Polepole We Learn

Hello from Kenya!!

We are in Nakuru attending our three week Africian Based Orientation. 

So it turns out that it is impossible to function without caffeine. Jeff has been trying to get the monkey of Diet Mt. Dew off his back going cold turkey here in Kenya. He made it one week. We are in "class" 8:30-5:00 each day and he was constantly falling asleep. So he joined the Starbucks generation. Another new thing we learned is it's nearly impossible to figure out how old single women on the mission field are. Also, we met a unicorn - a single, attractive male serving in missions. Very rare!

Our training is very interesting and the learning curve is steep. So far we have been particularly engaged with how to approach learning about a culture. If we ask how, when, or who instead of why, we are much less likely to put someone on the defensive. A phrase to remember is, "Just because it's different doesn't mean it's wrong".

The diversity of those called to serve in Africa is impressive - doctor, ex drug addict, dairy farmer from Minnesota, Ethiopian physics teacher, blond California girl, someone living with a brain tumor that just couldn't wait anymore to spread the good news.  We are particularly inspired by the families that are choosing to pick up and move 9 time zones with their children.  One family with three children ages 7 and under have chosen to chip polepole (slowly in Swahili) away at the enormous number of tribes that have never heard of Jesus. They are going to Northern Kenya to a boarding school that teaches students from 8 nomadic tribes in the region. That blows our minds.  We have become even more convicted with the calling God has placed before us, loving on the children of those serving in the field.  We are so excited to support those missionaries by giving them the knowledge and confidence that their children are safe and being loved while at Rift Valley Academy and in our care.

We thought we would not need to learn Swahili because English was spoken at the school. If we want to engage with any national, it will be far more effective if we make an attempt to talk in something besides English. Almost every national we have met speaks at least three languages, their tribe's, Swahili and English. It makes the most sense to learn Swahili if we want to reach others. Pray that our six decade old brains pick it up fast. For now it's polepole.

Shopping in Nakuru.  It looks like we are going to be OK!