Final Days in Africa

The dramas that the children on the farm have been working on are finally ready to present. I brought three dramas so that more kids could have larger parts. So I took the longer drama on Ulysses, and two other adults directed the two other shorter skits. To help the kids focus, I told them that after the three groups presented, the other adults who attend will vote on which group acted the best, and the winning group will each receive a coke. Everyone is tense and waiting with great anticipation for the competition.

The time is drawing near my departure date: August 28th. I'll be preaching at the Cathedral in Kisumu tomorrow, spending the afternoon in the city, getting on the night train to Nairobi, checking into a hotel in Nairobi on Monday, going to airport and picking up my lost bag that Virgin Airlines said finally arrived, spending the night, and then leaving at 8am to begin the 26 hours of flying and waiting in airports it will take to get back to Philly.

As I reflect on the past two months, I am struck first at the faithfulness of God. I have been relatively very healthy through the whole trip. And other than the lost camera and lost luggage (the lost bag was reported to be found and waiting for me in Nairobi), I have not experienced any disaster. I have crossed 10 international borders, ridden 61 hours on busses, spent the night in 14 different beds, and ate at dozens of houses or restaurants. All that to say there has been many opportunities for things to go wrong. But God has been so good to me throughout it all. It has been so rich…I’ve met so many people, had so many good conversations, enjoyed so many new experiences, been challenged in so many ways, and learned so many things about life.

However, I am ready to return back to the States. It is tiring to live as a foreigner, and I look forward to return back to a routine of working with kids and tutoring. I look forward to begin studying Hebrew and theology. I look forward to be able to call friends and family on the phone and visit friends in person. I look forward to returning to work more with the Anglican Church in America, specifically the Anglican Mission in America who has given me a scholarship for this coming year (the Anglican Mission press release is here: http://64.46.109.102/newsitem/104 ), and more specifically with my church in Philadelphia, St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.

I am so thankful for your prayers, for your emails of encouragement, and for those who financially supported me. Blessings.