Today I just have some random thoughts and anecdotes from a Westerner during her first month in Kenya.

Habari zenu! Na mimi? Mzuri. Asante sana. Jana nilijifunza kiswahili. Leo ninajifunza kiswahili na kesho nitajifunza kiswahili! I’m not trying to show off. That was actually a helpful review for me. Steve and I are both taking a Swahili class now and I was reviewing. Also, there are actually 2 recipients of this letter who know Swahili! They can correct me. The hopeful translation is: How are you? And me? Good. Thank you very much. Yesterday I learned Swahili. Today I am learning Swahili and tomorrow I will learn Swahili.

The hiking shoes that I bought in America, and which seemed so ugly and bulky and stiff in America are perfect for Kenya. They support my feet and me well even when walking on ruts and loose stones. They are brown and don’t show the dirt much, and yesterday I even looked at them on my feet and thought them quite attractive!

Laundry is different here. And my attitude towards it is different. An item of clothing is certainly not dirty just because it was worn once! It must be examined, and examined in the light of who wears it. Take jeans. Yes, they look a bit dirty, but can you scrape anything off with your fingernail? If not, they are clean. If so, who wears them? If the boys, they are still not dirty unless you can scrape lots from all parts of the jeans, not just knees and seats. Then there are the boys’ socks. They are definitely dirty after one wearing. The twist here comes in when they have been washed and don’t look any different from when they were dirty. This is where faith comes in. If I know I put them into the washer with soap and bleach, and I know I took them out and hung them up, and I know they are the same socks as I take them off the line, then in faith they are clean! Circumstances would try to sway me, but I remain firm!

Travel in a car is not an everyday occurrence here. What a pleasant change. When travel does take place in a car it is an adventure. The roads on the station are dirt, 100 years old, and rutted. (One hundred year old ruts are something else.) The worst set of shocks on any paved road I’ve been on in the States was a Cadillac’s extra smooth luxury ride compared to a jaunt around the station in a land Cruiser. You know those handles in odd places in cars and SUV’s? Over here we know why they are there. Then if you go on into town (Nairobi) the adventure continues as you drive “on the wrong side” of the road, avoid donkeys, goats and sheep and people. And then passing with no white and yellow lines can seem almost like an amusement park thrill ride! The dust is another added feature to vehicle travel in Kenya during a drought. We went into the valley to help deliver maize to churches in the Masai area. At the end of the day, the dust in hair, clothes and skin was very visible even though I had been inside a car. The guys, who had ridden on the back of an open bed truck with the maize, were—indescribable! But I did take some pictures.

All for now. I’m afraid that I’m having experiences faster than I can record them! I should say, though, that I feel like I am beginning to find my stride again. The first week was a combination of blur and open-mouthed wonder. Week two is when reality set in and I was off-balance for a few days, struggling just to keep house and feed family. Week three saw the fun of Swahili class and things settling in. As we enter week 4 life is going well. (And Grace’s blessed help is no small part of that).

Thanks for all of your kind remarks and encouraging replies and prayers. We do feel supported by prayer.

Love, Nancy