JUNE 23, 2005

We are pretty much packed, tying up loose ends. We've never been packed this early for a trip before! God keeps showing us blessings - right down to little details (like fitting at least 50% more in each suitcase than should ever be able to fit in a suitcase!!!). We have had tons and tons of help from friends and family to be prepared and to leave our house in relative order. Thank you, everyone. Thank you for continuing to support us with phone calls, donations, and cards. We'll update again overseas.......

JUNE 28, 2005

WE ARE IN AFRICA!!! Traveling went off without a hitch! We are a little tired, but we are all healthy. London was a lot of fun. We did a whirlwind walking tour and all fell asleep on the subway! (Luckily one adult at a time was awake). We saw Buckingham Palace, the Thames, the Eye of London (Ferris wheel), and Big Ben. The kids traveled very well - they were well-behaved, patient, and kind to one another - even with a two hour delay before take off from PHL. If you know me, you know I can be critical so that says a lot.

My first introduction to the unpredictability of things we take for granted in the States happened 5 minutes after landing in Nairobi. After an 8 hour flight and several beverages, I stopped at the W.C. (bathroom) and found a small bathroom with a line and no running water!! The water was inexplicably turned off for the moment. So, we had to improvise.

The guesthouse we are staying in is very nice, and we have met several nice people. We made a connection with a couple who will be serving a short term missions project in Kibera (sp?) a slum section of this city as leaders/coordinators. They have invited us to come spend time with them and see the work they will be doing. We are excited about that and will be going probably July 11 or 12.

Chris is very excited to finally be here! I am adjusting - probably quicker than you may guess!! (God is so good). Malachi is loving it and has already made a friend - a boy whose family lives in northern Kenya that is just returning from furlough. Rachael declared last night that she loves Africa and is happy she's here. We found a place to braid her hair and she is begging to go when we are done here - we'll see...

We love you guys and hope to write again very soon - maybe by the end of the week.

JULY 1, 2005

Hope everyone is well back home!!!! We are doing well, here. Still in Nairobi at the guesthouse. We now have lodging for the four nights after the safari. We will be at the Garcia Guesthouse. We hope it's as nice as the Mayfield has been. We have met many people at the Mayfield who have given us information on projects, etc. around Eastern Africa.

It's exciting. We visited Roslyn Academy - missionary school today. It is very nice. Very big with an open campus and most of what you could get in the U.S. They fly one flag outside for every nationality represented at the school. We went to Tumaini Counseling Center on Wed.

It is a beautiful facility, well-planned, well-decorated and a wonderful ministry. The therapists, right now, are mainly psychiatrists with one psychologist. They are from the US and Germany. I was able to attend their staff meeting, some other meetings, and an educational seminar on addictions. It was very informative. The people were very welcoming and friendly. The kids spent the whole day reading, listening to books and music, walking in the gardens, and Rae watched two videos at Tumaini - they did a good job without complaining.

Yesterday, we went to the giraffe sanctuary, elephant orphanage, and animal orphanage - all of which border the Nairobi Nat'l Park. We saw a group of baboons run by the fence at the animal orphanage - outside the fence - they were wild!! So cool. The elephants were so cute and playful - it was a definite highlight. Oh and Crash members, the elephant orphanage happened to have a baby black rhino that we got to see. Awesome! We got so close to all the animals, it was amazing. We fed giraffes (they have prickly tongues), Rae touched an elephant, and we all got to pet a CHEETAH! That was a highlight for Chris (unless it was secretly when the giraffe, Daisy, kissed him!).

We have heard about some really cool programs we will be checking further into - here are the highlights... Program in Kisumu to help widows and orphans program in Kibera (slum of Nairobi) to evangelize and train youth program to help water filtration in Tanzania program to help Muslim women in Nairobi

JULY 5, 2005

It's been several days since we've had access to the internet, so I don't know where to start. God is doing amazing things all around us! The first day in Kijabe was a little discouraging because we did not know anyone or where to start (or even how or where to eat!). We did not move in with a family until Mon and did not make contact with them, really, until Sun. We ate at a little one room "restaurant" that served one item stew and chapattis which was not what I'm used to as stew and chapattis are awesome flat bread. Anyway, Sun morning was the baptism service at Rift Valley Academy and God very clearly gave me the verse Dt 31:8 (through people's testimonies) to help me to adjust. The verse talks about how God goes before us and will always be with us (even when we feel all alone and a bit confused) and that we do not need to be afraid or discouraged. God is so able to take care of us!!!

Today we went to the Little Lambs orphanage in a village very close to here that I cannot pronounce. The kids were amazing - so full of joy despite their situations. As you may guess, they figured out very quickly which one of us is the big kid at heart. Chris was a human jungle gym and had a great time playing with the kids. So did Malachi and Rae (once she warmed up). The kids are starving for attention and touch and all came up for hand holding, hugs, hand games, and ball tossing. It moved us so much to see what is being done for them and how much need there is. The director told us that 6,000 children are orphaned each week in Kenya alone. Many of these kids have a caregiver, but that person is caring for 7, 9, 12, or more children. Most of them came severely malnourished and without a sense of hope. The individual stories are so amazing. Hopefully, we will share them when we're home. Most of the kids now are full of joy, growing in hope and have heard about a God who loves them.

We leave for safari on Thurs am and will be able to write again probably on Sat. Love you all!

We will miss all of you at the 10th anniversary baptism service. We will be praying for you and expect to see pictures. It is funny that we were at RVA for theirs! Have fun and eat some taco salad for me!

JULY 9, 2005

Hi everyone!! We are checked in to the Gracia Guest House in Nairobi. It is newer and very nice. Hot water seems to be a bit of a commodity, but otherwise it's comfortable. Poor Rae just had a very "hot and cold" shower! Every time we get somewhere new, it seems we have simple, every day things to figure out (like flushing the toilet)! That's part of the adventure.

We just finished our safari. I can't possibly do it justice by typing about it. It was amazing!! We saw so many animals in the wild - gazelles, topies, impala, giraffe, elephants, lions, cheetah, zebras (which are way more striking in the wild - happier, I guess?), and more.... The elephants put on quite a show for us, I’ll tell the story when we are home! We were definitely spoiled at this camp, and we are exhausted from traveling and keeping a tight schedule.

Tomorrow we will attend Nairobi Baptist Church and then make sure our itinerary is set for Mon and Tues.

Mon. - 9am meeting with Lynette Bay from New Zealand to learn about ministry opportunities with Muslim women in Nairobi. - In the afternoon we hope to go to a farm that takes in street children from Kibera and allows them to work for food and to learn about farming for their future. It is only an 18 month old program, but is already showing promise.

Tues. - We plan to spend most of the day in Kibera (the biggest slum in Nairobi) following a work team from all over the world that is involved in youth evangelism and training to learn about that ministry.

Wed. - We leave for Tanzania where we will check out at least 3 programs and one more school.

I can't remember what else I have written about, but we did enjoy Kijabe (even though it was very cold!). We were treated very well by the Bransford's and Barnett's and loved the Little Lambs program which I remember writing about. RVA also has several opportunities for helping out.

JULY 12, 2005

Jambo from Kenya. Kim is feeling a little under the weather tonight so the update is coming from me. We have had a great couple of days. We have all been a little sick the last couple of days and it had become a little discouraging. I was feeling a bit sorry for myself when God sent me on a walking tour of the area. I was trying to exchange Travelers Checks and none of the Foreign Exchange places would take them. (That is why I wanted to bring all cash but Kim said no.) I walked about five miles to a couple of different places and then finally a bank only to find a branch of the same bank 100 yards from our guesthouse. For some reason this lifted my spirits and prepared me for yesterday and today. Yesterday we met with a woman who teaches adult Muslim women to read. She works in Kibera the largest slum in Africa. She does wonderful work with small groups of women. That afternoon we me with a man who runs a farm that takes off the streets and brings them out to a rural farm to teach them agricultural skills. There goal is to provide the boys with an employable trade. We are going to visit the farm on the 20th. Today we visited Kibera. I will not try to describe the depth of the poverty there. 1.5 million people live in a maze of tin roofs, mud walls and open sewers. Amidst this apparent hopelessness people are worshiping God and sharing their faith. We visited a program run by Samuel who you will hear much more about when we return. We walked through the slum to an after-school program and listen to high school kids praise God for how good He is. We were all very moved. To see people with hope in what looks like a hopeless situation is amazing. I can't wait to share it with you. Tomorrow we leave for Tanzania and more of what God has for us.

JULY 15, 2005

We are in Tanzania. We arrived Wednesday on schedule and noticed two things right away. The weather is much warmer - 80's and humid - and there is less English here. Our Swahili would not get us very far as we can greet people and know a few more random words we have learned here, but there is certainly no conversing in Swahili for us! Thankfully, the MacFarlane's, the missionary family we are staying with, are happy to be guides and translators! Since we have been here, we have learned about several ministries:

Wed we met with the counselor here in Dar Es Salaam. Yes, I typed that right. "The" counselor. She's the only one in this city and has lots of neat ideas for helping missionaries and others in the area. There are two other mental health people in the country! Far different than at home!!

Thurs we toured HOPAC, a missionary school, and it is very pretty. From the classroom windows you can see the Indian Ocean (which we stepped in for the first time yesterday)! I wouldn't get much work done in that classroom!!

Later Thurs we went to a training session for Alliance Ministries where they train missionaries and Tanzanians to teach Bible/Christianity in the public secondary schools. By law, all schools must offer class periods (1-2/week) for the teaching of religion to all students. Students can choose to go to the Protestant, Catholic, or Islamic classes that are offered. Currently, 12 schools are getting offered Bible (Protestant) and there are 70 left to provide teachers for. What an opportunity! The Tanzanians were so kind to us at the session, and were thrilled we were there.

Today, Fri, we went to the construction site of a church/workshop for the disabled project in the area. It is a great project because it will train disabled people in productive work to allow them to stop begging, and the government recently gave them tons of land outside of town (about an hour away) and they are beginning projects to give plots of land to disabled people to farm, or use in otherwise productive ways that they are capable of. It is giving a lot of people a sense of mission and purpose and Muslims and Christians are working side by side, helping each other. We have been so blessed to see the faith and diligence of the people all over Africa. They also started a nursery school to help young kids get a foundation and better start before primary school which starts at age 7 usually. The people value this service and will pay for it which helps them and the left over money goes to help fund the projects for disabled people.

The kids are loving Tanzania. Rae is in heaven because she is at a pool on the beach right now. Malachi is in heaven because the MacFarlane's have 3 boys (11, 8, & 7). All five kids are getting along really well, and we have really enjoyed getting to know them.

Today we will find out more about the street children project and then go shopping or to the beach! Tomorrow we leave for Zanzibar. Next week we have one more project to visit in Nairobi. Then home!

We miss you and love you all! Hope to send an update from Zanzibar.

JULY 19, 2005

Hi Everyone! We are back in Nairobi after a refreshing week end in Zanzibar. We were there mainly for a two day vacation, but couldn't help but notice the extreme poverty and heavy Muslim influence. Maybe they could use some projects, etc. too! Zanzibar is a beautiful, tropical island in the Indian Ocean off the Tanzania coast. We stayed in Jambiani, on the east coast, at a nice hotel with a pool and beach access. The beach is white sand and uncrowded! The weather was amazing.

We really got a chance to relax - if you can deal with people coming up to you and trying to sell you things and if you don't think about the extreme poverty right down the road.

Our health is improving. I have been better since the day after Chris did the update that night (except for extreme air sickness on the flight from the Mara and the flight from Dar - ugh!!) I'm better today, but please pray for my last two flights and for energy. I am finally exhausted - we all are - and we need a little more energy to finish up.

Rae's stomach has been better for several days and Malachi's and Chris' trouble only lasted a few days. Thanks for all your prayers. We have a few things left on the itinerary:

Today - lunch at a local woman's house. She is a friend of the people whose kids go to PCCS that we mentioned earlier that are from Kenya. Her name is Mary and we are looking forward to a traditional meal at her house, though it may be cancelled because her baby is under the weather. Then we will prepare to check out tomorrow.

Tomorrow - We will have lunch at the Mayfield (that is where we are currently staying) and then be picked up by a missionary who plans to show us a program in Kibera for street boys and then a driver will take us about an hour away to a farm that is part of their program for street boys. The program helps them to get out of Kibera and learn productive skills. We are excited to see it.

Then we will be dropped off at the airport to leave for London and then home. We have a nine hour lay over in London, so we will try to send one more update from there to let you know how the program was and how our trip home is going.

JULY 21, 2005

Hello from London! We are in the London airport, killing time until our connecting flight begins boarding (in only about 9 hours!). We wanted to take this opportunity to give a quick update on the last day in Nairobi and to thank you all again for your prayers, love, and support.

Yesterday, we checked out of the Mayfield Guesthouse and had our last meal there. Chris was given the honor of being asked to deliver the morning devotion at breakfast. He spoke (briefly) about the best place to be is at the center of God's will even though He didn't promise it would be the safest place to be. He read the verses in Corinthians about enduring hardship for the Gospel. This was on his mind and particularly timely as many of the guests at breakfast that morning were there unexpectedly due to violence in the north of Kenya. Several families were evacuated from their homes or were not allowed to return to their homes after vacation or furlough. One family in particular has a boy (about 13 years old) that Malachi had befriended the first week in Nairobi. They went home from furlough the week after we left Nairobi the first time and were only there briefly when they were evacuated. We were surprised to see them when we returned to the Mayfield. We are not sure if/when they will be allowed to return, but they seemed optimistic.

Later, we visited Kibera again to visit a program for street children. This program provides pre-primary education, a meal, Bible teaching, sports programs, and youth vocational training (craft making, hair styling, sewing). The people were very friendly (a theme, we've found), and clearly thankful for the existence of the program. Again, the facilities were very humble/meager by US standards, but very nice for local norms. They had tremendous stories of God's provision for them. After our tour of this facility, we were taken to a very rural area about 1 hour from Nairobi. It was amazingly rural and we even saw zebras and wildebeests near the farm! (Is it true that where there is prey there are predators?!?). The farm is a unique rehab/training/support program for street boys. There is a lot to say about it, but the basic gist is that street boys who demonstrate a desire and willingness to change their life around are able to live here for 2 years, become substance free, hear about God's love, and learn various agricultural means of supporting themselves. The philosophy is great with boys being encouraged to make their own choices with a lot of love and support - and when they leave the program, they should have skills to support themselves and families eventually without having to return to Kibera. Exciting!

Obviously, we have a lot to share with you guys and can't wait to see you all! We are excited to be returning home tonight! Thank you again for all of your love, encouragement, prayers, and support. We could not have pulled this off without you - even the last week before we left was such a community effort! We love you guys!