4 weeks can change your life it you let it. My roommate, Jenn, once told me that you can do anything for a month. At the time I didn't take her seriously because we were doing a Kenyan diet that lacked any kind of variety and flavor. But sure enough, that month flew by quickly and we not only survived, but we came out of it with a better understanding of the Kenyan culture. I say these things because sometimes what we think we are getting ourselves into ends up being completely different from God's plan. We can force ourselves to make it through a month of an "ordeal", or we can enjoy the adventure God has planned for us! My first trip to Kenya in 2010 proved that. Who would have thought that a 2 week journey would turn into a lifelong love for a culture, that, until that point, I knew absolutely nothing about. This trip to Africa was no different. I may have already known and loved the culture, but it doesn't mean I didn't still grow.
When I left Kenya last year, I didn't know if it was the right decision. I knew I needed a break, but would a summer off have been enough to allow me to go back and enjoy a third year? I will never know the answer to that question. What I do know is that I spent a year perseverating on the idea that I may have made a mistake in moving back to the US. I had a fear that returning to Africa this year could make those ideas become reality and that I would actually resent the decision to go rather than enjoy it. In short, my trip this summer initially compounded those ideas, but eventually gave me closure in areas that I previously didn't have it.
I spent my first week in Nairobi with my good friend Anne. That week was an emotional one for me. I really enjoyed getting to see my friends and former students, and we had a great time in fellowship and praising God for all of the good things he has done since we last saw each other. But, as the week went on, I was dreading leaving these close relationships all over again. This was my comfort zone, and I was going to be ripped out of it again and thrown into another year of fighting to fit in. Through this struggle, God taught me something. The blessings over the last year that we had spent hours praising God for would not have been possible without my having moved back to the US. If anything, our friendships grew more in the year that I was away because I was taken out of my comfort zone and forced to grow as a person. I didn't have a lot of time to process all of this, and honestly still am trying to figure it all out. But I do know that I was able to return to the US more excited about a new year than I initially was.
I left Nairobi only a week after my arrival in Kenya (which felt like a day) and headed out to Alendu to see what adventures awaited me there. The morning of my departure to Alendu I fell very ill from the malaria medication I was taking. I went to see my old doctor in Nairobi and she gave me some medicine to help me feel well enough to travel. Myself and Angela, the other member of my team, were greeted in Kisumu by Roger and Amanda, an intern for Rafiki. We did some quick shopping and then headed to the village. The 12 days I was in the village seemed to fly by faster than my one week in Nairobi. Our main goal for the trip had been to do professional development for the teachers. Although that changed when we got there, I was so blessed by the time I got to spend with some incredible educators. I think I learned more from them than they learned from me to be honest. I am on the education committee for Rafiki, so I ended up spending a lot of my time figuring out what we needed to do to help the school both short term and long term. You will be getting emails later this fall from me about some of the short term and long term goals we are working on.
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| Students at LHA praying before leaving school for the day |
My time at Lighthouse Academy was incredible, and I met some students who are ready to be world-changers. My time in Alendu, however, did not just involve working at the school. I had an experience this trip that I will never be able to fully explain in words. In the weeks leading up to my arrival in the village, Amanda had started to befriend the Masaai guards who worked on our compound. The Masaai culture has intrigued me since I first visited Kenya. They are a nomadic tribe that lives very primitively. They are cattle and goat farmers mostly, but many take jobs as guards because they are well known for their protection capabilities. As a rite of passage, Masaai boys must kill a lion with only a spear and a club. You can see why they make amazing guards! The interesting thing is that they keep their lives very private.
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| beautiful place we visited! |
There have been books and documentaries written about them, but most of the time they just keep to themselves. Many can only speak the Masaai language with a few being able to also speak Kiswahili. We were blessed enough to have a Masaai guard who had been educated and was also able to speak English! Evidently, education of the Masaai children is becoming more common, but until this point I had never met a Masaai who spoke English this well. Because Amanda had started to form a friendship with this Masaai and the other guards, they agreed one night to have a "Cultural Exchange" with us. It was an open question forum. They could ask us anything, and we could ask them anything. After 3 hours of talking (and translating), we learned so much more about the Masaai culture than I can even begin to write on here. If you want to hear about it, meet me for lunch sometime and I will tell you! The amazing things was that they enjoyed our conversation so much that they suggested we continue it for two more nights.
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| the crew at Masaai Market |
At the end of it all, they thanked us. When we asked why they would thank us when they were the ones answering the questions, they replied "Because most people would ask us questions so that they could judge us for the way we live. You just asked questions and accepted us for who we are." Wow... can we say strike to the heart right there? We, as Christians, are often told to love people where they are at. How many times though, do we immediately tell someone what is wrong with them and how Jesus can fix it? What if we just stopped and listened rather than making them feel guilty for how they are living their lives? Just think about that for a while and let me know if you wanna talk about it :) In the end, we were invited to someday come stay with these men and their families to learn more about their culture. We are trying to figure out a way for that to actually happen. I will never forget that experience!
So after my three weeks in Kenya were up, I travelled to Johannesburg, South Africa, to see Jenn and Symps. I was sad to leave Kenya knowing that it would be at least a year until I could return, but like I said previously, I had more closure this time, and I was really looking forward to seeing Jenn! I was greeted by FREEZING cold temperatures in South Africa. It is winter there right now, so some nights it was down in the 30s with no heat inside the buildings. During the day it was a little better and we could stand out in the sun to warm up. My first day there I went with Jenn to visit Symps at work and get a tour of their church. Symps is a pastor at a church that is affiliated with the same bible college as my sending church in the US. It is cool to see how similar they are on opposite sides of the world! That day I was invited to join staff devotions led by their head pastor. He spoke on harmony makers/killers. It was a great message. The one main point I took from it was "Are you treating this as your ministry or your job?" That has been on my mind ever since he said it. I think because, yes, we all have to have a job to survive and be able to provide for ourselves and our families, but why can't we view it as a ministry all the time? I have done book studies that have discussed this before, but for some reason God really put it on my heart to really learn it this year. Maybe I should be preparing for a group of students who will really need some prayer, I don't know, but I am going to make it my "mission" this year to make my job my ministry.
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| Jenn and I at the Apartheid Museum |
The second day we went to Oriental Plaza and the Apartheid Museum. I really enjoyed the museum and could have spent days in there reading all of the information about Nelson Mandela and all of the other leaders who worked to end the apartheid in SA. My third day in SA we awoke bright and early to head out on safari in Kruger National Park. I really enjoyed the 6 hour drive out to the park because I got to see a lot of the South African landscape. It was beautiful! Symps' friend Simba came with us and we just enjoyed a relaxing 3 days. We were sad to head home to Jo-burg. I have a ton of pictures, but will post just a few of my favorites here for you.
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| All of us in front of the Paul Kruger statue |
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| Symps and Simba did a SA Brai (BBQ) for us. |
On my last day in SA, we went to Mandela Square just to see a few touristy things before heading to the airport for my flight. It was bittersweet to leave Jenn and Symps and head home to my family.
Overall this trip was very healing for me. I got to spend time with people I really care about and also got some closure that I needed, as well as some much needed relaxation. I let the 4 weeks change and grow me. I still will always have the itch to travel, it's just what makes me who I am. I know this blog post was very general, but I honestly could not even begin to write everything on here. You would never have time to read it! If you want to hear more about my trip, please ask to meet up with me. I will gladly share more! I will be planning more education trips to the village in the future, so if you have an interest in joining a trip, please let me know! There are also medical trips, women's development trips, construction, and agricultural trips as well if any of those sound more up your alley.
VERSE OF ENCOURAGEMENT:
"Do not conform to the patterns of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." Romans 12:2
PRAYER REQUESTS:
- For the start of a new school year (for parents, students, teachers, administration, etc)
- For God to remind me of all that I learned on this trip.
- For healing for our family dog (she tore her ACL in her knee while I was away and had to have surgery twice.)
