Monkey business...

While driving to meet Daniel and Supok at the Amboseli Serena Lodge, we observed lots of wildlife, including baby baboons and vervet monkeys. So cute! Driving along the road to the park we saw a gorgeous herd of giraffes, along with some zebras. And, approaching the park gate, a giraffe loped right across the road in front of our car (which didn't break down this time, by the way!). It has rained recently in the park and the swampy areas looked quite lush and wet; elephants and water buffalo were munching with wild abandon.

Taking school supplies to our Amboseli partners...

On Saturday (November 27th) Brian and I loaded up the car with school supplies and drove out to Amboseli National Park. We had met members of a Maasai community when we vacationed in the park in October, and Brian has been corresponding since then with Daniel, a teacher who runs the community school. We are really excited about the relationship and partnership that is developing between Freedom Through Learning and this particular school. There are some longer-term plans to assist with teacher training and organizing the school curriculum, and the Maasai parents are going to contribute goods that can be sold to help fund future shipments (either to their community or to other schools). We spent three hours chatting with Daniel and Supok (the village leader) on Saturday before we delivered the first batch of supplies for the school. It was a wonderful and fascinating day and God seemed to "show up" at every turn. What a blessing.

Meanderings in France...

After our visit to Ulungu, I (LeeAnne) boarded a plane and flew off to southern France to attend a teachers' conference; in particular, I went to participate in sessions related to the Global Issues Network movement. I stayed in Nice, on the shores of the Mediterranean and, when I wasn't at the conference, I wandered around the old city, the Matisse Museum, the Modern Art Museum and the nearby medieval, walled village of Eze. Of course, along the way I ate as much lovely food as I could... ahhh...

Visiting Ulungu...

On Tuesday, November 16th, we were blessed with a visit to Ulungu, a small village about four hours south-east of Nairobi. Ulungu has been linked to our home church in Peterborough for several years, and the drilling of the well here was a big part of our family's prayer life for many years when the girls were much younger. To be able to meet people from the community we have prayed for, for so many years, was a beautiful gift. We took part in a ceremony to mark the official end of the church/village partnership (which has resulted in a well, a water distribution system for the surrounding countryside, a medical clinic, and uniforms for many school-age children). Pastor Ben Mutea spoke, many people sang and gave speeches, and we were given lovely hand-made gifts by the village representatives. It was a wonderful day.

Art and drama...

A few weeks ago Hannah and Cora were able to showcase some of their wonderful, artistic talent. Cora's wonderful metal sculpture (that she welded in art class!), called "For The Birds", was displayed as part of an art show at the school. While the art show was on, Hannah also spent three nights on the stage as a lady-in-waiting in the school musical, Once Upon a Mattress. She was expressive, entertaining and very dramatic, and the production was fabulous!

A Habitat build in the Great Rift Valley...

On Saturday three of us (Brian, Cora and I) woke up bright and early to participate in a Habitat for Humanity build in the Rift Valley, about one hour from Nairobi. The build took place in one of nine IDP (internally displaced persons) camps in the valley. The residents of the camps all experienced violence during the 2007 elections and have been living in the camps since then; the people we met mostly came from the Eldoret region. All of the hundreds of people who moved to the Rift Valley originally lived in tents and many still do. Habitat has a master list and is continuing to build simple, small 3-room homes for families according to their place on the list. We met many people who are living in tiny tents (several of which appear either in the foreground or background of the photos) and we worked on two homes during the day. Our jobs consisted of shoveling sand and rocks to make cement, carrying water in large jugs on our backs, moving hundreds of large (and heavy!) stones for the foundations, and then beginning to build the foundations. It was a very successful day and we were so blessed by the people we met and the stories they told. Many people are faithful Christians and one 61-year old woman (her name is Monica) praised God for her small tent and living in safety. She left everything behind when she moved from Eldoret and has no worldly possessions; she is caring for a 10-year old niece and a 10-year old nephew (the children of her two sisters who have died); and she doesn't know when her stone house will be built. Yet she exuded the joy of God in such a beautiful way. She was radiant, actually. What a lesson and testimony. We hope to return soon to visit this community and one student council representative is already dreaming up a clothing and shoe drive for the children of the settlement. A smart and visionary young man we met, named Eric, is also talking about organizing tree planting, sports programs and a community library on site. There is much to reflect on at the end of such a rich day.