Giraffe Center pics

Some pictures from our visit to the Giraffe Center. Enjoy!

The lost bags return and wireless internet brighten the day

(the ironic "rush" on our bags that have been sitting in the airport for days)
     Our two missing bags have returned! We had made arrangement for them to be delivered last Friday. Well, I guess the day they will be delivered is more of a guideline than a rule. Fortunately for us, we had a friend at the airport last evening who did a little poking around for us and found the missing bags. They were just kind of sitting around, waiting for someone to do something with them. So our friend sent the bags on back to Kijabe with his driver and we have been digging through them today. A bit like Christmas. It is nice to not have to wash underwear and scrubs every two days!
     We also now have wireless internet through the hospital  and we're hoping that it will be reliable enough so we can ditch the prepaid cell network modem thingy.  It's nice to just hop on the internet and not have to worry about how many MB I have been using.
     The kids have been having a good day. We haven't had to resort to shows on the computer yet! :) Getting a bag of legos in the lost baggage helped. They have also been a bit more receptive to pretend play and keeping themselves occupied today. And a morning playgroup helped especially for Ella - there was a 5 year old girl that she hit it off with.
      I guess it's these little things that help brighten my day. My mood has tended to go the how the children are feeling, so it can be a bit up and down and unpredictable. Trying to steady them in the midst of a new place is a little challenging when I'm not always sure of my own footing and place in a different culture. Finding ways to build a little routine has been helpful, and perhaps today has been the most successful with that.
     I think I've gone a bit backwards with the whole culture shock thing - haven't really felt that whole euphoria of being here (don't get me wrong, it's beautiful and lovely, peaceful and simple in our neck of the woods) first. I've skipped right on to the "I'd like to get back to where it's a bit more comfortable and I know how it works, thank you very much." So getting a few things like missing bags and wireless internet brighten things a bit and helps with our transition here for the month. So I'm grateful for a day that feels a bit more "normal."
     Now if I could only figure out how to get the gas oven at a consistent temperature below 400...

Weekend in Nairobi

     Midday Saturday we rented a car and driver and set out for Nairobi. Bill has a couple of friends who live there and they were anxious to see us. So to best describe our weekend, I will write about the highpoints, and the not so highpoints.

*Highpoints*
     Bill's friends were very good to us during our stay. We had time to simply relax, chat and enjoy each other's company. Since everyone has married and had children since last meeting, we had the oppotunity to meet wives and children as well. The kids enjoyed having other children to play with and I had an opportunity to eat some traditional food. We also had the chance to attend church together and experience the vibrancy and life of praise and worship. (And also somehow the preacher seemed to get through most of the bible in one sermon, or so it seemed!)
     We also had a chance to go to the Giraffe Center in Nairobi, where you can feed giraffes from your hand (or mouth, if you like to be slobbered on). Although not a huge place, it was a good stop to enjoy Saturday afternoon. The kids both managed to get the giraffe to eat from their hands, and they had a chance to pet her too.
     Sunday afternoon we had the chance to eat American-style at a Pizza place and Jack and Ella were thrilled to eat something familiar. We also had a chance to stop at the grocery store (Nakumatt) which tends to carry imported goods that are familiar to us. We stocked up on things that we had overlooked or can't get here in Kijabe (such as fresh milk - the shelf life milk isn't cutting it for the kids. Doable, but not my fav either).

*Lowpoints*
     I'm pretty sure I'm content to not wander far from Kijabe again until we take a Safari trip at the end of the month. We spent INSANE amounts of time in the car and the kids grew tired of it quickly. Driving in Nairobi is not very fun. Traffic is awful - very few lights (the ones that are there don't seem to be noticed anyway) and rules are not enforced unless there is an accident. So it is pretty chaotic, with lots of rulebreaking. And the sheer amount of traffic is just unreal. Unfortunately all of our stops on Saturday (Giraffe Center, meet a friend in Westlands then drive back to other friends house) were all the complete opposite sides of town from one another. The kids let us know quickly and continuously how miserable they were. I can't blame them - it was quite a bit more than we had bargained for.
     Kenyan culture and American kids don't always mix. So as you probably know, our kids like to eat at a certain time, sleep at a certain time, etc - they enjoy somewhat of a schedule. Well, let's just say schedules don't really happen where we are right now. Everything takes a bit longer, eating a few hours late is no big deal, etc. It was a hard weekend on the kids in that respect - the amount of flexibility required of them was a bit much and they were over the edge. 

*Overall assessment*
     We need to be a bit smarter about any other trips we take into Nairobi. We need to stay in a more accessible part of town and not try to get to so many places. We need to do our best to plan what we can before we go and not leave so much up in the air until we get there.
     It was good to meet Bill's friends, and I'm hoping that we can get them down to Kijabe so we can enjoy their company on "our turf" so to speak. It was good to go, but it is good to be back at our apartment in Kijabe!

Let me catch you up...

(view of the Rift Valley from our apartment)

     Now that we've been in Kijabe a few days (and have our internet situation sorted out) I think it is a good time to update on what we've been up to.
     Our trip getting to Kenya was quite the adventure. Our flight out of Pittsburgh was mostly on time, but we did not have so much luck in Newark.  We boarded the plane, taxied down the runway as far as we possibly could and then just sat. Turns out we had a mechanical issue that could not be fixed that evening, so after 3 hrs on the runway we de-planed, reclaimed our luggage (this was all from 9pm on) and then had pretty much no help whatever from the airline sorting out our rebooking.  By midnight we had found a hotel and had a tentative booking for the next day.
     Upon arrival for our rebooked flight, we discovered that really nothing was done right so Bill spent several hours running around the airport sorting stuff out while the kids and I camped out and watched videos on the computer.
Finally at 5:30pm Sunday evening we were finally off - connecting in Paris on the way to Nairobi.
     It turns out having a 3 hr layover in Paris was a good thing because the airport is ridiculously huge and confusing to us non-french speaking folk. Coupled with tired children and Ella not feeling well, it was extremely stressful. We did eventually get to our gate with a bit of time to spare.
     Upon our arrival in Nairobi (after Ella was sick on the plane) we did not have to wait too long to get our Visas and passports stamped. The kids layed down every time we stopped and fell asleep, poor things. Unfortunately collecting our bags did not go as well. Two of them didn't make the connection in Paris, so we had to wait around to sort that out. (They should be here by Monday.) We found our driver and made it to our accomodations that night.
     Tuesday morning we traveled back to the airport (under the pretense the bags had arrived, which they had not) and spent a lot of time in city traffic. After our unsuccessful trip to the airport, we had to do some grocery shopping at a Wal-mart-esq store, which was complicated by fatigue and Jack getting sick in the car multiple times. So needless to say shopping wasn't too successful.
     Needless to say we were pleased finally to make it to Kijabe. We spent the rest of Tuesday settling in and had several people stop by to welcome us.
     Our first full day in Kijabe (I believe that was Wed? It has all run together a bit) consisted of Bill starting off to work straight away and the kids and figuring out the day to day stuff. We had a new friend help us around a bit, showing us the local shops (dukas in Swahili) and telling us a bit about the place.

     (Hospital where Bill is working)

     Since then the kids have made friends with the 4 and 8 year old across the street, as well as another girl about 6 or 7 houses down. (In fact, Ella was crying that she couldn't have a sleepover with the girl across the street tonight). Bill is quite happy with all the operating he is getting to do at the hospital.  And I am feeling a bit better now that I am getting over jet lag and figuring out a little bit how things work around here. (I will say I do enjoy that someone comes and cleans and dose laundry twice a week).
     Tomorrow (Sat) we are traveling to Nairobi to check out the Giraffe Center (self explanatory -  a place that has giraffes you can see and feed) and visiting some old friends of Bill's.
     So that's about all - now that we are here, the pace of life has slowed down and we can be lured into thinking it's a bit like vacation at times, with the gorgeous view of the rift valley and the chance to doze on the couch in the afternoon. But we're hoping to continue to find ways to mesh into the community and not just be in vacation mode.
And as a side note, yes it gets pretty chilly at night. Low 50's (maybe even high 40's) and very windy. And with no temperature controls in the houses, you can really feel it. The temperature reminds me of camping - cold at night, warm in the sun during the day. We are definitely going to have to break in the wood stove one of these nights soon!

(Bill enjoying our porch on a sunny afternoon)

Stuck in Newark

Hi - we are stuck in Newark. After sitting on the plane for 3 hrs last night, they canceled the flight due to mechanical problems. We are hoping to be rerouted through Paris later tonight with an arrival in Nairobi Monday night, but we have to call to confirm that this morning.

We managed to find a hotel and get to sleep around midnight. Kids are being troopers. Would appreciate your prayers that we could continue our travels tonight.

Our Departure

Hi everyone-

   First of all, let me say a HUGE thank you to all of you who have committed to praying for us during this trip. We are so very aware of God's Providence just through the preparation stage and we recognize that the impact of this trip on our lives and those of the Kenyan people will be greatly influenced by your intercession.  God has seen fit to provide us with more than 80% of the expected cost of this trip. The generosity of our family and friends have been absolutely overwhelming and I cannot say enough how encouraging it is to see God's people giving in faith to help us do what He has asked of us.

    We will be leaving tomorrow, flying to Newark, then Zurich and on to Nairobi by Sunday evening. There we will stay in a guest house and hopefully meet up with some old Kenyan friends I have not seen in 11 years before heading out to Kijabe. I know only bits and pieces of what will be expected of me there and what opportunities there will be for Jill and the kids, but please pray that we are able to acclimate quickly so that we might make the most of the time we have. Pray also that I my knowledge and skill set would be enough to make me more of a help than a hindrance to the staff and residents there.

    We also ask that you pray for the kids. This will doubtless be a dramatic transition for them and it is our desire that they gain an understanding of the joy of sacrificial living for the sake of the Gospel. We hope that there view and understanding of God and of people would be radically changed. There world has been filled with people much like themselves to this point and we hope that this will give them insight to the enormous range of cultures and situations God has seen fit to grant us. These are hard concepts for a 3 and 5 year old but we trust that God can plant those seeds.

    Please join us in praying for God's wisdom regarding what comes after residency during this time. We desire to use this time and opportunity to seek God's Will for the next step in the path He set us on so many years ago. We also hope that Jill will gain understanding regarding what all God would have for her in terms of serving overseas. If there is further training or schooling that she needs to accomplish this that those doors would be opened.

   Lastly, lift up the people of East Africa. If you have followed the international news at all you will know that parts of Kenya have suffered severe drought. Additionally, Kenya, while itself stable, is bordered by Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia. Many of these nations have seen terrible strife and famine and Kenya is home to many people fleeing those countries. Pray that we can heal them, both body and soul. Pray that they might come for surgery but be affected by the Love of Christ. I cannot overstate how thankful I am for all of you standing behind us during this time.

In Christ,

Bill

Ways you can pray

If you'd like to pray for our trip, below are some specific ways you can pray for us.  Thanks for praying for us!

 

1. Packing/preparation list - that I (Jill) would be able to make sure we have all that we need for our trip; that anything I may need to buy would be easy to come by; that I wouldn't forget anything that would be hard to find where we are staying

2. Safe travels - we leave July 30th. We have a very short layover in Switzerland so please pray that we'd make the connnection. We return Sept. 4th  (start flying home on the 3rd). That the kids would do as well as can be expected on long flights. That passing through customs would be easy.

3. Adjusting - that we would all bounce back quickly from jet lag. That the kids will be able to sleep well in a new place. That the kids would adjust to new foods (especially Ella).

5. That the kids and I are purposeful about exploring the community while Bill is working.

6. That during our trip God would provide clarity and a future vision about where he would have us working after Bill's residency is completed in 2 years and what kind of role God has for me (Jill) in that.

7. Illness - that we would avoid it! And if we are unfortunate enough to become ill, that we would not let it dampen our trip.