Hair Day

On Friday the beautiful Mattaw girls went to get their hair did. Since the school term is over for the year House 2 mom, Cristabel, can braid their hair. She does such a good job. Before she can braid it they have to get it blow dried. Below are some pictures of the girls after they took out their old braids and before their blow dry.

While the girls had a day out on the town, the Hamers and I worked with the boys on sponsorship Christmas cards. Phil and Dalene Hamer are an amazing couple here that are filming Mattaw and working on a couple of their own projects. Check them out at untilthen.org!

Saturday we went out to Mattaw for birthdays. Before lunch we had time to play with the parachute a team left this summer. The kids love it! Birthdays are not a big deal in Kenya like they are in the US. Most Kenyans don’t know how old they are. Many times this is because they have never had a birthday celebration or have been living on the streets and have no concept of time. It is so nice to get to give special attention to the children and celebrate them. They also get special treats and soda, that makes all the kids very happy.

With less than 2 weeks here it is getting down to crunch time. Tomorrow we are celebrating Thanksgiving so we can enjoy leftovers the remainder of the week! Bud ordered a 20 pound turkey!!! Building is also continuing this week, so many pictures to come.

Mattaw is Growing

Today was building day! The humor in this is that a year ago I said, “I want to come to Kenya but I don’t want to build anything!”. Little did I know I would be here for such a time as this. Official building for House 3 began today and I helped. In August Bud went to Mombasa to pick up a brick machine he ordered. Since then he and the construction crew have been working hard making bricks and preparing for the walls to go up. I am so honored to be a part of what is happening at Mattaw. I never thought I’d be so excited to be involved in construction! I sure ain’t no builder. House 3, or Amani, is already full of kids waiting to move in!
This week will be a busy one. No worries because we know how to have a good time! Time is flying and we have a list of things to do before we leave. I hope to post plenty of pictures to update you all on the building process. Plus, who doesn’t love pictures of adorable children?

Asante sana! Thanks for reading!

I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas

Lately I have been remembering the amazing time I had at the beach. We have also been discussing plans for next year. So, in honor of all things beachy I am posting pictures of our vacation. I will trade white sands for snow any day!

Cutest Kids in Africa

Here are some photos from the last couple weeks. The last few are from the girls day out we had today. Since the boys got to go to the Kitale Show, Kenyan version of the fair or maybe the Stock Show, the girls came to the Huffman’s. They jumped on the trampoline, had lunch, and watched The Parent Trap while we painted their toes.

This morning filming began out at the project. The kids recited a memory verse and sang and danced. Pretty sure I teared up twice. I am probably going to lose it when I actually have to say goodbye and hug them for the last time until May. So many of them have warmed up to me so well! They definitely have a huge chunk of my heart. However, my brother’s kids hold most of it! I have missed loving on my white kids! I can’t wait to hold them and hear them call me Boo Boo.

Enjoy!

Karibu!

My first blog and I only have 3 weeks left in Kenya. I have been holding out because I knew what I wanted my blog to be called and most of them were taken! Seriously, and one girl’s name is not even Betsy AND she hasn’t blogged since 2003! Anyway, things are beginning to wind down on this trip, but plans for 2011 are quickly being laid out! How did this year slip away so fast? I hope if you are reading this you will continue to follow me on this crazy ride I call life.

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