A smorgasbord sprawls across my dining room table, leaves inserted to stretch it to its full length just to hold all the food. Apples… check! Rice cakes… check! Granola bars… check! Hotdogs… check! Tortillas, peanut butter and jelly… check! Carrots… check! But most importantly, instant coffee, creamer & sugar packets with the optional tea bags for those preferring chai to go with the breakfast muffins … Continue reading A Jurassic World
“Habari yako! Karibu! Habari? Eh? Hakuna Kiswahili!” The mama chuckled as she welcomed us into her home. I chuckled too. I knew she was asking how the student with me was doing, I saw the blank empty face, and knew “Hakuna Kiswahili” was a declaration that this teen at my side did not know Kiswahili. It’s true, she doesn’t. Term break is the best! It … Continue reading Desert Rains
That weird crunching sound was back. It didn’t sound good- but I needed to get groceries for the camping trip I was leading the next weekend, and had plans with these two senior girls of mine to spend the day off campus at the mall where the grocery store is located. The three of us had a lovely time, but by the time I’d gotten … Continue reading Donkey’s & Dhows
You might think that Sunday School happens on Sunday- but here in Marsabit, you would be wrong. A 10 hour drive north from RVA, I’m up visiting some friends for our long “Mid-Term” weekend. Each Saturday, three of their four children walk the 5 minutes to a local church to join for a time of worship. If you are envisioning children standing in rows, humming … Continue reading Orendere
Pole sana! That is kiswahili for “I am very sorry!” that it took so long to finish my tale of our incredible Avatar themed event… (if you’re not sure what I’m talking about, go find “The Big Event: Preparation” to hear of all that went into making this night a huge success!!!) The day was pulled off without a hitch. All morning parents and students … Continue reading The Big Event: Execution
Monday July 14th I emerged for graduation to watch the class of 2025 walk across the stage with pride, coming in a little late and leaving a little early to man my merchandise booth on behalf of the class of 2026. I didn’t even get time to stop for pictures with any of my favorite grads. Bummer. After a celebratory lunch I headed back to … Continue reading The Long End: The End
Once more, one of my favorite times of the school year has come and gone. It used to be called interim, but now has more aptly been renamed “African Field Studies (AFS).” It’s a time where our 11th and 12th grade students head off on adventures all across the continent, many in Kenya but a few beyond, to learn about other cultures, ministry contexts, some … Continue reading Adventure Is Out There!!!
I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I just knew that my work permit will be expiring in March, and there has been a delay on many people’s renewals for the last few years-my batch was pretty much the last batch that passed through without over a years’ delay on processing. Why is this an important fact? Well, the trip over doubles … Continue reading The Hardest Thing I’ve Ever Done. (1/2)
Faithful Footsteps 