Jambo everybody!
Today, I am writing from HOT Eastern Washington! I have been here for almost a month, enjoying family and friends, and am now starting to think about what I still need to take care of before heading back to Kenya next week! You would think I would have it down to a science, and I guess for the most part I do, but it always seems to catch me off guard when it’s time to start thinking about packing!
Meanwhile, back in Kenya, the first of three new girls’ houses is almost finished! The terrazzo floor has been poured, including a beautiful front porch with a custom designed logo inlay! Obviously, I haven’t yet seen it in person, but the pictures look exactly as I had imagined! The interior is almost finished… working on bathroom tile, paint, furnishings, etc.
Can you believe that the second girls’ house has been fully funded?! I am over the moon excited, as I’m sure the girls are too! Getting the girls moved out of the existing dorm building will be life-changing for all of us!
While the girls get settled into their new place, the boys will be able to take over the space where the girls presently live! We plan to spruce up the boys’ dorm to make it almost like new… paint, desks, etc… but the best part is that the boys will be able to spread out and not have to live in such a congested space! Thanks to all of you who have helped make this happen through your prayers, gifts and social media posts!
The 2020-2021 school year is about to wrap up! What a strange year it has been! Our amazing In Step Academy teaching staff has really hung in there and given it their all, during a very unpredictable time! Class eight students took their exams and are now being invited to various high schools, while the other classes are finishing up the final term of the year. The school year will end in late July, then the new school year (for both primary and secondary schools) will start only days later! We would appreciate prayers for a smooth transition from one school year to the next, with less than a week dividing the two!
Weekly ballet classes are back! We are blessed to have met a young ballerina named Brenda, who is willing to come to our home every Sunday afternoon to teach ballet to all the girls who are interested!
We have around a dozen girls participating and they absolutely love it! How special and inspiring to see our girls expressing themselves through dance! I must admit that I get a bit emotional when I watch them! I look at each girl and think about the muck and mire that God has pulled them from! Watching them moving so gracefully, a gentle energy flowing through every muscle of their bodies, the expressions on their faces so focused yet peaceful at the same time! It moves me to tears every time! It’s beauty from ashes at its best!
So, because I’m not in Kenya right now, I don’t really have a lot to update you on! I’m sure there’s tons going on there, as always! I hear snippets about this or that, but can’t really do justice to an update. I promise to get you all caught up next month!
For now, I’m sad about leaving my family and friends, but excited about getting back to Kenya! The emotions are a constant, internal conflict! I absolutely love being only fifteen minutes away from my kids, grandkids, sisters and parents! I absolutely hate not seeing my Kenyan kids! I enjoy evenings on the patio with my parents. I miss Jeff. I miss my dogs.
Two weeks from now, my emotions will be flip-flopped! I will be happy to be back with my Kenyan kids, while at the same time, desperately missing my family! It’s such a strange thing and impossible to fully explain! When I’m in the US, I say, “I’m going HOME to Kenya.” When I’m in Kenya, I say, “I’m going HOME to the US.” It’s just weird! It’s like I’m always home, yet I’m never home! I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers as I travel! As always, your support and partnership are more valuable and precious than words can express!
I would appreciate your thoughts and prayers as I travel! As always, your support and partnership are more valuable and precious than words can express!
GIGATT (God is Good All the Time)!
Mama Carla