Kenya: Great Days in a Unique Land

We have officially ended our second week of our Kenyan adventure. The time sure is flying by! We continue to love being present in the lives of the children and are trying to live every day to the fullest, keeping in mind that we only have a short amount of time here. As Drea said in the last post these kids have come from some of the gravest conditions imaginable and to see them laughing and healthy is something beyond amazing. They are so full of joy and do not take what they have been given for granted. During the last two weeks we have been putting on a mini camp for the kids since they have three weeks off of school. The camp is called GAMES which stands for Games, Art, Music, Enrichment and Sports. I, along with three others have been in charge of Sports. Last week we held a basketball clinic where we are hoping to produce the next Michael Jordan:) The kids have had a ton of fun with b ball and it is great to see them so eager to learn about the game. It has been just as enjoyable for me to teach them.

Every Saturday and Sunday night we have a giant soccer game with the kids as the sun goes down resulting in one of the most epic experiences I have had. Our team has loved running around and going crazy when goals are scored. There is a mama for every ten children at Rafiki and one of the mamas, Mama Lydia, is an avid soccer fan. She always comes out with her hat backwards and try's to keep up with the rambunctious little ones (hilarious to watch). The mama's of these kids are some of the most impressive people I have ever met. I can't imagine being a single mother and having to take care of ten children under the age of 12. It's unreal to see the strength they have and they give all the credit to God. Truly amazing.

The meals continue to be our team's achilles tendon:) The kids on the other hand love every meal, eating everything on their plate. I have literally never seen such clean plates at the end of a meal, so we are trying to learn from their ways. At dinner tonight I had a boy ask me with a completely straight face if I was from the North Pole....Haha

The work this week after games has been challenging, but as we keep in mind who we are serving we get that extra encouragement. Eric and I extended the soccer field about an extra thirty yards with this massive machine of a lawn mower. We plowed over several small trees and bushes that got in our way. It was quite a fun task. We have also mowed an additional five acres or so in preparation for a Kenyan ministry of education inspection on Thursday. Drea and Megan have also been working extremely hard after Games is over, working on preparing books for the next school semester and organizing a library for the junior high students. They have taped and repaired a ridiculous amount of books.

As we get to know the people, experience the wonderful Kenyan culture, and become more acquainted with this unique land the more we fall in love with it. Blessings to all of you and we will continue to keep you posted.

Much love,

Barclay