More Safari Pics

Tammie and Tammy visited a Maasai village in the Mara. These women sang for us (just for the two of us). The dog is one of the watch dogs who protect the Maasai's herd of cattle during the night.

Zebras. We were told they stand together to confuse their predators.

Giraffe.

The beautiful Mara landscape.

Tammie, Tammy, Melissa, Gianna and Stuart by the hippo pond. No worries mom, there was a game warden with a shotgun watching out for us. We didn't realize there was a big croc right next to those rocks until after the photo. :)

Safari - The Big Five

I believe the safari in the Maasai Mara was our reward for our hard work in Maua and Chuka. Our first two game drives were beyond phenominal. We saw the 'Big Five' in those first two drives. Some, including our team members, go on safari for years - decades - and don't whitness the Big Five! How great is our God?!



We watched two male lions, very close to the vans. One walked by to drink water from the river, then walked right in front of our vans. The next day, we saw a pride of female lions with a lion cub.

Cape Buffalo - We saw one from a distance on our first drive, then came across a herd of about a dozen, then a loan old buffalo, on our last drive.

Elephants - We saw hundreds - from a distance and up close.

A Rhino...under a rainbow...

A leopard resting in a tree. He looked like a stuffed animal, thrown up there. And he was gone about five minutes after we drove away.

Chuka Day 3 - Afternoon

Children singing for us at the MCK Kigiri Primary Shool.

Tammie drawing clean water from the faucet to water plants at the MCK Kiangiri Secondary School (high school). Chapelwood UMC and Lakewood UMC in Houston helped the school fund the water pipeline, bringing clean drinking water to the school.

We are shown rows of holes waiting to be filled by the rain. The students at MCK Kiangiri Secondary School dug these holes by hand to plant banana trees. For each hole, the school credits 100 shillings for the student's fees. I paid 100 shillings for a diet coke. Pray for rain in Eastern Kenya!

At the Kiangiri Secondary School, they prepared a generous snack for us under yet another huge mango tree, then the students performed and local church and school leaders spoke to us about the school - continuing after dark!

Chuka Day 3 - Morning

Our main work project in Chuka town was preparing the interior walls of the new cathedral for plaster. This is one of the walls plastered by the local 'experts.'


The local team tought David, Jennifer and Vicky how to put on the thin coat of plaster. We figured out quickly though that things moved faster when we stayed out of their way. We prepared the opposite wall with the first coat of cement and the local experts followed us to put on the smooth coat.




The local expert team plastering the cathedral wall.

The old timber Chuka Town Church (next to the new cathedral), under another huge, beautiful mango tree.

Chuka Town church members, lay leaders, Pastor Stephen and our mission team in front of the new Chuka Town cathedral.

Chuka Day 2 - Afternoon

Church members and teachers greeting us as we drive into the MCK Ibue's Primary School.

Children at MCK Ibue primary school greeted us singing - Welcome, welcome our visitors... We are very happy, we are very happy to see you...

Young children sit quietly and patiently during performances and presentations at the Ibue school. It was in the low 70s, which is quite cold to the locals, so some of the kids wore sweaters and caps!

The congregation at MCK Muchatha practically put on a parade to welcome us. The men danced as they played their drums and 'trumpet.'

Melissa by the chair fit for a king at the MCK Muchatha Church.

The Kenyans are very excited to host visitors. Watch the video for a small sample of how the congretation at MCK Muchatha Church near Chuka welcomed us. Several team members, including Early, danced outside the home of the church chairman!

Chuka Day 2 - Morning

Dave showing his 'head over heals' love of missions as he fetches buckets of water from the well. After a day of filling buckets, the local team used a hose to bring the water into the church. Silly Americans. Why must we make things so difficult?

Vicky, Early and Bob working with the locals to rebuild scaffolding.

Nancy and several other church members making lunch for the team in the hot and smoky kitchen.

Church members sitting in the 'outdoor kitchen' under the mango tree, preparing lunch for us.

Paulie and Tammie bringing a huge platter of avacados into the church for lunch. Yumm!

Chuka Day 1

The new cathedral being constructed by the Chuka Town church.

Janet reading The Lion King story to the children at the Chuka church. Tammie, David and a few other team members spontaneously acted out the story to entertain the kids.

The children in the crowns they decorated during vacation bible school.

The energetic church service at the Chuka Town church... there is jumping in the house of the Lord!

The local church members made sure all of our team had Kamiru names. Here, Jennifer, Noel and Gianna were given their new names during the church meeting.

Maua Workday 6

Our last day of work building walls for the Maua Methodist Hospital Staff Housing. David, Jacob, Tammy, Peter, Carleen, Onesimus, Dixie and Noel.

The canopied drive leading to the chapel at Maua Methodist Hospital.

The Maua Basin Hotel. Luxury accomodations for Eastern Kenya!

Matatus (taxis) - our 'plan B' transportation from Maua to Chuka, thanks to some quick calls by the hotel staff.

The beautiful view of Mt. Kenya from Chuka.

Maua Workday 5

Monthly food delivery of beans and corn to be distributed to by the hospital to AIDS orphans and their guardians.

Gianna distributing Mebendazole (parasite medicine) to students at the Methodist Church of Kenya (MCK) Mpurine Pry School.

Patients waiting to enter the Bush Clinic set up in a church in a hillside village in Maua.

Jennifer putting her nursing skills to work at the Bush Clinic.

Melissa and Gianna assisting in the pharmacy at the Bush Clinic.

Stay posted

As you may have figured out by now, time and technology (mostly time) were not on our side to keep the blog updated while we were in Kenya. We've kept notes and taken hundreds of pictures, so stay posted over the coming week and we'll fill you in on the trip. It was both amazing and exhausting to witness and, in a small way, participate in the work of the Maua Methodist Hospital and Chuka Town church. We're in London and will soon start the last let of the trip home. Stay tuned.

Maua Workday 4 Orphan Home Photos

Photos from top:

1) Dave, Tammie, Melissa and Bob at the start of our last workday on the house.

2) Tammy, Tammie and Melissa painting the front of the house while Charles installs the trim.

3) Charles and Tammie installing window panes.

4) Between completing work and the house blessing, Melissa came up with some games to entertain the kids using rocks and dirt, including hopskotch.

5) The family, Kenyan work crew and Chapelwood mission team at the house blessing.

Maua Workday 3 Hospital Staff Flat Photos

Photos from top:

1) Stuart hauling another rock into the flats.

2) 'Team Tammy' at work preparing for the next row of 'bricks.'

3) Vicki gets a successful mud slinging lesson from Jacko.

4) Onesimus and Jennifer.

5) Progress at the end of day three. Looking from the future bedroom to bathroom and kitchen on one unit. There were only a couple of rows of stones on the interior walls when we started.