No STIMA!!

This post will come out of frustration with the electricity for the past 3 days. As is usual, on Monday, the electricity is off all day. It goes out around 8ish and remains off until around 4:30 or 5:00. However, this Monday it was off till about 8. For white people this is a problem. The Sun goes down around 6:30 or 7 and there is no light. It so much darker here. Even worse, Kenyans have an amazing ability to see in the darkness. So they find it quite funny when a Mazungo (white person) is eating by the light of a flashlight. Monday... I dealth with the problem and made arrangements in the work I needed to do. Tuesday I wake at 5:00AM to wake the girls for school. The sun is not up yet. I step to the wall to turn on the stima (electricity) and to my pleasant surprise.... NO STIMA!! I thought... well how wonderful. This should be a challenge waking the girls up. Maybe it will come back on soon. Wrong... it was off until about 7:30 AM. At least it was on during the day. That night it went in and out for a little bit. So.. Wednesday comes around, the alarm clock goes off and I think.. please Lord let there be light! HA! He answered and there was electricity... till about 6:15. Then the electricity went off. My thoughts.." It isn't Monday so I am sure it will be back on in a little bit." Twelve hours later the electricity came back on for 30 minutes. It went out again until about 9:00.

As I wanted to become really frustrated with the situation, I realized that no one else in Kerugoya cared that the electricity was off. They all went to work, did what was possible and if there was no work, they chatted with a neighbor or a friend. I laughed as I thought what would happen in Senatobia if the electricity was off 2 days every week. I don't know that people would even bother going to work. Maybe with a generator. But, as you can imagine those are very costly for this area. The good news is... the Lord really provided some good time with the girls last night. Because the lights were off, and I was the only one with a flashlight, I was able to read to the girls for about an hour! A lady with SIM gave the "Little Pilgram's Progress" and we started reading on Sunday. The girls love it and they sat quietly in the dark last night listening. It was wonderful and I really enjoyed the time! So... instead of my frustration I should end my thoughts on electricity in praise to our Lord who always is present and offers His grace for every minute of the day!

A Spiritual Retreat

I have spent the last 4 days in a village called Tigoni at the Brackenhurst Baptist Retreat Center. SIM was having its annual Spiritual Life Conference for all missionaries. The area is absolutely beautiful and the weather is, somewhat, chilly. It was such a great time for me. I was able to build some relationships with other short-term missionaries and meet some of those individuals who have served for 30 years here in Africa. The speaker we had was an African man who is known here in Kenya due to his work with a Bible college. His weekend lesson dealt with grace and all the times in our lives that grace is poured out upon us. The food was very “Western” and there were hot SHOWERS!! It was a good time. I also had the opportunity to learn more about other ministries and find out what other short termers are doing at their orphanages. I returned to Bethesda with tons of ideas and a new desire to get started in the work. I can tell there will be challenges with what I am to do. I am here to love on the children and offer them some opportunities they may not normally have. However, another part of my work is working with Mama Phillip on the accounting books and records. There is much to be done on the computer which will require some computer lessons so that the work can be continued when I leave. Also, small changes in the day to day routine will really help improve the situation at Bethesda, so I am to help with that as well. The problem is, no one likes change! So, slowly and patiently I’ll set about accomplishing the task before me. On a personal ministry level, I really hope to be able to do some discipling with the older girls. Maybe, take them each aside and get them to open up about their lives and their hearts. I can only pray that the Lord will provide this opportunity.
On a fun note, I got kissed by a giraffe!! On Thursday morning the Flemings took me and one of their friends to a giraffe park before we headed to the SLC. We were able to pet the giraffe and feed it and then you can place one of the food pellets between your teeth and the giraffe will lick it off. So…down side is your face gets covered in giraffe slobber but it makes for a really neat experience! Oh, I almost forgot, I saw wild zebras, warthogs, and monkeys on the side of the road on Wednesday while we were traveling!!! Africa is so AMAZING!!!

Church in Kenya

This shall be "a house of prayer for ALL nations." Isaiah 46:7

I must admit that this Sunday's worship service was much different and easier for me to worship the Lord. I guess the distractions during last week's service, coupled with the home-sickness made it difficult to really focus and present myself in worship. This week we attended Kerugoya P.E.F.A church. It had concrete floors and the sound system was not blarring. Even though the language was still Swahili or Kikuya ( not sure), there was reference and an earnest desire to bring an offering of praise before God. I have learned that Kenyans are constant in their praising of the Father. They understand His faithfulness to provide because there is by no means enough food in their country to feed them all. It's been a lesson to learn. I don't know that I am there yet. I have also learned that many Kenyans do not plan ahead. At the orphanage, I am trying to teach them to eat smaller portions. Right now they have food because the community has supported very graciously. I pray this continues but what if it doesn't. Is is bad to learn to eat smaller portions so that food last longer. I fear that some of the children overeat when they do eat. I don't know if it's fear that they don't know when they will eat again or if it's just culture. I feel I will "see clearly" in due time. There are so many things that are culturally different. I spend a lot of time trying to explain certain illnesses and dealing with misconceptions about health. I must constantly remember that change is slow and I am not in America anymore. I am trying now to find the balance between change that needs to occur because of health and things that can be left alone because it's just life in Kenya. Oh, that God will grant wisdom in loving and teaching. I hope the super bowl turned out in favor of everyone's desired team. Although, I know already some are not pleased! Try explaing the super bowl to Kenyans... it's a difficult task.