From Lawyer To Missionary: Carrie, Kenya and You

Saturday, April 27, 2013 It is the day of the run/walk.  If I was nervous in the US you can imagine how nervous I was here, not have any control over the situation really except for motivation. Our ride was late which was not a great start. I was nervous already and Rashid had a punctured tire so he was late. That makes me anxious. When we arrived all of the tables were ready at the correct positions so that was good and then we each just took a table and started setting it up. It went off without a hitch at all.  A little disagreement about exact time to start, but it worked out very well. The Deputy Governor of Mombasa Hazel Catana was present to cut the ribbon at the start line. She was pulled away on other official business (the president of Somalia came into town that morning), but she arrived to at least do the cutting and wish us well. She was a very welcomed guest of honor and she showed up on time. We had about 40-50 running and lots more that donated to the Pr...

Kenya, Adoption, Carrie and You: HOPE FOR BOMANI!!!! : Friday, April 26, 2013 WANTED-ANY BIBLE STUDY WORKBOOKS, especially the kind that are titled with just the name of a book of the bible.  ...

Friday, April 26, 2013 WANTED-ANY BIBLE STUDY WORKBOOKS, especially the kind that are titled with just the name of a book of the bible.  Tthose are the most relatable from western to african culture.  I would love to bring those to the ladies in June to continue their bible studies.  Watch Goodwills they will only be .89 cents for a book like that.  Thanks from the woman bible studies here ------------------------------ We had a later start for the morning with a few errands to run.  It feels like we go to the grocery store 2 or 3 times a day!!   Today we needed items for the run walk and we are on a mission to find a ribbon for the Deputy Governor of Mombasa to cut to start the race. We hit a few stores and could not find anything. We headed to the Shanzu place to finish paying for my bags and tablet/bible covers so we could sell them at the event on Saturday.  We also dropped some flyers off by Allan for the run/walk. Then we picked up Rose a...

Thursday, April 25, 2013 - Reconnecting First went to visit with Tami and Patrick and their baby orphanage. WE had been texting back and forth for a day. We showed up at their place and where told by the guide that they moved. And they moved down by Peter and Selpher (way down in lots of traffic)  We will have to reschedule that one. Then we headed to Wanna Wa Mola. Wanna Wa Mola is a boys home.  A place where they find boys on the street and bring them.  Teach them about God and they all love music. They had a few boys that just came in the day before.  We had such a great time making paper plate tambourines with them. We gave them cazoos and then we talked with them about how God loves them and he loves knows each of their names. We gave them each a cross necklace and we wrote their names on it.  The boys were so patient and were so well behaved. It was such a good time. Car troubles.   Then we were about the leave and the car wouldn't start.  T...

Tuesday, April 23, 2012 - Mombasa Lots of running around today.  Took forever to get out of the house. We sent Rashid to exchange our money. We went out to the High School near Ingilii School in _____________.  Then we went to see Ingilii to see our first primrary school.  Note to self - all schools are closed in April. But we got to see it. Eve met us there with her daughters Valerie and Adell. They are so cute. Allan and Eve had a baby boy six months ago - Ben.  It was great to see Eve and we set up to see the ladies at work on making the jewelry on Friday. Then we went to walk through the village around Injilii and we went in a few homes. They were very nice homes. Did a run to Shanzu to get purses and bags picked up and make sure they are done. They were all done and ready. Very excited to see the ladies again. Shanzu Girl Guides brings disabled women in and houses them and feeds them for several years and teaches them to sew clothes, purses, bags, and s...

APRIL 2013 blog 9th trip to Kenya with Laura Danbrea, Sue Huerta, and Carrie It was hard to leave this time with relationship problems with Brooklyn and Josie.  It is also hard because I was just gone last Wednesday through Sunday on a trip with Brooklyn to San Diego for choir. 4/19/13 - Friday Chris and our friend, Darrell helped us to airport. That was the most "exciting" time of the travel. We hit very bad traffic at airport waiting in line for one hour or more with cops coming through the crazy traffic. It was so bad that a man started walking down freeway in the inside emergency lane with his suitcase rolling behind him.  It we didn't have 11 suitcases I would have loved to do that as well. Some of the streets up to that point were flooded in Chicago. It was right around 7 pm when we arrived in that area. It was after 8 when we got up to the international terminal parking area to head in.  It was raining, hailing, snowing on April 19. Our luggage was outsid...

A normal house for someone in Kenya.  Made with mud, sticks, stones, and palm tree branch roofs.  Easily washed away in rain season.   Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Today we were off to Vipingo, the red/maroon school to do the activity day.   When we youngest do activity days we break the kids into 2 groups.  The smallest three groups of kids and the biggest three groups of kids.  We have an outside large motor activity, a craft/inside activity, and a bible lesson activity.  The biggest kids act out the bible story in really fun ways.   Examples of large motor activities have been basketball, kickball, volleyball, baseball,  hip-i-t-hopes (balls you sit on a jump up and down on), sack races, ring toss, bowling.   This year we did a volleyball type of game I think. I did the crafts and what we did this year and teach them about winter.  We read books about winter, had them hold ice to watch i...

kids at the free school in Bomani - see earlier posts. Kids al received new shoes and were very excited.  Tuesday, June 26, 2012 Today we were off to Vipingo, the red/maroon school to do the activity day.   When we youngest do activity days we break the kids into 2 groups.  The smallest three groups of kids and the biggest three groups of kids.  We have an outside large motor activity, a craft/inside activity, and a bible lesson activity.  The biggest kids act out the bible story in really fun ways.   Examples of large motor activities have been basketball, kickball, volleyball, baseball,  hip-i-t-hopes (balls you sit on a jump up and down on), sack races, ring toss, bowling.   This year we did a volleyball type of game I think. I did the crafts and what we did this year and teach them about winter.  We read books about winter, had them hold ice to watch it melt, drank some hot coco, and cut out “ sn...

FIRST PICTURE - KIDS AT VIPINGO WAITING FOR ACTIVITIES.  SECOND PICTURE A SMALL EXAMPLE OF SOME OF THE SHANZU BAGS THAT WE ARE SELLING TO RAISE MONEY TO PURCHASE LAND TO BUILD A PREGNANCY CRISES CENTER. TIME TO RECHARGE Sunday, June 24, 2012 Got up late, through was up at 5am originally, got out of bed at 8:15am.  Pam and I headed right down to the ocean with her journal and my morning readings.   Such a relaxing time and place with the Indian ocean being so beautiful and just awesome.  It ’ s high tide so can hear waves like you ’ re in the ocean. Then ate breakfast with the quieter part of the group which was nice.   Then off to church at Crossroads Nyali.   It is a church just like our church, Fox River in the states, contemporary through Fox River is at least 10 times louder with their music, it's not your normal church.  That was great to see lots and lots of people I knew there and to recharge.    ...

LONG LONG LONG DAYS - CATCHING UP WITH OLD FRIENDS Wednesday, June 20,2012 We went to Kreme Primary School in Bomani, the free (public) school.   Fox River was able to get enough shoes purchased to fit the whole school, of 1500 kids.   Plus they had shoes left over to take to community.   That was fun to see in the end, but a bit frustrating in the process.   First, the shows only came in size 37and up.   Woman size 8.5 is size 41 to give you an idea and we had to fit very very small 3-4 year olds and up.    We started with the older grades and they were refusing to take the larger sizes.  They wanted ones that nearly fit their feet and kept wanting smaller ones.  So the when we got to the younger classes, we just took one size and have to the whole class to avoid those problems and make the process faster.   That worked a lot better.   Then we did a whole school photo with them all by...

SUNDAY, June 17, 2012 We decided to hit Ingili before church service so we could say hello to Pastor Allan who has made all  of my work possible.  He has set up all of my connections here and has helped in huge ways.  So I was able to say hi and Allan was able to tell Ken a little bit more information on  how to get started if you want to get a secondary school going.  First - get a title deed to the property, not just a bill of sale, second get plans drawn up for the school.  Send the plans and the title deed to the minister of education in Nairobi to get their okay for a secondary school and then they will tell you necessary details with a checklist from there and how to go about doing buildings in what order.  It was such great, helpful information from someone who just started a high school one year ago.   I also got to say hello to Anne, the matron and chef at Bomani and Ingili right away.   It was great to see her and pa...

Wednesday, June 13, 2012 - Thursday, June 14, 2012 Got up ran only 2 miles did my morning readings and it was a day like any other.   Worked a full day said some hard long term goodbyes to a few day care kids and we were off.  Loved checking Face book  for farewell wishes, it was a low key day. Got to spend some time with Brooklyn who has fallen in love with a new day care baby and will not put her down so she's downstairs all the time with her.  I will miss the family this trip, because everyone but Brooklyn has been already gone since Sunday on their summer vacations, and this is an extra long trip for me, 2.6 weeks rather than 2. I was very ready to go and felt very prepared after my last week.  I was ready to get away and get perspective and see what God has in-store for us next. Ken Kernen arrived at 5p.m. at the house to load the truck to head out.  The trip to airport was uneventful.  We stopped at Panda Express, my favorite for d...