A Miny Update

Today was back to work, after a relaxing 10-day holiday.

I’m feeling relaxed. I spent the weekend away from Kitale, in a hotel….just me. On Saturday, I laid in a park, under a bit of shade from the tree. I read, I listened to music, I prayed, I listened to God and I played cards with a few street kids.

Although I was only an hour away from Kitale, there was something about being in a hotel, being able to watch TV in bed and just have no schedule or routine that just made me feel like I was a million miles away on some tropical island. It was wonderful.

Things are about to get busy. It’s the month of updates for all of our sponsors, so that means new pictures and information on the children. I love it; spending time with the kids and getting to ask them things about themselves and seeing how much they’ve grown since their last picture. It’s awesome to be a part of that.

We’re also having our big Christmas party on December 24^th. There are over 100 people coming; it’s going to be fun, that’s for sure.

I can’t believe it’s already December 10^th. Time has flown by. I can imagine and picture the mayhem going on in the malls now back in Canada and the US. I can picture the chaos in the parking lots, looking for that one good spot. I can picture the line-ups at the cashier’s counters in all the stores. Those are things that I definitely DON’T miss.

This is my first Christmas away from my family EVER….thirty-one years. It feels weird; Christmas is definitely not the same here. Here are some reasons why:

1. There is no snow and the weather is hot here.
2. The “Santas” here are skinny, Kenyan men dressed up. There’s not an ounce of “jolly” in St. Nick.
3. There are no Christmas lights shining from the houses at night.
4. There is no roaring fire in the fireplace on a cold night with a big cup of hot chocolate and a little bit of Bailey’s.
5. There aren’t Christmas songs being played 24/7 on the radio or in the stores.
6. There are no nieces and nephews excitedly saying “Santa’s coming and he’s bringing lots of presents, Auntie Mary.”
7. There is no Mark wanting to buy a fake palm tree rather than a real Christmas tree.

But there are going to be 80+ children who’ve never had a Christmas party, never had a great big meal and never had a Christmas gift that will get to experience all that this Christmas. That’s an amazing Christmas gift for me, seeing their smiles and hearing their laughter. I get to be here with them, watching them experience it all.

Thank you to my family and friends for supporting me in staying in Kenya for Christmas. It really means a lot to me. I’ll miss you all SO MUCH during the holiday; please know that.

Love you all,
Meredith

xoxoxoxo