Safe and Sound

Hello, from Branson, Missouri. Dad and I are home safe and sound. Our trip home started off with some plane trouble in Nairobi, so we ended up staying another night. Which meant we missed every connecting flight home. We flew out Sunday morning and then had to stay another night in London, ok I have to admit that lay over made me smile. We arrived in Springfield around five on Monday. Its Wednesday evening I should be doing all my homework, but still find my mind more in Africa than Missouri. When I left I could not have imagined how life changing of a trip this would be, my highs were as high as one could go and my lows were just as low. I felt every emotion a girl could feel (and thats alot). Everyone asks what the best part was and I can't pick one the whole two weeks were the best of my life. From spending quality time with an awesome dad, beautiful aunt, crazy uncle and sweet cousin to meeting the most amazing, respectful loving people in my life. I think looking back I realize how present God is there. I thank Him for picking a young girl from Branson, to trust with these children. A piece of my heart will always be there. We have around 2000 pictures from our trip as I went through all of them this was my favorite. I think its because it says alot about my trip. The nursery is where I struggled the most with my heart. Aunt Julie was so supportive of me, and helped me to get past the nerves. I loved holding this baby, so many thoughts went thru my mind as I wondered what was in store for her, I can't even let my mind wander for a minute, wondering if she is ok. I guess really if you think about it know matter where she is God is with her. How great is that? I think my life at home will also change a bit for a feel like a different girl on the inside. My last Thank You's are to Aunt Julie and Uncle Logan for taking such great care of dad and I. I LOVE YOU! I titled this blog Safe and Sound, for two reasons.One, dad and I are home safe and sound and second I pray this sweet girl is safe and sound with her family. Thanks Again to everyone who helped me along this journey it was great! With that said, I am already planning my next trip back. We (the whole family) will be leaving the first week in June 2011. We plan on spending our whole time at the Mosop Mission School. I can't wait:)

Saying Goodbye

Nancy with the blanket I made.
Ride to Bomet
Sharon, my friend leading me into the village.
My Tenwek Friends
Well yesterday was our last day :( Logan, dad, and I went to Bomet. Which is only a couple of minutes away from Tenwek. We rode in a matau which is crazy. It is a 5 seat car and they fit about 8-10 people in it. It was a little squished. We went to some stores around there and just looked. Dad got a backpack for $8 and then Logan got a book. Then we went to their grocery store, that and the matau were my favorite part. It was fun to see all the different brands. They also have Obama gum so we got us a pack of that. I got some tea leaves to make chai. Here they have chai around 5 times a day and they drink it boiling hot. Its really good a Nancy taught me how to make it. Later that night we went down to Nancy's neighborhood (with Nancy that way she could translate) I gave the family's a blanket and we gave the kids suckers. They all loved the blankets and were so thankful. After we finished giving out the "7" blankets we had ( we had eight but didn't tell Nancy that, she is about 5 months pregnant ) we went to Nancy's house and talked for a while and surprised her with her blanket. She LOVED it! She is so sweet and I will really miss her. While leaving her house all the kids that I have been playing with the past couple of weeks were outside and we got a ton of pictures with them and they even tried taking pictures with my camera. I will really miss everybody! I can't wait to come back. Everybody here is so nice. I am very sad to be leaving, but I will be happy to be home. I am so glad I came. I have learned a lot about the people in this small village as well as alot about myself. The one thing I know for sure is I am going home a different girl, a humbled girl, with a bigger heart for the Lord. I am so glad the Lord brought this opportunity to me. I am very blessed to have such great friends and family who helped me and supported me through out the the whole process and while I was here. I love you all very much, and thank you! Now I have to go we are leaving for Nairobi thanks again, bye.

Triplets

Yesterday I went back to the nursery. I didn't get sick thank goodness. Julie and I helped a mother who has triplets. We got there early and got to hold them until the mother got there. When she got there we helped feed them. I fed one, Julie fed one, and the mother fed one. The one the mother fed had to be feed through a tube. She would pour the milk down a syringe and then it would go down to a little tube and then in to the baby. All three were preemies and there was one boy and two girls. I fed a girl and Julie fed the little boy. I did much better this time and I didn't get near as much milk on that baby as my other trips. The one thing that they both did was fall asleep while we fed them, but she still found a way to drink it with her eyes closed. They were all adorable of course! My mom would have loved it!

Later that day I took a walk around town by myself and took some pictures with a flat Stanley that one of my Aunt Tammy's students sent to us. It was really nice just to take one last walk, I went down to the waterfall , it was not as near as heavy as the first time we went there, but it also hasn't rained as much. It was still really pretty. I will really miss it here and all the friends I have made and hope to come back next year on break. Today is our last day and we will be handing out the tie blankets some moms and daughters helped make. So will take pictures for you guys to see who got your blanket. Well I better go I will blog tonight to tell you about our last day, bye.

Mosop Orphanage

Sweet Drummer Boy

This is the family we stayed with.

Dads Tire Swing
Playing Hot Wheels

The past couple of days I have been at an orphanage call Mosop. It is a boarding school for missionary kids and orphans. Monday when we got there I got to play with all the little kids (3rd grade and under) while my dad and the girls I was staying with went and had a "talk" with the boys and girls in the upper classes (they were separated). Dad talked about respecting women (something that is not done here in Africa) the older girls talked about purity, and protecting your bodies and that you have the right to say "no". I played red-light green-light with the little kids and they loved it, when I would say it really fast they would just laugh. After the talks they have a church service on Mondays and we got to go to that. It was really neat and in the first picture that is the boy who played the drums during the service. He did a great job and it sounded really cool. Now they have some praise and worship music, I loved it:) After that we went back to the house we were staying and had dinner. For dinner we had the same thing we had at Nancy's but also had potatoes.
On Tuesday we went back to the school and in the morning we all went to the preschoolers class we played at recess with them and then would help them in the class room. The class I helped in was learning how to write their abc's. So we went around and helped them do that. When we were done with that dad and I went and played P.E. with the older kids. I played volleyball and tried to play soccer but I fell a couple of times because my shoes were slick and my dress a bit long, so I ended up just taking my shoes off to play. Then we went back to the house for lunch. After lunch we took the toys we brought and the bracelets me and my friends made, down to the school. I gave the bracelets to the older kids and the toys to the younger kids. They all loved every thing! We played for long time with all the toys and had tons of fun! After awhile I heard someone playing the drums. It was the same boy again, and then more kids started coming and before I knew it they were having a little praise and worship going on. It was so fun, and they were all adorable. It was so neat and they did it without any teachers or anybody telling them to do it. After that we went back to the house and had dinner. We had the same thing for lunch and dinner, but I didn't mind it was all good to me. Later that night the little kids that stay at the house came back and me and one of the older girls I was staying with went and sang songs and danced with the little girls while the little boys stood outside the door and watched and laughed. It was a great day and tons of fun.
Wednesday(the day we left) there was some news that one of the teachers family had been in a crash on their way out to his graduation. His mom, dad, and one of his uncles died, one was in the hospital, but in bad shape. So in the morning all the teachers came to the office and we had a mini church service for him and his family. It was neat to see how caring these people were. They care more about one person than I have ever seen. They give so much more respect to others. After that dad and I went back to the preschoolers class and helped out some more. They also had a swing set frame but no swings. They did have some tires that the little boys would push around, so dad tied on two of those to the swing set and they loved that and played on those forever. Then it was time for lunch and we went back to the house and had lunch and said our good byes and headed back to Tenwek. It was a lot of fun and wished I could have stayed longer I will miss them all very much and will definitely be back next year on spring break

Traditional Kenyan Meal

Last night we went to Nancy's house and ate with her and her husband Alfred. She made us a traditional Kenyan meal. We had goat meat, ugali (made from corn), sukuma wiki (kind of like collard greens) and to drink we had chai. She also cut up some pineapple for us too. Then we had cake that Julie had left over from Liam's birthday party. I felt like I was going to explode because I ate so much. We ate with are hands too so I was pretty messy afterwards. They talked about how they get married, they have to get permission from the parents and they also have to give them some cattle and a certain amount of money, and the women aren't allowed to know what he payed for her. It's all men who discuss the payment. Julie also had some pictures of snow for them to see because they had never seen it before. They don't eat until late like around 9:30-10:00, and right after they go to bed. They showed us their wedding pictures. It was a lot of fun and the food was good. It was really neat to see how they lived in just one room.

Today we are going to the orphanage and I believe we are staying there for two nights or more it depends. It will be a lot of fun! I might not be able to blog for a few days because I don't know if we will have a good signal but, I will see. If not I will just tell you all about it when I get back. I better go pack and its almost time for lunch so talk to you as so as I can, bye.

Safari

Since Friday we have been at Masai Mara and we just got back today. The day we got there we went on a night safari. We saw a lot of animals like rhinos, giraffes(my favorite), lions, cheetahs, zebras and many more. We didn't see them all in one night but through out the course of the weekend. The second day we went to see the Masai tribe. They wear bright red to scare away the dangerous animals. When we got there the chief showed us around and right as soon as we walked through there gate they had a song and dance for us. The women sang and behind them were some younger men (I think either in there late teens and twenty's) that would jump. They jump amazingly high. It turns out whoever jumps the highest gets the prettiest girlfriends. The men have more than one wife and the wife has to build the house ( which is made of mud and poo, gross). At the end of the dance the guys started coming toward us. One guy came and got me and then another one came and got Julie. We ended up dancing the very end of the song with them. It was so fun! We took a lot of pictures and a video of of us with them, they were super nice. After that the chief showed us one of the houses. It is a one roomed house with two beds on each side and a place where they made food. They add cows blood to their milk. We didn't try it and I am kinda glad but it would have been interesting. After that we went to their stores and each family has one and we got souvenirs. A lot of their things are made of beads and brightly colored ones too. That was the best day and I wish I could do it again. Today we went on a morning safari. We were mainly looking for a leopard, It was the one out of the top five we couldn't find. The top five were rhino, elephant, lions, leopard, and cape buffalo. This weekend was really fun and relaxing. In a little while we are going to Nancy's (she helps Julie around the house) and she is making a traditional Kenyan meal for us.So I will blog some more tomorrow, bye.

Nursery Day

Well today was a little bit more difficult than I thought. I went to the nursery today. Julie took me up there this morning and helped too. First off the nursery is really crowded not only are around 30 babies in one room but they also have to fit the mothers in too to help feed. When I got in there I was a little overwhelmed but as they told us what to do I got more comfortable. I had to wash the baby and then feed it. Now washing the baby is a lot more difficult than it sounds, especially here. The baby I cleaned was adorable, of course, but as I started washing him I noticed that it look like he hadn't been cleaned very well last time. He had his waste stuck on his legs and also all over his bottom and even some on his hands. I guess even if they go to the bath room they have to stay in it until the next feeding. Which is every two to three hours. So I was trying as hard as I could to get him clean and still not hurt him. Lucky me he didn't cry as much as the others, he was a good little boy. When I finished cleaning him I was starting to get a little light headed, but I thought it would pass as I started to get his milk. Also another thing is that I had to feed him because the mother was having psychiatric problems. So, back to getting the milk, while I was waiting for them to get the formula I got really dizzy and couldn't breath. I told Julie and she took me out in the hall. I went outside and laid down until I thought it passed. I hadn't had anything for breakfast and the nursery was quite hot and didn't have the most pleasant smell. I went back not really feeling any better but thought this is what I came here to do. So they had the formula cooled and ready to go. The baby was so cute he kept falling asleep while we were feeding him. So one of the nurses came over and saw that he wouldn't wake up so she started flicking him. He started to cry because she was doing it pretty hard I felt sorry for the poor thing but I couldn't really do anything. When he finally woke up crying she asked me if he was my baby. I guess she thought I was adopting him or something I have no idea, but I explained to her I was just helping. I started to get more light headed and worse so I passed the baby to the nurse and she took over and I went outside. When I got outside there was another girl a little older than me who was having the same problems. We talked and it was nice to know I wasn't the only one having problems. I stayed out there for the rest of the time until Julie was done helping the nurse. I didn't feel any better but we started home. I didn't make it far until I was about to go out, so we went and sat in a church on the hospital grounds until I felt better. We were there for few minutes and then I thought I would feel better if we got home so I said lets go. It didn't take long until I felt sick again, and we ended up on the other side of the church and Julie decided to go get me a glass of water. She couldn't get the water at the hospital because it wasn't as clean. She soon came back and so did another guy named Todd with a glass of water. (Todd is helping construct some dorms, he has just gotten out of college and is staying at Tenwek for a year or so to help.) I felt horrible but I was so glad that they were there. After I drank the water a sat there for awhile I started to feel much better. I was sad that I didn't get to help finish feeding and that I had just left the baby there so I am sad that it happened and I plan to go back and make it through the whole feeding next time. Hopefully I won't feel sick again and be able to finish what I started. As the day went on I felt better and we had Liam's birthday party. It was fun and a lot of the missionary doctors came and so did their kids and wifes. I had a lot of fun and every body was really nice. The day was good and was full of experiences. We are going to Masai Mara tomorrow so I better get to bed I will talk to you later, bye.

Entry From Dad

Hey. This is dad's turn to write a little. It has been amazing so far and we are just getting started. There is so much I would like to convey to everyone, but any words I come up with never seem to be enough. This is our second morning actually here at Tenwek. As Riley wrote earlier, we had a tour of the grounds and the hospital yesterday. I know that I've seen things like this on TV, but part of my brain wouldn't comprehend that it is real. At least until seeing it first hand. The conditions of the hospital are actually very good, compared to the government run hospitals. I really can't imagine it being a whole lot worse without being in some combat zone. They are all packed in as close as they can, and it is not uncommon to have to put more than one person in a bed. Usually kids together or mother and her newborn child. That is, if the child is healthy enough to go with her. Several children are taken to the "nursery" because they are very premature and need some help breathing or eating. Logan, my brother who is a doctor is helping at the hospital, says that it not uncommon to lose one or two babies a day. A few days back he had to pronounce 4 babies dead in the course of a half hour. There was a set of triplets that were born at 24 weeks, and a single that died shortly after birth. I know that some of this sinks in and some cannot without actually seeing it, but please take a minute to think about that a little bit. This sort of thing is really common around here. The really sad part is many of the babies that are born or seen here could at least have a better chance with better hospital conditions and supplies. I am amazed at what they call "sanitized". Most areas in the hospital have windows that can be closed, but a lot of areas are open to the outside. The workers at the hospital will take breathing tubes, vent tubes, and most other plastics and sterilize them the best they can, then hang them over these openings to let them dry. After that they are good to be used again. I hope to get some pictures of the conditions, so you can see more of what I'm talking about. Now, I don't want this to be Sally Struthers commercial, so I'll move on to something more positive. They are helping a lot of people that would not have had any other option before. They are doing the best they can with what they've got, and many Kenyan's are happy for that. Riley is going to take a stent in the nursery helping feed some of the babies. I think that this will be a great experience for her and I know that she will forever be changed by what she has, and will see on this mission trip. I probably won't write as often as Riley will, but I will try to get some more pictures that she can put on here to show everyone, and we will have many more when we get back. Signing off, Dad.

Day of Tours

Today we went on a tour of Tenwek. First off in the morning Julie took us around town and showed us how to get to the hospital and where most of the long term missionaries live. She also took us over to the water fall and it was flowing pretty heavy because of all the rain we have been getting. We also went to where the local Kenyan's live which is pretty much right beside where we are staying and she showed us the path they take to wash clothes and bathe. It was a pretty rocky and muddy and Julie said most kids just run down there with no shoes and here I was having problems with shoes on. We also walked past some of the local schools and some of the kids playing outside and Julie said if they go to school both the boys and girls have to shave their heads and most of them have to have uniforms too. After our tour we went back to the house and had lunch and after lunch some of the little kids were outside and when they saw us they would start to dance past the window and then turn around and dance in front of the window some more. It was adorable! So after a few times of watching them and giggling I went and got some jump ropes some one had given me and went and played outside with them and it was funny to watch them because they were pretty little and would trip quit a few times but would laugh and get right back up and do it again. Then we also went and got my volleyball and pumped it up. We ended up playing where I hit it and then we try to see who can catch it first. It was so funny because sometimes I would hit up pretty high and they would just stand there with their hands in the air until it fell in to their arms or on the ground and they laughed even harder when they missed it. After that Logan gave us a tour of the hospital which was interesting. They do keep more than one person in the rooms there are about 6-10 people in one room. Also we saw where some of the tubes and things that they use they wash and then put them outside to dry then use.It made me even more grateful for the things that we have and sometimes I can get scared of hospitals I am really glad with what we have because what I saw today was a little scary and more real than I thought and Logan said that was even the better part of the day so I can only imagine what it will be like tomorrow when I go to the nursery to help feed the babies. Also most of the babies are preemies which is kind of making me nervous because I don't want to hurt them. Pray that I will get over that and that every thing will be ok even though I now it will but its kind of hard knowing that now. After that tour we came home and later on we had some of Logan and Julies friends that are 20 and 21 come over for dinner. They are going to the orphanage next week and I will be going there and maybe staying a couple of nights there with them. They have been here for about a month but they have been all over the world. One of the girls has been to Vietnam 12 times because her parents started a non-profit organization there. They were super sweet and I can't wait to go to the orphanage with them it will be fun. Well I am getting ready to go to bed but I will blog some more tomorrow, bye. :)

Here we are at the Great Rift Valley. Its was beautiful view and so was the scenery!

Made It!

Well we made it to Tenwek today. I am so glad we are finally here its felt like forever to get here but we made it. The day we got to Nairobi we stayed at the Mennonite Guest House which was beautiful. We went grocery shopping with Logan and Julie and they had to get three months of food so it was fun to see how much they had to buy. They ended up buying three cart fulls of food. We also went to an open air market and that was quiet an eye opener to see how some peoples daily lives are spent and how they make money. You never buy anything for the price they offer and I wasn't good at bartering so I let dad do most of it. Then we went back to the Mennonite House and had dinner and called it a day. So now today we got to Tenwek and unpacked I talked ( tried to understand ) to the little kids. While I was unpacking my window was open and they all ( about 6 ) came and stared at me while I unpacked. We were trying to talk but it was hard to understand kipsigis but it was fun to hear them speak. Over all its been great. Its beautiful and so green I cant believe it. Well I better get to bed I will blog some more tomorrow bye.

I'm Ready

Wow, the day has finally gotten here, after a year of preparing. Yep I'm scared. I think I'm supposed to be. We are getting ready to leave for the airport. I will fly out of Springfield, to Chicago, to London (and no I don't get to go sight see in London, bummer) and then to Nairobi, where I will get to see Logan, Julie and Liam! I can't wait!!! Dad is feeling a bit anxious, and mom is crying. So I think we are all doing what we are supposed to be doing at this point :) I prayed this morning for God to take my hand and lead me, I know he is always beside me, but I'm just feeling that I want him a little closer. I know I am in great hands. So tonight before bed please add my family to your prayers. I will let you all know as soon as I can how my flight went. Love you all.

When I am afraid, I will trust in you

Psalm 56:3

Warm Blankets, Warming Hearts

Wow! What a great day. I had a group of moms and daughters over to make tie blankets and salvation bracelets to go to Kenya! Here we are with our finished blankets. We tied them with white ribbon and put our favorite scripture on them. It was neat to hear everyone's favorite verse. I plan to take a picture of the child who receives each of my friends blanket so they can put a face with the child's life they will touch. Of course I am always humbled by my friends and their willingness to help. They all have great hearts. Thanks Emily, Caroline, Lauren, Madi, Hadley, and Emilee.

Strengthening My Heart

Wow, God is really starting to prepare me for my trip. As most of you know my Uncle Logan and Aunt Julie are already in Tenwek. Aunt Julie has been emailing us very often with things to bring, a volleyball they have a net, who would have thought? As well as the boring things such as umbrella, crocs and other things. I must say I don't own a pair of crocs but will be willing to give them a try! Ha. Just when I'm getting all excited about my trip, we get an email on how Uncle Logan is doing in the hospital, and then the reality of what I'm doing sets in. It's not about my volleyball or the crocs, its about the twins that were born, and their mother died in childbirth. They will spend the first two years of their life in the orphanage. My heart started hurting for people I have not even met, I do hope I get to meet these sweet babies on my trip, just to say an extra prayer over them. I just have to remember God is good and knows the plan. I must follow his directions and keep the faith.

I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

Philippians 4:13

Salvation Bracelets

Many of you I'm sure have heard of salvation bracelets. My Grandma Jan suggested that I make some to use as my tool to teach the kids about God. I thought it was a perfect idea that the kids would love. Over Christmas we quickly got busy. Aunt Sarah and Grandma brought all their beads and we ended up with 73! I'm not sure what my goal is, but over the weekend Emily and I made 75 more, so I am up to 148! I know I want to have entirely to many instead of not enough. I want them to have something to remind them of how much God loves and will always be there for them. If you are not familiar with the bracelets here is what the beads represent:

Black: Sin

Red: Jesus' Blood

Blue: Baptism

White: Forgiveness and Cleansing

Green: Growth in the Lord

Yellow: Heaven

Dad is going to make me a little card that we can tie to each bracelet that tells what the colors represent as well as a scripture in the Bible that we can look up when talking about each bead.

Bracelets

Salvation Bracelet

Emily and Me

Aunt Sarah and Me