Wednesday...Well Worth The Waiting

A Morning Hike - Beauty Sleep - Quiet Time
Early this morning, Mark, Joey, Jerry, Adrian and Bernard hiked to the base of the Thompson Falls. The rest of us opted for extra beauty sleep or time preparing for the day.

We ate from the breakfast buffet and checked out of our rooms. Since we were scheduled to leave at 9 a.m., we gathered in the courtyard with our things. Little did we know that our van was in the garage due to a broken fuel pump! The rough road to Sipili had taken a larger toll than we realized.

We waited..waited...and waited. Finally, the van arrived, but not until after Bernard met a man from the local hospital. He did not know him but was introduced to him by a fellow believer who "just happened" to be at the Thompson Falls Lodge for lunch with the man. He is a key person for the medical mission team coming to Laikipia. God had to hold us at the Lodge long enough for us to meet the man from the hospital. What an amazing God we serve.

Thank you for your prayers. We’re off to Thika, via Nyeri.

Tuesday...Rested, Ready And Willing

Team Has Full Schedule
We convened in the dining hall for breakfast at 8 a.m. Omelets to order, fresh fruit, sausage, potatoes and cereal were all "mighty tasty."

While we were having breakfast, a Romanian missionary serving in Kenya came to retrieve some things Adrian had brought from Romania for her. We were reminded of how God calls His people from so many corners of the world to serve as laborers in His field.

Following our itinerary, we left Gracia Gardens, made a stop at the Village Market to exchange money and buy water. Traffic was not too difficult. Our driver, John, soon had us headed out of the city. Bernard pointed out sights of interest along the way and explained various aspects of Kenyan life.

We stopped for a brief visit at Happy Day Academy. Mary Kabaru is the principle. The children were playing in the yard. It was the last day of school. The kindergarten class was having a graduation program at noon. The entire group has passed the entrance exam to begin first grade in January.

The men in our Team passed out candy and made pictures with the children. It was difficult to get good photos because the children wanted to be very close as you took the picture.

When we finally departed, we were behind schedule: When we arrived at Thompson Falls Lodge, Peter Wanjoi and son, Joseph, joined us. Quickly, we took a break, returned to the van and headed off to Sipili to meet with church leaders. Due to recent rains, the road was extremely rough. John was dodging large washed out areas, and we were bounced to the roof of the van! We all agreed it was one the roughest rides ever.

The Grace Team members are on a fact-finding mission for the possibility of a medical mission trip in this area. Three pastors and a women's leader who represented the Association discussed the medical needs of those living in the area. The logistics of a team coming were considered.

Coming back to the lodge seemed much quicker. Evening was approaching fast, and the temperature was dropping. We arrived at the lodge after dark. Dinner was slow coming, but we had good fellowship and got to know one another better while we waited. Finally, we ate, and it was off to our rooms for cleanup and rest.

Team One Arrives In Kenya

We All Made It!
Team One for this trip to Kenya has arrived!

Our team consists of five men from Grace Church in Greenville, S.C., Adrian Giorgiov, Dean of the Hungarian Baptist Seminary of Romania, Floyd and Bonnie Parker, and Bernard Kabaru Mwangi. The entire team coming from different flights made the Amsterdam connection and boarded together to complete the trip to Nairobi!

What a relief and blessing when each person and piece of luggage was accounted for in Nairobi! Bernard Kabaru had vehicles ready, and we headed for Gracia Gardens for the night. It was wonderful to have a shower and be able to stretch out after the long flight.

The plans were formulated for the trip to Laikipia on Tuesday. Bernard said “Good Night” about 9:30, and we all headed to our rooms for a good night’s rest.