Bush...Here we Come!

Sorry for the limited posts in the last couple days.  It is so challenging to get things done over here and we find ourselves spending the better part of a day work on a couple of what would seem to be small tasks.  You just can't get things done fast here and we are starting to accept the different pace of life over here.

We are heading out to the bush (Kitui) tomorrow and will not be back to the big city for 9 days.  The appreciation of our somewhat sparse accommodations here at the Guest House will be appreciated and missed as we enjoy a once in lifetime experience of home stays with families from Kitui.

We had a magical time yesterday when we left the ‘compound’ which we are generally encouraged to stay in unless we have Dan with us or go in a group.  It was the first time we venture out very far.  We reached out and connected with the homeless boys and really felt good about that brief encounter and about the possibilities in the future.

Some of the boys wearing political hats that were just dropped in the road

The smallest of these boys did a most touching thing.  He kept showing up all along the route that we walked, but was just doing their thing with his buddy, we just happened to be going the same direction. We saw him begging for coins from cars in the street (keep in mind this is like a 6 year old child). They came over to the sidewalk when we were looking at some scaffolding that a building had on it (all of this including the shoring for concrete buildings is just sticks!). We talking with them and having fun while Gary was teasing him and asking him for money.

The boy who gave everything...

The little boy who had a small handful of coins that he had got while begging (probably everything he had in the world) just poured his handful of coins into Gary’s hand and gave them all to him. He did not expect them back and freely gave everything he had. Gary eventually gave them back, but the boy was not concerned at all. What really struck us was that someone who had NOTHING but the clothes on his back and a few coins in his hand, could so freely give it all away to a stranger who obviously didn’t need it. We were touched beyond words at that moment. It will never be forgotten by us.

Sydney and Marie were off for a home stay with Dan and his wife Beth.  They will need to post their experiences of that which we heard were great.