Well, as Lisa well knows, the last few days have been very hard. The time with Japheth, while a blessing, is always the hardest time of the trip. Rough roads, no electricity, etc., it just makes it hard. The way there (8 hours on terrible roads) really wears on us, then while we are there we are always being asked for money, like it's an endless supply for us. We also have trouble as we came home, Ed and I flew back due to a seminar we were conducting, but the rest of the group took the bus, which lost its breaks, and another member got sick. Then we got to the hotel and they didn't have the reservation, even though I called to confirm earlier that day. Finally we got everything straightened out.

The next day was shopping, then yesterday a few of us experienced the closest thing to hell on earth, the Kibera slums. I won't way it was hell, as I believe hell to be the absence of God, and I know God is there, but it's terrible. WOW! I really can't even put it to words.

One of the things that really struck us and really made us hard-hearted after the fact was how we felt like this was just check on our list. Kibera- done that, what's next. Yet was a desperate situation. I was struck, I felt this would be it, I didn't know if I could go on with my work in Kenya, I was down, depressed, homesick, etc. Ed and I prayed last night that we had to put this behind us for the time, we wanted to wake up this morning with renewed energy and a vision for the next few days. Only God could do that.

I woke up felling well this morning and as I went to breakfast I met the team (all 24 of them) from CA that we will be working with the rest of the week. I also greeted Dr. Mutunga, the President of Tumaini, an organization I serve, and his wife and Dr. Meshack, the former head of Nairobi Hospital and one of the leading me in the country. He actually remembered me from two years ago. Great men, they renewed my heart.

After that we went to visit Dotun and Ami Modupe, International Teams ministers who work with refugees, mostly Sudanese and Somali. I began communicating with Dotun last year this time but did not meet him until Thursday. What a man! What a ministry! Our hearts were once again refocused on what the Lord is doing here and how we can catch and support that wave! AMEN.

Thank you all for your prayers. We now head to Masii where we will help with a VBS for AIDS orphans for the next four days, then two days of safari and we are home. The time has been long but it's also been good, we are praying for more strength as we continue on.

Barikewe sana!