It is Sunday evening here and  the sun is setting.  The calf is baying (hungry, I think)…and the high school girls just finished singing at the church (they sing at 6 a.m. and 6 p.m.). We had lunch at 3:30 pm (as we did our first Sunday) after a 4 hour church service, which most people walk to. With 2 and 1/2 days left, I am struck by how rich and full the time here has been thus far. Verena captured it well when she said that there is a daily rhythm here but no day is exactly the same.
Yesterday we had our first STARS Children Africa field trip. We took the STARS who have graduated from high school, those in their 2nd year of high school and 5 new girls who start high school this week. We went to a historical, and some argue mystical, prayer site called Kit Mikayi, which is composed of two gigantic boulders.  Kit Mikayi is a two-hour drive from Miwani but it took us three hours since we stopped for a snack of soft drinks and bread. Sister Abigael said “here life is happy and full” as she had no been out like this in a month.
Right now, Verena is helping to transfer pictures she took of the STARS who have already graduated from high school since they anticipate  traveling to different locations to pursue higher education.  Earlier today she – and I as her helper - took video and photos of the graduates as they gave three reports to the church body. One STARS graduate reported on agriculture; the second gave a report on the primary school where he has been the headmaster since February 2010; and the third reported on the St. Luke’s secondary school where he has been head teacher since January 2010. What a joy it is to see what these STARS graduates are doing!
This weekend was made even more special by the presence of Michael Florence, another American. In 2009 Michael helped STARS Children Africa connect with a Kenyan organization to install 15 used computers so the STARS could learn computer skills. Now Michael is on a one year mission with a church association in Nairobi. He was able to join us for the entire weekend (including the field trip). He leaves tomorrow to return to Nairobi and we leave on Wednesday. I am excited for the remaining 2 and 1/2 days we have left.