Somehow, God manages to bless me with greater and greater joy. Today was perfect. To put it lightly, my face hurts from smiling.
After rolling out of bed at 5:30am, when breakfast was supposed to start, we loaded up a van that seats about 20 and headed off to Ol Donyo Nyokie at about 6:15am. After 3 hours of bumpy roads, smog, and breath-taking views of the Rift Valley, we arrived at the school in the Maasai village.
The children in their red, gingham-patterned uniforms greeted us with excitement and faces covered in smiles. We decided to reverse the schedule for the day and begin with games because it gets so hot in the valley. (It is pretty much a dusty desert.) People were playing football (aka soccer), jump-rope, singing, and chatting with the kids. I made my way over to the volleyball court where we started a few intense games. They are serious about their volleyball! We played with a soccer ball and sweat up a storm, but it was so fun. It was mostly the older boys that were playing, about ages 15 to 16; the younger boys served as the ref and kept score in the dirt. We even had someone with a whistle to call whether the ball was in or out! By the end, my arms and ankles were several shades darker, as they were covered in dirt. After playing about four games in the beating morning sun, the kids broke for lunch, and we got a tour of the school campus.
It was nicest school I've seen yet since I've been here. Each classroom had nice benches, cement floors, and a black chalkboard. They also showed us the staff room and library. Their library was a bright sunflower yellow and had hundreds of books piled and lined up on shelves. It was a small room, but in comparison to the other schools, it was so much more organized and well-cared for.
Then, we sat down and the kids performed a couple of songs. Let me tell you...these Maasai kids are some of the most talented, most gifted kids I have ever seen. They sang and danced a couple of tribal songs for us. The whole time I could not wipe the smile off of my face. It was so beautiful and so impressive! One of the team members even told them at the end of our trip, "When I am in Heaven with Jesus, I hope the voices I hear are yours." I am telling you...it was incredible!
We then broke into separate classes for youth boys, youth girls, children, and adults. I worked with the youth girls again. Praise God, it was the most successful Freedom for Girls program I have been involved in yet. We covered A LOT of topics, thoroughly discussing and teaching on menstrual cycles, sex, abstinence, and HIV/AIDS. The girls asked excellent questions and were very open about talking in front of the other girls. I was so impressed at how well they spoke English and their willingness to listen and learn. It was one of those moments where you knew the girls were connecting the dots in their heads. We had about 7 women there teaching, and each and every one of us were able to add essential teaching to the session. We not only discussed those topics but delved into the "unspoken"s of sex, HIV, relationships with boys, and dealing with one's monthly cycle. We had testimonies shared from team members about waiting until marriage to have sex, boyfriends, and how they deal with their cycle. We were open about types of sex and modes of transmission of HIV, and we cleared up myths and misunderstandings about condoms, HIV/AIDS, and relationships. We were surprised at one question that a girl asked about whether or not you could get HIV/AIDS from having sex with an animal! I never saw that coming, but we clarified that though HIV is virus in humans, sex with animals is not God's intent for sex and is not a healthy or safe practice. I thought about bringing up SIV (which is basically HIV for monkeys), but I decided it would be too complicated and unnecessary. The girls were catching on to the phrases "It's not too late to wait," "No is an answer," and "I am free!" (We even sang the "I Am Free" Song again!) I was even able to use a diagram that I learned from when Brad Henning came to my high school and spoke on abstinence! I cannot even tell you how thrilled I was to be able to take all that I have learned from my Pestilence and Civilization class last year and teach these Maasai girls about it! I am telling you... I am living my dream! I cannot help but think of Psalm 37:4: "Delight yourself in the LORD, and He will give you the desires of your heart." Oh praise Him!
Long story short, we soaked up all the time we were given...like a dry sponge...and the team of women we had was clearly God-ordained and was a true testimony as to how we each serve as different yet essential parts of the body of Christ.
After the teaching, the kids performed a few more awe-inspiring, traditional tribal dances including ones that are typically performed at weddings or in worship. Gah, it was amazing! After saying our final "thank you"s, prayer, and goodbyes, we headed off. On our way back we stopped at the village of Counselor Jackson, where we met his wife and kids, whom were dressed in beautiful Maasai colors and jewelry and saw his mud-hut home. It was beautiful and surreal. Counselor Jackson even presented Steve, HEART's team coordinator, with a staff that typically goes to the chief of a tribe! It was a lot of fun on the way home as we got stuck in a little bit of Nairobi traffic and joked about how Steve is the first, official, albino Maasai man, and he could command everyone out of the way.
Goodness, I hope I get to go back to the Maasai village again as well!
Overall, it was a day clearly made by God, and though I assume it can never be matched, God has His ways of surprising me. And I am looking forward to it.
