I Love Kenya

Today has been a sunny beautiful day here, almost 80 degrees I think, which is a huge improvement from the constant rain everyday last week. When we were at the juvenile painting last week, we couldn't hardly hear the person next to us talking b/c the rain was beating so loudly on the tin roof "Rain falls, angry on the tin roof"...is that the Edwin McCain song? In any case, I'm in a sun shiny mood too. I just started realizing in the last few days how attached I'm becoming to Kenya. I know it was an adjustment at first to be away from everything and everyone familiar, running water, an oven, etc. But there's something so satisfying about a simplistic life b/c it makes you really focus on the people around you. I'm becoming so connected with these kids and friends that I've met here. Even though things can get me down like the slowness of things, the unorganization, the constant sickness that pops up, etc. I remind myself of why I'm here. So, it hit me that it's going to be wierd/hard to leave. It's strange b/c I feel so torn between my two lives. I mean, I miss all of you at home so much, and it can be really difficult when I have no American to process things with. But I know I will miss people here too. I think this really hit me on Saturday. We were all sitting in the living room with the new baby, Joy. There was a huge feast of food--samosa, pilau, fruit, ice cream, soda, etc. Then Amie's sisters got up, and they're late 30s i'd guess...anyway, they started singing/doing this skit of songs from various countries--The Congo, Kenya, Tanzania, U.S., etc. and it was so hilarious. Helen, the main lady, would talk in these funny voices imitating different people and they were dancing around. That's really the hardest I've laughed maybe since playing "Wise or Otherwise" with the Sieberts. When they were just doing this, I thought, this isn't something I'll see in the U.S. and i'm really going to miss it. Now don't for a minute think I don't miss you. I'm soooo excited that my mom is coming over Christmas, and it will be so great for someone else to share this experience with me. wow, i'm all sappy now!

tara came back from uganda on saturday, and she'll be around the next few weeks. i was so suprised to see her sitting in the living room when i came back on saturday. i didn't realize how much i missed having an american girl around. she sounds very interested in going to BOLM, the children's home. and now everyone else is getting excited about it too. popo loves it and rodgers, another guy on the team, went on friday and said it was fantastic. popo was telling me that he really wants this to carry on after i leave. i so hope it can. i really need to work on empowering people as much as possible to lead more and continue with things that i've been doing or i fear, and popo fears, it could all fall apart when i leave. so pray with me for these people here for continuing the work. also for our organization, that they would grow and have the resources to support these various programs.

monday we nearly finished painting the mural. i think thursday will be the last day. that means four days total for working on it. that is truly, truly amazing as you all know that it took ages at mcs. we rigged up this system for reaching the top of the wall. we stacked two tables on top of each other and a chair on top of that. i wasn't sure if it would be safe but it was actually very sturdy. so that combined with taping a paint brush to a stick will work i think. we also took pictures of the kids and had them make cardboard decorated frames. they were obsessed. it's probably the only photo they have of themselves. i think i also got sad b/c i realized that the class 8 kids are leaving on nov. 15ish, which is so soon. i really love some of them, and i'll never see them again. you hope that they've changed and will be all right. i was talking to joseph, one of the boys, and he hasn't seen his family or talked to them in 2 years. he's so excited and says he knows they'll cry when they see him. i just wonder if these parents will welcome them with open arms or not. you know the story of the prodigal son in the Bible--this is my prayer for those kids. that they will be welcomed home like the dad welcomes home the son who spent all of his inheritance. please pray for them as they transition back into society. that's a lot of changes.