They Will Be OK

I often wonder what will happen to our youth if Kelvin and I end up leaving Kenya for a time. We don't plan to leave too soon but we know it will happen eventually. I always think about how our youth will continue or if all will go back to the way it was before we came. There are some things that will not continue because the money will not keep coming in and we haven't quite found someone who has grasped our vision and is capable of taking over. But I would like to think that we made some sort of an impact and that some of the things we have started will continue.

We do have a young man who coaches the boys which takes a lot of pressure off Kelvin to be at every practice and every game. We are able to leave for long periods of time (like last week when we went for the youth camp) and know that practice and games will continue to the standard that we expect.

We also have a committee complete with a chairman, secretary, and members which is all made up of the boys. This committee makes all sorts of decisions mostly concerning finances and the team affairs. Kelvin offers support when needed (and directly mentors the chairman) but they run quite smoothly on their own.

So Kelvin mentioned to me last night that the boys have created their own little soccer tournament. Apparently, they have split the team into two I guess it is quite the competition between the two teams. Every Friday, they play against each other. The winners get money. During the week, they raise this money. I don't know if they ask people or they contribute themselves, but they get a hefty amount of money (and I am now wondering why I fundraise money for them when they can apparently do it themselves). This friday, they have managed to raise $50 to split. The winners get $30 and the losers get $20. It's a win win situation. However, there is a catch. The team may have won by 3 goals but if the chairman feels like their conduct was not good on and off the pitch, they will lose and the other team will get the money.

I love it!

I love that they, as a group, created this little system and it works for them. I love that the community donates. I love that they put more emphasis on good conduct than on winning games.

They will be OK if we leave.

Things that made me glad this week

I had some issues with my google account and it's storage limit. Thankfully, I figured it all out and now I am able to post pictures again!

Just a small glimpse into some highlights of my week (because there were some things that made me pretty sad this week-will share about it later). We must keep looking for things to be thankful for right? Give thanks in all circumstances...

1. Rose and Paul's paradise wedding. 

This wedding was simply gorgeous! It was at the nicest resort in Mombasa and it looked out over the Indian Ocean. The deco was stunning and the food yum. The guest list was 80 people so it was wonderfully intimate. Not to mention, I totally adore Rose (as my new best friend here) and was delighted to see her walk down the aisle. 

 A high table perched over the Indian Ocean...divine. I also LOVED getting to dance my way into the evening. They played a lot of "white people" music and Rose's family were the first ones to hit the dance floor and the last ones to leave. I got to let out my awkward white girl and just dance!! Ah, felt so wonderful.

2. Treats from home!

My best friend, Nikki, and her sister, Charly, put together this nice package for me a couple weeks ago as a random act of kindness. I was in tears as I was opening it at the post office (you have to open it in front of the people there so they can see what is inside and what to charge you in duty). I bet the ladies there thought I was nuts crying over chocolate and coffee. But it made me happy and we have been enjoying these treats all week. Not to mention the beautiful roses I snagged from the centre pieces at the wedding....

3. A subwoofer (sp?)

Nicky, the young man who works for us, came to me with a big fat grin on his face and told me that he managed to save up 5,500kes (like $70) to buy a subwoofer for his 'home sound system'. He told me he saved for 4 months to be able to buy it. Part of me was excited about the fact that the idea of 'saving' is finally getting into his head. But then I wondered why a subwoofer? Don't you want to go to school or something? So I asked him and he told me, "Now, in my area, I will be the one with the biggest sound system and making the most noise." I had to giggle! Didn't know making the most noise was something to be proud of?

4. Christmas!

Our Christmas campaign is out and we are having lots of awesome response from wonderful people! Keep it coming! We have yet to reach our target.

5. A fridge full of veggies and one large watermelon

Kelvin and I went to the market on Wednesday. You have to understand that this is no small market. It is the largest market in the coast of Kenya. It is ginormous! And totally overwhelming for a white girl like me. Nonetheless, I squeezed in between the vendors trying to get me to buy everything while I was dripping with sweat. We came out with a hefty bag of fruit and veggies to last us a while. I had to squeeze them into all the little spaces in my fridge. And down below is one large watermelon that made us giggle. This particular type of watermelon is in season right now and most of them are actually in the shape of a bean! We just had to buy one. Oh, and that's Neema sleeping up there. It seems to be her new thing.

6. A few days at home with Kelvin.

Kelvin has spent more time at home this week preparing for our Christmas events and a Christmas play he is doing for church. I won't lie, it's been wonderful spending so much time with him this week.

7. Our new apartment!!!!!!

We are moving in next week. I know, I have told you that already. But I am just so excited! Come visit please.

Have a wonderful weekend and find some things to be thankful for this week ok? 

Eid is bringing back the memories

Eid Mubarak friends!

It's Eid al Adha, the Muslim holiday which celebrates Abraham's courage, faith, and obedience to God when he took his son Ishmael to be a sacrifice. Yes, his son Ishmael, not Isaac, like we Christians believe.

For me, this holiday brings me back to when I first moved to Mombasa. We had only been in the city for about 3 weeks and were having a really hard time adjusting. I woke up one morning only to find the eerie prayer calls going for hours and hours. Totally confused, I started getting text messages from Muslim friends wishing me a 'Eid Mubarak'. I was so baffled as to what was happening. It was all so new and surreal to me.

I was able to find an email I sent out to friends about the day. Here is a short passage that I wrote:


Lately I’ve been able to sleep through the loud and eerie prayer calls from the local mosques in the morning so when I woke up this morning at 4:30 I knew that they would be coming soon and that I wouldn’t be able to sleep through them. Well they started around 5 am and they played and they played and they played and they played some more. It wasn’t until about 7am that I decided to get out of bed and figure why they have playing for hours. I discovered that today is one of the biggest celebrations for muslims called Eid al-Adha.

I had to look up what the significance of this day is and this is what my book said, “This celebration commemorates the willingness of Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his son Ishmael. Abraham showed his readiness and Al’ah was very pleased. A ram was sacrificed instead of Ishmael on Al’ah’s command.” Does that sound familiar? Muslims believe that it wasn’t Isaac Abraham offered to sacrifice but Ishmael. I also believe that this day celebrates the end of Hajj which is the 10 day period where the pilgrimage to Mecca is made. If muslims do their pilgrimage to Mecca during these 10 days, it is more significant than if they go at any other time of the year.

 Today, they will go to the mosque in the morning to do their prayers, fast all day, then slaughter a goat and feast on it tonight. I was walking around town today and there was definitely a different feel to the city. I ran into a friend of mine from the library who was trying to explain to me her excitement that she gets to go shopping They are supposed to buy new and fancy outfits to wear for the feast tonight. I had another friend who text messaged me first thing this morning to wish me a happy Eid day. I can see their excitement. This is a day where they get new clothes, get a wonderful meal, and get to spend time with their families.

Outside our house we usually find this large herd of goats. There must be about 25-30 of them that wander around out neighborhood. Lately, we haven’t been seeing them and I now understand why. Every mus.lim family in the world is supposed to slaughter a goat today if they have the means to. Now, that’s a lot of goats. My guess is that those goats were especially bred and kept for this day. As we walked through the streets yesterday, we could see goats tied up outside of everyone’s houses. And they all have green spots on them! I am not sure the reason for it but the entire city is filled with green goats! We will never see our little neighborhood goats again…

I have learned to love Eid. The beauty of living in a city that embraces two religions is that you get two sets of public holidays! We are not working today since most of our youth are muslims and are busy with Eid celebrations. Kongowea kind of shuts down. Even the Christians celebrate it.

I am not really sure if people really understand what they are celebrating. I think some just know that its Eid so they must celebrate.

For most people, celebrating means food! It's the one day they save up for to make biryani. And its YUM!

In fact, as I was in the middle of writing this post, we had a friend deliver a big pot of biryani to our front door! Guess what we are having for supper!?

Our prayer this morning was that our Muslim friends would seek God with all their hearts.

Because God promises that if you seek Him, you will find Him, the true God.

All Afro Glam'd up!

Just so you all know, we actually live somewhat luxuriously here in Kenya. You might think we suffer without Reese's Peanut Butter cups, but there is plenty of lovely things to go around for us. When people ask about our life here, I tell them what they want to hear  - like bathing in a bucket, eating rice and beans, dirt and poverty- but then I mention that there are high end coffee shops and 2 for 1 pizza deals. As well as most of our friends are pretty awesome people - graphic designers, radio dj's, fashion designers, famous musicians, nurses, hotel managers, etc. 

I have an amazing community here. I was telling Kelvin the other day that some of the greatest friends I have ever had are the ones I have right now. Most of them are kenyans too. And not that people from different nationalities can't be friends but, lets be honest, sometimes it's easier to have close friendships with people like you. I am forever in awe of the deep, encouraging, edifying, loving and sacrificial friendships I have in Mombasa. 

So why this rant? Well, we got all fancied up on Saturday and went for an 'Afro Glam' dinner with some of our best buds. It was a hoot! Good company, good program, good FOOD! 

 Kelvin and I were severely humbled when they decided to give us a small award for what we do. We got the 'Love' award for our work in Kongowea. We were both so humbled that our peers admired what we do and wanted to recognize us for it. 

 I was thankful that both our names were on it. Because we are partners, a team, a duo. Thankful that we can be used in our marriage. 

One of my favourite women ever, Maria! I can't begin to tell you how many laughs (and sometimes cries) we've had together as we walk through life, marriage, faith, and everything in between. 

Eddah is my personal fashion designer. How many of YOU have fashion designers? Told you we know how to live it up here! Ha, just kidding. Eddah was so insistent that we come to this dinner (we weren't going to go at first) that she offered to make me an outfit for free! I jumped at it (come on, who doesn't like free stuff?) only to realize that she knew we were getting this award and really wanted us to come to accept it. 

Yes, there was a red carpet. Like our outfits? Kelvin's cute bow tie matches my dress. oh how kenyan I've become.

Heartbreaking and Heartwarming Stories

Kelvin comes home every night with a new story about the boys. After each practice, he usually has a conversation with one or two of them concerning things other than soccer. Sometimes he learns things that are absolutely heartbreaking and sometimes he hears stories that are heartwarming. I love when he comes home, we sit down to eat dinner, and he shares the stories with me.

A couple days ago he came home with a heavy heart. He had finally got the chance to sit and talk with certain young man on the team. Upon finding out who the boy's father was, Kelvin's heart broke. The father is a well known junkie in the community. His mother sells viazi (fried potatoes) and uji (a millet porridge) on the streets to support the family. Amazingly, the boy is incredibly healthy and even finished high school this year. Big up to the mama's in this community! But this is the story of so many youth in the communities who have fathers who are...duds. Complete duds. That's why Kelvin has such a heart to raise young men who will love their wives and children.

Then he told me of another story of one of our boys who was struggling to pay his rent yet neglecting to tell us. He had been running up and about trying to find work but just couldn't make ends meat. He hadn't paid rent in over two months and had a debt of $45. His landlord went and locked his door with all his stuff inside (hence why he wasn't practicing for weeks - all his gear was inside). So Kelvin sent someone to go pay the rent. Sometimes they just need a small break in life to get them going again.

However, the next night Kelvin came home with the sweetest news.

In August, we sponsored one of the boys to attend an agricultural school on the other side of the country. The boy lived with his mom who is a widow. She works hard to provide a life for her and her 3 boys. Right now, all of her sons are out of the house doing well for themselves. Since she had some extra space in her house and few extra pennies in her pocket, she decided to take in two of our boys. One of them we sponsored to go to art school so she just provides him a place to sleep and some food for his belly. But then she took another one in and put him into school! Yes, she took what little she had, took in some young man, and gave him a chance to do well for himself. Not only that, she put him in a Christian school where he does bible study every night! I am always amazed at the generosity of the people who have nothing. I love the 'Let's take care of each other' attitude so many people have in the community. We took care of her son and she took care of a couple of our 'sons'. Such good teamwork.

I am anxious to see what story Kelvin will come home with tonight.