Korean Food

We love trying new foods out here. Who would have guessed, though, that we would be eating tons of Korean food in Kenya? We have a large percentage of Korean students at RVA as their parents are missionaries all over the continent. So, we have learned to love Korean food! When we used to be dorm parents, our dorm boys would make Korean food and give us tutorials. Now, our whole family loves it!

Now I am teaching Advanced Cooking and one week is designated "International Dishes." I think this is hilarious, since in this multi-cultural context, one has to ask themselves, "What is international?" My Kenyan students think hamburgers are ethnic food, and my Danish students make food that is familiar to them, but I would categorize it as international. So we just have fun making dishes from all over the world that week. We made Asian, South American, Indian, and of course Korean food that week. As a grand finale of the week, one of our staff members, who also happens to be Korean, came in and taught the kids how to make Kim-bap, the Korean version of sushi rolls. They were amazing!

100 Cups of Tea

One of the privileges of working at RVA is the relationships we build with students. I have enjoyed mentoring different girls over the years and this year is no exception. I am meeting with a girl who was in my Sunday School class last year and when the year was over we continued meeting weekly for prayer and accountability. She is a sweet girl and many weeks, she encourages me as much as I hope that I encourage her!

Every week we meet over a cup of tea and talk about life, friends, school, family and most importantly how God is sovereign over all of these things.

Next year she is graduating, but we will miss her graduation since we will be in the US, so these are my final weeks... and final cups of tea with her. I am thankful for the 100 cups of tea we have shared!

2 cups of tea...

a special girls outing (Megan is taking the picture!)

The Best Kids in the World!

Eleven years ago (has it really been that long?) when we first came to RVA as new staff, we attended new staff orientation, where the dean of students led the new dorm parents' workshop. He mentioned, "We get to work with the best kids in the world here at RVA!"

And I can honestly say that's been true for us! Now, our students are not perfect. In fact, since Jeff is dean of students (and thus, handles discipline) he can attest to that. But they are good kids. And fun kids. And awesome kids!

We are so blessed to get to work with these students day in and day out. Teaching, mentoring, coaching, and just hanging out with the kids....

And this time of year, as they all scatter around the world after graduation (which is one month away for us) they are all headed to amazing places - many to the USA, but some to Europe, South Africa, Korea and other countries. Not only that, we have students being accepted to universities like Yale, Princeton and Harvard. Our little school on the edge of the great Rift Valley is starting to make a name for itself and universities are realizing what we have known all along.....that these are some of the best kids in the world!

The bulletin board showing where all our seniors are going next year.

So proud of our kids!

The Waiting Game

We are in the process of trying to secure housing for next year from afar. We have had wonderful help on the other side - thank you everyone who has made phone calls, filled in applications, attended open houses, and talked to landlords on our behalf!

But now we wait. We have a house that we are really, really interested in, but we have to wait for the phone call or email to say yes or no. And it is hard to be patient! My mind is running at 100 miles per hour, thinking of living there...or not living there. Thinking of how to get furniture to furnish the place. Thinking of all the things we need to do in order to get settled. I am already plotting plan B if this house falls through. And my mind is not at rest. At all.

This morning the Lord gave me a verse. I know it must have been the Lord, since my mind was so full of worry and anxiety that it didn't have room for scripture at that point. But the Lord reminded me, "I know the plans I have for you, Joyellen, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." 

Oh yeah. Why am I scurrying and fretting? We have been praying for a house for next year for months now. So have many of you. The Lord knows our needs and we just need to patiently wait for His perfect timing.

Fitting In

We are only a few weeks away from leaving Kenya and returning back to the states, so I thought this would be a good time to clean out my office.  In doing so I found this little booklet entitled “MISSIONARY (re)-ORIENTATION MANUAL: (For missionaries who haven’t been home in a while.)” -by Jay Altemus (former missionary in Kijabe, Kenya). Naturally I figured “I fit that category, I want to at least look like I fit in.  I’ll check it out.”  Here are some of the more helpful tips it included.  

(Some may make more sense to you if you’ve lived/visited overseas.)

When traveling back home, REMEMBER,....

• Mosquitoes are no longer a threat to your health.

• The phrase, “the students are having a riot”... probably means they’re just have a good time.

• When riding together in a van, resist the temptation to refer to your spouse as “the tout”.

• When you get home from the grocery store,... the milk and eggs go in the refrigerator not the cabinet!

• You’ll have to relearn english:  Torch vs. torch.  Chips vs. chips

• Restrooms will have toilet paper provided... in the stalls.  They will also have seats.

• Not everyone driving a Land Rover is a missionary.

• The newspaper will be delivered to your door,  just not your car door.

• Dinner by candle light will be inspired by romance,.... not by power rationing!

• Accidentally turning on the windscreen wipers instead of the turn signal will be a frequent source of embarrassment.  Just wave and try to act natural. (The same thing goes when you find yourself accidentally sitting being the drivers wheel of a friends car.)

• It will not be necessary to hoard coins so you have the correct change next time you go shopping.  When you do get change back it will be currency not candy.

• Resist the urge to ask around for “someone who could deliver a package.”

• You will have to pump your own gas.

• Driving tests do not include the “Hotwheels® test drive” portion.

• The grocery store clerk will not barter with you.

• You will not find the current president on any currency.

• Bleach is most commonly used to remove stains from clothing, not for soaking fruits and vegetables.

• No matter if it’s brown or yellow...flush it!

Great advice.  Thanks Jay.

Packing

I am taking a quick break from packing to update the blog! We have 45 days until we leave for the US. Even though it seems like plenty of time to pack, our days are busy with all of our school responsibilities so we are taking advantage of our mid-term break this weekend to pack like crazy! The students left Friday at lunchtime to go home (or to a friend's house if home is too far away). The seniors in my Advanced Cooking class all headed off to the coast for their big Senior Safari. The students earn money all through high school with various fundraising events and then this weekend they get to relax on the beach and enjoy their efforts!

Since the students don't return until Monday night we are using our weekend to pack up whatever we think we can live without for the next 6 weeks. Tomorrow (Sunday) we will take a break and head out to Naivasha for church and lunch with  my brother's family.

Here are a few pictures of what our house looks like in the midst of packing chaos!

Boxes, boxes everywhere!

Empty shelves...the goal!

All packed up and ready to store...just hope we don't have to dig back in there to find something!

The kids have been troopers about Mom and Dad packing. They have been helping us a lot - putting things into boxes, dusting, carrying the garbage out, etc. This afternoon, they took their own break from packing to build a fort outside under the picnic table.