Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Order of Events since the Road Trip to Kenya began...
Wed Night, Dec 7 - Christmas at the Grabiners
Thu - Early morning tiling session before we leave for Lake Malawi Camp at a hostile in Malawi
Fri - Reach Mayoka Village on the Lake Malawi
Sat - Snorkel for several hours with the most beautiful fresh water fish in the world
Sun, Dec 11 - Take a trip out to some cliffs, watch fish eagles eat, listen to ethnic music
Mon - Leave Mayoka, and camp at the other end of the lake on the beach
Tue - Enter Tanzania, camp in the backyard of a restaurant
Wed - Stop for lunch at Elephant rock. Stay at Kibidula, an SDA outpost in Tanzania
Thu - Camp on the beach near Tonga, Kenya
Fri - Reach Kalifi Bay, north of Mombasa, Kenya. Meet up with Winter's crew. Play water polo.
Sat - Take a boat ride out to the reef and snorkel. The fish were amazing, indescribable. Walk on the beach at night
Sun, Dec 18 - Hang out all day. Build sand castles with the local kids. Try windsurfing in the ocean, fail. Locals do a gymnastics show in the evening. Learn some swing dancing with May Anderson after the show. Walk on the beach again at night.
Mon - leave in the morning for Nairobi and Maxwell Academy. Stay at Alan sister's house, the Thomas'.
Tue - See my English Teacher from academy, now working at Maxwell. Visit an orphaned animal sanctuary. The Winters group flies into Nairobi and stays in town.
Wed - We meet up in the morning and leave for the camp on the Masai Mara. We reach camp and settle in, surprised by the luxury all around us.
Thu - in the morning a group of us shovel sand for the new church bricks. In the after noon a group of us shovel sand for the new church bricks.
Fri - in the morning a group of us shovel sand for the new church bricks, but the after filling the truck the second time it got stuck and we had to off load the sand in the same spot that we dug it out from. And I'm talking about close to 2 tons of sand. In the afternoon we leave on Safari into the Mara. We see all of the Big Five on the trip out - Lion, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Rhino, and Elephant. We reach Fig Tree lodge. Watch traditional Masai dancing in the evening.
Sat - Safari all day, see just about every animal available accept the cheetah. That evening Fig Tree hosted a Christmas celebration out in the bush. They set up a buffet, tables, and lit fires. We heard an african choir try to sing christmas songs, and saw more masai dancing.
Sun, Christmas Day - Safari all day again. Still no cheetah. Saw a leopard in a tree, and a beautiful sunset.
Mon - The hunt for the cheetah is successful. We leave Fig Tree after lunch. We hear an extremely sappy Christmas story all the way back, and see our first animal being eaten by vultures, a zebra. My star gazing addiction came that night after a rook game. I used a small chart made for the northern hemisphere to begin. Lorelie Winters walked by and I got her hooked somehow to.
Tue - VBS starts, playing guitar, sharing a bible story with felts, doing a craft. There is a big group so my only responsibility is playing guitar. I had my first experience in the clinic in the afternoon, and I loved it.
Wed - VBS continues. For some reason the clinic wasn't running in the afternoon and I was disappointed, so I went to the new church site and helped them dig out the edges for the footers. We watched the Ghost and the Darkness after worship.
Thu - To in our group get engaged early in the morning, Brad Clifford and Jessica Winters. VBS still continues, but is revolutionized by a few new people. We actually played a game or two! Again I couldn't go on the clinic, but this time it was because they were gone all day. I was ticked. But I went back to the church to help digs. But this time there was a bunch of girls that made it more entertaining. They did a good job though, maybe even more than the guys did. Stargazed with Lorelie again. We had hoped to get Doctor Bobbit to come join us because he knows his stars well, but he went to sleep. Besides, everyone was watching something in the dining hall, and laughing really hard, so we cut our session short.
Fri - our last day of VBS, but the clinic was at the church near by so I only played guitar and then helped at the clinic for the rest of the morning. I really enjoyed that too, taking notes, getting meds, giving the people instructions, all that stuff. In the afternoon the church crew had already left, and the clinic people didn't need help, so some how I just ended up playing Zelda on a game boy advance almost all afternoon. A family, the Prestons, were the first of our group to head for home. We watched "Winged Migration" that night.
Sat, New Years Eve - Went to church where they had been holding the clinic most of the time. I marched in and did a couple of local songs that I didn't know at all with the local pathfinder group. Another huge chunk of the group left after lunch, a sad parting. There were about fifteen of us left, but the four winters and Brad went to see them off. The rest of us went for a walk. I chased a group of about 10 giraffes to head them off for pictures, but they're fast! The group starts to watch "Hatari" with John Wayne. It was cool, but I went to hang out with Lori Lou, Lorelie, and Michelle Bobbit. The last to and I went to check out the stars before midnight. At midnight all we had was Mango juice to toast with, but we made the best of it. Then we had a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne, of which no one knew all of the words, so it ended up in a hum. Then I got to talk to my Dad and Sister on the Sat-phone which was nice.
Sun - We left for Nairobi. Everyone was driving, but we split off with the Thomas's to go through the game park. That's when we saw that hippo being torn up by vultures. Michelle was staying with us at that point.
Mon - We met up with the remainder of the group, the fifteen, in Nairobi near a shopping center and craft market. I bought a real and useful star gazing book there and picked up some crafts. We all ate out at a great place called The Java House. We went to the Aho's place to pack up everyone's stuff in crates. After a bit we took them to the airport and saw them off. I played some basketball for the first time in a while back at Maxwell.
Tue - I played my first Nine-Hole game of golf at a nearby course which had a horse track running around it. It was fun but frustrating. We took michelle to the ariport and then went ice skating in a new hotel. Awesome.
Wed - Today, I've been just doing this all day, and we have plans to watch Napolean Dynamite.
Thu - Early morning tiling session before we leave for Lake Malawi Camp at a hostile in Malawi
Fri - Reach Mayoka Village on the Lake Malawi
Sat - Snorkel for several hours with the most beautiful fresh water fish in the world
Sun, Dec 11 - Take a trip out to some cliffs, watch fish eagles eat, listen to ethnic music
Mon - Leave Mayoka, and camp at the other end of the lake on the beach
Tue - Enter Tanzania, camp in the backyard of a restaurant
Wed - Stop for lunch at Elephant rock. Stay at Kibidula, an SDA outpost in Tanzania
Thu - Camp on the beach near Tonga, Kenya
Fri - Reach Kalifi Bay, north of Mombasa, Kenya. Meet up with Winter's crew. Play water polo.
Sat - Take a boat ride out to the reef and snorkel. The fish were amazing, indescribable. Walk on the beach at night
Sun, Dec 18 - Hang out all day. Build sand castles with the local kids. Try windsurfing in the ocean, fail. Locals do a gymnastics show in the evening. Learn some swing dancing with May Anderson after the show. Walk on the beach again at night.
Mon - leave in the morning for Nairobi and Maxwell Academy. Stay at Alan sister's house, the Thomas'.
Tue - See my English Teacher from academy, now working at Maxwell. Visit an orphaned animal sanctuary. The Winters group flies into Nairobi and stays in town.
Wed - We meet up in the morning and leave for the camp on the Masai Mara. We reach camp and settle in, surprised by the luxury all around us.
Thu - in the morning a group of us shovel sand for the new church bricks. In the after noon a group of us shovel sand for the new church bricks.
Fri - in the morning a group of us shovel sand for the new church bricks, but the after filling the truck the second time it got stuck and we had to off load the sand in the same spot that we dug it out from. And I'm talking about close to 2 tons of sand. In the afternoon we leave on Safari into the Mara. We see all of the Big Five on the trip out - Lion, Cape Buffalo, Leopard, Rhino, and Elephant. We reach Fig Tree lodge. Watch traditional Masai dancing in the evening.
Sat - Safari all day, see just about every animal available accept the cheetah. That evening Fig Tree hosted a Christmas celebration out in the bush. They set up a buffet, tables, and lit fires. We heard an african choir try to sing christmas songs, and saw more masai dancing.
Sun, Christmas Day - Safari all day again. Still no cheetah. Saw a leopard in a tree, and a beautiful sunset.
Mon - The hunt for the cheetah is successful. We leave Fig Tree after lunch. We hear an extremely sappy Christmas story all the way back, and see our first animal being eaten by vultures, a zebra. My star gazing addiction came that night after a rook game. I used a small chart made for the northern hemisphere to begin. Lorelie Winters walked by and I got her hooked somehow to.
Tue - VBS starts, playing guitar, sharing a bible story with felts, doing a craft. There is a big group so my only responsibility is playing guitar. I had my first experience in the clinic in the afternoon, and I loved it.
Wed - VBS continues. For some reason the clinic wasn't running in the afternoon and I was disappointed, so I went to the new church site and helped them dig out the edges for the footers. We watched the Ghost and the Darkness after worship.
Thu - To in our group get engaged early in the morning, Brad Clifford and Jessica Winters. VBS still continues, but is revolutionized by a few new people. We actually played a game or two! Again I couldn't go on the clinic, but this time it was because they were gone all day. I was ticked. But I went back to the church to help digs. But this time there was a bunch of girls that made it more entertaining. They did a good job though, maybe even more than the guys did. Stargazed with Lorelie again. We had hoped to get Doctor Bobbit to come join us because he knows his stars well, but he went to sleep. Besides, everyone was watching something in the dining hall, and laughing really hard, so we cut our session short.
Fri - our last day of VBS, but the clinic was at the church near by so I only played guitar and then helped at the clinic for the rest of the morning. I really enjoyed that too, taking notes, getting meds, giving the people instructions, all that stuff. In the afternoon the church crew had already left, and the clinic people didn't need help, so some how I just ended up playing Zelda on a game boy advance almost all afternoon. A family, the Prestons, were the first of our group to head for home. We watched "Winged Migration" that night.
Sat, New Years Eve - Went to church where they had been holding the clinic most of the time. I marched in and did a couple of local songs that I didn't know at all with the local pathfinder group. Another huge chunk of the group left after lunch, a sad parting. There were about fifteen of us left, but the four winters and Brad went to see them off. The rest of us went for a walk. I chased a group of about 10 giraffes to head them off for pictures, but they're fast! The group starts to watch "Hatari" with John Wayne. It was cool, but I went to hang out with Lori Lou, Lorelie, and Michelle Bobbit. The last to and I went to check out the stars before midnight. At midnight all we had was Mango juice to toast with, but we made the best of it. Then we had a rousing chorus of Auld Lang Syne, of which no one knew all of the words, so it ended up in a hum. Then I got to talk to my Dad and Sister on the Sat-phone which was nice.
Sun - We left for Nairobi. Everyone was driving, but we split off with the Thomas's to go through the game park. That's when we saw that hippo being torn up by vultures. Michelle was staying with us at that point.
Mon - We met up with the remainder of the group, the fifteen, in Nairobi near a shopping center and craft market. I bought a real and useful star gazing book there and picked up some crafts. We all ate out at a great place called The Java House. We went to the Aho's place to pack up everyone's stuff in crates. After a bit we took them to the airport and saw them off. I played some basketball for the first time in a while back at Maxwell.
Tue - I played my first Nine-Hole game of golf at a nearby course which had a horse track running around it. It was fun but frustrating. We took michelle to the ariport and then went ice skating in a new hotel. Awesome.
Wed - Today, I've been just doing this all day, and we have plans to watch Napolean Dynamite.
Another stop on our way up to Kenya. This is a beach on Lake Malawi.
Christmas at the Grabiners just before we left for on our Kenya trip.
View of the Kafue river from the vantage point of signal ridge. The is near the place where we lit the hill on fire.
Derek and Caleb standing near the falls at the end of the hike.
The ground was strange. Gravely, and full of burned nubs of some kind of plant. Africa taking breath away once again.
Doing a health talk during out Riverside evangelistic series. Derek preached, and since Crystal got sick half way through the meetings I ended up doing the health talks, which I thoroughly enjoyed.
The earliest trading site in Zambia, a baobab tree called "Sleeping Elephant
Again, croc infested waters, but this time it was the Zambezi, and I promise we could see to the bottom and knew that it was safe, I think.
The earliest trading post in Zambia, a baobab tree called "Sleeping Elephant". Do you see it?
A run in with over hanging thorns on our Lower Zambezi Trip
Just securing the supplies on the way back from a roofing site.
Roofers getting the job done. Derek, me, Caleb. Doesn't it look fake, or like a studio shot. That's because of the reflection that could burn you under the neck or in the arm pits.
This is the Lifestyle Center that Derek and I have been working on since we came to Riverside.
We are sitting near where most of the cooking is done (Derek is roasting peanuts for dinner). A nurse who worked at the local clinic is chilling with us.
I'm holding the baby to which we had the priviledge of giving the name of Rachel.
A guy wearing a shatangi here is like a guy where a bra in the states. I made our Bible worker a little uncomfortable, but the laughed about it.
Fan and Games in the Kabompo River, crocodile infested accept for the rapids!
Pre-Bible study in the village nearby the crusade site, the town is called Manyinga
With the kids during our 3 week evangelistic cruisade in the north western province of Zambia
From the Escarpment before all the bananas were cut. The bananas are pretty much the large fields of green. The cafeteria is the large building in the center, with the Office building and girls temp quarters being the next building up and to the left. Behind that is an orchard with oranges, mexican apples, custard apples, papayas, and mangoes. The blue smudge just up from the bottom of the picutre behins some scrubby grey trees is the pool that we practiced in for the Zambezi. Our house is far right and out of the picture.
Johannes place where many adventures happen. He's right on the Zambezi. This was the first place that I saw hippoes and vervet monkeys. The inspiration for my song called Hippo.
Our house from the road, not much traffic, just ladies sweeping early in the morning.
A shot of the Campus. The church on the right, and the dorms for the students on the left
Welcome through the front door of our home at Riverside Farms Institute. That's about all there is to it except for a bathroom on the left and a table on the right.
View of the Mara from the escarpment near where the cast from the movie "Out of Africa" stayed. The hotel that they stayed in is behind us, and was burned down some years ago
