Hakuna Matata

Ha. Mercy just left us alone at the internet cafe in Yaya (a mall) to go run errands with her boyfriend. It is only like a 5 minute walk home but she is deathly afraid that we will get lost. We assured her that we knew our way and she made sure to give us instructions to explore Yaya but not the rest of Nairobi.

As for the rest of the week, I will make a list for you so that I can keep my thoughts in order.

1.) Saturday evening we went to Faith's concert at Nairobi Baptist (the church that the Okaalet children attend). It was sooooo cool. There were so many talented people there. Some people rapped, some danced, others did spoken pieces. There was a mixture of everything and it was amazing. Faith was in a choir and they sang quite a few songs. Some were in Swahili, which was cool, but I couldn't understand. However, the lyrics of one of the songs they sang really hit me. It was a simple song and they just repeated the same phrases over and over. The lyrics were "Break me so you can come through/Lord I want to see you/Break me so you can come through/I need a breakthough/Take me I am your vessel/Break me how you please" I just realized that God is in the process of breaking me if I will allow him to. I want to be broken through this semester so that God can shine through. This is my prayer for these coming months.

2.) Sunday morning we attended Nairobi Baptist. It is a huge church with attendance near 4,000. I wasn't quite used to that. There was an American guy leading worship in the adult service, so we went and listened to that first, then headed over to the youth service for the sermon. We also were able to witness about 20 baptisms. It was pretty cool. The worship was obviously much more lively than I am used to, but otherwise I found the service fairly similar to those that I have attended in the US. The Vice President of Kenya was at church, so we got to see him. He was just hanging around and talking to people. Yeah...

3.) Sunday afternoon, the Okaalets hosted a bridal shower for Nyam, the woman who is getting married on Saturday. It was pretty cool, but quite awkward as well. We had to go around and tell how we knew Nyam, to which I replied that I did not know Nyam. It was a good time, though.

4.) Apparently people spend the night at the Okaalets quite often. On Saturday and Sunday evening, Kim spent the night, so we got to hang out quite a bit. He had studied in Germany for 5 years and is now working at the UN. It was great to get to know him a bit more. Another girl (I can't remember he name because it is African) spent the night on Monday and Wednesday. She is Nyam's sister. It was also great getting to know her a little better.

5.) On Monday afternoon, we went to New Life orphanage, which is the home of about 20 babies and I don't know how many toddlers. We went and visited the babies. They were so adorable and I absolutely loved it. We weren't able to stay for long because visiting hours were ending and the babies were going to bed. I have to do an internship if I decide to be a Family and Human Services major, so I was thinking that it would be really cool to come back and do it there. I don't know, just one option.

6.) Tuesday morning we went on a safari walk. It was basically just a zoo with a bunch of African animals. When we were almost done, we met a man who works at the park. He told us to make sure we went and petted the cheetah before we left. We were wondering if he was serious and he was. He took us into the cheetah's pen and they brought it up to us. So we took a bunch of pictures petting it. Pretty cool.

7.) Tuesday evening we went to Wamburu's (I think that is her name) house for dinner. She is a singer and a member of the group Afrizo. They are going to the US next week for a tour. They gave us a concert during dinner and they are soooo amazing. They even sang the Circle of Life. They are probably not coming anywhere near you all, but you should check on their website. (http://www.daystarus.org/afrizo.html) If you get the chance to go to one of their concerts, you will not be sorry. Wamburu is actually going to be attending Berkeley on a full scholarship. Her voice is AMAZING.

8.) Yesterday we went to the Nairobi museum. It was pretty cool. There were lots of things to see. We spent a couple hours looking through all of the mammals, art, etc.

9.) Today Mercy is hanging out with Michael for awhile so we are on our own. Tonight we are going to the groom's house for a party. Tomorrow we are going shopping. Tomorrow evening is the wedding rehersal. Saturday is the wedding. Tuesday we leave.

Ok, wow. This hardly even scratches the surface. Some extra thoughts.

1.) I love all of Mercy's friends and family. Seriously. They are the bomb. We have spent quite a bit of time just hanging out with them and it has really made the trip. Seeing the sights is all fine and dandy, but what has made the time worthwhile is the people. I am going to miss all of them.

2.) I love how laid-back everythings is here. It is the event that matters and not necessarily whether you are there on time. People are so much more willing to spend time with you even if they are supposed to be getting somewhere else. I think that is cool.

3.) Africa really isn't how it is portrayed in movies. Everyone thinks of Africa and poverty. That is the case in many places, but not everywhere. We have been exposed to a very "American" Africa. Mercy's friends all speak in English, are well educated, and are more wealthy. However, they are not taking advantage of their well-being. Their love for their home country is very apparent and many of them plan to get a good education, whether it be in America, Germany, South Africa, Malaysia, or Kenya, not so they can leave and live the good life somewhere else, but so that they can come back to Kenya and work for improvement here.

So much more I could say, but I won't. Love you all and miss you. I am jealous of Mercy and Wamburu who are heading to the States on Tuesday. However, I am also excited for the remainder of my journey and ready to see what God has in store.