The long safari home

Thank you for sticking with our Kenya blog over the past couple of weeks! We're now just 50 minutes away from touchdown at Heathrow and getting used to the idea that very soon our 'real' lives will be sweeping us up again.

We've had an amazing experience in Kenya with so much to process, memories to think on, situations and people to pray for and new friendships to treasure.

It hasn't all been easy and there have been some frayed tempers and tears. Mostly though, there's been laughter, generosity, kindness, love, more laughter... and lots of singing!

Our last few days have been spent 'glamping' at Sweetwaters. It felt appropriate to end our 'safari' ('journey' in Swahili) with the usual kind of safari, taking rather scary, mud-slidey drives out into the bush to see amazing sights: whole families of elephants, giraffes so close we could almost touch them, a pair of lions lying low, huge rhinos, buffalo, baboons, zebras, impala... and lots more. Incredible!

The views of Mount Kenya swathed in morning mists and beautiful sunsets were breathtakingly beautiful. The vast, panoramic skies were awe inspiring. And the opportunity to share our last few days together in the company of our hosts, Richard, Heidie, Luke, Neve and our firm new friend Lieutenant Patrick has made the perfect wind down to our trip.

Patrick treated us to one last experience of the real Kenya on our journey back to Nairobi. As we pulled into a roadside market, windows tightly shut, our two minibuses were mobbed by banana sellers. Patrick squeezed out of the door and proceeded to barter for the best price, surrounded by women waving bananas, avocado and passion fruit in his face. Apparently having muzungus in the car pushes the price up, but he returned triumphant anyway and we tasted the best bananas ever, fresh from the tree.

We're excited about sharing our photos, stories and experiences with you very soon. We hope that the the things we've learned about ourselves, about the way other people live and the opportunities each of us have to be part of the change we hope to see in the world ripples out into the lives of others. We've been knocked sideways by the faith we've seen in people with so little.

We've realised how very poor we are in so many ways, how our comfort and material wealth often masks our lack of community and trust in God. How dulled our sense of joy in worshipping our amazing God has become.

We're praying that as we share with you and reflect on our journey, our Kenyan 'safari', God's kingdom will come a little closer in your lives and ours.

So huge thanks again for your support, and especially for your prayers - there were some crazily scary moments, particularly on the roads and we have been very conscious of God's hand upon us.

And lastly... special thanks to Richard, Heidie, Moses, Patrick, Carol for stepping in so bravely less than two days before our flight, and the lovely Helen whose vision it was to take this trip and who was, in the event, unable to come. Praying God's most beautiful blessings on each one of you.

Angie x

Last day of painting

Well today was the last day of painting so we woke up nice and early to head off to the blind school. We stopped over the shops I (Goodreach) wanted to get some items to see if I could fix the broken sink in the nursery and we also needed some spare brushes and extra stuff to finish the job .

At the end of the second day we felt a bit clueless - we thought there was far too much to be done and weren't sure wether we could finish the job on time , so at soon as we got to the school we gave each other jobs and a list of all that needed to be done and just got on with it! Beth F, Nyasha and Seb finished painting the windows while Beth Selfe, Angie, Sophie and the rest of the group finished the interior painting .

Whilst everyone was painting I started on the plumbing and with alot of effort we were moving forward very fast . When some people finished painting they started cleaning the windows. Beth f , Angie , Sophie and I did some wonderful
art on the walls and when we finished the class rooms they looked great! The kids now have a newly painted nursery unit which looks 10 times better than it did originally. The plumbing I had done was successful so they had a working hand washing section for the first time in a long time.

We re-arranged the class room to how it was but it just looked so much better at the end of the day we got a vote of thanks from the deputy head teacher and the Captain Leonard who works in the chapel at the school.

We were proud of what we did because the classrooms looked so much better - however, we saw the big difference between their facilities and what we have in England. Even though we worked hard there was that feeling of "umm right we did good but there is still more to be done" . We did a good job I just felt the feeling that I want to come back and do so much more because they are such wonderful children and they deserve so much more than what they have.

Goodreach the Plumber :-)

Just keep painting, just keep painting

Today was another great day in the wonderful place of Kenya! This morning we went to Joy Town which is a school for disabled children.

We were taken to two different classes, first was a class with children who had mild mental or physical disabilities. This class (the sunshine class) were learning life skills such as brushing teeth, simple maths and other skills to prepare them hopefully to be able to attend Variety Village where they would hopefully be equipped with the vocational skills to be able to start their own business. The class presented a song to us which was lovely as they seemed really happy to be joining together in these songs.

The principal of the school then took us to the most severely challenged class of which was tied to the name 'special class' by the sign above the door. 99% of this class had cerebral palsy, and all of them had more than one condition. While some in the class were just entertained with toys or rattles made from water bottles, others were given basic tasks to do such as creating numbers with play dough.

Although I understand these are the lucky children for being able to get into school, I couldn't help but feel these children could have been given so much better quality of life. The children have one building which they eat, sleep and learn in which just doesn't given them any chance for fresh air, new experiences or anything more stimulating. That said, I know that the teachers and volunteers are doing an amazing job with the facilities that they have.

Something that struck me about the teaching and other staff is that their ratio is 10 children to 1 adult, when in the UK it can be 6 children to 1 adult (different depending on their setting and age) and that would be for able bodied children. The people who are caring for these children are amazing, but I can't help but feel like these kids could have more.

After Joy Town we went straight back to Thika School to carry on painting the second cost. The nursery is looking 10 times better than it did, it is clean and is looking more fresh. After we had done our painting slot for the day we went for a meal for lunch, on the way however we saw a car accident so please pray for those people and their families.

It's great to be able to see the things going on with the Salvation Army in Kenya and we have many stories to tell so far, so get ready for it when we get home. Not long now and you will be able to see us again, we know you have missed us.

Love ya all,
God bless
Beth Selfe

April fools!

Today was the feared April fools day, one day in which I was dreading because of a few crafty individuals (or shall I say individual)! After being awake for ten minutes I discovered not only that Mark was very quick at emptying Seb's room but Seb did not take it lightly to say the least! This probably was not aided by the early start before we ventured back to Thika to paint the nursery.

If that were not enough, Mark then decided to have a little switch around, (with the help of Alfred from our Accommodation), of all of the keys to our rooms which resulted in just a little bit of confusion! This is a nightmare of a secret to keep seeing as I cannot keep secrets and when quizzed why Mark was suspiciously talking outside with the staff, I just had to run out of the room!

This was not the last of the adventures we went through that day. After arriving at the blind school for the second time we were confronted with more eggs, this time at a restaurant, when we were served with a full English breakfast (just 30 minutes after we had eaten our own breakfast at the base may I add) followed by huge Kenyan donuts.. We were stuffed!

After this we started scraping and washing two nursery classrooms, all the windows, all the doors and all the walls, and after ten minutes it felt like we needed another English breakfast to keep us fuelled!

This then led to more discoveries. We discovered that Mark cannot paint, Richard was very good at making sandwiches and Beth France was very speedy at painting windows!

The painting went very well and we managed to paint two classrooms and all the windows. Mark and Richard slaved for hours whilst chipping away some 'blackboard' paint whilst good old Captain Moses was stood on a wonky storage unit all day whilst painting those hard to reach places.

After all the painting was over, at Beth's request, we had the joy of listening to the Thika choir again and were utterly blessed by their strong determination to bless others despite of their challenges.

So all in all a good day with lots of laughs (and Seb's distress!)

Happy April fools day!

Sophie

The Heights of Kilome

Apologies for the delay, by the time I had finished this we were experiencing one of our regular power cuts, and consequentially had no WiFi. My bad!

Saturday brought back the demoralising early mornings for some, as we were due to depart at 6.30am. Fortunately for Seb, who happened to also turn 20 that day, Captain Moses was delayed and did not arrive until just gone seven!

The following three hours consisted of first picking up a gentleman called Eric, then (as always) the unique minibus trip towards the heights of Kilome for a fun day with the children there. Most of the guys and girls attend the school because they have suffered from HIV or other issues within their families, resulting in many of them being orphaned at an early age.

There were many things we saw on the outward journey, from good sights such as a herd of Giraffe 15 metres from the side of the road and zebras, to the hard realisation that we were on one of Kenya's most notorious roads for accidents. We passed many incidents that were left on the side of the road, one of which being from early that morning, where three lorries had collided and ignited. Captain explained that this was mainly due to careless driving and over taking - an experience throughout the trip we will probably never forget!

Once we arrived, we were welcomed by Major Mary and Joseph (no joke!), who provided breakfast with yet more eggs and cakes. After breakfast, we headed straight out to meet the children...

We started by playing a game together with all of the children and guardians, in which we had to get into groups of the same number that the Major called out. I don't think that any of us had a clue about how violent grandmothers could be! (More than one of us were left with marks around our arms and necks!). After that, we played a few small ice-breaker games with the children.

Once this ended, we split the group into two, with the younger kids going off into the church for some crafts and games, whilst the older lot stayed outside and played some football with Goodreach and I. The look on the children's face when Major Joseph, (who was translating) told them that I would be giving them the equipment to keep after we had finished I will never forget! Then the match was on...

To see the children enjoy themselves over something as easy to come by in England as a football was very humbling, even though the altitude did make the game interesting for us! It was similar to Thursday evening, when we went to Mathare North SA for their sports project. To see what the guys had previous, and to know that you have given them not only just a day to remember, but a legacy that they can continue to work on with the equipment that they received made me think about just how lucky we are in the UK, and how we take many things for granted.

As always on African time, we left Kilome slightly (two hours) late, resulting in us having to slightly tweak the itinerary, and postpone one trip for 24 hours. Leaving at two pm, we didn't return back to Mt Carmel until just gone five, where the hotly anticipated announcement regarding the President Elect was being unveiled. There was possibility of tension from the supporters of the rival parties, but the decision to not re-count, mixed with the sudden, rather heavy downfall of rain, greatly reduced the amount of people in the city.

Richard popped over in the evening, and brought Luke and Neve over which ended up in an embarrassing defeat in a race for me, and a 'competitive' game of hide and seek! Richard let us know an update about both Captain Moses, whose car was behind a Matatu (Kenyan Taxi) which a tree collapsed on, killing two people; and Lieutenant Patrick, who had to look after many people who fled their homes in fear of violence due to the election result. Our prayers are with them both.

So all in all it was an exciting day, with our work touching more people from around the East of Kenya (not including the sun touching some of the group!).

I was going to say it's nearly Easter, but I was late.... Happy Easter!

Mark

What's your stone?

He has risen!!!!!!! So it's Easter Sunday and it has been quite the day! First we woke up with no electricity because of the heavy rain last night, which meant my army shirt wasn't ironed! Oh well! Lol. We were picked up by Richard to go for breakfast at the officers house at Mathare Corps. When we arrived we were welcomed warmly and with fried eggs! This was exciting for me as we had started expecting hard boiled eggs as a part of the typical Kenyan breakfast.


We went in for the meeting. I didn't really know what to expect as I have learnt that no army corps is like another. The first thing I noticed was how beautifully decorated the church was. It looked like it was bursting with life and joy! I am pretty sure that the meeting was running one hour behind. But that's just the African way I think. We were blessed by presentations from various groups within the corps; the youth dancers, junior gospel dancers, songsters,the home league timbrels and the praise and worship. My favourite of all these by far was the junior gospel dancers. Such an inspiration! Boys and girls genuinely enjoying worshiping God through dance. There was this one little boy at the front who was putting his all into it, bright smile from start to finish. It made me so happy to see these children so into their worship. They are the future of the church!

Carol gave an amazing Easter Sunday sermon. What I took from it was the concept of the stone that covered Jesus' tomb as things in our lives that keep us from moving on in our faith. We all have things that we put before God and we 'put Jesus into the tomb' and we don't include him in our issues. We need to bring our problems to Jesus and roll away the stone that separates us from Him.

After the meeting we had lunch at the officers' house, which was lovely! I also spoke to a lady who had a cute little 5month old baby boy. His name was Peter and he is definitely the most calm baby I have ever met. Bless him! He slept through the meeting and woke up near the end and was just sat in his mothers arms with the most beautiful smile. As i LOVE little babies the mother let me hold him! I will remember him in my prayers as he is growing up in Mathare Slum which isn't the best place for anyone to live,much less a little baby. Praying for blessings on his life.

We left and went to Kabete Children's home for a fun day. We had finger painting, face painting, football, colouring and many other fun activities. The children all got very involved in the activities and appeared to be thoroughly enjoying themselves. I was mainly involved with the younger children, we played with building blocks and did a lot of colouring in sheets. There was this one little boy, Mikey, he really enjoyed his colouring! He spent like an hour on just one picture and had this focused smile on his face. When he was finished he showed me his picture with such a proud smile on his face! Beautiful little boy. I felt blessed by the passion this little boy had for his art! I pray that he has a bright future ahead and that God will open many doors for him!

All in all today was an amazing day! Stay blessed and may you have the courage to roll away the stones in your lives!
Much Love, Nyasha

Singing in the rain

Well well well.....! Today was very much a wildlife day. Our main event was to head to lake Naivasha to boat along and spot some hippos. However our journey started at home with a late start of 9AM. (Yes, that's late now!) after heading out of our car park we headed to a guest house around the corner to pick up three patrons from the Kenya trust. They were here for the music school starting on Sunday.

On the way to lake Naivasha we stopped at Rift Valley....a stunning view which must be seen in person to appreciate, however I'm sure that a quick google will substitute a trans-continental flight. Whilst on google you should investigate the significance of Rift Valley.

After leaving Rift Valley we headed towards a lodge on the lakeside for a very tasty lunch. Only one cockroach fell on Annalise's foot, we shan't dwell on that......

After lunch we headed to the resort where we were to find the boats. The boat ride lasted all of 15 minutes before the rain called it off. (If we had been back home I'm sure we would have carried on........) We didn't let it smash our enthusiasm however, we started singing a Capella. First with The popular chorus 'fishers of men,' and after we had finished, an African lady sang us back the chorus but in Swahili. The next 30 minutes of waiting on a roofed lake boat moored to a pontoon was spent singing various choruses...with audience participation!

Anyway, we returned to the Mustard Seed after our shortened boat ride and had a Good Friday service which was led by Major Carol. This service was delayed after the washing line disaster with all the clean clothes falling onto the ground....and even me!

Today, a day without so much which we had become accustomed to: Firstly, no tea with boiled eggs. Every day we have been welcomed into someone's home with tea, snacks, and boiled eggs! Sometimes more than three times!
Secondly we didn't sing, "the song"! In a meeting, however we did on the boat! (Whenever there is a welcome meeting for us, we are always invited to bring a contribution....with a minibus rehearsal on Monday we decided to sing 'the way it's gunna be' and has since been known as, "the song"! :-) Thirdly Major 'Caro' hasn't been asked to pray a blessing on the venue we were visiting, because we had visited no projects. Fourthly, and sadly, we haven't met with our officer guides Lieutenant Patrick and Captain Moses.
Fifthly, we didn't see the usual staff at the mustard seed who join in our evening devotions who we have become friends with.

In summary, we drove for three hours to see hippos for 15 minutes, had a God filled Good Friday and have seen some incredible sights in a wonderful wonderful country! Win!

Kwa herini, tutaonana.
Asante sana!

Seb