Last Post for Africa - 2014

Well, we are actually on our way back.  There wasn't a reliable source of Wi-Fi in Rwanda, so I couldn't post very much.

One of the coolest things we did was visit a Refugee Camp for people from the Congo.  We were absolutely swarmed by the kids (estimated at around 2,000).  We were able to see the types of homes they lived in, present the Gospel to them and provide some soccer balls for them.  Korbin and Kyce have never been so popular as they were at the camp.  Swarms of kids were all around them, touching them, trying to speak English to them.  It was really impactful.

We also got to visit a group of "outcast" people from Rwanda.  They have some very malnourished kids and we were able to buy them some nutritious breakfast food for the kids and distribute it to 28 families.  It was also really cool.

Here are some of the photos from our time in Rwanda.

Rwanda - Day 1

Today was a great day in Rwanda.  It sure beats yesterday when we drove for 6 hours back to Nairobi from our Safari and then flying to Rwanda.  Yeah, I know, poor little me.  But, the first 2 hours of the van ride were on the bumpiest dirt road you can imagine (Try real hard and then double it).  There was even a stretch where they made another bumpy dirt road so you could avoid the previous bumpy dirt road.  But, we made it back.

Our driver (Phillip) surprised Kyce, Korbin and I when we got to Nairobi.  He had special Kenya belts made for each of us with our names in beads on them.  Totally cool and my boys thought it was the coolest thing, and they are right.  I know that he doesn't make much and this was a sacrifice for him.  Phillip is the same driver that Shelley and I had when we came with a Mission Team in 2009, so it was great to hang out with him for another week.

In Rwanda, we got to sleep in a little bit (7:30am).  We spent a number of hours today at the Elim Children's Center.  This is a ministry that Parfait Karekezi helps to support.  They feed breakfast and lunch to kids whose mothers have HIV/AIDS.  There were 51 kids there today and the mothers came also (21 of them).  We were able to hand out Hot Wheels to each of the kids along with Blow-Pops. You would have thought they were in heaven.  We got to serve them lunch and then top it off with a soda.  We also left them a couple of soccer balls and some jump ropes that my daughters made for them. It was a wonderful time.

It has been great seeing Parfait and Michelle Karekezi.  He used to live in Tulsa and was a real estate agent for Coldwell Banker Select.  He and Michelle moved to Rwanda to be missionaries in 2008.  Check out his ministry at www.sendmeintl.com

Tomorrow, we will get to visit a Christian School in a Muslim area or town, as well as buy and deliver food to a group of people that the outcast tribe in Rwanda.  It should be exciting.

Safari - Day 2

Well, we didn't get to see all of the Big 5, but we saw the Elephant (and lots of them), the Water Buffalo (and lots of them), and the Lion, which we got to see dragging its kill (a Zebra) into the bushes to share with his "girls".  It was way too cool.  Our driver said that seeing that was pretty special.  Normally, you get to see them sleeping under a tree.  Here are some pics of the day.

Tomorrow, we leave Kenya and fly to Rwanda to visit Parfait & Michelle Karekezi.  Can't wait to see them.

 

A close-up of an Impala

Safari - Day 1

Today we started on a 2 day break and went on a Safari.  I think we saw, oh I don't know, maybe 2,000 zebras.  WOW! We saw a total of around 25 different animals today.  Here are some pics of what we saw.  We saw 3 of the Big 5 (Lion, Water Buffalo, Elephant, Leopard, and Black Rhino).  Only the Leopard and Black Rhino are left.  I hope we see them tomorrow.

Pics from Kenya

Here are some random pictures over the last few days here in Kenya.

Here's Korbin and his Chicken "Obaga" that one of the widows gave him.  He's pretty proud of his bird.

Look at these faces! They belong to some of the orphans of Obaga that we got to feed yesterday.

My boys having fun with the orphans.

Kyce and Korbin helping to feed the orphans of Obaga.  We did a lunch for them and around 100 showed up.

This is an orphan boy named Ben.  He helped guide us around the village of Obaga while we were there.  It's just one of my favorite pics.

Here's a pic of the house we helped build.  The stick are in the air, literally.  Time to start mudding the walls.

Here's Korbin helping some of the widows mud the back wall of this home.

Here's Korbin mudding one of the interior walls.  He was a mudding machine.

The house is mudded and the roof is almost done.  Time to dedicate this home to the family.

Victor, Sarah and the kids get a new home, a new mattress, a new stove, and a bible in their native language.  They were over the top appreciative.

So we got to leave our family photo with Victor and Sarah and it's hanging in the living room.  Too cool.