These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

Mom and Dad are here now! They are a couple of my favorite people. They are enjoying the sights of Dar for the first time... Sights like two goats in a box on the back of a bicycle. Bicycles also carry stacks of eggs, hundreds of bread loaves, cages of chickens, et cetra. Dad likes to see the geckos, birds, and cows grazing along the road. Mom likes the women with tubs of bananas on their heads wearing pretty kangas (sarongs).

One of my favorite sites ever was when I was sitting in traffic, where vendors walk up and down with their wares. I was impressed with the bananas and machetes (pangas), but what really gave me joy was the guy with an aquarium full of tropical fish on top of his head. It is hard to take photos in traffic, so I drew a picture from memory too:)

Eye Contact

Hello All. Since school's been out, I've been a bit relaxed in blogging. I am in Kenya at an SIL retreat right now. It's been refreshing on many grounds: a deeper realization of God's grace, social time with people in SIL that I can identify with, enjoyment of God's creation (including a a mermaid's enjoyment of playing in seaweed laden waves!), and luxuries like lots of vegetables cut up for me at the buffet every lunch and dinner!

Before I came here I stopped with friends in Mombasa at an orphanage for babies. I realized that I've never really held an infant for a long period of time, nor fed one. There were older babies, but I really liked the infants, because they seemed hungry for eye contact, along with the milk. Eye contact is something I can give, so I felt happy to do so:) I was hoping that the eye contact communicated to them a little of Jesus' love for them, even though they don't have a mother to love them.

The Baby Life Rescue center is an amazing place; Selpher and Peter, a Kenyan couple who met during their service with YWAM, take care of up to 10 babies at a time in their home. They have two ladies who come help with the feeding, hand washing, cleaning, holding, changing, etc. Their prayer and aim is to have the kids adopted. Some go into foster care. When I was there I got to go with them to pick up Night and Philemon from the child agency of the government. Night, 11 days old, and Philemon, 1 year, were orphaned days earlier when their mother died in prison. Selpher and Peter have very sweet countenances and humbly love the kids. They would like to move to a larger place, where the kids could have outdoor play areas and they could take in more babies in need.