First Impressions

I’m not quite sure where to even begin or what words to use that would suffice how wonderful this place is but I’ll try my hardest!

After a LONG plane ride totaling 18 hours (starting from Dallas) and many movies later we arrived in the Nairobi airport! We moved quickly through immigration, purchased our visas and retrieved our luggage. We were then greeted outside with a huge crowd of MITS boys! They came up to us with so many smiles, handshakes and hugs. They were so excited to see the familiar faces of Shannon, Jeremy and Laura and so inviting to LeShae, Kori and I who they have never met before. The hour drive back to Kamulu went by so fast chatting with the boys and sharing our picture albums with them. It was very late when we arrived back to the compounds so we chose our beds and fell fast asleep.

The next morning was Saturday, thankfully we were able to sleep in a little to help get over the jet lag and unpack our things. We then took a walking tour around the MITS campus. Getting to see the chapel, soccer fields, boys compound, and staff members houses was exhilarating. For lunch we ate at the learning center with the kids and had our first African meal experience of rice and green grams. Mmm! We got to learn so many names and faces throughout the course of the day. For dinner we were blessed with the opportunity to go over to Charles and Darlene Colston’s house (the founders of MITS) to have a home cooked meal. Conversations overflowed and we were able to see a glimpse of all the love they have poured into this ministry over the past 20 years.

I couldn’t have asked for a better first day and impression. The people here have hearts the size of their content. Their kindness and passion for the Lord shines through their daily activities. I love the sound of their voices laughing in the background constantly. I can definitely get used to this beautiful language. Knowing that I get the opportunity to come back as an intern for 6 months after I graduate makes the little parts of this trip easy to remember. I find myself already trying to learn every street name and direction so I won’t get lost! I can’t wait for more adventures to come and to see what all God has in store for our trip!

In Him,

Candace Bayles