Last Day

The orphanage worker meeting was good. There were various issues that we had to discuss, but no major problems. We talked about ways to ensure that older kids, as they reached the end of their time in the orphanage, were counseled regarding their options for training and education after high school. This is an issue that the GCR Orphans Board has been concerned with for some time. We want to know what the options are for each area; what jobs are available, what training is important and available. Each of these men has a heart for their kids. They are increasingly seeing them as their own. They are fighting for them. It’s beautiful to watch.
After the meeting, I met with our office staff. We trained on the mystic art of mail merge in Microsoft Office. It seems like kind of weird thing to do, but it is part of a new plan we have to increase the response rate to the introductory lessons that we send out to new students. By mailing them from Nairobi, we hope to cut the time between enrollment and receiving the first lesson. Hopefully more enrollees will continue with the lessons and have their hearts and minds changed by the gospel. Typical of many of the things I do, not traditional ministry, but technical support for ministry. It felt good to do it in Africa.
Soon it was time to leave for the airport and home. Mbuvi took us on one more adventure on the way, driving on a road under construction. In America, when a road is being built, you can’t drive on it. The construction companies go to great lengths to make sure you don’t. But in Kenya, its common. We actually drove around dump trucks and other construction machines. This new road will connect the Nakuru Highway west of the capital with the Mombassa Highway, bypassing the city center. It will cut hours off the transit time for trucks moving from the port to the interior. It will also take a lot of trucks off the streets in Nairobi. That’s a good thing I can assure you. It will also cut our time to get to and from the airport in half. It saved us 30 minutes this time, even though the road was not complete and we detoured several times.
We arrived at the airport expecting our usual four hour wait after clearing security. At the check-in area, however, we were informed that our flight had been “rescheduled” until 11:45am the next day. They were going to put us up in a hotel overnight. We were not interested in that, so we appealed to the supervisor. He was a very large, very intelligent Kenyan who was sympathetic to our plight. “We have children at home!”, “We have connections that can’t be missed!” etc. He was able to book us on the KLM flight to Amsterdam, and then another KLM flight from Amsterdam to London in order to make our originally scheduled Continental flight to Houston.
We were worried about the connections; they were all very tight. In London, a Continental gate agent actually pulled us out of the security line and rushed us through, in order to make the flight to Houston. I am writing this post from that flight, so you know that our Kenyan friend was successful. I only hope we make the flight to Midland; it would stink to get so close and be left behind. So now if you ask me if we went through Amsterdam or London on the way home, I will just say, “yes.”
So now that the trip is over, I am experiencing my usual post-Africa funk. Every time I am there it feels a little bit more like home. Now that Susie has been, and seen me at work there, I know that our lives will never be the same. I was changed by Kenya after my very first trip. The faces of the kids that we are helping to save are intoxicating. Now that Susie has experienced it first hand, she understands what drives me to return, and to do whatever I can to save more and more of them. My role is a small one, but it’s easily the most important thing I have ever been a part of.
But the most amazing thing of all is to experience the swirling whirlwind of the Holy Spirit moving in his people. It’s like standing in the eye of a hurricane. The church is alive! The hundreds of people who turned out to meet us, the church members who have been helping the starving by themselves because of their love of Christ, the silent labor of the chosen leaders in Kenya, this is the power of His holy church. This is how we will reclaim the world for God. As Charlton would say, ‘This is Christ redeeming the word through the power of the resurrection.’ Great stuff!

Meeting Day Part 1

Today, Susie and I were in Kamulu at the WBS office. I met with our WBS follow up workers while Susie helped out at the learning center at Made In The Streets. She had a good time making puzzles with the girls and conducting a spelling quiz with the older kids.

I met with our Follow Up Workers here in Kenya. These men have assigned geographic areas where the evangelize, and follow up on WBS students that have requested a visit, as well as checking on churches that have been established through their work. We went over expectations and work rules, and had some spirited bible discussions. I was impressed by their grasp of some of the same issues that we wrestle with at GCR.

Tomorrow we meet with the Orphanage Workers, train the office staff for the new introductory lesson project, and pack for our 11:45pm departure tomorrow night. I'll update again from the airport. No new pics today. Blessings.

Last Day (for some)

We had a great conversation as a group last night about the orphanage work. Thomas told the story that is so familiar to some of us. The story that I believe will be written in bold letters in the book of life some day. Everyone was amazed at what God has done. It so great to be first hand witnesses to the power of the Holy Spirit.

This morning we got up and left the Kunste behind for good. Our trip back to Nairobi was uneventful. We stopped at the Rift Valley overlook for pictures, and we arrived in time for lunch at the Nairobi Java House. This place is an island of western culture in the middle of Africa. You can get a good burger, great coffee, and ICED tea!

After lunch, we wen to the open market accross from Sarit Center. The hawkers were hyper aggressive, but everyone sharpened their negotiating skills and loaded up on souvenirs. After some last minue gift buying and note writing we set off for the airport to retrieve our long lost bags, and put 10 of our 12 on a plane.

I just want to say that these were the best group of travelers you could hope for. There was absolutely no complaining, no whining, and everyone seemed genuinely touched by what they saw. They were real troopers when things weren't perfect, and reminded me gently when I forgot something. I hope than all can do it again.

Susie and I are back in Kamulu. Tomorrow I will have meetings with our WBS workers here while Susie works with Francis at Made In The Streets. Saturday will be more meetings, computer training for our girls, and we depart for home Saturday night.

Lee McGraw and Dirubi

Wednesday was our last day at the orphanages, so we decided to go out with a bang! We traveled from Kericho about two hours to Dirubi and Lee McGraw orphanages, near Sondu. Dirubi was the first orphanage and Lee McGraw was one of the most recent. They are about seven kilometers apart. We went to Lee McGraw first.

At Lee McGraw, the primary kids were in school, and having end of term exams, so they were not there. Some of the secondary kids were there, and that was perfect for Steve, Allison, Stephanie, and Joel. Steve spent our entire time there talking with these kids, and they were enthralled with his stories of America, the good and bad. He also encouraged them in their education, and reminded them that their country was in their own hands; they could make it better if they had the will. It was inspiring to watch.

Some of the ladies went around to every bunk in the dorms and put a beanie-baby and sucker on each pillow. Only moms would think of that, that’s why I was so glad they came. Leah held court with some of the secondary girls, taking pictures and showing them to the girls. Becca had a group of girls playing tic-tac-toe on her iphone. Later they sang a song into her voice recorder app; that will be cool to hear later. Jason played with some of the widows kids who were there and took great video of the site for me. Thanks Jason!

When we were leaving, Charlton was really itching to have a run. He had been a good boy and stayed away from the streets of Kenyan towns where we stay, but he was ready to fly now. He zipped off his pant legs (convertible shorts) and ran the entire seven kilometers from Lee McGraw to Dirubi! We followed him in our vehicles, and we went as fast as we could but he still arrived right with us. There are some cool pics of this on the Picasa web album, click the link to the right.

The most impressive thing about Dirubi is the calm. After the near-chaos of Kericho feeding station (I still can’t believe all that) it was refreshing to feel a sense of normalcy. Dirubi has been in operation almost five years, and these kids have a healthy glow and the easy familiarity of a community. Very cool. We toured the new additions, a tailoring room and the director’s house, and soon the kids arrived home for lunch. Their two choirs treated us to concerts and they were very good. Don’t be surprised if a video of that shows up in worship soon.

Another thing I noticed on this visit at Dirubi was the church building. Keep in mind that this was a church that Thomas established 12 years ago. It has 250 members, and has outgrown its building twice. The current structure is incomplete and in need of a lot of work. Why, you ask? Easy, they spend all their money helping orphans. GCR men, I’m thinking “mission trip”, what do you say?

We got some great pictures with Thomas under the mango tree where the church first met, and then we were on our way to Nakuru. Tomorrow we act like tourists in Nairobi and put most of our party on a plane home tomorrow night. Susie and I will stay for two more days in Kamulu, holding meetings with the WBS workers and the orphanage workers before leaving for home Saturday night. Stay tuned, there is more adventure to come.

Muhuroni and Kericho

Well, we were looking for the perfect day in Kenya and I think we may have found it. We set out for our newest orphanage, Muhuroni. This one is on the flat plains were sugar cane is grown. We really enjoyed the short drive as Thomas navigated us through the cane fields to the orphanage. Unfortunately, the kids were all at school, so we were left to explore the new facility with church members and the widows. It’s not quite complete, the plastering was still going on, but the kids are living there. It’s well laid out with an eye towards expansion.

We did meet with the widows, one of them volunteered to do a video testimony. Thomas will translate it for us later, but from his summary, it was amazing. We were also able to met with the church members, about 30 showed up, and we encouraged them to continue to support the orphans as they have done so well in the past. They were all very excited to see us.

We decided to press on to Kericho, rather than wait for the kids to come home for lunch. I’m sure they were disappointed, but the Guthries agreed that it was best to get to see the feeding station and home before dark. (this time) Boy are we glad we did.

We were greeted at Kericho feeding station by literally hundreds of kids, church members and community people. To say they were fired up would be the understatement of the week. We now know how rock stars feel. At times I feared they might overwhelm us with their love and gratitude. In the dining hall, the orphans that we feed (50) sang to us and read poetry. We did our usual introductions, encouraged them to do good in school and answered their questions.

Later, Maureen, Eileen, Leah, Susie, and I interviewed the widows who care for these kids. These two were very good. They had a list of all the orphans and checked it to make sure they were all there. They appealed for more funds to feed more kids. They could do it, they said. They told us their stories and we all cried together.

Meanwhile, the others played games with the kids and even taught them to give the Red Raider guns up sign! All the while crowds of people from the community came to greet the visitors and hear a word from us. They were all very happy and were praising God continually for all He has done for them. They would not leave until I spoke to them, something I do not care for, but I did. There were easily more Kenyans there on the ground in the hot sun to hear a stranger speak, than come to GCR on Wednesday night.

There were so many of them it was difficult to get the truck out of the grounds, and many of the kids chased us down the road. Some of them were running so fast they were keeping up with us at 21KPH! We were so overwhelmed with their love and gratitude. Is was an emotional experience that I doubt any of us will soon repeat.

No breakdowns, this time. We were back in Kericho before dark, time enough to hear Maureen and Francis’ stories about ther lives. Tomorrow Thomas has promised to tell the orphanage story again so we can all hear it first hand.

In the morning we will head out to Lee McGraw and Dirubi and then drive back to Nakuru. It will be our last day with the orphans. Thursday is shopping and departure day for most of us, except Susie and I who are staying until Saturday. Be blessed!

Londiani

This morning came and we put out troubles far behind us. We set out for Londiani Orphanage, one of the most beautiful places on earth. Why is it beautiful? Well, there’s the view for one thing; it’s amazing. You look out over hundreds of kilometers of the fertile rift valley, ready for planting. Check out some of the pics from the 2009 album for some really great shots. But what makes it more beautiful are the people.

Like all our orphanages, the church at Londiani was caring for orphans even before we started to help them. There are some great church leaders there, and two really great WBS men, Richard and David Koech. The kids at Londiani have now been there for a year, so they are looking beautiful as well. The most beautiful thing on display here today was the power of the Holy Spirit moving through his church and in the faces of our people, many of them seeing this for the first time.

We toured the facility and had a great time of praise and entertainment in the dining hall with the entire orphanage. Afterward all of our people played with the kids and were generally amazed. There are some great pics that Susie took, in the new web album, click the link to the right.

After we left Londiani, we went to the new feeding station at Chesyliot. The people here were even happier to see us, many of the kids had never seen a white person before. We were given gifts, and handed out some in return. That place is going to be special, I can tell.

Unfortunately, on the way out our vehicle troubles returned and the rental van broke a suspension part on the famous Londiani road. After an hour spent with a welder in Londiani town, we limped on to Kericho after dark, again. So another long day, but a much happier one. Since it’s so late I’ll cut this short. I hope to do a better job of describing this wonderful adventure tomorrow.

This is Africa

"This is Africa." It's what we say when something happens in Africa that is less than satisfactory. It's not a complaint, really it's more of a reminder that you are not in the US anymore, that things are different here. Things move at a different pace, and getting angry over it not only won't do any good, it will make people thing you are a real jerk. I was reminded of that today.

After really uneventful flights, with tight connections, all on time, we arrived in Nairobi last night. The airline managed to loose 7 of our bags, 5 of them from the Guthries. All of them were non essential, they were stuffed with gifts for the orphans, except mine. It was the bag with all my clothes. I won't go into detail about how that has worked out, but you can use you imagination and it will be pretty close.

We were really ready to try out our new vehicle, a brand new Toyota Landcruiser safari conversion. It is really nice. I'll try to post some pics tomorrow. We had rented a second Landcruiser so we could move around the bad roads at the same speed. There was some confusion with those arrangements; we were using a new company and they were not great. So we went to the Village Market for lunch while Mbuvi sorted it all out.

Finally by 4PM we were on our way to Nakuru. But alas, our troubles were not over. The rented vehicle broke down in an inconvenient spot and we had to tow it a couple of miles to a filling station. Rather than wait for the mechanic, we all piled into our landcruiser and finished our Nakuru trip. Just in case you are wondering how many mzungus will fit in a landcruiser, the answer is at least 12 plus 5 Kenyans. So we signed into the Kunste Hotel at about 9pm. It's 11pm now and we are turning in, so pics will have to wait for tomorrow.

Tomorrow will be better I am sure, because we will finally be at an orphanage, Londiani.

Arrived Safely

Well, we made it to Nairobi and now our hotel with only one small problem, baggage. You may find this hard to believe, but I have never lost a bag on an airline before. Now they lost mine and five of the Guthrie's bags as well as one of Becca's. I guess I was due, I'm just sorry that I brought the others down, too.

It's late and we have a very early morning, so goodnight.

Preparing for another trip

The Lord has blessed us with another opportunity to serve the widows and orphans in Kenya. Susie and I will be leaving March 12, along with 10 0thers from GCR to visit four of our nine orphanages in Kenya. Please be in prayer for us.