A Day In The Life….

I have gotten a lot of questions about what life is like in Kenya. So I’ve dedicated a post to answering every possible question you may have! Here we go…

HYGIENE: In the bush of Africa:

-Showers don’t exist. Therefore, we go without a “shower” for up to two weeks at a time. Water supply is very low in a lot of places so we get about half a pail of water a day to do as we please (I usually wash my face, hands, feet and leave the rest of my body for baby wipes) We wash our hair once a week if we have enough water (braids and headbands are a girls best friend in Africa)

-Makeup in nonexistent.

-We brush our teeth under the stars every night (glorious!!) using our filtered water.

-We have five outfits that we rotate through each week, washing our clothes (when water is in good supply) by hand with pails of water and detergent we buy here and we hang our clothes to dry in the open air and hot sun!

-We do our business in a hole in the ground surrounded by a rickety, little shack called the “squatty” (It’s simply horrifying in the middle of the night. Literally something from a horror movie) We have gotten so used to it that when we go into town where there real toilets, we kind of don’t know what to do.

FOOD: I am convinced that we have the best cook in all of Africa. (She’s also our host) We call her Mama Margaret. She comes with us to each tribe and cooks delicious food!!

-We eat a lot starch. A LOT A LOT A LOT. Potatoes, plantanes, rice, grains, some veggies occasionally and every once in a while we eat meat. But seriously, this food is delicious! I love it 🙂

LIVING: We live in tents.

-We each have a two person tent (big enough for us and our supplies) and sometimes we sleep outside in open fields (which I really enjoy 🙂 and sometimes we sleep in buildings (but we still sleep in our tents to protect us from bugs, bats, rats, and other lovely creatures that might eat our faces in our sleep. Just kidding. But really.)

-At our base in Kijabe, we all sleep in a big hall together on beds (much like in the movie Annie) and we have a real bathroom with a “real shower” and “real toilets”. We love our base 🙂

COMMUNITY: The best in the WORLD!

-I really do have a second family here in Kenya. We love each other so much and even though we have our struggles and issues, I couldn’t possibly ask for a better team. They are so uplifting and encouraging and I’m learning so much from each of my team mates.

MINISTRY:

-Days can be super long (from 8 am to 6 pm) or fairly short (9 am to 2 pm)

-We do a lot of walking (which I really enjoy)

-We meet a lot of people and make a lot of friends every day. I LOVE it. 🙂

-3 things a missionary in Kenya simply cannot go without: 1. Bible 2. Nalgene full of water 3. Good walking shoes!

Africa changes a person. It strips everything away and leaves the REAL you. This place and opportunity has forced me to take a good look at myself and decide if I like what I see. Everyone is so raw, genuine, real. This place opens your eyes to the brokenness of our world. It gives you a new perspective on life. I LOVE HOW REAL I AM HERE. After reading that section on hygiene I’m sure you’re surprised to read this but I feel TRULY lovely here. I love sharing the hope and joy that Jesus gives me with those around me who haven’t experienced it before. I love how the followers of Christ here convict me of not having ENOUGH joy! (They seriously have so little but they are so so so joyful in the Lord).

Praise: God is working! It is so evident every day of ministry here that God is speaking through us and people are being saved and healed and encouraged.

Prayer Request: Health for the team