After over 50 hours of travel, we arrived in Kenya for our first month in Africa. I have wanted to visit this continent for a long time, and my dream has finally come true! Words cannot express how excited I was in the days leading up to our arrival. By the time we landed, it was already dark, and we were all so exhausted that we immediately passed out on our way from the airport to the Bible College where we spent the night. The next morning, we left Nairobi for Thika where we are doing ministry this month. I had barely seen any of the country, and yet, somehow I knew that I was going to love it here. And I was right. We drove through incredible, lush landscapes, passed so many beautiful, smiling people, and arrived at Thika School for the Blind. A tall Kenyan man with the voice of James Earl Jones (but better because of his accent) met us and introduced himself as Leonard, a captain in the Salvation Army. I immediately said, "That's my dad's name!" to which he replied, "Then I will be your father while you are here."
This simple, open-hearted statement pretty much sums up everyone we have met. Generous, joyful, and wonderful. Our work here has so far included building a green house, in order to make the school more sustainable, and building relationships with the high school students. The first full day that we were here, we attended chapel, and we heard the students sing for the first time. I am going to upload a video on Thursday because there's no use attempting to describe the beauty of their singing, passionately praising God with their voices.
Captain Leonard has kept his promise, treating us all like his daughters. We have been promised that we will experience much of Kenya, and we already have. We have seen beautiful waterfalls, attended a Rotary meeting, and participated in three days of competitions with the students.
Unfortunately, many of the students will be leaving on Wednesday, as it is the end of term. However, some will also stay for various reasons. There is a group that will be preparing for a drama festival on the coast, and there is also a computer class of some sort that some students will stay for. Sadly, however, some students will stay because their parents will not come pick them up for various reasons. It is then up to the Captain to find them a way to get home. So, we will get an awesome opportunity to share the love of Christ with the students who will feel abandoned and unloved.
Please pray for the students as they go home. Here, they have a staff that loves them (but doesn't coddle them). At home, they might not be so lucky. As is the case in the states, people with disabilities are often targets, and are taken advantage of.
This is a wonderful school. The students are taught to be able to compete with able-bodied Kenyans for jobs and places at University. They are remarkably independent, and are very inquisitive. We regularly get asked incredibly deep questions that you would never hear from a high schooler in the states. They want to be journalists, politicians, lawyers, and many other things. They have huge dreams, and with their determination and joy, I have no doubt that they will be able to have very successful lives.
Welcome to Kenya!!
"Disability is not inability"
The high schoolers at chapel
We love manual labor!
