Welcome to Kenya!
For the next three months, my team will be staying in East
Africa. This month, we are living with a pastor and his family just outside El
Deret, Kenya. El Deret is a city, but we are outside in a more rural area.
We live with a pastor, his wife, their 2 ½ year old son
Jeremy, and a helper named Paris. This month looks much different than the
previous months, ministry-wise. We are mostly preaching at the church
(Releasing Destiny Ministries) and doing door-to-door evangelism. Our schedule
is very relaxed and we have a lot of down time. We spend a lot of time with our
family here and we absolutely love them. It has been nice to slow down a bit
since we are usually very busy on the Race, but I find myself getting a little
bored at times. I’m so used to being busy and active though, I think it has
been good for me to have the time to listen to God more and be still.
Its funny sometimes, comparing life in our mud house to
living in the States. We are so used to being abroad by now that most things
seem normal. When we reflect on the situations though an American cultural
context, they really do seem pretty strange. For instance, about every week the
ladies here make a muddy mixture and rub in across the dirt floor in the house
to make it smooth. One day we asked what was in it. Manure, water, and white
dirt. Normal to rub cow dung all over your house right? But its just so
practical where we live, and actually, rather fascinating. Whenever we hit a
cultural wall though, the response is always the same: T.I.A. baby! (This is
Africa)
Cooking is quite the fun experience here. Our favorite thing
to eat is chipati, which is just like a thick African tortilla. Delicious. We
have started cooking American meals for our contacts 2-3 times a week, and I’m
sure the best part for them is watching the crazy Americans trying to cook over
the coal fire and actually attempt to measure things. They do not understand
the use of butter while cooking and rarely actually want to eat what we cook. I
mean come on, I’ve cooked pizza, bread sticks, French toast, my special chili,
grilled cheese, homemade tortillas and Mexican food, and banana pancakes are in
the near future- every American’s dream! Its very funny trying to convince the
skeptics here how delicious our food is though.
One amazing thing about this month is the weather. We have
somehow been following the sun all around the world, and finally we are getting
a taste of winter. We have a mix of hot and chilly days, but we have had many
rainy days and are loving them. There’s just something wonderful about hearing
the rain knocking on the roof as you fall asleep or getting caught up in a
rainstorm during a run.
Though I will admit I do not always enjoy people yelling
“Mzungu” (white person) at me, it is fun to have tons of kids running up to me
every day wanting to shake my hand or say “How are you!?” When I go on runs
sometimes along the railroad tracks in the mornings, I’ll have half a dozen
kids trailing after me in their school uniforms. When I think of Africa years
from now, that’s probably one of the pictures that will stick in my mind:
running through the Kenyan countryside, a carefree smile plastered on my face
and giggling children determined to keep up J
