Bwana Asifiwe!

 After thirty-two years of coming to this place,

well over half a lifetime for me,

it’s become a second home.

Though the desert is a stark contrast

to my beloved Pacific NW terrain,

I’m at home here.

Eating ugali and goat meat,

sweating while I drink a cup of hot tea in 90+ degree heat,

letting “Bwana Asifiwe” (Praise the Lord)

roll off my tongue.

Over the years,

we have shared not only the gospel

but our very lives with one another.

These people have become my people.

What matters to them matters to me.

This kind of exposure therapy—

of listening to stories and gaining perspective,

of being surrounded by prayer,

of having my heart stretched,

of being infused with love,

of being with people who love well,

of being comfortable being uncomfortable—

this keeps changing me for the better.

My dear friends from India,

Ratnakar and Saroja,

added to the beauty of Kenya

with their stories,

with their dancing,

with their cooking—

infusing flavor

and life and color

and perspective.

Veronica hosted us

and truly was a superwoman—

pulling things together,

following up with children,

managing tensions,

reading the room.

Our connection has become a lifeline—

to support the program,

to support one another,

to love one another,

to love each other’s families,

with our hopes and dreams and aches and pains

across the miles.

Because of time well spent,

we have more perspectives,

more voices,

more stories.

We are not as locked into our single stories

about one another or about the world.

 Giving thanks for the crowded table

with these brothers and sisters.

Giving thanks for the love that is like mycelium—

the web beneath all we see.

Giving thanks that our stories are woven together

and that we belong to one another.

Giving thanks for the way Kenya keeps expanding my heart.

Bwana Asifiwe!