Love vs. Inhaling Helium:
Valentines Day for the Eighth Grade Guys
Someone brought us one of those variety boxes of different types of
chips from the states. They were the kind of bags that you might have put in
your lunchbox when you were a kid. It was a great thrill, and it became almost
like a poker game. `I trade you two Doritos for one Cheetos.’
I think I could eat one of those bags in one gulp when I was a kid; we lingered
over our bags and our trades for almost an hour.
Fritos can be FUN.
Each high school class works at raising money for all of their four years
to go on their senior trip, and one of the ways that sophomores raise money is
by selling helium balloons for Valentines Day. Helium is hard to find in
We noticed that there were more balloons delivered to the dorm than one
would expect-- eighth grade guys just don’t generally get lots of stuff
on Valentines Day; if they get anything, it’s from an older sister whose
motives are suspect because they know how much the guy will get teased. But we
were getting lots and lots delivered, and finally found out why: they were
buying them for themselves so they could inhale the helium and talk funny.
Love is SUCH an eighth grade thing.
The headmaster told me something that chilled me to the bone. He
thanked me for the books, because the library had now doubled in size.
It is a long steep ride home, but some days it seems steeper than
others.
(From the car going back to RVA)
We did get a report from another school that they were now requiring
students to come to classes in the afternoon because the food enabled them to
concentrate longer. Thank you for what you have done with this program.
And, we go “live” with the computer center this month.
Sometimes things that are meaningful to me might not make sense to you because
of the context, and I risk that by telling you that we experienced a true
miracle with the computers. They got to our mission headquarters in NY on a
Monday and they were in our house in
The people who handle sending items to
In addition, I had budgeted thousands of dollars for duty and customs,
and it cost me less than the two fruitcakes a nice friend of ours sent to us.
We are truly blessed, but continue to ask for your prayers; there is much that
still needs to be worked out.
Today is a duo anniversary for us. The twins were legally adopted a
year ago today. We are making progress on all the paperwork we need to get in
order to return to the states in July, but it has proved to be as difficult and
stressful as anything we have done in
Whenever I feel stressed by it, Katie reminds me that in
Top: Stephen Wrigley Peifer
Bottom:
Katie & Ben enjoying their favorite pastime—getting dirty!
Stephen was born six years ago today. It used to be such a hard day,
but I look at the twins, and the 8000+ kids at the schools we feed, and the
amazing life we live now because of his life, and I can see him in almost
everything I do, and everything I see.
Your pal
Steve
Stateside
Address:
Phone:
011-254-20-32046-252
http://peifer.kijabe.org