Jambo everyone!
Happy Independence Day to our American friends! I hope it was a good one for all of you! Here, obviously, it was just another Thursday, but I did spend some time thinking about family, barbeque, and fireworks… and the fact that, despite her downfalls, there is no place like home! Maybe I’m just feeling a bit nostalgic, as today marks twenty-one years since my feet first touched Kenyan soil!
I have talked to a number of expats who say, “Kenya has become my home.” “I feel more at home here than I do in America (or whatever country they’re from).” “When I go to (insert name of country of origin), I feel like a foreigner.”
While I appreciate where they are coming from (no pun intended) and am really happy for them that they are so at home here, it’s just not like that for me. Kenya is where God has called me to serve Him. It is where I live and where I “work.” There are many Kenyans, especially a certain 220 or so kids, whom I love with all my heart and am privileged to have them in my life! I’m almost positive that I will live out the remainder of my days here. But I don’t think I will ever really feel like Kenya is “home.”
Culture is an interesting thing. It shapes how we think, how we talk, what we think is funny, what we think is rude, how we relate to one another, etc. While, over the past 21 years, I have learned a bit about Kenyan culture and have even learned how to relate to folks without constantly offending them with my Western thinking and ways, I am still very much aware that I am the foreigner. My accent is hard to understand. The verbal expressions I tend to use naturally, often make no sense to those I’m trying to communicate with. My skin burns in the sun and my hair needs to be washed every other day. My favorite sport is baseball… I have never met a single Kenyan baseball fan! I eat weird foods and I like weird music!
Don’t get me wrong! I am absolutely NOT complaining! I love Kenya and her people! I am honored to have been chosen by God to serve Him here! I’m simply saying that to me, this is not “home”.
The flip side of the coin (to use a very American idiom) is this; Kenya is where my life is, it’s where God has called me to make a difference in the lives of others, it’s a place that keeps me humble and reminds me that I am nothing without Jesus. Kenya is where God has taught me what really matters and that his plan for my life was firmly in place before I even took my first breath. I wouldn’t have it any other way! I finally understand the phrase: This world is not my home, I’m only passing through.
It has been a while since I mentioned Baby Steve. Well, he’s not such a baby anymore! He started school this year and is absolutely thriving! He loves school and is a leader amongst his three-year-old peers! His teacher says that he is very bright and eager to participate both in class and outside during recess. He has come so far in a relatively short period of time! He’s gone from being a skinny, wimpy, scared, hungry baby to being a happy, active, lively little boy! I look forward to seeing what God has planned for his life!
Another preschooler who is doing extremely well, is one of the newest members of the In Step family, Christine! Christine is a bright and lively child who was rescued from the streets, where she was living with her mentally unstable mother. Despite the challenges of street life, Christine was only slightly malnourished when she arrived. I think her mom really was doing the best she could and truly loves her daughter! With no social programs to help in these situations, often placement in a children’s home is unavoidable.
Another recent addition to the family is Shantel – a seven-year-old girl who is, let’s just say, “street-wise” beyond her years! She was brought to us after neighbors rescued her from an extremely abusive situation. She speaks very openly about the things she has endured, including the source of the terrible burns across her back, as well as other atrocities no young girl should ever experience.
Although she had never been to school, we decided to house her at the dorm with her agemates (we normally move them to the dorm when they start class 2, no matter their age), because socially, she just wasn’t fitting in with the littles.
It was a great decision to do so. Today, Shantel always has a smile on her face and is right in the middle of whatever is going on at the young girls’ dorm! She has made friends very easily and is quite vocal about how wonderful life is at her new home!
Finally, we have Baby Anna who recently came to us as a malnourished two-month old baby. Her mentally ill mother just could not bring herself to care for her baby. (In Kenya, the phrase “mentally ill” covers a very wide ground. The mom may be suffering from post-partum depression.) Mom ended up in one hospital while Baby Anna was being nursed back to health in another. After the baby had gained some weight and became more stable, she was placed with us. I am happy to say she is now thriving!
Our In Step family continues to grow in another way, too! Besides adding more kids to our family, God has also added another member to our family of volunteers!
Though she’s not a certified educator, Jessa is a self-proclaimed math geek. She willingly took on a full schedule of teaching math (or as they say here “maths”) at In Step Academy! Math has always been a challenging subject for our school. Just when we seem to be making progress, the teacher driving the progress would be poached for a government teaching job, and we find ourselves back at square one! Fortunately, Jessa identified some gaps in the government curriculum and suggested ways to bridge those gaps, helping us move forward.
In fact, one gap that she identified was used as our “practical demonstration” during job interviews last week, as we hired two new math teachers! Two out of the three applicants were able to teach the concept, so hopefully we are back on the right track for math at In Step Academy! We’re so grateful for all the ways Jessa shared her time and talents with our family!
With such a large family, we always have projects needing to be done. We are getting excited to begin the remodeling of the boys’ dorm! The girls have been in their new houses for a while now and the boys are getting antsy for their turn! We appreciate your prayers and other support for this upcoming project! It is going to be a bit tricky, as we will have to move all the boys upstairs as we remodel the ground floor… then move all the boys downstairs as we remodel the second floor.
Obviously, doing the main construction while the high school boys are away at school is ideal, which means we need to get after it soon! After months of meetings and planning, the Site, Facilities and Projects Committee of Rehema for Kids, has come up with a great-looking plan that will provide our boys with a more comfortable and conducive environment! They look forward to having a better study area, updated bathrooms, private space for patrons, etc.!
One way I’d ask for your support is for extra prayers for Kenya! Some of you are aware of the ridiculous cost of living and inflation that Kenya is experiencing. I know it’s happening in many places across the world, and Kenya is no exception.
To protest, the younger population has organized demonstrations (which usually are not peaceful), against a proposed tax bill, which would make the cost of living even more out of reach. Please pray! This sort of thing can escalate out of control in no time flat!
If you’d like to learn more about this, you can read this article.
Now you’re caught up on what’s going on around here! Thanks for reading to the end! We appreciate all you do for our kids! Words cannot express our sincere appreciation!
God Is Good All The Time (GIGATT),
Mama Carla