It's Raining in My Room!

Mint tea....literally!

It was about 7pm, when the torrential rains thundered down in Nairobi on Sunday.  I was tucked away safely in my room, or so I thought.  I ran to the window to tie back the curtain so I wouldn't miss the show and then sat in a chair.  I was really enjoying the coziness of the chair, watching the rain pour and listening to the crackling thunder, when to my surprise, a felt a drip on my face.  I remember thinking, am I dreaming or did I just feel water?  It was no dream.  Within minutes there was a tropical rain forest in my room!  I quickly got my computer out of the way and jumped up onto the bed.  I thought, surely the rain will let up, but when I stepped off my bed on the other side, my feet got soaked.  So my entire room was flooding from the roof down!

Suddenly it struck me as hilarious.  What else could I do but laugh my head off?!

Ahh yes, such is the experience of life in Africa.  I remember years ago at my first missionary training, "Expect the unexpected, accept that which you can not change; it's not wrong, it's just different."  All these words from my cross-cultural training came flooding back to my mind and I joyfully accepted the circumstances.

But as always, what makes the experience of moving to a new place are the people you meet!  James and Juliet, two dear friends of mine whom I met on my trip back in 2009 gave me the best welcome ever!

My first week was spent on a Kenyan Shamba (farm) just outside of Nairobi in Kiambu, a charming village with red, clay hills and an enchanting display of rainy season foliage.  I stayed with Tata, Jame's auntie and got to cook githarthi, a favorite local dish with beans, cabbage, and onions.  Every meal I ate that week came straight from Tata's organic farm!  I also enjoyed hot baths, which were first prepared over an open coal stove every morning and evening.

Even now, as I write from the guest house in Nairobi, I am missing Tata and my little friend Alvo.  Two year old Alvin and I hit it off straight away.  I find with kids you don't need verbal language, just the language of love.  Every morning, after awakening to the chorus of birds I would here a faint, "Auntie! Auntie!" calling for me from a distance.  Before long little Alvo would be knocking on my door, "Hodi, hodi!"  (Knock, knock)

After experiencing the warmth and welcome of James, Tata, Alvo and the many others of Kiambu, I am now enjoying the hospitality of Juliet and the fast and wild pace of city life!

Today, we covered a lot of ground, as we searched for a suitable living situation.  Up washed out mud roads in the middle of the city to being totally stopped by a Kenyan traffic jam, it was truly an adventure! And my favorite was finding a store called Mr. Price.  That reminded me of my papa and of all my friends and family a world away.

I know I have said this before, but I can't say it enough, God has so many ways of telling me He loves me and  you are each God's instrument of love in my life!