Good morning! The sun is up, the birds are singing and the fresh scent of cleaner on the floor is drifting upstairs. I love that smell. Gift and Precious are calling out, it’s so nice to hear the voices of young ones walking around. It has been nice to have some transition time before heading back to the states. Here no one has stared at me and I feel like I can just be myself, not to mention the wonderful time I’ve spent with the Graces. I’ve gotten used to being an anomaly but it is nice to have a break from that. When we first arrived at the youth conference, Philemon parked the car right next to the outdoor service and led us four white women through the crowd of 1,200 Africans sitting under the trees. Walking through them with their attention focused on us was definitely one of those experiences that will stay with me.
Last night we got to see the sunset over Lake Victoria again, it’s so beautiful to see it set over the water. This has been a wonderful time here in Kenya. I have done so much and experienced so much since coming here it hardly seems possible it was three and a half weeks ago that I arrived. I’ll have a lot of internal questions to answer when I get back, a lot of things I now know I can’t unknow, not that I would ever want to take the knowledge back, but it begs the questions, what do I do now, how does my life change now that I do know? With what I have seen, how will that direct my life from here on out? Those questions do not have quick answers, the only answers I can give is how I choose to live my life and love the life around me whatever that may be. At the end of Lord of the Rings, Frodo asks how can you go back and pick up the pieces of a life after all you have experienced? You can’t go back and return to what and who you were. You can only go forward and let what has changed sink deeper in. Thanks be to God.
Blessings on you and thank you for all of your support as I’ve walked these Kenyan roads. It has been a joy to read your comments from the other side of the world. I will continue to write about my time here in Africa when I am home.
Asanta sana to those I have known here,
Sarah
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Sarah, it was so great to spend time with you in Kenya. Thanks for your great blogging and I hope to run into you again soon in the small Quaker world.