I Thought I Could, but I Just Couldn't Eat that Bug!!

There is a great purpose of me coming to Kenya again this summer, and that purpose involves working with the precious kids of Naomi’s Village, but the kids are not the purpose.  The purpose is to know more of who God is & God uses the kids to show me this.  Toward the end of last week, I was having a rough time inside because I haven’t been around people with disabilities.  I know with all of my heart that God called me here, know that my main focus would not be working with this population. The lesson that I am about to explain is one that I think I have known for a long time, but I am actually being able to live it out & experience it.  If you know me at all, you know that I might be a little overly giddy about people with disabilities, especially Down syndrome.  I know that God has called me away from that part of my life for a little bit of time because I have loved them so much more than I have loved the One that created them.  GOD created people with disabilities and GOD allowed/blessed me to have the passion of working with that population.  GOD is the reason for the joy that I feel when I am around these people.  GOD shows Himself the best to me through these people – it has nothing to do with anything that these people did, but all that He has done through them and all that He has created them to be.  I am now learning how to love God without having people with disabilities in my daily life, which is something that I don't know if I have ever really done.  I became a Christian in the 8th grade & God showed me what my passion was in 9th grade, so there hasn't been a lot of time to love God without people with disability as my driving motivation to God.  They are not the source in which I get to know more about God – God is the source where I learn more about God.  (Why was that hard for me to know?) 

This is a bit of where my heart has been and I tell ya, it has been so good for me.  I pray that God continue to show who He is in such ways. He is showing me so much through the kids at NV, and wow!! ... How awesome is is that these children were rescued and given such a beautiful place to live with a great opportunity to come to truly know Him.  

Weekly Recap:

• I’ve been teaching English and Math to some of the kiddos at NV, which has surprising been a lot of fun!!!  I’ve never really thought of myself as a teacher, but I have really enjoyed being a part of this.  (It kind of makes me think that maybe, just maybe I will move abroad and teach at some point.)  Some of these kids were never put in schools, so some of them are active 10 year olds, but do not know how to add 122 + 0.  (A concept I was trying to get them to understand, when you add zero to any number, the answer is that number) 

• Heidi Moore arrived in Kenya to be here for at least one year (my roommate for the next 6 weeks)

• Last week was Rachel’s (Dan’s wife) birthday … We had a fun mexican birthday dinner to celebrate her birth. (PS tomorrow 6-16 is Bob’s bday for all that want to wish him a happy bday)

• Bob and Julie got to take some time away and we got to hang out with Emily and Will.  (blast) 

• Gladis wouldn’t barter with me within the 15 minutes we talked, so I left.  She followed.  I ignored.  Some random guy told me to stop and give her respect.  I did.  She gave her spill again.  I listened.  I said I will come back if I want to make purchase.  I have not gone back. 

• As Heidi and I were walking in Kijabe, a lady ran after us asking for 200 Shillings (2 bucks-ish).  We told her we didn’t have anything.  She kept asking.  We told her again we had nothing.  She then asked us for our shoes.  So, to make it stop, we stopped and prayed for her on the side of the road.  She hit up Emily M. the next day for some money for a different story.  L

• Had some good Mama Chiku’s somosas with Dan's family, some people from the ENT House! 

• Met “Mama Chiku”.  Her name is Joyce!

• Last week, we got very close to getting stuck in the mud/hitting another car & motorcycle on the way up the mountain back to Kijabe after some pretty good rain.  (THIS WAS EXCITING)

• A couple of days ago, The Green Hornet (Mendonsa’s Green Toyota Corolla Hatchback) almost got hit by a cow – yes that is right – we almost got hit by a cow.  We almost got hit by a dumb cow that wasn’t going to stop.  I think he was inches away from having a bad migraine.

• I no longer have the ability to just look at Baby Hannah and make her cry!  (Very exciting progress for me.  She is getting used to white people, but I think since I am brown, she is struggling a little more with me! Haha)

• Naomi’s Village got its very first baby, Evans.

• Moving day: we moved down to NV to live.

 (Typical 'Lindsey' face)

• I started on Disc 2 of “Flight of the Conchords”

• Baby Evans moved into our room! 

• Today, we went running for the first time around Maai Mahiu & it was raining.  This was so great and much needed time of contemplation on the things God is doing.  Heidi = a bit faster than me, so I kind of chilled for a few seconds with some kiddos walking from school.  AWKWARD PART: being ‘white’ and being a woman .. and being in shorts running around the dirt roads of Kenya.  People were whistling, laughing (definitely makes you feel a bit uncomfortable haha), people coming to shake your hand, which is not at all abnormal for this neck of the woods, cows/sheep/goat running beside us, overall a different feel, as you would expect.

• Tonight, we ate dinner, busted out the guitar to sing some songs, then the kids walked outside and went crazy!!!  WOW!!!  There were bugs flying everywhere around the lights.  What does anyone do when that happens??? EAT THEM, OF COURSE!!!  The kids were jumping, screaming, catching them, some were pulling the wings off and shoving them in their mouths, while others didn’t bother to pull wings off at all!  They definitely tried to get me to eat one, which I’ve eaten a worm before so I thought I could do this too – NO!  I COULDN’T DO IT!  The bugs’ legs were just too squirmy!  But, I heard they taste sweet!

It has been a full couple of weeks, and so good for my heart the past couple of days. 

Thank you for your prayers. 

I am praying that God put more people in my life that I can share Christ with.  I would love to walk through some villages, and just pray with people, but I’m not sure that will happen.

Tomorrow: I will get to ride in a Matatu with probably 30 other Kenyans.   I am going to Comfort the Children (daycare for people with disabilities) to see some of my friends that I met the last time I was here!  (George calls me Miss Kunyamba).  I’m happy and I pray that when I am there, I continue to lavish in what God has taught me how to love Him so much more because He created these people and put them as such a big part of my life.