Monday, August 1, 2011

Day 5: Psalm 121:3



"He won't let you stumble, your Guardian God won't fall asleep."
-Psalm 121:3


Monday; July 4, 2011
5:55 P.M.





Today: 3 houses, 41 people SAVED!

Today was a fantastic day!
As you can tell by the numbers! Unfortunately our particular crew didn't get to witness today, but the other groups were able to! And look what happened! Woohoo!! :)

I woke up, ate breakfast, made my sack lunch, and we headed out!
We went back to Kisumu. Once we got there we sat with the older women of the area and helped them take the kernels out of the ears of corn. Once we finished we then watched her get rid of the bad parts of the corn which was amazing! She would hold the big bowl full of corn in her hands and would put another empty bowl on the ground, and as she poured the corn from the one she was holding to the one on the ground, the wind blew the chaff and the flakes away as the corn landed in the bowl. It was so smart and efficient!














After we watched for a while we visited the school a few minutes down the road. There were 500 kids and they were PRECIOUS. So sweet and beautiful. They ALL want to shake your hand! We met the headmaster and he gathered all of the students and they sat and welcomed us. They sang a few songs for us which was so neat and then we sang a couple of songs for them which they loved. Then Kaelie shared her testimony, Randy, our group leader, spoke about God and Jesus, and then we just hung out with the children! We made HUGE circles and tried to teach them the hokie-pokie, but they just looked at us like we were crazy white people. Probably because we were! Haha!






















(P.S. So today I saw a Kenyan flag and wanted to take a picture of it because me and my mom do that wherever we go, but the wind was at a standstill. So I asked God, I said, "I know this is the dumbest most unimportant thing I could be praying for right now, but could you please give me a gust of wind?" And instead of asking for it and then doubting I'll get it like I usually do, I decided I would trust that He would actually do it. I chose to have real faith. Some good ole' Kenyan faith! :) And wouldn't you know it 1-2 minutes pass and wind comes. And I get an amazing picture. All I could do was smile.)





After our circle we had to go so they told us bye and we went back to the site. We sat with the ladies and talked. There was one older woman that was weaving a basket. She couldn't speak English so we had a man translate for us. She told us that she weaves for money so she can buy food for her children and grandchildren. And when she hears that white people are near her area, she goes there because they usually pay high! Kaelie sat with her for a while and she began to really love Kaelie! She told her that she had a son and if she would marry him she would offer many cows for her and teach her how to fish! It was too funny! And too sweet!






So after we sat for a while, we had lunch.

Now this part, I must say, is pretty cool.

We, the Americans, got out our sack lunches and began eating. Then, I saw one of our crew members half their sandwich and give it to one of the African men that we were sitting with under a big shady tree. So one by one we all broke our sandwiches in half and I gave my pack of cookies away. It felt so amazing. Because when you handed them your food they didn't deny or politely refuse it. They took it! They aren't ashamed to admit that they are hungry. They won't say, "Oh no...it's really ok! I'm fine." when they're not! And what's cool is that it didn't once come across as rude or needy. That's what's so cool to me.


Some ladies brought out bread and tea for us while we were eating our sandwiches. The tea was like milky looking! It looked the same as if you had a glass of creamer, added a few drops of coffee and a tiny bit of water to water it down. It definitely wasn't the best, but I did try it!










We sat some more after lunch and just watched the people in action. Watching them cook and weave and ask if you would like to move your chair into the shade of the big tree. I love just listening to them talk. They're SO hospitable and generous. If I'm ever in need of some inspiration or even motivation, I'll think of these people.

After a while the girls of our crew decided to jump in and help with the building. We helped drag limbs to each side of the house and one of the Kenyan men asked if I wanted to hammer in the nails! It was hard! Not the fact that it was hammering, but that the branches were really dense and healthy so it was hard to nail into. But I got it :)




However, after a few minutes I felt like I was slowing them down rather than really helping, so I just let them take back over! I went and sat back down with the women and then we brought out the bubbles :)
The kids LOVE bubbles.

There was this baby that every single time one of us white girls would come within probably three steps of her she would lose it! I didn't think they would be scared of us to the point of tears!
The other little girls there were adorable too. They just sang to themselves! With or without people looking, they just hummed and chanted school songs they've learned with each other to themselves! It was such a neat thing to watch such innocence in action.
There was one lady who brought her baby to us to let us hold it, and OH. MY. GOODNESS. My heart melted. All I could think about was how I'll be in nursing school ready to care for babies just like these! Such a gift from Heaven.






The house was finished not too long after that and we had our dedication service. Singing and clapping and rejoicing! After Randy talked, the woman wanted to say a word and she talked about how thankful she was for us and hopes that we have safe travels home. She also asked that we send home their greeting! So, if you're reading this, the Africans from Kisumu say hello!

It started to rain so we left and came back here (to the hotel), ate dinner, and listened to Rob talk. He's so good. He is such a mouthpiece for the Lord. I learn something from him every time he speaks. I've been so blessed just knowing him for this time of my life. Man I'll miss him.

Wow I'm dead tired! Can't wait for another hard and rewarding day! So thankful for all the ways the Lord has opened my eyes these past 2 days. And we have 2 more! :)




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