Open House

Just a reminder that we have our open house this Sunday, Aug 3 at our house. The video is done and we are setting aside the afternoon to talk about Kenya with anyone who wants to hear more! If you need directions, let me know, my e-mail is SOler1218@aol.com.

message in church

I'm sure there is some cool way to make a link, but if you go to www.fvcc.com and click on sermon archives, you can hear what we said on Sunday. The sermon is called Pass it On. There is an introduction by Dan Fields, our pastor, and then a prayer session at the end. They taped the second service version. You'll have to imagine the photos that were showing, but there you go!

Thanks for the prayers if you're still reading this and praying. We spoke at church yesterday and it went well. We were able to communicate a little bit of our experience and I think it got some people interested in the work, missions, etc. At any rate, we didn't mess up, choke up or flounder badly, so we're considering it a success! There was also an extended time of prayer for the Crums and the mission to the Maasai, so that was great!

most beautiful things we saw

here's the next one of our lists...

Breathtaking

Blue Lagoon- this beach was just a short walk from Turtle Bay and one of the most beautiful beaches I've been on

Rift Vally- the first view of this huge valley is breathtaking. You come out of Nairobi and then there it is! I wish I knew how many miles you can see.

360 around Salepu’s- it felt like we were on top of the world, no other human dwellings in sight.

Loan acacia tree’s- I kept finding one more picture perfect trees that were just beautiful against the blue sky

Single Maasai in red- we didn't get a good picture to some out of this. The Maasai herdsmen wear bright red and they stand out against the yellows of the grasses.

Out of Africa view point- no wonder they made the movie here!

Traditional housing- these huts are dark and smoky, but they sure are pretty from the outside.

Most significant moments

Here's another list, these are things that really were emotionally meaningful to us

Significant moments

Meeting the cow named "Helper" at Ole' Salepu's home. We had helped in a cattle replacement program in 1999, and then we actually "met" one of the cows that was purchased with that money.

Meeting people in Kajiado who didn’t starve- the FVCC Easter offering was for drought relief in 2006. We met women and children who were helped, some of those kids might not have made it without the relief from the American churches. Wow.

Bracelet from Daniel Tuke’s arm- our host took his bracelet off his arm, it took a lot of soap and water to get it off, then put it on Kevin's arm, which also wasn't easy, as a thank you /friendship gesture.

Getting to know the Maasai team personally- Now Jeff and Tami Brown and the Cazier family are not just names on a newsletter, we know them, know their voices, parts of their stories, have been in some of their homes, etc. What a neat group of people committed to serving God in Kenya!

Big World/Small world at Turtle Bay- people from many nations/Wheaton connection- see Thursday for the Wheaton story, but it was so cool to be with people from Ethiopia, Sudan, South Africa, Scotland, etc. and hear their stories, and compare our lives and our experiences in Kenya.

Augustin and Lister’s hospitality- They were such gracious hosts, gave us lunch and friendship, opened up their home and allowed us into their lives for a short time. Agustin was such a blessing, his smiling face was so fun to see each morning at the Crum's house and we loved listening to him talk.

Conversation with Salepu looking at pictures- listening to his comments, his questions about the US, making connections with someone who lives a very different lifestyle from ours, but is a brother in Christ.

Call to Worship- these 4 or 5 women started singing REALLY LOUD, and it really was the call to worship, people started coming from all over and it was the sound of the singing that let them know it was time for church under that tree.

Guy at Gate knowing Dan- we were out in the middle of the plains, not exactly sure where we were , stopped at a gate and when Dan introduced himself as Ole Kijabe, the guy's face lit up. This man had been at a seminar at the CMF training facility and knew Dan or knew of Dan.

Connie’s prayer at Kawai- We stopped for a time of prayer before we left the area where Dan and Connie had raised their kids and where one of the churches is now located. Lots of emotions surround that area, hope, fond memories, loss, etc.

Flat tire- when we were near the Mara river, one of the tires went flat. Dan travels with 2 spares, thankfully, and while he and Kevin changed it, the girls all walked down to the river. It was a beautiful area and it was interesting to see how this one boy just sat and watched them change the tire. It was also an illustration of the many skills a missionary must have!

Pulling everyone into the back of the Land cruiser on the way to church- we picked up a number of women and children, who just piled in with Paige and Rachel, everyone on their way to church and they were just as curious about Paige as she was about them.

Conversations Paige saying “this is legit”- in the morning after we had stayed at Salepu's home, the girls were walking back from finding a "bush" and Paige made the observation that this wasn't a living diorama, a weekend outing of camping or put on for tourists.. this is how these people live their lives everyday of the year.

Chatting with the Chief- we met William Karose, who is now chief over 1000s of Maasai. He speaks very good English and is a Christian. What an opportunity for spreading the gospel!

explaining the links

I'll explain the links I"ve added. Amani Ya Juu is a place that works with women who have been in difficult circumstances. They use fabric arts as both a way to heal and a way to make an income. The website tells it better. We met Rachel who works for them in the US. She and her husband are Wheaton College grads and were at Turtle Bay when we stayed there. (here we were having dinner by the Indian Ocean, we are sitting with the Bells, he's from Canada and she's from the US, they lived in Japan for the past 12 years, and now live in Kenya, they start talking about their days at Wheaton, and Rachel and her husband overhear us and introduce themselves. People are here from all over the world, and the 6 of us have all lived in Chicago's western suburbs) We went there to shop, actually the girls shopped and they have a nice place to have coffee for the husbands. They had some wonderful fabric kids books that I would have gotten if I was buying for a toddler!

The Sudan Project is a medical mission. We met Charity, who is working in Sudan setting up a hospital, also at Turtle Bay. Her stories of the need, the complications of trying to work through the Sudanese bureaucracy, etc. were really fascinating. She's an amazing young woman, who is also a fun water polo player.

The Nest Halfway House is the orphanage we went to visit. They have a few different kinds of ministry there, some with women who are in prison or are recently released and need some time to bond with their children. They also have orphans who are available for adoption. Again, the site explains it better if you're curious.

I also included a link to Olare Safari camp, which is where we stayed. It's kind of a middle of the road camp as luxury goes. It was way nicer than I was anticipating, the food was great and I really enjoyed having my own bathroom in the tent, but one near Ole Salepu's called Kichwa Tembo has an option of having a private butler who comes with the tent. Now, that's a luxury camp!

church report

Lots of people have asked when they can see more photos, here's an answer! Kevin, Paige and I will be speaking in church this Sunday, July 20. We will talk at both services, the 8:45 am and the 10 am. I think we have 12 minutes, the whole service will be missions focused. We will report on some specific projects that Fox Valley Christian Church gave money for in Kenya, report on the mission in general and show some more photos. I'm not sure if we're going to show video yet.

On Sunday, August 3, we will be talking to the older children in their Sunday School class, during the 10 am hour. I think that's first through fifth grades.

Sunday, August 3, we will have an open house at our home, with LOTS of pictures, things we brought back, etc. By that point I'll have finished the final edit on the video. I have it down to about 35 minutes now. I'm not sure yet on the times for the open house, check here later or contact us and ask or just show up sometime in the afternoon/early evening. If you show up early, we will put you to work and if you're late, we may have you help clean up.

I have a Kodak Gallery slide show online now, but it's got 250 photos on it, including captions. I'm putting together a shorter version, but it's not quite ready. If you really want to see all 25o, let me know and I'll send you the link.

So, EVERYONE who is interested is welcome to come to the church service or our open house!!! Kids, adults, friends, co-workers, whoever. We are not going to ask anyone for donations, so don't worry about that, we just would love to tell anyone who is interested more about what we learned and experienced in Kenya.