First Day on the Job

So I'm currently in the Youth Office using my own laptop to connect to St. Andrew's wireless server. This is a very modern church with many amenities. But it does not lose its African context. The emphasis on community is so strong here. You can't walk five feet without someone coming up and starting a conversation about your family or the state of your life. They are not interested in the quick "I'm good." They want the long story. I spend so much time just talking with people about so many different topics. People seem in touch with what is happening in the world around them. I sometimes struggle to keep up.

This morning we started with the Youth Office Fellowship Service. We sang (well more them than me) songs in Swahili, Kikuyu, and English. They way they easily move between the three is so amazing to watch. Even though I did not understand many of the words I could feel the praise for God. The faith the people around me have humbles me over and over again. I'm sometimes embarrassed that I came to be with them. There is nothing that I can bring to them, they have so much and need for so little. I do remind myself that I came to learn, not to give them anything more than my service for the time that I am here. They will teach me so much, that is obvious.

So hanging out in the Youth Office one of the youth staff has been trying so diligently to teach me Swahili. I told him I have a three words per day quota so he counted that I'm on my 5th day and so should know 10 words. I'm learning as fast as I can but still forget plenty of what they have taught me. I do need a notebook that I can write the words down in so I can practice them at home at night. They do really respect my attempts and laugh with me at my mistakes. We really do laugh all the time.

Today we got into a conversation about the Jubilee Celebrations St. Andrew's is celebrating. September 14th they are having centennial weddings ceremonies and people can get married for the first time or renew vows as part of the celebrations. Some of the guys in the Youth Staff suggested they could find me a husband so I could participate in the celebrations. I reminded them that I go back to the US on September 11th and would miss the celebrations. They had all kinds of reasons I should stay and I'm sure as time passes they will have more and more reasons to stay. I told them I have to go back so I can finish my degree. After I've earned my degree I'll consider coming back.

They do need a lot of ministers here in Kenya. There is a shortage and I've been offered two or three different jobs already. I hope they were joking but I don't actually think they were. Dr. Mungriria already suggested I get ordained in PCEA. Apparently they don't have the same ordination exams so the offer is somewhat tempting.

So here are the long awaited photos of my room. I took these the first night and before I had done any real unpacking. I truly was half asleep at the time. But I don't have too much to decorate with yet so it doesn't look too different now.