Masai Mara Safari

We traveled on New Years Eve to the Masai Mara for a weekend of looking at lots of animals!It was a 5 hour drive , 2 hours of that drive were very bumpy and uncomfortable but the roads were good for more than half of the trip and we got there safely. There is lunch when you arrive then a rest and then an afternoon game drive. Dinner that night was outside and very special because of New Years Eve. There are two game drives on Saturday, the first is at 6:30 a.m. then again at 4pm so you get to see the sunrise and sunset and many animals are out at those times. We saw a lot of baby elephants and baby lions this time and all were very close up! We had a very relaxing weekend, it was a great place to celebrate the New Year. None of us could stay up till midnight Kenya time but we were all up the next morning to celebrate with you in America!

Movie night at the IDP camp

Sunday evening after seeing the orphanage we drove a little farther to the IDP camp that we had visited last year. Steve has a projector and a big screen he puts on his car and shows movies to the kids. They have seen the Lion King and George of the Jungle and this time he was showing the Nativity Story since it was Christmas time. The picture above is the doorway to the tent of a woman named Doreen and her two small boys. Her husband died during the violence 3 years ago. There were 16 of us and she was fixing us supper on this little stove inside the tent.

Everyone enjoying the stew and chapatis Doreen made for us.

When the cars pull up to the camp the children mob the car and were yelling "cinema, cinema" over and over. They could see the screen strapped to the top of the car and were very excited about a movie!! They grabbed our hands and walked us all over to Doreen's tent.

After the food she served us all hot sweet tea and then the kids went to watch the movie. Some of us ladies (Melinda, Julie, Elise, Abby, Michelle, Rachel, Suzanne) all stayed in Doreen's tent where it was warm and cozy and Anna and Emily and the dads all went and helped with the movie. Doreen washed all the dishes faster and better than I have seen anyone wash dishes - using hot soapy water over a little camp type stove! Then she proceeded to talk to us about what a good God we have and his plans for a wonderful life for all of us. Amazing woman!

Naomi's Village

These are pictures from the almost finished orphanage that some friends (the Mendonsas) are building down in the valley near Mahi Mahu and the IDP camps. We saw it last year in the early stages - they had just the slab- and now they plan to open at the end of January! The top picture is a view from the back and below is a row of hand washing sinks near the dining area.

The scaffolding they use is very uunique but no one has fallen and it has not broken!

It is a huge project to take on in Kenya but it is almost finished and there are many

many orphans in Kenya. (over 2 million)

Barbershop with a view of the Rift Valley!

So Gary needed a haircut badly and our pathologist friend had some clippers! We made an appointment and he set it all up outside and Gary got most of his hair shaved right off! Now he feels and looks much better! We girls are waiting till we get home!!

Visit to a village church

.

On Sunday morning the McMillans invited us to go to a church about 40 mins away that they like to go to because there are many different tribes that attend this church. When they go they will usually ask Steve to preach and they will do both Swahili and English for the white people (or mzungus as they call us!). Steve drove and all the kids rode on top of the car over very bumpy roads which scared to death one of the mommas in the car! The men sit on one side of the church and the women on the other and they did a lot of singing by the little children, then the bigger children, then the youth, then the mommas then the men!! Luckily they did not make the mzungus sing! It lasted about an hour and 45 minutes and was a great time for all of us.

Christmas Day

McMillans

Mendonsas




Amazing and delicious food! Most Kenyans have goat for Christmas, we had turkey!!
Christmas morning in Kenya was sunny and warm so we took a walk around the guard trail and had a quiet morning together at our house. We finished making food to bring to our friends and then spent the afternoon and evening at their house with their family (the McMillans) and another family (the Mendonsas). We had a wonderful meal and a peaceful day spending time with wonderful people.

Christmas Day

Amazing and delicious food! Most Kenyans have goat for Christmas, we had turkey!!
Christmas morning in Kenya was sunny and warm so we took a walk around the guard trail and had a quiet morning together at our house. We finished making food to bring to our friends and then spent the afternoon and evening at their house with their family (the McMillans) and another family (the Mendonsas). We had a wonderful meal and a peaceful day spending time with wonderful people.