Nossi and Winnie's future school

Last Thursday I asked Nossi and Winnie if they wanted to see the school we were building for them, so we took a little roadtrip, just outside the fence near our house. They were pretty excited to be a part of the contruction project for a little while, and very happy to have their future school so near to their house.

Headed out to the site

Brick piles seem pretty tall when you're five

Their reaction to hearing that this will someday be THEIR school

Walls coming up on Angel House Secondary

A look in through a future window

Security, double-fold

Not only does Angel House have a new fence around all the buildings on the property to boast of, but as an added reminder last Friday, God showed us that He is with us always...nothing beats a double rainbow as a promise of His presence.

Derrick's hot pants and cool shoes

This one's for you, Eric and Liz...just wanted you to see that he's actually dressed like a boy today, minus the candy-cane striped pants. Decided he'd like to try on my shoes and socks during choir practice...kept himself entertained for at least an hour...thought you could use a refresher on the award-winning smile.

Look who's driving!

Yes, Miss Anna Migera ChaCha put herself through a course of driving lessons with a local taxi driver to learn how to drive a car, and has graduated on up to the orphanage truck (which is no easy task to have accomplished...). She might be one of the only other two women besides Liz and I that I have seen driving in Tarime; one more example of how strong and determined she is. Up this week...getting her a driver's license so she's actually driving legally.

Salome and her kitty

Pickles the cat has been living at the volunteer house since her owners returned to America for a year last August; our friends David and Nicole, Baptist missionaries also new to town, asked us to babysit her until they returned from home leave this coming August. When it's just me here in town, I don't spend enough time at the volunteer house to be very good company, so yesterday I made the kids day by bringing Pickles out to live at Gamasara with us. She's still adjusting to life with 50 children, as you might imagine, but slept with Salome last night who is VERY excited to have the honor of taking care of her and letting her sleep in her room. Who knows, on one of these trips to pick up volunteers in Nairobi, I might just have to come back with a dog, too.

the Litungu dance

Salome and Sammy at work

A yard full of fun

Yes, even I tried...white men can't dance...comparatively speaking

Our supervisor Anna, and her best friend Marwa

Grace Wilfred and Bahati Wangwe in Kurian traditional outfits

One day when Eric, Liz, and I were conducting a business trip to investigate the Crown Paint factory and Zingira Fence Supply in Nairobi, we found ourselves checking out a local cultural attraction I have heard about for years called Bomas of Kenya. People representing most of the tribes in Kenya have come together to form a historical and cultural show for both tourists and locals alike, highly visited by school children as a fieldtrip destination. The different tribes here in Africa all have unique characteristics and traditions, and blend together beautifully into a nation rich with heritage. Our attending the cultural dance made me year to know more about the Kuria tribe that we work among in Tarime. And this past week, we got to experience just a bit of that. Our farm supervisor and day guard, Mwita, prior to working for Angel House, was part of a group of almost 20 Kurian people who travel to various places to peform the traditional Kuria dances. The children of Angel House dressed up in traditional attire and joined in the dancing and fun. The dance itself is a mixture of three parts...feet taking turns jumping, arms held at a 90-degree angle swinging back and forth, and neck moving dramatically up and down. It was quite a sight to behold...staff, children, villagers, and mzungus alike, all sharing in a rich history that goes back hundreds of years...participating in rain and harvest dances, learning, and laughing together. The most amazing part to me is just how very big our Creator is...that He could fashion such difference and beauty among the people of this world; it continues to fascinate me.

Salome, the resident tomboy

She is a beauty and can dance like there's no tomorrow, but she'd rather be playing in the mud than anything else...what's not to like about that?