So many people I’ve talked with have requested a day in the life of Dub in Kenya and I agree, but this is a difficult request as no day is the same. This again is my best attempt at giving you a glimpse of my world at Tumaini. I hope you enjoy ☺ My next blog will begin to focus more on the ministry that goes on at Tumaini, and the part the Lord is having me play in His great plan for this beautiful place. Prayer Warriors get ready…. This is a waging war!

Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
~ Isaiah 60:1

Between 5:45 am and 6:15 am I wake up to the sound of Doreen and Helen (she is a new assistant to Rose) sweeping the floors with a broom made of small sticks. At this point I know that it’s ALMOST time to get up so I usually go back to sleep. NOTE: On Sunday mornings I wake up at 5ish to the ruckus caused by the people on the way to the bullfights outside my window. Ruckus is the best word I can find to describe the wailing, screaming, cow bells, etc. At 6:30 am I get up and look for my headlamp so I can find my way to the kitchen. I walk over to the large black barrel full of rainwater gathered the previous evening and fill up a large stainless steel bowl full of water. I then place it on the propane burner, light a match and wait for my bath water to boil. In the mean time I go back to the black barrel and fill a bucket half way with cold water. This is to mix with my hot water to make the PERFECT bath (I almost have this down to a science). As I am waiting still for my water to boil, I make my morning trip to the bathroom. The last stall of 3 is my favorite because it has what I like to call my western toilet. It doesn’t have a seat so I have to sit on the actual toilet. After depositing waste, I have to fill up the tank with 2 gallons of water (also drawn from the black barrels) and flush the toilet. Now it’s back to the bath water… more waiting. When it’s just right I take my bucket, a basin, and a pitcher into the 2nd stall… my shower/ the squatty potty. At first I thought I was really going to miss the shower, and I do… but not near as much as I thought. The basin shower really is sufficient and I always feel clean when I am finished, especially on days when I wash my hair, which is about every third day. (For those of you that know me and my hair, can rejoice with me every third day). After the bath I head back to my room to get dressed for the day. Most mornings it is cold from the rain the evening before, so I start my day by wearing long sleeves. After I get dressed I take my Bible and my journal and sit in the living room by the window for my morning tea and quiet time. Every morning I have tea with milk (the real milk straight from the cow) and 1 and a half scoops of sugar. I also have one piece of bread with butter and one piece of bread with peanut butter and strawberry Zesta jelly. WOOT! I usually have about 30-45 minutes until Rose joins me and we chat for a few minutes. This is one of my favorite times of the day and it’s always very encouraging. I love talking with Rose about her vision for Tumaini. Between 7:45 and 8:00 I head on over to the children’s home to take care of baby Joshua otherwise known as JO. I greet him every morning and he smiles the cutest laughing smile. First thing on the agenda is the bath. Same goes for him, we warm it to the right temperature and away we go. After his bath I dress him, including the cloth diaper method. (It took me a few days to get the hang of this one). After he is bathed and dressed we usually play until he gets tired and then I give him milk and porridge until he goes to sleep. Sometimes this requires singing, rocking or going for a walk outside. I love my time with Josh in the mornings and so many times I look at him and think, “How could anyone leave this little one to die?” I told myself I would not get attached and I’m not much on babies, but he steals my heart every morning. Now after putting Joshua down for his nap, I am off to school for my PE and creative writing classes. It’s only about a football field’s length walk to school. (YES I am spoiled) My class schedule varies from day to day. At around 5pm I return to the guesthouse to help with dinner or chores or head over to the children’s home for some fun time with the kids. Some of my favorite activities include reading a book on the big rock in front of the Children’s Home, learning to cook the Kenyan way, (ugali and cabbage are my personal favorites) and singing with the kids. The sun begins to go down around 7pm, so I try to be in for the night before the mosquitoes come out to play… I mean bite. Dinnertime consists of more ugali, cabbage, rice or beans and on occasion, meat. The other day I had liver… not my favorite but I took one for the team. In the US I am a HUGE fan of meat, but here I try to stick with the vegetables and let peanut butter be my main source of protein. Preparing dinner is a fun process. It begins with lots of cutting vegetables… the girls begin learning to use a very sharp LARGE knife in the third grade, and they are very good with them. Yesterday I learned to prepare the ugali. It consists of boiling water then adding lots of corn flour and stirring like a champ. I admire the Kenyan women so much for all their hard work. Sitting at the dinner table after working for hours to prepare a meal just gives the meal a special meaning. Every meal is truly prepared with LOTS of TLC. In the evening after dinner I usually hang out with Rose or baby SaraBeth and the rest of the Guest Home crew. We often watch TV (thanks to the generator) We followed the World Cup and of course I was the only one chanting USA when they played Ghana. I’ve also found the Kenyan soaps a great way to learn Kiswahili. I usually head to bed around 10 or 11 pm, depending on the day and how tired I am. After a night full of vivid dreams (thanks to the Malarone malaria pill) I wake up and do it all over again. Like I said, everyday is different and some days consist of a trip to town which is an adventure of it’s own. Yesterday I went to town and visited the Nacumatt, which is sort of like Wal-mart. I purchased some water and realized later that I would have to carry the 10-liter bottle from the matatu stop that is ¾ of a mile from Tumaini. So I did what any Kenyan would do… I put the 10 liter bottle on top of my head and started walking. It was fun and great exercise. I must say the top of my head is a little sore today. So I mentioned the matatu ride. It’s better than King’s Island. The final head count in this 14-passenger van was 21. The 30-minute ride from town to my stop was full of adventure. Many stops, people jumping on and off the van and dodging potholes, and people, you just say a prayer and hope for the best. I noticed yesterday that our driver was taking extra caution and as we stopped he looked at me and said do you know me? I said no, and he said you are my daughter’s teacher at Tumaini. Now how’s that for the Lord’s provision.

So this is about the best I can do for a day in the life of Dub in Kenya. If you wanna see first hand just plan to visit. I hope to see you at Tumaini!