Day 14 - Irio is MmmMmm Good!

What a beautiful day we had today here in the Texas Hill Country! Sorry for all of you still experiencing winter weather, but we had sunny skies and 78 degrees. I stripped off my church clothes and donned my overalls and flip-flops as fast as I could so I could get outside and do a little yard work.

For those who know us, we are not master gardeners. In fact, the expression "black thumbs" is used liberally around here to describe our level of mastery in the garden. Last year we suffered another year of drought which had our rivers almost dry and our neighborhood on water rationing. Needless to say, we stopped watering the yard. Now, after a good rainy winter, there's no shortage of work to be done in the yard.

One of the weekend tasks was clearing a flower bed in the back to get it ready for replanting. For the 7 years we have lived here, there is an ugly bush-thing in that bed that I have wanted removed. Ben and I hacked at it yesterday and got it down to the stump. Today, Kaleb went after the rest. He wasn't thrilled about the job, but he faithfully went after it because we asked him to do it. There were times when he needed guidance and help from Dave, but after a little sweat and whole lot of persistence, the job was finally done.

Made me think a little bit about this whole fundraising process. Nobody really wants to do it, but we step forward because we want to obey what God has called us to do. It's uncomfortable for sure and it definately takes effort, but with guidance from our Heavenly Father and help from others, the job gets done.

I hope the new butterfly bush I am planting takes root and grows strong and I also hope the new church in Bondo that we are helping to plant takes root and grows strong as well. Please keep praying for the new church and for our team as we step forward into this endeavor.

Shifting gears - let me tell you about tonight's authentic African chakula (meal). I prepared a chicken stew with a side of Irio, a traditional Kenyan dish. It is made from potatoes, corn, kidney beans and spinach all cooked until soft and then mushed together. I'm told Kenyans roll it into a ball with their right hand (don't ask me to explain what they do with their left hand) then use it to sop-up whatever stew they are eating.

Today's pictures document the process. Let me tell you, it did not look appetizing and making it reminded me of a little kid playing with his food. However, it was actually pretty good and we had a lot of fun eating with our hands instead of using utensils! Even Eli, the grumpy one when it comes to this whole African food thing, enjoyed his meal. By the end, he wasn't just pinching up bites of food, he instead picked up handfuls to shove into his mouth! What a nut!

Hope you all get some of this fabulous weather we've been enjoying. Be blessed as you step into your work week!

Until next time -

Julie