Final Thoughts from Jesse

Wow. It certainly has been a long two weeks hasn't it? I thought I'd share alittle bit about my experiences now (that it's all over) since I didn't do so during the trip.

Others have told you of our experiences in London. My head was spinning whenever I sat down, probably due to the exhaustion, so I wasn't at my best. I even fell asleep in the frozen yogurt shop, much to my shagrin.

The first thing that hit me when we landed in Nairobi was the fact that we where required to fill out health cards. Seems they where concerned with a swine flue outbreak. A-maz-ing. After waiting in line behind two sitters for about an hour (the guys behind the desk where very thorough) we cleared immagration and discovered to our joy that all the equipment we had sent over had arrived safely. After unpacking we all went to the half way house. Kristine heself has already posted a blog on her "little angle". We learned on the last day that the baby was later named Agnis Hillary after the SecState who arrived in town on the same day.

Day two (or rather four) saw us playing at our first orphanige with children over two. The VBS songs where a hit, despite our technical problems. I must have hit the wrong button or something because the movie refused to play. Fortinately, plan B was put in effect. That is, activating a CD and player that we had brought along for just such emergencies. I ended up doing the hand motions sitting down with Trenton for a curious group of two year olds in the front row. Afterwards we got a tour of the facility and attached school. The kids where so cute doing a couple of dancing games for us afterwards. One of the amazing things was that when we passed out a bag of hard candy to them, I saw kids sharing and making sure that their friends had some too. It's not that hard to imagine just the oppisite happening here at home.

The first concert went well, despite a few minor hickups with the sound system. We all agreed afterwords that we could now truely appreciate a dedicated sound team who actually knew what they where doing. When the score or more of kids went up to accept Christ, I had to wonder, just how many are actually surrendering and how many are up there because their friends are going up? During a particually fine dinner at the all meat place, I spoke up in prayer for our new bretherin in Christ, that they would all be genuine and that God would protect them and keep them in Him. It's the least I can do to keep them in my prayers here at home.

The first full blown concert (actually the only full blown concert) in which we actually stuck to the order of songs was that Sunday. On the way out of our first slum, Erika was accosted by some guy and Dakota was almost stolen from, right out of her backpack. This sent us guys into Defcon 1, if you will. We each picked a girl to escort in and out of the slum. Daniel covered Kristine, I had Rebeka, and Steven backed up Dakota. The concert was good but you could still smell the bathroom when the wind shifted. Like Dakota said, it's a little different from ours. It had no ceiling and was basically the walls of two houses, the church worship building and a door. The walls all had holes in them, mostly low, and the door had no lock. Oh, and this was no hole in the ground either. Just a rut in the stone street. I didn't find it too bad. "Just aim, and fire." Now, if you had to go #2 on the other hand...

Next was the community center in the Eastly sector. I spent most of my time playing with the teenagers there. They asked me to sing a song but the only thing I had handy to sing acapela was "Deep and Wide" complete with hand motions picked up teaching the two-three year olds at Lighthouse. They liked learning the hand motions so I guese I was ok in their books. When Daniel pulled out his camera, they couldn't get eneough of it (they never did). I warned everyone on multiple occasions that the cameras where liable to just sprout legs and run off if they weren't carefull. Lunch was beans and rice (they make pretty good beans in Kenya) followed by painting the common area. I don't recall getting that much paint on me when we did the house! The workers there where so impressed that they went and bought us all milkshakes when we went out to eat that night. That was also the night that we practiced the drama, both at the restaraunt and at the gueste house.

The next day was the Farm and our first public performance of the drama. A pity that the audio on the posted vid does not synch up with our actions. They where all spot on, though I could have taken a little more time on my sneaking. But, it all worked out in the end. By this time, Rebeka could have given Trenton's entire message for him. I think that's Matthew Sekajima's job.

Having rocks thrown at our car by the workers in the illegal distillery definately threw me into somekind of overdrive. That was a hostile area and I thought I needed to be on full alert. I shouldn't have worried. But that's me I guese. I had to be reminded that I wasn't here a soldier but as a missionary. That made all the difference. The concert at the church next to the described school went beautifully. Other's have posted the video on our little buddy who just walked up to the stage and started dancing away with us. I don't think he picked up on the motions until after we finished but that was just fine. He was cute anyways.

Though we didn't know it at the time, that was our last interaction with a slum area. Our next targets where all in downtown Nairobi or in what was mearly considered a low income area. Specifically, the AIDs orphanige, a church in what could almost be a slum, and in Nakuru (did I spell that right?). At the orphange, I spent my time in the baby room. The first boy I held fell asleep in my arms just as we got the message that inorder to guarantee that they sleep through the night, the babies are not allowed to fall asleep until 1730. It was only 1500 hours. "Lucas, wake up man." In an attempt to wake him up, we placed him in a baby walker. No such luck and he fell face first into his bib on the walker. "At least it's not a plate full of spagetti."

The next day, Daniel came down with traveller's diaria. We had to leave on the day trip without him. That same day, Steven and Kristine kissed the same giraffe, causing a bit of an aqword moment between the two when they figured out that by kissing the giraffe, did they kiss eachother? I just rolled my eyes.

At the low income church, I was surprised to see another squadron on muzungus ( I probably just butchered that spelling too). Turns out, we weren't the only ones visiting that particular church. A team of Californian collegue students had arrived as well. They left after the service. Which was probably just as well. I gave a small testimony on "Love Me Like You Do [So Amazing]". I tried to get the audience involved but no body moved. Live and learn. The second performance of the drama went exeptionally well, even with Daniel down for the count. We had Blake take over his role and Tia took over for Blake. I would have liked to have given Blake more time to practice but he did great for how little time he did have. Tia also filled her role nicely for not having practiced alot.

The next day was filled with travelling to and going on the safari. We even performed the drama in the car on the way over. The film of that practice was never released to the public. We saw zebras, water buffalo, pink flamingos, lions, rhinos, giraffes, and baboons. Since no one else is willing to tell the tale, I will. Our first encounter with baboons was up close and personal. We saw a number of them on the road side and stopped for some photos. One of them came forward and I started praying that he wouldn't notice the food we had stashed away on the floor of the van. These things have rooves that can open up a couple of feet to let air in and cameras out. Nifty. Our pal just walked on without even noticing our redvines and the like. Just as I was turning a way, Heather screamed her lungs out. I turned around just in time to see our pal snatach a luna bar from my mother in the rear van, hop off the hood, and make a clean get away. From that moment on, Steven refered to the luna bars and "babuna bars".

We youth got up early the next day to try and see an African sunrise. We pretty much missed it. It was a cloudy day and we couldn't leave the grounds without a car. Steven got a little too close to the electric fence trying to get what shots he could. Talk about a shocker when he discovered just how close he was. Strange, we couldn't even hear the current running through the fence. As we where about to head in to breakfast, the gate guard beconned us five feet back. We caught one last glimpse of the sun rising into the clouds. Beautiful.

We performed one last concert at an orphange in Nakuru. Their youth worship team sang a song on how bad drugs where for you. Right after we performed our worship songs, we did the drama with me being the only one in full costume. What a coincidence.

On our way back, it hit me that I'd probably warned our drivers that they where about to trade paint with something or another atleast once per day. When we stopped at an observation point where you could see the whole Nakuru valley, Mike went right to work converting one of the suveniere shop workers, prompting me to ask sarcastically, "Don't you ever turn it off?"

Our last meal together was at the first place we went to, the Indian food restaraunt. Our trip home was pretty uneventfull, thank God. I don't have much more to right. I'm still processing what happened to me and then I'll post it.

I only have one last thing to say, "I'll be back." Anyone who wants to come with me is welcome to do so. I can't wait to see what God has instore for us then. Hooah!!!