Ngaamba - Nothing but good times

Here's my slide show from Ngaamba. This little place taught me so much about love. The needs are great here, the bellies are empty but rest assured the hearts are big and full. I never in my wildest dreams thought I would love it so much.

Our time here like Havilla was far too short. I saw kids who had no lunch for a couple of days play joyfully while their classmates enjoyed their lunch. I met a 3 year old Ruth and her sister Faith 4 who loved me in ways I couldn't imagine. I ran after a 4 year old boy on a soccer field who took off when he heard a tractor - when I caught up with him I realized he was running ot look at the tractor so I said "tractor" and he said "no...Tinga" I said no tractor, Tinga and he threw his arms around me and hugged me.

I learned many silly songs that I still find myself humming today songs like fruits I like, head and shoulders knees and toes. I long to hear the little voices saying so politely "teacher, teacher." These kids loudly proclaiming when we asked during the Noah and the ark story is it possible that God would not keep a promise and everyone of them said no! Some interrupted God always keeps his promises.

The teachers -- Charity, Purity and Mary. Three women so committed to God, their kids and their own education. Their excitement about us being there wanting to learn from us but the fact is we learned more from them. All of them took those of us who did preschool to their own classrooms and talked us through their hopes and dreams.

The day we brought lunch for the preschool when Mary announced no one will going to the playground everyone is eating today. Handing out our recycled water bottles to the kids and their excitement.

The leaders of Ngaamba led from the front and by example. They worked alongside us everyday leading the way, They knew every detail about the engineering and the plans for the water project. The fact that this villiage is in famine and fed us upon our arrival in Ngaamba. Their incredible patience with us.

Phoebe our 410 leader jumping into every situation and assisting us whether it meant, translating, starting a song, coaching us on culture, working on the water project or just a hug on the day you so desperately needed it.

Simon our driver who developed his own following not only with us but the people in Ngaamba. He had the patience of Job. He and Phoebe were always there for us with a smile.

These are just some of my pictures and a few of the experiences. Ngaamba is a place that will always be etched in my heart. So simple yet so rich. I hope you enjoy these slides.

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Two full days -- Lake Nakuru and Havilla

I have been asked by many of you to keep adding my updates so that's my plan -- I won't take you through the details of each day but will definitely provide the highlights and add some of my pictures.

After a few minutes of brief introductions the kids were divided into 3 groups and we divided into our travel teams (3 groups) and we loaded into the 3 buses. My group included Clay, David, Zack, Mary and me. We had some little ones on our bus and the oldest boy from Havilla in our group. Immediately upon boarding the kids asked each of us to sit with them.

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We started out on our journey and it's about an hour and a half to the game ride. Our bus is filled with chatter, laughter and after a little bit singing. And some of the most beautiful singing I think I have ever heard. Every child was singing and we were all mesmerized we knew the songs but listening to them was inspiring. Some of these kids rotate in and out of the Daraja Choir so their voices are like angels. One little girl in particular Lucy was singing her heart out and even after the group stopped she was just staring out the window singing.

On the way and during the game ride we learned many of these kids had never seen these animals except for in pictures...something we all had in common. So every now and again we would hear from the kids....
Monkey! Zebra! Antelope! you get the idea --- every chant was simply incredible. Later we learned that this game ride was a dream come true for many of these kids...and me too for that matter.

The next day we made our way to Havilla after church and I still struggle to find the adjectives to describe the day. It's just amazing to see these kids come together to sing, prepare lunch, do their chores. Their living conditions are simple and lacking yet they are so incredibly proud of them. Tiny rooms with 8 or 10 to a room, dirt floors yet they love it.

We spent the last half hour at Havilla with the kids performing and I caught it on video - I hope to get it loaded up here soon. Every minute of this day I tried to savor - I found my self overcome with all kinds of emotions. I know I will miss this as I already do. Those kids are really in my heart- please pray for them.

Day 1 Lake Nakuru

So now that I am home and have my computer and some pictures I will go back and try to provide a little more detail about each day. So we arrived in Nairobi minus one (our leader) and made our way to the guest house and retired for the evening as all of the events of the last days traveling were tiring. We woke up on Saturday and Joel had been able to get a new passport and join us. His story of how God moved and he was able to get a passport is pretty incredible and I will share with you later.

So we all hopped on our bus with no idea of how much time we would be spending on this bus over the course of this trip. I took a picture of us standing around getting ready to load here it is. As you can see the day started out a little overcast. The plan for this day was to take the kids from the Havilla orphanage on a game ride at Lake Nakuru. We were meeting them on the road to Lake Nakuru as we were coming from different directions. On the way we saw monkeys and cattle...lots of cattle. We drove for what felt like forever but I am sure that's just because we were so excited to be on the ground and get this party started. Our drive was a little over an hour. The ride was bumpy but nothing like what was in store for us. On the way I had a lot of emotions and thoughts. It's overwhelming to be living out a dream that you never thought would come true. And I was also hoping I would be able to connect to the children, what will they be like, how are we all going to connect.

Finally we pulled over and it was a place where tourists can stop and take pictures as well as shop and I use the word shop umm loosely. Here are the pictures I took of the view:

Isn't it gorgeous? It was quite a site. So now we are here waiting, for the kids and the men and women who own the little huts with various items are some of the most aggressive sales people I have seen in my life. It's a little off putting but some of their items are quite gorgeous. I did not buy anything here as a matter of fact its one of the few places I didn't buy anything.

A few more minutes pass and two buses pull up with lots of children and before we know it they are off the bus and running over to us. All of our concerns about connecting literally vanished in the blink of an eye. These kids are just simply put magnificent. They are open, loving, incredibly well behaved and excited. I had no idea at this point how much these kids would mean to me over the next couple of days. Here's the first pictures I took as we greeted them even before we got back on the bus. In these pictures it a close up of some of the children and a group shot that includes Leslie our co-leader and Joel's wife and Simon our bus driver. You can see some of the shops from this stop in the back there. The little girl is the front is Grace and I will give you more info about her later.

Can you believe the excitement on their faces? The joy, the excitement and these pictures were taken just minutes after they got off their buses. So after a few minutes we divided into three groups because we had three buses and we divided into three groups and we loaded up to head to Lake Nakuru.

Ah Paris

Bonjour!
We made it to CDG and have 2 hours til we board. We are tired and grimey but all are present and accounted for. This is the last leg of this journey and the end is bittersweet.
Next update will be from US soil. I am looking forward to posting from my computer and giving much more detail. Au revoir

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The journey home begins

Well its hard to believe this trip is coming to a close. We just were admitted to the gate area in the Nairobi Airport. This day has been full of highs and lows.
It began with breakfast and watching an elephant bathing and eating. I was kissed by a giraffe and met a real Maasai warrior.
We stopped for Kenyan pizza. And then had to part company with our guides Phoebe and Simon. Two of the most beautiful people I have ever met. I already miss them and this place.
Ok we are boarding more later.

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The time is drawing near

Wow this has been such a wonderful trip! Yesterday we drove hours and hours on what they call a road here in the dust and wind. We made it to Amboseli where we dropped our bags quickly and went to visit the Maasai. It was something out of this world. We were greeted with a tribal dance, took a tour of their homes and land. It was absolutely like something out of National Geographic.
After that we did our Safari and we saw cheetah, elephant, lion, giraffe, wildebeast and the list goes on and on.
Bridgette and I are still missing her toothbrush and my battery charger. We hope they are having as good a time as we are.
Ok I am off to pack.
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The long goodbye

Yesterday was bitter sweet as we had to part company with the people of Ngaamba. We had an incredible day with the children. We worked in the am for a brief period and then home visits, a hike up a mountain (yes a mountain) with the people and then we went back to the church where me met on Tuesday to say goodbye and pray.

It was a very moving day. We truly know what Andy means when he preached about being rich!

I had one lady ask me with tears in her eyes you gave us the materials for this project and you still came to work why? Then she said I do not want your team to go we have never had a group as loving to us as yours. Wow that really makes you think.

Another great moment yesterday was when the preschoolers broke for lunch. Those without lunch ran to play while the others went to get their lunch. The teacher announced those without lunch will eat today. The look on the childrens face was priceless as we had brought food for them.

As we gathered to close their were lots of tears and hugs. It was so difficult to leave and I know I am leaving a piece of myself here.

We leave in a few to head for Amboseli and to see the Maasai tribe I am sure it will be a great day!

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Just another day in Kenya

In my opinion yesterday was the most beautiful day so far. The weather was perfect.
We completed the pipe laying - Caleb says we completed 1.76 miles the communitiy leaders were so excited!
Today we go to move the water tank and do home visits. Then we will have lunch and hike with the Kenyans.
Ngaamba is so simple and peaceful. And the people are so incredibly gracious. In spite of their need they are so incredibly content and grateful. As Trace Atkins song says you're gonna miss this. And I am going to miss this. This journey has been incredible everyday! Have I mentioned it yet? I'm in love with this place.

UPDATE: Toothbrush and battery charger still missing. Other items seem to want to join them but we catch them in the nick of time.
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Toothbrush and Battery charger

We are living out of suitcases and it is so hard to easily find anything. The first night Bridgette got her toothbrush out to brush her teeth and got distracted and we have not seen it since. Then the next day my battery charger ran off with the toothbrush. Its become the joke of our entire team. We even received a BELO.notice outside our door one day (be on the lookout notice) its hilarious but we are on constant lookout for our items! When we checked out of PCEA we both did a sweep of the room and we left nothing in the room. Of course we have laughed about this. Where in the heck are they?
Don't worry we bought Bridgette a new toothbrush.
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The bus ride is the toughest

Today went by in a flash.
On the way to the village
We saw the pack of giraffes and they were really close and for a brief moment we saw one run. It was a sight to behold. I'm in love with this place.
You would be amazed at how much we accomplished. We laid almost 2 kilometers of pipe and filled the trench it was in. It was very manual labor but good work. The Kenyans male and female worked right alongside us.
After a day of work we went over to the school and played with kids for about an hour. Every one of us is exhausted - big time!
All in all it was a great day and tomorrow promises to be more of the same. I am sorry to be so short but I am very tired. Until tomorrow good night.
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The people on the bus

The people on the bus go up and down, up and down all through the day.
We had the craziest bus ride ever today. It was something I would not have believed if I hadn't seen it myself.
We made it to Ngaamba and it is a tiny amazing place. We toured the water project and it is absolutely a sight to see. This tribe just got water in Sept 07. They have mud huts its exactly what you would expect. Cows, goats, dogs roaming the village.
We start work tomorrow laying the pvc pipe and digging trenches as well as managing the preschool.
I anticipate a long fantastic day!
I am short tonight as I am so very tired. I will write more tomorrow. Thank you all for your emails and prayers I am so grateful and blessed by each note.

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God is good...all the time

We have had quite a day. It started at the church where our guides attend. That church was overflowing with the Holy Spirit. We were asked to stand up and say something to the congregation and the team asked me to do it. At first I wanted to say no, but its not about me. So I did, they called me to the stage and I had no idea what to say so I said a quick prayer that I would be a blessing to our team and the Kenyans and God answered that prayer in a mighty way.

Next we spent the day at Havilla children's home with 45 of the most amazing kids! All that they wanted from us was to be loved and held. Really it was that simple. At one point I stepped outside and David and Clay both had several children each in their lap. It was incredibly moving. I think I took more pictures than I have ever taken. I can hardly wait to see them again. I always say there are two universal languages love and Gods word and I had the incredible opportunity to see both in action today and it was priceless. We had chupatey - African tortilla it tasted like a pancake I really liked it. We also had ungali it was very interesting and bland.

We ended our time at Havilla with the children singing and dancing for us it was so moving. We were all moved beyond words and as Bridgette would say these are good tears. I was able to video most of the singing and dancing and can't wait to share it.

While the needs are great at Havilla the hearts are full, the joy is overflowing and the dreams are big.

As you pray for us please pray for those kids.

As far as our team goes everyone is well and we are getting to know each other a little better everyday. Humor is constant and many times I have laughed till I cried and cried till I laughed.

I am so overcome with gratitude this day for this trip and all that God has given me. As they say here in Kenya, God is good - all the time!



Until tomorrow -



One more thing if you are wondering why there are misspelled words and my grammar is deteriorating remember I am typing this from my blackberry.



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What a day

Nairobi is amazing and so was our day. I don't even know where to begin or how to share the stories.
I will be brief tonight as we are totally exhausted.
We took 45 kids to the Lake Nakuru Safari Park. These kids were anazing and so excited to see the zebras.
One of our guys had a run in with a babboon and it was the funniest things I have ever seen! It was our first You Tube moment.

Today we saw antelope, hyena, giraffe, water buffalo and rhinos. Its was so incredible to see the animals with the children.
Ok off to bed I am very tired.

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Good Morning

I am waking up to my first day in Nairobi, Kenya, Africa.

The Islamic call to prayer just finished over the loud speaker. Can you imagine if we prayed the same prayer verbatim everyday six times a day and it was led for over loud speakers?



Bridgette and I are rooming together and we are so tired everything is funny. Our room is simple 2 beds a desk and wait for it...our own bathroom with running warm and cold water. The lighting leaves something to be desirerd as it is like a Police interrogation light. One light bulb hanging down from the ceiling with no cover.

But everything is clean and the toilet is modern!

We have packed so strategically that we can't find some of the things we brought and we know we have them.



Today's plan is to take the Havilla kids to a Safari game park. We are told we will see zebras, giraffes, hippos and more! I am really looking forward to that.



One last story before I have to run, last night we were crawling into bed and Bridgette was taking her meds. I made a comment to her about the police interrogation light and she burst into laughter and you guessed it, I got my first shower! And we were still giggling about it this morning.



All in all we are very well. I am off to get ready, more later.





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We made it well most of us

We just walked out of the airport in Nairobi. Its a beautiful night and pretty cool.
It has been quite a day for us. Our leader arrived in Atlanta with his passport but when we landed in Amsterdam he did not have it and was detained. We just learned that he has secured a replacement and will join us in the am..
We are boarding the bus for the ride to the hotel. All of our luiggage is present and accounted for and we are grateful for that! Okay I need buckle in more later.

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Just touched down in Amsterdam

We just landed in Amsterdam and its an absolute gorgeous day. Our flight out of Atlanta was delayed and now we are on the tarmac waiting for our gate to clear. We are going to be making a mad dash to make the Nairobi flight.
Our the way here the person in front of me was snoring louder than anyone I have ever heard. I was surprised when the lights came up to see that it was a petite elderly lady.
Ok we are rolling again so we are about to de-plane more later.
Robyn
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Its almost here...wow

Hey there
Wow, where does the time go? I can't believe it -- the day is almost here. I can't set off on this journey without saying a big thank you to my friends and family. Your support and encouragement over these last weeks and months has just been phenomenal. I appreciate every one of you so very much and you are truly an enormous blessing to me.

I am standing in awe at this week and how every detail is slowly but surely falling into place. Don't get me wrong I still have quite a list of things to do before I go but I feel like it's all doable. I will keep you as posted as I can on this magnificient journey.

Well I am off to finalize packing, love on the pups and well get some sleep if that' s even possible.

Please keep our entire team in your prayers as 18 people traveling together for this much time is tough even under the most pristine conditions and we will not be voting people off afterall.

Thanks again for all of your love and support I will be in touch soon. Remember:
Mungu muzuri kila wakati --- God is good all the time! I am looking forward to seeing HIM in a whole new way over the coming days.



For His Renown Among the Nations

Robyn

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