Many days have passed since I last posted a blog and much has occurred so I will take the next couple of days to attempt to catch you up to speed on all the ways that God is at work. Since the team from the US arrived I’ve spent much of my time ministering to their needs and helping them make the transition to life in Kenya. That’s my passion so I really enjoyed getting to know them and helping them have a pleasant and insightful experience. On the down side that left very little time to keep you informed about the adventures taking place here in Kenya and for that I apologize. Thankfully I’ve kept a journal of the experiences over the last couple of weeks and I look forward to catching you up to speed.

Let’s begin with the story I promised from my last blog. The adventure where I when to a church fundraiser and came home with a goat and a good story. It all began when Rose asked me to accompany her to a fundraiser at a church where she was to be the honored guest speaker. I knew beforehand that it would be a long day and I should be prepared for anything. We arrived in true Kenyan fashion… about 2 hours late and we were escorted into a room full of honored guests and pastors. After about 30 minutes they ushered us into the church. Rose sat on stage and I the only mzungu among the entire crowd sat in the front row. As each honored guest was welcomed to say a few words and introduce themselves it seemed that everyone, including all the other guests were interested in repetitively introducing me ( the visitor from the far off land) When it was time for Rose to introduce her friends including myself, a teacher from Tuamaini named Leah, and Rose 2, I was prepared to address the crowd: I said bwana asifiwe followed by some encouraging scripture from Colossians 3:16-17. I then handed the microphone to Rose and she passed it back to me as the congregation shouted back at me. I had forgotten to tell them my name. I laughed and said Jina langu ni Amanda and the whole place started to laugh. Fun times. After much singing and praising in true African Penacostal spirit, a lady who had been watching me from outside the church danced her way to the front row where I was standing. She was wearing rags and carrying a bundlel of sticks at her side. She had no shoes and judging by the way the other Kenyan ladies were looking at her she was probably a bit mad. I acknowledged her at first but then I began to observe how the other ladies were ignoring her and I did the same. At the end of the song the lady stood directly in front of me and thumped me on the chest while shouting MZUNGU, MZUNZU. Needless to say I was a bit caught off guard. Soon after that, one of the men of the church tried to find her a seat but she refused. She just kept dancing in and out of the service as the music continued. When it was time for Rose to bring the message all ears were ready to hear from her. She is a woman who gets things and gets things done. She preached from 1 Kings 17:8. It was inspiring to see a congregation of men and women inspired by the words God had placed on her heart. After the message it was time for the offering. It gave a whole new meaning to giving of your first fruits. The offering included money as well as ground nuts, eggs, bananas, and 3 stalks of sugarcane. In total this church was able to raise 49, 523 ksh, which is about $650. I’ve never seen such generous and joyous giving. At the end of the service Rose was presented with a goat for her fundraising efforts. This was really a blessing because one of the orphans really loves taking care of goats and we didn’t have any at Tuamaini. After Rose collected her goat the pastor of the church insisted that we ride to his house in the cab of his truck for it had been raining heavily during the service. I piled into the truck with Rose 2 and away we went to lunch… It was about 4 pm. About 20 guests packed into the living room of this house and we chowed down on ugali and the largest most tender, flavorful, slow roasted chicken I’ve ever had in Kenya!!!! After eating we decided we would walk to the tarmac road to catch a matatu, but again the pastor insisted that we ride in the truck. This time I insisted that we ride in the back, standing up with about 10 other Kenyans. All was well until we got stuck in the ditch after sliding off the road. We finally got out after many Kenyans came together to push as the driver gave it some gas. As this point he couldn’t continue on the main road so he decided he would take a short cut through someone’s yard. The deeper we went, the more narrow the path and the truck finally came to rest after taking about 15 yds of hedge out. It was fun (and a bit dirty) working with the others and seeing their spirited efforts to help us return to the tarmac road. When we arrived at the road by foot a lady offered me a basin of water and some Vaseline (not exactly sure what was supposed to do with that). It was so sweet. Also a lady offered Rose her shoes to walk in so that she did not get her dress shoes dirty. What an adventurous day!!! As we were standing by the road waiting on the matatu to take us home I inquired about what we should name the goat. Rose took one look at me covered in mud from head to toe and said with confidence and a laugh….. Amandamudd

So there you have it… a love tap on the chest from a perfect stranger, a wild adventure in the back of a truck, a long walk in the mud, and finally a goat that now carries my name…. I think in the US we call this PRICELESS!