Eyes Wide Open

It is impossible to explain all that I have experienced and learned in the last few days. I shock myself when I say days because I feel like I have been gone from home and in Africa for months! My world has been rocked, shaken and rattled. After a few days I can’t even imagine my life being the same once returning home.

After arriving in Africa on June 3 we spent a night in Nanyuki and the next day took a safari (journey) to the middle of Kenya. A place called Satiman, Kenya. We drove on dirt roads for over 3 hours and when we arrived, the most beautiful people greeted us. They are all part of the Maasai tribe.  They greeted us with rice, goat meat and chi tea made with camel milk. We all quickly set up our tents and have been enjoying sleeping outside under the stars.

My new family is amazing.

The team I’ve been blessed to be a part of makes up the perfect body. When one is absent, their presence in missing.  We each bring such unique and different opinions and character to the table that has been so great in helping me grow.

Dirty is an understatement.

            By the time I get to shower next I will have gone 20 days without a shower. Lets talk about being comfortable around each other. It rained 3 days after we arrived and we all tried to wash ourselves when we though we were dirty. A week later some people on the team couldn’t handle their greasy hair so we took a bottle and filled it at the well and took a shower. I’ve never enjoyed washing my hair or dirty feet so much.

Grain like rain.

One night it was raining so hard. I sleep so great with the rain hitting my tent and the lightening brighten up the dark night sky. I woke up and after enjoying mandazi (which tastes like funnel cake) and a cup of water and sugar with some coffee beans (their version of coffee) I ran back into my tent to read Hebrews 11. God is so great.

Top Rock.

            We have been able to walk to an area that has flat rocks and read and listen to worship music. It is incredible all the sounds that I hear when there. Chirping and gurgling bird noises, bells ringing from the necks of the cattle grazing, goats bahhing, camels snoting and peeing, children singing and talking in the Maasai language and everything is so natural and real. I love seeing the beautiful land that God has created here. It is open and free. There is little destruction and His skies are so wide and open. The stars at night are like nothing I’ve seen before.

Selfless and loving.

            The people here are so welcoming. They want us to be comfortable and at home while in Kenya. Our host, Joseph has a wife name Anna and 4 children: Naseku, Simeon, Namali, and Petro. Anna and other village women do most of our cooking. They work so hard. When one meal is done they start on the next. Everything is prepared over a fire. One day I was outside the gates of the home reading and one of the girls walked out and brought me tea. You can’t find that kind of generosity and hospitality anywhere else.

Laundry and Dishes.

            I will never complain about doing the dishes by hand and will be forever grateful for a washing machine. Washing dishes here consists of using the same hot water and some soap for all the dishes to wash and then new water to rinse. Laundry is done in a bucket and hung on a tree with sharp thorns to dry. The women work so hard and get all the dirt and stains out. Dirty baseball pants have nothing on the dirty stained cloths these women are washing.

Ministry and teaching.

            We have been going to 4 different villages and talking with people about Jesus and teaching them. Thirteen people have come to know the Lord. I was able to help talk to two boys and prayed with them to invite Jesus into their life, an amazing experience. One of my favorite parts thus far has been going to the school and teaching standard 7. I have made so many cute friends. I have been encouraging them to continue their education. Two special friends, James and Elias have been so generous and continue to give me bracelets, necklaces and rings every time I see them. They brought all the Maasai tribal jewelry to class one day and decorated me in it. The beadwork is amazing.

There is so much more to share but we are about to we embark to our next location in Uganda. 24-hour bus ride here we come!

Continue to pray for our teams health and safety.          

Lecare (Goodbye)

Katie Koplow