Birthdays and Babadogo

Well today is Wallace's birthday, so we girls made a banana cake and surprised him at work today. We didn't have any candles so we just used matches as a replacement haha! We had to hide the cake from him and then ice it at the center when we got there. It was a lot of fun!



Haha I just realized the guy to the left of Wallace is giving a creepy smile! He isn't creepy though don't worry :) But I think Wallace had a good time. He has been really busy though since Mary is gone and I think he was in meetings all day :( He is such a busy man, but I guess that happens when you are the head of an organization! I really admire him and Mary for their faith in God's provision with this ministry. They are such great people who have put their whole lives into serving others.


Well today was another training session in Babadogo and Leann and I had the opportunity to tag along with Isabella to help her teach on family planning. I am extremely impressed with the community group at Babadogo. They have opened up so much and are truly concerned about the welfare of their neighborhood and surrounding community. Family Planning is actually a hot topic right now in Kenya. Obviously with the high rate of HIV infection and just the overall lack of knowledge related to contraceptives, pregnancy is claiming the lives of many women. People also just do not know that there are ways to prevent having so many children. Sadly, the other day when we were chatting with some students from Area II in Mathare, we were astonished to find out that only a week ago a young girl died from complications with a home-performed abortion. There are so many misconceptions concerning what protects you from getting pregnant or contracting STD's/HIV and what does not have that capability. So we spent almost 2 hours informing the group and then discussing their opinions and questions.

It was absolutely fascinating watching Isabella interact with the men and women of this particular CHE group. She is just so real and down-to-earth. She is not afraid to share her life experiences and then listen as they describe their struggles and questions. I just learned the other day while talking to her that she has had a hard time recently as well. She has two children but is a single parent. Isabella was actually married for 13 years before deciding to separate from her husband. In Kenya, it is socially unacceptable to divorce and only tolerated after the woman has tried anything and everything to work through the problems. Plus it is always the woman's fault. So for Isabella to leave her husband must have been tremendously difficult. And as a result she believes in the New Testament teaching of not remarrying after separation because it would be considered adultery, unless her husband were to die. Wow! Marriage is so different in the US! She is an incredibly strong woman who's faith is refreshingly inspirational. At the end of the meeting she made sure to let the group know that she is available any time for them, whether they have questions or want to learn about something specific. The sincerity in her voice was enough to assure someone of her dedication to the Kingdom. Ah, such great people!

I desire to be open and vulnerable with people even if they have the capability to tear me to shreds in the process. Isn't that what love is all about? Isn't that what God does with us everyday? There is something freeing in the act of vulnerability...