Carpentry, chickens, and wet pants...

Well it has been a while since my last post, and a lot has happened in the in the in-between time. Things have been great, and I have really enjoyed growing in my relationships with all of the kids through playing soccer to the nightly fellowship to simply sitting with them at meals, it has been an amazing time of relationship building. We have all finally gotten settled into our home, for two months, at Tumaini which has been a good adjustment. We are now cooking our own food (mostly with Katie and Lindsey’s expert training from “Mama”). We all, more or less, can make chapati (delicious flat bread), mashed potatoes, peas, beans, rice, and sukama wiki (cabbage and collards). But, let me fill you in on some of the highlights of the past week and a half.

- “The One!”: As I was walking back to the house one afternoon to do a little reading, I walked by Willfred’s house which is directly behind where Adam and I live, and is also partly a chicken house. Adam called out, “Austin, do you know how to catch a chicken?”. I have actually dealt with chickens before, and said, “Yes actually. But, it’s really just trial and error”. I went to help him out, and we tried in vain for about 15 minutes. We chased it in all directions, cornered it, and I almost caught it once by the wing, but it slipped by to freedom and ran into the neighbors yard/farm. I thought all was lost until Willfred, like a glorious light in a dark night, came running up the yard and yelled “That one! The one!” Adam and I were overjoyed to see Willfred the chicken caretaker, and he proceeded to catch the chicken by it’s legs, saying, “Always he is getting out…always”. He tried to convince Adam and me to let him kill the chicken for it’s bad behavior, and the fact that he was, “Fat! Very fat!”. But we convinced Willfred otherwise, insisting that the chicken should live to fly another day. We learned to always look out for “The One” whenever we went to feed chickens.

- “Doreen”: I’m not really sure where to start with Doreen. But, I will start with a note I put in my journal: Doreen is precious and a sweetheart, little girl with an infectious laugh and a love for tickling and being tickled. Although, during a women's conference, I held her in my lap for around 2 hours while she fell asleep, and I realized after it was over that she had peed on me haha. What was worse is that I had to get up in front of the group of women and introduce myself. One of her favorite things to do these days, besides hold my hand and asked to be thrown in the air, is to play a game where she and her sister Faith and a little girl named Monica yell my name Aus”ton,” and then I chase them around the home. I can’t begin to tell you how this little girl melts my heart. On the way back to Tumaini from church, in the cold rain, she held my hand the entire way. The simplicity, innocence, and joy of the children has been something that has really shown me what God meant in Matthew 18:4-5 about having childlike faith.

- “John (The Carpenter)”: For several days, Adam and I have had the privilege to work alongside a man named John while we torn down a wall and built shelves for Tumaini’s bakery. I can’t begin to tell you what an amazing carpenter John is. First, no electrical tools. He uses a hand saw, hammer, square, planer, and a pencil to get the job done. Second, we used wood that was cut, literally, the day before. Thirdly, he allowed two mzunguus to help him with his work, which he could have probably done faster without us. Also, we straightened out old nails to reuse. I like seeing the the three R's (reduce, reuse, and recycle) in effect. Another side note, he consistently responds in a very grandfatherly way by saying, "hmmm..yes...hmmm," to most questions. More than this though, he is extremely humble and always willing to help and very knowledgeable of everything dealing with carpentry.

Well, I have been back in Nairobi for a couple days, and while it has been great to get some rest and relaxation (American food and movies), I miss the kids, the fresh air, and quiet. I can already see how some of the amenities that I enjoy so much about being in a more modern city, are also a distraction. Although not always bad, I have slacked in my daily reading and journaling. But, it has been a great refresher to be here for a couple days and spend some time with the other missionaries. But, I can’t wait to get back to the kids and learn more. Before I left, I was reading a book called "Spotting the Sacred: Noticing God in the Most Unlikely Places" by Bruce Main; it was about how often we miss God's little signs of his presence in our surroundings, activities, and the people around us. I can truly say that I have seen God in every one of these children.

Below is a picture of my girl Doreen

"Tumaini" (Hope)

"The soul is healed by being with children."

- Fyodor Dostoevsky

It’s been quite a week at Tumaini, and it is gorgeous here. The orphanage is back dropped with an amazing mountain range, farms, and Kenyan countryside. Also, it gets very chilly at night: around 50 degrees. But, the kids are amazing! The typical day (and I use that term loosely) always involves breakfast with tea, work of some sort, lunch of potatoes beans rice cabbage, and dinner/discussion with the caretakers (Cecilia and Lawrence). There is so much that I want to tell everyone, but I also don’t want to drone on; so, I will try to keep it as short as possible with bullet points of things that were particularly interesting or funny.

- The “shamba” (farm): I farmed Thursday and Friday last week, which consisted mostly of tilling the land and planting potatoes. It was hard work that left me with several blisters on my hands, but God says it is good to work; and, it was.

- “Selfless and servants”: It was simple, but one of the kids Esther took over my tilling, while I went to get a drink of water, so I wouldn’t fall behind. All of the kids are so disciplined and live with servant’s hearts. Selfless acts are abundant here at Tumaini.

- “Sabina”: she is one of the older children, and has a heartbreaking story. But, her hope in God and her love for singing combine into amazing melody. She asked me to play guitar while she sang two songs she created. The lyrics almost brought me to tears, but her spirit and voice kept me going and were so pure. I felt like my guitar playing actually made the songs worse.

- “Kenyan Church” (aka exercise): It is an exercise of the mind, body, and spirit. From Tumaini, it begins with a 35 minute hike uphill to the church around 9:30. After arriving, everyone stands and sings songs, mostly in Kiswahili. Lots of fun to see the energy: dancing, clapping, and singing at full throttle. Then, Lawrence, a caretaker at Tumaini, spoke for over an hour on forgiveness. I’m not sure that I forgive him for that yet haha (considering that wasn’t even the sermon). Following this, Adam, Katie, and I had to introduce ourselves since we were clearly visitors and the only wazunguus (white people) in the congregation. Then, more singing and dancing, followed by another sermon. Around a 3 hour service, with another 35 minute uphill hike back. All in all, it was great, and I should be in shape after repeating this every Sunday.

- “Humbling”: Learned how to wash my clothes by hand two days ago. I thought I knew what I was doing with the buckets of soapy water and one to rinse. But, when it came time to wash my jeans, Jamlick informed that I was doing it wrong, and threw my jeans to the ground and poured water on them and began to scrub them for me. It worked like a charm. Amazing what a college education won’t get you. It was also a lesson I have been learning throughout this week. The value of learning from children.

It still ceases to amaze me, the community and welcoming nature of Kenyan culture. I am still shocked and encouraged at how much joy these children possess. They are always willing to help, learn, serve, and love…not typical American values. I can only hope that some of these traits will rub off on me, and that I will have half the effect on the children as they have had on me.

On the road to Tumaini...

Today, I woke up early...and by early, I mean I was up most of the night. I thought I was over my jet-lag because I fell asleep immediately last night. Unfortunately, it was only for an hour...then I was in a state of rolling around in bed for the rest of the night, but I used the time to send out that e-mail finally to everyone, so that was a big plus! And, I wasn't alone; Adam and Katie both had fairly restless nights, so definitely keep that adjustment in your prayers.

But, back to what we did today; we left the compound around 7:30 to head to the SIM headquarters for another orientation. We were greeted by several SIM personnel, who were all extremely nice and welcoming. If it's one thing I have learned in the short time here in Nairobi, it's that Kenyans always greet you with a warm welcome and a smile...that is sincerely genuine! It's amazing and really encouraging. We had a little prayer and worship time which was fun, because we sung a worship song in swahili...so, while I didn't understand every word, I at least got to practice a bit and listen to the singing by the others. After that, we had a long morning of meeting everyone at the headquarters and finding out what they do and how it will involve us in the future. We also had our first experience with Kenyan tea time which happens around 10:00 am every morning. It's awesome! It's like a mandatory time to chill for a bit and take a break from the day with friends; everyone does it. Obviously, it includes tea and coffee. I had their tea (chai) which tastes a lot like the chai back home, so I think I will get used to it in time.

After this, Adam and I met our mentor for our time here, Scott Carter; he is a really laid back guy, which is good, since Adam and I were both exhausted. He talked with us for a bit and bought us a nice meal. By this time, we were looking forward to a nap for about 4 hours, so we went back to the compound to hit the hay. Katie was already snoozin'; ironically, right when I lay down in my bed, I hear a loud banging against metal, which sounds like it is in my room. Sure enough, I look out my window and their are workers banging out a new metal roof haha. I was so tired that I ended up falling asleep on the couch. After the nap, Katie, Adam, and I went to the Nakumatt (a Kenyan-style Wal-Mart) and bought rain boots, socks, and adaptors. Lastly, we had a cool time of fellowship with the other missionaries involving bible study and prayer.

Well, I know that was really long; but, we leave tomorrow morning at 9:00 am for Tumanini orphanage. So, I think my internet access will be limited to around once a week. I'm pumped to go, and I'm looking forward to sleep tonight!

Let me UP-date ya....

Well, it was a long 29 hours of traveling, but we made it...even all of our luggage (my guitar included!). That was a huge deal, because I really wanted to take my guitar along, and I knew I would miss jamming on it for 9 months. Plus, who wouldn't want the opportunity to learn some awesome tunes in swahili at some point? So, that was awesome that I was able to take it on each plane as a carry on and stow it in a closet.

Once we arrived, we got visas and headed back to the SIM compound, the housing area for all SIM missionaries, in Nairobi. It's really nice; Adam and I are sharing an apartment basically, which is brand new and never been used! We all got back and wrote quick e-mails to our parents...and passed out from exhaustion. Although, funny story. Because I was so tired last night, I didn't think and used water from the sink to brush my teeth...so, I was a little worried haha. But, I was assured that everything would be fine.

Today, I got up around 8 and showered, then headed to orientation at 10 with Dorothy. It was really informative, and we each got cell phones! Before leaving, I wasn't sure how contacting by phone was going to work out, but that problem is officially solved. Also, we learned a little more about Tumaini today, and it was really encouraging and exciting to hear that there will be 70 similing and energetic kids to greet us when we arrive! It's also at a higher elevation than Nairobi which means no mosquito threats and chilly weather. We head out for Tumaini wednesday morning. In more news, experienced my first Kenyan meal of beef stew and rice...and, I must say..legit!

Lastly, we all went to see The Dark Knight with a couple of the other missionaries tonight. Less than $7 US for a movie ticket, hot dog, pop corn, and a drink. Unreal! Anyway, sorry for the length of this post, but I didn't get to post last night...had to catch all of the interested readers up.

p.s. Here is a picture of my room at the compound and that tasty beef stew with rice..

It's time to ramble on...

Well, the time is finally here. It's officially my last night in the states! Tomorrow I hop on a plane, from Charlotte, to travel all the way across the Atlantic Ocean to Africa...for 9 months! I feel like it has been a dream for so long, and now that it is actually happening, I am overwhelmed...but in the best way possible. I couldn't be more excited to travel with two amazing friends and serve God in the process.

We all just finished an encouraging and uplifting time of prayer with the three families, and it has really calmed any nerves or anxieties that I had. It has replaced it with a true sense of peace that this is what I am supposed to do, and no worries...because it is in God's hands. There is no where I would rather be!

Anyway, it's getting late, so I think I am going to call it a night. But, I can't wait to get to Kenya. I can't wait to meet the people. I can't wait to experience a new culture. I can't wait to hang out with the kids. I can't wait to travel Africa. I can't wait to grow in God! Until next time...Kwa heri (Goodbye)