Kenya YES team newsletter #2
Monica Stoltzfus
12/18/07

You can better read our letters, with pictures, at yesteamkenya.blogspot.com.

This week started out eventfully since we last wrote. We got to experience 2 church services at the Songhor Mennonite Church, the 9th and the 16th. Their praise and worship is incredible. They would just break into song, dancing and clapping to beautiful harmonies. The service on the 9th started pretty small, but the congregation grew as the morning continued. The rains the night before had left travel difficult, as many of the church members live a distance from the church, and any rain turns the dirt paths to mud. Even the smallest rain effects travel, which has really made me grateful for the transportation in the U.S. I will never complain about Pennsylvania roads ever again!
Sunday afternoon, I ended up getting sick on my stomach. When 24 hours later I still hadn’t improved, we went to the hospital. Due overloaded transportation and the few paved roads with more potholes than blacktop, the miserable trip of 14km took two and a half hours. When we arrived, I was tested and we found out I had gotten Malaria. But we had caught it relatively early, and with treatment, I quickly improved. Other than this, it has been a praise that we have had really good health!


Praises:
Ÿ For relatively good health, and my quick recovery from malaria.

Prayer requests:
Ÿ Our second and final week of Swahili classes begins Wed. We are learning, but we ask that you continue to pray that we will come to understand more of the language. It has been a blessing, though, that many people understand English.
Ÿ Continued team unity.
Ÿ We will also begin more of our actual outreach next week, so you can keep us in your prayers as we transition.
Ÿ Christmas is coming up rapidly, which leads to thoughts of home and family. Pray that we can have a blessed holiday and won’t be dealing with a lot of homesickness.

Thank you so much for your thoughts and prayers. It has been an adjustment, but Kenya is beautiful, and the people are very hospitable. It’s beginning to feel a little more like home.