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.