Planning a cross cultural wedding

Traditional Kenyan weddings are quite different from Canadian weddings.

Kelvin and I have decided to put away our cultures and just do what we want to do.

We have gotten a few raised eyebrows with some of our decisions.

We met our wedding decorator the other day and I told him that I want one of my colours to be navy blue. He looked up at me, raised his eyebrows and gave me a puzzled look. Not a colour he is used to working with I assume.

I have had a lot of people ask me the colours of the wedding. In fact, it is often the first thing they ask (even the men). They ask so that they can dress to match my colours. My eyes brows raise as I looked at them like, "huh? You want to match my decorations?" Why should I even pay for decorations when they can just be my living, breathing, moving decorations?

Our wedding is on a wednesday. Up go the eyebrows again.

Our guest list is about 350 people. When I told my parents that, they both were like, "What!?" I couldn't see their eyebrows but I am sure they were sky high.

The reception is going to be a bit later than most Kenyan receptions. It is going to be almost like a Canadian one where they eat supper and then there is a dance afterwards (but our dance will end at around 10pm). Whenever I tell people that, they go, "Oh?.....that sounds cool..."It's new concept that, after thinking about, people really like. It takes a while for them to get it though.

We want to do a private ceremony outside in a garden or backyard. We have gone a couple of places to see what they would charge and what the conditions are. I explain to them that I just want it for the ceremony. They start talking about food, a band, a high table, etc. I say, "no, no, no, just the ceremony." Kelvin then pipes in and says, "she means the church service." I guess that is what it is called here. The person we are talking with then goes, "Well we don't have a church here." I say, "No, we don't want the church service in a church. We want the church service outside." Eye brows raise, eyes roll to the sky as the person processes what I just said. A few seconds later he says, "Ok, I think I understand."

It's only been a week since we started planning. I can't wait to see how many more eye brows will raise in the next couple of months.

Home is where...

....the heart is.

....your family is.

....you sleep.

....you grew up.

I have been pondering lately what makes home, home.

I am heading to Canada in a week and a half. When I tell people this, this is what I say, "I am going home in a week and a half and will return home on October 6th."

What I mean is that I am going to Canada in a week and a half and will be back in Kenya on October 6th.

As I am about to officially become Kenyan (ok I don't know if I will become a citizen or not), I am starting to think about where I will really call home. What will make Kenya my home? Is it my husband or my group of friends here? I definitely don't fit in with my skin colour and english accent. I have a set up a little place here in Mombasa when I have all my stuff and get to take care of. Its my own little house. It is home in Mombasa.

Kelvin calls the village where his mom lives home even though he didn't grow up there or has never spent a huge amount of time there. In his culture, you have to at least build a house up there so you have a place to stay. But you build this house and maybe spend a few weeks a year up there. We never go to visit his mom just for a visit. We are going home and expected to help out just like it is our own home (that was a big cultural concept that I had to get used to).

I usually call Ilula my home in Kenya. I have been visiting since 2005 and the Rono's have become my Kenyan family. When I go up there, I am just like another one of their children. I am expected to clean, cook (ok not really but I should be doing it), and contribute to the household. When Angelina calls me, I answer, "Hi Mum" and then she asks me, "when are you coming home my daugher?" How did this amazing african woman become my mom and this tiny village in the middle of Kenya become my home?

But I grew up in Castlegar. That small town in the mountains of British Columbia largely shaped who I am today. It is where some of my closest friends and family is. It is where the majority of my things are. It is where my wonderful parents, brother, and dog is. But its not necessarily where my heart is. I don't plan to go back and stay there again for a long period of time.

I want to say the right spiritual thing and say that earth is not my home. Ultimately I am just passing through on my way to heaven. That is where my ultimate citizenship is. That is the truth.

But still there is that warm and wonderful feeling of home here on earth.

What about you? What makes home, home? Where do you feel most at home? Is it family, stuff, heart, where you grew up, or something else?

Yes, I am eating

I have had numerous people ask me if I am affected by the huge drought in northern Kenya. Just to clear things up, I am indeed eating. 

Things here in southern and central Kenya are just fine. Our prices of regular food have gone up (some staple foods doubling in price over the past 4 months) but I don't think it is due to the drought. Fuel prices keep rising slowly which, in turn, makes everything a few cents more. Sugar is also scarce these days. I don't think they harvested as much sugar cane as they usually do. It will be back soon though (and to be honest, Kenyans could do with a little less sugar in their tea). 

The drought is heavy on all of us here. Every night it is the top story with news of yet more deaths. It's hard to believe that is happening not to far from us (a plane from Mombasa to Dadaab, one of the largest refugee camps in Kenya, would take less and 2 hours). Yet we seem to be so disconnected from it. There has been speculation that this massive drought was predicted at the beginning of the year but not taken seriously. The Kenyan government has been criticized for not doing much to help their people. They claim they are doing the best that they can (yah...right). 

However, Kenyans have stepped up to take action. There is a service in Kenya called MPESA. MPESA allows you to transfer money from one phone to another. Safaricom, the company that  offers MPESA, has opened an account where Kenyans can transfer money right from their cell phones to the Red Cross who will distribute it accordingly. In the last day or two, Kenyans have sent over $200,000! 

If you can, give a little to help out. Over 6 million people are starving. That is the population of Vancouver times 2. Try find an organization that is collecting donations. I know I will be sending some money through MPESA today.

Just a little proof that I am eating. Kelvin took me for some yummy ice cream at the beach a few weeks ago. 

Quite the week

It has been quite the week.

That is a good thing.

A week and a half ago we got the news that we had been dreading: Kelvin was denied his visa.

We were surprised that we found out so soon since they told us we would know end of august. Kelvin traveled all the way to Nairobi to pick up his denied documents. It wasn't fun. I did cry for about 20 minutes but then got over it.

Our plan was that, if we didn't get the visa, we would get married in December.

So this week has been full of wedding plans!! We have the venue, the date, the colours, the guest list, and the band. I am meeting with a lady about invitations and we are going to look at decorations with a wedding designer. It has been so much fun!

I have also decided to go home for a couple months. Since the wedding will be in December, not many friends and relatives will be able to attend so I wanted to go home to celebrate with my peeps there. I leave in a week and a half and will return to Kenya in the beginning of October. I will spend a few days in Vancouver hanging out with my granny, catching up with some college friends, and going to a BC lions football game with my high school grad date. I will then fly to Castlegar on August 14th to spend the rest of summer in the beautiful Kootenays.

I look forward to doing some wedding dress shopping with mom and a few close friends. I can't wait to sit on my deck and drink coffee with my dad in the mornings. I am dreaming about artichoke and asiago cheese dip with pita bread and steak with broccoli. I want to do some of the local hiking trails in the beautiful mountains and go sea-dooing down the river with my brother. I am looking forward to my time at home.

Keep us in your prayers as to what our next steps will be as a married couple. We are not exactly sure where God wants just yet and we don't know where we will get the money to do what He asked us to do. But we stand on His promises that His plans for us are indeed good, He will supply all our needs, and He will never leave us nor forsake us!

Can't wait to see your beautiful faces in a few short weeks!

'He will eat you!'

I was sitting beside the pitch yesterday, watching the boys practice, when two little sisters came up to me and struck up a conversation.

They didn't speak english but their swahili was simple enough that they could talk and I could understand and even respond a few words here and there. (Actually, at first they didn't think I was white. They thought I was a Kenyan because I could speak swahili back to them. At some point, a group of about 10 school came over to analyze me and see if I was truly a white person or if I was an Indian. It was quite humorous listening to them debate and watching them stare at me intently.)

I was reading a book that had a picture of a shepherd and a sheep on it. They asked me, "who is this?" I told them, "It's Jesus. Do you know Jesus?" The older girl said, "Ah yes. I am a Christian, Islam is not good."

I just smile and nodded.

Then the younger sister started asking about Jesus. The older one started to explain to her about Jesus, loving Him, and knowing that he is the only way to get 'up there' to heaven.

"And Satan?" the younger sister asked.

"He will eat you!" The older sister scolded her.

I burst out laughing. And so did the little girls.

School, Babies, and Goals

I realized that it's been a while since I wrote an update about the Rehma Boys. Let me tell you a few tidbits about what has been happening over the past few weeks.

School 


We now have 6 boys in school! Last week, the sixth boy started his Clearing and Forwarding course (it has to do with moving shipment through the port) and is already loving it. We still have boys doing mechanics, art, high school, driving and computer classes. Some are struggling as they have been out of school for 5+ years and only made it to gr.8. But they are slowly learning that hard work is key if they want to do well.

We now have two boys that we are working with to start school. At the end of August, we will take one to the other side of the country to interview for an awesome agricultural program. The other one wants to begin with taking a driving course and then work his way to getting into a mechanics course. If you want to help us by sponsoring these young men to go to school, please let me know.

Keep praying for these boys. I know that life gets tough for them especially now that they are in school full time. At time, the temptation to quit is strong. Pray they will have perseverance as they look forward to their futures.

Babies

We got news that another one of our boys gave birth to a healthy baby on friday! We knew that his 'wife' was expecting but didn't know that she was almost giving birth. Funny thing was that, the boy, showed up to the game on friday and didn't say a word about it to anyone. He said that he had been saving up for the hospital bill for months now from the small money he gets doing house chores for a family.

Pray for this young man, his 'wife', and their new baby. He is working hard to be able to support them. The lady is living with his mother for now just for some extra help for the first few months of being a new mom.

I am going shopping in a couple days to buy all sorts of fun food and baby stuff to give to our boy. A baby is worth celebrating!!!

Goal!


The local MP has put on a large (free) league for teams in his constituency. We were able to get into the league when we got news that another team dropped out. The league has 28 teams and 4 pools. So far, our boys are kicking some serious butt in their pool. Like I keep saying, they are really good.

Thanks again to all those who pray and support us in one way or another. Kelvin and I keep falling in love with these boys over and over again. They break our hearts with some of the poor decisions they make but overall we can see them transforming into some amazing young men. Pray for finances for us to keep supporting these boys. Pray for wisdom in making decisions and guiding these young men. Pray that our relationships with Jesus would become more intimate and pour out on the the lives of these sweet young men.

Whistle while you work

This morning we had our 'guy' come and wash all our clothes. As he sat in our toilet (the toilet, shower, and laundry is all in one tiny room) for almost 3 hours (we had a lot of clothes to be washed) he whistled and sang sweet songs to himself. At times, I would just stop and tune into him as he softly sang melodies in his vernacular language. 

As I thought about it, I realized that most of the people who come and work in our house whistle while they work. 

Last week we had a plumber come in to fix a leak in our sink. He too passed his time clanking away at the metal pipes while whistling a tune to himself. 

We had a friend of ours come and fix a bed that had broke. He didn't whistle as much as he sang all sorts of different songs while he banged our bed back together. 

And every morning the caretaker of our compound gets out his broom and sweeps the compound, waking us all up as he whistles while he works.

Wazungu Season

There has been a flood of white people that have arrived in Mombasa. It's wazungu (white people) season. College students are travelling and volunteering during their summer holidays. Entire families are taking their yearly 2 weeks paid vacation and hitting up Mombasa's resorts. Expats are returning to their homes for a few months and  hanging out with their Kenyan wives (our neighbour has been gone for a few weeks now leaving her child at home with a friend. We suspect she is in some hotel with her white husband).

I have been able to meet some cool people as they discover Mombasa. I like hearing what they are learning, experiencing, seeing, processing, etc. 

However, I have noticed that I am being treated differently by the locals. 

All of sudden, I am getting a lot more attention from people (especially men) asking for pretty much anything. I have to fight harder not to pay higher rates in the matatus, often making sure that I have the exact amount ready so they can't 'forget' to give me my change. I am using my swahili more to show them that I am not a tourist and indeed know my way around this town. The kids at the primary school where the boys practice have started following me around and chatting away with me thinking that I am one of the 14 volunteers from Ireland that have come to teach for the summer. 

It's a little exhausting. 

But such is life. I will just have to get over it for the time being. 

In other news, Mombasa has turned cold! Alright, it has become cool. During the days, you are still likely to sweat but at nights, a harsh breeze blows in bringing cool air and thick clouds. I can actually feel a cold (sore throat, sinus headache) coming on as I sit in a long sleeve shirt and long pants on my couch. 

It's delightfully refreshing. 

And this past weekend, we got the pleasure of seeing Juliani come and perform at a rally that Kelvin was the MC for. Juliani is probably the biggest musician in Kenya. His witty rap lyrics are all Christ focused. His stage presence is overwhelming. His signature dreads whip back and forth as he flings his head around. He is one of a kind, that's for sure. 

I think 40% of Kenyan male youth think they were born to rap like Juliani. And I would say that about 1.5% of that 40% are actually somewhat talented. That makes for a lot of terrible musicians. I have had so many young men show me their stuff. I just nod and smile while trying to decide if I should be honest with them and tell them it's terrible or if I should just let them pursue their dreams and allow God to show them that music isn't their gift. 

The first time I saw Juliani, I was disgusted. At that time, his biggest song was, "I want a piece of your ear like Mike Tyson." I looked at my friend and asked, "Is this boy really a Christian?" She quickly assured me that I needed to understand the rest of the lyrics (that were all swahili slang) in order to understand the gist of the song. After listening to his music and seeing him perform half a dozen times, I have realized that he truly is a follower of Christ. And a humble one to take time out of his day and put on a (free) concert for a crowd of school students. 

The students went wild.

Practicing Head Shots

Our boys are very talented. They are truly one of the best teams around. But one thing they are terrible at is finishing. They get so close to the net after some brilliant passes and footwork but then they fumble the ball or get a weak kick on net or miss the net completely. I watched them play a brilliant game the other day but they just couldn't hit the net. They should have won by 5 goals but they only got one (and won the game!). 

Yesterday at practice, Kelvin tried to get them to practice aiming their shots by placing different coloured cones in a line and giving the cones a worth. If they hit the cone, they got points, if they missed the cone, they lost points. They started off kicking, and then they went to head butting. That's where I got these hilarious pictures.

I just had to sneak in this picture of the handsome coach.

Nicky

Riise

Kadenge, leap froggy, leap!

And my favourite. It's none other than Andrea! He almost looks like he is giving the ball a high 5 or something. Actually, I took many shots of him and they all look like this. It's quite the technique. 

They play a game on Sunday. Maybe I will get to see more of these awesome head shots.  

Wachira's Self Portrait

We asked Wachira, our goalkeeper in Art school, to draw something for his sponsors. This is what he came up with:

Impressive? After one month of art school, I think it's pretty awesome. It is actually one of his assignments. It is a self portrait. We feel like proud parents. 

Jack of all trades, Queen of none

Today I had a bit of a pity party.

I woke up and checked my online writing course only to find that my teacher was thoroughly displeased with my latest assignment. I was crushed. I thought the piece was fantastic and I had had some other writers think it was pretty wonderful as well. But this disappointing feedback really broke my heart.

I guess I thought I was decent at writing. Now writing is just proving to be incredibly difficult. For my instructor, my writing is always 'good', 'nice', 'ok'. But I want it to be 'great' 'fantastic' 'amazing'. I never get those kind of comments from my teacher or peers. I see others getting these praises and even better ones but never me.

This eventually spiralled my thoughts to this: Jack of all trades, Queen of none.

I actually didn't come up with that phrase myself but found it on a blog of one of my peers. This is how I have always been. I have been good at everything. There is not much that I can't do well(maybe with a little time and effort). I was always a really good basketball player, a good citizen, a good student, a good friend.

I have never really excelled in anything though. I have never been GREAT at one particular thing.

I am not sure being great at one thing, and lousy at other things, is better than being good at everything and great at nothing. But part of me just wants to be great...at anything.

As I was just wandering through some of my frequently visited websites, I came across a video on shelovesmagazine.com. It is called 'Obvious to you. Amazing to others.' The whole idea of the short video was that often we think others are amazing. They have an amazing talent, idea, gift, skill. We just wonder how they get these amazing things. But that person thinks that their idea, talent, gift, skill is no big deal to them. It is without thought. It is nothing special. It's like engrained in them. It comes naturally without effort. It's too obvious to them, but it's amazing to others.

What is obvious to me, but amazing to others? What are people amazed by when they think of me but I seem to think it is no big whoop?

Then it clicked.

I get the most praise for my heart, love, ability to survive, endurance, work, and compassion for Africa.

It seems like a strange talent or gift or skill. But that is my amazing.

Even yesterday I met with some other missionary friends who were amazed at how Kenyan I have become and how I utterly delight in my Kenyan life (most days) and the Kenyan people. I am constantly being told 'You are doing amazing things. I don't know how you do it Nikole. You have such a heart.' For me, my heart for African comes so naturally that I don't even think about it.

So I vowed to myself not to allow those thoughts of 'poor me', 'I have no talent', 'I am great at nothing' enter into my mind.

My next assignment for my writing class is to write a short bio about myself in less than 50 words. This is what I have so far:

Compassion is what moves Nikole to leave her small town in Canada and grow roots in Kenya. A laughing orphan, an empowered widow, a former street boy in school, a healed baby is what makes her thrive. She shares their stories hoping to inspire change, generosity, compassion, and love. 

Yup. That about sums up my amazing. 

Coffee Guilt

I have been walking around feeling a little guilty lately. Shameful, really. Almost like I am sinning against the coffee gods.

I have succumbed to instant coffee.

When I grew up, I didn't even know how to make instant coffee. It was simply a no-no in our house. No exceptions. Taboo. Practically sinful.

It wasn't till last year in Kenya that I tried my first cup of instant coffee. I had to ask someone to show me how to do it. I had no idea how much to put in. I had never seen coffee just dissolve like sugar in water. I didn't mind the taste but it definitely didn't compare to home-brewed coffee.

However, after a year of drinking instant coffee on and off. I have to admit...


I actually... kinda...like it.

I have found a good one that I look forward to every morning (although the Starbucks VIA is my all time favourite but cannot be bought here). I do have coffee grounds but have yet to figure out a way to make a good cup of coffee without a coffee maker or french press (if anyone has any ideas, I am willing to try it.)

Instant coffee is the only coffee in Kenya. If you order a cup of coffee in a restaurant, they will bring you half a cup of hot water, a small cup of hot milk, and a package of instant coffee. It is very rare to find brewed coffee which is ironic since Kenya is known for coffee. Much of the world's coffee (including Starbucks) comes from Kenya. Have you ever heard of  Karen Blixen or the movie/book Out of Africa? The best cup of coffee I have ever had is in a coffee shop in Nairobi called Java House where they serve amazing, brewed, Kenyan coffee. Kenya has good coffee, but for some reason they have succumbed to instant.

But for now, I will enjoy my instant coffee.

Feeling Motherly

I am in my room on my bed with my perky laptop perched on my lap. I am listening to Kelvin and six boys from our team talking in the living room.

Today I feel motherly.

Kelvin told me he wanted to have some boys come over so that he can do a bit of a leadership talk with them. Since we don't know if we are going to Canada or not, Kelvin wants to prepare them early to take over the team and take on more of the responsibilities just in case we do end up leaving quickly.

So I went into mother/wife mode. I first started thinking about what I would cook and how I should arrange the house. I counted all my cups and plates (since we are only 3 people living in this apartment, I don't have a lot of dishes.) This morning I started cutting up onions and tomatoes as to have them all ready to go. I butchered two chickens and then marinated it before baking it in the over. Meanwhile making sure that my kitchen is spic and span by washing all the dishes once I was finished using them and constantly wiping the counters. I had everything prepared, warm and fresh, and clean when the boys finally arrived. I was so impressed with myself.

The boys devoured the food. It made my heart so warm watching 'my boys' fill their bellies with good food. I started to realize what my mother feels like when she cooks and feeds us. Its such an amazing satisfaction.

After lunch, Kelvin wanted to have a chat with them about the team, life, responsibility, respect, being a man, etc. I decided to take a break and head into my room to let them relax a bit (I know they are a bit intimidated when I am around). I can hear them talking about keeping time and respecting one another. Kelvin is encouraging them to hold each other accountable and take care of their bodies (ie, no drugs). Amongst the serious talk, Kelvin cracks a joke and they all burst out into that young-dude-too cool for school- laughter.

My heart is smiling.

I think they are wrapping up now so I am going to go tune into their conversation.

Momma

My beautiful, outgoing, bold, strong, loving, caring, compassionate, courteous, inspiring mother turns 49 today. 

So I must wish her a very happy birthday! I was I could be there with her, sitting on our deck, while indulging in her traditional birthday cake: a homemade strawberry tort. 

I love my momma. 

Oh Canada!

After living in Kenya for almost 3 years now, I have never been more proud of being a Canadian. 

Canada is truly an amazing country. 

I am grateful that God chose me to be born in a country that has a government who actually takes care of it's people, has some of the most gorgeous landscapes in the world, and has an incredible blend of beautiful, humble people. 

Don't get me wrong, I do love this quirky country of Kenya (Kenya ranks #16 on the failed states list for 2010 - not something to be particularly proud of.) 

I haven't decided what I am going to do today to celebrate Canada day. Unfortunately, I don't have many canadian friends here in Mombasa to celebrate with. I think I will make my dad's famous camping burritos (which he usually makes this time of year when we do a big family camping trip to Summit Lake). I was also given a huge bag of Jolly Ranchers (I know they are not specifically Canadian but they remind me of home) that I plan to suck on all day. And maybe I will give my family a call later on and say hi as all my aunts and uncles will be celebrating at my house in Castlegar. 

Happy Canada Day! 

He still died for me

I sat in my bed this morning, like usual, to spend my time with God. Recently, I have been working through a study from the book Bad Girls of the Bible by Liz Curtis Higgs. I am almost at the end of the study. The last Bad Girl we study is the sinful woman in Luke 7:36-50.

This is by far the most powerful woman I have studied in the bible. Over the last few days I have found myself almost in tears, my heart so moved by Love and compelled to worship. 

I was going through various verses in the bible that talk about how truly amazing our God's forgiveness is. I was led to a familiar verse. 

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in that, while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

My study book asked me to put it in my own words so this is what I wrote: 

God loves me so deeply that, even though He knew that I would never stop sinning nor would I ever be worthy, He still sent Christ to die for my sins.

Jesus knew that I would never stop sinning when He gave His life for me. It is rare for someone to love someone so deeply to actually give up their life for that person. And if that is the case, the person they would be dying for is probably a pretty noble person. But oh no, Jesus died for all people whether they were worthy of it or not. Not only that He died knowing that they would never cease to sin. 

I am just in awe of God's great love for me. 

This compelled another thought in my mind concerning the young men we work with. 

There are days that I see them making huge leaps forward. Their behaviours are changing, they are more interested in Christ, they are becoming respectful and loving towards one another and their community, they are gaining hope and responsibility, and so on. 

But then there are days that I feel like they are going no where. 

This weekend we had a game in town. As the boys were getting dressed, Kelvin smelled marijuana. One of the boys was smoking (which we do not tolerate at all). He went over to where they were sitting and tried to see who it was but they all denied it. He came back to sit with me. I turned around towards the boys and saw a huge puff of smoke coming from behind a tree. I couldn't see who it was but some of the other boys could see. I told Kelvin and he went over again to try confront them but they all denied it. 

I was so hurt. We do so much for them and yet they have the guts to break the simple rules that we have made and lie to us? 

Then I found out today that one of them took some plastic cups out of Kelvin's bag and decided to take them home (they are the only cups that I own in my house). Seriously? Why must you steal my cups? 

One of our boys, who we put into school, has been skipping (for some legit reasons and some lazy reasons) and we have been notified that he has also been getting into marijuana. Ugh! 

It just hurts. After we put so much prayer, love, finances, time, effort and emotions into them. 

But then I think of what Christ did for me. He gave His entire life for me knowing that I would still sin against Him. It probably hurts Him too. 

And you know what baffles me even more? The fact that Christ knew that I would never stop sinning! Yes, I may become like Him but I will always hurt Him with my sins. 

I do all this for the boys with the hope that they will become amazing men of God. But I do not know if they will really turn out that way. And I wonder that if I knew what they would be like in 10 years, would I still do these things for them? If I knew that the one boy we put into school was going to end up being a drug dealer, would I still support him? I honestly don't know. 

But Christ did it for me. 

And that's amazing. 

Ziploc Bags and Honey Bears

I was shocked to see a hole in my precious Ziploc bag. I went through all the different rodents that could have done this. I was wondering why they would possibly want my detergent? That makes no sense. I thought they liked things that taste good, not things that will foam in their bellies. 

And then it clicked. 

A few days ago we had someone come and wash our clothes. The man was confused when he couldn't find the soap in the original package so he picked up my Ziploc and asked me, "Soap?" I nodded and he went to work. 

I guess he couldn't figure out how to open the Ziploc bag so he resorted to poking a hole in the side and pouring it out. 

I have to admit I got a little fussy because I make a point to bring Ziploc bags from home because you just can't find the same quality here. 

I had another Ziploc incident with Kelvin the other day. I told him that there is some leftovers in the Ziploc container in his fridge that he can have for lunch. 

"Ziploc? Is there a key?" 

Ha, I almost burst out laughing right there. It's one of those cultural things that just totally pass you by until it comes up. 

In other news, I was absolutely delighted to find this honey in a bear squeeze bottle at the supermarket today! It put an instant smile on my face. My smile almost doubled when I realized it is actually cheaper than the honey in a screw top container. 

It was the first thing that I showed Kelvin when I got home. He didn't understand my excitement. But its ok. It warmed my heart. 

I can't wait for breakfast tomorrow morning with my new honey bear!

Baby Nikole

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that Kelvin and I had gone to visit one of our players, Zizou, who had just had a baby. We brought them a big supply of food stuffs and baby things to congratulate him and his wife. To my delight, Zizou brought Saumu (his wife) and baby Nikole to their game yesterday! (Yes, the baby is nicknamed Nikole. I am assuming it is named after me since Nikole is not a very common name in Kenya). 

Zizou was so cute carrying his baby across the field and over to where I was sitting. He just plopped the baby on my lap and went to get changed for the game. Saumu came up and greeted me with her huge, beautiful smile and sat down beside me. 

Baby Nikole loves to cry! Saumu kept telling me how she never sleeps at night and when she is awake she only cries! I got to experience it first hand as the baby cried on and off for a good 2 hours at the game. 

I was so blessed to have a girl to hang out with. Saumu and I chatted the entire game. I spoke english and she spoke swahili but we managed to understand each other (for the most part) and have a wonderful conversation. 

I remember the first time Kelvin took me to Kongowea. We passed this dirt pitch in the matatu and I had a little vision. I envisioned Kelvin running soccer programs with tons of young boys every evening. I envisioned myself sitting on the sidelines chatting with all the girlfriends or any girls from the community. I saw us becoming mentors and 'parents' to these kids slowly introducing them to Jesus. 

I don't think I realized how my seemingly small and insignificant vision has come to pass. I never thought that this is what we would be doing. Sure, it isn't exactly what I had envisioned but it is sure close. My dream of reaching the girls sort of faded after realizing that the boys never bring their girlfriends to the pitch (maybe thats only a Canadian thing) nor do they really even tell us about girls that they are interested in. However, I never thought about their wives! (My original vision involved more young teens not like the young men we work with). 

I hope that Saumu comes to more games. Her and I had a great conversation that I would love to continue. She is a muslim. Notice the markings on the baby's head? Those are put there so that the baby is protected from evil spirits or ghosts. Saumu looked at the large Baobab tree behind us and shivered in fear. She told me that ghosts come out of those trees and she didn't want them to get her baby. I then opened up about my belief in Jesus and how He is greater and stronger than anything in this world so I don't need to fear these spirits. He lives in me; I believe in Him. 

'The trees of the woods shall rejoice before the Lord..." 1 Chronicles 16:33a

A childhood friend comes to visit

I have had the most wonderful week! My long time friend, Katie, came to stay 5 whole days with me in Mombasa. She is doing a research project for her degree in Dar Es Salaam (about 600km south of Mombasa) and took a week off to come spend time with me. I was so blessed! 

Katie and I grew up together. We started dancing and playing soccer together when in middle school and our friendship became stronger in our last years of high school. Since high school, we have been either going to school or travelling or working in different parts of the world so we only get a short period of time during holidays to catch up. This week was wonderful having so many  hours of just catching up with all that we have done and who we have become over the past 5 years. 

I put her back on the bus  yesterday morning on the verge of tears. It was sad to see her go. I spent the rest of the day feeling a little homesick. 

Having Katie around gave me the chance to really enjoy all that Mombasa has to offer. I guess when you live in a place, you forget to really enjoy it. People always say that if they lived as close to the beach as I do, they would go swimming everyday. I don't know why but I just don't go. However, Katie gave me an excuse to do all these fun things that I never do. 

I forgot how refreshing it is to go swimming the ocean. We bobbled in the waves as we chatted about life. She was in awe of the beautiful beaches.

 I gave her a tour of Old Town Mombasa (my old neighbourhood) where we admired the beautiful structures and enjoyed the local food.

There is a sweet coffee house in Old Town that serves traditional Swahili coffee (coffee with spices such as cinnamon, ginger, pepper, lemongrass and others). You take off your shoes and cozy up with cushions on the floor. 

A walk along the ocean. 

We even went out dancing! It was a hoot although I am not so sure that I would do it again but I am glad I experienced it. 

It was my nieces birthday party on Sunday. Michelle turned 8 years old. 

All the kids who came for yummy Pilau and cake!

Kelvin was asked to preach at a small concert at a church so Katie and I tagged along. We totally enjoyed the hyper atmosphere and watching all the kids dance. 

Our final night we decided to take a 2 hour sunset boat cruise on the Mtwapa creek. Kelvin and I had been wanting to do it but wanted to find some people to go with. It was just gorgeous! After the sun set, we just sailed on the still, quiet waters under the stars and candle light cracking jokes and laughing while the frogs croaked in the distance. Amazing! 

So thankful for a good friend from home. It is just what my heart needed!

Agogo!

Agogo is one boy who will force you to smile. He walks around with pride lifting his shoulders but when you chat with him, you realize he is just a fun loving young man. He has been a source of amusement for Kelvin and I over the last few weeks with his boyish antics and his naive comments. He has surprised us by stepping up his game and becoming one of our top scorers. When he scores, he just looks at Kelvin with this goofy grin on his face and Kelvin laughs. 

Agogo only made it it gr. 8 and then his family could no longer afford for him to go to high school. He has literally been hanging around Kongowea for the past 5 years. He is a hustler. Despite his lack of education, he has managed to secure himself several short term jobs to help sustain him and his family. Pretty impressive for a young, uneducated dude like him.

Kelvin talked to him the other day to see what he wanted to do with his life. He had always wanted to go for a driving license. He knows that he could get a good job being a driver somewhere in Kenya or even outside the country. So I quickly found someone to sponsor him to do driving school and he is doing his first class this morning! 

Here is Agogo sporting a serious face that I have never seen before. He must be pretty serious about his driving. 

Many of our boys have not made it to high school. They end up finishing gr. 8 when they are about 14 or 15 years old and then can't move onto high school because their families can't afford it. So they literally just live in Kongowea bummin' around trying to pick up odd jobs for years on end. Right now, most of them are too old to go back to high school. It is still possible as some high schools will still take them but their maturity level is a bit higher than the students they would encounter. One of our goals is to meet them where they are right now and try to figure out what the best way forward is for them. Most of them don't want to go back to high school but want some sort of technical training. Many institutes only require a gr.8 completion for you to enrol. Some want to do driving courses. Some just want some capital to start a small business.

Slowly, we are helping to meet these needs. God has been making me to realize that I am not responsible for helping all of them. It's amazing when I have a prayer for a certain boy or even ask someone about possibly sponsoring one of them, and then all of a sudden, the boy has found his own means to go to school. It's amazing to watch God work around us. I feel so privileged to be apart of his work in these precious young men.