more happy reunions...

June 14, 2016

There is so much to take in each day and we all crash into bed each night.  Brian Lee emailed me about some of my reflections and said, “I know that it was discipleship "on speed" for our kids during their summers here.” We are so grateful that Brian and Debbie welcomed us on the team and that God has given them a heart to bring over 600 students and staff over for the last 19 summers.  Imagine the impact they have made! These last two and a half weeks have already been so rich for our family and I know that there is so much more in store for us.

Sunday (6/12), we had the wonderful privilege of going to Bishop Kaaleng’s church and being a part of the service that morning with Dickson Maisa, David Loreng and Stanley among many others.  The welcome and honor we were given was Kenyan hospitality at its best.  Jason, Anna, and Taylor each shared with the congregation, and then I was given the chance to give the sermon.

telling the story of Jesus' resurrection 

(using the script that JJ Kissinger shared at the Easter service at UPC this year)

I am so thankful for a book called Heaven, How I Got Here that Ann Poteet gave me that I based my message upon. The author summarizes the book: “It’s the story of the thief who died on the cross next to Jesus. The last day of his life was extraordinary as it began in the misery of a prison cell and ended in the joy of heaven...That’s an amazing transformation, and it shows what Jesus can do for a person in a single day.” (And I must admit that I love preaching in Kenya when I have a translator because I every time I take a pause for the translator to interpret, I get a chance to collect my thoughts and pray for next thing I am going to say!)  During the offering, my dear friend and sister here (Mary Amana) led the worship song, and it was certainly a taste of heaven.  To see people singing and dancing with joy as they brought their offerings to God was amazing.  At one point, Mary invited me to come down and dance too. Though I may not quite have the rhythm as my sisters here, it was pretty special to be surrounded by these women and to celebrate with them and before God.

That afternoon, we shared a meal with the Kaaleng family and were so grateful for the chance to enjoy more time with them.  Bishop Kaaleng treated me like a daughter when I came in 1994 and he continues to extend his love to our family.

On Monday (6/13), we went to visit several schools and families in the morning. Jason and I have really enjoyed getting to meet with the principals and with some of the head teachers at each of the schools.  We usually ask how long they have been there and what classes they teach among their other responsibilities. When we explain that we are also in education in the US, we have also tried to simply say THANK YOU to them as we know that teaching can be a thankless job. One woman named Clementina shared about her school and about the countless hours she puts in. She struggles to piece everything together at an overcrowded school with limited resources.  As Anna and I prayed for her, we got a bit emotional sharing in a moment of understanding of the incredible commitment she has to the students and of the many hours she puts in that no one ever sees. We simply wanted her to know that as she works so hard that God sees her and loves her so much.  Even as I write this, I am praying that God will open her ears to hear His delight in her.  I also think about the many teachers I know all over the world (from Kenya all the way to Seattle) and am praying that God will give them strength, hope and perseverance especially when the road seems too long and too hard to meet all the needs of their students. 

We had the chance to share a meal at Joshua and Agnes’ house and it was a sweet to see Anna and Mercy together again after so many years.  Taylor also loved meeting Mercy's goat! 

Monday afternoon, Anna, Dorcas, Rose and I took some of the Days For Girls kits to a primary school and shared with a class full of girls after school. We also presented kits to our staff here at Share during our morning staff devotions today for the staff to take the kits home for the girls in their families.   We passed out all 105 kits that we brought yesterday and today, and there was such excitement from the girls about them.  We know that we barely made a dent, but it is a start. 

I am hopeful that these kits will at least remind the girls that their bodies are special and are nothing to be ashamed of. I am hopeful that they really will make some positive changes for them and that they will feel empowered as girls.

We are planning on contacting the Nairobi office for Days for Girls to try to get more kits (and maybe even to get Turkana women trained to make them here!).  As we left, Anna was already dreaming about rallying some friends in Seattle to get some bake sales going so we can help make this happen! 

Here is a brief history of this program:

Days for Girls was founded in 2008, when Executive Director Celeste Mergens prepared to travel back to Kenya to continue working with orphanages and communities in the wake of great political and economic upset. One night she awoke with a burning question: “Have you asked what the girls are doing for feminine hygiene?” When she asked the assistant director of the orphanage she was working

with,  the answer was shocking: “Nothing. They wait in their rooms.” 

The conditions were cramped, unsanitary, and would leave girls without food and water for days unless someone brought it to them. Furthermore, sanitary products were available, but only if girls were willing to suffer sexual exploitation in exchange. This moment was the beginning of awareness to the vulnerability millions of women and girls face throughout the world every month, simply due to this basic biological function. These women and girls suffer in silence, due to cultural ideas and taboos surrounding this issue. Because of this, girls and women can feel that they are tainted, or fundamentally flawed or less in some way.  Washable, quality hygiene kits and accompanying education changes all that.   http://www.daysforgirls.org