The Wittz End: New friends at the Coast

It is hard to pass the trucks because you are temporarily blinded by the dust.

Last month there was a group of Americans that came to our town on a survey trip. They also went to another town in this Northern area and will be praying about the Lord leading them to this location in the next few years. This is so encouraging for me because I can see the Lord still drawing people here despite the insecurity. Unrest does not stop God from moving and working. In this group of Americans- 3 of them are missionary families that live in Malindi. When we met them they invited us to come and visit them. So this past week we took them up on this offer.

We have traveled on many bad roads but the one from our town to Malindi seems like the winner. There are endless amounts of bumps and ditches. Charis got sick in the car on the way there and Nevaeh got sick on the way back. We have traveled on this road several times over the years and there are sections that have gotten paved- but there is no reason why the whole thing is not paved. Overall 7 hour drive is totally worth it though.

Our girls had so much fun meeting the other missionary children. They immediately got along and became friends. On the first day with them our daughters as well as the other children, squeezed a bunch of limes from their tree. They set up a limeade stand and we all enjoyed buying and drinking the refreshing juice. The following day we all went to the beach, which is less than 2 minutes from their home. The waves are big and there was a ton of shovels and buckets to be as creative as you can in the sand. It was a great time in the sun. That night however there were huge blisters on Righteous and Nevaeh's hands and on Charis's chest. Who knew that the combination of limes and U.V. Lights burned the skin? Lesson learned, to never mix those two again. Righteous got it the worst, and there was a few days I had to help with everything because she could not move her hands. Presently everything looks so much better, it is healing and you can see the new skin.

My heart was filled being able to spend time with the 3 wives. Each lady is so different so you can see how God uses each individual for His purpose as a separate part of His body. But still all are needed to bring that unique part. One of the mom's has so many great ideas that I want to implement in my own home in the upcoming years. She has the five children which have been home schooled here in Kenya. She does so many things each week to make life fun and make the day special. She let's each child stay up for 30 extra minutes 1 night a week and that child get's the full undivided attention from both parents. They can play a game together or just talk, but watching tv is not an option during that 30 minute time. Every Friday night is a Family night as well as Taco night. This past Friday, when we were with them, she wrote out a "Now Hiring" chart with cleaning jobs that the kids could sign their names on. I never saw my kids so excited to sign up and start the chores. Then later that day she payed them with fake American money.(which is so great for them to see bc we learn about American money for school but we never have a chance to use it-so it is hard for it to stick and learn it) She set out a bunch of lollipops, cookies, candy, popcorn, soda and had "Yo Mama's Snack Shack" sign with all the prices listed. The kids got to buy their snacks for the evening movie we watched.

When we there we also got the chance to see Laura, Abdi, and Renee(Laura's mom). Laura had come to live with us the whole month when we were waiting for Samara to be born-3 years ago. Laura watched the older girls when I went to the hospital and helped us afterwards. Now Laura is awaiting the birth of her baby daughter, who will arrive any day. We got to see and hear about the ministry they are involved with. Abdi showed us the exact table that the Lord had first started to draw his heart towards Him many years ago. We are so very proud of Laura and Abdi and to witness all the Lord is doing through them.

Last but not least, we got to go and feast on some delicious "street food" on the first day of Ramadan. (It began on June 17th) There were many tables set up right outside the mosques and you could purchase food for incredibly cheap prices- like 5ksh-20ksh (10 cents-25 cents). Everyone was friendly and this was the first time we ever got to do this.

We had such a fantastic time in Malindi and hope to go again sometime in the near future.
P.s. I do not have one single picture of the families, or Malindi, or Laura and Abdi because I was just soaking up the moments and not even thinking of capturing them with photos.