Oh my word

Dana writing today. We seem to have conquered the jet lag... thankful for that. It is warm (at times hot), green and beautiful here. Our day today included a visit to the slum Embakasi for the opening of a new school built by 14 Manitobans sponsored by MCC. It was an eye opener for all of us, particularly the kids. It was pretty obvious not many 'Muzungu' (Swahili for white person) visit the slum. We felt a bit conspicuous with our white faces in our white jeep, trying to navigate the nearly impassable lane ways, but when we arrived at the church where the school is being built, we were welcomed with big smiles and greetings. If not many adult whites visit, very few white children visit the slum and our kids were the first white children some of their kids had seen. It took quite some time for Noah, Anna and Mollie to get comfortable but by the end, the girls had left our sides and Noah was playing tag with the young kids.

Though we know their schools are nothing like ours, it is hard to imagine tin walls, dirt floors that turn to mud with any rain, and no windows. They were thrilled to have two new permanent classrooms made with stone walls, windows, cement floors and even a porch! We look forward to going back in January when school is in to see it in use.

The 'Oh my word' in the title had more to do with the trip home. I didn't feel exactly comfortable driving through the slum, and then we experienced something that put it right over the top. We ended up behind a large semi truck that was driving really slow and we saw three young men climb up the back and into the trailer. We thought they were just getting a free ride, but then we saw them unload some of the contents on the road. When the driver realized what had happened, he came out armed with a slingshot looking to right the wrong that had been done. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of this impending conflict, a place you do not want to be. Stuck between a truck and a hard place (that's from Kevin :). Dad couldn't get the jeep around the semi and even the Kenyan in the jeep with us was suggesting we try hard to get out of the situation. The truck driver noticed our predicament and graciously moved his truck forward before seeking retribution on the thieves. Needless to say, my heart was in my stomach. While it gave us a scare, it didn't put a damper on the days experience.

Tomorrow we are off to a food distribution sight for those most affected by the drought here in Kenya. We look forward to sharing it with you!