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| Jambo! Finally, I am sitting down to write this long overdue update. It's ironic that I dread sitting down to the computer, but have so much fun writing once I do. I hope that this email finds you well and learning something new in your life. It's pretty amazing to realize all that God has to teach us in this world...and to think that this is only the beginning! Home Sweet Home It was SUCH a blessing to spend six weeks at home - even though it felt like a single week. It wasn't as shocking to be back in Seattle as I thought it would be. I welcomed the familiar faces, rain, ocean, mountains, wonderful food, coffee and paved roads. On a side note: Many people asked me if I was shocked by the lifestyle of Seattle after living in Kenya for 6 months. I'm not shocked. Obviously, it is different than the poor of Kenya, but the same materialism exists in Kenya, it just manifests itself differently. People still seek wealth and covet their neighbor's possessions, but the accessibility to fortune isn't as easy. The world is suffering from the idolization of wealth. However, I do know that Americans need to be encouraged to share their wealth and skills with those who are poor. We need to distribute, distribute, distribute. My six weeks at home were spent catching up with many people, giving presentations in elementary classes and churches and resting as much as I could. The highlight was the proposal that my beautiful boyfriend, Mark Lenssen, gave me on December 13th to marry him. I am a lucky girl! I am sorry to those of you whom I didn't get to see or chat with, the time ran out before I knew it. The Insomniac God brought me safely back to Kenya, for better and for worse. I'll get the bad parts out of the way so that you can finish reading on a good note. I had a rough trip back here, I got almost no sleep on the 26 hour journey, coupled with my awful good-byes to my family, friends and Mark (my fiancé), I was a wreck by the time I arrived. I normally have no problem adjusting to time changes, but this was the exception. For an entire week I cried, I was unable to eat, unable to sleep and felt nauseous most the time. I think the hardest part was the insomnia. For those of you who have ever experienced insomnia, you know what I'm talking about. For those of you who haven't, I'll try to describe the torture. In my case I was exhausted, having come from Seattle where I was frantically trying to send out my 4th quarter updates to all HCI-Kenya sponsors before leaving, packing, finally being adjusted to being back in the USA and realizing that I had to start thinking about being in Kenya again, and without Mark...needless to say, I was overwhelmed. My mom has always said, "Things are always better when you're rested." I knew that what I really needed was sleep. So, as any tired person with the opportunity does, I tried to sleep. I laid my head on my pillow with the expectation that as usual, I would soon disappear into dreamland, unaware that I had even fallen asleep. But instead, the torture began. My mind swirled with thoughts. Thoughts about how much I wished I was home, how I wished that I could eat, how I didn't know how I would survive another 4.5 months in Kenya without Mark, and how I just wished I could just sleep. But I couldn't. The hours droned on, night after night, and I cried, and cried and cried. But, I knew that even though I didn't feel any relief, even though I didn't tangibly feel God's presence in the misery... I KNEW that God was WITH me. Over the years I've learned that Satan tries to trick me into thinking that if I can't "feel" God, then He isn't there. But, it's to his demise that I overcome that lie with the FACT that I trust that God is with me no matter where I am and how I'm feeling. In fact I believe that God will be more present in each moment of my life when I can't tangibly feel Him because it forces me to totally rely on Him. And in a matter of time, God's presence was felt.
As I was reading scripture during that awful week, God reminded me that the feelings I had, have been felt for centuries. Just as Ezekiel was overwhelmed for seven days when he was sent by God to a place that he knew would be difficult, so was I overwhelmed for seven days, but God answered my prayers, He came to me when I called. I thank all of you who prayed for my transition, many of you knew it would be hard and reminded me of that and I didn't believe you. I feel 500% percent better now than I did two weeks ago. I have confidence in God's call for me here, I am rested, the kids are as joyful and beautiful as ever and I am content. In the Bush at Midnight I was really anxious to see all of our kids upon my arrival, however this sickness kept me from diving in head first to my ministry. But my mom decided that my first priority was to get sleep and see the kids. So, the week after I arrived, I jumped on the opportunity to go to Oloitokitok (the girls shelter near Mt. Kilimanjaro) with Doug (the great mentor of mine from Seattle that helps out with our ministry). We rented a van from a taxi business since our van has been broken since September. The rented van was a hot pink VW van and it fit the 10 of us who went down quite comfortably. We were so thankful because otherwise we would have had to drive in the back of the pick-up. The time with the girls was wonderful, however to be honest, most of my time was spent orienting Ilse, a volunteer from Holland who is staying ALONE (crazy) in LTK for 2 months... she didn't know it is a bitty town and that the house has no internet access and that she can't drink the water. She's 27, and she's lived in Spain so she's been on her own a bit more than I have, but it shocked her and threw her off for awhile and she cried a bit because she didn't realize what she was getting into, but she was really thankful that I was there to at least clue her into a bit of what she's doing. It was a great opportunity for me to serve someone in the midst of my shock and homesickness too. The girls at the shelter are so inclusive and love volunteers, that I think she's probably thriving. The girls were so excited that I had come back. Not just to see me though, but they all wanted to know if I saw their sponsors while I was in the US (they think I know every sponsor personally and won't believe that I really don't). Because Oloitokitok is a farming village and it's summer, the flies were awful. Swarms of flies in the house. I'm hoping to send Ilse some Raid, at least for her bedroom. Unlike Nairobi, the water situation in Oloitokitok is still terrible, there is no running water on the compound and we attempted to drive to the river (the one that was dry in November), in hopes that the rains we've had would have replenished the river, but since it had been raining another obstacle abounded: the road was impassible. Pray for not only rain, but access to water in Oloitokitok. We ended up leaving at noon on Sunday and were excited because that meant that we would get back in before dark on Sunday evening. I forgot to tell you, but on the way down the car started jerking a bit for no apparent reason, but our driver, Muli didn't seem to be phased, so we didn't worry either. Well, we took off toward Nairobi, making great time. We knew we had to stop at TOC (a boarding school to which we just sent 40 of our kids) to drop off some girls who were in LTK over break. They were complaining and complaining about having to go to a new school, refusing to go, etc. Well, they got their wish. At 3pm our car died. Finito, no more willingness to move. After examining the problem, it was determined to be an electrical problem that Muli didn't have the tools or expertise to fix. We were about 50km out in the Masai bush...meaning we were that far from an bitty town, that far from a paved road, on a road that gets almost no traffic on Sundays. By a miracle, some tourists ended up passing so we made a group decision that Hatsumi (our Japanese nurse) and Muli, would travel with them to the nearest town and try to get some help or hire a car to tow us out. That was at 3:30pm. So instead of worrying, we all pooled the random food we had left over and made a picnic in the middle of the African savanna. We hadn't eaten lunch, so we knew this would probably be it until we got home later that night. Doug had Corn Nuts and black licorice. John had some peanut butter and Ritz, Hatsumi left us some bread and I had some juice. All 9 of us were miraculously satisfied by the end. We were even able to introduce some suspicious, onlooking Masai women to black licorice and Ritz crackers. After playing dodge ball and writing Mark a letter, the sun started to set and there was no sign of our friends. Doug staked out a place to pull the car off the road, just in case a large truck decided to head down the deserted road and pile into us. So about 8pm everyone was trying to sleep, because what else do you do in the middle of Africa in an abandoned car when it gets dark at 6pm? We began to worry since Muli and Hatsumi should have returned several hours earlier. We thought that every car that passed (okay there were only 3) was them. Doug and I were so paranoid and/or delusional that we continued thinking we were seeing headlights in the distance... only to discover that they were fireflies and Masais' bike lights (did you know that many of the indigenous, nomadic Masai ride bikes?). Finally at 9:30, they showed up with this 1940's truck that had broken down on the way to rescue our car... great. Well these four guys all got out their tools and soon the car started to smell like suffocating gas. I turned around to see this guy working on the van with a lit cigarette... I jumped right out of the van and Muli made him step away too... phew. At about midnight they decided they couldn't fix it. In the mean time I had settled myself in my sleeping bag on the dirt road. The mosquitoes were so bad and I hadn't taken my malaria medicine long enough to make it a fool-proof thing. I wanted to be extra careful, so I put my mummy bag on upside-down with just a small air hole in the bottom... see attached photo. The mechanics made a really sketchy hook up with the truck...t he tow bar was roped on or something. We were about 3 feet from the back of their truck, traveling through HUGE holes and mud puddles. I was really tired and a little delirious from waiting so long and I kept feeling like we were running into the truck. This didn't help the insomnia, however this was only the beginning of the adventure. The tow bar began falling off every 10-15 minutes and we would get left behind. With the little battery juice we had left, Muli flashed them and the guy riding in the back of their truck would bang on the side to get the drivers attention. At one point the tow bar fell off in a mud puddle and we ran over it and bent it... oops. Also, every 10 kms the tow truck would run out of gas and needed to siphon it from our tank. We were already almost out, so I wondered how long we could provide for them. My wondering was on track. At 2am they ran totally dry and we were dry so 3 of their guys started packing ~10kms toward town. Sitting in the front middle of the van, straddling the gear shift, there was no way I could get comfortable. Terrible... 3 hours later, yes 3 HOURS, they showed up with some gas and we peddled back to town getting there at 5:30am on Monday, only to be greeted by a sleeping town with phones that didn't open until 7am and as soon as we got through, my boss, John realized he didn't have the right change and it cut him off. So...at 8:30 he got through to the office and they promised to come right out and get us in the pick-up. We found a hole-in-the-wall to get a little food... very sketchy, but food. So... rather than 11am like we thought, it was 2pm when Gideon showed up. But, we were so thankful... forget being angry or frustrated about the whole thing. We all piled in the back and about 10 minutes later showed up at TOC and dropped off the kids and visited with the other ones and had a meeting with the principal (not looking my best!) and headed back to Nairobi at 6pm on Monday. The sunset was beautiful and Hatsumi, Doug and I were all smiling in the back of the pickup the whole way home. Green and Hot When I left Kenya in late November, the rains had started coming consistently. Fortunately they have continued even into the current "dry season." The land is green, the electricity rationing has been permanently stopped, the water rationing is almost non-existent and the exhaust and dust aren't as intense because the rain beats it down. When I got back to Kenya, I moved into a different apartment with Hatsumi. It was a great move for me. I love gardening and this apartment has some nice fertile dirt, so I planted some basil that I brought back from Seattle. I would never have thought it possible last October that I could plant seeds and then not have to water them. It's such an answer to prayer to have rains again. However, with rains, come floods. In some areas of Kenya, floods are terrorizing villages. Draining systems aren't the best in many parts of Kenya. I also read in the national paper today that the rains have destroyed many plots of drought resistant corn in Northern Kenya, an expensive loss for many poor people. Please pray for the "right" amount of rain. It's hard to ask for less rain, because I know that beggars can't be choosers and we would rather have too much rain than no rain. The days are hot though, a strange phenomenon for me since I've never spent a January outside of Washington State. I'm getting a tan in the middle of winter! For His Glory While Doug Coulbert was here, he facilitated a Sponsorship Planning Meeting for the four person management team (of which I'm a part) and the chair person of our Board. We spent two and a half days discussing the mission, vision, goals, budget and expansion of the HCI-Kenya Sponsorship Program. Many critical decisions were made there which I believe will have a very positive effect on the kids in years to come. It was a unique opportunity to have two and a half days of quality discussions and fun with the people I work with most closely. I am so blessed with God-filled colleagues who love the kids we work with and love Jesus even more. From the meeting, many tasks were developed, enough to keep me busy until I leave. I'm excited about the work God has set before me in the next four months and will work with the intensity that He's given me for His glory. I'm beginning to think about working at home when I get home and am worried about the content of my new job (whatever that may be). I've been so challenged in my current position and so joy-filled at the same time. I pray that God will use my strengths and desires to fulfill His kingdom in Seattle... but until then, the race in Kenya continues. Come to Kenya!!! I received great news from the Missions Department at University Presbyterian Church in Seattle (my church). They are sending a short-term adult mission team of people to work with Homeless Children International-Kenya during the first two weeks of May. I am so excited to have more people come to Kenya, to work with His children, to see what He's doing here and to serve in a way that will touch the lives of people in Africa eternally. The team will either be building a playground or digging a large water storage container for our girls shelter in Oloitokitok. There may be time to do a Vacation Bible School if team members are interested. They will also spend a few days in Nairobi, experiencing the life of street kids and seeing the different projects we have in the city. Many of you have expressed interest over the year of wanting to come to Kenya. I want to encourage ALL of you to pray about the possibility of coming to Kenya to work along side me and these beautiful children. If you're interested please contact me or the UPC short-term missions coordinator, Julie Lewis (juliel@upc.org). The trip hasn't been advertised at the church yet, so you have the first chance to sign up! I would love to see you here. Prayer Requests
Thank you all so much for all your prayers, all your emails and continual acts of encouragement. I am forever grateful. Love, Sarah Jamieson |
Please
pray for my strength that it would continue and that I would continue to be effective in
my position