This is Africa. Hot, dusty, beautiful Africa.

Mpektoni,
Kenya is a fun word to say, but a hot place to live.

We
arrived in Mpektoni after a fifteen hour bus-ride, to find Bishop
Maurice waiting for us at the bus stop. We stumble through the hot,
dry air to his church: Christ the King International Pentecostal
church. I walk inside the church, set my pack down, and collapse
unto the floor to sleep off my dramimine stupor. A few hours later, I
am shoving ‘pilau’- a Kenyan traditional meal of rice, potatoes,
meat, and coconut milk- into my mouth before stumbling back to sleep.
Why, oh why did I take a full dramimine?

I
awaken again to a strange noise. Realizing it is my stomach growling,
I sprint to the toilet, which is actually a concrete-supported twenty
foot hole in the ground (Read my friend Nick’s blog. It is hilarious
and does a far better job explaining it than me), and stay there
until it gets dark and the roaches crawl out of their holes to greet
me. I stand up, take a few steps towards the church from the
bathroom, and then puke my guts out. Pilau is a painful thing to come
back up. “Welcome to Mpektoni” I think to myself, before puking
again. I head back to bed, wondering if this is what my month will
be like.

That
was definitely not my only visit to the toilet. We became pretty
close, the toilet and I, but not as close as I grew to Bishop and his
family. They had never hosted World Racers before, and, well, we had
never been to Kenya before so we both came into this month clueless.
Bishop is hilarious, kind, wise and full of ideas. That man has at
least twenty projects in his head that, if they succeed, will change
Kenya.

Our
ministry was typical African ministry: scattered, and a little bit of
everything: preaching, praying at the hospital (my favorite!),
open-air revivals, door-to-door evangelism, small groups, Sunday
schools, visiting schools: everyday was full of different things.

In
Mpektoni, I started doing a ‘gratitude log.’..Here are some excerpts:

• -the
  beautiful Indian ocean

• -My
  burning hands while praying at the hospital with Michelle, and
  knowing that God healed this woman.

• -That
  God is true, and Jesus is Lord, so I always have something to offer
  to the Muslims in the hospital.

• The
  pick-up truck, with the two benches, that took us to see our free,
  real African ‘safari’.

• The
  two armed people- one woman, one man, who came with us to guard us,
  in case the animals were disturbed by our presence… or hungry.

• The
  Machine guns that the army man and woman carried.

• Zebras.
  Hippos. Gazelles. Water-bucks. Water Buffalo- and that the angry one
  ended up not storming our truck. Warthogs.

• Baboons
  running through the plain, and our driver gunning it to catch up
  with them.

• Narrowly
  missing murdering that Baboon mother with the baby on her back.

• Laughter
  when the benches in the pick-up truck broke and we crashed down.

• Bishop
  Maurice and his sense of humor: “Are you coming with us to see the
  safari?” “Yes.. I’m hoping to find a mosquito.”

• that
  God is trustworthy, even though I don’t understand all the time.

• That
  ‘bananarchy’ was his idea, and He will take care of it.

• big,
  big big, diesel truck beds that have been our ride while in
  Mpektoni, especially when they crash into the trees, and the
  branches fall on us.

• The
  wind that blows through my hair while I am standing in the truck
  bed.

• Beating
  Anthony in Poker.

• Nick
  Pauley, his screamer music, and his shirt that says “Arise o
  sleeper” above the huge skull plastered across it.

• Chelsea
  saying, “Anna… you’re so loveable.”

• Mel’s
  love for animals.

• Emily’s
  heart for children.

• My
  team’s decision to fast tomorrow for my vertigo and Em’s depression.

• My
  team.

• Worship
  night, and feeling my heart burn as I talk to God about trimming his
  fingernails- the moon was almost half full.

• The
  realization that, even if I were to fall in love, nothing could
  compare to the love that I have found in Him.

• Insect
  repellent. Always. Especially the kind that makes you smell good…
  actually that crap doesn’t work.

• Heaven
  invading earth, and my desperation to see it.

• My
  Father’s upcoming marriage.

• Rice
  with coconut milk, ‘pennant tomato sauce (taste just like sweet and
  sour), cabbage, and pineapple.

• Breaking
  our fast with chapati and ‘pineapple cordial’ communion.

• Adam’s
  willingness to pray for healing

• Emily
  and my late night talks

• When
  Geoff’s heart breaks for his teammates

• Tylenol
  Pm, and the weird dreams it makes me have about Donald Miller,
  surfing, and cheese.

• Uno
  with the Africans. “Red six, so play red or a six.” She sets
  down a draw four. “What color?” “Red.”

• Colby:
  “Am I going to make your thankful list today?”

• Watching
  people laugh

• Sitting
  under the mango tree at Peter’s house, talking with Michelle about
  how much we love big families

• Cute
  ‘family’ portraits with my world race family

• not
  fasting today

• pineapple

• The
  fact that I’ve never told anyone ” I love you” in a romantic
  way.

• nicknames

• putting
  off goodbyes

• chacos,
  and discussions about chacos v. crocs.

• Anthony
  laughing so hard he was crying while retelling us a stand-up joke:
  “If I had a bookstore, I
  would make the mystery section hard to find.” He laughed so
  hard he cried.

• the
  lack of access to the internet

• Hope
  telling me that she loves me so much.

• How
  different we all are

• the
  goodbye service at ‘Christ the King’ church- prayers, singing,
  thanks, words. I will miss this place.

• Bishop
  Maurice.

• That
  I don’t have malaria

• the
  people we said goodbye to this morning

• our
  amazing men who are always so good with out packs

• That
  Mel is a classy girl who likes beer.

• Emails
  from home.

• My
  incredible business partner.

• cold
  showers on hot, African days

• boda-bodas,
  and that we didn’t end up falling off when it swerved those few
  times.

• Matatus-
  cheap transport, fun word.

• nescafe

• chips
  masala and kachumbara

• honest
  feedback

• realizing
  that I have changed in so many ways. Things don’t bother me as much
  any more. Physically and mentally, I’m tougher.

• God’s
  provision.

• Growth.

• The
  world race.