Kenya Day Six

Day Six:

Emotions are running high tonight following the debrief discussing our time in the village of Kiria. Today was our last day in the village and each team member now has to determine what this experience means to them and how they are going to use the experience to guide them in their everyday lives. We came to build relationships with the people of Kiria but an additional plus to this mission is that we can now use our experience and knowledge to hopefully serve other individuals as well. 

In the village today we went about our normal routine in the morning, helped with the construction of the primary school and worked with the students. In the afternoon we had a nail painting party with the women of the village in order to pamper them..... They definitely deserve it. Once the nails were done we briefly spoke to a Bright Point representative. This is an organization that works with 410 Bridge in order to provide a sponsor to the students in the primary school.  I highly recommend this program! Then, it was time for the closing ceremony. This was an emotional time for all of the team members and for some of the community leaders. What we were feeling was different for each person and some  of us are still processing how we feel about all that we have experienced. I know that I can speak for the team when I say that the days we spent in Kiria Kenya will never be forgotten. 

The people of Kiria have accepted us and have allowed us to be apart of their community. They have said it many times but it was repeated again today in the closing ceremony that we are always welcome. I appreciate the support that Newhope has given this community and I appreciate the community of Kiria for allowing us to learn about their culture and to share some or ours. 

On the bus ride back to the hotel I ran across the song , “Funny The Way It Is,” on my Ipod . There is a line in the song that says, “Funny the way it is, one kid walks 10 miles to school while the other is dropping out.”  This song really spoke to me because it challenges me to take what I have learned in this community, which is appreciation, and find a way to teach students in the western culture what it really means to appreciate something. 

This is just one example of the many positive realizations that have been produced by the trip so far. We all look forward to spending the next couple of days together continuing to build relationships and focusing on our purpose. Thank you all for you prayers and support throughout this journey. 

Listen to: Funny The Way It Is 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FAbMnMWHTvY 

God Bless,

Amy Lineberry, On behalf of Team Kenya 2011