Home again

I arrived home safely last night. Our last day in Kenya we helped some at the Made in the Streets program run by the Colstons. I hung out with Moses, their computer teacher and Paul helped with a couple of Bible classes. You can check out their website at http://www.made-in-the-streets.org/. They do some pretty amazing work there.

Flying is something I generally enjoy, but 10.5 hour flights are not fun in anybody's book. I'm looking forward to relaxing this weekend and getting back in the swing of being an American.

Last Days in Kenya

We saw the last orphanage at Kapsabet two days ago. It was a very quick ytrip as it is quite a far distance from where we were and where we needed to end up. Yesterday we spent toe morning at the Nakuru game pak. We saw some rhinos, baboons, zebras, etc. It was a good until Thomas said, "The driver is telling me to tell you he forgot to remind you to get petrol this morning." We were on the other side of the lake! We did make it back to the gate however, and we saw what we had come to see. Today we are at the made in the streest center, helping as best we can with the kids. Our flight leaves tonight, so soon we will be home! I'll write more if I get another connection.

Day seven

Today we visited the first orphanage at Dirubi. This is Thomas Aliwa's
work. Thomas is the Kenyan most responsible for all that has happened
here. At 32, he is a very mature, slight built, slow talking man. His
orphanage looks great. The are in the process of adding a clinic to
serve both the orphans and the neighborhood.

Tomorrow we will visist our last orphanage and begin the long journey
home.

Sent from my iPod

Day Six

I realize now that all of these posts will likely be sent at the same
time, when I return. Next time I'll invest in a prepaid cellular
modem and bring my laptop. All of those stories you here about the
world being smaller don't apply here, the Internet is very hard to find.

Uriri is in the sugar cane growing region of Kenya. Fir that reason,
the orphanage has invested in a sugar cane crusher to refine the cane
into a dark brown sugar. I'm going to try to bring a block back with
me if customs will allow it. They use the crusher to raise money to
support the orphanage.

The people here are very industrious. They have cows, pigs, rabitts,
chickens, and training in sewing and woodworking. They are serious
about improving the lives of their kids for good. 60 orphans, a well
run operation makes for happy kids, and that's what we saw.

John, Bobbie, Brent, and Jim as well as Risper and the Mbuvis left us
today. We'll continue on to see the last two orphanages with Thomas
and our driver. More tomorrow.

Sent from my iPod

Day five

Ndhiwa is one of the first orphanages established by this project, and
one of the most complete. It houses 120 kids and 14 others. The
nearby feeding station feeds another 100.

Alfyeo, the WBS worker in charge is a big man with big
responsibilities. The orphanage sits on land that he turned over to
John for this purpose. They have filled it with buildings in every
square meter.

Tomorrow we visit Uriri.

Sent from my iPod

Day four

Ongoro was a very refreshing sight. This is a brand new orphanage,
and it was done right. The craftsmanship and the design were very
well done. The kids were happy here, and everyone was very grateful
to have us there.

At lunch, they fed us so much I thought they would never stop coming
with just one more dish. I tried my first ugalee, a corn mash that is
the Kenyan staple. I realized how spoiled we are in America to the
vast variety of food that is available. These folks will likely eat
the same bland food, served the same was for virtually every day of
their lives. And they are so grateful! More tomorrow.

Sent from my iPod

Day three

Our drive to the township on Londiani started on the worst road I have
ever been on. After an hour, though the road was better and the
scenery was magnificant.

We met with the church leaders there and after some negotiation,
secured the site for the new orphanage. The site overlooks a valley
that could have been Eden itself.

The children there had never seen white people before. How amazing
that was. Tonight we are staying at the Tea Hotel in Kericho.
Tomorrow we will see an orphanage at Orongo.

Sent from my iPod

Day two

A beautiful drive to Gilgil, through the highlands on the edge of the
Great Rift Valley. Saw our first orphanage, also our newest. This
one, overseen be Honey and Virginia has only been open a month. The
pictures will tell a better story than I can, I hope to be able to
send some soon. After lunch there the kids filed out of the dining
hall and shook our hands. They thanked us, we blessed them, and my
heart now belongs to them. I don't know how I can ever bee the same.
Will try to post again tomorrow.

Sent from my iPod

Nairobi

I am going to try to get to the Internet to send this,it has been
harder than I had expected to find. Nairobi is a study in contrasts,
both cosmopolitan and destitute. My new friend Francis grew up in a
slum in Nairobi with 700,000 of his closest friends. We did not go
there, it's not safe for white people. We did see some areas that
were pretty bad, though. We also went to a western style shopping
center that was quite nice.

Some things I will not soon forget about Nairobi: traffic tgat is not
to be believed (may have cured my motion suckness forever), batting
helments for security guards (the cheap souviner kind), and a Philly
cheesesteak with African spices (good). Got a sim card for Wil's
phone only to discover the charger did not work. Tomorrow, Gilgil.

Sent from my iPod

Ready to go

Being ready is overrated. How ready can you be? I mean I know that I'm going to discover what I forgot, or should have done eventually. I'll kick myself and wonder how, with so much time to prepare, I could have forgotten "that"! But what is "that"? GRRR!

I leave in the morning, so now is the time for inspiration!

Am I Ready?

So I'm leaving for Africa Saturday, and like any good traveler, I'm going to try to post to this blog daily. Internet access is an unknown, so we'll just have to see.

I'm going to visit and photograph/video six orphanages that our church supports. While I know about what to expect, I'm not sure what I will see will do to me. If I expect to have a life changing experience and I don't, will I be disappointed? will I want to stay? will I want to become a missionary? to work with orphanages? Will I never want to see Africa again?

Worse, will I feel nothing and come back with just pictures?

God knows. I will have to wait to find out.

In yesterday's TAWG reading, I read this:

When you spread out your hands in prayer,
I will hide my eyes from you;
even if you offer many prayers,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood;

wash and make yourselves clean.
Take your evil deeds
out of my sight!
Stop doing wrong,

learn to do right!
Seek justice,
encourage the oppressed.
Defend the cause of the fatherless,
plead the case of the widow.

When God says he speaks to you through the scriptures, He wasn't being figurative.