Saturday

It's another Saturday in Narok town. I'm eating up the quiet of my apartment, enjoying the hot Kenyan sun and a good book. I have an office job but my responsibilities as Team Leader weigh on me pretty heavily and I need the rest of the weekend. The electricity came back on Sunday afternoon last weekend after being out for about 2 days. We heard it was some national problem and electricity was out in several parts of the country. 

It's almost time for another goodbye for our team. Cole left a few weeks ago and Jamie leaves Tuesday. Jamie is a friend of mine from college who was serving on our team for 6 months. She's headed back to the US but (hopefully) after just a few months of raising more support, she will be back in Kenya by the end of the year. I need her friendship here so I'm hoping God brings her back quickly! Our team is going through a lot of changes. The US economy is affecting us here, too. I've already lost one significant personal financial supporter and our team has to make budget cuts in a few months because our funding is decreasing. We're looking at dropping programs and losing staff. It's so hard. Though in the midst of mourning goodbyes and financial changes I know that the God we serve is in control. I don't know what will happen, but I'm resting (or trying to rest) in the arms of the One who does.

The draught is still bad out in the bush. It rained here in town (even had a flash flood that flooded many shops) but it's still so dry out in our ministry communities. Today Jamie and several other women on our team are going out to do women's ministry and are taking food for a meal and a few packets of flour to hand out to the women they meet with. We cried together yesterday thinking about these communities and the starving women and children. We aren't doing much, but for now we are giving them a small meal. The husbands have taken the cows, sheep and goats to find grass and water and left the women and children behind. People are hurting. My friend called me from Ole Pariata, a small community really affected by this draught, and said his family was slaughtering several of their cows before they died of starvation. 

There's also a rural camp going on today. An AfricaHope staff team monthly heads out to a rural community for a typical day camp for the kids. There will be a Bible lesson, games, crafts and some food. They are expecting around 150 kids. 

The ministry our team is doing is awesome. We can't meet all the needs but we're trying to meet some. I'm happy to be a part of things here, but the weight of it all is hitting me. Life in Kenya is hard in so many ways--not only for me but for so many here. I need refreshment. Thanks for your prayers.