Kenya Mission

Coming Home

2009-01-27T08:07:00.000-08:00

Sooooooo, the adventure has come to an end. I’m going to be leaving Tumaini for the last time on Friday afternoon. I’ll stay in Nairobi for a few days, then head home on Feb. 2.
My last week will be a very heartbreaking experience due to the overwhelming sadness to have to tell all the children I’ve grown to love in only a little over a month…… goodbye. I’m planning on giving a talk in fellowship Thursday night, followed by a s’mores party. Most if not all of the kids here have no idea what a s’more is so I thought it’d be a great idea to buy the supplies and cook s’mores with them one night and it worked out perfectly to be my going away present to them.
This will probably be my last blog for my Kenya Mission and I want to thank everyone for keeping up with my trip. It was very uplifting and a tremendous blessing to get to experience all the things I did with ya’ll by my side. I’ve learned on this trip how valuable friends and family are and what an amazing gift God has given us to be able to share our lives with these people. I’ve also learned how small and insignificant I can feel sometimes and how the only way to find and feel a sense of purpose is through our Lord Jesus Christ. There are limitless opportunities out there in which we can serve him and he’s given each of us a different approach to serving him and fulfilling our own unique role. It’s quite amazing how there are so many people on this planet, but yet each and every one fits into God’s intricate plan and meshes together according to his purpose.
If Kenya can be a fair representation for all of Africa then I can say, I am in love with this continent. I’m not sure where or how I’ll be called to serve in the future, but I know one thing for sure…..... these past three months have confirmed that I’d like to return to Africa one day, whether it be long or short term I’m not sure, but I have a heart for these people and a desire to help contribute to their well being.
Please pray for my safe return back home and also for the strength to say goodbye to the children. I want to thank you all for the prayers and support throughout my mission and I can’t wait to see you all when I get home!! I love ya’ll!

In His Name,
Ryan Joseph

Winding down

2009-01-18T09:05:00.000-08:00

Hello all! It’s been to long since I blogged last and I want to apologize for not keeping ya’ll updated. Not much has been going on here at the orphanage but I’ve managed to stay busy by doing various things to help out around here. Returning from Christmas in Nairobi was very exciting. The anticipation of seeing the kids continued to build with each mile that passed. As soon as we pulled up to the orphanage we were greeted by swarms of kids yelling our names jockeying for position to be the first to give us a welcome hug. I figured that seeing the kids again after two weeks would be very exciting for me but it wasn’t until I got out of the car that I realized the relationships I’d built after living with them for only a little over a week. It was incredible, the smiles on their faces, the joy in their voices, merely from seeing and getting to touch us again.
The kids are now back in school so up until 3:30 each day I’m free to do as I please. I try to get some reading done, maybe some exercising, and help out wherever I’m needed, whether that be working in the shamba, chopping firewood, or running to the duka or butcher. Also, we were able to buy 100 bananas, 50 mangoes, 10 pineapples, 100 oranges, and 19 kilos of beef for the kids with the money Mema & Bigdaddy gave me. And we still have some left to throw a little party for the kids. I have some pictures of the children and their fruit, but won’t be able to post any until I’m back in Nairobi. I’ll diffidently let ya’ll know how the party goes though.
Lindsey and I will be heading to Nairobi on Tuesday the 20th then take a night bus to the coast to visit Adam and Austin who are currently doing some Muslim ministry in Malindi. We’ll stay there for four days then take another night bus back to Nairobi, then back to the orphanage for a few days. After spending my last few days here with the kids I’ll be going back to Nairobi on the 31st then leave for home on Feb. 2.
At the beginning of January I was trying to extend my stay but after some emails and calculations I’ve realized I won’t be able to due to a lack of funds and a ticket change penalty (I already changed due to my ankle so the penalty is pretty steep). With my time winding down I realize that I’m going to miss the kids tremendously, but I think I’m about ready to come back. I miss my family and friends tremendously and am really looking forward to sharing with all of you my adventures here in Kenya. I just want to ask that ya’ll pray for me in my travels to the coast. I also ask that ya’ll pray that I stay focused on my mission as my time here comes to an end. Help me to not think about home, or what I’m going to do once I get back, but pray that I continue to give these children all my attention, focus, and love and that I don’t forget why I’m here.

Mazungus and the maasai

2008-12-30T12:16:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope everyone had a great christmas and is looking forward to a fun New Years! Christmas here was pretty uneventful, but still lots of fun. We had a large lunch together on Christmas day and a gift exchange on christmas night. On christmas day I cooked, and was actually really impressed with, some sweet potato balls and carrot souffle. As for the other food at the dinner, it was very interesting and multicultural. We had lots of german food mixed with some american and even some african.

A couple days before christmas we laid the cement at joysprings church, church in Kibera slum, which went really well. We overshot our original estimate by a little bit because we originally quoted "Kenyan cement", but I wanted to put in some "American cement". The difference is you use around a 10:1 ratio of sand to cement for Kenyan cement and around 4:1 for American cement. Thus American cement turns out much much stronger and lasts longer. So the preacher and all the members were very very thankful for our donation (not much for us, but as I said before.... Kenyans are very grateful people).

On the 28th me and four friends headed out for our Maasai Mara safari. We got there around 2 on Sunday and went for an evening game drive from 4-7, then an all day game drive from 9-6 on Monday. Amazing and incredible wouldn't even do the safari justice. We saw numerous different animals from lions feeding on a dead water buffalo to two elephants fighting. I don't have the pictures with me to post now so they may have to wait to be emailed or seen upon my return home. Another interesting part of the trip was getting to talk with some of the Maasai. As I said before, the Maasai warriors are very popular here in Kenya and everywhere you look you'll see something resembling their culture. Something that continued to fascinate us was the fact that the male Maasai, or Maasai warrior, has to kill a lion with only a spear at the age of 15 in order to be initiated as a man. Also, the men in this intriguing culture buy their wives with cows. It's usually about 10 cows to one wife. So one individual may get up to 10 cows, and buy a wife. Then get 10 more, and buy another until they feel like stopping. Then, they hope to have many daughters so they can collect the 10 cows each time they give one to a man. The maasai are a very friendly and docile culture and are, lucky for us, very willing to share their culture with outsiders.

We returned to Nairobi on Tuesday afternoon and are now preparing to head back up to the orphanage on Thursday. My grandparents (Mema and Bigdaddy) have decided to donate 100 dollars to the kids at Tumaini for some food. These kids do eat everyday, but it's the same thing over and over. They only get beans, sometimes corn or potatoes, and a ugali (mushed up maize). They may get meat maybe three to four times per year and fruit maybe once every two weeks. So when we get back, we're going to be able to buy maybe two or three meals worth of beef along with some fruit. What an amazing blessing for these kids whose faces will light up at the sight of meat on their plates. I'm gonna post a link soon in case anyone would like more info on the kids at Tumaini and how you can sponsor a child.

Please pray for our safe travels and for people, like my grandparents, all over the world who are willing to share their blessings with the less fortunate.

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." James 1:27

Where was I when they were on the street?

Where was I when they had no food?

Where was I when they were being raped and beaten?

Forgive me Lord, for I have sinned.

What do you want me to do Lord?

Show me, I beg you. What do you want me to do?

-Janine Maxwell

It's Not Okay With Me

"Christmas" in Nairobi

2008-12-22T10:30:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

It's good to be back in Nairobi with some internet I can use to communicate with ya'll. I arrived yesterday Dec. 21, and am happy to be back and see some friends...... and have a stove, and a grocery store, and a comfortable bed, and the internet, and of course a gym. I'll be here until Dec. 28, then some friends and I are going out to Maasai Mara which is a very popular game park, maybe the most in all of Africa. We'll return on the 1st then head back to Tumaini on the 2nd or 3rd.

Anyways, the past week has been great! Last weekend we went to Lake Naivasha, a huge lake in the Rift Valley, and took a "hippo safari", a tour on a boat among the hippos. It was exciting considering we got to chase a couple giraffes and an agitated hippo charged our boat. The next day we took a day trip to Aberdares National Park. We got to do a little hiking, some exploring, and see some

breathtaking waterfalls. But the best part of the past week was getting to know all the kids and just spend some time with them. Right now the kids are not in school so they have plenty of free time to hang out and basically do what we want. Most of the day I either spend with the kids, or chopping wood, or working in the chamba (field). One day I worked in the chamba with some of the older kids for four hours straight. Right after we finished, I came home and went straight to crash. I never imagined farming for potatoes was such hard work, but I still enjoyed it. A lot of the time I don't spend with the kids I'll hang out with Wilford. Wilford is an older man, around 50, and is the caretaker of all the animals, cows and chickens mainly, and also does some work in some of the chambas. Many times Wilford and I will take a walk to the duka or just sit in his kitchen, a shack with a fire in the middle, and talk while roasting some maize for an afternoon snack.

One day last week we got to hand out some blankets and dolls, which Lindsey's church had made, to the kids. We also made some christmas chapati for the kids (chapati cut in christmas shapes) which they really enjoyed. The whole day was a lot of fun getting to see the smiles on all the kids faces and seeing the gifts be put to use. One of the things I love about the kids at Tumaini is how much they truly appreciate and cherish every little thing people do for them. Something as simple as a notecard with their name and a short

christmas note to them brings an ear to ear smile to their faces. These kids really understand where they came from and are truly thankful for everything in their life, especially their relationship with christ. You should see these kids worship....... their enthusiasm for Jesus blows me away. Every night they have what's called fellowship, a time to sing and share bible verses or listen to different people speak. These kids never complain like kids in the states would (just picture Sunday morning before church), and really enjoy singing to the Lord. I'm continually becoming more and more attached to the children and can't imagine having to leave. Just from spending a week and a half with the kids they've already become comfortable with me and really enjoy our time together. I have many pictures and stories just from the past week that I can't wait to share with everyone.

Tomorrow (Tuesday 23) I'm laying some cement for Daniel's church so ya'll please pray that it goes well and we don't come across any problems. And please pray for Daniel's church in general as they are really putting a lot of effort into community outreach and expanding their church but are lacking sufficient funds. Also pray extra for the safety of all the missionaries here because things tend to get a little crazy around christmas time since many people are becoming desperate for money in order to even have a christmas.

Also, I want to recommend a book to you guys.....It's Not Okay With Me, by Janine Maxwell. Janine is the head of Heart for Africa, the organization based in Atlanta which supports Tumaini. In this book she writes about her experiences visiting kids on the streets in Kenya and really opens your eyes to the huge orphan problem here due to the AIDS/HIV epidemic. In the book she also mentions a boy named David. David is the social worker, and a friend, currently at Tumaini and was once a street boy himself.

Lastly, I'm going to soon be posting some information on here on how to adopt a child here at Tumaini. There's currently a shortage on sponsors, which means a shortage on funding for the whole orphanage, which means tighter food budgets. So we need to try and pick up some more sponsors for these kids. Well, I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas and I love and miss all of you!

Pictures: starting at the top- the view from my right outside my door, my boy Isaac and I, one of the kids lifting my new contraption for working out, Faith (the most amazing little girl I've ever seen) goofing off, again my boy Isaac and I after church, the Tumaini Team (Katie on left, Lindsey on right), chopping wood, handing out christmas chapati, handing out christmas blankets

Tumaini means hope

2008-12-14T22:19:00.001-08:00

Hey friends…… So it happened really quickly, but I’m now at a new place and a new ministry. Monday I met with the SIM Kenya director and Daniel to figure out where I could be of the biggest help and hopefully make the biggest contribution. We explored all of our options and decided the Lord was calling me to a little orphanage in the mountains (Aberdares). So I came out here Wednesday and am at a loss for words. Everyday I become more and more amazed at God’s creation and words definitely wouldn’t do this place justice. Every direction I turn I’m facing a mountain and everywhere I walk I’m surrounded by green pastures or numerous different crops. When I breathe the air here I think to myself, “this is the way God planned it to be”. A quick five minute walk to the local duka or butchery (I’ll tell ya’ll about later) is all you need to witness our world in its most natural form. The air is crisp and clean with and aroma of freshly picked green onions.
As for the orphanage itself….. There are 87 boys and girls here ranging from ages 3-17 and from numerous of different backgrounds. The campus consists of 2 large dormitories, a kitchen, a bakery, a guest house, a house for the “mama”, and one for the social worker. They also have their own soccer field, milking cows, chickens, and numerous gardens.
I’m currently working on getting acclimated to the colder conditions here (because of the elevation) and learning the kids names. So please pray for to quickly learn these kid’s names as it means a lot to them to know each individually. The one minor drawback here is the communication. Internet out here is minimal at best and is costly to use. This means no skype and not as many blogs, but I’ll be back in Nairobi from the 21-27 for Christmas and some better internet.
Right now the kids are out of school so have lots of time to play and talk, but will be back in school when we return after Christmas and that means time for me to think of some projects to keep busy. The first will most definitely be putting some backboards and nets on their “hoops”, and teaching them a real game. Also, I’ll be chopping a lot of wood for them to cook with, and to get some sort of a workout. O, and the diet here is very different….. not near as many resources, like grocery stores or ovens or fridges. So we have to make due with what we have, lots of rice, beans, milk, and whatever meat the local butcher has decided to slaughter for the week. The butcher is a little hut with the choice meat for the week, sheep or cow, hanging in the window. I walk in for and order 2 kg’s of beef, today it’s cow, and the lady grabs a wood saw and starts going at it. I was so excited to see all this, talk about rural.
Well, I’ll try to keep ya’ll as updated as possible while being out here. Also, I got the funding for the cement covered so I’ll let ya’ll know how that goes. I miss everyone tremendously and hope the holidays are going good.

Weekend in the Slum

2008-12-07T08:53:00.000-08:00

This weekend was definitely not the normal relax/sightsee/shopping weekend. Me, my roommate, and his three friends decided to visit Daniel's home and church this weekend. I sure was in for a surprise! Daniel lives in Kibera, aka the largest slum in Africa, which houses 1.4 million people! I figured slum, ok, probably something like Mexico, or the pictures I've seen on the internet of slums in India or China. Pictures DO NOT do this place justice. This was a one of a kind experience.... the houses, the people, the sights, sounds, and smells. Everything was so new to me. This place makes the rest of Nairobi look upper class, like a shining, clean, beautiful city where crime is only an afterthought. So, I'm gonna attempt to put into words, and a few pictures, what I experienced this weekend.

As we walk down the main road of the slum, the only paved road, going to meet Daniel we are greeted by almost every person we pass, especially children. Although I'm not sure if all these were friendly greetings or not as only some were in English. I did understand one thing many of them said...... Obama, Obama! In one incident someone asked, "How is Obama doing?" And I gave the wrong reply of "He's not president yet" (meaning nothing negative, only that he won't officially be in office until January). I don't think he liked the reply too much and started shouting at us.

So one of the Canadians I was with said, "He's doing great", in order to calm him down a bit. All of the children scream out "Howareyou", saying it all in one word. We wondered why the children all yell this, and not something like "hello" or "welcome". We later found out that "how are you" is how the children greet you, it's like their hello. So after walking through the open market where they sell anything from used shoes and designer jeans to used toothbrushes and 5 year old magazines we continued on, walking around burning mounds of trash and jumping over piles of "waste". The worst thing about walking around in the town wasn't the people or the sanitation, but having to watch the ground the whole time to make sure I don't step on something the wrong way and kill my ankle again. (This is actually the worst thing about Nairobi, the streets and all the potholes and rocks. I feel like my ankle could give at any second) So after about an hour of walking through the slums we stop in at Daniel's church. It's hard to explain how this slum is set up and how the church just blends in. Every house and building is around 2-4 feet away from each other and the doors to each place are very concealed. Kind of come out of nowhere. The church has 6 classrooms, all about 6x6 feet, and a room for the worship services, which is about 8x30 feet and has a floor covered with half concrete and the other half is rocks and dirt.

After about 2 hours of visiting with the preacher, Kenyans love to talk, we continue on to Daniel's house. We finally arrive to his 2 room, 1 living and 1 kitchen/bedroom, house. The living room is about 4x8 ft. and can barely fit all of us. But we manage and are in for an awesome meal. Daniel's wife brings out numerous bowls filled with rice, beef stew, chicken stew, chapati's, and potatoes. The meal was tremendous and we ate until we couldn't move anymore. We visited with Daniel and his family for another two hours then finally began to make our way home.

After a long night of rest we set out for church the next morning. This time we got to take a taxi into the slums, thank the Lord, very near the church. The church service was indescribable, but I'll do my best to give ya'll a picture. The pastor preached for about an hour, 9:30-10:30, then we sang and danced, and when I say danced I mean it, for another hour, 10:30-11:30. The singing was very loud and basically all over the place. You had two worship leaders singing up front and a lady behind me doing some kind of tribal scream as she danced in circles. Then there was the pastor up front stomping in circles and going around for high fives. After

the raucous worship and praise another preacher got up, a pastor from a visiting church, and gave another 2 hour sermon, 11:30-1:30. After the 4 hour service in which we had to sneak out early because the pastor wasn't finished, we made our way to the pastors house for lunch. Again, we had some delicious stew, rice, chapati, and mango, and again I stuffed myself to where I could no longer move. After a long day I finally made it back to the compound for some time to reflect on all that I'd seen and a very much needed two hour nap.

Now I want to share with you some personal thoughts of my journey through the slums. As I walked among all the trash, mud, and delicate buildings I began to compare the materialistic nature of most Americans to the nature of these people and how it relates to our walk with Christ, and I couldn't help but think about how much help, not these people, but Americans need. Yes, it's obvious how much physical help the people of Kibera need. From things like healthcare and vitamins to things as simple as a bag of flour or a pair of shoes (at least one with an intact sole and something covering the toes). But this lack of simple daily materials shines light on America's need for some spiritual nurturing. I mean, it's clear how easy it is for us to get wrapped up in our daily lives and all the glamorous things this world has to offer. Just look at 90% of Americans right now...... shopping numerous hours for that great holiday outfit, or that magnificent christmas decoration, or the perfect gift. It's evident that sometimes, even with the best intentions, we get wrapped up in our lives and in all the commotion and busyness

around us we get lost and forget that this life is only temporary, that we are only visitors. As for the people of Kibera, and similar places elsewhere, what do they have that can consume them? Flour, maize, a 10 year old hand-me-down shirt, or a used pair of underwear? And I'm not saying they don't need to be told and reminded the word of God. I'm saying they don't have near the degree of materialistic temptations that we do. No christmas presents, no car, no nice clothes or shoes, and no room for house decorations. So, a lot can be done here.... A LOT! But, as Americans, we need to be reminded everyday of the word of God and do the best we can or know how to live this life as a temporary assignment rather than an eternal home.

Lastly, I need ya'lls help. Where they hold the worship service in Daniel's church is half covered in dirt and half concrete. So when it rains the dirt part turns to mud and creates a huge mess. Something as simple as a few bags of concrete, some sand, and a little manual labor can fix the problem right up. So over christmas I'm planning on laying some concrete to help. The cost will be around 100 dollars for everything. So if you'd like to help me with the funding shoot me an email, rjosep4@lsu.edu

Pictures: Daniel and his family at their home, children in Kibera, a really nice hotel.

Giraffe kisses

2008-12-04T10:25:00.000-08:00

Hey friends!! Soooo, I don't have much to say about my ministry here..... but I feel like I should fill ya'll in on what's goin on. Scott, the guy I've been working with in the E.R has gone back to the states to tend to an emergency, not sure what it is and haven't gotten a reply through email, and should be gone about two weeks, at the least. So this week I haven't had much to do and have become a little discouraged. I've been talking to Daniel, my mentor, about possibly going into another ministry. Maybe another hospital, maybe an orphanage, or maybe something totally new. Whatever it is, only the Lord knows and ultimately it's him who decides. With that being said I ask that ya'll please pray for me and that Daniel and I have clear direction from the Lord no matter what path he decides to open up. Pray for me to be blessed with the opportunity to share God's love with the people here and for the strength to continue to work in God's will, no matter what the call.

In my previous blogs I've told story after story of the adventures I've had here in Kenya thus far. What I haven't told ya'll is some of the things I've learned since I've been here which is a huge part of my life right now since a trip like this tends to open your eyes to a lot of things and gets your head going in a lot of different directions. So, I'd like to let ya'll in on some of my recent thoughts and insights that I think ya'll will enjoy. While learning little tidbits here and there one of the recurring themes in my daily life which is so much more profound and important than the simple day to day culture differences is the numerous ways people worship God and the numerous ways people share their love and excitement for this new life, or this born again life. Single people, meaning people not in a relationship with Christ, continually question and consistently don't understand why we have the happiness we do, or why we do some of the things we do, like worship, or take time to help others when its of no benefit to us, or even take time to study a book which gets us no further in life, according to worldly views. But over and over I'm encouraged by different people striving to help others. Whether it's giving someone some loose change, buying someone a meal, giving someone a ride, or simply (but most importantly) sharing with someone the compassion of our Father.

here, immersed in this vastly different culture, I've grown to love the differences God puts between people. I'll use a personal, and recent example.... My whole life, till now, I've always known praying to be a thing you did for about 5 mins before bed, or maybe in the morning some, or maybe before a meal. Now I understand this to be only what I understood as praying. Here people pray anytime throughout the day, maybe before a meeting or maybe after a conversation with a friend. But no matter when it's done, it's always done very passionately. Like you really, really want God to hear you. And it's usually not a five minute exchange but much longer than that. People here don't care about what other people think as they pray, and people here don't think about if they're taking up the other person's time or not, or if they're going over their allotted time in church. All people think about as they pray is what's being said to their creator and what's on their mind that they want to share with him. Instead of finding imperfections in people's style of worship, or comparing them to my own past experiences or preferences. I've learned to find beauty in every difference, every song, or every prayer (even the really long ones).

Even when it's in a different language, I've learned to watch and listen and appreciate the creativeness of God. Anyone who could ever say that christianity is boring is dead wrong..... come to Kenya, you'll surely change your thinking within the first few church services. Loving Jesus is the most diverse action, or commitment, that the world has ever and will ever witness. Nothing else can claim to cross ages, languages, cultures, continents, kingdoms, occupations, or families the way the act of loving Jesus does.

What else brings people together the way Jesus does? What else knows no barriers the way Jesus does? What else changes peoples lives the way Jesus does? Loving Jesus is the most important and enjoyable experience anyone could ever wish to fathom.

Now, I want to let you in on another interesting trip I took this week. Dan, my roommate, his friends and I went to the giraffe center and to a bead factory. At the giraffe center we got to hand feed, hug, and even kiss these beautiful creatures. It was amazing how tame and loving the giraffes were (unless you didn't have food in your hand, then they'd try and head butt you).

O, and I thought this was hilarious.... as we were standing there feeding the giraffes, 2 gay guys showed up and decide they want to kiss the giraffes, and also to give them a hug..... together. It was freakin hilarious and I was bummed out because I really didn't have anyone to laugh about it with. But I know one things for sure, even if some of you ever get to hug a giraffe, I'll be the only one to witness a gay dude kissing one. So after the giraffe center we stopped at the bead factory, Kazuri beads. At first, when I found out we were going here I thought, why...... who cares about boring beads. Surely, I spoke too soon. This place was amazing! The whole factory is run by hand, no machines. They make their own clay, shape the beads, paint, design and glaze the beads, put them in an oven at 1000 C, then string them on a bracelet, necklace, earrings, etc. They also have an area which makes coffee cups, pots, plates, little animal figures, or numerous other decorations. It was really, really impressive to see how much work goes

into each and every bead. Hand painted, hand shaped, everything. This company is known worldwide and they said they constantly get orders from around the world. Pretty amazing to see this little factory with 70 or 80 women patiently working on bead after bead.

Well, that's all I got.

To the left is a guy making some mugs and coffee cups, below that is a kenyan cow traffic jam.

New Friends

2008-11-30T07:58:00.000-08:00

Week 3- Well, it's been a while since I posted last and I must say, Thanksgiving here sure did make me thankful for my family and friends back home. I miss all of ya'll so much and wish we could have spent thanksgiving together. And although the meal wasn't at lunch time and didn't consist of four different turkeys, dirty rice, cornbread stuffing, orange stuff, or FOOTBALL, it was still a good time. I made, or attempted to make, a sweet potato dish called uala maoli (some hawaiian recipe I got of off the internet). It consisted of sweet potatoes, bananas, pineapple, brown sugar, cinnamon, and a few others. It turned out ok, but the main problem I encountered was that Kenyan sweet potatoes (picture to the left: Lions and a yak separated by only a fence going nuts.) aren't anything near american sweet potatoes, or yams. I'm really, really starting to miss my american sweet potatoes....so ya'll don't be scared to send me some, haha. I'm gonna have to figure out something for christmas. Anyways, the week went pretty good at Coptic. I was finally allowed to suture someone up and also got to watch a plate and screws being removed from someone's ankle, and that was pretty cool since I can definetely relate. Another very interesting procedure which everyone seems to think is so weird that I witnessed, a circumcision. It was two boys, one about 12 and the other around 15. Here, as in many other parts of the world, circumcision is a very important and religious procedure. Many different religions and denominations have their specific beliefs about circumcisions, whether it be the age or the reason or the way it's done, making every case unique. On a different note, I had a pretty eventful weekend. Four SIMpacters, all UNC graduates, serving in different parts of Kenya came in for thanksgiving and stayed until Monday morning. So, on Saturday we decided to go to the Nairobi animal orphanage which is like a zoo with much, much less restrictions and more "interaction". The animals here have all been found in the wild and were either very sick or abandoned by their mother and were most likely not going to survive. I posted a few pictures but I have many more to show when I get home. The highlight of the trip was getting to hold a baby cheetah (which I got on video). It was 3 months old and about 20 pounds. I quickly learned that with cheetahs, looks can be very deceiving. So, it starts by us offering to tip our guide a little extra..... we sneak behind what looks like an old maintenance shack and four guys walk around the corner, one of them holding the cheetah in his arms. He walks right up to me, and with no instruction or warning, stuffs the cheetah in my arms. Apparently I'm holding the cheetah the wrong way and he suddenly latches onto my shirt and claws my neck. One of the workers quickly pulled him off and showed me the right way to hold it. This was one of the coolest experiences and although sometimes aggressive, the cheetah is still one cute little booger. Well, thats it for now, I'll try not to post a little sooner next time. Ya'll please continue to pray for me and my safety, and also for these people here and that the Lord gives them open hearts and open minds to hearing the word and being receptive to it. Also, pray for my ministry and that the Lord will give me clear direction and adequate strength in fulfilling his will. Here's some pics from the weekend:

Me holding baby cheetah, funny article in Kenyan newspaper (thought ya'll would all get a kick out of this), funny sign at animal orphanage, 3 of my new friends and I at church Sunday.

Living my Mission

2008-11-23T01:13:00.000-08:00

Week 2- Well I just finished my first week at Coptic and I wish I could say that it was incredible and life changing, but it wasn't. I have enjoyed my time here, but the work at the hospital is kind of slow. I'm the first missionary to work at Coptic under an American, Scott whom I mentioned earlier, as all the previous short termers have worked under either an Egyptian or Kenyan doctor. So as you can imagine Scott knows the limits American medicine puts on non certified workers unlike the other doctors that know no limits for anyone, especially an American.

This weekend I decided to go downtown to explore and maybe do some shopping. Of course as I walked through a couple of shops I was hounded by vendors and traders all begging me to come visit their different shops. I'm not sure what it is, but even when I'm with other mzungus, white people, I'm the one who primarily gets annoyed by the vendors. Caleb, a fellow short termer, and I decided to go to a snake/reptile farm on the other side of town. After walking about three miles we finally arrived only to find it was closed for repairs, bummer.

But, there was one good thing that came out of this, the picture I got to take with these two little Kenyan boys. At first impression I was excited because I thought I found two little black boy twins (because of the matching clothes and all). So I got Caleb to take a picture of us. Right after he snapped the picture about twenty little kenyans, all with the exact same outfit, off in the distance saw us and started running our way (so much for them being twins). So Caleb quickly snapped one more and we escaped before being smothered.

Sunday I went to Nairobi Baptist Church which is definitely not the Baptist we typically think of. After church I began to think of what "baptist" meant. Being raised a baptist just about my whole life I never really thought much about the meaning behind the word. Soon after attending Nairobi Baptist it became evident that a denomination isn't based on the structure of a church, or the way it worships or reaches out to the community, but is based on a set of beliefs.

Anyways, that's about all my week consisted of. It was kind of a slow week but I'm sure things will pick up and some trips are in the works so I'll be sure to let ya'll know. O, and I had Ethiopian food for the first time the other day ...... it was amazing. The waiter comes out with whatever you ordered in a bowl, or a few bowls if your with more people, and a large platter/pizza looking dish. He then pours whatever is in the bowls (minced lamb, beef, chicken, sauce, chili, etc.) on to the huge platter which is covered by a thin spongy pancake like bread called injera. There are no utensils so you tear off a piece of injera and pick up a few pieces of meat with it, or just simply dip it. It's one of the most fun and unique cuisines to eat. I'll try to remember to take some pictures of the food next time.

Pictures below: Masaai Market, the Maasai are a prominent tribe in africa and hold an open market at different venues throughout Nairobi just about every day of the week selling numerous different types of souvenirs ; the museum was right next to the snake park

Starting at Coptic

2008-11-18T09:30:00.000-08:00

Tuesday Nov. 18- Today was my first day at Coptic Hospital, the place I'll be working at for the duration of my trip. It was an interesting day getting to see how vastly different medicine is in the states compared to Kenya, or Africa in general, and also how blessed we are to have the healthcare we do. Although one thing I do like about Kenyan medicine compared to U.S is how general their practices are. In the U.S there's a specific position for everything (X-Ray tech, Lab tech, Medical Asst, Nurse Asst, ER tech, EKG tech, etc.) and there's specific guidelines for every title. At Kenyan hospitals if you have a general knowledge about medicine, like first-aid, you can perform numerous tasks and can be a tremendous help to the overburdened doctor.

The highlight of the day was getting to watch a C-section in the operating theatre, what we call the O.R. This was a very intriguing and somewhat surprising experience for me. Being around medicine these past couple of years I've realized that when something looks simple, it's not, and there's always another step, or another precaution that has to be taken. This perspective is completely thrown out when it comes to a C-section. Instead of being complicated, the steps are minimal, cut open the stomach and urethra, grab the baby by the head and slide it out meanwhile the assistant is pushing on the stomach squeezing the baby out like a push pop. Now in this particular instance the mother was Sudanese and the doctors were Egyptian (as are all the doctors at this hospital), so there are certain traditions that take place after a birth. So while the doctor is still sewing up the incision on the uterus and stomach the nurses bring in

some sweets given to them by the mother's family. This makes for a funny situation as the doctor and his team continue their work while their masks move up and down munching on their treats.

The rest of the day I assisted Scott, a P.A (physicians assistant) from the U.S, in the emergency room. This was kind of slow since I've seen most of what goes on in an emergency room and so far this has been no different besides the limited amount of supplies available. I'm not sure how long I'll be helping in the ER, but I hope to assist with all aspects of the hospital before I leave.

The picture to the left is of the HIV clinic, currently Coptic treats around 8,000 patients with HIV/AIDS.

Well, that's all I've really got right now, but I just want to say thank you for all the support ya'll given me and all the prayers . I ask that ya'll continue to pray for me and that God will really use me as his tool to touch people's lives and give me clear direction and guidance. Also, please lift up the Kenyan people in your prayers. Pray that God will reveal himself to them and that without God they have no purpose in life. Kenya is a country ravaged by AIDS/HIV, so please pray for God's healing on these people and help them realize that medicine can only do so much .... God is the master physician. Here's some pictures: me and other short termers out to eat for someone's bday, and a common sight on the streets of Nairobi... monkeys, one of these monkeys was nursing a baby.

New day = New adventure

2008-11-14T03:48:00.001-08:00

Saturday Nov, 15- So today I decided to go with Daniel, my mentor, and another missionary on the compound, an older South African man, to Kijabe to visit a missionary hospital. Kijabe is a small town in the mountains about an hour northeast of Nairobi. The town was beautiful, but the ride up there, now that's a different story. We boarded a bus about five minutes from the compound and took it into downtown. In downtown (pictured above) we took about a ten minute walk weaving in and out of people and of course the crazy matatus all the while trying to keep up with Daniel and sneak in a few pictures (you have to be careful, Kenyan people are weird about taking pictures of buildings, and you can be arrested if caught taking pictures of government buildings). Finally we spotted a matatu with Kijabe scribbled on the side and piled in. The ride up there was one of the most uncomfortable rides of my life. Every bump or pothole we hit, which were too numerous to count, I'd hit my head on the roof and my knees would jab into the seat in front of me.

Traveling in this country, if your above 5' 10'', is miserable because all the public transportation is fit for the small framed kenyans.

After about an hour of climbing in our chug along matatu we begin to descend down into the Great Rift Valley on some dangerously steep roads/paths, where our matatus brakes feel like they can give out at any second, to the small town of Kijabe. (Pictured left: Daniel and I in Kijabe)

Everywhere you turned there was a different gorgeous flower flashing its wild colors or an exotic tree which you only see in the movies. Their gas stations were even the prettiest gas stations I'd ever seen! Throughout the town there were sheep running through the streets being chased by their herder, or two donkeys pulling a wooden cart loaded with produce. After about three hours of exploring the town we decided it was probably time to head back... little did we know we'd have to wait over an hour for another matatu to take us back to Nairobi. The matatus don't leave until they've completely filled up, which is usually 8-9 people.

Meanwhile I was getting incredibly hungry since I hadn't eaten in like two hours and the aroma coming out of one of the doku's (shop), was killing me. I decided to venture in and see what they had to offer..... probably one of the best decisions of my life. I had the most delicious beef stew ever along with some kenyan potatoes. It was amazing! And the cost was only 40 shillings, which is about 50 cents.

Finally our matatu filled up and we began the climb back up the Rift Valley then onto Nairobi. Now remember when I said the ride up there was uncomfortable, well the ride back was the most uncomfortable ride I will EVER have in my life. My knees were jammed into my chest the whole ride and I was squished between two africans. We made countless stops to pick up and drop off passengers fitting up to 14 passengers in our van. O, and besides it being incredibly uncomfortable.... at every stop vendors ran up to the windows and shoved roasted corn, candy, or sausage, to name a few, giving their best efforts to sell anything they could. And since we were mazoongoos they thought that of course, we'd buy anything. But overall the trip was very rewarding and the scenery was amazing.

Pictured below in order: ER in Kijabe hospital, me with our matatu waiting to be filled, typical road in Kijabe with Rift Valley behind, me in a typical rural bathroom (you stand on two blocks, pop a squat, and let it flow..... be sure to bring your own t.p, most of the time there's only a bucket of water for you to clean your hand off with after you wipe).

Nairobi Newbie

2008-11-13T11:49:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all from Nairobi, Kenya. I finally arrived in Kenya on Wednesday around 7 am. One word can perfectly describe my trip, exhausting. Those who have traveled alot may feel my pain, but for the homebodies let me give you a gist of my itinerary. I flew out of Houston on Monday at 12 and arrived in Washington at around 4. I left Washington and arrived in London at 6 am Tuesday morning. My layover in London was lovely...... I slept, or attempted to sleep, on a random bench for most of my 12 hours in the airport, and yes if it wasn't in an airport I probably would've looked homeless. I then boarded my dark, strange smelling Kenya airways Boeing 777 and departed for Nairobi. It was a very interesting flight as the Kenyan girl next to me was getting drunk off her brandy and coke while trying to persuade me to have a drink. Although the free Jack Daniels did sound very tempting, I turned it down. After arriving at the Nairobi airport I grabbed my bags, spotted Daniel my Kenyan mentor, and got in a taxi destined for the SIM compound on Rose Avenue.

Caribu! (Welcome) to Nairobi - The enticing smell of exhaust from the never ending 24 hour traffic jam competes with the stink from a 4 foot deep stagnant drainage ditch in which a man is adamantly trying to collect some water out of. Your nostrils are constantly being thrown in all directions whether it be roasted corn in a hut on the street corner or a dirty diaper on the sidewalk. As you continue down the muddy, rocky "sidewalk" you pass by 80 year old women laying on the dirt begging for money, or in some cases children holding out their hands, begging on their parents command. But you don't have time to pay these people any attention because the next car, matatu, or city bus is surely coming within feet of running you over. (I'm always extra aware of cars getting too close since I've developed a sixth sense for approaching vehicles). Every side street you look down is surrounded on either side by 10 foot high walls, sometimes topped with barbwire, and a guarded gate which opens for cars. Almost all residences, apartment complexes, or even restaurants look like fortresses. As you continue your journey you start getting a little tired, or your ankle starts to ache, so you decide to take a matatu, this by the way is a small 8 seater van independently run in which pickpocketing or biased rates, more expensive for mazoongoos, is very popular. A mazoongoo is a white person, equivalent to gringo in Texas. The matatu conducter, guy that stands on a bar on the side of the van and takes your money or opens and closes the sliding door, holds up 2 fingers meaning 20 kenyan shillings. So you squish up against another passenger and ride til your stop comes, and when it does you better be quick to move cause the van sure as heck ain't stoppin for long. It seems very easy to get runover around here since there's no stop signs, street lights, and very few police. But don't worry, my ankle and I are very careful.

Now I bet your wondering why anyone would want to visit or live in Nairobi, a place where you can't even go out past 6:30 without having above a 50% chance of being robbed. Well let me tell you... I've only been here two days, but every moment I'm out and about the city is an adventure. The feeling of being competent enough to move about a third world city with a population exceeding 2.9 million is exhilarating. And I haven't even been downtown yet! Yesterday Daniel and I walked to SIM Kenya headquarters, then had lunch at an Ethiopian restaurant, I had ugali, chicken, and chapati. Ugali is ground up maize, basically mushed up rice shaped like a hamburger patty, and chapati is a flour tortilla. I think this particular restaurant will be a common eating place for me as my goal is to try everything on the menu. (Surprise, surprise) Then we ventured to the supermarket, Nakumatt. Now this place is amazing, it's about the size of a walmart. In a city like this it's a diamond in the rough. I'll have to tell ya'll more about the food later since I could probably write a whole blog just about that, like the amazing produce and meat markets they have.

Below are some pictures of the compound. I live in an apartment type thing with a 25 year old canadian guy. There's six other SIMpacters, or short term missionaries, all here for varying lengths of time with 3 months being the shortest term. There are 2 german girls, 2 american girls, and one swiss couple. Also on the compound is about 8 other families all varying in size. We also have a german shepperd guard dog and at least one guard always on duty. The picture at the very beginning is the gate to our compound. Below, in order: family housing on the compound, the gym, my bedroom (it has an extra bed if anyone wants to come visit :-), and the kitchen. More pics soon to come.