Home Safely

We arrived home safe and sound to lots of snow and cold temperatures. We were 30 minutes late landing; got through customs very quickly; had to wait almost an hour for our luggage!
Jennifer and Quinn were at the airport to meet us. Stephen, Yenny, Aiden and Sean were waiting at home.
Quinn looked stunned when he first saw us and then was all smiles and giggles. Aiden made strange at first, but was then his usual happy self with lots of smiles too. It was wonderful to be with them again.
We have not suffered any jet lag. Still going to bed early and up around 7:15. Lots to unpack and even more laundry, but it is all summer clothing so there is really no rush to get it done!
We miss all our new friends in Africa. We especially miss the weather! We know that God will continue to bless the Kennys and the other CBM Staff there. They are all doing wonderful work in His name.
Thanks to all of you who have read our blog and kept us in your prayers. We know that our trip was as successful as it was because of your prayer support. We hope that our blog was interesting and informative and that you were able to experience a little taste of Kenya because of it. Don will be adding a few of his thousand or more pictures to this blog over the next few days.

Amsterdam Airport

We arrived in Admsterday at 5:10 a.m. (11:10 p.m. Monday, Toronto time) We had flown all night (8 hours) and neither of us slept much!
We have an eight hour layover here but luckily we found some wonderful leather lounge chairs. There were a lot available because there are not too many people here at that time of the morning! We were able to rest and read and stayed there for about 5 hours. We are now going to wander around the airport because it is like a large mall (yeah!) and grab a bite to eat. Our flight leaves at 13:40 so we figure that we only have approximately 2 hours before we start boarding.
KLM, so far, has been a great company to fly with. It is extremely foggy here and flights are still getting out. The temperature is -1C....starting to feel like home!
If our flight is on time, we should arrive in Toronto at 3:50 p.m. It is about a 7 1\2 hour flight.
We are looking forward to seeing our family and friends.
Our blog is not over yet! We will add a couple more posts, including pictures, from home.

Sad Farewells

Our last day in Nairobi was sad to say the least. It was finally our turn to say goodbye to those we had come to love and admire.
We were supposed to spend the day with Aaron and Erica but the flu bug hit the Kenny Family starting with Tristan, then Emma and then Aaron today. So we still had a wonderful day with Erica but were unable to give those goodbye hugs to Aaron, Tristan, Emma and Ava.
They are coming home to Canada in the spring and their first stop is Toronto so we are looking forward to seeing them then!
We spent the morning with Erica doing our "debriefing" and then we went out to lunch! It was very hard saying goodbye to Erica.
It was also very difficult to say goodbye to the staff at Heart Lodge. We have grown to appreciate them as a staff and they sure made our "home away from home" a wonderful place to stay.
Another change in plans was that we took a taxi to the airport. Arrived in plenty of time for our flight! We are excited to be going home.
Please remember to pray for Erica. She has an extremely busy week. She has been involved with the school Christmas Pageant. There are two dress rehearsals this week and the performance is on Thursday night. Believe it or not, yesterday we were actually hoping that she would get the flu at any moment in order to be recovered by Thursday!

Sunday Worship

This morning we went to church with Andy and Rebecca DesRoches and family. The DesRoches are CBM staff here in Nairobi. Andy is in leadership development and teaches at a college outside of Nairobi. Rebecca is a high school math teacher at Rossland Academy. Their two teenage children also attend Rossland Academy.

Andy and Rebecca worship with a small group of people at St. Julian's Centre where there is a chapel. St. Julian's Centre is an Anglican retreat centre located in a beautiful setting 27 km. north of the city. This centre was built in 1951 by Sir Micheal and Lady Wood, founders of Flying Doctors.

It seemed surreal to light the 2nd Advent candle in such a luscious green setting.

After church, we went to the River Cafe for another wonderful lunch!

Water

During our time in Kenya we have come to appreciate the importance of clean water. For so many people in Kenya, clean water is not a reality for them. The search for water is often a daily struggle for survival.

At Heart Lodge there is bottled water available to drink. When we are out we ask for bottled water or sodas. We have never had so many bottled cokes or stoneys. We just can't trust the water in many places. Even salads can be a problem if they are washed in tap water. Fortunately Erica and Aaron have come to know where it is okay for us to eat.

After dinner last night we spent a good hour talking with Joseph, our chef for the evening. Joseph is usually in charge of housekeeping but will often spell off one of the other two chefs from time to time. Joseph went to college to become a chef so enjoys this occasional opportunity to cook. Last night he shared with us his story and his dream to bring clean water to his village.

Joseph's wife and young daughter live with him in Nairobi. His two sons live with their grandmother in his home village. This village is some 90 kilometres north east of Nairobi. It takes about 6 hours to travel there by bus. He and his wife alternately visit to see their sons. It is too costly to travel together. Their village is in a very dry and dusty region of Kenya. This year has been particularly dry. During the recent rainy season, it only rained once. Families are daily searching for water from a local spring. This spring is so small that they use a cup to scoop the water into their containers. It is found between two rocks so it is also an excellent place for deadly snakes to live. There are only a few cows and goats in their village because there is not enough water to support the animals. It's a constant struggle to survive. What water is available is often dirty and polluted. Sickness from drinking the water is a common occurrence. Typhoid and intestinal diseases are well known to the village.

Ever since Joseph was a small boy he remembers getting up at 3:00am and going out to search for water with a flashlight. To this day he continues do this for his mother when he visits. (Recently a regular visitor to Heart House brought some crank flashlights from Costco for Joseph and some of the staff.) Joseph is determined to make things better for his village. He has told the elders in his village that they must change. While working at Heart Lodge he has come to meet a number of people, who are in Kenya working on water projects. Recently, he took Don and Pat, from the Rotary club, to visit with the village elders. A surveyor was hired to assess their situation. The recommendation was to build a catch basin for the water with a purification system. The cost is about $100,000 U.S. Unfortunately the Rotary club can't justify that cost because the system will only benefit a few hundred people. Joseph is not deterred. He put together a very well written proposal which he has sent to a number of organizations and foundations. He is working with his village elders to determine what they can do themselves to lessen the costs. He has met with government officials but reports that the politicians make lots of promises during the lead up to elections but never follow through. Joseph will not give up until his dream is realized.

Unfortunately there are hundreds if not thousands of little villages in Kenya, just like Joseph's, that are in dire need of clean water.

We must continue to keep Joseph and his village in prayer as he seeks God's lead in how to provide water for his village. Joseph strongly believes that God will open the doors for him to succeed.

2 Sleeps to Go!

We have had a great Saturday in Nairobi!
Ate breakfast here at Heart Lodge with Pat and Don Howard from Colorado. We have gotten to know them while staying here at the Lodge. They work through the Rotary Club. This is their 7th trip. They (through the Rotary Club) sponsor a number of water projects here in Kenya. Don and Pat also bring books and buy books here for a number of school libraries.
We then went to have coffee with Malcolm and Patty Card. We have enjoyed getting to know them and the work that they do with CBM. Patty just returned from a week in Rwanda. We learned a lot about Rwanda and are looking forward to our trip there in August of 2009 with a group from our church.
Then off to the mall, again (!), this time for bubble wrap! We are starting to pack and needed to protect the hand carved giraffes and other items that we have purchased.
A bridal party, along with their friends, had their pictures taken here this afternoon! The bride and groom are spending the night here! We will have another fabulous dinner because we are getting the same food as the newly weds!
Ah, such is life here in Nairobi at Heart Lodge!

Masai Mara

We had a wonderful time on our safari to the Masai Mara. It was a long 6 hour drive getting there over extremely bumpy and dusty roads. However, it was worth the trip!
The Tipilikwani Camp was absolutely amazing. It is set on the banks of the Talek River and overlooks the Mara Plains. The tent was absolutely luxurious! If all tents were like the one we stayed in at the Mara, we would go camping all the time! Of course, it had an ensuite bathroom!
The food was extravagant to say the least with 3 choices of entres for lunch and 4 for dinner.
Lunch included one starter and a dessert and dinner included 2 starters and dessert.
We went on 3 safaris each lasting 2 hours. On an early morning one (6:30 a.m.) we saw a family of hippos frolicking in a river. We also saw a lot of lions, gazelles, hyenas, elephants, giraffes, topees, jackals, and bat eared foxes. We were able to get very close to some of the animals. We saw a baby elephant about 1 month old. It was very well protected by the other elephants in the herd.
This morning while eating breakfast in the dining room we saw a troop of approximately 50 baboons heading out on the plains.
This park is very different than Amboselli and was well worth the trip!

Safari Time!

Tomorrow morning at 6:45 a.m. we will be picked up to begin our trip to the Masai Mara. This trip was our treat to ourselves at the end of our time in Kenya. We are travelling with Twiga Tours and will be staying at the Tipilikwani Luxury Lodge. If you want more information about where we are staying you can google the name of the lodge. We will return late Friday afternoon. We will not be adding to our blog until then. Just be assured that Don will have taken hundred's more pictures!!

Lunch with Zahra

After painting, Aaron, Don and Zahra picked up Joy from Heart Lodge. We then went to Zahra's absolute favourite place to eat, Java House. Erica met us there. Zahra ordered her favourites, chicken strips, french fries and a chocolate milkshake. She orders this every time Aaron and Erica take her to Java House. Even if they meet her there early in the morning she will order a chocolate milk shake!
This was our last time to visit with Zahra. As we may have said before, she is a delightful young woman who is very popular and well known in Eastleigh. She works for CBM helping with Erica and Aaron with teaching ESL classes and doing outreach in the community.
We have grown to love and appreciate her sense of humour, spontaneity and helpfulness. She loves to sing the "Hokey Pokey" and as promised, we will send the words to the song to her!

Painting Blackboards

This morning Don and Aaron went to Eastleigh to paint! They cleaned and painted the blackboards in two classrooms. What a difference a fresh coat of blackboard paint makes. We would have liked to have painted more, but the classrooms were locked up and the caretaker was absent.

Another Farewell!

We also said farewell to our driver, Martin, this morning. Martin has driven us to and from Eastleigh everyday and anywhere else that we wanted to go. He has been an inspiration to us.
We learned a lot about him, his family and the Kenyan culture. He always had very wise comments to make when we said that we were concerned about an issue. Martin played wonderful, uplifting Christian music in his car which we also enjoyed when riding with him.
Martin, as many drivers do here in Kenya, took great pride in keeping his car shiny inside and out. If ever we were late, we would often find Martin shining his car. We always felt so bad everytime we took his shiny, clean car into Eastleigh where it is either muddy or dusty! Martin never complained though.

A Sad Farewell

This morning we helped Erica and Aaron host a party for the young Somali ladies. It is a special event for everyone. There were about 50 there along with some of their siblings and children.
Aaron planned some games, we sang some songs, we danced and we ate! We did everything that makes a party successful!!
The young ladies danced up a storm, just like young ladies anywhere would do. Except, they also did some traditional Somali dancing and singing for us. Can they ever move their hips, stomachs, and bottoms! It was wonderful to see. They really "let their hair down" and had a great time.
In fact, we had to break up the party!
Lots of pictures were also taken and will be cherished by all of us. We promised to print them and leave them for Erica and Aaron to take to school when it resumes on January 6th.
They also wrote lovely thank you notes to us which we will be bringing home. We were also chosen as "Iftin" students of the week. Iftin means "light' in the Somali language. These young ladies are certainly the "light" in Eastleigh and so it was an honour to have this title given to us.
Joy was given many hugs before the girls finally left. It was a very emotional time for her as these young ladies have come to mean so much to her, and Don too. They are so strong and happy given their circumstances.
We will miss them but know that Aaron and Erica will continue to be working with them and helping them to have hope for their futures. Aaron and Erica love each and every one of them and are planning to do some home visits over the holidays.

Bits and Bites

Nairobi is one of the largest cities in Africa. It is about the size of the city of Toronto. It is located about 80 miles south of the equator with an elevation of 5,500 feet above sea level.



The weather has been mostly sunny and warm during our time here. The light rainy season is pretty much gone as Kenya heads into the summer months. January and February are the hot summer months. Nevertheless because of the altitude it cools down nicely at night. Even when it is hot, there is not the humidity that we experience at home. Even in hot weather, you see Kenyans wearing long sleeve shirts, a sweater or jacket. You know it is really hot when you see Kenyans with short sleeves. You never see Kenyans wearing shorts. They believe shorts are just for boys. However Don does wear shorts when back at Heart Lodge.



Although Nairobi is a large city it doesn't have the infrastructure to handle the population growth that has taken place here and so the traffic can be very congested at most times. Wherever one goes in Kenya, one sees people walking. Another mode of transportation is the matatu. Matatu is taken from the Swahili word, matata which means problem. The matatu is a 14 passenger Toyoto Van. Each matatu has a driver and a conductor who handles the fee. The matatu drivers are independent drivers and are the most aggressive drivers that we have ever seen. It seems no laws apply to them. They will drive on boulevards, grass, walkways, over medians, etc. in an effort to obtain that edge in the traffic. We have seen as many as four matatus driving abreast for two lanes of highway. They will stop everywhere and anywhere to pick up or discharge a fare. We suspect that they also contribute to the traffic congestion.



We understand that there is a lot corruption in government in Kenya. The politicians also receive approximately 1 million Kenyan shillings each month for salary and expenses. That's about $13,333.00 US. This salary is tax free. There has been a lot of media attention about this while we have been here. A recent survey showed that over 90 % of Kenyans believe the politicians should be paying some tax on their salaries and allowances.



The unemployment rate is approximately 68% throughout Kenya. That is probably one of the reasons for the high crime rate since there is no government assistance if you are unemployed. There is a military presence everywhere in Nairobi. You see solders walking about carrying K47 weapons. One day as we were waiting for our driver to pick us up at the entrance to one of the malls, a small vehicle pulled up and four heavily armed soldiers jumped out and took their positions. A Wells Fargo bank truck then pulled up followed by another car carrying more solders. Some were carrying machine guns. This now seems to be the regular practice for bank pick ups and deliveries. It is not surprising to walk in a mall or on the street and see this army presence.



Not far from Heart Lodge are many embassy's and embassy residences. It seems every country that does business with Kenya and East Africa has an embassy here. We saw the old US embassy that was bombed by terrorists prior to 9/11. The new embassy is much larger and much better protected. It's like the USA is sending a message: if you attack us, we will come back even bigger. Most if not all of the embassy residences are beautiful buildings with manicured lawns and gardens. One day we drove past the Israeli embassy. We had to go through a road block where Kenyan solders checked the car before we passed.



The second largest UN compound in the world is located here in Nairobi, across the road from the US embassy.

The Nest Orphanage

After leaving the Tea Farm, the Kennys took us to The Nest Orphanage. This is the orphanage where Ava lived before becoming part of the Kenny Family.
The orphanage is home to about 50 children whose mothers' are in jail. They cannot be adopted. The Kennys were able to adopt Ava because she was abandoned by her mother and found by a policeman who took her to this orphanage.
We were able to visit the children's rooms. The toddlers' room has a giant crib which sleeps 10 children. There was plenty of room for the children but a very emotional sight to see. It was surrounder by white cribs which were stacked two high. We were quite impressed by how clean everything was given the number of children. The girls' room was for girls from 4-18 and it was a long wall of bunkbeds with no space between them. The boys' room also had a long row of bunkbeds but they were separated by built-in cupboards where the boys kept their clothes.
We also saw the on sight school which was very bright with brand new colourful furniture. It was built and furnished in 2007 after a very large donation was received. Orphanges in Kenya receive no government funding!
We walked around the property holding children's hands. The children were desperate to hold our hands and if one happened to move away another child immediately took its place.
We ended up in the dining room where the children sang for us. All of the Kennys, Don, and Joy were holding a child while other children also cuddled in very close to us.
The staff is very warm and do the best they can, under the circumstances, to provide a loving environment for the children.
We sang Jingle Bells and Away in the Manger and then Don prayed for and with the children.
We were emotionally exhausted after being there...it was an incredible experience and one that we have not had before!

Kiambethu Tea Farm

Today we were invited to join the CBM Field Staff in Kenya, some visiting pastors and CBM staff from Angola and Terry Smith from Toronto. We went to the Kiambethu Tea Farm. The Tea Farm is located 30 kilometres from Nairobi and is about 8,000 feet above sea level.
We arrived there around 10:15. We started the morning with a worship service which was held outside in the garden. Andy DesRoches led us in singing and Terry Smith gave a short message. It was very meaningful and short! (ha! ha!)
Around 11 a.m. we had tea and cookies. While sampling this wonderful tea, Fiona Vernon, the owner, explained to us the process of making tea. This Tea Farm dates back to 1912 and has been home to four generations.
We then took a walk in an indigenous forest with a resident Kenyan guide. We saw a lot of Colobus monkeys, especially around the farm house.
A delicious lunch was served and we ate outside.
The gardens around the house were spectacular as was the view of the lush green tea fields and the Ngong Hills in the distance.
It was like being in paradise! Now we understand why the British chose to settle here many years ago!

A Very Relaxing Saturday

After a wonderful night's sleep, we had a great breakfast with the Kenny's. We must add that Aaron makes a wicked cup of coffee!! We relaxed with the family for a while. Erica make shortbread cookies, Aaron and the kids worked on their homemade wrapping paper, Don spent more time working on his pictures on Erica's computer and Joy just vegged! Just what the Doctor ordered!! (ha! ha!)
It was great to spend this time with the Kenny's in their home which is so nicely decorated for Christmas. We must admit though, it is hard thinking about Christmas when everything outside is so green and lush. The Kenny's Christmas Tree is beautiful with all the lights and decorations on it.
On the way back to Heart Lodge we stopped at Java House for one of their specialty coffees. Tristan, Emma and Ava had a fun playing on the slide there.
This afternoon, Don and I had a sleep. The adrenaline is starting to dissipate after being geared up for so many days. We have nothing else to prepare for except for a party with the young
Somali ladies on Monday morning.
There are a number of Canadian Baptist Ministry Staff staying at Heart House. They are here for some meetings. It will be fun to talk with them at dinner.

Friday Night with the Five Kennys

Erica and Aaron invited us to join them for dinner and then to stay overnight at their home.
Friday night dinner is always "Tacos"! Everything but the beans was homemade and extremely delicious. Erica is an excellent cook and her brownies are to die for!
Before dinner, Emma and Tristan taught us a new card game called "Golf"! We had a great time playing with them. After dinner, the 6 of us played a card game called "President". It too was a lot of fun with Don and Joy never becoming "President". The person with the most cards at the end of each game becomes the "Scully"....which is like being the servant of the President ...this is the position that Don and I held the most!!
Everyone went to bed fairly early. Don stayed up until midnight working on his pictures. Don took advantage of Erica's computer to download some pictures onto our blog.
If you go back to the following posts you will see some of his pictures: Amboselli, Three of The Big Five and Return to Nairobi.
One of the reasons that we stayed overnight with the Kennys is that it is not safe to travel, even by car, at night. There have been many recent carjackings.
Their apartment, as many homes and apartments are, is gated with a 24/7 security guard. There is also a 24/7 security guard and a gated entrance to Heart Lodge.

Masai Market

We went to the Massai Market this afternoon (Friday). What an incredible experience.
The upper level of the parking lot at Village Market Mall becomes the Masai Market on Friday afternoons where the members of the Masai Tribe can sell their wares. There must have been over 200 hundred stalls selling jewelery, baskets, scarves, soapstone carvings, painted plates made from limestone, masks and carvings of animals, just to name a few items.
Beware, we both have become experts at bartering. We were told to start at 1/5 of the asking price and perhaps, go up a little from there. The merchants are very aggressive in trying to make a sale. When we first made an offer, the merchant looked as if we had killed his best friend. The merchant would counter offer and we would make our final offer. If it wasn't accepted, we would then walk away. Most often, the merchants would follow us down the aisle and then accept our offer. (Doesn't this remind you of going with Don/Dad to buy a car!!)
We had a lot of fun but were tired by the end of the afternoon. We probably have enough merchandise to fill our empty suitcases!

Final Morning with the Teachers

We had an excellent time with the staff at Eastleigh this morning. (Friday) This was our last workshop with them and the last time we would be with them on this trip.
We decided to keep this workshop light as the teachers had already received a lot of information,
theory and practical advice from us. Our focus for this morning was Classroom Management and a lot of discussion ensued. We had them do several group activities. The teachers were quite relaxed and enjoyed themselves in their groups. There was a lot more sharing amongst them and even some healthy, spirited competition which we had not seen before.
After all the discussion, excellent questions, and debates, Jackson, the Head Master, stood up and declared that the threat and use of the cane and all physical punishment would be officially banned from their school. What an monumental moment that was for them and us!
At the conclusion of the workshop, we presented them with a collage which included an 8x10 picture of the staff surrounded by approximately 40 4x6 pictures of the students. We also presented each teacher with a 4x6 picture of their staff group. It was quite a moment because they had never had a staff picture taken before. They were also enthralled with the collage.
We also gave the school a resouce book on co-operative learning which will help them to further implement what we presented.
Jackson then asked each staff member to stand up and say their own personal thank you to us.
To put it mildly, we were very moved and blown away by all their kind remarks. This special time for us lasted for over 30 minutes. Jackson's own sentiments concluded the morning.
We never expected to have such an impact on the staff. God certainly worked through us and through them to bring about such a wonderful time.
We left Eastleigh feeling that when school reconvenes on January 6th the staff will be a very cohesive team and both the staff and students will greatly benefit by this step forward.
God is Good!!!

Ava's Adoption Update

It was a very sad Friday morning for us. We, along with the Kennys, all their family and friends were hoping for a better outcome to the morning. However, we think the Kenny's have put it into perspective for all of us in their e-mail, which follows. They have not yet heard from their lawyer what Friday in January their adoption will go before the judge. We will continue to uphold Aaron and Erica and children in prayer.

Hello friends,

We want to thank you all for praying us through this day. On our way into the courthouse this morning we received a call from our lawyer telling us that we had been cut from the list of cases (along with 23 others) to be heard today. After many tears (sobs actually), and I have to admit anger (against I'm not sure who), we believe that this is all part of God's plan for our family. It seems it would be much easier if we knew exactly what that plan was, but I guess that's the beauty of handing our lives over to Christ. We get to leave all our troubles with Him and He will guide us through. So even though we are all disappointed today, we know that God is still working on this and He is in control and with that we find peace.

Right now it looks like sometime in January will be the next available date for us to go to court. We will keep you all posted. Thank you all so much for your prayers.

Love Aaron, Erica, Tristan, Emma and Ava

Prayer Request

We just received this from Erica and Aaron: Tommorow is Friday Morning. It is now Thursday night here...there is 8 hours difference in time.

Dear Friends,

As many of you know, we are going to court tomorrow. We are praying that this will be our final time in court for the adoption and that the judge will declare Ava an "official" Kenny at this time.

We recieved a phone call from our lawyer earlier this evening saying that the court is overbooked tomorrow with pre-adoption cases and other matters and that official adoption hearings are among the last heard. We are 7th on the list out of 11 potential adoptions. He said it is not looking good for our case to be heard because of all the cases the court has booked. Please pray with us that the cases are heard swiftly tomorrow and that everyone that is there for adoption cases has a chance to be heard. We fear that this may be our last opportunity before February to go before the judge, which will make it difficult for us to return to Canada in April. We are just laying this all before the Lord, trusting that His timing is perfect. We appreciate your prayers for our family and for the adoption. We'll let you all know that outcome of tomorrow as soon as we hear.

Love Aaron, Erica, Tristan, Emma and Ava Kenny

Imodium to the Rescue!

While Don was working with the staff, Joy was taking discreet trips to the washroom!
One must be in dire need to use the washrooms at the school. The good news is that there is flush toilets as opposed to just a hole in the ground. The bad news is that the toilet bowl is in the ground with the top of the toilet bowl even with the cement floor. So squatting is to be taken quite literally....or one could say it is a hit or miss!!! There is also no toilet tissue or soap or paper towels to be seen.
So, many thanks to Marie for the hand wipes and to Hazel and Diane for the toilet tissue. I know that they don't have computers, so please pass on my extreme gratitude to them!
The imodium seems to be working, but just in case it doesn't we have a prescription from our Doctor, in Toronto, on standby! We understand from Stephen's experience with the prescription, when he and Yenny were in Viet Nam, that it works very well!

Rain in Nairobi

We woke up to rain for the 1st time in Nairobi although it didn't last very long. During the night there was a heavy rain. We expected Eastleigh to be a sea of mud today, but much to our surprise, and our driver's delight, there were no huge puddles. We think that because the ground is do dry and consequently very dusty, the rain just seemed to wash away all the loose dirt and dust.

Closing Ceremonies at School

This morning was the last day of school for the students. The parents came with the students to meet with their teachers in order to pick up their report cards. The reports are completed by hand and are in a notebook. The children are ranked from 1st to last on their report card. Very different!!
The closing ceremonies were held in an auditorium on site...it was very noisy and dusty. The chairs are extremely old metal ones and then the students carried in their desks/benches for more seating. We, along with Aaron and Erica, were honoured to be seated at the front on very comfortable padded chairs.
The programme began in prayer: a Christian prayer and Muslim prayer. The programme consisted of classes performing songs, poems and a fashion show.
We were introduced mid-way through the programme. Don said a few words and then we invited the Head Master and teachers to join us on the stage for the singing of the "Hokey Pokey"! The staff had never performed for the students before and the children and parents were thrilled. Laughter broke out on stage and in the audience when we reached the part, "you put your backside in, you take your backside out.....and you shake it all about"!
The awards were presented at the end of the assembly. Awards for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd highest marks in each class; for the most improved students in each class; for the two students who had the cleanest uniforms all year; for the best behaved girl and boy in the school. Don and I and Aaron and Erica were asked to present some of the awards.

Our First Workshop with the Teachers

Once again, we need to thank you for all your prayers on our behalf! Our first workshop was a great success!
The teachers slowly came to the library. Part of that is due to being on Kenyan time, but also their anxiety about being there.
Don quickly broke the ice and they became engaged in the workshop. Each teacher shared one successful event from the year. It was very moving to hear them share their stories. We then put them in groups according to the colour of post-it notes they picked from a bag. Each group's task was to identify the challenges faced during the school year. The teachers worked really well in their groups and came up with quite a list. We then had one member of each group hold their list while another member presented their ideas. Without realizing it, the teachers had their first introduction to co-operative learning!
We then used a dotography exercise (3 stickers to prioritize the list of challenges).
This has given us some ideas of what to address in the second and third sessions on Thursday and Friday. Classroom management and how to motivate children to learn are the two major items.

Giving out the Toothbrushes and Toothpaste

We went down to visit with the kindergarten classes again this morning. The children were once again very excited (to put it mildly) to see us. They kept touching our arms to feel the hair on them and to just feel our skin.
We gave out the toothbrushes and toothpaste that our dentist, Dr. Levy, gave to us.
I taught them the song, "This is the way we brush our teeth so early in the morning".
The children were even more excited after we presented them with our gift. Such a simple gift, but oh, so important. We felt like Santa Claus!

Tuesday Morning at Eastleigh

We had another fabulous time with the young women from Somalia. In fact, we had two new ladies join with us today. Erica and Aaron came today and the class had lots of fun singing the new songs for them! The Hokey Pokey is by far the favourite song!
Our time with the women is drawing to a close. We have come to love and enjoy them very much! They are a great group with much to offer. We can only pray that we are having some impact on their lives in the short time that we are with them.

Oh! For an Ikea Store!!

We developed some of the wonderful pictures Don has taken of the students at Eastleigh. Our intent is to make a collage with the pictures and present it to the school. It is almost impossible to find anything on which to make the collage The bristol board here is very flimsy and so far we have not found any large frames. One suggestion that we received was to go the a hardware store and buy ceiling tiles! We will keep looking and hopefully will find something suitable!

Off to the The Head Master's Office!!

After our visit with the kindergarten classes, we went to Jackson's office. We have prepared a draft report on our assessment of the school. Don wanted to orally review this with Jackson before presenting him with a hard copy. Jackson was in agreement with everything in the report and was pleased to see that we were on the same page as him.
The problem, for most of the ideas in the report, is lack of funding.
As we have mentioned before, the Library is in dire need of books and a paint job. However,
Jackson has been told that first the teacher's must be paid, and then other things can be done.
The problem is that after the teacher's salaries are met, and they are minimal, there is no money left over. Not even to buy textbooks for the students. He would like to have a textbook for every two children to share but can't even manage that!
Don has been talking with a couple who are staying at Heart Lodge. They belong to the Rotary Club in the US and are here setting up libraries in rural Kenya. We hope to take them to Eastleigh to see the school and the library. Maybe on their next trip to Nairobi they might include some books for Eastleigh. Another prayer request!!
In our report, we also mentioned class management and general overall management of the children. This idea was also well received and generated a lot of discussion on child management practices in Kenya and abroad. Although using the cane is now against the law, it is still used to keep control of the students in many schools in Kenya.

Meeting the Kinders!

We have had another great day!
Upon our arrival at Eastleigh, we went to visit the kindergarten class. The children were writing their exams. Yes, EXAMS! The teacher left the class while some of the students were finishing up their test and then mayhem broke out. You can just imagine what a roomful of 5 year olds were like when left on their own! There is absolutely nothing in the room for them to do so they just ran in and out of the classroom to the dirt play yard. We gave up trying to get some control! Some were even going through the tests on the teacher's desk looking for their marks!! The young students were all over us; touching our skin, our clothes and just wanting to be near us. They are very cute!
There are 60 kinders at the school. We ended up marking some of their exams and then manually recording the marks in a record book made up by the teacher. Their final report is out of 500 marks. I printed the teacher's name, date, class and term on the report cards. Oh for a computer!!
In their play area, there is only the two soccer balls that we presented to them last week. Another favourite activity is rolling an old tire around the yard. We can't imagine what they do during the rainy season. The yard would be one big mud hole!

Kodak Moments

There have been many Kodak moments todate in Kenya. Don has already taken about 1000 pictures. Don was hoping to download a few each time we added a post to our blog. Unfortunately he has not been able to do so while at Heart Lodge. The computer will simply not allow him to do so. The few pictures that you have seen attached to a posting were downloaded at an Internet cafe at one of the malls in Nairobi. On Friday evening we will be at the Kenny's home where Don hopes to use their computer to download some of his best pictures. In the interim we suggest you visit the Kenny's blog. Not only is it an interesting read about their life here as CBM staff, in Nairobi, Aaron is a great photographer and has posted several pictures of the Eastleigh Community and their family with Don and Joy. Check it out at http://www.four_kennys.blogspot.com/.
We recommend the following posts: Eastleigh Street Life-Oct.26, Hepburns- Nov.8, Friendly Swim Meet- Nov.14, and Thompson Falls-Nov. 22. The Kennys are listed as followers to our blog and so their picture appears in the top left corner of our blog. If you double click on the their picture it will take you directly to their blog.

A Relaxing Sunday

This morning we went to church with Aaron, Erica and family. Their church meets in the auditorium of Rossland Academy. It is called The International Christian Fellowship. We felt very comfortable there as people were casually dressed just like at home!! The music was great and they had a worship team similar to ours. We sang two new choruses which were fabulous. Look out Scott and Brian!!! They also sang one that Shirley, Wendy, Denise and their group sang for us. It was a great reminder that we should be singing that one too!!
The message was from Mark 3: 7-34, where Jesus chose his 12 disciples. He spoke about Jesus wanting to have a relationship with us and out of that relationship flows service to others.
We then went to the River Cafe for lunch which is a favourite spot to eat for the residents here at Heart House. We now know why! It is an outdoor dining area opening onto beautiful gardens. The food was also excellent.
Home by 1:00! I don't think we have ever been home from a church service, and lunch too, by 1:00.....quite novel!!!!
We are using the afternoon to prepare for the upcoming workshops for the teachers. The first one is on Tuesday afternoon.
By the way, the weather here is once again, sunny and hot...in fact, very hot!! The low rainy season usually goes into December. However, we have not had any rain since our trip to Amboselli.
We enjoying receiving e-mails Thanks to all who have kept us up- to- date on the happenings at home! Our e-mail address is 2hepburns@rogers.com.

Standing on the Equator

We have had another wonderful day with the Kenny Family. They picked us up at 8:30 a.m. and we headed north to the Equator and the largest falls in Kenya, Thompson Falls.
We stopped at a sign showing the exact location of the Equator. There was a young man there who called himself the "Professor"!. We did the water experiment with him. He took us about 30 meters north of the equator and the water flowed down a hole in a dish clockwise. We then went 30 meters south of the equator and the water flowed counter clockwise. Standing right on the equator, the water went straight down through the hole. It was an amazing experiment! Too bad that you can't bring your whole class here Stephen!! We also learned that the hair on the crown of your head, for those who live north of the equator, grows clockwise. For those living south of the equator it grows counter clockwise....go figure!!!
We then headed to Thompson Falls. We had a picnic lunch there. It almost felt like we were sitting in a park at Niagara Falls with the sound of the water rushing over the falls. It was very enjoyable and serene with one notable difference: a family of baboons were running around near the top of the falls!
The roads driving to and from our destinations were the best that we have encountered since arriving in Kenya. They were paved and there were even some lines along the sides and down the middle. One of the roads was the main route to Uganda.
The scenery along the Rift Valley was incredibly beautiful. It was also interesting travelling through all the small towns seeing the people and their stores and markets.
All in all, it was a wonderful way to spend a Saturday in Kenya!!

Special Prayer Requests

Aaron and Erica Kenny's court appointment to finalize the adoption of their daughter, Ava, is being heard next Friday, November 28th, in the morning. All parties must be present for the adoption to go through and with the traffic here in Nairobi being so unpredictable, timing is very important. If this adoption is not heard on Friday it will be postponed until well into the new year. Aaron and Erica are hoping go home on furlough in April and so it is imperative that Ava's adoption is finalized on Friday. Please pray that this adoption will go through without any glitches.
Gordon King, Director of the Sharing Way, is now out of the hospital but is still very weak. He is spending the weekend at Patty and Malcolm Card's home. Please pray that his strength and energy will be returned so that he will have a safe journey home next week.
Please pray for us as we prepare for the workshops that we will be leading with the teachers at Eastleigh next week. The teachers have warmed up to us but please pray that they will be receptive to new ideas and to working co-operatively together. One of the issues that we have identified is classroom management. We will be encouraging them to consider other ways of managing students rather than walking around with a stick!

Don "The Teacher"

Joy has had a headache for the past couple of days so decided that she would stay at Heart Lodge today to rest.
So, Don's had an amazing day on his own!! He has become an excellent teacher!!
Don's day began at 7:45 when he arrived at school for the Friday Assembly which is held outdoors. His intent was to take a picture of the entire student body and staff. However, the sun would not co-operate. The sun was in front of him and the picture would not have turned out. It would have taken a lot of work to move the 300 or more students so that the sun was behind Don so he was only able to take pictures of groups of children. The pictures are still great!!
Don was asked to speak at the assembly and also was asked to teach everyone the "Hokey Pokey". We think that this song will be our trademark at the school.
After the assembly, Don went to a meeting of the Christian Union. We both thought that this would be a meeting with some reps from this organization. Well, were we ever wrong! When Don walked into the classroom, it was filled with students and Don was asked to teach the children about God. Talk about having to think on your feet. This was a Bible Class! But, as usual, God is Good, and Don was able to tell the story of the Three Trees. He most recently told this story to the children at our church in November so it was still fairly fresh in his mind. The children were most attentive throughout the story and appreciated some of the drawings that he did to illustrate the story. At the conclusion of the story, Jackson, the Head Master, was able to
relate to the students how he wanted to be in the Army and how God had changed the direction of his life and led him into teaching.
From that, Don immediately went to the ESL class, where he taught, on his own, 3 classes. He even led the class in the songs that Joy had taught them this week. Don is developing quite the singing voice, which will "stay in Kenya when we leave!!!" We had planned a lot of content for today's classes, so Don was able to keep the students active for the entire time. He really enjoyed being on his own and had a wonderful time with the girls! Don took lots of pictures of the girls which we hope to print and leave with them.
This afternoon, Aaron picked us up and took us to downtown Nairobi. It was a great experience. We were able to visit a shop that people here at Heart House had recommended. Downtown Nairobi is a very busy place with people walking everywhere and cars driving in every direction! Surprise.....Don didn't take any pictures downtown because we didn't want to draw attention to ourselves. Also, one can get arrested for taking pictures of any government building, army personnel and policemen.....Don did not want to make this mistake!!!
It is now 6:20 and we are back at Heart House looking forward to another amazing meal...as we have said before, the food here is very tasty!!! We have heard that Heart Lodge is one of the best guest houses in Nairobi and we feel extremely blessed to have this as our home away from home. The staff are simply amazing and go out of their way to make us feel welcome.

Hawa's Home

Hawa is a women who is also 34 years old. She is a single mom with 5 daughters. Her husband left her two years ago and rumour has it that he is living with another woman somewhere in Eastleigh. There are 10 people living in this small apartment. It is also has two rooms and is about 200 square feet in total.
This apartment is located on the 5th floor. It is quite a walk up the stairs because the steps are all different heights and in a state of disrepair. There is no electricity in the entire building during the day. This building also has an opening from the ground up to the top where thre is for for families on each floor to hang laundry. It is quite a sight!
Hawa also cooks for the 10 people living with her on a small bbq located in the hall. The family may eat two meals a day ...breakfast and dinner....usually consisting of anjara, which is is a pancake cooked on the bbq and rice and beans. The only money that this family receives is from a sister living in the United States and another relative living somewhere else. The money helps to pay for the rent which is 5500 shillings which includes electricity at night only and the school uniforms for the 3 girls that attend school. ($1 US equals about 78 kenya shillings)
This family does not have a tv. The cement floors are covered in a very thing linoleum and we sat on a mattress on the floor which is used at night for sleeping. The only toys that we saw were two very tattered and dirty stuffed animals.
Our gifts for this family were a bag of sugar, rice, toothbrushes, toothpaste and soda.
We take the sodas so that we do not have to offend the family by not accepting food or drink from them. Water is not safe for us to drink.
When we are walking and visiting in the community we create a lot of attention. We are continually surrounded by young children. People are constantly walking into the homes we are in to "check us out"!!

Zaahra's Home

Our first home visit was to Zaahra's home which is located about 1 block from the centre. Walking to her home was an adventure in itself. We left our belongings at the school. Zaahra carried the gifts that we were taking to her home because they probably would have been stolen from us along the way. Zaahra took good care of us while we were walking .... we walked very quickly with Zaahra directing us from behind so that she could keep an eye on us and those around us. The roads were dust covered and filled with garbage!
Zaahra's family lives on the 2nd floor of an apartment building that is 4 stories high. The hallways and stairwells are dark because there is no electricity in them. In the middle of the building is an opening from the ground to the top where families hang their laundry to dry, so during the day there is a little light.
Zaahra's family lives in a two room unit which is about 200 square feet in total. The kitchen area is an extremely small area inside the door...it contains a small square metal sink with one tap...cold water and a two shelves with some containers on them.
This little area opens onto a room that contains a bunkbed (somewhere in size between a single bed and a double bed), an extremely old tv, a bench and a rug on the cement floor. This is where the family of 12 gather to eat. There is one other room with the same size bunk bed plus another bed on the floor.
For cooking they use a small round bbq that is located in the hall of the building. It isn't called a bbq but we will find the correct name for it later.
Zaahra is paid by CBM for her work with Aaron and Erica and out of this she pays for the rent
which is 4,000 shillings and for the lighting which is 1,500 shillings. Her father, because he is Somali, can only find occasional work as a driver. Zaahra's mother is 34, with 10 children, the youngest being 6 months old. She looks older than her real age.
We took a soccer ball, toothbrushes, toothpaste and some soda for the family. The gifts were greatly appreciated as was our visit!

Teaching English As A Second Language (ESL)

Aaron and Erica have been away at a conference for most of this week so Don and I have been teaching their ESL Classes. We make a great team!!
There are 3 classes each morning of approximately 1 hour each starting at 9 a.m. and ending at 12:15 (there are a couple of short breaks in there!!) Some of the women (young girls from 17 to women around 30) arrive for the 9 am class and stay for the next class too so there is about 26 in those two classes with some overlapping. Ten more girls arrive for the last class. We teach mostly the same content for all 3 classes, however, the 9 a.m. class has the least knowledge of English. We are beginning each class with songs that Joy used in kindergarten: Good Morning Song, Days of the Week, and I'm a Walking, Walking Walking. Each class loves to sing and is enjoying these simple songs. The all time hit is The Hokey Pokey! In fact, we have been asked to teach it to the whole school at the closing ceremonies. Another favourite is 'Deep and Wide'. Singing is a wonderful way to teach English. We have also been playing simple matching games with alphabet letters and with letter sounds (i.e., how many words can they think of that begin with 's'.
We introduced role playing today by having them carry on short conversations in pairs in front of the class.
Zaahra has been a wonderful help to us during these classes.
After our two home visits, which we will be describing in the next blogs, we have been helping the teachers with their marking and supervising exams.

Our Health

We are pleased to report that Don is on the mend although his rash is nothing like we have seen before. It is purple/pink blotches that are similar to chicken pox, only larger. The itching has almost gone and for that we are thankful. It has also stopped spreading. Don continues to take his antibiotics and is still using the special cream.
Other than that our health is good. Joy is starting to get tired. We are only at school from 7:45 to 12:15 tomorrow (Friday) and then the weekend is here!!!
We will have down time on the weekend and that will help Joy to regroup!
We know that only your prayers on our behalf are keeping us as healthy as we are! God is Good!!

A Trip to the Doctor

Yesterday afternoon, upon our return to Heart Lodge, Don noticed (and felt!) that he had a rash on his ankle that reminded him of Poison Ivy. He asked to go to the store with Bob, a minister, who, along with his wife, lives here at Heart Lodge for 10 months of the year. Bob is the Logistics Director for Heart Lodge. Don spoke with the Chemist and was given an antibiotic cream and some antihistamine pills. Unfortunately as the evening progressed, so did the rash. When he woke up this morning it was on his upper torso. So.....a change in plans for the day. We called Aaron and Erica, who immediately said that Don needed to see a Doctor. They too cancelled their plans for the day and took us to the Doctor. Don immediately got an appointment to see a Dermatologist. While waiting for his appointment, approximately 1 hour and a half, Don and Aaron went to an Internet Store where Don learned how to download some of his pictures to our blog. It is a v e r y s l o w process, so don't expect too many pictures!! Joy and Erica went for coffee and a walk around the mall!!
Don was diagnosed as having a bug bite that his immune system over reacted to. It probably would have cleared up on its own, but would have taken some time. It may have gotten worse before getting better and the rash is extremely itchy. The Dr. said that Don's immune system is not used to some of the bugs here in Nairobi and was told to use bug spray at all times....yes, Joy will be doing the same!!
We went out for lunch with Aaron and Erica and then went to the hospital to visit with Gordon King. Gordon is Director of the Sharing Way (the relief ministry of Canadian Baptists) and is here to lead a week long workshop with the Field Staff here in Nairobi and other areas of Africa. He became sick yesterday and was admitted to hospital. Initially, malaria was suspected, but that has been ruled out and at this point it is not known what made him ill. But, thankfully, he is on the mend and if all goes well, will be discharged on Thursday. We had a great visit with Gordon!
Through all of this, we are being reminded that God is always in control and that we must continue to be patient when things unexpectedly change.
We will be returning to Eastleigh tomorrow, recharged, and ready to serve there.

Monday at School

We were at school by 7:45 am this morning for an assembly. It was nothing like the assemblies Joy is used to. The boys and girls stood outside in rows....boys on one side and girls on the other.
Phylis, a teacher at Eastleigh, was in charge and spoke in Swahili for approx. 5 minutes and then the children saw a song, one student prayed and then it was over. Mass exit then ensued with students running to their classes.
Don had a great day. He was with a teacher named Washington. Don was quite impressed with Washington and enjoyed teaching along side of him. Don taught one Swahili class, 2 social studies classes and one English class. Did Don miss his calling? !!!! What impressed Don, the most, was the way that Washington interacted with his class. His love of teaching and his students was very noticeable.
Washington is a young man who lives on his own in Eastleigh, in 1 room smaller than any bedroom that we have seen in Toronto. After working all day, he goes out into the neighbourhood helping street kids.
Joy also had an interesting day. She spent her time with a teacher named Mary. Mary was a good teacher. This is review time, before the students exams, and so the English Classes and Christian Religion Classes Joy attended were all review.....straight from copies of last year's exams. Joy was also able to interact with the students and used some of her class management skills with them. The teachers usually raise their voices to get above the classroom noise in order to get the children's attention and thus it just gets noisier and noisier. Joy also noticed that the children had to share pencils!
We were both able to visit the library, independently of each other. We both left with the same reaction. We were dumbfounded at the lack of books or anything else there. World encyclopedias were dated 1991; nonfiction books were generally published in the 90's and therefore any information was dated or obsolete. There were no story books to be seen. One cubicle held very ragged and torn novels.....pages were brown.....they would have been tossed out years ago in Ontario. It was a very sad sight. The man in charge was quite pleased with the way he had organized it...and it was organized....but we found it very hard to find positive things to say about the materials in the library.
Today, we had the pleasure of presenting soccer balls to the kindergarten class and the grade 1-7 students. All the students, regardless of age, were absolutely thrilled! The older students put on a show for us. The girls played first and then the boys. They are very skilled soccer players. One young male student was chosen to play for the city team and played in Belgium this past summer. What an experience that must have been for him.
We also brought pylons, which replaced the stones that they usually use for goalposts.
We are sensing that one of this issues that we will be focussing on when we lead the teachers on professional development days will be classroom management and discipline. They still are struggling with the fact that using the stick is no longer an acceptable method of discipline even though some of them still carry it around.
All in all, it was a great day. Please pray for the staff there. We are still feeling some resistance from them when we are in the staff room. The teachers that we have worked with are quite comfortable with us now, but those we haven't worked with still seem aloof. We feel that they still aren't sure what our role is at Eastleigh.
By the way, weather here is sunny and hot! NO SNOW!!