. And then tried to play a game on my phone. Now, even though my compound is pretty large, I had to stay with Benard because it was pouring outside. I couldn’t do work in the shamba because I was already freezing, and getting rained on would have made me even more freezing. So I stayed on our front porch, since it has a roof, as did Benard. So, after a couple attempts at small talk, he launched into trying to convert me. He asked me if I believed in the Sabbath. And I thought, oh no. I knew it was coming. So I tried to just let him talk, so I could politely listen, and then I planned on going back to playing that game on my phone. But rather than just telling me what he believed, he kept asking me what I thought, and so I had to answer him. And when I did answer him, he would laugh at me! And then he told me that if I don’t remember the Sabbath, then that means I can’t remember Jesus, and that means I can’t get into the kingdom of heaven. He would throw these verses at me, completely out of context, then ask me to respond to him. So I would, and again, he would just laugh. Finally, when I responded to the last thing he said, he said he didn’t have an answer for that one. I don’t even remember what it was about, but that did make him stop talking. I usually don’t get offended at all when I talk to people who believe differently than I do, and I am not into arguing about things at all. But he was just egging me on, and I couldn’t believe that he would choose that topic as our first conversation! I was so offended. He said I need to go to a temple on Saturdays, and I need to study the Bible. First of all, I do not need to go to a temple on Saturdays, and, second of all, I do study the Bible. Goodness. Plus I was freezing, and I just wanted to go in the house the whole time to put a sweatshirt on! And that morning, we were all talking about how we need to love all people. That was running through my mind the whole time I wanted to hit him. So I did not hit him.

Here’s another story for you. I was eating lunch with Caroline, my friend who comes to do our laundry, and help out a little with the house. And she said she has friends who live right behind me. They saw her leaving our gate one day, so they began talking with each other. And then they asked about me. Because they said I was not a ‘normal mzungu’. They told her that they sit outside on the street and watch me when I’m in the shamba! (My shamba is surrounded by really high hedges, but you can see through them a little.) They said they see me go to the shamba, take off my shoes, and start digging like a Kenyan! And then they told her I do a good job, and I dig the right way. Caroline was laughing the entire time she was telling me this. I was so embarrassed. I do not like being watched, although I am glad they said I dig the right way. I think that maybe they watch me because they are used to seeing white people hire Kenyans to do that kind of work. They don’t typically see a white person trying to live the same way Kenyans do. I think a lot of white people hire Kenyans, in order to employ them, so they can make some money. So they are trying to do a good thing. But the more I learn of this culture, I think Kenyans appreciate when you step into their shoes, more so than separating yourself from them, and employing them. Like, when Caroline is working, I often will work with her. I don’t want her to think that she’s just a hired hand, but I do know that she doesn’t have a job, so she needs to earn money.

Kenyans also just like to stare when they see something they're not used to. I understand I am in another culture, and apparently they do not think that staring is rude. But I don’t know that I can get used to it! They truly just stare at you sometimes. When Betsy and I first moved in, children and adults would come to the gate and stare at us! They would just watch us (they could see us through our kitchen window), and our guard would have to tell them to leave! I KNOW I am white, but I don’t understand why that is so weird to them. And even when I am on a piki piki, other bikes will pass us, and they actually turn their heads around to stare as they are driving forwards. That just isn’t safe.

But apart from all that, I truly do appreciate when Kenyans tell me I am becoming Kenyan. I have heard that from so many Kenyans because I work in the shamba, and because I try to speak Kiswahili as often as possible. They really are surprised by this, but they seem to love it. My friend James, who is teaching me how to garden, always tells me I’m not really a mzungu anymore.

On to my Swahili teacher…he and his family are doing okay. Please continue to pray for them. Daniel Juma reminds me of George Mueller. I didn’t know until last week, that they actually struggle so much with money, that there are times they do run out of food, and they don’t know where the next meal will come from. This past month was the first month they borrowed food from someone (I didn’t even know they ran out of food), but he said they will never do that again. I think something bad came of that, and so he said he’ll never take that route. But he so much wants to provide for his family! He, his wife, and his older sons truly do a lot of work to bring in money, it’s just that it’s so hard to bring in much money in this area. Plus, this culture is so hospitable that, even when they barely have anything, they offer it to others! Last week, he invited me back to his house on a Sunday afternoon because they had a team from America visiting them. They knew a few people on the team, which is why they wanted to visit Juma and his family. And they all did extra work to provide chai and sandwiches for this group! And there were a lot of people! I couldn’t believe it when Juma told me that after they left. Although, he just told me in conversation, like it was no big deal.

I think this is the last story for this blog…When Juma invited me back to his house that afternoon to meet the team, I was wondering why he did that. Because I didn’t know anyone on the team. But I went because he asked me to. He told me why he invited me after everyone left.

He said there was a woman on that team whom he had met last year. She had wanted to help the family, so she asked if Anastasia (Juma’s wife) could do her laundry, and this woman would pay her for that; then Anastasia could make some income. Juma said that this is a good idea, and this is what most white people do. But he wanted to tell them about me. And that’s why he invited me.

When we were all sitting together, when the team was there, they all introduced each other, and Juma talked about his family and how he and his wife started taking in children. And at the end, someone asked who I was. And Juma said he was just about to get to that. And then he went on to tell them who I was. He said that most white people here try to find ways to employ Kenyans in order to help them. But he said I am different. He said I am the only white person who goes to church with them (they meet in their house), and this is a huge encouragement to them. He said that instead of me asking his wife for help with my laundry, I go do their laundry for them. He told them that one day, when he walked onto their compound, he saw all these clothes on the line. So he thought his wife must have spent a long time doing laundry that day. But his wife and children told him that I did the laundry. So he went to look at the clothes, and he said they were so clean! Then he told the people, ‘in your country (America) you have machines that do you laundry for you. And Alyson isn’t used to washing with her hands, but she did such a good job’. He said that I do these things, and I don’t expect money. And I want to help them, instead of me wanting help from them.

He wanted me there and he said those things to that group of people to show that woman (that he met last year), another way to help Kenyans. You don’t have to employ them, you can just become like them. He said that to all of them. That I ‘am just one of them’. That I am a challenge to them, because they don’t know what to do with me, because no one has done this for them before. And he said that after the meeting, that woman came up to him with tears in her eyes, and offered to help them with some work during the week. Juma said he knew his point was driven home. I was stunned that he wanted me there for that reason.

Truly, I don’t feel like I do a whole lot for that family. They are so good to me, and they love me so much, they treat me like a part of their family. But they don’t have to, they choose to. I just do a little laundry for them once in a while, and honestly, when I have to leave, it barely seems like there's a dent in the laundry pile. That’s not even a big deal, considering all the work that they have to do on their own on a daily basis. They don’t hire help, which is why I offer to go over to help. Number one, I am thankful that God has given me this opportunity. I would not be here, with this family, if it wasn’t for all that God has done. Number two, my father has a true servant’s heart, and my mom has great work ethic. They taught me to do these kinds of things. Number three, Paul and Jayne hammered it into my head to just live in Kenya, like a Kenyan. To just be with the people here. Juma’s family has allowed me to be with them. I hope I don't sound like I'm bragging in telling this story. I tell it so that my parents know the kind of impact they have had on me. They are the ones who taught me how to serve. And I tell it so that Paul and Jayne know that I was listening to them when they taught me millions of things about living in Africa. And it is an encouragement to me to know the affection this family has for me. They are very, very good to me. I do thank God for bringing me here.

The longest blog post ever

2011-06-19T12:10:00.005-04:00

I’m afraid this might be a very long post…

Last Sunday, I went to Juma’s (my Kiswahili teacher) house for church, like I used to last time I was here. It was so good to be back with them! The kids are still a little bit shy sometimes, but they ran to me when they first saw me, so I know they remembered who I was!

Juma keeps his children home on Sundays and teaches them the Bible, instead of going to church with them. It’s usually about an hour, because there are quite a few younger kids who will fall asleep if he goes longer. But he really does teach them, and they really do listen and learn things. They even will ask questions at the end of the lesson sometimes too.

It’s a very simple meeting though. One or two kids will pray, we’ll sing a song, have the Bible lesson, sing and pray more, and it’s over. It’s my most favorite church meeting (because of the simplicity and teaching, not because it’s short).

After the lesson, I went over to Anastasia, who is Juma’s wife. She is pretty quiet unless you begin a conversation. I didn’t talk with her a whole lot last year, but this time, I want to be with her more too. So I started talking to her, and she started talking about being a mom and the way she raises her kids, and the way she teaches them to think about choices they will have to make, and it was really amazing! Typically, Kenyan women do not spend much time with their children at all (as far as I have noticed). Children here are always off on their own. They will walk all over, help with the house work, be in the shamba (garden), but the moms really don’t spend time actually with them and talking to them. And that is why I noticed Anastasia last year. She not only spent a lot of time with them (not working, but sitting and talking with them), but her and her children were always laughing together too! She and Juma have taken in so many children (they have over 20 on their compound), and they truly know all of them, spend time with all of them, and teach all of them. She was saying that during the day, she’ll always have someone following her around as she’s in the shamba, or doing laundry, and she uses all the time that she can, to talk about how they need to make good choices, or they’re going to be on the streets begging like so many others, once they get older. She said they like to be home, so when they’re not in school, them come right back. They don’t go wandering off like all the other children. She said they know who to make friends with and who to stay away from. And she is so proud when they make good decisions! She said when they make good choices, she knows it is God who has done something in them. I will absolutely go to her for advice when I am a mom.

Then, after that, we went in the house with Juma and spent a couple more hours talking. I cannot remember the last time I have been so encouraged. It amazes me that God brought me to them. They are so good to me. They treat me like I belong to them!

Juma started talking about how his wife went to him (that’s another thing – Kenyan women are typically very quiet, and don’t really communicate a whole lot with their husbands – there are a lot of domineering men in this culture) to tell him that they need to be self sufficient, and not rely on anyone else for their children’s school fees, food, clothing, or anything. Because they have so many orphans living with them, there are a few people in the States and Germany who support them. They mainly give money to support the children in school, but sometimes donations come in for other things also. But lately, a lot of the support has stopped. They said some people stopped because finances were getting harder for them, and others just stopped without saying anything! I don’t think people can realize the impact that their support has on someone until they see it. The people who just stopped giving, do not realize how much harder life becomes, overnight, for people like this. Juma does work; he teaches Kiswahili and he’s translating some theology books for someone right now. And a couple of the sons work a little too, so there is money coming in that they make; just not enough to run an orphanage. Yet. So they were talking to me about how, over the next five years, they want to be completely self sufficient. It’s not that they wouldn’t take donations, but they don’t want to count on that coming in. First, their plan is to build a greenhouse. That way, they can grow vegetables all year, and sell them for profit. They also want to lease land in order to begin farming, and over time, they plan on purchasing it. Then they would move the family out there, to live off the land. But these things will take time. And they have a hard enough time putting their children through school, never mind starting a business like a green house and leasing land. Please, please pray for this family. They have a lot of faith, but that does not mean every day is easy for them. Above all else, I can see that they love God because of the way they love each other and their children.

After they told me of their plans, they asked what my goals are in being here. I said after I learn the culture and the language better, I would like to get into discipleship through Bible teaching. When I said that Juma’s eyes lit up, and he said there is such a need for that. And that is when they went on and on, just encouraging me to pursue that. They said if I ever end up with a group of people to teach, I can use their house for meeting. They said they will give me their children to teach anytime I want to (but I am not ready yet). They said they will do anything they can, at all, to help me with that goal. And then they said they wanted me to know that if I needed anything at all they will be there for me. It truly is as if God has given me a Kenyan family here. Kenyans are always very hospitable, but Juma and his wife have gone far above being hospitable, and they have treated me like I’m one of theirs. Juma said I have such a good opportunity to teach here because number one, I am a foreigner (he said people would be more inclined to listen to me because of that), and number two, I am white (and he said people would be more inclined to listen to me because of that also). He also warned me that being white means that when people see me, they will see money, and that is part of the reason they will listen to me. They will listen, and then ask me for stuff. And that’s why Juma said I have such a good opportunity. Because when people do that, he said to point them back to themselves. He said to use that to change the mindset of the people here who think they need to depend on foreigners for life, rather than knowing they can support themselves. Juma was raised by Americans who were missionaries here in Kenya. When he grew up, and they went back to the States, his American mother said not to follow her to America, and not to follow her spiritually. Juma asked why, and she said because they taught him enough to stand on his own two feet; and that God would be his teacher, spiritually. He did not need to go anywhere else. He said that sentence changed his life, and he has never forgotten it. He said for me to do the same – the mindset of the people need to be changed here. Now, I don’t know how to do that. Even a little bit. But I’ll learn.

He and his wife made me feel such a heavy responsibility to use my time here wisely, but they did it in such an encouraging way. The burden they made me feel didn’t overwhelm me, it made me thankful that God would put me in this position. But I understand it will take years before I learn the things I need to know to do this.

Another blessing has been one of my friends who I met last time I was here. His name is James, and he is a gardener. He has been getting our shamba ready for Betsy and I. We have a big area in our yard where there are a lot of garden beds. So he has been coming over, breaking up the land, and planting for us! I asked him if I could help with the work, and he said I could water the garden when he was done everything else. So I said, nonono, I want to help to learn how to take start and take care of a shamba. He was reluctant to let me help him, but yesterday he let me plant! But he still wouldn’t let me hoe, and I’m not quite sure why. Maybe he thinks I’ll cut off my legs (Anastasia told me to be very careful not to cut my legs – the hoes here are quite giant, they’re not like the little ones for little gardens in the States). Although, I did take the hoe a couple of times when he wasn’t looking, so I was able to do a little! I told him I am stronger than I look, and he said he knows I’m capable, but he still didn’t want me to. I’m going to talk to him about that.

Anyway, we were out till after eight last night, and we planted two whole beds! We worked by flashlight after it got dark, which was a bit difficult for me, but he’s used to it. He likes working at night though. I’ll learn.

He is a very good gardener, and he LOVES the work! I had wanted to ask him for help because I don’t know how to take care of a shamba, but he works a lot for other people, so I didn’t want to bother him. But he actually called me one day and just offered to come! And he has done the work so fast. AND he got some avocados down from our tree for us! We have about 4 avocado trees in our shamba, but the only one that actually has the fruit on it is way too high to reach. Like, it is way up in the sky. But it is near our water tank which is more like a water tower. So he climbed the tank, got this really long stick with a wire at the end (someone else had made that to get the guava’s off our guava tree – so it is more like a pole, not a stick) and beat them down. So now we have six! Once our shamba is growing stuff, and our fruit trees start to give us fruit, we won’t have to spend money on those things!!! It is a lot of hard work to have a compound to take care, but I have absolutely loved all of it. Besides doing laundry by hand, and painting. Actually, I don’t love all of it, but I enjoy the shamba!

As far as our house goes, thankfully, we only have a few rooms left to paint. We have curtains. We have a small wicker couch and wicker chair. We’re waiting on another couch that someone is making for us. Our bedrooms are done. So we just have to paint our awful orange doors white (every single door in our house is a ridiculous orange color – I think they were trying to match it to the outside of our house – which is an incredibly bright orange color, but I don’t mind that on the outside). We have to paint our mismatched kitchen. And then paint the hallway! It’s coming along!

In case you want to laugh, I’ll try to explain what our kitchen looked like. The floor has light blue tiles. The wall to the left is white. The wall to the right is painted tan/pink on the bottom and white on the top. All of the cabinets are an astonishing blue. There are three doors in the kitchen, all of them orange, of course. And, to top it all off, there was a strip of rooster wallpaper going across the middle of one of the walls also. Because, clearly, tan/pink, blue, orange, white and roosters all go together like cake and ice cream. Oh, and the curtains were really dirty, with a white and black African pattern. It was so pretty. But not really. But I do love our house, and the property, and I am just so thankful and blown away that God has given this to us! It has been a lot of fun for the most part!

I was also talking to one of my friends about learning Kiswahili. And he said I need to be around it more, to speak and hear it all the time. But I feel bad asking my Kenyan friends to come over just to speak Kiswahili. But, I realized that I can take a lot of opportunities to learn throughout the day, and I think I am learning a little more quickly this time, than the last time I was here. James teaches me a lot of Kiswahili when he is here. He’ll usually speak Swahili, then when I’m really lost, he laughs and switches to English. He’s a very good Swahili teacher, actually, and he knows English really well. One of our guards doesn’t know English well, so we speak some Swahili. And the piki piki guy that always takes me to or back from town (Enok – he’s the same one from last year, and he’s very nice) is starting to teach me too! He doesn’t speak English very much at all, so it’s hard to understand what he’s trying to teach me, but eventually we’re able to figure each other out! Every time I’m on the bike, he’ll teach me some things, so I get at least one or two Swahili lessons everyday!

I am truly thankful for all the ways God is allowing me to learn things here. He’s really placed some amazing, patient people in my life. I’m just enjoying it so much. Living here is hard work, but it’s so good and beautiful too. I’m thankful beyond words that God brought me back. I just hope my friends and family can come see the home God has given me in Kenya someday too.
Thank you all for your prayers, love and support.

Kenya Home

2011-06-07T15:48:00.000-04:00

I arrived in Nairobi safely last Wednesday night! It is very, very good to be back and to see the people that I missed for six months! My friend Caroline, (she’s a young Kenyan woman) came over the house yesterday to help me clean. It was very good to spend time with her! We were doing laundry together, and it just made me so happy and content (she used to do some work at the previous compound where I lived). I was also able to see some of the guys who live on the compound where I was last time. I was thankful to see them and to be able to catch up with them a little bit. They are also Kenyan, and so they made sure to ask me how all my family is doing back home, even though they have never met them! And I stopped by my Swahili teacher’s house and saw his wife and many of his children. He wasn’t there, but it was still very good to see them. A few of the girls looked a little confused when I walked into the compound, and then they all smiled and ran to me when they realized who I was…such a warm welcome! I should see Juma (my Swahili teacher) tomorrow, and I am looking forward to that. Kenyans are so warm and welcoming. I forgot that a little bit while I was in the States, so it is such a nice thing to come back to.

The house Betsy and I are renting is very nice, especially for hosting people. It is a good size with extra rooms and bathrooms. We also have a big area to grow a garden, and we have many fruit trees! Our day guard took us around the shamba (where the vegetables and fruit grow) and named all of the fruit trees. I don’t even remember a few of them because I have never heard of those kinds of fruit before. But I am excited to try them when they are ripe!

The house is very, very, very dirty. We have been cleaning and painting for days, and I’m sure it will last for weeks. But we’ve had help with the painting, so that has been nice. It will be nice when the whole house is clean, and I won’t gag when I see things that I don’t even recognize.
It’s great to see Betsy too! We get along well, and are able to talk openly and freely about things. We didn’t know each other extremely well when we were both here last year, so it will be wonderful to get to know her more! She loves the Lord so much, and that is the biggest thing that I have seen in her so far!

Thank you all for your prayers!

2010-12-02T06:35:00.000-05:00

TI interns and I

The girls

2010-12-02T06:33:00.001-05:00

Robin and our snorkeling boat

Saprina

Saprina and Robin

2010-12-02T06:27:00.003-05:00

Kara and I

2010-12-02T06:13:00.005-05:00

Kara and I

Tuk tuk

Hanging out

2010-12-02T06:10:00.001-05:00

Hello all! Yesterday I returned from a vacation to Malindi, a little Italian town on the coast of Kenya. It was an amazing vacation!

A week and a half ago, on Sunday, we took a shuttle to Nairobi. It took about 8 hours, but it was a decent trip…except for the awful music the driver had playing on the radio. Anyway, we got dinner in Nairobi and stayed for a few hours because we were taking the night bus to Malindi, which didn’t leave until 10:30 p.m. We ended up leaving Nairobi around 11 (very good time for Kenya), and we pulled into Mombasa (another coastal, touristy town) at 5:30 in the morning. The night bus was pretty comfortable, but a lot of us still didn’t get sleep, so that was…interesting. Once we got to Mombasa, we took a matatu (a van) to Malindi, which was about another hour and a half away. So, after leaving Kitale Sunday morning, we arrived in Malindi on Monday morning. It felt like a lot of traveling, but it was so worth it!

Malindi is very hot and humid, but so, so beautiful. The resort had a bunch of small houses on the compound, two swimming pools, a restaurant, and it was just a short walk to the beach and to town.

The first day we went to the beach and to town, just to get to know where everything was. As we were walking along the beach, there was a man herding cows across it. There were really a whole bunch of cows on the beach. It was one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen, even for being in Africa. I have no idea what he was doing! Anyway, by the time we got into town we were all sweating a gross amount, so we got some groceries and took a tuk tuk back to the resort. A tuk tuk is a little thing with 3 wheels, it has plastic for the sides and roof, and a very uncomfortable seat that fits about three people. And it doesn’t have a steering wheel; it has a handle bar type of thing and the gas and breaks are controlled from there. But it’s pretty cheap to get around in those, so that or walking was how we got around the town.

I think we spent that first day mostly at the resort by the pool. The next day we went to the beach to swim, which was nice, but the water felt a bit like bath water. Just like the pool had. It actually wasn’t very refreshing, but it was amazing to be at the beach in November!
Most days we alternated between staying at the pool and going to the beach, but the best day, by far, was when we went snorkeling! The beach near the resort was pretty normal; nothing spectacular. But the beach we went to for snorkeling was so beautiful with blue water, white sand, and so many fish to see! It was the perfect weather for snorkeling because it was warm out, but really comfortable on the boat on the water, and the water wasn’t too cold. I’m usually scared to snorkel, but it was really fun this time. I have no idea what kind of fish I saw, but there were tons in certain areas, and they didn’t care when you swam with them. Some were so pretty, with so many bright colors all over! Thankfully I did not see sharks or get eaten by one. I think that is usually why I’m scared to snorkel.

Another day we went shopping. They had a market area with amazing African crafts everywhere. While that was really fun, I just have to mention how much we were all sweating at this point. I know it’s hard to picture hot humid weather in December, when you may be looking at snow out your window right now. But a few of us, me included, were talking about how we had never, ever sweat that much in all our lives before. I didn’t even know my neck could sweat until that day. So, while it was fun to shop, it was really hot out. But we found some really neat things to take home to friends and family! And we all learned how to barter a little better. Some of those shop people are very tough! But usually, you can get the price you want.

We also went to a couple of very nice Italian restaurants where the food was amazing. And one night we took a walk on the beach, looked at the stars, and watched a very orange moon rise over the Indian Ocean :)

Most nights we spent on one of the porches, staying up way too late, talking about all different kinds of things. I think snorkeling and spending time together at night were my two favorite parts. It was a really neat way to spend the last week with the TI interns. We all knew each other well by this point, and conversations got better and better as time went on; talking about God, and who He is, and things He’s taught us. It was really sweet to be in a beautiful place like that with beautiful people.

We left early Monday morning and took a bus back to Nairobi. It took most of the day, but the scenery was really beautiful along the way. We had a couple days in Nairobi before the interns flew back home, so we stayed at a hotel, saw a movie, ate some really good food, and just spent more time together. The interns flew out on Wednesday night, but those of us who came back to Kitale left on a bus from Nairobi Wednesday morning and got back to the compound around 3 (it’s good to not be on a bus, and back in my Kitale home!). It is very quiet here with so few people around, but it’s really restful too. When we ate dinner, we could actually sit around the dinner table last night! We’re usually in the living room on the floor :)

One of the TI interns, Chrisy, extended her trip by a week. So she came back to the compound with us, and I’m really looking forward to spending the next few days with her. She’s a sweetheart, and she really seeks the Lord very intensely, especially for someone so young. She really has a heart after Him.

I’m looking forward to my next few days here, a chance to say bye to people, and then heading home for a little while :) I only have to get back on a bus once more in the next week!

Thank you Mom and Dad for that vacation!

2010-11-08T02:03:00.000-05:00

There’s this thing in Kitale called ‘The Show’. It’s like a fair type of thing. I guess you can go and see a merman, and a really short man, and other odd things that you have to pay money to see. I didn’t go. But I did hear the disco that they have at night that continues all night long. All night! For four consecutive nights. You’d think people would get tired of dancing through the night, but they don’t. It was either hard to get to sleep because of the incessant thumping of the drum beat, or I was woken up at crazy hours of the morning to the incessant thumping of the drum beat. Friday, when they finally ended the disco around 5:30 in the morning, they ended with ‘How Great Thou Art’. Seriously. First time, ever, I did not want to hear that song…playing at a disco of all places.

Other than that, things are going well :) I’ve been spending more time with my Kiswahili teacher’s family. I had the opportunity to teach his kids this past Sunday morning, which was really nice. He’s taking them through the Bible, and we were on chapter 27 of Genesis. I really enjoy being a part of their Sunday morning service. It’s so sweet to hear them all singing together. It’s just great.

I also did my own laundry by hand for the first time. You’d think this would not be hard, but it actually is. I was sore the next day. Now, I jog and I do this workout video (don’t make fun of me until you try it – it’s awesome/hard), and I don’t get sore from those things. But, laundry, that makes me sore. The more I understand how Kenyans live, and especially all the hard work the women do, the more respect I have for them. In every way, life is just harder here. It takes longer to cook anything and everything. It takes longer and is harder to do anything and everything here. It’s just a different way of life than what I’m used to. But there are some really neat things about this way of life, too. The people here are still very relationship oriented. They value spending time with each other, and they do a lot of things together. Back to laundry, for an example. I was helping a woman do her laundry, but she has a ton of kids, and they wanted to help too. So, you start out with the water and soap in one bucket, and you move the clothes to several other buckets to rinse them in the non-soapy water. But they’re just buckets, so they’re small. And it’s really hard to do work with 4 hands and lots of clothes in one little bucket. But that’s just how they do it. Instead of one person at each bucket (I tried moving to a bucket without anyone else there, but someone would always end up coming over, so I gave that up), we all just did the same things in the same bucket at the same time. It was aggravating at first, but then, for some reason, I enjoyed being with them, and even enjoyed the little kids getting in the way and making the work harder. They just wanted to help and be with us too! It’s so funny how God will use little, everyday things to get your attention, to get you to be patient, and to get you to enjoy life.

The TI interns will be leaving in about 3 weeks. It has been so good to live in a community of people who are so focused on living like part of the one body that we all belong to. People have really gone out of their way to show love and to put each other above themselves. Sometimes it’s hard to live so closely with so many people, but, mostly, it’s amazing. I’m so thankful God brought me here and allowed me to be a part of what He's doing.

Four Month Update

2010-10-25T06:20:00.003-04:00

I’ve been in Kenya for almost four months, but in some ways it seems like I just arrived! I am still so thankful to be here, and I am still in awe of how God has worked things out for me to be here. I feel the same way I did when I first flew in on June 30th.

God has been reminding me of His faithfulness in the midst of life’s uncertain times. When I bought my ticket to Kenya in the beginning of the year, I had plans to stay with a friend near Nairobi. She was helping a family get an orphanage started. I was going to come to Kenya, continue my Bible studies, work on language study, learn the culture, and help my friend. Three weeks before I left, plans changed and she came home before I left for Kenya. God remained faithful through all those changes. He was the One in control all the time, and by the time I left for Kenya He had given me another place to stay and some people to work with.

So, through that first change, I had the opportunity to come back to Kitale, the same place I stayed in 2007/2008. The family who I came with last time helps a school in a slum in Kitale, and they offered for me to get involved in the school. I was happy to work alongside the staff at Graceway (the school), and help out with office work. I was able to spend time with Kenyans and get a better understanding of the culture. I was able to see how the school has changed over the last couple of years. And after almost three months of being involved, I stepped out of that work.

God has put a desire on my heart to teach the Bible, and I don’t know when opportunities for that will arise, but I am now praying and focusing more seriously on that. The last time I was here, I saw a lot of children being taken care of physically, but along with those needs is the need to be taken care of spiritually. I pray I will recognize who God puts into my life, or who God brings me to, in order to share His Word with them. Please pray with me regarding that.

Also, I have been continuing the Bible course I started with Paul and Jayne Carlson. It is a joy to be involved in the study after waiting for almost six years to start it! It is an amazing opportunity to go through the Bible and have God lovingly and patiently reveal to His children who He is, and I am thankful for this.

I started taking Kiswahili lessons when I first arrived, and that is also going well. God has provided me with a teacher, Daniel Juma, who not only teaches me Kiswahili, but he teaches me about the culture too. Most conversations that we have are insightful and so helpful to me, and I am so thankful to have this man as a teacher. He and his wife have several of their own children, and have taken in several orphans. They welcome me on Sundays to be a part of their church service. Daniel teaches his children at home. He started from Genesis chapter 1 and they read a chapter each week. It is beautiful to hear the children sing together, pray and read! He really allows and encourages them to get involved, and it is lovely to watch. I am thankful to be there, and I hope to learn from him how to teach children the Bible in another culture. I’ve also started teaching some of his children how to play the keyboard. They are fast learners!

Overall, my time here has been amazing. It is not always easy, or fun, but God is always faithful and good. Every single time I have opened His Word for the past few months, He has revealed to me over and over again, how faithful He is. He is constant, unchanging, and always with me.

Psalm 106 gives a brief history of Israel’s unfaithfulness to God, and Psalm 107 gives a brief history of God’s faithfulness to Israel. The last verse of Psalm 107 says ‘Let whoever is wise pay attention to these things, and consider the Lord’s acts of faithful love’. Let us be wise and remember our good God at all times. There is no one like Him.

Thank you for your prayers and support.

Mungu akubariki (God bless you).

2010-10-11T09:15:00.002-04:00

Ellie and Chrisy are two of the TI interns who came in September and are here until December. Ellie has been going to Graceway on Mondays to teach the kids some letters, and some vocabulary words that go along with the letters. Chrisy came to Kenya last year and visited Graceway, and today was her first time back since then. They did such a good job with the kids!

Almost as soon as we walked in the gate, the kids got into a circle and Ellie was teaching them the Hokey Pokey. Even some of the teachers got involved :) It's so fun to watch everyone interacting!

After their play time was over, we (Ellie, Chrisy and I) went into the Baby Class room, and Ellie started teaching. I took about four videos today, but they won't upload onto my blog...not sure why. But enjoy the pictures!

2010-10-11T08:52:00.004-04:00

Graceway kids singing.

Hokey Pokey

Chrisy with the Graceway kids.

Ellie and Chrisy (wazungu)
helping teach Baby Class.

Baby Class coloring

The Joys of Jogging

2010-10-10T08:54:00.001-04:00

I’ve been jogging a few days a week, for the past two weeks. I’m not a jogger, and so it really wasn’t fun at first. But being able to jog, in Kenya, with other amazing people, is really great.

I go with a woman who is living on the compound, and every morning that we jog, at some point, one of us brings up the fact that we are jogging in Africa and it is so unbelievably gorgeous. I am awed over, and over, and over again at the creation surrounding this place.

A couple of mornings ago, it was raining (lightly) during my jog. I looked over to where the mountains are, and the sky was beginning to clear just above them. Rays from the sun were coming down on the mountains, the land was so green everywhere, the dirt was so red, the trees and maize fields were dotting the landscape, and it was just really the best jogging route that I could imagine. Even in the midst of rain, life is beautiful :)

2010-10-01T08:14:00.003-04:00

I’m sure everyone has figured out by now, that my blog is not going to be updated very regularly anymore. It’s hard to know what to write when things you thought were funny, strange, or different just become a part of life. But as much as some of the excitement has worn off, I am actually still in awe that God has placed me here, and I am as thankful for that now as the day I got here.

Things at Graceway are a bit slow right now. I’m finishing up the bios, so there isn’t a whole lot more to do. Somehow, it will probably still take a while to get them printed though. Things in Africa are just slower. Always. And the reporting that I’m getting involved in is also a very slow process. But that means I have time for Bible Overview! It’s a good study, and three different Kenyan men (all of them teach) now have the materials. It makes me excited to see what God will do through them!

Even when things are slow at Graceway, I still spend a few days a week there. I'm trying to get the kids out of the habit of calling me mzungu, and decent amount know my name now! And sometimes, when someone does call me mzungu, another child will say that I'm not a mzungu and that I'm African. It's so funny when they do that, and I love it!

This week I spent the night at In Step again (the baby home run by Jeff and Carla). It's hard to explain, but those children, all 82 of them, are truly amazing. Most of them have been abandoned, and I was thinking about all the beauty their parents are missing out on. They run, they play, they sing, they dance, and all of that is so sweet to watch. It must be awfully hard to have a baby that you think you can't support or raise, but there's just so much beauty that goes along with raising and being with children. How do you just give that up and leave a baby on the ground; or in a much worse place?

The next day, a few of us went in to Eldoret, which is where you can get your visa renewed. My friend and I both had to do that, so about six of us went there for the day. It was a pretty painless process, which I am thankful for! These three months have gone by so quickly, but I have three more before I have to think about leaving the country. We did a little shopping and went to the best restaurant ever! We forgot we were in Kenya when we were eating there :) Ohhhh, it was so good.

Things on the TI compound are going really well. There is a big focus on living as community here. We have been studying spiritual gifts for the past three weeks to better understand how we can be who we need to be for each other. It has been really neat to be so intentional about thinking of each other as the church, and one body. Being a part of the church is a lifestyle, not an act, or something you turn off and on, and not something you do when you enter a certain building. It’s who you are when you belong to Christ, and it’s living for others the way He lived for us. That can be tough, and even a little scary. But it has been amazing to practice and think about this with such a loving, compassionate, funny, sweet group of people here on the compound. There are some good people who have come through here!

2010-09-25T17:18:00.000-04:00

Enok is my favorite piki driver!

My new home :)

2010-09-25T17:04:00.005-04:00

Ellie and Chrisy, two of the TI interns. The TI interns are the
sweetest girls ever! It has been amazing to get to know them.

My home is the first one on the left. I love it very much (for real).

Shamba

Main house on the TI compound

2010-09-15T06:12:00.000-04:00

It’s been a while….

A couple of weeks ago I moved from Karibuni to the compound I stayed on when I came in ’07/’08. It has been amazing to be back here, and to spend time with the people I met when I was here a couple of years ago.

A group of interns just arrived on the compound, and they will be here until December. They are a sweet bunch of girls! On this compound, there is an emphasis on living as the church body at all times, and not just when you are in a church building. We have been thinking of each other as the church instead of a building as being the church. With that mindset, it’s easier to pray, read and sing together on a more regular basis. It’s really good.

I have been at Graceway a lot over the past week. God is showing us some specific areas where I can be helping out, so I’m really thankful for that. It’s good to work with the staff at Graceway, and it’s really nice to see where they need help and then be able to fill gaps for them. I pray for wisdom in all these areas though, because this is still a different culture, and I don’t always know how to react to certain situations.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for me when I was sick. I feel mostly better!

2010-08-30T10:37:00.000-04:00

Today, when I walked out of the Karibuni gate, there were some girls playing across the road. So they called me over and I watched them for a while. They had a really, really long string, and two girls would stand far apart, with the string around their waists. And then the other two girls were doing all these crazy jumps in and around the string. It was actually kind of neat! And two of them could do the same moves at the same time; they asked me to play, but I took pictures instead :)

2010-08-30T10:30:00.002-04:00

Pamela

Sharon

Mercy & Sharon

Rosemary & Pamela

A stick bug!!

2010-08-29T10:12:00.002-04:00

Somehow, time so easily gets filled up here!

Last week I was at In Step overnight. My friend and I went over in the early afternoon. We helped a woman finish up her mural on the walls (I have pictures up in a previous blog). But we had to stop because it started raining crazy hard, and it started to rain down the walls where we were painting, and the paint was starting to run. It was pretty much raining in the veranda, so some of the kids and workers got buckets out to catch the rain and mopped up the water that was on the floor. I guess they need to get the roof fixed.

So, I made my way into the room with all the babies. Oh my. There were between 20 and 30 babies/toddlers in a small living room. There were two aunties taking care of them all. It was a bit overwhelming, so I just sat down, and held whoever crawled onto me. It was fun, but there were just so many babies in one room! We were in there for a couple of hours and then dinner started. Even though most of the people in that home are babies or small children, they go through so much food for one meal! It’s amazing, though, how they always cook a perfect amount. There aren’t usually leftovers, but everyone gets plenty.

That night I read the older kids some stories, and that was so fun! Ashley, a girl who is staying at In Step (from the States) for a few months, always reads to them, and then plays some games with them, and then prays with them before they go to bed. So when she started playing Hide and Seek, I stayed with the kids who wanted more stories and read. Then we prayed, and they went to bed.

After that I was able to spend some time with Ashley. She was holding a baby who has cerebral palsy. Every night, when all the kids and babies are in bed, she sits with him and straightens out his legs, arms, and even his hands and fingers. When he’s left alone his muscles automatically contract, and they said it took two weeks, when they first got him, to be able to get him to straighten his arms and legs. He was just curled up in a little ball. But she’s so sweet and gentle with him. And I was holding a little boy Teddy. I think he’s about three. He can’t talk yet, and he can only take a few steps. I don’t know what he has, but he is so adorable and I love spending time with him. Even though he doesn’t speak, you can still get him to smile and laugh, and it’s so great when he does that. And he’s such a little cuddle bug! If you sit next to him, he’ll crawl over to you to be held. And if you put your face near his, he smashes his face up against yours and laughs. He is just a sweetheart.

It was really good to spend time with Ashley too. It’s always so neat to meet new people and hear of how God has led, and directed, and provided for them. It’s so encouraging.

Yesterday I went to Graceway to a youth meeting. I was so confused about the people in the meeting because there were kids who were in their teens, and then there were adults my age and older. So it was explained to me that in Kenya, a youth is a person who is not married. In America, groups are often split into ages. A thirty year old wouldn’t be considered a youth. But here there are two groups. Married and not married. People ended up talking mostly about wanting to get married, and I felt bad for the younger ones who just sat there and listened because they probably don’t want to get married yet. It was a bit strange, but there were good conversations. They started off talking about challenges that youths face. So they brought up lacking things (job, money, resources), disunity in the church, wanting freedom (from parents), and all kinds of things. But the meeting mostly consisted of a couple of people talking about wanting to be married and asking questions like how do you know when you’re ready, and what if you don’t have a job, or how do you recognize who to marry. Then some of the pastors of Graceway came in and then they were asked the same questions. I was really surprised at how they were able to speak and answer questions when they were put on the spot like that.

One pastor talked about how a challenge, or pressure, is a good thing to face. He talked about how some things need pressure in order to be able to move. So pressure, in and of itself, is not a bad thing, it’s how you respond to the pressure you’re facing that is important.

Another pastor talked about how marriage is a good thing, but men do have to be able to provide for their wives. He said you don’t get married so you can parade down the street with your wife and tell people you finally got married (he’s kind of funny). But you need to provide for her, and take care of her, and put a roof over her head.

Another pastor basically said to grow up. That sometimes God delays things because you need to learn something first, or you’re not ready for something that you want. He said to learn to handle whatever stage you’re in before you expect to step into another stage of life. And he said God will work out His plan, so be patient.

I’m doing a very poor job recapping their conversations, because all the pastors talked for a long time, but it was really neat to listen to them, and then pray with them.

And today, after church, I was able to talk with Agnes for a loooong time. She’s the social worker at Graceway, and I kind of adore her. She’s older, has three children, and no husband. I spend a lot of time with her at Graceway when I’m there during the week, and she is the one who gets the women from Tuwani together on Wednesdays and goes over ideas for small businesses. She’s a counselor, and I love listening to her. She serves God wholeheartedly (from what I’ve seen) by serving people all the time. She’s always talking about others, how they can be helped, or what their situations are like (not gossiping, but trying to explain what it’s like to live in poverty or be left by your husband, and things like that). I have such a hard time understanding poverty, and the mindset that people have when they are living in it. I know it’s real, and that many people live in really dire circumstances, and I even see it all over. But, honestly, I don’t have an understanding of it. People are so poor that they will give you their child because they think you can take better care of them. I thought it was awful a couple of weeks ago, when that woman told me I could take her daughter back to America with me; but Paul explained it’s probably just because she thinks her daughter will be taken care of better. And Job (he works at Graceway too) told me that parents like when their kids go to boarding school because it’s one less child to worry about caring for. I can’t imagine being so willing to give up your children, but it comes from being in survival mode. And I don’t understand that. I have no clue how to relate to that. But these people pray and believe that God can and will change their situation.

Today, there was a woman in church who graduated four years ago, and she finally just got a job. She had only been doing volunteer work for four years, but had never had a paying job. When she told the congregation she found a job, they were so happy! They sang and clapped and yelled because God heard her and helped her. I’ve never seen anyone do that kind of thing in America when someone gets a job! I didn’t understand how big of a deal it was until after, when I was talking to Agnes. She said she and so many other people had seen this woman’s tears and prayed with her and for her. And God changed her situation. People here suffer together and they celebrate together.

For Mom

2010-08-22T03:16:00.005-04:00

Every single morning when I get up, I go out to the veranda to read. Usually, I just stay there, but once in a while I’ll move a chair down the steps, into the yard to read. The few times that I’ve done that, I have only lasted about 15 or 20 minutes because of the animals. If Rehema sees me, she’ll end up coming over to eat the chair cushion, or my skirt, or my shirt, or annoy me until I pet her. Although I do really like Rehema. She doesn’t always annoy me. Or the turkeys will come over and scare me (they just stare at me, and get really close, and puff up their feathers at me…yes, I’m scared of turkeys). Anyway, if I want any amount of decent reading time in the yard, I can’t go out there when all the animals are walking around.

So, this morning, I was up on the veranda reading, because I’m never bothered there. After a few minutes this monkey came out of a tree, walked along the cement ledge that goes along the front of the veranda, and just kept walking towards me! I know they don’t attack, but they can bite, so I didn’t want it to walk across my lap, which it looked like it wanted to do. So I moved my tea and toast inside the house, ran out to my room and got my camera. (My mom has been asking for monkey pictures ever since I got here. I see monkeys pretty often, but either don’t have my camera on me, or can’t get a clear shot of them.) By the time I got back, the monkey had knocked my bible off the table, moved back into the yard and gone up a tree to eat fruit. So I took a picture, and went back to the veranda. I started reading, and it came right up to me again! So I took more pictures, but it kept getting too close, so I kept backing away till I was almost in the house again. But I doubt it would really bite me. Maybe next time it will sit in my lap. Anyway, Mom, here are your monkey pictures!

Picking some fruit

Coming for a visit

Playing with bones

I was almost in the house
at this point, because I
didn't know why it was
following me.

2010-08-20T02:54:00.000-04:00

Yesterday morning Megan and I had another Kiswahili lesson. After the lesson, our teacher talked to us for about an hour and a half about his childhood, the Kenyan culture, and some other things. It was so amazing! One of my most favorite things about being here has been my lessons. He is a good teacher, and somehow, he always relates parts of the language to the culture. And, of course, his wife made us chai (pretty much the best chai I’ve ever had).

This is a little bit of my teacher’s story. He grew up with some kind of disability. He walks with a little bit of a limp, and his shoulders aren’t even. I’m not sure what he has, but in the Kenyan culture, when a child is born with a disability, they are usually hidden away. I don’t know if it’s quite as common to do that today (although it does still happen), as it was when my teacher was growing up, but he said it was really bad during his childhood. His parents’ house was a one room house, so whenever they had visitors, he would have to crawl under the bed to hide there, or go outside. He was the only one of the seven children in the family who could not go to school (because his parents didn’t want him out in public, not because he wasn’t capable of going to school).

When he was about 8 years old, a missionary lady and a pastor went to visit his home. The woman could see him under the bed, so she asked him to come out so she could greet him. After that, his parents made him go outside, and as he was leaving he said he looked at his hand to see if any of the white paint from the woman had come off on him! I guess Kenyan children think that white people have paint on them, which makes them white? Anyway, the woman asked about the children, and she found out that all of them, except for my teacher were going to school. His parents wouldn’t tell her the real reason for him not going to school, but she was able to figure it out after a while.

She came back one day and asked his parents if she could pay for him to go to school. They said if he went to school, he’d have to go to a boarding school. So then she asked if he could live with her, and they said yes. So she took my teacher home and ended up raising him. He was taught at home for the first few years, and then was put in one of the best schools in the area at that time. She even put him all the way through college.

My teacher was talking about this woman, and he acknowledged that, through God, this woman was brought to him and he has the life he has today because of her. He said out of all of his siblings he is the only stable one…and he has about 20 something children living with him that he can actually care and provide for. He has about 6 or 7 of his own children, and he and his wife care for many orphans. It took him a while to get to where he is now, but he said that is because he did everything honestly! He doesn’t mishandle money even when others tell him that he could get ahead that way.

He was also telling us of a hard time he went through, and a man who was a missionary in the area talked to him one day before he went back to the States to retire. This man told my teacher that he only had to worry about where he stood before God, and not with people. He said if you have anything to clear with the Lord you take it to him, and if not, people can say all they want, but if you’re right before God that is all that matters. My teacher remembers that conversation so clearly, to this day, and he was telling Megan and me that when things like that come our way, to remember to be right before God, and let everything else go.

My teacher is also one of the few men who talk about the Bible when speaking of life. Not many people here have the thought pattern to go to the Bible as a guide to living life. But he always mentions something that he is reading, or something he remembers from the past that he learned through the Bible and applies it to life. It was just one of the sweetest times I’ve had yet, to listen to this man and get a glimpse into his life, and the Kenyan culture.

He also said that he appreciates America and the people who have come from there. It is because he knew some missionaries while growing up that really, really spoke intensely into his life. But he said that missionaries are different today. He said white people used to go into people’s homes and eat or drink chai with them. And today, that isn’t as common. That is when I understood why Paul tells me to go into people’s homes, and never to say no to what I am offered. I don’t know if I will ever fully understand the impact of it, because I come from such a different culture, but it seems like one of the greatest things you can be for someone here, is to be a friend who enters into their home. They adore that. Most of the things Paul and Jayne have told me over the 14 months I lived with them, about the African culture, were mentioned by my teacher in the hour and a half he spoke with Megan and me. I am so, so thankful for the time I had with Paul and Jayne. It equipped me more than I thought, although I have long way to go. And I’m thankful for the foundation my parents gave me. I still pray that someday I will learn to serve the way I have seen them serve!

2010-08-17T16:56:00.000-04:00

I miss playing the piano a whole lot.

But other than that, things are good, and God is amazing.

I continue to get emails from people (some I don’t even know) who tell me they are praying for me. It is so amazing to see God work through prayer. Thank you.

A few days ago I left Karibuni to go for a walk. Soon after, this girl that I didn’t know at all ran up to me and gave me a hug! She had been standing with her mom, so I walked over with Sarah, the one who hugged me, to her mom. Then I realized that her mom was a woman who works at Karibuni (she looked very different without her head wrap on). She asked me if I wanted to see where she lived, so I said yes. I said yes because Paul and Jayne Carlson have told me how important things like that are in the African culture. I think, if someone invites you to go into their home, you go because that is a big deal here. Selfishly, I wanted to say no a little bit because I really just wanted to go for a walk. But if I told Paul that I said no in a situation like that, I think I would get in trouble.

Anyway, we walked to her little concrete home, and I met another one of her daughters. She has seven children. Some live with their grandparents. She didn’t say why, but I am thinking that she probably has a hard time, as a single mom, providing for all seven children. Her husband left her twelve years ago when her youngest was four months old. She kept talking about when he left, and I realized that, when a husband leaves a wife, the wife may never get over that. She talked about how she hears every once in a while that he’s in Uganda, or some other place; I think she still misses him. And she made a point to let me know how difficult it is to provide for children on your own, as a single mom. And then she told me Sarah wanted to go back to America with me…and that I should prepare to take her! I thought she was kidding, but she was really serious. I told her that Sarah’s home is here, and she should stay. Then her mom said it was okay to take her! So then I said I will be in Kenya for a while. And then she said when I get my own house in Kenya, then I can take Sarah! I couldn’t believe that a mom would just let her child go live with a stranger. I didn’t even know what to say or how to respond. I wanted to say a whole lot of things, but they wouldn’t have been very nice, so I didn’t know what to say that wouldn’t be rude. I really don’t think it’s wise to give away children. It was such a strange afternoon.

Sunday, after church, I had another piano lesson. He is a teenager from the church, and he would have a piano lesson every day if he could! I keep telling him he needs time in between to practice, so he has stopped asking for so many. He’s a sweet kid though, and he can already play a (Swahili) worship song. People learn pretty quickly when they really want to.

Oh, speaking of learning, thank you for all the prayers concerning learning to speak Kiswahili. Multiple Kenyans have told me I am learning quickly, and they are always surprised when I can understand and answer them all in Swahili. But I can barely make it past two sentences in a row, so I don’t feel that I am learning quickly at all; I actually get frustrated over all that I don’t know. But they seem to be very happy when I can say the most simple things! Language lessons are so wonderful; although, I have a test coming up and it is very scary, but I’m still looking forward to it for some reason.

Siku njema! (Good day!)

2010-08-12T15:54:00.002-04:00

Schools are open again this week, so I’ve been at Graceway again. The more I am there, the more I enjoy the people! I ate lunch there for a couple of days, and I finally was able to try sukumuwiki (I don’t think that’s one word, but I don’t know where to split it up). I was very happy to have this because Kenyans eat it often during this time of the year when the crops are growing. It is basically a green that they compare to kale. They chop it up and eat it with ugali, a white play-doh like substance (it tastes better than play-doh, it’s just dense and sits in your stomach as if you may have just eaten some play-doh). Ugali is flour ground from maize. It was very good! But you eat it with your fingers. It gets very messy. Also, when I’m around for lunch, the lunch ladies let me place the oranges on the children’s plates :)

When you’re white, people here like to just call you mzungu, rather than learn your name. The children at Graceway still call me mzungu! So I have been saying that, ‘Mimi si mzungu, mimi ni mkenya’ (I am not a mzungu, I am Kenyan), and they think this is the funniest thing. But I really wish they would just call me Aly. I tell them my name, but as soon as I do that, they ask me about all the other Americans they know (the Herring family and Timo), so I don’t think they remember my name after all of that takes place. I’m slowly learning their names.

Yesterday, I met with the women from Tuwani. A lady from Graceway has a meeting with them every week, and they talk about things like family and income. They struggle sometimes just to have food every day, and the woman who meets with them has such a heart for them! She would love to see them able to start small businesses. Anyway, I had brought over some beads for them (a woman in America gave me a bunch to give out), and yesterday they started making necklaces! I am so praying that they can begin to sell them and make some money.

I left the meeting a little bit before it was over because the rain was coming, and I don’t live too close to Tuwani. Actually, I wasn’t going home, but the compound I was going to is right near where I live. Anyway, I thought I had time, but as soon as the piki piki guy came, it started to rain. A few minutes later, when we reached town, it was so bad that we had to stop and sit in front of a store, under the roof. When it rains hard here, it rains to where you can barely see at all. And it almost hurts when you’re on a piki and getting hit directly. I felt so bad for my driver! I was at least shielded a bit from the rain because I was sitting behind him. We were already wet at that point because it was just pouring down rain. So I told him I would call a taxi to take me the rest of the way home (I was actually worried that his bike couldn’t make it up the muddy/river-like road to where I live), but he said it would be fine. So when it let up a little bit, we left again. I’m still surprised we made it through those roads! The roads had small rivers running down them, so you couldn’t see where all the potholes were, so it was a bumpier than normal ride. And then, on the last stretch of the road, we were fishtailing so badly that I put my feet down because I thought we were going to fall over. Then he told me not to do that. So then I hit him (very gently) and told him to slow down. Then he said he is very experienced, so it is okay. And right after that he continued to say ‘Oh. My. Gosh.’ over and over and over! That did not make me feel any better. But I got to where I was going, and I was given a towel and a dry pair of pants :) That made me so happy! But my poor piki man had to go all the way home after that!

Anyway, today, I went to Graceway, and then I ended up going to another school that is about a half hour away. Graceway only goes up to grade 2, so the children who graduate go to another school. I had to take some things to them, and I almost took a piki there but everyone told me not to because it would start raining. And it did! I took a taxi instead, and on the way home, it poured! The driver asked me if I could see anything, and I said no. Then I asked him if he could see anything, and he said no. So then I asked him if he wanted to pull over to wait until the rain let up, and he said no. So we kept driving, and I started praying. Transportation in Africa is just a whole different thing. I hope I get used to it someday.

It was very nice to see Jenelle though. She is a sweet girl that I met last time I was here, and she attends the school I had to go to today. It is always such a joy to see her. And my parents support another girl there, so it was good to see her too. She told me to tell my mom and dad to come here next year to see her! She wants to meet them so much; that is the second time she’s asked me to tell them! I told her I would ask!

2010-08-09T15:03:00.001-04:00

As things get busier here, I probably won’t be updating my blog quite as much. Time goes by so fast!

All of last week Graceway, along with all the other schools, were closed due to the referendum. Things have been peaceful here so far. Thank you all for your prayers, but please continue to pray for this country!

I was able to work through writing out the kids bios. I am mostly done! I thought I was all done, but not every child has filled out their form yet, so the rest of the information I’m waiting on will probably come in slowly over the next few weeks. That was a little project I was able to help the staff with at Graceway (the school).

Also, there are a few guys from Graceway (the church), who are interested in learning how to play the keyboard. So on Saturdays and Sundays I’m teaching music. The guys who play are good, and they even lead worship, but they don’t understand what they are playing. I asked one guy who was playing a song, what chords he was playing to see how much he knew. He said he didn’t know what he was playing at all! I asked him how he was able to play the song and he said he watched someone, so he just imitates them. I never realized you could get through playing music like that. So we’re working on music theory.

Last week, I visited the Church of Christ Children’s Home, where my friend Megan lives and works. I had been there in ’07 with a different friend, and I had held this baby named Linda. At the time, I had no idea that I would ever see her again…but last week I was able to hold her and play with her (her picture is posted above)! It is the neatest thing to hold a child that you just thought you wouldn’t ever see on this earth again. It’s really amazing. I went there again today and had lunch with Megan, and we played with the kids!

Last week, I was also able to visit another home that friends of mine are involved in. There are about fifteen children living in a house with house parents and a couple of sweet women helping out. They hope to build another home on the property for some girls to live in. It’s been very good to see so many children in a safe home, when they may otherwise be on the streets, or living lives that are so unhealthy for them.

It has also been such a blessing to see people that I know from being here last time, and to have them be so welcoming. And I’ve been able to meet new people that are such a joy to talk to and it’s so great to hear their different stories!

Today I was at Graceway for a while in the morning. It is so hard to learn the kids’ names, but I’m trying! Everytime I am with the kids they always say, ‘Baba Bob enda wapi?’, ‘Mama Leah enda wapi?’…and they go through Caleb’s name, and Timo’s name also. They are asking where (father) Bob, (mother) LuAnn (they call her Leah), Caleb and Timo went! After every question I always say, ‘alienda Amerika’ (he/she went to America). And then they repeat their question! But they always, always ask. They remember the people who love them so well!

2010-08-09T14:05:00.002-04:00

This is baby Linda in 2007...

...and this is her now :)

Church of Christ Children's Home

2010-08-09T13:54:00.003-04:00

Lillian

This is what Lina would look like with red hair.

Nicole and Meredith (the white girls).

A girls home will be built here someday

Happy Graceway kids

In Step Pictures

2010-08-01T14:29:00.005-04:00

Mama Tina has been working on these murals for about 6 months.

There are 2 sections of buildings like this, with a veranda in the front connecting them.

Veranda

Lots of laundry

Safari

Chakula cha mchana (lunch) - and this is just the younger kids!

2010-08-01T14:27:00.000-04:00

Here’s a long update from this past week…

On Wedesday, Job and I went to pick up the children from Pathfinder Academy. It is a boarding school that the graduates from Graceway go to. Graceway only goes up to second grade, so children in higher grades attend Pathfinder. It isn’t too far away, but we took a matatu (van – public transportation) and they don’t leave unless it is full. So we sat around for at least 20 minutes. Then after we got going, the driver would drop people off, and pick other people up, so there were lots of stops. And we had to get out at one point and find a different driver who would take us and all the kids back to Graceway at a reasonable price. Sometimes, when I am even with a Kenyan, other Kenyans raise the price of things because they think I’m rich and I’ll just pay. Absolutely not. Anyway, a trip that should have taken about 25 to 30 minutes took an hour and a half! But it was so good to get to Pathfinder! There is a girl, Jenelle, who I met last time I was here, and I love her so much. I have been praying for her and she has been on my heart and mind for two and a half years. I wasn’t sure if she would remember me, but she did as soon as she saw me and we hugged forever (and I cried a little – I couldn’t help it). It was just really good to see one of the kids that I remember so well from last time. And there was one other girl who I recognized and she speaks English very well, so we were able to talk a little bit, which was so good. Then, on the way back, the matatu driver hit a guy on a bike. It was so awful. The driver was going slow because he was turning, so the man on the bike didn’t get hurt too badly. He kind of flew off his bike, but I believe he only had a bloody lip. His bike was all bent up though, and that stinks because it’s likely that he wouldn’t really have the money to fix it. I could be wrong though. Anyway, when we got back to Graceway, the kids had oranges and then walked home!

School was out from Wednesday all the way through this coming week because of the referendum. PLEASE keep this country in your prayers.

Thursday my friend and I started Kiswahili lessons. Megan is a woman who works in a children’s home in Kitale. She has been here for about six months, and has been wanting to learn the language, so we’re taking 2 lessons per week. Our teacher is using a book that is used in a university in Tanzania for learning Kiswahili. Hopefully we will be able to speak the language when we’re done!

On Friday, Megan, Nicole (a friend of a friend) and I went to In Step (a baby home). We took a taxi, and on our way there, a car wanted to pass us on the left side of the car (they drive on the left side of the road here, so we were already on the edge of the road, and I don’t know why the other guy thought it was a good idea to pass us). When he did that, he ended up going through a huge pothole/ditch filled with mud because of all the rain we’ve been having. The passenger and driver had their windows open, and we all got sprayed down with mud! Nicole saw the car passing us, and opened her mouth and kind of yelled (she thought he was going to hit us), and she got mud in her mouth! It was all over the inside of the car, dripping down the passenger and driver’s faces, dripping on us from the ceiling…it was everywhere! It was the first time I had been that filthy before being with children. That was just a little side story before I get to the good stuff…

…In Step is a baby home that a couple started a few years ago. Children’s homes typically do not take in children under 3 because it is so hard to care for them. In Step is one of two places in this entire area to take in babies. They actually don’t take in children above the age of five, because they are so much easier to place. But when they take in a baby, they keep them until they are grown up.

When I was here a couple of years ago, they were building the new home. They were living in a brick house at the time, but it was not big enough for all the babies that people were leaving in maize fields, or on the side of the road, or even abandoning in the hospitals right after giving birth. So they were provided with the money to buy land and build a stone building that would better facilitate having so many babies. I had gone by the worksite twice previously, but Friday was the first time I saw it since I’ve been back in Kenya. I did not even recognize it! The property is absolutely gorgeous! They have planted so many flowers and trees! The building is completely finished, it is incredibly practical (and beautiful), and it is now filled with 82 babies! It was just so absolutely amazing to be there, hear stories of where the children where found (Carla – her and her husband started the home – knows every single child’s story), and to see them happy, smiling, and so well loved!! It is just incredible to see 82 lives that were saved because of this home. The baby I held for most of the time I was there was Gloria. She was found somewhere on the ground, being eaten by ants. Carla said chunks of her arms were just missing when she was found, and her face was in bad shape too. She is actually a very beautiful little girl, and you wouldn’t know what she’s been through, except on one arm and hand there is some scarring. I think she is about five months old now. She was smiling and making the cutest sounds and expressions! Other children have worse stories that I don’t need to get into. This place literally does save lives though. That was the amazing part. All of the babies had been abandoned. Some of the children have disabilities also, but all of their needs are known and taken care of. It was also such a calm place. I told that to Carla, and she said it wasn’t always calm, but I really did sense a peace there. I’m sure it is hard to care for that many children, but they have a system going, and the kids respond so well to it. The older children were on ‘safari’ (the teachers were taking them for a walk around their land), and the babies and infants were in their little areas with their aunties (caregivers). I hope to be able to visit more! There were 4 children that I remembered from the last time I was there. Rehema (means mercy) was one of them, and she was the first child they were given. She is about 4 or 5 now. God brought about this ministry through that little girl!

Then, on Saturday, Megan and I went into Eldoret. That is the closest bigger city/town/whatever it is. Megan needed some things at a store that is only in Eldoret, which is why we went there. It is about an hour and a half away on very, very bad roads. The driver on the way there was pretty good though. We got what we needed. I was able to buy another french press because mine got broken. Another story…I walked into the house the other day, and Abraham (he and his wife own Karibuni) said very seriously, ‘there has been an accident’. This was the day when I had been in the matatu that hit the guy on the bike, so when Abraham said that, I thought someone had died for real! It scared me so much, so I asked him what happened, and he said my french press cracked! I was so relieved!...Anyway, I got a new one in Eldoret, and Megan got her things, and we headed back home. And that driver was terrible. He was flying through the roads and these roads have mini craters in them! And then, when there was a smooth part he was going even crazy faster. I was looking forward to the bumps, just so he couldn’t drive quite as fast. I was so mad at him for driving like that with 15 people in his car. I was terrified, but Megan was having fun. We even had to hold on to the bar in front of us to stay in our seats at some points. I prayed most of the way back, and we made it safely! I wanted to punch him when we got out though.

I have a new piano student, also, so I went to Graceway to teach when we got back. It was a pretty busy weekend, but a good one!

Since the school is closed this week, I may just go over a couple of times. I’m hoping to go on some home visits in Tuwan also. And I always have the kids’ bios to work on! There are about 150 to do, and it’ll take some time to get through.

2010-07-27T16:06:00.005-04:00

I broke the swing.

Sheep taking cover from the sun

Rehema

Compound

July 27

2010-07-27T15:34:00.001-04:00

Today was such a nice, warm, sunny day! I started off reading through a part of Acts that we’re doing in the women’s Bible study that I go to on Thursdays. We’re going through a Beth Moore study called ‘To Live is Christ’, and it’s about Paul’s missionary journeys. Today, we read chapter 14 which deals with some of the sufferings he endured. In the notes that go along with the reading, the author talked about suffering vs. the prosperity gospel that some are taught. The Bible is clear on the ideas behind suffering – it is sometimes a part of life. Sometimes due to sin, and sometimes not. The part we read today in Acts didn’t have anything to do with sin. It was a part of Paul’s life that he used to give glory to God. I’m not sure why something like that was encouraging, but it actually did encourage me. The author also talked about how sometimes the fear of suffering is harder to deal with than actually suffering. We (I) get so scared of what might happen, that just the thought of suffering can become hard to bear. She explained it better than I am now, but I’ve been in that place. And she also said that you don’t get the strength or grace to suffer before you need it, it is when you need it. Acts is a really good book filled with stories of God being so evident in His children’s lives.

Then I went on to read for the Bible Overview class I am in. I brought my laptop outside and was happy to sit down and start reading. But then Rehema (the donkey) came over because she reeeeally wanted to be pet. So I pet her nose, then tried to go back to reading. Then she kept nibbling on my skirt, and she would not stop no matter how much I told her to. Then the sheep came over because I think they got jealous and wanted to be pet too. So then I moved over to the wooden swing away from the animals, because as cute as they are, I don’t want them to eat the clothes off of me. Then the rope on one corner of the swing broke, and threw me forward. Thankfully, I did not drop my laptop, and I did land on my feet. Somehow, in all of that, I did get some reading done! Which is a good thing because reading through the books of the Kings can be so confusing with the timelines involved. I took a little break from Bible Overview while I was home and then when I first got to Kenya, but it was so good to start up again this morning.

I headed to Graceway after that for lunch. I got there before 11, even though lunch wasn’t till 1. So Job went over the kids’ bios with me. I am writing them up, but some are written in Kiswahili, so we went through them to make sure I understood everything and could write the correct information. It was almost 1 by then, but rather than getting ready to eat lunch, the women got ready to start cooking lunch. I am not fully switched over to Kenyan time (things often happen an hour or hours after the time mentioned), so I was a little surprised to go into the kitchen to see them starting things up. Some women were making chapati, and I helped cut up some mboga (vegetables). Then they brought in these naked little chicken bodies that they chopped up and threw in a pot.

While the food was cooking, one lady took me on a little walk through Tuwan. (I have been calling it Tuwani for about two and a half years, but it is actually called Tuwan!) We visited one woman for a little while. She showed me some handwork she had done (doily type things), and she does a really, really beautiful job! She doesn’t have a pattern, but she makes really pretty designs right from her head! She is trying to sell them, but she could not afford to buy all the thread that would make a whole set. These women really do have gifts, but they often have a hard time being able to use them because they just don’t have quite enough money to get something started. But they are encouraged to continue trying so they can get out of the mindset that they are too poor to do anything. Anyway, rather than selling her handwork, her and one of her daughters spend hours peeling and cutting potatoes to make chips (fries) to sell on the side of the road. She said they make enough to put a meal on the table at the end of the day (she has six children). And she said it with a smile.

I was told that a lot of the women in Tuwan are hard workers. But they just don’t have the money to start up any kind of business that would give them an income.

We got back to Graceway and started eating sometime after 3. I became more aware that I was the only mzungu in the room, than at any other time since I’ve been here. I had been at Graceway for hours by that point, and they mostly speak Kiswahili. So, after hours of being there and hearing the language, I got frustrated when we were eating and I still couldn’t understand anything anyone was saying. I’m glad they speak their own language and don’t cater to me, and maybe I’ll learn the language faster that way, but it was the first time, since flying into Kenya, that I wanted to be around something that was familiar to me. Kenyans keep telling me that I will learn the language in a few months because it’s not hard! That is not true! It’s not hard to them because it is their language! It is a hard language to learn, and I haven’t met a white person in this area who knows the language fluently; including the people who have been here for years. You can get away with speaking English because someone can usually interpret, but it is not common enough so that there is no language barrier! It is very hard to communicate, and I don’t want to always need an interpreter. So lessons begin on Thursday morning again.

Yesterday, there was a meeting at the school for the children’s parents. Again, it was mostly women who attended. All of the teachers spoke about their students. They tried to bring issues to the parents' attention. For example, when the kids treat each other the wrong way, is it because they are learning those things at home? And a pastor from Graceway also spoke at the end, trying to get them out of the poverty mindset. I’m not sure how you do that though. The women need a lot of encouragement. Pray for them.

For My Sister

2010-07-25T15:06:00.002-04:00

This blog is going to be about food, and it is written for my most favorite sister in the whole wide world. She asked me some questions that I’ll share with all of you.

First question: ‘I'm wondering what you're eating and how you get your food. For example, do you have to hunt for your breakfast?’ Nope! I definitely don’t hunt.

Second question: do I ‘steal eggs from eagle’s nests?’ Nope, I don’t do that either! I don’t know that I’d want to eat a baby eagle though…or what would be a baby eagle. I like eating baby chickens so much more.

Third question: ‘How close is the nearest Dunkin Donuts?’ I am pretty sure the closest one is in Massachusetts.

Fourth question: ‘Is there such a thing as Kenyan chocolate?’ Yes. It is sweeter and almost tastes more like candy than chocolate because the sweetness is a different kind of sweetness. That’s the best I can describe it! But they sell chocolate from all over, so I can still get normal stuff. I did go for almost a whole week without eating any chocolate though! There’s no sense in trying to continue that pattern though.

I have been eating very normally, for the most part, ever since I got to Kenya. When I was in Kijabe we would eat at the IDP camp sometimes. I had the less normal food there, but it was always very, very good, and there was nothing weird. There was a woman that we always visited and she’d often make us rice and beans, or chapati (flat, round bread, similar to Indian bread), or githeri (beans and maize with other random vegetables in it), and always, always chai (from brown water)! I loved her chai! Oh, but I did have really weird porridge stuff once. I know they call it something else, and it definitely wasn’t very porridge-like, but that’s what the wazungu (white people) called it when we forgot the real name! This description is really a very good description: it was kind of sweet, and the texture was that of sand in a cup of spit. It also looked like sand in a cup of spit. It wasn’t horrible tasting, but it was hard to swallow without gagging. But then you just drink as quickly as you can!

Also, in Kijabe I ate really well because we would often go to Bob and Julie’s for dinner. Julie is a wonderful, wonderful cook, and so are Dan and Rachel. So suppers (and desserts) were always very amazing! In Kitale I eat more simply because I cook for myself, and that’s no fun. I just don’t really eat meat because it would cost more, and I’m cheap. But, Mom, I’m eating enough, and I have not lost weight! Although, today after church, I was talking with one of the pastors about America because he’s been there a few times before. He had asked me something about the food there, and I was talking about how a lot of it is unhealthy. And he said that he had heard that before, but that American food is so ‘tasty’, like the hamburgers you can get at McDonald’s! And he said how he had gone to America small, and he came back from America very big! And he said a lot of people in America are big, and he was surprised that I am small, haha!

Anyway, that is the unexciting news about the way I eat in Kenya. If you want to see someone eating exciting things, watch Man vs. Wild. That man literally eats and drinks anything he can find out in the wild, and it is unmentionable for my G rated blog. So go watch it!

Pictures of the Graceway kiddos

2010-07-24T14:18:00.003-04:00

Waiting in line for their check-up during the clinic.

So happy in their new uniforms!

July 24

2010-07-24T14:17:00.001-04:00

So, it has been really neat to be able to be at Graceway this past week! The school is running so smoothly, and the kids look healthy and happy!

When I first got to Graceway on Tuesday, I talked with the administrator of the school just to tell him a little bit about myself. I mentioned that I had taught piano in the States for about 6 years off and on. So he said some people may want to take lessons. So I said okay. Last night he called me and told me to go to the school today because I had a student. I guess I am teaching now!

Today, on my walk from town back home, a boy that Timo and I spent some time with last time we were here saw me, so he came over to me (he’s not little, he’s about 20, but he seemed so young last time I was here, so he’s still young in my head). He walked with me back home, and for the first time, not one single man bothered me! No one said anything inappropriate to me or made me feel uncomfortable, and I was so, so very thankful for that! Thank you for your prayers about that because it really bothers me to walk through town and feel uncomfortable because of the men. It was better today. And I am also thankful for my piki piki guy. I always use a piki piki to go to Graceway because I feel a little safer, and the one who takes me is a really sweet guy. He cannot speak English, and I can barely speak any Kiswahili, so conversations are just funny sometimes (when we try to have them). But he is so nice, and he doesn’t drive crazy.

Helloooo Rain!

2010-07-22T14:05:00.000-04:00

Well, it’s been a very good few days in Kitale. In some ways, it seems so normal to be here, but when I really think on what God has done over the past two and a half years to get me here, I am overwhelmed! In a good way.

I have been at the school in the mornings since I got here. Yesterday I was able to meet with one of the pastors from Graceway. It was so good to talk with him! He told me he did not want me to commit to anything yet. Just to watch, hang around, and get involved, little by little, in the things that interest me. There seems to be a whole lot of freedom in getting involved in ministry here, which I appreciate. I just pray I’ll know where God is leading!

Today I helped with writing up bios for some of the kids. In doing that, it became even more clear to me, how uninvolved men are here. I’ve really been thinking about this ever since I got to Kenya. It bothers me. I don’t know where they are, or where they go. The wives and moms are the ones who work and support the families. Because it seems like, so often, the fathers are the ones who disappear. These women carry really big burdens. Please pray for them! And please pray for God to raise up good men! Anyway, when I was writing the bios, I noticed that the kids either had both parents, or just a mom. Never, ever just a dad.

The rainy season is coming, so there is a whole lot of mud around here. Like, more mud than I have ever seen before. Today, on my way to Graceway, I was wondering if the piki piki was going to make it through some of the roads because of all the mud! I don’t even know how the driver got it through, but he did a very good job. And I’m told it’ll get worse! I was at a women’s Bible study today (wonderful), and they were talking about how this is just the beginning. Because it only rains from the afternoon on. They said it’ll start to rain all day. Oh my. Literally, within minutes, a pond or river will form somewhere that had just been pretty dry! And I thought I left Washington weather behind me. Actually, in Washington it’s often gray, but it doesn’t necessarily always rain. It spits, and mists, and it always seems like it can’t decide if the sun wants to come out or just go away so it can rain. Here it seems that the sun either shines, or the rain comes in buckets. There’s no in between.

Soon after I got to Kenya, LuAnn reminded me of how important it is to spend time with God alone. I typically do that in the mornings, but sometimes I do it because that’s what I do when I get up. This morning we were actually together. I know He’s always with me, but I don’t always acknowledge it. It’s good to always acknowledge it. This is some of what I read today, and I hope it is encouraging for you to read also (Psalm 40):

‘I waited patiently for the LORD; he inclined to me and heard my cry. He drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock, making my steps secure. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear, and put their trust in the LORD. Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust, who does not turn to the proud, to those who go astray after a lie! You have multiplied, O LORD my God, your wondrous deeds and your thoughts toward us; none can compare with you! I will proclaim and tell of them, yet they are more than can be told. Sacrifice and offering you have not desired, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required. Then I said, “Behold, I have come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me: I desire to do your will, O my God; your law is within my heart.” I have told the glad news of deliverance in the great congregation; behold, I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O LORD. I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation. As for you, O LORD, you will not restrain your mercy from me; your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me! For evils have encompassed me beyond number; my iniquities have overtaken me, and I cannot see; they are more than the hairs of my head; my heart fails me. Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me! O LORD, make haste to help me! Let those be put to shame and disappointed altogether who seek to snatch away my life; let those be turned back and brought to dishonor who desire my hurt! Let those be appalled because of their shame who say to me, “Aha, Aha!” But may all who seek you rejoice and be glad in you; may those who love your salvation say continually, “Great is the LORD! As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God!

Graceway

2010-07-20T13:40:00.002-04:00

Thank you all for the encouraging emails I have been getting. It is really good to know so many people are praying.

Today I went to visit Graceway (the school that I constantly wrote about last time I was in Kitale). It has changed so much! The children now have uniforms, they look so clean and well fed, and the class rooms have tables and chairs, the teachers have their own desks, and everything is so organized! I think I just wrote a very long run-on sentence! Anyway, the administrator of the school took me to all the class rooms. It was during their class time, so I just met the teachers, and it was pretty brief. But when I walked into one of the grades, all the kids stood up and said, ‘Welcome, welcome!’ very loudly! It was so sweet! I was also able to meet a lady who does some home visits, and I am very much looking forward to going with her sometime.

It was really neat to go back there, although most of the children are different from the children I met last time. The school only goes up to second grade right now, and most of the kids I met last time have moved on. It’ll take some time to get to know these kids, along with the teachers.

It also hit me hard today that it will be a long, slow process to be in a position to be able to disciple people here if that is what I end up involved in in the long run. It is a different culture here with a different language, and I will not learn everything overnight! I know that’s okay. But I kind of wish I could learn it all overnight.

It was also a bit strange to go to Graceway alone. Last time Caleb, Eva and Timo knew all the teachers and most of the kids. So I stepped into things with a few other people. Today I went by myself and it is always so hard to just step in and meet people because I am so shy! But I know that can’t be an excuse not to get involved. I am actually really looking forward to getting involved; I just don’t know what that will end up looking like right now.

I am incredibly thankful to be here though. I didn’t see this coming at all, but it is a good surprise!

Tomorrow I am meeting with a woman I know from being here last time, and I am so much looking forward to seeing a familiar face! In the past three weeks, she’ll be the first person I’ll see that I actually already know!

I am staying at a place called Karibuni. Karibu means ‘welcome’ in Kiswahili, and Karibuni is the word you use to welcome more than one person. It is on very, very gorgeous property. I have a room to stay in that is not attached to the main house. But parts of the main house are available to all the guests here. There is a big living room (with lots of books), a small kitchen, and a veranda…type thing when you walk out of the back door. They have a few tables set up to eat at, and it’s covered and somewhat walled in by thatch. Steps lead down into the back yard, which is very big, and is hedged in by all kinds of different trees. It is great to sit there and look out over the property, or watch the sky changing. Yesterday and today, during the day, it was absolutely sunny (and hot :) ) with deep blue skies. But late in the afternoon clouds rolled in. We got an incredible amount of rain yesterday evening and during the night. But it was good! Because when you walk around, the ground is wet enough that you do not get covered, from head to foot, in dust! But it didn’t rain enough where it was too muddy to walk around. Today it looked like it was going to rain, but it hasn’t yet. I spent a while this evening just sitting on the stairs in the back yard watching the sky change. It was really beautiful because it looked kind of stormy, but the sun was still shining through some clouds. I thought of getting my camera to take pictures to post, but instead I just continued to drink my coffee and watch! I’ll try not to be so selfish next time :)

There are also a lot of animals in the area, and they are so stinking loud. I’m not even sure what kind of animals all the noises are coming from! I usually only want to smack them early in the mornings though. But that probably wouldn’t help anything. Violence is never the answer.

Please continue to pray for God’s direction and that I will not get impatient with the things that are on my heart. God will work it out.

Kijabe/Kitale

2010-07-19T13:13:00.000-04:00

Well, the last few days in Kijabe were good, like all the rest were! I had the chance to spend about the last week with Dan, Rachel, and their son, Brayden. They are a really wonderful family, and I had such a good time with them! We spent a lot of time at the IDP camp because Rachel is so involved in that community.

On Saturday, Rachel and one of the teachers from the school handed out shoes to about 153 school children. They had been working on getting this together for the kids, and they loved being able to finally hand them out! It was a long day, but I think most people were really happy about it.

I was standing with the kids while they were waiting for their names to be called for their shoes, and a group of girls came up to me and asked me so many different questions about America. The first question everyone always asks me is what grade I am in (Kenyans think I am about 18 to 20 for some reason, so they are very surprised when I tell them I am 27), so I always tell them I am out of college and blah blah. Then they asked me if I talk to Obama. I tried to explain, again, that just because I live in the same country as someone else, that doesn’t mean I actually know them and hang out with them. Then they asked me if everyone in America is rich. So I said America is like any other place in the world. Some people are rich and some are poor. It will always be that way. That is why the Bible tells us to take care of people who have less than we do. I’m pretty sure they didn’t believe me though. Some of their questions are so funny, and other questions are pretty neat.

We went back to the IDP camp on Sunday, which was nice because I was able to say bye to a lot of people. I will remember those children! I was able to explain to some that I was going to Kitale and wouldn’t see them anymore.

We had a lot of people with us on Sunday, because a team of 15 people had just come in. So there were three overstuffed vehicles that took us to the IDP camp. It’s always easier going down to the camp than up to go home (even for the cars). On the way up, the car that I was had a hard time making it, and it was running out of gas. We all got out, and Dan tried to get it up the mountain as much as possible, while the rest of us walked. Then Bob came with some gas, and we all made it back home! The team that arrived got a little adventure their first day! Some Kenyans who were walking along the road jumped in and helped push it up a couple of hills that it couldn’t make it over. How nice!

I made it to Kitale this morning around 11. It is much warmer here (yay!) and it feels like summer even though it is their winter. Last night, when we were all walking back home from Bob and Julie’s after dinner, I said I couldn’t wait for it to feel like summer, but I thought it would take a couple of months for it to warm up; I didn’t realize Kitale was so much warmer…today at least!

They have had a lot of rain, so it is absolutely green everywhere and even more beautiful than I remember it being. Now I kind of think Kitale is the most beautiful place! The flowers on the trees are so bright! Even the blue of the sky is really bright. Kenya is a very colorful place.

The compound I’m staying on is so gorgeous. The property opens up behind the main house, and it has flowers, and trees, and sheep, and a donkey and it’s just amazing. I’ll try to get some pictures up soon!

More Pictures # 3

2010-07-16T07:08:00.002-04:00

Stacy

Stacy (left) and Jane (right)

Girls and boys at the IDP camp

Boys at the IDP camp

More Pictures # 2

2010-07-16T07:05:00.002-04:00

Bob spending quality time with Brayden's lizard

More Pictures

2010-07-16T06:55:00.004-04:00

Mural at CTC (Comfort the Children) in Maai Mahiu.

2010-07-16T06:04:00.003-04:00

This is what he did when I asked him to smile!

Stacy (left) and Jane (right).

July 13

2010-07-13T15:22:00.000-04:00

I guess it has been pretty obvious that I’ve enjoyed being in Kenya a whole lot. But I started to wonder if I’m painting a picture of everything being glorious, when that really isn’t the case. God’s given me a lot of joy in being here because He put an intense desire in me to come back, and then He fulfilled that. But life here isn’t perfect and always wonderful.

For instance, the people living in the IDP camp are living tough lives. A lot of them were successful or owned businesses, and now they’re living in little tents with no running water or bathrooms. It’s really hard for them. Some of the children smell just like an outhouse. I’m not trying to be mean, but that is the truth. A little girl fell asleep on me the other day, and I am positive that she had some…residue left over from whenever she last went to the bathroom. We cleaned her hands (although she really just needed a good bath) when she woke up, but why isn’t her mom or dad taking care of her? Some other kids are even worse. Even the children who have one or both parents are not always taken care of well. The parents leave for the day to work (the dads will often leave for months at a time if they find a job far away), or to try to find work and little, little children are left to wander around the camp and get food from whoever is willing to feed them. That’s not glorious. And I always thought I could tell the children without parents from the children who had parents. I thought the orphans were the ones who won’t let you put them down and get really clingy. But that’s not the case! Some of the most clingy children have parents! But they’re rarely held or shown affection. They absolutely crave affection (you can see it when they look at you and won’t let you go), but don’t get it. That’s not glorious either. But when they laugh, there is something glorious about that! And it’s amazing to be able to understand a sentence or two in their language, and their eyes get a little bigger when they realize you understood what they just said! I still think that when people live the lives they are living, but do it with a smile and some laughter, it’s because of God’s grace.

Also, men seem to be so absent here. At church in the IDP camp on Sunday, there were a good three times as many women as men. If there happens to be an adult with the children (which is rare), it will most likely be a woman. If water is being carried to a tent on someone’s back, it’s most likely a woman carrying it. I don’t even know where the men are. But I pray God would raise them up. There are so many ministries directed towards women and children (which is a biblical command to take care of widows and orphans) and that is a good thing, but what about the men? The other day Julie was talking about how when men leave their families, the family unit breaks, society breaks, and the country breaks. But God can cause some to remain faithful to Him, so please pray for that. I wonder if they know how needed they are.

Anyway, those are some things that are not the exciting part about Africa. But the exciting part is God is always working. No matter what we see, He’s at work, He’s in control, and He’s got it all covered.

Saturday, Jessica, Dan, Rachel, Braden and I walked down to the IDP camp. We spent most of the day there, which was really nice. We saw lots of the kids, spent time with them, and had some lunch with one of the ladies who teaches at the school. And had some chai of course. When we go there, we mostly spend time with the kids. I don’t even know how they know when we get there, but they always know! I was able to spend some time with Stacy too. At one point we had a very short, but understandable conversation with each other! When I started carrying her towards the road we take to go home, she asked me where I was going. I told her I was going home, she told me no, and I apologized but had to say yes. She was asking me in broken English and I was answering her in broken Swahili, but we understood each other! I’m already sad about not being able to see her once I get to Kitale. But I think God does those things as a reminder for us to pray for people, regardless of whether we are with them or not.

We ended up walking back up the mountain to go home because we couldn’t find a ride. The walk down to the camp is long but gorgeous. The walk up takes even longer and is quite the hike!

Sunday we went back for a church service. It was very, very hard to understand even though there was a translator because Kenyan accents sound really heavy to me. But it was nice to spend time with the kids again!

I don’t even really remember what we did on Monday, except I had another Swahili lesson. It’s hard, but wonderful. And then Monday afternoon I went over to my bed for something and there was a bunch of white stuff on the bottom third of it. So I looked closer and realized things were moving. So I squealed and Jessica came over. There were termites crawling on my bed, on the floor past the foot of my bed, and on this desk thing that was built in to the wall past my bed. It was so very yucky. There were a whole bunch of dead ones mixed in with the live ones. So I called Julie (with perhaps a few tears because apparently I am not 27, but 4 when it comes to bugs in my bed) and her and Bob took Jessica in, and Dan and Rachel took me in. When we took the top blanket off my bed, there were some on the second blanket! And then we left to go for a walk and when we came back, they had multiplied! Anyway, last night it was wonderful to go to bed in a real house, and not worry about bugs or monkeys crawling over me. I had been worried about bugs (even before the termite thing) because there are so many cracks and holes in the house that there were spiders and daddy long legs, literally everywhere. In the shower, in our cups and dishes, and everywhere else. And I was worried about monkeys because there was an entire pane of glass missing in the top section of the window in the bathroom that a monkey could have easily fit through (so we just kept the bathroom door closed at all times). Dan and Rachel are wonderful, and it’s already been so good staying with them! And their son, Braden, who is 8 years old, made me breakfast this morning! He is so sweet!

Thanks for reading!

July 8, 2010

2010-07-08T13:29:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a pretty low key day. I had my two hour Swahili lesson. I literally had a headache by the time we were done, but I love the lessons! The teacher is very good. He reviews a lot, and when he teaches me something new, we practice it a lot. And then he strings everything together and expects me to know what’s going on! I didn’t think I understood everything during the lesson, but I came home and studied, and I do understand it…so far. Thank you for your prayers concerning that!

I have a very hard time understanding Kenyans when it’s not my teacher speaking because they talk so fast that I can’t separate the words all the time. Sentences just sound like one long word to me. I guess all people talk like that, but until you’re familiar with the language, it’s hard to understand. But there are sometimes when even my teacher talks and I totally misunderstand him. He was telling me how Kenyans say you ‘hit the phone’ instead of how Americans say you ‘dial the phone’. But when he said phone, I thought he was saying fawn, and I even repeated it to him because I was wondering why in the world Kenyans hit fawns. But he started to make hand gestures also, and that’s when I realized Kenyans do not hit fawns, but they do hit phones when they punch in the numbers! Other than that I am really enjoying learning the language.

It is really lovely to be back here. I can’t even explain why I enjoy this country so much, but it’s amazing to look back over the years and see how God has brought me here. I’m really thankful for that. And it has been a joy to get to know the families in this area! Bob and Julie are some of the most hospitable people ever. Their house has been open for Jessica and me to go to anytime at all. And Dan and Rachel are really cool, and so easy to talk to. Dan has helped out in getting our house working better (the stove and shower and things like that), and Rachel is so fun to be with. They all make me laugh a whole lot! We haven’t seen Ernie much lately because he started staying at NV. And I am excited to head to Kitale and get to know more people there.

Today, Jessica and I saw the monkey families that are living in the trees above our house. There were so many of them! They are very, very noisy, but so cute. I think they sometimes either jump on our tin roof or throw things on our roof, because they make a racket at night.

I’m going to try to put up pictures of our house sometime soon!

July 6, 2010

2010-07-07T12:43:00.002-04:00

Today we spent a long, really good day at the IDP camp. Rachel, Jessica and I walked down in the morning, which took about an hour and a half. It was the most beautiful walk ever. We have to go down a mountain, so there are incredible views of the Rift Valley. And we walked through this meadow with a tiny red dirt path, and all around were tall red, purple, and yellow flowers, Acacia trees, and huge green mountains in the background. I really think Kenya is the most beautiful place I’ve seen. I know heaven will be better, but on this earth, it is the most beautiful place!

When we got to the IDP camp we went to the school, and played with the kids because they were on a little break from their school work. When they went into their classes, we helped a teacher grade her papers. It was math. Thank goodness I just finished my college math course so I can add 5 plus 2.

Anyway, we had a chance to talk to the teacher too. She was telling us about when her family was forced out of their house during the election violence. They stayed in a camp near El Doret (where they were living) for about a year and a half, and then they were moved to the one they’re in now. Her husband ended up dying from health complications that they couldn’t take care of during all the chaos going on. She has two young sons. And she used to have a business and make a good living. She was trying to explain what it was like to leave everything you have and own in a matter of minutes. And then she was trying to explain how, when you are living in tents like that, sometimes you have good ideas in your head for how you could make a living. But you have nothing to start with. Even though I was in Kenya when all of that happened a couple of years ago, I never heard people’s personal stories until now. But they’re really trying to figure out how to make a better life. They help each other a lot, they grow some of their own food, and houses are slowly being built for them.

The teacher was also telling us her view on ‘sharpening’ (disciplining) children. It was so funny! They can sharpen the kids in school with sticks or whatever. And they do! But she was making some good points, that are biblical, and she doesn’t actually discipline kids unless they are fighting. But I did see her sharpen a chicken. We went back to her tent and tied up a couple of chickens that we were going to have for dinner. One of them got loose twice. So the second time we caught it she gave it a good smack in the head for running away!

I saw Stacey again in the IDP camp. Her foot seems to be doing much better, but she still loves to be held and carried! Some of the younger kids really just want affection because they’ll hang on to you for dear life, even when you’re trying to put them down. But I was happy to find out that Stacey lives with both of her parents. And there is another little girl who barely talks, but she is the sweetest thing, and I saw her for a minute too. I don’t know about her family though. I’m starting to recognize a lot of the children, but I have such a hard time learning their names! When I ask them their name, some give me their full name which seems like a whole paragraph of words. I can barely catch the ones who just give me their first name. The little ones have very heavy accents, which is why it’s so hard.

My titles are going to be very boring from now on, because I'm not creative enough to think of new ones every time!

IDP Camp Pictures

2010-07-06T13:40:00.005-04:00

IDP camp kids singing.

Fresh chopped chicken heads!
(The kids like to play with them.)

The kids loving Jessica.

Ann and Ashton.

IDP camp tents.

She just got her nails painted

and loved it!

Jessica, Ernie and I.

Women working hard on NV.

Men working hard on NV.

Another IDP Camp Visit

2010-07-05T12:24:00.003-04:00

This morning I had my first Swahili lesson. It went really well! The teacher, Edward, is a good teacher; he started out talking about the Bantu and Arab people and how they turned the language into Kiswahili. The language is ¾ Bantu and ¼ Arabic. He went over things like that for a while, and then we went into greetings. I didn’t realize how many greetings there are, or how many ways there are to say the same kind of things. And we decided to do two hour lessons, three times a week until I go to Kitale. Hopefully my brain won’t blow up, and I’ll learn some things by then!

Julie, Rachel, Braden, Jessica and I headed to the IDP camp after that. I didn’t see some of the usual children that I see; I’m not sure where they were. But we got to meet plenty more! And a lot of the women came out too. Some of us painted their nails for them, and then they said they weren’t going to go back to their gardens when their nails were done! We blew up some balloons for the kids too. One little boy kept popping his, but we eventually ran out and couldn’t give him anymore, so he was cry/yelling and stamping his foot. It was kind of cute. But they said he cries a lot, so I’m sure it’s not always cute.

We didn’t spend too much time there though because Julie had to pick the guys up from Naomi’s Village. There were a whole lot of us in their SUV on the way back up the mountain! A few of us were sitting in the way back, crammed in together, and the bumps seemed even worse than normal, but it was actually kind of fun.

Jessica and I went for a walk this afternoon, and had some good conversation. She’s a sweetheart, and it’s been good to have her here!

So, winter in Kenya is cold. The house that we’re staying in has some holes in the walls (like you can see outside through the cracks in the wood where there are holes in the plaster), so whatever the temperature is outside is what it is inside. But last night was so wonderful because Bob and Julie and Ernie got us two space heaters and extra blankets! It’s been really nice since then.

Tomorrow, Jessica and I are going back down to the IDP camp with Rachel. Dan and Rachel are a couple (who have a son Braden, also) who help out with things in the area. Dan knows how to fix all kinds of things, and Rachel is pretty involved at the IDP camp. It’s been really good to get to know them. Rachel seems to have learned the culture well, especially since she has not been here for too long, and she’s really easy to talk to. So Jessica and I will spend most of the day with her at the IDP camp, and I think we’re going to school with the kids too. That should be interesting!

I have pictures to post, but it's not working now, so I'll try again later!

Naomi's Village Dinner

2010-07-04T07:16:00.007-04:00

The men and women building this building are doing a really beautiful job.

Our first dinner at Naomi's Village!

The chickens went in this pot after they were slaughtered and Jessica and I helped with feather plucking. It's a messy job!

This is Mary, who helped Ernie buy the chickens from the IDP camp, and she also lives in the IDP camp with her two children. She's so funny. She asked me if I knew 'Walker Ranger' (Chuck Norris). I said no, and she said if I ever see him to tell him she likes him. I tried to explain that I wouldn't see him, but she didn't quite believe me. Haha!

The First Couple of Days

2010-07-02T15:55:00.002-04:00

I’m in Kenya!

Thank you all for your prayers! Jessica and I arrived safely Wednesday night, and drove into Kijabe on Thursday. We met up with Julie and she took us to our little house. It has a loft so Jessica is sleeping up there, and I have a mattress on the floor downstairs in the living room area. The living room and kitchen are open, and there’s a teeny bathroom that is kind of falling apart, with the most awkward shower ever! It’s really a funny little house.

After we brought our suitcases in, Julie took Jessica and I to the IDP (internally displaced people) camp. There are about 225 families from El Doret (close to Kitale where I was last time) who fled to the Kijabe area during the election violence in 2007/2008. As soon as we got out of the car, the kids came up! Stacey, a 3 year old(ish) girl came up to me and held my hand for about five seconds before she put up both arms. And that was it. That is what I have missed, and it is so good to be back here. Stacey had a hurt foot, which I didn’t realize until every time I tried to put her down (she got heavy to carry around) she would put her arms right back up, or kneel down! It took me a few times to figure it out – I can’t wait to learn Swahili.

We only spent a little time there, and then we stopped by Naomi’s Village for just a minute. The building is coming along really well!

We had dinner with the Mendonsa’s (they’re the ones who started Naomi’s Village), and a couple of other families. They are all so sweet and very welcoming! It was nice to spend time with them. And Dan (one of the guys from dinner) fixed our shower heater today, so we have hot water! Yay Dan!

Today was amazing. Ernie picked us up a little before 8 so he could take us around the area. Ernie is the guy who is in charge of the building at Naomi’s Village. He’s a very big, very blunt, and very funny guy! It was so fun to spend the day with him! He had something to take care of so we drove about an hour away to a mall in Nairobi. It was fancy and there were a lot of white people there, which was strange. Then we drove the hour back to Maai Mahui (it’s right near Kijabe and that is where Naomi’s Village is), and picked up a girl named Mary. She came with us to the IDP camp because Ernie was buying chickens from someone who lives in the camp. I’m still not sure why she needed to be with us, but we specifically got her for that reason, and she is such a sweetheart. Anyway, we got to the IDP camp and Mary and Ernie took care of the chicken buying thing. We watched this man chase the chickens around their coop till he caught all of the ones Ernie wanted to buy! It was so funny; all the kids were cracking up. Along with the adults. I saw Stacey again today and she was walking a little more, so hopefully her foot will heal soon!

These kids are just so, so adorable. It’s just like last time. They just want you to pick them up or sit with them…and they talk to you even though you can’t understand anything they say…so I just smile a lot. Stacey tried to have a conversation with me today, and it was kind of funny because I kept laughing and saying I couldn’t understand her, and she just kept talking! I don’t know many of the other kids’ names because it’s hard to understand them when they speak softly and have a heavy accent. But I think I’ll be there some more in the next couple of weeks, so hopefully I’ll learn more names.

So, after we bought the chickens Mary tied their feet up and threw them in the back of the car. Then we headed to Naomi’s Village to eat them for dinner. First, Mary, some guy, and a couple other women took turns slitting the throats and draining the blood. One chicken, after its throat had already been slit and they tossed it on the ground, was jumping around like crazy, like a good foot off the ground, and Mary had to go catch it! After that, they just cut the heads off completely. Then, they put them in a big pot of boiling water. Then they called Jessica and I over to ‘assist’ them in plucking out the feathers. It was strange, but kind of fun to help them! The feathers come out pretty easily. Then they put the feet back in the water for a minute so it’s easier to take off the really thick skin around that area. Then you pull off the toes. Then some guy takes out the insides (I did not help with that). And then they get chopped up and thrown back into the pot with potatoes and onions and some other things, and you have your dinner! The chicken is really tough, but the potatoes were amazing. And, thankfully, I did not get a foot.

We hung around there for a while after dinner, and talked with a couple of young women who also live at the IDP camp. They were so sweet to Jessica and I, and they spoke English well, so it was easy to have conversations with them. And they taught us a little Swahili and Kikuyu (Kikuyu is a tribe in Kenya, so most people speak their tribal tongue and Swahili). One of the women, Terry, is 23 and she finished high school a few years ago. She was so happy about that and wishes to go to university, but doesn’t have the money. She was saying that it is much harder to live in a tent (and these tents are incredibly small) than it was to live in El Doret. And right after she said that she also said, ‘but God is good’. Later on, she and a couple of others were talking about how they have been living in tents for almost three years, and someone else said, ‘but God is good’! And then Terry said how He gives us strength to go through these things.

Ernie also told us a lot of stories about him, and his family, and all his travelling. So, we ended our day with the long, bumpy ride up the road to Kijabe. Either I totally forgot how bad the roads are in Kenya, or they got a whole lot worse since the last time I was here. Some roads look like it’s not possible to take a car over them, but somehow Ernie managed. He said that he has had tires fall off on those roads before! I believe it though; there are mini mountains and craters everywhere.

Oh, and it’s beautiful here! There is so much green everywhere because of all the rain they have had! The landscape doesn’t get tiring for even a minute. I love driving around because you can see more of His creation. It’s gorgeous.

Bye!

2008-02-06T07:12:00.000-05:00

So, I flew into Boston yesterday afternoon. Everything went really well. No delayed flights or anything. The hardest part was not the first 9 hour plane ride, or the second 7.5 hour plane ride. It was the darn 5 hour layover in London. That part felt longer than the flights did. But I am thankful that everything went so smoothly.

This morning I woke up thinking I was in Kitale. Then I realized I wasn't, but I didn't know where I was. Then I remembered I had been traveling so I thought I was in Nairobi. And then I realized I was at my parents. I was weirdly okay and sad all at the same time. There are nice things about being home though. I was happy to see my parents at the airport...although I was crying because I was in America and not Kenya. But it was good to have them there to pick me up. I really like my parents. And then I got to see my sister and her family last night. That made me very happy. Because I really like them too. And my sweet cousin, Jen, made me cookies and brought them by. This made me the happiest (kidding, kidding...family is better than cookies). But for real, Jen, those cookies were some of the best that I have ever put into my mouth. I have been craving chocolate chip cookies for 2 months now! I had them for supper.

And today I get to see Hope :) Then I'm going to Karyn's...my...apartment...where I don't live for right now to see her! Then I'm going to get to see Krysten and Grace! So these things make me very happy. But...

On the flight back here I was thinking about why it was so hard to leave Kenya. Because I was only there for two months, and that's not a long time at all, so I don't know how and wasn't expecting that Kitale would so quickly feel like home to me. But I think that's why it was hard - because I did consider it my home there. Right when I arrived in Kenya I felt so much at peace. I was expecting to get homesick and I was preparing myself for wanting to come home while I was in Kenya, but that never happened. I was very happy there. But then I decided to leave because all these older, much smarter-than-me, people were telling me to come home. And I thought it would be a good idea to listen to them. And I know it's a good idea. Knowing that just doesn't make it easier though. Excuse me while I go cry.

Just kidding, I'm really going to get coffee!

The Patriots, Nairobi Java House and More

2008-02-04T03:05:00.000-05:00

I still love the Patriots. My love for them is not dependant/ent? on whether they win or lose the Superbowl. Although, it would have been nice if they won. Still. Yay for the Patriots! I'm flying in to Boston during the Parade, so maybe I'll see some of it. Although I'll probably be so delirous at that point that I may not care. We'll see.

So, the Nairobi Java House is one of the best places, ever. Their food is completely American! It's owned by Americans, but still. Even the places in Kitale that were opened by white people didn't taste like things in America taste. I got used to the distorted versions of chips (fries) and other things, but it was sooooooo nice to have an American meal here! It is very, very unfortunate that everything I've eaten at the Nairobi Java House has made me sick within minutes of eating it though. You'd think that would make me not want to go back. But you're wrong. I think I just may not be used to eating American food. So maybe my body is just adjusting to not having rice and beans. Therefore, I should continue eating there so I can get used to eating American food again.

Anyway, it's sort of like Starbucks but way, way better. So forget I said that; they actually don't even compare to each other. They have a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu. Their coffee and every other drink I've had so far tastes like what I think we'll have in Heaven. There are couches inside and it's decorated very beautifully. Oh, it's just wonderful. But everyone who walks in there is dressed really nicely. Amanda and I felt a little out of place there. You can tell that the Kenyans who go in there have money. All the guys had button down shirts on and Amanda and I were the only girls there with t-shirts on. Everyone else was just dressed nicely. It's not crazy expensive there, but the prices are comparative to what you pay for for things in America. It was 400/= (that's shillings) for a burger (about $7)! Every meal I had in Kitale usually cost me between 80 and 120/= at the Boulevard. So it was strange to see these prices. It's going to be tough going back to the States and having to spend more money than I've been used to spending over these past couple of months.

So, I went there for breakfast yesterday. Then I didn't eat lunch really because I still had a stomach ache from what I had eaten in the morning. So Amanda and I decided to go there for something little in the late afternoon. But I ended up getting a huge ice cream coffee drink along with fruit and yogurt. And then, because that was soooooo good, we went back for dinner after a little while. But we split a cheese burger because neither of us were really hungry at that point. And it was just incredible. It was like we were back in the States. Except there were no other white people. Anyway, I got sick from the food. But then I went back this morning for breakfast. And got sick from the food. And now I'm going back for lunch! But I think I might just get a drink. Maybe. Okay, three paragraphs about food is too much. I'm done.

I forgot I didn't talk about Saturday, my last day in Kitale, yet. It wasn't so fun. I woke up with a fever and felt like junk. But I had to get up somewhat early because Daniel wanted to pray for all of us before we left. So we did that which was sweet. And then I had to say bye to Wycliffe and his family (I didn't get a chance to say bye to anyone else because we hadn't planned on leaving on Saturday till Friday night). So Amanda and I went to Graceway because Wycliffe was there. We said bye to him, then went to his house to say bye to the rest of his family. I really wanted to be able to say bye to his daughter Jenelle because....well, she's not my favorite...but...whatever, I just wanted to say bye to her. But she wasn't at home! So I was upset about that. But Susan ended up walking us down the road to find a boda boda for us and all of a sudden she told us to wait and she took off. So we waited a few minutes and she came back with Jenelle!!! She RAN at me and hugged me SOOOOOO tight, and that's when I had to fight off the tears. I did okay. It stinks that I only had time to say bye to that family, but at the same time I'm awful with goodbyes. It would have been so overwhelming to have to say bye to everyone I had met.

After that Amanda and I were going to go to Kiminini to say bye to those kids. But on the way home from Tuwani we took piki pikis. Amanda's guy pulled over on the side of the road, but she told me to keep going and she'd meet me at home (someone had called her saying she had received a package at the post office, so she went back to town to get it). I get a call from Timo a little while later saying Amanda was in the hospital because she hurt her foot. So then I called Daniel about something and he was at the hospital too and he said she hurt it on the piki piki. So Bud (Todd's friend) and Todd got them at the hospital and brought them back home. Now I didn't realize how hurt she was. She got her sandal stuck in the spokes of the wheel of the piki piki. And it pulled her heel into it. She couldn't pull it back out till she told the driver to stop the bike. So, basically, she is missing a chunk of her heel. I have never quite seen a wound like that in real life. And she was in so much pain (understandable). So she was laying on the couch and I was holding her hand and Daniel cut off the chunk of skin that was hanging there (they didn't have anything done at the hospital since it's probably one of the dirtiest places in Kitale anyway). Then he washed it. Oh, it was so awful to see that! She was just in so much pain! She kept jerking her foot away and telling him to stop, so I tried to hold down her leg too. Then he bandaged it up and she took pain killers. She is so going to have to see a doctor when she gets home. Yesterday morning I had to change the bandage. Now, if I was Karyn, I would have been in my element. But I am not Karyn and things like that are in no way cool, or fascinating, or fun for me. So when I took off the bandage and looked at it I just said, "Umm, you'll need to go to a doctor as soon as you get home". I don't even know what was dripping from her heel because I've never seen anything like that before. I don't even know how much of her actual heel was left. It was just really...fleshy. But I didn't freak out because that would have just been mean and made her freak out. And I didn't let her look at it at all. So I put stuff on it and bandaged it back up.

Anyway, back to Saturday and Kiminini. So I went with Todd, Bud and Daniel (because Amanda couldn't go at that point). But it was a really short visit because I needed to be home so I could get to the airport in time. So the kids didn't even know that was my last week there! I only told one girl who knew enough English to understand what I was saying. It was still good to be able to see those kids one last time though. Aaaahhhhh, I'm going to miss them!!!! Dumb politics. After we left the home, we went to the site where the new building is being built. It's really close to being done, and it looks sooooo good! I wish I could be there when the kids get to move in. Anyway, Ben, the guy who started the home with his wife, realized I was leaving, but like all Kenyans, told me to come back when things calm down. And my usual answer was always, "I would love to come back!". But really, who knows.

So Todd and Bud were going to bring me back home, but I had a little time to spare so we decided to go out for lunch. Then we decided to pick up Ian first. Ian is a boy that Bud and his wife Kim took in from the streets. Bud and Kim are starting some children's homes, but they just had a baby so they've been in the States for a few months. Bud is just here for a week, but they'll both be coming back soon for good again. Anyway, Ian goes to boarding school, but you can pick him up on the weekends. So Todd suggested picking him up since Bud hadn't seen him in a while. So we got him, and by the time we left it was too late to go out for lunch. But the good thing is that I got to see Ian before I left! Before school started I had seen him a lot, but over the past couple weeks I hadn't seen him at all. So it was nice to see him again too. So they brought me back to the compound. And I left. Blah. That was my last day in Kitale.

My Blogs Are Almost Done

2008-02-03T08:17:00.000-05:00

So, I'm in Nairobi right now. It's Sunday and everything is closed so it's boring here. Although the Nairobi Java House is pretty amazing. They have tons of good drinks and good food. I plan on eating all of my meals there.

The original plan was to fly from Eldoret to Nairobi on Monday. Then we decided to fly right from Kitale to Nairobi because the flight wasn't much more expensive, and we didn't know if it would be safe to drive to Eldoret or not. But we couldn't get a flight out of Kitale on Monday, so we left yesterday. It was tough to leave there so suddenly because I thought I had a couple more days in Kitale to say bye to everyone.

We did have to stop in Eldoret on the way to Nairobi to pick up more people, but the total flight time all together was under one hour. That is so much better than a 9 hour bumpy bus ride. Although this flight was incredibly bumpy. I think it messed Timo up a little bit and Amanda was sick during both flights. I was fine though. It was a 17 seater. I've never been in a plane so small. And we had so much luggage between the three of us that they had to put some of it on another plane. Haha, for real!

The hotel we're staying in is okay. If it was in America it would be considered junky, but for here it's pretty decent. Although I did have to take a cold shower last night. I guess they don't have hot water there. And Nairobi is so loud! Even through the night it was just loud. It is a really busy city though, so I should have been prepared for that.

We haven't done much since we've been here. I've been sick for the last three days (just a fever and sore throat...no weird African disease) and Amanda hurt her foot right before we left yesterday. So we stayed in the hotel room in bed for most of the day. And we'll probably head back soon. It's cool that you can get medicine really cheap here. You can just go to any chemist and they'll give you anything you want! So I'm going to prescribe myselft some atibiotic because if I don't feel better by the time we fly out tomorrow, I'll be even more miserable than normal on that long, long, long flight home. I'd be miserable anyway though.

Amanda and I were talking about how different Nairobi is from Kitale. It's literally almost like another culture here. They dress differently (like Americans), they have money, it's busy here...it's so different! The women have their real hair, not those strange red or blond wigs that they always wore in Kitale. And there are no boda bodas because people have cars or they take taxis. They have real stores here. And they have real grocery stores. It's a lot more like America. And there are more white people here than there were in Kitale. It's really strange to see white people. Although, I still don't yell "Mzungu!" when I see them, and I definitely don't want to go pinch them or play with their hair. I already miss Kitale though. Dumb politics.

As much as I don't want to go home right now, it will be nice to be able to do my hair again. I guess. Actually, I don't really care. I blew out my curling iron and hair dryer within 1 day of being here. So I've pretty much looked like junk since December 3rd. Although it never really bothered me. There's absolutely no point in doing your hair or even trying to look nice in Kitale. You just get covered in dirt by the end of the day anyway.

I can't explain how weird/depressing it is to spend two months with the same people, and then just get up and leave with hardly any warning at all. It really stinks to know that I might not see those kids again. That I might not see the people I've lived with for two months, ever again. I know two months isn't a long time, but it was long enough where I knew I'd be happy here for a long time. And it wasn't even easy or fun all the time. But it was still good. But even though I don't really want to leave, it would have been so different if I had decided to stay. Everyone else is leaving too. Only Daniel and Rhonda (she just moved in last week and will only be there for a little while) are left at the compound. Everyone else already left or is leaving within days of Timo, Amanda and I. Dumb politics.

Even through the really bad attitude I have about leaving, God keeps reminding me that He's in control and that He wants me to go home. I have no idea why. I can't look back at this trip and specifically say why God wanted me here in the first place. I felt completely useless the first 6 weeks I was here, and completely overwhelmed the last 3 weeks I was here. And from week 2 till now, it's just been hard to be here even though I loved it so much. But through it all He has been so real to me. So close. Maybe because I didn't have my family and friends to talk to, so I had to go to Him. And that was enough. But even knowing these things doesn't make it easier to go home. It just reminds me that I have to keep trusting Him even when things are different than I thought they would be. Even when it's wicked hard. I have no other choice than to trust Him.

It's almost done

2008-01-31T13:40:00.000-05:00

All the shoes are bought! Hallelujah!!!! We started getting the kids underwear yesterday. Buying underwear usually isn’t a big deal. But then again, I’ve never bought underwear in Kenya before. It’s just a different story here. All the kids are getting 2 pairs. 12 pairs come in each package. Now, you’d think they would all be the same size. Because they come in the same package and say the same size. But no. We really had to take out each pair, measure it, mark them to a real size, and put them back into their packages. I was so frustrated by the time I left that store! It is not a good thing for me to be walking around town when I’m in a bad mood. Because I’ll go out of my way to give people dirty looks instead of just ignoring them. Let me try to explain what Kenyan men are like. I learned really quickly to just ignore them, because any attention you give them makes things worse. Guys have grabbed my arm before, and one guy even kissed my head once! Oh, no you don’t! They’ll call you baby and walk along side of you trying to talk to you. And again, it’s just better to ignore them. But today I went out of my way to give the dirtiest looks I could. Sometimes I want to do more than give them a dirty look. But I know I’d feel bad if I did anything more than that.

One of my boda drivers (this was a while ago) actually asked me to go home with him. The whole ride from Kitale town to Tuwani, he kept looking back towards me to talk to me. First of all, when you’re a boda driver, you need to look at the road, not the person sitting behind you. That’s just stupid. So I told him he needed to look at the road. But he totally didn’t listen. He kept asking me if I was married and had babies. I finally ended up telling him I was married (it’s okay to lie to guys sometimes – really), and it was after that that he asked me to go home with him! I made him stop the boda, I got off, yelled, “you can’t talk to me like that!” and walked off without paying him. Unfortunately, Timo didn’t know what he said to me so I found out too late that he ended up paying him.

I was talking to a friend about how frustrating it is in town. I don’t know how many times I hear ‘Mzungu’ as I pass people. I know I’m white. They don’t need to tell me that. It’s just weird to be so noticed. You’ll be walking and you’ll hear, “Hi, how are you?” in this weird, high pitched, nasal voice. I don’t know why Kenyans talk like that when they’re trying to imitate a white person, but they do it all the time! Or they’ll get in your face and try to sell you something completely unnecessary. And the kids will go completely out of their way and run up to you to shake your hand and do the, “Hi, how are you” thing. Or, as you’re passing a group, they’ll just laugh at you. Or they’ll come up to you and just ask you for things. This is an example of a random person asking a white person for something: I was sitting in the dining room today while I was on the computer. The guard comes to the door and tells me someone is at the gate. There was this teenager I had met at Fireplace a little while after I got here. He hands me these papers and says that he needs help paying his school fee. I barely KNOW this person. So I told him I wasn’t going to give him money. He kept asking and I kept saying no. So then he asks me for my number. I said I was leaving to go back to America and would only have my phone for a few more days. So then he asks me for my address in America so we can communicate. And I said we were not going to communicate. I literally had to end up shutting the gate in his face because he just wouldn’t stop. Kenyans are quite persistent.

…back to shoping. We’re very near being done! We just need some more socks and underwear, and we’ll be good :) Crazy. I kind of thought it would never end! But tomorrow will be a happy happy day when we have everything needed.

It’s been a little better the past couple of days as far as thinking about going home. I was really upset the first night, but I was also very tired (you know how when you’re tired, things seem bigger than they really are? – no? – okay). I will just be so very happy to see you all. Very, very happy. I can’t wait to see my nieces and nephews and eat cookies! Those things I have actually missed since I first came here. But now I sort of miss being in my home where things are normal to me and where people don’t pinch my skin and yell Mzungu every 1.7 seconds. Maybe everyone I know could meet me in the airport? No again? Okay.

Coming Home

2008-01-29T17:11:00.001-05:00

Most of you probably already know I'm coming home Tuesday. Word travels fast! Most of you also know how I got to Kenya, so now I'm going to tell the story of how I'm leaving Kenya. Just like God brought me here, I do think He's bringing me back home.

Caleb and Eva left two weeks ago. Her parents wanted Timo and I to come home too, but neither of us wanted to leave. Not sure if I made the right choice. At the time I had plenty of reasons to stay and none to go home. I prayed about it and talked to my parents about it. They were okay with my decision. And I was really happy to know that I would start to get work. For the first six weeks of my stay here, Graceway wasn't even open. And that was the main reason I came. So I really didn't want to leave without meeting the kids that I thought I was going to spend three months getting to know. And with Caleb and Eva leaving I knew I'd keep busy. I just didn't realize how busy! I also didn't realize, when Timo and I agreed to take over the distribution party, that I wasn't really equipped for the work. I didn't know that it would turn into such a huge project. I don't know Kenya, or how to do things in Kenya. I don't understand the culture so I just get frustrated. 141 kids are a lot of kids to pull something like this together for. But again, through it all, God was so faithful in just leading us to where we needed to go. And Timo is a great guy. I NEVER could have done this without his constant help. He's awesome.

I didn't say that I'm not sure if I made the right decision when I decided to stay because I regret staying. I don't at all. I am still happy to be here today. And I'm happy I have almost one more week here. And I've seen God continue to do things that amaze me. But people who are smarter than I am were advising me to go home, and I didn't. And I clearly see mistakes that I've made all through my stay here. And that's the part that I regret. I'll get back to that.

So, the distribution party was planned for February 23rd. Yesterday I talked to Timo about moving the party to February 9th. I knew we could have all the work done by then, and I knew the violence was getting worse here. I didn't know if we'd be forced to go home at some point, and I didn't want to go home with that work left undone here. So we pushed the party up. We're planning on having everything bought by Friday, and next week would just be spent getting the things into packages. And Timo agreed to everything because...he's awesome (I still don't romantically like him though...so stop thinking that). So all this was decided yesterday, and this morning I got an email from my parents suggesting that we push the party date up and I should come home early. So I told them the party date had already been pushed up and we decided coming home sooner would be the best thing. I don't know what things will look like next week, but this is the second opportunity I've had to come home and I did think I should take it this time. After I made that decision, I got three emails from people who didn't know yet that I was coming home telling me I should go home. And all these people are older and smarter than I am. And this time I have peace about leaving.

I see how God has been preparing me in the past couple of weeks to go home early. When I first got here I thought I'd never want to leave (I still feel torn because I love Kenya very much, even though I know I should go home), but over these last two weeks I've seen that maybe I wasn't ready to do stuff like this. It overwhelmed me every single day to the point where I was not finding joy in the things I was doing. Because of my frustrations with an incredibly slow culture I became so impatient with absolutely everything. Everyday I started to miss home/people more and more. I never got homesick, but it was the first time that I was starting to get excited about going home. And I just had more of a peace when I thought about going home. Two weeks ago, when I thought I had to go home with Caleb and Eva, I started to get angry. Because I wasn't ready to leave. But God quickly reminded me that He brought me here and He could take me back whenever He wanted to. I admitted that to Him, but wasn't so happy about it. But He's slowly been making me okay with leaving. And now I'm leaving a month early...odd.

I didn't realize that I actually wanted to go home till my mom booked my flight. When she called me saying it was all set, I felt so relieved. I was SO happy to know I'll be seeing some of the coolest people ever in a week! I had it in my head that I was staying for another five weeks, and I was okay with that. Before yesterday I never even thought to change my ticket to come home early. Things were getting harder here, but I didn't let myself think about missing people, or wanting to be at home. I just kept thinking 5 more weeks isn't a big deal, because 5 more weeks really isn't a big deal.

Having said all that, it is going to be incredibly hard to leave. I went to bed tonight and that's when it really hit me that I'm not just going home, but I'm leaving Kenya. I sort of fell in love with Kenya as soon as I flew into Nairobi. For the past two months I've been able to work with really amazing, beautiful kids who are full of joy and have taught me a lot. I never really thought I'd get to work with kids in Africa. So to be here with them was absolutely wonderful. Looking back at all the times they've pulled my hair when they're just trying to feel it because it's different than their own, or all the times they've pinched my arms because they think white skin feels different than their skin, or all the times they've gotten me so dirty that when I get into the shower the water turns red, I don't mind that they did those things. Because they're awesome. And I just spent the past two weeks getting frustrated at the dumbest, smallest things when I could have just been enjoying the kids. Oh, so anyway, I got out of bed because I couldn't sleep and I came online. I talked to Hope and Danny and they helped calm my crying to where I was breathing somewhat normally again. For real. Hope and Danny, you're both great. It was hard to explain that I'm okay with going home, but that it actually hurts at the same time. Because I love Kenya. Hope, because she's one of the sweetest people ever, offered to give me an elephant to make me feel better...I just don't think that would work out though. And Danny, because he's pretty close to Hope's sweetness, offered to do anything to make me feel better. Just talking to them was what I needed though. So thank you guys.

Now I'm going back to the part about my mistakes. I got frustrated with this culture because I don't understand things here. I know things are different, but because I didn't grow up in Kenya I have a hard time understanding certain things. Amanda explained to me tonight a little more about their culture. It made me realize that regardless of whether or not I understood it, I should have more willingly submitted to things. And that before caring about representing AC or TI, I am a Christian and called to live differently.

I bet when you sat down to read this blog, you didn't realize you were sitting down to read a book. Haha.

The Determination To Serve - Oswald Chambers

2008-01-28T01:31:00.000-05:00

"Paul's idea of service is the same as our Lord's: 'I am among you as He that serveth'; 'ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.' We have the idea that a man called to the ministry is called to be a different kind of being from other men. According to Jesus Christ, he is called to be the 'doormat' of other men; their spiritual leader, but never their superior. 'I know how to be abased,' says Paul. This is Paul's idea of service - I will spend myself to the last ebb for you; you may give me praise or give me blame, it will make no difference. So long as there is a human being who does not know Jesus Christ, I am his debtor to serve him until he does. The mainspring of Paul's service is not love for men, but love for Jesus Christ. If we are devoted to the cause of humanity, we shall soon be crushed and broken-hearted, for we shall often meet with more ingratitude from men than we would from a dog; but if our motive is love to God, no ingratitude can hinder us from serving our fellow men. Pauls' realization of how Jesus Christ had dealt with him is the secret of his determination to serve others. "I was before a perjurer, a blasphemer, and injurious person' - no matter how men may treat me, they will never treat me with the spite and hatred with which I treated Jesus Christ. When we realize that Jesus Christ has served us to the end of our meanness, our selfishness, and sin, nothing that we meet with from others can exhaust our determination to serve men for his sake."

I read that the other night and liked it. I get overwhelmed with the work here, and then I think of all the things other people have done throughout history. And what I'm doing doesn't even compare to that. It reminded me that I came here to serve. Regardless of whether I get tired, I can continue to serve. And I'm not trying to compare myself to Paul in any way. I'm definitely not going through really hard times. I just get tired and think, "how is all this going to get done?" even though I do know it will all get done. It just made me see how I've let my attitude become something it shouldn't be. And that I want to complain, when I really don't have anything to complain about.

So, you all back at home can pray for me. That I would find joy in being here again. Thanks :)

Kiminini Kids

2008-01-26T04:26:00.000-05:00

Emily and Amanda

This is a picture of what we all looked like after we put make up on the kids and they put make up on us. I don't think I've even looked that scary before!

The kids singing/dancing for us.

Faithful In Everything

2008-01-26T04:07:00.000-05:00

The past few days I have been praying a lot about shoes. Buying shoes was the biggest task we had to do for the distribution party. It’s what Timo and I were thinking would take the longest to do. The few pairs of shoes that had already been bought were bought in Eldoret. But we can only go on Fridays. And we can’t plan on which Friday to go because of all the political stuff going on (usually, when there are rallies, some are held in Eldoret because it’s a bigger city). So we talked about what we would do if we couldn’t go back to Eldoret to find the rest of the shoes we needed. We started to look through the open markets in Kitale. We found one pair. And needed a whole lot more than that. Yay. Actually, they were a really good pair, so that yay was for real. Anyway, we talked about looking in some stores, but didn’t think that would work out well since new shoes are more expensive and the quality isn’t that great. But we decided to check out Suam. Suam is a big store that sells everything from groceries, to motorcycles, to lots and lots of other random things. We saw they had some shoes so we started looking at them. Then we started to get REALLY excited because they had LOTS of shoes! I cannot explain the joy we had when we walked out of there with three big boxes and a bag stuffed with all those shoes! We were buying shoes for boys and girls so we told them the colors we wanted for each. But then had to change our minds when they didn’t have enough colors in the right sizes. Which just means we took what they had. And we had to make a little chart for the sizes (the kids’ feet were measured in inches and the shoes are measured differently). Wow, those last few sentences were not necessary. I’ll get to the good part. God is faithful. In absolutely everything. I knew that he could work out everything with the shoes, but I didn’t know that He would work everything out. After all He’s done, I still doubt. After seeing the way He brought me to Kenya I said I’d never doubt Him again. I’m in awe of how much of an idiot I can be. We ended up being able to buy 66 pairs! We still need a good amount more, but it's so nice to have been able to find that many in one place. And those poor workers ran around for hours getting all those shoes for us! Suam is a wonderful store. They even gave us a discount and free hats and t-shirts because they knew we were buying the shoes for kids. If you’re ever in Kenya, go to Suam. Maybe the manager will even offer to bring you to his house three hours away for a visit (that was a real offer he gave to Timo and I). I just smiled and let Timo get out of that one.

All that happened a few days ago. Since then we've realized some confusion with which kids we were supposed to be buying things for. So it's frustrating when we think we have something figured out and then realize we have to change what we were planning on. But again, God is faithful. So I've been praying about the distribution party that will be on February 23rd, and hoping we will have everything by then! Actually, things are looking really good, and I know it'll all get done. It's just weird being put in charge of something that I wasn't expecting. But the work is good.

Amanda and I had a long talk about blogs yesterday. We were talking about how we don't really want to blog anymore. Because a lot of things that are going on are going on in our hearts. And I don't know how to, or feel like explaining things. But a lot of people asked me to set up this blog. So I'll try to keep writing, but it might get really boring. Because I'm not sure what to write about.

Although I can think of one more thing right now: Bodas

I've graduated to a new level of boda riding. I can now use my phone while riding on one, and I don't always need to hold on to the handle bars anymore! Even on the bumpy dirt roads! Woohoo.

Getting Things Done

2008-01-21T07:12:00.000-05:00

Today was another really productive day! These days make me so happy :) But being productive in Africa is different than being productive in America though. In one day in Africa you can do about thirty percent of what you can do in one day in America. For real. But it was still such a good day! I'll give you an example of why things take longer here. Well, I'll give you a few. Transportation: boda boda's - not so fast, walking - not so fast, taxi's - too expensive. So it takes longer to get to places. Shopping: open markets - you have to look through piles of things and then argue about the prices (and when the sellers are stubborn, it just takes so long), and sometimes/lots of times you can't find what you're looking for. Culture: it's good to take the time to get to know people here. In America you walk into huge stores, get what you need, don't talk to anyone, and get out. Here it's good to take the time to get to know the owners of shops or to get to know the people at their little open market stands. The other day we were at a material store getting some things for the girls' dresses. The lady who owned the store didn't have everything we needed so she sent out one of her workers to buy it, bring it back to her store, and then sell it to us. Which was incredibly sweet of her. Then we had to sit down and have some sodas that she had one of her workers buy for us. Then she told us about her 8 siblings and part of her life story. That's actually not too common even in Kenya, but a little shopping trip took up a lot more time than I thought it would! But now Timo and I have a new friend to visit.

Timo and I met Wycliffe at Graceway this morning. Wycliffe does so much for that school! There was supposed to be an enrollment limit of 100 kids. But due to the violence and some kids losing their parents, he took another 7 kids in because they had no where else to go. Just seeing his heart through the work he does is really encouraging. And he always thanks Timo and I for things we do...but we don't do nearly as much as he does!

Anyway, we got a lot of things figured out this morning which is good. Now Timo and I can figure out exactly what we have left to get for the distribution party. Shopping for things is what takes the longest, but we did get some stuff today.

So I've been praying....and worrying...about buying some things for the kids. Because it takes a long time to find what you need. Eva, Caleb and Timo had started buying things (when they first got here) and had already purchased most of what the boys needed. But then, when we realized Wycliffe was enrolling more and more kids in the school, I started to worry about going out and buying more stuff for the new boys. And today I found out that there are only 6 or 7 new boys. All the other new students are girls. So once again, God just brought to my attention how pointless it is to worry. He knows what we need and what we need to get done, and He'll take us through it. He's so very patient with me.

Still working on posting more pictures.

Pictures

2008-01-20T06:24:00.001-05:00

This is Esther. She was the one in the hospital, but is doing well now!

Me and a couple students from Oasis of Hope (program/school for street kids).

Graceway school yard.

A little girl that I met, and I don't know her name!

Dumb Blogger

2008-01-20T05:25:00.003-05:00

I had about 25 more pictures to post, but it's not letting me. So hopefully I can get them up soon. The computer at the compound should be fixed soon though! It will be nice to be able to do things there instead of having to come into town for internet purposes. I don't like coming into town just for internet purposes.

Yesterday was Kiminini day. It was pretty short though; we didn't stay for lunch. But Todd received a package with lots of things for the kids, so he brought those over. They were so happy! They got a few blow up balls, but I don't think they'll last too long. They also got lots of coloring books, some candy (they LOVE candy), and a few other random things. It's always neat to watch them when they get some new things.

Tomorrow Timo and I will be able to start getting more stuff done for Graceway! They now have 100 students, so we have more kids to get things for than we thought. But it is still wonderful to be able to do this for them. Even though I get overwhelmed. I'm still so happy and content to be here. I can't believe my stay here is half way done. I don't like to think about that.

K, this was a boring post, sorry. Enjoy the pictures!

Pictures

2008-01-20T05:16:00.001-05:00

This little girl was trying to go down the slide on the tree house, got scared, and started crying. So I got to hold her! (These first three pictures are all of the Christmas Party.)

There were kids in the tree house ALL DAY!

The kids here love to play with your hair, and rings, and most things that you're wearing.

This is Linda :) She is adorable :) I may take her home...not really...but I'd like to :)

Pictures

2008-01-20T05:08:00.000-05:00

Amanda and Daniel making our Christmas breakfast. It looked really good, but I couldn't eat any because I was sick.

Finishing touches being put on the tree house that was much appreciated by the kids we had over for the Christmas party!

Christmas party for TI's kids.

LOTS of cooking for the Christmas party. The lady on the left is Violet. She washes our clothes. She is amazing.

Christmas

2008-01-20T04:52:00.000-05:00

Eva decorating our house. I just want to note that my neices (I still don't know how to spell that) and nephews made lots of the snowflakes and sent them to me! Aren't they wonderful?

Amanda and Eva making our house look festive for the holidays (and kind of making a mess too...it's okay). They did a wonderful job!

2008-01-20T04:33:00.000-05:00

Me and Faith (she goes to GVA). She's great :)

This is Benjamin at a weekly feeding program for street kids that we go to on Thursdays. I always see him walking around town, and he's a sweet heart.

Brenda and Christine. I met them at Oasis of Hope (it's a school for street kids).

Pictures

2008-01-20T04:23:00.000-05:00

Amanda (on the left) and Meredith.

Jared and Daniel peeling potatoes for the christmas party we had at the compound for the kids. Daniel smeared my arm with a banana peel for taking this picture of them. Then I smeared it on his face. I win.

Timo dancing to jewish music. He's a happy guy.

Pictures

2008-01-20T04:10:00.000-05:00

Sunset from the plane

This is the road I take into town from Milimani (Kitale town looks much different though!)

There are animals everywhere here!

This is part of the yard at the compound

This is the fire pit where we'll sing worship songs at night sometimes.

Pictures!

2008-01-20T03:45:00.000-05:00

This is the guest house we stayed in when I flew into Nairobi

This was part of the yard at the guest house...so beautiful!

Girls house at the compound

Gazebo on the compound

Milimani road right near the compound

Things Are Different

2008-01-16T06:27:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Caleb and Eva Joy took off back to the States. I am very thankful and happy to still be here though. Although, it would be nice to have an American cheese burger. Anyway, we took them to Eldoret and they flew from there to Nairobi. They did miss their flight in Eldoret, but were able to get on the next flight out, so everything was fine!

It's going to be different not having them around. But I am SOOOO thankful that they were here for my first six weeks. They showed me what it means to work for Him. There were days when I knew they were tired, and when things didn't go so smoothly, and I didn't hear them complain. They have so much patience and love for the people they are working with in Tuwani. So they were an example to me and I needed that. They're amazing. I love and respect them both very much, and I am so grateful for my new friends. I'm so glad God led us all to Keswick this summer so we could meet. My life has been different than I thought it would be since I met Eva Joy! So, they left lots of stuff for Timo and I to do :) It will be nice to be able to do things again though.

Timo and I will be getting the rest of the things for the Christmas party that we weren't able to have for the kids at Graceway yet. So it is now called the 'Distribution Party'. All the kids are getting socks, shoes, and underwear. The boys are getting jeans and belts, and the girls are getting dresses. All the boys' jeans have been bought and most of their shoes have been bought. I believe about half of the dresses for the girls have been made. So we just have to take care of everything else. But the thing is is that there aren't big stores here. There are little markets outside along the sides of the road. So you walk till you see a huge pile of shoes. Then you have to look through them all to find what you want. Then you have to argue about the prices. And that's how it is for most things. It's....wonderful.

Also, I'll be able to help Wycliffe learn how to use a computer, and teach him to take over all the financial things so he can keep things going once there are no more AC members here. These next six weeks should be busy :)

Sometimes I get overwhelmed thinking about the things we have do to. But my sister reminded me that when God asks us to do things, He'll help us with those things. And I don't have to and can't do it on my own strength. Because He's here. It was a much needed reminder for me to hear that from her. She's awesome too. I know lots of awesome people. Even the person reading this right now is awesome. Yay to awesome people.

Bye.

Titles are annoying to think of

2008-01-13T09:26:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we went to Kiminini to visit the kids there. As usual it was really good to be there. Whenever I come back home I am dirty and tired. Good times!

Last night I stayed at Carla's (she's the one who has a baby home). My goodness babies are...tough. There were lots and lots of them. They're all adorable though, and I got to feed a few of them this morning! And I only got spit up on once. Not bad! And all the kids this morning were singing their worship songs in Kiswahili! It was soooooo cool! They had little drums and other noisemaker things. They all have rhythm too. Pretty impressive.

I'm really excited that school starts tomorrow. It'll be nice to meet them all.

I had the option of going home now, or waiting till March like I was originally planning on doing. So, I prayed about it and I still don't feel that I have a reason to go home right now. We're still praying for peace and that the rallies will be canceled, but things here are still safe. I am still getting emails from so many people telling me that they are praying for us. We all appreciate it and it has been such an encouragement. So, thank you :) And continue :)

Oh, and Matatu is an 11 passenger van that they somehow squish about 15 people into on average. Not the most comfortable way to get places!

Graceway Girls

2008-01-10T06:07:00.002-05:00

I think today may have been one of my most favorite days here so far! Caleb, Eva, Timo, Amanda and I went to Graceway in the morning to measure the girls' feet for the shoes we're going to buy them. It STILL amazes me that children who have never, ever seen you before will rush up to you and hug you! I haven't gotten to meet many of the kids at the school because school has not been in session since I got here. So today was the first time I met most of the girls, and they're awesome! I was SO happy to be there! One little girl that I already did know, Faith, is like a little monkey. She's wonderful and VERY affectionate. She likes to be held at all times. Even though she's around 4 or 5. Her and her sisters are always such a joy to be around. I think I wrote about them before, but they are the ones who love to laugh! They live in Tuwani and don't have much, but man, they laugh at everything! They totally make fun of us Mzungus, in front of us, but in Kiswahili so we can't understand what they're laughing at. But they don't even try to hide the fact that they think we're funny or different or whatever. They point and laugh. It is funny though :) We laugh with them even though it's at our own expense. But they love having us around! You can't help but be happy after you've spent time with them.

The girls today were getting very possessive over us though. If we had someone on our lap and another child came over, they'd get hit by whoever claimed us first. These girls are tough! Tougher than lots of little boys in the States. They kind of beat on each other, but they just laugh about it. Mostly.

They also love to rub your arms, hands, neck, shouders, face and hair. White people must feel different to them? Eva Joy said that some of the kids would even smell her! That's just funny. I haven't had anyone do that to me though...thankfully. I did have to tell them to stop with my hair though because they were almost pulling it out of my head.

I just love that they are so accepting here. I know many of them are not shown a whole lot of love or affection, but it is just so good to be able to be the one that gets to hold them and say "nakupenda" (I love you). But there is no way that I make them as happy as they make me. I can't wait for school to start so I can go there every day of the week and get to know them. They're just amazing.

Bek, here is some more boda info for you: the thing that scares me the most when I'm on them is the way they ride so close to the edges of the roads. Whether you're on a dirt road or a paved road, there are always ditches on both sides of the road. I wouldn't die if I fell off one, but I'd definitely get wicked hurt. And I don't like pain, so that's what's scary. Anyway, the roads are so busy here because you have cows, goats, sheep, donkeys pulling carts, lots and lots of bodas and then the normal traffic like trucks, cars, motorcycles, matatus, and pedestrians all fighting for the narrow roads. But because of the ditches on both sides, you have no where to go when you're in the way of a truck or any other thing trying to travel. So the bodas will get so close to the edges of the roads (and when the roads are actually paved there's a good few inches to a couple feet of a drop where the pavement ends) so we don't get hit. I'm always afraid they're going to slip off the edge and I'm going to lose a limb or something. Another thing about the roads here is that when they're paved, they have this weird bump thing on each side of the road. It's like a mini speed bump every so many feet apart on the sides. So when they drive on the right side of it they're where all the traffic is (cars, trucks, piki pikis...). When they drive on the left side of it they're about 2 inches from the drop off the side of the road. One little wobble and we'd be all done. That part still scares the people who have been here longer than I have. So maybe that fear will never go away. But in a weird way, I still like it. I like that it's different here. I like that it costs 20 shillings to travel instead of all the money I used to spend on gas. I don't like that I almost got hit by a truck today when I was on a boda. I yelled. First time I've made a noise on one. But It was a very bad boda day for all of us. We all seemed to get not so good drivers. But, anyway, the truck was going really slow, so it probably just would have knocked me off. Actually, my first boda driver that took me to Tuwani was wonderful. He was very, very careful. It was the guy on the way back who didn't care so much. I probably wouldn't care so much if I had to cart people around all day either. Eh.

Now I'm going to walk home :)

New Project for the Boys

2008-01-07T05:41:00.000-05:00

So, Africa Connect received the funds to start the new school building! GVA (the school) is located on the same piece of land where Graceway (the church) is located. The other day Caleb, Timo and a few Kenyans knocked down the small, already falling apart mud contraptions that the kids were meeting in. School has been out since the beginning of December (their vacation time) and it will start back up next week. As long as things stay calm here. Anyway, they have the time and money now to put up the temporary buildings for the kids to meet in when school starts next Monday. Which means Caleb and Timo aren't so bored anymore! But I still am. Kind of. It's okay though.

Actually, this week should be pretty full. Amanda and I are going to go visit a children's home that I haven't been to yet. We're going in the morning and then walking through town to take pictures. I'm going to try to get a picture of boda bodas. Maybe Amanda can even take a picture of me on one so you all can see how brave I am! Oh, so just as I am getting more used to them I got on one today and it didn't have handle bars for me to hold on to! Well, it sort of did, but the guy was sitting on them so I couldn't use them. But I only almost fell off once when another boda boda driver almost hit us. My guy yelled at him though. Go my guy!

Kitale town is pretty much back to normal except for the random police and army trucks stationed all around. At least they're trying to keep us safe!

Also, one day this week we're going to go to Kiminini (that's where my FAVORITE children's home is). That usually takes up almost a whole day when we go out there. And I'm really hoping things are still calm this coming weekend so I can spend Saturday night at Carla's baby home. Then I would get to see Elvis. Ohhhhh, he's a cutie :) It's so easy to make him smile!

Love you all.

The Wekesa Family....is Amazing!!

2008-01-05T06:38:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Timo and I went to Tuwani to visit Wycliffe and his family!! It was so good to see them. We haven't been able to go into Tuwani for a little while because of all the chaos, but it is peaceful again so we decided to visit them. It was really good to see his family. When his daughter, Jenelle, saw us she came RUNNING and almost knocked me over when she hugged me! She's about nine and such a joyful, strong little girl. It's kind of strange when you go there though. Because you get there and everyone is so happy to see you, but they leave you right away so they can serve you! So more than half of the time you're there, you don't really even see them because they're busy cooking something for you and making chai. I understand it's their culture, and it's great, it's just different to me. But Susan is a wonderful cook and I would eat anything she made. She gave us scones and Andazi (a not-so-sweet-but-very-good dough-like...thing) and hard boiled eggs and chai. I had just eaten lunch before we went there too! Somehow I was still able to eat there and then eat supper when I got home. I blame all the eating on all the walking. Although, I didn't really walk yesterday because I'm getting less and less scared to take boda bodas. Whatever. I was hungry.

I thought this would be a longer and more serious post, but...I'm going to go eat at Boulevard now!

Thank you again for all your prayers.

....Still Quiet

2008-01-04T06:38:00.000-05:00

I wasn't going to continue posting till everything calmed down because there's not much for me to write about. But people have asked me to continue to blog so you all will know what to pray for. But I don't even know. I can't wrap my mind around why these riots are happening and why it's okay for tribes to fight against each other. I mean, I know it's not okay, but I don't know what people think is being accomplished. Wycliffe was talking to me the other day about how they're just not taught how to deal with things like this. So when things go differently than expected the answer is to fight it out. So I don't know. Keep praying for peace. I don't think there's anything else anyone can do.

Timo and I are heading to Wycliffe's in a little while. We haven't gone to his home in a long time, and I miss his kids! So we'll be there for a little while this afternoon. And he'll make us drink cup after cup after cup of chai, till I feel I may throw up. Kenyans are so giving :)

Last night, Daniel talked to us all at the compound about the chaos around us. Thankfully, God has given all of us a peace about staying and waiting things out. And we pray for peace for you back at home also. We all get so many e-mails about people praying for us and I think some of you back in the States are concerned more than we are here. We need and appreciate your prayers so much, but it stinks to know people back at home are worrying so much. We're okay right now. Pray for the friends of TI who are stuck in the middle of things.

Quiet

2008-01-02T04:07:00.000-05:00

So, there's not a whole lot to write about. The town has been incredibly quiet and almost completely shut down since Christmas. We haven't been able to do much work because we have had to stay out of certain areas (that are now peaceful again) so we have just been coming into town or staying at the compound....funnnnnn.

I am getting better at riding on boda bodas though! When I first started riding on them I would slip all over the seat. The roads are bumpy so it was very hard for me to stay in one place on the seat. There were a few times where I was pretty close to falling off too :) I must have made it harder for that poor boda boda driver. Anyway, today was the first time where I stayed in the same place all the way to town! You pretty much just have to use every muscle in your body from your waste down and latch on to the seat. And then you're sore by the time you get into town! And I'm getting less scared of them. Even though they do go way too fast sometimes. But if I ask them to go slower they laugh and slow down for a few seconds...then I think they forget that I asked them to go slower. So I don't bother anymore. Piki Pikis are still my favorite things. It's faster than the boda bodas and not as scary. Plus I like motorcycles anyway.

Today we saw Wycliffe at the internet cafe! I haven't seen him in a while and we have been praying for him and his family constantly since all the craziness has started. He wasn't in the best area, but thankfully their house did not get touched and they are all fine! It was so good to see him. Hopefully we can visit his family soon.

Thank you to everyone who has been praying for us. It's a comfort to know that, and God's peace is definitely on us. Keep praying for peace in Kenya.

TI Website

2008-01-01T06:34:00.000-05:00

I hear there are pictures of the Chistmas Eve pary we had at the compound for the kids on the TI website (www.transformedinternational.org)!

I'm not sure what you're all hearing about the rioting in Kenya. Please know that Kitale has been peaceful and the actual location of the compound is pretty much the safest place we can be right now. So it is the tribe that is being targeted that needs your prayers so, so much. The TI staff has many friends who are having a rough time. Pray that it stays peaceful here and that their friends can find safe places to stay.

Comments

2007-12-30T04:05:00.000-05:00

All of your comments either made me laugh or cry (Kim, I think yours was the one that made me cry...good job). Bryan, you're ridiculous, but I appreciate you making me laugh. I have never spit and cured malaria though. Although that would be very cool. Bek, thank you for the song :)

You all are very much a part of the reason I'm here. So thank YOU for the support you've been. Even now as I'm in another country I feel your encouragement and support, and it means just as much now as it did before I left. But I don't feel, at least not yet, that coming here was a sacrifice. It is a blessing to be a part of things here. Well, maybe not going to the Coffee Exchange anymore is a bit of a sacrifice. And the chocolate just isn't the same. And I haven't had any cookies in almost a month....and.....just kidding. I love it here :)

Please pray for Daniel (TI guy). There is crazy rioting going on from Eldoret to Nairobi (Eldoret is about an hour/hour and a half away - Nairobi is about 9 hours away). Daniel went with Faith to Nairobi to bring her to the airport. After their lives were threatened on two different occasions and all the road blocks were removed they did make it into Nairobi last night, and Faith is now safely on her way home. But Daniel tried coming back and is stuck in Nakuru which is another city where rioting is already beginning today. I just don't understand how they think rioting will change who the president is going to be. It makes me angry that innocent people get stuck in the middle of stupid conflicts. Anyway, I'm sure he'll write about it sometime and you can read his blog on it. You just need to know he needs prayer! There are no modes of transportation available today because everyone is scared to be driving, so Daniel will be there till things calm down. But, thankfully, Kitale has been peaceful. We've all been staying close to the compound pretty much since yesterday. But no riots have made it into Kitale and we're praying it stays that way. Like Jared said, God is so much bigger than all this stuff going on around us.

Love you all VERY much.

I can't think of a title....

2007-12-28T08:18:00.000-05:00

So, I'd just like to clear something up. And I'm not trying to be mean either, at all. It's just that I'm really not doing anything special here. I get comments and e-mails from people about all the great things I'm doing. Do you know what I do? I visit some families and I hold some children. And I think they make me much happier than I could ever make them. So basically, I don't do a whole lot. You all have been so encouraging to me, which I appreciate and would love for you to continue to do. But please don't give me credit where it's not deserved. God is good and it's by HIS grace that these children are happy and can smile even when they face things that would make me the most horrible person ever if those things happened to me. These kids are so much stronger than I am. And it's good for ME to be around THEM. God teaches me through them. I am nothing. But I am a happy nothing because God brought me here! He taught me so much just in getting me here, and even through things I'm struggling with right now, His peace remains on me. First time in my life that I am content to go to Him instead of people around me. He's what I need. But thank you to everyone who's been praying for me. It's been very needed and it has been very helpful. I know His peace has been brought about, at least partly, by all the people praying for me.

Yesterday Eva, Amanda and I were talking about things like books, movies, abuse, history...lots of random subjects. Then we started talking about the kids here. These kids are beautiful, strong, happy and have had tough lives. I am screwed up enough as it is and I had a good childhood! I could not have hoped for better parents, family and friends. But these kids don't have any of that. They're orphans. They don't have parents that they can go to. They don't have the love that so strongly shapes you as you're growing up. But, man, they LAUGH and SMILE! Why can't I?

I was talking to Eva and Amanda about my father. In my almost 25 years, there was never, ever one moment of my life that I doubted my father's love for me. I have always known he loves me. He would do anything for me, he has done so much for me, and his eyes still light up when he sees me. His eyes light up when he sees any of his children or grandchildren, especially when he's not expecting to see us. And there are countless kids/adults who have never known that look. Because they don't have fathers. Or because their fathers are just bad at being fathers. And maybe that's what makes them so strong. Even when a child does have a father, it's their mother that they spend most of their time with in their early years. Often, Kenyan men won't hold or acknowledge their children till they're at least six months old or even until they're two or three. Can you imagine the lack of worth that would make you feel? I can't really because that's never happened to me. I just know that somehow, God is there and they'll be okay.

Dad and mom, thank you for loving me.

I haven't been so busy for the past few days which is really weird. Christmas was a holidy and the three days following it were holidays (because of the presidential elections going on). We should find out soon who the next president will be. Last week Eva and I saw the current president, Kibaki. We were in town sitting on a curb and talking when we heard...chaotic...ness. There was a huge entourage and there were even people on foot running after the president. It was craziness. So, yeah, I got to see Kibaki. Woohoo.

So, yesterday the town was pretty much shut down. Nothing was open, no one was in town. It was really weird because Kitale is usually semi-annoyingly busy. Although it's nothing like Eldoret! There is no bread in town either. The strangest things happen here! When the town shuts down it really shuts down!

The day after Christmas a few of us went to Kiminini to give the kids their christmas gifts. They all got a hat and blanket that people from Todd's parent's church made for them. They all looked soooooo cute! They all put on their hats and wrapped themselves up in the blankets (I was sweating in my jeans and t-shirt...I don't know how they do it). It was so neat to see them opening the presents. Ahhh, they're so cute.

Lets talk about the Boulevard. It's pretty much the only restaurant in town that all of us Mzungus go to. They serve African food, which is really good, but they have chips and chicken and more American stuff too. And their food doesn't give you diarrhea which is always a big plus. But the service is so very African...probably because it's in Kenya. We went there on the way back from Kiminini. Timo ordered about 4 things before they finally had something that he ordered. Then he waited an incredible amount of time before it was put in front of him. I ordered 2 or 3 different things before I gave up and ordered their last simosa and some fries (very unhealthy too). It took forever for Todd to get his food...and yeah. Today was the same thing. They should just start out telling you what they do have instead of letting you order 20 things first. Today they had no soda at all. They said they didn't have water (but they had bottles that I saw on the way out). They didn't have the first few things we all tried to order. They stock enough for lunch and after that, you really can't get much. So I guess we'll go before 1 from now on! And the way they do checks is very different also. They have a check guy. He walks around with receipts and he'll look at your table and write down everything that's on it. Excpet if you've already eaten something he won't know. And if you're waiting for something he won't know. So I would say 95% of the time the check is wrong. It's a bit unefficient. And if you order something, but the waiter doesn't know they don't have it, they won't come back right away and tell you. They'll wait like 20 minutes then tell you. Eating out can be a very long process! Kenya...it's wonderful.

After this apology, I'm going to stop. I still can't get pictures up. Obviously. So either I'll figure it out one day or I'll post them all when I get home. I'm sorry for the very visually unstimulating blog I have. But thank you for reading!

2007-12-28T06:23:00.000-05:00

Well, the past few days have been pretty busy. This past Saturday I rode on my first piki piki (motorcycle)! It’s so much faster and better than a boda boda. And the piki pikis will bring us right to the gate at the compound. The boda boda drivers can’t make it all the way up our hill, so we still have to walk almost 10 minutes when we get a ride on one of those. And they still scare me. But it’s okay.

Sunday was pretty low key. I went to the Fireplace for church. My favorite part of the churches here are the songs. The preaching is kind of strange. There doesn’t ever seem to be a theme running through the sermons. I can pick out a few sentences here and there that are good, but as a whole it’s really hard to follow. Plus, their accents don’t help me to understand what they’re saying.

Monday was the party for the children’s homes that TI has. There were three different homes that came over to our compound. We spent the morning cooking and cooking! Well, not so much me, but there were a few ladies that came over and told us all what to do to help them. There were so many people coming that all the pots we used to cook in were big enough for me to sit in (I didn’t actually sit in any of them, I’m just saying I could have, they were that big). And we had two fires going outside in order to cook all the food. Faith and I cut I don’t know how many cabbages. It took a couple hours. We also peeled an incredible amount of potatoes. And I made chapati! It was really fun. Anne (the social worker for TI) made the dough and I cooked them (it’s like a round piece of flat bread…very greasy and very good).

The kids started coming between 12 and 1. The first group of kids all fit in one matatu. I know they’re small, but my goodness! Matatus are supposed to hold like fourteen or fifteen people. And there were between 20 and 30 people who came in that first one. Crazy. And as soon as they got out they started singing a praise song in Kiswahili! So cool. And they sort of dance when they sing. I just love it.

We have a swing, tree house with a slide connected, seesaw and volleyball net here at the compound. The kids were so happy to be here! Todd and his friend had just finished building the tree house (they were actually finishing it as the kids were getting here) and they were very proud that it held them all and didn’t break! They did a really, really good job with it though. And a few of the girls painted it. There were kids in the tree house going down the slide all day. They loved it! There were a few games for the kids also. Most of these kids I hadn’t met before, but like usual, it didn’t take too long for them to warm up. One little girl was with me a lot of the day, and she was so cute!! She wouldn’t even come near me at first, but after a little while (and our dogs scaring her) she was fine. I can’t even guess how to spell her name so I’m not going to. And I got to see Emily, a little girl from the Kiminini home that I met last week, so that was neat. After they played for a while we gave them lunch. Then we took pictures. There was one part of the day where they were all singing a song and someone had cut up something similar to a cake. They would call us all (the adults and people who helped out with the party) and feed us a bite of the cake-like…substance. I think it was a way of saying thank you. It was interesting but very sweet of them! Then they all received a little gift bag and went back to their homes. It was just so good to see them all playing. They all loved it. But the kids here are quieter. I don’t know why, they just aren’t as loud or quite as active. They’re content to just sit and they don’t always need to be doing something or be entertained. Maybe it’s because there are never a lot of adults around to do things with them, but they’re just much calmer in most situations than American kids. Before we ate Daniel said a few things and prayed. But as soon as the kids were called over, they came and just sat! We didn’t even have to tell them to be quiet! That would never happen in the States.

So, that was Christmas Eve and it was a good day! Faith and I stuffed all the stockings before we went to bed that night. Daniel’s mom bought us all our stocking stuffers and she even bought us all gifts for Christmas day! Faith brought them over with her.

Christmas was interesting yesterday. It just didn’t feel like Christmas at all! We were talking about snow and trying to make it feel like Christmas, but it didn’t work. But it was still really good to be here with everyone. We had a huge breakfast which consisted of crepes, ice cream, chocolate syrup, eggs, bacon, German pancakes…and probably a few smaller things I’m missing. I’ve been stomach sick for the past few days so I ate about three bites and gave my plate to Timo. Todd couldn’t even eat because he’s still sick. But it all looked really good! After we ate we opened our presents from Daniel’s mom. Then we had our gift exchange. I got these nasty, used stuffed animals. It was actually pretty fun though! It’s very difficult to find presents in Kenya. After that we played badminton. Caleb had gotten a few rackets so we spent a little time in the afternoon playing. We were all wiped out from that, even though it really wasn’t an active game, but it was HOT out.

Caleb, Eva, Timo and I were going to go visit Wycliffe. Eva and I weren’t feeling that great, and by the time we got in to town we decided to turn around and go back home. I hadn’t eaten anything all day and it was incredibly hot out and the thought of walking all the way to Tuwani was just not…good. So we came home and I was able to eat toast and not get sick from it! We had a big dinner too, so we all helped prepare that. We had steak, potatoes, vegetables and a few other things. I didn’t get too sick after that, so it was good for the most part. We really spent most of the day just hanging out with each other. Which is always good to me because these people are great. I also got to talk to my parents, grandmother, and sister! I hadn’t talked to my sister since I’ve been here (it was good to hear your voice…made me miss you).

Not sure what’s going on today. Plans aren’t usually made till we’re about to do something! I may be going to the children’s home in Kiminini because Todd is bringing them Christmas presents. I love that home. Those kids really are special. Hopefully they’ll be able to move into their new building soon!

I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas!

Eldoret....ahhhhhh

2007-12-23T05:13:00.000-05:00

So....I'll back up to Friday. All the children at Graceway are getting new shoes and clothes. It's part of their Christmas present. Caleb, Eva Joy, Timo and I went into Eldoret, a bigger city about an hour away from Kitale, on Friday. They have an open market there which is where we wanted to look for sneakers for the kids. We needed 35 pairs for the boys.

We got into a Piget (7 passenger van) and headed to Eldoret. A Piget is better than a Matatu (11 passenger van). When you travel in a Matatu there are only so many seats, but they STUFF people in there. I have seen Matatus pass me on the road with the door open and people hanging out. No joke. So we opted for the Piget. It was another bumpy ride. The driver was going really fast too, so that didn't help. It actually hurts when your body slams back down into the seat as they're driving over these bumps. Eva, Timo and I all felt sick by the time we got to Eldoret because the roads kind of mess with your insides. Anyway, they renewed their visas, and then we tried to find this video store for someone so we could return the things they had rented. We got bad directions and ended up walking around the town, in a big circle, through weird farm/factory country, back into the city. But it only took about an hour-hour and a half out of our day. Not too bad, things like that always happen here. The thing that was pretty annoying was dust and fumes blowing directly into your face as you're walking. There's no where to walk except right on the side of the road, so as huge trucks are passing by you can't avoid all the things it blows at you. Anyway, after that walk we ate lunch and then headed to the open market.

Not sure how to describe an open market, because there's nothing quite like it in the States. It's miles of people on the side of the roads selling stuff. Like anything at all, mostly used. Clothes, shoes, stuffed animals, hats, some touristy Africa stuff, you name it and it's pretty much there. But there is no order to anything at all. It's complete chaos. And there were masses and masses of people. You literally can't take one step without having to dodge someone or you'll bump into them. Anyway, it only took an hour and a half searching through the huge, random piles of sneakers they had to get the boys their sneakers. We had rulers with us and measured the shoes and got all the ones we needed. Which is awesome, because now all the boys have their shoes. Now we just have to go back next Friday and buy the girls their sneakers. But even after just an hour and a half of walking through that madness, it put me in probably one of the worst moods I've ever been in. It was really hot and there was no relief from the sun anywhere. It isn't rude here to push people, so you're constantly being shoved and moved out of the way. People get up into your face trying to sell you stuff. You get called Mzungu constantly. When kids come up to you to shake your hand that's okay, but when older people, especially guys do that, it will start to make me angry. I shot a lot of dirty looks around. And then when we were done in the market we had to go back into the town (the market was just ouside of the town), and we took a Matatu into town. Oh, how squishy and hot. Then after we got back into town we had to go to a grocery store for bacon for part of our Christmas dinner. After we faught our way through mobs of people and weaved our way through the traffic we finally found the grocery store. So, at this point, we've been in Eldoret for about 7 hours, and much of that time was spent walking. So we're all a bit tired and hungry. Timo and I stay in line at the grocery store while Caleb and Eva went to try to find the video store a second time. But of course, we pick the slowest line...ever. And, on top of that, a guy tried to cut me in line! It's acceptable for men to cut women in lines. Except I'm not Kenyan so I don't accept that. This guy looks at Timo, then he looks at me, then he steps in front of me. I said, "I'm in line." He looked at me blankly. I said, "This is a line. I'm in line." And then he said, "Oh, pole, pole" (Pole means sorry) and got in the back of the line. Then I saw him go cut in front of a Kenyan woman! Oooooo, I so wanted to yell at him! Anyway, we finally made it out of the grocery store. Faught our way through more people. Found another Piget and went home. We got home around 8 at night and I went to bed at 9. Haven't done that since I was about 7. Also, my cell phone was stolen at some point while I was in Eldoret. Thankfully it was only that and not my wallet or something. I noticed on our way back home that the pocket on my bag that I had it in was open, and the phone was gone. Within minutes of getting into Eldoret that morning, Eva almost got her wallet stolen. She grabbed it back at the last minute before the guy could get it all the way out of her pocket. Needless to say I am not a fan of Eldoret. But, they got their visas renewed and we got the boys their sneakers! That was an accomplishment! I'm already praying to make it through this coming Friday when we have to go back there :) Oh, and Timo replaced my phone. He's a good guy.

Yesterday Todd, his friend who is visiting him, and a couple others from the compound worked on the tree house. It's almost done for the christmas party we're having tomorrow! The kids will love it! Amanda and Timo painted it too, so it looks really nice! I can't wait to have 95 kids here. Oh, it will be so fun!

Last night a few of us went to Karibuni to eat. There were supposed to be 6 of us, but two people pulled out. So the four of us ate for the six of us. We really ate the entire main dish, and there was only a little of the vegetables and smaller dishes left over. The food there is simply amazing so it seems silly not to eat as much as you possibly can. But we all literally laid down after we ate! We were soooooo full! I could only have one bite of my brownie too. By the time Todd left I think he was sick for real.

School will be back in session in a couple weeks. It will be nice to be able to go there regularly so I can start to meet some of the kids. I haven't seen Wycliffe's family in a few days and I'm already starting to miss them. Hopefully this week, we will visit more families again. That's my favorite part :) It's awesome to be welcomed into new homes. And the kids are such a joy to be around.

Umm, I love you all at home very much.

Babies!!!!!

2007-12-22T08:52:00.000-05:00

“Give me one pure and holy passion…to know and follow hard after you.”

God has been working through fears with me. I pretty much fear everything because I am shy and timid in new situations. But seeing how He takes care of me has been giving me more confidence in Him. Five years ago I would never have wanted to come to Kenya, but just before I came it was my only desire. That shows me how God has worked in me and given me desires because I know they’re not from me. Even before I got here I thought I would be really homesick, and I was scared that God would call me to something I’m not ready for. But He is helping me with those fears. I’m not homesick, although I love my family and friends very much. I’m not scared to be here, although it’s new and different to me. Things are not easy here and not every day feels wonderful. But I KNOW God is with me. I don’t doubt that one bit. Even as I’m struggling through things, I know He hasn’t left me. I know He has lessons for me in my struggles. I know He loves me. In blessings and discipline, He loves me.

I spent all day Tuesday with a lady, Carla, who has a baby home outside of Kitale. She and her husband, Jeff, have been missionaries here for 5 years. They’re older (not old, like 40’s-ish), but God called them here. She said they wanted to start a children’s home, but they didn’t get one started right away because they didn’t have the facilities. They bought land here (someone heard of their desire and gave them the money to purchase the plot they found!), but had it in someone else’s name while they were building a house on it before they could stay there full time. It was a Kenyan who technically owned the land even though Jeff and Carla did pay for it. She was telling me how God brought them here, but they faced an awful lot of opposition during that time. They didn’t know much about Kenya before they got here, so they didn’t know that trusting this Kenyan man was the first mistake. He refused to give them the land and Jeff and Carla had to go through this whole big thing to finally be able to lease the land for 50 years. And the property is still split between Jeff and Carla and this other man. He gave them trouble because he wanted their house. He hired a couple people to go to Nairobi to try to kick Jeff and Carla out of the country. The official in Nairobi who they went to asked them what the man (Jeff) looked like. When these people told him, the official said that Jeff and his wife had brought his mother to the hospital and saved her life and he would never make them leave! Carla had story after story of God’s protection over them. And when she was telling me she wasn’t complaining, she just pointed everything to the Lord. After this man realized he couldn’t make them leave he told someone he was going to poison them. So for about 6 months they had all their food locked up and wouldn’t eat out anywhere. It’s been two years now, so hopefully he has given up trying! But it was so uplifting to hear Carla talk about everything and how God started their baby home.

They were planning on waiting until they had a facility to put kids in. But God had other plans! The chief of the village that they first lived in went to them with a baby who had been found in a field. Two children had been walking to school when they found a new born (the mom had the baby and just left it there), so they brought it to the chief. They estimated that the baby had been there for about 2 days! A new born! What the heck?! Anyway, the chief asked Jeff and Carla to take care of the baby who they named Rehima Grace (Rehima means mercy in Kiswahili). So they took this baby in. Two days later someone else came to them with a brother and sister. They had been left in this old man’s care and he did not take care of them at all. One of them had been strapped to the bed and the other one had her leg tied to the bed post. For four months they lived like this. So Jeff and Carla took them into their home too. They wrote to their home church and told how God had started their baby home way before they had planned to! They didn’t think they were ready, but God gave them these babies, and they took them in. Sometimes God starts things when it’s not expected. As of right now they have 19 kids, and many of them are babies and toddlers. There are only a few older ones. They are one of the two places that takes in babies. It was so, so wonderful to be there Tuesday! I got to hold babies J She really needs help on Sundays, so I will probably be spending Saturday nights there and help out till Sunday afternoon. There was this one baby who is nine months old and his name is Elvis. He’s small for his age because he was malnourished. He was five months old when Jeff and Carla took him in and he weighed about seven pounds. I can’t imagine a five month old baby looking like a new born. Anyway, he is small for his age, but now he’s chubby! He is sooooooo beautiful! He has the most gorgeous eyes and he’s so easy to make smile. It was so fun to spend time with him. And a lot of the young kids (toddler age) will just come up to you with their arms open. So fun. Although, that day was the first day I got a little twinge of feeling that I was not at home. It was the first time I did my own thing. I was outside of Kitale, and I didn’t know anyone. I had met Carla once before, but I didn’t know her. But I prayed a lot and was fine by the time I left. I didn’t realize how quickly I had come to feel at home at the compound! I was gone for one day and missed it J But it was such a huge blessing to me to stay with Carla for the day. She loves and trusts in God so much. I can’t wait to get to spend more time with her. I know I can learn a lot from her.

Yesterday, Caleb, Eva, Timo and I went to Mount Elgon (national park in Kenya). Oh my beautiful! I took pictures hoping that someday I will be able to post them on my blog. I don’t know why it’s still not working. Probably because I am computer illiterate. Anyway, we traveled down a long, bumpy, dirt road. I wish I could explain what bumpy means here. It means that sometimes you feel like you are in a boat out on a stormy sea. There are small craters in the roads. Some of the roads still have a little tar left in the very middle of the road from when it was paved and that part is a good six to eight inches higher than the rest of the road a lot of times. So you have to dodge the left over tar. And the small craters. And the boda bodas (Hope, a boda boda is a bike with an extra seat on the back of it – this is the main way of transportation in Kitale). You have to raise your voice to be heard when you’re talking and riding in a car because of all the clanging of the car. It’s so wonderful here! So we finally got to Mount Elgon and right away we saw a whole bunch of baboons and monkeys. Baboons are some of the funniest looking things. They look dumb. They had elephant and leopards at the park, but we didn’t see any. Thankfully…because we were walking around outside most of the time. Timo kept saying he wanted to see and elephant and I wasn’t so happy with him for that. I would never want to see an elephant if I wasn’t in a car ready to get away from them. I saw plenty of elephants come after us when I was in South Africa and that was scary. Anyway, we went into a couple of caves with I don’t know how many bats. They were EVERYWHERE. We would shine our flashlights on them on the roofs of the cave and there would be huge, huge clusters of them hanging there and they’d start to fly away when the light hit them. You could really just see their beady, orange eyes. Yuck. And they were flying really close to us. Yuck. And it smelled like bat poop. YUCK. I don’t like caves or bats. And we went into two caves! But after that we climbed the steepest mountain I have ever been on. It wasn’t a long hike, but it was really, really intense because of the angle of it. After about 10 steps my heart was pounding. We had to take a lot of rests. But it really wasn’t that long and there was such a beautiful view at the top! We walked around on the top (it was a big bluff) and it was all very green woods. So beautiful. There was just a carpet of green everywhere. It was really peaceful too. Except for the part of my brain that kept thinking about being in the woods in Kenya. And how I didn’t want to see a weird animal because I would have no idea what to do if an elephant or leopard popped out at me. Timo and I were walking through a path in the woods and I was getting more and more scared to be going into the woods and he was just looking for elephants. So finally I just stopped walking and right then we both heard something in a bush. Timo was a little ahead of me and he stopped to. He turned around and we both started walking back quickly. Then he got curious and wanted to go back to see what it was! I said no. So we kept walking out. We knew it wasn’t a big animal but we didn’t know what it was. And we didn’t need to know! It was probably a little monkey or something, but still. Sometimes boys are too curious. So you have to just make them leave the woods. I realize I talk about Timo a lot, but I’m with him and Caleb and Eva for the most part. But I don’t want anyone to be thinking anything. So I’ll tell you what he very randomly told me last week, “I have no romantic interest in you whatsoever.” I said, “right back at you.” Everyone clear? Good.

So we made it out of there without getting eaten. We hiked back down the mountain which was really tricky. I made it right to the end and within the last five yards of the bottom was when I fell. It was really steep so I had started kind of jogging. But there was long, dry grass over the trail so it was really slippery. So instead of slowing down, because I knew I’d fall, I sped up. And Timo was in front of me so I just thought I’d run into him and he’s stop my fall. But I blew right through him and fell anyway. It was very funny. I think that was on the top five of our favorite part of the day.
I still have so much more to write, but I don’t have the time right now. It takes a very long time to do the most simple things here in Kenya. But I love it here. I love the way life is lived, and I am even beginning to accept the modes of transportation around here! Also, I get to go back to Karibuni to eat tonight!! It’s expensive, but it’s a really, really nice place. Todd has a couple friends visiting him so he’s taking them, Caleb, Eva, and I there for dinner. The food is served family style, so you all sit around a big table together, and it’s only you and the people you’re with. Ohhhh, I can’t wait to eat another 72 pounds of meat!

A Blog For My Friend, Hope

2007-12-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

Today I got a really sweet email from Hope. So, I am going to answer her questions about things over here.

She asked me what people wear...Anything. It really seems that people just wear anything they find. Their shirts and pants/skirts rarely match. Women do wear dresses or skirts for the most part. I don't often see them in pants or jeans. Lots of people wear everything they own, I believe. I don't know if it's because they have no place to store extra clothes, but it is so hot here and there will be people walking around in huge winter, down coats. I could almost pass out in my capris and t-shirt so I don't know how they do it. But I don't know how they do lots of things here!

For dinner when we're at home we eat pretty normal food. Pasta, I made chili, tacos, anything we want pretty much. When we are visiting a family and they feed us they always give us either Rice or Ugali with cooked cabbage. Ugali is the staple food here. It fills you quickly, but it's not so nutritious. And you can't actually taste it which is why they always serve it with something else. But, sadly, there is a lack of good chocolate here. I've really, really, really been wanting chocolate lately. Oh, well, I'm in Africa.

The compound is set on about an acre of beautiful, green, flowery, tree-y land. I don't know how things stay so green here, but it's very lush. We have a girls house and a guys house. When you walk into the girls house, you walk into a room where the fridge is and where we keep all our shoes (we have to take our shoes off when we get inside). Our laundry also goes in that room when it's our day to get it done. We have a sweet lady named Violet who comes everyday to do laundry and keep the house sort of neat. Anyway, you walk through that room into the kitchen. Through the kitchen into the dining room. The living room is off of the dining room. There is a big window and glass door in the living room so you can see out into the pretty yard. Right now the living room is beautifully decorated with snowflakes that my nieces and nephews made for me and sent to me! They really did a wonderful job. We also have a small, fake, ghetto tree. Nice. And there are other Christmas decorations. I only remember that it's December and almost Christmas when I'm in that room. There is a door between the dining room and the hallway which is where all of the girls rooms are. There are 3 rooms. Meredith has her own because she lives here. I share a room with Faith, and Amanda and Kate were sharing a room, but Kate left yesterday. We have a room with a toilet in it, and a seperate room for the shower and sink. And lots of the bedrooms have sinks in them. I forgot that in Africa, the toilet and shower/sinks are in different rooms. It was like that in South Africa too. It's pretty convenient. I haven't been in the boys house, but I believe there are 2 or three rooms and I'm assuming a place to pee and such.

We also have a really cute gazebo in the yard. Todd is fixing up a tree house. It's supposed to be done for the Christmas Eve party we're having here next week (that 120 people are invited to!). It should be lots of fun! I think most of the people are families that TI works with. There's also a volleyball net. There are two offices. Umm, other than that it's just really beautiful.

Kitale is a town, so there aren't really villages around. There is Milimani which is where I'm living. It's the richer part of Kitale so the houses look semi-normal and they're not really small. And then the other parts of Kitale like Tuwani (where the school is) are slums. So there are tiny, square mud houses everywhere, along with trash, strange smells, animals (cows, goats, skinny dogs, hens, chickens, sheep, etc.). The slums are in a hilly part of Kitale so it's a good hike when you walk through the slums. And most walkways are just narrow paths through the grass and garbage. But when you walk into the houses, they usually are somewhat decorated. The walls usually have material or lace covering them. The benches or chairs always have coverings too. Even though the houses are small, and they're in slums, the women try to make it look pretty. Most kitchens are outside and consist of a place for a fire and a pot or two. Inside the houses there is always a curtained off area where the beds are behind the curtain. I have no idea how a family of 5 or 6 fits on a bed or two. Wycliffe and Susan only have a few beds and over 10 children, I believe.

The Fireplace is a church that another missionary couple run. It isn't connected with Graceway (the church and school the Herrings work with). But we do go to the Fireplace for church instead of Graceway because the preaching is a little better at the Fireplace. We also go to the feeding program on Thursdays at the Fireplace. That is the church that most of the missionaries in the area go to.

If anyone has questions about what it's like here, just post them and I'll answer them!

I really wish I could explain what it's like walking through town though. Walking from home to town is always interesting. The compound is off of a few dirt (they used to be paved, but not anymore) roads. The walk to town is downhill and 25-30 minutes away (that is the shortest distance I ever walk). Once we go down a few dirt roads we get onto a train track that leads directly into town. We always see cows and sheep along the railroads eating the grass and whatever else they can find. Then when you get to the one main paved road it's about 10 to 15 more minutes of walking till you get to the town. But when you cross a street here you have to watch out for TONS and TONS of boda bodas, cars, trucks, crazy pedestrians that won't give you any room to walk, and animals. All I can say is that it still overwhelms me. I went to town by myself today for the first time, and I honestly wished someone else was there to cross the streets with me. Boda Bodas and cars come flying out from any direction pretty much. You're supposed to drive on the left side of the road here, but people just choose the least bumpy part to drive on. Which could be on the right side or in the middle or kind of off the road. To sum it up there are no rules whatsoever. People play chicken with each other and that's how you get around town! Maybe I'll get used to it someday. I often walk for a good 2 or 3 hours a day. It's an hour just to town and back. Walking to Tuwani takes at least 40-45 minutes one way. I've been sore for the last two weeks! Good exercise!

I love you all. Very, very much. Thanks for taking time to read all the things I ramble on about :)