Back to the States.

Yes... I've returned from my adventure in Kenya. I'm happy and sad to be back. I've been trying to process through my whole expereince so that I don't sound like a blabbering idiot when I blog about it. I'm still working on that.

I decided to conform and get a facebook... but primarily for the purpose of sharing all the pics. So you can search me... Meghan Strickland... obviously. I've put up all the pics and wrote a little about each one. I'm in the process of putting together a little write-up with pics and little stories and things I took away from my time in Kenya.

For now.. I'll just say a little bit (even though that is not easy to do)... Kenya was incredible, overwhelming, heart-breaking, encouraging, humbling, unforgettable, and many more emotions all in one. i loved it and I want to go back. The people are beautiful... in every way. But the poverty you hear about and see on tv, if youve never been, is very very real. It is an absolute different world. It's hard to comprehend. My heart was ripped out. But the joy, the faith, and the HOPE of the people is what kept my heart from breaking into a million pieces... because, it can't. You can't stay sad for long when you see how these people treat one another like family and they praise God for everything and kids love school and they take joy in the little things.

I've heard it said by friends who have gone to Africa.. but now i can officially say it and know that its true: We (Americans) may be so blessed with material things and we may have so much... but the people in Katito, Kenya have something we don't have. We say they live in poverty... and they do.. very much so.. in fact they live in extreme poverty (less than $1 a day)....... BUT we too live in poverty in America... a different kind of poverty... but poverty nonetheless.

A definiton of poverty is the deprivation of those things that determine the quality of life. We tend to deprive ourselves of true joy.. of what it means to be content in all circumstances.. of enjoying one another... of not keeping ourselves busy... of being thankful... of giving God the Glory and the credit He deserves.

Kenyans have all these things.. and they've taught me all these things and more. Now I'm just trying to figure out how to innovate... how I can bring a little bit of Kenya to America and incorporate it into my life everyday... because I cannot keep living the way I do. I must try to slow down. I must try to be grateful. I must try to care about others more. I must try to enjoy God's creation.