Date: Tue. 21 Nov 2006 08:56:37 -0700

Ngumo, the estate we are living at is shaped like an "O." We are at the bottom right of that O and there is a place called "Kenyatta Market" which is in the top left of that O. Kenyatta Market is a place with tons of kiosks, people doing their business and is where most of the time we get our fruit. Did I mention how good the fruit is here? I'm surprised I'm not "bananad" out. They have these mini banana's that are so sweet and good! 

Anyway, I tell you about Kenyatta Market because although I love to get fruit there, I try to avoid it as much as possible. You see the market is also a place of street boys and basically the Ngumo dump where trash is piled high and burned. When walking by, the street boys come up and say, "sister" or "friend, buy for me…tea, bread, chipoti…" Krystle has asked me a couple times, "did you smell the glue?" as they get high off of sniffing glue. I am ashamed to say no and to write this because I purposely don't get close to them, I purposely stay as far away as comfortable for me.  

I will come back to this. I now want to share something with you I read out of a book called, "Blue Like Jazz" which I want to ask this author, "are you a fan of Seinfeld" because his humor and writing is so similar and simple…if I wrote books I would write as he does. Anyway I was convicted after reading this. He was talking about his friend "Andrew the Protester" who is "a flaming liberal." He goes to protests where he gets pepper-sprayed. 

He feeds the homeless, makes breakfast for them, drinks coffee with them and if they want prays with them. He said a few things about Andrew, and these hit me the hardest: 1 - "What I believe is not what I say I believe; what I believe is what I do." 2 - "Andrew does not believe in empty passion." 

I wrote those because it made me ask myself, "what are you doing here?'" 

Is it to be here and love those street boys even if it's just for 5 minutes? Or is it to get my weekly fix of my mocha addiction, or should I say comfort addiction? Just sharing my heart with you. If you want you can pray for that for me :o)

Things have been getting kind of hectic around here. The 3 places we have been serving at have given us a lot to do all at the same time…surprise, surprise. But here it seems like everyone is shuffling around, getting everything to a close by the end of the year. I've put together part of a display for the TULIP ministry so that when they go to Nairobi Chapel at the beginning of December (for fundraising for the girls to go to school)they can show with pictures what TULIP looks like. I unfortunately am not able to go and see what comes of it as I will be on my way to camp for the youth from church. I have to be onest…I tried to get out of it. Camping is such a scary idea for me in the states, I'm lucky to go for 3 hours (if you can even call that camping). So having no idea what it will be like here –for 6 days especially, is a bit stressful! You can be in prayer for me about that too :o) Haha, I'm such a baby!

When I walk by the butcher I hold my breath, and even put my shirt over my nose if no one is looking. It is such a horrific smell I don't even think I can begin to describe it. I even wish I could cover my eyes when walking by. They bring the meat in a truck - not a semi truck where it is kept cold and nicely packaged up. No, it is brought in the back of a pick-up truck (there is a camper shell over it), meat piled high and an occasional fly or two.

Speaking of meat, I'll talk about what I've learned about my mouth. When I worked at camp, in food service, the saying was, "when in doubt, throw it out." I think the motto for my mouth should be, "when you're not sure, keep it shut!" There are times when I'm not sure to say something and I do, and then I'm the other extreme where I need to say something and I don't. I get confused. But I guess 90% of the time everything brewing in my brain does not need to be shared as public information. But I did get a kick out of this although it probably wasn't "the Christian thing to do." Krystle and I had just gotten on a mat (don't you love all my matatu stories) and she had to sit towards the back and me the front because it was already so full. 

Next to me a girl, next to her a guy who decided to "give me the eye." He hasn't been the first and that day I just didn't feel like dealing with it so I didn't, but I think I may have rolled my eyes. After that he turned to his friend behind him and spoke in Swahilli and then what felt like everyone laughing. So, since my tolerance for Kenyan's hitting on us girls and hearing things in another language I can't understand had overflowed, I decided to give him a taste of his own medicine and spoke in Spanish. 

I asked him if he understood "shut your mouth" but in Spanish (I can't actually spell it so I'm just telling you). He didn't understand so I repeated it for him. His facial expression gave me this look of shock but told me he knew. What I wanted to say after that was, "why don't you practice it then" but instead said, "good" and we were at our stop and got out.

I like to say cool words in Swahilli cuz "it's cool." Like when I end my letters and teach you the huge amount of Swahilli that I know. Some time last week I went to Yaya to do some grocery shopping. As I crossed the street to catch a mat, one of the toa's recognized me and knew where I was headed and knew I needed to catch his mat. He gave me a big smile,held up the mat for me, I think gave me a good deal on the short trip (10 "bob" instead of 20 - bob is the same as shilling) and helped me with my 2 bags of groceries. When I got off at my stop, I thanked him and said, "barikiwa" which means "be blessed." Okay in the states, yea I might say, "be blessed." But it's much more cool to say it here cuz it's in another language. Haha, so you've learned earlier that I am a baby, now you are learning I'm a nerd too :o)

In two days it is Thanksgiving. Well it really doesn't feel like it here. Maybe cuz they don't celebrate it? Krystle and I are going to celebrate, but on Saturday instead of Thursday. We are having Pastor Bob and his family over, plus a couple more. There will be a total of 9. I realize for you mama's that really isn't much, but for 2 girls who haven't prepared Thanksgiving dinner, let alone much anything else we are a bit nervous how the food will come out. We are able to prepare a lot of things like at home, it's just a bit more difficult. Krystle had a really good idea…we wrote cards for each person that is coming and just a small note to them and why we are thankful for them. I wrote on Msimbi's card, "I'm so thankful I know the funniest person on this earth!" It's true, every time I see her she cracks me up…so that will be a special 3 months with them coming up. So anyway, I am thankful that we can celebrate Thanksgiving even in a country that does not celebrate our holiday, and with very special people…but I will till be missing my family and friends. I hope and pray you guys have a very safe and good and grateful Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for each of you. For your support in physically making it possible for me to be here. Just for getting my emails…I hope that it is encouraging to you in some way (in my sarcasm even) and that you just enjoy them…thank you for your responses to them as well. And I'm thankful for your prayers that go beyond what I can understand. Have a "baraka" (blessed) :o) Thanksgiving! 

Mungu aku bariki!!!