Hello from Kenya!
After three plane rides, a mini-bus airport taxi, multiple taxis to the bus station, and a nice 10 hour bus ride to Busia we have finally made it to Busia, Kenya (our home for the next two months). We spent our first three nights in Kenya at a Hostel in Nairobi, it was a nice little place but we were all ready to get to Busia. We arrived in Busia Saturday evening and were picked up by Pastor Gideon (PG) and some of the other members of the Deliverance Church. We are doing all of our ministry through this church and I can already tell it is going to be an amazing experience. PG made arrangements for our living situation while we're here so we don't have to worry about where we will stay. One of the members of his church are hosting 12 of our girls. PG, his wife Mama, and his daughter Neema (Nay-mah) have opened their home to the rest of our group. Past groups have built on two additional rooms, one of which is housing our four boys, the other, our remaining seven girls. I'm in the room at PG's house. We have two beds, 2 girls in one, 3 girls in the other, a girl on the floor, and a girl in a hammock. Not to mention all of our luggage, so it's close, but nice! Lots and lots of bonding is going down.
Yesterday (Sunday), we spent time at church all day meeting the congregation and playing with the children. Today is our day off, meaning we get to sleep in, wash clothes, and walk to a store that has internet access. Every Monday will be a day off, so it's nice to know there will be at least one day a week when we don't have somewhere to be at a certain time. Tomorrow we start doing our minitries here, we're not quite sure what that will look like or how we will be split up, but I'm definitely excited. Tomorrow is also when we begin to wake up and be at the church by 6AM to begin praying for the church and the ministry we will do this summer. We will pray for an hour, eat breakfast, then begin our day.
The children here are so friendly and outgoing! We constantly here "Mzungu" or "How are you" being shouted from their mouths. Mzungu is foreigner/traveler/white person in Swahili, and somehow they all just picked up asking How are you. It's so funny because they don't even wait for a reply they just keep saying it over and over again.
I cannot wait to see how God will use our team in this place, but I can already tell He has big things in store for us. I ask that you keep our team in your prayers as we begin to minister to the people of Busia.
"…that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each others' faith."
-Romans 1:12
