Final thoughts...

Living positively. That’s a phrase I’ve heard a lot in Kenya but am only now starting to really understand. To me, that phrase could be a catch phrase for living the good life or the latest advertising slogan promising happiness and fulfillment. In Kenya, however, this phrase has a very specific meaning. It refers to people who are HIV+ but who are still approaching life in a positive way and in addition to taking care of themselves, they are making an impact in their local communities. In Kibera, we met an older woman who is HIV + and who lost several family members to AIDS. Her daughters were both HIV+ (contracted through prostitution) and one had lost her husband and child to the disease. The old woman was making a life for herself and had adopted a little boy who had been abandoned (he is also HIV+). In Kenya, there is still such a significant stigma attached to HIV/AIDS. People don’t understand how it’s contracted and many believe it is a curse or punishment. Those who admit that they are HIV+ are often shunned in their communities – even their churches – and lose their jobs and often their families. We have met so many people who are “living positively” with AIDS here and who are maintaining their health while making a difference in their communities. Many are vocal about AIDS – how it is spread and how it can be avoided, even though that often means discussing topics that are still taboo here in Africa. My friend, Rachel, is passionate about the AIDS epidemic that is sweeping this continent. She participated in an award-winning AIDS documentary called “Window of Hope” (look for it on youtube). When she was an education professor, she trained future teachers in how to teach about AIDS awareness, prevention, and treatment, and now children in classrooms across Kenya are learning about HIV/AIDS and how to protect themselves and their families. The other part of living positively is that these people still possess tremendous faith, in spite of their death sentence. It would be so easy to blame God and turn away from him in circumstances like these, but somehow, they draw even closer to Him and use their circumstances to spread the Gospel of Christ’s love and grace.

In the US, our lives are often unaffected by HIV/AIDS, but there are other tragedies that befall us, and when I think of the phrase “living positively,” I think of people I know personally who, when faced with tremendous challenge and desperate situations, choose to maintain a positive outlook and use their challenges to show Christ to the world. Jill and Ben gave birth to a micro-preemie. While the outlook was bleak, they chose to live positively, to put their faith in Christ, and to share their journey with the world around them. Today, their daughter Whitney is almost two years old and has beaten the odds placed against her. Her story, and her parents’ willingness to approach challenge in a positive way, have served to strengthen the faith of so many people and to inspire others to “live positively.” The same is true for Callie, a young woman diagnosed with brain cancer. Even in her darkest moments, she placed her faith in Christ and chose to share her journey in a positive way, inspiring and motivating others. These stories have impacted my life and so many others. The same is true for those living positively with HIV/AIDS in Kenya. They are changing the world through their faith – one person at a time.

In Kenya, we see so much that shocks and despairs us. It often feels like the problems are so huge, that nothing can be done. But I have also met people who believe that planting seeds – one life at a time – is the only answer to solving the challenges of this country and our world as a whole. That inspires and motivates me to live positively.

Getting ready to leave...

Here's John making his "I really love being hugged but have to pretend that I don't" face :) We saw a lot of that expression on this trip!

The trip is wrapping up, but we’ve had a great few days. On Monday, we went to Nairobi to meet a friend, Reagan, for lunch in the downtown area of the city – somewhere we’d never been. It was surprisingly similar to downtown areas of American cities. We enjoyed catching up with Reagan and had a great buffet lunch of Kenyan food – which was delicious. After that, we went to get pictures printed to leave with some of our friends here as well as the kids at the Centre and then spent the remainder of the day at the Centre playing with the kids. On Tuesday, we got up early and went to Karen, a suburb of Nairobi, (and named after Karen Blixsen who the film Out of Africa was based on – her home is in Karen) back to the Serare School to visit with my friend Rachel. We had breakfast together and then drove up to the Ngong Hills for a great little hike and spectacular views of Nairobi and the Rift Valley. It was a wonderful way to spend a morning. We returned to the school, and Lauren spent an hour visiting with about 20 of the girls who attend the private boarding school about college and life in America. She then went to lunch in the dining hall with the girls, and Rachel and I enjoyed lunch at her house where I met her son who is a biomedical researcher working with a tree that has the potential to help/cure more than 300 diseases. It was fascinating to hear about his work. Once again, we spent the afternoon/evening at the Centre with the kids and the moms. Rachel’s school is called “Serare School”. Serare means “imprint” and Rachel talked about what an imprint education leaves on the minds and lives of people. She makes me proud to be a teacher!

I had a wonderful time with John Monday night. When I arrived, he was crying with a headache, so after a spoonful of ibuprofen, he curled up in my lap and went to sleep. I held him for 2 ½ hours while he slept and then was able to tuck him into bed for the night. He puts on a really tough act and reminds me so much of Phillip at that age. Sometimes I would forget with Phillip that he still needed cuddling because he was always so tough. The same was true with John. As I held John, I couldn’t help but think that while these kids are so incredibly fortunate to have their basic needs met by the Centre (otherwise, they may be going hungry, stealing, or prostituting) there are other things that they really miss out on. One being the opportunity to be held when they are sad or don’t feel good. With 41 children and so many responsibilities, the moms at the Centre can’t possibly give much individual attention to each child.

The rest of the team returned from Safari yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) and leaves for home tonight. Lauren and I have one more day, but it will likely be spent relaxing because Lauren is sick. She came down with what I think was probably the flu Sunday night. On Tuesday, she still wasn’t better so I took her to the doctor at the clinic here at Brackenhurst. He put her on antibiotics thinking it may now be a bacterial infection. The total for the visit plus the antibiotics?? $440 shillings which is about $5.50!!! I could so get used to living in Kenya!! She’s been sleeping most of the day and plans to go to the Centre in a couple of hours to see the kids again. We’ll stop by on our way to the airport tomorrow for one last visit. We are pretty well packed. Have a few people to visit with and to share our leftover groceries with, but otherwise, we’re set to come home.

Hope to have time to do a final entry tomorrow before we leave for the airport. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel home Thursday and Friday. In Kenya, instead of “safe travels” they say “journey mercies”… I like that phrase. Sounds like something to live your life by…

P.S. I couldn’t post this this afternoon because the internet was down. We are home now from the Centre. The rest of the team is in Nairobi getting ready to fly home. Lauren got off the couch to spend 2 hours with the children and is now writing each one a letter to leave tomorrow. She is feeling a little better but still has no voice and a lot of congestion. We had a great time with the kids. We brought each one a chocolate bar, and they really enjoyed that rare treat. We’re planning to enjoy a fire (it’s really cold here today!) and an early night.

The last several days have been wonderful!

Louise painting the nails of a woman who survived leprosy.
My boy John.

John and Peter in one of their cool distorted pictures..

Our "Family Portrait" from dinner last night. Mama Joan is on the far left. Geoffrey is the tall man beside me.
Just the Kenyan Families. Mama Joan on the far left. Geoffrey on the far right.
Tearing up the dance floor at the Cheshire Retirement Center outside Nairobi. What a blessing these people were to us!

Lauren, John, and Peter at the cottage figuring out the computer.

What an amazing few days. I am just now finding the time to write because we have been so busy – early mornings, late nights, and full days in between. Here’s an overview of the past few days…

Friday we visited another Cheshire Home (apparently there are more than 200 of them in the world). This one was for the elderly. There were 38 living there full time – If I understood correctly, they do not have any living family members, so will live out their lives at Cheshire and Cheshire will handle burial arrangements. Many were in wheel chairs, and all appeared to be disabled in one way or another. When we arrived they were in the courtyard enjoying some sunshine. It was very awkward at first (as it usually is when visiting a new rest home in the US). We offered to paint fingernails for the ladies – and had a few takers. Once they saw the others’ nails, though , even more wanted to have their nails done. They kept asking us to do their hair – if we go again, it would be a real blessing to the ladies there to bring a stylist with us to do their hair. After a tour and a few more awkward minutes, we decided to sing for them. We did a bunch of children’s songs with motions that go along with them. They just looked at us like we were crazy – even the worker looked like she was pitying us. Then, we sang the one song we know in Swahili (God is so Good), and things really livened up then. They taught us a new verse in Kikuyu (a local tribal language) and then they began to sing songs to us. At some point, one of the staff members brought out an ipod on speaker and then the real fun started… DANCING! These disabled women (one completely blind, others using canes) began to dance in their tribal styles – it was beautiful! They danced for probably 30 minutes… some of our team members even learned a few moves J

Saturday we visited our friend Pat Dixson in the morning (she runs the feeding program we worked with on Wednesday) at her home. She has beautiful gardens that have been cultivated for years and years (she inherited her home from her parents). There are paths everywhere, and we went on a long walk with her dogs and cats (yes, even her cats go on walks with her!). At times it felt like we were in a rainforest in the middle of nowhere…. Hard to believe that there were other houses nearby. We also saw two different types of monkeys that live in her trees. Beautiful.

After that, we picked up Mama Joan and her 2 kids (our housekeeper from last year and dear friend) and headed to the LCC. The moms at the LCC had asked if we could bring Mama Joan there to teach them how to make zucchini bread (she made it for us last year and we shared it with them – they loved it!). Mama Joan was so sweet to help. We had a great time visiting with the moms while making 3 batches of bread. At the LCC, the oven is heated by wood and doesn’t have any kind of thermostat, so it’s impossible to control temperature. The bread turned out a little black on the top and bottom, but absolutely delicious in the middle. The moms are experts at working that oven, so next time they’ll know to get the oven a little cooler and to just cook it longer. After the bread baking, it was time to celebrate Grace’s 16^th birthday. We brought 2 huge cakes and punch to the Centre. It became a birthday party for everyone (the kids don’t really get to celebrate their birthdays), so after singing “Happy Birthday” to Grace, we sang “Happy Birthday to Me” and then ate and ate and ate the wonderful cake. Again, I couldn’t believe how much these kids could eat – especially something as rich as cake (something they never get to eat). And then it was time for birthday presents. Global Connections has a “godparent” program where people can sponsor one of the orphans and become the child’s godparent. The godparents and children exchange letters each month and get to know one another. The godparents also provide guidance and spiritual support such as prayer for the children. This year, godparents had the opportunity to send a small gift to their children and we packed them in trunks and brought them with us. At the birthday party, each child received his/her godparent gift. The kids loved it, and we got lots of pictures to share with the godparents.

Saturday ended with a great dinner party at the Global Connections Farm for Grace’s birthday. We had spaghetti and pizza (her two favorite foods) as well as chocolate cake. What a beautiful day!

Sunday… what a wonderful day. It began with church at Tigoni Fellowship with the kids from the Centre. Then Lauren and I were able to take John (our godchild) and Peter (Lauren’s special friend) with us for the day. We returned to Brackenhurst and took the boys to lunch at Mike’s – the restaurant here where they once again ate and ate and ate. Then, the plan was to hike, explore, play outside, etc… but once they saw the computer, it was all over. I have a new Mac for work and it has a built-in camera and some pretty cool photo programs where you can distort pictures and do all kinds of crazy things. I was so impressed with these 2 boys from rural Kenya figured out how to use things that I don’t even know how to use on this computer. We have tons of HILARIOUS pictures from the day. They also learned out how to create and play music using the Garage Band program. At one point, they did go with Lauren to run errands on the compound. I gave them each 200 shillings (about $2.50) to choose something from the gift shop. Lauren said it was a hilarious process, but they were able to each get a toy and a bar of chocolate and still have 5 shillings left. Last night (still Sunday), we had some of our Kenyan friends over for dinner. Mama Joan, her husband and two kids came as well as Geoffrey (our guard from last year), his wife, and his two kids. We had a full house (12 people) with Lauren, Peter, John, and me. We had a wonderful Kenyan meal (mukimo – green mashed potatoes with corn and green peas, chepati – Kenyan bread… like a thick tortilla, beef stew, ugali – something like hardened grits, kuku – chicken on a stick, zucchini, and fruit). It was all delicious. Mama Joan also taught me how to make Kenyan Chai which is how they drink their hot tea here – with lots of steamed milk, a little tea, and a little sugar. When it was time to go home, we were still visiting, so David (our driver) came in and ate as well. It was a wonderful night – one that I will continue to remember for a long time. The main reason I continue to return to Kenya is the people – we have made so many special friendships here, and I cannot imagine not seeing these people who are like family to me now.

The rest of the team left yesterday morning early for safari in the Masai Mara, so Lauren and I are keeping busy doing some things that we really want to do (like yesterday’s day with the boys and dinner with friends). Today, we’re headed to Nairobi to have lunch with Reagan (we met him in 2007 when he was one of our translators and have continued to see him each year). He’s taking us to a Kenyan buffet, so we’re looking forward to trying some new things. Then, we’re visiting Amani Aju – a place that employs refugee women to sew. I visited it last year, but Lauren has never been. After that, we’ll head to the mall for an hour to get some pictures printed to leave with some of our friends. This afternoon and evening we’ll spend at the Children’s Centre. It will be good to spend some time with the kids and with the moms.

As you can see, we’ve been busy! We have just a few days left before leaving Thursday to return to the US. The time has flown by, especially since we spent 6 weeks last year and were able to do so much more. It has been a great trip!

Kibera...

Crossing the sewage river (seriously - the bridge washed out during the heavy rain season, and we literally had to cross a river of raw sewage using stepping stones. luckily - no one fell in!)The larger building to the left in the picture is the school we visited. It's located on the edge of Kibera Slum near Nairobi.

The view from the 2nd floor of one of the buildings at the school (the blue building in the picture above). The first building you see here is also part of the school.
My friend, Rachel, outside one of the classrooms in Kibera. I believe that God brought Rachel and me together... we met briefly at a church service last year and she asked for my email address. We've been communicating by email all year, and I was so glad to get to spend time with her and especially to see the projects she's working with in Kibera.
This looks like something out of a horror film to me... unfortunately, it's for real. There was a similar door marked "Library."
Lauren with Winnie (left) and Elizabeth (center). Both girls are just 17 years old (almost Lauren's age). It's been hard this afternoon to wrap my mind around how fortunate Lauren (and all of the rest of us) were to be born in the US instead of into conditions like where these two girls live. What a tremendous responsibility we have to the rest of the world. And what an opportunity.

Where to begin… Kibera. Every time I visit this place, I think it hits me even harder as I see more and more and understand less and less. Today has been the most challenging, but yet my favorite, day of the trip. This morning, we met Rachel, a principal of a private school near Nairobi and visited the projects she is working with in Kibera. Rachel is such an inspiration. She had a long career as a teacher in public education and then went on to be a lecturer at a teacher’s college before ending up in administration at a private boarding school. Her school was wonderful – we enjoyed our tour and hearing about her school (which is for primarily middle and upper income students – not the poor). But, Rachel spends her days off in Kibera, about 30 minutes away and hopes for the day when she can quit working and volunteer full time in Kibera.

As I’ve mentioned before, Kibera is a huge slum. There is simply no way for me to describe it accurately for you. For the first time, I was able to take pictures, so I’m sharing those with you. But to be there in person and walk the narrow paths, cross the rivers of raw sewage, and see the impossible living conditions – is really indescribable. There is so much pain and misery but also great beauty in the pride of the people and in the hearts of those who choose to serve there.

Our first stop was a school that serves about 800 students. It is an “informal” school which means that it bypasses a lot of the restrictions of “formal” public schools in Kenya – class size, teacher qualifications, playgrounds, hygienic conditions, etc… It has 22 classrooms and 16 teachers (you figured right – some classes don’t have teachers) covering grades Kindergarten through 12^th grade. We had the opportunity to meet a few of the students and to hear their stories – heartbreaking. Elizabeth is a double orphan, having lost both her parents and has no on willing to care for her. She is currently in the 10^th grade and wants to be a journalist one day. She has a friend who is letting her sleep at her house but isn’t able to feed her. It’s very common in Kibera for girls and women to turn to prostitution to meet their basic needs of food and shelter. I believe this is part of Elizabeth’s story. Rachel is working with girls like Elizabeth on issues of sexuality, self-esteem, and empowerment – helping them to value themselves and set goals for their lives during the crucial teen years. The school has no feeding program for the high school students, so girls like Elizabeth and her friend, Winnie, don’t have access to food. Lauren gave them our packed lunch to share (wonder what they thought of white fudge covered oreos!!). We won’t soon forget them or their stories.

The neat thing about this school is the dedication and success of its students. The teachers arrive at 6:00 and school starts at 6:45 and ends at 6 at night! That’s Monday through Saturday! We were told that these kids earn strong scores on the national exam – some even outscoring privileged kids from private schools. What a miracle – and what a great way to break the cycle of poverty through education.

After the school, we visited a grandmother in her home in another part of Kibera. It was our first time to be in the home of someone in Kibera, so that was a special experience. We enjoyed visiting and learning her story. Rachel is hoping to find some kind of handiwork – beadwork, crocheting, sewing, etc… that this lady and others can do in their homes to create a sustainable income to support their families.

Rachel also works to supply sanitary pads and underwear for a large number of teen girls at the school we visited (I think about 300 girls). As in other third world countries, girls often have to stay home from school when they have their periods. Underwear are about 25 cents per pair. Some of our team members found directions for making washable/reusable sanitary pads, and brought patterns and samples for Rachel – she was thrilled!

If any of you feel led to make a contribution to Rachel’s work in Kibera or any other ministry I’ve described in this blog, please do so. Global Connections is very unique in that it doesn’t take a penny of your donation out for overhead costs… 100% of what you give goes directly to the ministry you designate, and small amounts of money go a long way here in Kenya. For more information on Global Connections or for their mailing address, visit: www.globalconnectionsonline.org

Tonight we are hosting David (the teacher at the K-Branch of the Children’s Centre) and his family for dinner. Tomorrow, we’re visiting the market in Nairobi and visiting a different Cheshire Home that serves elderly disabled people. I wasn't able to get all of my pictures from today into this one post, so please look at the next two posts (below) to see the rest of the pictures.

More Kibera

Children in one of the classrooms (where the only light was coming through a tiny piece of plastic in the tin roof - it was very dark!). The children were happy to see us and sang a song of welcome.
We called this the "catacombs" - my flash lit up the whole hall - in reality it was dark and tight with rough stick and mud/concrete walls. These halls connected one classroom to another and I guess offer some protection from the elements.
Another of the passageways...

Kibera...

Kibera... so hard to put into words. In four trips to Kenya, these are the first pictures I've been able to take of Kibera. These scenes go on and on. Shack upon shack. Open sewage running through the hard-packed dirt streets. Homes made of tin with dirt floors. Just heartbreaking.

I'm having to post only 3 pictures at a time so there will be several entries today...

A couple of pictures from today

Handing out pillowcases at Cheshire. This year at Governor's School, Lauren organized a time where scholars could decorate pillowcases for kids in Kenya. They made 46 wonderful pillowcases. Today, we handed out 28 of them to the girls at Cheshire. On Saturday, the rest will go to pre-school students at the Children's Centre. These girls were thrilled to receive them!
This photo is from Pat's Feeding Program. I could have included pictures of the plastic bags of rice, beans/corn, corn meal, etc... that they receive, but I was most moved by the pile of empty bottles and containers. These are all things we would normally throw away in the US, but to the desperately poor in Kenya, these become treasures. There were even old prescription bottles. Each person was able to choose one, and believe me - they chose carefully. In the end, there weren't even enough to go around and I immediately thought of things I'd been throwing away over the past 2 weeks and how someone would have used and valued those objects.

Finally... something to write about!

Lauren and John at the Centre... that is his favorite expression... he's saying "I really love these people and all the attention I get from them, but I can't quite let that show" :) Instead he just scrunches up his face and tries to act cool. Last year at Christmas, I sent Maureen (she works at the Centre) a little money to take John out to a restaurant for a meal or to let him pick out a toy. Instead, this little seven year old boy wanted "a suit" so she took him to the market and this is what he picked out. It actually looks really great with the spiderman shoes we brought him from Spain. That's what he wore to church :)
I love it! On Sundays, the girls get the day off to rest and play and the boys do all of the cooking and cleaning. Here, several of the teen boys were preparing secuma (like turnip greens) and cabbage for dinner.
More boys washing the dishes from lunch. How would you like to wash dishes for 50 people three times a day like this??

Another full day, and the rest of the team is not even back yet. We started the day at Pat’s Feeding Program. Pat is an elderly Kenyan woman who runs a feeding program that provides people who are unable to work (the elderly and those who are HIV+) with a small amount of food every two weeks. It amounts to about a Wal-Mart bagful and if they eat one meal a day, it will keep them alive for two weeks. It’s always a very moving experience – the people are so friendly and genuinely thankful. As I’ve written before, there is no welfare system in Kenya and no retirement system like Social Security, so people who cannot work are among the most vulnerable here. It costs roughly $5 per person every two weeks to fund Pat’s program.

After leaving Pat’s, we headed back to Brackenhurst where we met Sister Sandra for lunch. Sister Sandra is a nun from Malta who has lived in Kenya for almost 30 years. She runs a vocational program that teaches skills like tailoring, knitting, and sewing as well as an orphanage. She is a woman of great faith and someone I have a tremendous amount of respect for… we look forward to visiting her center next week.

We spent the afternoon at Cheshire where some of our team members shared ideas of different things they could make to sell through their sewing/knitting program. The girls seemed genuinely excited and eager to learn. We then did a craft activity with them and then had a time of fellowship with snacks (digestive cookies which are like graham crackers, Fanta soda, and Kenyan style Cheetos). It was our last visit to Cheshire – we have been so moved by the grace and commitment of these young ladies and have thoroughly enjoyed our time with them.

The rest of the team is at the store purchasing spoons, plates, mugs, etc… to restock the dining room at the K-Branch of the Children’s Centre. They are growing so quickly and have been having to reuse utensils in order to get all of the kids fed during a meal.

The needs here are so great, and sometimes it seems like there is no amount of money great enough to fill all of the gaps. I do know, however, that even small contributions make a difference here, and people are so thankful for whatever help they are given. Our team has made decisions about how to best spend our pot of team money, and individual team members have been led to give to specific causes. My time here continues to remind me of how fortunate – and how incredibly wasteful and spoiled – we are in the US and how our tendency toward self-reliance, independence, and being “self-made” really get in the way of being truly dependent on God. We seem to only look to Him for help when something major happens in our lives. Here, the majority of people I meet look to God to meet their everyday needs… food, shelter, school fees. As the girls at Cheshire told us today, “We feel like you are our moms, our brothers and sisters. When you leave here, please remember us. We will be remembering you in prayer and asking God to bless you.” Somehow, I know that to be true, and it’s a shameful reminder to me of how I need to seek a deeper prayer life and to continue to remember those here who have touched my life through their words, actions, and faith.

Tomorrow, we go back to Kibera Slum. If you have a minute, please Google “Kibera Slum” and just read a few minutes about it. Kibera is the second largest slum in the world (behind the slum in India where Slum Dog Millionaire was filmed). There are over a million desperately poor people crammed into a tiny area of less than one square mile. There is little electricity and no plumbing. Sewage runs in the ditches between shacks made of tin and old lumber. There is less than 1 pit latrine for every 1000 people in Kibera. It is truly heartbreaking as they are the poorest of the poor in Kenya, and many families are never able to escape the slum. Last year, I met a lady named Rachael when I attended the local Kikuyu church with my friend Anastasia. We exchanged email addresses and have communicated throughout the year. Rachel is a principal of a school in Nairobi and runs several programs located in Kibera. Tomorrow, we’re visiting a program she has for teen girls and a second program for elderly women. I don’t know much about either program and hope to learn a great deal tomorrow.

One prayer request… Geoffrey – who was our guard last year was taken to the doctor in Nairobi yesterday. It sounds like he struggles with high blood pressure and possibly heart problems. He lost his mother at a young age to heart disease. Lauren and I are hoping to have Geoffrey and Mama Joan and their families to our house for dinner Sunday night to catch up. We got very close to them last year and have missed seeing them. Please pray that the doctors will correctly diagnose and treat Geoffrey. And also pray for energy and health for the team… it’s been 2 weeks of hard work and long days, and everyone is beginning to tire.

Great You Tube Video of the Kids at the Children's Centre

Here's a link to a great slideshow that Bailey put together with pictures of the boarders at the Children's Centre...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lADusZ3cQpw

shortest, most boring post ever!

This is just a quick note so everyone knows we're still alive and well. I've spent the last two days on the couch feeling under the weather... so have nothing to report. The team spent the day yesterday at the K-Branch playing with the younger children and today doing Care for Aids home visits with their HIV+ clients. Lauren said it was a wonderful day. It's always a neat experience to be able to visit with the people in their homes here and to really be able to see their way of life.

I am feeling much better and am looking forward to working with Pat's Feeding Program tomorrow and another visit to Cheshire for a craft activity and visit with the young ladies there.

David made it safely home, although he apparently is on the "Do Not Fly" list and was flagged at customs. He's had more problems with the law over his apparently very common name...

Thanks so much to everyone who is thinking of and praying for us. We are having a great trip and are looking forward to our remaining week and a half.

Last Pictures...

Eating lunch in Nairobi - I loved the sign behind Lauren: "Drink Coffee - Do stupid things faster with more energy"
THIS is the gorge at Hell's Gate (aptly named!!). It was an unbelievable day and I am unbelievably sore today!
Some of the completed flip flop creations from Cheshire.

pictures

The front rooms of our cottage (living room, kitchen, and dining area)
One of our two bedrooms.
Our bathroom - everything is tile and it is so humid here that when you shower, water runs down the walls and the mirror never unfogs!

For some reason, I could only upload 3 pictures this time... these are pictures of our cottage, Simba. It's very basic but works fine for us.

Today was great - we enjoyed church at Tigoni Baptist and then went to the Children's Centre to play with the kids for awhile - it was good to see John. We also found out that on Sundays, the boys at the orphanage do all of the cooking and cleaning and the girls get a day of rest - thought that was pretty cool (and maybe something we need to do at my house :). Later in the afternoon, Lauren and I went to Anastasia's house to visit and eat mandazi (Kenyan fried donuts). It was great to see her and to be able to catch up some. Tonight, we're eating dinner at Mike's, spending a little time on the Internet, and then Lauren is watching the World Cup final game at 9:30. Tomorrow, we go to the K-Branch of the Children's Centre where they serve about 100 day students (I think they're all 3-5 years old). We're going to play, paint faces, cover the fence with sidewalk chalk, etc... Should be fun (and exhausting!). We have a full week planned, so I'll try to update as often as possible.

P.S. At Anastasia's house, I was able to see Solomon - the boy who lost his ear in a terrible school bus accident. The reattachment surgery appears to be a success. His ear looks great and is healing well. He is still quite traumatized by the accident and hasn't returned to school yet.

Long rambling update... with pictures!

The "Brown Family" - Lauren, John Kahera, and Kate at Hell's Gate National Park
Cheshire ladies making flip flops. What an amazing day!
Two of the Cheshire ladies that I worked with...
Anne and Margaret (Anne is my great friend who I met my first year and have managed to see every year - she's on the right in this picture)
Acacia tree thorns...

Wow. I don’t know where to start… it’s been a full day. We left early this morning to take about 50 orphans on a field trip to Hell’s Gate. That should have been my first warning that the day was not to be what I thought. I’d heard that Hell’s Gate was a national game reserve and that we would be able to drive through on our buses and look at wild animals. I’d also heard that we would have the opportunity to do about an hour “walk” to maybe see the animals up close and personal. Well all went well until we got to the walking part. The drive from here to the park took over an hour and we went through the beautiful Rift Valley, driving past the IDP camp where we built houses last year. It was wonderful to see neat rows of mud houses with tin roofs instead of weather-beaten tents. When we finally arrived at Hell’s Gate, we spent about 45 minutes getting checked in through the main gate and hearing a talk by one of the park rangers about wildlife conservation. My favorite quote from his talk… “if you get eaten by a lion today, it’s a bad thing for you. But it’s a good thing for us because we won’t have to feed the lion.” Sensitive Africans! I also got a look at the thorns of the Acacia tree up close. The Acacia trees are the typical tree associated with Africa – especially in the safari lands of the Serengeti Plains. They have huge thorns and it is said that the crown of thorns that Jesus wore was from the Acacia tree. I believe that after seeing the thorns today. Each thorn was as long or longer than an adult finger – they were like mini-spears. I know I’m rambling and some of you want to find out what put the “hell” in Hell’s Gate. Okay, so after 30 minutes of wonderful sightseeing by bus, we arrived at a stop called “The Gorge” – now that should have been my second clue, but I was still completely unaware of what was to come. We started down a dirt and rock path that very quickly turned into a death defying straight shot to the bottom of a 100 foot gorge. Now, the beautiful little Kenyan children hopped and ran their way happily down the path (I’m still having a hard time calling it a path) while this old and out-of-shape American tried to tough it up enough to slide down on my backside with much assistance from our gentlemen on the trip. Whew, I survived. That initial descent ended up being a piece of cake compared to the rest of the “hike” – it’s now been upgraded from a walk to a hike. We eventually made it to the bottom of a beautiful gorge where there were hot springs, little waterfalls, and tons of beautiful rocks (including obsidian that was so perfect, I cast away my first several pieces thinking it was just broken glass). Although I was filthy and hurting in places I didn’t know I had, I was pretty proud of myself for making it to the bottom. Now, if we could just find our buses and have our picnic lunch… 20 minutes later… I receive the shocking news that our bus cannot meet us at the bottom of a 100 foot gorge (as I’m reading this, I am realizing how completely ignorant I am sounding but this is seriously the way it happened – I was oblivious… would have stayed on the bus had I known the full extent of the boot camp challenge) (it’s now been upgrading it from a hike to a full out military challenge). Imagine my complete surprise and distress to learn that we are basically going to have to climb our way out of the 100 foot gorge. Yea h. So now it’s rock climbing minus the training, safety equipment, and in places – it’s minus the rocks! We climbed up paths the consistency of talcum powder grabbing roots and rocks when available. I did survive the expedition although I doubt I’ll be able to move tomorrow. I used muscles that never existed before today. And many more that haven’t been used in the 10 years I’ve been working a desk job.

Some of you have asked about our daily life here in Kenya. We are staying at a Christian Retreat Center called Brackenhurst. It is in Tigoni Village, a few miles from Limuru Town and about 25 miles from Nairobi. It is in the Kenyan Highlands (about 8,000 feet above sea level), and it’s actually winter here right now with temperatures in the mid-upper 60’s and lows in the 40’s and 50’s. Whenever we leave the highlands (for Nairobi or the Rift Valley, for example) it is considerably warmer (about 10 degrees). The Kenyan Highlands are known for their coffee and tea production. The area we visited today (beyond the Rift Valley in Lake Navasha is known for it’s flower production. Those are Kenya’s three largest exports (tea, coffee, and flowers) and flowers are dirt cheap here. I bought a dozen beautiful pink/orange roses here for 100 shillings (about $1.20) and have been enjoying them for several days now.

At Brackenhurst, we are renting a cottage (Simba cottage – means Lion). It is older concrete block construction and has 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, and a living/dining area plus small kitchen. There is no heat here other than the fireplace but we are fortunate to have reliable electricity this year and running water. We have been enjoying the popping of fires in the evenings. It seems to help take the chill out of the air. The floors are all tile and are VERY cold. Still, I’m not complaining – I would much rather be here than in Mississippi’s 100 degree summer months.

Brackenhurst has a restaurant/grill called Mike’s that serves a variety of sandwiches, salads, and entrees that are primarily western. Things like burgers, chicken nuggets, fajitas, soup, etc… Most things we’ve had have been quite good, but we’ve started doing a good bit of our own cooking. Last week, I made red beans and rice (that is a long project – the beans have to be soaked overnight and still need to cook for 6 hours of so to get soft). Last night, Lauren and I had leftovers of that plus fried okra. Tomorrow, we’re having gatheri (African stew with vegetables and beans) and chepati (Kenyan bread – similar to a thick flour tortilla and very yummy!), We have it all prepared – just have to cook it for about an hour when we get home tomorrow night. I just couldn’t resist cooking local vegetables. There are small dukas (shops) on every corner selling fruits and vegetables, and I’m always amazed at how cheap everything is. I bought a big bag full of vegetables (onions, carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, tomoatoes, and cabbage) for 115 shillings this week (about $1.35 US). We generally have a hot breakfast (scrambled eggs and toast), sandwiches for lunch (African peanut butter and bread are a little weird – but we’ve become accustomed to them), and then either eat dinner at Mike’s or at our cottage if we have time (and energy!) to prepare it and clean up after ourselves, Tomorrow is Sunday and we don’t leave for church until 10:30 so we will have the luxury of homemade pancakes. I always feel like I am eating much more healthy here since they sell very few processed food items – everything is very fresh (although it takes MUCH longer to cook only with raw ingredients. I spent 20 minutes tonight just scrubbing vegetables getting ready to chop them. The sugar is course ground and light brown in color (a little like the Sugar in the Raw we can buy in the US). The bread is full of fiber made with coarse ground wheat flour. Even things like rice and flour haven’t been processed to the extent we’re used to in the US.

Tomorrow we’re attending Tigoni Baptist Church with the kids from the orphanage. After lunch, we’ll hang out at the orphanage. Some of the ladies are going to teach the older girls to mend clothing and repair the rips and tears in their school uniforms. In the late afternoon, Lauren and I will head to my friend Anastasia’s house for mandazis (African fried doughnuts) and fellowship. She’s one of my favorite people in Kenya, and I always look forward to spending time with her. Tomorrow night is the big World Cup Final Game. We have to watch because back when Spain was just in the top 16, we bought t-shirts in Spain for $4 each that depict Spain winning the World Cup. We will be so excited if that happens for real and our cheap t-shirts end up being a good deal J

Lauren and I have given up beds for the 2 couches in the living room… they’re more comfortable and we like to sleep with the cracking and popping of the fire (and its warmth – which doesn’t travel down the halls to the bedrooms or bathroom!). I know that guys that come to clean every day think we’re crazy for not using the bedrooms. So far, they make great closets – we are able to separate our filthy, from our dirty, from our not-so-dirty, from our “worn twice but still smells okay” and so on. I never knew there were so many levels of laundry. When you have to pay about $3 to have one outfit washed, you start blurring the lines between what really needs to be washed and what can be worn again. Our clothes from today, however, are already at the laundry – we were covered from head to toe in fine dirt and also mud from wading in the water at times.

Will close for now with prayer requests… please lift up Gladys – she is one of the orphans who has developed a terrible rash/fungus on her feet making it painful to walk. And strength and health for the rest of us…

P.S. I can only post 5 pictures at a time, so I'm getting ready to post 5 more from the last couple of days...

Learning to live on Africa time...

One of the biggest lessons for me in Kenya is flexibility and patience. I'm so used to schedules and timelines (and very comfortable with them!). In Kenya, I really have to let go of all of that and learn to be flexible and even spontaneous! I spent the day of the last post (Wednesday) at Brackenhurst (home) with David. He felt much better by the end of the day. I was able to spend that afternoon at the children's centre visiting with the kids. Some of you may remember Anne Wambui from my first trip (we called her "Ha ha ha Anne"). She doesn't live at the Children's Centre, but she heard we were in town so she had been coming by each afternoon hoping to see us. It was a wonderful reunion! We had a great visit. She is growing up - already in the 6th grade. I also was able to spend time with our godchild, John Kahera. In Spain, I bought him a pair of black spiderman tennis shoes - he is a huge Spiderman fan so was thrilled to see his new shoes.

Yesterday (Thursday) the other ladies and I went to Nairobi to work on setting up and decorating the retail store for Jacaranda Creations - an organization I've already written about. It was a good day - we spent a lot of time going from place to place trying to find what we needed and buying furniture from the side of the road. In the evening, we said goodbye to the men (they headed back to the US last night) and visited for awhile at the Children's Centre again.

Today, we had a wonderful morning at Cheshire (the home for disabled girls). We brought plastic flip flops and all kinds of crafting supplies (fuzzy yarn, glue-on jewels, silk flowers, etc...) for them to custom decorate their flip flops. It was a blast! The girls loved it, and we all thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I wanted to share an excerpt that a team member wrote about the Cheshire girls, because I think it is so beautifully stated:

"These ladies are truly outcasts in Kenya. In their homes, some of them had been tied to their chairs during meals so they wouldn’t try to eat; some had been passed around for prostitution; virtually all of them had been treated as a curse on their families and on society. Jacob [a Mississippi volunteer] has been spending much of his time here getting to know these ladies. He teaches them reading and math, helps them with their chores and has been seeking out resources in Nairobi that are available to help the women and the school. I wasn’t there - but would encourage you to ask other members of the team about this experience. I understand that the people at the pizza place didn’t want to give the ladies their own plates, but asked that they share or use napkins; when one of the teachers (who is also handicapped) fainted - not one person would even stop to acknowledge her presence or her need. I think it was a difficult thing for our team to see - such a total disregard for a human being - but it also sounds like it was an opportunity to truly experience the love of God flowing through them and the feeling of his broken heart for the despised and rejected in this world.

I understand that watching Jacob carry these women in and out of the bus with such tenderness was also heartbreaking and humbling, and inspired great hope in what one person can do with just a little bit of love....

The ladies were so very happy and had such a great time. Maybe the world wasn’t fixed through pizza and a movie - but without a doubt, it was changed."

Lazy Day... plus pictures!

Some of the items for sale at Jacaranda Creations, the sewing workshop and Bible college that trains and employees women from Kibera Slum.
Lauren's baptism. I have better pictures, but they're taking forever to download. This is our friend, Al Puckett, baptizing her. He did a beautiful job - very moving moment and celebration!
Moving the disabled girls from Cheshire Home up the escalator to the movie theatre. In Kenya, the disabled don't have rights like they do in the US. They are also typically shunned by their neighbors and even families. This home teaches them skills that they might use in the future to generate an income to support themselves as well as working with them on self-esteem with a Christian emphasis.

Today, the rest of the team went to the IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) Camp in the Rift Valley. We spent some time there last year and really enjoyed it. We were fortunate to be able to help them build homes yesterday and I was looking forward to seeing the progress made on the rest of the homes in the village. Unfortunately, David got sick in the night, so Lauren and I stayed behind with him to spend his last full day here together. He seems to be fine now and is packed and ready to return to the US tomorrow (he actually leaves Nairobi tomorrow - Thursday- but doesn't return to the US until Friday night. This afternoon we're going to the Children's Centre to visit with the kids, and tomorrow we'll go back to Nairobi to the Jacaranda Centre to set up their new store. That should be fun.

Several of you have asked about Solomon. He's been released from the hospital and is at home doing pretty well. Please continue to keep him in your prayers. His ear reattachment surgery went well, but there is still a serious threat of infection.

Also, for those of you who are looking to get involved, there is a great need for people to sponsor kids at the IDP camp for high school. There are currently 16 high school students who don't have the school fees to pay for high school so they are not able to attend. School fees are $400 per year. If you would like to sponsor or even help sponsor one of these kids to make sure they are able to attend high school, please contact Global Connections (www.globalconnectionsonline.org) or let me know and I will put you in touch with the right person.

Baptism and other things...

We’ve had a busy couple of days in Kenya and are thoroughly enjoying ourselves! On Sunday we had a great field trip with 25 girls and 3 staff members from the Cheshire Home. Cheshire is a residential home for severely disabled girls where they learn basic skills such as tailoring, knitting, and computer literacy. The team hired a bus and we loaded up the girls, put the wheelchairs on top of the bus and headed about an hour into Nairobi where we took them to a huge, beautiful mall cinema to see “Marmaduke.” The cinema was on the top floor and only accessible by an escalator so the cinema staff had to stop the escalator, we would load up 5-6 girls, box them in with team members, and then start the escalator back up. The process took about a half an hour to get everyone up to the theater, and they arrived just in time to see the movie. Afterward, we took everyone to the mall food court to eat Pizza. It was a great day, but I didn’t realize the full impact until we brought them home and they had a little “thank you ceremony” where they talked about what the day had meant to them. Apparently, in Kenya, the disabled are looked down upon and blamed for their condition. These girls had never had such an experience, had never been served in a restaurant, or had attention paid to them. They said it had been the experience of a lifetime, and they sang and prayed for us before we left. Truly beautiful. We’re going back later in our trip to visit with them and to do some craft activities with them (we’re making the furry flip flops with fancy yarn and plastic flip flops – they will love those).

Today, we spent the day in Nairobi visiting a couple of different projects that employ women from the slum (Kibera – the second largest slum in the world) to sew and do beadwork. They had beautiful things to sell and even more beautiful stories to tell us about their lives. We walked for about an hour and a half through Kibera, visiting a market, and then had tea with the staff and administration of Jacaranda Creations. On Thursday, we’re working with them again to help them move into their new showroom.

Lauren’s baptism was this afternoon and was so beautiful. Thanks to Al Puckett for his role in her baptism. Tonight we’re eating together with other friends from the US at the Global Connections Farm. Appreciate your continued prayers for our team to remain safe and healthy!

Pictures to come... the internet is too slow to load tonight!

Hello from Kenya!

We made it safely to Kenya last night around 7:30. After waiting 2 hours to get through customs, we made the one hour trip to Brackenhurst, where we're staying in the Limuru area. Thursday night (our last night in Spain) we ended up not sleeping at all. Our taxi to the airport came early (at 3 a.m. instead of 3:30). Luckily we were showered, packed, and ready to go. After hauling all of our luggage (5 suitcases and 2 backpacks) down the many stairs of our hostal (72 stairs from our floor to the ground floor - about 70 more than I would have liked!) we headed to the Madrid airport - arriving before the ticket counter even opened. There were tons of people there already so we camped out in line, sitting on the floor and waited almost an hour for the workers to show up. Then headed through security and to the gate where we had another hour and a half to wait. Our flight from Madrid to Amsterdam was uneventful - 2 1/2 hours and we were able to nap a bit. We had just enough time in Amsterdam to make our connecting flight and then had an 8 hour flight to Nairobi (the flight felt ENDLESS!). We slept a little more, watched a couple of movies, and visited with a retired English missionary who served in Zambia for 20 years.

This morning we went to the Limuru Children's Centre and visited with the kids. It was great to see my godchild, John Kahera, and to visit with the moms. We just finished lunch and a group is headed back to the orphanage. I'm staying behind to unpack and get organized and hopefully grab a quick nap.

Tomorrow is church and then the team is taking the young ladies from the Cheshire Home (a residential home for the disabled) to Nairobi to see a movie. Should be fun. I probably won't have a chance to post again until Monday...