a very happy birthday.

so thank you for all your happy birthday-facebook wishes my dear friends!! how i love you and miss you!

my birthday was fantabulous and a half! 21 years now. weird. no banana beer...shoot. a group of students went out for lunch..for these egg chipatti things...scrumptious. then i went to the market..crammed with people selling and buying miscellaneous merchandise, american t-shirts and skirts, and everything from strainers and old teddy bears to watches--and then there was a food market section where we saw our neighbor's dinner fish get chopped up with a machete...so beautiful and colorful though (the tower of pineapple was magnificent)! then, best of all, on the way home I met the neighbor boys (dennis, mickey and job..oh and their sweet sister madu)...we started a small football game and the whole neighborhood came...watching from the gate and then flooding in when we welcomed them with "yangu"...there must have been a couple dozen of them...so adorable..such a blessing to finally play with a group of children...to hold them and run around with them...they spoke very little english...but it was fun to just dance and play a version of sorts of follow-the-leader. as much as I adore the children and was so very blessed by them...can't help but remember that one of the main reasons they want to play with me is because i'm a different color...and yet I'm grateful.

then dinner with the family was very special..we ate early (around 8) and had two kinds of meat..a chicken sauce, fanta, and a cake (that we're still working on)! there was much laughter and family fun. so grateful for my family's generosity!

oh and then the next day...
visited this rehabilitation center up on a hill just above campus...they are doing casting and physical therapy for children with disabilities..so excited to keep going..to shadow nurse joyce and spend time with the children!!!!! they are doing great things there...helping children with cerebal palsy...club foot, rickets, osteomalitis, and burns. it's called CHERUB, pray for their work! It is wonderful!
and then upon returning home...the kids were back and we played a sweet game with a big red balloon!! joyfulness!

tried making kettle corn for the family yesterday...partially successful...my brother sechii was like..."americans like what, sweet."

this week has been golden! today we are going to some burial site place...should be good...hopefully it will stop raining!

thank you for your love...I send mine to you!
JOY TO YOU THIS DAY!