Here are several more pictures from our EMM East Africa Team Retreat: we were staying in a castle at Mombasa, and it was beautiful. I have another post about re-entry training (Camp Andrews, May 11-17), and I'll hopefully finish that soon. I'm still adjusting to being home, but it's alright. I've been running, riding/training horses at Green Meadow Farm, and gardening a lot so that I have time to think through Kenya and have some quiet space to process everything. Danita, my best friend, is leaving for Ireland tomorrow, but it was wonderful to see her since we were both home. Today, I selected some new fish for my fish tank :). We have a black moor ('bubba fish) named Jack, after Capt'n Jack Sparrow - I let my mom name that one. Additionally there are two fancy guppies named Snapple and Chase, a really cute spotted/mottled fish named Harper, a standard goldfish named Gabe, the three remaining guppies that I've had since 2011, Redbeard and Moby -and Fleck-, and finally (my favorite) a tiny orange/white fish, Madeline. I'm also really happy to be home taking care of Snickers and Tabby <3. I love connecting with God through nature and animals, which I missed while I was away.
I had a small presentation about Kenya at my church yesterday, and I was surprised when Tim and Bonnie came to support me and listen to my stories (they're on the board form the Home, and met with us before we left for Kenya). That was really kind and thoughtful of them.
I need to keep a strong focus on the fact that everything great that happened in Kenya is because of God, not because of me. It's about His glory and what He can do, not what I can do. Apart from Him I can do nothing. Humility is important, and honestly, I'm not that humble sometimes. I just hope it comes across that I really can't do anything without Jesus. He's the one who carried me through the entire time, and gave me His heart for the kids and the strength to keep going.
 I think the kids and babies and everyone at the Home, as well as the long-term EMM workers in Nairobi, blessed me so much more than I could ever bless them. I wasn't really good at teaching kids ot taking care of babies before I left, but everyone was so patient- even though it was stressful, and the kids were sometimes hard to handle. God's grace was so clear to me the whole time.
Anyway, that was a very long tangent, but it serves as somewhat of an update, and hopefully lets you know that God is still working in my heart & life. I think I mentioned a few specific things that He is teaching me.
Okay. without further ado, here are the photos: