Xymnas and I are heading to Kenya!

I am getting stoked for ya! Oh, I hope the Lord really blesses your effort! I am gonna be in prayer for y'all!
 
So Xaveor and I are outta here for 18 days!!! We'll be seeing you all around later!

2 things I'd say I want....

#1: Kill the LK please

#2: Pray for us!

I'll be taking a ton of pictures, and I'll have my days written out...I mean who can remember the 18 days of travel and working and what not....I sure couldn't. So woot woot
 
So xaveor and I landed in Dubai today. 16 hour flight, and it's 10 pm here. And it's like 115 degrees outside. So woot. We fly out again tomorrow or another 4 hour flight into Nairobi. Woot woot!
 
So a little update. We are done with our class. And are back in nairobi. I'll make sure to typ something up when I get home. Tomorrow we have a safari then Wednesday we fly back out!
 
Hello everyone! So we landed back in the US safely, and had an amazing trip. The last 2 days we went to a Safari in the southwest corner of Kenya. It was an amazing time to be there. There was 14 of us there. Jean was our leader, and then 13 of the teens. The youngest was 15, and the oldest were 27, and all ages in between.

July 15th, 2010: Day 1:
We took a plane from Dubai to Nairobi, and landed around 2:30 PM their time. We were 10 hours ahead from the US. So we went to the Methodist Hotel house and dropped off our stuff, and then headed to dinner. Dinner was very unique, it was Ethiopian food. So they had a big flat bread thing with different spicy foods on it. Then we had a roll of bread in our left hand and ate with our right. You would scoop some up and place in your mouth without touching your lips. After that we went back to the Methodist house and went to bed.

July 16th, 2010: Day 2:
This morning we went to a place called Morning Star where we helped clean the water storage tank, carried water up this hill to fill a tank, and beat and pick maize, which they would mill and use for different types of food. We were there for about 5 or 6 hours, and only got the tank a little less than half full, and beat so much of the maize, and yet it will only last them a week or so. It's rough to hear that they do this everyday to live!!! I was tired of bringing the water up the hill after the 3rd or 4th time. And they do it every day...And the lady that was running the place was in her late 20's. Her husband died for a heart attack at the age of 29 just last year. So it was really had for her to keep everything running and going. But she was really strong mentally, and actually is looking to start more homes for the kids. We left around 1ish and went back to the Methodist house for some time to relax and then dinner.

July 17th, 2010: Day 3:
We went to a baby orphanage home today for a few hours. We got to hold the babies, play with the "crawlers" and toddlers. Some of the kids had HIV, and when they left they tested negative!!! It goes to show how you can show someone so much love and care, and pray for them, and see the difference you make to them. When you looked in the kids eyes, your heart would melt, and you would just want to take them home with you. After a few hours there we left and went back to Morning Star where we played games with the kids, and played Football (Soccer). They were so excited to have us come back and play with them. The kids ranged from a few years old all the way up to 18 years old. After a few hours there we left for our "new home" in Tumu-Tumu where we were to stay for about a week. This is where we would work with the hospital, and with the kids who are HIV+/AIDS, and show them a "NEW" life.

July 18th, 2010: Day 4:
Today we went to the church at 9 A.M. It was very interesting to see how they worship the Lord, and how they read the Bible and everything. The High Priest talked about how was are suppose to be the Salt. After church we went back to the guest house in Tumu-Tumu where we got our orientation. Around 2ish we went to the hospital where we met some of the students, and went around praying for the patients, and singing songs and reading the Bible to them in their language (Swahili). It's crazy to see that they can do that there, and we would be kicked out of the hospital so fast for doing that here in the US. We had dinner, and then back to the Hospital for a late night church service.

July 19th, 2010: Day 5:
We went to devotions this morning at 7:30 at the hospital. Came back for breakfast, and then back to the hospital to help out in different wards. Carleigh and I got dropped off in the women surgical ward. This is where we helped clean, dust, and get a tour of the place. It was really hard working there, and seeing the "sanitation" compared to the US. I'm shocked anyone would get better in that hospital. After a few hours there we went back to the house to get lunch. After that we all shoved into a van where we went to a school to talk to the kids about choices, legacies, self-worth, purity, and trust. The kids ages were from 10-17, so it was tough to talk to the kids who where 10-13 because they could hardly understand English. We opened up with a game or "ice-breaker" which was a Row-Sham-Bow game. We split up into small groups where each team person had about 3-6 kids. It was a good talking with the kids. Great day so far. After about 3 hours there we went back to the Guest house for dinner and bed.

July 20th, 2010: Day 6:
Again this morning we went to the hospital at 7:30 for devotions, came back for breakfast and back out to help in the hospital. I followed a lady named Mary around. She was only 20 years old, and was an awesome student. I changed the beds, helped pour porridge for the patients, and cleaned. After that we went for tea, where I talked with Mary for about an hour of everything. Learning about a lot of things here, but also she asked questions about USA. It was really nice to talk with her, and get to know her a little more. Again after a few hours there we went back for lunch and went out to another school where again we talked to the kids about Choices, and stuff like day 5. Some of the kids where shy, and some gave some good answers to the questions we asked. We went back to the Guest house for dinner and bed again.

July 21st, 2010: Day 7:
Again this morning we went to the hospital at 7:30 for devotions, came back for breakfast and back out to help in the hospital. Carleigh was sick today, so i ended up helping in the kitchen, chopping food and preparing food for the patients and the staff. It was our last day of helping out in the different wards. Jojo (The chef) kept giving us food, like doughnuts, fried potatoes, fried bananas and much more. I was so full by the time we were suppose to go for lunch at the Guest house. After the lunch at the Guest house we went back out to another school where we again talked about choices and purity. Again like day 6 and 5. Came back to the Guest house after a few hours there for dinner and prepared for our "Purity First" training for the teens who are HIV+/AIDS.

July 22nd, 2010: Day 8:
Today we got up and had prayer before breakfast. Then prepared a little more for the first day with the training. We greeted everything, and introduced ourselves. Then we had the kids stand up and tell us a little about them as well. Then Jean, (our leader), started out with "What is Purity?". She went on to then showing how we don't see the big picture, we only see a small concentrated amount. Then we split into small groups where Daniel and I went with 2 other kids from the group and talked to them about life. There was Francis who was 15, and Samuel who was 18. Francis wanted to be a neuro-surgeon. And Samuel wanted to be a carpenter. After getting to know them we asked them what their fears where. Francis said he was afraid of being compared to others. (BTW this kid knew exactly what he wanted to be, with no questions. He was incredibly smart!!!) Then we went for lunch where, everyone in our small groups were tied together with strings and had to eat, which was really tough. After lunch we talked about "what lies you tell yourself?", and value. Some of the kids didn't know they were valuable, and had the choice to make a difference. They left around 4:30ish, and we had a debrief time, where we talked about the time we had with the kids, and what worked and didn't work. We had dinner and then prepared for the next day, which was "Game/teamwork" day.

July 23rd, 2010: Day 9:
We woke up once again for day 2 of the "Purity First" training. We did a few exercises today with the kids. The first one was with a tent poll. The thing was everyone had to have 1 finger on the bottom of the poll, if your finger came off you had to restart the game. There was about 22 kids, so 11 on one side and 11 on the other. The idea is to get the poll down to the ground without pushing it down. The kids took about 45 minutes to do it, and they found out that arguing with each other, and not supporting each other wasn't getting them anywhere. Then we did the "tarp" game where they had everyone stand on the tarp and had to flip it over without anyone stepping off. They took about 15 tries before they got it. Showing that team work and communication was VERY key to this game. Then we did the "Circle of Visions" game where there was a rope made in a circle, and everyone had to stand on the inside of the circle. On a post card they all had to write their Vision of themselves. Then everyone took a step outside and dropped the card, then stepped back in. They had to retrieve their cards without stepping outside the circle. They had to rely on others to help them if it was our of their reach. It showed how you need others to help you reach your goals and your visions in life. You can't always do it by yourself. Then we had everyone have one foot in the air and one on the tarp at all times, and had to do it for 30 seconds. Then we folded it in half, until we had 22 people trying to stand on a 3 foot X 4 foot square. They could not find out how to do it for the life of them. Jean ended up showing them how to do it, and some of the where thankful for her showing them, and some of the kids were a little peeved. Then we went for lunch, and after lunch we had a few more games. Then next one was with a rubber band and a few strings tied to it. The teens where split up into groups where they had to tie the strings around their waist, and pick up a water bottle off the ground and move it up to the top of the hill. So everyone had to squat and spread out to make the rubber band big enough to pick up the bottle. They all figured it out, but some of the girls teams were really frustrated, and didn't want to finish the game. After they left we had dinner and had some time to talk about everything again.

July 24th, 2010: Day 10:
Today is the last day of our training "Purity First". We started out with secrets, and what secrets can do to you if you keep it bottled up inside of you. Hearing some of the stories was heart wrenching. Then we got back into the big group, where we did the "Bag" thing. The kids had a bag and had to use magazines or markers or whatever and show what people thing of them. That was on the outside, and on the inside of the bag they had to put what they want to be in 10 years. Some of the bags were really cool, and showing what they wanted to become and what not!!! We had lunch, and then after lunch we went into small groups again and had the kids write letters to their future spouse, and future children. Then have them write their legacy statement. Today was an amazing day. I thought I went to Kenya to change their lives, but I ended up seeing my life being changed. By the end of the 3rd day, we were all really good friends, and we were giving hugs to the kids and saying bye and God bless them. It was an emotional time.

July 25th, 2010: Day 11:
We woke up and went to church this morning. Our group got up and sang "Awesome God" to the church people. Then they prayed for us and what not, and sent us on our way. We headed back into Nairobi, where we had dinner at Sarah's house. She was the person Jean talked with to set up this whole trip!!! We went back to the Methodist house to relax and sleep.

July 26th, 2010: Day 12:
We woke up at 6:30 for breakfast, and then off to the Safari at 7. It was about a 5 hour drive out there, and for more than half of the drive it was a dirt/rock road. Before we got to our Leisure Camp we were staying at, we went to a village where we got to see how the people there lived and what not. It's pretty crazy, because they actually have warriors at night time to protect the village from lions and any other animals that wanted to kill them for food. They built their houses out of sticks, leaves, and cow dung. To become a man they have to participate in killing a lion. They go with about 40-50 people with spears, and kill a lion. Some would live and some wouldn't. They drink Cow's blood, and milk as their meal. They would eat every 3 days or so. We finally got the the Leisure Camp where we had lunch and then went on a Safari. We saw all sorts of animals, and it was really exciting to see everything in the wild! Then back for dinner and night time!

July 27th, 2010: Day 13:
We woke up at 6:30 again for breakfast and an early Safari at 7. We saw a ton of lions and lionesses. They were so close to our car I could of pet them!!!. IT WAS INSANE! After a few hours out there we had lunch and then back to Nairobi. We were on a dirt/rock road for the next 3 hours. It was awful! It took about 5-6 hours to get back into Nairobi. Then we had dinner and bed time at the Methodist hotel.

July 28th, 2010: Day 14:
Today is our final day of being in Kenya. We went to a mall for shopping and got a ton of gifts for my family and what not. Our flight was at 11PM in Kenya, which was 1AM for US. We flew to Dubai, which took 5 hours. Then from there to San Fransisco International Airport for a 16 hour flight!!!!!!! :(


The trip was an amazing time, and I learned so much about the different cultures. I'll be posting pictures soon when i get them from Jean. =D
 
Wow! Sounds like you guys had an amazing time. Glad you made it there and back safely! :)
 
Thanks for sharing your adventure. I am told by friends that one is always changed by such a trip. Maybe one day I will get to go on one. God bless you!
 
And he forgot to mention the part near the end where most of us aquired a stomach virus, including me. Other than that it was AMAZING!
 
That was really touching to read that :) sounds like quite the experience. I"m sure those kids got to see the love of Christ through ya'll in an awesome way. I'm glad you seemed to change as well :)
 
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