Today is the day....

Today we say good bye to Kenya.

We wave one last time at the people we have come to love.

We will hold our close friends close one more time and then release them to live their lives here in this land.

We will do it with tears.

And we will board our plane and fly over the deserts and over the mountains and over the waters and we will come back to America..to clean, pure water..to bathrooms with seats and toilet paper..to food prepared under USDA..to showers that do more than pittle..to electricity that is dependable...

We will come back to you...

And we will do it with joy...knowing that the God who allowed us the privilege to not only see, but to also enjoy Kenya, will show us how to integrate back into America...with peace AND joy...

And we will hold you close and we will share our story...if you like...

I ask myself why?

Why do I love this land so much??

There is so much need,

so many protuding bellies, 

so many ratty shirts,

worn out shoes...

Life is hard, with

so much hard, hard work...

so little conveniences...

so much imminent danger...more than danger of lions,(i just liked this pic:) is danger on highways....whew!! and danger of volitile mobs...

I don't know all the reasons I like this land, but I do know a few...

The children, the eyes...

The smiles...shy, maybe, but always.

Nearly always.

I said yesterday that I think I could count on 1 hand, maaaybe it would take 2, the times that I have waved and smiled at someone and they haven't broken into a smile and reciprocated the wave...I will miss that!!

There is so much dirt and trash here...but one thing it makes me appreciate the beauty when it's there...

Papyrus along Lake Victoria..

sunrises here at the compound..(not without me having to clammer to the roof rack of the Land Rover to see over these walls...)

a monkey friend at Jennifer's Garden....

Of course, fellowship and laughter over lunch doesn't make you hate a place...

(I only wish Marlin's head would have been captured in the same perspective. He was sitting opposite Brent. Then the caption would have read..."the two heads with their families" or something like that!:)

I love watching my family throw themselves into experiencing this culture...

with sheer joy...

with love and compassion...

with love for learning...Alison spent two days helping native mamas prepare for orphan dinners..and LOVED it..

with helpful attitudes...:)   I wish I had pictures of the day that Cody had a great time helping to deliver SAW packages.(support a widow)

with uncomfortable okay-ness, at times...

with guys that go deep...

As we leave, there is one word that comes to my mind to describe our month here:

RICH

And our praise goes to Father God who planned it all to each minute detail....

PS I asked each of my family for a word and this is what they came up with:

Brent- "humbling"

Tara- "awakening" "awareness"

Cody-  "dusty" "exciting"

Alison- "amazing experience"

Amber- "exciting and amazing"

Natalie- "rain" "headaches" (both of those are in the last 12 hours, so I'm not sure if that's completely fair. But, since she is four AND the baby, we will let her go:)

And we will board our plane and fly away from Kenya. Away from hot. To America. To cold. To you...

Until then...God be with you...