Ok. So here it goes. After 30 hours of travel through five airports we finally arrived in Nairobi, Kenya. You bet we were smiling just to be off the plane! 
Children seemed to be everywhere in Kenya. These three lived in the Masai village where we stayed for eight days. In Masai culture, adults seldom ever pick up their children after they are old enough to walk so as visitors we were immediately inundated with a flood of kids wanting a ride. Most of our free time was spent playing games with the kids.
Pastor Simon from the village where we stayed wore this shirt often. The quote pretty much describes how the local believers approach their walk with God. Shortly after we left, Pastor Simon took several local high school youth on a mission to a neighboring region known for witchcraft. Over 300 high school youth and the headmaster of the school accepted Christ. Wow.
These huts are typical of what you'd find in the Masai Village. Most structures are built from mud and sticks. Lumber is hard to come by and expensive. A few buildings in the Village and structures in town were made from hand chiseled stone blocks. Kids seemed to pop out of nowhere whenever you pulled out your camera.
This is our team from Bayside church with two Masai men who worked as security guards at the Rift Valley Academy where we stayed when not in the village. On this particular evening, the Masai guards gave us a show of traditional Masai song and dance.
Pastor Simon's wife cooked dinner for our team and her family every night we stayed in the village. A typical meal included cooked cabbage, rice or boiled potatoes and flat bread cooking on the hot plate below. One night featured small chunks of roasted meat (goat). Yum!!
Masai children at a Compassion International project site gave us a show of traditional Masai song and dance.
While in the Village, we stayed in a small tent compound surrounded by acacia branches (think BIG thorns). The acacia was meant to keep uninvited guests (think hyenas) out of our camp at night. We heard them calling after dark but did not see any in the Village. The rule was "Do not leave your tent between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am" no matter how bad you need to use the restroom.
Did I mention the kids?
This is the community center where we worked. The block was set and the roof constructed in previous years. We worked on finishing the interior walls and the floor. We were also supposed to install windows and doors but the "tomorrow" when they were supposed to arrive never did. Oh, well. It's Africa.
While in Kenya, we had the opportunity to visit a nearby Compassion International project site. The Compassion board of directors arranged for each of us to visit the family of one of the sponsored children. This family had recently moved back into their house which had been rebuilt after being burned to the ground during racial violence the year before. They literally owned nothing but the clothes on their backs.
This was another family of a sponsored child. Compassion International requires that their project sites by initiated by a local pastor. The sponsored children and their families are drawn into the church as the child receives the benefits Compassion provides. God is truly moving in Kenya! Anyone want to go back with me?
Children seemed to be everywhere in Kenya. These three lived in the Masai village where we stayed for eight days. In Masai culture, adults seldom ever pick up their children after they are old enough to walk so as visitors we were immediately inundated with a flood of kids wanting a ride. Most of our free time was spent playing games with the kids.
Pastor Simon from the village where we stayed wore this shirt often. The quote pretty much describes how the local believers approach their walk with God. Shortly after we left, Pastor Simon took several local high school youth on a mission to a neighboring region known for witchcraft. Over 300 high school youth and the headmaster of the school accepted Christ. Wow.
These huts are typical of what you'd find in the Masai Village. Most structures are built from mud and sticks. Lumber is hard to come by and expensive. A few buildings in the Village and structures in town were made from hand chiseled stone blocks. Kids seemed to pop out of nowhere whenever you pulled out your camera.
This is our team from Bayside church with two Masai men who worked as security guards at the Rift Valley Academy where we stayed when not in the village. On this particular evening, the Masai guards gave us a show of traditional Masai song and dance.
Pastor Simon's wife cooked dinner for our team and her family every night we stayed in the village. A typical meal included cooked cabbage, rice or boiled potatoes and flat bread cooking on the hot plate below. One night featured small chunks of roasted meat (goat). Yum!!
Masai children at a Compassion International project site gave us a show of traditional Masai song and dance.
While in the Village, we stayed in a small tent compound surrounded by acacia branches (think BIG thorns). The acacia was meant to keep uninvited guests (think hyenas) out of our camp at night. We heard them calling after dark but did not see any in the Village. The rule was "Do not leave your tent between 10:00 pm and 6:00 am" no matter how bad you need to use the restroom.
Did I mention the kids?
This is the community center where we worked. The block was set and the roof constructed in previous years. We worked on finishing the interior walls and the floor. We were also supposed to install windows and doors but the "tomorrow" when they were supposed to arrive never did. Oh, well. It's Africa.
While in Kenya, we had the opportunity to visit a nearby Compassion International project site. The Compassion board of directors arranged for each of us to visit the family of one of the sponsored children. This family had recently moved back into their house which had been rebuilt after being burned to the ground during racial violence the year before. They literally owned nothing but the clothes on their backs.
This was another family of a sponsored child. Compassion International requires that their project sites by initiated by a local pastor. The sponsored children and their families are drawn into the church as the child receives the benefits Compassion provides. God is truly moving in Kenya! Anyone want to go back with me?
Happy Halloween!
