Tom and Isi got there on Friday morning and got tons of greetings and well-wishes – we felt very missed on Thursday, which was super sweet. (Isi was feeling much better – forget if I mentioned that fact yesterday – thank you for the prayers!)
Tom was called in to join the teachers in their room (“lounge” / break room, as it were) to chat and fellowship for a bit. This turned into what was probably 2-3 hours that felt like an hour most – simply because it was fantastic! Israel joined in for much of the time as well. (this guy of mine I’ll brag on for a minute – really knows (and loves) his history!) We discussed cultures of Kenya and the US, politics, hot-button issues, we discussed marriage and family, we discussed tribes and how the Lord has helped them overcome those barriers over the years – sharing background from each of the 7-8 teachers in the room today. They would share about their families, their spouses and we even got into our favorite foods – which was very fun – lots of discussion about what we did vs. didn’t like. Tom shared how we likes most all Kenyan food, but not a fan of “omena” (small fish) or the intestines dish. But all the chicken, fish, greens (skuma), potatoes/bananas (matoke), flatbread, like naan (chipati), rice, cabbage dishes, all if it otherwise, is amazing! Most of them liked the idea of many US dishes – except for crabs – that one they couldn’t wrap their heads around. But it was pretty funny to discuss. They even shared how now they have foods like pizza and hot dogs there.
One of the highlights of the discussion was that teacher Earnest (Samuel’s eldest son) asked me if I would share some wisdom and insights with all of them about marriage. Rebecca and I have been married 18 years and most of them in the room were recently married or married only a few years – some w/kids, some not yet. So it made sense. But I’m always honored when asked to share, and obviously I can only share from my experiences and what the Lord has done. But it was a beautiful opportunity for me to share what the Lord as done in our marriage – through the ups and downs over the years – and how the Lord brought me full circle in 2017 with a reckoning – and has been driving me deeper into His word, deeper into what it means to love my wife and my children, and I just got to give a heartfelt account and share loads of scripture w/them. I wish I had time to recount it here, but suffice it to say, it was a blessed time; and not because of what I had to say – but what the Lord had to say.
Back to some funny stories…Israel (Isi) talked about his 8th grade retreat a few months ago where he held a snake in the nature center – the teachers and pastors cringed, as they think of a snake and can’t think of anything but trying to kill it. We (Tom and Isi) showed them a picture, and that made them shutter but also thought it was really cool.
Rebecca, Aidan and Sarayah helped to serve lunch to the children, teachers and us visitors. “Mamma” as they call her in the kitchen, helps spearhead this monumental feat every single day. Sarayah and Aidan then helped with cleaning dishes as well, which was wonderful to see.
Rebecca spoke in the women’s ministry with the pastor’s wife and teachers. I’m giving the incredibly abbreviated version, since she needed to get to bed tonight, but she definitely shared about openly and honestly about our marriage and what the Lord has done there to restore it and shared a few powerful verses that have meant so much to her, including:
Psalm 27:13:
“I would have lost heart, unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”
Ezekiel 36:26-27 NKJV
“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.”
Earnest explained to Israel and Tom about the Kenyan flag – colors, meanings, history and more – I won’t have time to get into all the details – but trust me when I say, it was pretty amazing, all the significance of the colors and meanings, and how they take time every day with the kids to raise the flag and honor their heritage, and their country – and to build and foster that pride in them for their country.
So one of the other highlights of the day was the weekly soccer match. As part of their “PE” curriculum they take the kids out for soccer every Friday afternoon to a field a few blocks away. We walked with the kids through the streets – mind you, in my flesh, it’s quite a humbling and hard sight to see – I’ll have to get some pictures that I don’t have handy now, but to better describe. But really, it was beautiful – Aidan, Israel, Sarayah and I walked with several of the teachers on a beautiful sunny warm (not hot) day, hand in hand with children who were dying to hold each of our hands. We saw street vendors and bustling streets as we navigated this area that many might call one of the city slums – but we found our way, happily through and to this huge outdoor field which was at least 50 acres – where many schoolchildren from all different schools (had to be at least 20 other schools there) and we found a tiny little spot on these dirt fields (lots of stones and debris, no grass or painted lines or actual goals in sight) and we broke into two teams, and started playing – teachers and students alike. It was madness and fun all at the same time. After about an hour of play, the kids all got popsicles – one of the treats the school does for the kids each Friday after this play/exercise session. Then we made our way, hand in hand, over 100 students and several teachers, back to the school.
Last part of the day was the well fix project – the truck had arrived and was working on the well. They had found that some of the old metal pipes from when the well was put in back in 2009 have holes in them, likely to need to be replaced with PVC pipes. That’s in addition to what we thought one of the other problems was. But that remains to be seen. Israel and I (Tom) will head back over tomorrow to watch and document the progress as they aim to finish up the project. I’ll certainly remind each of you reading that it was many of your generous financial gifts that is contributing to this well project/fix. The pastor’s wife (Pamela) was in tears recounting the challenges they’ve had w/the well since August of last year. Her husband (Samuel) didn’t want to bring it to us – since he never wants to have, as he would say: “his hands out”. He is one of the most humble men you’ll ever meet. He loves the Lord and is so faithful in his stewardship, of his church and this school ministry. We were so honored that they shared this need with us once we got here on the ground a few days ago, and that now the fix is in progress, and we hope to see it completed in the coming days.
Well, that’s a lot! Thanks for reading if you got this far…I wish you all blessings from the Lord and a good rest of your day back in the States.
