On Monday, I have officially been out of the States for 3 months. On Tuesday, I officially have been in country for 3 months. And on Wednesday, Cameron Guy Saunders, 7 1/2 lbs, 20 in., was born.
I am adjusting to my new world here. I have a full house, with 5 girls under one roof. My project, as you can read, has moved, and yet I still know which direction to go home in in the midst of the maze of Kibera. Curfews, new foods, different currency, different humor.
My nephew, Cameron, is adjusting to a new world, too. They say that there's nothing exciting about the first few months of a baby's life, and I guess that's true. But just crying, sleeping, and pooping sounds like Heaven when you can't be there for it. He will have to adjust to his new life in New Jersey without his Aunt Sa. It's happened before. But I hear that it can cause serious problems down the line, unless there is an intervention, say, around 9 months old??
Congratulations, Lesley and Billy!! (and Angel and Erynn, big sis'!)
Bittersweet...
Today, our project opened its doors to the new building. We are officially operating from Mashimoni area of Kibera (instead of Railway PAG). This is 20 months in the making, a real answer to prayers! It's made of cement, not corrugated iron, and has four rooms open now, with a clinic to open soon, instead of one little "office," one little tailoring room, and a church that functioned as an all-purpose room. We have room to work, with a separate room for literacy, tailoring room, reading room, and...wait for it, wait for it...a bathroom! Like, inside the building.
The sad part is that all those kids on my picture live around my old building, and so I won't get to see them, or the mamas, or the kids walking in, or...or...oh, it's so sad.
But I do have a toilet now.
***Pictures to come***
Yesterday was bright, sunshining, almost hot day. After trekking through Kibera "shortcuts," we finally arrived at the school we were visiting for their Bible club. About 4:30, it started to rain. Now, let me inform you that Kenya rain is not like Jersey rain. Kenya rain has a few drops, then all-out downpour, without a moment's notice. So, under the tin roof of the school, I taught them. Screaming at the top of my lungs to be heard over the pounding rain. We watched through the windows as the dirt became wet, then muddy, then Kibera muddy (which only gumboots can save you from), then streams of water. Then, it really started raining. Hailing, actually, which almost tore off a small section of roof in the little classroom. So the staff and the students just stared out the windows, watching this incredible storm move through. The cell network went down for a while. It was crazy. In twenty minutes, we went from arid dry to flood. At 5:30, when it was still raining but no hail, my escort and I started our journey home. We had an umbrella, as if it would help any. We hiked uphill, bypassing the really flooded areas only to encounter a massive wall of water flowing downstream--while we were going up. Still trying to preserve my shoes, I hopped from one little stone to another, carefully avoided the major areas. Until...until water flowing from end to end so fast it, you could go whitewater rafting down it blocked our path. So I did what any mzungu caught in the rain of Kibera would do. I laughed so hard going through it I almost fell down!! Arthur and I grabbed hands and just ran. It was one of the craziest but most memorable experiences I've had here. So far. This isn't the rainy season.
In the Bible, rain is associated with God's blessings. His blessings certainly fell on us yesterday!
I am an alien...in that good kind of way! Earlier this week, I took a trip to Immigration, where I sat, then moved and sat somewhere else, and sat some more. Then I got fingerprinted, so I'm signed, sealed, delivered. I'm now an official alien resident of Kenya. I never thought I'd be happy to get fingerprinted... Of course, here you get the ink off with "spirits," which is no more than kerosene. No one light a match!!
New mission: update blog...ever.
So my sister informed me that though my family knows I'm over here, they don't know what I'm doing. So here's a daily itinerary that is supposed to be my schedule. That is to say, recently it has been like so, but more often than not there has been exceptions.
7:15 - Stumble out of bed
7:30 - Get coffee or tea, breakfast, retreat to my room for devotions
8:30 - Leave for Kibera
9:00 - Arrive at the office, have devotions on Tuesdays and Fridays, pick three people to visit
10:00 - 12:30 - Visitations
1:00 - Have lunch (Mondays and Tuesdays have a literacy student for an hour first)
3:00ish - Head back home
4:00ish - Get home (**notice the time it takes to get home is twice as long as going--more people to greet)
4:30 - Check mail (hint, hint), have some tea
5:30 - Help make dinner
8:00 - Watch movie, chat with the passing short-termers, or read The Idiot
10:30 - Lights out
So this doesn't describe Saturday or Sunday, which aren't so filled and varies even more than the above time schedule. Now, consider yourselves informed.
Mark 1:40 "A man with leprosy came to [Jesus] and begged him on his knees, 'If you are willing, you can make me clean.' "
Marko 1:40 "Akaja mtu mwenye ukoma, akapiga magoti mbele ya Yesu akamsihi, 'Ukitaka, unaweza kunitakasa.' "
My nephew, Cameron, is adjusting to a new world, too. They say that there's nothing exciting about the first few months of a baby's life, and I guess that's true. But just crying, sleeping, and pooping sounds like Heaven when you can't be there for it. He will have to adjust to his new life in New Jersey without his Aunt Sa. It's happened before. But I hear that it can cause serious problems down the line, unless there is an intervention, say, around 9 months old??