Good Bye Kenya...Hello America

Today we tried to sleep in but due to some other guests at the Guest House, we were up bright and early. We went to breakfast and then went to Church with Patrick. I have not been to a church so big. It has 3 services that each brings in 5,000 members each. We were lucky that the Bishop was there to preach. There was a lot of singing and then preaching. It was a wonderful experience. We were not the only first timers at the church that morning. When we went to leave, it found that cars had parked all around us. It was quite a sight. All we could do was wait until the cars around us moved. We headed back to the Guest House where Ben picked us up around 12:30. We had planned for him to take us by the downtown market, but it was closed.
Megan was giddy with excitement for going home to see her brother. She decided she would hug him first. So we headed to the Airport…almost 6 hours before our plane was to leave. Patrick and Pamela meet us for tea and a snack. Around 3:00 we went into the airport and began waiting. Now that it is over it doesn’t seem so long. We looked around at the shops and ate another snack. Then it was time to board. Everything went smoothly. The flight was quick with no real delays. Megan is an amazing travel partner. We both slept from Addis Ababa to Rome, or short ground stop and a bit after we started our second leg. Then Megan was wide-awake. They seemed to wake you up every 2 hours to eat or to do this or that. It was hard to get any rest. Megan was so excited to be going home. She was a great traveler. She did not complain one time. She was never whinny or unwilling to do what the group was doing. I am so proud of her for this reason and many more.
We made it to the USA and Megan got to stamp her own immigration form. Megan kept breathing in heavy and say, “Smell that USA Air! Just Smell it!” I think she was happy to he home. Customs was a breeze and then we went to the gate for our flight to Florida. We told Joy, John and Toni good-bye. Megan said she felt sad. She was going to miss seeing them everyday. I am grateful for the group embracing Megan and finding a special place in her heart. Thank you for taking the time with her and making the connections.
We were blessed to go to Kenya safely, but even more blessed by the people who were with us.

A Day With Patrick

Today was a great day. It had so many ups and downs. Patrick was to pick us up at 9:30 to take us to the Elephant Refugee. It is only open from 11-12, so we were worried when he did not show up until about 10:15. The Guest House tried to tell us they did not have room for us. We stood our ground and we ended up in the same rooms. We had hung around all morning relaxing and now when we are getting ready to leave, they tell me that we have to move rooms. We finally headed to see the elephants. As Patrick tried to pull out of the Guest House, we weighed too much. We all had to get out of the car so it would go up the hill. This was a first, but worth all the laughs. On our trip we have run into many tight or scary situations. We always seem to sing, “God is so Good, Good is so good!” Megan knows some of the words in Swahili, so we found ourselves singing this several times as we went out to the Refuge.
Megan was so excited. All elephants were babies and so cute. There was a school group there on a field trip. The children would get so tickled at the elephants. Megan just watched and touched and enjoyed herself so much. As we were watching the elephants, up came 4 or 5 giraffe in the backdrop. It just made it all seem so wild. The elephants had the longest eyelashes. The men helping would play with them and told us all the facts about elephants. They really seemed attached to each other.
When we left the elephants, the same refuge has 2 rhinos that it is caring for. We did not see any rhinos on Safari, but we saw two within a few feet. Several Warthogs said goodbye on our way out. We headed to lunch at a great restaurant overlooking the animal Safari Walk and orphanage. It was relaxing and the food was tasty.
After lunch, we went to the market to do some shopping. It is such hard work to buy something in the market, but so much fun and you get a real sense for the cultural and people. We made several purchases and promoted the economy. Our short trip turned into a bit longer then we had planned, but it was fun. Patrick joined us for dinner and we did a little computer work. I think we overwhelmed him with information. Dinner was fun, because we get to have relaxed time with Patrick, the principal. After dinner, we packed our bags. Tomorrow we will be flying home.
The day flew by and was filled with lots of African experiences.

Last Day at the School

We tried to sleep in this morning, but Megan and I were both up by 6:30. We went and enjoyed a long breakfast. We arrived at the school and everyone was getting ready for the ‘Winner” show. This was going to be the groups that had done well in the recent competitions. We enjoyed being with the kids and teachers. All the teachers were dressed up for our dinner later tonight. The groups preformed and were amazing. It really is awesome the talent that our school has for the conditions they live in. Megan was missing home and spent most of the day with Pops inside. She is doing great!
Axi had the dancers use their cowboy hats and they loved it. We left the school about 1:00 to go home and get ready for our dinner with the teachers. It was sad telling the children goodbye. They touched our hearts these past two weeks in so many ways. Their smiles and eyes will stay with us forever!
We got ready and head for the restaurant around 3:30 for dinner. It seems strange to head for a restaurant so early for dinner, but we are in Africa and things move at a different speed. We arrived at the Sahara City, the restaurant, and it was so great. They were cooking our food on ginkgos, small charcoal stoves, and the tables were set up outside. Megan found a playground and was happy as could be. The teachers arrived and we had planned an icebreaker to help introduce each person. We were all so excited to have dinner with them. This was a real treat for everyone. We took turns introducing each other and telling 4 or 5 things about the other. Several of the teachers commented that the loved the activity. The food was served and everyone enjoyed it. Then we just enjoyed time together. Patrick, the principal, did not make it in time to join us. He had gone to the airport to collect the 2 boxes of books we had shipped before we left. He got both boxes by 8:00 and met us as we were leaving. It was a miracle he got the boxes. A few years ago, it took my day 3 days to get a generator we shipped.
The teacher left for home on one bus and we left on another. Megan fell asleep in my lap. The about 15 minutes into our trip, our bus stopped and I looked up to see smoke coming up from the driver seat. Then I hear Joy say, “Fire…Fire! Everyone off the bus!” We all quickly got out of our seats and as we got off the bus, traffic was coming on the side we exited on. Joy stood in the middle of the road and held up her hand and told the car to “Stop!” Toni was one of the first off. She stepped over the side into a mud pit. Her foot was covered in mud. We all got off and we must have been a funny sight… a bunch of white people running off a bus into on coming traffic. I bet a few Africans had quite a laugh. We laughed all the way back to the Guest House. We got back on the bus and all was well. It seems to wires and touched and thus caused a small fire. It is just another African experience! Lucky we all made it home safe and sound!

Day 10

Today began early for me. I went with Axi to help with the dance. Megan got to come a little later with Gram. She had my hot chocolate and arrived at the school safe and sound. Megan spent the morning with Ray. Ray was building shelves and Megan was helping when she could. She built a small “sub” out of some scrap wood and nails.
Megan played outside with the “outsider” today. One of the started crying and she walked over and tried to comfort him. Her big heart really showed today.
We went to Lake Navasha. On the way to Lake Navasha, we were stopped by the police for a road check. They carried large guns and we were a bit tense. The countryside was so beautiful, so green and lush. We sat at Belle’s Inn and ate some samosas and French fries. It was so quite and relaxing. Ester’s sister met us at 2:30. We took a car up the mountain to Ester’s parents home. The car went so fast and we were really scared. On the way up the mountain there were zebras walking on the countryside. It makes you remember how the animals roam around the country. We kept saying we would not be able to walk up the mountain because we were out of shape. Megan kept saying, “The German’s could do it!” My mom had told her a story of when she climbed Mt. Kili and the Germans climbed with out porters and came back to carry mom’s pack as well. Megan is hearing so many stories and remembering them all. Her father and mother were waiting at the road for us. They cheered and jumped up and down as we arrived. A huge feast was prepared for us. Megan said, “This is HUGE!” Megan enjoyed playing with Kevin and all the other children. She went outside and chased the cows. Toni made a new friend as well. I made the baby cry…I hope it was because I had the camera and the flash scared her. It began to rain, so they told us we should leave or the road would be too bad to get back down the mountain. When we got about half way down, Ester’s sister called and said we had left Gram’s passport and money. We had no other choice but to try to go back up and get it. The whole way they slipped and slid all over the road. Gram said it was the scarcest ride of her life. Megan kept hoping Gram would make it back down the mountain. We were happy to see her when she made it home.
Megan is counting down the days to see Kyle.

Day 9 A Calm Day at the School

Today was an amazing day! We began the day early and it was worth getting up for. Our day began with doing a lesson on The Hungry Caterpillar. I had planned to work with just one class. It was a shock when we walked into the classroom and there were 125 students. It was going well until we started the activity. Then it felt out of control. I guess making butterflies with 125 students at a time is insane. Then we worked with another class and it went so smoothly. We made our butterflies using coffee filters, tongue depressors, and pipe cleaners. Later that day, I saw the pipe cleaners made into glasses.
Another group went to the orphanages and had a great time. Megan decided to stay at the school with me and she was in heaven. She played with small groups of children all day. I turned to check on her one time and she was standing in front of 5 or 6 children teaching them a dance or maybe it was the Hokie Pokie. It was the cutest thing.
Patrick, the principal, was pulling into the school and one of the “outsiders” was waving him into his parking spot. It was great!
Many of the students had gone to a music and dance competition. Mercy Care Centre had won 1st place in 3 events as of this afternoon. The competition goes on 3 days. Our students are so gifted and talented.
A team came from Feed the Children. This group provides all the food for our students. We thanked then and told them how much we appreciated all they have done. One gentleman from Feed the Children took a liking to Megan and gave her a beaded necklace he used on his cell phone. She was so proud of it and wore it all day.
Megan and I went to help in the clinic. Megan found a place on Toni’s lap, for which I am grateful.
We had worship and Joy and John lead the group in communion. It was a great way top end our day!
Except, we had games to play. Every Wednesday afternoon, the school plays games in the courtyard. They do exercises and then play games. My friend, Toni, had brought tennis net and balls. She taught the teachers how to play tennis and then they taught the children. It was so great to watch! It is the first time tennis had been played in the Valley.
Megan is amazing and is really feeling comfortable with being her. She is missing her dad and brother. We have been working very hard and she has been a trooper. She loves being with the children and is so curious about then and what they are doing. The children play this rock game, which is like Jacks. Megan wants to be able to play it, but she just can’t get it. She has not given up. She is really trying to be able to play.
Tomorrow we are heading to see friends and have tea. The change in our routine will be good.
Thanks for all your comments and we will try to answer them soon.

Day 8 Field Trip

Megan as she was waking up said, "If the basketball team from Lynchburg had gone to Mercy Care Centre’s Sport day they would get better and faster!" Then we hung out until Patrick came to pick s up. We arrived at the school early and it was nice, because we have been arriving right at break and it is crazy.
Megan learned how to balance a basket on her head. She worked for about 30 minutes and was able to walk across the schoolyard with it balanced on her head. She played several games with the “outsider.” She entertained them with her tricks and games. Today was the day Megan took her first group to the Animal Orphanage. The children were so excited. We took 240 students and 13 adults in 3 buses. The bus I was in had 80 children and 7 adults in a bus with 27 seats. We were tightly packed in. On all the buses, the children sand songs most of the way to the Animal Orphanage. The best part was watching the children take in the city and all the sight we take for granted. They loved the airport and when one of our other buses passed, they waved and cheered. Children add so much joy to the world. Today the children were wonderful…excited about our trip.
At the orphanages, we divided into groups. We saw lions, cheetah, leopards, monkeys, baboons, and more. It was a great trip. The children asked lots of questions about what type of animals we have in the US. The thought it was so funny that we did not have elephants or giraffe wondering the country.
We returned to school for lunch. The children in the preschool had porridges first thing in the morning, but most were complaining they were hungry.
Megan was proud what she could offer the children. She was excited that she was able to bring them. Tomorrow, another group will go.
After we went back o the school, we decided to head to the Maasi Market. Megan did a great job. She did not leave my side and picked out a few things to buy. The market can be crazy, but we all had a good time.
There were several women who were begging for money. Megan had lots of questions as to why they were begging and it opened a whole conversation about poverty and working hard. I tried to explain that sometimes people have hard times and need help. We ended up buying them some food instead of just giving them money.

Day 7 Safari

We awoke early and again, Megan jumped out of bed. We wanted to see the balloon take off before we went on a game ride. There were two balloon and they were beautiful. They moved so gracefully with the wind. Once they were off, we headed out on our game hunt. This time we were headed to see the wildabeast near the Mara River. Each year the wildabest migrate from Tanzania to Kenya by the thousands. I head it is a sight. On the way we saw lots of animals. It had rained during the night, so the roads were muddy and we were sliding all over the place. Megan thought it was cool to be 4 wheeling on the plains. We saw the wildabeast run like they do in the movies and in Lion King. The noises they made were grunting sounds. While we were watching them 2 lions (1 male and1 female) walked up beside the head. The saw it can take up to 2 hours for a lion to complete a kill. We had traveled so far to see a part of the migration we had to speed o get back to camp. We ate breakfast then headed back to Nairobi. We saw baboons, antelope, ostrich, and more on the drive back to town.
Total animals spotted were 42! The Safari was more then any one could have expected or planned for. She said she missed Kyle and could not wait to see him.