Day 8 Lost in the wilderness, attacked by Baboon

Today is SAFARI DAY.   Which also means wake up at 5ish am. OMGoodness!!! We did great today we actually got up and were out of our rooms only ten minutes late this time.  And with 3 Matatus instead of squeezing into two made it a pleasurable two hour ride, though trucker traffic and smog, to our safari.  We stopped at the entrance to use the restroom and as we got out we were warned to look out for the black fisted monkeys, only in Kenya. For those who never used a “Kenya toilet” also known as Long Drop.. (it is what it sounds like) it was a experience filled with shrieks, terror and not enough toilet paper.

The drive throughout the park can be described as:

ZEBRA!, pictures and wait and wait… drive 5 minutes, RHINO!.. and repeat. 

Of course this means we were acting like full on Mzungus with our fancy cameras, and pointing and child like infatuation with the Lion King scenery.  A few close calls did occur with the baboons, Van two with Maggie Stella, Lisa, Charelle, Jennifer and Brent bravely faced a baboon that tried to get to a lollipop that Maggie was holding.

Attack number 2 was during lunch, the group (except for me, Mesha) decided that lunch outside in the wilderness was a perfect plan, even though there were a few giant baboons stalking them with eyes filled with evil intent.  It finally came to a head when a huge baboon ran full force toward poor Pam T’s sandwich, grabbed it while Michael elbowed it before he ran though the picnic party and up the hill. 

P.S. I did laugh.. a lot… understatement…seriously a lot

We continued the drive with a few catnaps and book reading while looking for the forever elusive Lion or leopard or any big cat.  Unfortunately that dream fell from the sky and shattered into a million pieces.  Sad but okay and with 15 women we HAD to stop at the gift shop (tourist trap) to shop (haggle) with the lovely workers.  And if you ever have to haggle do it with Meghan, she is a force to be reckoned with.  Some how we got everyone back into the Matatus and headed back to the N.V. for dinner, devotions and prayer. We are currently in our debriefing meeting where Ginny is trying to gain control of us, so gotta go.

~ Mesha

Lunga Lunga!

We had awesome pancakes and watermelon and popcorn for breakfast this morning! Sounds like an interesting combination but it worked. All those carbs were exactly what we needed for a long day spent in the slums of Nairobi, Lunga Lunga. On our ride out of the Great Rift Valley headed to Lunga Lunga we witnessed a semi-truck that had run off the cliff of the mountainside where the front half of the cab was dangling over the cliff on its side. A coca-cola shack broke its fall.  All of us have stood at that very spot taking pictures of the beauty of the Great Rift Valley and now there was a man in jeopardy of losing his life there. Such contrast to begin our day.

One would have thought we were back home in the traffic of the metroplex on I-75 or 635 as our experienced driver maneuvered the Nairobi streets! It seemed as though no one obeyed the traffic signals  - red or green ones! Think NYC traffic and you’ve got a really good picture of the metropolitan area of Nairobi. These well-paved roads and twists and turns led us to some of the most impoverished sights we have beheld thus far.

Beth and Amesha didn’t slum it with us.  Instead, Beth worked with sweet Ann, the nurse here at Naomi’s Village. Beth assisted Ann in setting up a database for medication tracking and usage. And apparently she was not very Kenyan-like because she got the job done in 2 hours (like a goal driven American) instead of it taking all day long! Poor sweet Ann had to put up with her! Amesha, on the other hand, slept in until 9AM like the Nubian princess she is!! She fed the babies and baby Naomi smiled at her, which made her day. She enjoyed Chai time with the preschoolers at 10AM and during her journaling time found herself easily distracted by the cow who ran down the field path toward her. The day workers shoed the cow away, as she did not belong to NV.

Brent and Jennifer also missed the slums today and instead blazed their own trail in their own matatu (taxi) to Nyvasha to meet the child they have sponsored for 4 years via Compassion International – Moses.  He had never been away from his home, had never met mizungu (foreigner), had never seen Nairobi or driven in a car. What an overwhelming and emotional day for all three of them!

Where to begin describing the slums…….. Wells of Joy Family Church is a sliver of hope in this very impoverished community. Matthew 26:11, “For you have the poor with you always but me you do not have always.”  And now 2000 years later Jesus’ words still hold true. Pastor Jeffery is an amazing example of what it looks like to love the poor and needy like Jesus did; to see both their physical and spiritual needs and tend to them.  The 50X50 foot shack houses more than 100 little children between the ages of 4-7 each day for 12-13 hours as their parents (look for) work and the children are educated. It had one light bulb. The children sat on the dirt floor in a mass and four female teachers instructed them. They were extraordinarily well behaved, quiet and respectful. When we first arrived the children were all excited and wanted to shake our hands as we entered their school-house. They smiled and greeted us in limited English with “ How are you?” and “ Allo”. They sang in Swahili and English for us by grade level. It was so sweet to hear them sing an English song that was familiar to our ears – with a slight variation. A song our NV kiddos love to sing about their bedtime routine. I wish you could hear their sweet voices in unison rhythmically sing the tune, “…we’re going to take a shower, and then we brush our teeth….we’re going to read the bible and then we go to sleep. GOOD NIGHT!” So sweet!!!  We, in turn, were led by the “Elton John” of our team, Michael, in “Jesus loves me”, “ My God is so big” and some Swahili song that none of us mizungu knew. Show Off!! LOL!

They enjoyed the gifts we brought: a few balls, teddy bears and toys but mostly new clothing items for each child. Some of the clothing was donated by our own darling, generous and lovely Naomi’s Village children who went into their own drawers of belongings and gave graciously and freely items for these kiddos who have so much less. They reminded me of the poor widow who gave out of her poverty in Mark 12:42-43 and how Jesus says “…she has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty….”.   Maggie and Pam R., along with Hayley and Jonell, Ryan and Dan passed out coloring pages and crayons. Megan, Layne, Lisa, Pam T and Stella helped, as well. Rikki Tai instructed the children on the proper way to brush their teeth and general dental hygiene as other team members passed out new toothbrushes and toothpaste. All the children waved their new brushes in the air with delight.

Perhaps the most heartbreaking scene of the day was the “nursery”. There were 17 babies under the age of 2 being cared for in a dark “room” the size of a storage closet by two women. Again, there was only one light bulb in the room providing illumination. The sleeping babies were laid out on the bare dirt floor without disposable diapers- just their wet clothing and blankets. We brought several twin size mattresses from NV to give to the nursery for the sweet babies to sleep on. It was hard to leave them today without feeling a heaviness of heart!

We were not allowed to take electronics and cameras into the slum area due to safety precautions. So, I have no photos to provide you with in order for you to see the indescribable conditions of that place. Truly, a picture is worth a thousand words, as I am unable to adequately paint a verbal picture for you. Suffice to say, burned trash, mixed with ash, dirt, bedrock, mud and sewage made up the pathways of the streets we walked along and people lived on. Accordion-style tin roofs atop of random, scrap metal pieces nailed together to form shelters that leaned up against one another constituted their “homes” and places of business. As we traveled by foot through narrow ally-ways and “streets” (no car could pass through these “streets”), we stayed together but greeted the residents of the slum with smiles, polite and dignified “how are you?” and even shook the hands of some of the little children who approached us. It is a scene most of us will not soon or ever forget.

Afterwards, we traveled further into Nairobi to Java House, a very nice, upscale westernized patio restaurant for a wonderful lunch.  Charelle, Lisa and Maggie got locked in the women’s restroom….what a hoot! We did a little souvenir shopping and then began our trek back up the mountainside toward Maai Mahui and Naomi’s Village. However, we had to celebrate Stella’s birthday with a big piece of chocolate cake and an obnoxiously loud version of the “Happy Birthday” song before departing. She loved it and will never forget where she spent her 52^nd birthday – in Africa. We also wanna give a big shout out to Ginny’s dad, Mike Harty, who also has a birthday today! Thanks, Mike for blessing us with such a wonderful godly woman and leader. We love her.

We certainly missed seeing our sweet NV kids today, as they were headed to bed when we returned from our adventures in the slums. Friday we are off on our first safari. Hoping to see lions and tigers and bears – or monkeys and zebras and giraffes and cheetahs – OH MY!

- Hayley and Charelle 

Been a long time!

Hey Ya’ll! Sorry it’s been a while.  Whew, we have been quite busy. 

Well it is Wednesday, so we are approaching the half waypoint of our time in Kenya.

Yesterday, we were able to go up to Kijabe.  First, we stopped by Cure International where Brent, Michael, and Pam T. were able to scrub into a surgery with Bob.  While the surgery was in process the rest of the team partnered up with Julie as she led us through and gave us a tour of Rift Valley Academy (RVA), where Bob and Julie’s two children currently attend school.  After we left RVA, Julie took us out to lunch for some Chipatais and Simosa’s (beef pie).  Once lunch was finished, we had some free time to visit the local shops to pick up some things to bring back home with us.  Beth and Megan decided to partner up with each other as they entered into bartering with the local merchants. Let’s just say that they got a GREAT deal on all they bought.  To end our time in Kijabe, Julie led us back to her and Bob’s house for a little rest and relaxation while Julie and Bob shared some of the stories of what God has done in their lives all through out their journey in Kenya.

Today, our team was split into two in order to enjoy our adventures.  Both were able to go to Comfort the Children (CTC), and the Internally Displaced Peoples Camp (IDP).  Comfort the Children is an organization in Maai Mahiu that is an amazing community outreach organization that includes care for single mothers and children with disabilities. As well as SEVERAL other community projects including health screenings for HIV and TB, and trash pick up days called ubuntu. The IDP camp is a community of Kenyan refugees that have been displaced due to political unrest. The people at the IDP camp are focused on rebuilding their lives, as they have had their lives shattered due to being forced out of their own homes. We were able to meet up with Pastor Joseph today as he took the teams over to their new green house, and put us to work to build posts for their new fence.  All I can say is I’d hire Dan and Ginny to build my fence. Michael on the other hand, I question his work… (j/k Michael we love you).

   When both teams arrived back at Naomi’s Village, we got fast to work on dinner, since it was our night to make the kids and staff an American Dinner! We made them Nachos! American? Tex Mex? Oh whatever… Lucky for us, no matter what the genre of food (American or Tex Mex), it was a hit!

Tomorrow morning, we will be heading into Nairobi to the Lunga Lunga slums.  This will be an all day trip for us, so pray that we are all able to get some good rest tonight as we will all need to wake up early tomorrow morning to head out to Nairobi.  Pray that our hearts will be prepared for what is in store for us tomorrow.  I for one do not know what to expect, and must place our hearts on what God has in store for all of our hearts.

Thank you all for your continued prayers, and we cannot wait for the chance to share all of our stories and experiences with each of you.

Love you all!

P.S. Pam sends a shout out to London.  She asks that Gammy and Pappa would give them many extra kisses for her.

A Worshipful Journey!

Here we are on the 4^th day of our trip.  Journey back in time with us and reflect on the Lord’s goodness.

Imagine, after 24 hours of travel across 3 continents, the North Pole, 8 time zones and the equator to finally arrive at our first resting place in Nairobi, Kenya.  All our luggage (57 bags worth including our carry-ons) arrived safe and sound and was loaded atop a matatu** (taxi…a BIG one) by Ryan, Dan and Brent passing 50lb. bags up to Michael standing on the roof.  (It was at this time we witnessed, first hand, Michael’s attempt at a genuine Kenyan accent. LOL! ) Our paparazzi aka Jennifer Hurt, emerged at this point. We all actually fit inside the matatu. Praise the Lord!! We paired off, like Noah’s Ark guest, two-by-two, except Ryan, our lone wolf.  We were grateful to rest at The Methodist Guest House, a clean, westernized, “2-star” hotel equivalent. How exciting it was to find a complimentary breakfast consisting of great omelets, bacon and red plum jam, enjoyed by Charelle, Pam R. and Lisa while Layne and Beth could eat their weight in homemade bread. De.Lic.Ous!! After breakfast, we were off to The Junction to exchange our currency, stock up on water, snacks and other necessities ie. dark chocolate, soda, gum, soaps and lotions. We could have easily mistaken The Junction for a DFW upscale strip mall, but for the small reminder from the heavily armed security officer that NO photography and video were allowed – even by Brent in front of the “Celebrate Dad- June 17^th “ Father’s Day sign or Stella who just wanted a video documentation of our trip to the Big  Capital City!  TANGENT: Bet you didn’t know Father’s Day was a holiday recognized in Africa. We didn’t forget you dads, husbands, granddads, brothers and uncles! Happy Father’s Day!

All stocked up, we headed down HIV highway toward Maai Mahiu , where Naomi’s Village is located. On our new matatu, Maggie initiated a 30-minute “quiet time”: time set aside for quiet, prayerful reflection and journaling before arriving to the children- not an easy feat for this group. Along the road we found ourselves at the top of the Great Rift Valley, believed by many Kenyans to be the birthplace of creation. It certainly looked like it could be! What a beautiful site. As we twisted and turned down a narrow two-lane, paved road with the valley on the left and the mountain on the right ( we are driving on the “other side of the road” and hence, cliffside) we descend into the Great Valley. 

Did I mention Noah, the ark and 40 days of rain already? Well, we saw and felt first hand the effects of what 40 days of rain in a barren land can do.  Everything was GREEN! Life was evident and there was little dust.  There were trees blossoming with yellow flowers, lavender flowers and acacia trees spread throughout. The rain also literally split open the earth. The roads were not only eroded but there are divides where raging rain water had formed rivers where the dirt road used to be.  The land was now dried but the evidence is still present: large parts of the road leading to Naomi’s Village were now a gorge and navigating around the enormous ruts with our heavily weighted down matatu was a course only a talented Kenyan could accomplish. There were even moments when we thought we would need to get out to keep the bus from tipping over into the wedge. At one point all 19 of us had to literally lean to the left, quickly followed by a lean to the right to keep our balance. We saw a donkey-driven carriage and motorcyclists conquering this amazing obstacle course created by “mother nature”.  And in time, we made it!

Seeing that beige, stone welcome wall /gate with the beautiful green and red NV logo was so exciting! Everyone started snapping pictures. Almost instantly we saw James (the NV groundskeeper ) and Dr. Bob approaching the gate to welcome us. This long awaited trip became real.  Coming through the iron gate and seeing the beautiful red clay shingled roof with the amazing mountains as a backdrop along with the luscious, thick green grass was a sight to behold. This was an orphanage in Kenya? What!? No, this was a miracle God had planned and created to rescue the hearts of many children and countless adults! We were greeted with such genuine love from James and quickly began orientation. After 90 minutes of orientation we were more than eager to lay our hands on the children. The children were overjoyed to see Ginny, Michael, and Amesha’s familiar, returning faces.  With toothpicks in hand Hayley, Megan, Auntie Stella, Pam T., Amesha and Charelle spent much of the afternoon unbraiding many of the little girls’ hair in preparation for washing and rebraiding on Sunday, while the others played various games and sports with the  boys in the courtyard. We debriefed as a team and the women went to their dorms while the men went to their dorms for unpacking and settling in. 

“…And there was evening and there was morning – the first day.” Genesis 1:5

And what a morning it was!!!! 17 diverse women sleeping in one open room reveals things of the heart. Beth, our resident “drug dealer”, administered a variety of sleeping aids due to such fatigue and jetlag. What we quickly learned were the side affects to “ sleeping” aids. JUST SAY NO TO DRUGS!!! 2AM the day of wonderful noise began! Snoring and sleep-singing and sleep-screaming, tossing, turning, wood creaking beds and the screeching sound of dive bombing birds as they attacked another bird were just a sample of sounds that interrupted our much need sleep. Even earplugs were limited in their drowning out of such an orchestra. Talk about feeling like a zombie when the rooster sounded! Many of us did not sleep soundly and broken sleep is horrific sleep. But the noise turned to wonderful delight as we heard the worshipful singing of the children. And Maggie filmed it all, as our trip videographer. In turn, we attempted to bring a joyful noise to the Lord. I’m sure it was pleasing to His heart but not to His ears or the children’s.

After a sweet time of English and Swahili worship, Rebekkah delivered a God-centered lesson on the loving character of God, as seen in the redemption story of Joseph and his brothers. Lunch was served and after clean up 14 of our team members went on a walk outside the iron gates of Naomi’s Village to explore the surrounding land. After the hike, much of the afternoon was spent in true Kenyan fashion – a slow pace, worry-free, relational Sabbath! Dinner was served  - lentils, brown rice and a warm cabbage based slaw, along with green skinned oranges. That’s right – GREEN oranges. They’re that green!

Both nights members of our team have read bedtime bible stories to the children, translated by Auntie Ruth and go into the children’s dorms to pray with them and  tuck them in for sweet dreams. What a sweet privilege to have a hand in their spiritual development as parents would. The day was concluded with the beginnings of team members sharing their salvation testimonies and receiving affirmation and encouragement in response to one another. Dan and Jonell blessed us with their transparency and praise to God’s complete faithfulness to them during the course of their 44 year marriage. How sweet it is to have them on our team, in our lives and in the body of Christ! Megan braved the testimony hot seat tonight as well and her passion for the nations to know the one True God and obedience to His call on her life was contagious.

“….And there was evening and there was morning…..” 

-Charelle & Layne (your detail-oriented bloggers...we know you want it!)

Well, we are about to leave for the airport to get on our flight to Kenya.  The flight may be long, but it is well worth it!!  We covet your prayers as our team seeks to be obedient to whatever God calls us to do in Kenya.  Thank you all for your love and support as we go on this trip.  I know that the Lord is going to do mighty things in us and through us!!
The names of all the people that are on the team are:
- Brent and Jennifer Hurt
- Dan and Jonell Nichter
- Ginny and Michael Mitchell
- Ryan Gay
- Pam Rodgers
- Pam Talbert
- Amesha Morris
- Beth Altendorf
- Megan Hennings
- Maggie Zuckerman
- Layne Sommers
- Hayley Kosel
- Lisa Polly
- Rebekkah Justice
- Charelle Raybuck
- Stelouise Malone

We will post again when we get there.  Love you all and God bless.

Ginny
1 Peter 5:6-7