This first week here I slowly been getting back into the Kenya routine. Its great being here and enjoying the much slower pace and simpler lifestyle. Here we call it "African time" when you plan to meet someone at 10:00 and they show up around 11:30 and think nothing of it. It takes some getting used to because back home I am used to having everything immediately and spending time waiting around for someone is an extreme inconvenience. It is refreshing to have so much free time with little distractions sometimes I don't even know what to do with myself. For example, last night I was sitting in bed with my mosquito net all tucked around me when the tiniest mosquito buzzed right past my face. I proceeded to spend the next 20 minutes sitting and staring for the nasty little pest to buzz past my face a second time. I know I am a dork for using this reference, but it was like looking for the snitch in a game of quidditch (this will only make sense to Harry Potter fans), but my efforts paid off and I managed to be able to sleep all through the night without waking up to a buzz in my ear every few hours. Being here I take the time to be grateful for the little things that make my day that much beter. Last year, I had toast with peanut butter and honey for breakfast and lunch and sometimes dinner too. This year I was mentally preparing myself to do the same exact thing, but lucky for me there is a wonderful cook who is staying at the house this summer. Her name is Kris and she is here with her husband Pat and she makes the most delicious meals with a oven and refridgerator that only work properly when they want to. Since I have been here I have had chicken stir fry, friend chicken, pesto pasta, warm muffins and bicuits in the morning and the list goes on and on. The simple gift of a good meal is something I have come to greatly appreciate. Here is the team enjoying a nice home cooked meal.

I am also suprised by how much of an impact a person can make by simply just being available. As I visit these places and spend time with the kids after I use the five Swahili phrases I know to say hello, ask their name and age there is little that we can say after that. At Oasis, I was playing with the kids while they were out at their recess. The interaction was as simple as just sitting there, taking pictures and showing them the pictures. I did this for about an hour and a half. I was talking to the kids in English and they were talking to me in Swahili, not understanding a word, but its the time spent that makes the difference. While I was sitting with the kids on the grass different kids came and went over the course of the hour. I just sat there and spent time with various kids. One boy in particular stayed on my lap the entire time and even got into mini fights with the other kids when they tried to steal his spot. His name is Peter, I met him last year and the other kids told me that he sleeps in town with his dad. He is always dirty from head to toe, but he is one happy kid. While he sat with me he kept taking my arms and wrapping them around him. He even dozed off a few times. Its times like these that remind me that its all about simply being available to give these kids the love and attention that may not be given to them at home. It doesn't require some grand gesture, just simply passing on God's love to them. Believe it or not this is the best picture that I have of Peter (the boy in from with the blue jacket. He is one goofy kid!

Today we went back to Oasis and helped the older girls give the younger kids baths. It was quite an expirience. There were about 20 kids on each side of the room at once with about 7 wash basins. We started by splashing water on their heads and washing their hair with soap. Then we splashed water on the rest of them and helped them get the dirt off. It sounds like an easy process, but there was water flying in all directions. At the end of bath time I think I was just about as clean as the kids. The kids were happy and smiling the whole time despite the fact that the water was freezing cold and that they had to put their same dirty clothes back on afterward. After bath time we just spent time again hanging out with the kids and took lots more pictures.

Last year, near the end of the trip one of the girls on my team, Torie, met this adorable little girl named Lucy who lives in the Shimo la Tewa slums. Her feet were so infested with jiggers that she could barely walk. If that goes untreated for too long, her feet could have been disfigured her entire life, so we took her to Sister Freda's hospital to get treated. Lucy had been unable to go to Oasis of Hope because she had to stay home and care for her younger siblings. It is hard to imagine a six year old with caregiving responsibilities, but here is it almost expected. Since last year, Lucy has become a regular attender of Oasis of Hope. I delivered some gifts to Lucy and she was overjoyed. Manu, one of the teachers at Oasis translated the letter that Torie had written for Lucy. I have no idea what it said, but whatever it said touched Lucy. As I sat by and watched Lucy tear up as she listened to the letter it made me so happy to see that Torie's simple act of compassion for this young child changed her life. Not only is she no longer in pain from the jiggers in her feet, but she is getting food and education daily at Oasis of Hope. Who knows what God has in store for Lucy's future, but whatever that may be it is all because one person took the time to care. Here is Lucy, all smiles with her beautiful new dress.