Update from Kenya
Hi friends and family,
Tomorrow we will have been in Kenya for exactly one month. We are starting to get the hang of things. We are learning when we are getting ripped off on taxi rides and learning that Matatus(small vans that function like buses) and buses are often a better option leaving us with some extra shillings in our pockets. Driving here is something else...no stop lights or stop signs, every vehicle for themselves, and their is an element of bravery/chicken that can make you hold your breath. We have learned mosquito bites between the eyes can change your physical appearance by morning and make you look like you have been a victim of botched plastic surgery (Jordan). We have also had a couple TIA ("This is Africa") moments. We are learning a lot every day.
So far we have had the opportunity to participate in Chosen Children of Promise's (CCP) Vacation Bible School and one of their Medical Camps. We've also been able to visit and interview with some of the local organizations that work with street children. We have been learning A LOT!
With only two and a half months left we are switching gears a little and focusing on our primary purpose of this trip, the future Medical Clinic in Kawangware. We just had a really great meeting with CCP about the way forward. We are refining our survey questions for both the existing clinics and local population because there are cultural considerations us "Mzungus" weren't aware of that would hinder our ability to get the information we need. Additionally, CCP has helped us come up with a strategy on how our survey would best be administered. This is going to require some help from a Kenyan National, and it's looking like we have identified the best person to help us with this. We should have a survey schedule laid out by next week, and we are excited about what we are going to learn over the next two months!
Prayer Requests:
Please keep CCP in your prayers as they still have fundraising to do in order to call the community center land their own.
Please keep the people of Kawangware and the surrounding area in your prayers as life can be quite a bit harder here.
Please keep us in your prayers, for safety, God's direction in all of this, and for us to be able to see opportunities to be His hands and feet while we are here.
AND! Please pray about how you can continue to be involved because we wouldn't have been able to get this far without your help.
Love,
Susie, Natasha, Jordan, Brandy and Cammie