Final images in Kenya

Our last week in Kenya went by too quickly. We visited several families that had invited us to their homes. We walked about 3 miles to Peter's home, after heavy rains, so we walked through lots of mud and arrived tired and dirty. The kids held up well, after walking a long distance, meeting new people and in need of a nap. Shown in the following two pictures are 1) Peter's baby daughter and 2) Peter's mother.

Peter's family seemed to grow suddenly when the camera was produced. He, his wife and three children were gracious hosts and we appreciated the time we spent at their home.

It's impossible to travel all the way to Kenya and not take advantage of the wildlife on safari. After many weeks of not traveling in a vehicle, much less leaving the Tenwek area, we traveled over 2 hours to Mara Safari Club, on the banks of the famous Mara River. We stayed in a tent at a bend in the river (complete with a bathroom), serenaded by lazy hippos in the water during the day and wild animal sounds at night. It was quite the experience for the kids! We took two game drives each day - one in the early morning at 6:30 and the other at 3. The views were breathtaking, along with the many animals we saw. Julia's favorites were the zebras. Nathan enjoyed the giraffes and rhinoceros. Eric claims the warthogs were his favorite. Me? I enjoyed every single minute with Eric, the kids and all the animals. Todd and Cindy joined us - what fun we had together.

Hippos - what amazing creatures! I think God's sense of humor definitely shows when you watch these creatures interact with their families in their natural habitat, along with their loud grunting/snorting noises and excessive amount of flatulence.

By the end of a long game drive, Nathan was not always interested in the animals...so we took along some books. I had to pinch myself as we were so close to the two lions in the background...and all he wanted to do was read.

We traveled from safari to Nairobi for a half day of shopping and city life...very hectic city life.

In Nairobi, we visited the elephant orphanage and the Giraffe Center. At the elephant orphanage we were allowed to stand up close to the baby elephants and the kids could even touch them. The sounds they made and their funny way of walking impressed the kids (pictured along the rope line on the right in sunglasses, the two shortest people wearing hats).

At the Giraffe Center, we were allowed to feed and pet the giraffes. They have long, sticky tongues and can actually cause damage with their large, heavy heads if you get in their way.

After a few hours in Nairobi, the kids were exhausted.

Next, we headed to the beach for a short vacation before heading home. We stayed in a home with 10 of our friends from Tenwek. It was a great way to relax and unwind from the previous weeks of work at Tenwek. Lamu is an island off the coast of Kenya. The Island is Muslim with heavy Arabic/middle Eastern influence. The beach was beautiful, the water was warm, and the kids enjoyed every waking minute.

The streets of Shela Town are narrow and the buildings have many floors and intricate carvings. Lamu is famous for their carved doors and unique architecture.

For our kids, Lamu is famous for donkeys everywere.

We had a little time for shopping. Kikoys (woven fabrics) are popular here - worn by men and women alike.

The kids enjoyed swimming in the ocean. Nathan was anxious to learn how to snorkel with the flippers.


We took a dhow ride (old fashioned sailboat) at sunset and enjoyed a fantastic evening.

Our time in Kenya went by quickly, overall. We returned home on Nov. 5 after many hours in transit. When we left, the August heat was creaping up on us. When we left, our trees were full of green leaves and our perennials were in full bloom. When we left, Nathan and Julia were both wearing size 8 shoes and 3T clothing. When we left, we were in the middle of a heated election campaign. When we left, the economy seemed strong...

All that has changed. We now are bracing for 40 degree weather in Ohio. We now have bare trees surrounding our house. (Luckily, we did not have to rake leaves our first day back as the Berlin Mennonite MYF and sponsors left us with a perfectly manicured lawn the day we returned home---many THANKS!) We now have to scramble to find bigger shoes and clothes for the kids plus take into account winter weather and the need for snow pants...who has time to shop now? We now know who our next President will be. We now are in a recession...

Times have changed, and so have we. We had many hours on the flights and drive home to process our time in Kenya (in addition to while we were there as you read from previous blogs). It was a great trip, great experience. Would we do it again? Absolutely. Any regrets? None.

As we return home to our family and friends and regular routine, we hope to continue to process our time in Kenya and apply all that we learned while there to our lives here. Many will ask/have asked about our time and we'll have various responses as the days go by and we become further removed from the experience. Forgive us if we give you more information than you need or want to know...I'm sure we'll continue to be excited to share with others about our time.

Returning home - we already miss our friends back at Tenwek. The kids too talk about the friends they made and wonder what they are doing different times of the day. Life did seem simpler there at times...more difficult at other times. In the end, we are happy to be home. Very happy to be home. It's reassuring to return home and feel complete, utter happiness. We never felt UNhappy being away from home, but there is a unique feeling about returning and knowing that this is where God wants us to be...in between our times in Kenya.

Those are my reflections for the moment. Thanks to many for your thoughts and prayers. We have felt welcomed home in many ways already- from the perfect lawn, to freezer meals and groceries, to offers to help in any way as we reenter our lives here in the U.S. Home. Life is Good.

Jodi