First week

I have arrived in Kenya safe and sound.  The flight while long went very smooth.  I arrived in Nairobi around 10:30 Kenyan time.  From Nairobi it is about a 3 1/2 hour drive to my home.  After having some lunch we hit the road.  It was so good to see the beautiful landscape again.  I tried to keep my eyes open but there was not much success.  Once home Dorris who is another mission here at PACE that came to pick me up wondered if we wanted to go out for supper.  So I dropped my bags freshened up.  First we stopped at the school so that I could see the fire damage from the boys dorm. It was hard to see in person but thanking God for the safety given to the boys. Supper was good as I was able to have my first coke in a glass bottle.  So much better then plastic.

The first week has brought some challenges.  Since the fire some of the boys are using the library room as there dorm.  I spent the first day transferring all the books and supplies to a much smaller room that I will be storing everything in for this term.  I will become the travelling librarian.  I will meet with grades 1 - 4 over lunch in each of there rooms.  Then after class I will bring things to a class room for the kids to do activities in.  This means that the kids will not have access to all the books all the time or any of the other resources.  But they will have access to some and it will be different each week.  My need to give these kids all that I can has been tested.  But this is the reality that we are living in and need to remember that I am still able to provide some resources.  I will continue to figure out the best ways to do this as the weeks go on.

The kids are very happy to see me back and have had many wonderful moments with them.  I have had a little time with some of the boys since fire.  Especially the younger ones. The youngest ones staying in dorms in grade 4.  One boy came and sat beside me and I put my arm around him and I asked him how he was.  He said fine which is what they all say.  Then we just sat.  He stayed and I stayed quite.  It was good to just be there.

The week has brought a few more normal challenges but through it all I am doing well.  In many ways it feels like I have never left and continuing what I am doing.

Also a highlight was to see my Kenyan sister and niece Charity and Imani.  Love being with family.