Kenya Trip 2011's photostream on Flickr.
These are some of the pictures from the trip. More will be uploaded gradually, so check back frequently!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
25 minutes, and GO!
Here we are in Eldoret, downtown (or so it seems). We just came from the home of a friend named Paul (the one who preached at St. Davids!). He and his wife hosted our entire group of 20-30 people with a beautiful catered meal. When we arrived, we were shown to an internet cafe so we could quickly post another blog. It's quite hot today and while most of the group met with the Bishop at the CBR (Community Based Rehab), the rest of us played Frisbee. It's amazing how much these children enjoy that simple game of throwing a flying disc.
When we were at Paul's house, he presented our group with a few gifts. Each of us received a custom keychain , Katherine and Sharon received woven purses and Jim and William (spoiler alert) were given safari hats that say "Hakuna Matata." They also gave us a gift for all of St. David's... but I'm not spoiling THAT surprise.
Posting more later.
Technical difficulties... for REAL.
When we were at Paul's house, he presented our group with a few gifts. Each of us received a custom keychain , Katherine and Sharon received woven purses and Jim and William (spoiler alert) were given safari hats that say "Hakuna Matata." They also gave us a gift for all of St. David's... but I'm not spoiling THAT surprise.
Posting more later.
Technical difficulties... for REAL.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Tuesday, June 28
(Thank you for waiting for the following post from us! We continue to be well--more than well--but have encountered many challenges with connecting online! written, this 30th day of June)
A much-needed night of sleep at the ACK (Anglican Church in Kenya) Guest House in Nairobi. Over breakfast, one of Jim Engels' students from 30 years past recognized Jim. It is indeed a small world. Set out at 8 with our driver Nicholas for a day of seeing Nairobi. First stop: a panoramic view of the beautiful city. Shortly thereafter, passed by the 2nd largest slum in the world. Ben's high school social studies class had recently learned about this slum. Took a tour of an animal orphanage, seeing first-hand the affects that humans have had on the native animal population.
Lions and Tigers and Bears- Oh, my!
Ok, so there were no lions and tigers, but we did see some lions at the Nairobi National Park. We had a wonderful tour guide named Pamela who lead us from the warthogs, to the monkeys, and finally around to the lions. A funny quote was when the tour guide was showing us a bird and said, "this is a very sweet bird in our country." We all "awwed," thinking it was a very pleasant, domestic bird. The tour guide then clarified, "No, we eat this bird. It is very sweet." When we did get around to the lion cages, the workers were trying to gather the three lions to their den so they could clean the cage. When they riled them up, they began to ROOOAR. It was the ground-shaking sound they tell you that you can hear for up to five miles. After we left, we went to the elephant orphanage and the giraffe house. There's nothing better than feeding a giraffe pellets from your mouth. Oh yes, there are pictures. Most of us did it, actually.
When you spend the whole day with animals, the first thing you want to do when you leave is eat, right? Sure. Well, that's what we did. We had an INCREDIBLE lunch at the original location of Karen Blixen's (Out of Africa- Yeah, that movie with Robert Redford) house. It was a great lunch full of fresh-squeezed juices, chicken, duck, tilapia, french fries and pizza. You guessed it. We traveled halfway around the world for food we could get at Pizza Hut and McDonalds. (it was MUCH better, though) The juice was amazing- just like eating the fruit fresh off the tree. Nothing beats fresh passionfruit.
After photos and pleasantries with James, our polite server/group photographer, we headed to the local bead shop called Kazuri. The first place they led us when we arrived, was the doorway with the Mission Statement. Although I can't repeat it verbatim, it explained how the company was originally started to help support single mothers. We walked through the whole shop from pressing of the clay, rolling of the beads, firing, painting and stringing. It was amazing. The only thing that slowed us down a little was when the network was down at the gift shop and those of us buying beads almost made the bus late for the airport.
A short, domestic flight took us from Narobi to Eldoret, Kenya. While we hoped that someone would actually be there to greet us and take us to our lodging, we were surprised and humbled by the reception we received. Over 20 of our new Kenyan friends encircled us, greeting us with many expressions of "Karibu", or "welcome" and handing yellow roses to us. Our hearts were so full, so touched, such hospitality overwhelmed us. We made our way over rutted streets through lots of traffic to the Community Based Rehabilitation Center, where we would spend the night.
I will post this now--nervous that we'll lose our internet connection!--even as there are so many things yet to write. We hope, too, to share photos and videos on this blog. Please continue to think of us and pray for us. And please share your own comments here on this blog!
Finally--we have so many new and already dear friends here in Kenya. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for these connections and for our partnerships.
A much-needed night of sleep at the ACK (Anglican Church in Kenya) Guest House in Nairobi. Over breakfast, one of Jim Engels' students from 30 years past recognized Jim. It is indeed a small world. Set out at 8 with our driver Nicholas for a day of seeing Nairobi. First stop: a panoramic view of the beautiful city. Shortly thereafter, passed by the 2nd largest slum in the world. Ben's high school social studies class had recently learned about this slum. Took a tour of an animal orphanage, seeing first-hand the affects that humans have had on the native animal population.
Lions and Tigers and Bears- Oh, my!
Ok, so there were no lions and tigers, but we did see some lions at the Nairobi National Park. We had a wonderful tour guide named Pamela who lead us from the warthogs, to the monkeys, and finally around to the lions. A funny quote was when the tour guide was showing us a bird and said, "this is a very sweet bird in our country." We all "awwed," thinking it was a very pleasant, domestic bird. The tour guide then clarified, "No, we eat this bird. It is very sweet." When we did get around to the lion cages, the workers were trying to gather the three lions to their den so they could clean the cage. When they riled them up, they began to ROOOAR. It was the ground-shaking sound they tell you that you can hear for up to five miles. After we left, we went to the elephant orphanage and the giraffe house. There's nothing better than feeding a giraffe pellets from your mouth. Oh yes, there are pictures. Most of us did it, actually.
When you spend the whole day with animals, the first thing you want to do when you leave is eat, right? Sure. Well, that's what we did. We had an INCREDIBLE lunch at the original location of Karen Blixen's (Out of Africa- Yeah, that movie with Robert Redford) house. It was a great lunch full of fresh-squeezed juices, chicken, duck, tilapia, french fries and pizza. You guessed it. We traveled halfway around the world for food we could get at Pizza Hut and McDonalds. (it was MUCH better, though) The juice was amazing- just like eating the fruit fresh off the tree. Nothing beats fresh passionfruit.
After photos and pleasantries with James, our polite server/group photographer, we headed to the local bead shop called Kazuri. The first place they led us when we arrived, was the doorway with the Mission Statement. Although I can't repeat it verbatim, it explained how the company was originally started to help support single mothers. We walked through the whole shop from pressing of the clay, rolling of the beads, firing, painting and stringing. It was amazing. The only thing that slowed us down a little was when the network was down at the gift shop and those of us buying beads almost made the bus late for the airport.
A short, domestic flight took us from Narobi to Eldoret, Kenya. While we hoped that someone would actually be there to greet us and take us to our lodging, we were surprised and humbled by the reception we received. Over 20 of our new Kenyan friends encircled us, greeting us with many expressions of "Karibu", or "welcome" and handing yellow roses to us. Our hearts were so full, so touched, such hospitality overwhelmed us. We made our way over rutted streets through lots of traffic to the Community Based Rehabilitation Center, where we would spend the night.
I will post this now--nervous that we'll lose our internet connection!--even as there are so many things yet to write. We hope, too, to share photos and videos on this blog. Please continue to think of us and pray for us. And please share your own comments here on this blog!
Finally--we have so many new and already dear friends here in Kenya. Our hearts are overflowing with gratitude for these connections and for our partnerships.
Monday, June 27, 2011
We've arrived!
What a wonderful send-off from St.David's. 13 of us commissioned and sent out on behalf of the whole. Almost 24 hours of travel and we are safe and sound. Many of us slept major portions of the flights. It is now 9:10, 8 hours ahead of central time. we'll sleep at the guest house in nairobi tonight.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
This is a map of Kenya. We will depart for Nairobi on June 26th, then travel to Ziwa in the Rift Valley. Our next destination is Eldoret. The trip will conclude with a night in Amboseli National Park.
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| To see a more detailed version, click the picture. |
Below is a video tour of our route. If the video window appears too small, please click on it once, and you will be taken to a larger version on another page.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
HIstory & Background
The following is an adapted version of an article from the June 2011 edition of the dialogue, by Jim and Sharon Engel, also available via the St. David's website.
Many people in our parish recall in 2004 when Ada Kuto came to the end of her almost one year visit to St. David's. As she was about to return to her home in Kenya, her last words were "Let's build a partnership between St. David's and my church of St. Joseph's in Ziwa, Kenya."
Our response at St. David's was an emphatic "yes!"
Shortly after, our then-rector, the Rev. Jim Cook and three other people from St. David's, traveled to visit Ada and her church and community in Ziwa, Kenya. During this visit, dreams were shared and a vibrant partnership was launched between St. David's and St. Joseph's. In fact, it was after this very first visit that people at St. David's started contributing money to provide tuition to students in Kenya and to give seeds to farmers there.
In November 2006 another group from St. David's traveled to spend time with Ada and her church in Kenya. This group included twelve representatives from St. David's. Again, three years later, Jim and Sharon Engel visited Kenya along with one of their daughters and two of their grandchildren, returning to St. David's with a very encouraging report about the students and farmers in Kenya.
Now, a team from St. David's is returning to Kenya to join hands with this wonderful group of friends and partners. The trip is scheduled for June 26 to July 7. Travelers will include our Rector Katherine Lewis and her son Jesse Bulson-Lewis; Deacon Jim Shoulak and his daughter Sarah; Minister of Children and Youth Dwight Reynolds; Rena Turnham along with her son Ben and her father Joel Koonce; Jim and Sharon Engel and their granddaughter Robyn Zeidler; and Norma Walton and her friend Sam Wymer.
The primary purpose of our ambassadors' visit is to strengthen our relationship with friends at St. Joseph's church in Kenya, by exploring ways that we can know and serve each other even better. A practical outcome that we anticipate is an expansion of and clarity for our St. David's Kenya Parnership Group, as well as increased parishioner involvement in this group as we clarify our vision for this remarkable partnership with friends around the globe.
Of course, we could not leave this wonderful country of Kenya without seeing its spectacular scenery, native villages and the world famous wild animal herds. Our tour guides will be Jim and Sharon Engel who have lived and worked in Kenya for a great length of time over many years.
Please pray for our health and safety, as well as for the discernment of the Holy Spirit as we travel. To be sure, we look forward with eager anticipation to sharing our journey with you upon our return and in this blog.
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