I’ve officially been here in Kenya for 5 weeks, the last one and a half or so which has been spent here in my new home.

The welcoming committee has outdone themselves. I’ve been abundantly blessed with baked goods being dropped off at my doorstep almost daily as new neighbors and coworkers introduce themselves and welcome me to campus.

My first few days were spent sorting through cupboards and totes, unloading what I brought with me and cataloguing what I purchased for a lump sum from a family that has just left.

Within the past couple of days, after a grueling full day shopping trip to Nairobi for household essentials to fill some gaps, I am starting to feel like I am ‘home.’

At my going away party, I asked my friends to each bring an “open when” card for me to bring with me. I hung them on my closet just this week so I could see them on a regular basis. I smiled as I reached my first occasion…”Open when you’ve finished unpacking.”

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I was so encouraged by the kind words of my sweet friend, “I pray by now you have encountered someone who made you as welcome as made me feel…” She continued on with kind encouragement of being in a new place, leaving me with a reminder from Philippians as I seek to make Kenya my home, “…but our citizenship in in heaven….” (3:20).

I got tears in my eyes as this scripture landed differently than it has in the past. What a sweet gift from a friend whose citizenship is not American, but living in America, to me, an American, now living in a country where my citizenship is not.

I’ve been so encouraged too, as I’ve been meeting other families on campus, whose citizenship ranges from Brazilian, Korean, Scottish, English, Canadian, and of course, American.

While we all come from different geographic locations, we are all connected as brothers and sisters in Christ, sharing our citizenship that is not of this world.

I’ve been beginning to form new relationships with other staff and faculty, but have especially loved the moments I’ve been able to get to know some of the teens.  A group of them that attended my three week orientation with me have spent the last few days assisting me in setting up some bulletin boards in my classroom.

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Yesterday at a community barbecue, I was able to connect with one of my new AP Chem students for this upcoming school year. He was quick to tell me about “Morbid Mondays” and “Fire Fridays,” a tradition the previous Chem teacher had developed over his thirty years at RVA. That same students’ dad was quick to tell me, “On the first day of class, introduce yourself…’I am Miss Galloway… I am not Mr. Milligan.”

I’ve spent time too, digging into my curriculum, and learning about various different extracurricular possibilities.

 I’ll likely teach Sunday School for one term, and will be hosting a “Caring Community” group (the same 6-8 students in my home three times per term). I’m looking forward to forming deep connections with my students, seeing them both during the day, and in the evenings at dinner duty, dorm coverage, or random campus wide activities.

I’ve learned some about RVA culture, which is different altogether from Kenyan culture. I spent ‘chai’ time this morning getting to know my gardener Eye-Uu-b (I have no idea how to spell it, that’s my best attempt at phonetic pronunciation). He’ll be working at my home once a week, keeping my grounds, chopping firewood, and tending to my gardens.

Our chai time was interrupted as a troop of about 30 monkeys came through the trees overhead! My neighbor, and new friend, was with us, and together in shock we watched the monkeys land on her roof, climb down the outer stairs, and even perch on her window sill, sticking his fingers in the seam to test the latch. I cannot adequately describe the surreal feeling of watching cat-squirrels with fingers swinging through the trees, elegantly sliding down the slanted sheet metal, climbing down the stairs to snag a passion fruit off of the vine growing on the side of her home, or balancing with a swishing tail across the powerlines above our heads.

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Eye-Uu-b laughed at our child-like glee at what many here deem to be a neighborhood nuisance. I’m looking forward to continued new experiences, and getting to know him more as we work together.

The school term starts in a little over two weeks, and there is still so much to be done! I covet your prayers as I tick tasks off my list, and add more to the bottom of my list each day.

Prayer Points:

• Please pray for wisdom and discernment in what to commit to my first term here. There are many options and I’m nervous about choosing the right balance of involvement and polite declining.
• Please pray for the students preparing to come! Pray for travel and COVID safety as they navigate various systems and requirements put in place.
• Please pray for grace in the transition- moments with monkeys flying overhead are easier than moments alone in my home right before bed. Pray the Lord will give me peace and grace with myself to take time to transition.
• Please pray for discipline in accomplishing my many tasks and boldness in building new relationships. It’s an interesting balance trying to prep for school, learn new cultural pieces, learn new (old?) tasks [think laundry habits, shopping habits, even where to take the trash out!], and trying to build new relationships.