So now as the semester is almost ending, I will talk about the "welcome back" dinner out. The hostels sponsered a dinner out in which we all dressed up and had a nice night out on the town. Dinner was set at a beautiful hotel in Nairobi and we ate outside by the pool. From there, some went out for drinks and the evening was nice.

Me and my friend Kelvin.

Cooking dinner and hanging out with friends: Imagine, the mzungu came to Kenya and cooked for her bachelor friends! At Mariou's house, there were so many mosquitos and so after dinner we had a contest to see who could kill the most!

Douglass and his flippers =)

February 11th, I had the change to visit Teen Challenge Kenya for their graduation! My friend Paul came along and it was such a great experience. There were 12 graduates (6 who were just completing the program and 6 who have been living on their own for the past 6 months). Many of the graduates did not have many family members around, but had the support of many church members. One graduate was accompanied by his mum who was so proud of her son and so thankful to God for the work he did. When he spoke and was presented with his cerificate, his mum began praising and singing and dancing! The excitement and joy was abounding! Her son had been given a new chance and a new life! Bonnie began bible school once he completed, but did not have all the funds to continue, so as part of the ceremony, a pastor announced he was going to sponser him so he could finish and begin in the ministry.

It was a great time to be able to greet the others and to meet John Martin and his wife who are the directors of TC Kenya.

Finally, all this mention of Mombasa, and now I get to tell you about the trip! Mombasa is along the coast of Kenya and is about 8 hours from USIU. The Indian Ocean would be the body of water that makes up Mombasa's beaches. The hotel we stayed at was so nice! There was a dining area, a pool that weaved through the main floor, and also a show area. Friday night was karioke night and Saturday night there was a local band who played. Around the pool and beach area, there were lots of monkeys! They just roamed around and were interesting to watch.

At the beach, the sand was almost white, and not hot to walk on. The tide was out in the morning, so you were able to walk very very far out into the water and it would not pass your knees. The water was so clear you could see the plant and animal life you were walking with. My friend Konya (Kox) and I took pics of some of the wildlife. We saw a sea cucumber. It looks like a terd, excuse the word choice, but it is a living thing. We could feel it breathing! We saw a Nemo, which looks like a sponge. There are small fish that live in the Nemo, if something touches it, it will close, protecting the fish inside it. We found zebra fish too. It was a nice morning. We spent some time relaxing on the beach before and after the Rugby game.

The team is planning to go back to the same area this coming weekend. Although exams are next week, after a week of reading and preparing, some time on the beach will be nice!

The weekend I was in Mombasa (the first time), a group from the USIU hostels took a day trip to Thompson Falls. From what I understand, the trip was about 4-5 hours long and they spent a few hours exploring the falls in the afternoon. The pictures were taken by my friend Stone and beautifully portray the falls and the fun that occured that day. Franco, the receptionist, and my roommate, Albertha, also joined the group. Stone also was able to ride on a camel and take pictures with those dressed in traditional tribal uniform.

Because of my love for Rugby and the fact I am missing the spring season at LVC, I decided to meet up the team here at USIU. There is no woman's team here, so I have been training with the men. But of course, when they play tackle or do contact drills, I do not. I would like to survive my trip and not be crushed by the team! I still am able to work hard and continue to learn about the game and refine my skills.

Every Saturday, the team has a match starting at 3pm. The past couple weeks we have played at Kenyatta University (Nairobi area), on our home pitch, and in Mombasa (the coast!!). We lost against KU, but won 10-0 and 24-3 against the teams we played from Mombasa, and in Mombasa. This coming weekend, we are traveling again to Mombasa! In Mombasa, we stay at a beautiful hotel along the beach. We usually will travel on a Thursday night/Friday Morning and come home on Sunday. It is about an 8-10 hour trip by bus.

Before practice or a game, the team spends a moment or two in prayer. This is something that doesn't really happen at home. While it may be more of a custom this is something I admire about the team. It is such a good reminder of what we are actually doing on the pitch. Win or lose, glory is given to God. I love spending my time with the team at practice and taking pictures at the games. I not only connected with the team, but have discovered some real brothers. There was another girl from the States or Canada who trained with them and helped coach while she was here in the past.

We practice Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 3:30-dark or whenever coach calls it a day. I got to see a scrum machine in use for the first time the other week and have been working on my spin pass. I am excited about next fall when I'm home and can bring back new drills and energy to LVC's pitch!

On FB, I have posted many more pics of the team and of the trip in general.

Wow has God been faithful to Rehoboth! 2012 is a year of expansion and growth. We began the year in the church building space we have been renting for the past 14 years, and now we have moved! By God's grace we have our own land! A gate and fence has been put up as well as a wonderful tent. The past 2 services we have been worshiping on the promised land! Plans to construct the actual church building are underway and various phases of the project have been laid out. Fundraising is in progress as well.

Every other Thursday evening, some friends host a bible study in Roysambu ( a small town just outside of school). It is a nice time for all of us to gather and discuss various scriptures and what we feel God is teaching us or doing in our lives. I have been able to meet many new people. Josephine and I attend church together and a friend Bryan is also a member of the Rugby team. These meetings have been fun and we usually have popcorn and snacks afterwards. Last meeting, we watch Courageous! If you have never seen the movie Courageous, I highly recommend that you do!

Pole Sana (I'm very sorry) I have taken so long to update the blog! As the semester is unfolding I am finding myself becoming involved in many activities and take the evening hours to study and sleep! Nevertheless, much has been happening around USIU these days. Mid Sem exams are quickly approaching (Next Week) and so many students are filling the library and study rooms in order to prepare. Valentines Day was celebrated this week with various movies, activities--like Karoke--and a dinner and dance tomorrow evening. We are also planning a Culture Week during week 9 of the Semester that includes visits from various Embassies and performances from different countries throughout Africa.

In the evenings, aside from studying and reading, there is time to spend with friends. Talking, hanging out, walking around town, it is good. I also have taken up scrabble. The night receptionist/guard loves to play, so me and Frank (one of the RA's) usually spend some hours with him taking tea and playing scrabble.

The first week of classes have begun and as the semester continues, I will post updates and add pictures to show the things I have written about. I hope each of you enjoys the updates and posts I provide. It’s my hope you get a small taste of life here at USIU and in Kenya. Any time you have questions or comments to share, feel free to contact me! Happy reading!

Those at Rehoboth Church were very excited to have me join them on Sunday for worship. The church is doing very well. They have purchased land in order to move from their current location to their own situation. Pastor Peter showed me the land and it looks big and wonderful. A fence and a gate have been put up already and plans/actions to put in a toilet are the next step. After completing this, a tent can be put in place and the church can relocate during construction. Currently, they are renting office and sanctuary space, but it is thought that after January, services can start meeting at the new location. This is a very exciting time for everyone as much time, resources, and prayer have been invested and now God is going to move in a mighty way for them.

Pastor Peter Kangi: The Kangi family is doing so well! Their son, Kings, is now 3 and will 4 on August 7^th. That’s right, we share the same birthday and are therefore Birthday Buddies! Their daughter, Grace, is in the 5^th grade and is proving to be a good teacher. As she learns languages at school, she teaches Kings, so that when we are all playing together, I find myself not understanding Kings and the directions he is giving me in French! Roselyn and Peter are also doing well. While I am here, there are my guardian family and I am so grateful for their prayers and supports.

Joshua and Liz Ng’anga: I was able to spend time with Joshua and Liz. Wow! Has God blessed them or what?! I was so encouraged to finally meet Mishele, their 10 month old son, ride in their own personal vehicle, and sleep in their home that they built. In less than 2 years, God has added to their family, provided them with a vehicle and taken rent away by allowing them to build. As a family, they are doing well and are still a pleasure to be around.

I was able to greet other members of the church and passed along greetings and love from Harvest Fellowship Church back in PA. Apparently, I did talk WAY too fast for the church to actually get what I said, but hakuna matata… perhaps I will not have to address the congregation again!

During our tour of Nairobi, we visited markets, malls, embassies and other points of interest around the outside of USIU. It was a long day, but so much fun.

Maasi Market: wow, what a sight! There were so many vendors each with their own unique crafts and items to sell. Flip-flops, key chains, traditional dresses and outfits, baskets, pictures, jewelry, and the list can go on and on. The items were all so beautiful and authentic, but most of it was overpriced as many tourists visit. However, some items are very unique—I plan to visit again a pick-up a few items. My friend Nick works with a wood carver there to make wooden items, such as key chains and to personalize them. Recently, he worked on creating new key holders for certain organizations. 

We also went to visit a Junction market, which is like the Park City or Berkshire Mall for us at home. As mentioned in another entry, The West Lands was also a place we went to visit. The residence of the various ambassadors to Countries such as Tanzania, Germany, Ukraine, were pointed out and we got to see the US American Embassy. No pictures were allowed to be taken, but the actual embassy was very large and took up a few blocks. The embassy had to be relocated after it was bombed in August of 1998.  It appeared that some construction was still finishing.Touring Nairobi made for a long day, but I got to spend it meeting new people and forming new relationships.