Updates From the Field:  Kenya # 12:  August 1, 2007
Hello Everyone: I am sitting in my office wrapped up in a warm sweater, because we are now in the middle of winter in Kenya.  Of course, the coldest it has gotten is about 11 degrees Celsius (around 55).  It is just a little different than the winters I'm used to (especially the ones I spent in Upstate New York).  All the nationals think it is freezing, though.  Last week we had some unseasonably warm days.  It was around 80 degrees.  Some winter! I am very proud to say that several of our special schools competed at the National Music Festival this week.  Kibos School for the Blind won FIRST PLACE, and they will be singing for the President of Kenya next week!  The rest of our schools placed high as well.  I am so happy for them.  It is a tendency to underestimate those children with disabilities, but their musical talent is unfathomable!  Though it is cliche, I feel like I'm listening to angels when I hear their singing. ( I attempted to send you a video, but I can't figure out how) Speaking of musical ability (which I do not have anymore), I now play in the corps band.  Last Sunday, as I was playing my brother Bill's old cornet from his New Jersey youth band days, my valves became a little more than sluggish.  For some reason, I assumed our little corps band in the middle of Kenya would not have valve oil.   So, I removed all my valves and started to cover them with my spit.  The young guy next to me quietly got up and came back with a bottle of valve oil for me.  It is funny how sometimes I make the horrible assumption that because I am in Africa, things won't be as good or as available as our prosperous US of A.  I am glad God humbles me in those moments. A large part of my job is taking visitors to our various centres to show them the social work of the Army here.  This week, I hosted my friends' son who is visiting from England.  We started at Dandora Community Centre.  This is the nursery school that I told you about in one of my first updates.  At that time, they were in a tiny shack and sharing one mattress for nap time.  Due to some very generous donors, I am glad to report they are now in a brand new nursery school that is about three times as large.  They even have more mattresses.  The children are now very used to seeing me, and call out Captain Armida as I enter.  However, the corps officer told me that they now call every white woman who comes "Captain Armida".  The children are wonderful, healthy and happy. Then, my visitor and I proceeded on to the Kibera slums.  I know I have told you about them several times, but every time I go with someone new, it is like the first time.  This time, we visited a home (a ten by ten metal shack) where an elderly woman lived with her two grandchildren.  She explained to us that she doesn't know where her daughter is, and she doesn't know who the father is.  She cried with gratitude when we handed her a bag of groceries worth about $7.  I think it means, this month, she won't have to decide between buying food and paying the rent.  It was hard not to promise her things would get better, but I knew there was a chance they wouldn't.  So, I just told her that because of her faith, there is something better waiting for her when the troubles of this world pass away.  I am convinced that some of these people I meet should only be encouraged about the hope of heaven, because they are living in the closest thing to hell on earth as you can get. We then went back to visit the children in the nursery school.  In the middle of their rhymes and songs about God and some silly things, they recited a poem about AIDS.  It hit me like a ton of bricks.  These 3 and 4 year olds have to learn about AIDS now to protect them in the future.  What a life!  I cried at the injustice of having to be exposed to such an ugly thing at such a young age.   Thank you for praying for me.  Though I am still overwhelmed with my responsibilities, God is filling me with a special peace.  I am not in this alone!  I have rescheduled my visit to the centre in financial trouble for the end of August, so please be praying about that as well. My verse of the week is : "But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.  For He Himself is our peace" - Ephesians 2: 13, 14a Love to everyone!   (and welcome to Linda Johnson, who will be visiting Kenya soon!  Can't wait to see her!) Armida