Early Christmas!

On Friday I had a visitor! Austin is dating Amy, a friend of mine from college, and is in Kenya for a couple weeks working with a school in Nakuru. It just so happens that Kijabe is on the way from Nairobi to Nakuru so Austin spent part of Friday with me here! It was so fun to have a visitor, even one I'd never met before. =) His major was in Middle Eastern Politics (or something) and he's going to the Gulf in January . . . so we didn't lack in things to discuss. Amy, I totally approve!

Besides being a good sport hanging out with my class as we studied Thanksgiving and wrote poems, he toured RVA and the hospital and acted interested the whole time as I showed off my little universe. AND . . . he got to play Santa Clause! My SWEET friends sent along lots of little gifts and Christmas lights and candy canes and cards and fun treats. I felt more than a bit overwhelmed! THANK YOU SO MUCH, girls! I love you!

overwhelmed erica

some of the little elves reuniting in indiana :)

Prayers

Been learning about prayer recently through all sorts of communal prayer times. I meet for prayers with my Bible study on Monday nights and we pray every day as a staff during chai break. However, it’s my 10-year-olds that have had the greatest impact on me.

They initiated our daily prayer times and have been diligent about writing down requests and dating how God answers them. We learned about George Mueller and his famous milk wagon story and have been encouraged to pray ‘impossible prayers.’ We pray many impossible prayers here.

• For a dad on a medical trip in the Congo
• For a scrub nurse at the hospital who was paralyzed in a car accident this weekend
• For a family that was denied the right to adopt a severely handicapped boy they have been fostering for a year
• For a friend’s mother with a recent diagnosis of cancer
• For a mom’s spider bite
• For a sibling that is HIV positive and needs government papers to go with the family on vacation
• For unnamed missionaries in unspoken places

Just yesterday I was discussing this with the mom of one of my students. She pointed out that life out here presents so many difficult situations that you just know you can’t conquer on your own, and it drives you to prayer. It’s a good place to be.

Long-n-Hot

I climbed Mt. Longonot on Saturday! It was quite fun, and really not long-and-hot, I just think that’s witty. :)

Modestly dressed hikers looking to catch a matatu in Kijabe.

Longonot from the road down the escarpment.

Our rusted-out matatu couldn't make it down the road with us in it, so we had to walk a bit.

On our way up!

View of Lake Naivasha from the top

Longonot is a dormant volcano and at the top is this awesome crater.

Enjoying lunch under the thorn tree.