Harusi

350 guests on a hot Kenyan day under a tin-roofed church, loud worship and lots of dancing.  The wedding I attended yesterday was so different than any I have ever experienced!  But there were so many wonderful things in it - I'll try to sum up just a few:
Two families, two communities are really being joined together in a Kenyan wedding.  The bride's family is "losing her" to be joined to the man and to establish a home with him.  Relatives and friends come from far and wide to celebrate this important step in the life of the couple.  Just through the joy and excitement of the families as they enter the church, you know they are so happy to see this marriage taking place and they are praising God for what He has done.  The flower girls, bridesmaids, and bride all dance down the aisle to the tune of "I am praising God" - how fitting to be singing a song of praise at this time to the One who orchestrates all to the good of those who love Him!
When the couple says their vows and exchanges rings, family and friends clap and cheer because they are excited about the commitment that is taking place and the new life that is beginning.

I truly was overwhelmed at the expression of joy and celebration evident in the ceremony yesterday.  It was a beautiful picture of Psalm 45,15:  "Led in with joy and gladness, they enter the palace of the king."  Joy and gladness were very much present in God's house as all celebrated yesterday!

Isn't our God amazing in all He is and does?  Isaiah 63,7 says, "I will tell of the kindnesses of the Lord, the deeds for which he is to be praised, according to all that the Lord has done for us - yes, the many good things he has done for the house of Israel, according to his compassion and many kindnesses."  Every day we can stand up and sing a song of praise to Jesus because "His mercies are new every morning" and His faithfulness is surely great.

Have a blessed Sunday!
Heather

Worship team

2 of the 6 flower girls - dancing down the aisle :)

the beautiful bride!

Kisumu

The matatu is a crazy but also humorous Kenyan form of transport.  Imagine 15-20 people crammed into a 12 passenger van, along with luggage, kids, and the occasional chicken.  It can be loud, hot, and very squished!  Add to that three vehicle changes, resulting in a 2-hour trip being doubled, and you can see what our trip to Kisumu was like.

Despite all the hassle of getting there, we encountered many helpful and friendly people in town who helped us find where we were going.  I enjoyed having my first pizza in Kenya, as well as a cappucino :)  Thought since Kenya exports a lot of coffee it would be easy to find here, but that has not been my experience.

On Saturday morning we took a boat ride on Lake Victoria to view some hippos.  About 20 of them were in a herd and we got quite close to them!  We were also able to shop at the local Maasai market and find lots of beautiful, hand-crafted gifts.

Tonight more volunteers arrive on the farm, so things will continue to be busy.

Thanks for continuing to remember me in your prayers!

Heather

View of Kisumu

In a tuk tuk on the way to the lake

the Hippos!

Lake Victoria

our boat

Some of the wildlife on the lake

beautiful Kenyan sunset just a few minutes from the farm

:)  love this little girl!

„And a little child will lead them“ - Isaiah 11

It’s amazing how fearless and intuitive kids often are!  They will try something, when we are cautious, or remember something, when we’ve forgotten.  On Saturday afternoon, Anna, Katie, and I took a matatu to nearby Webuye Falls (aka Broderick Falls).  After an hour or so of being crammed into a severely overcrowded van (J), we arrived at the town of Webuye.  It took quite a bit of negotiation to get a good price for a piki piki, but it was worth it!  About 5 km. of stony, hilly road would have been more than we were up to walking at the time!  The falls themselves are beautiful and much more extensive than I had imagined.  After asking around, we found a path that would lead us around the side of a cliff and to the source of the falls.  As usual, there were plenty of kids around who were glad to show us the easiest way to get to our destination.  It’s wonderful to have such enthusiastic guides at your fingertips!  One of the girls also helped us cross the water, making sure we didn’t fall in :) .  We had a fabulous view and a relaxing couple of hours enjoying the water and the surroundings.

Tomorrow we start work on a small project – repairing the gate to Epico Jahn’s Primary School and painting it.  Let me rephrase that:  having the gate repaired in town and then painting it ourselves.  Glad to have something to work on now that school is out though! 

We plan on traveling to Kisumu on Friday for the weekend – hoping to see some hippos and buy some hand-crafted jewelry!

Kwaheri,
Heather

Webuye Falls

Made it all the way to the top!

Concentrating on not falling in ;)

Some difficult things to think about...

I have learned so much over the past few days through seeing extreme poverty and grief. 

On Thursday, Anna and I went to the funeral of a student who lost his father, along with Mr. Wanyonyi, Mr. Ochieng, and three other students.  When we arrived at the family's farm, we proceeded inside the house to view the body.  Some other family members gathered inside as one of the teachers started singing a praise song (similar to “On Christ the solid rock I stand”).  Everyone joined in in harmony, and it was really moving to see so many people lifting their hearts to Jesus in trust and hope!  During the following prayer, a baby reached out to touch my shoulder and I was able to hold her hand.  Her face and eyes remain etched in my memory, and I wonder what her life will be like in 10, 20 years?

Afterwards, we went outside to a tent where about 50 people were gathered.  Both teachers gave a short message in a mixture of Swahili and Kibukusu and all those attending were very welcoming to us.   After returning to school, we prepared for the talent show that was happening in the evening.  It was really neat to see how many students showcased their talent and did a very good job.  Acts ranged from dance to song to drama.  Anna, Katie, and I sang “Stand by me” with the help of a few students singing back-up.  It was interesting to spend time with the students “outside” of school and have fun!  We also judged the acts and gave the top 5 performers prizes.

Today was the last day of the term, which meant:  Form 1 and 2 students went home for 3 weeks, no classes were held, and the faculty had a meeting to review the past term and plan for the upcoming term.  After the meeting, we headed to the home of a Form 3 student, Maurice.  He lives about an hour away from Kabula, so we took a matatu to a nearby town, and from there, a piki piki.  It was so humbling to see his village and the compound on which his family lives.  They have a one room hut which is used for eating, sleeping, and living space.  They hadn’t eaten for the past 3 days, yet still managed to prepare a large dinner for us of cassava ugali and fish.   The leftovers were then eaten by the family.  I felt awful eating their food when I knew I could easily go without and was assured of a meal this evening.  It was especially difficult to see the mother and daughter who are HIV-positive.  This family is in such great need, particularly since the father passed away.  The girls were thrilled to get a pink jump rope and small stuffed animal. ..probably the first real toys they have ever owned.  :(  I brought a package of sillybandz which I gave to all the kids we met.  They were a little shy at first, having never seen a mzungu before, but were happy to get something colorful to wear!

There’s probably a lot more I could write, but I’ll stop for tonight.  Whatever you’re doing, wherever you are, think about all the many things you have to be thankful for.  Even on what seems like the worst day, we have so much to thank God for and praise Him for all His goodness!

It’s a privilege to have shoes to wear.

It’s a privilege to have drivable roads.

It’s a privilege to be healthy.

It’s a privilege to have easy access to education.

It’s a privilege to have meals to eat every day.

It’s a privilege to have parents who love you and provide for you.

Now I’m left thinking about what Jesus would have me do and how I can share His love in a practical way…

Until next time,

Heather

The sweetest little girls!

The kids with all their sillybandz on

Myself, Katie, Maurice, and Anna

Rafting on the Nile

Rafting down the first waterfall

All geared up to go!

I'm sitting on the right-hand side, 2nd from the front :)

Just returned from a weekend in Jinja, Uganda and am so thankful for what a wonderful experience it was!

We left on Friday afternoon to take the bus from Bungoma to Jinja.  Should be a 2.5 hour trip, but with police checks, immigration at the Ugandan border, and other interruptions, it ended up taking just over 4 hours.  Someone from Nalubale Rafting picked us up at the bus depot, though, and took us to the Nile River Camp which is a collection of small cottages and dorms overlooking the Nile at Bujugali Falls.  The view is absolutely breathtaking!

Having access to running water (even hot!), restaurant on location, electricity, etc made our stay feel very luxurious!

On Saturday morning we joined with 4 other people (2 from Slovakia, 2 from Holland) to go rafting.  Our guide was super friendly and experienced and made me feel very safe :)  Some of the rapids were grade 5, but all was fun and no worries.  The very first part of the water we went down was a 16 foot waterfall!  (Photos coming soon!)  It was incredible!  Throughout the day there were several rapids, as well as still pools where we could jump out and swim.  Definitely was a beautiful day:  exciting and a lot of hard work rowing, but such a wonderful experience!

Oh, and I even got a good burger at dinner on Saturday night!

Uganda is noticeably different from Kenya - more tropical landscape with fruit trees, palms, as well as mountains and rivers.  The people we met were also very friendly and helpful.  Driving to the river we saw pineapples, mangoes, bananas, coffee, sweet potatoes, yucca fruit, and rice being grown, which was fascinating.

Now a little rest before our last week of teaching at the secondary school.  Form 1 and 2 students break for three weeks starting on Friday.

Tutaonana,
Heather

View from the camp, overlooking the Nile

Fenesi - I think this is called yucca in English?  Really want to try some!

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful

Ready to go on the river!

And the driving continues... :)

So today I had my second experience driving, and I must say, it is not as hard as I thought!  Driving in town, however, would be a very different story!

This morning I went with Mr. Wanyonyi to Bumula to take information regarding the National Exam for Form 4 students.  Bumula is around 20 miles from Kabula which means driving on lots of dirt roads :)  On the way back, he let me drive almost the entire way, so I made it from starting the car all the way to 4th gear!  I also stalled once, so I got to start again.  Was able to maneuver the potholes, motorcyclists, pedestrians, animals, and everything!

Now I'm sitting in the cyber and it is pouring outside.  It's funny that here the saying really is true, "When it rains, it pours!"

Tomorrow Katie, Anna, Pandora and I travel to Jinja, Uganda to go rafting on Saturday.  Looking forward to an unforgettable experience!

Below you'll find some pictures of the school where I am teaching.  Took them my first week but haven't had a chance to upload them till now.

Take care,
Heather

Mr. Wanyonyi

The computer lab

School bathrooms, aka "long drops"

A group of girls walking home from school

Orphanage, Birthday, and a few other things

Just a few pictures from the past couple of days so that you see what I've been up to.  I had a really nice birthday yesterday - enjoyed getting cards and watching the amazing video Mike made for me :)  Spent time relaxing and then went to a nearby orphanage to play with the kids.  Anna brought paints, paper, and crayons, so the kids had a blast drawing and painting.  And then painting their faces, and so on.  It's really difficult to see so many children who have not experienced much love in their lives and who are lacking so many comforts.  There are few toys for them to play with and 29 children in one house.  We hope to be able to return and spend more time getting to know the children!

Yesterday evening, Anna, Katie and I went to dinner at the Red Hat in Bungoma.  Our dinner was very good and a nice change from what we have usually been eating.  The owner even had a cake made for me!  A mix between a carrot cake and a spice cake, minus the frosting.  But complete with a lit candle for me to blow out.

I'm finally feeling close to healthy and over this cold/sore throat I've been fighting.  So thankful for that and for all your prayers!

Tutaonana,

Heather

Two boys from the orphanage

All of the children at the orphanage with the pictures they drew!

Mixed veggies at dinner.  Tamu sana!

My specially made birthday cake !

Yes, this is what it looks like.  A hen laid an egg on the plush chair.