Feeling Purposeful

My access to internet has been minimal lately and I’m disappointed that I haven’t been journaling frequently either. I have been doing a bit of poetry, but I can’t really share it with you because usually I change between Swahili and English, so it wouldn’t make sense. Just as explaining my experience here is like painting a picture with a pencil, so does translation lose meaning.

I have to admit that here at Exodus I feel so focused. I am sure of my purpose and I forget all the little worries of life. I am constantly thinking about our programs and these kids and how we can continue to improve. I believe that as people we should refuse to live a life that is stagnant. We must constantly be growing and developing individually and in the community. Every week, I make sure that Exodus progresses, whether it be hanging mosquito nets, writing proposals, or teaching kids English. I’ve been emphasizing reading and writing with the kids and they are learning to type on my computer too. They’ve become so comfortable with me and I can’t even express my love for them. This week, I went with Elijah to do two trainings with a few different communities’ “Youth Groups.” These groups of 20 to 30 year olds are writing development project proposals for their community. We work with another organization helping them write action plans and consider development techniques. I’ve also completed a powerpoint about Exodus and who we are. Next, I’d like to make a video about Exodus and set up a website. That’s just the beginning of my list of things to do. Unfortunately, two months is very little time to be here and I am wishing I could extend my stay, as I see the work that I am doing is very meaningful. I’ll still be a staff member from the U.S. though! We are still looking for land and praise God we’ve received a large donation for the land (USD $6500). The remaining amount we are hoping to receive from a grant.

I went to Kisumu and Lwanda this past weekend for the baptism of Steve Otieno Arogo. My parents are his godparents, so I represented them at the baptism. It was so nice to be home, but very rainy and muddy. I only get to go “home” one more time before going home in July, which is quite sad for me. At home I used a lot of Swahili because now that they know I understand and they don’t need to put more effort in speaking English. It’s funny though because I have difficultly saying everything so sometimes my side of the conversation is English and theirs is Swahili but we still understand eachother. I’ll learn Luo and Kikamba at some point. For now, being (almost) trilingual is still a commendable accomplishment.