Kibera

Well, we got into Nairobi late last night. It's funny how the 17 hour flight to Kenya doesn't seem to phase me anymore (probably because I have my own personal television in front of me and can watch a whole range of movies to catch up on pop culture). Milton, Barry and I went this morning to Kibera - the second largest slum in East Africa. Some of you may have seen it if you've watched The Constant Gardner. It's a place crammed with people, poverty, filth and claustrophobia. I've been there several times before, but each time, this morning included, I am broken and shaken by the conditions that 750,000 people are forced to live in. My heart is there and I'm thankful for the opportunity to return.

We flew later this morning to Western Kenya and were picked up by Milton's older brother, Omondi. It's been a fun couple of hours as five of us and six pieces of HUGE luggage (we brought medical supplies from the states) have been sitting on top of one another to drive the 3 hours to Lwala village. We're almost there, but we got hungry. So, we just stopped for lunch in Kisii and found this internet station upstairs. Thought I'd check in to say hello.

I love being here. I hate jetlag. I delight in the laughter that follows people's reactions when they hear me attempting to speak their language (Luo and Swahili). I get joy out of seeing Barry's reactions to his first time in Africa; his first time out of the country for that matter. I am awed by Milton and his commitment to his village and to seeing to it that a clinic gets put in, regardless of the innumerable challenges. I am comforted and excited at the reminder that a bunch of young people, twenty-somethings and thirty-somethings, really do have something to offer. It's a contagious place to be - in the company of peers who are equally passionate about knowing, loving and acting; serving as God's hands and feet in the world. And I thank God for opening my eyes and my world, even in a place I have been a handful of times before, because I unknowingly continue to try to shrink my world - but experience doesn't let me do that.

Here's to a beautiful week...

Jena