Wow. Long day! Or I guess you could say 2 days... (I left at 11:59 Jan. 7th and arrived to US on the 8th). I'm writing to you from Detroit because both Kenya and London airports didn't have free wifi! :(
Anyway, let me recap what has happened over the last 24 hours... (these time zones are really messin me up.. Haha)
We started our day with breakfast and devos as usual. And I gave the warthog to Nancy! (whoever receives it has to give it away to the next person.. Makes sense. :) hehe) We left for the village and arrived around 10am.
Once there we got everything set up for all of the older kids going into college or graduating to help them know how to make a resume, write a thank you letter, and how to act in an interview. I listened for a little while then found Ellen and asked if I could help her. She was going through Christmas cards and sorting the ones that were about Jesus vs. Christmas (like Santa and snowmen, etc.). After we had finished we went on 2 home visits and again, the scenery is just spectacular. I was trying to soak it all in cuz I would be leaving that night.
We returned back and found out that Bekah had been shocked by the speakers that were set up in the clinic (it was a pretty shady system, exposed wires and all) She was ok but it shook her up a bit. Shes just been havin a bit of a rough trip. :(
I ate some lunch and then I went outside and played with the little kids. :) they're so cute! I showed them pictures of home and of snow and fall leaves. They loved it! One girl asked me, "you survive there?!" haha! I said yes. And they couldn't believe it. Haha!! It started to rain and we all ran for cover near the clinic. I went inside and the older kids were taking a break so I went and showed Lazarus my pictures. (I promised him yesterday I would show them to him) As we were just finishing up Ellen taps me on the shoulder and told me I had 5min. to say goodbye, that we were leaving in 10min. so me and Nathan could get ready for coming home. I was kinda in shock and quickly went around and said bye to everyone there. It was so sad. I didn't want to leave. :( I then proceeded to run out the door through the rain and jump into the van. The whole ride back I couldn't stop thinking about the kids and how much I missed them already.
We arrived back at the guest house and I immediately started packing, well after a shower.. of course. Haha! After, I got pretty much packed up it was time for dinner and we got pizza! It was wonderful! I ate and then put a few last minute things together in my suitcase. I finished and then proceeded downstairs to say my final goodbyes. It was 7:30pm when we left for the airport, and everyone was waving us off. :) On the way to the airport I made sure and asked Bonnie, our driver, all of the kikuyu and Swahili words I wanted to remember and wrote them down. Haha. I took in the last of the smells and the sights as we drove through town.
Once in the airport, it was extremely hot but we weren't there for too long. We boarded the plane and took off at midnight Kenya time and arrived in London 8 and a half hours later. (longest plane ride I have ever been on.) (FUN FACT: Planes are not allowed to take off or land in London before 6am due to noise) So, before we landed in London we circled twice above the city and then finally landed at about 6:05am haha! The London airport is beautiful and there are soo many expensive shops! It was crazy! I had a wonderful breakfast there of a ham and cheese croissant and fresh orange juice. :) oh! I almost forgot! I had to go through security in London (Apparently you have to go through security alot when you go overseas..) and I got my face wash taken away :( sad day. It wasn't a problem anywhere else but apparently in London I had exceeded the amount of mL allowed. Oh the fun things you experience. Haha!
Our next flight was scheduled for 9am to travel to Detroit. Eight hours later I arrive in Detroit! So here I am back in the good ole U S of A. I cant wait to take a good long hot shower and eat a hamburger! Haha!! Its Bittersweet and sad though. I miss the friendliness of Kenya. Just a few moments ago, I waved at a guy passing by and he totally gave me the strangest look. I forgot I wasn't in Kenya anymore. They say hello and wave there a lot and if you don't.. you come off as rude! Such a different culture.
Well all that's left is one last flight to KY. I should get there around 5pm and get to school around 5:45-6pm. Then to eat, take a shower, unpack and get ready for school in the morning.
Wow. I cant stop saying it enough. Wow. God is so good. :) He has taught me so many things and showed me so much of his beautiful creation! I almost feel like I don't deserve it. I have been very blessed to grow up in a country where I can go so many places freely. I was thinking about that today... How; if I had been born anywhere else I may not have had this opportunity and not be the person I am today. It just proves to me over and over again how carefully God orchestrates and plans out our lives. :) Wow.
Thank you everyone soo much for your prayers and your support. I look forward to seeing all of you and telling you more of my grand adventures in Kenya! And OH! God revealed to me what He wants me to do... He wants me to be a missionary or "go" and build relationships with people and show them His love! And take pictures.. somehow incorporating that in. Maybe being the photographer of a mission organization.. I don't know yet. And then I have a passion for Spanish, so I wanna learn that too! Wow. It's crazy! God's got His hand on me, I know He does and I can't wait to see what all He is gonna do! I just have to listen, trust, and follow whenever and wherever He leads me. :)
Thanks again everyone!
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, January 6, 2012
Safari Day!!! :D
Early morning!!!! Goodness! I woke up around 5:30am this morning in order to be out to the van by 6am. :) We prayed before we left and I was awarded the warthog today! :)
We headed out about 6:15am to the park and may I say the drive there was absolutely beautiful!!! Wow. I took so many pictures and they're all gorgeous! We had to drive down this HUMONGOUS hill/mountain, meanwhile having a spectacular view of the Great Rift Valley. (FUN FACT: the great rift valley runs all the way from Kenya to the Red Sea in Israel. :) soo cool.) There were also plenty of beautiful scenery pictures on the way there. There are tons of acacia trees that are my favorite. They really make Africa look like Africa to me. Haha. When I see them I think Africa. :) (FUN FACT: there are over 40 different kinds of acacia trees. The most popular in Kenya is the yellow acacia.)
We arrived at the park around 9:15 am and to my surprise there were monkeys and baboons welcoming us at the entrance. I heard they get pretty aggressive if they know you have food. So we had to make sure and keep our food locked in the vans. Haha. Now a cool thing about these vans is that the tops raise up so you can stand in the van and look out and take pictures. It was really cool. :) Also, on the way there, Ellen and the others were saying how hard it was to spot a lion and especially close up. So I prayed and asked God if He would allow us to see a lion. Sure enough, as soon as we went through the gate about 500 ft. from the entrance were FIVE lions, just chillin on a fallen tree. :D It was so awesome how God answered my simple prayer! And they were much closer than anyone on the team had ever seen! God listened and provided us with that beautiful sight. :)
We then proceeded to the giant lake where we saw Zebra and storks, cranes, pelicans, flamingos and many other birds by the water. Here we got to get out of the vans and walk around the marshes. I got to get about 5 ft from a Zebra! It was awesome. We traveled on and saw 3 different kinds of gazelle, buffalo, water bucks, other kinds of birds, and white rhinos! :) we traveled through the park and made it to Baboon Cliff where ironically we didn't see any baboons haha, but the view was stunning. I could stay there for hours and just look at God's beautiful creation. What I saw is the world the way God had intended it. :) simply beautiful. We continued on and came upon some giraffe and more gazelles. It was finally lunch time and on our way we saw warthogs more birds and zebra and lots of buffalo. (FUN FACT: the buffalo are one of the meanest and most aggressive animals in the park. It would take 5 lions to bring one down.)
For lunch, it was a surprise! John, our driver, wouldn't tell us where or what we were going to be eating! We finally arrived at a place called Flamingo Hill Camp. It was absolutely beautiful! It was like a resort! And the food!! Omgoodness! It was the best meal I have had since I got here. Fresh fruit, fresh fish, pasta, curry, rice, fresh veggies, and this awesome bread called "Non" bread. It was an Indian dish. It cooked in this clay oven that was just like a big round block of clay with a hole at the top and she would roll the dough and then stick it to the side of the oven and it would stay and cook. It was soo good! Yumm! We then got a tour of this beautiful place! Wow. If you need a place to stay in Kenya, I suggest this place. Although, its about $300 US dollars a night... But I think it would be worth it for a few nights. You could come out of ur tent/hut and see wildlife, right there. (a fence in between of course, but still really close)
After lunch it was time to go back to the guest house. So we headed out and I took some more pictures of the scenery on the way back. It started to rain and when we got through it you could see in the mountains where it was coming down.
Wow. It was just beautiful and awe inspiring. Words cannot describe to you and sometimes my pictures can't either. I hope to have those up soon. :)
We ate dinner at the guest house and then had our meeting about what we're doing tomorrow. A lot of the adults are helping the older kids with resume and interview advice, while Bekah is doing crafts and a movie with the kids and then we will probably do more home visits. :)
Wake up call at 7:30am. Tomorrow is my last day. :(( I will be leaving Kenya around midnight Kenya time, back to the USA. I will stop in London half way there and then arrive home around 5pm Sunday evening. And then school starts the next day! Haha. (cuttin it close, aren't I? Haha)
It's bittersweet, but I have had a blast! I have learned so many things! Like today, I realized that there is nothing wrong with silence. Even when you are with someone and you can't think of anything to say... It's ok. Sometimes just being there is enough. A lot of the times I feel awkward during those random silences when neither of you can think of what to say.. But it's ok to have silence. :)
The thing I will probably miss most is the people in Kenya, then the scenery and then the beautiful weather. :) God has definitely blessed me and this trip and taught me many things about his people and about myself. I cant wait to see what more He has in store for me. :) I know He has been protecting me and it's because of all of the prayers. So thank you! :) God will bless you as well! :)
Have a great night/day! ( whatever time it is over there. Haha) Talk to you later. :)
We headed out about 6:15am to the park and may I say the drive there was absolutely beautiful!!! Wow. I took so many pictures and they're all gorgeous! We had to drive down this HUMONGOUS hill/mountain, meanwhile having a spectacular view of the Great Rift Valley. (FUN FACT: the great rift valley runs all the way from Kenya to the Red Sea in Israel. :) soo cool.) There were also plenty of beautiful scenery pictures on the way there. There are tons of acacia trees that are my favorite. They really make Africa look like Africa to me. Haha. When I see them I think Africa. :) (FUN FACT: there are over 40 different kinds of acacia trees. The most popular in Kenya is the yellow acacia.)
We arrived at the park around 9:15 am and to my surprise there were monkeys and baboons welcoming us at the entrance. I heard they get pretty aggressive if they know you have food. So we had to make sure and keep our food locked in the vans. Haha. Now a cool thing about these vans is that the tops raise up so you can stand in the van and look out and take pictures. It was really cool. :) Also, on the way there, Ellen and the others were saying how hard it was to spot a lion and especially close up. So I prayed and asked God if He would allow us to see a lion. Sure enough, as soon as we went through the gate about 500 ft. from the entrance were FIVE lions, just chillin on a fallen tree. :D It was so awesome how God answered my simple prayer! And they were much closer than anyone on the team had ever seen! God listened and provided us with that beautiful sight. :)
We then proceeded to the giant lake where we saw Zebra and storks, cranes, pelicans, flamingos and many other birds by the water. Here we got to get out of the vans and walk around the marshes. I got to get about 5 ft from a Zebra! It was awesome. We traveled on and saw 3 different kinds of gazelle, buffalo, water bucks, other kinds of birds, and white rhinos! :) we traveled through the park and made it to Baboon Cliff where ironically we didn't see any baboons haha, but the view was stunning. I could stay there for hours and just look at God's beautiful creation. What I saw is the world the way God had intended it. :) simply beautiful. We continued on and came upon some giraffe and more gazelles. It was finally lunch time and on our way we saw warthogs more birds and zebra and lots of buffalo. (FUN FACT: the buffalo are one of the meanest and most aggressive animals in the park. It would take 5 lions to bring one down.)
For lunch, it was a surprise! John, our driver, wouldn't tell us where or what we were going to be eating! We finally arrived at a place called Flamingo Hill Camp. It was absolutely beautiful! It was like a resort! And the food!! Omgoodness! It was the best meal I have had since I got here. Fresh fruit, fresh fish, pasta, curry, rice, fresh veggies, and this awesome bread called "Non" bread. It was an Indian dish. It cooked in this clay oven that was just like a big round block of clay with a hole at the top and she would roll the dough and then stick it to the side of the oven and it would stay and cook. It was soo good! Yumm! We then got a tour of this beautiful place! Wow. If you need a place to stay in Kenya, I suggest this place. Although, its about $300 US dollars a night... But I think it would be worth it for a few nights. You could come out of ur tent/hut and see wildlife, right there. (a fence in between of course, but still really close)
After lunch it was time to go back to the guest house. So we headed out and I took some more pictures of the scenery on the way back. It started to rain and when we got through it you could see in the mountains where it was coming down.
Wow. It was just beautiful and awe inspiring. Words cannot describe to you and sometimes my pictures can't either. I hope to have those up soon. :)
We ate dinner at the guest house and then had our meeting about what we're doing tomorrow. A lot of the adults are helping the older kids with resume and interview advice, while Bekah is doing crafts and a movie with the kids and then we will probably do more home visits. :)
Wake up call at 7:30am. Tomorrow is my last day. :(( I will be leaving Kenya around midnight Kenya time, back to the USA. I will stop in London half way there and then arrive home around 5pm Sunday evening. And then school starts the next day! Haha. (cuttin it close, aren't I? Haha)
It's bittersweet, but I have had a blast! I have learned so many things! Like today, I realized that there is nothing wrong with silence. Even when you are with someone and you can't think of anything to say... It's ok. Sometimes just being there is enough. A lot of the times I feel awkward during those random silences when neither of you can think of what to say.. But it's ok to have silence. :)
The thing I will probably miss most is the people in Kenya, then the scenery and then the beautiful weather. :) God has definitely blessed me and this trip and taught me many things about his people and about myself. I cant wait to see what more He has in store for me. :) I know He has been protecting me and it's because of all of the prayers. So thank you! :) God will bless you as well! :)
Have a great night/day! ( whatever time it is over there. Haha) Talk to you later. :)
Thursday, January 5, 2012
Beauty, Bible Verses, and Blessings
Hey! Sorry, I was really tired last night and didn't get around to finish my blog. So here is yesterday's, the 5th and I will post today's, the 6th, shortly. :)
Thursday, VBS day with the kids. Fun and exhausting day! hehe
Woke up, ate breakfast, had our daily devotions for today.. you know, the usual. hehe :) Btw, Tom won the warthog today. :)
Loaded up the vans and headed out to the Junction for some members to exchange more money while others went at got "Melindi's", really yummy coffee drink. :) We got to the village around 9:30am-10am and when we started to go to the school they told us not to come until noon... So we were kinda confused as what to do because our whole day was focused on the kids. Some of us just talked with the young adults that were there and visited. I brought my photo album and showed some pictures of the seasons (they have never seen snow or the changing of the leaves. :) It was great to see there reactions. hehe) and some pictures of family and friends. (Don't worry I didnt have any bad pictures of anyone! :) hehe)
After a little while, Doug asked me, Jamie, Elizabeth, and Denise if we wanted to go see the water tanks and see how water was distributed throughout the village. The first one we saw was the main tank that distributed water to the other tanks throughout the village. It was responsible for pumping the water UP to the tanks on the hills and then gravity would bring the water down to homes. Sounds pretty simple. :) We then proceeded to walk UP to one of the water tanks.
-OH. MY. GOODNESS. On my way up, I realized how out of shape I was and realized I need to work out a lot more. haha! I barely made it halfway up and I was already gasping for air! haha. However, in my defense, we were at least 7,000 feet above sea level and the air can get pretty thin up there. haha! It is just simply amazing to me that young and old women constantly walk up and down these hills! Most of the time carrying at least 50lbs on their backs or heads. Oh man did I feel out of shape! Haha. Something else I noticed was how hard Africans work. I feel soo lazy compared to how hard they work. I was talking with one of the guys about when he wakes up on the weekends and he said about 6am. He had to go find work when he wasn't in school during the week. When I told him that I sometimes sleep till noon he laughed and said, "wow!" They truly are hard workers and know what it means to support themselves, something I need to work on. Haha.
Anyway, once we arrived to the top there was a beautiful view of the valley. :) it was so worth all of the walking. Btw, these paths we were walking were NOT level or easy by any means which makes it ten times harder and ten times more impressive for those who walk it everyday. We then proceeded to walk a little further in order to get a Gorgeous view of mt. Walgamot. :) amazing, simply amazing. We took pictures and headed back down the massive hill. :)
When we arrived back at the clinic we took out supplies and headed to the school. Now what we had planned was a bible verse (John 15), that we acted out in a little skit. Then we did a song that had motions to it that went along with the verse. After that, we helped the kids do a craft, which was making a paper flower. And finally praying with them. We did this.. 8 times!! Haha! We did it for each grade. It was a lot of fun, especially bringing smiles and laughter to these kids faces while telling them about Jesus. :) We stopped halfway through to eat lunch and then finished up.
Once we finished it was time to go. We said goodbye and then headed for dinner. Sadly, we didn't end up eating Chinese food cuz Nathan, the doctor of the group, (haha) said it prolly wasn't a good idea because tomorrow is Safari day! And it would absolutely awful to be sick for that day. Haha (it was a restaurant that Brenda and Doug hadn't tried yet and didn't want to risk anything) Instead we went to the Java House. :) it was yummy.
We returned home and got ready for bed. :) The next day was safari day!! The day I was most looking forward too!! :D wake up call was 5:30am! Whoa. Haha. But so worth it. We would be traveling to Nakuru Game Park. It was about two and a half hours away. That's why we had to leave so early. But again, sooo worth it!! :)
Well, that's about all for today. I will talk to you soon! Thank you everyone for your prayers!! :))
Thursday, VBS day with the kids. Fun and exhausting day! hehe
Woke up, ate breakfast, had our daily devotions for today.. you know, the usual. hehe :) Btw, Tom won the warthog today. :)
Loaded up the vans and headed out to the Junction for some members to exchange more money while others went at got "Melindi's", really yummy coffee drink. :) We got to the village around 9:30am-10am and when we started to go to the school they told us not to come until noon... So we were kinda confused as what to do because our whole day was focused on the kids. Some of us just talked with the young adults that were there and visited. I brought my photo album and showed some pictures of the seasons (they have never seen snow or the changing of the leaves. :) It was great to see there reactions. hehe) and some pictures of family and friends. (Don't worry I didnt have any bad pictures of anyone! :) hehe)
After a little while, Doug asked me, Jamie, Elizabeth, and Denise if we wanted to go see the water tanks and see how water was distributed throughout the village. The first one we saw was the main tank that distributed water to the other tanks throughout the village. It was responsible for pumping the water UP to the tanks on the hills and then gravity would bring the water down to homes. Sounds pretty simple. :) We then proceeded to walk UP to one of the water tanks.
-OH. MY. GOODNESS. On my way up, I realized how out of shape I was and realized I need to work out a lot more. haha! I barely made it halfway up and I was already gasping for air! haha. However, in my defense, we were at least 7,000 feet above sea level and the air can get pretty thin up there. haha! It is just simply amazing to me that young and old women constantly walk up and down these hills! Most of the time carrying at least 50lbs on their backs or heads. Oh man did I feel out of shape! Haha. Something else I noticed was how hard Africans work. I feel soo lazy compared to how hard they work. I was talking with one of the guys about when he wakes up on the weekends and he said about 6am. He had to go find work when he wasn't in school during the week. When I told him that I sometimes sleep till noon he laughed and said, "wow!" They truly are hard workers and know what it means to support themselves, something I need to work on. Haha.
Anyway, once we arrived to the top there was a beautiful view of the valley. :) it was so worth all of the walking. Btw, these paths we were walking were NOT level or easy by any means which makes it ten times harder and ten times more impressive for those who walk it everyday. We then proceeded to walk a little further in order to get a Gorgeous view of mt. Walgamot. :) amazing, simply amazing. We took pictures and headed back down the massive hill. :)
When we arrived back at the clinic we took out supplies and headed to the school. Now what we had planned was a bible verse (John 15), that we acted out in a little skit. Then we did a song that had motions to it that went along with the verse. After that, we helped the kids do a craft, which was making a paper flower. And finally praying with them. We did this.. 8 times!! Haha! We did it for each grade. It was a lot of fun, especially bringing smiles and laughter to these kids faces while telling them about Jesus. :) We stopped halfway through to eat lunch and then finished up.
Once we finished it was time to go. We said goodbye and then headed for dinner. Sadly, we didn't end up eating Chinese food cuz Nathan, the doctor of the group, (haha) said it prolly wasn't a good idea because tomorrow is Safari day! And it would absolutely awful to be sick for that day. Haha (it was a restaurant that Brenda and Doug hadn't tried yet and didn't want to risk anything) Instead we went to the Java House. :) it was yummy.
We returned home and got ready for bed. :) The next day was safari day!! The day I was most looking forward too!! :D wake up call was 5:30am! Whoa. Haha. But so worth it. We would be traveling to Nakuru Game Park. It was about two and a half hours away. That's why we had to leave so early. But again, sooo worth it!! :)
Well, that's about all for today. I will talk to you soon! Thank you everyone for your prayers!! :))
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Home Visits
Well hello again! :) Another beautiful day in Kenya! I'm gettin a little bit of a tan here and no sunburn! Which is nice.. Although, I am using 85 SPF and getting tan... that should tell you something.. hehe. I did get burned on my scalp yesterday, but not bad. I made sure to put some sunscreen on my scalp today. ;)
Alrighty, well, today woke up at 7:15am and went and had breakfast. Our daily devo/meeting was at 7:45am and Deb got awarded the warthog! haha! We left for the village around 8:15am and arrived at about 9-9:30am. (It's a bit of a drive.. especially with Kenya traffic hehe)
We immediately jumped right in setting up the "mini pharmacy" we had goin on and the doctor, Nathan, took his post and Deb took over my job by asking the patients what was wrong and writing it on notecards. Soon everyone had a job and was goin at it. :) Me and Ellen decided to walk down to the school to tell the teachers that if there were any kids that were sick to please send them our way because this was the last day for the clinic to be open. Also, if there were any teachers that were also not feeling well. We walked back to the clinic and I was quickly put to work putting return labels on envelops. :) They were filled with invitations for a 2 day conference for sunday school teachers and pastors. It took a good 30min to do all of these envelopes but it was fun. :)
After I had finsihed, we talked with some of the boys who were leaving that day to go back to boarding school for their final year of high school. We knew that we werent going to see them again so we made sure and talked with them for a good while. :) I talked with Paul, most of the time who wants to be a driver.. like for the big buses in town. So he will be attending driving school, and its kinda funny because the name of the school is Rocky Road Driving School and if you saw the roads you would think it was a perfect name! haha!!
We finished talking and Ellen asked me if I would like to go on some more home visits with them today. :) I said sure and we loaded up the van. We were going to be going to 8 homes throughout the village, bringing gifts of Flour, sugar, and butter to give as gifts. On the way to the homes, the scenery is just gorgeous! I dont know how to explain it to you except through my pictures and even then I feel like it doesnt do it justice. The homes we visited were very small and most only had about 2 rooms. Also, a lot of the walls were made of sod, which made it quite warm in the homes and some were made of sheet metal. Each home we visited had a garden and some kind of farm animals. Like cows and goats and roosters. Which made it very interesting to walk around. ;) hehe. It was amazing to me to see and know some of the students I talk with at the clinic and then realize where they live. They dont seem to fit together. The little they have, yet they still have joy and get through life with a smile on their face. It's inspiring. We had translators with us and we would ask the elder about their family and life and then present them with the gift. We then would proceed to pray for the family and head to our next house. :) (FUN FACT: Most of the people find it rude and think your not a Christian if you don't stop, say hello, and shake hands. The culture is very much about relationships and community. Much different from the US. So let's just say there was a lot of hand shaking.. Hehe)
We delivered all of our gifts and then made our way back down to the village. Once we got back, I rested a little while and then some of us went to go see the progress of the kitchen that is being built at the school. The girls were just finishing their lunch and were washing ALL of the dishes. (another culture thing I guess. Haha!) we talked with the cooks that we're sorting through the beans and asked if everything was working well. :) they loved the new facility! (FUN FACT: Lunch at school was the only meal that a lot of kids got to eat for the day so it was very important. Their meals usually consisted of a vegetable, usually cabbage, rice, and beans. And sometimes fresh fruit. :)
We walked back to the clinic to finish wrapping up the day and packing our supplies. I got I visit some more with Samuel and Lazarus before we left.
On our way to dinner, (btw, we got a special treat of having pizza for dinner it was sooo good! Yumm!) we encountered a traffic jam where this huge truck was right in the middle of the highway! It was crazy! Cars were going on the sidewalks to get around and honking.. which I didn't really see the point of... Haha. Finally the traffic police came and got it cleared put but again it was just amazing to see the types of driving styles between here and home. Haha!
We went and ate our pizza at rhe junction and after went to buy souvenirs in the "mall". I got a "Chelsea" fútball jersey (famous soccer team throughout Africa, and it's my name! Haha!) at one of the stores and it's great! Btw, that's how I would introduce my self to the villagers, "my name is Chealsea, like the football team." and they would be like OH! Haha! And laugh. :)
We came back to the guest house and talked briefly about tomorrow. We will be doing VBS all day tomorrow with the kids. Oh my. Haha. ;) and then as another special treat we will have Chinese for dinner. I know, i know... How is there chinese food in Africa? Apparently there are a lot of Asians here. Haha. It'll be interesting to try it here. :)
Wake up call at 7:30am! (I get to sleep in!!! haha) and then meeting/devo at 8:20am. :)
That's about it for today. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of ur prayers!! :) they're much appreciated.
Talk to you soon. :)
Alrighty, well, today woke up at 7:15am and went and had breakfast. Our daily devo/meeting was at 7:45am and Deb got awarded the warthog! haha! We left for the village around 8:15am and arrived at about 9-9:30am. (It's a bit of a drive.. especially with Kenya traffic hehe)
We immediately jumped right in setting up the "mini pharmacy" we had goin on and the doctor, Nathan, took his post and Deb took over my job by asking the patients what was wrong and writing it on notecards. Soon everyone had a job and was goin at it. :) Me and Ellen decided to walk down to the school to tell the teachers that if there were any kids that were sick to please send them our way because this was the last day for the clinic to be open. Also, if there were any teachers that were also not feeling well. We walked back to the clinic and I was quickly put to work putting return labels on envelops. :) They were filled with invitations for a 2 day conference for sunday school teachers and pastors. It took a good 30min to do all of these envelopes but it was fun. :)
After I had finsihed, we talked with some of the boys who were leaving that day to go back to boarding school for their final year of high school. We knew that we werent going to see them again so we made sure and talked with them for a good while. :) I talked with Paul, most of the time who wants to be a driver.. like for the big buses in town. So he will be attending driving school, and its kinda funny because the name of the school is Rocky Road Driving School and if you saw the roads you would think it was a perfect name! haha!!
We finished talking and Ellen asked me if I would like to go on some more home visits with them today. :) I said sure and we loaded up the van. We were going to be going to 8 homes throughout the village, bringing gifts of Flour, sugar, and butter to give as gifts. On the way to the homes, the scenery is just gorgeous! I dont know how to explain it to you except through my pictures and even then I feel like it doesnt do it justice. The homes we visited were very small and most only had about 2 rooms. Also, a lot of the walls were made of sod, which made it quite warm in the homes and some were made of sheet metal. Each home we visited had a garden and some kind of farm animals. Like cows and goats and roosters. Which made it very interesting to walk around. ;) hehe. It was amazing to me to see and know some of the students I talk with at the clinic and then realize where they live. They dont seem to fit together. The little they have, yet they still have joy and get through life with a smile on their face. It's inspiring. We had translators with us and we would ask the elder about their family and life and then present them with the gift. We then would proceed to pray for the family and head to our next house. :) (FUN FACT: Most of the people find it rude and think your not a Christian if you don't stop, say hello, and shake hands. The culture is very much about relationships and community. Much different from the US. So let's just say there was a lot of hand shaking.. Hehe)
We delivered all of our gifts and then made our way back down to the village. Once we got back, I rested a little while and then some of us went to go see the progress of the kitchen that is being built at the school. The girls were just finishing their lunch and were washing ALL of the dishes. (another culture thing I guess. Haha!) we talked with the cooks that we're sorting through the beans and asked if everything was working well. :) they loved the new facility! (FUN FACT: Lunch at school was the only meal that a lot of kids got to eat for the day so it was very important. Their meals usually consisted of a vegetable, usually cabbage, rice, and beans. And sometimes fresh fruit. :)
We walked back to the clinic to finish wrapping up the day and packing our supplies. I got I visit some more with Samuel and Lazarus before we left.
On our way to dinner, (btw, we got a special treat of having pizza for dinner it was sooo good! Yumm!) we encountered a traffic jam where this huge truck was right in the middle of the highway! It was crazy! Cars were going on the sidewalks to get around and honking.. which I didn't really see the point of... Haha. Finally the traffic police came and got it cleared put but again it was just amazing to see the types of driving styles between here and home. Haha!
We went and ate our pizza at rhe junction and after went to buy souvenirs in the "mall". I got a "Chelsea" fútball jersey (famous soccer team throughout Africa, and it's my name! Haha!) at one of the stores and it's great! Btw, that's how I would introduce my self to the villagers, "my name is Chealsea, like the football team." and they would be like OH! Haha! And laugh. :)
We came back to the guest house and talked briefly about tomorrow. We will be doing VBS all day tomorrow with the kids. Oh my. Haha. ;) and then as another special treat we will have Chinese for dinner. I know, i know... How is there chinese food in Africa? Apparently there are a lot of Asians here. Haha. It'll be interesting to try it here. :)
Wake up call at 7:30am! (I get to sleep in!!! haha) and then meeting/devo at 8:20am. :)
That's about it for today. Again, thank you, thank you, thank you, for all of ur prayers!! :) they're much appreciated.
Talk to you soon. :)
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The Power of Language
Today was a great a day!! The weather was warm and sunny. It's actually coolish, like in the 80's with a slight breeze and NO humidity! I think I could live here forever haha!! ;)
This morning I started my day at 7:15am with breakfast and then Devos at 7:45. Today the warthog was awarded to Denise! :) We concluded and the first group left at 8am, going to the clinic to get it started and then our group, left around 9am. We headed out to "The Junction" (equivalent to a Wal-Mart) to buy a few more supplies for the village, a few plastic chairs and a pitcher. Apparently, we go to the Junction a lot... Hehe! We got done there and headed to the village.
Once we arrived, there was a little bit of a line outside of the clinic, where the people were waiting to be seen by Nathan. We go in and set our stuff down and then head over to the school. It was the students first day. :) and have I mentioned how much the kids LOVE pictures... Well a lot! Hehe. I brought my camera to the school and I literally got attacked by kids! As soon as I took one, they were following me around the school. It was interesting.. Haha! Me and a couple other members of the team were waiting on books to get to the school so we could catalog them and put time cards in them. I was trying to get to the door, while there was a mass of kids blocking my path. It was crazy! I scrambled to the door and finally got it open and hurried to slam the door shut! Sounds kinda mean, but there were literally hundreds of them, pushing on the door. I finally made it in and then had to stand against the door in order to keep them from getting in so we could do our work. haha! It was great! After a little while of writing book titles and authors, Brenda called Ellen to ask if someone could help at the clinic. I volunteered and headed back to the clinic! :)
When I got there, my job was to sit at a desk and as people their name, age and what was wrong and write it all down on an index card for the Doctor (Nathan) to read and have an idea of what questions to ask. The basic system was that each person waiting got an index card with a number on it and when their number was called, they would come to me and tell me what pain/problems they where having. I took their number and gave them the index card for them to give to the doctor when it was their turn.
-This was probably my favorite thing to do because I had a translator with me named David, since most people couldnt speak English. While we were waiting for patients to come, we would talk about school and he would teach me some words in "Kikuyu" (their native tongue) and we would laugh at how BADLY I would pronounce things sometimes.. hehe! I'll have to tell you some words that I learned when I get back. I also talked with a friend of his named Simon. :) They were both really sweet guys and fun to talk with. :) And dont freak out.. Im not going to be bringing back an African boyfriend or anything! haha! They are naturally/culturally very social and intimate people. :)
After the patient would get done with the doctor, they would go outside and around to another window on the building to have their prescription filled. They also had a translator, his name was Lazarus. I got to talk with him too! It was great. Something else I noticed was while the people were telling me of their problems, they still had joy and a smile when the came to the table. :D It was very encouraging and made me not want to complain about ANYTHING.
We saw about 50 people in the clinic today and then packed up to go back to dinner at the guest house. As I was leaving I talked with some of the young men who were outside hanging out. We talked about the language as they laughed at the way I would say it and we all took pictures together. I even let them take a few! They were fascinated. :) (FUN FACT: Whenever someone is trying to say that you look nice or good, they say: "You look very smart.") So they were all complimenting themselves and me as they looked through the pictures. hehe. :) We left the village probably around 4-4:30pm and arrived back at around 5:30-6pm. There was a lot of traffic. :O hehe.
I washed up and read a little before going to dinner at 6:30pm. We had our final meeting, where we talked about our day and then concluded that we were going to watch a little bit of "Tim Hawkins Comedy Show" that Ellen had received as one of her bday gifts. :) (Her friends came up with this idea to give her a present/card everyday until her bday in honor of her turning 50.. or maybe its 50 presents.. Anyway, that DVD was part of yesterdays gift!) It was a lot of fun to watch and laugh! He's a great comedian. :)
Tomorrow, everyone is leaving for the village at 8am and devo is at 7:45am. We will be doing our last day at the clinic and doing some home visits. We may also, put on a movie for the kids in school. Not 100% sure yet, but everyday is an adventure and I cant wait to see what all God has in store for us while we are here. :)
OH! I forgot to mention that while we were on or way back to the guest house, there was a women laying on the side of the road looking like she was having seizures. One of the natives were with us and said that she was an epileptic that has run out of her medicine. We stopped the van and debated what to do. Whether to take her to the hospital or give her something to drink... We didnt have any epileptic medicine with us and water could end up choking her. We deliberated a long time when we finally saw her get up and start to walk again. We decided that we were going to move on but pick up some medicine for her and have her come to the clinic tomorrow to pick it up. It was cool to see how willing and open the group was to help anyone in need, no matter the risk. I kinda wish it would be like that more in the US...
Anyway, that's about all for today. Busy day tomorrow and I cant wait to tell you all about it. :) Please continue to pray for me as well as the team and the people we come in contact with. That God's love is shown through us! :) Thank you everyone and talk to you soon. :)
This morning I started my day at 7:15am with breakfast and then Devos at 7:45. Today the warthog was awarded to Denise! :) We concluded and the first group left at 8am, going to the clinic to get it started and then our group, left around 9am. We headed out to "The Junction" (equivalent to a Wal-Mart) to buy a few more supplies for the village, a few plastic chairs and a pitcher. Apparently, we go to the Junction a lot... Hehe! We got done there and headed to the village.
Once we arrived, there was a little bit of a line outside of the clinic, where the people were waiting to be seen by Nathan. We go in and set our stuff down and then head over to the school. It was the students first day. :) and have I mentioned how much the kids LOVE pictures... Well a lot! Hehe. I brought my camera to the school and I literally got attacked by kids! As soon as I took one, they were following me around the school. It was interesting.. Haha! Me and a couple other members of the team were waiting on books to get to the school so we could catalog them and put time cards in them. I was trying to get to the door, while there was a mass of kids blocking my path. It was crazy! I scrambled to the door and finally got it open and hurried to slam the door shut! Sounds kinda mean, but there were literally hundreds of them, pushing on the door. I finally made it in and then had to stand against the door in order to keep them from getting in so we could do our work. haha! It was great! After a little while of writing book titles and authors, Brenda called Ellen to ask if someone could help at the clinic. I volunteered and headed back to the clinic! :)
When I got there, my job was to sit at a desk and as people their name, age and what was wrong and write it all down on an index card for the Doctor (Nathan) to read and have an idea of what questions to ask. The basic system was that each person waiting got an index card with a number on it and when their number was called, they would come to me and tell me what pain/problems they where having. I took their number and gave them the index card for them to give to the doctor when it was their turn.
-This was probably my favorite thing to do because I had a translator with me named David, since most people couldnt speak English. While we were waiting for patients to come, we would talk about school and he would teach me some words in "Kikuyu" (their native tongue) and we would laugh at how BADLY I would pronounce things sometimes.. hehe! I'll have to tell you some words that I learned when I get back. I also talked with a friend of his named Simon. :) They were both really sweet guys and fun to talk with. :) And dont freak out.. Im not going to be bringing back an African boyfriend or anything! haha! They are naturally/culturally very social and intimate people. :)
After the patient would get done with the doctor, they would go outside and around to another window on the building to have their prescription filled. They also had a translator, his name was Lazarus. I got to talk with him too! It was great. Something else I noticed was while the people were telling me of their problems, they still had joy and a smile when the came to the table. :D It was very encouraging and made me not want to complain about ANYTHING.
We saw about 50 people in the clinic today and then packed up to go back to dinner at the guest house. As I was leaving I talked with some of the young men who were outside hanging out. We talked about the language as they laughed at the way I would say it and we all took pictures together. I even let them take a few! They were fascinated. :) (FUN FACT: Whenever someone is trying to say that you look nice or good, they say: "You look very smart.") So they were all complimenting themselves and me as they looked through the pictures. hehe. :) We left the village probably around 4-4:30pm and arrived back at around 5:30-6pm. There was a lot of traffic. :O hehe.
I washed up and read a little before going to dinner at 6:30pm. We had our final meeting, where we talked about our day and then concluded that we were going to watch a little bit of "Tim Hawkins Comedy Show" that Ellen had received as one of her bday gifts. :) (Her friends came up with this idea to give her a present/card everyday until her bday in honor of her turning 50.. or maybe its 50 presents.. Anyway, that DVD was part of yesterdays gift!) It was a lot of fun to watch and laugh! He's a great comedian. :)
Tomorrow, everyone is leaving for the village at 8am and devo is at 7:45am. We will be doing our last day at the clinic and doing some home visits. We may also, put on a movie for the kids in school. Not 100% sure yet, but everyday is an adventure and I cant wait to see what all God has in store for us while we are here. :)
OH! I forgot to mention that while we were on or way back to the guest house, there was a women laying on the side of the road looking like she was having seizures. One of the natives were with us and said that she was an epileptic that has run out of her medicine. We stopped the van and debated what to do. Whether to take her to the hospital or give her something to drink... We didnt have any epileptic medicine with us and water could end up choking her. We deliberated a long time when we finally saw her get up and start to walk again. We decided that we were going to move on but pick up some medicine for her and have her come to the clinic tomorrow to pick it up. It was cool to see how willing and open the group was to help anyone in need, no matter the risk. I kinda wish it would be like that more in the US...
Anyway, that's about all for today. Busy day tomorrow and I cant wait to tell you all about it. :) Please continue to pray for me as well as the team and the people we come in contact with. That God's love is shown through us! :) Thank you everyone and talk to you soon. :)
Monday, January 2, 2012
Relationships
This morning was beautiful!! The sun was shining and it was warm. I hear it's snowing back home. Hehe. Africa is so beautiful. There isn't anything like it. I feel like I'm just walking in a picture.
Today was good! Woke up around 7:30am and went to eat breakfast. After breakfast we had a devotional and the awarding of "the warthog"!
-I forgot to tell u about the warthog! Hehe. Basically, every day someone will get the honor of receiving the warthog (stuffed animal) by showing good Christian character or just being extra helpful, etc. yesterday, my roomie for it and today she awarded it to Nathan. It was a lot of fun. :)
After the devo, we loaded up in two vans to head to the village. One can, (the newbies) went to the "Junction" to exchange their money and buy water etc. While we went straight to the village. Once we got there we helped set up the clinic a little, cuz we will be opening it tomorrow. A lot of the older kids, like in college or highschool started showing up to talk and visit and it was at this point I realized what TRUE service was.
-I realized that yes, there are times where you have to go in and get work done and do small jobs here and there... But it's not all about that. It's about relationships. It's about showing Christ's love and talking with someone to see how they are. Really listening and having fellowship. That means soo much more to them than bringing food or building a church and leaving... This was so new to me. I have never been on a mission trip where the mission was to talk and build relationships with people. I mean, grant it we will do other tasks as well, but the relationships were THE MOST important. It's definitely something I need to work on and I feel like God was trying to say, "See Chealsea, this is what it means to love my children. This is how you love them and help them." It's still very new to me and something that I'm not very good at and kinda scared of.. But I know God is teaching me and growing me, I just need to listen and trust in Him.
Later, we went to the market in town to buy maiz flower, butter, sugar, erc. to give to the elders when we do home visits. Once we got our supplies we walked back to the clinic to organize and visit a little more with the students.
When we started out for our home visits we split into 2 groups and each group would go visit 2 homes. We had a translator go with us because most of the elders don't know english. (FUN FACT: there are two main lang. in Kenya, Swahili and English. In the village they know Swahili and their native tongue called "kikuyu". The kids start learning English or know it well by 8th grade, so the little ones don't know a whole lot.) Basically, we would go into the homes and give them the gift and ask if we could pray with them. Their houses were made of mud with dirt floors and VERY small. (I'll put pictures up later). I got to pray for one of the homes and it was really neat.
We finished our homes and started back to the clinic. Now, in case you didn't know, the little ones LOVE having their pictures taken and they are sooo cute! They laugh and laugh when they see they're picture on the camera. (I'll put those up later too)
After playing with the kids, a few of us went to see the quarry. There was supposedly a great view of mount walgamot. (spelling?.. Hehe) On the way up, a student named James came with me. He is about 22 (I think) and going to the University here, studying food and beverage management...? We had a nice conv. about the economy and agriculture in America and he also pointed out a lot of the scenery to tell me what it was. It was a fun walk and talk. :))
After we got back, I sat down under this umbrella shade thing and two girls came to sit with me. Their names are Jasmine and Veronica. They didn't much English so it was a lil awkward at first trying to communicate with them. But one question changed it completely.. "Do you want to play with my hair?" and they smiled real big and said yes! So I took my hair down and they began braiding and messing with it and slowly we started communicating. They were trying to teach me some kikuyu and laughing at me when I said it wrong. It was a lot of fun! I let them take pictures it was great! It was then time to go but not before we brought out the bubbles!! Omgoodness!!! They LOVE bubbles! It was amazing to see their faces laugh and smile! :) it was amazing!
We then left at 4pm to go back to the guest house for dinner at 6:30. I was exhausted and tools nap when I got back. Dinner was delicious. Fresh fruit and veggies! Yumm!
After dinner we had a meeting, that was just to discuss what was going in tomorrow and how we felt about today, our impressions/expectations. And then we prayed and left for bed. :)
Wow. So many things happen in one day! It's hard to write about them all and there is still more I could write! Tomorrow, one group is leaving early (8am) to head to the village and start setting up the clinic, while the rest of us (me included) go to the store to get a few last minute things before we go to the village. We will have the clinic tomorrow and Wednesday.
Well I think that's about all for tomorrow. Wake up call is 7am! Yay!! Haha. Thanks again for ur prayers! :)
Today was good! Woke up around 7:30am and went to eat breakfast. After breakfast we had a devotional and the awarding of "the warthog"!
-I forgot to tell u about the warthog! Hehe. Basically, every day someone will get the honor of receiving the warthog (stuffed animal) by showing good Christian character or just being extra helpful, etc. yesterday, my roomie for it and today she awarded it to Nathan. It was a lot of fun. :)
After the devo, we loaded up in two vans to head to the village. One can, (the newbies) went to the "Junction" to exchange their money and buy water etc. While we went straight to the village. Once we got there we helped set up the clinic a little, cuz we will be opening it tomorrow. A lot of the older kids, like in college or highschool started showing up to talk and visit and it was at this point I realized what TRUE service was.
-I realized that yes, there are times where you have to go in and get work done and do small jobs here and there... But it's not all about that. It's about relationships. It's about showing Christ's love and talking with someone to see how they are. Really listening and having fellowship. That means soo much more to them than bringing food or building a church and leaving... This was so new to me. I have never been on a mission trip where the mission was to talk and build relationships with people. I mean, grant it we will do other tasks as well, but the relationships were THE MOST important. It's definitely something I need to work on and I feel like God was trying to say, "See Chealsea, this is what it means to love my children. This is how you love them and help them." It's still very new to me and something that I'm not very good at and kinda scared of.. But I know God is teaching me and growing me, I just need to listen and trust in Him.
Later, we went to the market in town to buy maiz flower, butter, sugar, erc. to give to the elders when we do home visits. Once we got our supplies we walked back to the clinic to organize and visit a little more with the students.
When we started out for our home visits we split into 2 groups and each group would go visit 2 homes. We had a translator go with us because most of the elders don't know english. (FUN FACT: there are two main lang. in Kenya, Swahili and English. In the village they know Swahili and their native tongue called "kikuyu". The kids start learning English or know it well by 8th grade, so the little ones don't know a whole lot.) Basically, we would go into the homes and give them the gift and ask if we could pray with them. Their houses were made of mud with dirt floors and VERY small. (I'll put pictures up later). I got to pray for one of the homes and it was really neat.
We finished our homes and started back to the clinic. Now, in case you didn't know, the little ones LOVE having their pictures taken and they are sooo cute! They laugh and laugh when they see they're picture on the camera. (I'll put those up later too)
After playing with the kids, a few of us went to see the quarry. There was supposedly a great view of mount walgamot. (spelling?.. Hehe) On the way up, a student named James came with me. He is about 22 (I think) and going to the University here, studying food and beverage management...? We had a nice conv. about the economy and agriculture in America and he also pointed out a lot of the scenery to tell me what it was. It was a fun walk and talk. :))
After we got back, I sat down under this umbrella shade thing and two girls came to sit with me. Their names are Jasmine and Veronica. They didn't much English so it was a lil awkward at first trying to communicate with them. But one question changed it completely.. "Do you want to play with my hair?" and they smiled real big and said yes! So I took my hair down and they began braiding and messing with it and slowly we started communicating. They were trying to teach me some kikuyu and laughing at me when I said it wrong. It was a lot of fun! I let them take pictures it was great! It was then time to go but not before we brought out the bubbles!! Omgoodness!!! They LOVE bubbles! It was amazing to see their faces laugh and smile! :) it was amazing!
We then left at 4pm to go back to the guest house for dinner at 6:30. I was exhausted and tools nap when I got back. Dinner was delicious. Fresh fruit and veggies! Yumm!
After dinner we had a meeting, that was just to discuss what was going in tomorrow and how we felt about today, our impressions/expectations. And then we prayed and left for bed. :)
Wow. So many things happen in one day! It's hard to write about them all and there is still more I could write! Tomorrow, one group is leaving early (8am) to head to the village and start setting up the clinic, while the rest of us (me included) go to the store to get a few last minute things before we go to the village. We will have the clinic tomorrow and Wednesday.
Well I think that's about all for tomorrow. Wake up call is 7am! Yay!! Haha. Thanks again for ur prayers! :)
A Fresh Start
I started writing this blog entry at around 11pm last night but kept falling asleep while I was writing. Haha So it's a day late sorry. I will write another one for today in a minute. :)
New Years Day. Wow. It's the beginning of a new year, with so many possibilities! :)
Today was a little better according to my sleepiness, hehe. And tonight, I think I'm gonna get to go to bed before midnight... Maybe ;)
We left for the village around 9am this morning to go to church at 10am. We split our group into 2 teams to go to 2 different churches to fellowship with all the people there.
I keep talking about the team but haven't really introduced them. Well, When we came on the 30th, it was only half of us. The other half arrived here tonight about an hour ago. So now we are all officially here. :) the first group I came with consisted of: Brenda (leader), Rebekah, Ellen, Nathan, and Tom & Nancy. The ones that came tonight consist of: Doug (Brenda's husband), Jamie, Elizabeth & Denise Pointdexter (mother and daughter), and Deb.
Anyway, back to the village. The Church I went to was cool. We prayed and sang songs and collected offering. :) Mind you it was all in swahili but we had a translator, which was nice. His name is Evanston. We got up and introduced ourselves and they asked Ellen if she would like to speak and she gave a wonderful sermon about having a fresh start and how God completely saves us. It was great. Plus they said the Lords prayer and I actually recognized it when they started. It was neat. Church lasted about an hr and a half. Btw, there was no speakers or lights or microphones. Only the sound of voices, a drum, and a music triangle, which was actually a circle haha. It was sooo awesome to just watch Gods children worship!
After church we headed back down to the clinic, where we played with some of the kids. :) We taught them the electric slide, to Kelly clarksons' song "since u been gone". They loved it :)
While we were there some of the kids, hung around and played with my hair! They think my hair is so strange cuz it's so different from there's. :)
We left the village around 4pm to go shop for souvenirs and eat dinner. The place we went to get souvenirs was called the Masai market and I guess you could compare it to Chinatown in NYC. You had to barter, and I am NO good at that haha! But I got Nancy and Tom to help me and be my body guards. Haha! It was a lot of fun! After, we got done we went to the "java House" for dinner. It was really good and I got to have good, fresh fruit! :) it was really yummy.
We then started our journey back to the guest house for some MUCH needed rest! I got to bed early and slept well!
Thank you so much for your prayers! They have definitely been a huge help and blessing. :) more to come.
New Years Day. Wow. It's the beginning of a new year, with so many possibilities! :)
Today was a little better according to my sleepiness, hehe. And tonight, I think I'm gonna get to go to bed before midnight... Maybe ;)
We left for the village around 9am this morning to go to church at 10am. We split our group into 2 teams to go to 2 different churches to fellowship with all the people there.
I keep talking about the team but haven't really introduced them. Well, When we came on the 30th, it was only half of us. The other half arrived here tonight about an hour ago. So now we are all officially here. :) the first group I came with consisted of: Brenda (leader), Rebekah, Ellen, Nathan, and Tom & Nancy. The ones that came tonight consist of: Doug (Brenda's husband), Jamie, Elizabeth & Denise Pointdexter (mother and daughter), and Deb.
Anyway, back to the village. The Church I went to was cool. We prayed and sang songs and collected offering. :) Mind you it was all in swahili but we had a translator, which was nice. His name is Evanston. We got up and introduced ourselves and they asked Ellen if she would like to speak and she gave a wonderful sermon about having a fresh start and how God completely saves us. It was great. Plus they said the Lords prayer and I actually recognized it when they started. It was neat. Church lasted about an hr and a half. Btw, there was no speakers or lights or microphones. Only the sound of voices, a drum, and a music triangle, which was actually a circle haha. It was sooo awesome to just watch Gods children worship!
After church we headed back down to the clinic, where we played with some of the kids. :) We taught them the electric slide, to Kelly clarksons' song "since u been gone". They loved it :)
While we were there some of the kids, hung around and played with my hair! They think my hair is so strange cuz it's so different from there's. :)
We left the village around 4pm to go shop for souvenirs and eat dinner. The place we went to get souvenirs was called the Masai market and I guess you could compare it to Chinatown in NYC. You had to barter, and I am NO good at that haha! But I got Nancy and Tom to help me and be my body guards. Haha! It was a lot of fun! After, we got done we went to the "java House" for dinner. It was really good and I got to have good, fresh fruit! :) it was really yummy.
We then started our journey back to the guest house for some MUCH needed rest! I got to bed early and slept well!
Thank you so much for your prayers! They have definitely been a huge help and blessing. :) more to come.
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