Farewell to Mara

Up until today, our travels in Kenya have gone surprisingly smoothly. But, this morning, we got a taste of the adventure of traveling in another land!

We rose for our last game drive at 6:30am and had a morning full of Masai mara scenery and very few animals (apparently after yesterday's rain they went elsewhere). We returned to eat breakfast and pack up and pay our bill. We were running a little late after getting stuff together and hurried to reception to be informed that our flight would be delayed because there were no flights going in and out of the regional airport that we flew out of because today is heroes day in Kenya (note to self: never book a flight on a national holiday in another country). We took this as good news (we would rather stay in the Mara than go back to busy Nairobi) and set about to watch hippos again.

Bless those hippos -they were out of the water and basking in the sun (something we had not seen)! We watched for a long time and then checked back in at repception where we were told that there was still no flight for us so we explored the other end of the resort. As we turned to go back, a guard at the gate (yes there is a security gate and electric fence around the whole place) called us over and asked who we were and said that they were looking all over for us! The plane was waiting at the airstrip.

We were whisked to the airstrip followed by our bags and loaded on to a very small plane (much to Jeff's joy). The pilot (who also served as flight attendant) said that they were dropping us off at another airstrip to catch a different flight. Hmm.. that was different from before we thought.

Tiny plane served to give us another awesome view of the plains and then landed (about an 8 minute flight) at an airstrip we had not seen before (flight there had 4 stops). There we joined 25 retired Australians who were stranded because of the airport situation in Nairobi. Pilot/flight attendant (there were actiually two pilots, the other one was about 15 years old) was kind enough to call AirKenya to see if we could wait at a local lodge for our next flight since they did not know when it would come.

And so we waited (see photo of us). The Aussies went back too (it was where they had stayed) and were great company while we wondered what was next. After about 2 hours their leader announced that it was time to go. We assumed that we were on the same flight and follwed. We assumed wrong. The were flying Safariair, we were not. Their plane was full so we could not beg a ride.

So we waited at the airstrip which fortunately had a shelter, a few "employee," a bunch of resort drivers waiting to pick people up, an outdoor choo (latrine) and 12 African Elephants hanging out nearby.

Again we waited (maybe only 20 minutes) and then heard the sweet sound of another plane coming in for a landing and to pick us up! We actually got to fly into the regional airport and found a taxi quickly and now we are tucked into the Hilton until tomorrow morning.

All in all, a pretty good adventure. I am recommending a Kenyan safari to everyone. For those who like things a little more controlled, I would also recommend a tour service.

So many more stories...

K

Not a Jaguar

Correction from my last post: the part that says Jaguars are very rare is an understatement. Jaguars do not live on the African Continent, they are found in parts of Asia and are thus, not part of the "Big Five." What we saw today, which is very rare, but a native to Africa, was a leopard. His photo (which revelas that he is indeed a "he") is back in the tent, so here is another friend from today.

I'm not lion...

We saw this guy from about 11 feet from our truck! He was as interested in us as he looks in the photo (he is yawning for about the 4th time, not roaring).

What you cannot see in the photo is that it was raining which is why this character was parked under a tree to rest and wait it out. It rained for most of our 4 hour drive this afternoon. It was cold and wet but we persevered and completed our "Big Five" which means we have seen: 1) Lions, 2) Elephants, 3) Rhinos, 4) Buffalo, 5) One Jaguar (which are very rare).

All of this is thanks to our driver, Henry, and spotter Abednego, who have taken us places I never dreamed a Land Cruiser could go! They also found a safe spot for us to get out and "mark our territory" without getting eaten, trampled, or charged (I mean by a buffalo, not with a fine).

Back here at the safari club (which turns out to be one of the nicest places we have stayed -our tent here is way nicer than our room was at the Hilton in Nairobi), we have our share of exciting finds too! Today we watched the hippos do what they do all day -hang out underwater and periodically come up for air (it is strangely fascinating) and then we chose sides with a crocodile, watching it loll around underwater in hopes of nabbing a sheep that came down for a drink. The sheep won; none of the got eaten. We felt a little bad for rooting against them. Not too bad, though, circle of life and all...

Back to Nairobi tomorrow for my mom's birthday which coincides with Jomo Kenyatta Day (also known as Heroes day). Should be some celebrating somewhere!

Tell my girls we will be home soon!

Kris

Long-necked girls

So, Kris, if you were an animal what would you be?

I would be this long-necked beauty and bat those eyelashes wherever I would go.

This girl was minding her own business when we pulled up in our safari truck to watch her eat leaves and walk those long legs across the plains. She now appears in our photo album with the likes of zebras, elands, cape buffalo, warthogs, a secretary bird, a variety of gazelles, one ostrich (and one ostrich egg) dick-dicks, and two white rhinos named Kofi Annan and Elizabeth(they have both been to Kenya).

It was an awesome afternoon. We spent 3 1/2 hours driving around looking for animals and finding them! We will take a shorter drive at 6:30 in the morning when they are all waking up and looking for breakfast. We hope to see a lion, elephants and wildebeests.

Jeff says I should be on Facebook because I would have more followers, but I think 19 is enough for me. Maybe "something" will follow me tomorrow and I will have a story to tell.

Here is something interesting about the Mara Safari Club: fast internet but no electricity from midnight to 4:40 am. Guess I won't be curling my hair in the night.

Kris

"Crocodile Dock"

New Neighbors

Jambo all! The yawning friend to the left is the appointed welcoming representative for the new neighborhood we have moved into! From the deck of our "tent"we look down on the Mara River and the hippos and crocodiles that live there. (Do not worry, mom and GG, we are high up the bank and do not plan on going to the water's edge.)

We left Nairobi this morning and flew to the Masai Mara Game area on a plane that was much too large for Jeff's sense of adventure. He was terribly disappointed that our plane had 4 engines (I was delighted). We were the 4th stop on the route and so we saw three dirt airstrips before the one where our safari club picked us up. From the plane we saw elephants, wildebeests, buffalo, zebras, impalas, and maybe a rhino (it was far away). On the drive from the airstrip to the club we saw hippos, crocodiles, zebras, impalas -and we haven't even gone on a game drive yet! In an hour we jump in a Toyota Land Cruiser (I should be right at home) with open sides and roof to get closer to whatever our driver can find.

If you have any ideas about coming here, I can say that already, it is worth the hard work fo getting oneself to Kenya!

Kris

Under African Skies

Finally -a photo from Kenya! This is the view from the front yard of our friend from home Ryan Dahlman who is an RVA teacher. Ryan had us over for dinner with 8 senior guys -enchiladas, homemade guacamole and an incredible view of the Great Rift Valley and Mt Longonaut (not sure I spelled that right). It was a great last meal at the school/speaking part of this journey.

After dinner we went to the final session at which I was speaking to the 7th-12th grade students (around 500 with adults). I had been using the phrase, "there is more to you than meets the eye" all week and I invited anyone who could translate it into another language to come and say it for all to here. The last count I had was 25 languages! Languages like: Umharic, Swahili, French, Icelandic, Swedish, Luou (don't know how to spell that), Portuguese, Arabic, German, Ducth, Spanish, Kikuyu, and a number of tribal languages I had never heard of. It was like a little taste of heaven. The students at RVA represent over 20 nationalities and have all lived in countries in East Africa for most of their lives. I doubt that we will ever experience that again.

Today we rode along with a group of missionaries to see the work they are doing at an IDP camp in the valley. The camp is made up of people (the majority are women and children) who lost their homes during the fighting after the presidential election in 2007. They have been living in tents given by the United Nations since then. The tents, which may have provided great shelter at the beginning, are wearing thin from the sun and the wind. The team we hung out with (included Courtney Folwick!) is working to help people establish businesses so that they can have enough to buy food, is trying to get a water supply to the camp, and is praying that a better housing solution can happen. It was dry and dusty and desolate, only it is home to a lot of people.

Our missionary hosts for the day took us to Mama Esthers for lunch. Mama Esther cooked each meal individually on her one burner charcoal grill. We ate in shifts. Jeff was thrilled, I was (of course) terrified of what might happen to our bellies later. Courtney promised us that they eat there every day and don't get sick. We brought our own beverages.

We went from there to get our things for the trip down to Nairobi. Our Kenyan driver, John, was great at telling us things about his country and his culture. We drove past donkey carts, roadside stands, forests, tea farms, coffee farms, a slum in the city, and more before we got into the busy traffic of downtown Nairobi.

Now I find myself trying to adjust to the etremes of this day. From IDP camp to the Nairobi Hilton in 3 hours -it is a lot to process. After we checked in we took a walk around the block (it's not really safe to go much further) and ate at the hotel pub (french fries and pizza). We came back to the room to find fast internet! Apparently, I have adjusted!

Tomorrow we rise early to fly to our safari. We will start at a smaller Nairobi airport and land on a dirt airstrip. Everyone says it beats the drive. We shall see...

Who knows if we will have what we need to post from the Masai Mara Conservancy. If not, just google it at look at pictures of animals.

Sure miss our girls, but wouldn't have them here this time!

Kris

I bless the rains down in Africa

Hi friends and family! Sorry for the lack of posts but the internet connection here is so slow. I hope to post something big from Nairobi tomorrow night, but don't get your hopes up.

Until then, a brief update (sorry no photos, takes too long):

• rainy season -I never would have thought I would be cold in Africa! But, the rain waters the Shamba (garden) and so many people depend on what they can grow to eat. Today was actually the sunniest day we have had. It was beautiful -Jeff saw 2 different kinds of monkeys on a walk around the perimeter of the campus.


• Yesterday we toured the Kijabe hospital - it has been here for more than 100 years and was the start of the mission station. I took a photo of the delivery room -while I tried not to faint at the thought of having a baby there.


• Today I attended a tea party with 35 sophomore girls while Jeff went to Sunday School at a slum. You will have to hear about it from him.


• tomorrow we join Courtney Folwick from church at the IDP camp (internally displaced persons) camp that she works at in the Great Rift Valley. The we have to brave the crazy roads back to Nairobi, with John, our Kenyan driver (it just has to be better than Jeff's ride here in the rain and fog on a Friday night).


• Tuesday morning we fly to the Masai Mara conservancy for a 2 day safari! Blog followers can come and see the pictures when we get home!

(Hopefully) More Soon!

Kris

A Room with a View

Karibu from Kijabe, Kenya!

Yesterday's post was about the adventure of making new friends in Nairobi. That was only the beginning!

At 3:00 I found my contact -one of the chaplains at RVA (see earlier blog if you don't know what that is) -on the giant bus full of students that would take us up the mountain to the school. It was truly one of those harrowing/exciting/eye-opening experiences one only has in developing countries. First it was the long, jerking diesel ride through Nairobi's bumpy roads and dense traffic and then out of the city where it opened up a bit more and we zoomed past walkers on the side of the road. Soon we passed a series of slums which I cannot describe. We drove by so quickly they hardly seemed real.

Along the road there were many roadside stands selling fruits and veggies and sheepskin products and meat. The meat places had names like "Blessed Butchery." I guess I am the only one to catch the irony.

Then we stared our ascent. Suddenly I looked out the window and I was looking down. I don't know when we began to climb but the trees opened up to breathtaking views of the great Rift Valley.

While we rode, I got to know some of the students. Many are American or Korean citizens, but I believe there are another 20 nationalities represented. Some of their families are new to the mission field but others are students who have lived their whole lives in an African nation. They live in places like Mozambique, Rwanda, Ethiopia, Sudan, Tanzania, Kenya, and countries that cannot be named because it is dangerous for missionaries to be there.

The students are remoarkable -incredibly welcoming and inqusitive and open to discussion. In some ways they are just like adolescents in other places I have been, but in other ways are incredibly different. They are used to traveling alone, living in Africa, and boarding at school.

I keep thinking to myself that I can't believe I am here. The sunset tonight was breathtaking -of course I forgot a camera. I enjoyed it with the group of 5th and 6th grade boys and their dorm parents over pizza and brownie sundaes (I felt right at home!)

Tomorrow I speak for 2 chapel sessions and visit 2 9th grade Bible classes. Tomorrow Jeff begins his travels here. If you think to pray, pray him here -especially Friday night (noon at home). He will be driven up by a Kenyan driver, which is great, but I have been told the night drive is "risky."

Kris
PS: Not checking spelling and grammar -too slow on this connection. Apologies in advance.

Tuesday Morning Bible Study

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

As I woke up this morning and remembered where I was I wondered aloud (I really haven't had anyone to talk to since I left and so my inner voice has become an outer one) about how my day would unfold. The only "plan" I had was to be picked up by one of the RVA chaplains sometime in the afternoon. (note: RVA stands for Rift Valley Academy -the reason I am here; heretofore I will not explain the abbreviation). So, the morning was open.

I chose to sleep through breakfast and was packing up my stuff when the phone in my room rang. The woman on the line said she was Patty Arensen, a friend of John and Sandy Miller from church. John had emailed her on Sunday to say I would be here and she came to find me. She and her friend Belinda and I sat and visited while I tried to catch my breath (elevation, jet lag and general out-of-shapeness had me panting after carrying my luggage). They were headed to a Bible study and had about 1/2 hour to talk. I was so happy to have someone to converse with. When it was time for them to go and Patty realized I had nothing to do she asked if I wanted to come. Of course I did -my first view of Nairobi in the light!

At about 10:30 I realized that it was Tuesday morning. And there I was, sitting in a women's Bible study, just like I do every Tuesday morning at home! Only this one was comprised of 30 Kenyan women and 2 Americans, one who has lived most of her life in Kenya (the other one was me, if you didn't catch that). It was so lovely listen to women from another part of the world talk about faith and life and to find so much in common. I was warmly welcomed (the greeting is "karibu") with a handhsake and hug on both cheeks. It was almost like being at home with the ECC women, only with Chai.

The drive back from the church was harrowing. If I had been driving I would still be sitting at the first roundabout, fearful of entering in. I missed my large vehicle, lines painted on the street, driving on the right side and having the windows open. But, we made it!

Now I am having a coke to try to fight my afternoon sleepiness. I am going to look at my notes and wonder how the rest of the day will go.

Kris

PS: I told John Miller to follow my blog and he laughed -would someone call him and tell him to read this?

Out of Egypt

I was following the flight tracker during the flight today when I suddenly saw "Cairo" on the map. I looked out the window and realized I was looking at Egypt. My stomach did a little flip and I thought -"wow -I am really far from home"

Then I realized it was the Egypt of the Exodus and then I saw the Red Sea. Wow again. Most of what I saw just looked like sand -flat, hard sand that nobody ever walks on. It was desolate and lonely and I was glad to be heading somewhere greener.

And here I am -in Kenya, which may or may not be greener, I got here in the dark.

Here is how I saw God's hand today:

• in the variety of people he has made -people from all over the world at the airport in Amsterdam


• in the barren terrain of Egypt, flying 35,000 feet above


• in the 'vanmates" with whom I shared the trip to the mission guest house -a missionary from Seattle who let me use his cell phone to leave Jeff a message; a pastor from Texas who lives here now and helped me wtih my bags and gave me the lowdown on staying here; and George the driver who was gracious and kind and knows Wally Coots (a pastor friend from Michigan)

I am a little lonely and less than relaxed about my "room" -it feels a little more like a mission trip today. I don't know if the mosquito net above my bed is necessary but I am not taking any chances! Tomorrow there will be many people to meet and finding my "home" for the next 6 nights.

Good night,

Kris

Jump

11:50 pm. I just closed the last page that I will read on the night before I go to Africa. What I find interesting is what the page was about. I had one more book that I knew had an illustration that I might want and told myself if everythng else got done I could read it. The story is a good one, if you are around you will likely hear me tell it someday (it's about the African Impala- if that doesn't get your attention what will?) but what is equally interesting to me is that the crux if the book is an exhortation to "jump" in faith into whatever God calls one to do.

As I sat in my bed and closed the book I said aloud, "well, that's it." My bags are packed, the itinerary for childcare is printed on 4 pages and bound in a notebook waiting for grandparents, my passport and immunization card are in my purse (in case I have to prove that I got the yellow fever vaccine) and my laptop and speaking notes are in my carry-on backpack. I guess all that is left to do is jump. The majority of what will happen in the next 14 days is now essentially out of my hands and I need to trust the one who has "the whole world" in his. It is time to jump.

OK, here is a hint: the African Impala is able to jump 13 feet in the air from standing still. It is also able to jump 30 feet forward. It can do this because it was made to. When it is time to jump, that little character can jump.

I hope all can see where this metaphor is going. At 6 feet tall, I have often disappointed hopeful sports fans who find that I never played basketball. It is because I cannot jump (in addition to being afraid of the ball and having an aversion to sweating). So, while I am no impala physically, I can still find my inner impala and leap ahead tomorrow.

The flight to Nariobi will be upwards of 8,200 miles. Jump, Kris.
Some 400 adolescents are waiting (some willingly I hope) in Kenya for Spiritual Emphasis Week, where I am the main speaker. Jump.
My beloved daughters are staying home and I don't even know if it will really work to Skype with them to check in. Jump.
It is quite possible that I will find a lack of Pepsi and ice at Rift Valley Academy. Jump, girl.
I could go on and on, but the readers may have already jumped out of this post - y'all get the picture.

If you pray, pray for my landing. And jump too.

Kris
PS: the impala story and Jump metaphor are borrowed from Efrrem Smith's book entitled, (you guessed it) "Jump"

I dreamed of Africa

So I think I am back in the blogging business for the upcoming journey to Africa. I won't be bringing back a baby this time, so there won't be updates and introductions to look for, but something interesting has to happen, right?

Some might start a Facebook page at this point, but that seems like a road that has no end. I need a less-than-three-week-road that begins, I guess, tonight, and ends when I return to U.S. soil.

I only have 5 nights left to sleep in my own bed but it is getting harder to do just that. There are so many things to do: pack, prepare speaking notes, leave little gifts for the children, pay bills, get my will signed, vacuum up boxelder bugs, find room for 10 punds of candy corn that missionary kids just have to have, wrestle with my guilt in leaving my children, and find the missing webcam so I can Skype home to guilt-inducing offspring a few times.

If you want to follow along, welcome! I can't promise anything profound, but I will promise to post a photo or two of a hippo.

This is where it would be appropriate to post some Kenyan salutation. I actually have a few that a freind taught me in February. The problem is that, while I wrote down their phonetic spellings, I neglected to record their meanings. Oh well.

Adios,
KenyaKris