It has been three weeks since we posted our last blog and, in that time, we stayed busy.  Our two sons, Aaron and Nathan made the 8,318-mile trek here to Kenya to visit us.  They left Williston on January 17^th and reached Nairobi on the 18^th around 10:30 pm with stops in Minneapolis and Amsterdam along the way.  They arrived in Kenya at night while back home it was early afternoon.  We were grateful they made the long journey having spent upwards of 30 hours in planes and airports either on the way here or back home.  The time difference between Kenya and Williston is eight hours so needless to say, it took their bodies some time to adjust and then it was almost time to go back!  During their two weeks here, we did some Mission related activities as well as sightseeing and therefore, our blog this week will be about their time spent here. 

As for Mission activities, Aaron and Nathan attended a Water with Blessings training at Bochura where fifteen women were trained. There was almost a one-to-one ratio of children to mamas which meant we all got some babysitting time in!  The mamas were happy to have additional guests from America and made us all feel very welcome.  Other Mission related activities they were a part of were Mission Saturdays at Manga and Gekano as well as visiting a couple of families that were recipients of heifers through the Heifer Program.  Because of the rain and road conditions as well as the Landcruiser in the shop, we were not able to deliver water drums as we hoped we might be able to. 

Around the compound, Aaron and Nathan became buddies with some of the boys in the area and decided to purchas a couple of soccer balls for the youth to play football (the game is called football here, not soccer).  The young boys that showed up to play gave Aaron and Nathan good workouts!  They also got to meet a number of the younger children like Osongo, Angie, Brighton and a few others that come for sweets. We also made a few trips to the shamba not only to show them the progress on the house and where they would have stayed had it been finished but also to take over supplies for the animals.  Going to the Agrovet store to purchase chicken feed was an interesting process as it is not quite the same as back home.  The boys also got to experience washing their clothes by hand and waiting for the sun to dry them!  There was more laundry to do but with four people it also went much faster.  We had electricity almost the whole time they were here – the generator was turned on only once.  As for the weather, it was in the mid to upper 70’s with some rains which as stated before, is unusual for January.  They were able to attend two Sunday Masses that were celebrated in Ekegusii and/or Swahili but they didn’t get to experience Masses starting late or homilies that lasted more than fifteen minutes since Fr. David happened to have both Masses…they were okay with that just as we always are!   

We took them to different locations in the area to see the various landscapes and villages along the way making a number of day trips to numerous places including Tabaka which is famous for its soapstone – we went to Big Mama’s shop and it was an interesting experience for the boys.  It was the start of them seeing how one is not really able to look freely at something without someone hounding you to buy it or finding you many more items just like it – this happened at the markets in Nairobi as well.  We initially had a hard time with it when we arrived in Kenya but now, we have come to know how to barter with the merchants as well as politely say no!  We also made a day trip to Kisumu to see Lake Victoria though you can’t see much of it unless you take a dingy out onto the lake which we didn’t do because we wanted to have time to drive to Maseno.  Maseno is one of three towns in Kenya where the Equator passes through.  One can stand with one foot in the southern hemisphere while the other foot is in the northern!  We went to Kericho which is known for its large tea fields and saw the manual as well as mechanized ways of plucking tea.  We took one morning to golf nine holes at the Kisii Sports Club – Kathy walked the course while the guys golfed.  The golfing experience was an interesting one.  Before the boys came, Wes had gone to the club to inquire about equipment and he was told they had left-handed clubs.  Nathan, who is right-handed, golfs left-handed.  When we got to the club, we paid the green fees (Ksh 2500 which is about $15).  We then had to wait for the Candy Shop aka Pro Shop to open to get the clubs, golf balls and tees.  The golf clubs were Ksh 500 ($3) per bag, the golf balls were Ksh 250 ($1.50) each and tees cost 50 bob (31 cents) each.  They didn’t have a full set of left-handed clubs for Nathan so the lady scrounged around and came up with one 5 iron, two 6 irons, one 9 iron, a putter and a sand wedge!  Wes had asked if they had golf carts and while the supplies were being gathered, two guys walked up and the lady said they would be the caddies/golf cart…they don’t have golf carts!  We decided we could carry the clubs ourselves which put a puzzled look on the faces of the caddies.   We were then ready to head out when it was realized we didn’t know where the first hole was as you don’t get any type of pamphlet showing you the course.  Wes asked the caddies who had been staying close by where the first hole was which they tried to explain though things were lost in translation.  It was then we realized two things:  we didn’t have a clue of where the holes were and would not be able to make our way around the course without them and also realized the simple fact that they depend on the tips they would receive to be caddies.  Wes then asked them to be our caddies which put smiles back on their faces and they were happy to oblige.  After a couple of holes, another guy came out of nowhere to be the third caddie so each of the guys had their own caddie.  As for the course, it was a little confusing.  The fairways crossed each other such as Hole 2 and 4 as well as a number of other ones.  We had to wait at one point to tee off as another group was crossing our fairway.  Our caddies ran ahead and gave the signal when we could tee off!  The flags for each hole were tree branches/sticks with a plastic bottle on the end though a couple did have a rag tied to it.  In visiting with the caddies as we walked from hole to hole, we found out they liked to golf and during our outing with them, they did try to give pointers.  All in all, it was fun, entertaining, and interesting.
                                                   
We took the boys on a safari to the Maasai Mara which truly was one of the highlights for them.  Being able to see the beautiful and majestic creatures up close in their habitat is an experience that you wish everyone could have the opportunity to do.  We arrived at the camp on a Sunday afternoon and left around mid-morning on Tuesday.  We stayed in tents though inside they looked like a hotel room!  We ate our lunch and dinner in the Mess Tent with the others who were on safari.  In the morning, we would get up early and by 6:30 am we were in a Landcruiser, driving around the Conservancy looking for animals all while the sun was rising. Around 9 am, our Maasai guides, Nelson and Ezekial, would find a spot where we could eat breakfast and afterwards, we continued to search for animals with some very visible and others not so.  The guides know the animals and their territories well and they were good at getting us close to see them.  We would return to camp by 1 pm to eat lunch and then take a rest for a couple of hours or one could go for a walk with a guide before going back out at 4 pm.  In the evening, we had the opportunity for sundowners (watching the sun set) including snacks and drinks if one wanted.  Our first sundowner was spent in the vehicle watching a pride of lions and it was spectacular.  The cubs frolicked and played in the nearby tree while the older lions, who had positioned themselves comfortably among the rocks, kept watch.  Our being able to witness this scene was set against the background of the sun slowly setting.  January is supposed to be a dry month in Kenya but it was not – the Maasai Mara saw substantial rainfall which prevented the vehicles from getting up close to some of the animals like the elephants who tend to be in the marshy areas.  The increased rainfall meant a greater chance of getting stuck and that we did!  As Ezekial said, “It is all part of the experience”!  Our guides were great and they were most willing to impart their knowledge of the animals, their culture, etc.  Some of the animals we were able to see include:  Lion, Zebra, Giraffes, Baboons, Cape Buffalo, Cheetah, Dik Dik, Eland, Elephants, Gazelles (Grant’s and Thomsom’s), Coke’s Hartebeest, Hippo, Hyena, Impala, Jackel, Leopard, Mongoose, Topi, Monkey, Warthog, and Wildebeest as well as different birds.  It was a great and memorable experience witnessing the beauty of God’s creation. 

The safari was at the end of Aaron and Nathan’s time in Kenya.  From the Maasai Mara, we headed to Nairobi where we spent our last day together visiting the Giraffe Center and the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.  The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust is basically a nursery for rescuing, raising, and reintegrating orphaned elephants and rhinos back into the wild.  The elephants and rhinos are all orphans and they each come with their own story.  Some have lost their mothers to human-wildlife conflict, some are victims of drought or other natural causes but a fair number of them are orphans because their mothers were killed by poachers.  These elephants are bottle fed with an infant-based formula being fed every three hours twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.  We were able to watch the feeding of these elephants and it was quite interesting…especially watching them hold their own bottles with their trunk!   They are a friendly animal and so we were able to be close enough to touch them.  In the photos that are found in the album, one will see that their skin appears to be a deep reddish-brown.  The soil has a deep reddish-brown color to it and thus why the elephants look the same color.  The elephants pick up the soil with their trunks and dust it on themselves as a type of protective barrier or they get covered by playing in the mud hole. Spectators may get covered with mud as well just as Wes and Nathan did though Wes got hit the worst – mud on his clothes, arms, and hair as well as the bag he was holding!  The Giraffe Center (Kiswahili word for giraffe is twiga which seems quite appropriate!) is a place dedicated to educating Kenyan school children about their country’s wildlife and environment and to give visitors like us an opportunity to see this beautiful animal up close by feeding them!  We never realized the giraffe had such a long tongue and if one is not careful, you might get a head butt from one of them as well!

Our time with our boys was a memorable one.  It was not easy to say good bye to them – it never is but we are most grateful that we had the opportunity to share with them some of the work we do at the Mission as well as the beauty of the country and its people especially the children who have a special way of touching one’s heart.  When we asked Aaron and Nathan their impressions of their time here, our hearts were warmed with the comments they made and as Aaron put it, “Spent a lot of time in planes and airports but it was so worth it!”  We hope that the memories they left with will stay with them for a lifetime.  Visting a third world country is an eye-opening experience and makes one grateful for the many blessings we enjoy as Americans.  It also makes one realize that we have much to learn from people such as the ones here in Kenya who live life with a true joy in spite of the poverty that surrounds and permeates their lives on a daily basis. 

Please know that we keep you in our prayers and ask that you keep us, the Mission, and those we serve in yours.  Mungu Akubariki!

See photos from this week in the album section by clicking on the link below.  Note:  If unable to view the photos using the link below, you can still view them by going to St. Joseph’s Parish website and scrolling down to the section titled Kenya Mission – photo album.  The website:  www.stjparish.com

https://stjparish.com/photoalbums/2-4-24