Today was crazy. A long church service in Kikuyu, lots of smiles, waves, hellos, and hand -shakes; and a lot of being stared at. The church service was unlike anything I have experienced. It definitely was a community event with many different speakers, songs, offerings and sharing. I did recognize the tune of “What a friend we have in Jesus”, which was comforting and just what I needed later in the day, the lyrics of that song ringing in my head. It was surreal to have my dream realized—swinging in circles with a girl from the church on a rural road. The people were so welcoming. I am so thankful that my stomach has been handling the food weel. In the afternoon we walked a long way to the nearest town—past banana trees, fields of chai plants, and coffee plantations. We stopped several places with our “tour guide” and friend speaking with people he knows, including with a group of teenagers who loved our cameras. Teenage boys are pretty similar here… It was pretty overwhelming to be stared at by everyone, since we are some of the first muzugus to visit this area. Many townspeople wanted to shake our hands. It is a blessing but very overwhelming. I did cave and call home but I’m so glad I did. It was encouraging to be prayed for and to know that I am supported by my parents for my time here. I know this season of adjustment is hard, but it is such a short time. I remarked to Jennie today that while we cried tears of being overwhelmed upon arrival, I’m sure we’ll cry out of gratitude and sadness when we leave in August. I also talked with my mentor here which was so encouraging—it’s normal to be emotional and overcome in a new culture and being surrounded by a foreign language. Later on, we had a wonderful meal of chapati- a tortilla like thing with amazing beans and vegetables. I think I’m going to gain weight here and I definitely want to bring chapati back to the USA. We’ve had fun teaching a few English words to the grandmother we’re staying with including many repetitions of “Yum!” and “good!!” at meals.
What a
difference a good night’s sleep makes. Today, Monday, has been such a day of
renewal. Last night was rough, but rejoicing comes in the morning. I slept well
and was ready to meet the students, teachers, and visit the classrooms. We
received a warm welcome and the students sang “Father Abraham” a song we sang
with the Sunday school students yesterday at church. We visited each classroom and
heard the names of each child and learned a little bit of what they were
studying. While at the morning assembly I was encouraged to notice that I
brought enough pencils for each child here to have at least one—so encouraging
to know that my prayers while shopping for school supplies were answered. During
their long recess Jennie and I brought out our cameras and had so much fun
taking pictures of their poses and rejoicing with them in laughter after
looking at them. At the end of the recess time the teacher in me started a game
of “duck duck goose” which the students of every age caught on to quickly and
enjoyed. I can’t wait to start teaching and to learn so much from the people
here.
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