Home Sweet Home

I'm home! I've actually been home for a week, but I keep putting off writing this. I think I just have no idea what to say, or how to sum up the most amazing ten and a half weeks that I spent in Kenya. But I am home, and it has been really good to be back, kinda stressed trying to find a job, but all in all its been good. I'm on a different computer, so I can't put up any pictures, but don't be shy, you can come over any time and look through all my pictures/souvenirs/cards/whatever else you'd like to see. Actually, email me, kristynmalech@gmail.com, if you'd like to come over for some Kenyan food. My mom thinks it would be polite, and I got all the recipes. I think it will be Oct. 16th. On my birthday :) hehe. So yeah, send me an email if you'd like to come, I will not be insulted if you don't like any of it. I mean, I like it. It took like 6 weeks before I liked it, but I do now.


So, I guess I can answer the question "What have you learned?". It gets asked all the time, I mean I guess you kinda expect someone who leaves there whole life to go to another country to learn something. And I didn't realize I had really changed till I got home. As life goes on, I kinda realize I have changed a lot. People stress me out, like having to meet people, or just being out in public or going to events or just whatever. I don't like to meet people. Well, I didn't. And I wouldn't say I'm completely relaxed when I meet people now, but way more okay with it now then I was before. I guess that has to happen when your whole world is all of a sudden changed, with new people and food and just everything is different. So yeah, thats been good.

Another thing that I've learned is how to love. When I left, a friend of mine wrote a little note to me, and in it she said was "Do everything out of love". And at the time, I read it as be nice to everyone, thinking that would be simple. It really wasn't until I reread it like a week before I left that I thought whether or not I had done everything out of love or not. And it is hard. Like, you can't discipline one of the kids out of frustration, anger, lack of sleep, homesickness, or because another kid is driving you crazy. You had to do it because you love them, because you know whats best for them. Hope that kinda makes sense. Yes it is so much easier said than done, I mean, I don't have kids, and its not like I was with them 24 hours a day for 10.5 weeks. I was with them probably about 12 hours a day. But still, they can frustrate you. And when all you can think about is home, they annoy you even more. But learning to do everything out of love was definitely something that I tried to do.

Another thing, was learning to trust God. Like, we prayed for everything. Before you go anywhere, you pray for safety. You pray for rain, because without rain, you run out of sugar. You give everything to God, and in return, He gives everything you need. Being back home, I wouldn't even think about praying before I drive (actually, I've been a terrible driver since I got back, I keep turning into the wrong lanes. So I do pray that I won't hit anyone :) But you know, in general when your not a terrible driver). We kinda just assume we'll be fine. Kenya, not so much. The roads are so dangerous, and if you were to get hit to the point where the car couldn't drive, then its dangerous to get out of your car. And even with the kids, they pray for everything. If I was at one of the devotions, the kids wouldn't just thank God for bringing me there, they would pray that I get back to Wageni safely, that I would be blessed, that my family would be healthy, etc. Like every little thing. In that sense, they have more then we have. I think its because death is very present there. I think thats the best word. They don't need material things to make them happy, because they have figured it out that being alive is enough. People die so young, they see it everyday, you can see dead bodies in the newspaper. If they are alive, they are happy. Wow I got off topic. Sorry about that. Anyways, you learn to give it all to God, and that He is in complete control.

Well working with orphans is bound to make you thankful for parents. But its so much more then that. There are quite a few kids there who do have a parent, but they either didn't want them, or weren't physically/mentally able to look after them. I think thats almost worse. Like, I have both parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, etc. These kids are there because no one could take care of them. So not only do you become thankful for parents, you become thankful that you have parents who love, want and are able to take care of you.

Well thats about it. Yeen-Lan, the village director, let me know that the kids are praying I'll be back for christmas, so I should mark that on my calender :). I wish. I really really really wish. But, go to Kenya, or where ever, and fall in love with the kids. Learn to love all of it, soak it all in. Because your going to come back to Canada, and wonder how life ever got so complicated. I would do it all over, no regrets about it. A big thank you to anyone who took the time to read my blog, for the prayers while I was gone. It means more then you'll ever know. So come out for a hopefully delicious (kinda depends on your taste buds) night of Kenyan food as a thank you :)

http://www.rafikifoundation.org/

Elijah, Clarissa and Hannah

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Lillian

 

Lillian and Maurice

Benson and Kirk

Kilonzi

 

Joseph

 

Stella and Ruth 

Johnson and Benson