World on Fire

I'm listening to a beautiful song by Sarah McLachlan. I've always liked this song. Tonight while taking a study break I discovered the music video she produced for this song. It touched me in a deep way, and I can't help but share it with you.

It mentions Tanzania at time 2:54 and the Kibera slums of Kenya (which I drove past several times while in Nairobi) from time 3:40-4:10. I almost cried when I watched this video, because I saw all that, on a daily basis. It's worth watching if you have 4 minutes. :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FDmPcSWE0WU

Seeing all this made me want to get up and walk out of this computer lab, leave this hectic and stressful cycle of school and little sleep. It made me want to hop on a plane and go back to Africa and give all that I have. It makes me want to pick up all my babies all over again, rock them to sleep, feed them uji in the morning, change their incredibly messy diapers, and learn to sing their Swahili songs.

But I realized that while I have a lot to give now, I will have more to give if I finish the task before me. Now, all I have to give is love and time. In 2 years when I graduate, I'll have love, time, and a degree in engineering. I'll be able to rebuild their hospitals, fix their bridges....and I will still be able to love each and every one of my babies.

I'm going back someday. East Africa has stolen a piece of my heart, and I continue to ache for the place that for 8 short months I called home.

Maputo, Mozambique

Well, I'm finally here.

I went to church with the family I was staying with on Sunday morning. After church we drove straight to the airport and had lunch there. Then Nathan and Sissy left me with the final parting words, "Don't talk to any boys."

My bag was supposed to weigh 30kg, but instead it was 33kg (72.6lb). I started thinking how I would remove those extra 3 kilos. The guy asked me, "Why is it overweight?" I responded with, "It's only 3kg over. Hamna shida." He grinned and let my bag through. Woohoo!

Upstairs in the airport I had to go through security again. I greeted the guard with, "How are you?" He frowned at me dramatically and said, "Oh, not great."
"Why?" I questioned.
"Because you're leaving," he responded sadly, then he waved me through. I noticed that though he had asked the lady before me to remove my shoes, he hadn't asked me to.
"What about my shoes?" I asked.
He peered over the counter for a minute, then looked at me and replied, "They are very nice, ma'am."
Smart alec. :) I laughed.

My ticket implied that my flight would go straight from Dar es Salaam to Maputo, Mozambique. Shortly after I'd settled in and was ready for 4 hours in the air, the flight attendants came through and announced we were landing. Confused, I put my seat in its "upright position." We landed at the very small but clearly labeled "Pemba" airport. I thought maybe we were dropping off some passengers, but they herded us all off the plane and through immigration. It must have taken at least an hour.

After all the confused passengers had their visas, we got back on the plane. Once in the air, the pilot announced our flight time would be "20 minutes." I figured I must have heard him wrong. We were still in the far north of Mozambique. Maybe he said "120 minutes." Nope. Twenty minutes later we began our descent into Nampula. Surely this time we wouldn't have to get off the plane. But we did. Everyone got off and went inside. I chatted with a few other passengers as we waited for probably 20 minutes. Then we all got back on the plane and continued our journey. Thankfully that was the last stop. The next leg of our trip took us directly to Maputo. I wanted to sleep (seeing as it was dark outside) but the cabin lights were so bright that I couldn't. They fed us a meal with fish. I asked for a vegetarian one, and the guy said, "It's fish." I asked if he had anything else, and he said, "Chicken." So I ate the rice and a piece of bread.

During the first two legs of the journey, I had my row entirely to myself. Then on the third segment a guy decided to sit in the aisle seat next to me. I didn't mind, except that he had awful body odor and everytime he moved a wave would rush toward me. I turn the air conditioning on full blast to try and dissipate the smell.

We were supposed to land in Maputo at 8:40pm. I'm not sure what time we actually landed, but I didn't get my bag until 10:20. I waited as they unloaded all the bags from our flight, but mine didn't show up. Neither did the bags of the two other white guys on the flight. Another plane came in and we waited for them to unload it also. Then a third plane. Still no bags. Finally an employee thought he could help us. He walked us through a maze to another part of the airport labeled "international arrivals," thinking our bags would be there. They weren't. He chatted with a lady and then took us to a back room filled with unclaimed luggage. Sure enough, there were all our bags. Why in the world they were put there instead of with the rest of the bags, I'll never know. I'm just happy I got my bag eventually.

Justin, Neil, Janelle, and Marquelle all picked me up at the airport. It was so nice to see familiar faces!

Dar es Salaam

I didn't sleep much last night, but was feeling quite a bit better this morning. The bus ride was nice, actually. It was long...9 1/2 hours. I sat next to a young woman with a 1-year-old and was able to help her out throughout the trip. I also ended up with the baby of the woman across the aisle. The bus attendant dumped the kid on me. People seem to like handing their children to me...but I don't mind. :)

At one point the baby next to me sneeze-puked all over my arm and lap. I was laying back in my chair with my headphones with my eyes closed. I didn't even flinch. In fact, I barely glanced down and went back to my reverie, totally unfazed. But the mother was so apologetic and tried to clean me up, so I took over and cleaned up myself and scrubbed her leg too.

Now I'm at my friends' home in Dar es Salaam. I am staying here until Sunday, May 24. Relaxation, here I come. Did I mention the house is right on the beach?

Outta Here!

I haven't slept in ... 43 hours. I am exhausted. I have just overcome malaria, again. And in 6 hours I'm going to wake up and stagger on board a bus headed for Dar es Salaam. Just wanted to let you know that this is my last night, my last few hours at the orphanage (my feeling regarding this: very sad, naturally). I begin my two-week travel period now and will update as possible.

Love to you all and can't wait to see you!

For those of you who haven't received the invitation to the fundraiser dinner I'm hosting in early June, let me know! I'll get one to you ASAP. The dinner will be Tanzanian fare and I'll be showing pictures of my trip. Karibuni! (You are all welcome!)

MPS+2 AGAIN?!?

Well, I'm not convinced I didn't have giardiasis, but in addition to that lovely ailment, I also have malaria. Again.

I started medication for malaria this morning. Hopefully I'll be well by Thursday morning when I start traveling.

Keep me in your prayers!

Sickie

It's my last weekend at the orphanage and I've been out of it the whole time. I've been having stomach cramps and trouble eating for a few days. On Sabbath I started feeling particularly ill. I went to bed fairly early and woke up the first time at 2am, then at 3:30am (and fell back asleep at 4:30) and then at 5:30am, then finally at 7:30am. I just stayed up at that point. I had been in awful stomach pain all night and could hardly sleep in between bathroom breaks. My fever was over 100 F the whole night, and just recently dropped down to 99.7. At 4am I took some medicine that's supposed to kill anything inside me. I'm pretty convinced I have giardia. It was a toss-up between that and amoebic dysentery.

I went to the Vineyard church in Arusha this morning. My friends there said a "safe travels" prayer for me, and I cried. I can't believe I'm leaving! I could hardly make it through church--I felt so ill. Afterward we all went out to lunch, and even the waiter commented on how ill I looked. Rachel wanted to sit on my lap all during church, but I was so exhausted that it hurt to hold her.

I'm too tired to keep writing this blog...*chuckle*

I should be better within a day or two. Just wanted to keep you updated on my current status, even when it isn't good.

Early Shift

Last night and this morning I took over my roommate's shifts so she could go into town and spend the night with her girlfriends. Last night went without incident; I even finished changing my kids and tucking them in half an hour early.

I didn't sleep well last night; I kept waking up and had bad dreams. Yet strangely I woke up at 6:15am, ten minutes before my alarm was set to go off. I pulled on yesterday's clothes and a sweater (it's COLD here in the morning!) and stumbled downstairs.

I'm really glad all 4 of my babies are happy in the morning, because it's a lot easier to change an overflowing, over-poweringly stinky diarrhea diaper when the child is grinning up at me. Did I mention we use cloth diapers? We wash them in waist-high "Hungarian toilet" contraptions (not sure why people call them that).

Apparently I am colorblind in the morning. I dressed Hope in a pink and white onesie with white cloth overalls. Cute, right? An hour later I realized the overalls were actually yellow. Likewise, Rachel donned white pants and a pink sweater. Or so I thought. Luckily her pants ended up being pink, so at least she matched in the end. I just left Hope in her Easter ensemble.

I am learning very quickly that toddlers can be really helpful. I was sitting on the floor feeding bottles to Amina and Nina (7 months and 5 months) while Nelson (9 months) was about 6 feet away with his bottle. Amina wouldn't grasp her bottle, I needed to burp Nina, and Nelson lost his to a pillaging toddler. In one of my rare moments of brilliance, I instructed Rachel to feed Amina. I hoisted Nina onto my shoulder and burped her while striding across the room to fix Nelsons predicament. I let Rachel finish feeding Amina, and then I sent her to the kitchen with the empty bottles. Afterward she felt the impulse to kiss the babies. I love her more every day. :)

When my shift ended I headed back up to my apartment, intending to sleep (which I haven't yet done). It was ten minutes after 8am. When I came out the back door, I noticed two young guys (about my age) changing in the backyard. Yes, changing. I kid you not and I exaggerate not. I immediately looked at the ground and quickly walked up the stairs to my apartment (they really didn't pick a very inconspicuous place). When I got upstairs, I thought, "What in the world?!" Usually we don't have guys that age on campus. Especially not at 8am. So I hurried back down the stairs, still averting my eyes (they weren't very quick at changing either). I found the guard and asked him who in the world the guys were. It turns out they were working for the painter we hired. Maybe tomorrow I'll inform them that they can change in the bathroom. Or at least behind a tree.

New Song

Well, I've traveled halfway around the world and lived on another continent for 8 months. I've experienced a different side of life. And I've discovered that life is essentially the same, no matter where you are in all the world. In poverty or wealth, people still face the same life decisions and the same heartbreak. No one escapes the enigma of relationships (romantic and platonic). No one is exempt from doubt regarding God. No one can conquer sin on their own. No one has everything, in any sense of the word, unless they have God, because He is everything we need.

I wrote this song today. It was inspired by Downhere's song "What It's Like."



Fix Me Again

I didn’t plan on getting hurt today

I didn’t plan to spill my tears on You

I didn’t want my heart to break into

A million little tiny pieces

And so I come running back to You

Fix me again

Heal me again

Forgive again

Where I have failed

Restore again

For I am broken

Of course I’m not the first to cry to You

Of course we all make mistakes, they’ll say

Of course we all fall from Your perfect way

We run off with our own ideas

And so I come crawling back today

Fix me again

Heal me again

Forgive again

Where I have failed

Restore again

For I am broken

I lay prostrate on the cold floor

I bang my fists, I cry out for You

You’re knocking at my heart’s door

Is opening up all I must do?

Fix me again

Heal me again

Forgive again

Where I have failed

Restore again

For I am broken

Days Are Disappearing

I somehow managed to hurt my foot, and so I limped around campus yesterday and today. Hopefully it'll resolve itself soon. Thankfully I don't have much walking on my itinerary.

Today I slept in and then relaxed with my roommates into the late morning. I stayed up late last night trying to get ahold of a friend back home and had a tough time rolling out of bed this morning. Davona and I drove to the airport at 11am to pick up our newest volunteer, Krissy.

Four of us girls went into Usa for lunch. I finally tried chipsi mayai, a Tanzanian favorite. It is an egg omelet with fries inside. Sounds healthy, right? I finally decided to ignore it's nutritional lack of value and just try it. It was decent, but would have been significantly better with ketchup or Taco Bell hot sauce.

After lunch, three of the girls headed back home but I walked down to Mamo Catering, a business run by a German ex-pat. He sells yummy baked goods. The two girls who work there are close to my age and have become my friends over the months. The one who knows English, Irene, told me she would make me "something special." I expected a pretzel or something equally trivial (though much appreciated!). Instead, she greeted me with a whole loaf of macadamia nut bread! Salome (the other girl) presented me with 3 sweet muffins. How kind of them! I talked with them until a quarter past four and then decided I should probably head back to work. :)

Back at the orphanage I discovered that I couldn't work because the internet was down...again. All I need to do is e-mail one work permit, and I can't do it! I'm upstairs now, so I can't do it from here. Krystal and I joke that the internet hates us.

Our stove was heading out of commission until today, when Ross (an ADRA worker from Australia) and his wife Ramona came and fixed it. Yippee!

I'm almost finished packing, and it looks like my bags will make it under the weight limit.

Ticket Confirmed/Travel Plans

Today I received my e-ticket to Maputo, Mozambique. Leaving is starting to feel more real. I had a going away party last night and next week at church they will pray for me. All I have left to do is finish packing (why oh why all the weight restrictions?), clean my room, and buy a bus ticket to Dar es Salaam. And then I am on my way on the next stage of my journey--the last leg before I come home. *gasp!*

So, for those interested, let me tell you a bit about my travel plans:
I am done here at the orphanage on May 18. I'll spend the 19th cleaning up and I might even stick around the 20th. Then I take a bus to Dar es Salaam (8-10 hours). In Dar es Salaam, I am staying with a friend until my flight on the 24th. On May 24 I fly from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, straight to Maputo, Mozambique. There I will stay with the Woods family for the rest of my Africa trip. The day before my flight leaves Johannesburg, I'll take a bus from Maputo, Mozambique, to Johannesburg, South Africa. I am staying with a church member in Johannesburg for one night, and then the next day I fly out of Johannesburg!

My flight back home goes:
Johannesburg, South Africa -> Addis Ababa, Ethiopia -> Washington, D.C., USA (with a stop in Rome to refuel) -> Chicago, IL ->PORTLAND, OREGON!!!

Thank you everyone for all your support. This year has been amazing and I can't believe how much I've grown! (Okay, I kind of expected the growth, but it's still fantastic!)

Please write to me. I know I don't usually respond to blog comments, but they really make my day!

I'm better at responding to e-mail, so feel free to e-mail me. Just realize that in 8 days I may not have internet anymore!

A Good Day

I have no reason to blog except that I had a good day. Nothing special happened; it was just good. I didn't expect to have such a good day, considering how many times I woke up in the middle of the night being eaten alive by mosquitoes.

Davona and I spent the morning in town and we got almost everything we needed. That is a rare treat. Usually some shop is randomly closed or what we need doesn't exist, etc etc.

The immigration official continues to think we're on better terms than we are. The last two times I've walked into his office I've been greeted by:
"You look cute today"
and the next time:
"It is going to be a good day. " Me: "Why?" Him: "Because you came into my office."

Please, sir, just approve my work permits and let me go. (Last week he also tried to talk me into going to a dance club...ha ha)


The picture at the top is of me handing baby Violet (now named Clara Shei) to her adoptive mom, Kirsten, the day the father signed the paperwork. Yay!!

Just for the record, I'm looking to buy a car when I return home. I really want a Honda Civic, 1992 or newer. I will only buy a manual and I strongly prefer a 4-door. I'd also like a CD player, but that isn't necessary if the price is right. My price range is currently around $1500-$2500. I've been tempted by some newer, more expensive Civics, but I haven't decided yet if I want to take out a loan. Anyway, if you know of anyone selling a car that meets this description, let me know! :)

Thanks for reading my blog. I appreciate your interest in my mission!

Back in T-Zed

I guess I haven't blogged since I got back to Tanzania. I've been back since the 21st of April, which was 13 days ago. I was sad to leave Kenya, but I also knew it was time. Plus I had been missing the children (especially my Rachel) dearly. Coming "home" to Arusha was quite exciting!

Not much has happened since I've been back. I made some new friends from England. They are working at an orphanage not too far away. On Sunday they treated Marsha and me to lunch at the Impala Hotel. YUM! Excellent Indian food.

The other day I had an interesting experience on the dala-dala. It was crowded so I had to stand. The lady I was standing next to and I shared smiles saying "this is so uncomfortable" as we were jerked about the bus. Someone got off, and she sat down, then pulled me onto her lap! I thought, "Okay, this is at least more comfortable than standing." A while later someone else got off and I sat next to her. She felt the need to hold my hand (this is happening to me more and more frequently). First she wanted my phone number. We spent several minutes trying to figure out each other's name over the din of the dala-dala. I finally figured out her name and I told her mine. When we reached her stop, she demanded that I come to her house. I politely told I would come some other time. She was quite persistent, but I eventually convinced her that I couldn't come now because I had to go home. She was silent for about half a minute, then said, "Well I will come to Usa River with you then." I panicked inside. This lady was crazy! I told her she couldn't, but she kept saying, "Twende!" (Let's go!). I was desperate to get her off the dala-dala while it was still stopped in her town. I pleaded with her that I had to go to work, so she couldn't come with me. Finally she gave in and left. Did I mention that all this time she was holding my hand and stroking my hair? I can take a lot, but it was getting strange....

Memories of Kenya

The entrance to the Nairobi Animal Orphanage in Nairobi National Park.
















This is the inside of a volcano in Hell's Gate National Park. That is steam you see rising up.

Desi and I liked riding on top of the car. Behind us is the Great Rift Valley.















Handing out candy to the Maasai children.

















On top of the Ngong Hills overlooking the Great Rift Valley. 7000 feet.
















One of the teachers and his wife took us girls out to dinner on my last night in Nairobi. Left to right: me, Desi (from North Carolina), and Ngina (from Maryland).

Still at MAA (#2)

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I would be leaving Kenya on April 5. Well, I didn't! I was supposed to leave, but the principal asked me to stay and my boss consented, so I'm still at Maxwell Adventist Academy! (I called it MAA#2 because MILO Adventist Academy will always be #1 in my heart)

I've been teaching Math 1 (for the freshmen) every day and Algebra 1 some days. I also fill in for teachers who are sick or at conferences, etc. Tomorrow I have 4 classes before noon. In the afternoons (except Fridays) I supervise study hall for those who are failing classes. I tutor in the evenings between 8 and 10pm. In between all that, I grade papers, write tests, study lesson plans, tutor students, or recruit for Walla Walla University. And surprisingly, I still have down time! I have enough time that I've read a good number of books since I've arrived. I've lost count. Maybe 5 1/2 or 6? I plan to finish the one I'm on and at least one more before leaving early Tuesday morning. I love having access to books here!

Last weekend I went to Hell's Gate National Park. It was FANTASTIC! Desi, the assistant girls' dean, an SM from North Carolina, and Elvin, another staff member, took me rock climbing. The three of us camped on a ridge in the national park. We were among buffalo, zebra, baboons (vultures on legs), gazelle, rock hyrax (see picture), and...hyenas!! The days were warm and the nights were cold. We arrived Thursday evening and relaxed around a fire. On Friday we woke up at our leisure (which was just before 9am, I think). We each had time for personal and private devotions in the beautiful outdoors. I felt so refreshed after sitting on a ledge praying, reading my Bible, and singing. I felt free to sing knowing that no one could hear me! After breakfast we headed out to Fischer's Tower, a 100-ft (or so) "tower" of rock. Elvin set up the routes. Since this was only my second time climbing, Elvin made sure the first route was rather easy. I made it up the 40-ft or so climb and repelled down, proud. After Desi had climbed also, we moved to the other side of the tower and started setting up a harder route. I snacked on my lunch and helped out where I could. Since rain loomed in the sky, I let Desi go first. She is an experienced rock climber. She made it up with a little trouble, then came down. I belayed her. :) Then Elvin climbed up and stayed at the top to take pictures of me. I'll have to post them later. After much struggle (a blog entry in its own right which I will write later), I made it to the top of the 75 or 100 ft. climb. I was so proud and SO shaky! I repelled down and we quickly gathered up our ropes and dashed to the car before the rain fell on us.

On Sabbath morning we packed up camp as the baboons circled round, daring to come as close as possible, hoping to steal food. Vultures on legs, I say. Desi and I rode on top of the car down to our rock climbing site (FUN FUN!). We retrieved her sunglasses, which had been left the day before, and then I climbed into the driver's seat because Elvin wanted a chance to ride on top of the car (Africa is so freeing!). As we drove, I passed zebra and warthogs right alongside the road. Awesome!

We drove to the gorge (a LOT smaller than the Columbia Gorge, much to my surprise) and hiked up and down it for 3 hours. We even met a group from Portland, Oregon! The hike was really fun and refreshing. Since the park is full of geothermals, the water in the creek and falling from the sides of the gorge was warm...even too hot to touch in some places!

After our hike in the gorge we ate a quick lunch and then drove to the volcano. It looked just like a hill at first, but Desi and I insisted on hiking to the top. In the rain. It was SO worth it. Inside the volcano was a deep gorge with steam coming out. Beautiful. Magnificent. Powerful. Desi and I raced around the rim, admiring it and taking pictures, until the rain turned to sleet. That's a unique situation...sleet on top of a volcano in Africa. We hurried down the hill/mountain. About halfway down, as the rain/sleet soaked us through, we hear a LOUD thunderclap right overhead. In an instant Desi and I realized we were the tallest things around. I shrieked and bolted down the steep hill, hoping I wouldn't fall on the uneven ground and twist my ankle. We made it to the bottom, drenched but safe, and headed home.

Students are beckoning me to tutor, visit, and answer questions about Walla Walla.

Thank you again for all your prayers and support!

Much love and gratitude,

Katie

Achmed the Beetle

Desi and I found a pet beetle. His name is Achmed. These pictures were taken after the banquet at Maxwell Adventist Academy.

He kept falling off. Poor guy.

Dentist

On Sunday I was eating breakfast with my new friends at Maxwell when one of my fillings fell out. At first I thought it was chunk of my tooth, but later realized it was my filling.

Tomorrow I'm headed to the dentist to get it fixed. The whole thing should cost me less than $100 (not like I have $100 anyway), which is a blessing compared the medical fees in the U.S.

Desi and I have had enormous amounts of fun thinking up "You know you're an SM when..." phrases. Read them at:
http://www.worldrightsideup.blogspot.com/

I have progressed from math tutor to math teacher. Though teaching scares and stresses me, I kind of like it. Right now I'm preparing a test for the freshmen.

I'll only be working here at Maxwell for another 3 days, then I have the weekend off to do some touristy things, and then on April 5 I head back to Tanzania.

I'm not-so-secretly hoping that I can return to Maxwell someday. I have really enjoyed my time here!

Rest Your Heart in Me

I wrote a poem this morning, inspired by the beauty on Maxwell's campus. I hope you are blessed by it.

Rest Your Heart in Me
I kissed you with the sun
I whispered through the breeze
and still you argued that
you couldn't hear Me

I sent you blooming roses
Surrounded you with spring
Don't know why you say that
you cannot touch Me

I listened to your heart
I read between the lines
But you persisted that
I didn't hear your cries

Enchanting you with snow
When the world seemed so bleak
Clean, white redemption was
Just within your reach

Won't you please realize
I'll give you everything
All I ask of you
Just rest your heart in Me.

Maxwell Adventist Academy

I've been here at Maxwell for four days now. I started tutoring my first night and have spent my days and evenings tutoring ever since. I get up in time for worship at 6:45am and fall into bed when study hall ends at 10pm. The days are long, but I really enjoy it. I've made friends with the staff and SMs here. They are all so friendly and helpful.

The students call me "Miss Katie," at the request of the dean. I like it; it's cute. When I don't have tutoring appointments, I chat with the assistant girls' dean (an SM from North Carolina) or I read. It's nice to have access to books!

Sometimes students sit me down to ask me questions about Walla Walla. I'm learning how to be a good recruiter. I like it.

The students are all very kind to me. They greet me every time they see me and ask me how I'm doing. Many of them have gone out of their way to introduce themselves to me or spend a little extra time with me.

Being on this campus reminds me again how much I loved boarding academy. If any Milo staff or students are reading this, thanks for 3 amazing years!!!

I'll be here until April 5. On Sunday there is a banquet. I'll be preparing food and possibly serving also. I'll probably write more about that next week.

Please keep the students, especially those in Math 1 and Algebra 1, in your prayers. Many are struggling. The teacher is at a loss for what to do, and I feel his pain. On the flip side, I also empathize with the students...it's frustrating to not understand something. So please pray for them to find understanding and be able to pass their math classes.

Another long journey, another country visited....

Whew! It's been a long day. I couldn't get to sleep last night because I was so excited and nervous about this trip. I think I finally got to bed around midnight.

I woke up at 6:15am, left our compound at 7:15am, and was on a bus rolling out of Arusha by 8:15am. I was warned that there was road construction on the way to Nairobi, but I didn't realize that the ENTIRE trip would be on a dirt road. The few patches of pavement were fleeting moments of bliss.

While still in Tanzania, I looked out the window to see 3 giraffes strolling by the road. After we crossed the border, we had to slam on our breaks when an ostrich marched onto the road. Then on the way from Nairobi to Maxwell, a massive baboon scampered in front of our car. Then my driver (whom I could barely understand) told me a series of stories about baboons attacking people in that vicinity. He thought it was hilarious. I thought it sounded stressful. And the strangest part (according to him)? Baboons can tell the difference between men and women and won't attack men. Great.

After spending 7 hours on the bus, we finally pulled into the hotel. The driver was waiting there for me. We hopped in the car (did I mention I had 2 bags for 2 weeks and no one had yet commented on how much stuff I brought?) and set off to find an ATM. We did find one, in a mall. I walked in and froze in astonishment. The mall would probably be considered trashy by American standards, but it was far above anything I'd seen since arriving in Africa. Despite how trashy it mostly was, the food court was decent. I bought a roll and a tart at a bakery. The tart was DELICIOUS. It had a scrumptious crust, a thick whipped cream filling, and fresh raspberries on top. Wow! I'm glad I found the bakery. I was so hungry, having not eaten in 7 1/2 hours.

We had to run a few errands in town, and we finally arrived at Maxwell at 5pm, making my trip a total of 10 hours. I spent the next hour and forty-five minutes conversing with staff about how tutoring would be set up. They even handed me a key to the administration building right away! I was pleasantly surprised by their support and helpfulness.

After dinner I attended dorm worship, where I was introduced to the 35 residents of the women's dorm. They clapped for me, which was really sweet. Now I'm waiting for them to finish trying on banquet dresses so I can start tutoring. I am pretty tired and would like to fall right in bed (it's 8:45pm and already past my bedtime), but I want to start off with a bang. I mean business here, and I want them to know that.

Fun trip, great people. I'm going to enjoy my 2 weeks here. :)

Kenya and a Victory!

On Monday, March 23, I'm headed up to Kenya to Maxwell Adventist Academy (just outside Nairobi) for a week or two. I'll be tutoring algebra for students who aren't passing the class. I love math and I love traveling (plus I loved boarding school) so this trip should be a blast!

I had a wonderful God-given victory this morning. I went through a lot of work to process a work permit ahead of time for one of our volunteers so she wouldn't have to buy a tourist visa AND a work permit. The immigration office wouldn't fax the permit to the airport, so I showed up at the airport at 6:45 this morning, ready to greet our new volunteer, Julie. I fully expected a battle with immigration. Of course they want us to pay for both the tourist visa and the work permit, BUT the law doesn't say you have to have both. Yet. Regardless, if the officials simply decided they weren't going to accept the work permit, that would be the end of it. So before I left this morning I read about David's battles in 2 Samuel and prayed, "Lord, fight this battle for me!"

When I arrived at the airport, and immigration officer took the work permit from me (with a smile!) and processed it for Julie, then warmly welcomed us. I was shocked. God won the battle before I even arrived...I didn't have to do a thing! Praise Him!

Today I received letters from 2 of my dearest friends. That always brightens my week!

I'd love to hear from you. I'm on Facebook and Myspace, and I check my e-mail frequently. I'll try to respond if you send me a message!