Monkeys and a Cheetah!!!

Well, I know it's been a few days since I've written last, so I will do my best to catch you all up on the activities of the past 4 or 5 days, or so.

So, Tuesday evening we were finally able to meet the rest of the students that we had not met yet. We gathered in a dorm room, and ended up being packed in, to the max. It was very hot, but also very encouraging to see all the faces. We had been told to expect ~16 students. There were 26 people there total, so it was awesome to see the way God was working already. We split up into our small groups and I'm very excited to be leading a group of about 6 with Sacha. They have always had mixed gender studies, so I'm very excited to share this experience with these women, and be able to go a bit deeper in the study. I also met the girls that I will be meeting with: Zembi and Valary. They are both very strong in their walk with Christ; my role will be helping them develop further leadership skills and want to take charge of their role in the ministry and be the leaders they have the capacity to be. We will also be working with them in evangelism in the dorms. This is a major area that Naftali would like to see the ministry grow in, so we will be doing door to door evangelism once a week with the students. This is something I'm nervous about, but God really has been showing me the importance of sharing my faith with those around me.

Wednesday we started the day off by going to the Arboretum to have prayer time individually as well as as a group. This is where we saw the MONKEYS! They were all over the park, similar to that of the squirells at PSU. They came right up to us and we fed them --- starbursts. They absolutely loved them. The students couldn't believe that we fed them becuase they do not see them as being cute little monkeys; they are the annoying animals that always steal their food when they are eating at the park. In the afternoon, we had some free time in which we spent hanging out at the Y; we read, hung out and even took a little nap. We decided to go downtown for dinner instead of staying at the Y so we went to Java House. At that point there was nothing better than having a nice cheese burger! :) In the evening there was a concert at the University. It was a variety of rap and hip-hop artists; some even being Christian. It is an event that takes place only once a year, and we were fortunate enough to be there for it. After the concert, they all stay there to watch the UEFA soccer championships game. We got rained on, but it was a very fun time to hang out with the students, just having fun. I feel like I'm really connecting with Gloria, even though I am not meeting with her. I'm excited to form a friendship with her, and the other students.

Thursday we had the majority of the day free, or atleast open to meeting with students. I had the morning to spend in the Word, and then Sacha and I went to the NavHeadquarters to have lunch with Mary. We will be doing this once a week so that she can help keep us accountable in our quiet times as well as be a resource for us throughout our time here. I'm excited to learn from her as well as form a relationship with her. After this, we wanted to go into town to use telephones so we could call home. It was about 4 pm here, but 9 at home. Lady - I know how precious your sleep is, butttt I figured it was worth it to call and wake you up on your day off! It was great to call home and talk even though we got SOAKED in the rain on the way there, and on the way back (I think my jeans are still drying - ha!). Then I had my first meeting with Zembi. I learned so much about her and her family. She's a lot of fun, and has a ton of energy. Later that evening, Sacha and I went with Zembi to a study that she was leading in her hall. She is in medical school and has really reached out to her fellow classmates. It was encouraging to meet the girls that came, and be involved in her study this week. All of the women had a lot to offer, and really showed evidence of walking strongly with Christ.

Friday was another day that we had the morning free. This is often the case most days. We though it would be a good idea to go into town and walk around a bit before getting something for lunch (surprise, at Java house)! We decided to see what the city market would be like. The people bombard you when you walk in. They want the mazugos (white people) to come to their place and buy something so badly that they often get in your face and nearly force you to come to their booth. One guy even offered me money for my sweatshirt. Then we ate lunch and hung out at Java for a while. We left and went to walk around some more. We went back to the market and I went to get my camera out...and it wasn't in my bag. I had a little spaz. I knew I had it out at the Java house, so we walked quickly back and luckily the people sitting across from me saw that it was still there and told the waitress. They had put it back in their safe so nothing would happen to it. THANK THE LORD! Then I met with Val - she's very fun, and I'm excited to get to know her as well. We went to Journey later which is like a big worship service but a fair amount of people that go are non-Christians. It's a great outreach opportunity.

Saturday we went on a Safari walk AKA a zoo. I thought it would be more of a scene of being in the wild, bt it definitely was not. There were fences and it was very similar to a zoon in the US. EXCEPTTT we got to pet a cheetah! There is another place to go that allows this as part of the fee, but we did not want to pay for admission to both places. So our tour guide pulled some strings for us, and we were able to pet the cheetah. It was such an awesome experience. Later, we had planned to have a sleepover at Diane's house. She lives with her Aunt, and it was awesome to meet her and be in a true Kenya household. Sacha and I went early to help cook. We made chapati ourselves as well as learned how to make ugali. It was so much fun to help cook and learn the ways of a traditional African household. We ate very late and ended up staying up late playing lots of games with all of the students. There were about 30 people there altogether. WE didn't get much sleep, but it was definitely worth it.

Well, that about gets you up to date with my life, so I think that's going to be it for today. I can't wait to tell you about my expriences even more as they continue.

Please pray for additional patience, as time doesn't mean much to them. Love you all, and talk to you soon!