Approaching our last week at ANU

Hello family and friends,

Today's forecast near Rongai and ANC campus is hot, cloudy in the afternoon and possible showers. Kristin and Jessica walked down the road to a local weaver's shop and it got hot and dusty real fast. Jeremy and Jonathan are running a basketball tournament on campus for high schools in the area. Its a promotional thing for ANU with the marketing department. They guy that organized it, is not even here this weekend and so the guys have had to do a lot of work and it is turning out very well. We are learning to go with the flow and improvise... slowly learning. :)

We have had computer and internet troubles these last few weeks and feel like there is much to tell, yet not enough room in an email. We have visited several markets and always walk away with stories about our treasures! We have experienced the beginnings of the rainy season here. We have taken long walks on dirt roads and crossed suspension bridges that would make Indian Jones nervous. We have played with children at a local orphanage and are still trying to figure out how to pack several of them up with us...

Tuesday I was able to have the first session for the first aid class. It went well and 30 students came, which really surprised me! It was good and i think they enjoyed it. We will meet one more time next week on Tuesday again.
Jeremy taught biology lab today again. Around here you seem to get signed up to do things you didn't volunteer for.

Today is a holiday and there is no school so we are relaxing and helping with the tournament.
We have a busy week ahead of us--getting ready to move on, wrapping up things here, and saying some goodbyes. It has been nice to have a little apartment and be on a campus again. Yet I think we are ready to move on to the next thing. We have enjoyed it here, but there are also some things we are tired of, so its time to move on.
God knew what we would need, so good thing he planned this trip and not us..

Some have asked what we like here and what we don't like, so we compiled a list.
Likes: the FRUIT... pineapple, mango, oranges, sweet bananas (finger size)
Chapatti (comparable to a greasy tortilla), fish, juice, and 10:00 tea
Its warm here and when it rains it smells good
The flowers here are beautiful! Roses, tropical flowers of all colors, large green foliage and of course the African trees
Soda is cheaper than water, so we have enjoyed more soda than ever before. We are a fan of fanta and stoney (its a strong ginger ale)
We have also been learning to savor the little things in life. Ice cream is precious, ANU transportation is such a gift, ice cubes in your glass is a rare treasure here and electricity and hot water should never be taken for granted!

Dislikes: Maasi Lodge Rd (road to campus is dirt and rock--worse condition lodging road at home) yet students and staff travel it every day!
Ugali -- is made from cornmeal and is also known as tasteless cake, yet they love it.
Boiled mutton and goat-- not so tasty either, and they just chop up the meat, bones and all. By all i mean ALL.
There is no concept of time, commitment or your word here. People say something will a certain time and sadly we have learned not to believe them. For example, the new bball hoops were to be installed several months ago, yet they put them up the night before the bball tournament. "Hakuna Matata" it means no worries, and they really live by it and don't worry about things much of the time.

In all though, we have enjoyed it here. We don't always see what we are accomplishing here, but perhaps we will look back and see how we were able to leave an impression, as well as see how ANU and Kenya has made an impression on us. God has a purpose for all things. We are so grateful for the friendships we have made here with the other volunteers and with the missionaries--it has been a joy to experience it together. We will miss them!

We have appreciated your prayers so much and know that God has answered! We have had good health considering the circumstances, been kept safe through crazy traffic and have been encouraged by God and those around us. Kristin had a difficult time at first at the clinic with several people, but now they are sad to see her go. Jeremy had been put to multiple challenges here with new experiences--coaching and teaching--and he has done well. Not to mention he has built up his resume quite a bit in a very short period of time! Please pray for us as we travel this next week. We fly out of Nairobi, Kenya to Monrovia, Liberia (with a stop along the way) on Oct 18th to meet up with the Mercy Ship. And perhaps the next email you get from us will be from the Ship!