Some Follow-up

What Did You Do In Africa?

This morning’s post is from Shelley Eckert, a recent Impact Trip participant and dear friend of mine. When Shelley got back from the recent June trip to Kenya, she was asked over and over by friends and family “How was Kenya?” and this is her response: 

One time I painted the home of an older lady in inner city Cincinnati as part of a week long short term mission trip. She was kind and grateful and had some big needs…. but our group came to paint her house. In the hottest part of the afternoon, we took a break from painting and rested on her front porch. During our breaks, she came out to sit with us. We tried to make conversation with her, but there was an awkward tension that was blocking the conversation. We were all hot and sweaty and tired from painting this sweet lady’s home and all she could say was “thank you” -so many times. Inadvertently, we had assumed the role of provider and she, the role of receiver. There was an unintentional, unspoken-but-ever-present sense of inferiority that this sweet lady seemed to have because we were helping her and she was doing nothing for us. It was imbalanced. Our relationship with that sweet lady remained just “giver and receiver”.  I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen when, in a few years, her home needed another coat of paint.

Last month, I visited the home of a graduating client in Nairobi as part of a week long CARE for AIDS Impact Trip. The client, Rose, was kind and grateful and had some big needs… and our group came to share a meal. Rose taught us about how to make traditional Kenyan dishes and showed us her garden – she even cut down some of her fresh sugar cane for us to try. Rose spoke just a little English, but conversation flowed freely as we described to her what it was like in America and she told us about her family and her life in Kenya.

We were all hot and sweaty and tired from cooking in this sweet lady’s home and we were always saying thank you to her for accommodating us and teaching us. And in return, she was thanking us for coming to visit and to listen and to celebrate with her. There was an unintentional, unspoken-but-ever-present equality between her and our group because each and every one us had something to offer. It was balanced. And so our relationship with Rose became friendship. When we saw her at church the next day she smiled widely and ran over to hug us all. When she walked across the stage to graduate from the CARE for AIDS program, we all smiled so wide and big tears welled up in the corners of my eyes. Rose embodied deep truths about hope and persistence and faith and Jesus. Rose no longer needs any of the services provided by CARE for AIDS- she is able to be independent and provide for her family. Now, CARE for AIDS needs Rose. Rose is needed to share Jesus and life and hope with her friends and family and her community, and that is what she is already doing. It is beautiful.

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As a visitor to the CARE for AIDS program for ten days, here is what I observed: CARE for AIDS doesn’t create dependency. Clients are met where they’re at and loved and valued and believed in. CARE for AIDS teaches clients about Jesus and life and their hopeful future even with an HIV-positive status; then those clients teach friends and family and the community those things; and the cycle continues and continues. And occasionally, some people like myself have the opportunity to come from half way around the world and observe just a small piece of that huge and beautiful life-giving cycle. We get to celebrate in those clients’ victories and weep with them in their struggles and tell those clients they are valuable to us all the way across the world. And in doing so, we realize thatwe are all more similar than we ever imagined. 

So what did you do while you were over there? 

I have been asked often since returning home. It’s the best question I can be asked. Every time I answer by talking about Rose. I talk about her struggles and her victories and what she taught me about Jesus and life and hope. There is no painted house to serve as the end-point of our trip; there has been no dependency created by our brief visit. There is no need for another group to come in a few years and re-execute any tasks, painting or otherwise. Instead, there are smiling, joyful, empowered clients instigating change in their communities. And back on the other side of the world, I am smiling, joyful and empowered by the memories of Rose and the many others I met with similar beautiful stories.

So what did you do while you were over there? 

I learned. I laughed. I celebrated. And I returned home with a deeper, more sustainable perspective of empowering and serving people.

Go and see what is happening in Kenya. But not because Kenya needs people from halfway around the world. Go to see the smiles and the joy and the celebration and the struggles and the victory. Go to see Jesus. And please, give Rose all my best.

God Bless the Rains down in Africa

Day Seven - Thursday, 11 June 2015

Safari Day!

We were all awoken by the Masai workers at the camp around 5:30 by someone standing outside our tent saying "Hello Hello Hello" and carrying a tray of coffee for us. It was confusing at first but oh-so-wonderful once we figured out what was going on. At six we all met and left for morning safari just as the sun was coming up. The sun rose within the first hour of our drive, and we saw all sorts of wildlife, including TONS of giraffe. It seemed like wherever we drove we were driving past a group, or a tower of them. The highlight of the morning drive was definitely seeing two male giraffes, bulls fight for the opportunity to mate. They do what is called necking, where they whip their necks around and beat one another. Its very violent to watch and to hear, and our guide said it is pretty rare to see. I'm not sure how long we stayed around to watch the interaction, but it ended with the younger male pushing out the older male, and earning the right to mate with the female, the cow.

We drove to a plain, I believe the same plain that we watched the sunset at last night, and the camp had set up quite a breakfast spread for us: yogurt, homemade granola, fruit, eggs cooked however we requested over a camp stove, toast, muffins, sausage, bacon, and loads of coffee. After driving for three hours and waking up so early it was a welcome meal, and just the most picturesque moment. Green rolling hills surrounding a finely set table, with everyone wrapped in bright colored Masai blankets to stay warm in the morning breeze. Thats a moment I want to remember for a very very long time.

We saw whole group of baboons, maybe a dozen or so, and watched them play and fight and fall from trees. We tried to see elephants,  but had no luck. We returned around 11:30am and were instructed to go back to our tents for a nap. And trust me, you didn't need to tell any of us twice. We all woke up at 1:00p for lunch, and then had an hour or so left for rest before our afternoon tea and cake and safari.

And what a safari it ended up being. (Side note: Tea and coffee were also incredible. Carrot cake, light on the carrot and heavy on the delicious). I decided to go with the van that was going to visit a real Masai tribe. On the way to the tribe we spotted a lion eating a tomy it had killed earlier in the day. What struck me most about watching the lion were the sounds associated with the kill and devouring. The tearing of flesh and bone crunching are not something that can be captured. Also the smell of a rotting carcass. That was pretty unique as well. There were trees and trees full of vultures just waiting to feast on whatever the lions left.

The remainder of our drive out to the Masai drive was relatively uneventful, and still so beautiful. On the Mara you can see all the surrounding hills and storms with lighting rolling in.

Visiting the Masai tribe was an experience I can't categorize like anything I've ever done before, a common theme for this trip. We visited one family, which included a father and three wives. We were so warmly welcomed by them, due in part to the fact that they receive compensation for hosting us, of course, but I'd like to think that there was an element of traditional Masai culture involved as well that incorporated hospitality to our visit. The invited us into their home so that we could see what a traditional cow dung dwelling looked (and smelled) like, we did a traditional dance with the wives, and we even got to (try to) milk a cow.

Sun set (or sun down, as its referred to here) was beautiful. It was my favorite combination of cloudy and clear sky with lots of colors. The night peaked with our siting of three lions devouring a very recently killed wildebeest, as evident by the fact the animal was still bleeding and one of the lions was actively trying to choke the animal. Without being too graphic, we got a great organ lesson during the eating process.

We arrived late to dinner because of the lion viewing, but everyone was gracious about us being late. As we ate our last meal together as a team, we discussed the highs and lows and learnings of the trip. For me, the entire experience has been so humbling. I've got a lot I still need to process through, but I know that as soon as I return to Atlanta I will get distracted by my commitments there and not give this whole experience the debrief time it deserves. So I leave with these thoughts:

The world is big. So big. Too big for me to ever understand, and big enough that I always want to understand more.

The needs of people are big. Too big. And so different than something that fits into my traditional construct of design and problem solving. Sometimes people need shoes to wear. And sometimes their feet are so tough shoes aren't their most pressing need. Sometimes people need medicine. And sometimes their health is so poor that medicine is insufficient to help. Always people need love and respect and dignity. That is something I can do now. Something I can give now, to my family, to my friends, to my classmates, to my coworkers, and to myself.

Before leaving for Kenya, I told a friend that I was going on this trip to challenge my paradigms of life and people and needs and service. This trip challenged all those things. But it wasn't a trip that I am returning from with many unsettled questions. I am returning more alive. More rested. More inspired. More ready to try new things. More ready to be outside my comfort zone. More ready to fail.

And more ready to love.

to the Mara!

Day Six - Wednesday, 10 June 2015

Today we woke up early and packed a small bag for our two night safari excursion. We laughed at dinner last about how little I knew to anticipate about this part of the trip. For whatever reason I didn't really play out what an African safari might be. And now, as I sit in my tent looking at a few zebra grazing in the distance, I can't help but chuckle to myself at the incredible adventure I seem to have stumbled into. Or maybe I'm hallucinating with the best type of African fever. To be decided.

We drove for about two hours from the CFA house this morning to the Air Kenya airport for our departure to the Masai Mara. On our way to the airport we drove past one of the largest, highest concentrated slums in the world, called the Sumara I believe. It was a huge expanse of tin shacks - as far as you could see. Not unlike what we'd seen in previous days, just much more expansive. We also saw a family of baboons on the side of the road, which seemed strangely fitting in the midst of all the other new things I was seeing.

Once we arrived at the "airport", we checked our bags and went to get coffee and breakfast. Our plane was a Twin Otter (is that a plane type, dad?) maybe twenty seats or so. Taking off out of Nairobi we had a great view of Nairobi National Park, which is just adjacent to the downtown area. Its a strange thing to see safari land and city in the same landscape.

Our flight only lasted about 40 minutes, and in that short time the landscape changed drastically. We flew over hills, mountains, rivers, and as we approached our airport we could see small Masai villages with herds of sheep, cow, and who knows what else. In amongst the animals you could see tiny dots of red, which were the Masai shepards watching the flocks. I believe in our forty minute flight we also transported back several hundred years.

As we landed (on a dirt runway, no less) there were many zebra and wildebeest surrounded the "airport". Our safari trucks were waiting on us when we arrived, and as we loaded in to them we were given cool beers to drink on our trip out to camp. The weather was sunny and breezy. I am currently wearing chacos, jeans, and a light long sleeve shirt and I was perfectly comfortable. There were a lot of flies but the breeze did a great job of keeping them away.

We saw giraffe, gazelles, baboons, elands, impalas, ostriches, and wildebeests all on our journey to camp. The other vehicle got a flat tire, which is apparently a very common occurrence, so we had to pause for a moment while the tire was patched. We forded a small stream and took many circuitous routes to avoid pot holes and spot more animals. The whole thing was just unbelievable. The most challenge part to comprehend was the reality of it all. Ive seen so many pictures, movies, videos of safari lands that my brain wanted to categorize all of what I was seeing as imaginary. I had to constantly remind myself that I was living this and experiencing this. It was (and still is) a very strange feeling.

Arriving at camp was a welcome experience, as the jostling of the jeep and the refreshing beverage left me in a relatively urgent bladder situation. The toilets (which are American flushing toilets, even out in the wilderness) were a beautiful welcome site.

We were greeted by the kindest of camp staff, a family from South Africa, and several Masai men. We were given a honey lime drink and towels soaked in essential oils upon arrival. Our bags were taken from us and carried to our tents, and we sat down in the main area for our briefing on camp and then to enjoy lunch.

And what a lunch. Buffet style quiches, salads, teas, and fruits and ice creams...all in an open tent facing the Mara. From my seat I could see zebra, wildebeest, and a few gazelle off in the distance. We were then walked to our tents and briefed on the amenities. There are flushing toilets, refillable bucket showers, electric lights, and the most comfortable beds you can imagine. There is a sitting area at the front of the tent, and all the sides can be rolled up so that no part of your view of of the Mara is blocked. From the chaise lounge that I sit on right now I can see a few Zebra, am antelope, and occasionally a few small rodent-like things run up. No idea what they are. The rules of camp include never walking off the path during the day, and only walking with a guard at night. There is a flash light in each room to signal for a guard when needed. All sorts of animals are known to roam around camp after dark.

Our instructions were to go to our tents and rest up before tea time at 4, and then we will be going on a sun down drive. Its simply too good to be true. Its just too good.

And it was too good. Tea time included lemon poppyseed cake, and then we loaded back into the safari jeeps for a ride. We saw dozens of giraffe, gazelles, (including Thompson Gazelles, which our guide called Tommy G's), zebras, wildebeest, and warthogs. The highlight was finding a lioness taking care of her three cubs. We sat and watched them for quite a while. The guide said her cubs were about five months old, and they were able to play and romp around easily. Mom yawned a lot - I guess having five months old is tough for any species. We spend sunset on a plain drinking wine and watching the wildebeest all around us. There were several different thunderstorms off in the distance, and as it got darker the lightening got more and more beautiful. We took many pictures and laughed and over and over I said "this is real this is real" because it really did take a constant reminder.

When it was almost dark it was starting to rain so we loaded back in the jeeps. Our guides gave us fleece lined ponchos to wear and we used a large red spot light to look for animals in the dark. We spotted a bush baby, the smallest primate, in a tree, and the two more lioness on hunt! It was awesome. Meanwhile the lighting is flashing and the rain is pouring and the jeep is sliding around in the mud. It was just incredible. Incredible.

We got back to camp just before dinner, so we all sat around the glorious fireplace and drank beverages they brought us. Dinner came in courses and included pumpkin soup, chicken and rice, snap peas, and carrots. And wine imported from South Africa, which they trickily kept refilling before you glass was full. Who knows how much I ended up drinking.... We finished off with coffee and dessert and then sat around the fire place for a while talking to the owners. Since there is no internet everyone is completely off of their phones and completely focused on everyone else. Its quite a step away from normal life and it is wonderful.

Our showers were drawn for us as we were escorted back to our tents for the night, and despite having to turn the water off and on in order to conserve, it was a very warm and refreshing experience.

And as I type this I am back on the chaise lounge in the front room of our tent. I can hear birds and beetles and wildebeest and maybe a zebra or two? Not sure. I don't know what to expect for tomorrow, but I do know at dinner they told us they would wake us up at 530 with coffee. I cannot wait to see what tomorrow holds.

Graduation

Day Five - Tuesday, 9 June 2015

Today was such a day of celebration. We started with our normal breakfast routine of Nutella and toast and coffee, and then headed back to Githerai for the CFA graduation celebration. And what a celebration it was. After being at the church two separate times, we were more comfortable with the people there and the environment as a whole. When we arrived most of the clients had already found seats, but we decided that we wanted to sit all around the clients instead of at the front, so Cornell said something in Swahili that everyone thought was hilarious, and then different clients got up out of their seats and took us by the hand and lead us to sit next to them.

A lady named Yasmin grabbed my hand and we went and sat towards the front. Yasmin is a very special CFA client because she is a Muslim. It is a big deal culturally for her to even be in a church, and for her to have attended faithfully for nine months during the course of the program is a really unique, ground-breaking event. She has several children and has known shes been HIV positive for years. Many people in her community do not know that she is HIV positive. She heard about the program through a friend that had completed the program and had lots of positive things to say about it. I asked her a little about the healthcare in Kenya. She gave birth in a hospital, and during her second birth stayed for almost a week because of complications due to the HIV medicine. She knows five languages, including English very well. She laughed at me when I told her I only knew one. She introduced me to her best friend, Latifa, who is also an HIV positive muslim. The two have been through a lot together and were inseparable for most of the graduation process. Yasmin even gave a testimony about her CFA experience in front of the entire assembly. They sang and cheered and danced during worship, and also laughed at me as I tried to sing and dance along. These ladies are my same age and even though we have so little in common, I found it very easy to relate to them. They were comfortable, kind people to be around. The moment that I hope to remember for a long time happened when they asked me if they could ask a question about America. They asked "In your country, do you have this disease?". To which I answered yes, we had the disease, and we were using the same medication to treat it as what they were taking. They seemed surprised to hear this response, and saddened. They told me that they would pray for our country for our people to be healed. I didn't know what to say to something like that. How humbling.

The graduation ceremony itself was such a lively celebration. The CFA central staff came to hand out certificates and Bibles, and they did such an excellent job making it a grand celebration. I had several favorite parts of the celebration, and one of them was at the beginning when Lynette said in both Swahili and English that she loved to hug and celebrate and congratulate people, but since there were so many people in the room she could not possibly reach everyone. So she started a chain of hugs by hugging one person who was suppose to hug the next and the next. And thats exactly what we did. There was so much laughing and music and cheering and celebration, and slowly the hug made its way around the entire room with at last 100 people in attendance. The pre-recorded keyboard melodies were in full force for this and every other portion of the event, of course.

For the actual calling out of names, our American team was integrated into the ceremony and we got to pass out Bibles and hand out certificates of completion to the clients. You would not believe was an honor it was for these clients to receive a certificate. Many were not able to complete secondary school, so this is the only graduation they will ever attend. When their names were called the danced and danced down the isle and smiled so big as they received their items. It was quite an overwhelming, beautiful thing to see.

After all 80 clients were called, we sang another song or two. Another favorite part of mine was when the clients were asked to hold their certificates high above their heads. Again, so much cheering and clapping and celebration and victory. It was beautiful. People under immense struggles can do incredible things. To quote the pastors wife, Beatrice, "you cannot stop a bird from landing in your head, but you can stop it from nesting there". It got laughs at the time, but this phrase absolutely embodies what these clients are doing. And it is inspiring.

Kilgari

After graduation, which we ended up leaving early because service was still going long and people were still celebrating, we drove back to Kilgari to observe some individual client training sessions. The Kilgari site is much bigger than Githari; Cornell affectionately referred to it as the "Buckhead" of Care for AIDS centers. I watched a spiritual counseling session and a health counseling sessio and was very impressed with both. The moment that sticks out to me the most happened during the spiritual counseling sessions. The counselor, James, asked the client to take out her notebook to record notes during the sessions. She took out a notebook and flipped to the first page...making it very obvious that she had not been taking notes in the weeks before. He asked her why she was using a new notebook, and she smiled wide and replied she was using the notebook that we had given her the previous day during our home visits. He laughed and said that was the best excuse. 

As we were preparing to leave Kilgari, school was letting out in the area. For whatever reason there was a large group of 4-7 year olds just waiting in the sanctuary of the church, and they were fascinated by us. They would look and point and smile and tip toe closer and closer, but they were too nervous to come up and shake our hands intially. Their courage built quickly, however, and before long we had come up with a game where they approached us slowly and cautiously, and right when they were arms lengths away we would turn around and shout. They would then run back laughing and screaming....not unlike sneaking up on pigeons in the park (I am cringing at that analogy but it really is the best fit). Eventually they would come up to us and shake our hands and pound our fists. It was just the cutest thing. The only English they knew was "How are you? Fine" so that is what we said to them over and over. They loved to take their picture and see it afterward, so we took many selfies with them. And throughout the whole thing they would just giggle and giggle. And so we would giggle and giggle. It was a good time. A wonderful time.

We loaded up in the vans and drove to dinner at a wild game restaruant in down town Nairobi called Carnivore. The theme of the restaurant is all you can eat meat, which is brought out on spears and comes in all sorts of variety. To get there we drove along the border of the Nairobi National Park, which was the most safari-like thing we had seen up to this point. To fit the mood, we obviously played Toto's Africa song, and not twenty seconds into the song we saw two giraffes over the fence in the national park. It was amazing. Just amazing.

Dinner was wonderful. I tried ox balls (....interesting, lets just say), crocodile, rabbit, chicken gizzard, and lots of lamb. What an experience.

We got back to the house a little earlier than normal so that we could pack up for safari tomorrow. I just can't wait.

In the trenches

***note: incomplete post***

Day Four - Monday, 8 June 2015

Today was a challenging day. We visited the homes of several clients in the Kilgari area that just began the CFA program a month ago. These clients are still adjusting to discussing their HIV positive diagnosis, and the idea of Mizungus (what we hear all the time when we drive around, it means "white people") in their home was a very overwhelming thought to them. Our team split into two groups and walked through the slums. We ended up visiting a total of four homes in the mornning.

Ann

Ann was the first client we visited. To get to her home we walked from the city center, which consited of dirt roads, into the lower area of the city, which quickly turned to narrow, mud-filled streets. We did not take many pictures of this in an effort to be respectful to the people that lived in these areas. Throughout the morning we had two armed guards walk with us, because a group of Mizungus together in that area is just asking for trouble. The guards were very friendly, and I was glad to have them around. When we arrived at Ann's home, we walked into a small tin shack with a muddy dirt floor. She apologized for not having things more put together; she was in the process of moving because her previous home was under a foot of water. Ann takes care of her son and two other family children, all under the age of ten. For income, she sorts through the trash to find things that can be cleaned and resold. It was amazing to hear her describe her work to us; there was no shame that she felt in telling us that she sorted through trash all day. She rents two rooms, one for sitting / food preparation, and one for sleeping. For both of these rooms, she pays 3000 shillings a month. To put this into perspective, for the one hour yoga session yesterday I payed 1000 shilllings. She also must pay for school fees for the children in her care ( to cover the cost of uniforms and other miscellaneous expenses) as well as food. 

Ann was diagnosed with HIV many years ago when she went to give birth to her son (it is policy in Kenya that all mothers be tested for HIV in order to give birth in a hospital). She "did not accept her status", a common phrase we heard throughout the day. Her husband left her, and she was force to relocate and to continue to care for her children. She is now in the CFA program, which she heard about from a friend. Almost everyone we talked to said that is how they heard about the program. Throughout our conversations we had to whisper, because her friends do not know that she is HIV positive. This is another perk to CFA being done through the church - no one assumes anything about Ann other than that she is very religious. Her new neighbors were very curious about why a group of white people were coming into her home; she told them that we were from the church to welcome her. By the time we left there was a crowd of people surrounding the outside of her home. We ended our visit by praying for all of them, further validating Ann's story that we were visitors of the church.

Margaret

After visiting Ann, she showed us where her friend Margaret lived. Margaret had three children, a 14 year old, a 12 year old, and a two year old. Her space was similar in size to Ann's but much more established. She had covered the walls in lace and had doilies on almost every surface. There was no window so we kept the door open for light. Margaret

Nancy

Quiet. husband was asleep in back portion of room. Has had suicidal thoughts before related to diagnoses. Went to be tested when she was sick.

House had lace all over

Young child - fell asleep in Cornell's arms

Belongign to a different church than the one offering treatment

Jane 

Very sad about not being able to pay for school fees for her son. diagnosed when she was fuond to have TB. Has lived in home for a long time. no one knows status. has to go for medications every month.

Church day

Day Three - Sunday, 7 June 2015

Oh what a glorious day. We woke up early and ate breakfast all together, and then headed back to the same church for Sunday service. We arrived during Bible Study (which I believe is the same as Sunday School, but held in the same building as the main service so it very closely resembles the main service. As we filed in, people got up and moved to the back of the church so that we could sit in the front as guests of honor. The pastor and his translator continued preaching for about fifteen more minutes, and then the pastors wife got up to lead worship and transition into the main service. The children came in from their separate Sunday school class and sang several songs, some in Swahili and some in English. It was absolutely touching. There is something about a roomful of Kenyan children singing "He's got the whole world in His hands" that is real and raw and beautiful. There are more children in the church, and we were told later that there are many children who come to church without their parents because the activities seem so fun and inviting. These activities are primarily singing and Bible verse memorization; there isn't any space for more than that. No division of age groups, either. The kids really just love being together and singing and dancing. The kids recited some bible verses in English and Swahili, and then there were several "solo performances" by individual children. One girl sang what I swear was a slightly modernized version of "What a Friend We Have in Jesus", and I felt my asthma coming on just hearing the melody.

Speaking of melody....a few years ago when Care for AIDS was just starting at this church they were doing a big donation campaign for a sound system (total cost approx $300 USD). Care for AIDS tries very hard not to make the church too dependent on them, so instead of just cutting a check to meet their need they donated to the cause but did not carry the full financial burden. This sound system has not only been purchased, but is still being used in full force. As in volume on max capacity all the time. They have also taken full advantage of the pre-programmed beats on the keyboard. Refer to the numerous videos I've taken of different worship songs for a better idea of the application. And when a song needed to be sped up or slowed down, it was easily adjusted on said keyboard. 

We were introduced to the church at the beginning of the service, and after each of our team members said our name the entire congregation repeated it. It sounds simple but it was the most welcoming of gestures. Justin, the Executive Director of CFA, spoke for the main sermon, and the paster's wife, Beatrice, lead worship before and after. Afterwards we had a meal together at the church with the church members that were on the CFA committee, as well as a few graduates from previous CFA sessions. Lunch consisted of a beef stew, rice, and chipati, all cooked over an open flame right outside the church. There were huge pots that contained enough to feed at least 30 people, and the women who prepared the meal didn't flinch at the idea of having to cook for so many. I sat next to the pastor of the church, Pastor Joe, and we talked about CFA and his church in general. They had just moved locations because the landlord at the previous location had decided to sell the land. They are looking to expand to an area behind the church, but are still raising funds to do so. It was interesting to compare notes about rituals and routines; the church identifies as Baptist, but I believe it is a very different type of Baptist than in America. They do celebrate christmas-time with a christmas "concert" that I believe includes some type of nativity play. When I told Pastor Joe that it is very cold during our Christmas season, he could not believe weather so cold could exist. Truly amazing how different worlds can be.

After lunch we headed back to the CFA house to prepare for dinner. Ryan, the only American CFA worker that lives in Kenya, arranged for his yoga instructor to come give a class to several of us on the upper deck of the CFA house. The weather was absolutely perfect, and the instructor was great. His English was easy to understand, and he often laughed at hour inflexible we were. He is a part of an organization that teaches Africans how to be yoga instructors as a means to make money and care for themselves. The class was fabulous and the experience was truly once in a lifetime.

After yoga, we went to dinner at a retreat center on the edge of town and ate with many of the Kenyan staff and their (ever-growing) families. There were babies everywhere! We ate more traditional Kenyan food, including Ungali, which is a cold grits type of dish. Not a crown favorite, but I certainly didn't mind it. After dinner, we headed down to a bonfire and had coffee and listened to the original founders of CFA (Justin, Duncan, and Cornell) tell the story of how the organization was founded. Its been almost eight years since the first center was opened and it was amazing to hear all that they've learned and tried and experienced in that time. My favorite part, however, was listening to what they think the future might look like. Its very exciting to hear their dreams and think about what those dreams could mean to the communities in Kenya and the surrounding countries.

After bonfire time, we loaded up in the vans and drove back home. Tomorrow is client home visits, and I'm feeling both nervous and excited about that portion of the trip.