i am cherotich

so i spent last week in kapchorwa. it was absolutely incredible. it took a couple hours for the IMME van to manuver around the hilly dirt roads to drop each of us off. we even popped a tire and had to just pray that God would keep us all safe for the rest of the drive. i stayed with a couple named patrick and joy both of whom are teachers in addition to their farm work, growing bananas and coffee. i lived in a little mud house in the middle of the banana plantation, not a city in sight. i cant really explain it but there is a healing property about being in the middle of nature like that. i dont know exactly how to put words to it but i could feel my heart being mended while i was there. i felt so broken and numb and apathetic for the last year but being here has helped restore me to the melody i recognize...or at least something that resembles what i remember. it was great to go for hours and hours without saying any words...just thinking and journaling. one of my favorite things to do was get up early and sit on the cliff, writing in my journal and looking out over the valley...i could hear the birds and the muslim call the prayer echoing from the valley...it was beautiful! i loved just sitting and talking with mama joy. her faith was so every present. she recognized that everything they had was a blessing from God. i asked her one day..."do people in africa ever ask the question 'does God exist'?" and she replied..."well there are some that are curious...but mostly...God exists in africa". wow...i wish that it was so easy in america to have that kind of simple faith. to just believe...no questions. in a way i think it is important to question God and faith... but sometimes i meet people here and i envy the peace they have. meeting with the people there constantly reminded me of the verse "be still and KNOW that I am God". just be still and KNOW...you're never going to totally figure it out...so just be still and know. easier said and done of course. anyway...the church service there was also quite an experience. the only instruemnts were various wood and animaly hide drums and a tambourine. the offering was the thing that struck me the most...in kapchorwa people have very little money and since they dont make any kind of regular profit its difficult to tithe ten percent...so instead people just bring whatever they have...eggs, milk, vegetables etc and the clergy auctions them off during the offering time. all the money then goes to the offering plate. it was great! and i also got to go to the school where mama joy works...there were about 70 students per teacher and they all sat squashed together on long benches behind narrow tables...each student did not have their own desk as they do in the states. neither were there enough books for each student...their only personal school supplies were a small notebook and one pencil. anyway..it was a great experience and the kids loved me bieng there! i walked into the classroom and caused an uproar. ok...well this is long enough so ill stop here. hopefully ill have some time to update you this week.