Traveling spirit

  We have been back from Kenya for a few weeks now & it seems so surreal. Traveling there & home went smoothly for the most part. We had an issue with one of our 7 person team getting boarding passes all the way through to Nairobi but we were able to maneuver through the airports & catch our flights with a little help from Maria running to catch our plane in DOHA.  God put everything in place & got us to our destination safely & comfortably. We had blankets, pillows, towels to wipe our hands, great food & drinks & everyone had their own TV with numerous movie & TV show options.  After 24hrs of travel we made it into Nairobi & were picked up & taken to our hotel for the night. Leaving the airport we spotted Zebras along the road, just like you would see cattle or horses here in the states, it was our first real taste of Africa.  We were met with smiles & a buffet of food at our hotel. We ate & attempted to shower, ice cold water was not ideal but we got our hair washed & got in bed with mosquito nets in place.  I was able to contact Travis and let him know we made it safely.  We slept a few short hours & got up early to get on another plane into Kisumu, our final destination in Kenya.

  Our hosts welcomed us, showed us our rooms, and had lunch waiting for us. Instantly we felt the love & were excited to see what God had planned for us. We rested & prepped for the next day of going out to a village. Driving around was an experience on it's own. Unspoken rules of the road - 8 passenger vans holding 16 people, motorcycles caring 5, people swerving in and out of traffic. Many people walking & carrying things or herding animals, small children walking to school, but everyone seemed to walk with a purpose, no one just sitting around doing nothing. 

  Once in the village we saw a crude stick structure that had been started. This would become the house they were building for a widow in the village and be used for Bible study and church services.  It was amazing to see these men place posts made from trees in the area & construct a home using minimal tools. The hammer was swung with ease & nails driven quickly. Once the main structure was framed they placed a tin roof on top & the roofer moved around quickly & barefoot. He measured & snipped & nailed the tin like he was made to do so.  When all but the mud walls were done we went inside & helped dedicate the house. Singing & sharing Bible verses & introductions - it was amazing!

Bible stories

  While the building was going on the men in our group helped - though it was obvious the builders didn't need the help. The four of us girls spent time with the kids & women in the village playing and down crafts & reading Bible stories. Luckily we had a wonderful interpreter who mirrored our enthusiasm and humor.  We visited three such villages and a few homes in the surrounding area.  We also visited schools and churches and an orphan school.  It was difficult to not just hand out money or food and try to put a band aid on the problems they faced but that was not what we were there for.  We had come to share God's love offer prayer and encouragement.  Yes, we brought gifts of balls, frisbees, food, candy, clothes but that is not as helpful as it may seem.  In a world where you take what you can get when you can get it things like this are snatched up without a second thought.  We heard stories about kids who longed to go to school and a mere $2 a month stood in their way.  And as much as I wanted to hand over money it was not what God was telling me to do.  We saw people come to know Jesus, this was our ultimate goal. We will continue to pray for the safety of those who must risk their lives to make ends meet.  Women going to the river to gather reeds to make mats must watch for hippos and others walking great distances to take their goods to market.

Team in our handmade clothes and the seamstress who made them

Woman making reed mat

  We ended our adventure with a 7hr drive down a dusty bumpy road back towards Nairobi.  We drove through villages & bushes wondering where in the world we would spend the night & then all if a sudden we were in front of a beautiful resort. We checked in & were given warm towels to clean our hands & faces off with. Wonderful rooms & showers with hot water, not just a switch you had to flip & allow it to warm up like the previous places we stayed. We got to go on an evening safari & eat some yummy food. The next morning we got up early & enjoyed another safari. It was amazing to see elephants & lions up close. Chloe snapped away with the camera. It was a wonderful way to end this incredible trip. 

   Once back in the states it was hard to adjust to "normal" life & to look at things that we take for granted. My heart ached for those we had come in contact with but I was comforted thinking of their smiles & hospitality in the midst of their poverty.