I'm leaving in 1 week....wait, what? Is that true? I've been talking about going back to Kenya for so long that it's a little surreal that it's actually happening. I've known for the entire last year that I was going, and now June has finally arrived. One would think with all this time to prepare that I would be ready. And in some sense, I suppose that I am. I'm ready to see Popo, Alex, Jane, Sally, and Victor. I'm ready to hang out with kids again and teach them about the Lord. I'm ready to learn Swahili songs and funny games. I'm so ready to hear Popo's laugh and the way that he says, "Oh, hallelujah."
But in so many other senses, I'm not really ready. I have 4 days of school left and other random things going on that are juggling for my attention. My room is a hodge podge of junk that I'm bringing with me or deciding whether or not to bring with me, and I want to just stuff it all in the suitcase and be done thinking about it. I know that this summer is going to be a time of re-learning how to be flexible. I know I have been a lot more rigid than I want to be lately, and I also know that's about to be stripped away (or if not I'll be miserable). Tonight was the first true test of flexibility. I got an email from Alex, who is arranging our living accomodations. He's already thrown a house warming party at the apartment we're renting, so apparently it must be nice since everyone came over to enjoy it. This part is all fine and well.
The slight adjustment in plan is that we're not able to rent the apartment from the middle of june to the middle of august as we'd hoped. instead we had to rent from the beginning of june to the end of july (which is pretty normal as far as rental situations go). so we are homeless for 2 weeks in august...ok not really, but sort of. so alex's plan is that we go to western provence for 1 week to treat people with jiggers (a type of flea that infests people's feet, causes infections, pain, and impairs their ability to walk) and do children's ministry there. and for the second week of august we'll go to mombasa and stay with his friend from alaska (yes he knows lots of people) and do some sort of minsitry there. i actually love the villages and mombasa is great, so this could be a nice change of plans. i was joking with regina that i'm excited to go to mombasa because I can retake pictures this time. last time i got mugged there and my camera was stolen so all my pictures were gone. so yes, i'll be flexible and this will all work out i'm sure.
the only part that makes me nervous is that mombasa is so much more hot and humid that it is a higher risk area for malaria, so i'll definitely need to take the malaria medicine before i go. I hadn't planned to take any medicine at all because of the entire fiasco with the drugs last time. many of you know that i was super sick from all the medicine. nairobi has a very low risk of malaria because of the higher altitude and cooler temps at night, and the doctor i saw in nairobi who specialized in tropical medicine said i shouldn't take anything in nairobi. and i didn't the entire last 2 1/2 months i was there. but now it looks like i'll have to take something for atleast the last 3-4 weeks. so i guess what i'm saying is please pray that i don't get sick and experience all those side effects again. i just don't think i have it in me. and pray for rachel as she's figuring out what to do. she also had bad side effects to her malaria medicine again, and she was going to take mefloquin this time until i begged her not to. Mefloquin is CRAZY! that's my soap box statement for the day.
Please pray for safe travels next week, for healthy bodies, for a peaceful week, for open hearts to serve, for positive spirits, and for the love of Christ to pour out from us. Stay tuned for more stories from Nairobi soon.
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