Oh, what a day!

I'll start with the good. Oh, wait... it was ALL GOOD!!!

Tony picked me up at 10:00 so that I could complete shopping and get to the school by 1:00pm to pick up the little ones. In 1 hour, I ripped through Satellite Market and bought peanut butter, jam, Blue Band (margarine) 10 loaves of bread, mondazi, juice, 2 cases of milk, deodorant (aka perfume), laundry soap, 20kg rice, oil, fat, maize flour, toilet tissue and various toiletries I knew the kids wouldn't have. Tony took me to a wholesale operation where we purchased 50kg of red beans and 25kg of green beans. There is a serious shortage of maize in Kenya right now - production is down, currency is sharply depreciated, and cost is up 30% since June; couple these factors with the ongoing drought, maize is difficult to find, without hunting for it. It is a staple in these kids diets, so I will go on the prowl tomorrow with Tony, in the am. The car was too weighed down to get anything more, so we went to the home to drop everything off before picking up the kids.

David was waiting for us at the side of the road. It was so good to see him....what a delight he is. David no longer lives in the dorm with the children, due to the conflict his employers had with this arrangement. No wonders there. So, he's back in his hut behind the home, happy as a clam. Dennis has replaced him in the dorm, someone I felt instantly comfortable with. He is young, probably around 27 and clearly devoted to these children. He calls himself a pastor, but that's a fairly loose term around here. I later asked the kids about him, and they were unanimously in agreement: he is good.

I asked David if he told the kids I was coming. He said he told them I am 'coming next year'. Tony told them that I was coming next month, so I knew the kids were clueless that I had arrived.
Njenga greeted me at the home. Cary - if you are reading this? He ran over to me, long strings of saliva, wet shirt, sticky hands and proceeded to hug me as if he hadn't seen me in years. It was so sweet. I pulled two neon balls out of my back pack and said 'ikiya' and he ran off like a shot, turning back to look every second, grinning. He can now say 'Uncle" and has become David's shadow.

As Tony pulled up to the school, Sylvia caught sight of me in the car. I got out to hug her and had a chance to speak with her before Moses saw me and ran over. One by one the children flew out of the gate to greet me. The moment was so emotional, so joyous, that I felt completely overcome and consumed with joy and love for these children. It has only been three months. It felt like years. Letting go was difficult, but all the children had to get back to their classrooms for their exams. The good news is, they have next week off, due to statewide exams for 8th graders. What a time to be here - this is a complete fluke, as far as I'm concerned. Once again, I lucked out. I guess we all did.

I grabbed a matatu at 3 and sat on 'the rock' outside of school for a half hour until the kids started pouring out of the compound. I gathered the young ones, and put them into the first matatu that came along, knowing we could be there for hours until the next one came along. At 4:30, the rest of us decided to walk back to the home. It was the highlight of the day. I listened to their stories, their problems, their needs and above all, their gratitude and appreciation that I had come back. Tonight, I feel humbled, fortunate and loved. It is easy to get caught up in the needs of the children and the demands on limited time. Today, everything was in sync and we were all on the same page, embracing the moment. The 4.2km walk was a joy, despite lorries, matatus, motorcycles and semi's screaming past us every few minutes. Thank God I got the cortisone shot in my hammertoe before I left. GAI! I'll deal with it when I get home, period.

My apologies for not posting pictures. I simply didn't have enough hands. I'll make up for it tomorrow, I promise.

Lala salama ~

With love,

Simmie