SPENCE HELPING DELIVER FOOD TO MASSAI
This week marks two anniversaries at Nyumbani. First - this is the second year since Fr. D'Agostino, founder of Nyumbani, passed away. It also marks the one year anniversary of the death of two boys at the village (See blog from this date a year ago.) To remember and celebrate, Nyumbani held a mass and reception also meant to dedicate a new building in Fr. D'ag's honor. The Village was well represented with a group of 40 students and some staff. A busload was sent from the Village Saturday night and we slept on the floor at the Children's Home. These kids are great! We had a great time despite the lack of sleep. It was interesting to see the reaction the kids had to Nairobi - a city they had never seen. The boys I stayed with were up half the night, flipping electric switches, flushing the toilets and getting up at 4 a.m. to take a hot shower. These were all new experiences for them. They had heard about and wanted to see the machine that made clothes clean. They could not understand how another machine made clothes dry without the sun. In the kitchen of the Children's Home was a large institutional potato peeler. Put a potato in and in comes out peeled! On the ride home they screamed when we drove past NBO (the Nairobi Airport). We also saw zebra, wildebeest, giraffe, and a herd of camels on the way home. None of these got a reaction bigger than the washing machine. The kids sang a choir piece and danced some original Kamba tribal dances in full dress. The Village was well-represented. I was so proud. Present at the gathering was the U.S. Ambassador to Kenya and the Apostolic Nuncio (Archbishop) from Italy - among other guests. I went back to the Village with the kids last night but traveled back to Nairobi with Spencer, a volunteer returning to the states for Christmas. We traveled by matatu and bus and I wanted to accompany him to make sure he arrived in Nairobi safe and sound. We did.
