...I guess you could say it was a good day.
I slept like a log. No AC, lots of creatures discussing various ideas loudly, like a log. Getting to East Africa is a long journey. Being here goes FAST.
Today we got up and got moving by having breakfast at The Keep with some perspective discussion.
(Hey, America, this is what coffee should look like. It also tastes way better.)
I really enjoy talking with Johnny and Jen about where they have been led and how its working. They told me about how some of The Keep staff has come and gone and we focused on those that have flourished. One of the waitresses finished school and is working as a book keeper at a big hotel. She was given a hand up to a new life in part by her desire to get ahead and part by having a first opportunity.
Others have stayed on and been promoted to new position with more possibilities down the road. Henry is constantly looking to give back. He's doing great work at the hacker space and is always learning more so he can help more. He doesn't see the work he is doing as work and if you ask about his day its filled with teaching classes and organizing more Street Kids to come to the Hacker Space. Such a good heart.
Sometimes it's about having just one chance, giving chances is why I come.
Today I watched Johnson stitching with the machine I brought last year. I cried. Only Johnny knew how to use it when I left, now he's passed the knowledge on (pebble in a pond, ripples, that whole thing). In the grand scheme it's small, it's not small to those you help.
I also asked Johnson to show Becky and John some basic leather tooling techniques. X-Carve assembly was going well with Johnny and Henry. Johnson is a good and patient teacher. I can't wait to see the finished goods.
After working on the x-carve assembly a while we decided to spend some time in the AC at the hacker space. I brought some Arduino boards, shields, and neo-pixels. I had the opportunity to teach Henry about the Fastled.io library. Of course he immediately zipped right past my level of knowledge and started extending his coding experience. Henry has no time for libraries simplifying tasks, he's more about how it works and making it work just like the library in pure code. He has a thirst for knowledge. Talk about smart, so smart.
Finally, Africa has a very poor electrical grid. Before we came the Longs had a waffle iron blow up. I realize its an odd thing for people to fret about but, its a connection. Sometimes the Missionaries that the Long's cater to just need something that reminds them of home. Johnny figured it was a Varistor as it was completely charred. He put out the word for parts and John was able to locate them in Columbus and transport them here. I learned to solder in the Navy and did lots of it in my first job out as an electronics tech, I have repaired this type of thing before and knew the traces and barrels were shot. Let's just say that Donkey will get his wish, in the morning.
Today was a great day. I'm touched by how small things make huge impacts.
I hope your day is full of helping because this feeling is amazing and I want everyone to have it.
(X-Carve Assembly, Leather Tooling, so much awesome.)
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