The flights were pretty uneventful except for 20 minutes of turbulence just before landing in Nairobi.
We were welcomed into Kenya by a big group of people who had kindly been waiting for us for a couple of hours after our flight was delayed and customs took longer than expected! It was raining when we landed (for the first time in months!), and they helped us pack up and transport all of our luggage to the house we are staying in. By the time we got there it was about midnight, and the power was out but the family was waiting to welcome us by candlelight. The house is a little outside of Nairobi and we get to stay with an awesome missionary family who have rooms to rent out to guests . Their home is very nice and spacious, and they are taking great care of us!
Today was dedicated to rest and time to get to know the area. We got to sleep in, have a nice breakfast, and then we went to a nearby slum to meet people and see some of the projects that have been taking place there.
We had a tour of the high school, water filtration system, and the bio-fuel system that have been built pretty recently. It's very troubling to see so many people living in such a small place with so few resources, however it's also encouraging to see the progress that is being made. The high school is well-built and has many classrooms and even a chemistry lab and computer lab. This slum is one of the more developed, with electricity and water filtration, and many improvements will be made possible with the bio-fuel system. We will be meeting with the principal of the school later this week to see if we can come back and serve there later in the trip.
Later in the evening we met with a pastor and his wife who serve as missionaries in Nairobi and a nurse who has been a missionary in Africa for much of her life. They shared valuable insights into African culture and how we can best serve in our month in the country. It was inspiring to hear about their work and the experiences they have had in Nairobi.
One interesting thing we learned is that we can expect significant differences in the way nurses practice in Kenya compared to what we are used to, and we are looking forward to starting orientation at the hospital on Monday.
We have already met so many wonderful people and I feel so blessed to be here! A month seems like a long time to be away from home, but I know we will be so busy that it will fly by.
Tomorrow we get to visit our first Kenyan church, which I know will be a lot of fun and probably very long. I'm excited for that and the many more Kenyan adventures to come!
Thank you for your prayers!! Please continue to pray for the team to stay healthy and safe. Pray for God to bring us opportunities to meet people that we can serve and encourage, and that we will have guidance in knowing how to best spend our time. Pray that God will bless the people of Kenya and that He will strengthen the missionaries that are so committed to serving them.
Until next time!
Sincerely and thoughtfully,
Christa Layne McMurray
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