April has been a month filled with traveling around Kenya
and spending time with friends. After giving my students their final exam, Amber, Michelle (new roommate), and I headed to Hell's Gate National Park with our mentor Patsy and her daughter Charese. We hiked through a gorge and just enjoyed the uniqueness of this place. On Maundy Thursday, I participated in my first Passover Seder dinner at St. Julian's Center. Pictured above, with PatsyFor Easter weekend we traveled to Kikambala to spend time with the girls at Mudzini Kwetu. This is the children's home that I went to with my family over Christmas.
We stayed in cottages along the beach and had a joyful Easter celebration searching for seashells, playing in the pool, giving manicures, making beaded bracelets, putting together Easter baskets and introducing them to their first egg hunt (some of the after the egg hunt pictured at right). The 30 girls are very dear to my heart- Rahema with her mini dreadlocks and striking eyes, Christine with her inquisitive nature, Celina with her playful spirit, Maryann with her incredible dancing skills, Wambui with her belly that seems to always seek more food... and 25 other unique girls that I think about almost everyday now. After two and a half days of playing, we headed down the coast to "relax" on the beach. Although Amber claims I wasn't officially relaxing because I was at the same time marketing Light and Power paper bags at hotels.
Mudzini Kwetu Girls and Staff, along with lawyers Victor, Sam, and JamesI then headed back to Njoro, the village where I worked almost 2 years ago now. I stayed with Pastor Peter and his family. Also, I spent time with Teresia, a girl who I sponsor to go to high school. She is now a sophomore (Form 2) and I was able to see the boarding school where she goes. I was very impressed with the warm reception I received from her classmates. Amazing how much bigger the school campus is compared to Akiba- I guess rural area vs. the city. It was a great weekend and nice to worship again at Shiloh Sanctuary (Pastor Peter's church).
Teresia (far right) and her friends at Larmudiac Secondary SchoolAkiba School has a few more days of tuition and then Term two won't begin until May 7th. During the time Akiba is on break, we are planning to roll out an intense marketing campaign for Light and Power. The boys are currently paid about $30 per month (right now we have no outside donors and salaries are paid based on production), but with more bag orders we hope to see this increase. I will also be helping Sports Outreach Ministry in coaching girls' soccer. In my free time, I will be training for a half marathon- this time through a game park! Our team will need to raise about $1,500 for the race and the funds will go to the Lewa Wildlife Conservancy.
I will be returning home for the month of August before we serve our second year here. We arrive back in Virginia on August 2nd, so I hope to see many of you during that month.
Much love,
Anne
"I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." Psalm 27:13-14
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