APU: Becca says...

Ahhh…What a beautiful day! Kenya is like nothing I have ever experienced; everything from the African trees that we have all imagined to the soothing songs the children at night. I have never seen so many people so happy for what little they have, and so grateful for the daily gift of life. The kindness seeps from this training center, and the love extends even farther than that. The joy is astounding as it continues to change our perspectives, on the exponential enormity of God and what He can do in our lives if we just say yes.

I have been so blessed by this place, even from the moment I walked onto this complex. The children greeted us with songs of praise and presented us with bouquets of roses as well as with prayers. It was truly the warmest welcome that I have ever received. All of the parents, staff and the directors are the nicest people, and though they may not remember all of our names yet, they are very intentional about letting us know that they care and that they have been praying for us. We have become a family.

Our days have consisted of a little manual labor in the morning, which is known as keying, but through it we are learning discipline and making great friends. The kids take a lunch break and distract us from our work…but we are always glad to be distracted because it means a little more time with these incredible children. They are all so intelligent, knowing at least 2 different languages, and they know there bible better that most American Christians I know. They have such a passion here that we seem to lack in the states. We fill the void with TV and work, while they fill their minds with Gods grace and forgiveness. The afternoons may vary, but we have gone on a few home visits which are so eye opening.

We then do devotions with the kids, have dinner and then my favorite part of the day, reading to the kids. We have an hour to go into one of the dorm rooms where we will read a short story, but then things get crazy. So far I have really tired to use this time to get to know the children. Sometimes we just talk, or sing and dance. The girls have really shown an interest in swing dancing surprisingly enough, as well the Can Can…? Anyway, our time thus far has been amazing and I know that God is really working on each of us individually.

Just a short shout out to our family and friends…we love you all and we thank you for all of your prayers. We never could have made it here without you.

Love you all, Becca

APU: Another Home Visit

The team is fast asleep and didn't get to writing an update this evening. They had a full day, starting with teaching a Bible class and the school, doing a construction project much of the morning, and going on a home visit after lunch. (Read about this visit on Adele's blog.)

After planning some of the children's ministry events for the rest of the week, they joined the children to welcome more visitors, after which we had dinner. Zach and Diana had us all in stitches as they told the story of how they met. The Kenyans were blown away by the story, since dating/courtship is very different in this culture.

After dinner, they went to spend time reading to the children.

Tomorrow morning, Diana's teaching an aerobic exercise class to all the ladies while Zach is taking the men out for some exercise. Then it's back to construction and time with the children. They'll write an update sometime on Saturday.

They're all doing wonderfully! Though they've only been here two days, they've found a way into the hearts of this community, and vice versa. And they've brought laughter, which has been a tremendous blessing.

Please pray for them as they sleep tonight, that they'd sleep through the jet-lag-induced-waking-up-at-3-am.