Former Rift Valley Academy student, Emily Brandon, presently the director of international programs and studies at Georgetown College opened the door for us to visit our first college environment. We started in the cafeteria with an abundance of choices from Kenyan stew to Greek salads. Later that day we put on an evening performance in the student auditorium. Unique to this program was the amount of international students eager to speak of their experiences of ‘first times’ in America as well as share their love for their other homes around the world.

Georgetown College Auditorium

Afterward Emily Brandon invited us over to her very internationally friendly home in which we all sipped chai and ate pizza.

Mbarikiwe: a song of blessing to Emily Brandon

Another performance in the city of Georgetown brought us to Georgetown United Church.

God speaks more languages than just English, and how great it is watching 200 people learn to sing  “Ashenalen engaya, ashenalen engaya, ashenalen engaya taralai [Maa], asante sana Yesu, asante sana Yesu, asante sana Yesu moyoni [Swahili]. Translation: “Thank you Thank you Jesus, Thank you Thank you Jesus, Thank you Thank you Jesus in my heart”.

Georgetown United Church

Ashe, asante and thank you pastor Allen for receiving us so warmly in your church!

Thank you Pastor Allen

Shanga (jewelry) is quite a popular item among American women and oh how many times we wish we could give them away. The beads jingle as the Maasai (Masai) dance and is as essential to the musical rhythm as are their voices, shoulder shakes and feet.

Dancing with shanga

Thank you Isack and Mathayo for the comic relief

Don’t even know what to caption here, never a dull moment among the crew of the En-kata Choir.