The First Days

Well, I'm here and I'm alive and unharmed.  I have already experienced so much in just a week after leaving home!  I made my first international flight by myself to London (yes Mama, I had a cup of tea on the plane) where I met up with my mission buddy for the next 5 weeks Mary.  We went to our hotel, and then rode the Underground into the city!  I have dreamed of going to London for as long as I can remember, and it was even teh Queen's Jubilee weekend!  Crowds of people really are the same anywhere you go though (and all the tourists can't agree what side of the side walk to on), and Buckingham palace was closed off for the festivities.  Westminster Abbey was awesome, and I even got the quintessential picture peeking out of a red phone booth.  Our train passes were good all day, so we ended up just riding around finding cool places to go- that was my favorite thing- having the freedom to go anywhere in the city.  And I even got to Platform 9 3/4.  Life goal accomplished.  London is someplace I most certainly want to explore again with more time, maybe not on the weekend of the Queen's Jubilee, or a month before the Olympics start.  A rainy Tuesday would be perfect.  Our flight to Nairobi the next day was a little delayed, so we didn't get in until pretty late.  After an agonizing wait for my bags (I think they were the very last ones off the plane, and I was very afraid of losing my luggage!) we met Staci, our host missionary and went to the WGM guest house in Nairobi.  Thus, I didn't get my first glimpse of Kenya in the daylight until the next morning when we started the 3 hour drive to Nakuru.  Its the rainy season, so everything is really green!  Its beautiful.  The Baby Centre is about 15 minutes out of Nakuru, on a very bumpy dirt road, surrounded by fields of maize and red-roofed houses.  Mary and I are sharing a guest apartment.
Working with the babies has been harder than I thought.  There is always someone crying, and not all of them are used to seeing white people.  I'll get more into my thoughts on being here in another post.  Adjusting has been trickier than I thought- this isn't glamorous folks.  It's noisy and messy, and there are more kids that need attention than I possibly have limbs for.  I'm trying to learn the names of the babies and the staff, and find the ways that I can be a help and blessing to this ministry.  The kiddos are napping right now, so Mary and I have an organizing project in the office.  I know that this is what God has planned for me this summer, and that I will feel more comfortable as time goes on, I'm just really overwhelmed right now!

Please pray for:
- continued relationship building with the kids and especially the staff
- better understanding of accented English!  I hate having to ask people to repeat what they've said when I should be able to understand it
- senses of purpose and peace
- as always, for God to move mightily!