It's Time to Say Farewell!

This week has been pretty crazy! It was full of comings and goings, not to mention frequent power outages :) Mary Kamau came back from the States on Tuesday night and it was wonderful to finally have her and Dave back in the house again. We girls left for Joska on Wednesday and somehow (I seriously do not know how!) I left my bag at home with my camera and books, and everything else I would need! So yet again, no Joska photos...but we plan to go there tomorrow for church so I will be sure to get some then.

Thursday, however, was a very sad day...it was Tahia's last full in here in Nairobi so she spent her remaining time telling all the people at Pangani good-bye. It is tradition to have a farewell party for those who leave Missions of Hope, so Leann and I gathered people together and we celebrated her time here! We sang, danced, and enjoyed some wonderful cake. Some of us also made a point to get up and tell the others just how much we have appreciated getting to know Tahia and then express the impact she has had on our lives.


Tahia got very close to Lillian, in the clinic, over her stay and so it was sweet to see their interaction during the party haha! I know Lillian loved having Tahia help her with patients and also just being there as the comic relief on long afternoons. This photo was just the beginning stages of a full-on cake war! It was pretty hilarious to watch these girls smash the cake and icing into the other's face and then have a cat and mouse game around the room. How awesome is it that two Christian women, from opposite sides of the world, and who each cannot understand the other's English very well, can develop a deep love and friendship in so little time? It amazes me :)

So after the cake, we danced and had a "crowning" ceremony where Lillian put a t-shirt and scarf on Tahia as we danced around her. A few of the kids from the third grade class Tahia helped in also came to enjoy the festivities and say goodbye. They were so sweet, and actually made me start crying when one little girl jumped on Tahia crying and begging her not to go :( Oh so bittersweet!

So later that night we got home to no power, which was disappointing since Leann and I were planning on making empanadas and a Lemon Meringue Pie...but it was great and we eventually went to bed early. I saw Tahia off at 3:45am and went back to bed reminiscing of our time together. The next morning, Leann and I decided to get some coffee before heading to the center, and when we finally pulled into Pangani, the driver who took Tahia to the airport approached us. He smiled saying, "Just so you know, Tahia is here." We were like, "What?! Are you kidding?" So we ran in, frantically trying to search for her location and we of course found her in the clinic :) I guess when she got to the airport, she discovered that her flight had been cancelled and she was to catch another one later in the day. So God blessed us with a few more precious hours!

I learned so much from Tahia! She taught me about genuinely loving people and having patience, but she was most of all a breath of fresh air :) Tahia loves to laugh and make jokes, so her vigor for life inspired me to not take things so seriously, and I absolutely love her for it. I will miss her, but she will be in my prayers and hopefully I will be able to see her again soon. I know she will be greatly missed by everyone here :)

God is so good! He is a God of relationship and he specifically puts people in our lives for a reason. I just pray I was able to encourage Tahia and love her as much as she loved me! Praise God for his many blessings :)

P.S. I wanted to also give you all an update on James, the boy who Leann and I took to the hospital last week. He was the one with the terribly infected leg. Well, after responsibly taking his medication and applying ointment to his wound, James is on his way to full recovery! His leg looks so healthy!! Bwana Safiwe, and thank you so much for all your prayers :)