Last day in Nairobi...

Well as I try to encompass yesterday and today, I am brought to tears because talking about it makes me never want to leave...and we leave tomorrow for a safari and then Friday for Uganda. I am very excited for what God's going to do in Uganda, but what I have witnessed here in Kibera is beautiful and shocking all in one.

I'm going to start with yesterday. We started out the day by going to Kibera again, Kelsey is Sandy Baird's (he's with Manna worldwide) daughter in law, she planned a day camp for the kid's. So in the morning we worked with the grades 1-5 and in the afternoon we worked with 6-8. Crissy was team orange (which dominated) and Melissa was team yellow...they came in a close second. It was so fun to play with the kids, we did tried to play leap frog...and that was a disaster to say the LEAST! Haha each grade/team had about 50 kids so just try to picture the disaster. Then in the afternoon we did the same with the kids and Kelsey and Kyle's (her husband/Sandy's son) team did worship and a skit with the kids. In the afternoon, I talked to the teacher Jen again and she asked if we could see her house so we went to see her house with some of the guys from our team...and she had a somewhat bigger house than the others but still 6 people share a bed. The house itself had a downstairs and and upstairs with a "living room" and bedroom that the 6 people share. For Kibera it's big, but for us...it's still very small and made of metal which most of them are made of mud. So Jen's family is doing a little bit better than most. We also got to meet her brother, Abel and see his house. He has his own house to himself which also means he's doing good for himself. I mean good in the sense of Kibera...is well not the best but they don't know much different like we do but it still breaks my heart. Abel has a job sometimes and so he can afford the rent on his apartment.

After we left Kibera, we went to Langota High School, the one we mentioned on the post before! This time we went at 5 pm, to tutor the 30 ish students that are from Kibera that are being sponsored. I got a Form 2 (sophomore) student named Mercy. She was studying biology, luckily I just took biology last semester and even though I didn't do so hot...I knew enough to help her and even some of the people tutoring freshman around us. It was a sweet time for us to bond and I really like talking to the older students because the younger ones are SO precious but you can really get some stories out of the older ones. Then we left and ate at an italian restaurant, I have been in Africa since Saturday and I have yet to eat african food...haha.

Okay now to today! Sorry for the long post but that's what I get for skipping a day! Today was probably one of my favorite days (I know I keep saying that...but sorry) Me and melissa really got a chance to talk to everyone because all the groups were split up. She already went to bed so today's blog will be mostly me (Crissy) If you couldnt already tell! Haha. So if she has some stories we will share them but mostly I will go through what I saw. Well to start the day we went to Kibera like usual, and we have to cross what we call a "river" what some call a "poop stream" haha but whatever you call it you need a bridge to cross it. And we've had a big piece of metal usually but this morning we had wooden sticks, Melissa went across second and pretty much squatted on the bridge, scaring the rest of us. So when I went I was PETRIFIED! Well I guess it was good to be scared because I got a foot full of "water". I wasn't alone though, a team member with us Beth also got a foot full so we decided that we are soul sisters. Haha...or poo sisters. This is Africa right? Go with the flow...literally. Then after that we met the kids again like usual, they never get less excited to see us, it's so awesome! Kelsey and Kyle's team decided that today they would be split into many groups, the nurses would teach them abstinence training, some people would do crafts and even some would do tutoring for the upcoming test to get into highschool. I used this time to "float" to classrooms, talking to teachers, or just help out wherever I can. I talked to Jen again, I think we're bestfriends at this point...she gave me her email and also gave me a necklace with a carving of a lion. It's a beautiful necklace and I am so honored to have something to remember her by. I will think about her everyday. I also got to talk to some of the 8th grade girls, we exchanged stories about American life versus Kibera/Kenya life. They are so interested in how we go to school, what we wear, what houses look like. I couldn't bring myself to say that we have nothing close to the slums of Kibera...but I tried to say that we have some areas that have run down apartments without sounding bad. Like I said, they dont know any better so I didn't want to hurt feelings. But they are so interested in American life and I am so interested in Kenyan life that we had alot to talk about. And then I asked them to teach me some dance moves, so they taught me some african dances! It was so fun...but then I had to teach them some of my "American" dance moves...thank God for Fade to Black even though I probably didnt represent as well as I should. Haha

Then after they went to class I went to help the Philippine team with their craft in the 2nd grade class and the 1st grade class was getting rowdy so I went to visit them. Well they had no teacher today so I tried...but like first graders in america...5 and 6 year olds aren't very up for doing what you say...but they can do "1, 2, 3, SHHH" Haha...It was an experience. I then talked to the 2nd grade teacher Ruth, I have never talked to someone so thankful! She was so thankful for Pastor Simon and Sandy Baird and our whole team. I loved getting to talk to her and learn all about her family. That is something I have really tried to do this trip, is get stories of people and their history and how they got to where they got. Lastly, I had to "teach" a dance to a group of girls that were learning about music. Brent is from a church in Austin and knew I danced so I did my best...once again I dont know if I did a good job but I tried! Haha. Derrick and anyone else from F2B...if you see the video, promise I know how to dance? Right. Haha.

Finally, as we were leaving the girl Shallom that I have talked to alot said "I will miss you alot.." when I told her I wouldn't come back tomorrow...and wouldnt stop hugging me. It was very sad but it felt good to know someone who barely knew me could love me like that! Those kids have love in a way that I could never express. It was so hard to leave them today but I know that I will be back to Kibera someday.

Thank you all for your prayers! It's hard to believe we're almost halfway over with this trip! We have safari tomorrow and I can't wait to see all the animals!

Peace, Love & Gig Em Aggies (only because we've had some SERIOUS opposition from the longhorns on this trip)

Crissy & Melissa