Nanyuki, baby goats, and MONKEYS!!!

Salvete omnes!

We have gone around 24 hours without electricity and now find ourselves without water. While it might seem like an inconvenience, I find it enjoyable because I consider what Paul went through during his missions and find no real comparison. Plus, it's been fun to read Don Quixote by flashlight!

At Bible on the Ground

This morning's devotions were based off of Matthew 25:31-40, and as usual the leader's words were very pertinent and practical for our trip and our lives beyond. We then went on a day trip to Nanyuki which is about 61km north of Nyeri. We first stopped at the EQUATOR and got to watch the Coriolis Force in action on both sides of the line! Next we went to African Bible on the Ground which was on the grounds of a Benedictine monastery. There are several places to pray and be silent, and the recommended time for completing the outdoor exhibit is three days! Unfortunately we only had around 45 minutes!

After this we went to Spinners and Weavers, which employs and benefits widows and single mothers and their children. We received a tour of the facility and got to see all parts of the operation: brushing the wool to make it soft, spinning the wool, washing the wool (5x times without soap and 4x more with soap), dyeing, and weaving it into a pattern. My highlight from this outing was certainly watching newborn goats on the property! They were only 2 hours old and could already stand!

We had lunch at The Painted Dog and watched Brasil vs. Costa Rica. After some guilting (and Virginia complaining on my behalf), we went to the entrance of a vacation resort and saw some Colobus monkeys! It was an exciting day for animals all around!

When we returned to Tumaini, we had fellowship time with the kids, which involved singing praise songs, praying, and scripture reading. The team presented a song: "Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord". We will be presenting another song on Sunday, and I'm afraid that I will be doing a solo as well, as the leader of the devotion this morning said, "Stella...Sunday...presentation." Hmmm... After the fellowship time, the team handed out Bibles and a bookmark to all the children. They were overjoyed and appreciative!

Vivid rainbow on the road from Nanyuki

As I made my way back to the room, I found myself corralled by 15 girls and I had nowhere to go! I asked one of them why they wouldn't let me leave and she said, "They find you interesting!" All I was doing was dancing, singing Justin Bieber, and beat-boxing; what's so interesting about that?! I was finally able to make it to the room and cried "Sanctuary!" so that I would be protected!

Tomorrow will be a busy day with many activities and gift-giving, as well as "Days for Girls" part 2! Finally, don't tell my parents, but I have begun filling out my application for Kenyan citizenship!







ex animo,
Stella aka Ngwaci ("Sweet Potato")

My expression at seeing all the animals today in GIF form: