Broken...

hearts, vans, & one leg in two places...not  mine, our Deaconess who is also our fearless leader, broke her leg while going through the Kibera slums on a home visit :(  Sometimes the unexpected happens whether you are in Kenya or at home.  So our team's hearts are breaking in a new way for Linda & Sue who will travel back sooner than expected.  Linda will need to have surgery & the decision was made to put on a cast & go home to follow through with the care.  They hope to leave tomorrow evening on the 10 pm flight  which is the only flight out.

The rest of the team is well & worked hard to unpack a cargo container that had been sent full of donations that needed to be sorted.  It's amazing to think that even with these donations, once distributed the need will still not be quenched.  Rockie worked on finishing the tile in one of the classrooms & it now looks fabulous!

We were able to place desks in two of the classrooms where there were only benches with a narrow table top.  The teachers all received a proper desk and a file cabinet for storage.  I was able to meet with two of the teachers today during the school holiday.  I will be going to work in the classrooms on Monday as well.

The van broke down twice yesterday on the way home; both times our driver took out a tool box & got to work.  The last time we were close to home so some hopped into Pastor Meeker's car to go home, while the rest of the team got a taxi to go home.  The driver stayed behind with the van & called for help to fix the problem.  The van is fine & so are we,  just a bit bummed to lose more team members.

Kisumu Adventures!

Today we are back in Nairobi & feeling like we're back at "home".  We spent a few days in Kisumu visiting Dago Support Group of widows & orphans.  They have many self-sustaining projects to generate income for food, medical needs and daily needs.  Some of the projects are raising goats, growing vegetables and a Tilapila pond.  Unfortunately, the drought caused the pond to dry up & the community has lost their fish.  They hope to restock once funds are available.  During introductions of our team, I mentioned meeting Rose at Dago two years ago, and the Pastor pointed out Rose was there that day as well.  We both looked at each other & squealed in recognition, running into each other's arms while embracing with great joy!  We were a real part of the community that day, worshipping, singing, serving & sharing.  Such suffering but also great joy about the small gifts we gave that day; some maize, soap & a mosq no toysuito net seem so insignificant to us, but are nothing short of life-giving to these women & children.

We also visited a orphan house filled with 22 children supported by Pastor Dennis & Deaconess Lorna with the help of sponsors.  We brought with us donations from St. John; many shoes & St. John T-shirts.  The shoes, especially a pair of green Crocs ;), and the St. John shirts were a huge hit.  the children shared dinner, songs, stories and children's games as the evening unfolded.  The kids really loved to have movies taken of them with my camera &  wanted to see themselves right away.  They would all groan when each movie ended.  The girls sang a song with the words "I'm no longer the same, I'm no longer the same.  Jesus has came and changed my life, I'm no longer the same" which I took a movie of while fighting back tears.  This is the exact story of their lives; they have literally been lifted out of slums, garbage, raw sewage, and extremely dangerous situations and given a family in this house, love, food & safe shelter.  Unbelievable to see how well the children played with absolutely no toys; they played with rocks, dirt, found objects like bike tires to amuse themselves.  They loved all the attention & "gifts"; new clothing & shoes for those who could fit the shoes we brought.  It is pure joy to hear their stories of life out of such desperation.  Dennis & Lorna don't even know how they will continue to raise these children, but they know that God will continue to provide!

I was finally able to post a slide show on the team blog, so please check it out & comment!  We will get back to working at the school in Kibera fixing up classrooms.  I will try to post more pictures on the team blog, so keep checking back in  :)

Thanks for your comments;)

Goat tastes like....ummm, goat!  A bit greasy for my taste, but definitely NOT like chicken!  That Massai Wedding was awesome & a great honor to attend; who gets to do that?!  Skyping firstgradeland on Monday was a bit odd as well...so far away & we were connected!

Yesterday we went to Dago Support Community and spent an amazing day.  We gave away a mosquito net (to prevent Malaria), maize, and a bar of laundry soap to each household.  The women lifted the bags up on their heads, wanted us to "take a picture of me with food!" and sang praises to God as we took shelter on the covered porch during a small rain shower.  Yes, I took pictures & video :)  Can't wait to share them both with all of you!!  Love to all back home, thanks for reading & commenting; it's so good to "hear" voices from home as the days are very long, but they are so full of Blessings & the Spirit of God is upon every moment!

Hey, Firstgradeland!

This one is obviously for my first graders;)  We went to a Maasai village today & visited with the congregation.  We were surprised by the invitation to a Maasai wedding & feast.  We actually ate goat meat & chapati flatbread.  I didn't get sick...yet!  Stay tuned on that one;p  I was able to chat on Skype with Mr. Nelson & Caleb tonight, which was wonderful.  Tomorrow we will attend church at Springs of Life, where I am sure to see some of the students I made friends with on Friday!  Looking forward to your comments!  Blessings to you!

We Are Here, We Are Here, We Are Here!!

That's what I actually thought when we finally arrived at the Jomo airport!  It's not Whoville, but I always reference either songs or children's literature... It truly was a homecoming for me & the others who have been here before.

It is Good Lord to be Here is the old Lutheran hymn that ran through my head when we arrived at the Luther Guesthouse.  Seeing Lorna and Pastor Dennis was energizing to the entire team.  Much needed sleep & a great breakfast fueled us up for the day's events.  There is a young lady, named Alissa from Concordia Irvine, who is serving in Kawangware with street children.  She reminds me so much of Amanda (see her Blog in the link section) in her zeal for serving the "least of these".

The team & I spent the day at Springs of Life School, which is now named Lutheran Academy.  This school has been imprinted on my heart since my last trip here.  There is a new school building and restoration happening to the previously burned old school building.  One of the projects we will be working on is  painting & decorating the "Baby Class" for the 2 1/2 -3 year olds; in reality most of the work will be done by Rockie with artistic input on the decorating end by the rest of us :)

I was thrilled to work with several teachers today & especially the Class 1 & Class 2 teacher; which is Kenya's version of 1st & 2nd grades.  I took dictation stories from the children & we worked on reading their stories.  The children were very excited to see their own words in print!  Some students stayed after school for almost an hour to get another story writing time with me.  Some children sang a song that is just like the Tooty Ta song we sing in my 1st grade class in Michigan!  I took lots of pictures & videos ;) I taught them the All Around the World song I got from a Hong Kong International School music CD;  can't get any more cross-cultural than that!

Looking forward to a Massai village tomorrow; not looking forward to the two hour drive on the "real Kenyan" roads ;P   I'm so excited for Sunday because I'll finally get an opportunity to worship at Springs of Life Lutheran Church in Kibera!

Stay tuned for more...  Good Night Firstgradeland, Gary & Caleb!!  OX

Ready? Steady? GO!

I love that I'm married to the only other person who gets me enough to say, "If you die over in Kenya at least you're doing what you love."

 I'm getting the last ends tied up to head out to Kenya this Wednesday.  NO, I'm not packed; everyone keeps asking me that!  I'm only taking a carry on and a backpack.  I'm also taking the same dirt colored clothing I took two years ago.  Oh, and this really sweet baby doll for a little girl my family sponsors.  Really, the hardest thing about packing is the < 3 oz. & 1 quart sized bag thing. 

The other difficult thing is one of our team members & my friend probably won't be able to come because he's so sick.  That impacts our team quite a bit since he was going to be the techie & photog.  Our challenges keep mounting: power rationing, drought, recent violence. 

One thing remains unchanged...Our Heavenly Father.  He does not shift like the sand (or Kenyan dust!).   He remains steadfast in His constant care and love for us, especially when the challenges increase.  Life is tough, but God IS Faithful! 

Pray for our checked baggage filled with medical supplies, clothing & shoes,  to make it through Kenyan customs without causing hefty bribes to be requested.  Pray for the health & safety of our team: Linda, Karen, Shani, Sue, Rockie & me.  Pray for wholeness & healing for Kirk.

Going Home?

Going back to Kenya seems like returning home; people I dearly love, places I've longed for, and a land so beautiful it makes my heart ache. I even recall the dust fondly! Yes, I felt at home there...yet I wonder what I will find when I get there. Much has changed since 2007. The December 2007 election & the eruption of post-election violence drove me to weep everyday for the people & land I had fallen in love with. People who were in such desperate need before the riots, now had lost all hope; it seemed as though the world had turned upside down. I was at such a loss to even grasp the fullness of how this changed life for hundreds I had just met. Fear for the Meekers gripped my heart & drove me to my knees.

2009 finds Kenya in the midst of a severe drought, placing those who already have so little in an even more tenuous position; crops have failed, animals dying, water becoming increasingly scarce. What will the 2009 team be faced with? Only God knows. By His Grace & Mercy we will serve in any way necessary. Will there be challenges? Certainly. Will our hearts break anew? Most assuredly. Will God be there in the midst of all the suffering? Count on it! Will we see hope & joy even in great suffering? We sure will...He gives hope to the hopeless.

16 days...1/2 way around the world...7 people..only by the Grace of our Father!