A Great Day

We went to Eastleigh yesterday morning. Eastleigh is part of Nairobi that has terrible roads, garbage, too many people in too little space and lots of poverty. There is also a very high concentration of Muslims in this part of town. The Eastleigh Community Center is where Aaron and Erica spend a lot of time, and is their favorite place in Kenya. We turned off a road that would shock many of you into a compound where the whole atmosphere changed. A big sign on the wall says something about restoring hope, and that is what they do. They have a school for children, many of whom are orphans, and they have training in trades for young people and adults. They promote entrepeneuralism and have seen great things happen through their projects and training - it was exciting to hear stories of some of the people that have come through their programs.

We toured through and saw where they teach hairdressing, seamstressing and fashion design, auto mechanics, pottery... that one brought back lots of great memories from the Fort and the pottery shop there. The potter James had made us each gifts - mugs that say 'Praxis Kenya.' It was so generous of him, and perfect as a momento, because I was keeping my eyes open for a mug for my office anyway!

We put in a couple of hours of good work, prepping and painting two rooms in the school - I've mentioned before why they needed the work. I was on the painting crew because they needed someone to fill in, and it was satisfying to actually be doing something that was helpful and work instead of just observing and learning. I think we all felt that. Plus the kids were fun and loved attention, so that put us all in cheerful moods.

We had the afternoon off because of a grad in the CBM field staff family, and had a good Canadian afternoon. After a lunch of pizza (Tristan's 9th birthday treat), five of us hit the mall to call home from the one phone in the one internet cafe, and while we took turns with that we mailed postcards, picked up random things at the supermarket, returned things at the shoe store - normal errands, not touristy stuff... then we hit up Java House for takeout on the way home (read 'Starbucks' or 'Second Cup'). Had some brownies and chocolate cake from there too - spoiled our supper, but it was worth it!

After supper we generally stay in the dining room and meet, and one of us shares our story. Last night I got volunteered, and it went well, I think - it's hard to do that without fighting tears. It was a smaller group because some of the girls were out with friends, so it was a more intimate setting - I liked that, and I had some good talks with people after.