In Nairobi

I stared out at the parking lot taking it all in. Cars parked in their spaces, street lights keeping it lit up... it was just a large parking lot. But I hadn't seen one in person for over 8 months.

It felt so familiar.

And so strange.

I'm in mainland Africa for a little over a month doing some training and getting a little time for rest and refreshment. After being here for just a day it's still a little strange.

I woke up this morning and my nose was cold. But then I got to take a hot shower!

There's bacon in the stores here. And ham. And sausage. And American-style cheeses.

And options.

On my island if you want a thermos you have 1 design option and 2 style options. You might buy it from any number of different stores, but it will be the exact same type of thermos. Today in a store I stood and stared at what felt like 200 different thermos options.

After not seeing a French Press in a store anywhere on my island I found myself face to face with 10 different options in 3 different brands.

The excess and the choices overwhelm me.

And as a teammate and I were discussing in the thermos aisle, we really have learned to be content with less. It's amazing to think that I could equip an entire house from one store. But reality is, I don't need to.

I've got what I need. I've lived 8 months without it. I'm okay.

And that's a good thing.

Now excuse me while I go find some espresso.

:-)

Normality?

Men pouring cement

Today's a short post as I've been working on my summer newsletter and put a lot of the latest stories in that. But here's an account of today!

Today wasn't a normal day. I'm actually getting ready to head to mainland Africa for a few weeks-- my first time being on a continent in over 8 months! So that means packing and straightening in the house. Oh, and hauling water. The pump for our "lower cistern" broke, so if I want water in the house I have to haul it from the neighbors'. 

On my way into the house after hauling a couple loads, one of the girls who lives downstairs asked me to braid her hair. She's asked me a few times and I've always demurred with the explanation that I don't know the African way of braiding hair. But I've had my hair done enough that this time I figured I could manage their simplest way of braiding. So, after seeing if she was really, really sure I agreed to do her hair. That only took around 45 minutes. And I can now say that I've braided African hair! It's a totally different ball game from my naturally straight hair, let me tell you.

And it ended up looking pretty decent! (sorry no photo proof)

Then I went inside to pack and clean. Country music. Christmas music. Oldies. Worship. It was a rocking party in my room as I emptied my wardrobe of all the clothes then put back all the ones I didn't want for the next 5 weeks. Tired of packing? Okay I'll clean the fridge! Done with that? Finish packing and then tackle the rest of the to-do list. 

Eventually my big bag was packed and ready to go. So I took it to a teammate's house (they live right near the port) and hung out with them for a bit. Their neighbor came in at the call to prayer and invited us all to eat. So eat we did! We had a great time socializing and chowing down on green bananas, sweet potatoes, chicken wings, cassava, porridge, and fresh orange juice. A little more socializing and I'm now home putting the last finishing touches on my newsletter. 

I tried to get a picture of our feast on the rooftop... but it was too dark.

And tomorrow I'm taking the boat to another island where in a couple days I'll catch a plane to mainland Africa!      

Praise: for good health, nice weather, good friends, and details coming into place for this trip to the mainland.

Pray: for safe travels, good training on the mainland, and for my language not to deteriorate while I'm gone from the island.