Pancakes, Dodge ball, and an Ultrasound

We had a wonderful night a few weeks back with the other missionaries.  Three of us short termers (this was before all nine of us were there) decided to make a pancake, egg, and bacon dinner for everyone else at our house.  We made three homemade double batches of pancakes, a whole packet of bacon, and a lot of eggs.  Everyone brought a variety of toppings which included a much loved and appreciated bowl of chocolate chips. There was a total of fourteen of us here, and we ate a lot of food. The kids sat outside and played with toys and games while eating, and the adults sat inside, talking and eating.

At one point, some of the kids came in and told us that they were playing a game of dodge ball, and the adults decided to play with them.  We played adults vs. kids, girls vs. boys, and long term missionaries vs. short term missionaries.  Eventually some local kids came around, and we played a long game of dodge ball with them until it was too dark outside to see.

As I mentioned in a previous blog post, one of the wives is pregnant and was far enough along that night to determine the sex of their baby.  I was sent to get the portable ultrasound machine, and in the middle of one of the living rooms with no electricity, she, her family, and the rest of us found out the gender of the baby. It was so special to be a part of it and to see the baby growing inside of her.

I am constantly reminded, especially that night, of how wonderful the body of believers is and how important it is to be surrounded by people who love Christ. It was a blast to spend time with everyone and relax and have fun. It was a great night!

The Real Beauty of Kapsowar

If you have read my previous blog post entitled "Kapsowar", you read about the visual beauty of Kapsowar, which is a testament to God's glorious creation.  However, what makes this place truly beautiful is the people here.  Everyone is so welcoming! They are all willing to say hello and give help if needed. They love getting to know you and are always smiling.  I enjoy my walk to and from school as I am getting to know various people along the way, from the tiny children who are excited to shake my hand to the women who sell produce by our gate. God's command to love our neighbors as ourselves seems to be on the forefront of people's hearts and minds here, for they are quick to show kindness and love to me.

I have found myself forgetting that I am in Africa because I feel just as comfortable around the people here as I do the people at home.  This has led me to think about how privileged and materially blessed I am and how unfair it seems that I have been given so many opportunities in my life while others do not have such opportunities available to them.  I look at the kids and think of what their lives will be like and how they are no different than a child in America but that they will likely not have the same opportunities as the child in America.  We are all the same in God's eyes, all made in His image.  I have been blessed in ways that others are not, and I cannot take that for granted because I have done nothing to deserve any of it. But I am still confused. Why do I have the opportunity of getting a college education while many kids here do not? Why do I live in a two story house with constant electricity while others live in a one room house with only a couple of kerosene lamps to provide light in the darkness? I am not ungrateful, just perplexed at the despair in wealth in my country and around the world.  But the beauty of it all is that the people here in Kapsowar do not live with the "woe is me" mentality.  In the month that I have been here, I have not once heard a Kenyan complaining about their home or the fact that they only have a couple sets of clothes.  Rather, they are more grateful than the average American for what they have been blessed with.  The people here are truly joyful and content with what they have, something that puts me to shame. Their gratefulness and joy is a true testament to the power of God in a person's life.

Strike

On June 25, all public primary and secondary school teachers in Kenya went on strike, asking for an increase in wages that was promised to them years ago.  Students were told to go home and schools were closed until further notice.  The strike included the teachers at Kapsowar Primary, so there was no more teaching for me.  The strike just ended on July 18, making it around 4 weeks of no school.  It was so detrimental to all of the students whose schools were cancelled.  They did not learn for about four weeks, and so it will affect their studies for the rest of the year.  Also, kids had nothing to do and could therefore get hurt or get into trouble.  Even with the strike over, the students still need prayer that they can return easily to their studies and that they will recall everything that they had been previously taught.

The strike was a very bittersweet experience for me personally.  Due to the fact that I did not have any school to teach, I was able to spend all of my days in the hospital, which I so enjoyed.  That is what I had originally hoped to do here in Kapsowar, but the need was in the school. However, God blessed me with the opportunities to work in both the school and the hospital.  It was very difficult for me, though, to be away from my students and fellow teachers at Kapsowar Primary.  I have really enjoyed all of my time with them, and I missed my new friends while the schools were out.  My biggest fear was that I would have to leave before the strike was over and that I would never get to see my students and teachers again or even say goodbye.  Thankfully, school was back in session about a week before I left, and I have seen everyone again. God definitely blessed me with the opportunities to work in both the school and hospital, and I am so thankful for both experiences!

Acts 2

"All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people." ~Acts 2:44-47

These verses about the early church paints a fairly accurate picture of the fellowship of fellow missionaries in Kapsowar. One of the biggest blessings I experienced there was the community of believers who had followed God's call to serve in missions.  I will give just a brief description of everyone, but I will not use names or pictures for safety reasons.

There are three families who have lived there for more than half a year, two families for longer.  All of the husbands are doctors. One of the family's children are all grown, but the other two families have a few children each, and one of the wives is expecting again.  It was such a privilege to get to know these three families!  They are all so kind, caring, and welcoming.  They would often invite us over for dinner, game night, or movie night.  I always felt free and comfortable to go over at anytime of the day just to see how they were and hang out. They set great examples of how to live daily for Christ.

There were a total of eight other short termers, not including myself, with whom I grew close. We all trickled in a different times, but when I left Kapsowar these were the people who had just recently left or were still there.  There was a doctor from Ireland, a teacher from Hong Kong, a teacher from America, a pastor and his medical student wife from Australia, and three other medical students from America, England, and Slovakia.  The teacher from America, the couple from Australia, the three medical students, and I all lived in the same housing complex, which was so much fun!  We had meals together every night and spent time hanging out all of the time.  At the end of the few weeks we were all together, we really were a family, to say the least. Even though the doctor from Ireland and the teacher from Hong Kong did not live with us, I got to know them well and enjoyed spending time with both of them.

The best part of the fellowship of believers was the same love we had for the Lord.  The were many opportunities throughout the week to spend time with each other in the Bible.  One of the wives held a weekly Bible study for the local nursing students and another wife had a weekly Bible study for the women who were our house helpers.  There were morning Psalm studies on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and a Sunday evening Bible study. I attended all of them as much as I could, and I will miss not having those daily and weekly opportunities.  Even scheduled activities aside, I often had conversations about the Bible, learning more about people's hearts and what the Lord has laid on them. We also shared many things like food and utensils, borrowing and giving if someone needed it. It really seemed like the church in Acts 2.

One of the hardest things about leaving Kapsowar was saying goodbye to all of the missionaries, short and full term.  We really became close the two months I was there, and I felt like I was saying goodbye to family.  Having six different countries represented, I know it is next to impossible that we will all be together again, and that makes me very sad.  We do have the assurance that one day we will all meet in Heaven, but it is rather sad to think we might not ever see each other again on this earth.  I have many new friends/family members whom I will always love and never forget.

Catching Up

I am sorry to all of those who have been checking my blog only to find the newest post dating July 2nd. I have been very busy/am a procrastinator so I have not been keeping it updated.  Just to give a brief overview of what is happening, I left Kapsowar on Saturday the 27th and am currently in Nairobi until Wednesday the 31st, when I will fly home.  However, because I have been so bad at updating my blog, I will be posting things that happened awhile ago, so just know that the events written might have happened many weeks ago. Also, be prepared for a great amount of posts in one day. Once again, I am sorry that I have not been good at updating it!

School Days

I have been teaching at Kapsowar Primary for a few weeks now, and I have enjoyed it more than I can say and more than I expected. I absolutely love it! Granted, it has been continually confirmed by God that I should be a nurse and not a teacher, but I have loved every moment at the school!

  I teach a seventh grade class English, and I am very impressed with their English skills. One amazing thing about many Kenyan people is that they can speak three languages.  The first language they learn is their mother tongue, or their tribal language, of which their are 42 tribes in Kenya, each with their own language.  As they enter school, children are taught Swahili, and as they progress in school, they are taught English. It is so amazing and humbling to be around children half my age who can speak three languages.  I have 36 students in my class, and I have finally memorized all of their names.  They are a joy to teach and are very respectful, which I greatly appreciate. We have a lot of fun in class, and I have taken them to PE, which was great because I was able to spend time with them outside of the classroom setting. They have been so welcoming, and I have been truly blessed by all of them!

Not only am I a teacher at Kapsowar Primary, I am also a pupil! I am in a first grade class learning Swahili with all of the 6 year old children. I feel like Buddy from the movie Elf when he is still in the North Pole and is sitting in class with all of the elves who are half his size. Compared to the students, I am huge, but I love being in class with all of them! I go to class everyday, where I sit and learn with the kids.  The teacher has been very gracious and helpful, and the kids think it is the funniest thing! I repeat words out loud, take notes in a little notebook, and draw and color pictures, just like the kids.  I even took an exam, although I needed a lot of help from the teacher.  I am not learning many conversational words, but I do know clothing, shapes, colors, and numbers. I am very thankful that the school has allowed me to be a student in the class.  The other teachers and students are always excited to hear the new words I have learned.

Even though I do not teach all of the students, I have been able to spend time with a lot of them, which I really enjoy! They have a couple of breaks throughout the day, so I like to go play with them during those times.  As I walk by the classrooms, there are always students saying hello and asking me to come teach their class, and I often go into the classrooms when no teacher is there to say hello and talk with the kids.  They are all so wonderful, and I love spending time with all of them.

Last but not least, I have been immensely blessed by my fellow teachers! They have all sort of taken me under their wings, encouraging and helping me.  They are all willing to talk with me as well as help me with my Swahili.  I feel like I have thirty new friends in the teachers I have gotten to know.  We enjoy talking at chai time and learning about each others lives.  Even though it is a public school, the majority of the teachers are Christians, which has been quite a blessing. I cannot say how much it appreciate the teachers at the school!

All in all, God has truly blessed me beyond my imagination at the school! I never imagined how much I would love the students and teachers. It will definitely be difficult for me to say goodbye to all of them in 4 weeks. God is amazing, and I cannot thank Him enough for the opportunity He has given me at Kapsowar Primary!