Last Day...

Today is my last day in Kenya. Crazy, I know. I spent the last few days at Maasai Mara which was incredible. I flew on a small plane there, low enough to the ground to see so much. It was too much for my mind to grasp-the immensity of the plains below was awesome. I stayed at a Lodge that overlooked the plains, seeing zebra and baboons, among other things, right out my window. I was able to go on two game drives, one in which we drove to the Serengeti. (so i walked to Tanzania, hee hee) It was so unimaginable-you just stand there and as far as your eye can see is open plains, completly untouched by man. Such a full silence surrounded me, only birds and animal noises. It felt so sacred. I loved it. In my drives, I saw everything you can think of-elephants, giraffes, lions, cheetahs, hyenas, gazelles, warthogs, impalas, topees, zebra, vultures, buffalo, baboons, hippos-all in one place! I even watched a crocodile eat a zebra. Unreal. It was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced.
The week before that was spent at the hospital, as i mentioned before. That was so valuable because I was able to see anything and everything-i could sit in on exams, walk around in the wards, and do a lot of hands on helping. I even spent one day doing casting on babies with clubbed feet! It is so interesting because the beds are just out in the open, and the mom's stay with the babies in the same bed. In kenya if you are a mom you are called by your youngest child's first name, for example my mom would be called "momma Hannah". The hospital is very kid-friendly and just a great environment to be in. The people that are there have very difficult conditions; spina bifida, hydrocephalus, clubbed feet, awful and bizarre burns, lots of contracture patients, etc. A lot of people wait until their condition is very bad, so they are treating things that for the most part would never be seen in the states because it would never have progressed that far. For example, there are a lot of feet deformities and infected ulcers because of someone who has been walking/crawling in a strange way for their whole life because they didn't get the care they needed when they first were learning to walk with, say, one leg shorter than the other. I also saw a 5 month old baby who was flown in from way up north in the bush who had the most horrendous burns i have ever seen in my whole life-i can't beleive she survived one month without being treated. She rolled into the fire in the middle of her mud hut when her mother was outside. She must have been in it for such a long time because some areas were burned to the bone. My heart just broke over many of the patients...however the hospital is doing such wonderful things and is so very blessed. It was so cool to be a part of it for a few days.
Well, today i depart for london, then New york. i don't know what to make of it, I am sure it will be strange for awhile. But i am so so excited to come home, even excited for the cold! Thanks for reading this and sharing in my experience with me. God bless, and may His faithfulness be on you!!!
Heidi :)
p.s. for those who have posted comments asking questions, email at heidi.govednik@gmail.com so i know how to answer you.

Not in Kabarnet anymore...

These pictures are in the Masaai Market in Nairobi (where i did all my christmas shopping). It is crazy! People follow you and ask for money and try to sell you everything. I had my own personal shopper-i went around and collected everything I liked and then we sorted it out and I payed for it all at once to him, and he brings it to the his boss or something. I am not sure how it worked-but it was an experience.
Now today is the last day of the Spiritual Life Conference, which has been such a blessing. It is wonderful to have so many missionaries-about 350 people here-to talk to. Some have been missionaries for over 30 years here. I am the youngest :) here. But there is a group of short termers my age, and we have had such good discussions about theology and stuff that i have just been craving to have. And being with so many families just blesses my heart! Babies and toddlers, so cute! But the best is just hearing where they are and what they are doing, I learn so much from them. It is great to have my familiar "western" style of worship again too, as cheesy as that sounds.
Rift Valley ACademy, where we are for the conference, is so awesome! IT is a 4th-12th grade school for missionary kids, and it is huge and beautiful. it is in the foot hills of the valley, so it boasts incredible views of the vast valley and hills. THe school has two big football feilds, volleyball courts, basketball courts, weight room, gym, racquet ball, just about anything you can think of! It is similiar to a college because of the way that each acedemic apartment is a different buildling, so lockers are outside and it is just open and spacious and beautiful. THe dorms are really nice too.
Tomorrow I am going to start shadowing/learning/helping at Bethany Kids at Kijabe hospital, just down the hill from me. I am really excited about that and what kinds of things i'll learn and see. Then in a week I am going to Masaai Mara-the game park that is part of the Serhengeti in Tanzania! SO i am very excited about that. It is about 45 minutes by plane, so i 'll stay overnight in a lodge and go on two or three game drives. I am pumped. Well, that is all for now.

"Praise the Lord, O my soul. i will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live" Psalm 146

The first two pictures with the Pokot tribe, the second two are the great kids i love!

A few more pics...

me in the chapel during musical tryouts, then me at campi ya samaki, then the cutie kids i love, then the director with me and jennifer

some pictures!

me with all my cutie kids

me and jebotebin...she's so much like me

beautiful rift valley

baby python!

back at Mayfeild

We were supposed to leave Kabarnet at 3am, however when we woke it was pouring and there was no electricity, so we waited out the rain to leave. We didn’t end up leaving for our 6 hour journey to Nairobi until sometime after 6am. This ended up being so wonderful, because we took a route I have never been on before and it was absolutely spectacular. Because of the rain, everything was so bright and green and fresh. The first hour or more was winding down the into the valley below, going up and down, making 160 degree turns, just weaving gracefully through the hillside in our big white van. The road was canopied by trees and brush, lined with the red rocky dirt. It was as if you were looking on an aerial view of this tremendous lush valley, and someone took a paintbrush and made a big sweeping strokes of gray along it, and that is the road we were on. As the sun continued to rise, it slowly unveiled the valley below, bringing it to life. The mountains became vibrant and the trees danced as we drove past, light revealing the beauty once hidden by the night. As we made our way, it was like a forest, and then all of the sudden a clearing would give way to a vast valley below, soft clouds gently passing through. Sometimes even we would find ourselves enveloped in white fog, only to come out of the cloud in the majesty of God’s creation. It was awesome.

When we were about an hour away from Nairobi, our muffler and exhaust pipe fell off. So we pulled over, picked it up and put it in the van, and carried on-like we were a race car or something. It was so loud. 4 koreans and 2 white girls driving through Kenya in a big white loud van. Awesome. Well, we did make it to Nairobi and had our last meal together. Nairobi is westernized, loud, busy, and sick with pollution. Most of the exhaust that comes out of the vehicles is black and just disgusting. However, now I can get things like good coffee, yogurt, and oreos. There are bathrooms here with real toilets, and even toilet paper! What a treat. So we ate together, did a little shopping, and then they brought me and my Canadian roommate Jennifer to Mayfeild Guesthouse, where I had a tear ful goodbye. As hard as my time there was, I still love them and will miss so many things about my “Korean family.” But you know, I am ready to be done, and glad to not go back.

I said goodbye to the special school on Friday, and cried each time a student left. It really broke my heart to know that I will not see them again. On Saturday we had the big graduation-typical Kenyan as it started late and lasted a long time-my musical was a hit. Then those students left rather abruptly as well. I will also miss hanging out with them. Then it was just a lot of down time on Sunday and Monday until I left.

I am very content to be finished. Of course there is much I will miss, but much of it was hard, challenging, draining, and something I don’t want to deal with anymore. So I am in a very happy now! Tomorrow I leave for Kijabe, about an hour from here in Nairobi, for a Spiritual Life Conference with AIM missionaries. I will stay there for the remainder of my time, then go on a safari  and then leave Kenya December 5th. I fly to London, then New York, where I stay overnight, then come home on the 7th.

I am not sure how to process everything yet, but I do know God is faithful, and he will always provide. I know he will carry you through whatever your circumstance, and I trust in his provision over my life even when I know I’ll never understand it with this mind. So God is good, and that’s all I really know.

And I am Snow White.

We just had our last church service of the year-it lasted 2 and a half hours! But it was really fun; they have a time for “presentations” and so students share songs or verses, etc. The Special School sang three songs and it was so cute! And I even sang a little song on the guitar, which is something very different from what they usually have! Anyway, so this is my last week here. The students have finals on Mon. and Tues. and then we just prepare for graduation on Saturday and the pre-graduation party on Friday.
This week little cutie Susie came back, she has been sick but her mother thought she had finals so she brought her for the last week. (Imagine, a six year old having finals! Ridiculous.) Anyway, I heard she was back right before dinner so I went over to the school to see her. The students were all sitting at their round table in the classroom where they watch movies in the evening. (This is also where they eat.) I hugged that cute little thing-she is really small and has cerebral palsy, so she is all wobbly and uncoordinated and so awesome. Her head is like a bobble-head doll as she smiles up at me, one tooth missing in front. I kissed her a bunch on the cheek, and then the student next to her said “mimi” which implied she wanted a kiss too. So all of the sudden I was transformed into Snow White and all the little dwarfs waited patiently for me to come around and kiss them. They had just gotten their heads shaved, so I went around to each one and kissed their smooth brown faces and rubbed their little naked heads. It just blessed my heart. It is amazing how I can know these kids so well, and be with them everyday, and not be able to talk to them at all except for simple commands. It took me a long time, but I am so proud of myself for learning how to say and spell all their names that I am going to write them all for you. It is Susie, Elkana, Edwin, Kipbrotich, Jebotibin, Letente, Jipkosgi, Kipkule, Jepchumba, Peter, Mark, and Evans. They all are so different and have such unique, precious personalities-and they are each other’s best friends. They are leaving on Friday, and that will be the strangest thing for me to deal with I think. To know I won’t ever see them again is a strange thought.
On Monday I am leaving Ebenezer for Kijabe, which I am very excited about. I will be very sad to leave Korea and Kabarnet. Pretty much my day is 50% Korean, 45% Swahili, and 5% English. At Kijabe there are a lot of American missionaries, and most of the people will speak English because it is only 40 minutes from Nairobi. Here I am in the upcountry, so much more Swahili is spoken. So I will be sad to leave my Korean culture as well as the students here. I can only imagine what it will be like to be in a place where miscommunication isn’t an every minute occurrence!
Well, I don’t have much else interesting to say today. The days are all pretty much the same for me, not terribly exciting. I hope you all are doing well; don’t hesitate to email me! I love reading about what is happening. Blessings to you!

Things I will miss:
Blue toilet paper, and throwing it away instead of flushing it
Kimchi
Mountains
Showering with a bucket
My log-cabin bedroom
Korean soap operas
The perfect weather
Cooking everything from scratch
Singing songs with the kids every morning
Teaching piano lessons and dances
Practicing Korean
Buying peanuts for less than 3 cents in town
Buying all our fruits and vegetables for sooo cheap in the market
Listening to the students singing every morning in Swahili
Seeing the sunrise most mornings over the valley
Having chai and chapatti everyday at 10:50am
Collecting rain water from the roof to clean…so practical!
I won’t miss how slow and expensive the internet is...
These are just a few of the things here that I will miss.

This is why I love Kenya.

When I was at Karabisha weekend a while ago I was told by some full time missionaries that there is a place nearby me that has children with physical disabilities. So I looked into it and it is an A.I.C. church that has a children’s center for these children to live at during the school year because then they are right near the school. (otherwise they wouldn’t be able to make the commute from their homes to a school because it is too far) So I gave the place, Kampi Ya Samaki Children’s Centre, a call and arranged to go this weekend. Kampi Ya Samaki is the name of the town, also known as Lake Baringo. Samaki means fish, so I think it is something like place of fish. Anyway, me and Jennifer set out at 6:30am for the bus to pick us up that would take us about an hour away to Marigat, and from there it is only a half hour or so from Kampi Ya Samaki. So we piled on the bus, already packed, and this is the size of a city bus minus the personal space we are used too. As we drive we pick up anybody and everybody on the way, including whatever they are bringing with them. This could be big bags of grain, buckets of fruit, jugs of milk, etc. you just rest your feet on it and carry on. I bought some peanuts rolled in a little newspaper that a vendor came on the bus with at a stop for less than 5 cents to save for later. We arrived at Marigat at the matatu station and began to wait for the one matatu to fill up with people so we could go. Meanwhile we talked to the driver and someone else who was the drivers brother, I think, who was young like us and worked on the boats at Lake Baringo. He told us we should come by the lake and we could see hippos and crocodiles! After talking to many people, as usual, this guy from the lake came back and introduced us to a man and then they said “twende” which means “lets go.” Questioningly, we followed, and they explained they are leaving now and the man is a teacher at the school the kids from the center attend. So we took the ride. They drove us right to the church, which the matatu wouldn’t have done, so that was nice and we met some people from the center and they said they would come back at 3pm for us. (okay, whatever you want to do, I think to myself, but remember you don’t even know us??) So we met the secretary and I think the chief of the town, maybe the church? Who knows. Either way they were expecting us and excited for us to come. So we got to meet the children and see the place. The kids ranged from having no leg, to leg braces, to damaging burns, to a limp, etc. The place is very small, two dorms, a tiny “kitchen”, a really small office, a workshop where someone makes shoes and braces, and they were building a small dining area to eat and study in. A hospital that I am somewhat familiar with comes from about 8 hours away three times a year to do evaluations and treatments, sometimes bringing them back to the hospital for surgery or prosthetics. So these kids are fortunate to have those types of supplies, but they don’t have any sort of therapy or anyone who does therapy consistently for them. Most of the kids also are considered shameful in their families as well, so they can’t get the help they need at home. Me and Jennifer colored with them on the patio and played string games for a little bit. We were treated to some sodas, and then two people took us to Lake Baringo. It is a short walk in the hot sun. Kampi Ya Samaki is down in the valley, where the cactuses are many, the dirt is dusty, and shade is scarce. There are trees with really sharp things on them; they’ll poke right through your shoes if you step on it. The trees are scattered, the cactus is used as a fence, and as usual, so many goats. The lake is really large with a blue mountain backdrop and an island big enough to have a community and a school in the middle. We got into a big canoe like motor boat and slowly set out into the brown water. There some little naked kids bathing on the shore, as well as many mothers washing clothes. Within five minutes we saw the hippos in the distance, and as we got closer an occasional crocodile head would pop up. The water was shallow, you couldn’t tell, so the hippos were just walking along. (and I thought they could swim!) We could see there huge heads as they traveling in a big group. We watched them for awhile, and then we must have gotten too close, because the big started coming after us! So we quickly moved on. We spent a little more time on the lake, and then went back to the center-all the while baking in the burning sun. We were welcomed to come sit on plastic furniture under a roof, a pile of wheelchairs and crutches in the corner, the kids scattered, smoke from the kitchen rising. One person came around with the usual pitcher of water to pour over our hands before we ate. They gave us lunch: rice, chapati, and stew. They welcomed us to come back again, over and over, and thanked us so many times for coming. We left there around 3:15, took the absolutely impossibly bumpy road back to Marigat. (on that road a big bus came piled high on top with who knows what, packed with people, looking like it was going to tip over at any second on the bumps that were over a foot deep, and the sign on the front said :God is Able. I thought, “yeah, I know God is but I am not sure you are!”) At Marigat we bought a watermelon slice and some crackers, and waited in a matatu. Soon we were shifted to a big bus, all the while being bargained for to ride in a certain matatu. We of course talked to many people, especially the people who met us on the way there and now acted like we were long time friends. We got to ride in the front with driver, and warded off vendors trying to sell us peanuts, crackers, sweets, tomatoes, honey, etc. It took about two hours to get back, once again because we stop to pick up anyone who waves. But we made it back by 7pm…just in time to enjoy a Korean dinner. As usual.

I love mornings here. LOVE them.

This morning I stepped out into the cool, damp air to go for a little jog. Everything is colored a faint orange from the sun beginning to rise behind me. I walk a little ways down a muddy path until I hit the “driveway” which I refer to as “death by road” in my mind because of how terrible rocky it is. I greet the guard at the gate in Swahili as he lets me out onto the silent road full of hills that I will attempt to fun. The air is so fresh and silent, as usual, and it I welcome it against my skin. I didn’t make it very far before my legs started burning from the exercise so I just walked slowly, enjoying the clouds filling up the valley and smelling the faint scent of something burning and that freshness that rain brings to the green. I only passed one person, walking to who knows where and asked me why I was walking so slow, so it was nice to just enjoy being alone. I sat at the side of the road and listened to noisy birds and monkeys playing in the trees. No, I couldn’t see the monkeys, but I know they were there because they sounded just like Abu in the movie Aladdin. (way to go Disney for being accurate!) I began to walk back, thinking to myself that I can’t run back, I thinking that I am actually going to give up! I haven’t given up on that last hill- I always push through it, but today it seemed to hard. I am tired! Soon a kid, maybe 10or 11, came out of the bush with his uniform on-maroon sweater and button down, with navy blue shorts, a small satchel over his shoulder, and no shoes. I asked him where his school was, and it is a good 40 minute walk from where we were (and friends, no joke, up hill both ways!). Then I told him that I was going to run a bit, thinking we would end there-but as I started running he started running too! Not saying anything, mind you. (most of the kids are very shy to talk) This lanky kid (as all kids are here) with no shoes ran next to me, with his bare feet pidder paddering next to me on the wet pavement-his two strides to my one actually kept my pace-as I huffed on next to me. He just kept right on, shoeless with his school satchel. And you know what happened? I kept right on, all the way back to Ebenezer. This is the way God works. I seriously think I am going to give up, I can’t quite finish. Even when amidst it can be beautiful! The air can be fresh, and I love it…but then I think I can’t make it. But something comes along that pushes me to the end; gives me some endurance to make it to the next day. And I think, wow, I can do this. God will give me what I need…and then I can breath. I can see the clouds and the sun beaming through, shining light bright on my face.

Happy days

These last few days have been particularly good for me. One thing that made me happy on Friday was the students’ devotion time. They have morning devotion everyday, but on Friday nights they have a devotion for just the students and maybe the chaplain with no teachers. I have never gone before, but decided to this Friday. For the first time, I saw some actual passion behind their singing! It was so great to be a part of, as they sang Swahili choruses with their whole bodies, and their loudest voices. Then there was a time when students do some of their own “performances” and share a song or a thought or something. Keep in mind, these are highschool students and first of all they are all there without any force, and on top of that they choose to get up in front of everyone and sing or something. Including boys! This boggles my mind, having worked with highschoolers plenty and knowing what it takes to get them to all show up somewhere. Anyway, then the Chaplain spoke to them about more real issues, not just Bible verses or whatever. This week he talked about sexual purity and it was so funny because he asked them all what is the best gift a wife can give her husband-and he asked if anyone would be bold enough to say it. (he was looking for the answer to be her virginity) There were hushed whispers amidst a little giggling and then someone finally spoke up and blurted out “Twins?” I thought that was so funny and everyone just burst into laughter. It was so funny. Anyway…time with those students really bless my heart.
Yesterday Joan (the special school teacher I work the most with, she is right out of college and 24), Jennifer (my roommate), and I decided to go to Kabarnet to visit Kabarnet Deafblind School, which I just recently heard about and really wanted to go see. So we started walking instead of just waiting for a matatu to come. Anyway, since it was a Saturday only two ended up passing by and they were packed full, so we ended up walking the entire way! That is over two hours…but it was nice! You can see so much more of the views and the houses when you walk, instead of zipping by in a too-fast matatu. (ps…yesterday I was in one that held 21 people! It is supposed to fit like 13 or something) Well when we got there it was the most wonderful thing I could have experienced. There was one teacher on duty, and so she showed us around the compound and told us about each of the children. Basically, this is a place that is the only one like it and kids come from all over, even from neighboring countries. The kids range in age from 6 to about 20 and have a variety of things. Almost all are either deaf or blind or both, in addition to mental disabilities and some physical. These are the kids that are really abandoned. Most of them live at the school year round because their parents won’t take them back. The school actually goes out and looks for the kids, and sometimes just pulls them from their homes because they are hidden away. They really need one on one attention, and here they receive it as there are 26 students and 24 teachers. They also have a therapist that has gotten two children walking who came and weren’t able too. The school as vocational programs for the older students, so they can learn trades like farming or sewing or carpentry. Some of the students that have graduated actually work at the school now. They have about 12 housemothers who rotate in taking care of the kids in the evening. It is funded by the government and partnered by a group in Germany who helps to provide more staff as well as funds for eye surgeries or glasses, etc. Many students became deaf or mentally handicapped from Meningitis, and many have heart issues from Rubella. So it is such a wide range of needs, and a lot of kids just get sent there because of the severity of their needs. One kid was there unable to walk and talk, simply because he has been neglected since in was so young. The students were out in their play yard, and I wanted to touch each one of them and I did. There were some students who would just rock in place and hit themselves or the things around them, others that were just laying around, one girl just sat and was crying! I guess she cries all the time and fights a lot. So this gives you a picture of the mental disabilities. One girl that was seated at the ended of the a slide who was blind I crouched down to say hello and she began to feel me to see who I was. I lifted her hands to my face and hair and the she put her hands on my cheeks and kissed my mouth and then just started blowing in my face; I naturally did it right back to her. The students that were blind would feel my face and my chest to see if I was a man or a woman, and then smell my clothes and arms to see if they knew me already. It was just so precious and I teared up because these are those who my heart breaks for. It was so cool for me to hear about the school and everything they are doing for these children. It is one of a kind and so so wonderful. The children can actually be so happy there. I was warmly invited back, and I am going to visit again this week to see them in a school day and talk to the therapist.
So those things make me happy! Oh, then while I was still in town I went to a salon to buy little bands so some of the students can braid my hair. I so much wanted to stay in there and try on those awesome extensions and hairpieces. If only they made them in blonde…

Glimpses of Kenya

-in town, there are two shops that are brick on the outside and from top to bottom painted with the red Celtel logo on it, which is my cell phone service here in Africa. So I go in to buy the Celtel card to charge my phone. “we don’t have any” they say. How ironic.
-kids love to see you, a white person. They giggle when you wave, but then if you reach out to shake their hand they jump back like you are going to bite them! This is so funny to me. The other day I was resting on a rock when some girls walked by on their way to school at 6:15am or so. They laughed and giggled as I waved, of course. Shortly after I got up to begin running again. They were ahead of me and when they turned around and saw me, they took off running. (as if I was chasing them or something!) Eventually I caught up and they had stopped running. As I ran by I waved again, and this time stuck out my tongue and made some sort of a face, at which they burst into laughter. I have decided that silly faces is a is a separate language in itself that everyone can understand, and I am quite fluent in it. This is now my main mode of communication with children.
-this morning we had no power, and I was in desperate need of a shower. So I took three meter-high wooden candleholders and placed them in the bathroom. I put a pot of water on the gas burner to heat some water and proceeded to “shower”. This mean I dumped the hot water into the water basin, about a foot deep and 18 inches across, and then first washed my hair upside down under a faucet of cold water first, saving the precious hot water for the rest of me. Then I stand in this little bucket and pour water on myself. Not quite a candlelit bubble bath, but I smiled just the same.
-We pray for rain. Not because our lawns aren’t green enough, but because when it doesn’t rain we actually don’t have water. Last week we had to buy it from a town three hours away. It also gets so dusty you have to close your eyes when the wind picks up in the town.
-there are two types of sandals here. One is a flip flop, that looks like it is just cut out of a piece of rubber, in all sorts of colors. The other is a more soft plastic slip on sandal, that looks like what Crocs would be if they made sandals. They also come in many colors. That is it.
-there are shoe shiners and repairers in town. It is always men sewing soles onto shoes, and men getting their shoes shined. This makes no sense to me, considering everywhere you go is red dirt and dust, and shoes are always, always dirty.
-I have never seen a man carrying the big jugs of water or bundles of sticks on their backs, only women and children. I have seen one man holding a baby.
-All kids wear uniforms. You can tell which school they belong to by the colors. Most of them also carry a jug of milk to school with them, and then at lunch you can see the kids eating some sort of maize mush out of reused plastic containers.
-Often a mother carrying a baby on her back will stop and turn her back to me so the baby can get a real live look at a Mzungu.
-The air here always smells like the color green, fresh and sweet-always with the slightest hint of something burning, and a touch of cattle.
-Last week we went to Lake Bogoria hotel to eat dinner and on the way back our van was over heating, so we had to stop to find some water. This apparently turned into a town event because soon there was people all around to talk to us-not help or figure out the problem, just to talk and laugh because we are all Caucasian and Asian. Ha. I used my language skills in silly faces again.
-Everytime I go to town I am asked for money by someone. Often a man comes up to me and will start talking, and I always just think they want to chat. But never once have I not been asked for something. It usually goes like this: “Oh, you are from America? I would like to go to America.” “yes, it is a nice place,” I say. “I need to have a sponsor to get money to go.” “yes, it would be very expensive,” I reply. “Kenya is poor, I make very little. I need to have money.” “Yes, that is true. I don’t have any money.” “Maybe you have a friend in America that does that can sponsor me” “Pole sana, (I’m sorry)”, I say, “my friends don’t money either.” Sometimes I like to throw in: “today I have already been asked to buy two people lunch, and also been asked for a letter to get a visa, and also been told of so-and-so’s son who want to go to college in America, and also been asked to sponsor someone else, and once again, I don’t have any money.” At this point…they suddenly, for some reason, are no longer interested in me and leave.
-I have also been asked for my rings, I mean I have three, why can’t I just give him one? Is my skin not only white, but covered in dollar signs?
Each day I seem to learn more about the culture, it is so good to know. :)

Heidi the Explorer.

So this morning I went on a little adventure. I went back into the woods to go for a hike, and I had about 4 hours to do it. Let me explain for a moment, Kabarnet is kind of set up on the top of a mountain with a valley and more mountains on each side. So there is one road, and on each side it goes down into a deep green valley with distant mountains that has more valleys and hills on the other side. When you drive, it is views on both sides, but there are often a lot of trees so youjust get glimpses unless you come to a good clearing, like the one that I found where I can see the sunrise. The other side is more wooded, so I can’t see as much. So it is such a tease, because I know there are awesome views but I don’t know where to go to get a full picture. I feel like I am a little kid on my tiptoes trying to peer into a paned window, getting only a little bit at a time. But yesterday when I went on that little walk I found this clearing on the other side where I can see the sunset. So I started out that way, and as I made my way through brush I found the clearings I have wanted to see. I had to push and make my way through the trees and bushes that lined the edge of the cliff, but when I found I clearing I just sat and breathed it all in. the valley was so enchanting, So green, and soft looking. Little people walked below tending to their little crops and land. I could hear a distant cow and baby crying. I decided I wanted to go down there. Okay, so I kept hiking on. There were spots that if I would have lost my footing I would have tumbled down to the unknown. It was very steep. But very cool to be alone and not have any barriers to what I could do! (sorry mom and dad, I was feeling adventurous ;) ) I was feeling a bit like when I was young and could play in the lilac bushes in my yard for hours, “discovering” things. I eventually found a place among the reddish dirt path I was following that led me what looked to be down the mountain. I excitedly went forth. I have to say I have never started at the top of a climb before, so of course had a lot of energy. It became so steep that I literally just sat down and slid my way down, grasping at any shrubs I could use for support. I finally was at a point where I could be upright again, and it was a field of maize (looks just like corn) up the side of the hill. So I rested, and then walking down through it, noticing a few makeshift scarecrows along the way. Then just sat when I was satisfied as to how far down I had come. I watched children below cut the maize with a huge blade and lean it up together teepee style. Now I was in the valley. !!! It was just so beautiful, and peaceful; birds swooping, the sun at my back, clouds disappearing behind the hills. The great thing about where I am is there is not a fear to be had. The only animals around are cattle, birds, and the occasional monkey. No mosquitoes, no hot days, no robbers, no scary people, no poison ivy. It is great. So I just sat and enjoyed. The hike back up turned out to be a crawl because of how steep it was. At one point I started going up the wrong way, which was apparent when it led to nowhere. At that point I turned around and was practically vertical as I slid down, down. I had a brief moment of panic when my arms started itching and I expected to look down and see huge porcupine-like needles sticking out of them. Thoughts of an unclassified African plant filling my skin with an allergic reaction as I broke out in hives all over and was lost on the this side of the mountain, no one knowing where I am as I lay there swelling into a big itchy rash rushed through my head. But then I looked a little to the left and saw the path I was supposed to take and all fears subsided. (these thoughts all happened in a total of maybe 3 seconds.)My arms were a little red though from something I slid on. Well I did make it back safely back up, and I silently praised myself for all those lunges I have been doing. Let me tell you this is where those things pay off. I ended up finding a way back that didn’t scale the edge, so it made it a bit easier. And probably safer.
We still don’t have water today. That is especially good, because I am filthy from this hike. It looks like am wearing socks, if that tells you anything about the condition of my legs. But we have power, so praise God. No water is also a good excuse to drink soda. Praise God for orange Fanta soda. I love that stuff.
P.S. we finally got our phone working again...one week later. so that is why the delay of the blogs...(internet uses the phone line..)

Not on my time...

So I have definitely learned that I cannot have my own agenda. Even though my own agenda consists of things like hand washing my clothes, writing an email, reading, playing the piano, doing lunges-it’s still my own agenda that I like to have. But I cannot. Because, my friends, in Africa, circumstance prevails and there is no other alternative. Culturally people are always late. I have waited for over an hour for people or events. Just throw out my own plan, because I am now waiting. A better example of not having my own agenda was just the other day. The day was one of those frustrating ones; the language barrier made me a little snappy, I was hungry at lunch because of course it was only white rice and kimchi. (and Lord knows so much of that rice will make me expand like a hot air balloon) Then I fight back tears, because my plan that night consisted of calling home, and I am told that the phone is not working until Monday. (it is Friday.) Awesome. I make myself feel a little better by watching Pakistan Fashion TV, (all modeling and hair and makeup…it’s like a mini retreat every time I watch it), before I have to direct the musical. Well at 4 no one is even around the place we are meeting. There should be twenty students. So, at 4:30 no one is there yet, not even the teacher, so I decide I need to leave. I start out to take a walk in the forest to just be alone, and maybe cry a little, when I hear crying myself coming up from the gate. It is the cutest little Susie from the special school, sobbing as the guard takes her up the path. I scoop her up and fight back my own tears as hers are wetting my shoulder. When I bring her up to the school I find out that she isn’t supposed to have come back from the holiday unless her parents paid their school fees, because she hasn’t paid them all yet. So instead of facing it, the parents just left her at the gate crying so they didn’t have to deal with it. Now this broke my heart right open. I kissed that kid hundred times and then left the compound. I crossed the road into the forest, choosing the path that I have not been down yet and let some tears fall, for Susie, for myself, for frustration, just because. But then I found something I have been looking for since I came here. A clearing that gave me a perfect view of the valley and the distant mountains. It was just what I needed. I decided that I would go on a hike the next morning to explore, because there was much to see here! So I thanked God for that gift, walked a little further, and then made my way back to dinner feeling a little better. Before dinner I a spent some time watching the high schoolers practice a dance they are working on, which I love and always get to watch because they have to get permission from me to use the cd player at the special school ;) anyway, I sat and held little Susie on my lap and watched some of the special school kids try to join in and dance with them. This was so cute, and their little feet just danced on my heart so much that I teared up. It was then I realized that a black 8 year old boy with down syndrome has more rhythm than the average white person.
Well, at dinner I decided since I can’t use the phone, I will go write my emails and blogs and just save them to the computer to use the on the internet later when the phone worked again. As the disappointingly small dinner was served, the power went out. Wonderful. Oh yes, did I mention the water ran out about an hour ago? Yep. No power, no phone, no water. After our not so romantic candlelit dinner I went to my room to just be. Just sit and be alone. Then my new roommate came in and asked a stupid question and that was about the last straw. Now maybe you think I touchy, but I don’t know. Sometimes everyone just drives me crazy-and then I am reminded of how no one knows me here, and that feeling of aloneness drives me into wanting to retreat and be more alone and be in solitude with just myself and God. So I went out on our porch to just sit and look at the stars in the dark of the night. I put on my headphones and just cried a little again. But not out of homesickness, or sorrow really, more of a sort of cry that is just for God to hear, to let him know I was lonely and just wanted to rest with him awhile. Just then I saw a shooting star. Now, you can say this was a coincidence or whatever, but I think it was God saying to me “Oh, honey, there there. Here, would you like a star to stream across the sky?” At the moments when I have nothing left God has a way of speaking right into my heart.

the Pokot

I made my over from my house on a moonlit path in the cool of the evening to come and use this computer. There is a welcoming wind coming up from the valley to guide me as I walk, and against the black sky is painted with a fantastic display of sparkling stars. It is like the most perfect summer night every night here. I love it. Anyway…
This day last week I found myself going on a daytrip with a group of late-twenty somethings from Korea and the school’s chaplain, who is also from Korea, but speaks English. We piled in a van and headed the route towards Lake Bogoria, which is like God just saying to me “Look, look what I can make! Look what I made for you…I know you’ll just love it.” And I respond with no words because it is so wonderful. In a small town an hour from Kabarnet we picked up a Pastor, native to Kenya, who was to accompany us to visit a remote tribal group of which is his people. I of course did not know this until we got there and he spoke to them in his native tongue. The route there was decent, until we turned onto what I am sure is not supposed to be driven on. We are down in the valley now, so it is much dryer and more hot, and the dull trees are sparse among the reddish dirt. We round around as the pastor directed us to veer left or right, of how he knew where to I am not sure because it all looked the same: low trees every 10 feet or so, flat, dusty, rocky terrain that went on until the faint mountains in the distance. We took this route for I think two hours as we made our way further and further from anything. We stopped to look at the gravesight of his grandfather, which was a large pile of stones by itself. His grandfather along with his 8 wives are buried there. He showed us with pride, and also told us that he of course has only one wife. When I stepped out of the van and looked around, I thought “wow, this is what the middle of nowhere looks like.” (and I had thought I found that spot on Highway 2 in Montana this summer.) When we drove a bit further, I had to make the can stop because I saw camels! They graciously stopped so I could take a picture, although there were much more to come! When we finally arrived, we drove to the one water hole where people come from all over to drink from and bath in. The camels, goats, and donkeys also drink and bathe in there, among other things. Therefore, this is a real problem and there is much disease-and the nearest real hospital is four hours away in my town. As we walked around, people started to gather under a few trees, and soon a large number of the Pokot people were there. They are very unreached, with 90% being illiterate, no churches, only their tribal language is spoken, much disease, and barely any water. We had a really neat advantage because the Pastor was able to speak to them, and he spoke to them about the love of Christ, and introduced all of us. They sang us a welcome song, as a herd of camels sauntered behind them making their way to the water. At this point I had to just step back and make sure this was all real. I felt like I was in a documentary or something. Like, what do you do when you are actually standing in something you have been dreaming about for years? They all wore their hair the same, shaved except for the top with was adorned with beads or braids, or something like dreads. The women had elaborate beads around their neck, they rested on their shoulders because of how big they are. They wore tattered tank tops and sleeveless shirts, easily lifted to breastfeed casually. The had a sort of wrapskirt as well. The had big stretched out ears because of the big copper hoops that adorned them, often held up by hair or beads that connected each earring over their head. The men had a wrap of some sort on for the bottom, and carried a bow and arrow and a very small piece of carved wood that they can where around their wrist and serves as a stool. It was a crazy experience, and very unique to be able to interact with them. It is so obvious the need and time that needs to be invested into this group of people. I still am not quite sure what to make of that experience. (keep in mind there are Koreans excitedly speaking Korean and taking pictures all around me as well)
This last weekend I went to a town near Nairobi for a retreat for new missionaries with AIM. I was so ecstatic to have real conversation and talk with others who spoke English I think I spoke more than I have in the last month in one hour. It was really good, because I make a lot of good connections to be able to see more of physical disabilities while I am her and maybe give me a picture of what physical therapy looks like in the third world. So I am excited for those doors to open for me. The funniest thing about it, was that the majority of people there were from Germany! Granted most of them spoke English, when they were together they spoke German…so it seems I am always the minority! But we had a great game of volleyball, Germans, Canadians, and Americans. Sand volleyball has no language…:) Anyway, I am getting so much culture, and learning so much. It is quite a blessing. One last note-I recently have a new job to do! I am directing a musical…go figure. Today I had the auditions, so I have my cast. Tomorrow is our first practice. This is a true testament to saying, “here I am Lord, use me how you wish…”
p.s. i came back with a roommate! She is from Canada, and is now learning a new way to speak: Very slowly and pronounced, leaving out all filler words getting straight to the point.

I want a Pumpkin Spice Latte!!!

So i really miss milk, cereal, and meat. i especially miss the fall! The thing i miss the most besides people of course, is Pumpkin Spice Lattes and other coffee drinks during the fall. oh what i would give for one of those! But besides that, the last few days have been some of the best since I got here, and not because of big things, but because of some of the small ways God chooses to show Himself to me. On Friday we had a physical exam day at the Special School, so each of the children gets measured and weighed. I also got to do something I am particularly fond of: nails. I got to clip their cute little nails. So I sat in a chair outside, the mountains as my backdrop, and all the kids gathered around taking turn placing their little chocolate-colored hands as I took each of their little fingers on my pale hands and clipped away. I had at least 6 hands on my lap, a couple of fingers petting at my legs and picking at my toes, while one cutie little girl named Susie pulled my hair out in front of my face and blowing it away over and over. While most of the kids poked at me, the others chased each other around the green grass and just played while they waited their turn to be measured. I am not sure why this made me so happy, but it just did. When I was done clipping I just sat around and played, always aware if their affection to me would suddenly switch to abuse, as it often done. One second I am being kissed and the next my earring is almost pulled out; usually by one 10 year old boy who is kind of the brat of the group. You love him, but I am always telling him “no” and to stop what he’s doing. He’ll be touching my hair gently, then all of the sudden get aggressive and pull it out! They are all very interested my appearance. There is one little boy named Elkana, who I have a particular fondness for, who is especially precious to be around. He was laying floppily in the grass so I just had to scoop him up and tickle him a bit to bring the life back into him. He is 8 and only weights 35 pounds!!! He as this face that when he looks up at you and smiles it is just a sunbeam. He has big eyes and a round mouth that is always open a little bit, and he just looks like a doll! I love it. Today I was talking to some girls from the secondary school about hair, and my English which they say they understand “read fast” and can I teach it to them? Haha. Anyway, I was pulling out loose hair which is constant because it so long right now, and they were asking why I was doing that and thought it was so weird. Anyway, one of the girls took a strand of it and preceded to play with it for the next 1/2 hour! I told them I am tempted to cut it all off, but they said “no! it is very smart!” (smart is what they use to say cute or nice). They all wear their hair very short, some the same as the boys, and they said that is how they all like it. On Saturday we went to a little group of stores with the special school for some sodas and mandazi (a fried bread) and I was just reminded of how kind all the people in Kabarnet are. They all light up when you say hi, and are very welcoming. Many of the children like to hug and shake hands with adults that walk by, and I have never seen one person not stop and say hello to the children. In Kenya, everyone greets with a handshake, so I am always shaking hands with people. Like, I walk into a room I would go around and shake everyone’s hand. It is just a very friendly culture. At least here, anyway. There is also no such thing as personal space. I was in a matatu again, where I laughed to myself because I was in the middle of a three person seat, and there was six of us sharing it. One person was sort of half kneeling half standing in front me. This is how it is everywhere you go. I, of course, am very awkward on the matatus because I am so tall and have a terrible time getting in and out and crawling over people. It is not graceful, to say the least. It is just the small things like that that I enjoy so much! God also showed me something so awesome, which I will write in the next blog-so please read the next one! J

Sunrise

I was laying in the big field, arms wide open, trying to get some sun into my skin and just listening to the tall trees clank together in the background while feeling a gentle wind blow around me in the open space. As I was laying there, I could picture myself anywhere in the world, anywhere that I have layed out in the sun like this. My mind wandered to Florida, California, Mexico, my own back yard. I got this overwhelming sense of how much God is like the sun. This is the same sun that shines on me and everyone in the whole world. We all get what we need from it. This feeling was only strengthened the next morning. I woke up a little before 6am to run to a spot that gives a perfect view of the valley and the mountains and all the rolling green beauty. I have been dying to do this since I got here, so I woke up before my alarm clock went off, which just sets my off on the right foot! My window showed my darkness with a tinge of orange in the distance, so I hurriedly went down the creaking wooden steps and put on my shoes and was out the door. This is an amazing time to run because there isn’t anybody out yet, the roosters are all growing, and there is a loud chorus of birds to sing be along. When I got to the spot a huge smile crept over my face as I found the perfect shaped rock to sit on to witness God’s creation in action. If I would of stepped forward a few feet I would have fallen down into the vast valley below-it is so great to be in a place where there aren’t railing and other man made crap in the way. Slowly I watched a deep blazing orange gradually appeared over the mountain, soon the top of the sun began to appear and slowly shed light over the green rolling hills below. The colors of this magnificent thought of God to light his world and put it into motion reflected off my wet eyelashes as I tried to comprehend what was happening. Gradually the sun was a brilliant perfect circle, so brilliant I could barely look at it with both of my eyes open. It was such a Holy Moment-there were no words for me to even utter to my Maker. I could only sit and enjoy it. God- I thought again-we all, we as in the whole creation, rely on this one thing. No one could survive without it. It was such a lofty thought, one I could barely conceive of. It just makes me realize more than I already am of how much we are all really the same; there really is only one race. We all do human things and need human things, and being here as never showed me that more. Highschool boys are highschool boys whether in a wealthy suburban school in Minnesota eating off fancy lunch trays or in a Kenyan boarding school arising at 5 am to get their own water to get ready for the day. Children in the US, in Korea, in Africa, all want to be told they are good and they are smart and worth something. Women want to look beautiful-if it is me trying to get tan, my housemate using cream to make her Korean complexion more snowy white than it already is, or an African getting browns and golds braided into her dark hair-we are all the same somehow. That day I was laying in the field, a song came to mind that I love and really just rang true to the moment and the next few days. It is by Sara Groves, and the words are below:

You are the Sun, shining down on everyone. Light of the world, giving light to everything I see. Beauty so brilliant, I can hardly take it in… and everywhere You are is warmth and light. And I am the moon with no light of my own, still You have made me to shine, and as I glow in this cold dark night, I know I can’t be a light unless I turn my face to You. Shine on me, with your light, Without you I’m a cold dark stone. Shine on me, I have no light of my own. You are the Sun you are the Sun, You are the Sun, and I am the moon…You have made me to shine. I’ll never be a light unless I turn my face to you. I cannot be a light unless I turn myself to You.

Lake Bogoria

Yesterday I had the priveledge of going to Lake Bogoria for the second time. It is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been, mostly because of the hour and a half drive it takes to get there. As usual, I found out we were going a few minutes before we left. We had a Korean couple staying with us the last night who are also missionaries in Kenya, and so Ok Shil wanted to take them to Lake Bogoria. We were supposed to take two cars, our guests and another Kenyan they work with in their car, and me and OkShil and Naomi in OkShil’s big white van. So we are almost to town so we can get gas, and we’ve picked up a few people who wanted a ride a long the way (everyone asks for a ride all the time!) and just before we turn into the town we completely run out of gas. So everyone gets out and pushes us to the top of the hill that will lead us into town. From there we roll into the only gas station. They are out of gas, and they are not getting more until Monday. (it’s Saturday, and I am told this is typical.) So we just kind of sit around outside in the gas station for awhile, I am not sure what is going on because of course everyone is speaking Korean. Soon our missionary guest beckons me to get into the front seat of their car, and a few minutes later all 6 of us are in the 5 person car. Well I was sitting there, in the car with the windows rolled down, the Korean Chamber Orchestra and Choir singing familiar hymns in Korean beautifully plays from the CD player, the driver sitting next to me (to my right) is singing along, there is a man carrying three mattresses on his back up the road, and two sheep running down the road sticking out their tongues to baa which sounds like are going to throw up, I just laugh out loud. Sometimes is just bizarre that I am here. So we finally take off on our trip. We head through the mountains and hills, with just incredible views of the valley the whole way down. I really think this place is a little known secret of Kenya! It is not very inhabited. Every turn is another view of stunning beauty that takes my breath away-it is the vast, incredible valley that stretches far beyond what I can see. Once we are in the valley it is one of those “I am actually in Africa” moments. I feel like I am the camera man in an omni theater presentation of Africa or the photographer in National Geographic. It is what you picture of Africa, sparse trees spread out across open plans. One dusty road leads us to our destination. Along the way we pass and stop for many cattle, sheep, goats, and even donkeys. The typical huts that you think of are in the distance as well. We also spot a big ostrich near the side of the road! Crazy! As we get closer to Lake Bogoria I can smell the change in the air because we are nearing water. The scenery changes to a more lush green and there is more life. In a big stream off to the left there are a bunch of naked boys bathing, and near them a family is doing their laundry and hanging the clothes of a guard rail on the road. It is so interesting. The last time I came here we just went to Lake Bogoria Hotel to have dinner, which is a place that doesn’t fit the local surroundings. It is very nice inside and has a pool and a hot tub, etc. This time, however, we actually went into Lake Bogoria National Reserve. As we drove through the awful road, the lake stretched very long lined with mountains. It is full of pink flamingos! I also spotted monkey’s in the trees, and so many different types of birds. A group of gazelles bounded by us. It was so fun to see! After we drove awhile we came to a hot spring, where we got to boil eggs (I had wondered why we had a bag of eggs with us) and in the hot steamy water. There were a lot of flamingos around the springs. Again, I had to laugh as I ate a hard boiled egg in Africa with a bunch of Korean speaking people around me. On our way back to the hotel to eat we had to dodge a gazelle in the road, as well as a small herd of zebra. In the hotel I enjoyed a nice leg of goat for dinner! The drive back, although pitch black, is so amazing as well. It seems as though we are driving right into the stars. I have never seen so many stars in my entire life, and I just gazed up at them through my open window the whole time. It makes you realize how big God’s earth and creation is, and how incredible to look up at the same sky no matter where you are. It makes me think of so many things, because it is then I truly realize how I am a part of something so much bigger than myself, yet God has me here taking care of what he created. It is crazy! I am so content. And, for the second time, I am holding a big juicy watermelon in my lap the whole way home that we bought on the way there on the side of the road.

Two tomatos, two bananas, and an egg.

Last night after dinner we (the ladies in the house) went to a sort of fundraising event in the community for kids to raise money for school fees. One of the girls being fundraised for was the housemaid, Emmy, who is about 19 I think. She invited us to come, and we all supported her. It was at a “hotel” which I can’t even describe to you why you wouldn’t think it is a hotel when you saw it. There were so many people there sitting in chairs under a tarp lit by one dangling light bulb, with the goats tied up near by. One was auctioning off different things as the boisterous crowd shouted out numbers and apparently jokes, as everyone would burst into laughter occasionally. So many children gathered around to watch excitedly. It was packed. I don’t know exactly how it all works because I am not with any native Kenyans and I find myself mostly in the blue about what is going on, but every once and awhile a man in a suit would make his way up to the middle and hand the auctioneer an envelope, at which point everyone would clap to a rhythm and sing a little song of blessings. One of the girls I live with was taking pictures and all the children were anxious to be in them and laughed when they saw themselves on the digital screen. I was happy to just sit there and listen to the Swahili, as I inhaled the delicious night air filled with smells of fresh fruits and vegetables. There was a man sitting next to us who kept buying things and giving them to us! We ended up with two pumpkins, three avacados, lots of onions, passion fruit, and 10 little baggies with two tomatos, two bananas, and one egg.

Straight Up

I thought I would write a little but about cultural things that are interesting. Well first of all, here at Ebenezer the students are on a very strict schedule and are very disciplined. They work so hard! They wake up at 5 and do “preps” for two hours, which is homework. Then they have devotions in the chapel, where they sing so I can hear them every morning in my room. They wash all their own clothes by hand, and have maybe two outfits. They each where a white button down shirt, with a navy blue tie under a blue v-neck sweater. The girls wear gray skirts and the guys trousers. Each meal is generally one item, like a bean dish or ugali (which is a sort of corn and flour all mixed up). They also have 10 periods of class! It is crazy. Sometimes I feel like when I am in the Shalom house I am in Korea, and outside is Africa. Also all the materials in the Special School is donated from Korea, so everything is Korean. It is so interesting. And confusing. The other day I went running, which is hilly and beautiful around every turn, but it was definitely an experience. Everyone stares, first of all. The little kids will say mzungu mzungu! (which means “white person”) and want me to wave at them, and when I do they either run away or giggle a lot. I say “habari” which is a general “how are you” to everyone, and then their awkward stares turn into a smile. But they still literally stop and stare. It was weird to run by a women and a few small children carrying huge loads of sticks on their backs, as I am doing this to stay in shape and feel good and this is their everyday life. I don’t know what to think about that. At one point their were children running after me. It was all very strange.
On Mondays and some other days I get to go to town, where we buy all the groceries for the week. It is a stark contrast of dusty roads, tons of people, dirty animals, and displays of rusty store signs and old posters against the landscape of mountains and valleys, green and flourishing. Women lay out their displays of fruits, vegetables, grains, fish, etc for us to pick out which looks the best. The grocery store, if you will, sells only non perishables for the most part. No refrigerated section. People are everywhere-from men in suits to men in tattered clothes and women in tailored outfits to those in ill-fitting skirts selling their goods. I notice that I can probably tell how a person lives by their feet. Some are in close toed dress shoes, but many have sandals they look decades of years old, as the worn feet within them have grown to their shape. It is all very interesting to watch.
On Saturday the Special School went on an outing to learn about buying and selling. This was so cute, because they were so excited to go out. We walked two by two down the road until we reached a place to have chai and mandazi. They ate and drank it like they have never eaten before! It was so cute to see them all holding their coffee cups of tea. The walk there is just beautiful, such amazing views of the valley below. However occasionally I held my breath when we passed stanky cows chomping grass on the side of the road, or when a matatu drive by the black exhaust leaving a trail behind. After the chai we walked to a little store so they each could by a bisquit and some candy. The store sells everything from sugar to pens to clothes, all in a 10ft x 6ft area. So tiny! As we approached the store, a familiar tune rang out. It is Paula Abdul’s “Straight Up” song. I wonder if she knows she is still a hit in a little town in Kenya.

chopsticks everyday

I thought I would tell you what my daily schedule is usually like, although it changes quite often. I wake up about 7am, and we always have breakfast at 7:30. It is usually eggs, toast, fruit, and boiled whole milk to have Nescafe (instant coffee) or Drinking Chocolate (hot chocolate). During this time we watch a Korean soap opera (with English subtitles) which I definitely enjoy. After that I go to the Special School for the morning. Here I am greeted with hugs and kissed from 11 children, ranging from 7 to about 12 in age. A lot of them have down syndrome, and others have behavioral disorders, and some have mild mental retardation. In the morning they have assembly, where they line up on the front lawn and say what day of the week it is, review eachother’s names, and tuck in their button down shirts and straighten their sweaters, among other things. Then they have Morning Devotion. Here they learn a Bible story and sing songs, they each take turns leading the song. This is all in mix of Swahili and English, but mostly Swahili. They are just learning basic words in English. After this time I usually so random things to help, like make a colorful Bible story devotion book or some sort of art type thing for the teachers to use. (there are two teachers. ) I also have play time with the kids while the teachers do their lesson plans. Sometimes I teach PE or art or something, but it is always difficult with the language barrier. At 10 I give English lessons to one of the Korean girls I live with. At 10:40 all the teachers and staff from the Special School and the Secondary School have Chai time. We gather in the chapel, someone leads a song and devotion, and then we have chai and maybe Mandazi, which is a sort of sweet bread. After that I’ll go back to the special school until lunch at 1pm. After lunch I do another English lesson to a different Korean woman, the one who speaks the least, and it is hysterical. She repeats everything I say in the same tone I do, and she adds an ‘e’ to the end of every word. After that it varies, sometimes I help in the office, but right now I am preparing a Praise Dance for graduation. Yep, that’s what they think I should be able to do since I studied exercise science. Right now I have extra down time where I can read a lot, but I think the closer we approach graduation (November 17th) the more I will have to do, because it is a big event! We always eat dinner at 6:30, and I forgot to mention that lunch and dinner is always Korean food. I love it. I eat with chopsticks everyday, and eat rice twice a day. They bring in all their own food from Korea, and even have a garden to grow Korean vegetables. It is so good because there are always so many different flavors to eat, from Kimchi which is spicy, to avacados dipped in soy sauce, to leafy greens that you roll the rice and maybe a spicy hot pepper paste in, to maybe seaweed soup! I try everything, and they always joke and say that they think I am actually Korean. The best part is the fruit! We have fresh mangos and green oranges and papayas and bananas from our very own farm, and the best is passion fruit! It is wonderful. I like it very much. We sit at the table sometimes until 8 watching Korean television or me just listening to them talk. (what about I have no idea.) I usually go to bed at 9 and read and journal for an hour or so. It is a very chill way of life. It is so different than I am used too, and I think that it is very good!

Ebenezer Academy...

So, i arrive at Ebenezer Academy and I am so surprised at what i see. There are 32 acres around me of this somewhat secluded three filled grassy school ground, complete with a farm and 4 cows. It look like I stepped into Northern Minnesota, except for the view of the wide valley peaking through the trees and the distant tree covered mountains distant in the background. As we drive up the rocky red road that I cannot beleive the tires on the car are handling, I pass the brick Special School, dormitories, classroom buildings, a big feild way down to the left with a farm beyondthat, and countless trees as we go up and down the hilly terrain. I shortly reach the Shalom House, which is were I live. It is a two story housewith an upstairs deck and a small chapel attached to the right. The whole house is completely made of wood, including my upstairs room from floor to ceiling. It as a cabin feel, especially at night with the extremely loud crickets and other night insect noises outside my window. Basically, it is a beautiful plot of land that was all forest and bought about 6 years ago for OkShil, the director of Ebenezer, to use to live out her vision that extended from her mission work in Nairobi at a school/home for refugee children. They used all the trees they cut down to build the house and dorms, among other things. The secondary school at about 140 students and it is boarding (as are most secondary schools in Kenya) and the Special SChool has 9 children who are also boarding. It should have almost 20, but those that can't pay their school fees don't show up. Okshil begain all of this in 2001 and it has been thriving ever since. It is very well kept and well staffed by all Kenyans except for the 5 of us in the Shalom house. OkShil is a very firey women who has been a missionary for i think over 20 years. The is tough, but sets very high standards. She is extremely visionary, when i look at this place i can't beleive she began it all only 5 years ago. It is very incredible! It is strange that i am in Africa, because it is so different than you would imagine. It is completly different that I thought it would be, and i think some communication was mission down the line to me! But I think God loves surprises. And here i am, very surprised to say the least!

Zebras!

Okay, well i have been here at Ebenezer Academy for 5 days, and the internet is extremely slow and not always available. So i will do what i can to update...
THe six hours drive here was something else. Pretty much every stereotype you have of Africa came true during those six hours. We drove over the equator, and up up up the mountains overlooking the great rift valley. i did not know what to expect! The first part of the drive was in a hotter region, as we neared the equator. as i looked out there was endless plains with those trees that have an S shaped trunk and a flat top. As we kept along the one road to Kabarnet, it began to get bumpy. I am not talking like a little jolt, this was like nothing you can imagine. for those of you cpbc-ers, it is like the drive to the sweat cabin for an hour. however, on this up and down ride (don't worry, i took motion sickness pills before we left. i was warned.) suddenly something caught my eye...zebras! yes, right there on the side of the road were zebras. it was crazy. then a little further and baboons! just walking along the sid eof the road with those red butts up in the air, some stopping to watch the cars go by. i tried to take a picture, but it was so bumpy you see... i wish i could accurately describe the drive. we cruised at about 90 miles an hour, no joke, on a dusty road dodging people and cattle, goats and sheeps, and the occasional matatu. As i looked out i could see a great golden valley, spotted with greens from the vegitation and reds from the dirt, and big plots of farm land in distinct sqaures, all stretching far up to the other side of the valley, which is rolling hills that looks shadowed from the bright beaming sun. all over the road are cattle chomping on the grass, their herder leisurly lying in the grass nearby. i spotted little naked children playing in a stream that nearly matched their skin color. skillful bike riders manuevered their way down the raod with sack of coal piled 5 feet high behind them and at least two feet out on each side of the bike. i don't know how they did that. women in long skirts carried sacks on their head, passing by shabby wood and aluminum venders. as we climbing higher, the view only got better. it was so beautiful and so full of life. i did not expect it!
when i arrived at ebenezer academy, it was nothing that i expected either. i cannot wait to tell you about it, but i will have to wait because someone is waiting for the internet! just know this: however you are picturing me, you are probably wrong.
if i could ask for a prayer request, i am experiencing a lot of homesickness and having a hard time adjusting. i am the only american english speaker, all the children at the special school speak only swahili, and then women i live with are all korean and only speak very little engish and swahili. (they all speak korean to eachother all day long) it is difficult, and i can't help but feel lonely. but i know God has been so faithful to me, and he is guiding me here for a reason. i am trying to trust that and find hope in Him each day. I know he is sooo good. Thanks for thinking of me! i miss you!

slow days

Well, i got sick. Not what i hoped for my first day here. So, i had to postpone my trip out to Ebenezer Academy until tomorrow so i could just rest today. i am doing much better today than i was yesterday, i am not quite sure what it was but today it has just weakened into a stuffy nose and that achy-all-over feeling. the only good thing about it was it gave me an excuse to drink sprite in a glass bottle with a straw. that is actually all i had yesterday! anyway, to be totally honest i am very excited to leave Mayfeild. i am feeling very worn down emotionally and physically, and i could use a lot of prayer. i feel like satan is clouding my excitement that i once had. Mayfeild is a very nice place to stay, but i don't anyone here and people are in and out so often. so it is proving to be more difficult that i would have imagined. on a lighter note, i have been taking swahili lessons each morning and i really enjoy it, the teacher we have is awesome. he is so good at what he does. i don't even take any notes! anyway, nairobi is interesting to be in, but not someplace i would like stay any longer. the most interesting thing i have seen is probably the stands on the sid eof the streets, selling all sorts of different things from bunches of bananas to lamps. the funniest thing is that they sell furniture on the side of the road! a roadside was full of bed frames and dressers. it was so funny looking. also, most of the furniture here is would frames with cushion. so a typical couch wil have a dark wood varnished frame with colorful cushions. and most places i have been have hard wood floors or big tiles, and then they will have a rug under the furniture. it is quite pretty actually...and inspiring for my someday apartment ;)
well, i guess as long as i am here at mayfeild not much is happening! i will let you know when i arrive at Ebenezer and what is happening there! until then, i really enjoy recieving email just letting me know about your life and what is going on, i don't like being so disconnected. it is strange. especially right now, i could use the encouragement. thanks for your prayers! much love~

Matatus

Today i went into downtown Nairobi via matatu (ma-ta-too). this is a typical way of transportation here, yet an adventure in itself. it is about the size of a 16 passenger van only it holds a lot more people because the seats are smaller and there is someone who collects the money hanging off the side so he doesn't take up valuable room. it only costs about 20 shillings, which is about 35 cents or so to ride it. it sure isn't worth much more. they pack in the people, blare the music, and then i held on for dear life! they are used over the city buses because they are faster, but their goal is to get back and forth as much as they can during the day to make the most money. this provides for a scary ride. my head almost hit the ceiling, but i have to say i did enjoy the song pounding loudly throughout: gwen stefani's "rich girl". at that i laughed a bit. after we arrived surprisingly safely to the 'station" where most of the matatu's congregate, i was right outside of town. this is because they are not allowed into the downtown area. i can see why-they drive crazy like! but you know, everyone seems too. there isn't really a speed limit or and sort of traffic laws. (so you better take a good look before you cross the street) anyway, once we got there i couldn't beleive the amount of people out! the best way to picture it is imagine yourself standing in downtown st. paul, and then put the amount of people you have to navigate through at the state fair on a saturday afternoon. i felt like a small child who is desperatly trying to cling to her mom so she doesn't get lost in the see of legs. (i secretly wished i could hang on to th hand of the woman who was taking me on this adventure!) once we got further into the city it cleared out a bit. it looks like what a city normally would, but there were palm trees lining the streets, with big fat trunks. the greenery is preplaces with redish dirt on the ground and contrasted with plants that seem to find life within it. we went to an outside market that sells all sorts of things; jewelry, scarfs, picture frames, sculptures, etc laid out in a colorful display on the ground for each person or family's things. as i wound through the rows and rows people invited me to come and look at there things, claiming they had the best prices. i loved it. i wanted to buy a lot of course, but held off for later. i got to walk around the city a little longer and then, thank the lord, we took a citi hoppa (a city bus) back. the stop was a 10 minute walk or so back to mayfeild. everyone walks here! i love it. past the curb of the street the sidewalks are bumpy red dirt. it gets greener in the rainy season, but other than that the landscape is a struggling green amidst a dusty canvas. i am anxious for the six hour drive up to kabarnet away from the city, interested to see the landscape. today someone told be it was beautiful with perfect weather. again he said the weather was perfect. perfect. so that excites me! i am having a lot of down time here, which i don't mind at home because i can play the piano or play with hannah! but here...not so much. but i'll be on my way soon. :) love!

The first day...

This is an attempt to describe my first day in Nairobi...
The first thing that happened when i arrived was tea time. I left the Mayfeild Guesthouse (which is more like a quaint hotel than a house per se; it has a dining room, a lounge, a tv room, gardens, etc etc) to go to the Kenyabranch office for AIM to join their staff for chai (swahili for tea) and prayer. The tea is made with tea leaves and milk all boiled together, then served over sugar, which is raw sugar so it is brown and grainy. It is so good! But this morning i opted for good kenyan coffee. We sang a hymn in swahili and that just warmed my heart right up. After that I had orientation with the short term missionary coordinator, whose name is Murray, and his wife Diana and two other short termers who are going to a different location than i am. We talked about Matthew 10 and read it in a Lectio Divina style (which is a specific way of reading scripture) That was good to stir up some thoughts. Then, after a delicious Indian lunch which included mango chutney (yum!) at Mayfeild, Murrey and Diana took us to Kibera. This is a slum suburb of Nairobi with over 1 million people living there. It is the largest slum in Kenya, and one of the largest in all of Africa. I have never seen anything like it. We met Sammi there, who grew up in this slum and became a Christian at age 16 and two years later started a ministry to reach his own people. It is called Youngsters for Christ Team and is evangelistic, with the goals of bringing people to know Christ and doing school ministries and building relationships, among other things. He took us on a walk around the slum and then just talked to us passionately about God in our lives and what the gospel really is calling us to do. THis slum was unreal, it was like those commercials you see on TV for sponsoring children, only much more people in it. All i saw saw aluminum roof tops in a valley of garbage packed roads. There were goats milling through the trash, chickens running around, slow moving stray dogs that were all skin and bone under their dusty yellow fur, and people and children everywhere. All the little children under who were under 4 would say "how are you" in an excited sort of way run up to touch my hand. The kids older than that just stared, as did the adults who weren't running a makeshift store. When i say store, i mean soem aluminum leaning up against a mud wall with shirts hanging in or, or shoes, or corn, or charcoal for example. It was so crowded and children were playing with a ball or just whatever they could find, like ashes from burning trash. Mucky brown water rushed down the valley winding around rank garbage that wouldn't seem to move. I wish i could describe it, but i can't. Whenever i tried to hold my breath to not smell my body naturally just coughed at the stench. The children were happy looking, but the older ones faces drained of hope, and the real older ones had years of a poverty stricken life written on their faces. As we were leaving Kibera, everyone was coming home for work and not very many have cars, so it would compare to trying to drive through the state fair. People everywhere. It was very interesting. Back at Mayfeild, i just finished dinner where apparently mayonnaise is used as salad dressing. needless to say the only thing that touched my lettuce was salt and pepper. For dessert we had a fresh pineapple slice. No wonder america is fat-have you ever seen that on a menu? (haha just joking. but actually it is true.) And now, i am going to sleep because i have felt pretty dizzy all day and only have slept about 7 or 8 hours since wednesday. yikes.

Arrived!

i just flew into Nairobi about two hours ago early in the morning. it is crazy that i am hear, i can hardly believe it! i will have to get to used to being the minority, that is for sure. the drive in from the airport was busy with people walking to work and crazy scary driving. the terrain is just like you would imagine-tan grassy plains with low to the ground trees. i knew i was in africa when i saw that! since i just arrived, i don't have much else to say! but i am feeling a mix of excitement, tiredness, curiousity, and a little bit strange...but it is all good. i ask that if you think of it to just pray for the jet lag with the time difference, i don't want that to wear me down in this orientation time.

In New York!

I made it to New York to the Africa Inland Mission headquarters. I was pleasantly surprised. It is very nice, and there are 5 others who are going through orientation with who are also going on individual trips. We each stay in our own room that could sleep 5-7. So, it is nice to be here and meet the people i have been emailing for the last 8 months. I am leaving on Wednesday afternoon, and i will have email access until then!

P.S. for any of you who know me well, i met Amy Grant last night and it was probably the best send off i could have asked for. wow. i am still trying to get over it! hahaha

So close...

Well, i am leaving tomorrow and have two days of training in New York. I will hopefully find out all the details of how i can communicate with everyone and that sort of thing. So I will send out an email then!

On my way..

I am packed, have my support money, and now i am just looking forward to the 28th when i leave for new york. There i will have orientation, then i am on my way to Nairobi, Kenya!