Fun Times!

When you work as hard as we did a little fun is in order. Fun times promote communication and allow lasting bonds to be made. Jeanna started out the evening with a modern dance, a form of dance the Koderans had never seen before. Shortly after Jeanna finished we all tried some salsa and traditional Luo dancing! Following the dance session the women retreated for ladies time and the men watched the Olympics! The women on the team, Priscilla, MJ, Andrea and Jeanna treated all the Koderan women to a pedicure and presented them with a few take home gifts. All of us that night had a great time laughing and learning about each other! Jeanna and I also had the chance to see Nairobi’s Safari Walk. Here we got to see many indigenous animals such as the giraffe, rhino and hippo.

Andrea also had the opportunity to reconnect with her wonderful friend Thomas from Karare (up north). Bless his heart – he was such a wonderful sight to see!!

Lastly we were able to take a few trips in and around Nairobi. We visited Mana Bible Institute – a facility that educates local pastors in effective ways to pastor to their communities. This is a wonderful facility with great programming. We will have more on Mana on the Sister Missions site in the future.

We also visited Kenyatta Hospital. This trip was very difficult for both Andrea and Jeanna. We were not allowed to take pictures at the hospital, but believe us, be VERY thankful for what we have in N. America. We are so very lucky.

We also had the opportunity to visit a local school. Upaco school is the home to 43 orphans and 125 regular students. We were able to provide the school with many needed supplies. All the supplies were donated by people like you back in the states! Interacting with the kids always fills my heart, and I think Jeanna was overjoyed with all their smiling faces. They honored us with many poems and songs – many dealing with HIV/AIDS. It was a very moving experience. We also learned that the school added an entire row of classrooms and was able to build a security fence. (You will see both in the pictures below). You will also see a picture of a card. These cards were handmade by the orphans at the school. The paper is made from the cardboard the orphans slept on before they were able to purchase mattresses. These cards represent hope and accomplishment for the children. No longer do they have to sleep on the cold cement floors. Now they can raise additional funds by selling the cards. If you are interested in buying a few and supporting a group of children that need help let Sister Missions know and we will provide you with more details.

By traveling outside of the compound we were able to put our mission into context. Knowing a people is so very important when doing mission work. Plus you never know what you will learn in return!