Meru!

Yesterday was our first day back in Nairobi, where we were welcomed at the Organization of African Instituted Churches. We cover a lot in our MWF Kiswahili lessons--the teacher knows we won’t have as many classes as we could use, so we skip around. The time approaches when we head for our respective placements, Josh and I to Gatundu, Whitney, Mara, and Nicole to their places here in Nairobi, and Deanna to Meru.

We visited Meru this weekend for a “Youth Rally” with Imenti North Presbytery of the PCEA (Presbyterian Church of East Africa). “Youth” here means 18- to 30-year-olds, so we spent Saturday in fellowship with our peers. After volleyball, soccer, songs, and introductions, we were about eighty for lunch (“Americans like rice,” someone had said before we came, so rice it was Sat. and Sun. lunch). Splitting up into small groups, we shared our stories and backgrounds. It was great to see the fellowship between married and unmarried. The youth were not a “singles group,” organized to pair up. They were just young adults, professionals and students all together sharing fun, stories, and the love of Christ. At worship Sunday morning, the similarities in the worship style were astounding. If we sang hymns we didn’t know well to a drum track, the results may be similar, if we all sang along. A woman I sat next to after worship commented on the joys of being reminded of our worldwide network of worship and fellowship.

Before we left Friday, we had gone to New Life Home of Barnabas Ministries, a home for abandoned children, especially HIV positive babies. They reported an amazing conversion--most children who arrive HIV positive leave HIV negative. After a tour, we got to play with the kids. Those who are not adopted by the time they are too old for this house are taken to other homes of Barnabas Ministries.

Now, the surprise--Pictures!