pic-chas!

Back in Charlotte at the SIM offices. They have a sign pointing in the direction of every country where they work.

More of the library. I'm standing with Victor...in case you've heard about The Case of the Missing Retainer. =) Krista Sorrels, my old roommate, and her first grade class made those drawings and sent them to us, isn't that nice?!

The new Tumaini Library! Believe it or not, there's 270 books right there, minus some that were checked out already. The poster on the top right says, "To God be the glory." Amen!

My boy Karanja. He's my girl Teresiah's brother, I have to say "my boy Karanja" when I talk about him. This is at the top of Longonot, he had just finished walking all the way around the crater! He came back with lava rock dust on his face. =)

Christabelle, my girl Teresiah, and Agnes chillin' with me the morning that I left. I can't say Teresiah without saying, "my girl Teresiah," just like with her brother. I just love her. I wanted to take them home, except they still have a mom, so I don't think I could do that.

Margaret Kui and Linet Chebet in their dorm room. Only 2 of the girls' rooms looked like this, the rest only had 4 beds. They're pretty nice, eh?

My last meal at Tumaini, ugali (maize flour mixed with water) and green cabbage. This is Mary Wambui, iLOVEher.

You can see where my wet wipe cleaned my hand after climbing Longonot...and where it didn't. oh! and the thorns on the ground are from an Acacia Tree, what historians think Jesus' crown was made of. Funny story - Linds & I sat down right here with about 5 inches in between us, and then she noticed there was an Acacia thorn sticking STRAIGHT UP from the ground right in between us. whew, that was close! haha, we laughed so hard.

Homes in the Rift Valley, the tin on the roof is held on by big rocks.

Our kids at the top of Mt. Longonot! I'll post the group pic when I get it from Lindsey's comp. And ya, it was this steep. Linds & I nearly died. =)

I'll post more later, I skipped a whole bunch that I want to add. There'll be more on facebook soon.

...Still adjusting to life in the states, I forgot about strange things, like ice cubes and tap water. When I got to Charlotte, I wanted a glass of ice water, but I didn't know where to get the water. I couldn't remember if the tap was okay. =/ haha! I know it was only 5 months, but I still did forget. In case you're wondering, driving was like a piece of cake. Except I was super nervous until I pulled into the driveway, haha.

"The LORD will watch over your coming and your going..."

I’m leaving Kenya tonight, I’ve been in Nairobi for about 5 days. Nairobi’s a good transition place, there’s lots of familiarities from home, like pavement, stores, restaurants, etc. But even if it’s preparing me for surroundings like the states, I’m not ready to leave. I’m in a weird mood trying to deal with the giant change I’m going through, so bear with me. I’m actually just typing these thoughts straight onto my blog. It's kind of a Meryl Streep moment. (...in Africaaah.) =)

A few months ago and even a few weeks ago, I was ready to come home; things were so busy during my weeks at Tumaini that I didn’t have time to think, but since I’ve been in Nairobi, there’s been a lot of time for thinking.

I wanted to plan a trip to visit Su.dan and another very rural part of Kenya where SIM has some missionaries, but I didn’t. I figured while I was on the continent, I might as well get as much exposure as possible. Oh well.

Even if I’ve missed my family and friends, I’ve learned that the LORD fills all voids. When I really missed them, the LORD’s grace was available and present.

Spending time with families and people who have lived in Kenya for years makes my 5 months seem like a blink. And really, considering that it takes at least 2 months to adjust to the culture, the time I had to freely serve and make things happen was even shorter. Everyone who had been overseas for an extended time had very strong opinions about staying longer than just a few months – I understand why now, and I agree with them. It takes awhile to get used to a lifestyle that’s completely different from what you’re used to. (eek, ended that sentence with a preposition). America is always on a quick timeline; most of the rest of the world is not. So if there’s an idea for pioneering something, it can’t just be done in a week or even in a month. Things take time here.

With the kids, it takes time for them to open up and trust a random white person who comes to live with them. So many have had such tough, rough lives that I wouldn’t have even imagined, so when they do strange things like running away without explanation, I realize that it takes just as long for these kids to be restored as it would anybody. Just being given a home, food, school, and family isn’t enough. They need a Father who can meet their every need, and who can literally transform their hearts, minds, and lives. If you’re wondering how you could help cross-culturally, children’s homes desperately need counselors.

I’m glad to be going home, but it’s hard when I’ve wanted to work overseas for years, and I finally did, but now I have to leave. It’d be awesome if I could keep going from here – like, just head up to Egypt, then over to India, Thailand, just to see what the LORD is doing in other countries. Then come home, haha. Not likely to happen. =]

I'm so thankful for getting to live and serve here. And I've had a great time in Nairobi the last few days. Bwena asifwe!

The LORD has done great things for us, and we are glad!
=)








Chik-Fil-A, here I come!

Long Time No Internet

Long time no internet:

It’s been a long time, no internet. That’s why I haven’t posted a blog. I wrote one to post on march 31st, but our internet modem stopped working. So 3 ½ weeks & a bazillion (great to read though!) emails in my inbox later…….here I am! Hiiiii!!!!

I planned on just showing you a few pictures from our Easter celebration, but all my pictures are on Lindsey’s computer (because mine’s been on its last leg for a few months), and her computer stopped working on April 15. =/ We’re praying everything can be recovered when she gets home on May 2. So, it will be awhile before I can post any more pictures. But! Please stay tuned, because I will post some! And I’ll continue to write more specific posts.

For now, just know that I watched a sheep get slaughtered for our Easter feast.

And Lindsey helped deliver a cow, and I filmed it. (I couldn’t touch it, ew, I can hardly handle a small cut).

We got to climb Mt. Logonot, a lone-standing mountain with a crater on top in the Great Rift Valley. We took all the kids who are ages 14 and up. It was a blast! AND our kids made it all the way to the summit and all the way around the crater, 10 km...we were so proud of them!!! Lindsey and I were afraid we were gonna fall of the mountain, so we just stayed at the top of the crater and took pictures. =)

The new Tumaini Library is a success and was officially up and running on April 7!!! Bwana asifiwe! Praise the LORD!

The rains finally began on March 27, and one week later our water returned! But then the next day it stopped. Oh well, I’ve come to enjoy bucket baths…sorta. =p

I held in all my tears today until the car started driving away from the home. I didn’t want to make the kids sad. They wrote me the sweetest letters, and this last week has been just wonderful. My taxi driver was really understanding. =) Karanja wrote me a letter that said I made him feel like he wasn’t an orphan. Melt my heart, Karanja.

And I’m only one week away from the land of enchildas and free-flowing strawberry applesauce (2 foods I’ve missed the most). =)


I'll be in Nairobi until the 22nd!