Each time I sit down to write, it becomes harder and harder to find the words to say and to adequately express the many thoughts running through my head. We experience so much in our daily life here, and I just want each one of you to be able to experience it. I wish my words could in some way transport you all to Africa, because it is so beautiful and so good. I wish all of you could experience the excitement of taking 30 high school students to a big city for the first time in their lives, the amazement and fear and disgust and dumbfoundedness of seeing a chicken be slaughtered, and the joy of tucking 10 beautiful babies into bed each night.
Last Friday, we finished out our time in Machakos and with our wonderful, fun-loving I Can Fly family. As I mentioned in my last post, we took the students to Nairobi for the Nairobi Show, which is essentially the fair in Kenya. I wandered around with two of the girls from Form 2, Emmah and Jacque, while Emily stayed with a girl she grew really close with, Dorcas, and a bunch of her friends. We spent the whole day watching acrobat shows, trying different foods (I bought them cotton candy, which they had never had before, and they LOVED IT), and looking at all the different animals.
On the bus ride back to Machakos, we made some of the sweetest memories with the girls. We taught them songs in English as they taught us songs in Kiswahili, we laughed, and we shared stories. As I laid down in bed that night, I realized that so much of me is made of what I've learned from them (Wicked reference, anybody?). We look back at our pictures from our time in Machakos every day, and our hearts hurt when when we see their faces and remember their stories. They will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we are counting down the days until we see them again.
On the bus ride back to Machakos, we made some of the sweetest memories with the girls. We taught them songs in English as they taught us songs in Kiswahili, we laughed, and we shared stories. As I laid down in bed that night, I realized that so much of me is made of what I've learned from them (Wicked reference, anybody?). We look back at our pictures from our time in Machakos every day, and our hearts hurt when when we see their faces and remember their stories. They will always hold a special place in our hearts, and we are counting down the days until we see them again.
After a refreshing few days with our Kenyan family in Nairobi (Mama Pam and her family), we made our way to Narok for the next leg of our journey. Here in Narok we are working at a primary school called Legacy, which means that the students range from age 3 (baby class) to 14 (class 8). We have been here for one week, and you could say it's been one of the most fun-filled weeks we've had so far!
Some of the highlights so far:
Some of the highlights so far:
- Teaching class 3! Last week in English class we had some extra time after we finished the lesson, so we taught them some songs! Their favorite one talks about how if you read your Bible and pray every day, you will grow, but if you forget your Bible and forget to pray, you will shrink. We were able to talk about how just as you need to eat well, rest, and exercise to grow physically, you must spend time with the Lord if you want to grow spiritually. We also met with the head teacher this morning and are adding class 2 and class 4 to our schedule starting tomorrow!
- Bus rides! This school has some students that stay overnight and some students that ride the bus home after a day of classes, so we ride with them everyday! The children here are so friendly and give HUGE hugs. We often have to throw away all personal space when we board the bus, because it won't take 60 seconds for the 5 year olds to be in our laps and the older kids to be piling into the seats next to us. The bus ride is usually around two hours, so we have plenty of time to teach them songs, read them Bible stories, let them braid our hair, and just talk to them about their lives.
- Home visits! A bunch of the girls have asked us to get off the bus with them and go to their homes to meet their family. There is a girl in class 4, Victoria, that invited us to come to her home on Thursday, so we took her up on the offer! We spent the whole evening chatting with her mother, drinking tea, holding her 7 month old brother, and watching Sophia the First. I love being in Kenyan homes and experiencing their culture firsthand. Victoria's sweet mama has already invited us over for another visit!
- Spending the night at the school! At ICF, we had to leave the school around 5:30pm every day to make it back home before it was too dark, but here, we get to spend literally all day with the students. We sleep in the little girls dorm (class 3-5) with ten of the sweetest girls you will ever meet. They already have our hearts. We spend every night telling them stories from the Storybook Bible, coloring, answering their questions, and tucking them in. It might be my favorite part of each day. We even had a movie night complete with popcorn, juice, and Tangled over the weekend! PLEASE pray for these girls as we continue to see their view of the Bible go from cultural and academic to personal and sweet.
God is changing our hearts and our desires every single day here in Narok and He is revealing Himself to us in ways we never, ever thought He would. We are falling in love with Him faster and harder than we ever have before. We will write more about the joy we are finding in the Lord later, but for now, enjoy a window into our life here in Narok. He is making it so beautiful.