Two Weeks To Go!

The countdown is officially on. In two weeks today, we will be flying high on our way to Canada. 

I was the hostess with the mostess this past weekend. We decided to do a couple big goodbye get togethers with our fav people. Saturday, all my ladies came to my place for the whole day. They taught me to cook the real biryani swahili style. Most of my girls are true swahili people and make the raddest food around. I observed every step of the process with the hopes that I can make it for Kelvin on those days he is getting a bit homesick. The ladies had way too much fun trying manoeuvre all my 'american' kitchen items like the garlic press and stove. The whole day was a complete blast. These girls are some of the coolest people I know. 

A lot of chopping of vegetables. I loved that the recipe was made up of fresh everything - except for the gallons of cooking oil. 

One of the girls says to me, "Let me go stand outside on the balcony so I can know what it feels like to be one of those people who stand on balconies". Sometimes I forget how poor their community really is.

Blending the spices.

We actually deep fried the onions and potatoes before we added them to the stew. We used an absurd amount of oil. I think I will have to modify that when I cook it myself.

This was me the whole time: taking notes and hovering over people as they cooked.

Food was finally done and we all sat down to eat. My muslim girls just spread the food out on a cookie sheet and at it with their hands. 

I invited some of my friends to come and chat with the girls a little bit about their future plans. Its nice to know that my ladies will have other women to help guide them even when I am gone. They of course loved Ndela, who is a famous musician and a make up artist. Ndela gave them some good make up tips.

The day was such a blast. We ate, laughed, DANCED, and just enjoyed one another. I am going to miss these girls WAY too much. 

Then Sunday came along and we invited all our best friends from church over for the afternoon.

The men took over the living room and talked politics for four hours straight. No joke.

 

Meanwhile, us ladies took over the guest bedroom and giggled our way through the afternoon. 

I have such beautiful friends.

 The men took a small break from politics talk to summon the women to make tea. Ah, yes, we are still in Africa.

A good little african wife I am serving tea to all the men!

It was Kelvin's birthday the next day so we decided to celebrate with everyone around.

The night ended with a couple of speeches from us where I turned into a teary mess at the thought of not seeing my dearest friends for a long time. So many of them of getting married this year or starting off their careers or planning for children. Makes me sad thinking we are going to miss all of it. Afterwards, Kelvin and I knelt in the middle of the room and all our friends gathered around us in prayer. It was such a beautiful moment to listen to our beloved friends bless us as we start this new chapter in our lives. 

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? 

Double Date

The fun thing about all our friends getting married is that we now have lots of young couples to hang out with! 

When Steve got to Mombasa, the first thing he said to us was, "Ok guys, this is important. We NEED to figure out when the new batman comes on at the theatre!" The town they live in doesn't have a theatre so he has been anxiously waiting to get to Mombasa to see the movie. 

So yesterday, the four of us went to see the newest Batman movie. Honestly, I wasn't really in to seeing it. However, by the end, I was enthralled! I now can't wait for the next one! I actually sent Kelvin to town today to go find me the first two movies so I can catch up! 

After the movie, we went to do one game of bowling since it is in the same complex. It was Virginia's first time ever and Kelvin had only gone a couple of times in his life. I took it upon myself to teach them how it is done, show them the ropes, etc. 

I came dead last. And it wasn't a close game. 

Nonetheless it was fun!

Steve is really sweet. He is so excited to show Virginia all these news things. They are totally smitten with each other. Ah, newlywed love!

Kelvin is a left. His first few balls really had a bad angle but then he got the hang of it and, well, kicked my butt. 

Yay for a fun double date!

My favourite night of the week

Wednesday evenings are my fav.

I started a small bible study with a handful of the girls in my saturday ladies group who were keen on learning more about the bible. I started my first week with only three girls. Now, we are in the fourth week and I have 7 girls. Yipee!!

I love it.

First of all, I love studying my bible. So many treasures in there. Greatest book ever!

Secondly, I love seeing my girls so interested in Jesus. They are so hungry to understand and know God. They have grown up in a society of pretty radical bible teachings (and teachers). Most of them don't even own their own bibles so they just soak up every word every preacher tells them without actually checking if it is true. Hence why they have the craziest ideas about God.

We have started really simple. We are learning the basics right now. But its been so wonderful watching it click for them. I can see it on their faces when the bible verse makes sense to them or one of their personal questions has been answered.

And trust me, they have A LOT of questions. Crazy questions that make me so angry at the people who are teaching them the craziest things.

One of them will ask a question like, "Is it true that God's spirits are more alert and awake to hear your prayers in the morning?" Then, before I get a chance to talk, they will all chip in their two cents. With this particular question, they all agreed that Yes, God will listen to us more closely in the morning. After they debated it amongst themselves, I stepped in and pointed them to scripture. I don't have to say much before it clicks and their answer is clear. I love that!!!

So I must go get myself ready to meet my precious ladies this evening. Our topic today is forgiveness.

Discovering Kaloleni

Like I mentioned, Kelvin had this car and this client that he had to drive around. The client's home area is just outside of Mombasa called Kaloleni. After driving there for two days, Kelvin fell in love and said he just had to take me there. Saturday morning, at 7am, we packed up and hit the road. We battled crazy traffic just to get out of the city, but once in the country side, we were in heaven. We pumped up the worship music and cruised through the village. After only a few miles, I understood why Kelvin loved it so much. 

Acres and acres of gorgeous land with humble homesteads all over the place.

 This was probably the worst patch of road we drove on. Seriously, the roads were better than in Mombasa city. 

 This area is FULL of palm trees. It's also a big producer of mnazi, a local palm wine that is cheap and addictive for the locals. 

 I started dreaming of having our own little homestead in this area one day. Of course, it won't quite look like this one but similar.

 Palm trees galore!

All that green is plantations of palm trees. I don't think I have ever seen so many palm trees in my life! 

Who knows, maybe one day we will buy ourselves a few acres, set up a children's home, and life the village life. 

Like father, like son?

Kelvin and one of our boys, Lamlo, watching the game. Kelvin's influence extends to standing postures! Haha. I just thought it was a cute sight. 

 But I loved this picture! You see those papers in Kelvin's hands? Those are Lamlo's clinic card, ID of his guardian, and death certificate of his guardian! Can I tell you why this is so exciting? 

Well this year, Kelvin made it mandatory that all the boys have their birth certificates and IDs in order for them to play on the team. He wanted to push them to take initiative and get their lives in order. Plus, we want to play in some bigger leagues that require that each player has an ID of some sort. Now Lamlo is an orphan. He has no family members. His parents died a while ago and he is an only child. He somehow made it to Mombasa from his home across the country and manages to makes a small living for himself. However, when we told him that he needed an ID, he told us he wouldn't be able to get it. He doesn't have any of his own documents or even his parents death certificates. The best we could think of was that he could travel upcountry to meet with the chief of the area that he came from and see if he could vouch for him. We were prepared to pay his expenses as we know how much he wanted this. 

However, on wednesday he surprised Kelvin with all his documents! I guess he had been running up and about, missing practice, trying to get his stuff in order!! It was so awesome to see him take initiative and get his life in order. This ID doesn't just get him on the team but allows him to vote, get a job, go to school, etc. Its kinda a big deal! 

So the next day Kelvin took the application form to him (we actually keep copies of the form with us because we hand so many out). I am excited to see his ID! 

Mom and Kasondra in Ilula

One of the things I HAD to do was take Mom to my most favourite place on earth: Ilula! This is where I started over 6 years ago and has become a treasure to me. Mom has heard countless stories and seen hours of video of this place. My dad went when he was here a couple years ago, so now it was Mom's turn to see my 'home' here in Kenya. 

Oh yah, and Kasondra got to come along too!!

Waiting to leave Nairobi. I messed up Kasondra's flight time the night before and thought that she had come out of the gate and got lost. Mom and I frantically raced around the airport looking for her. (I read her itinerary wrong. I though 20:45 was 10:45 when it is actually 8:45 - good thing my friend who was driving us decided we needed to be there early). I ended up asking some older gentleman, who had come through the gate, if he had seen my friend. He goes, "Ah yes, the really tall one? She is still in there." Phew!

Always love when they welcome us. Mom was in tears....Not surprising. 

I was so proud of Kasondra. She jumped right in a helped out wherever she could. It didn't take long for her to fit right in. She would wander off for hours and totally enjoy herself. 

The children's home has started a new passionfruit project which will hopefully gain an income for them. My mom spent 4 hours pruning the fruits with the kids. 

My sponsor child Valentine. How blessed am I that I get to be apart of my sponsor child's life?! 

Kasondra fit right in playing basketball with the kids. (Her and I used to play basketball regionally when we were in high school).

Ok, my favourite part of going to Ilula these days is GIRL TALK! The girls are now in high school and quite the amazing young ladies. I LOVE listening to all their great stories from their adventures at school and at home. I am so proud of them. Some of them have experienced some crazy things but have stuck to their guns! 

Isn't she gorgeous!?

My mom and my kenyan 'mom' walking to the shamba. 

Eva tending to the shamba.

"Ah mzungu! She's actually shaking my hand!"

Mom tried to milk the cow. As you can see, the cow was not impressed and would not allow Mom to do it. 

Ladies! 

Yep, she fit right in. Her and Apollo (middle) got along great! 

Sometimes I wish I could pick this girl up and take her with me wherever I go. I just adore her. We have the most precious talks when I see her. 

Our 3 nights there were so fulfilling. Mom was so moved to see the people who have taken care of me all these years. She loved the environment (it actually surprised me how much she loved all the plants and gardens). Next time I will get to bring my husband to meet everyone! 

I'm Back!

I am back online! Did you miss me?! .... Yah, didn't think so. 

I am not sure exactly where to start. Should I tell you about taking my mother to Eldoret to meet all my precious sisters and brothers? Or how she spent hours pruning the passionfruit plants while I got to have precious girl talks with the high school girls? Maybe I should mention that I messed up my best friend's flight arrival time and thought I had lost her in the airport? I wish I could describe my delight seeing all my family (including my Kenyan Family, the Ronos) at the pitch cheering on our boys as they played in the semi finals. Or the sounds of traditional singing and bright colours that welcomed me to Granny's house as they covered my head and ushered me into my own room where my whole family ate fresh goat pilau. Of course, the wedding day must be mentioned from my mother doing my hair and make-up to Dad walking me down the aisle and handing me over to Kelvin to the 'I do's' and the kiss to the yummy food and dancing till the sun went down on the Indian Ocean. Couldn't have asked for a better day. Then we had the the mini honeymoon which we loved;) but family time was the greatest. Lots of card playing, drinking coke, swimming, picking on each other, laughing, and quality family time. Goodness! I almost forgot the boys christmas gifts! Too bad I missed it. Was stuck at the bank but let my family do the honours. Such is life. And now I am nestled in my lovely new apartment, catching up on emails, eating all the yummy treats my family left behind (Doritos, Reese's pieces, energy drinks, cheese, and Mini Eggs) and waiting for my husband to come home.

It was a phenomenal month to say the least. As the days go by, I will add pictures and more stories about all that has happened.

I am blessed beyond belief. This whole month taught me truly how much God loves me, how valuable I am to Him, how He loves to shower me with good things, and how He is always faithful.  This past year has been one of my best (but not without its fair share of struggles) and I think I have ended on a high note.

Kelvin and I sat this morning and talked about our favourite moments this year (but we couldn't mention anything from the last month). We revelled in the ways God has used us in Kongowea and were amazed to see how some of our boys are now interning for big companies and turning their hearts to God. We looked at the ways we have grown as individuals and as a couple. I have learned to cook Kenyan food (and absolutely love it too!) which was a HUGE thing for me as well as learning to take care of a household. Kelvin is grateful that God has given him the means to fulfil his role as leader or provider in a deteriorating economy and practically jobless country. And how we have both stretched and grown closer to God's image. And we have loved God with all that is in us.

Happy New Year everyone!

Beach Bums lookin' for a visa to Canada

We had a friend come visit for a few days who was adamant about going to the beach. He just loves the everything about the beach. For us, the beach is no big deal. We live here and see it daily. Although, I guess I should take advantage of it more often. A lot of people would kill to live where we live. Anyways, while our friend frolicked in the waves, we relaxed in the shade. We napped, ate, chatted, and laughed till my cheeks were hurting. Have I mentioned how much I adore this man??!?!?

We got news last week that Kelvin was awarded a one year scholarship to the college in my hometown! We had been waiting for this news for a few months and were elated when it was all finalized. Although, this is only the first step. And it just gets harder from here. 

Study permit. Canadian Immigration. Ugh....

Canada is NOT an easy country to get into (which is rather ironic because we are the most multi-cultural country.)

As I was researching all that needs to be done for the application, I found out that if Kelvin expects to be in school in September, the entire application needs to be in by THIS friday! 

I went into Visa mode. 

There is no way we can get the original documents that we need from Canada here on time (plus Canada post is threatening to strike - good timing) so we have to resort to printing scanned documents. 

We have a lot of documents that need to be compiled here in Kenya including some letters that we need to get from family, friends, people of authority, etc. We have a paper that needs to be signed by Kelvin's mom so it is on it's way to the village tonight. She will sign it and put it on a bus tomorrow and it will arrive on Wednesday morning. 

On top of all this, my internet is acting up. I went to the shop to see what was wrong. I thought they fixed it until I got home and it still didn't connect. I almost threw it at the wall and cried like a baby because I was so frustrated. Good thing Kelvin is a little more level-headed than I am. 

And you know when you are just a little edgy because a few things go wrong, then every little thing just seems like a huge obstacle? Yah, thats how my morning was. 

I was on the verge of tears when I finally sat down at 3pm. I decided that I just needed some time to connect with my King. I needed to relax my mind, lay aside all these things that seem so huge (but really aren't) and worship God. So I turned on my itunes and belted out songs of worship. I am pretty sure the neighbours walking by thought I was nutso. Or maybe not. Maybe they were blessed by the music. It didn't matter because I got to meet with my first Love. As I began to sing, peace consumed me. I was overwhelmed to tears. A smile came across my face. I opened my bible to Psalm 20 and read of God's strength and faithfulness. Some put their trust in chariots (or visa applications) and some put their trust in horses (or Canadian immigration) But I choose to put my trust in God! 

Highlights of the last 24 hours

I woke up this morning so happy and joyful with what is happening in my life. It's the small things that are blessing me in big ways. So here are just a few of the things that are making me smile and laugh with joy: 

ANTHONY!

Some of you may remember Anthony from 3 years ago. For those of you who don't know, I will explain. I was working in a mission hospital in Kenya in 2008. During my time there, I was asked to help teach 3 precious children who had been brutally burned in an act of ethnic violence during the post-election violence. They were seeking refuge in a church when members of another tribe locked them in and lit the church on fire. These 3 children were lucky to get out alive. More than 50 people died in that fire. It made international headlines. These children were brought to the hospital for treatment and refuge. THey had been there 8 months when I met them and their studies were falling behind terribly. I was appointed their mwalimu (teacher). I spent my days going through their books and trying to catch them up. In the process I fell completely, head-over-heels in love with these children. I couldn't get enough of them! I would spend my entire days with them, come home exhausted, and then wake up so early and anxious to see them.

After some time, we were able to put them in a local school. That was the last time I saw them. We communicated for a while then it died off. Eventually they went to the US to get treatment and they have been there ever since. 

However, my mother emailed me this morning just to say that she got a phone call from Anthony last night!! I guess they had my canadian number. Anthony got his own cell phone and I was one of the first people he decided to call! My mother was so blessed. I think it really touched her to actually talk to a person that I made an impact on in Kenya. Now I have his number and email and look forward to contacting him soon!

Me and Anthony in 2008

Rehma Football League

Our league officially started yesterday. We were there just as the game was getting started and the crowd was beginning to build. So cool to see so many people come together for this event. Community indeed.

We have spent time (and money) trying to get the field somewhat decent to play. We had to dig out rocks, paint the goal posts and draw the boundaries. The pitch is not very long and it is uneven as there is actually a house petruding into the field so we had to work around it. As you can see, the net is held up by sticks and the pitch is completely dirt. This is the best we got. It's a great improvement.

The first two teams lining up ready to play!

We displayed the prizes just so everyone could see what they were playing for. As the prizes came out of the bags, people gasped. They are very nice! They boys showed here are part of the committee we formed for the tournament and they have been a huge part of making it happen.

And here we are. Kelvin and I! We stood along the sidelines just watching everything happen. We are so proud of the people we are working with for all the work they are doing. We are so happy for the teams and the community. Can't wait to see the upcoming games. The Rehma boys play their first match today!

Achari!

This was definitely a highlight of my day when Kelvin surprised me with this sweet, coastal treat. It is dried mango covered in some sort of red, sugar that has a little kick to it. It is delicious and cheap! I have been munchin' on it all day. 

So just a few wonderful things to be thankful for this day!