Our sign! It's at the end of the road to Tumaini.

Sweet teenage girls with their bookmarks on Valentine's Day. I love these girls!

On the way to a soccer match between the Tumaini soccer team and another school's team. A lot of the kids from the other school never see wazungu's (white people), so for most of the game, Jennilynn, Lindsey, and I were surrounded by little African faces staring at us. Just staring. haha!

Update coming soon!

As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. ~2 Samuel 22:31

I will say it again, Rejoice!

Hellooooo!!!

Ok I'll write a longer post this week & send it, but really quick I wanted to say hello! A lot has been going on that I want to write about, but it's midnight here and I'm falling asleep. We had our Spiritual Life Conference last weekend, it was wonderful - and I think I gained like 10 lbs eating the yummy familiar food...donuts and muffins at tea time? Fantastic. Getting to know missionaries who have lived here for years? Even more fantastic.

Jennilynn, our new teammate, arrived on Monday! Lindsey & I stayed in Nairobi with her to help her get oriented to Kenya and prepare her for living up-country at Tumaini. She's suuuuper sweet, reminds me of my cousin Jadrien. We're so glad she's here.

We have lots of little projects to work on at Tumaini, and more have come up! Fun stuff - I'm going to teach someone piano lessons (and so will Jennilynn, she knows chords and I don't, yay!). There's a boy here with Special Needs...I'm about 95% sure he has Mental Retardation, and I found out recently that he isn't reading on a Grade 7 level like the rest of his peers. He's about 15 years old. I read with him last week, and now I have a good idea of what he needs. And praise the LORD - my mom sent me a package with this little flash card/word game in it that will be perfect for what he needs to practice.

This Saturday for Valentine's Day, we're having a girls' night with the teenage girls. We made them personalized bookmarks that we laminated in Nairobi, and we're cooking heart-shaped chapati. If we can, we'll try to get some chocolate for them to spread on their chapati (sweet bread). The bookmarks have a pretty picture of them on it with the verse Psalm 23:6. "Surely goodness and love with pursue Mary all the days of her life, and she will dwell in the house of the LORD forever." I'm not sure what Bible version that is from, but we liked it that the word "pursue" was in there. I'll take a picture and post it when I can. Jennilynn thought it would be fun if we all took spiritual gifts quizzes that night, which is perfect because they expressed interest in knowing their spiritual gifts. They've never done something like that, so I think it will be fun. We didn't know they celebrated Valentine's Day in Kenya until we came to Nairobi and saw all the Valentine's stuff in stores. Maybe some people do and some don't? I don't know.

I do have some funny stories to tell and some more details about what I've been up to lately to write, but I'll have to continue later!

lata!
kt

Hi!

I came into Nairobi for the weekend. I know I’ve only been at Tumaini for 3 weeks, but I’m so glad I spent this weekend in Nairobi. Ryan leaves for America tomorrow, and 3 of the SIMPacters left for Ethiopia today. So, Lindsey wanted to come in to tell them by, and I came along, too. I wanted to spend time with them, too, but, I also needed a break. Missionary life in a foreign country isn’t glamorous, it’s hard. It’s draining, and now that I’m teaching, the days are routine; every school day is the same, every Saturday consists of school and laundry, and every Sunday is the same – church until 2ish, lunch, and just hanging out. It’s fun no doubt, but I’ve found that the LORD is where my sweetest delight is, where I get my best rest. In his presence, I am refueled, refreshed, and made ready to give again. During the weeks when I am mentally drained from trying to understand the Kenyan accent, or from trying to simplify and describe the meanings of my English words, or even from being “smiley” even when I have no idea what the other person is talking about…I’ll come to my room, say a prayer, and I’m recharged. The joy of the LORD is my strength. My own strength just doesn’t cut it. As tiring as things may get sometimes, I'm so glad I'm here and experiencing it all. =)

The LORD knew I’d be in Nairobi this weekend, even if I didn’t decide to come until the day before I did. The lady I’m staying with has lived in Kenya for 31 years, and she’s moving home to Switzerland in May. She just had eye surgery, so she’s been in the house a lot. She has made me coffee and had sweet raisin bread that we’ve shared for breakfast every morning, and she’s shared REALLY COOL stories about her ministry and how she got to Africa. The ministry she’s currently doing started in the early 90’s, and has grown to reach 129 places and 30,000 kids every year. It started with one week of Vacation Bible School in a town full of street kids. And it’s grown that much… She seems a lot like me, too, just in personality and how we’re each wired, so just hearing about her life has been tremendously encouraging. Kenyans are suuuper laid back. If something doesn’t get done one day, there’s always tomorrow. Which is fine, it seems stress-free. Except…my personality is not quite that way. I’m adjusting, but there are some things that I really value and want to get done sooner than “tomorrow” (which often turns into never).

So please pray that
a) a library happens
b) weekly prayer among the Tumaini staff happens
c) teacher meetings happen
d) and that above all, the LORD is glorifed and exalted, sought after and trusted.

Thank you!!!

On another note, there’s a new girl coming to Tumaini! Her name is Jennilynn, we’re not quite sure how to pronounce that. Jenny Lynn? Maybe? I’m excited. =) She arrives the day Lindsey & I go back to Tumaini from our SIM Spiritual Life Conference. The conference is from Thursday through Sunday, we’ll head back up-country on Monday. Jennilynn arrives at Tumaini on the 12th or 13th. Yay!

And on a COMPLETELY different note, I love Nickel Creek. I hope they get back together someday. I never get tired of their music. Has anybody checked out The Punch Brothers? I heard their stuff on their website, but I didn’t get the cd at the time. It sounded just as awesome as Nickel Creek, minus Sarah Watson. But I heard she’s doing her own thing maybe?

Hope the superbowl was fun. I forgot to ask you to eat some hot wings for me. =p

Ciao!