Boda Boda

Okay, prepare yourself b/c this will probably be a very long entry. My thoughts are just all over the place and so much has happened in the past few days. First about bicycles...there was this song playing in the matatu today that goes, "Ride Boda Boda", and i learned that boda boda is a bicycle. basically the song talks about a guy who gets pulled over by the police and loses his license and so he's going to ride his boda boda instead. i thought this was really funny for some reason. and speaking of bicycles today, Dottie told me that she wishes she could learn to ride a bicycle. she is 24. imagine being 24 in america and never haven ridden a bike!!!

on another transportation note, tuesday night i headed home in a matatu. a block away, we turned down an alley and were stuck in a jam...i thought. then some man, in normal clothes, comes up to our driver and hold up hand cuffs. then proceeds to handcuff the driver after an exchange of a few words. another man was standing by with a radio walkie talkie, so i guess they were plain clothed (undercover) cops. then everyone started getting out of the matatu and went back to find a new one to take home. i did the same b/c i feared what was going to happen. so strange to just randomly be pulled over and get arrested.

i've really been thinking a lot about empowering people here, after discussing this for a long time with steve on thursday. he was talking a lot about his soccer ministry and how they really try to get local people to lead things so they gain experience. he was saying how it's important that people can continue to progress after he leaves, or i leave, etc. this is so true, and i know it. but my control freakish personality is such a hinderance sometimes. i really made a big effort yesterday to let other people take charge when we went to the juvenile home. i've been leading the show a lot...and for what? who am I? definitely no better than the rest of the team and i can't even speak swahili. i think i tend to take over b/c things aren't planned, so i naturally decide to come up with a plan. hmmm...how to balance this? then there's this other part of me thinking about short term things. like we're planning this christmas event in december to give gifts to the slum kids and food too. and this really isn't empowering them at all and maybe the feeling of receiving a gift will only last one day. but is it bad to make someone smile, if only for a day, or a few minutes?? or does temporary stuff only offer false hope? what if you aren't fixing long term problems but you're showing them you care and that ultimately God loves them--i hope this part can be a lasting message. can this short term help turn into something long term? and what if it doesn't? does it set anticipations high and lead to disappointment? i get really frustrated and overwhelmed with all this wondering if me being here is futile. i know you will all argue against this...still i wonder. hopefully one day of spending time with a person goes further than i think. i'm reading this great book called Kaffir Boy, about apartheid in south africa. there's a line in the book that says, "whenever the troubles of this world seem too much, it helps to have someone loving and understanding to share those troubles with."

like today, i was with dottie the whole day. we were all over the city basically accomplishing nothing, so i hope there was a higher purpose in all that. this is the girl that has aids, but it's hard b/c she hasn't actually told me this yet. and i really didn't want to press the issue. i was hoping she would tell me. it's difficult knowing something so personal about someone but feeling like you shouldn't talk about it. but the thing is that i'm sure she wants to talk about it. in so many indirect ways she almost brought it up. she talked about how she really wants to help kids that have AIDS b/c they can be socially alienated by classmates here. apparently it's taboo to talk about it. and she was telling me she was always sick as a kid. i asked with what, and she just said, all kinds of different things. i'm writing this and feeling really stupid that i didn't just confront her about it. why is it that i can be so blunt and up front about everything else here but i can't talk about this?

about juvenile yesterday, we made accordian books with them, which they seemed to love. so different from anything they ever do. and it creates a sense of ownership b/c they have no personal belongings. we discussed trust again, and had them do a lot of self reflecting in their books. most of the discussion was in swahili, so i don't really know what was said. but the kenyans tell me that the boys started telling about how they broke people's trust and ended up in this juvenile home. one kid was saying that as punishment his mom would dip his hands in hot burning water. ruth said it's the parents that really should be in trouble for all the crap they put these kids through.

i learned more about some of the schools. dottie said that in mathere, a slum, there are only 2 free gov't schools. so these are very overcrowded. the others you have to pay for. she's part of a research project and they found that the government delegated more money to be used in mathere, but they didn't know where to use the money, so it was just given back to the government. what? also, the government in the last few years got rid of music and art as part of the curriculum in the primary schools. lovely, they sound like no child left behind in the u.s. and the thing is that, music plays maybe even a bigger role in this culture than in the u.s. what are people thinking? dottie has all these wonderful dreams of starting a preschool...she is so passionate, and i want good things for her. she went with me to new life orphanage, and she really was inspired by it and how her school could be like that. i wonder if any of this could ever happen?

another quote from that book, "why in the place of love and compassion, were there implacable hate and anger and jealousy? I could not see myself living the rest of my life under such conditions." i've been thinking about this as i ponder racial issues, here and at home. you must fill me in more on some of this election stuff...wednesday, the front of the newspaper here had the 3 suspects who were supposedly trying to assasinate obama. is this story true? or only partially true? things are very biased towards obama here, so i'm never sure. but in any case, i know there is still racial tension in america, whether or not this story is true. i still remember the student in my class who predicted that obama would get assasinated in the first 3 months of being president. how is it that a super power country like the US can still be so racially divided? i pray for healing. i'm amazed that white privilege isn't just an american concept, but also a kenyan one too. dottie pulled me into this store today as she was trying to get something worked out with her phone. she said, and i quote, "your skin color might help me." kenyans do treat white people well, and i know that much of that is b/c they assume all white people have money. but i think there's more to it than that. i'm just excited for heaven, where equality will rule and no one notices skin color anymore.

Sam

I feel compelled to tell you about my Kenyan friend, Sam. Sam is a graphic designer and quite talented too, but I often really struggle to figure him out. I can't ever tell if he's being serious or not. We're kind of alike in many ways, the whole art brain thing for one. And apparently, I we both have melancholic personalities, based on some philosopher's theories. I just learned this term last week but I really fit the description well. It sounds like it would mean I'm sad all the time. But actually it's more of characteristics such as: a perfectionist, moody, hard working, trustworthy, etc. Quite the good mixed with lots of not so good things. In any case, Sam needed to borrow my camera for a job he's doing. I met him this morning to give it to him. And then he tells me he knows how Americans love chocolate and that he wanted to show me this place. He took me to this little bakery a few blocks from the office. He told me this whole story about how he stopped by this shop one day and asked to taste the cake. He was dressed very "shabby" as he put it, and the lady wanted him to pay first. But he said the money will come (Um this computer, just totally logged off for a minute and I thought everything was lost. I threw my hands up to my face and all these kenyans were laughing. but everything is still here, no retyping, Hallelujah!) okay, so the money will come but he wanted to taste the cake first. so he tried about 5 pieces of cake and was telling her how it was amazing and that it melts in your mouth. and he did pay her. but then he told her that her advertising (the sign in front of her shop that another designer made) really wasn't doing justice to her business. which is really true. it's rather boring and blah. so then he is asking her all kinds of questions about the business and what else she does. and basically that he wants to offer his services for free to help get her business up and running until she could actually make money to pay him. It's so cool the way he really wants to help people succeed and doesn't expect anything in return. he always is telling me stories of how he gets to know people first and then really tries to see what their needs are and how he can help them. such a servants heart. he does everything for our organization for free and he spends hours doing it. i hope this inspires and encourages you like it does me.

i found out this weekend that a Kenyan girl that volunteers with my organization has AIDS. I was so taken aback by this. she is my age, and her mom died last year of AIDS and her dad is an alcoholic. she lives in Mithare, another slum, and has hardly anything. but i would have never known any of this because she has this unshakable faith. when we had prayers early in the morning before camp, she was always there early and praying with such fervor. i suppose she must have to trust God with all of her heart b/c she has nothing else to lean on. she also teaches preschool but i guess she doesn't even get paid for that either. she has told me how she loves to write and draw. i think she is sick a lot, but she's never said anything to me about having AIDS. I cannot believe her incredible spirit in spite of everything. i should have known that something is wrong b/c her legs are so so skinny but her stomach is bigger...i think results of being sick. Sarah said she was so surprised to see her here this summer b/c she got really sick last year and everyone thought she was going to die.

Rosie, Stewart, and I were talking about all of the underlying problems in the slums last night. Apparently, friendship and trust are virtually non existent there. No one trusts each other and therefore no one builds deep friendships. imagine not knowing how to make friends. and a lot of these people really struggle with knowing how to have a conversation. like these girls from camp that i saw yesterday. they'll call you on the phone, but they have nothing to say. or they'll say, i just wanted to tell you good morning and have a good day. i know they really want friends. i can go and spend time with them, which i'm fine with doing, but i also know that they need to learn to build friendships amongst themselves b/c i won't be here forever. it's so wierd b/c for some reason these people tend to trust us (the MSTs) coming in. i don't know if they think we can help or if it's just because there are no underlying tribal issues amongst us. i think this whole country is suffering from a lack of trust. everytime i watch the news, over half of it is about corruption issues in the government. yesterday the government came in to evict 200 families from their houses somewhere in Nairobi. their rent had been raised and they couldn't pay it. the people refused to leave, and the military were letting off tear gas (i think) everywhere. it was a horrible thing to watch on the news. but i'm also seeing that this lack of trust in people is making people more willing to trust in God b/c there is virtually nothing else. so it is true that God uses even bad situations to bring about good.

i'm now the only mst in the house. it's funny b/c victor called me this morning and said he was sending Jane, his girlfriend and a girl on our team, to go along with me this week with whatever i'm doing. victor is taking a 3 day prayer vacation with God somewhere. and he said, "i'm really worried about you. i don't want you to be all by yourself all week." i thought that was very thoughtful that people are looking out for me. and jane is a cool gal, so it'll be good.

by the way, if you're one of these people that is printing out this novel here that i've been writing the last 9 weeks, can you please save the hard copy for me. i'd like to keep it when i get home. thanks!

Climbing Mt. Longonot

Okay much to tell about a happening last few days. Friday I went to the Journey, sort of reminds of what the Gathering was like at Hope College. Anyway, a contemporary type church service at a local university here. The message was on determination and in Phillipians about running the race that God has set out for you. This seemed very fitting as we went to climb Mt. Longonot the next day. Seriously friends, so hard. I'm not exactly in amazing shape here...especially since my diet consists of fried food and fried food. But with God's help, I did make it to the top. Then there's this big crater that is formed around it b/c it was a volcano, so we were able to walk all the way around the crater. it took about 5 hours in total. there were parts when my calf muscles ached so bad i wasn't sure i would make it. and it was so dusty. it was almost like walking in sand at a beach, it was pretty deap. but our entire faces and clothes were just covered in dirt by the end. amie insisted that we all had to take a shower when we got home...which of course we were planning on. but it's kinda a big joke how the muzungus don't shower...too much work. my mom was so amazed to hear that the water was actually running from the shower head that day...truly a blessing.

as we were finishing that hike, victor, a kenyan from our team, text me this at 3:15: "whereva u r make haste. we are going down now. the bus goes in 45 minutes." he hadn't hiked around the crater, so he wasn't sure where we were. but the funny thing is that the bus actually didn't leave until 7:00. so that gives you a pretty good idea of african time...always about 3 hours behind schedule :)

yesterday, we went to see Po Po in this play called "Till Debt Do Us Part." po po was hilarious, and this is a big deal for him. he's from kibera, so to be in a play in a nairobi theater is exciting. he's also starring in a commercial too. basically the main point was about God answering prayer, but it took over 3 hours to tell this. it was funny b/c it kept going and going, and we're all just thinking is this ever going to end. there was a point toward the end where a character was wrapped in dynamite and stewart thought it was hilrarious that there was the switch to set the dynamite off with b/c you would need to light it. but anyway, towards the end, i took a drink of water, and then i started laughing about something, and i couldn't stop, nor swallow the water. i ran out of the theater b/c i thought i was going to start choking. i was coughing crazily and thought i might puke everywhere. then the water went down the wrong tube and i had this crazy cough. it was really funny...i was quite the entertainment.

we made french toast for dinner last night...the comforts of home are sweet.

today rosie and i went to visit 2 girls that were in my tent at camp. they live in kibera. sitting and talking with them starting becoming really depressing at one point b/c their lives are so sad. there are so many family health problems, no money,etc. plus they both really want to go to college but have no money. they were talking about how they are afraid of losing hope. we spent a while praying for them and took them to have soda and mandazi. sometimes i feel so overwhelmed by the problems here b/c everyone you talk to is struggling. what do you do when there aren't any jobs?

Trust

Today we returned to the juvenile home to teach about trusting God. I was pondering trust last night and I think trusting God for me can be a huge struggle b/c one, as an American, I have so many material blessings that can often take my focus away from God. And 2, when we trust in people, we are so easily disappointed b/c we obviously make mistakes and let others down. Therefore, I think it's almost hard to comprehend the way that we can trust in God. I told the kids today that sometimes it's hard to trust God b/c we can only see what's right in front of us instead of the big picture. But Romans 8:28 says, "in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." I have to remind myself of this too, especially this afternoon I feel discouraged. I'm not even sure why, but I think it's partly just dealing with the inefficiency of things. Friends, it is truly such a struggle for me to learn to slow down. I know that at home I thrive on busyness...probably in a not so good way. I think being busy sometimes hinders my ability to savor life and conversations with people. So this is a good struggle that I am experiencing and I'm hoping to be renewed and changed by it.

I'm excited b/c tomorrow we're going back to another facility within the juvenile home and Dominic has arranged for me to speak with someone about teaching there starting in September. This is the school that I talked about a long time ago that doesn't have any teachers. I'm not sure what this will look like or how it will go. So mostly, I'm trying not to have any expectations...just hoping for the best.

I thought of a few things memorable about camp. First, you should know that God truly allowed a miracle to happen financially. This camp cost double what previous camps have cost b/c we rented tents and had it at a different location. But generous people came together to provide. And also, the last night at the Gala, we had a Christian d.j. All the music was pretty sweet Christian hip-hop and rap. It's pretty sweet to have such peppy positive party music!

Randall discussed a lot of his future plans for the ministry here, and I'm so glad that the matatu incident didn't scare him off. he told me I should just stick around full time and teach at the Nairobi school, where his kids will be going. I laughed :) But I'm very excited for his vision and motivation for the ministry.

Praise God! (Bwona Asifiwe) I am feeling better. I spent Monday afternoon in bed for about 4 hours just resting. My entire body was aching and my stomach felt so wierd. But I am better now. Please continue to pray for Rosie and Sarah, as both are still recovering from this, whatever it is. I feel like our team is under a bit of spiritual attack with all this sickness and another recent theft last night. Randall was having his first matatu experience last night (he's been renting a car for the rest of the week). We had just left the little stop and were sort of sitting in a traffic jam. And someone comes up, opens the window, grabs his phone, and takes off. Anna-Lise then slammed the window shut again. The whole thing happened so fast that no one really knew what to think. it's the first time I've seen anyway reach into the car. I think it was a good wake up call for me b/c i've let my guard down a bit. Peter sent out Milham and Alex to some shops that might try to resell the phone to look for it, but I doubt there will be much success. It's stupid though b/c the phone is american and is password protected, so no one can even use it. we spent some time praying about this issue of stealing last night. we usually pray together every night as a group, and it was so necessary b/c i think randall's wife was really unhappy with him. but the thing is, you can try to be careful, but it happens and you can't do much about it. pray for protection for us and our stuff.

In happier news I went to see a movie yesterday--The Last Night, the one with Heath Ledger. seriously, it's no wonder he killed himself after filming this b/c his character is so totally freaky and he just instantly plays this part. I can't say I was a big fan, but the fact is that it only cost about $5 to watch a movie and have popcorn, a hotdog, and soda...much cheaper than the states. and in random news, someone just came up to me in the street today as he was passing and said, "you have a nice butt." only he used the other word. jane says that this isn't really offensive here...what the heck?

patrick left today--very sad, but we are now joined by stewart, originally from south africa...aren't we diverse! it was a bit crazy last night b/c apparently peter had no idea he was coming when other people went to get him from the airport and supposedly sarah had already made this arrangement with the family. so peter and amie were talking in swahili, really upset about the whole thing. but they seemed okay about it when he got here. i felt bad for the guy b/c i'm sure it's not his fault really. i also understand that they're not running a hostel...just lots of miscommunication; so typical of here. in any case, he'll only be here a short time before going with a group to climb kilimanjaro. so i guess it's not too big of a deal. i'm going with a group of them to climb mt. longmount on saturday.

i've been at new life today holding babies and yesterday going with melody to therapy. anna-lise is studying physical therapy, so it was good being there with her b/c she knows a lot of things to do with melody to help her improve. things are a little slow right now here b/c school isn't in session so our schedule has changed a bit.

Cliff Jumping!!!

Yes, that's right, I just jumped off a cliff this weekend. I think it was about a 10 meter jump into the water, and it was quite an exhilirating experience. We went to this place called 14 falls that has 14 waterfalls all in a row. We had to climb up lots of rocks to get to the top of the falls. The climb itself was a little crazy. I'm so bad at those rock climbing walls at home b/c i don't have much upper arm strength. I was praying the whole time that God would help me up. I seriously thought I might just fall down the rocks and break my leg. Then we got to the top, and the guide with us jumped off an even higher cliff (you would be happy to know that I passed on that one). I really had no intention of jumping at first b/c last year another MST sprained his ankle doing it. But then everyone else started doing it. And I kept thinking, you know I'll regret this forever if I don't do it. And really it wasn't that high when I looked down. But I was still shaking and pretty nervous. So now I've officially broken every rule from the doctor about things not to do (except get a tatoo, i forgot about that rule)...but i just jumped into non chlorinated water that was a little sketch. In the end, all the muzungus jumped but non of the africans with us did, mostly b/c none of them can swim.

by the way, 17 people slept in our house on friday...a new record. i think i forgot to mention that randall, from near dayton, is here with us now. he's actually planning to come back full time in june with his family. i'm really excited for him to join the ministry b/c there are a lot of ways things could be more efficient and organized, and i think having an american around that is living here full time will really help. and it's totally inspired for me to hear about people leaving their jobs and lives and making sacrifices in the name of Jesus. he's investigating schools to send his kids today and even a hosptial where his wife possibly could continue working as a nurse.

rosie and I are both sick today. she's actually much worse than i am...i'm not too bad really. but we both think something we ate yesterday is not sitting well in our stomachs. we had lots of nyoma choma at this place yesterday. it was crazy b/c you go up to the restaurant and there's all these different butchers outside cooking the goat. and they try to have you try their meat, so that you'll choose theirs to buy. they basically swormed the guys in our group. it was actually pretty amazingly good. but i'm not sure if it was that that's bothering me or if i maybe accidentally had some water yesterday that wasn't boiled...i was at a birthday party, and i'm thinking that could have been it. in any case, i'm sure i'll be fine tomorrow. i feel more bad for rosie. she was so sick, i had to get off the bus with her on the way to kibera b/c she turned white and looked like she would vomit at any moment...lovely, i know. pray for her especially.

liz and i made no bake cookies today to take to some people in kibera. it was about the only thing we could think of that doesn't need an oven, since we don't have one. so i hope maybe in a small way the cookies brighten someone's day. they were going to see lilian, the girl who does our laundry and has the beautiful little baby.

as i'm reflecting on what i've learned the last 7 1/2 weeks I think the big things are patience, love, and being genuine. It's easy to be real around people here b/c you're with them so much, we eat, sleep, and work in the same place all day, so they know so much about you. i think often at home I, and other people, try to hide behind who we really are and only let people see the good side of us. but God loves us, despite all the junk in our lives, and to be able to work through it, you really have to be honest with people. i'm so encouraged having people in my group pray for me throughout the day. and as for patience, wow...it is so hard sometimes to slow down and embrace the moment. I'm not sure that i've even slightly gotten a grasp on this yet, but the locals are really helping me to learn this more and more. be grateful for this day that God has made my friends, and enjoy it to the fullest. I'm so encouraged by your emails and prayers. Thank you for your support.

Abide Renewed

Mambo! I have just returned from our Abide Renewed summer camp that we put on for the youth of Nairobi. So I have been living in the bush for a whole week, sleeping in a tent. It was a pleasure to not have black snot for a while and to live without a mosquito net too. Well, how to explain this week...so much to tell. We left on Sunday morning, and we were supposed to leave the city at 10. Instead, we sat on the sidewalk for about 3 hours. I think we maybe left around 1:30...TIA (this is Africa). But we were able to get there in enough time to put up all the tents and arrange everything. The campers then came on Monday. I stayed in a tent with 4 other Kenyan girls. Each morning the counselors got up before 6 to have an hour of prayer and devotions. And even though I was tired, it was incredible watching the sun rise over the Savannah and being able to praise God for the beauty of His creation. The morning typically consisted of breakfast, then worship, then a speaker who presented a Christian message, then debriefing groups where we led campers in discussions. Then we had lunch and then the kids did art and played sports; then dinner, then more worship. Then we had various things at night...movies, preaching, and gala night. That was last night, and my favorite part was when they had all the muzungus come up front and dance. it's pretty hilarious b/c all the locals are really good dancers, so we all look so goofy. especially richard, the british MST. he has this really deep voice and is pretty awkward at dancing and knows it. but he's such a good sport about it, and all the kenyans crack up. I'm excited to tell you that the art part of the camp that i was in charge of went soooo well. they loved tie dying bandanas. everyone wore them all week, and the dye was some how better than anything i've every used at home. the colors were so vibrant. i also had them make picture frames with bible verses in them, bracelets, and books. they really loved all these things, and i thought maybe it would be too kiddish for them, since we had people who were my age too. but they really loved it since they never do anything like it. it was such a God thing b/c i just kinda let it happen and didn't worry at all. i'm learning to go with the flow and relax more even though it is so against my nature.

i spent a huge part of camp washing dishes. it is very humbling to wash f0r 150 people several times a day...that's a lot of bowls and spoons my friends. i even starting singing the spoons song today (mom, you will understand). patrick and i started making a game out of who could wash the fastest. oh, and i ate goat (nyoma choma) last night. they actually brought 3 goats in the trunk of a car to the camp and slaughtered them right there. it tasted really good though. and then we left the goat heads in this pan and a guy from camp is going to make stew out of them. lovely.

i think the campers were really powerfully impacted by God this week. For many of them it was the only chance to be out of the slums and they didn't want to go home. one crazy thing that happened is that one day a lady spoke about relationships and what they should look like from a biblical stand point. apparently, wife beating is a huge thing here...seriously people think this is okay. and so they had this whole discussion about it and she said some things were traditions but they weren't biblical. i was so surprised to learn that this is such a major issue here.

i've gotten to spend time with some ugandans now too...they were helping at camp and are staying with us tonight. and we have another american, anna-lise who just came, and another british girl. so my room is completely full of people again. lots of excitement. i know that there is more to tell, but i need to process and think about what just happened, so more details to follow.

Braided Hair!!!

so I'm starting to truly look African...today I got my hair plaited and braided, complete with extensions! My hair is so long now, about half-way down my back. Amie had a girl come to the house and do it for Liz and I. We wanted it done before camp b/c I won't be able to shower all week. It took almost 5 hours to do it but only cost about $7! so cheap. My scalp is super white and probably going to burn; maybe sunscreen will help? All the Kenyans keep staring at me as I walk by. It's very uncommon to see any muzungu with braided hair. It's the first time since I got here that I haven't left the house except to come here. i practiced the tie dying we'll be doing at camp. i'm so happy that i got it to work. i'm really excited for everyone to try it at camp; i think it will be a success. It was wonderful not going to town today. i still got a lot accomplished at home, and got to relax a little. All the travel can become quite exhausting.

Yesterday was like that. It took forever to get home b/c we left during rush hour. And then Liz found out my converter that was in her bag got stolen yesterday, which no biggie, I don't use it much. It's just the idea of it. Ricky had his wallet stolen today too and Patrick thinks his sunglasses may have been taken as well. So last night we got home really late and found out there still wasn't water. We had no water left at all. All of our reserve tanks behind the house were empty. Liz and I wanted to wash our hair before we got it braided so we had about 5 minutes to get to the store before it closed to buy bottled water. I took a shower with 2 liters of water...that's a record for me I think. Then we found out last night that Eunice, our house girl, left. She's the one that cooks, cleans, and takes care of Baraka. The whole situation is wierd, and I'm not sure what to think. I really liked Eunice a lot and felt sorry for her too. She's only 17 and had so much responsibility. But Peter said that they had problems with her not telling the truth, and something happened with this yesterday when she went to buy water. Apparently her and Amie then got into a fight and then Eunice decided she was leaving. She lives about 8 hours away, so it was a big deal just to help her get home. so now we all have to pitch in with cleaning and cooking. This is fine, it's just difficult b/c we're never home, and when you do get home you're exhausted.

Today is the 10th anniversary of the U.S. Embassy bombings in Nairobi. There was a special memorial service, and it's all over the news. The locals are still seeking reimbursement for medical expenses concurred from this catastrophe, and are basically saying it's the U.S. congress that needs to pay for this...yeah, like that's going to happen. What's wierd is that, the man who committed this crime hasn't been caught, but about 4 days ago he was found somewhere coming into the country or something. But somehow they weren't able to detain him. What in the world? Look this story up online and let me know what happened with this.

Anyway, some prayer requests:
Continue to pray for my grandma
Pray for Alex, the Kenyan who was shot during the violence this winter...his bullet wounds are bleeding; he went to the hospital for tests today
Water...yeah, we still don't have any

I love you all, and hope some of you are living up that last week before school starts!!

Prayer Request

Hello all. Today it is finally sunny and nice again in Nairobi. However, I was very upset today to learn that my grandma is ill. She had an artery rupture in her pelvic area and was losing a lot of blood. I believe she is currently in Good Sam. Hospital, and I'm not sure how she is doing. Please, please, keep her in your prayers, and keep me updated.

We have been getting organized for camp today, assigning everyone to tents and making nametags. So much paper work, but it must be done.

2 quick stories:
On Sunday, Patrick really needed to use the bathroom in Kibera, so he was going to use the bathrooms at the school we were at. Shortly later we found out he didn't go and we asked why. He said, there was no hole, and so basically you just go right there all over the floor. He said, um no i just couldn't do that. Wow...

On our way to church Sunday, this woman got really mad at our matatu driver and was yelling at him in Swahili b/c he didn't give change to these 2 other girls. then she grabbed his hat, and jumped off the matatu and flung his hat out in the street. it was kinda funny.

Bike Taxis

I forgot to mention this crazy thing that happened last week. I was walking home, and there's always bike taxis (one person bike and a person sitting on the back) nearby the route to the house. it's pretty dangerous b/c it's a normal size bike with an extra pad right behind the regular seat. anyway, one wrecked and a pregnant woman was riding on the back. she flew off and landed on her back in the middle of the street. She just lay there for several minutes. it was awful. she did finally get up and was walking around. i'm not sure what happened after that. but why would she be riding on there in the first place.

another day, several weeks ago, i was downtown and this woman came running out in the middle of the street and threw her phone down. she was screaming and crying in swahili. this huge group gathered around her. we later found out that someone had called her and told her that her son was dead.

on a happy note, last night all the MSTs cooked dinner. we made egg salad, pasta salad, and fruit salad...quite a salady meal. peter and amie thought it was the greatest thing ever calling it gourmet food. i was just extremely happy to eat something not fried and slightly familiar. i do like the food here, but a reminder of home is good.

on saturday night, i decided i didn't care if i looked ridiculous and that i would go running around the "neighborhood" where we live. it's very out of the ordinary to do this. but it was safe b/c the neighboorhood is small. all the kids playing in the streets had quite a time staring at me. but at least they didn't chase after me, which is what happened when the last MST went running. i was very excited to finally get some exercise, although of course i still am sore since it's been forever since i did anything.

we went to visit Lilian today, the girl with the young daughter, who lives in Kibera. It was good to just sit and visit, laugh, and show love to someone who probably desparately needs it. liz got to hold the baby the whole time and she is truly beautiful. we also taught the Blue House kids in Kibera about telling time today. i finally made paper plate clocks that they could use. and wow, do these kids need help. we worked with 3rd-6th graders and they mostly didn't have a clue about most of it. I'm pretty sure that one of the kids I helped has special needs. of course special ed. doesn't exist here, which is so depressing. it's already easy enough to fall through the cracks as it is. I was watching the news the other night and someone in charge of education in kenya was discussing the illiteracy problem here. she said kids need to learn to read for pleasure. this concept is almost non existent here with children. you see very few books here. even my host family, although they have many adult books, have only 1 or 2 kids books for baraka. i've never seen them read to him ever. it's just not important here. and when the students have reading in school, they only read stories from their textbooks. the stories are short and very boring. this whole school needs lots of prayer everyone. a lot of things need to change. i'm not sure if i'm in the position to be able to make that happen or not. it is very poorly run, underfunded, and the teachers are poorly trained. so keep this situation in your prayers. the kids are going on break till september, and i would like to have some sort of goal for the situation when break is over.

speaking of t.v. , in case you wondered, we do have a t.v. at our house. and they show lots of american things. like the amazing race from 4 years ago, the first season of so you think you can dance, 24, cold case, prison break (season 1 probably), etc. they also have the most lame spanish soap operas that have been dubbed over in english. the characters talk in really high pitched squeaky voices. and of course the news is on. it's nice b/c most things are in english. and about movies....everything is pirated here, and poorly pirated at that. we bought an american movie to watch the other day and it only cost $3. Here's why--we were only able to watch half of it, and then it started skipping like crazy and completely froze. we couldn't watch anymore. in no way do i think it's okay to buy pirated movies, but there aren't any other options. after this experience though, i think my movie watching days here are over.

The Constant Gardner

One more thing I forgot to add, for all of you adults (b/c this is not a movie for kids), if you want to have a better picture of what it's like here, you might rent "The Constant Gardner." It's a recent movie , from the last 3 years maybe??? and a big chunk of it is actually filmed in Kibera. I watched it a few months before coming, so i can't remember precisely how closely it reflects what's actually going on, but i think it would give you a better idea.

A Day in Kibera

I have to say that yesterday was the most humbling day maybe of my life. It began rather low key. 3 MSTs and Peter went to a school to talk about camp. It was funny b/c Patrick thought we were just going to a meeting (we never really know what's going on) and when we walked into a room of 200 students, he suddenly got very self conscious about his muddy shoes that he hadn't cleaned (remember Africans polish their shoes daily.) Anyway, afterwards, we decided to go to Kibera. We helped serve lunch at Sara Junior and then stayed to clean up. They get out of school early of Friday. This school is also a church so all the tables and chairs have to be moved on Fridays. Liz had worn flip flops that day b/c we didn't expect to be in Kibera. It was the muddiest day I've experienced yet, and a challenge to walk around anywhere. So of course her feet were just covered in dirt. Nirea, the cook, insisted that she help clean Liz's feet. And then she tried to get Liz to take her sneakers instead. Liz almost started crying b/c of course this is the only pair of shoes that this woman has. People here are amazingly generous. (And to think I winced a bit when I gave away my last packet of Swiss Miss to someone in the house)

Afterwards, we went with Po Po to visit some people at their houses. Virginia did this while she was here, so we felt we should follow up. At the first house the woman had basically nothing in her house. She has 3 small kids and her husband has no job. Basically we just talked with her and prayed with her for needs she had. Imagine that this house is built with sticks and mud and maybe 2 rooms, but nothing is in it. The second house, there was a mom and 6 kids. the mom was out working at her vegetable stand but dropped everything to come into the house and talk with us. this house is only one room. there was a bed, and small couch like thing (more like a chair b/c it wasn't very cushioned) and a chair. All those people sleep in there, some on the floor and several on the bed and furniture. there were 5 of us visiting and we could barely sit, so i can't imagine trying to sleep there. the mom really values the education of her children, which is amazing b/c you have to pay for high school here. she was paying for 4 girls to go through school even though she has little money. we prayed for her too as she isn't sure how to pay her rent and keep the kids in school. today the other MSTs and i were discussing ways to help these people. it's hard to know what to do b/c if you just give them money, they could be in the same position next month. how do you empower people? we decided it would be better to allocate money to the school or something so that money goes directly where it should. realizing how little people have and live on was so humbling, sad, and discouraging.

what really got to me was on the way back to town Po Po told me about his life. About his many sisters/brothers from many different dads (one mom). and how his parents divorced and his dad came to take his brother, Alex, and him away. The dad was a pastor and remarried. the step mom proceeded to abuse Po Po and Alex by not feeding them and burning their arms with a hot spoon when they did something wrong. And to think this dad is a pastor!! the mom finally got them back. but it has been a struggle. Po Po said on Thursday he came home and there was no food, so he went to bed hungry and asking God why this was happening. But then he read through Jeremiah, and thought about the part where it says God "knows the plans he has for you; plans to prosper you and not harm you..." and realized that God has a plan for his life. He said he woke up feeling happy and rejuvenated. and then he got a text later in the day to come audition for a advertisement. he is into acting, and was going to get paid 1000 shillings just to audition (that is huge for kibera). so it was an amazing day for him. then he told me he needed me to pray for him. i expected it to be for help for his family with paying bills, etc. but instead he said, " i don't know how to forgive my dad. everytime i get on my knees to pray for him, i can't." this was so huge to me...b/c imagine you have no food, no consistent job, etc. and your biggest concern is that you forgive the person who inflicted so much pain in your life. Po Po really encourages me b/c his faith is so strong and so focused on living out his faith and trusting that God will take care of him.

on thursday, i got to go to an art gallery, for free i might add. i can't tell you how therapeutic this was to my soul. it was very contemporary, abstract art too...something that you would see in the U.S. i love that styles of art cross cultural boundaries. so basically we can all be unified across nations by Christ and by art!