"Mayolo", a pretty common Maasi phrase from our team, meaning "I don't know". Having never been out of the country, there were a lot of things that I didn't know going into Africa. I didn't know the language, I didn't know the people, I didn't know the food, and I didn't know what God had planned for our team. But now that our time in Kenya is over, I can say that there is a lot I know. I know some Swahili and Maasi, I know that I LOVE African cooking, I know that we stayed with the sweetest family in all of Kenya, and I know that God was ever present during our stay
Being thrown into the bush of Kenya was a huge culture shock from suburban Pennsylvania. But I couldn't have asked for better people to be culturally shocked with than the 13 girls I have grown so close with. Our team has bonded in incredible ways, which was such an answer to prayer. Sharing stories and words of encouragement has knit us together as a powerful tool of the Holy Spirit.
We've also built close relationships with the Maasi people. Our translators have become our "Maasi dads", giving us Maasi names (mine is Nempiris, meaning Grace) and taking us in as their "muzungu" (white) children. They've taken us to door to door ministry, hiking along scenic trails, and loved us as their extended family. The hospitality of the Maasi community is unsurpassed, they truly live out the command to love your neighbor as yourself.
I didn't know that leaving a place devoid of electricity, running water, and Internet was this difficult. Watching our bus pull away from the children we've grown to love was incredibly hard. Final hugs and pictures marked the end of a chapter of our journey. I feel so incredibly blessed to have spent 4 weeks alongside of the Maasi people. We don't know what the future holds for us in Tanzania, but I know that we left lasting relationships in the bush of Kenya, and that we'll be sure to meet with our Maasi family again someday.
On to the next adventure, blessings to everyone at home!
