Sunday, June 13, 2010

Karibuni

Tonight, we took our Kenya team for "A True Taste of East African Food".
We (me, three other leaders, and 8 High School students) are leaving for Kenya in just under two weeks. They will be there for about 12 days and then I will fly to Kitale for another 10 (!!!)

So, as our final team meeting, we joined together for dinner and discussion and prayer.
8 students, 4 leaders and 6 other Mariners Staff members around a gigantic table. Christian (who is Kenyan) ordered all of the food for us...so there was plenty of mbuzi (goat) and ugali (cornmeal). But, thankfully, he also ordered lots of chapati and green grams!

As an added bonus, these students had never heard ANY chapati puns. "Chapati in the USA" got a great laugh. I can't wait to pull out my YEARS of over-played Kenya puns! They won't even know what hit them!
I could--without a doubt--eat chapati and green grams every night for the rest of my life. Especially if they are Rebecca's green grams (the House Mom for the Oasis Girl's House)
At the end of the night, Jeff prayed over each of our students (in English) and then Christian prayed in Swahili. I began to cry almost instantly. My heart loves the sound of Swahili...I think it just feels like home. But there is also something so moving about the fact that our God speaks all languages...that Christian was praying to the God who loves each person--United States, Kenya, Afghanistan, Antarctica--and knows each of their hearts, thoughts, fears and failures...that is overwhelming to me.

I could leave tomorrow.
I mean, I have things to do before I go...but I'd be willing to leave tomorrow.

1 comment:

Julie Hibbard said...

This is SO exciting!!
Please don't forget my favorite: Chipati is a Wonderland...