Kenyans sing. It is worth the trip just to hear the sound. A voice will begin, others will join in and soon the walls are shaking. Only after the singing begins does the accompaniment, if any, join in. Fred's Academy provided the music in the worship service we attended. I know, "Fred's Academy" might sound like a shaky Internet outfit, but it is actually the name of a fairly exclusive boarding school next to the church. Their singing and energy were worth the trip.
Following church we paid a quick visit as an orientation to the schools where we will be working this week. Gichunge Primary was quiet. Tomorrow it will be filled with the voices of 400 young students. Margaret Punch was a huge hit with a handful of students who were practicing their bike riding skills by producing photos of them from last year's visit on her phone. Jeremy Punch astounded them by showing that he could ride a bike too.
We also visited BLISS High School … quiet, save a few music students practicing their instruments. We were thrilled to see the 90% completed memorial to Dixie Edwards, a long time Kenya team member. The student assembly area created in her memory will be dedicated on Wednesday morning. Watch for photos of the dedication.
Tomorrow we begin our day at the primary … it will be like jumping into the deep end. Hundreds of small hands that want to shake your hand, learn your name or teach you theirs. It will feel like a nonstop blur … and it will be wonderful. We will catch our breath and spend the afternoon at the high school. It will feel like another planet. Our understanding is that each classroom now has 50 students as the school does its best to admit as many students as it can. If you can't get into BLISS, you probably are not going to high school. Not going to high school means much the same thing in Kenya as it does in the U.S.
If we can carry the energy of the singing we heard into our work tomorrow, all will be well.
Ready for church ...
It may not take much to impress these kids, but Jeremy did …
The Bishop trying to convince Jeff to do a kidney transplant on a student from BLISS with renal failure!
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