days 14 - 17 weds. - saturday 😁

it is saturday early evening, and i just had THE MOST FUN I HAVE HAD IN A LONG TIME!!!  i seriously love playing with beach balls so so much. i know that is weird, but it is true ❤️ we packed 20 beach balls just to have a couple hours of wild and crazy in the dining hall. it was pure insanity, and i loved every stinking minute. by the end, there were four of us who played "keep the ball in the air" for over an hour. the concentration and flexibility -- whew!!! it is a memory i will long remember... my legs won't forget for a few days, for sure 🤦‍♀️

pre-insanity preparation.

pure unadulterated joy!!!

and before that, we were at a district church service for almost three hours, with about 90% being sung and spoken in swahilii. say less.

but!!! they promoted our book donation drive, and that was a blessing 🙌. we need books to fill the library shelves in homabay.

and if today wasn't full enough, we just made ten beds in the apartment on the other side of "my" apartment 🙃 (a group of nine coming in tomorrow for just 1.5 days) with bella and at least ten girls. i can now say i know how to assemble mosquito nets... think tent 🥴. the girls make everything a party 🥳 

oh my. i am sitting here to write this post, and my legs are aching. a lot. tomorrow will be very interesting 🥴

all right, time to try and remember three days' worth of life. i have been taking photos and keeping them organized for the sole purpose of helping me recall what we did. so, there is hope 🤪

wednesday we walked to a widow's (zipporah) home to take food supplies and see what critical needs we can provide. first up will be beds. they have none. actually, there is a bed frame with piled up clothes as the mattress. you never get used to seeing this level of poverty. and God forbid if i do. it is just not okay. ironically, they don't complain. most everyone they know lives like them. the old adage, "comparison is the thief of joy" works to their advantage, i suppose. 

not just here, ev-er-y-where... there are kids. all ages, all adorable. they are so loving and sweet, your heart melts. into a puddle. the median age in kenya is 20.3 meaning half the population is younger than that (global average is 31).

it is a privilege to help the poor. thank you, Father, very much for allowing us to help in little ways. 

wednesday afternoon, we had creative arts day 2. esther and i each have ten girls to teach; it is awesome to get to know them a little more individually. each has a unique personality ✨️, i just love them... 

thursday was another special and amazing day!!! martin (pastor and clean water ministry friend) worked with his locals in nyachange to organize soccer matches just for us ❤️. we took five girls with us and equipped them with the host team's colors to show our appreciation 😊 everyone absolutely considers it an honor to have americans around them. it is so crazy humbling because we are all the same. they love seeing white people. 

there's a story behind this picture, of course there is. a random man walks up holding out a chicken. her legs banded together meant one thing. tonight's dinner 😭 i think he thought it would freak me out to have a chicken close to me? who knows. little did he know, he walked up to possibly one of the biggest animal lovers on the planet. i take her and hold her the next two hours. when i put water into a water bottle lid to give her drinks... their looks of disbelief were priceless!!!! animals here are not pets. they are either food or milk product. when i had to give her back, i made him promise to not eat her. he promised, but i know better. at least she had the probably best two hours of her short life. 

and now friday! for the fifth time, i visited hyline and her family. she is wife to the lutheran bishop. they have three biological kids and provide a good home to fifteen more. they always give such a warm welcome, just making you feel so welcomed and loved. esther and i were each given fresh flowers with a sweet note of gratitude for coming to see them 🥹. one photo is of dalton and me. he is my boy. i met him in june of 2024 and something about him just drew me in. in january, we got him into a boarding school with an excellent academic record. he is very grateful for such an opportunity. i am too. just love his heart. he's so polite, makes great eye contact, and just speaks perfect english.

we got back home, and i spent rest of the day doing paperwork. super thrilled to report we received our first two job applications for the omboga community center program director! woot! and they both appear to be qualified with degrees and experience ☺️. this is really happening, pinch me!

❤️

the culture here is sooo different. i wish i could bottle it and bring it back. every trip, it seeps into me more. their ways teach me things about community, joy, humility, hospitality, service, physical labor, singing, smiling, not complaining. and laughing. God, i love it here. it makes me realize how little i need to be happy. and yet, i love my other home too. i can hold both. they are opposite sides of the same coin.