Masaai Madness

well hey there! we have returned from the masaai tribe and wowza it was a wonderful week...in so many ways.
-we saw so many animals on our way there/during our time there. giraffes, zebras, warthogs, antelope, and even the top of a hippo's head that was poking out of the water at lake naivasha! there was also a day that i saw a monkey climb down from a tree and actually steal a banana from a fruit stand...it made my day to see that!
-i have never seen so many flies in my entire life...i also didn't realize how quickly they can make you go insane. one afternoon some of us just couldn't take it any longer and we all huddled under my mosquito net (megg, a zillion and one thanks to you for that thing) just to have a couple minutes without flies constantly landing on us. it was a good life decision.
-we got to, yet again, experience the wonders of killing & cooking another sheep friend with some of the local people. this little trooper's name was stanley.
-these people had the biggest hearts for worship that i have ever seen! it was the epitome of african singing & dancing and it was glorious! ever evening (for a good couple hours) people from all around would come to our campsite, gather around the fire, and sing swahili praise songs and listen to stories. every song was so energetic and so full of joy & excitement!
-i went to a kenyan funeral one afternoon, which was incredibly interesting. a lady that we met invited some of my team to attend and it was unlike anything i had experienced before. the entire community was there and it was literally a celebration of this woman's life...lots of singing, energetic preaching, happy faces, etc. we were also given the biggest plates of food that i have ever seen...and very much so expected to eat it all. it was a great afternoon & it was also the first of many days of rain for their community, which is something to be celebrated in & of itself. african storms are incredible! i am a fan!
-i held a little lamb!
-a big source of laughter for our team came from the pastor who was with us the whole week...he was a big fan of songs (as earlier described) but also had a thing for the most random songs in english. one morning during worship he asked us to do a couple rounds of row, row, row your boat and then proceeded to change the words to row, row jesus' name all around the world...and then we sang it practically every day. it cracked us all up every time!
-one day we met a woman named grace and i will remember her for the rest of my life. she invited us into her hut and then shared so much of her life with us. she has 7 young children and she raises them all by herself. in the masaai culture it is acceptable for the men to have multiple wives & her husband married another woman. she told us that he doesn't help support his children and only comes around to use her to bear more children. in all that she was telling us, it was evident that so much of what she experiences everyday practically shouts to her that she is worthless. it absolutely broke my heart. but then she began telling us that she is so full of hope in knowing god...she told us that it is in her pursuit of faith that she finds joy & worth & peace. it is astounding to me the faith that these people hold...their trust and joy is something so incredible and also so hard for me to wrap my mind around. grace was incredible. these people are INCREDIBLE. and they are teaching me so much.
-we just got back to kijabe yesterday afternoon, which was the 4th of july. our team searched high & low to find ingredients to make an american meal to share with pastor simon & mama margaret, our contacts. we ended up finding the stuff to make hamburgers, mac & cheese, and fries. all homemade, all delicious. it was a blast!
-one last thing before i wrap this thing up...our team has shown both interest & skill in rapping while in kenya, periodically throwing out rhymes, etc. well, one night in our tent, my friend emily and i made up a kenya rap for the rest of our team. laura robinson, this one is dedicated to you.

OKAY! this is mad em and mckay-bay-bay
spittin those rhymes from kijabe

we in kenya, yo
we don't got no hygiene
we just lovin on some people
we don't need to be clean

struttin down the street with our greasy hair
mzungus in the house, all the little kids stare

hi! how are you?!
they shout from their does (doors)
cuz erryday we be in the same clothes

wake up in our tents in the middle of the night
runnin to the squatty with our little flashlights

(pause for dramatic effect)

AND IN THE SQUATTY
there are no rules
all you gotta do is drop dem stools

what you need is some TP or some baby wipes
then go on witchya bad self and drain them pipes

lookin at the view and drinking some tea
doing feedback with my team & my ugali

shoutout to lucas & our homeboy stanley
may they rest in peace, but you sure were tasty

now listen up, every boy & girl
we gonna row, row jesus' name all around the world (reference found above)

YEAH!

well there you go. so much love from kenya!
-sarah :)