"just relax, you are home"

We finally have internet! It took a little while because we had to go into town to get it, but now we have it. Anyways, to catch y’all up, we obviously made it here, luggage and all! THAT was a miracle in itself because we only had 45 minutes between landing in Switzerland and taking off (on different planes). When we got to Nairobi, we spent the night at a guest house. It was only a few miles away, but it took us about 2 hours to get there because of the traffic. It was so funny watching old Dave in Africa traffic because fearing for your life is casual here (well, at least for Americans). On Saturday, Daniel (our bus driver from last year) picked us up and took us to an elephant orphanage and the market.

We got to Fiwagoh in the night time and it’s been AMAZING ever since!! Right when we pulled up, my precious Sarah saw me and her sweet laugh and smile automatically melted my heart. The first thing Pastor Benson told us was "just relax, you are home."

I have been teaching during the day at the school. All I have to say about that is it’s something special. Monday, I taught 4^th grade Math, English, Social Studies, the story of Cinderella, and (attempted) Swahili. Thankfully, I had a break from teaching when we went on an hour and a half nature walk. It’s so much fun to go on nature walks and the kids LOVE walking around this area. We’ve walked up a mountain, to the lake, to the caves and to a factory about 2 miles away that is across the street (that was a little stressful). Tuesday, I taught 8^th grade English and 5^th grade everything else. I am SO thankful the kids are patient and willing to learn because I have no idea what I’d do if the kids caused any trouble!

Each day here is a different adventure with different faces smiling at me. Trying to learn 208 names is a difficult task, but one by one I’m getting them. I’ve learned that people love to hear their names, so learning these kids’ names is very important.

Last night, my dad preached at evening worship. One thing that really stuck out to me was this quote: “this trip is not life-changing because my life was changed when Jesus came into my heart. Instead, this trip is life-affirming.” I am beyond thankful and excited my dad is getting to experience everything here. He seems to be loving it! Occasionally, he will start talking in an African accent without realizing it. I guess the kids are just rubbing off on him!

In school during break, the kids have asked for me to teach them songs. The only songs sung here are worship songs and songs that have to do with Jesus. So, I taught them the “I am a Christian” song. It goes like this: “I am a C, I am a C-H, I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N, and I have C-H-R-I-S-T in my H-E-A-R-T and I will L-I-V-E-E-T-E-R-N-A-L-L-Y!” (The last part gets them every time).

I could go on and on and on about all the totally awesome experiences I’ve had, but it would take a lifetime! It’s only been 5 full days and I CANNOT wait to see what the future has in store. The decision to stay here for a month has proved to be a GREAT one! In this month, they will leave an imprint on my heart forever, and I can only hope they will feel the same one day!

P.S. I would absolutely LOVE to share pictures, BUT we don't have enough internet to do so. So, I guess y'all will just have to picture it in your minds from my words!