Ngenymesut, Kipsenende, and Chepkiit Waterfalls

Last night after I posted the blog, I went down to the dining hall here at Kapsabet Orphanage where we are staying and listened to Susie fielding questions from the older orphans.  This is always an interesting time for me, since it gives me an insight to what the orphans are thinking.  The questions range from life in America, to our kids, our food, and even sex and birth control!  Susie has developed a real rapport with these kids and they will ask almost anything.  Very cool.

As I left the hall, I stopped into check on Matt Maxwell, who is staying in the manager’s house next to the dining hall.  Despite all the noise, he was crashed out on his bed, fully clothed.  I don’t blame him at all.  These kinds of trips can be very tiring.  Riding in a Land Cruiser over these roads is not a passive thing.  You are continually in motion and usually arrive tired.  Add to that all the new experiences and the constant work he is doing taking pictures and video, and it really takes a toll on you!  Sleep tight, brother!

This morning we shared a breakfast of bread and butter and chai, and then set out for Ngeymesut Orphanage, our second in this area.  Most of the kids were at school, having exams today, but there were a few nursery school kids to liven p the place.  Matt got started taking pics and vids, and Susie went to hang out with the widows.  I did my usual walk-around to see what was new and what needed attention.

My first stop is always the nurse to check on the health of the kids.  Here, there were a few cases of typhoid, which usually means contaminated water.  A quick walk to one of the storage tanks used to store river water for washing showed me the problem.  One of the guards was working on the water tap, which was damaged and leaking.  The kids have probably been drinking from this even though there is clean, municipal water in another tank.  I lent a hand with the repairs, adding a roll of electrical tape to his efforts to make a temporary fix until the valve can be replaced.  That provided a “teachable moment” with the manager and guard about how to treat this water with bleach, just in case the kids drink from it.  I felt very useful in that moment!

Susie made chapati with the widows and got to share some good quality time with them, her favorite thing.  I found Matt, shooting video of the kids and the facility.  Stephen added his translation skills to our mix; we were like a well-oiled machine!

After tea, we drove over to Kipsenende Orphange, our newest in this area.  We shared a great time with them, brainstorming on how to improve one of the stoves in the kitchen before sharing lunch with them.  Then the rain came.  It was only a short shower, thankfully, since driving on these roads when they are slick can be very difficult.  We managed to get away unscathed and set out to visit the Chepkiit waterfalls.

This place is kind of hard to find.  It’s a tourism site, but badly signed and with a very bad road.  We made it just fine, and really enjoyed our visit.  Our guide walked us all around the falls, including a very challenging descent to the lower falls and tough climb back up to the top.  I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves on this one; descriptions would fall short.

Tonight we spend our last night at Kapsabet.  In the morning we will drive down to our orphanage at Muhoroni and then on to the training center.  Be blessed.

Up Country

Sunday morning we shared in the great worship they always have at Kamulu church of Christ.  I love it so much there, because it reminds me a bit of home while still being very Kenyan.  They have a planned order of worship, and they start with that, but pretty after the sermon, the spirit takes over and the worship really begins.  spontaneous songs, prayers and scriptures abound; they are never concerned about time!  This Sunday was extra special for the KWO family because I was able to baptize Angton Alulu, our long time driver and his wife and four other MITS students!

Angton has been such a blessing to this ministry.  He has been driving for us for as long as I have been coming to Kenya.  He is in my very first pictures that I took in 2008 and is sven in the iconic photo of the orphans on the ridge-line at Londiani.  He has become so much more than a driver to us. He has a gentle spirit and truly loves the children.

After church and lunch, we set out up-country.  Up-country is the word we use to describe everywhere else in Kenya except Nairobi.  Its the vast, rural heart of Kenya where the majority of the population still lives in small framing plots or in small villages.  It's so much the opposite of what America has become, with our great cities and connecting highways.  The roads are typically few and bad, but there are people spread out absolutely everywhere.  If I ever move to Kenya, I will definitely live up-country!

Our plan was to stop at Kikitemo Feeding Station to visit the good people there and spend the night in Nakuru.  However, since we got a late start, we decided to postpone our visit until later in the trip and just go into Nakuru.  We arrived around dusk, so our timing was very good.

After a restful night at the Kunste, we hit the road for Kapsabet orphanage, arriving around noon.  We spent the  afternoon touring the place, letting Matt capture some video and shooting a few interviews with orphans living there.  One boy, Brian set the bar very high with his compelling story of his life before becoming an orphan and since he joined Kapsabet Orphanage.  You will love this one, I promise.

Around dark we joined the orphans for evening devotional and then shared supper with Bernard and his wife Florence at their home.  As I write this, Susie and Matt are down with the kids in the dining hall, taking questions and telling stories of America.  I'm sure they will have a lot to say when that is through!  Tomorrow we will visit Ngenymesut and Kipsnende, which are near here.  Be Blessed!

Here We Go Again!

It’s time for another trip!  I have to start be saying how incredibly blessed I have been to be able to travel to Kenya so many times.  It’s far and away the best part of my job, and the hardest.  This time, my wife Susie is making the trip with me and we are joined by GCR’s resident filmmaker, Matt Maxwell.  Susie and Matt will be with me for the first two weeks, and then go back to America.  I will stay an additional two weeks, and hopefully bring back four of our Kenyans with me to the US for a short visit.

 Our flights from the US went smoothly.  Everything was on time and all of our bags made it with us.  We were a bit unsure what our arrival process would look like when we reached Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, because this past June they had a big fire at the International Arrivals building.  The entire structure was gutted and the airport was closed for a few days while they got some temporary measures back in place.  (Some of you will recall this caused the cancellation of our last medical mission trip and a delay in getting some of our travelers back home.)

I am happy to say that our arrival was very smooth.  They have set up a complete arrivals building in the recently completed parking garage, complete with computerized immigration equipment, motorized baggage claim and even the currency changers and coffee shop were set up and running.  It’s actually quite a bit cleaner than the old building and I’m sure that in the long run the Kenyans will be better off when they complete the new Unit 4 addition that was already underway and a new arrivals building is built.

Friday was our rest and recover day, which of course also means a trip into Nairobi.  First Susie, Mauryn, and I made a visit to the U.S. Embassy to drop of some paperwork for the visa application process for our Kenyans to return with me to the US.  They should have their final appointment next week, and then we will know if they are cleared to travel.   Francis and Matt, waited for us at Java House, which I’m sure was a great sacrifice for both of them J.

Later we went to Sarit Center, a shopping mall not far from the Westgate Mall where the terrorists attacked a couple of weeks ago.  We drove by Westgate on the way and got as close as we could.  I really wanted to go there, if nothing more than to show our solidarity with them as they go through some of what we went through on 9/11.  The other malls in Nairobi are not as busy as they should be, I’m sure because of the attack.  But we did our part to stimulate their economy!  I got my hair cut and my usual place, and then we moved over to Village Market for the Masaai Market and lunch at ArtCafe.  Security was high at both places, but we never felt threatened and the Kenyans were very happy to see us.

Today we scheduled another treat.  We drove up to Ruila, north of Nairobi for a tour of a coffee factory.  It was very cool!  Matt is a big coffee lover, as am I, and we saw how the beans are processed and graded.  We even got a lesson on tasting, (called cupping) from the chief quality control manager at Kofinaf Coffee.  They gave us some coffee to take and we had a great time.  So much more goes into preparing good coffee that I ever imagined. 

The tour reminded me of one of the great things about Kenyan culture, the high value they place on hospitality.  Mauryn wrote a letter asking to visit their place a few weeks back and they relied to her agreeing to a special tour.  They knew that we were not buyers or anyone important, but two of their managers were happy to take several hours from their day to show us around.  Kenyans display this kind of hospitality at every opportunity; we have seen it so many times.  It makes the attack at Westgate particularly galling because their welcoming nature was used against them.  I pray that they never lose that side of their culture, and that no one steals it from them again in the name of a false religion!

We are back at Kamulu again as we are dining with the Coustons tonight.  Tomorrow we will attend church here and our old friend and driver, Angton Alulu will be baptized along with his wife.  He drove for us today and is so excited about joining the family of God tomorrow.  It promises to be a great finish to a great start of a long trip.  I can’t wait.

Last Day

When we went for breakfast yesterday at the Tea Hotel, Francis Mbuvi had arrived from Nairobi.  I was so grateful that he came out to join us and drive the rest of the way.  We drove into Nakuru, about 2.5 hours and went to the game park.  It is a large National Park that surrounds Lake Nakuru and contains a number of wild animals.  For a quick day-trip, it can’t be beat.  After a frustrating hour at the gate jumping through the endless hoops the Kenyan Park Service has created to make things more “modern”, we drove in to find the lake at it’s highest level ever.  Half of the park was closed due to flooding.  We were able to see giraffes, baboons, a rhino, and countless impalas, gazelles, and cape buffalo.

On the way out of the park, each vehicle managed to get lost in different ways, making our exit a bit later than we had wanted.  We had to get to Nairobi last night, so there was no option but to drive on.  After a brief stop at the Nakumatt for packing supplies for our souvenirs, we hit the road. 

About an hour out, we encountered one of the many roadblocks the police use to control speed, check for insurance and inspections, and collect bribes.  This time we were chosen for a stop and as we rolled up, Mbuvi told me his license was in Mauryn’s bag in the other truck.  The policeman was not moved by his story and we were calling the other vehicle to come back for us when the policeman stepped around the vehicle to my side.  He asked me where I was from and I replied, “Texas.”  He gave me a quizzical look and I continued, “In the United States.”  He smiled, waited a beat and then said, “Move on.”  We were all relieved and I got credit for saving Francis from the jailhouse.  We got back to Kamulu without incident at around 9:30.

This morning Pam, Taylor, Trina, and Krista who were going on Safari made an early departure to make their flight to the Masaai Mara. The rest of us drove into a market in Nairobi to do last minute shopping and eat lunch.  Arrington drove the travelers who are on Emirates to the airport around 1:30 and the rest of us did some more shopping.  Later we drove over to Sarit Center, where I got another Kenyan Kinyozi (haircut) and we had Java House deserts for the last time this trip.

Now, here I sit again in the BA Galleries Lounge writing my last blog post, and I am reflecting on what I have learned this trip.  The answer is many things.  I learned a few more Swahili words, I got spoken to by Kenyan strangers in Swahili for the first time, (I guess I look part-Kenyan now) and I drove a lot of kilometers in the LandCruiser that I have learned to love.  I saw a lot of orphans, hugged many of them, encouraged our workers in the field, and I got to see many American Christians being the hands and feet of Jesus to these people.  It was very rewarding.

I also learned about myself.  Most importantly that I am only half a man without my wife.  Susie is the best part of me and really fills in my weaknesses when we are on these trips.  She is my conscience, best friend, accountant, the perfect mother to our 2,400 kids, and I miss her terribly.  Only 27 more hours…

I am also reminded that God is strongest in our weakness.  When I was missing Susie’s help on my trip, God supplied others to fill the gaps.  He’s like that, moving where we cannot, doing the unseen work to align our lives with others in ways that fulfill His purposes.  I remember a time when I didn’t believe that, when He seemed so far away from me.  Sometimes he still does, but its usually when I am trying to hard to be all things.  When I am broken, lost, hopeless, homesick, afraid, He is there. 

As song from the orphanage choir recordings we made this year keeps running through my head, kimbilio langu, He is my refuge.  Thanks you for reading all my ramblings this trip.  I’ll return to Kenya in October with new adventures.

Glasscock

Today we drove back to Uriri Orphanage for the last time, but not to treat the kids there, we already finised that.  This time it was to trat the kids from Nana Glasscock Orphanage.  Glasscock is very remote and the roads near there are very bad.  So we decided early on to shuttle the kids from there to Uriri and treat them there.  The kids walked down to the main road, about 2km, and met Arrington, Kennedy, another Kenyan driver, and me driving vehicles to pack the kids in.  I’m not saying that we broke any Kenya traffic laws, but lets just say we got 60 kids and 5 adults in four vehicles and none of them was a bus.

The work with the kids went smoothly and quickly and we finished with them about 2:30.  By the time we shuttled them back and loaded up, it was 4pm.  So we called an audible.  We decided to drive only to Kericho, instead of Nakuru since it was so late.  So here we are at the Tea Hotel.  Francis Mbuvi is on a bus from Nairobi to meet us here and will drive from me for the tomorrow.  I’m really grateful for that cause I’m beat!

Uriri Part 2

-->

Today we were again at Uriri Orphanage.  When we arrived, we only had 30 kids to go before moving on to the feeding station kids.  We also saw the widows, guards and other employees at the orphanage.

After we finished with the orphanage kids, Garren, Barrett, Kennedy and I went over to Nana Glasscock Orphanage to see the construction progress and visit the children.  We will be seeing them tomorrow for clinic, but the road to the orphanage is too bad to carry the medical team over there and risk getting stuck.  So we will be shuttling the kids in the Land Cruisers from the main road.

This is the orphanage that is named for Garren’s grandmother, Loraine “Nana” Glasscock.  The place looked really good and Garren and Barrett were really happy.  The kids sang a few songs for us and we said some words of encouragement to the kids and then we had to go.  You can see the pictures on Facebook at the KWO page.

By the time we returned, the medical team had finished with everyone at Uriri and got to tour that orphanage.  They have a sugar cane processing project there as well as a brick-making project.  The new style bricks are being used at Glasscock for the new clinic building.  They are cement stabilized compressed soil blocks that don’t require any firing and are larger and stronger than the bricks that are made locally.  Chandi had a prospective customer there to see the manufacturing process, so we are hopeful that this will be a good money maker for them.

Then we said goodbye for today to Uriri and headed back to Kisii to shop for soapstone.  The hand carved pieces of soft stone are mined and made in this region and we have a good friend of KWO that owns a big shop there.  Everyone bought something and made some great deals I think.  A quick stop at the chemist in Kisii town finished out the day. 

Tomorrow, we will treat the kids from Glasscock and then make a long drive back to Nakuru.  We will tour the Nakuru game park Wednesday morning and then head into Nairobi.  I’ll write more tomorrow, be blessed.

Uriri - Part 1

I know that I keep saying, ‘It was another great day’, but it really was.   

For me, the day’s high point was right after breakfast when Arrington, our long-time Kenyan Driver told me he wanted me to baptize him and his wife when I return to Kenya in October.  I was so happy!  He drove for us on my very first trip to Kenya and on many trips since then.  He has slowly become one of us, helping with the kids and translating at every orphanage and feeding station that we have.  Stephen has been talking to him a lot about his faith, and Arrington told him that he has come to love his mzungu friends so much that he didn’t want to miss heaven and not be able to see us again.  That’s just the kind of friend that Jesus calls us to be, people.

We drove to Uriri after that, and arrived in time for chai.  We all gathered in Kennedy Chandi’s house and had bread, tea, and chapatti.  Then, it was time for church.  It was a typical Kenyan service, lots of singing, preaching and very long.  I did my part by preaching a good 35 minutes.  It was short for Kenyans but long for Americans, so just right for our group.

We quickly set up clinic after church and got into a rhythm.   By the time we stopped at 4:30 we had seen 94 of the 120 kids at Uriri orphanage.  Tomorrow we will finish them off and see the feeding station kids.  We uncovered very few problems, some fillings, extractions, and one ganglion cyst that Ben literally smashed with a bible before draining.  I’ve heard of people being healed by the power of scripture, but not like that!

After we finished for the day, Kennedy brought out his new Maasai friends, some of whom are guarding his house.  They did a traditional Maasai dance with singing and their trademark vertical jumping.  It was an unexpected surprise.

We drove home to the Dados in the rain, stopping at the Nakumatt to pick up a cake that we ordered for Taylor Hudgins birthday.  At dinner, we all gave her cards and the hotel staff came out singing a Kenayn birthday song, followed by the American version.  It was very well done.  We had another of those flower candle cake toppers like we had for Barbie Wooten on the last trip, which completed the celebration.

See, I told you it was a great day!