This past week I had some sweet time to hang out with 2 of the girls that I discipled last year. The group of 7 girls whom I usually call “my girls” has dwindled as 4 graduated from Secondary School in December and are now scattered about, 2 living upcountry and 2 more are living in Kibera off and on depending on occasional job opportunities in the city. Another one of my girls, Mary, is off at boarding school located over 2 hours away from Nairobi. So the only 2 that I get to see pretty regularly are Leah and Janet. They are in Form 3 (11th grade) this year and are very devoted and serious about their studies as they prepare for the national exams next November. The students here go to school for 3 months, then have 1 month off. April is their month off, so I told Leah and Janet that we should find time to do something fun to hang out during their holiday.
So last week, we spent the day together at a shopping center in the city. We had lunch at a nice restaurant, saw a movie (Ice Age 2), had fun browsing the shops, watched some TV at the electronics store, and treated ourselves to ice cream before heading home for the day. It was a great day filled with many new experiences for Leah and Janet. They were overwhelmed with the menu at the restaurant and didn’t know what anything was, even though it was all basic sandwiches, salads, and burgers. So I went through the menu and tried to explain what things were as they asked. Then we all just decided on hamburgers and chips (fries). Neither of them had ever heard of, or tasted of a hamburger. When our food came, they both looked at their plate like “what now?” I had to demonstrate how to eat a burger, after seeing Leah start to eat the top bun by itself with a fork! But after some instruction, they dug in and loved it! There was much laughter and fun conversation over this new dining experience. 
Then we went to see Ice Age 2, where the girls also got to experience air conditioning, and honestly didn’t favor it so much. I thought all of us, myself included, were going to freeze, as we are not used to AC at all! But the movie was cute and they loved it! Before we headed home we had dessert at a little café. After much deliberation and asking what everything on the menu was, they both decided on vanilla ice cream. Ha. I ordered apple pie and let them taste it as I explained that this is a classic American dessert. The whole day was a lot of fun and it was good to get to spoil them a little. They are so appreciative and the littlest things mean the world to them! I thank God for crossing our paths and allowing me to invest into their lives. They always tell me to “pass our greetings on to your family and friends in America!” So, from Leah and Janet, you are greeted.
