On November 21, we graduated our second women's literacy class. We started with 10 students but only 8 were able to complete the studies. Some want even more!

We had such fun honoring these 8 women. Pictured below is the outdoor kitchen where some ladies from the community came to cook lunch for us.

Our wonderful, dedicated teacher, Lillian tested the students so she could rank them according to their comprehension and achievement. Pictured below is a portion of the test she gave them. I know it seems very basic and in fact, it is. But to these precious women being able to write their alphabet is a huge step.

We began the ceremony with a word of prayer and then the students, led by their teacher Lillian, filed in singing a song about God's goodness and faithfulness.

As they settled into their places, they continued singing and praising God.

Even the children participated in the celebration. It is such a joy to see their enthusiasm.

These are some proud mamas enjoying being the center of attention for the day. They should be! One of them shared that a benefit of learning to read was being able to find a person's name on their cell phones. Yes, many of them have phones, but since they couldn't read, they would have to hand their phones over to someone else to find a number so they could talk. It is one aspect of literacy I never even considered. We truly do take so much for granted.

This baby was in class throughout every session. This young mother is in her early 20's and was our youngest student.

Pictured here is our oldest student who is somewhere in her 80's. Her eyesight isn't good so we gave her some very strong reading glasses. She was so thrilled with the improvement and became even more determined to learn to read. What a blessing.

After the speeches, handing out of certificates, and honoring each and every student, we had to celebrate with a beautiful -- as well as delicious -- cake.

Our proud students with their certificates!

Again and again, I am reminded of the the joy this work brings to my life. Thank you for helping me make a difference.

Global Outreach International in Tueplo, Mississippi is my mission organization and I am so excited to be part of their team. They are supportive, caring, loving, and encouraging. And unlike many mission organizations, they give each missionary 100% of the donations received. They are an amazing group of people.

They celebrated their 40th anniversary in early November of this year. I had the privilege of being in attendance and participating in their annual conference.

Included in the conference this year was a special exhibition for the school children of the greater Tupelo area. This exhibit was an interactive trip through east Africa featuring Kenya and Uganda. Pictured below is me in my Maasai garb and my very capable helpers, Anna and Will, a brother and sister from Tupelo.

As groups of school children came through the exhibit all day on Wednesday and Thursday, we told the Maasai story over and over, which included the lifestyle, dress, and a few customs. It was an excellent opportunity to expose my ministry to numerous people.

A very talented team of individuals created a mock village with their beautiful artwork. It was very effectively presented and I count it such a privilege to have been invited to participate.

I'm not sure how many students from public, private and home schools toured the exhibit, but some estimates were between 850 and 1,000.

What a wonderful opportunity to share my work and educate so many people about the Maasai culture. Thank you Global for a job well done!

My birthday is July 7th and every year my dear friend in Oklahoma sends me an email to Kenya asking me what she can do with or for me for my birthday. Its so wonderful to be remembered, but it is often difficult to think of a response to her question.

This year, I realized that I have missed 7 Fourth of July celebrations because I have always been in Kenya on American's Independence Day. So, I quickly wrote her back and told her I wanted to have an "I'm Proud to Be an American". She rallied numerous ladies in the Poteau, Oklahoma area and started planning. I was told they had so much fun just looking for red, white and blue items in September!

Below are four of the 8 or 9 male helpers who came to cook and just generally stay in the periphery while us ladies' just acted crazy. These men are all veterans and we honored them with blessings and thanksgiving for their service to our country.

In lieu of a birthday cake they made these yummy cupcakes and displayed them beautifully! They not only looked yummy -- they were yummy!

These three sisters really got into the spirit of the event with red, white and blue headgear. So precious! They even had on red, white, and blue socks! I just had to be seen with them for this picture.

A 4th of July party in October wouldn't be complete without the requisite hamburger and hotdog cookout -- complete with potato salad and all the other trimmings!

What party with friends is complete without Karaoke! We sang so many all American songs like "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandy" "American the Beautiful" and so many others. What fun we had because none of us were pros.

The evening started with The Star Spangled Banner and I cried my way through the entire song. The tears diminished after awhile, but I am such an American at heart and I loved every minute of it. What a wonderful memory!