Update from Brenna

Being my first time in Kenya, it has been quite the experience for me. We have been here for 3 days and one of our troubles (as girls, and some boys) has been sleeping. Last night at 1 a.m. we woke up together pondering our wide-eyed dilemma. Today, we are fighting to stay awake in hopes of a good night rest this evening. This should be easy considering our day. We were instructed to be ready at 8:30 for a morning of clothes shopping and an afternoon with the Shimo girls. I don't think we were all aware of the seriousness attached to the shopping trip. The girls met Ann (the TI social worker) in town and began our journey. As we walked up to the first shop, Ann pulled out her notebook with names and needs of 21 children. We were started to understand that we would be blessing these children with a whole new wardrobe (according to their standards). We perused through the lightly used clothing and chose outfits, addressing Ann for affirmation that they would be "perfect" for that specific child. After cleaning out this particular shop we made our way through a few more shops to finish their gift of, 2 shirts, 2 shorts, 1 church outfit, 1 jacket, and 6 pairs of underwear. Ignorant to how often they received this, I learned that this was a very special occasion. By 1 p.m. we were hungry and worn out from shopping and ready to head back for chicken and chips (chicken and fries) with the Shimo girls. This was the first time some of us met them. They all graciously greeted us and remained reserved and shy for quite a while. When the Shimo girls were engaging in conversation with each other I observed their attitude and all seemed so peaceful. I soon became curious how old they were; they rattled off 15, 16, 17, 18 and with children as old as 6 years. I marveled at their maturity and how maternal they've become. Although, when we played with the children the girls were able to transform into children themselves. It was joyful to see. Tomorrow we will be with the Neema girls celebrating "Children's day" in the town. The rumors are that this consists of the school children performing songs and dramas.

I am learning to be content in what I have and have been seeing God show up in children all around me.

Thankful for this opportunity.

Smile,

Brenna (for the team)