Lately

Here's a quick run-down:
- John went home to visit is family. They need to be together a whole lot more often, but lack the finances for this to happen. I'm thankful they had this time and am praying for a salary for John so that he can do things like this and feel relief from the weight of providing for his family (which is much more culturally heavy here in Kenya)
- Avocado business will begin... in June. Honestly, kinda disappointing to me that it'll be so late. BUT, John was excited, so I figured I'd just let that go and get on board. If it works AMCC will be able to pay rent for itself, even buy food for the next few months! Also, John and Nancy will be able to have some salary and can then give all their money away to their families (which is what is culturally appropriate here, even though Nancy has no husband or children) and feel a bit less from the monumental pressure and scorn they feel for working a job as volunteers. It's just not done here in Kenya, and they've suffered a lot for it. Makes me angry, frankly.
- After 6 different, conflicting sources of information about the Tanzanian visa possibilities I just went there myself this morning. I found out that the only visa available to me as a US citizen costs $100. BUT, it is good for 6 months (should have been a year) and is multiple entry- meaning that I'm going to go to Rwanda through Tanzania! This is totally new territory for me and I'm stoked to see it! The BOTTOM of Lake Victoria, and it'll just be cool! My bus ticket only takes me 1/2 way into Tanzania, so from there I have to find a vehicle to take me the rest of the way into Rwanda- so fun! I'll probably end up sleeping in some little $3 hotel and sharpening my swahili (since Kenyans speak a dirty, almost pigeon version of it). I'll stay in Rwanda, visit THE HOTEL RWANDA and also meet my parent's compassion child, Cristophe!
After that I'll go back through Tanzania, spend one night in Kenya, say goodbye to AMCC, and then head on through Tanzania all the way down to Zambia! I might take a train from Dar es Salaam, or a bus the whole way. Not sure yet. Either way, it'll be an adventure! My girlfriend says that buses in TZ aren't so great and I might not want to go on adventures in them anymore after this trip... so we'll see what happens! I might even get to see the Indian Ocean, and, if the Lord really smiles upon me, I'll find some soursop!

The changes before me are going to be pretty drastic, I think, even though I'll still be working in Africa with youth who mostly don't have parents. The stresses of AMCC (no food, no rent, staff all tense b/c they don't get paid, no medical funds, etc...) will be gone, replaced with different ones (a boy who has lived on the streets and has a LOT of baggage from that, trying to explain the gospel and do discipleship cross-cultural, language, and generation, etc...) . BUT, I am SUPER HAPPY to be near my amazing girlfriend Karen Hartman! She and I haven't spent more than 3 weeks together in over 3 years, so the possibility of spending roughly 3 months in the same town is more than I can appreciate right now. It still feels like a dream, like I'm trying to not psych myself up too much in case I wake up to discover it's not real. OH BOY!!!
From then on out I'm going to be forwarding Nick's emails on to people who want them, and also posting his blogs on mine so people can stay up to date on AMCC. Transitioning my priorities and heart to Zambia will be an interesting thing. I guess I don't want to completely, nor do I need to: part of being a christian is straddling two worlds, and having my heart in places where my body isn't. This transition won't be silky-smooth, but I say bring it on!