Off to see Kitale! Tunaenda kuona Kitale!

I'm leaving shortly to see Kitale - one of the places I could live and work after language school.

Here's my first newsletter & a few photos:

11th Feb 2010


Dear Friends and Family,

Habari za Marekani? What is the news from America? This is my first newsletter from Kenya and I am still determining the best way to send you news from here.

Today marks 6 weeks since I left my parents' home in Iowa for Kenya. The opportunity to be living in a new country and learning a new language can be overwhelming – both in gratitude and in the newness of it all. I want to thank all of you who have supported me in my decision to come, in the preparation, especially while leaving many of you in the LA area last summer, and now while I am overseas.

Although most of my time thus far has been dedicated to learning Swahili, a recent moment of grace for me was in a slum called Mathare. We were invited there by Sister Elizabeth, of the Contemplative Missionary Movement of P. De Foucald. Her community lives there and offers children a clean and safe place to play and learn. We visited their Sunday school classes where the children sang and danced to make us feel welcome. One of their teachers was a local university student who spends her Sundays there to teach the children their worth as people and that something good can come from the slum. She had the vijana (youth) sing a song of blessing for us, with hand motions of sprinkling us with their blessings as they named each one of us.
Singing for the visitors. We sang Jesus Loves Me for them.

These are the primary school children. They organized a chaotic little dance for us. The little girl in front kept looking at me and shyly smiling. Precious!

A Race for Peace was held this Saturday in Kibera, Nairobi's most famous slum and one place of post-election violence in 2008. The motto of the day was “Upholding a Culture of Peace in Kibera.” The day started with the 13-16 year-old girls running, many barefoot and in skirts, but at speeds humbling for me.


These next two weekends, my co-missioners (and friends) John & Cindy and I will be traveling to Kitale and Mombasa to meet the bishops and ascertain where we will do our ministry for at least the next 3 years. I am both excited and nervous to see what the future will hold. The next time I write you, I should know where my new home will be!

Thank you again for all of your prayers, support, letters and emails. I hope you all know that you are loved. May we grow in our compassion for each other and our gratitude for the many gifts life brings.

Peace to you and to our world,
Mary
Our weekend entertainment ... scrabble scramble. Fausta is learning English, so kept a list of new words.
A day out with our fellow missioner!