Today we had the privilege of hiking to the rim of Mt. Longonot, a dormant volcano in the Rift Valley, which is a relatively smooth one hour ride west of Nairobi. We (my dad, Kevin, Noah and I) had intentions to walk the rim of the crater as well, which would of added only another 3 hours onto our trip. Those dreams were changed pretty much as soon as we reached the rim and realized the altitude at 2150 m above sea level actually affected us more than we thought it would. Hiking when three of the four people have dull headaches isn't so fun. We did stay at the top for a while and gawked at the magnificent view of the valley and Lake Naivasha. Luckily, the cape buffalo we saw from the top didn't encounter us on the way back.

We only have two days left here and we are enjoying relaxing on the guest house property. Our kids have found a gaggle of kids also staying here which keeps them occupied most of the day. The neighbors have some chickens, geese and rabbits, and the gardener has also helped entertain the kids when he butchers these animals. Mollie takes it surprisingly well... a farmer in the making?

I hope this week has been as peaceful for you as it has been for us.

OK...Lets say that someone was going to take a safari and got lost in the process. Then, when he gets to the safari it looks like all the animals hate him a lot. An example of their hatred would be being charged by a very large bull elephant, two leopards looking at you like your some kind of tasty morsel, and a female lion who looks like she works out every day giving you the stare down, while dragging a 200 lbs water buck away to her den. That "someone" was me. I was also flashed by a baboon. Let me tell you, not a pretty sight.

Don't forget, I will be signing autographs when I get home!

Noahy

P.S. Weird name!

Sister Louise's voice cracked then broke, her eighty year old eyes brimmed and spilt with the same vitality as the orphaned babies regularly given her by overwhelmed neighbours or nameless policemen. In a room with crucifixes, icons and pictures of the pope and numerous children she has raised, all hung with the same reverence from permanently yellowed walls, she told us the story of a 6 year old girl. It is a story of a boy who, having received love, felt compelled to share it with a girl who's only home had been the local market. It is a story of moving from abandonment and homelessness to the stability and shelter of the Dominican Sister's orphanage for children who lost their family by disease, war and poverty.

Sister Louise spoke through laughter and tears, telling us about 'one of her boys', an 8 year old now attending a local primary school, who's learned compassion sparked the saving of this little girl. It all began when he met her while she was seeking the charity of children, begging bits of lunch on the school grounds she would frequent if the market did not prove fruitful. After realizing his meagre contributions and failed attempts of encouraging his classmates to contribute to her well being could not sustain her, he brought her to the place he had come to call home. A home where he also had found consistent food, shelter, and above all, love.

It was his willingness to share what he had received that another 'waif in the market' has begun the long road of healing her physical, emotional and spiritual wounds. Struggling to tame the catch in my throa,t I reeled at the profound, life altering work of Sister Louise and the women alongside her who, by giving of their lives, had given life to so many over so many years.

Currently Emmanuel Centre is home to 148 children, who now have a place to belong and to contribute, all learning to receive and give love and life. They live in small homes with 12-13 other children and a 'house mama' where they are given opportunity to grow up as kids, with stability, relationships and education. Much of the food required to feed this large family is raised on the surrounding acres, with drip irrigated market gardens, cows, goats, ducks, turkeys and chickens along with an 'in house bakery', all tended by local people hired by the Sisters. It is this place and these people that will receive the gifts of money that friends at home sent along with us. It is this place and these people that remind me that light always overwhelms the shadows.

We already went on a safari and an elephant charged us. It was so creepy. I don’t know if an elephant is my favourite animal in Kenya anymore. We didn’t see any lions yet. We saw giraffes and more elephants. The babies are adorable. And then we saw hyenas and we saw a baby hyena and one that was playing dead. It was just weird. We saw dik diks, zebras, baboons, a couple of hippos, impalas, and guinea fowls who kept on annoying us because they wouldn’t get of the road. And the last…the Agama lizard.

Mollie

It is Saturday evening and we have safely arrived back in Nairobi. On our way home from the coast, we spent two nights in Tsavo West National Park on a safari and had the privilege of having our lodge right beside a watering hole which was lit up at night. I will let the kids give you all the details.
On this trip, I have had a few experiences that, due to my anxiety, I am sure have taken a few weeks if not months off my life. The latest was a lovely case of malaria Mollie must have picked up while we were on vacation. She has been on anti-malarial meds to prevent this, but those didn't quite do the trick. On our late afternoon safari yesterday she was suddenly lying with her head on my lap (while looking at lions!) and I could feel heat radiating off her body. Needless to say, I was in quite a state (a calm one I must say) trying to figure out what I was going to do about this out there in the boonies. I don't have much experience with malaria. What a blessing it was to find out the lodge had a nurse who said that in his opinion, she was presenting with malarial symptoms and he would recommend treating her for it. He had the medications she needed and told us that she should be feeling somewhat better in the morning. A rough night and a few fever induced hallucinations later, the fever broke and though she has been feeling tired and weak today (along with quite a few trips to the bathroom) she has the twinkle back in her eyes. I am so thankful it all happened when and where it did and that we can afford the meds she needs. I know there are many children and elderly who die from malaria because they can't.

Mollie's Blog.

I'm having so much fun. I like the pool best. It's so much fun. The first time we slept at this kind of mansion thing, my bed wasn't too comfortable. There are these fishers that catch fish for us every other day. We all watch them in our new binoculars that my mom and dad gave to us. There's these dogs. They are both girls, one named Sally and the other one Elisabeth. They are both adorable.

As you have heard from Noah and Anna, we have spent the last week on the coastal shore of Kenya, about 45 minutes north of Mombasa. My Dad had visited this house before and knew it would be a great fit for the seven of us. My parents work long, hard hours almost all of the time and truly deserved a week of rest and relaxation. That is exactly what this place has given us. Within steps of the Indian ocean, this house very comfortably sleeps all of us, employs a cook (we have to come up with the meals and buy the groceries, but the rest is looked after) Ishmael, a housekeeper Asha, and a gardener Swaleh. All three are lovely Kenyans we have enjoyed getting to know. There is an open porch on the second floor with two hammocks in which Anna spends most of her time. The first floor has five sets of double doors that open up the view to the ocean and provide an amazing breeze throughout the day. The four adults spend most of the day reading in the cozy couches placed everywhere, and Noah and Mollie get waterlogged in the pool. We are all content and at peace with life and for that I am grateful. It is a blessing to spend this week before Christmas in this state of mind.

Hi, people.

I am very sorry that I can't connect with anybody on the Internet because you have to pay to get it. But, lucky us! We decided to head to the Caribbean's! Well, that is what I thought it was when I first saw this place. It is like those travel agency commercials for Hawaii or Mexico. What a place! And right now, I am sitting on a chair, watching the waves roll by and fishermen harpooning fish in the distance.

See'ya

Noahy

P.S Weird name!

Hey everybody,
You are all going to be so jealous... we are at a resort and you will see in the pictures how cool it is! We have a private chef and a house cleaner and really nice guard dogs and even a bum cleaner in our bathroom. There is four big bedrooms, three of them have queen beds and Mollie and I have to share a bedroom with a bunk bed and a "magic mirror" AND a huge deck were we can look over the Indian ocean and our private pool. I had a little bit of a cry " time when you want to be ALONE" about the bedroom part but I got over it. We swam in the pool for a bit but I didn't go until they were almost out because I was unpacking. The only problem is the huge disgustingly gross centipedes, you can see them on the pictures too. Tonight I was too freaked out to serve the mango passion fruit juice to Noah and Mollie because of the centipedes. This morning we had pancakes (crepes) and they were DEADLY! We went in the pool after and dad and mom came in. Now I am finished my math even though its Saturday and am sitting writing this and looking over the pool and the ocean… saying ”this is the life”.

This week I found myself musing on a weather worn and sun bleached patio looking out over long valleys of rich green fields surrounding the Tea Hotel in Kericho, a town in western Kenya still holding an industry and identity of tea plantation and production. Noah, Dad and I had taken the long and battered highway to meet with one of the national partners that MCC (Mennonite Central Committee), the NGO that Dana's parents work for, works with.

The Tea Hotel is an aging and tired shadow of its former colonial glory, blushing grey and too weary to try and cover its cracks and sagging bones. Taking it in, I conjured up the many similar images telling the story of Colonialism's demise, the broken infrastructure of pock marked roads, bleeding water mains and electrical lines like sutures trying to heal the wounds of Britain's broken initiative. And yet it is an entirely different sense of identity that Kenya embodies despite these other realities... what can also be observed is young, ancient, confident and beautiful... the people and creation that were here long before the idea of imperialism was born and promise to continue to shape this place for generations to come.

Juxtaposed to the 'Queen mother knowing best' & the wisdom of 'holding her apron and purse strings' we have had the opportunity to meet inspired and innovative Kenyan's who love their communities and are partnering with others to promote health, healing, independence... a sustained and hopeful people and place. People like Bishop Clyde and Gordon, working outside the city of Kericho, struggle through barriers to their community's health and sustainability by creating micro loans programs, cooperatives, small businesses and resources that bring this hope and confidence. There is a lot to learn here... for everyone.

FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi,
Today I'm going to tell you about a lot of things OK? OK. Well when we were doing the tree I said hey look at the angel. I saw an ornament that was an angel that looked like it was drinking a Fanta. So I said I was going to put it on the blog. There are these really cute bunnies next door here. One just had baby's three weeks ago. But I think the people ate them or sold them. Anna and I every day go out and feed them. But theres' this really grumpy one. He's really grumpy. There is this watch dog. His name is Serious. He is very serious.

Mollie

Once again, I am sitting on my parents front porch, watching Kevin and Noah play soccer and looking forward to tea at the guesthouse. You never know who you are going to meet and enjoy talking to. Already I have had an opportunity to talk with one Kenyan woman who starts up programs in Kisumu for women with HIV and AIDS. She is passionate about how education can change the rate of infection and the stigma related to this disease. We also talked with another man who is an agronomist who's passion it is to provide irrigation to the farmlands of Kenya through the sand dams. The people we meet have a passion for Kenya and the Kenyan people and they seem to find a place of rest here.
My parents live in Westlands which is a multi-ethnic, middle class part of Nairobi. There are times when Kevin, the kids and I walk the streets here that we feel like an obvious minority. This is a very new feeling for the kids and they have yet to become comfortable with it. This morning though, we visited a huge Christmas Craft Market where we were definitely not the minority. This market was just outside of Nairobi and was geared towards foreigners. I had no idea there were so many 'mzungus' in the city! While it was more comfortable for me because there was no hawkers vying for our business and no bartering, it was a part Nairobi culture we weren't familiar with... more Western than African. Even most of the vendors were ex pats. Anyways... the truly African part of our morning was the mud. It has been raining a lot in Nairobi these last few months and this has turned the normally dry soil into red, sticky, mud that stains. This market was at the race track and the conditions were really unbelievable.
Smart people were wearing gum boots... we were in flip flops. As we were entering, we saw big dump trucks filled with rocks that they dumped on the mud which created a cleaner yet slower path. At one point, Anna fell hands first into the mud and we all spent a good part of the morning avoiding sink holes and trying not to slip. In the end we came to grips with the fact we would all get pretty dirty and walked on.




Tomorrow, there is a Mennonite hymn sing here at the guest house. I love these mornings, listening to all those harmonized voices. I have asked my parents to teach me to harmonize while I am here (I am Mennonite after all...). So far they have just laughed :)

The Legend Of The Baobab

Anna here,
Today I am going to tell you a story about a tree.

THE LEGEND OF THE BAOBAB TREE

Among the first trees God created in Africa was the mighty Baobab.Next came the tall slender palm tree and when the baobab saw it, it cried out it wanted to be taller. Then God made the flame tree with its beautiful flowers and the Baobab was envious and asked God to give it flowers. Then the Baobab saw the magnificent Fig tree with its foliage and fruit and again cried out to God demanding fruit. God was very angry and pulled the Baobab up by its roots and turned it upside down to keep it quiet. This is the reason for the unusual shape of the Baobab tree.

Last night we decorated the Christmas tree... but not the normal Christmas tree,
it is a Baobab tree made out of banana leaves.

Thank you for listening to the story and I hope you enjoyed it.

Hi, this is Noah speaking.

Has this been an uneventful (almost) week. Other than me throwing up my guts and Anna dropping down at my feet shivering like a leaf, its been pretty quiet. I am thinking about getting a nice football (soccer) jersey. I have been playing a lot of soccer lately. We have been shopping way to much in the past couple of days. Like, talk about authentic African experiences! We should be watching lions take down zebras..... no elephants! Wait, I am thinking like the lion.

Well I had better be going. I will be signing autographs when I get back.

See ya'll

Noah