1st visitor/School update

This morning I said goodbye to my mentor and friend from my home church and put her back on the bus for the 10 hour ride back to Nairobi so she can catch her flight tomorrow morning. It’s been so fun having a friend around to get to experience my life for a week, see village life, observe how school works and meet all of my friends here.

Unfortunately, this whole last week she had to experience, “hakuna maji” –there is no water. Normally water comes out of the tap.And it’s completely normal for it to be off, especially during the day or for a few days but we’re going on over a week now and it still hasn’t come back. We never received a notice on our door that it would be turned off or for how long, so we pray and wait. Until it comes back, we send our yellow buckets to the well across the street to be filled and then carried back on a pikipiki (motorcycle). Unfortunately we have to pay for this water. But we are thankful for the women of the church who help take care of us.

She also got to experience Kenyan food, some of it cooked by yours truly 

We went and visited one of the family’s of the church one afternoon and of course we were treated like kings and queens. They cut coconuts down from the tree behind their house and allowed us to enjoy. Yum!

We went and visited Salena in her tailoring school so she took a picture of her and I together.

Saturday we traveled by matatu and tuktuk up to Malindi so she could see the town and see the beautiful Indian ocean.

We shared the day with Scott, my fellow missionary at the coast and this was us at a chinese restaurant for lunch.

Of course she got to experience school! The first few days she was here I was still co-teaching with Salena. Here are some pictures she took of me teaching the music lesson.

She also got some great pictures of the kids in my class. Yesterday I started the day having them read books in pairs while I wrote in all their books the activity for the day. They actually listened, enjoyed it and I had to beg for the books back so we could move on!

Here I was explaining to Humphrey (orange shirt) how to tell the story using pictures…

And he listened and did a great job retelling the story to Denis(left) and Sefu (right). (my two youngest)

The kids did a great job today! I even had to leave my room a few times to sharpen pencils and everyone stayed inside, woohoo!!

After our language lesson this morning we went outside and practiced writing our letters in the dirt.

When we came back in I gave them their books to color the letters I had drawn for them… Once again a quiet, peaceful classroom.

Cheryl helped by passing out the crayons. This is also a time for the kids to learn their colors and the older ones have to say the color they want before they get.

I know its time to transition to a new lesson when this begins to happens…

And I was a pleasantly surprised that the older kids came in during their break and wanted to read books instead of playing outside.

Last night we invited the teachers and cook from the school and the elders in the church to join us for a final meal together before she left. I got to spend the afternoon preparing the food with the ladies. We sang my favorite Swahili hymn together, Usinipite (pass me not), shared some encouraging words and prayed together. I have to say having all my favorite people in our home to share a meal together made me a little emotional for a few reasons. One, Cheryl gets to greet you all with hugs very soon and two, I’m going to be a mess when my kwaheri comes and I have to say goodbye to them.

Afterwards we took a picture of those who were still around and of course Cheryl and I got a picture together!

Thank you Cheryl for coming, for putting up with the dirt, bucket showers, squatty potty, and culture shock! I am pleased at how well you did! Friends & family back home, you are more than welcome anytime, Karibu!

P.s- Here’s a link to my facebook where you can see a few videos she took of me teaching and explaining stuff in Swahili J My Swahili has really improved since the last videos!

Video 1  Video 2

School update

I’m pleased to inform you that school has much improved in the last week. I am loving getting to put together my own lesson plans and gaining a bit more control of my kiddos.

Here are some of my kids showing off their coloring of the shapes. I told them if they color well I will take their picture… I’ve never seen them work so hard! All their hard work is paying off though, they are currently taken their mid-term exams (yes even this age) and are doing very well!

my own classroom!

This last week, the third classroom in our school was completed. The remaining “walls” made of tree leaves were put up and the classroom was enclosed and ready for use. (The question was… was I?)

My co-teacher Salena has been joking with me that every time we get a new student it is like I have “birthed” another child and its because I’m not taking family planning courses. Family planning is something that is much needed in this area and I love that she jokes with me about it because I know that means she’s comfortable enough with me to do so. Since I’ve returned we’ve gained at least 10 kids on our roster putting our count up to 46! (I wonder where this class is??) J

46 kids ranging from 2 years old to 8 years old in one small classroom with not enough benches and enough noise and needed attention make 2 teachers crazy at the end of each day. Wednesday we had a conversation and decided it would be good for me to take my own class.

So Thursday morning we met altogether for devotions and then split to two rooms. We took roll call and then she looked at me and said, “So you are going to take a class together of your own?” I smiled and said, “sure” with a grin of uneasiness and knew the task that was ahead of me was not going to be easy! We together choose 12 (now 13) kids who we call the “playgroup/baby class” and I took them to the newly finished classroom.

To say it was wild is an understatement! As I sat on the floor with maybe 8 of them paying attention, a few outside running around and a few climbing the walls (literally) I thought to myself, “this was a really bad idea!” I attempted to review the letter sounds of a, b, c, and d and the objects that go with them…apple, ball, cup and duck. I then asked for their books and drew pictures of each one for them to color.

As I handed out crayons and saw them independently working in their books, bringing them to me to show me how well they’ve done and then going back to do more made my heart so happy! Many of these kids (because of their young age in a class with so many other kids) had spent more time crying and fighting than learning. So to see all of them working on the ground, mumbling to themselves quietly, and running up to me with smiles instead of tears was amazing. I know we are going to have difficult moments but it was times such as these that I must cling to.

After language it was time for PE and so I took them outside where we jumped, stretched and did some running. I had them run to a tree, go around and then come back, and as they did they gave me a high five.

This little cutie below is my youngest, his name is Denis and this was the first smile I had seen all week. The other little boy Humphrey is his neighbor and has been his buddy since he started. He was there cheering him on as he finished, so awesome!

As the older kids came out to join us I released them for break time to play until the porridge was ready. It was at this point I realized I was exhausted! Between trying to keep 12 kids in the class, trying to come up with the Swahili to teach them and also the words to keep them under control… it was quite a lot of work!

As break came to a close I had just over an hour to until school was out. We sang a few songs, worked on counting a bit and then I gave them each a coloring picture from one of the coloring books I have for them to do some more independent work. They love this time and so do I!

For the last 10 minutes we all sat together and I asked each one of them (one at a time) to stand up and show up their paper they had colored. I complimented their work in front of all the other kids and we did our little clap that goes like this, “Well done well done try again another day, a very good boy/girl, a very good boy/girl, keep it up, keep it up”. I loved seeing them get the attention they so need, the positive reinforcement they crave and the opportunity to show off their work. Their faces during these last few minutes were priceless! (And I’ve decided this is how we will end each day).

It was now time for them to go home so I told them, “Tuomba” –let us pray, “funga macho” –close your eyes, and said a line in English and then translated it into Swahili. As I say Amen it is a tradition that we do to say “grace”… “May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and forever, Amen.” They repeated each line after me and as we finished I looked up to none of the kids moving! I’m not sure what they wanted but I’m so used to the kids dashing out of the classroom that I wasn’t sure what to do when they all stayed! I waived and said goodbye and they repeated after me, we all smiled, shook hands and then left the class pamoja(together). I would say that is a success!

To say Friday went as well as closing time would be a lie. They are definitely trying to get away with whatever they can but I reward good behavior and efforts with a little treat (sweet or nuts) and I hope and pray that within a few weeks we can have a great class that is structured, that is fun, and that promotes great amounts of learning! May God receive all the glory as He works in us all to be more like Him.

home again

I write sitting under some large trees that shade me from the sun and the wind blowing at my back. It’s a beautiful place to call my office!

I stepped off the bus around 5:20pm last Monday evening and before my feet touched the dirt ground, twenty plus kids came running screaming my name. The normal greeting here is to shake hands but I was welcomed with giant hugs. Tears desire to fall even now as I think back. It’s so good to be here again! The next day I was up and in the classroom again, enjoying the bit of Swahili I know coming quickly back to my thinking. My class, together with another teacher, has over 30 children! The other class has 17 but with two classes combined in one. We praise God that many have come and their parents understand the necessity for education. However we pray that they can bring the 200 shillings a month (about $2) to allow for the two teachers to have an income as well as food for their break provided.

This last Saturday, I attended a funeral for one of the fellow pastors in the village. He had been sick for awhile so his death was not a surprise. The pastor I live with, our assistant pastor and I walked about 20 minutes and I could tell we were getting closer because the music got louder. Winding through dirt paths and between people’s homes under the scorching heat definitely made me realize I wasn’t in Nairobi anymore.

As we approached the ceremony area I wasn’t too surprised to find the majority of the village people present. However, looking back I realize the number doubled by the time it was finally time to go to the burial site. Something I’ve learned about the culture here is everyone gets to speak if he or she so chooses! Combine that with what we would place in a normal funeral ceremony and the service lasts about four hours! By hour three my friend, Elizabeth finally arrived.

Here, another thing I’ve learned, its normal for the men and women to sit separately of one another. Because I had arrived with two men and couldn’t seem to find any of the women I knew, I submitted to following them to the other side and sat amongst the men. As soon as I spotted my friend, I made me my way through the large crowds to greet her. Imagine close to 200or so people and one white person in the whole bunch! (I’m still not sure how I spotted her before she saw me!)

The majority of the people arrived just in time to hear the closing prayer, view the body, and make their way to the burial site about a 10minute walk down the road. After meeting up with another friend, I was asked if I wanted to view the body. Having never met the man nor seeing a dead body before (and it wasn’t on my bucket list of things to do), I said I didn’t need to. She smiled at me with that grin she often gives me and then said, “it’s respectful to do so, come, I will go with you.” So I went. I didn’t faint and it wasn’t that bad but his final look is forever ingrained in my memory.

Walking the 10 minutes or so down the dirt paths I realized I was hungry and had brought a few snacks with me. Sharing them with my friends as we walked, we enjoyed naming the different granola bar ingredients from English to Swahili. I’m not sure why but when the three of us are together we laugh a lot! As we, along with everyone else, made their way to his final resting grounds I realized there was so many people there was no way I was going to see what was happening. I also remembered that I’m a white person who burns in the sun (unlike Kenyans), so I got to sit on the dirt ground and be shaded by one of my friends as they poked my skin to watch it turn from red to white and back again. Gotta love how the white skin is always a form of entertainment, no matter the age!

At the end of the day, I am thankful for the opportunity to support the family and community by being present for the funeral. I am also thankful for the hours I got to be with my friends and the chance to learn more about the culture of the people I live amongst. There wasn’t a lot of tears but there was a lot of people who came out to show their love for the family. One of the many beauties I’ve found living in this village… everyone looks out for each other and is there for one another in a time of need.

As February is quickly approaching, I’m looking forward to having my first visitor from the states come! She will stay for a week and get to live life with me. I’m sure my next update will have plenty of memories of our time together.

For those who have written emails, I just wanted to say thank you! I love hearing from you all and getting to answer the questions you ask.

Until next month…Kwaheri!

Love,

Daniella

just another transition

Fact: I’ve been in Nairobi for almost 2 months.

Fact: I had a ticket to go back to the village on Dec 19^th… I stayed for Christmas.

Fact: I had a ticket to go back to the village on Jan 2^nd… I got food poisoning.

Fact: God’s timing is perfect.

Fact: I’m so excited to hug all my adopted family and friends in the village again.

Fact: It’s not going to be easy to say goodbye to relationships here or the routine I’ve created.

I’ve had a great time in Nairobi working on a visual bible project for the kiddos in the village, studying up on my Swahili a bit more, and praying as God’s perfect plans and purposes unfolded. My time has also included visiting the children’s home again, a few trips to the used clothing (and anything else you can think of) market, a day at the men’s rehab center, and lots and lots of exercise!!

God has been teaching me so much about patience in the waiting. Everything that I read, songs I hear, pictures I see all seem to have the same message… wait on Me. Wait on my perfect plan, timing and peace. In just a few hours I will board the bus, travel some 10 hours and with God’s protection arrive safely in the village around 5pm Monday afternoon. Oh I can’t wait to see all those beautiful faces again!

But as I once again pack up my room, put the limited amount of stuff to my name in a small suitcase and backpack, I can’t help but hope that I can settle into home in the village quickly and only come to Nairobi for short visits from now on!

I have to admit, these last six months of going back and forth have been difficult. Coming to Nairobi, saying bye to my friends in the village, planning to be back in a few days or a few weeks, and then not being able to leave when I want has been hard on my heart. When I’m away, I miss my routine of bible study when I wake up, teaching or hanging out with the kids in the morning, more hanging out in the afternoon and speaking a lot of swahili, helping to prepare dinner, singing Kiswahili hymns and then eating Kenyan food for dinner around 8:30pm. It’s what I prepared to do before I came and it will be so good to get back to it so very soon!

And you know what’s even more crazy… I also miss cold bucket showers, my lizard friend by the hole in the ground toilet who dashes up the wall every time I come in, all my spider friends in my room who help keep the mosquitos quiet at night, and the dirt that covers my body through out the day that reminds me that I get to call a village home.

If all goes as planned, I will get to remain in the village until April! Being on a year around schedule here we are in school January-March and then have the month of April off. I will spend at least two weeks in Nairobi during that time for a conference and a small break from village life. Before I close my eyes for a few hours of sleep, I thought I would give you a few things you can be praying on my behalf for:

*Smooth transition back into life in the village and a feeling of being “settled” there…finally!

*Swahili to come back to the forefront, as I step back into the classroom on Tuesday.

*Small group for the young women in the village to come together so we can dig a little deeper into God’s word together.

*Sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading to opportunities to share the gospel with the kids I teach and hang out with on a daily basis.

So excited to be able to share this journey with each and every one of you! I look forward to sharing some fun stories in the coming days, as I know God loves to keep me on my toes! Don’t hesitate to email me, I love to hear from you!

Love,

Daniella

Some of my friends from Nairobi 

The girls after our nightly exercise routine!

At the rehab center. Such an encouraging and therapeutic day for all of us!

Can't wait to walk this long dirt road home again.