I am writing from Kitale, Kenya…A place where I was never supposed to be. Our church in Kigali, Rwanda bid us a fond and tearful farewell as we left for the bus station on Monday morning. We had preached at the church 3 days a week, except Sundays when we preached four times, and had spent many hours walking around the neighborhood sharing our life stories with one another and evangelizing. It was a place we had many friends. It was sad to go, but we were excited for what the next month would bring.
Our bus ride from Kigali to Entebbe Uganda was a good 11 hours on less than ideal roads. Trying to eat on the bus was almost as impossible as sleeping because you couldn't stop bouncing around enough to actually put the sandwich in your mouth. Bus rides usually take 5-8 hours more than the bus drivers say so we were happy to arrive at our hostel in Entebbe before midnight.
We were scheduled to be there two days while the girls were briefed for a month in Uganda and the boys were briefed for their "manistry" month in Southern Sudan, the first World Race team to ever work in that country. Moments after arriving we were informed of the recent Ebola outbreak in central Uganda. Our plans were quickly changed. The boys left a day early for Sudan and us girls were evacuated to Kenya the next evening.
Flexibility is something that come second nature to everyone after seven months on The World Race. Plans change one minute and then can change back or to something totally different the next. I sympathize a little with the Israelites after this recent adventure, not knowing where they were going and when. However, they probably did not have a 2 a.m. border crossing that involved inches of red mud and less than helpful government officials.
Despite everything this month of just us girls is looking like one of the best months yet. We are staying at Challenge Farm run by an amazing American woman named Cheri. There are around 120 kids grades pre-school – eight grade that live and go to school on a large, sprawling farm. Most of the children come from the streets on Kitale and are very eager to learn and have fun.
We will be running classes, teaching Sunday school, tutoring, helping with the farm, maintenance, filing, and organizing activities. There are cows, chickens, greenhouses, soccer fields, basketball courts, dining halls, and even American toilets! It feels like we are in summer camp and we are in heaven. Already we have been baked brownies and cinnamon rolls and have eaten our first salad in months!
Please continue to pray for the Ebola epidemic and all of the families of those effected as well as the safety for the boys in Sudan. I look forward to what this unexpected month has to bring.
