Kenya Safari

Kenya is one of my favorite countries to visit. I've been there eight times in five years (I went back and counted the number of stamps in my passports). I've made some wonderful friends there...Elizabeth, Sidney and Susan to name just a few. Most often my travels have been restricted to regular work related activities with the hope of occasionally spotting some of Africa's beautiful wildlife on the side of the roads. On my last couple of trips I've gotten to go on safari in the Maasai Mara area in Southwest Kenya. The Maasai Mara turns into the Serengeti at the Tanzania border so it's pretty much the same thing. 

Both times I've visited I've stayed at the Kichwa Tembo tented camp. Yes, I said tents but it's not anything like what you're thinking. The tents have a completely functional bathroom (including a shower) and the beds are very comfy - they do a turn down service and put a hot water bottle between the sheets each night. The meals are served in the main dining room and the food is absolutely delicious. In the morning they serve you coffee or tea as part of your wake up call. As a side note, they give you the option to either bring the tea into your tent or serve it on the porch. If you ever visit, have them bring it into the tent because the monkeys will steal the biscuits off your plate...while you're standing there looking at them! If Kichwa Tembo seems too rustic for your tastes, check out their adjacent luxury tented camp, Bateleur. I reserve the right to call you a snob if you choose to stay at Bateleur Camp and will probably hit you up for a "grant" to fund my next trip to Kenya!

The area is beautiful with it's tremendous African sky. The wildlife is amazing! Maasai Mara is a game preserve so the animals know they aren't in danger from humans. The result is magnificent photo opportunities. The following are examples of a few of the pictures I was able to take. I've been considering making prints or desktop images of some of my pictures available for people to purchase. Pricing would depend on how large a print and what type of media you'd like it printed onto. I'd be more than happy to discuss details with you if you're interested.

By the way, I'm still working on getting the video of the Maasai dance together. I'm hoping to have something ready to show next week.

Back in Action

So sorry for being absent for so long. As I mentioned in my last post the days in Kenya were longer than I expected and the internet was rather spotty. I've been back in Colorado for over a week but got whipped by one of my worst cases of jet lag in a long time.

So, here I am...back in action.

My trip to Kenya was amazing! I was very honored to attend the grand opening celebration of a girls boarding school in the Rift Valley. It was my third opportunity to visit, but the first time when school was actually in session.

Of the 130 girls attending the school, 30 are sponsored by Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program. One of the teachers is a graduate of Compassion's Leadership Development Program.

I met a young lady named Margaret. Margaret is a prime reason the school was built. At age 14, her family was ready to marry her off to a man much older than she is so they wouldn't have to be "burdened" with her any longer.

A young man who works at the local church was able to convince Margaret's family to let him and his wife "adopt" her and put her in the Najile Girls School. Margaret is now attending school and learning how to make the community she lives in a better place instead of becoming someone's 3rd or 4th wife. The school has been open for less than one year and it's already fulfilling the purpose that was once just a dream that a few people dared to imagine.

I won't bore you with details of the opening ceremony. Suffice it to say that it went on for nearly four hours. There were speeches and some dancing. More speeches. Gifts were exchanged. A little more dancing followed by more speeches.

It really wasn't as bad as I'm making it sound but it did last a long time. We got to see lots of the Maasai people wearing their traditional dress...absolutely beautiful! The boys from the Najile Boys School performed a traditional Maasai dance. They've won national awards for their dancing so it was good! I'm hoping to be able to post some video of the dance soon. There were dignitaries and government officials. Everything was very formal and recognized the significance of the change in culture that is allowing this school to exist. It really was special and I was honored to be able to be a part of it!

Things to look forward to in upcoming posts...I got literally hundreds of incredible pictures on the safari we went on at the end of the trip! I'll get a few of those posted later this week. Until then, have a great week...and why not consider making a difference in the life of a child less fortunate than we are this Thanksgiving. It really does work.

Still in Kenya...

Sorry for the lack of posts...the trip has been far busier than I anticipated and the internet has been far less reliable than on my previous visits.

 I will have to catch up when I am back in the US.

Back to Africa Part 2

I'm headed Back to Africa during the first part of November. This is very exciting for me as I have been "out of Africa" for 18 months, the longest period of time away since I came on staff at Compassion in 2003. I'll be in Kenya between Nov. 7 and 15.

Africa, especially Kenya, holds a special place in my heart. Kenya was the first country I visited in Africa in the fall of 2003. I went there to film a video for Compassion and one of our partner ministries, the Continentals. It was a very special time, kind of the same feeling you get when you've just returned home after a long trip. The people are beautiful and genuinely warm and friendly. The landscape is beautiful. The African sky is every bit as magnificent as it has been described and then some. Kenya has become one of my favorite destinations in the world, and having set foot in 27 different countries that's a fairly big statement. I literally don't remember how many times I've been there since my first visit, but it was frequent enough that our country staff began to joke that I soon would need to start paying taxes. My sister thinks that if I was given the opportunity and the timing and conditions were right I would permanently move to Kenya...that might be stretching it a bit but you never know!

This upcoming trip will be even more special. We're celebrating the opening of a boarding school for girls in the Najille area in the Rift Valley. This area is home to the nomadic Massai tribe. Traditionally, the Massai have been polygamous and their traditions have viewed women as inferior to men. Women weren't viewed as having anything valuable to contribute to the communities in which they lived. As a result, there was very little emphasis on education for girls. The Massai have been known to marry off daughters as young as 12 years old. This enabled the parents to rid themselves of the "burden" of raising their daughters and have one less child to have to feed and care for.

Several years ago, one of our Project Coordinator's at Compassion's Kenya office felt compelled to speak up on behalf of the Massai girls. She began working to educate the Massai people on the value 's women bring to their culture. She went so far as to begin to rescue girls who were being sent off to be married. This courageous young woman put herself in very dangerous positions by confronting what was a deeply engrained cultural belief. By working with the Christian churches in the Rift Valley and using the power of prayer she was able to help the Massai understand that the traditions they had been observing were wrong. She came up with a plan to build a boarding school for girls to not only help educate the girls so they can become effective contributors to their villages, but also to offer protection from the temptation to marry them off at too young an age. Compassion's US development team was able to raise funds through the generous contributions of our major donors and several foundations that believe in the vision of Compassion's mission. I have had the opportunity to visit the school twice during various phases of construction. This trip will allow me to see it finished and to visit with the girls who are receiving the benefits the school is offering to them. I'll be filming interviews with the students, their parents and community leaders to put together a final status report and word of appreciation to the people who helped make everything possible. I think you can understand the significance of this trip.

That's why I'm especially excited about my trip Back to Africa. I hope this look into the unfamiliar of a group of people in a far away country will inspire you to pray for those less fortunate than us. If you're able, I would encourage you to sponsor a child living in a country that is trying to pull itself out of the grip of despair. You'll be amazed and blessed by the difference you can make...and the difference it will make in your own life, as well.

Back to Africa!

Ok...I'm really excited! A month from now I'll be heading back to Africa...Kenya to be more specific. This will be something like my umpteenth trip to Kenya. I'll be going to film the opening ceremony for a girls school in Najille that the ministry I work for built with the help of lots of generous people. It's a really big deal for the area the school is located in. I'll explain why in a future post, but for now I just wanted to share the news.

Woo-hoo! I'm going back to Africa!