Falling in love with Kenya

Jambo! Debbie and I have been in Africa for about a week now, and I have already had the experience of a lifetime. I have seen so much and learned so much, and I know there is much more to come. My first impression of Kenya was that the people are warm, loving, and generous. We have been shown so much kindness - people have gone out of their way to meet us and greet us and they have all thanked us heartily for visiting. We have been fortunate enough to be invited into the homes of several local families, as well as an American missionary family, so we have had the opportunity to see Kenyan culture first hand through the eyes of Kenyans as well as through the eyes of missionaries living in Kenya. I treasure those experiences - there is nothing more intimate and special than being invited into someone else's home.

Aside from visiting with new friends, we have also had the opportunity to visit two children's homes. We only had a brief time at each home, but each visit was so rich. The children were darling, and they just craved our love and affection. Who could resist smiling when there are crowds of children around you begging to hold your hand and hug you? I only wish I had enough hands to pass around! At each home we visited, the children made a point of taking us around their home and showing us their rooms. There are usually at least 4 children in a room, so space is very tight. Consequently, the only space the children have to call their own is their bed. That spoke volumes to me, as I am accustomed to having far more than a bed to call my own - in fact, that's something I think I have always taken for granted. These children take nothing for granted - they know how blessed they are to have even a bed to themselves. Each child took such joy in the simple act of getting a picture taken sitting on their bed, and I took joy in letting these children teach me things far beyond their years.

We are preparing to leave Nairobi tomorrow morning for the Masai Mara Reserve in the southwest part of Kenya, where we will go on safari for two days! I'm so excited, especially since we were able to visit a giraffe center here in Nairobi the other day, where I had the opportunity to have giraffes eat out of my hand. It was a slobbery experience, but quite an amazing one for an animal lover. It certainly whetted my appetite for safari (although I have no illusions of getting out of our van to feed the safari animals...)!

After our safari we will journey to Mama Lucy's Hope Community Center for nearly two weeks. After our recent visits to children's homes in Nairobi, I can hardly wait for my turn to get to know and love the children at Lucy's home. I am confident that they will teach me more than I teach them, but I treasure the opportunity to lavish some attention on them and let them know that they are loved by people on the other side of the world. What a gift that will be, both for the children and for me! I know our time there will pass quickly, but I pray that it will be as rich as our time in Kenya so far.

In the meantime, however...safari, here I come!!

A whirlwind week in England

After a whirlwind week in England, Debbie and I are ready to hop on a plane tomorrow night and sleep all the way to Africa (all 10 hours, mind you...) - I'm quite serious, we've accomplished a lot in our 6 days! Perhaps our biggest accomplishment was making it from the airport to our lodging by way of the London underground with four 50+ pound suitcases and two heavy backpacks. This was no easy feat! But we made it - and I'm not allowing myself to dread the return trip... Anyway, once we recovered from our arduous journey, we started off our week of sightseeing with an afternoon trip to Essex to see Waltham Abbey and Queen Elizabeth's Hunting Lodge, returning to our wonderful friends' house (the Hambletons, Debbie's friends for more than 30 years) just in time for a real English meal of fish and chips. The next day, there was no time to adjust to the time change, for we had a bus to Oxford to catch! We spent the day wandering around the "City of 1000 Spires," which is very true to its name. It was lovely. I believe the highlight of our day was eating lunch at "The Eagle and Child," which is the pub that CS Lewis, JRR Tolkien, and their friends met at to discuss their books in progress - like "The Chronicles of Narnia!" The following day, we took a 7 hour bus ride to Lancaster, in the Lake District of England. We stayed with Debbie's dear friends, George and Stella, for two nights and they showed us a wonderful time. Stella cooked us loads of wonderful meals and George drove us all around the area, most notably taking us to Capernwray Hall, a Bible school where nearly Josh's entire family has studied at one time or another. It was so special to finally see this legendary Cornthwaite stomping ground! We spent the following day dozing on the 7 hour return bus trip to London (you'd think we've been getting enough sleep, but somehow sleeping on a bus doesn't leave you as well-rested as you'd desire...), and then we prepared ourselves for a crash course of London. Today, we spent the entire day touring London. We saw too much for me to mention it all, but some of the highlights were Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, The National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery, and of course, Platform 9 3/4 at Kings Cross Train Station. (Any true Harry Potter fan will understand that!) Now, we're tearfully drinking our last cup of real English tea (it just tastes better here!) and preparing to move on. We may have a stop at the British Museum before we catch our flight to Kenya tomorrow night - just to make sure we're sufficiently worn out and ready to sleep the flight away. And then, we'll wake up in Nairobi! I'm so excited for this opportunity, and I can hardly believe that the time is finally here. So, until Africa...cheerio!