This Global Walk Outside | Day 5: Kenya
Hey, I’m Miranda! I am married to Dan, and we have three kiddos ages 5, 3, and 1. We live in Kenya, and work at a boarding school for missionary kids from all over Africa. We truly think we have the best job in the world; getting to disciple and walk alongside these kids as they learn and grow in wisdom and understanding of the Lord and the world around them.
FIND ME AT:
The view looking out from our porch. One of my favorite places to sit and have a cup of coffee! On a clear day, we have a view of the Rift Valley, although it is often covered by mist and clouds.
We live in a beautiful place. Our home is nestled in the side of the Rift Valley, which means that we are greeted with beautiful views each time we walk out of our home and around our community. I often stop mid-walk and just stare at the views of the hills and valleys...it just doesn’t get old.
My favorite things about our outdoor space are summed up in small details. I love the canvas rocking chair on our front porch, the small succulent babies that sprout on the sides of my plants, the birds that dart in and out of the bottle brush tree, and the sounds of students passing on the road in front of our houses. I even love being able to sit on my porch and watch monkeys in the yard! As long as they stay in the yard and out of my house.
My least favorite thing is summed up in one word: Siafu. Otherwise known as safari ants, or as my kids call them, pinching ants. If you haven’t encountered them, consider yourself lucky! They move in droves, and before you realize you are standing in a line of them, they are already climbing up your legs and latching on. Let me tell you, stripping a toddler out of all their clothes in the middle of the yard as they scream because they are being pinched is not a highlight of the day. We get them a lot in our yard, and you never know when or where they will show up! We have used all sorts of things to get rid of them, mostly unsuccessful...so mostly, we just move around them to do what we need to do.
Our backyard has loquat trees, and a clothesline which doubles as a swing set!
There is always at least one pair of muddy shoes and a whole lot of toys to be found on our porch!
Our outdoor space is vital to our ministry...especially in these covid days! We use our front porch for afternoon meetings, coffee dates with students and staff, play dates with other preschool mamas and babies. Our back car port is used at night for meetings with students, and on the weekends for evening activities full of games, ice cream, and laughter. It seems that these days my serving tray for coffee and tea is always in use...full of dishes that serve warm drinks and treats to people in our yard.
We use our carport behind our house as an outdoor hosting space as well! With Covid, all of our interactions with students are outside, so this space gets used several nights a week for hosting different groups of students. We are so thankful for a covered, outdoor space that allows us to continue to connect with students while staying warm! (Nights are cold and windy here!)
I love the outdoor nature of our life here. I grew up outside of Buffalo, NY. We had a few weeks of summer weather each year, but much of our year was cold and snowy! Here, year-round we are in and out of our house all day long. Our kids have just as many toys outside as they do inside, as most of their play is outdoors. We lived in Malawi prior to moving to Kenya. While Malawi was also incredibly beautiful, where we lived was very dry. We love how green and lush our current home is year-round. We do get some very cool temps during the rainy season, and days where it feels like we are literally inside a cloud! Those are beautiful days in their own way though.
When we moved into this house, this was a chicken coop. My husband and Dad totally revamped it (and cleaned it!) to turn it into a playhouse for the kids!
My favorite flowers in our yard, bougainvillea!
Our yard is our space...we use it to hang things on the clothesline (although we do have a dryer which I am so thankful for in the long stretches of rainy days!), roast coffee in a pot over a gas bomb, plant herbs and veggies, and give haircuts to keep the hair out of the house! But, it is also a community space.
Kids often wander freely through and visitors may stop by at any point of the day. Often this is a blessing, but on days where our kids are having a meltdown, won’t come inside, or are running screaming away from me, it can be difficult!
Living in community means that those around you see the good times, and the hard times up close. Compared to private yards in the U.S., this is very different...and although it took us a bit to get used to, we are so thankful for the connection to our community now!
One of my favorite corners! Hand-woven cushions from a local artisan, a couch made out of a spare twin bed by my dad and husband, and real-life bird poop on the back of our chair from one of our many feathered visitors.
Our outdoor space is truly my favorite part of our home. Mostly because it gets so much use by our family and our community. I love hearing the mix of languages that float through our yard as students walk by or Kenyan friends have chai on the porch or girls who were in our dorm previously stop by to visit. It is a bridge to those around us, and we are thankful for it.