Ninataka Kusafari

...which means "I want to travel" in Kiswahili! We actually put together some of our own sentences in Kiswahili today, and actually got them right!! So here's one..."Unahitaji kunywa kahawa" which means "You need to drink coffee", which was for Ndalegwa, our teacher, when he was out of coffee and getting tired! And another one "Ninapenda kula kuku choma na kunywa soda ya fanta" which means "I love to eat bbq-ed chicken and drink fanta pop"!! So we've gotten the hang of some of it...but don't ask us to converse much beyond basic verbs, food items, questions, etc!!
We've already seen the hand of God in a really cool way...yesterday, Ndalegwa wanted to take us downtown to the Masai Market for language practice, but because we were planning on going in the afternoon with James, we decided to just stay at the Mayfield and keep doing book work there. We found out later, that during that same time that we were going to go with Ndalegwa, there was a big ruckus of some sort, the police were involved, people were chased away, and the result being that the Masai aren't allowed to have their market there on Tuesdays anymore because of what happened!! We were so thankful that we decided not to go, and totally see this as God protecting us from what could have been a really dangerous situation! God is so good, and we know that He's in control.
Today was also a really good day for Trevor, as we got to go the the Wilson Airport Hangar. This is where the TAM shop is located, and where Trevor will be working for the next year! It was really neat, because we got to meet two of his co-workers, Steven and Benedicto, who are both Kenyan. We also got to see the shop, and then also see the rest of the AIM IS offices and AIM Air facilites. We also met with Allan Masters, who is the director of all of AIM International Services, and were really impressed and challenged by his passion for the ministry, love for the Lord, and commitment to serve the Lord in a practical way. He was also just really down to earth, and very welcoming. James Holt (Trevor's boss/supervisor) also met with us, and we were really encouraged by his excitement that Trevor is finally here, and also challenged by his vision of where he sees the shop going, and the heart he has for the ministry. Trevor was just really excited after meeting with both Allan and James, knowing that the skills he has and the heart he has for serving the Lord are very welcomed and needed! There were so many people at IS today, as soon as they heard Trevor's name, said "oh we've heard about you...SO glad you're here!!" It's so nice to hear that! We do know that it'll be a challenge, though, after hearing about some of the struggles the shop has had in the past, and the really high expectations they have of Trevor, but we also feel confident that God has brought us here for this, and that He will work out those challenges if we trust in Him! Oh, and Trevor is not co-foreman, as we originally thought...he's actually THE foreman!! Yeah...the surprises keep coming :)
So, while we are very excited about being here, we are also still very apprehensive, and sometimes I still feel scared spitless...at the thought of taking a matatu by myself, having to be so careful all the time, moving into our place BY OURSELVES and having to leave the warm security of the Mayfield, even things like going grocery shopping and cooking...everything is a challenge here!! Nothing is simple, not drinking good water, not cooking what you think is just a simple supper, not making a phone call home...nothing!! And these are just the basic living skills...it's not even the ministry side of it yet!! It's pretty overwhelming to me right now...but the wonderful thing is that our coaches/mentors, who are Ryan and Dawn Williams, live in our compound, actually right beside us! So they are going to be having us over for supper tomorrow, and taking us to Church on Sunday, and meeting with us once a week for a while to see how we're doing, that sorta thing. Praise the Lord for that!!!! So, please continue to pray that God will give us courage and strength to face these challenges, and to rely on Him for our every need. Oh, and we may have to learn to drive in this insane city.....I have a stomache ache just thinking about it. You should see my face right now! BUT, like we've been reminding ourselves over and over...we came to Africa because God wants us here, and to be stretched and challenged...so this is us already being stretched and challenged!!!
Anyway, it's time for me to go...it's almost supper time, and we need to do another lesson, as well as start packing up our things here to move to our new home tomorrow...which will take awhile, because our room has already become really messy!! I guess some things haven't changed...!!
Much love... :)
~A