Friday, December 28, 2012

Another Christmas in Kenya


I missed home a lot this Christmas. It was my second Christmas away from home since I’ve been in Kenya. I was lucky though because my Kenyan family took me in and let me celebrate with them. Christmas isn’t celebrated here how it is in America. There’s no tree or presents. Christmas in Kenya is purely a religious holiday with many hours spent at church and then many hours spent in the kitchen. Of course, this was my favorite part. The meal we had was one of the best I’ve had here in the village. I went to church 3 days in a row with my family! Christmas Eve night we spent at church from 8pm until 12am. It was actually more fun than regular church, because the youth ran it and it was just a lot of singing and dancing. I even sung “Jingle Bell Rock” and “Silent Night” with my friend Chebet. I also danced a lot! I had bought sparklers recently and that night we lit them off and you should have seen the faces of the village children. Never have they seen anything like it! It was so cute and magical.

Because of the kind packages that have been sent to me this holiday season, I was able to somewhat play Santa Claus here. Even though they don’t get presents on Christmas here, I really think they deserve them. These kids have nothing. They literally play with bottle caps on the ground or old tires. They kick around piles of trash as a ball. So giving out nice toys to the kids felt wonderful. I gave my favorite little girl Chekoech, a black Barbie doll my mom sent me. She looked so happy when she got it, that was worth everything. I gave Mary (the woman whose daughter I sponsor), a bucket full of all the essential household items, like laundry detergent, cooking oil, socks, soap and some food supplies. She really appreciated it which was nice.

Anyway, I leave for vacation tomorrow and am so looking forward to getting a break from the village and seeing Adam! Just want to say Merry Christmas and happy new year from Kenya! May this next year all bring you as many blessings as this past year has brought me.

Special thanks to: Mom, Dad, Susan Poor, Libby Poor, Julia Conant, Aunt Kathe, and others who have sent me packages and letters! Much appreciated!

Remember, I am still in need to used or new toys for the orphanage that is opening up. If you would like, you can send them to the address on the right. Thank you and God Bless!

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