The End ... for Now

This post will be my last post on this blog.  After a good 4 years in Kenya, I am leaving to return to the States, at least for a time.  It will be hard to leave the church and Kenya, but it is time for me to return.  God has provided amazingly already.  I will return to Colorado knowing where I will work and live.  The only minor detail is a car.  I have accepted a position in Colorado Springs at Discovery Canyon Campus.  I will be teaching high school French and Spanish.  Also, I will live at Pastor Paul's for a few months until I settle into an apartment in the Springs.

I will never forget my time in Kenya and I am expectant to return.

Foot Saga - Part 2

If you remember my foot problems from May 2009, I had severely twisted my left ankle.  Ever since that time, my left arch hurt all the time.  Come to find out, I have an extra navicular bone and that is the culprit of the pain.  I had that same thing in my right foot, but I had it removed in 2003.  So on July 15, I had the extra bone removed.  My road ahead includes 6-8 weeks on crutches (yes, I will be flying on crutches) and physical therapy.

The circled part of my foot is the location of the extra bone

After the surgery

 
To have the surgery in the States is an absolute miracle.  I am covered under insurance, but only within Africa, India and Pakistan.  I was originally going to go to South Africa to have this operation.  But when I presented the overall cost of getting it done in South Africa compared to in the States, the cost was about half to do it in the States.  Granted, I do have to pay for everything out of pocket, but I will be reimbursed in Kenya.  Oh, and if you pay for your medical bills in full without insurance, you get deals.  I saved about 50% with surgeon fees, 20% for the surgical center, and 15% with the anesthesiologist.  God really provided a way for me to have this surgery in the States with the same doctor that did my right foot.

USA, here I come!

I am excited to announce that I will be back in Colorado by 6:25 pm on Sunday, 30 May.  Praise God!

A day in the slums

On Monday, Chris, Wendy and I took a personal day and went around town.  Since it is Wendy's last year, we are doing some activities that we have rarely or never done.  One of those was going to Kibera slums; supposedly the second largest slum in Africa.  We had Wesley (Pastor Safari's brother) and Wycliffe (one of the sound guys from church) as our guides.  I think we spent about 2 hours walking around.  We passed out candy to the kids and just saw a glimpse of how the people lived.  Rent could be as little as 50 Shillings (about 70 cents), and some people may still have to pay that in installments.  It is a rough place to live -- tin roofs, dirt walls and very unsanitary conditions.

Later in the day, we went to Gikomba, a huge market on the other side of Nairobi town.  It was just mainly for the experience.  We didn't buy anything.  You could find almost anything in this market ... fruits, vegetables, clothing, chickens, etc.

We ended the day eating at Java House (similar to Starbucks) and getting some sports jerseys.  What a long day!

Wendy passing out some candy

Houses

The river and people doing their laundry

What has God done in your life?

I have watched this You Tube video a few times recently.  It really shows me that God is at work and that people's lives are forever changed.  Let me know what you think of the video.

Junior - Senior Banquet

Every year, Rosslyn has a Junior - Senior banquet (aka Prom).  Since I am a Senior class sponsor, I get to go along with them.  There are 3 other sponsors (Jeff, Rebecca and Daniel).  They and their spouses also came to banquet.  It is the resposibility of the Junior class to raise enough money and pay for the event.  That is where Mistletoe Market comes into play.  They earn most of their money from that event.

This banquet had an Indian theme.  I did not have time to find Indian garb, but I met a guy at a school event and he loaned me this glowing attire.  Apparently it is to be worn at weddings, although I am not sure if it is for the groom or the guests.  About half the students were in Indian garb as well as Daniel and me.

Banquet is one of the last all-class events that the Class of 2010 will have at Rosslyn before they graduate, so the memories are priceless.

Sarova Salt Lick

As the school year comes to a close, it becomes time to say good-bye to some teachers and close friends.  One such friend is Wendy ... so in order for her to have some closure, Chris and I went with her on a mini-safari to Tsavo.  We went for a Saturday and Sunday.  We stayed at a place called Salt Lick.  The rooms are on stilts and are overlooking a natural salt lick.  You can see the animals from your bedroom window.  Unfortunately, this time of year did not bring too many animals.  It became a good time to spend time with Wendy and to have time to hang out.

Personal Day

In helping Wendy to have some good closure, she, Chris and I took a day off and did some activities around Nairobi.  For this day, we went to a place near Rosslyn to see the "waterfalls", which we later found out were not too interesting.  The waterfalls were near an are of tea farms.  The tea farm areas are immense and have many workers to pick the leaves.  Then after that, we stopped in at an old church to take some pictures.  Lastly, we went to Village Market to go to the Masai Market and get some shakes before heading back to school for an important meeting.  Although the meeting was not so great, the day was fun-filled and exciting.

Revival in Kangemi

In the beginning of April, we had revival meetings with Pastor Jacob, our newest church, located in Kangemi.  We held outdoor meetings and then showed a portion of "The Passion of the Christ" inside his church.  It is always awesome to see how God works and too see people give their lives to Jesus.

The alter call inside the church after watching "The Passion of the Christ"

Political Cartoons

Here are some political cartoons that have circulated recently in Kenya.

Prime Minister Raila looking at the President's FaceBook page; yes, Kenyans do have FB

What corruption?!

Left (President Kibaki and his supporters); right (Prime Minister Raila and his supporters); pumbafuu means stupid