Day 1

Kenya...where people drive worse than Italians and people dash between cars on the highways.

There really is no logic to the way people get around. So many cars on roads tat hold four lanes when it was built for two. And on top of that there are people walking around to fill the spaces in between. I'm talking in and out of and along the highways where there isn't even civilization for another 10 minutes in a car.

My driver was Fanta. His real name is Fatasima but all I heard was Fanta and he like the nickname so Fanta it is. He taught me three very important things: the gestation of an elephant is 23 months, the gestation of a lion in 3.5 months, and that Kenyans value sincerity and give everything. BUT I plan on using that story to wrap up my journey here so let's just start with my day.

I got in at 0645, I got to Customs at 0700, finished customs at 0853, found my ride and started the two hour (that should have been one hour) trip to Brackenhurst. By 1300 I had gone through orientation, gotten a tour of the center, shown my room, saw the new school we are to help refurbish, and arrived at my project placement.

There were wild chickens running around, a latrine, two classroom doors, and a single slide. That was all. The children, filthier than I imagined, were running around in ragged clothes playing with trash. I walked inside the gate and immediately smelled the feces...both human and animal alike. Litter covered the play yard. It was overwhelming. I had prepared myself for bad but this was worse. The children avoided me at first while I taled to the teacher Mary who turned 21 today. It was in her class that I was to spend the duration of my stay in. Then it happened.

I felt pressure on my hand which increased to a vice-like grip and as I looked down, the girl said the only full English sentence she, and most of the others, knew, "What's your name?"
The floodgates opened. Every square inch of me was being tugged at. It was in that moment sitting on the ground with my face being poked, fingers being pulled, hair being ratted, and clothes getting footprints all over, I realized

More than the soles of my shoes have been stained by this red earth.

and it's only been 12 hours. I cannot wait to discover what God has planned for my stay here.