the girls & an update

The internet was out for a good little bit so this blog post is going to be sort of a mishmash of information, just a warning before you get started.

First off, let me finish my posts about each of the kids.

The girls:

• Christine: She is 14. Christine pretends to be a quiet and shy kid but this is far from the truth. She is almost always smiling, and if you see her crying or withdrawn there is something serious up. She is an incredibly happy child with a laugh that melts your heart. Christine is top in her class (class 6) in both English and Swahili. She loves to learn and is always reading. Christine is a born cook. She is amazing. She is always in the kitchen if you can’t find her. She helps in making supper almost every night and is great like I said. She likes to try new things foodwise too. She is one of the few kids that likes doughnuts, pizza and other american food. Christine however is not scared to tell you like it is, girl will go off on you if she feels like you need a talking to.
• Eunice: She is 14 also we think. Eunice is an observer. She likes to be hand on but she watches other people do things before trying sometimes. She loves to play with balloons. Eunice is not scared to get her hands dirty. A few months ago Winnie Kiptoo decided she wanted to pierce her ears and Eunice did them in our hotel kitchen with a potato and a sewing needle. We found out she also did her own this way. Eunice loves to laugh. She also walks and talks in her sleep. Like, has whole conversations in her sleep. It can be kind of creepy when I spend the night with the girls. Eunice loves getting new things, and if someone is giving things away she is normally first in line to take them. Eunice is one of the only girls who wants to stick with a traditional marriage, and traditional roles for men and women in the home.
• Brenda: She is our youngest girl at 8. Brenda is the sweetest soul I’ve met in my life. She is rarely upset. She has never met a stranger, she loves to sing and dance. Brenda is a girly girl all the way. Loves pink, lipstick, hairbows (even though she has no hair), painting her nails and playing with dolls. Brenda loves to cook also, and it with Sarah and Christine a lot trying to pick up new things in the kitchen. Brenda is almost always playing dolls, house and playdoh at the home with Abigail. Brenda likes to take care of her things. She washes her clothes and puts them away promptly, she keeps her toys and other things put up if she is not playing with them right then. And she does not take to kindly with people taking her things without asking her first.
• Winnie Awino: Awino is 11. Her favorite color is pink. I’ve never seen her upset, and you can almost always hear this girl laughing somewhere on the compound. She loves to sing. Loves to play games with you. She genuinely wants you to be happy and will do almost anything she can to make that happen when you are having a bad day. Awino is a little goofy and sometimes I just want to pick her up and tell her to be serious now and then, but that is not her personality. Awino helps in the garden, and loves to help with supper and lunch food prep. She takes every opportunity to laugh at me because I cut my veggies to slow, or that my cabbage slices are way to big. But I love to spend time with this girl.
• Teressa: Teressa is 14, and the girl I think I’ve made the most intimate friendship with. This girl can pack away some food, and doesn’t care what kind it is! She likes it all. She is always laughing, making up songs with random words or dancing in the grass on the compound. Teressa loves to help out and be hands on. She helped with painting the girls side of the house, she likes to help in the kitchen but bless her heart, this girl cannot cook to save her life. Teressa loves to paint her toes blue, no matter if she has 4 different shades on there at once. She only has 4 toes on each foot due to an accident as a child but she loves to joke about her 4 toes. She is so incredibly sweet. And she is the only child on the compound who is not ticklish. She just stands there and looks at you like fool please when you try to tickle her.
• Winnie Kiptoo: Winnie is 10. Winnie is a tomboy if I’ve ever seen one. She likes to wear her jeans and button up shirts versus skirts when she gets home from school. Winnie is shy when it comes to singing in our nightly fellowship, if you so much as look at her she will smile and shy away from you. Winnie is very difficult to read most of the time. I can never tell if she is truly happy or sad, until she flashes her smile. It lights up her whole face and completely changes her personality inside and out. Winnie is somewhat reserved until you really get to know her and then she will always open up to you.
• Sharon: Sharon is 12. This girl is prompt about everything. She is like a mother, keeps everyone in line and doing what you are supposed to. She does her homework and studies her school work every night. She is the first one up in the morning in the dorm and has normally made her bed and gotten dressed before most of the other girls are really even awake yet. Sharon is very shy and it takes a good bit of interaction with her to open her up to you. She can have a temper on her though, and is not scared to yell at whoever is around when they are on her nerves. She is the most dainty and feminine looking girl at the home. She loves to wear dresses, and I think I can count on one hand how many times I’ve seen her in pants since being here. Sharon loves to help in the kitchen also. She does a lot of cleaning, of her own stuff, the girls dorm, the kitchen – she just likes to keep things taken care of.

The sibling sets:

• Hillary and Christine
• Vincent, Dennis and Gideon
• Sharon and Victor
• Roy and Benard
• Eunice and Nickson

The cousins:

• Brenda and Winnie Kiptoo

Those with no siblings (or none at the home):

• Ian
• Eluid
• Winnie Awino
• Teressa

I cannot believe the change I have seen in these children in the three and a half months I’ve been here. They really have no shame is being who they are, and I don’t think any of these kids shy away from being honest. I really do love these children.

This past 2 weeks have been crazy. Last weekend I was incredibly sick, from every end possible. I’ve never felt that bad in my life. Since then my stomach still has not been right. It will not settle all the way normally. I can’t eat much without feeling sick again. I get incredibly nauteous. Long story short, after a miserable week of not being myself, and research and several conversations with people here and at home, we think I may possibly have worms. Apparently you can have them without knowing, or showing up on a general worm test, but they can be hanging in your gut and can cause lots of stomach issues. Thankfully, the medicine is available over the counter and for under a dollar. I took it last night and am hoping to be back to normal in my stomach.

I’ve also lost enough inches that I went down a pants size since being here. Which is amazing. I cannot explain how good it feels to know that my working out and watching my food intake is helping me. I’ve got a long way to go but I think I’m getting in good eating habits and am shying away from eating processed foods when I do come back home. I cannot wait to get my body fat % checked again and see if it has gone down since May, I would be shocked if it didn’t.

My last roommate Nati left on Tuesday. It was hard, I’m not going to lie about it. We had become good friends and after I said goodbye I went inside, sat on my bed and cried. I miss her something fierce and it hasn’t even been a week yet. Thankfully, she lives only in Florida so we can visit each other without much effort. I find it funny that after having such a hard time settling and finding friendship with some of my roomies, I’ve made some incredible friendships with both Americans and Kenyans since being here. I have to say goodbye in 51 days and I already know how incredibly hard it is going to be for me. I dread it already.

The medlins leave in 12 days, and while I’m sad about it and don’t want to be here alone, I’m at peace with the situation. I cannot wait to see what the Lord is going to be doing with them and through them when they get back home in the states and settled. Kellie and Michael have been so welcoming, hospitable and honest with me since being here. I’m going to miss them so much. And I know they are going to miss the children so incredibly much, and the kids the same with them. Please pray for them as they are getting ready for this huge transition.

I’ve also started language training with my friend Monica here. I’m not sure if God wants me to come back here to Kenya or not, but this is a way for me to financially help Monica and Titus out, and a way for me to strengthen my friendship with her. It has been hard work, but I’ve enjoyed it.

Lastly, this is still early but please pray with me. God has been changing my heart in regards to missions and children for the new year. I’m praying about being involved with our missionaries in Ecuador for January to June 2013. Like I said there is nothing concrete about this, just another avenue I’m looking into and praying about.

Prayer Requests:

• The transition with the children at the home with the Medlin’s getting ready to leave. Pray for the leadership that will be stepping in until David & Laurel can make it over here. Pray for the 17 children; that they will be understanding, flexible and open to the people who will be coming in. Pray for them and for this whole situation. They have had lots of changes already and will have more before things can become situated and calm.
• Pray for David & Laurel as they are making their way to get over here. They could be here earlier than June so please just keep praying for this situation.
• Pray for promptness and for everything that needs to get done in these next 2 weeks so the kids can move into the big house before the Medlin’s leave.
• Pray for the Medlin’s as they are packing and getting mentally prepared to leave Kenya for now. Pray for the Medlin kids (Gabe, Christina, Jacob and Abigail) as the Medlin’s tell them that they will not be returning to the home and church they left when they moved to Kenya. Pray that they will handle this change with grace, mercy and patience with each other.
• Pray that Michael will find a job quickly when they move back home and will be able to smoothly support the family.
• Please pray for wisdom, strength and peace for Michael as he makes final arrangements and decisions in Kenya and about the future.
• Kellie asks for a moment by moment awareness of God’s presence for her.
• For peace and contentment for the children as they are transitioning to something new.
• Pray for my housing situation this last month I’m here (if you really want to know the whole story and how this is playing out, feel free to ask my mom.)
• Pray for me as I’m trying to discern God’s plans for me in 2013.

Also, we picked up the cow on Saturday and I’m in the process of writing up a blog post for that. Be on the lookout!