I meant to blog much sooner, but we have been very busy and unfortunately the last several days I have been sick! I started to feel light headed and nauseous Saturday afternoon and did not have much of an appetite. I knew something was wrong when I didn't want to eat American food at a neat little restaurant that night. I won't go into details, but let's just say - it wasn't fun! Now it's Wednesday, and I have been on an antibiotic for 3 days and starting to feel like my normal self again! Yay!!!
This morning Rachel and I headed to ROCK to officially kick off the VBS we are doing. We talked about how God created each of them unique and in His image. We had the kids write (or helped them write) "God Created ME!" Then they dipped their hand in paint so they could put their hand print under the words. It was precious! :) Of course, the kids LOVED getting into some paint! :) After the paint we brought out PlayDoh! I will load some pictures I took as the kids played....
No matter the place or country :) - KIDS LOVE PLAYDOH! :)
Now forgive me in advance for the randomness of this blog (and those to come)! It is honestly hard to sit down and think of what to write about when everyday my experiences could be made into a book! :) So, as I write I may bounce around or repeat myself... just warning you. :)
Looking back at the last week, the days start to all blend together, but I want to share some of the highlights. Starting off the week, Rachel and Julie were still sick, but on Monday I ventured out on my own to ROCK. Evans, one of our regular pike drivers, picked me up and the dayyyy begannnnnn! Getting to ROCK was quite the experience, because traffic here is SOOOO much different. I laugh out loud thinking of some of my friends and family that would just dieeeeeeee if they tried driving a car here in Kisumu. Haha! Being on a pike, (Mom, if you're reading this, please skip ahead! haha ;)) is honestly quite dangerous! Evans really does his best, but it is soo crazy driving around that it is almost impossible to be completely safe... especially since riders and most drivers do not wear helmets. As people are walking in and out of the street - tuk tuks, boda bodas, pikes, cars, and matatus (privately owned mini vans) are also fighting for the paved roads. I have honestly never seen anything like the traffic here in Kisumu. Soooo, when my pike driver races around a car, I am saying a prayer that we make it to our destination! :) Now in all seriousness, the speeds here are much slower than in the United States, so it's hard to compare the two, but I'm just trying to give you a glimpse of my adventure here in Kenya! I also promise that Evans and Mark (our two regular pike drivers) are probably the safest pike drivers around! :) They have begun to be great friends of ours - really, really neat people!
Evans, especially, has really impacted my life. That Monday when he took me to and from ROCK, he really opened up and told me a little about his story. Long story short, Evans once lived on the streets at a very young age after his parents died and a ministry here (alot like ROCK) helped him with an education and the skills to stay off the streets. Evans now has a beautiful wife and daughter! :) I am so thankful to have met Evans. I hope to meet his wife and daughter before we leave.
One experience I must share was that same evening Evans was taking me home. He had to drop off a little boy at home, so for the first few minutes Evans, the little boy, and I all rode on the pike. We went to a part of town that I hadn't been before and I soon was at a loss for words. At the time, I didn't know, but this was considered one of the slums of Kisumu. It had rained the night before and I almost thought we weren't going to make it out because it was soo muddy there! I honestly can't explain what I saw, because it was something you have to experience to get the full effect. One thing I can try and tell you about were the beautiful children! It was soo fun to see them all, because when they saw me their eyes widened and a huge grin came across their faces. :D I am not sure, but I'm guessing they do not see a lot of white skinned people come around. At one point, a group of kids were laughing and yelling, "How are you? How are you? How are you?" as they chased the back of the pike! It was something I will NEVER forget.
I could go on and on, but I am trying to limit myself here! Honestly there is so much that goes on it is overwhelming to think about when I start blogging. I guess whatever I write is what is on my heart at the time. :)
As for the next week or so I should be staying pretty busy now that I am feeling better! (YaY!) Tomorrow we will go to ROCK in the AM and have a Bible study with other women missionaries in the area (I will have to share a little about this sometime later!!!). The weekends are always busy with swimming on Friday, soccer and football on Saturday, and church on Sunday. Julie leaves for the United States this coming week, so that will leave us on our own for the remaining of the time. We have met so many wonderful people, so I am not worried one bit! We are becoming true Kenyans. :)
I will close with some more pictures. :) Until next time... Love you all!
Lauren
P.S. Please forgive me for any typos/errors.
My ABC check isn't working and I'm so extremely tired. :)
P.S. Please forgive me for any typos/errors.
My ABC check isn't working and I'm so extremely tired. :)
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