Every time I hear the captain come over the intercom with the familiar ‘flight attendants, doors for departure, cross checked and all call’ I am grateful for the years of training and preparation the pilot and flight crew endures. They exude the confidence that is bred from preparation and it’s reassuring to hear as we prepare to start hurtling ahead, 40,000 feet in the air! As I type this it is 7:30 AM in Nairobi (10:30PM Thursday night in Memphis) and I’m sitting in the dining hall at the CORAT retreat center with my first cup of Kenyan coffee listening to one of the local songbirds wake us up. It was a short night after a series of long flights, but we have arrived safe and sound and only a little worse for the wear! Baron Muga met us at the airport with that familiar bass voice and dreadlocks! I love reuniting with friends!
This was the school a few months ago. Today we'll see the finished product!
Today we will travel to the other side of Nairobi to Mathare to dedicate the ‘Miracle in Mathare’, a brand-new three-story school rising above the lean-to shacks and tin (iron sheets) roofs that punctuate the rooflines of the slum. The first time I came to this school there was an open sewer running right through the middle. Through the efforts of several different groups there is now a CONCRETE building that has risen from the sewer and will educate hundreds of slum children. Today’s going to be a celebration! But as you’ll see, this whole trip will be a celebration! Stay tuned for more updates as we have more time to write. You can follow us on the blog page of www.theeastafricaproject.com. Karibu Kenya!