Kenya {Day 3} - Arrival in Kitale

Our alarms went off at 4:00am on Wednesday morning so that we could catch a short flight up to Eldoret. The place where we stayed in Nairobi had a small kitchen where our hosts planned to have breakfast ready for us at 4:30am before we headed out. When we walked over, the kitchen was completely dark and there were no signs of life. After a few minutes of looking around, the staff, who overslept, showed up. Somehow they still managed to feed the 14 of us a hot breakfast and get us out the door by 5:00am. Wouldn't you know, though, that this girl could hardly eat a bite because of my stomach churning due to flight nerves?  Makes sense, huh? I flew the day(s) before across the Atlantic and had at least 15-16 hours of air time under my belt already yet this flight made me the most nervous. Maybe it was because we didn't have tickets until the day of (or something like that) or because none of us really knew what to expect. In addition, I have not had good experiences on turbo props so my stomach dropped even more when I spotted our aircraft. 

 

Thankfully, all went well and we landed safely in Eldoret. The only challenge was landing the first time (and feeling relieved) to then realize that it was just a "stop" and we were dropping off some passengers and then taking off again. I didn't know these planes were like buses making stops along the way to unload and load more passengers.  It's comical now that I look back. When I stepped off of the plane, I felt like the hardest part of the trip was over and got so excited for the days ahead ... especially because I knew we were driving back to Nairobi on the back end and I would not have to endure another small plane ride. Thankfully, we were blessed with an amazing trip and that really was the hardest part of the whole thing for me.   

We were greeted by Caleb, one of Bud & Kimberly's (missionary couple from Texas who started Mattaw) three sons who they have "adopted" into their own family, at the airport and I ended up in the van with him as we traveled the hour drive from Eldoret to Kitale. I knew we would have fun with him as soon as I caught a glimpse of him in his cowboy hat (in honor of his parents' roots).  

Caleb looks so serious above but he was a jokester who always made us laugh.  Speaking of laughing, driving in Africa was one of the funniest travel experiences I have ever had. There were moments when my adrenaline was pumping (driving 40+ mph with cars coming at us head on and only changing lanes moments from hitting) and many moments where we were laughing our heads off. I got the biggest kick out of having to yield to a large herd of cows crossing the road. Not exactly the same as in the states. :)   

We have arrived...at Karibuni Lodge! 

Karibuni was our home in Kitale for the 9 days we were there.  (I'll share more about our accommodations in another post.)

We quickly unloaded our luggage and moved it into our assigned rooms/huts/houses at Karibuni. We made a quick turnaround so that we could get to Mattaw (about 15 minutes away) to meet the children and make it in time to have lunch with them. 

As I had been told, you just have to go with the flow in Africa. Plans often change and flexibility is a must. We found this out the very first day in Kitale. Our van overheated on the way to Mattaw (you could hear the radiator boiling...yikes!) so the pictures below were snapped as we sat on the side of the road taking in all the nearby sights and being entertained by all the passersby until assistance arrived. I was anxious to get to Mattaw but I also enjoyed a chance to snap some photos while sitting still. I usually ended up in the back seat of the van which made it difficult to photograph many of the interesting sights we saw along the way. Maybe it was better, though, that I just watched (without it being through a lense) and took it all in. I did not tire of the exciting and entertaining rides back and forth. 

 

The builders on the team were quite fascinated with the scaffolding they used for buildings under construction. Not exactly the most sturdy...

Once we switched vehicles with Bud, who came to our rescue, we made our way to the kiddos. We turned off the main road onto a windy, bumpy dirt road that led back to Mattaw. This picture was taken as I got my first glimpse of the Mattaw Children's Village sign. My heart began to beat fast. After all that led to bringing me to this place and to this moment, I could feel it all welling up inside me and knew that the tears would soon overflow. 

An unforgettable moment of my life...seeing those precious faces peeking through the door of the gate anxiously awaiting or arrival and eager to meet us...

I was barely out of the truck when little hands were touching me. Sweet Rosie latched on immediately and didn't let go for a long time.

I somehow snapped these with one hand (while she was holding the other) seconds after we arrived at the Village. This shot below is one of my favorite photos, if not the most, (of my 2000+) from the entire trip...

The children surrounded all of us and led us into the Village with song and dance. And the tears streamed. I wanted to freeze time.

 

Soak up every second

 

every sound

 

every smile

 

every embrace

 

After making our way in to where the other children and parents of Mattaw were waiting for our arrival, we all formed a large circle for our official welcome. Singing and dancing continued as one child from Mattaw would pull one person from our team into the middle of the circle to dance for 5-10 seconds. All 14 of us got our own turn with different kids from Mattaw. Our wonderful welcome was quite entertaining and a great way to break us in. :) Little did I know I would be put on the spot as soon as we arrived to show off my dancing skills...or lack thereof!  

After the dance party was over, we met more of the children and enjoyed being surrounded by all of their beautiful faces. I was amazed by how welcoming they all were to us, how polite they were to introduce themselves, and how long they lingered by our sides. I felt something stirring. I knew that these faces were already imprinted on my heart. 

FYI - our team had agreed that sleep the night before was a priority so we all agreed to go dirty. Needless to say, at this point, I was feeling pretty ripe. It was now midday on Wednesday and I had not showered since Monday morning. Thankfully, it made absolutely no difference to the children and they still wanted to be close. 

Sweet Rosie still hanging on...

The bonds were formed with the kiddos immediately.

Georgie (above and below) is one of the cutest kids I have ever seen. He would sing and dance for us and was a complete ham. What an entertainer he was! Obviously, he was great to cuddle with as well.

Me and my Emmanuel

I was touched by this precious boy from Day 1. He brought me so much joy. It's a wonder I was able to get on the plane without him. If I didn't know how much he is loved by his family at Mattaw and by God, I probably wouldn't have...

Our first lunch at Mattaw...sukuma wiki and ugali. This combination of greens and cornmeal was one of their staple meals. I had been nervous about whether finding foods I could eat would be challenging in Africa, but after my first meal there, I was relieved. I really enjoyed the sukuma wiki and ugali...just not their method of eating it. I took a pass on eating with my hands and actually used a utensil.

These children sat quietly and ate their meals. I was so impressed with how well behaved the children were, how well they all got along, and how nurturing they were towards the little ones.

After lunch, we toured the property and looked at all the progress they had made with the block machine (more on this later) since last year. All the buildings in the picture below had been built since our team leaders went there last year to teach them how to build the houses using the block machine. 4 houses were complete and lived in and 2 were nearly finished when we arrived.

Their brightly painted church

Arnold (he and his wife were our team leaders) checking out the work on one of the latest houses.  Arnold developed the block machine that makes the interlocking blocks you see here that make up the walls of the house. 

 By Wednesday afternoon, exhaustion from our days of travel started to finally set in. Our kiddos were tuckered out!  They played hard while at Mattaw and were often found sleeping on each other in the back of the van on the ride from Mattaw back to Karibuni each day.

After our full day of new adventures, we were all very happy to head back to the lodge to shower (even a hot one!) and enjoy a nice meal all together.

Kenya {Day 1 & 2} - Travel Days

Two short days after my sister's wedding, I was all packed and ready to go on my first mission trip (and international trip!) to Kitale, Kenya.  After months and months of team meetings, shopping for necessary medicines and snacks, packing two weeks worth of clothes, and multiple rounds of immunizations, I could not believe that this much anticipated trip (maybe even for years) was finally here. 

I was told to be prepared for the worst so I had quite the supply of ointments, hand sanitizers, protein-filled snacks, bug spray, and unscented bath products so that I wasn't a magnet for mosquitos (at the recommendation of a team member).  It wasn't until after I had purchased most of what I might need that I was told that the location where we were staying in Kenya was at a high altitude and we probably would not have to be concerned about bugs/malaria.  Let's just say that I was teased just a little for my unscented soap and unscented sunscreen and unscented shampoo and unscented hand sanitizer. I may have been clean after I bathed but I didn't smell very good!

Thankfully, we each took an additional duffle bag on the trip to fill with supplies/gifts for the children and families at Mattaw.  I managed to squeeze my snacks in the duffle as well because there certainly was not an extra inch of space in my large suitcase or backpack for the drug store that I had purchased below.     

Mom and Dad both took me to the Chapel mid-morning on Monday, August 13th, to meet up with the rest of the team and have a wonderful send off by family, friends, and the Chapel staff. As we stood in a large circle and were prayed over before heading out, it all became real at that moment.  After multiple times of opening myself up to going on a mission trip and the trips falling through, I could now see how God had brought me to this point, planned my steps, and had given me the opportunity to go with this wonderful team to Kenya at just the right time. I felt incredibly blessed, a little nervous, and so excited!

A picture of the whole team before loading up the Chapel buses to head to Dulles where we would depart later that evening...

 When we arrived at Dulles, we found ourselves in the most ridiculously long line. There were a few hundred people ahead of us leaving on huge plane to Europe.  They took priority so we just had to wait...and wait...and wait. Checking in and getting to the gate took every bit of the 2+ hours we had allowed before our departure time. I started to feel anxious (even more than I usually do in airports) because I usually need a little time to sit and relax before I board a plane (to prepare myself!).  By the time we made it to the gate, there was hardly time to run to the bathroom before boarding. In the end, I think it actually helped that I didn't have time to think too much about being nervous to fly (or say too many goodbyes on the phone) before getting on the plane.

En route to Amsterdam...

Our fearless leader and me waiting in Amsterdam to board our next leg to Nairobi.

Late Tuesday night (after two 7-8 hour flights and about 30 hours of total travel time)...we arrived safely in Nairobi, AFRICA!

It took awhile to collect the 20+ bags we checked but they all made it!

I was so thankful and relieved by the smooth and easy flights that the marathon day(s) of travel didn't even seem to wear on me.  Plus, I was pretty excited to land on African soil.

Because we arrived so late, we stayed in Nairobi for the night (or for a short nap) before heading up to Kitale early the next morning. Our accommodations weren't too shabby...and Jordan and I ended up in one of the few rooms with mosquito nets...so, of course, we had to use them! 

My super fun roomie, Jordan, already journaling about our adventures. I was thankful she stayed with me so that I wasn't all alone in a very new and interesting place (and in case a lizard decided to jump in my bed). It felt so good to finally lay my head on a pillow...even if it was only for 4 short hours before boarding another plane.     

Pre-Wedding Events



Thanks to having a Kenya team meeting one Monday evening earlier in the summer, I took the day off (or worked from home in Williamsburg) and was able to join my sister for her bridal portrait before my meeting. I have struggled in the area of being creative with my camera and have had a hard time with difficult lighting recently so I wasn't too thrilled with my photos, but I captured a few moments that are definitely worth sharing.  Plus, I was too busy enjoying the session (and watching the professional photographer) to spend too much time messing with my own camera.

 

Bridal Portrait...

Hayley's "monster face" that she used to make when she was little...

Evidence of the infamous "monster face" below (part of rehearsal dinner slideshow)...apparently, Jerry had one as well...

Bachelorette for Hayley...

Dinner at The Melting Pot

 Manicures and pedicures for the bride, bridesmaids, and Mom on Friday before the wedding...

Bridesmaid luncheon at Center Street Grill...

Rehearsal Dinner at Colonial Heritage...

Mom and Dad with Lee and Hope who are some of our good friends from church.  Hope is wonderfully gifted in the singing department and sang The Lord's Prayer during Hayley and Jerry's ceremony.  It was absolutely beautiful and such a gift to all who were present.

Hayley with her baby nephew

This is the groom's cake that Hayley had made for Jerry. The significance of the kilt is that Radford's mascot is a highlander, and Jerry was a mascot for the school while he was there. This cake was quite an impressive creation!

Practicing for the big day...

For Real This Time...

Enough of the talk about trying to catch up on posts from months and months of events, it's time to make it happen.  So...even though so much of these happenings are so outdated and long past, I still want to document them and record some of the memories that I can still recall after all this time.  In an effort to make as much progress as possible, I may go against my normal M.O. and post events out of order.  Yikes!