Ritchie's African Life

The End ... for Now

2011-06-11T08:08:00.000+03:00

This post will be my last post on this blog. After a good 4 years in Kenya, I am leaving to return to the States, at least for a time. It will be hard to leave the church and Kenya, but it is time for me to return. God has provided amazingly already. I will return to Colorado knowing where I will work and live. The only minor detail is a car. I have accepted a position in Colorado Springs at Discovery Canyon Campus. I will be teaching high school French and Spanish. Also, I will live at Pastor Paul's for a few months until I settle into an apartment in the Springs.

I will never forget my time in Kenya and I am expectant to return.

Foot Saga - Part 2

2010-07-18T05:16:00.000+03:00

If you remember my foot problems from May 2009, I had severely twisted my left ankle. Ever since that time, my left arch hurt all the time. Come to find out, I have an extra navicular bone and that is the culprit of the pain. I had that same thing in my right foot, but I had it removed in 2003. So on July 15, I had the extra bone removed. My road ahead includes 6-8 weeks on crutches (yes, I will be flying on crutches) and physical therapy.

The circled part of my foot is the location of the extra bone

After the surgery

To have the surgery in the States is an absolute miracle. I am covered under insurance, but only within Africa, India and Pakistan. I was originally going to go to South Africa to have this operation. But when I presented the overall cost of getting it done in South Africa compared to in the States, the cost was about half to do it in the States. Granted, I do have to pay for everything out of pocket, but I will be reimbursed in Kenya. Oh, and if you pay for your medical bills in full without insurance, you get deals. I saved about 50% with surgeon fees, 20% for the surgical center, and 15% with the anesthesiologist. God really provided a way for me to have this surgery in the States with the same doctor that did my right foot.

USA, here I come!

2010-05-29T00:31:00.000+03:00

I am excited to announce that I will be back in Colorado by 6:25 pm on Sunday, 30 May. Praise God!

A day in the slums

2010-04-28T22:31:00.000+03:00

On Monday, Chris, Wendy and I took a personal day and went around town. Since it is Wendy's last year, we are doing some activities that we have rarely or never done. One of those was going to Kibera slums; supposedly the second largest slum in Africa. We had Wesley (Pastor Safari's brother) and Wycliffe (one of the sound guys from church) as our guides. I think we spent about 2 hours walking around. We passed out candy to the kids and just saw a glimpse of how the people lived. Rent could be as little as 50 Shillings (about 70 cents), and some people may still have to pay that in installments. It is a rough place to live -- tin roofs, dirt walls and very unsanitary conditions.

Later in the day, we went to Gikomba, a huge market on the other side of Nairobi town. It was just mainly for the experience. We didn't buy anything. You could find almost anything in this market ... fruits, vegetables, clothing, chickens, etc.

We ended the day eating at Java House (similar to Starbucks) and getting some sports jerseys. What a long day!

Wendy passing out some candy


Houses

The river and people doing their laundry

What has God done in your life?

2010-04-26T22:39:00.000+03:00

I have watched this You Tube video a few times recently. It really shows me that God is at work and that people's lives are forever changed. Let me know what you think of the video.

Junior - Senior Banquet

2010-04-17T23:26:00.006+03:00

Every year, Rosslyn has a Junior - Senior banquet (aka Prom). Since I am a Senior class sponsor, I get to go along with them. There are 3 other sponsors (Jeff, Rebecca and Daniel). They and their spouses also came to banquet. It is the resposibility of the Junior class to raise enough money and pay for the event. That is where Mistletoe Market comes into play. They earn most of their money from that event.

This banquet had an Indian theme. I did not have time to find Indian garb, but I met a guy at a school event and he loaned me this glowing attire. Apparently it is to be worn at weddings, although I am not sure if it is for the groom or the guests. About half the students were in Indian garb as well as Daniel and me.

Banquet is one of the last all-class events that the Class of 2010 will have at Rosslyn before they graduate, so the memories are priceless.

Sarova Salt Lick

2010-04-12T23:09:00.025+03:00

As the school year comes to a close, it becomes time to say good-bye to some teachers and close friends. One such friend is Wendy ... so in order for her to have some closure, Chris and I went with her on a mini-safari to Tsavo. We went for a Saturday and Sunday. We stayed at a place called Salt Lick. The rooms are on stilts and are overlooking a natural salt lick. You can see the animals from your bedroom window. Unfortunately, this time of year did not bring too many animals. It became a good time to spend time with Wendy and to have time to hang out.

Personal Day

2010-04-09T23:12:00.016+03:00

In helping Wendy to have some good closure, she, Chris and I took a day off and did some activities around Nairobi. For this day, we went to a place near Rosslyn to see the "waterfalls", which we later found out were not too interesting. The waterfalls were near an are of tea farms. The tea farm areas are immense and have many workers to pick the leaves. Then after that, we stopped in at an old church to take some pictures. Lastly, we went to Village Market to go to the Masai Market and get some shakes before heading back to school for an important meeting. Although the meeting was not so great, the day was fun-filled and exciting.

Revival in Kangemi

2010-04-05T23:13:00.009+03:00

In the beginning of April, we had revival meetings with Pastor Jacob, our newest church, located in Kangemi. We held outdoor meetings and then showed a portion of "The Passion of the Christ" inside his church. It is always awesome to see how God works and too see people give their lives to Jesus.

The alter call inside the church after watching "The Passion of the Christ"

Political Cartoons

2010-03-28T23:28:00.014+03:00

Here are some political cartoons that have circulated recently in Kenya.

Prime Minister Raila looking at the President's FaceBook page; yes, Kenyans do have FB

What corruption?!

Left (President Kibaki and his supporters); right (Prime Minister Raila and his supporters); pumbafuu means stupid

Cape Town, South Africa

2010-03-24T23:14:00.024+03:00

After a few days in Johannesburg, we flew down to Cape Town. Our hotel was right on the beach and we could see the famous Table Mountain from the beach. We learned from our time in Johannesburg. For Cape Town, we got a GPS to help us get around instead of using maps. We can all attest that the GPS is well worth it.

Cape Town is known for being really windy, so we had to plan things very strategically. If there was wind, we could not go to Robben Island or up Table Mountain, but thankfully, we were able to do both. We took a cable car up to the top of Table Mountain.

Looking straight out you can see Robben Island from the top of Table Mountain


And cell phones do work on Table Mountain ... I was talking to Pastor Paul as he was driving to the airport to go to Mexico

This is Nelson Mandela's prison cell on Robben Island

Here are some pictures from other excursions we took while in Cape Town.

In the vineyard region close to Cape Town

Seals

The Cape of Good Hope

Penguins

Johannesburg / Pretoria, South Africa

2010-03-22T23:16:00.049+03:00

Over Spring Break, Chris, Wendy, Jessie and I went on a trip to South Africa! All four of us went to Egypt last year and we thought it would be a good idea to go to South Africa this year. This trip was a lot different from Egypt; we had to plan every part and even book our own hotels and rental cars and other excursions. We decided to go to Johannesburg and Cape Town.

The first set of pictures are from our Johannesburg and Pretoria part of the trip. Pretoria is the political center of South Africa, so there were buildings for the government. Johannesburg was where the Apartheid museum was as well as other monuments for the Apartheid. Being in the Apartheid museum really opened my eyes to understand that this occurred as recent as the 1980s. The Apartheid is still very visible and there is still lots of discrimination. For those of you that saw the movie "Invictus", Nelson Mandela has really poured a lot of his efforts into seeing true integration in South Africa. I highly recommend the movie if you haven't seen it.

South Africa's Union Building, Pretoria, SA

Look out from the Union Building

Below is the Hector Pieterson memorial. This memorial is in tribute to those that fought for justice during the Apartheid. Hector was shot and is being carried by a fellow student after an uprising in Soweto.

This is where Nelson Mandela lived before being put in prison on Robben Island, Cape Town.

On our way back to Pretoria (where our hotel was), we passed by the "Kalabash", which is where the finals for the World Cup 2010 were to be played. As you can see, they had a lot to get done before game day.

In Pretoria, Chris, Jessie and I decided to go for a walk in the area near our hotel. We stumbled upon the Loftus field, a rugby field and World Cup stadium. We happened to get inside and we even took pictures on the field. Everything was just fine until we went to leave and found that the gate was locked! Oops. There were people cleaning up from the rugby match the night before, so we got out, but for a second we were panicking a little.

South Africa

2010-03-13T00:41:00.000+03:00

I know that it has been a while ... so I will be updating the blog very soon. I am headed to South Africa in a few hours. I am going with 3 friends from school, Chris, Wendy and Jessie. We will be in Johannesburg and Cape Town. I promise to update the blog and update you on everything that I have experienced since October.

Crusade in Dagoretti Corner

2010-02-28T23:17:00.035+03:00

26, 27, 28 February was crusade-time for VWO. Pastor Safari made many plans and we had some big names in Kenyan Christian music. Friday and Saturday we had the crusade in the front grassy area of our property. Unfortunately, it rained a lot on Saturday and we had very few people because of that. On Sunday, Jimmie Gait, a local Kikuyu artist, came to sing. He is often used by Safaricom and other companies for advertising. He was a good guy and he promoted Pastor Safari and the church. He is most known for Muhadara ("Problems" in Kikuyu). His music is very popular among the Kenyans and he sings in a mixture of English, Swahili and Kikuyu (a local tribal language).

The platform in the grass area in front of the church

The VWO Praise Team inside the tent

Jimmie Gait (in white) talking to Pastor Safari

More of the crowd


Jimmie Gait singing ... note the Ushers in the yellow vests; they were crowd control

Me and Jimmie Gait

The great Ushers -- there were no incidents because of their hard work

New Church in Kangemi

2010-02-25T23:23:00.009+03:00

On February 21, 2010, Victory World Outreach officially opened a new church in Kangemi. We originally sent Pastor Jacob and his wife, Abigael, out last December to Kibera, but they were unable to find land there. So we went to a new slum and were blessed to find this building. Pastor Jacob and Abigael have done a lot of work to make the building ready. Before the official opening, we had showed a movie and also outreached.

Below is a video of the first church service.

CFS 2010

2010-01-27T00:04:00.011+03:00

Every year, Rosslyn Academy high schoolers go all throughout Kenya on a Cultural Field Studies (CFS). This experience is unique to Rosslyn and it is a highly anticipated event. This year I went back to Cheptebo (about 7 hours north-west from Nairobi) with a group of Freshmen.

The students participated in many activities and learned about the local tribe (Kalenjin). They cut grain for cows, filled tubes with dirt for seedlings, visited local churches, visited a local school, and re-mudded a family's house ... and each other. I feel that the students learned about themselves, about the locals, and more about God on this trip. They really see and understand what the locals go through and how happy and grateful they are for what little they have. Most students come away from this experience with a change in attitude to their own lives and their possessions. They also have the opportunity to spend the night (in pairs) with a local family. They do chores and help around the house.

We end this experience at an overnight at Brackenhurst (a local conference grounds). The students are able to reflect on their experiences and also hear about others' experiences.

Introducing ...

2010-01-19T23:49:00.008+03:00

Very early Monday, 18 January 2010, baby Nicole Safari was born. This is Pastor Safari and Susan's second child and second girl. It is a blessing to be here with them. They are an awesome couple and God is using them to see countless others come to Christ. May baby Nicole grow up to spread the Good News!

French Soirée

2010-01-15T23:48:00.005+03:00

With my newly acquired French cooking skills, I decided to share a few French pastries and chocolates with some of the other singles on campus. I made a "galette des rois", "fondant au chocolat", and some crepes. There was also an assortment of French chocolate and teas. It is pleasing to me to be able to share these experiences with my friends.

My very own "galette des rois"; it did taste as good as it looks :)

The "spread" of French goodness

It's a BOY!

2010-01-11T22:08:00.000+03:00

Ingrid had a baby boy, Ethan Jolas, on January 10th.

Noel in France

2010-01-04T23:43:00.053+03:00

One thing that I miss about Christmas in Kenya is the cold and the snow. So this Christmas I decided to go to France to spend the holiday with Ingrid and her boyfriend, Gilles. Ingrid, at this point, is in her 9th month of being pregnant and hopefully she will have a special delivery before I leave France.

I thought I would be prepared for this trip, but I forgot that I had hardly any winter clothing. Luckily, my roommate, Chris, was gracious enough to loan me a thick hoodie and a cap. Let me tell you, those really kept me warm, especially upon arrival in Paris. Oh, I was daring enough to take Turkish Airlines again ... well daring or stupid. The flights were ok, expect my flight from Nairobi to Istanbul was 6 hours late. That really didn't start my trip off well. I even asked if I could have my money refunded and just stay in Nairobi, but I am glad that I didn't. So back to Paris, I arrived late, not a surprise, but the thing was that I had already purchased train tickets to go to Tours, and trains rarely run late ... except when France is unprepared for a deep freeze and snow. The train was about an hour late, so I made it! :) Then it was about another hour late to arrive in Tours because it couldn't go its normal speed because of the cold. In the end, I traveled for a long time and I arrived in Tours unscathed. Ingrid and her step-son were at the train station to pick me up. It was great to see a familiar face.

I really didn't have much planned and Ingrid had off due to her impending delivery, so we hung out at the house. Her step-children were over for some of the time. And the other times we were busy shopping to replenish the food that had been consumed. We ate SO much ... TOO much. It seemed as if every day was a new meal and more guests. We had Gilles' one sister and her husband come for Christmas and then his other sister and her family came for New's Year. For both events, we made tons of food. The meals consisted of finger food (picture below) and drinks. Then we moved to the table for the rest of the meal. We ate seafood, a tartelette of fois gras and green apples, then on to the turkey and other meat. At the end of the meal, we had a salad, cheese and then dessert. The French love to eat and that we did! Meals are a good time to converse and to just hang out. I think we were at the table for more than 3 hours for both meals.

After New Year's, things go on sale ... especially CHOCOLATE. I am embarrassed, yet proud, to say that I bought about 9 boxes of mouth-watering Lindt chocolate, a traditional holiday chocolate for the French. I also had a chance to buy my fill of French cheese and tea. Since I was in France over "Three King's Day" (Epiphany), I got ingredients to make their special "galette des rois" ("Three King's Cake"). It is a puff pastry with a crushed almond / hazelnut filling. You usually hid a bean inside and the person that gets it is the king for the day.

My learning never ends. Every time I go to France, I learn more French and other skills. This trip I learned more about cooking. I got to the point that I could make those finger foods in my sleep ... we made so many of them. Also, I learned how to make a "fondant au chocolat" (like a really moist and fluffy brownie, but way better). Because of the cold weather, Ingrid made many "potage" (soups) using her handy-dandy hand mixer. Just boil all the ingredients and mix them up in the pot -- voila, great soup!

Besides my cooking, I learned more about French culture and the language. For New Year's Eve, they had on many programs that had famous French people. I got to know new singers and even TV shows. One of my absolute favorite show is "Un diner presque parfait" ("An almost perfect dinner"). Every week 5 people are chosen in a particular city to show off their cooking and presentation skills. One of the 5 cooks and invites the others over. The others are to judge the cook on presentation, ambiance and food. At the end of the week, the winner is announced. I miss that show. Also, I got to see the show "Plus belle la vie", a French soap opera that is set in a small part of Marseille. The episodes are only 22 minutes long and are everyday, so it can be addicting. I bought the first box-set of the first season to possibly use in my AP French class. It gives a good representation of the French language and culture.

I ended my time in France with a very early-morning train ride to Paris, then metro to the airport. I was sad to go ... Ingrid had not delivered ... and it is just hard to say good bye. I arrived in Nairobi without any problems and I was back in shorts, t-shirts and flip flops the next day. So much for a cold Christmas!

Gilles and Ingrid

Gilles making one of the courses of Christmas dinner

The finger food for one of the Christmas meals

The step-children and their cousins

Sorbonne opening his present

Attempt 1 at the berry "buche de Noel" (top) and the ice cream "buche" (or Yule Log)

Attempt 2 at the berry "buche de Noel" and the first for the chocolate "buche"

Ingrid's In-Laws around the fire

Christophe and Carole (Ingrid's friends)

Me making a "galette des rois" (King's Cake) for January 6

Wendy's Birthday

2009-12-05T23:41:00.010+03:00

Jessie, JoAnne, Tyler, Paul, Chris, Wendy, Me (taking picture)

For Wendy's birthday (December 1), we went to a restaurant called About Thyme. They have a French flair and the food is great. We had an enjoyable evening and Wendy was with us one last time to celebrate her birthday. She will be leaving Rosslyn at the end of this school year to return to the States.

VWO Kenya Conference

2009-12-04T23:39:00.020+03:00

This year's conference was held in December from Tuesday until Friday (December 1-4). We were blessed to have Pastor Jones (US) and Pastor Bin Moussa (Congo - DRC) with us, as well as Pastor Julius (Matunda, Kenya) and Pastor Ominde (Kisumu - Kenya). We heard all of the pastors preach throughout the day and night. On Friday night of the conference, we announced a new church that we are planting. We will be starting a new church in the slums of Nairobi with Pastor Jacob and Abigael. They were the youth leaders as well as the song leader and a member of protocol. The entire church is excited to see them going out. This is the third part of our vision ... Evangelism, Discipleship and Church Planting. It is really cool to see couples follow the call of God and take a step of faith. May God bless them as they start a new work.


Pastors and Wives (Julius, Safari, Jones, Bin Moussa, Ominde)

Pastor Jones, Georges, Pastor Bin Moussa

Mistletoe Market '09

2009-10-26T20:40:00.000+03:00

Another year and another Mistletoe Market ... I planned the annual market for school last year and I am at it again this year. All the proceeds from the booth sales go to the Junior class to be used toward the expenses of the Junior-Senior Banquet. This market is a huge undertaking. There are 80 booths and lots of planning involved, but it's right up my alley. When I was asked to organize it this year, I was excited to see if I could out-do myself from last year. The market is on November 21. Please pray for absolutely no rain from midnight until 3:30 pm on that day. We need the rain, but on any other day except market day.

Kenya until 2012

2009-09-22T22:50:00.000+03:00

After a very long period of prayer and reflection, I have come to the decision to renew my contract for 2 years. So I will be staying in Kenya and at Rosslyn until May 2012. I will continue my help at the church and serve God as He wills in Kenya.

Thank you for your continual prayers during this period of time that I am here. It is difficult to be away from family and friends, but I know that God has called me here for this time and for His purpose. Fortunately, I will have a round-trip ticket provided by the school so that I can go home this summer. So I will be in the States for June and July 2010. Hope to see you then. Also, since I am staying longer, you are most welcome to come and visit. Just let me know when you are coming.

Foot Problems

2009-09-16T22:40:00.000+03:00

Ever since I twisted my left foot in May, I have been dealing with residual pain that was sparked from the injury. The pain is in my arch. I had similar pain with my right arch, but in 2003, I had an operation to remove a bone and reattach my ligament to alleviate the pain. I was going to see an orthopedic surgeon for help with this pain in my left arch. He was the one that helped me after the sprain in May. He sent me for physical therapy sessions. I have been to 2 sessions so far with not improvement. I will be going to a podiatrist tomorrow for his opinion. The pain is constant and is even present when I am not on my foot. I already have custom-made arch supports, so that is not the problem. I am dreading another 6-week recovery if surgery is the only option. I just want this fixed once and for all.

Census 09

2009-08-25T22:11:00.016+03:00

Census 2009 means another impromptu Kenyan holiday. The night of 24 August, the government was sending around people to take a census of all the people residing in Kenya. The government thought that it would be best to take Tuesday, 25 August off as to give the census people time to count and get a better, more accurate count. I heard of some strange questions that people were asked. "Have you ever had an abortion?" "How many children do you have?" (asked to a single guy) "How do you dispose of your waste? Sewer line or long drop?" The Kenyans had to even declare their tribe, which caused some ruckus because that was the big issue from the election violence.

My holiday was not too eventful. I just hung out on campus with the other teachers. It was a well-needed and pleasant day off.

A new school year ... 2009-2010

2009-08-09T23:08:00.003+03:00

Another school year is starting ... my 6th year of teaching and the new 2009-2010 school year. This year will be a very different school year. I will be teaching French 2, French 3 and AP French at the high school, then after lunch I teach an exploratory French class to 8th graders. Then from 2:50 until 3:20, I teach a 9-week intro to Spanish class for 5th graders. I am not sure what to think of this year, but it will definitely be a change. I will let you know how things are progressing.

Birthday Safari

2009-08-03T23:08:00.045+03:00

For my birthday and Chris's birthday, Wendy and Jessie decided to organize a safari for us. Chris and I share the same first name, middle name and birthday (except I am 5 years older). We left on July 31 and came back on August 2. We stayed at a tented camp in the Masai Mara National Reserve. This time of the year is a great time to see the migration of Wildebeests. The Mara was spotted with them all over, but there was none of the majestic river crossing that you see on National Geographic or other nature channels. The rivers were practically dry, as well as the plains. There was really nothing to migrate to because of the drought in Kenya.

On August 1, our birthday, we did an all-day safari. This was the best decision we made. Since it was all day, we had our lunch packed up for us so we could stop and eat it later. By doing an all-day drive, we are able to go a lot farther away from the camp and get to see much more. Our driver did a great job. He is an ex-matatu (public transportation) driver, so he drives fast and gets where he wants to go. When we stopped for lunch, Wendy brought out the birthday cupcakes and she and Jessie sang to us.

We had a great trip. We saw tons of animals and we also enjoyed each others company. It was our last bit of freedom before starting staff orientation on Monday. Enjoy the pictures.

Lions, spotted by yours truly

Gotta love the scenery

Elephant

Chris and me

Wildebeest

Hippo and baby

Birthday day ...

Wildebeest on the edge of the river

"Who is first?" they were thinking

Wildebeest crossing the river

We waited a while until they got enough courage to cross

Rhino

Some of the animals migrating (wildebeest and zebra)

A hyena trying to hide off the side of the road

Impressions of Europe

2009-07-29T23:07:00.015+03:00

My experiences this time around in Europe were different than in times past. This time, I went from a Third World country to Germany. Germany! land of rules and regulations that everyone follows. At first I found it to be a breath of fresh air, but soon it became restrictive. I missed the laissez-faire attitude of Africa. The Germans have and enjoy structure, like me, but Africa has been changing me. When I went to Strasbourg, France with my two German friends, it was like we were strangers in France. We waited at lights until it was signaled for us to cross the street. France really misses order. They have that Latin way about them. They enjoy life on their own rhythm. Late nights talking and eating is more their style. Then the British ... I truly felt out of place speaking English with my American accent. I know that they can understand me and I can typically understand them, but I was super conscious of my accent. They really do have a different kinda rebellious way about them. Their self-expression was over the top. They dressed however they wanted and seemed to do things their own way.

I don't think that Europe has changed, but my viewpoint has. Especially coming from Kenya to Europe, I saw things that I never really noticed before. I am grateful for the new look that I have on the world.

Wiesbaden, Germany (July 24 - July 26)

2009-07-29T23:03:00.038+03:00

From Brussels, I traveled to Wiesbaden, Germany, where a college friend, Doro, and her new husband live. I met Doro when she was on an exchange program from Karlsruhe to Greeley, Colorado. She was active in Chi Alpha, a Christian group on campus, and that is where we met. Doro is an English teacher and her English is fantastic. Jonathan, a college friend, and I visited her back in 2004 when we did a 6-week trip to Europe. Doro recently got married to Nasser, who is from Morocco. It was good to have Nasser there because I could also speak French with him. This was my second time in Germany on this trip, so my first time was to get into German and now I should be able to speak German well. Na ja. Mein Deutsch ... ist nicht total schlecht, aber nicht wunderbar.

I spent two nights with Doro and Nasser. Since Doro had the summer off, which is a great teacher perk, she took me around Wiesbaden. Wiesbaden is the capital of Hessen and is within 30 minutes of Frankfurt. It's a quaint city and even has a market. Doro just loved the market and especially liked the fresh olives and other fruit and vegetables that one can buy there.

The time with Doro and Nasser was mainly a time of catching up. I think we ended up staying at home both nights and watching movies (in German). They took great care of me and Doro even packed me a few sandwiches for my flight back to Kenya. Danke fuer alles, Doro und Nasser!!

Brussels, Belgium (July 22 - July 24)

2009-07-29T23:02:00.041+03:00

From Paris, I went on to spend 2 nights in Brussels. This was my very first time in Belgium, so I was looking forward to the new adventure. I booked a room at a hostel, so I was set to travel around. Unfortunately, the hostel was not everything I was expecting. It was more of a dorm-type atmosphere with communal bathrooms and showers. The crazy thing was that everyone needed to pack up their things during the day and store them in lockers and they close access to the rooms for the middle part of the day.

For my three days, I just bummed around the town. One of the biggest draws in Brussels is this little statue of a little boy peeing. Seriously, he is on t-shirts, magnets and tons of other souvenirs. Who would really want him as their "mascot"? Once I did find the statue, I stayed just long enough to take a picture and leave.

I also went to see the other sights of Brussels. The Atomium was built for the World Fair in 1958. You could go up in it, but I just chose to sit under it for a little while.

Another interesting site to see was the Africa Museum. This day started off really rainy and I didn't have an umbrella. The museum is mainly about the Belgian rule in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). It was here, that I really felt a longing to return to Kenya. Back in May, I was ready for the First World and to be in order and peace, but this museum really made me think about what I was missing in Kenya. The museum showed the progress of the colonization of the DRC and then relinquishing it back to the Congolese. There were many displays about the different tribes and the different customs that they all had. It is really hard to take in the huge influence that the Western world had on Africa. Below is a picture of the wooden elephants in front of the museum.

I was glad to have only spent 2 nights in Brussels. It really was not my type of city. It seemed disjointed and there was not much to see like in Paris or other large European cities. I ate at Subway many times and walked all over. Not really too much else to highlight about Brussels, except that I was ready and glad to be moving onto Wiesbaden, Germany, my last stop before going "home".

Paris, France (July 21 - July 22)

2009-07-29T23:01:00.027+03:00

Paris ... it really hasn't changed much. I wasn't even planning to stop in Paris, but the tickets I got to go to Brussels were really cheap if I spent this one day, literally 24 hours, in Paris. I arrived from London, checked into my hotel and went walking around. I didn't want to spend too much money, so I tried to do as little as possible that didn't cost too much. I went to the normal sights of "la tour Eiffel" and Notre Dame. When I was at the Eiffel Tower, there was a Christian youth group from Kansas who were doing some evangelism. They set up speakers and were doing skits and also testifying. It was cool to see. They were passing out cards for the website www.atoi2voir.com.

After my short outing, I decided to watch the new Transformers movie at a theater near my hotel. I was expecting a little more than what I got, not from the movie, but from the theater. I guess the movie was out for a little while, so it was in a smaller theater. The movie was shown in a small room and on a small screen. It was frustrating, but a nice close to the day. The next day I boarded a train to Brussels.

La belle tour

The team from Kansas that was evangelizing near the Eiffel tower

Notre Dame

London, England (July 15 - July 21)

2009-07-29T23:00:00.058+03:00

From Tours, I took a train to Paris and then transfered to the Eurostar train. The Eurostar is the train that goes under the English Channel. It was my first time taking this train and I was excited. You can leave Paris and arrive in London 2 hours later. Many people use it to commute to and from work. This ticket cost me about $100 (77 Euros). You don't even realize that you are under the Channel until it goes dark, but then in a flash, you are back out of the tunnel and in England.

In London lives my friend, Agnès, and her husband, Serge. Agnès is from Guadeloupe and I met her during my time in Tours, France. She is a scientist and works in a lab in London. Serge is from the Central African Republic and he met Agnès at the church in Tours. They were married in March 2009 in Paris. I am so happy for them and I am so excited for what God has in store for them.

During the days, I would go into town and check out London. I got to see all the sites and check out the museums. I would often return to Trafalgar Square where they were doing a type of live art. They removed one of the statues and are doing a presentation. They choose people to come and stand on the plinth for an hour at a time and that person can do whatever they want. I would go to the square to just see what people were up to. The name of this event is One & Other. It is still going on until October 14, so check it out. I would also check out Starbucks and Subway (I really miss Subway). It was nice to just take a little while and sit, drink a Frappuccino and play Sudoku.

I was privileged to see "Les Misérables". It was my first time seeing it. I have never read the novel ... it hurts being a French teachers and having never read it. It was Agnès' first show in the West End. The performance was great and the stage was awesome. The stage was very multi-purposeful. That was definitely a high-light in England.

Saturday, Agnès had a get-together with her colleagues from the lab. They are from all over; one from Greece, Germany, New Zealand, some from France, Belgium and other countries. The funniest part about it all was the shopping experience. I went with the French-speaking group to the store. It was great to see their interactions with the English. We got meat at a butcher shop and I ended up helping out to get what was needed. The whole day was nice and I was able to interact with her coworkers. I spoke to the German in German and he was impressed. So I must not be as rusty as I think I am.

On Sunday, we went to Agnès' church, El-Shaddai International Christian Centre. The church meets in a hippodrome and the pastor is from Zambia. It was a good time of worship and being in an English-speaking church.

I left England on Tuesday morning and I headed for Paris for a 24-hour "layover" before heading on to Brussels.

Tours, France (July 6 - July 15)

2009-07-29T11:01:00.092+03:00

Welcome to France! It was nice to be "home" in Tours ... the Valley of the Loire. I studied at the Université François-Rabelais back in the Fall of 2000. I lived in the dorms and made friends there and also at the church (the Assemblies of God Church in Tours). One of my friends, Ingrid, is still in Tours, well close to Tours. She is living with her boyfriend, Gilles, in Nouzilly, which is located about 30 minutes north of Tours. I spent about 9 days with them, but because of Ingrid's working hours, I really only was able to spend some of the mornings with her and then the weekend. Ingrid and Gilles work at the same place, but Gilles works more of the morning and Ingrid into the night. So when they were both at work, I was able to take Ingrid's car (a convertible) and drive around. Tours has changed since I was there last. They now have IKEA and plenty of Starbucks and other American restaurants. It was good to be able to see my old dorm and to enjoy the great French cuisine, as well as spend time catching up with Ingrid.

On Saturday, Ingrid and Gilles had invited their close friends and family for a small gathering. Ingrid and I made many of the dishes on Friday, but let me tell you that we did not lack food. They did not tell us what the gathering was for. Ingrid is 3 months pregnant (well, in July). It will be her first. I don't know if they know the gender yet. This will be a good change for Ingrid. I got to meet Gilles' brothers and sisters and have good conversations with them in French. This was a good time to test and stretch my French. I got nervous but was able to hold my own.

Tuesday, July 14 was France's national holiday, like the US' Fourth of July. Gilles, Ingrid and I went to the Beauval Zoo. I was able to show them the animals that I get to see in Kenya. On our way there, we stopped to eat along a river. We had an enjoyable day that ended with fireworks along the Loire River. The next day, I had to get up early for a long trek to London.

Some of my fond memories of Tours:
--Seeing Ingrid again
--Having good conversations with Gilles over lunch
--Hearing the baby news
--Spending time with Gilles and Ingrid
--Driving on the right side of the road and in a convertible (with GPS)
--Speaking French; practicing French

--Eating French food

--Eating pastries!!
--Eating ... too much

Pictures:

Preparing food for the party

A pastry shop and my FAVORITE pastry (une religieuse)

My dorm

Amboise

Chenonceau

Karlsruhe, Germany (June 27 - July 6)

2009-07-29T11:00:00.079+03:00

My first stop on my Europe Tour was my old stopping ground of Karlsruhe (literally "Karl's Peace"), located about an hour East of Strasbourg, France. Back in 2001, I studies in Karlsruhe from March until July. I studied German (auf Lehramt) and also got involved in a local church, Treffpunkt Leben. This trip was to get back in touch with friends from the church and to practice my Deutsch, which I can honestly say, has gotten worse. It is to be expected that if you don't use a language, you can loose it.

In front of the church, Treffpunkt Leben

I stayed with Holger and Claudia (right), friends from Treffpunkt Leben. Holger even had the entire week off, so we were able to hang out and relax. I got to go to church with them and see people that I know. The church is constantly growing and there are always new people, but I was glad to see those that I knew. Throughout the week, Holger and I went on many outings. We went to the Sinsheim Museum, a technical museum. We saw lots of cars and airplanes. The Concorde is there. My mom's dad took the Concorde from the States to Europe, and seeing it in Germany, made me feel like I was retracing some of his footsteps.

The Concorde

Holger and I even went to Koeln (Cologne) for two days. We saw the Dom, which is located right next to the train station. There was also a chocolate museum, yum ... Don't worry, I didn't eat all the chocolate. The best part was the chocolate fountain. Too bad the weather was too hot to be able to bring some back.

The Koelner Dom

In front of the Chocolate Museum

The Chocolate fountain

Another small trip that we took was to Strassbourg (as it's spelled in German). This time, Claudia was able to some with us. We drove from Karlsruhe. The Alsaciens are not too friendly towards the Germans. We stopped in France to get gas and the gas station refused to take German credit cards. I really felt the animosity when we were in some shops in Strassbourg. One time, a French shop owner came up to us and asked us a question in French just to see how we would respond. I responded in French and he was surprised.

Us on a bridge in Strassbourg

Arriving in France

Coming back to Germany

On my last Sunday, we went to church and later on we went to see "Ice Age 3" in 3-D. It was dubbed, so I had to pay attention. This was my last night before leaving for France the next morning. I am extremely grateful to Holger and Claudia for putting me up in their house and taking care of me.

An ad for Ritter Sport, one of my favorite brands of chocolate

Me eating the nice Italian ice cream

HDM, another friend from Treffpunkt Leben, and me

Europe 2009

2009-07-28T22:51:00.000+03:00

On June 27, I left the third-world to go on a month-long trip to Germany, France, England and Belgium. Below is my calendar of events. You can click on the cities to learn more. I will post detailed country-specific trip information on the next post.

June 27 - July 6 : Karlsruhe, Germany
July 6 - July 15 : Tours, France
July 15 - July 21 : London, England
July 21 - July 22 : Paris, France
July 22 - July 24 : Brussels, Belgium
July 24 - July 26 : Wiesbaden, Germany

My ankle ...

2009-06-24T22:31:00.000+03:00

After seeing the doctor and getting a partial cast and being on crutches for another 10 days, he took off my cast and had me get a walking boot. I was told to start putting weight on my left foot while using the walking boot. Fortunately, my ankle got better and I was only in the walking boot for another week. The ankle is still a little swollen, but I am able to walk on it, so no crutches or boot for my Europe trip.

Moving Day

2009-06-22T22:44:00.001+03:00

Today, I was able to officially move into my new house. Pastor Paul and his family were staying there when they were in Kenya, so now I am officially moved in. The whole house has 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and a large kitchen and living room, plus we have a balcony that overlooks the campus. We are located right in the middle of campus, so we can hear and see almost everything that happens. I will be sharing the house with Chris and Tyler. Chris comes from Pennsylvania and teaches high school English. This coming year will be his second year teaching and his second year at Rosslyn. Tyler is coming from Texas but grew up in Colorado. He will be the new high school Social Studies teacher. I am glad to have roommates and to be on campus. There are many benefits to living on campus (such as water, electricity, generator, internet and being within 30 seconds of work).

Jones' Visit

2009-06-18T15:12:00.001+03:00

Shortly after school ended, Pastor Paul and his family came out for a visit. It was a visit of closure. They brought with them three friends, Jess, Josh and Jacob. Please CLICK HERE to read of their adventures.

End of the Year

2009-06-03T16:20:00.001+03:00

May tends to be the month that goes by the quickest. We have AP exams the first 3 weeks, Junior-Senior Banquet (like Prom), the staff banquet, yearbook assembly, last day for Seniors, final exams, graduation, and then we are done. This year just seemed to go by so quickly. Then on top of all these events, I have to do most of them on crutches. Not fun! Needless-to-say, I survived and summer is officially here. My plans ... I am moving into my new house; Pastor Paul and his family will come to visit for 2 weeks; I go to Europe for one month.

Ankle Saga Continues

2009-06-02T16:17:00.000+03:00

Close to 10 days after my sprain, the swelling has yet to go down. I talked to the wife of the Middle School principal today. She is a nurse and recommended that I get it checked out again. This time I went to a specialist. He took new x-rays and still found no fractured or broken bones. He said that my ankle was intact and that I need to keep it immobile. So I went into his office with 2 shoes and crutches, and I left with a cast, one shoe, and crutches. He gave me a half cast, just to support the ankle and keep it from being mobile. I will be in the cast for 10 days and then I go back to see him. I need this healed soon. I leave for Europe on June 27.

Crutches?!

2009-05-26T12:01:00.002+03:00

I was dumb ... On Tuesday, May 12, I was out yelling at the Seniors to get to class, especially those that were headed to my class next. One student told me that I am always late to class ... well, it's because I am off telling them to get to class. So today I decided to get to class on time. I told that student that I will be on time, actually I would get to class before her. So she took off running down the steps, across a flat area, and up the stairs to my room. I took off after her. Once I got to my steps, I jumped to about the third or fourth step, which I missed and severely twisted my ankle. I stopped and knew that something was wrong. I needed another student to help me up the rest of the steps to my classroom. I got seated and took off my shoe and sock. There was a huge bulge over my ankle bone. The nurse came to help me and had a drive take me to the hospital. I got to the hospital and they took x-rays. Luckily there are no broken or fractured bones. They told me to just keep my foot up and iced. I also had to get crutches. I had to wait about an hour in the emergency room to have someone bring me to the are of the hospital where I get the crutches. My entire time in the ER was 5 hours. They were not really equipped with the appropriate amount of manpower.

Braces OFF!!

2009-05-26T11:44:00.000+03:00

After just 10 months, I got my braces off on Friday, May 15, just in time for our annual Junior-Senior Banquet (Prom). The only reason I had braces was to correct my bite which was causing me TMJ problems. My bottom teeth are now nicly behind my upper teeth and I don't have the TMJ problems I had. I now have retainers that are semi-permanent. They were cemented in behind my front six teeth (uppers and lowers). I will keep them for a year and then the dentist will remove them. I am so grateful that this went quickly and I had no problems. Praise God!

House Changes

2009-05-10T21:35:00.001+03:00

I currently live off the school compound, but next year I am finally getting moved onto the school campus. I will be sharing a house with Chris and the new Social Studies teacher, Tyler. We will be in the upstairs of the administration building. The school tries to put as many people on campus as possible because they own the houses and have less cost than renting houses off campus. So after two years I will see how live on campus is. I am looking forward to electricity, a generator, constant water supply, internet, and being 30 seconds away from my classroom.

My room will be in the rounded part of the building, upstairs.

House Worker Quirks

2009-05-10T21:23:00.000+03:00

Every Tuesday, my house worker cleans my apartment. About two weeks ago, when she went to put my clothes back in the cabinet, she arranged them by color. I was surprised, but I had a good laugh. I know that i don't have time to do that. If she does it again, I will post a picture for you.

Egypt Pictures

2009-05-10T21:03:00.001+03:00

Me, Jessie, Wendy, Chris

Us on the steps of the pyramid

The pyramids with the Sphinx

The citadel

View overlooking Cairo

The bazaar

(Bargaining is not too fun in Egypt, compared to Kenya)

Our group for the Nile Cruise

Back: Ed, Mohamed (tour guide), me, Chris

Front: Sue, Wendy, Jessie, Jenny (from Tasmania)

Temple of Karnak in Luxor

Valley of the Kings

King Tut's Tomb

Queen Hatshepsut's Tomb

Hieroglyphics: can you believe the colors are still there?

The Colossi of Memnon

Edfu

The sunset on the Nile

Ruins

A felucca on the Nile

A bazaar in Aswan

Pizza Hut in Alexandria

Easter in Egypt (4-13 April)

2009-04-26T22:38:00.004+03:00

‘Amazing’ is a great word to describe my recent trip to Egypt. It was such a great trip and I had such great travel buddies. I went with Chris L, Wendy and Jessie (all three teachers at Rossyln). I was planning to go to Egypt last year over Easter, but went to Mauritius instead. Then I was thinking about going during another time last semester, but that too fell through. I am glad that I waited to go until now so that I would be able to travel with them.

I really don’t know where to begin. We did everything. We saw the great pyramids, the sphinx, King Tut’s burial mask (which is out of pure gold), mummies, ruins, obelisks. We went to Cairo, Alexandria, Aswan, Edfu, Kom Ombo, Luxor, as well as other well-known places like McDonalds, Pizza Hut, KFC and Chili’s.

I was astounded to see monuments that have been around for 3,000 years. And even in some of the tombs, there was still paint on the wall from thousands of years ago. Wow! It is hard to write about all the things we saw. In Cairo and Alexandria, we had our own tour guide, Marwa. She told us about all the pyramids and took us throughout the Egyptian Museum. Then from Luxor to Aswan, we were on a cruise ship and were in a group of us plus three other people. Of the three, Jenny was from Tasmania and the other two were a couple from Los Alamos, New Mexico … the husband works with Jessie’s dad. Crazy! Our tour guide was Mohamed. He was the best guide ever. He nicknamed our group “The Tigers”, or as he would say it “Ze Tigerz”. At historic sites, he would address us as the Tigers and even tell us to “attack”. We thoroughly enjoyed his leading. His English was great and his knowledge was astounding. There is so much to remember and he kept it all straight. He even used good teaching strategies when he explained things. He had us act out the history behind the different sites.

Below is our itinerary. It may give you a better idea of the trip. You can click on the links as well for more information about the places we saw.

Day 01: Depart Nairobi on MS850 at 0515 hours. Arrive Cairo at 0910 local time. Meet and assist through formalities. Transfer to President Hotel for check in. Afternoon half day tour to visit the Great Pyramids of Giza & Sphinx. Transfer back to your hotel and overnight in Cairo.

Day 02: Full day tour to visit the Egyptian Museum, the Citadel, Mohamed Ali Mosque and the Old Bazaar of Khan El Khalili. Transfer to Cairo train station for your overnight sleeper train to Luxor, dinner and overnight on board the train.

Day 03: Breakfast on board of train. Meet at Luxor train station and transfer to board your cruise ship. Embarkation & lunch on board the cruise. Proceed with the visits of the East bank of the Nile including the Temple of Karnak & Temple of Luxor. Transfer back to the cruise ship. Dinner and overnight on board the cruise in Luxor

Day 04: Buffet Breakfast on board and proceed with visit to the West bank of the Nile including the two colossi of Memnon, The Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El-Bahari and The Valley of Kings. Lunch on board the cruise ship. Sail to Esna. Dinner & Overnight on board the cruise in Esna.

Day 05: Buffet Breakfast. Continue sailing to Edfu. Visit the Temple of Edfu, dedicated to the god Horus. Lunch on Board the cruise ship while sailing to Kom-Ombo. Visit the Temple of Kom-Ombo, dedicated for gods Sobek and Haroeris. Dinner & Overnight on board the cruise in Kom-Ombo.

Day 06: Buffet Breakfast on board. Morning sail to Aswan. Lunch on board the cruise ship. Afternoon tour by felucca around Elephantine Island and the Botanical garden. Dinner & Overnight on board cruise ship in Aswan.

Day 07: Breakfast and disembarkation from the cruise. Proceed with the visits of Aswan including the High Dam, The unfinished Obelisk and the Temple of Philae. Transfer to Aswan train station for your overnight sleeper train to Cairo. Dinner and overnight on board of the train.

Day 08: Breakfast on board of the train, Meet at Cairo train station. Travel to Alexandria with full day tour of the city visit to the Catacombs of Kom El Shokafa, the Pompeii’s Pillar, Roman Amphitheater and the Montazah Palace & Gardens. Return to Cairo and overnight at President Hotel.

Day 09: Buffet breakfast at hotel. Check-out. Transfer to Cairo international airport for your final departure flight.

**Pictures to follow ...

Church Changes

2009-04-26T22:36:00.001+03:00

There is never a dull moment at church. A few weeks ago, Pastor Jones and Marie left Kenya and left the church in the hands of Pastor Safari and Susan. We are excited to see what God is doing and what He has in store for our church in Nairobi. Right now we are in the middle of a 21 day fast. We also had Pastor Bin Moussa from the Congo and also the Watkins family from the church in Colorado Springs as visitors. We continue to see God move at church. At the end of March we had an all night prayer service (“kesha” in Swahili). There was a lady that came in around 10 pm. She came in bondage but left delivered by the power of God. I am continuously amazed by God and I am inspired by Him. That lady is in church today and is praising God. Please continue to pray for Pastor Safari and the church in Nairobi.

Surgery (5 February)

2009-04-26T22:32:00.004+03:00

On the last Friday in January, I had scheduled an appointment with a general surgeon to diagnose a problem that I had noticed for a while now. We had Thursday and Friday off in order to compensate us for the CFS trip going over a weekend, so now was a perfect time to go to the doctor. So I had been noticing a lump just below my belt line for a good while and never got the guts to get it checked out until now. I talked to Pastor Jones and Marie about it and I also checked online to try to self-diagnose. I could manipulate the lump and make is smaller and larger (I am sure you wanted to know that). So I finally came to the conclusion that I had an inguinal hernia. (Go to Wikipedia if you want to know the full details of this hernia.) I went to the doctor and he checked me out and concluded that I had a hernia. He just affirmed everything that I had read online, so I was more confident that he knew what he was doing. I asked him what could be done to correct it and he said that surgery was the only option, which I was prepared to hear. And he added that it should be done soon. His theater day was Thursday, so I scheduled the surgery for February 5. It is common practice in Kenya to have the patient stay in the hospital the night before an operation, so that was my case as well. Pastor Jones and Marie were with me physically and spiritually through the whole process. I checked in on Wednesday, met the anesthesiologist and enjoyed my first night in the hospital. I had a private room with my own television and bathroom with tub and shower. This was my “hotel” experience of the hospital. I was at Nairobi Hospital, a private hospital, so that means better treatment. I was very calm through the experience, up until I was in the room before the operating room. So on Thursday, I got up early and got ready for surgery. Pastor Jones and Marie came and waited through the operation. I was prepped and then taken down to the operating theaters. The first person to get me ready was the anesthesiologist. She was an Indian woman that had been working with my surgeon for over 30 years. I did my checks on her and the surgeon before I agreed to the operation, so I felt confident with the surgery. Once the anesthesiologist gave me some injections, I was out until recovery. My next memory was waking up in recovery in excruciating pain. I tried to pull my legs up to my chest because I felt a burning sensation and it hurt really badly. They gave me more medicine and I was out until I was brought to my room. The next faces I saw were those of Pastor and Marie. They were a real blessing to me through this surgery. So throughout the next day, I had some visitors from school. Pastor Chuck and Jane, spouses of employees at school, came to visit me; also Wendy and Jessie came to see me as well. I was not too drugged, so I was able to have good conversations with them. Wendy and Jessie even played some card games with me. I was released on Friday afternoon, just one day after the surgery. In the States it would probably be an out-patient surgery. The absolute worse part of the whole thing was the tube … I had a tube inserted in me above the incision. This tube was hooked to a container that suctioned out any blood or other liquid that was collecting in the area of the operation. The doctor had sewn in a mesh in the area of the hernia to strengthen the area and to prevent it from happening again. So the tube had to be removed before I left the hospital. The doctor came in a checked me one last time before I was discharged, then he instructed the nurse to remove the tube. I was sitting down. She removed the stitches that held it in and then she told me to take a deep breath. As I breathed in, she pulled the tube … and kept pulling; even after I stopped breathing in, she pulled on the tube. OUCH!! I still cringe just explaining it. But after it was out, I was fine. Besides the tube experience, I did have some funny moments in the hospital. So after the surgery and after I was more awake, I had to go to the bathroom. I could not get up so I had to go in a bed pan thing. The problem was that I could not go, but I needed to. The nurse gave me the bed pan and then asked if she could help me. I told her I was fine and she went outside the room. The thing was that every few minutes or so, she would come in and see if I went and if she could help. She even asked if she and another nurse could stand me up to see if that would help. As you can imagine, I did not ask for help and it all worked out in the end. Another experience happened on the day of my discharge. Two nurses come in and said that they are here to give me a bath. Wow! I also refused that help. I just don’t feel comfortable enough or desperate enough to have others give me a bath. Once I was discharged, I stayed with Pastor Jones and Marie through the weekend. I ended up taking off Thursday, Friday and Monday. I went back to work on Tuesday, even though the doctor said that I could have gone back on Monday! It was hard for me to get around just because I was walking slowly. I recovered quickly. I had to go back to the doctor’s office in a week to get the stitches out and that was the extent of my recovery. He only asked to see me one more time after the removal of the stitches and I have not gone back since. The only part that is left to recover is the nerves. I still have hardly any feeling below the incision, but that should come back. Thank you to all who prayed for me during that time. I am grateful for you and I was also very grateful to have Pastor Jones, Marie and my Rosslyn family.

Nakumatt Fires (28 January)

2009-04-26T22:13:00.005+03:00

On our way back to school from the CFS trip, I briefly overheard something about an electrical fire in town on the radio in the bus. The radio host was asking the power company to cut the power to the city center because of this fire. Come to find out, the store that was on fire was Nakumatt, our version of Wal-Mart. There are a good number of Nakumatt stores throughout Nairobi and even two of them are open 24 hours. This was the second incident at a Nakumatt store within about a month. In December the Kenyan government demolished a Nakumatt store, gas station and other stores because they were on “road reserve” land. The rumor was that the government had been giving these stores notice for the past three months that they were built on this reserve land and that they were going to be demolished. But these stores deny ever being warned of this. In the end, the government came with demolition machines and started to demolish the stores that still had their full stock. The gas station was pleading to let them drain as much gas as possible before they were torn down. So as of now, the government has not used this land for road expansion. Getting back to the fire, it was a very tragic incident. There were not many exits and the front, main entrance/exit was just the size of a double-doorway. Many people burned to death in the fire. This sparked more attacks to Nakumatt, especially after the other one was demolished. Also the government is now building a fire station in the city center in case of any future fires. Unfortunately people had to die in order for safety precautions to be put in place. The pictures were taken by me the day after the fire. Smoke was still coming out of the building.

Cultural Field Studies (CFS) (23-28 January)

2009-04-26T21:28:00.018+03:00

At the end of January, the entire high school packs up and goes to different parts of Kenya to have a cultural interaction with the Kenyan people. Last year at this time we were not sure if we would be staying in Kenya or not, so this year is my first CFS experience. I was a chaperon for a group of 18 freshmen. I also went with the school nurse to be the female chaperon. We left Nairobi on a Friday night and then returned from the trip on Tuesday. My group went to Cheptebo. It is a small community in the middle of a valley near the city of Eldoret. The drive took us about 7 hours and we headed north-west. The area is dry and hot. Once we arrived, we were greeted by the couple that runs the camp. Actually our group had one of the easiest conditions to live in. We had beds, showers, toilets, running water and all meals provided for us. We stayed at the African Inland Church (AIC) compound and they use it for conferences, so that is why it was nice. The compound is like a haven for the community. They teach people in the community how to earn a living for themselves by growing mangoes and papaya (pawpaw) and also by milking cows and goats. On the compound, they grow mangoes and papaya, so that means fresh fruit every morning for us. I ate so many mangoes … fresh mangoes, nothing can beat it. On Saturday, we helped a very old woman in the community. Our group of students walked to her mud hut. Our task was to smear the hut again with mud and water. The woman had a hut about eight feet squared. The roof was made out of metal. We removed the roof and strengthened the wood supports and then got to smearing. We, along with other youth from the community, were working together to redo her house. The old woman was so old that she could hardly see. While we were smearing her house, her chicken sat right next to her. The chicken was like her pet. Unfortunately, the old man lived on the same land as her eldest son. The thing is that he is usually drunk and does nothing with the land and he and his mother have very little to eat. The AIC is trying to get the family to start planting fruit trees to use to gain income. We all felt very satisfied in helping this old woman. It was a blessing for us to be a blessing for her. Later that night, the youth from the area came for a meat roast. They slaughtered a goat and grilled the meat. We all sat around a campfire that night and shared between the groups. We had a good night of cultural interaction. Some of our students shared and they even sang some songs. On Sunday, we dropped off the students at various local churches to experience that part of life. Some of the churches were in small mud buildings. This day was my favorite because after the church services, the students went for home stays with the local people. The students went in groups of 2 to 3 and stayed the night with different families of the churches. They were expected to help out in any way that they were asked. The girls typically helped cook or do other chores, and the boys really did not have any expectations for them to help. Actually that is typical here. The women are the ones that do most of the work around the house and the men do not do much. Even if you, as a male, do help in the kitchen or with certain chores, you are looked at strangely. So I said that this day was my favorite … well me and Nurse Rachel, the other chaperon, our bus driver and the manager of the compound took a drive towards Eldoret. So we drove up the escarpment to a small resort. At this resort, many people come from all around the world to hang glide. The main cliental are European, mostly Germans and Austrians. It was cool to see the people just be taken by the wind. We relaxed and just enjoyed the scenery. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed ourselves without having to look after 18 students. Monday morning the students arrived back at the compound and they were all buzzing with their stories from the home stays. Some had nice living conditions while others dealt with bed bugs and not-so-nice living conditions. After the students got done debriefing with their friends, we went to the planting section of the compound and filled bags with dirt. The compound grafts plants together to get better plants so they use the bags to replant the plant. This task was the hardest to get the students to do because there were many people and not enough gardening gloves. Later this day, we went to a local school and our students were able to interact with the students there and vice-versa. The Kenyan students had some skits and songs for our group. Then it was up to our group to do a presentation. They sang the song “God of wonders”. Actually that became our theme song for the trip … every time the students had to do a presentation, they chose that song. It still amazes me that students can be such extroverts with their friends, but when they are put in front of strangers, they become shy. That is exactly what happened to our group. After the interaction, we all went out and played volleyball. Sports really bring people together. On Tuesday, we set out to Nairobi. Our time in Cheptebo was over. We really had an enjoyable time. Instead of going back to the school and letting all the students go home, we spend a night at a camp near the school. During this time, all the students are able to interact and share their various experiences. Each group of student come back changed. The sophomore groups helped build houses for Habitat for Humanity. One senior group went all the way to Turkana. They have to leave a day before everyone and spend a night in Eldoret because it takes almost two days to travel there. I have heard that it is like a different world in Turkana. If you have seen the movie “Constant Gardener”, there are scenes at Lake Turkana. It is such a dry, desolate place. So over the next day, the students debrief in various ways so that they can apply what they learned from their experience to their lives. I really enjoyed a chapel service that we had where students came to testify about their experience. I liked hearing their unscripted responses to such an overwhelming experience. As a whole, CFS was a great experience for me. I enjoyed seeing new parts of Kenya, interacting with new people groups and learning more about God and myself. God is using the AIC compound to minister to the people of that community. There was even a couple from Ireland that was helping to build a church on the AIC compound.

Our bus in the middle of nowhere. Also a good time for a bathroom break.

Some boys on the way to smear the old woman's house.

Here is the woman's house after we removed the tin roof.

Getting close to the finished product after smearing.

The valley

Hang gliders

Me, Nurse Rachel, our driver, the manager of the AIC compound

I am alive

2009-03-29T21:37:00.004+03:00

You have not heard from me in a very long time ... I am so sorry for that. Ever since Christmas I have been hit with many different events. I am going to do a longer post about the past few months, but I wanted to give you something to look forward to. Below are the main events that have been happening and I will expand on them later. January - Cultural Field Studies in Cheptebo, Kenya February - Hernia Operation at a Kenyan Hospital March - Church Changes

Surprise!!

2009-01-12T16:11:00.001+03:00

So on the morning of December 26, I bought a ticket home. I left that same night and arrived in the States on Dec. 27. I did not tell my parents, so they were VERY surprised to have me. Troy picked me up from the airport and we were heading to mom's house. She was expecting Troy around 3 pm, but since he got me, he was later. We get home and Troy tells Mom that he needs her help with her birthday (which is on Dec. 28) present that is out in the car. I was waiting for her in the garage. Once she turned to enter the garage, she saw me and froze. I didn't know what to expect from her, but she was seriously caught off guard. It took her a good amount of time to really comprehend my being there. After surprising Mom, I went to surprise Dad and Jane. Dad answered the door and just said "Well, what are you doing here?!" He was shocked. Then I went to the basement to see Jane. I came around the corner and she jumped (as I was coming out the the dark and really did scare her) and then she was also very surprised to see me. In total, I spent 2 weeks in the States. I was grateful to have spent the time and money to go. I got a really good deal on the tickets ... $1,200, when it normally costs $1,800 or more. It was just a random deal because I flew on a holiday (Boxing Day - the day after Christmas). I bought the tickets in the morning and left that same night. I have never done something like that, especially flying across the globe. I will post more about my time in the States, but now we are in school and almost done with January. I pray that you all had a good Christmas season.

2008-12-25T18:17:00.000+03:00

School is OUT ... for three weeks.

2008-12-22T17:29:00.000+03:00

After the longest semester of my life, I am finally done with the first semester of my second year at Rosslyn. I really do enjoy my time here and teaching at Rosslyn. This semester has been harder due to my extra responsibilities at school and some at church. I still have papers to grade, but grades aren’t due until January 12.

VWO Kenya - National Conference

2008-12-20T16:52:00.000+03:00

Right after the safari, I got back to church for the beginning of our annual church conference. This year, the Nairobi church hosted it, unlike years’ past when Naivasha would host it. We were expecting 21 churches and about 400 people attending. We formed a small committee to arrange things. We had to find housing for the pastors, find housing for the delegates, and prepare food. This was a big undertaking, but it all worked out well.

Throughout the day, there would be 3 morning sessions, one afternoon session, and one night session. At each session, a pastor would preach for about 45 minutes. JB, (who was here with his wife a few years ago), Pastor Tim (who is Pastor Jones’ brother), and Pastor Bin Moussa (from Kinshasa, Congo) were all here for the conference.

On Friday night, they made some announcements … from Nairobi, Pastor Ominde and his wife Alice will be starting a church in Kisumu. And Pastor Jones and Marie will be staying in Nairobi.

Introducing Pastor Ominde and Alice

Pastor Bin Moussa and I at the Rift Valley

Safari

2008-12-15T16:37:00.000+03:00

From Sunday, December 7 until Tuesday, December 9, I went on a safari to the Masaai Mara with Andrew and Josh (2 friends from Colorado Springs). Andrew and Josh came out with JB and Gail, who used to live in Kenya with Pastor Paul and Emily. They were all here for our conference. For our safari, we flew to a tented came along the Talek River in the Mara. It was a small camp with less than 20 tents. The first night, only four of the tents were booked. It was nice and very peaceful. On Sunday and Tuesday we went on one game drive and on Monday we did an all-day drive. We saw all but one of the “Big Five” animals (lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, and buffalo). The only one we did not see was the rhino. The guys had a great time and they were impressed. They didn’t know what to expect. The tents come with showers and bathrooms in them, as well as electricity. This was a relaxing time for me and I also enjoyed showing the guys around.

Kenyan Wedding

2008-12-10T16:32:00.004+03:00

On December 6, I was in my first Kenyan wedding. Delfrey and Lydia got married. Delfrey asked me to be a groomsman. He had 8 groomsmen and she had like 10-12 bridesmaids. The thing with Kenyan weddings and even dating is that you keep things quiet until the dowry is paid. You don’t really date like we do in the States. It’s more of a progression in life. So with the dowry, the groom brings family and friends to pay for the bride. The groom is not allowed to speak, so he must choose a person to speak on his behalf. The same goes for the bride’s side. So all the negotiating is done through other people. The dowry can consist of many different things; like crates of soda, new clothes, animals, and money. Once it is paid, the bride and groom can now officially plan the wedding. They form committees in the church to help plan. The thing with the committees is that the people on the committee are expected to give money to help pay for the wedding. This committee was about 30 people and each were expected to pay 2,000/= Shillings (about $25 each, giving $750 total). Since I was in the wedding, I also had to pay for the 3-piece suit (1,500/= Shillings). Once planning is started, the announcements can be made regarding the wedding. Also we must announce that they are getting married about one month before the wedding, just in case if one of them is already married. Strange, but I guess that law came out of people getting married and then leaving their spouse and remarrying.

So on wedding day, I got my suit that morning, so there was no time to get things altered. But I was in the same boat as all the other groomsmen. At about 10am, we go to get the bride. All the bridesmaids come and they sing traditional songs at her house and then bring her to the church. It should go smoothly, but not today. The mother left the house and we could not get the bride without the parent’s blessing. I had to pick up the mother with another guy from church so that we could get things moving. Come to find out, the mom didn’t want her to marry or wanted more dowry, so that is why she purposefully left the house … to stall. Once we finally got back to the church, we were 2 hours late starting the wedding. The wedding was kind of like a normal church service with the wedding ceremony at the end.

I was a little traumatized with this experience and it would stick with me through the next few weeks. The worst part about it all was the lack of timeliness. I felt like my time was not appreciated and they could take the entire day for something that should have taken a few hours.

Church Renovations

2008-12-10T16:26:00.000+03:00

There have been some changes. Firstly, instead of Pastor Paul and his family returning from the States, Pastor Jones (Pastor Paul’s dad) and Marie have come out here to live until January. This will be a good time for us to learn from him. Secondly, the church compound has undergone a huge renovation. We lowered the platform, put tiles on the platform, cemented the base of the platform, laid cement paths from the outside of the tent to the platform, changed the material behind the platform, painted the buildings next to the church, and made a little serving area for food. All this is in preparation for the National Conference (9-12 December).

Kenyan Pastors

2008-12-05T16:23:00.000+03:00

Shortly after Pastor Jones and Pastor Safari came back from the church conference in Colorado Springs, Pastor Jones called a meeting with all the pastors that we have here in Kenya. It was held at a nice meeting area called Brakenhurst. Below is a picture of all the pastors and their wives that attended.

Obama Day (Nov 6)

2008-12-05T16:04:00.001+03:00

So all because Obama was elected president in the US, Kenya got a national holiday. School was out, so Paul, Chris, Jose, Kim, Wendy, Dalina and Jessie (all from Rosslyn) and I went to Hell’s Gate National Park. It was a well-needed day off. We went on a hike through the park. Our guide was a Masai man that was either drunk or hung-over, but we all survived. We saw the gorge where Angelina Jolie was filmed for the movie “Tomb Raider”, which the guide kept emphasizing.

Thanksgiving '08

2008-12-01T17:09:00.000+03:00

This year I celebrated Thanksgiving on Friday, like last year, but now with Pastor Jones, Marie, and Pastor Safari and his family. We had tons of food ... a 14 lb turkey as well. Jokingly, we gave Pastor Safari the entire turkey leg; and he ate most of it! Kenyans don't really eat turkey. Even the house worker, Margaret, asked what we were cooking. We had everything to eat from pumpkin pie to green bean casserole.

Catching up

2008-11-22T22:07:00.001+03:00

This post is in order to help catch you up on my life. Things went from normal stress to above normal to super stressful. This year I have taken on a more normal routine of living. I have become more involved in school and also in church. In school, I am the chair of one of our new goals for the next seven years. We were reaccredited through Middle States and ACSI (American Christian Schools International). In the accreditation process, the school has to pick at least 2 goals; they are Applied & Fine Arts and Spiritual & Character Development. Although we are a Christian school, we needed to do a more intentional job with influencing our students in their spiritual walk with God. Thus, the SCD (or SCuD) committee was formed. Somehow I became the chair of the committee and now in charge of 10 people that have tasks to complete in order to see the goal come to pass. On top of that committee, I am a Junior Class sponsor, one of four. Our job is to help organize the Junior Class with different tasks. Since I was over fundraising last year, I took it on again this year. Our goal is to raise about 300,000/= Shillings ($4,000) to use for the Junior-Senior Banquet, which is very much like a prom. Last year, the Junior Class was in charge of Mistletoe Market, a market where Rosslyn families and community members can purchase a booth to sell their items, kinda like a glorified garage sale. They earned a large sum from that, so we also got it this year. I was the lucky one to talk it on. After trying to get help from my fundraising committee, I decided that I would make the executive decision and have them do more of the labor. I really didn't realize ALL the work that would come with this. The market has 80 booths, plus I needed to arrange for security, and I also made arrangements with some vendors to receive a bit of their sales. In all, I have arranged deals with three vendors and so far I got a kick back of 25,000/= (about $300) from the deals. I felt like I was on the tv show Apprentice. The week right before the event was incredibly challenging and I feel like I barely taught because of it. On November 15, we held our annual market. We had a good amount of people and tight security. All the families and vendors received tickets to enter and they also received guest passes. This event draws a large amount of Kenyans looking for deals, especially the 5-finger discount. In the end, we caught 7 thieves, all women, all Kenyans, and 4 with children on them. It was a sight to see. They were very "sorry" ... to have gotten caught and even more sorry when we took them to the police station. We wanted them all to spend at least 1 night in jail, but instead we settled for 1 hour of harassment from the police. I just don't understand how they feel that just because of our skin color that they can justify stealing from us. Yes, we have more money than them, but our living styles are different. I even had a whole discussion with my Juniors, in French 3, about the incident and about Kenyan mentality towards Anglos. Now that Mistletoe Market is over, I have 4 weeks until school is over for the semester. Time has surely flashed by this school year. I feel that I am more involved nad more busy than I ever was in the States. Now on to church news. In October, both Pastor Paul and Pastor Safari and their families went to the States for the annual conference at Victory World Outreach in Colorado Springs. Last year just Pastor Paul and his family went back, so at least I had Pastor Safari around to help with things. Since he was gone this year, I was here to help out with the church. I only preached one Wednesday night, but I really did feel the weight that a pastor carries for the church. Just days after they left, one girl in church was diagnosed with Typhoid. Another week, a girl was scratched by a street dog and needed mild treatment. A few days before Pastor Safari returned, we washed the tent and a boy slipped and fell from the tent. Thankfully he was ok, but it still scared me. On Sundays, we had gust pastors from our other Kenyan churches come and preach for us. It was a nice time to get to know some of them better. Then on Wednesdays, we had our guys preach a short message. This time was a good time of stretching ... and in some cases, serious stretching. I increased my Kiswahili immensly and I got to know more people from the church. I also felt and understood more about what a pastor does. It's a great job, in both meanings.

Pictures from October

2008-11-22T22:00:00.000+03:00

Paul, Esther, and Happiness ...

Mother and daughter were released from the hospital less than 24 hours after the birth.

Here are the guys cleaning the tent.

On the way home one night, there was a huge tree that fell down. We were having lots of rain and the ground just gave way. It was still being cut down by the morning. What joys that does to traffic!

Coming soon

2008-11-19T21:28:00.002+03:00

If you are reading this, don't give up hope, I will be back with new updates soon ... including: -Obama Day -Mistletoe Market -3 Weeks without Pastors -Daily Life Thank you for reading and I will post soon. Chris

American Election = National KENYAN Holiday

2008-11-05T10:27:00.004+03:00

Due to the fact that Obama won the election in America, Kenya has declared a national holiday for tomorrow, Thursday, November 6. People have been so into our elections that you would think that they were voting. And thankfully they couldn't. It is very strange for me to see the reaction of Kenya in light of Obama. They have done so much to lift him up and put a positive light on him. Kenyans are celebrating, but what would they have done if he lost?! Here's a political cartoon that is in the paper here. Some places even held vigils all night praying for Obama and waiting to hear the results.

Magi!!

2008-09-27T18:54:00.002+03:00

Magi = water. And I have NONE. I have been out of water for the past 2 weeks, but just recently, the tap has been completely dry for the past few days. They had to do work on a section of pipes about 2 weekends ago. Then on that Tuesday, they turned the water on, but too high, so it broke other pipes. Since then, water has come on and off very sporadically. At least it filled my water heater up so I can take showers. I have never taken quick showers until now. I heard from upper ranking people that they are working on the water problem, but still, this is Africa, so please pray. Thanks. Enjoy your hot showers.

Credit ...

2008-09-27T18:44:00.002+03:00

There has been a spreading plague of credit card fraud. So far, there have been 5 teachers at my school, including ME, that have had to deal with credit fraud. For me, I got a call from the fraud department asking me to verify a purchase online for a hotel in France. It was $500! Luckily, that was the only charge on my account before it was caught. I actually wasn't too upset about it, but it is still scary. I have always had my card with me and I only used my card in verified ATMs. Who knows how people get a hold of the numbers, but it happens and it seems like it is happening more frequently. So, just beware of your cards.

What do you take for granted??

2008-09-16T22:32:00.002+03:00

You truly never know how good you got it until you don't have it. WATER!!! Unlike the frequent power outages that are common here, water outages are completely different. We can live without power; there are candles and gas stoves, but with water, you need it so much more. You don't realize that you need it to take a shower, flush the toilet, wash your hands, wash clothes, clean dishes, cook and drink. My dilemma is that the water has been out since Friday -- FIVE DAYS! I have been taking "showers," but of a modified nature. It is annoying that no one really knows when it will come back and really why it is out. They say that they are working on the lines, but it came back briefly this morning, so who knows why it is out again tonight. Don't take your water for granted! We even have to filter it here before we can drink it. These are the times that I long to be back in the States. Pray for water!

TRAFFIC!!

2008-09-16T22:20:00.003+03:00

If you think that we have traffic jams in the States, you have yet to be in one here in Kenya. A week ago, I went to pick up pizza at Pizza Inn, which is literally less than 10 minutes away from the school. Well, it rained hard this day and it took me close to 90 minutes to just get to the pizza place. It was the worst traffic I have ever seen and get me so frustrated. Then the next day I was on my way to Pastor Paul's house and here (below) are some pictures of the fun traffic. Here you drive as if you are the only one on the road and you completely disregard other people. That is how we get people that drive on the "sidewalk" or on on-coming traffic. As you look at these pictures, notice the progression of the cars, especially the ones that are now driving in on-coming traffic. The joys of Kenya!!

Braces!!

2008-09-03T15:43:00.002+03:00

It's been about 2 and a half weeks, but I am now an official wearer of braces. I am dealing with some TMJ problems and this is an option that the maxillo-facial surgeon suggested before surgery, but come to find out, the insurance company will not cover any treatment for TMJ. Atleast it is cheaper here to get braces, so I will have them for a little over a year.

"Brace" yourself ...

BEFORE

AFTER

Ok, so I look like a swelled up chipmunk. It was the first day and my mouth was still adjusting to the change. I couldn't eat solids for about a week because my teeth hurt so bad. I now sympathize with all my students that have braces.

DRC Conference

2008-09-03T13:26:00.000+03:00

Here are some pictures of my trip to the Congo. I was there for about 10 days. Pastor Bin Moussa had a misson's conference, where many of his pastors came and preached. There was a morning service and night service. He even had me preach 3 times for the morning sessions, that started at 6 am. I really enjoyed the time with them. I got to know more pastors from the Congo and form connections with them.

Pasteur Bin Moussa - Kinshasa, DRC

Pasteur Claude - Kinshasa, DRC

Pasteur Kapita - Bandundu City, DRC

Pasteur Jean Bosco - Mbandaka City, DRC

Pasteur Kalonji - Mbandaka City, DRC

Pasteur Didier - Kinshasa, DRC

He was sent out this conference to pastor a new church.

The Kinshasa Church

The morning service

Pastor Kapita's son (he was afraid of me at the beginning of the week)

Papa Jacques (my translator - Lingala/French)

Pictures from the States

2008-09-02T14:29:00.009+03:00

Evan at Red Rocks (Colorado Springs)

My cousin, Melony, & her family

My aunts, uncles, cousins in Kempton, PA

Alina, Troy & me

Uncle Dan, Aunt Diana & me

Grandpa Ritchie (in Ohio)

Glenda (my high school French teacher) & me at Le Central

Paul, Meagan & Everett (their newborn)

Jonathan & Bethany (wedding in Virginia) Dad & Jane

Evan & Kaitlynn at Dairy Queen

Troy & Evan (like father, like son) Me, Troy, Mom, Evan & Kaitlynn Victory World Outreach

Greeley - Pastor Jamie

Colorado Springs - Pastor Jones

Pennsylvania Sunset

Ohio - Amish

Yummy Food!!

Perogies

Philadelphia Cheese Steak Sandwich

Dairy Queen Ice Cream Cake - The best!

Where have I been?

2008-09-01T15:50:00.004+03:00

I know it's been a very long time since I updated and here I go. I will give you a brief run-down of my activities in the States. I spent just 6 weeks in the States. Originally, 6 weeks seemed too long, but it ended up being too short. Many teachers that went home usually stay until the absolute latest moment and end up arriving in Kenya the night before orientation. My home base was in Aurora, Colorado, where I spent time with my mom, dad, Jane, Troy and Alina. The hardest part about being in the States this time was that I had to borrow people's cars to get around -- thanks Mom and Jane! For the first week, I visited many friends and family members. I showed them pictures and talked in person about my Kenya experience. It still seems true that people don't know much about Africa or don't have a good understanding of it. Kenya is developing very quickly. There are normal houses, apartments, roads (to a point) and skyscrapers. It's out in the bush where you find huts and long drops (toilets / outhouses). So I helped to enlighten people on what Africa is and how the Kenyans are. There are many things I appreciate about the Kenyans and also things that annoy me. I appreciate that they care so much for people and are very helpful. I don't really care for the African mentality of no time concept. You know, all our cultures have things that are not good, but we do them because of culture. I can discuss that in a later entry. So back to friends and family. I got to see so many people and I drove all over eastern Colorado, but I enjoyed my time with each person I saw. It did seem very strange for me; in my head, everyone was how they were a year ago, but in reality, they have moved on. Not to say that they left me in the dust, but that since I was far away, relationships change. That was very difficult for me. I really care for all my friends and family and I miss you all greatly!! After just one week in Colorado, I flew with my mom and nephew, Evan, to Kempton, Pennsylvania to visit my mom's side of the family. The last time I was there was about 4 years ago. My cousins have grown up, gotten married and had kids. Strange. We had a family reunion with all my mom's brothers and sisters and their kids and families. It was so nice to see them all again. Evan had the joy of being on a farm. We stayed at my Aunt Sue's house which is an old farm house. Evan went fishing, drove a tractor and experienced farm life (minus the animals). Oh yeah, when we were boarding the airplane to go to PA, Evan said "It's hot in here, can we open some windows?" I laughed and some passengers did, but others looked a little terrified. After PA, I came back to Colorado for about two and a half weeks. I did more traveling within Colorado to see people. Plus I got to spend more time with Evan and Kaitlynn, his sister. They have grown so much. One Sunday, my dad and Jane had a get-together with families that I grew up with. I even gave an impromptu speech about Kenya. It was nice to see everyone. Those weeks went by quickly and I soon found myself traveling again. I left on July 5 to go to Ohio to visit my dad's family and then I was going to Virginia for a wedding. In Ohio, I stayed with my grandfather. He took me all over, including up to Lake Erie and through Amish country. We had lots of time to talk and for me to understand more about my family. My grandma died in January, so this was my first time to be in Ohio without her. From Ohio, I flew to Norfolk, Virginia to go to Jonathan's wedding. I met Jonathan in college in Spanish class and we soon became good friends. We even traveled through Europe for six weeks. It was a blast! He is now in the Coast Guard working in the JAG unit. His wife, Bethany, was a Spanish teacher at a Christian school in Norfolk. Although I didn't know Bethany before this trip, it seemed like I knew her for a long time. They are a great couple and I know that God is with them. I got to spend a few days before the wedding with them. For Jonathan's bachelor party, we went jet skiing in the ocean. I got pulled over by the Coast Guard -- not for speeding. They wanted to ask me if I knew where the fire extinguisher was. It was a random check and I didn't know, but the jet ski company did not tell us, so they got in trouble. The only tragedy was that Jonathan bumped his face and nose on the handles of the jet ski. He got a fat lip and was scrapped up a bit. Bethany reacted well to the news, despite the wedding being the next day!! He healed quickly and looked normal for the wedding. I was asked to be a groom's man, so I was part of the ceremony. They had a time of worship and also a time where Bethany returned the purity ring that her parents gave her. It is symbolic, but very powerful to both Bethany and Jonathan's testimony. For their honey moon, no one, except Jonathan's commanding officer, knew where they were going. Now I know that they went to Colorado and enjoyed the Rockies. Good choice! When I returned to Colorado, I had just 3 days before I left. I celebrated my birthday a little early with my mom. I got to eat very good ice cream cake from Dairy Queen -- the last time for two years. I had some last meals and times with my family and then I was on my long journey back to Kenya. Once I arrived in Kenya, I had to move into a new apartment and then 3 days later, fly to Congo for a misson's conference. I will tell you more about that soon as well as post some pictures. Thanks for reading.

Back in Kenya

2008-07-19T21:41:00.002+03:00

I wanted to let you know that I made it safely to Kenya. There were absolutely NO problems and I arrived. I stayed at Pastor Paul's the first night and now tonight, I am moving in to my new apartment. I will have pictures for you soon and pictures of my trip to the States. Time sure went quickly ... 6 weeks. Monday, I am flying to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. I will be there from July 21 until July 30. I will be attending a Mission's Conference at Pastor Bin Moussa's church. Pray that everything goes well; I will also be preaching two times in the morning - in French. More will come. It was great to see everyone that I saw in the States. Sorry if I didn't get a chance to see you. God bless!

Nimefika!! (I've arrived!!)

2008-06-06T08:15:00.002+03:00

I want to inform you that I arrived safely in the States. After 18 hours of plane rides and more than 7 hours of layovers, I am finally home. I am still trying to get adjusted to the time and to life in the States. I drove home from the airport and had to think seriously hard about what side of the road I am to drive on, not to mention the fact that I kept turning on the wipers when I wanted to put the blinker on. I got lots of shopping done today and I am now filling up my calendar with things to do and people to see. Hope to see you too!