Goodbye

Today has been sweet and sour. This morning I baked a cake, and had a sweet farewell party with my class. Words can not express how much love I have for these ladies and their sweet children. My heart already misses them, their smiles, laughs, and hugs. Elisabeth is a sweet woman, who has had a hard life. She had her first child at 17. At a young age, she was raised with an abusive father, who abused her mother before divorcing her. Today, Elisabeth gave me a necklace that her father had given her before he became an alcoholic. In Kenyan culture, it is rude to not accept a gift. No matter how painful it is to accept a gift, you are expected to. I did so with tears. I will always cherish the necklace, I will always cherish Elisabeth, and everyone that God has placed in my life here. Thank you all so much for your constant prayers and support throughout all of this. I love you all dearly. Mungu akubariki. God bless you.

Longonot and the Rift Valley!

Floridian lungs are not used to the 5,000ft above sea level here in Nairobi, especially while hiking. We traveled to The Rift Valley and hiked Mt. Longonot today! Down inside the volcanic crater of Longonot there are luscious trees, and steam vents that seep through the rock. God is incredible. It causes you to feel so microscopic when you just stop, and look what is around you. At one point, that volcano erupted with such a force, that the top blew off. Can you imagine seeing that? Everywhere I stepped today, was at one point covered in molten lava. As we reached the top, we were greeted by a miniature chameleon! Absolutely made the entire hike completely worth it. Because this little creature brought us so much joy, we decided to carry him down the mountain, take him on an hour long car ride all the way to home, just so we could enjoy him a little bit longer. Hearing the stories of The Rift Valley, and seeing multiple pictures from my atlas back in the US, created the hope and desire that I would one day see it. God is good. God is faithful, and today He allowed that hope and prayer to come true.

Let the hills sing for joy

Absolutely one of my favorite parts of this trip so far. Visiting the African countryside. We traveled to a part of the Nairobi National Park, and did a walk through safari! The paths, wildlife, and views were incredible. During our walk, we realized we were basically the only people there, so we took our sweet time. When we spotted the Rhino, I almost could not believe my eyes. Of course I have seen one before, but let me tell you, this guy was a monster. Literally the most colossal one I have ever seen. His horn was at least 3 feet tall! Oh yes.. Just around the corner from my new big friend were white and gray zebras! They had been rolling in the dirt, so they were covered in red dirt, but these zebras were far from what we see in American zoos. The boardwalk escalated into bridges the stretched for hundreds of yards, raising us at least 50 feet into the air. While we were walking we noticed the view, and the small river beneath us. God is phenomenal with the details he puts into creation. It is one of the most humbling feelings.
"Let the rivers clap their hands, let the hills sing for joy together."
Psalm 98:8

God is faithful

Praises and thanks were raised to God this morning for a peaceful election at Nairobi Chapel. Uhuru Kenyatta is the new President of Kenya, even though he stands on trial for instigating a mob during the last election, we are still thankful for peace. We thank God that there was no bloodshed, and no villages burned. During the worship at church, everyone danced, shouted, and jumped. The church is ALIVE, and the voices of the people echo throughout the tent, and across the fields. Today, Pastor Oscar spoke on truly listening for God's voice and instruction. He said, "He already knows the situation you are in, and all of the variables. He doesn't want to hear about the obvious things, but He wants you to ask Him for instruction with what to do with those variables." We prayed for peace, and that is what we received. Something that keeps repeating in my mind, and everyday is that God is faithful. God is faithful.

Tomorrow

"Getting ready for Kenya's presidential elections tomorrow- I realized the feeling of anticipation I have is familiar. It's like getting ready for a hurricane. They tell you it's coming, so prepare as best you can (supplies and plans). No one knows for sure how severe it might be so we wait and hope for the best. We are praying for peace, security and the future of a nation. - Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." Said my African father.

We prepare by purchasing enough food such as rice, beans, sugar, ugali, to last for a couple of days. We will remain in the house, and I will not be going to the center in N'gando to teach for at least 2 days. Daily, we are praying for a peaceful election. Praying that those who have the courage to go vote remain safe, and vote for the person not from their tribe, but who has the best interest in Kenya's future.

As I sit on our porch with the sun streaming across my computer, the world seems to be at peace before tomorrow's election. I can hear children playing, birds singing, and music from the locals in the slum just down the path. The past few days, the candidates for the elections have been campaigning like crazy. Buses with people shouting who to vote for, flyers pasted everywhere, airplanes flying overhead with faces of the candidates, people walking the streets convincing locals to stay loyal to their tribal leaders, and not who is politically fit for the job. This act is called Tribalism. You can be proud of your tribe, but when it turns into tribalism (racism ultimately) it is wrong.

Fortunately, the slum that we live in had no violence last election. Only because the people who kept it safe, are actually the local terrorists. Whoever tried to start a protest, or trouble of any kind were either beaten, or killed. Ultimately, we try to make friends with them because you sure don't want to be on their bad side.

Pray for peace throughout Kenya. Pray for no violence. Pray for the people to be safe, and vote who is right to run this broken country. God already knows what is going to happen over the course of the next few days. He knows who will be leading this country, and what the future will be for these people. We just have to trust.

Soccer=Football

I can't believe it has been 3 weeks since I have left Florida. This journey is almost halfway over! Incredibly, it only feels like it has been a few days, but when I look back and see what all God has done, it seems longer than just 3 weeks. Teaching the english class in the mornings has brought me close to many of the girls, especially Ruth. Ruth is the mother of an almost 2 year-old boy named Ramses. Recently, Ruth invited me to come play football (soccer) with her and some other young women. It has been such an opportunity to do something outside of the classroom with these ladies. When we are in the middle of a game, we have to stop on occasion because the Masai men will herd their cows through our field. With many laughs and bruises, we are making memories. The children on most days just sit in the grass, and watch their moms play. Surprisingly, they don't crawl off!

New Board

Thanks to all those who bought Vision T-shirts, we were able to buy pencils, erasers, sharpeners, a white board, and notebooks for English lessons!!!! You all had a part in giving these women joy. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Nate carried the board through N'gando, and hung it in our room.