Home Safe - by Jerod
Just writing to tell all that we arrived home safely. So did our bags, but they didn’t get here as early as we did!
Thanks for all the prayers while we were gone. Thanks to John and Karen for taking us with them. Thanks to Laz and Tabby for hosting us. Thanks to the Lord for bringing us home safely.
in america! - by Jess
We are in America now. In New York for the night. Our flight from London got in at about 15 till midnight. Our next flight to Chicago is at 8:30. We just decided to sleep at the airport tonight. Obviously we’re not going to get much sleep here. This is another experience I havn’t yet experienced. Although i’d have to say,there have been plenty of new experiences i’ve experienced on this trip. We should be back home around 12:30 tomorrow. Please continue to pray for us!
Almost Home - by Jerod
Rachel and I just got back from a day and night at the KentMere Club. It is a very beautiful place with many different flowers, birds, plants, etc. We concluded that its the type of place our mothers would love (I think Maureen was there and did love it, not sure).
Now its Saturday mid-day and we’re getting our last Internet fix before the long journey home. Our plane leaves tomorrow morning bright and early, but unfortunately we will be stuck overnight in the NYC. Please pray for our safe return (and our luggage’s safe return too!).
When we’re oceans apart……. - by Karen
…..you’re still in my heart.
Today was a different day for me. I actually laid around & read a book, “Oceans Apart”, written by Karen Kingsbury, for over 4 hrs. (Don’t worry, I was still multi-tasking….was catching some rays at same time. Oh yeah, & clearing my sinuses finally, from bawling for over 1/2 the time reading the book!) It could be the first fictional book I’ve read in many, MANY yrs. but if anyone wants a good cry, this is the one! Especially when a person is across the world from almost all those that they love most in this life.
The guys were at office early & girls stayed busy also, so, there ya have it! That was my day mostly! Now it’s time for my computer ‘fix’, we’ll eat supper & then pack for our anniversary trip to The Kentmere Club tomorrow. We’ve NEVER been disappointed there!
Jarod & Rachel plan to experience the joy of it, also. When the driver comes to pick us up after Fri. a.m. breakfast, he’ll bring them & they’ll spend that nite there. Ok, call it a 6 mos. anniversary! You know how tough their life is! (NOT!) It’s ok tho. I think EVERYONE should experience Kentmere! 
I trust they will add it to their list of favorite places.
Kajabe Hospital/flushing ‘long drop’/return flight - by Karen
Yesterday, (Mon.) we drove to Kajabe Hospital, which was about an hr. & a half away. John & I both got some necessary bloodwork done, for, well, $1800 in IA. City and about $80 here! (which included a detailed consultation/exam. This was just MY portion of the bill.) Results are coming soon. The good news was John’s chest xray and EKG turned out alright so apparently he’s not having any heart trouble. When he arrived in xray, the machine was broken but, fortunately, our Dr. (who is a missionary from KS & was unlike any Dr. I’ve ever known!) walked in and helped them get the machines going. They wanted us to come back another time. Yeah, ok, 3 hrs. for nothing. Anyway it’s done & we do go back Fri. for some results.
The funny story is about the flushing long drop. All this previous talk. Jess & I went out to use the restroom & discovered it was just a porcelain long drop in the floor, same size as others, BUT it did have a flushing mechanism on the wall. No tp of course but….let’s not get so picky here!
(Yech!) It also actually stunk worse than the old fashioned wooden long drops, I thot, but then, ha ha, I’m still getting over this cold so maybe my sense of smell really was gone, (& what a blessing for that!) & now coming back. The others keep commenting about the fumes from the vehicles & I tell them, it’s not so bad. Not as bad as it used to be. (Again, hmmm…wondering how much I’m missing here!)
Time is short here. We celebrate our 22nd (!!!) anniversary on the 13th so we get to visit one of our most favorite spots in the world that we’ve rendezvoused at, many times before. That brings us to just a couple days before we leave Nairobi. As of now, we are still planning to arrive Mon. the 17th at 6:30p.m. We would prefer changing that, as the return flight gives us an overnite in NY and then still another stop in Chicago before heading to Omaha. As of this moment, the airlines are still saying there are no available seats to change to. Of course if, enroute, we find out otherwise, we will be notifying people there. (as soon as we are able.)
Miss everyone. See ya all soon!
Boma’s/feeding giraffe, ostrich & oh yeah, crocs - by Karen
Well, today Jerod learned how to gyrate his hips and shake his body like he’s never seen before! In fact, I’m pretty sure he’s practicing his dance moves before he forgets them. John would be practicing also, but he had a business luncheon & didn’t go with us, to Boma’s of Kenya. He & I had been there before so I thot how fun it would be, but, apparently on Tues. you pay the same admission but get a lesser show. It’s in a large auditorium and there were probably 9 different acts of tribal dancers. It was good, but it got a little boring, especially since the last time we went, we saw amazing acrobatics and people jumping thru fire rings, etc. All sorts of things we didn’t get to see this time.
The good news of the day was at the Giraffe Centre where 4 different giraffe came up to our faces while we hand fed them, got kissed on the lips by them, or they ate the food out of our mouths! Yeah, sick, right? It was fun, tho. I love the animals! I’m guessing Jerod will add a pic or 2 later on this one.
We also hand fed the ostriches and they were funny!
We saw some crocodiles close-up and learned that they only get fed once per wk., since they swallow their food whole. It’s a different digestion process.
They leave their mouths open in the same way a dog pants, or humans sweat! I was certain that poor thing (?) was opening its mouth in hopes that someone would tell him it was Sun. & feeding day!
The tour guide kept poking them with sticks to agitate them, & it worked! He was not afraid but he was over the fence and standing right by them.
As I said, maybe Jerod will add some fun pics to this one.
Laz says I have potential! - by Jess
Laz tells me I have potential as a Kiamberean or whatever you want to call people from his tribe I told him I just might have to live in Kiambere, then. We went to Laz’s home(where he grew up) Friday. Before we left Kiambere I was a little nervous. People were telling me were going to have to ‘Rough it’. I didn’t know what roughing it meant to the people who were telling me this. Therefore, it made me just a little nervous…
After arriving, I realized it wasn’t roughing it at all. I’ve experienced much worse camping with my family. We even had beds! There was, of course, the long drop which was quite the experience but not that bad. I sleep very well that night. When I woke up I found a gecko or lizzard of some kind near my bed but that was pretty cool!
I can ‘rough it’ as people have called it. That is why Laz and I came to the conclusion that I can live in Kiambere and I would be quite fine.
Ooh the Lovely Long- Drop… - by Rachel
LONG-DROP: [long-drop]
-noun
1. A place for humans to fertilize the ground through a small hole .
2. An experience of a life-time
3. A petting zoo for flies where feeding time is all the time.
This post may only amuse Jeff, but the long drop is quite deserving of this individual recognition…
Long drops come in many shapes, sizes, and stenches… but there is no escaping what it truly is. No matter how they try to disguise it behind names such as washroom, restroom or even bathroom… a long drop is completely in a league of its own.
Now a long-drop wouldn’t be so bad if everyone in Kenya was given “long-drop etiquette 101″.
Lesson #1: Target practice
Lesson #2: Target practice w/ an emphasize in hole size.
Lesson #3: Cleaning up after yourself if you’ve failed lessons 1&2.
Lesson # 4: Never under any circumstances look down a long drop…. just don’t do it.
number one thing I miss at home = a clean toilet…
all the small things - by Jerod
Don’t want to get all mooshy gooshy (rhymie stymie!). Here is a list of all the little stuff I miss from back in the states.
Not on the list? Don’t be sad…Theo didn’t even make the list and he’s littler than you!
I’m sure I’m forgetting some…
