it's another beautiful weather day in nairobi. high low 80s and lows mid 60s. our time clocks are adjusting slowly, and my sinuses are appreciative to be off airplanes. they will rejoice getting to homabay tomorrow and breathing country air ❤️

monday we found ourselves in our normal position of sitting around outdoor tables drinking white coffee and eating fresh fruits and fresh vegetables... one of the beauties of living in an area where people rely on produce to eat and to sell. stephen and bella were here, and we sat many hours talking through how things should be set up at the homabay community center. the vision unfolded as we worked through what the village needs and hopes for. the people have never had a gathering place to learn and fellowship. 

the building itself is a very large open air building with two rooms in the rear where the library and coffee shop will live 🥹. we discussed the two staff positions we will need. first is a caretaker. stephen has his eye on someone already whom i will meet soon. the caretaker will live onsite in the small front building that will have a large furnished room for him, an office, and access to the community water 💧 😀. he will provide security and property access, take care of grounds, and care for any animals we decide upon 😁. 

the second position will be a program coordinator who will oversee the library, manage schedule of programs and meetings, and teach and tutor in literacy. we agreed it makes sense to start small and adjust before realizing we are overwhelmed with the response. we will be open 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. six days a week. there will be responsibilities and expectations for using the community center. we will offer courses as well as villagers can host meetings, groups, and vocational trainings. 

and we need a part-time barista. taking applications 😁 if you are looking for an opportunity of adventure.

group size is 25, and is for ages ten and up. i can so see in my mind's eye. people coming and going continuously with books and learning materials in hand. God gave the vision for the community center exactly one year ago; to know, it is really happening just chokes me up. 

with 5.6 million people living in nairobi, how does stephen know what seems like half of them? it comes in very handy when negotiating 😆. tuesday, we scored the mother lode for both furniture and books!!

the gentleman in green is shadrach. he will be the woodworker who will custom make all the furniture for my home. all from a beautiful mahogany wood that we selected -- an 8' farm table, beds, nightstands. he will also make the couches and chairs with a beautiful navy corduroy fabric. all made to my dreams for a price that made both me and him very very happy. 

evidence for the love of Christ is in the smallest and most unexpected of places 💕

and joy of all joys!!! a half-price bookstore!!!! our library began in earnest! every genre possible with offerings for every preference. build it and they will come! the love of reading is one of the best simple pleasures in life 😌

an alley cat on the prowl for any morsel of food. 

and this beauty doesn't have to roam an alley. he is always present here at the sportsview hotel restaurant. he doesn't beg, you just know he appreciates anything that falls to the ground. 

well, it is tuesday evening. esther and i have been lingering at 'our' dinner spot for over an hour while american country music plays. maybe they needed a change from afro beats. it feels oddly weird and perfect at the same time. la la salama 😴

days 2 - 4

we did it. whew. the jouney here was longgg. after the start/stop of thursday, it started for real for real 😳. dragging the 200 lbs. again, we make flight #1 indy to newark. plenty of connection time, so we had lunch and played many rounds of rummy. flight #2 was to brussels, belgium. we sat boarded for two hours due to lightning strikes in area. nothing like adding time onto a 7.5 hour flight. barely make connection, but we did! flight #3 was belgium to kilimanjaro. what, huh? yip. the flight goes past nairobi to kilimanjaro. 9 more hours. stay boarded and flight #4 leaves for final destination with only 30 more minutes of flying!!!!

as we were waiting onboard for final flight, esther is hungry and finds large bag of someone's leftover beef jerky. even for me, i was like no thanks. kinda weird. she starts chowing it. and starts choking. i am like why have we had so much craziness to get here? you'd have to know esther to understand this, but the drama that ensued was hilarious. she wasn't for real choking, but she's convinced it is stuck in her nose, ears, and throat. i can't make this up. now she swears off beef jerky for the rest of eternity. 

we arrive about 11:30 p.m. thank you, Father!!!

stephen! so great to hug my kenyan son 🥹 he is so considerate and kind to me. steadfast stephen is what he is. deb was also steadfast. one of the very last things i said to her before she died unexpectedly was, "you are one of the most steadfast people i have ever known." i am up and down and all around, and i have always noticed and appreciated that trait. it isn't a common one. 

we get to the same room where lydia and i stay, and read the Word and thank Jesus for His traveling mercies. even though the travel took three days total, i remind myself, He is always on time. we fall asleep around 1:30 a.m. and sleep until noon!!!!!! oh, Heaven on earth!!!! i don't have to sneeze, cough or blow my nose a thousand times for ten hours!!!! my sinuses are still a wreck, but improving. i think. had three days of antibiotics thankfully. 

we have outdoor brunch under banyan tree. it is all so familiar. we are content. enjoy longgg brunch... power smoothie, white coffee, fresh fruit, oatmeal, hard boiled eggs. uh-maz-ing. 

i convince esther to come to the steam room with me 😆 again, you'd have to know her, but she is uber modest. me, not hardly at all. i told her there'd be many naked african women in it with us. she said, "well, i am leaving my clothes on!" but she did it! not naked, but she came in and stayed even with naked ladies all around her 😜. she experienced something new!!! i encourage her often to try new things, it is good for us to do different things!!! my lungs were so grateful to breath lavender infused steam!!! it was the deepest i have been able to breathe without coughing for weeks 🥹

and now we rest the remainder of this Sabbath. no words for how grateful we are to be here; tomorrow we start the work we came to do ❤️.

blessing in disguise 🥸

yesterday was interesting, umhmm. all ready to go. 200 lbs. of luggage checked in, starbucks in hand. and no. all planes delayed. everybody rebooked for today. but if you gotta be stuck, at least we know the language 🥹. 

i have been battling a stupid sinus infection for weeks. did every self-help remedy known to mankind. by yesterday, i felt like crap. 

i call greg for help on finding us a hotel with urgent care nearby. we get our 200 lbs. of luggage back and go to embassy suites in plainfield 🤪. go to urgent care and get antibiotics, thank you Jesus for this delay!!!! 

back to hotel. play rummy and do door dash. so happy. then tornado sirens blaring and everyone heads to meeting room ground floor. 

sleep some. uber back to airport with 200 lbs. (exactly!!!) of luggage in tow. 

good news is we are ready to board for newark with doxycycline in my pocket. yay!!!

newark, brussels, nairobi arriving about midnight there saturday night. Lord willing. 

sunday recovery. and Sabbath. HE is always kind. 

trip #6 🥰

 june 11 - july 12, 2026

nairobi, homabay, kisii 🩷🩷💛🩷

our guiding Scripture.

day 30 - 31 : )

i have been home for two weeks. it seems like i left kenya sooo long ago. i hit the ground running both directions, it seems 🤪.

for nostalgic sentiment, i want to post the few photos i took. they were good days. saying 'so long' isn't as hard when you plan to return (Lord willing 😊); stephen comes to the dark side after two years and drinks coffee ☕️😁; of course, our drive takes nine hours because of a flat tire which ensures you are pushing making your flight; you see the moon and love that it looks identical to the photos you take 8,800 miles away; you finally make it through three hours of long lines, baggage, security and customs checks, and then you wait at the gate. and wait. 

and after a very, very long day, you are back where you started and sign up to do it again in june. because, how can i not?

days 28 and 29

hakuna matata, i can almost feel you slipping away. all it took was talking with an airline representative about seat selection, and boom! i am entering a different world. time for big girl panties.

it is thursday morning. i am having coffee and sending nyt word games to anne. just like i have done since early january. i am pretty well packed. stephen picks me up at 11:30 for the long drive to nairobi. then 15-hour flight to new york, definitely not for sissies. i have a good book and lots to think about though, so maybe the hours will fly (😆 get it?!)

tuesday was amazing!!! stephen and i went to homabay to meet with the area representatives, almost the same group we met in november. the difference was that in november, it was just talk. big ideas. and now?! they were blown away!!!! in three short months, the big ideas had become big realities! everyone in the village is so very curious about what is happening in their little forgotten village. over and over, we heard "support", "embrace", "welcome", and "we are behind everything that is happening here." we explained the few things we know -- water for the community, a library and programs focused on adult literacy and reading, a donkey mobile library (this was the moment they knew this was awesomely crazy 😆,) and a coffee shop. the rest is wide open for them to decide what can benefit the community the most. it was just a great way to show off that we mean business 💕

everything here just screams, "POSSIBILITIES!!!"

we were gone all day. people just hang around and talk. there is never a hurry. just be in the moment, catch up, laugh. 

yesterday, was just work on many things still in progress -- employment contracts, washing windows, tagging and packing crafts, see cute and dirty faces, be impressed with the cubbies that lucas and dismus are building for the girls' clothes, talk with my family here. it's a beautiful life. 

(alex, judy, and lucy in their new glasses!)

Father, thank you. a million thank yous 🦋💕🥹

days 25 - 27 🥹

100 days. that's about how many days i was here over the last year. that explains why this life feels normal now. it is my extended family. i wish i could capture the sights and sounds and smells and take them in my suitcase. the deep love and joy are tucked safely in my heart until the next trip. the people here have changed me. my hope is i can carry the lessons back to america. the feeling of hakuna matata living may you never ever leave me. 

a sense of, i don't know the word, creeps in at this point each trip. i realize i don't actually live here. i will go back with a knowing that i have family, friends, and animals on two continents. it's a bridge i will cross over both directions many, many times is my prayer. i have no real sense of how God is working ahead and behind and through all of it, but i know HE is. i feel like i am in HIS audience anticipating what the next scene holds. i hope everyone has this same sense... trusting HIM with your future with hope and excitement. JESUS works everything out for our good and HIS glory. even when we don't see it or understand it, HE is. may we rest on that always. 

and now it will get random because once again, the days are busy and my mind gets jumbled. if i haven't taken pictures, then i am hosed 😵‍💫

in no particular order 😆 of days... we hosted a church service here on saturday. it is alex's church where we attend almost every week. over 100 came! we pulled chairs and tables from everywhere,  and somehow it worked really well. the service started at 9 a.m. and ended at 4:15. not.even.kidding. and mostly spoken and sung in swahilii 🤓. i drank strong coffee and changed clothes at lunchtime and settled in because it seemed like there was no end in sight 🤪

{alex, i feel the exact same about you. adore!}

we hired an optician to come onsite sunday. and i got no pictures of any of it 😭. the doctor's name was rehema (meaning mercy). she was such a role model to our girls! intelligent, confident, beautiful, and capable. winny our nurse started with an education session about eye health and medical professions. many of our girls have said they want to be doctors and nurses. they are going to need to work extremely hard in math, english, and integrated sciences to make this a reality. most have not attended school with any regularity.  we wanted to educate them about the numerous specialities that are "doctor". this was career planning in real time. i also wanted to rule out any vision impairments as possible cause to learning deficits. thankfully only one girl (and four staff) need 'spectacles ' as they are called here 🙂

we found donna's future father of her kids 😜

stephen brought me fresh peanut butter (only ingredient: peanuts) and alex brought me honey from his hives. 

alex, bella, and i were on mission yesterday for dozens of odds and ends. every errand is a serious adventure and takes double the time you'd think. and i love that! people everry wherre, and i get so many smiles and waves 👋! i love friendly, happy people 💗 and i love taking street pictures capturing an expression in a moment of time. 

and we got paint samples to take to homabay tuesday!!!!! 

we have been working on tagging the potholders, bracelets, and safari diamond art that will travel back with me. hoping they will sell and money can help take care of these beautiful girls. 

and it has been a crazy amount of printing and collating the national exam assessments all students take before this school terms ends. we have 11 students in 7th grade and 11 in 8th grade. they each take 11 exams over the next four days. the system that kenya uses nationally ranks every student using the exact same grade curriculum regardless of whether they are in private school, boarding school, or public school. scoring performance puts a lot of pressure to do well. most see education as a ticket out of poverty. i know this to be true -- kenyans are some of the most ingenious and hard working people on the planet. they are exceptional. and inspiring. 

one thing i will greatly miss... lucy bringing me an amazing breakfast with large latte every morning. 

one thing i will greatly not miss.... losing power almost every day. randomly. sometimes few minutes, sometimes 24 hours. nope, not sad to leave this one thing 😉