Tuesday, September 23, 2008

TUESDAY SEPT 23

TUESDAY SEPT 23
I heard a lion roar really loud last night - so strange! Toby, a German friend, told us that he'd seen a lion on the compound at 9:00 pm. on Monday night. So barking dogs are our friends! This morning I was telling Ann at breakfast that we ought to DO something...that they're encroaching human territory. She smiled and said, "Actually this is Africa. They've been here a lot longer than we have. We're the ones encroaching their territory." So get used to it Trish - you're in Africa!!

Speaking of Africa, I came into my room on Sunday and there was a monkey sitting on the windowsill peering intently into my window. She had tan fur with a black face and when she detected my motion immediately scampered away. On a walk yesterday morning I saw her with two little babies one of which was nursing.

This morning I spotted some strange little creature slinking along low to the ground in the backyard. It was a ricky-ticky mongoose, long and sleek with a black tipped tail! cool!

Last week I saw wild zebra just across from us on the hill in the animal reserve feeding. I heard one calling later in the night.

The Monday morning meeting with the Diguna staff went really well. I was nervous but once I get started it's okay. There were about 75 people I think, mostly Swahilis, so there was an interpreter. By the way, it's really easier to speak through an interpreter than I'd thought. In fact, I like it a lot because you get to think ahead more.

I had shared my salvation story last Monday, but during the week both German and Swahili people had asked me to "finish" it this week. They wanted some more details. One thing I had to do was to address some comments that someone had told me about. They had said that after I had spoken last Monday, some of the Kenyan men were cheering my first husband on for having threatened to divorce me if I didn't become a good wife within six months. ! So I spoke about how the Bible says that God HATES divorce, and that as His children, we ought to imitate that and hate it too. A Kenyan man named Daniel told me later in the afternoon that what I had spoken about was good and that he'd understood it perfectly.

McKenna did really well sharing her story with tears from her heart. We were all moved, though I think she was a little embarassed to be emotional. A German lady named Stephanie (sounds a LOT different than how we say it!) told me that she really appreciated our openness with our stories and that the Kenyans aren't used to that.

A Kenyan lady named Alice told me that she really appreciated me sharing because it is common for Kenyan men to threaten their wives like my first husband did. She began to tell me how terrible it has been with her own husband committing adultery, beating her and threatening to divorce her. She fled to her parents' home after she became "sick with STD's," as she put it. Her mother is furious with her for having run away. McKenna and I prayed with her. Pray for Alice.

A German lady doctor named Eva dropped by to leave us some avacados yesterday afternoon She told me that there just happened to be a Kenyan man in attendance who beats his wife and that she was glad that I had spoken. WOW!!

Last night we had about 20 Germans and Swahilis over to sing with us. It was so cool to sing hymns in German, Swahili and English! I've learned a beautiful new Kenyan song about being grateful to God that I can't wait to sing for you!

We will shortly be clamboring into Bob's car to drive north to Kijabe. It'll be about 6,000+ feet above sea level. Can't remember whether I've mentioned that being almost a mile high from Florida's sea level has caused a little nose bleed but other than getting winded a bit easier, I haven't really noticed it.

The ride to Kijabe will be about 1 1/2 hrs. and Mckenna and I will be at Kijabe Hospital tomorrow. Then Thursday we'll be a Bethany Children's Home for orphans. Then Friday there's a home for handicapped children. On Friday evening we'll drive out to Masai Mara. Bob and Ann are taking us on a short safari! I'll let you know what we see...

Then Saturday night we'll be ministering to Masai children! Wow! Pray for us. Also on Sunday we'll have them for Sunday School. This is all unchartered waters for us. I googled the Masai people and found a quote from an old Masai man. He was saying, "We do not fear men. But we are very afraid of God. If we make him angry he will kill us. He lives in the sky and in the grass. He sees everything that we do. After you die there is nothing. It is finished." So this has helped me a lot in writing a puppet show for the children.

I don't know that I'll have any computer access next week. It's doubtful. But I'll update you as soon as I can. Thank you soo much for praying for us. We can truly sense your support.

I'm missing the children from the slum city this morning. Wait till you see their cute faces! They live such a hard life yet they are so full of vitality. With 66% of the adults at Mitumba being HIV positive, the children's world is constantly losing stability as people around them die. McKenna and I are glad to have brought them some encouragement and hope for a very bright future.

Till next time...kwa heri!

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