Great Weekend

Last week I had a great weekend. I was able to travel with George to Kitengela, his home and then the next morning head to Lake Nakuru, his father's home. It was a long day of matatu riding from Nairobi to Nakuru, then on to his da's. There was a great welcome for us, great food and I've never been welcomed so warmly. We toured around the village meeting relatives and friends. The next morning we traveled on the back of a bicycle (non-motor) to a matatu and on to George's aunt's home about three hours away in Central Province. You'll remember that many of you suppported the purchase of property for George's aunt, after the post election violence and she was burned out of her home. She literally ran for her life and the lives of her children. She found little safety in a police post and then escaped to George's dad's in Nakuru. Well, the property we bought is about as beautiful as I could imagine, close to her sister's home at the foothills of the mountains, near a reserve with elephants etc. on the other sie of the mountains. If you kept traveling across the mountains you would eventually meet Mt. Kenya. The landscape is so different from Kitui and the Village. There is water and everything is green (and muddy). Auntie's house is so simple, wooden structure, dirt floor, three rooms and a cookshed outside. It is simple but I could live there easily - so silent and beautiful. It is a long walk from one sister's house to Aunties. Uphill, it is a struggle an you search for breath. Auntie has polio and a deformity which has turned her foot around. Still she makes the decent to her sister's. I took some great video footage of the place and them saying their "thank-yous" till I was in tears, especially when they prayed. From there we took a motorbike til we came to matatus back to Nairobi. It was an all-ay journey home and then to the Village. I look forward to your seeing the video.

Other than that - I have been teaching some, tutoring the secondary kids on break, leading tours, working with volunteers. I continue to work with the farm and sustainability department to organize their records and present data. I am in Nairobi with some Italian visitors. We are here tonight and will shop tomorrow for donated gifts for the families in the village. We will be buying pans, wheelbarrows, and other items for the houses. All goes well and the kids are great.

My best to all and please remember to donate when asked. It helps so much. I am struggling to get the Athi River project off the ground. That is the health and education project with the Masai Women. You can see more at www.mwep.blogspot.com I know it will work out in time. Thanks again for the prayers and concern. I am healthy, happy and smiling a lot. The worms are gone, ringworm almost all cleared and my malaria medication issues under control. God is good.

Some Truth

"God loves us so perfectly, God lets us be the heroes. God lets us wrestle with the angel of Yahweh, lets us struggle with God and win. When we try to let go and give our life to God, God gives it back to us. Should we be surprised? That’s what love does. That’s the only thing you can get excited about when you’re in love–giving your life to the other and seeing enjoyment in the other. That’s the union toward which God is calling us. The lover delighting in the beloved and the beloved delighting in the lover." Source: Job and the Mystery of Suffering - R Rohr ofm

And yet another time in NRB

I came to Nairobi this morning to pick up the WorldTeach teachers. I came via Matatu and bus with my friend Pascal. Tomrrow, Sunday morning, we leave for the Village. I am sure the teachers are excited and they have no idea of the adventures that await us in Kitui!

The trip I was hoping to take to the border of Tanzania didn't work out. Maybe we can go at another time.

Jeremy Hunt, Member of Parliament in the UK came to spend the night at the Village. He and his Foundation (Hotcourses) has paid for the school at the Village. He is a good guy and I enjoyed spending the day with him and the group he brought. That is the kind of work I have been doing lately, tour guide, answer man, Guest House master! It is fun and you get to meet interesting people. I also get a lot of excercise walking people all over the Village.

I was able to use Rachel's Fathers Day present (a video cam) to tape some songs and presentations of the kids in the school. What a great performance! The videotape will come soon, maybe to YouTube. We shall see.

Enough for now.