Courageous Life

Today is my 10th day home. I have never counted the days I am home after a trip before. Why am I doing that? Maybe it's because I keep thinking tomorrow will be enough days home that I will feel "normal" again. So far, in the realm of "normal" tomorrow hasn't come. Having friends in Kenya for several years now I felt as though my heart was there with them. But after spending 14 days there a bigger piece of my heart was definitely left behind. The word reconcile keeps coming up in my head and in my conversation. How do I reconcile what I have just experienced with my everyday life here? "Here" in what now seems somewhat foreign yet at the sametime is my home. "Here" where if I am honest I just want to pick up what I normally do day to day and not really think about those precious faces of woman sewing with Jacaranda Ministry or of Janetta, "my" hospice lady or "my" sweet slum family, (Virgina, Shiko, Mary, Penny, ...

This is our last day here in Nairobi.  Actually we head for the airport at 6pm tonight.  I am ready to be home.  I miss my family, friends, my own home, my dogs, you know the usual.   BUT yesterday I said good-bye to some of the Jacaranda sewing ladies and realized how special it has been to meet these ladies, walk were they work, hear their stories and just hug them.  They are beautiful and their lives have blessed me.  They are excited about the work they are doing and I pray many blessings upon their hands! Brenda and I also went back to Marurui Slum.  I needed to see family one more time and Brenda was missing them as well.   My breath was taken away when we entered their home.  It was clean, brighter, they had hung pretty materials over the cardboard walls, and over their furniture.  Mom looked bright and in her right mind. She hugged us and smelled of soap and powder.  Baby Kevin was sleeping peacefully on the bed.  There really are no words to express the changes Christ has made...

Today is the one year anniversary of the death of a sweet lady and friend Melissa Schuler. I am blessed to have had the privilege to honor her on this day by visiting a hospice houses in Nairobi. How incredibly ironic? Teddy, I am thinking of you today! You are an amazing friend and Melissa loved you greatly! I will always remember being with you at Melissa's side. I pray your day has been filled with peace and amazing memories. The hospice was so not what I was expecting or prepared for. My heart is so sad tonight. I don't want to write too much and make everyone reading this sad too. But I have had several requests to hear about this experience that I feel the need to share a bit now. I am sure in weeks to come I will be able to process and share better. This hospice is affiliated with the Kenyatta Hospital. It opened in the early 1990's. Sounds great...here we are 2009, but no. Before I complain too much let me just say I don't mean it personally I believe ...

If you ever have the chance to go on Safari you should. Don't talk yourself out of it because of money or time. If you know you are going to a place like Africa start saving you pennies now. Monday we left for two days in the Masai Mara. That is where the Masai Tribe lives...or at least a lot of them. The are the really tall, dark African's that wear a lot of earrings and jewelry. They also wrap themselves in beautifully colored cloths, mostly reds. Red scares the lions. Yep... the Mara...were you can ride in a van or jeep, stand up with you head out of the roof looking for wild animals. The scenery is beautiful. For me, it was an awesome feeling being so close to nature. Even though it is extremely bumpy, (my left arm is bruised from bumping against the jeep) I found is exciting and relaxing. A chance to take in creation in its natural setting and a chance to not think about much of anything. Except were those lions going to succeed at killing those water buffalo? ...

I am starting to lose track of the days, but yes it is Sunday...Day 8 since we left. It has been difficult to write with the internet going in and out. Plus yesterday we just relaxed and I had my first hot shower. Water is a growing problem with no rain during this rainy season. I haven't even explained all about that. But it is affecting the Kean's home as well. People are hoarding and selling it to folks in the slum, who can't afford it. It just seems to go along with everything else with a corrupt government and lack of caring for its people. I do want to explain better the events of last Friday in the Marurui Slum. I was supposed to go out and meet Lillian with the Masaai, but the word of Mom Mary's salvation and sick babies quickly spread by the women who also attend New Song Nairobi church here, decided they wanted to go clean her home in the slum. So with Brenda's help financially buying cleaning supplies, bug killer and basket to wash and organize c...

It was a good day! Learned Mom Mary gave her brew business to her daughter. HA...but no more...Sarah a Jacaranda sewing lady offered her the money they would make for it if she through it away. Daughter ran out crying and asking to accept Jesus! She did. The Brew was thrown away. The light is crowding out the darkness. Jacaranda sewing ladies cleaned Mom Mary and family's home today. The community of Christ serving one another in the slums.

We were at the Marurui Slum by 8:15 this morning to pick up MomMary (kinda making up her name by the way. It's complicated. She lives with her Mom, "Grandma", her 23 year old daughter, her 4 year old granddaughter, her pregnant 19 year old, ,another daughter ...age ???, Breatrice and baby Kevin) . We were there to take Kevin for his immunizations. They were not ready to go when we got there, but they were trying and Mary (the 19 yo) was ready and going along. Her english is better. She is beautiful and 8 months pregnant. The good news is both children looked better. Beatrice was cleaner and no fever that I could tell. Still horrible cough and look of fatigue. Kevin was much brighter and more awake. Brenda and I both felt encouraged. Mom was actually trying to feed him something like oatmeal from a cup. He was struggling with it, there was no spoon involved. They had given all the medicines correctly best we could tell. It was horribly dark in there. It is so ...