To shago we go!

"Shago" is a slang word for upcountry or someone's home village. Our last camp we went to a small village upcountry called Mwea. It was quite the experience. It was very rural! But I LOVE it. God really confirmed my heart for small villages and the people in them. From the minute I arrived, I felt such a peace there which was so amazing considering the harsh living conditions. It was so hot and humid, there was no electricity, we had to bath with dirty river water in a bucket, and because of the rice plantations there were so many mosquitoes which chewed us to pieces. But I can't complain. It was beautiful, quiet, peaceful, heavenly.

One of the groups had their discussion under the tree. It got so hot during the day that we would take refuge under the shade whenever we got the chance.

We didn't have that many campers and the campers that came were a bit challenging. They lacked discipline and didn't speak good swahili let alone english. We also had issues with some boys showing up drunk and smoking. And we had to keep a close eye on boys and girls who were getting to close. The village can be boring for youth so they find fun and entertainment in having sex. My heart really broke for these youth.

Peter is so good with the kids. He speaks their mother tongue so he really connected with them. 

We bought all our food from the locals including these 13 chickens that we slaughtered. Even I slaughtered one! I then helped pluck it and prepare it to be eaten. It was delicious!

It was a challenging but amazing experience. I was amazed at how much my heart really was at peace where we were even considering it's many difficulties. I can see myself working in a place like this one day. Bucket baths and kerosene lanterns here I come!