The last day of school started interestingly. Two little girls asked me to help them get a foot long lizard out of a tree because they wanted him for a pet. I couldn’t reach him, so I put one of the girls on my shoulders and she got him. As she was getting him, we had the following conversation:

Me: Do you have him yet?
Her: I’m so close.
Me: Do you have him yet?
Her: Oops.
Me: What do you mean?
Her: I had him but he tickled my finger and I dropped him and I hope he doesn’t crawl down your shirt.
Me: WHAT?
Her: He is crawling around your neck and I hope he doesn’t go down your shirt.
Me: GET HIM! GET HIM!!

She got him, and I am sure he is a fine pet, and I have learned that putting little girls on your shoulders to get lizards is a FINE way to make sure you are fully awake.

The tradition at the grade school is that one student is chosen to ring the bell to signify the end of school. It has always been a sixth grader, and competition for this honor is fierce.

But this year the principal is retiring, after 23 years of service to RVA. You couldn’t find a nicer person than Don Schuit, and he is so beloved by all the children that I fear for whoever has to follow in his footsteps. And the kids, all on their own, voted for him to be able to ring the bell.

He rang the bell, and it was one of the sweetest moments I’ve ever known.

Usually at the end of a term, I have the following conversations with the dorm boys:

Me: Wake up!
Them: It’s only 5am!
Me: I don’t want you to miss the bus!!
Them: It doesn’t leave until 11!
Me: I want you to get a good seat!! Go, go go!!!

A slight exaggeration, but by the end of the term, you were anxious to let the parents be with them for a while. But this term is different: I may never see any of these kids again, and they have been my kids for a year. It was very very hard to say goodbye.

The grade school left on Thursday. On Friday was senior night. There are 75 or so seniors, and every year they do skits, sing songs, and tell jokes incomprehensible to anyone over 19. There are lots of disadvantages to boarding schools, but they do provide a sense of community and level of friendships you don’t see everyday. The seniors are closer than any seniors in a non boarding school could ever be, and the next day, it was all going to end.

The graduation was wonderful, and one of the traditions is that as seniors have their recessional, as they exit the building they jump up and hit the wall. One of the graduates was too short, and two of her classmates held her so she could hit it too.

Afterwards, it was very intense. Some of the kids have been here since first grade, and suddenly it was all over. Some of the saddest crying I’ve ever seen happened right after graduation. By three o’clock, a bus had boarded most of the seniors to the airport with their parents.

Which left us to clean and pack. Most people are aware of how fortunate I have been in my marriage, but that was before I purchased a rather large African drum to bring home. You might be surprised by how much tension a large drum can cause in a marriage, but if you ever do come to Africa for a year, it might be wise to be in agreement with your spouse before you bring home a large souvenir.

It’s been a wonderful year

I came to Africa to serve, but it gave me so much more that I could ever return. I grew up in the suburbs of America, and the poverty of the Third World is so much worst than I ever imagined it could be. The hardships that the people endure here are staggering.

But the people here are so astonishing. They have been so kind, and so giving, and so fun to be with. The fact that they continue overwhelms me; I don’t think I could do it. We had Grace and her family over for lunch and made pizza, and we explained how many people in the states just pick up their phones and order a pizza and one is delivered, and their response was astonishment. The idea of buying new clothes is beyond the hope of many of the people here. To my knowledge, except for RVA and the hospital, there is no running water in Kijabe.

Seeing the immense poverty and illness has to make you look at your own life differently. I’ve always been grateful for a wonderful family life, but I took so much of what America has for granted. Worst than that, I’ve taken it as an entitlement. I hope that I never forget the lessons learned here.

To all of you that helped us this year: with financial support, with toys, with kind emails, I wish I had words for what you have meant to us and how much we appreciate you. If you have never been away from almost everyone you know for a year, you might not understand how important email is, and how grateful we are for our old friends and new friends who kept in touch

After Stephen died, the only way I can think to describe my life is I was driving a car and it had slipped into neutral. I had my foot on the gas, but it didn’t go anywhere. The engine was roaring, but nothing worked anymore.

But this year has shown me the truth in one of my favorite scriptures: ` He who seeks to find his own life will lose it. He who seeks to lose his own life will find it.’

When Stephen died, I felt like I lost my own life.

Africa helped me find it again.

I’m ready to go home.

YP