**I'm sorry this is so late! I started writing it on Monday, but the time got away from me!
This past weekend was so incredibly sweet and filled to the brim with joy and celebration. Emily and I LOVE being at I Can Fly and can't stand the thought of only having one more day with the students. They have become our people. We have shared with them, grown with them, and laughed with them every day for the past three weeks.
We usually take the weekends to rest, shop, go on an adventure, and maybe make a visit to the school. Ever since we got here, though, the girls have been begging us to spend a weekend with them at ICF. We hadn't been able to, because all the beds in The Butterfly House were full, but this past weekend, two of the girls went home! We packed a bag and promised the girls we would have the best weekend.
On Saturday, the students got out of class at 1pm, so we planned a field day to take up the rest of the afternoon. I may have some bruised knees and battle scars, but it was such a success!
We started with a slip n' slide, one of our favorite things to do with our friends back in America!
This past weekend was so incredibly sweet and filled to the brim with joy and celebration. Emily and I LOVE being at I Can Fly and can't stand the thought of only having one more day with the students. They have become our people. We have shared with them, grown with them, and laughed with them every day for the past three weeks.
We usually take the weekends to rest, shop, go on an adventure, and maybe make a visit to the school. Ever since we got here, though, the girls have been begging us to spend a weekend with them at ICF. We hadn't been able to, because all the beds in The Butterfly House were full, but this past weekend, two of the girls went home! We packed a bag and promised the girls we would have the best weekend.
On Saturday, the students got out of class at 1pm, so we planned a field day to take up the rest of the afternoon. I may have some bruised knees and battle scars, but it was such a success!
We started with a slip n' slide, one of our favorite things to do with our friends back in America!
Once we finally figured out how to get the running water (praise Jesus!) running, we had so much fun! It very quickly turned into a mud slide, which made the students laugh all the louder!
We finished up our afternoon with some different games! The favorites over here are Limbo, Relay Races, Jump the Creek, and Freeze Tag. We also played volleyball and football (actually soccer), which is pretty much how we spend every afternoon with the students!
We finished up our afternoon with some different games! The favorites over here are Limbo, Relay Races, Jump the Creek, and Freeze Tag. We also played volleyball and football (actually soccer), which is pretty much how we spend every afternoon with the students!
After our afternoon activities, we had a couple hours before dinner time, so we ended up sitting in the DH with the girls for awhile, listening to their stories as they peeled sukuma (which is my FAVORITE, y'all). One of my friends at ICF, Carol, had been asking to braid my hair since we visited the school in February. I finally let her this weekend, and the girls thought it was wonderful. They kept telling me that I looked so smart and was a real African. The last time I checked, having braids doesn't make you a "real African," but I will take that title anyday. I'm officially Kenyan now. It's all in the braids.
After dinner, we surprised all of our new best friends with juice and popcorn and joined them for movie night. All 100 and something students packed into one room, where we watched a movie in Swahili. (Side note: Em and I are learning so much Swahili. We actually had a simple conversation with a local today ALL in Swahili. Baby steps, y'all, baby steps).
Everyone started waking up on Sunday morning around 4:30AM and it kind of felt like we had just gone to bed. We joined the girls for porridge (which isn't actually as awful and plain as it sounds), two hours of "studying," tea, and church. Going to church with friends in Africa will always be one of my favorite things. Some of the girls led the worship while the others tried to teach us how to dance. They make a three hour church service seem like no time at all. I love being surrounded by so many people that are so passionate about what Jesus has done for them.
The past week was our fifth and final week in Machakos, and probably my favorite one at that. We finished our canvases that we have been working on in our art classes and continuously hear so many stories of hope from the students. Jesus is capturing their hearts as they learn about His promises, the hope He provides, and His deep love for them. I wish I could share every detail of the fun, the joy, and the love that has been shared in Machakos this week. It's been so sweet.
Tomorrow we are going with the students to Nairobi for the day!!! We are so excited to go on this adventure with them, but our hearts are heavy as it is our last day with these sweet people.
We are excited for what God has planned for us in Narok (our next adventure in Kenya), but we will miss our friends here more than words can say. They have become our family.
Everyone started waking up on Sunday morning around 4:30AM and it kind of felt like we had just gone to bed. We joined the girls for porridge (which isn't actually as awful and plain as it sounds), two hours of "studying," tea, and church. Going to church with friends in Africa will always be one of my favorite things. Some of the girls led the worship while the others tried to teach us how to dance. They make a three hour church service seem like no time at all. I love being surrounded by so many people that are so passionate about what Jesus has done for them.
The past week was our fifth and final week in Machakos, and probably my favorite one at that. We finished our canvases that we have been working on in our art classes and continuously hear so many stories of hope from the students. Jesus is capturing their hearts as they learn about His promises, the hope He provides, and His deep love for them. I wish I could share every detail of the fun, the joy, and the love that has been shared in Machakos this week. It's been so sweet.
Tomorrow we are going with the students to Nairobi for the day!!! We are so excited to go on this adventure with them, but our hearts are heavy as it is our last day with these sweet people.
We are excited for what God has planned for us in Narok (our next adventure in Kenya), but we will miss our friends here more than words can say. They have become our family.