Freedom

Freedom - a concept that we in the US can identify with and appreciate.  A beautiful thing that we fight for and protect...and count as a right.  We are free to come and go as we please, choose our schools and careers, say what we want, participate in government and democracy, have fair trials, and worship without fear of interference or punishment.  Freedom means a lot to a lot of people, and many people we know have served in the Armed Forces to preserve our freedoms in America.  I have not felt that freedom at all times here.  To begin with, I am not a citizen and I do not understand how to navigate society here.  The dealings with police work differently, the traffic laws definitely work differently (for instance, sometimes everyone just ignores red lights - how do they know when to ignore and when to obey??), and there are things that I don't even know that I don't know. 


But, today, I achieved a small bit of personal freedom....I walked to the grocery store all by myself!!! Laugh, I know - it sounds silly.  It isn't as though I have been trapped in the house everyday - I haven't been.  And we have been spending time with wonderful new friends.  But, we don't have a car and the stores are about 1.5 to 2 miles away...and 3 kids don't want to walk that far each way along busy roads with a shopping trip in the middle!  I just need to be able to look around and figure out what is there and plan for buying our groceries, household items, and appliances.  So, I walked up to the Nakumatt, which is like a Walmart.  Sort of.  Not really.  But I am definitely thankful for it!  It is like Walmart in that it has a huge selection of items from food to electronics to furniture - more than any other store in Kenya, and this one is open 24 hours!  It is not like a Walmart in that it is REALLY expensive for most things and there is no discount for bulk items. (I asked how much the pack of 40 rolls of toilet paper was, and he said just multiply whatever one roll cost by 40. Hmmm.)

So, to wrap up my little shopping excursion, I found many things (spices, yeast, decent chocolate syrup, storage containers, popcorn), compared a bunch of prices, and left late after sending Rick a text he never got.  Night was falling and I worried my family - oops.  On the way home, I met a group of sweet kids walking to evening prayers at the nearby mosque.  They called out behind me - "Hey, mzungu!" (foreigner) and started to walk with me.  It turned out that they were all siblings and walked that way each night by themselves (12 yr old, 11 yr old twins, 10 yr old, and 8 yr old).  The kids here are very friendly. :)

These construction workers wanted their photo taken.  They all pick up these concrete pipes together, put them on the dolly in the middle, and carry/push them down the road one at a time.  No heavy equipment!

This must be the recycling truck-I don't know what is in those white sacks, but they are huge.

Papaya tree in someone's yard.  Notice the broken glass on top of the wall - a common security measure.

Our kids watched the daughter of the family staying across the street from us this afternoon. :)

Keeping in touch with all of you is so important to us!!  Thanks for keeping up with us -we love hearing from you!!

Here is a photo of a loaf of banana bread that I made tonight for breakfast tomorrow.  Not a big deal really, and it didn't even turn out perfectly - but I thought I'd share it because it does reveal a little of what life is like here.  We found all the ingredients in the store or market, we bought a pan, and Emily and I mixed everything together.  Then, we had a family meeting (of sorts) while Ted and Anna washed the dishes by hand with boiled water....do we add some of our chocolate chips or save them for something else?  (We can't buy chocolate chips in Kenya.)  We decided to save them.  In the oven it goes....the oven dial here is marked from 1 to 9.  What?!  So, I cooked it on 7, then turned it down to 6 when the top seemed to be cooking too fast.  lol!  I think it will be fabulous! :)

Thanks for reading my ramblings tonight!  Remember, our most important freedom is the freedom we have through Christ's love and sacrifice on our behalf - freedom from the punishment that we deserve for our sins.  A freedom that we cannot earn but that we should never abuse or take for granted or hide.

Love,

Sarah

Galations 5:13-14

For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.  For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “ You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”