Kenya {Day 6} - Around the House

We arrived at Mattaw on Saturday morning (we usually headed over there right after breakfast) with no set plan as to what work we would do there that day. Even though this prefer-to-have-a-plan-to-maximize-time kind of girl can occasionally enjoy spontaneity, when my time involves doing work or being productive, I like to be orderly and efficient and have a plan to guide me. Thankfully, God knows better and interrupts our ideas of what our plan should be (according to us). There were no specific tasks set before us and no outline of what our day would look like yet it was one of the best days.

 

Our team dispersed upon arrival to go help or engage with the families in any way we could. I was uncertain at first of what would be helpful to them (my perspective and theirs could be very different) and I was unsure of what might be more of getting in their way. I headed to House 3 where I had gravitated to most days for lunch and milled around in the backyard where the morning chores were being done. These chores were done by the Mom, "Auntie" (who did not stay on the property but came in most days to help), and also the older girls of each house.

 

E, L, and I started by helping with laundry. I believe this is done a couple days a week. With 12-16 kids in each house and lots of dirt to play in, you can imagine how big the piles were. The ladies line up a bunch of buckets filled with water and individually wash each article of clothing in the first bucket, then the second, then the third, and so on down the line with each wash removing even more of the dirt. I was amazed how the filthy, red dirt stained clothes and shoes looked completely clean after their hand washing. We formed an assembly line and were each responsible for a couple of buckets.  

As you can see, I would often start the day off in a light jacket because it was a little cool and then I would peel off my top layer by midday. It really was the perfect temperature for working outdoors.

After washed and wrung out, on to the clothesline they went...

 

This was an impressive skill that I did not attempt



Some dishwashing from breakfast

Kim & L scrubbing together. I used to babysit L when she was 3 or 4. Who would have thought we would travel to Kenya together years later?!

After the morning "clean up" chores were done, we moved on to preparing for lunch. E and I helped cut up the "spices"...the peppers, tomatoes, carrots, etc. that they used to flavor foods. If only the spices in our foods here were only fresh veggies and herbs!

 

I am not the most skilled knife user as it is so when they handed me a huge blade to cut up everything, I was a little nervous. I gave it a shot...briefly.

I attempted - for a second - to cut as they did (with the blade going towards my finger) but a quick small cut on my hand made me realize that I do not have their skills! Even the young girls in the houses who help the Moms and Aunties were pros.

Pictured below is Grace (Mom of House 3) teaching Spencer how to make rice for lunch. Saturday's lunch is a special treat because the children get rice and chicken. Meat is only served a couple of times a week so this meal is one of the favorites.

There were often 2 pots cooking for meals. The rice was up near the house over an open flame and then the chicken was over a fire farther out back. 

Mattaw weekly menu

While some of us were working behind the houses and helping the house Moms and Aunties, the rest of the team was working on the wall. Most of the blocks had been moved at this point so not as many of us were needed for this project at the time. A ton of progress had been made on the wall and they were nearing the end at this point... 

Enjoying a break from work over a delicious lunch.

The chairs and couch were saved for us while the children all lined up on the bench by the table or on the floor to eat.

Decorations in our eating area at House 3

Some playtime/hang time with the kids out back after lunch.

Sweet Faith loved playing with my watch 

If Spencer realized that I had "his" Faith, he would often sweep her away from me. Again, she was the little girl who looked so sad when we arrived.

 Faith was actually the cousin of the two twins I mentioned before. Here she is with Emmanuel.

The change in her just days after we had been there was amazing. Watch below...

What joy filled my heart when I saw this precious little girl smile and laugh at Spencer

Grace making chapati for their next meal. She was always so sweet to let us watch or have children under her feet or by her side.

Bud & Kimberly's oldest enjoyed giving Grace a hand with the dinner preparations

In the late afternoon after the chores were done, we sometimes just relaxed together. Bud and Kimberly (who run Mattaw) were quite busy while we were there so they were not always around. Here was one of the few days that they were. (Kim is the one standing against the door holding one of the twins, Bud is sitting down in front of her in the cowboy hat...go figure.)

 

  

This was one of the few days that dark clouds moved in and blocked the sun. The kids continued to play soccer until the rains came. 

Friendly faces on the dirt road that led out of Mattaw

A beautiful rainbow that appeared once we arrived back to Karibuni at the end of the day. Again, this view was from the back porch where we ate dinner every evening.

What a beautiful reminder of God's promises to us...