About a tree...

Let me start with the end of our day...after our work at the school (more about that later) we went to the site where the synod (district) is building a facility. As we gathered to take our tour, we were told that we were going to tour the construction site and the current building and THEN (this is the crazy part) Isaac (the gentleman leading us the next couple days) wanted Andy and I to plant a tree on the grounds in honor of the life are going to be starting together!! So after the tour Andy and I got together around the hole where our tree was to go and planted it. I think I'm still overwhelmed/shocked by it all. It's pretty amazing to know that that tree (a native tree of which I will have to get back to you on the name. I left my notebook in the room) will be there for an unknowable amount of time in our honor, living, growing. The Kenyans truly love to celebrate, even for a nothing-special young couple like ourselves!! I'm extremely humbled by the honor and still haven't processed it all. I guess this means Andy and I will just have to come back :) Which suits me fine because I'm really loving the experience of all this. Wayne was asked to plant a tree as well in honor of all the work he has done in Kenya over the years and his dedication and support to Kenya Methodist University. So it was a pretty special afternoon!

Let me regress a bit to say a little more about the building we were visiting. The synod bishop has had the vision for this building and is finally seeing a lot of progress on it. The vision is for a guest house to be used for guests and groups that come to the area as a source of income for the synod to support their evangelism effort.It has been great seeing some of the good things that have been happening has a result of people's giving in the U.S. and the ways the Kenyans are able to use what little resources they have. It's very hopeful.

Today we drove to a school, St. Mary's, to work on a new building they are getting ready to build. The work was hard and we were tired and dirty by the end of the day but I think everyone had a great time. Many of us were picking up rocks and placing them in a giant pile to be used later in the foundation. Some dug the trenches (I did this for about 15 minutes and that was about all I could handle. I'm a total wimp compared to the Kenyans who do that work all day everyday). While others made bricks and put plaster on the inside of one of the buildings. Everyone worked super hard and I think we were all ready for a shower at the end of the day, but also ready for another day of work tomorrow.

Before we began the work, though, we went to all the classrooms and met the children of the school. The first class we went into were pre-school age. I guess they haven't had many white people because I knelt down to say hi to one of the kids and I made her cry. I felt terrible! BUT, about an hour later I was on the playground with 30 kids attached to me, jumping up and down, running, around, and playing on the merry-go-round. At one point, Sharon and I decided we need to get back to work, but we weren't sure how to leave the playground with, now 45-50, children attached to us. So we just walked out and brought the whole playground with us!! It was so fun and they are soooo adorable! I  can't wait to go out there again tomorrow and take them the soccer balls I bought today! As I experienced in Scandinavia, what makes children laugh in America, makes children laugh in any other part of the world. If I have felt inadequate (and I have and do) to make any sort of difference, making those children laugh and smile today was all the affirmation I needed. The need is overwhelming and it doesn't matter how many times I have seen villages and school like the place we visited today- I'm still overwhelmed by it all. The need is so  great. Which is why I'm all the more grateful to see all the great things that have happened and can happen. Later in the week we will go visit a school the group had been working on for years to get finished.

Everyone on the team is doing well. This really is a great team. Everyone knows how to laugh and go with the flow, which is crucial for experiences like these. Thank you all for following and for your prayers. I ask that you pray we all remain open to God's stirring in our hearts and in the work we are doing. 

God's peace,
Katie

P.S. I still can't believe there's a tree in Kenya planted in mine and Andy's honor!! Wow....