I’m sure that you all have been celebrating with me because of the number 1 selling CD in the US this week. When my brother let me know that the Cubs are in first place (and quoted the George Will line, “The Cubs are in their tenth decade of rebuilding”), I knew I was on a roll. I leave for the states on Friday to attend NAFSA in Washington DC, NACCAP in Boston and most importantly, to pick up Matthew in Dallas.

I’ve never done it before, but because both Neil Diamond and the Cubs are number 1, I will be taking orders for lottery tickets.

When you are on a roll, sometimes you just need to roll with it.

I was at Mwiciringiri Primary School, and I hadn’t been since we started bringing food for lunches. The kids were all pretty excited, and I was busy taking pictures. One little guy told me “You are the first white man I have seen this year,” and I kept thinking I would come up with a funny retort, but I’m still thinking and nothing has come. If you come up with a good line, let me know, unless you are a friend from Kansas.

I was counting bags of maize and beans and taking pictures of the kids, when I saw someone near my car in the reflection. I turned around, and there was an infant on the hood of my car. I was a good distance away and there was someone right next to the infant, so I called to her. She saw me, grabbed the infant, and ran off.

I just wasn’t sure what to do. The headmaster told me that the children were waiting for me to speak to them. Was she trying to abandon the infant and then changed her mind? Should I give chase? What would I say if I caught her?

I just froze. There are so many abandoned babies in Kenya, and I’m praying that she was just putting the baby down for a moment for a rest or to rearrange herself. Or I hope that if she was planning to abandon the baby, she was convicted and is trying to do the right thing.

It is hard to get that baby out of my head.

I think the Lord knew I needed a boost. The next day, I got this from an RVA alum:

so … i thought i should tell you this …

i was sitting on my bed watching america’s next top model with two of my really good friends at harvard. we were talking about tyra and how the show discriminates against ‘ivy league’ girls and then we just kept going on and on about tyra …

and then …

i said, “my guidance counselor met tyra and stepped on her dress.”

they all said, “really?”

and then we looked for it on youtube. we found the clip, talked about how HUGE tyra was, and then i mentioned that you got an award and that i was really proud of you.

and then they started watching the CNN Heroes clip that showed the video of your work, you, the giving of the award, and your speech. they were both really quiet and stopped talking about tyra. they were actually teary by the end of your speech.

then one of the girls – who is into comparative religion and pretty aggressive when it comes to my personal beliefs – came up to me later and started asking me about what the term ‘evangelical’ meant, how important jesus was to me, and how i would define my faith.

we talked for a pretty long time … and this was one of the first times where she actually listened instead of just crushing my opinions.

it was a pretty powerful moment. she still holds the same views, and nothing has changed. but you definitely provided a positive view of christianity (one that is definitely not seen here very often) and encouraged a pretty important discussion.

it seems strange that this all started with tyra banks, but it was really appropriate that your speech touched my friends.

On Friday I went to Nyakairu Primary School, which is another poor school we have been able to add because of your kindness. It was another school that I hadn’t been to in years, and not since we have been able to bring food. The kids were so grateful, and they told me to send “Our happiness to them.”

In the midst of all the yelling and shouting, a little boy came up to me and said, “Our lunch is the only food I eat.” Often times, that is a prelude to a request for money.

He just told me and walked away.

Sometimes your great victory is to accomplish something wonderful. Often times for me, the great victory is to hold myself together until I can drive away.

Your pal,
Steve