Thursday, August 13, 2009
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Back in the US of A!
Hello everyone! I made it home safely yesterday afternoon. It was definitely a VERY long day though. When we got to the Mombasa airport, we had problems again with our flights. It took over an hour to get it sorted out and they held the flight for us, so we left a little late. EVERYTHING takes AT LEAST twice as long in Africa. We flew to Nairobi, Amsterdam, Detroit, and then San Antonio. It was LONG but I was thankful that I got some sleep fro Nairobi to Amsterdam. I made it home yesterday afternoon and my mom picked me up from the airport. My parents and I went to dinner last night and I'm hanging out with my mom today "recovering." Tomorrow I'm heading to Wichita Falls for the weekend and then I will be back at work on Monday! Thanks to everyone that read my updates! Can't wait to share my pictures with you!
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Lions and Tigers and Bears, OH MY!
Hello everyone! It is Tuesday afternoon here in Mombasa. ALOT has happened the last few days. Sorry I didn't post sooner, but I haven't been able to use the internet since Saturday night.
On Sunday we were guests at Mtepani's church service. It was awesome. They sing and sing and sing some more! During the sermon, we broke the kids into groups and entertained them in classrooms. My group did a skit (that I wrote) about Daniel and the Lion's Den. It was pretty funny because doing a skit and having an interpreter repeat everything you're saying in Swahili is HARD! We also taught them "Jesus Loves Me" in sign language. After the service everyone moved outside for the baptism service. It was AWESOME! There were SO many people there! I took lots of pictures and a few videos. After that we served lunch to all the people and then packed up to leave. We returned to our hotel in the middle of the afternoon and had the rest of the day to shower and pack.
Yesterday morning we left for our safari. We had four safari fans. They are neat because the roof of the van pops up and you can stand up to look out. We drove for a few hours and once we reached the park, we drove around looking for animals for about two hours. We saw ALOT of elephants and some were very close to our vans. We headed for the safari lodge, checked in, and had lunch. I took about an hour nap before we headed out again. We went on another 2 hour ride and saw lots of animals again including a Cheetah. It was kind of far away though but I could see it through banaculars. It's so funny because the van drivers talk to eachother through the radio, so when someone spots something good, all the others drive real REAL fast to the same spot. There were probably twenty vans watching the cheetah. We had inner at the lodge that night, had devotional, and then went to bed. This morning we went on another ride from 6:30am -8:30am. We saw a family of 10 or 12 lions. It was really cool. We ate breakfast at the lodge after that and drove back to Mombasa. We already checked out of our rooms yesterday but the hotel gave us two rooms today to take showers in. We're leaving in about 30 minutes to head to the airport.
Hopefully our flights home are better than our flights here. I should be home tomorrow afternoon around 3:45. This has been such an amazing experience and it's thanks to all of you! Thank you so much for donating supplies, money, and LOVE to me:) I took lots of pictures and can't WAIT to be home!
On Sunday we were guests at Mtepani's church service. It was awesome. They sing and sing and sing some more! During the sermon, we broke the kids into groups and entertained them in classrooms. My group did a skit (that I wrote) about Daniel and the Lion's Den. It was pretty funny because doing a skit and having an interpreter repeat everything you're saying in Swahili is HARD! We also taught them "Jesus Loves Me" in sign language. After the service everyone moved outside for the baptism service. It was AWESOME! There were SO many people there! I took lots of pictures and a few videos. After that we served lunch to all the people and then packed up to leave. We returned to our hotel in the middle of the afternoon and had the rest of the day to shower and pack.
Yesterday morning we left for our safari. We had four safari fans. They are neat because the roof of the van pops up and you can stand up to look out. We drove for a few hours and once we reached the park, we drove around looking for animals for about two hours. We saw ALOT of elephants and some were very close to our vans. We headed for the safari lodge, checked in, and had lunch. I took about an hour nap before we headed out again. We went on another 2 hour ride and saw lots of animals again including a Cheetah. It was kind of far away though but I could see it through banaculars. It's so funny because the van drivers talk to eachother through the radio, so when someone spots something good, all the others drive real REAL fast to the same spot. There were probably twenty vans watching the cheetah. We had inner at the lodge that night, had devotional, and then went to bed. This morning we went on another ride from 6:30am -8:30am. We saw a family of 10 or 12 lions. It was really cool. We ate breakfast at the lodge after that and drove back to Mombasa. We already checked out of our rooms yesterday but the hotel gave us two rooms today to take showers in. We're leaving in about 30 minutes to head to the airport.
Hopefully our flights home are better than our flights here. I should be home tomorrow afternoon around 3:45. This has been such an amazing experience and it's thanks to all of you! Thank you so much for donating supplies, money, and LOVE to me:) I took lots of pictures and can't WAIT to be home!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
SURPRISE! The internet is working!
I woke up early this morning to try the internet at the hotel while most people are still asleep. It's working!...well, kinda atleast. It's still really slow.
I am so thankful that at this hotel we have food, water (don't drink it though!), and air conditioning. BUT, my room as the world's LOUDEST air conditioner. It sounds like a million crickets. The first few nights here it really bothered me and kept me up at night. I'm getting used to it but I still sleep with ear plugs in. I wake up in the middle of the night because it's so loud again and I realize I have taken my ear plugs out while I was asleep because my ears were hurting. Oh well, I'm only sleeping here one more night.
It's Sunday morning and we will be heading for church in about 45 minutes. I hope everyone is doing well and is safe back in the USA!
I am so thankful that at this hotel we have food, water (don't drink it though!), and air conditioning. BUT, my room as the world's LOUDEST air conditioner. It sounds like a million crickets. The first few nights here it really bothered me and kept me up at night. I'm getting used to it but I still sleep with ear plugs in. I wake up in the middle of the night because it's so loud again and I realize I have taken my ear plugs out while I was asleep because my ears were hurting. Oh well, I'm only sleeping here one more night.
It's Sunday morning and we will be heading for church in about 45 minutes. I hope everyone is doing well and is safe back in the USA!
Saturday, August 1, 2009
The internet in Kenya STINKS!
Hello everyone! It's Saturday night here. The internet at the hotel has taken a turn for the worst. We were already having to pay 450 shillings an hour at the hotel. Today NO ONE could get on the internet. We came to an internet cafe so we could send word out to our family/friends that they might not be hearing from us for a while. The internet is SOOOO slow (as was the hotel's internet) but luckily we're only having to pay 90 shillings an hour here.
Today was very relaxing. We went to the shops in downtown Mombasa this morning. It was a very neat experience as everything we bought we negotiated prices for. We all got some pretty neat stuff. You might wonder how we're getting it all home? Well, each of us have our extra suitcase that we used to bring our supplies. Not that we gave all the supplies away, we each have an empty suitcase!
While we were downtown, we did little things to spread the good news. We passed out braclets that say "Jesus Loves Me." We took some of our left over "goodie bags" and passed them out to children we saw on the streets. We went back to the hotel for lunch and then some of our group was going to a different area of town to do some more shopping. It was SO hot here today that I decided to just relax at the hotel. It was the first non-hectic day in the last week so I jumped on the opportunity to spend some quality "me time" with myself.
Tomorrow we are going to head back to Mtepani for their church service. They've made tomorrow a big deal as we are their honored guests. They're expecting 750-1000 people for the church service tomorrow in a church that will fit around 100. We will participate in the beginning of the service, but when it's time for the sermon, we will leave with the children and entertain them in the three small classrooms. Around 500 kids in three TINY classrooms. I'm in a group of 5 people that will be with the oldest group of kids (10-12 year olds). We are going to do a skit about Daniel and the Lions Den. I think it will be cute. Also, Vicki is in my group (the one who saved my LIFE when I was sick on the way down here). She works with deaf children in schools in San Antonio so she's planning on teaching the song "Jesus Loves Me" to the kids in sign language. It should be really neat.
After the service, the church is preparing lunch for EVERYONE that attends. They will be working through the night tonight to prepare. They bought a cow the other day for around $200 American dollars. Today, they slaughtered it for the meal tomorrow. Our leader told us that the food tomorrow is okay to eat, but I plan on taking a protein bar because I do NOT want to get sick on this trip AGAIN!
We will be done tomorrow in the village around 3:00pm. Tomorrow night we have to pack our things up. We will be leaving our suitcases in a room at the hotel while we go on the safari Monday/Tuesday. We're only allowed to bring our bookbag on the safari so I will have to pack and change of clothes, etc. for the night we will not be at the hotel. Tuesday we will return to the hotel and they are giving us two rooms to shower and change in before we head for the airport on Tuesday night. We fly out around 7:00pm Tuesday night and I will be home by 3:45pm on Wednesday.
This might be the last time I post until we are at the airport in Amsterdam. The internet has become such a pain and is too slow to get most things accomplished on the computer. I will update when I can! To everyone that's been reading so far and sending me sweet messages, "asante sana (thanks)!"
Today was very relaxing. We went to the shops in downtown Mombasa this morning. It was a very neat experience as everything we bought we negotiated prices for. We all got some pretty neat stuff. You might wonder how we're getting it all home? Well, each of us have our extra suitcase that we used to bring our supplies. Not that we gave all the supplies away, we each have an empty suitcase!
While we were downtown, we did little things to spread the good news. We passed out braclets that say "Jesus Loves Me." We took some of our left over "goodie bags" and passed them out to children we saw on the streets. We went back to the hotel for lunch and then some of our group was going to a different area of town to do some more shopping. It was SO hot here today that I decided to just relax at the hotel. It was the first non-hectic day in the last week so I jumped on the opportunity to spend some quality "me time" with myself.
Tomorrow we are going to head back to Mtepani for their church service. They've made tomorrow a big deal as we are their honored guests. They're expecting 750-1000 people for the church service tomorrow in a church that will fit around 100. We will participate in the beginning of the service, but when it's time for the sermon, we will leave with the children and entertain them in the three small classrooms. Around 500 kids in three TINY classrooms. I'm in a group of 5 people that will be with the oldest group of kids (10-12 year olds). We are going to do a skit about Daniel and the Lions Den. I think it will be cute. Also, Vicki is in my group (the one who saved my LIFE when I was sick on the way down here). She works with deaf children in schools in San Antonio so she's planning on teaching the song "Jesus Loves Me" to the kids in sign language. It should be really neat.
After the service, the church is preparing lunch for EVERYONE that attends. They will be working through the night tonight to prepare. They bought a cow the other day for around $200 American dollars. Today, they slaughtered it for the meal tomorrow. Our leader told us that the food tomorrow is okay to eat, but I plan on taking a protein bar because I do NOT want to get sick on this trip AGAIN!
We will be done tomorrow in the village around 3:00pm. Tomorrow night we have to pack our things up. We will be leaving our suitcases in a room at the hotel while we go on the safari Monday/Tuesday. We're only allowed to bring our bookbag on the safari so I will have to pack and change of clothes, etc. for the night we will not be at the hotel. Tuesday we will return to the hotel and they are giving us two rooms to shower and change in before we head for the airport on Tuesday night. We fly out around 7:00pm Tuesday night and I will be home by 3:45pm on Wednesday.
This might be the last time I post until we are at the airport in Amsterdam. The internet has become such a pain and is too slow to get most things accomplished on the computer. I will update when I can! To everyone that's been reading so far and sending me sweet messages, "asante sana (thanks)!"
Friday, July 31, 2009
Our week of ministry comes to a close...
First, I want to thank the MANY people that have commented on my page and have sent me encouraging emails. I'm so thankful for the people in my life everyday! After a long hard day, it's so wonderful to be able to read everyone's encouragment.
Yesterday and today we visited several schools. Many of them several hours apart. Both Thursday and Friday were very long days. The schools seem to be doing well with what they have. Each school put on a show for us. The classes performed poems and songs for us...IN ENGLISH! They are pretty hard to understand, especially the younger children. But I can always pick out the words "Lord" and "God."
These schools are doing phenomenal with what they have. Education is not free here and it usually costs $4-$6 a month for a child to go to school. Most people cannot afford this. The ones that are able to attend school usually have sponsers. It is so sad everyday to watch the kids that cannot attend school stand outside the fence watching us with the other children. A few of us try to do little things for the other children that aren't as lucky.
There have been a few things that last few days that have really touched me. I've worked with the medical team several times this week. While I was visiting some peoples "houses (more like huts)," I have sent several people to see our doctor and they have been treated. Yesterday we visited a very established school in the morning. We were there to do a few activities but did not plan on doing medical treatment. One of our team members noticed a little boy who had something wrong with his ear, so we took a look at it. He had two VERY infected ears. One was oozing and the doctor thinks his ear drum burst. His glands and entire neck were swollen and he had the same ooz down his throat and a very high fever. We did what we could but we had to tell his teachers that if he did not get better and this illness was not treated, he would get worse and would be more likely to catch other illnesses.
The second half of today we returned to Mtepani. We helped clean up the church/classroom for the service we're having there on Sunday. All of the new believers are going to attend and we're expecting 500-750 people (including children) in a church that only seats MAYBE 100. It should be a good day of celebration on Sunday, though. The church has bought a cow to eat and will be serving lunch to those that attend.
Every day on the bus rides, I like to sit by myself and listen to my ipod. I love to watch everything out the window as we drive by. Sometimes it's still hard to believe that I'm in Africa and that this is reality for everyone that lives here.
Tomorrow is our "day off" and we will get to go shopping at the markets. I'm very excited about this. Thank you all again for your kind words. I will update tomorrow.
Yesterday and today we visited several schools. Many of them several hours apart. Both Thursday and Friday were very long days. The schools seem to be doing well with what they have. Each school put on a show for us. The classes performed poems and songs for us...IN ENGLISH! They are pretty hard to understand, especially the younger children. But I can always pick out the words "Lord" and "God."
These schools are doing phenomenal with what they have. Education is not free here and it usually costs $4-$6 a month for a child to go to school. Most people cannot afford this. The ones that are able to attend school usually have sponsers. It is so sad everyday to watch the kids that cannot attend school stand outside the fence watching us with the other children. A few of us try to do little things for the other children that aren't as lucky.
There have been a few things that last few days that have really touched me. I've worked with the medical team several times this week. While I was visiting some peoples "houses (more like huts)," I have sent several people to see our doctor and they have been treated. Yesterday we visited a very established school in the morning. We were there to do a few activities but did not plan on doing medical treatment. One of our team members noticed a little boy who had something wrong with his ear, so we took a look at it. He had two VERY infected ears. One was oozing and the doctor thinks his ear drum burst. His glands and entire neck were swollen and he had the same ooz down his throat and a very high fever. We did what we could but we had to tell his teachers that if he did not get better and this illness was not treated, he would get worse and would be more likely to catch other illnesses.
The second half of today we returned to Mtepani. We helped clean up the church/classroom for the service we're having there on Sunday. All of the new believers are going to attend and we're expecting 500-750 people (including children) in a church that only seats MAYBE 100. It should be a good day of celebration on Sunday, though. The church has bought a cow to eat and will be serving lunch to those that attend.
Every day on the bus rides, I like to sit by myself and listen to my ipod. I love to watch everything out the window as we drive by. Sometimes it's still hard to believe that I'm in Africa and that this is reality for everyone that lives here.
Tomorrow is our "day off" and we will get to go shopping at the markets. I'm very excited about this. Thank you all again for your kind words. I will update tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Another day at Mtepani
Hello everyone! Today is Wednesday. We spent today at the same village that we did on Monday and Tuesday, Mtepani. We walked the trails and visited people's homes and played with the children in the afternoon. All the while there was medical attention being given to people of the village. I have no news for you. Nothing different than yesterday. But, something very sad happened in the village. Yesterday, I met a young mother and her three year old child. They were walking when I stopped to talk to him. The mother is now a christian but her child was very sick. When I saw them, he was wrapped up in cloth and was very lathargic while his mother held him. We encouraged her to take him to see Joy Anne, our doctor that is on the trip with us. I found out this morning that they did come to see our doctor, but he was in the late stages of Malaria. She encouraged him to go to the hospital because he would die if he was not treated, and there's a good chance he may die even if he is treated. The mother told us that she would take him to the witch doctor. So now, we all know that he will not make it. It's very sad to see things like this.
While sad things have happened, even more joyous things have happened. We will visit two different schools tomorrow. I am excited to have a change of scenery. I hope everyone is well back in the USA!
While sad things have happened, even more joyous things have happened. We will visit two different schools tomorrow. I am excited to have a change of scenery. I hope everyone is well back in the USA!
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