An Early Start...

Travel today began in the rain at 5 a.m. as we headed for Iringa. A nice bowl of beef soup and chapati at Makamtobo at the local truck stop was hot and good.

We said good-bye in Iringa and headed for Mikumi National Game Park. We saw baboons in great numbers on the road. Before we got to the Game Park we saw elephants, Cape buffalo, impala, zebra, etc.

At the game park, we saw what seemed to be millions of impala. It was a good rest after long days. We skipped going out in the park on Wednesday morning and sat around and talked business. Just for the record, we learned that Ruaha is the best camp, and Mikumi is best seen from the main road. However, we enjoyed our time.

Wednesday afternoon we will head for Dar Es Salaam where we’ll be looking at economic development opportunities and wrapping up our meetings with Frank and Garry. We are looking forward to boarding the plane for home.

Long But Good Days...

Those Bananas Are Mighty Tasty...

Today, we left at 7 a.m. for Mbeya. This has been a long day of travel and meetings.

First, we visited a site for a potential new educational partnership. We then went to see Frank and Mpeli's mother, followed by a trip to Tukuyu, their home village – Garry must have eaten two dozen bananas!!! I am serious. We purchased a whole stalk of bananas near Tukuyu. Man, did Garry and Frank eat bananas as fast as I could get them off the stalk!

We finally arrived back in Mbeya to meet with our new brother in Christ, George. George and his family are involved in mining gold and copper. We enjoyed a delicious evening meal at his house.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that each banana was about 2 inches long, at best.

Our long day has ended and another one begins tomorrow as we leave at 5 a.m. for Iringa. We will stop to say good-bye to our partners in Christ and begin our journey to Dar Es Salaam. We plan to stop by the Mikumi National Game Park on the way.

Thank you for your continued prayers. Hopefully, on Thursday we can post pictures and catch up on the blog.

A Great Day Of Worship!

It Was Nice To Be 'Home'

We went to Kidetete today to worship with our "home" church in the Iringa area. Garry gave his testimony with greetings from family, friends, and College Street church.

We worshiped with traditional hymns like “Amazing Grace,” a Kidetete language and dance gospel song, a good ol’ Swahili praise song, and another upbeat hymn. Floyd preached and led in the Lord's Supper. We met with the Kidetete Nursery School leaders, the church family, and the children of Kidetete. This was a truly a great time of worship.

We then did a “drive by” inspection on a piece of property that hopefully will become the Daily Bread Life Ministry's Children Home's Farm (pig, chicken, corn, and beans). We are praying as partners come forward to complete the purchase of the land for this farm.

We left Kidetete for the Children's Home and lunch with Mpeli and his wife, Neema. What a great welcome by the children. For me, Floyd, this was a very emotional time as the children sang and praised God.

Once again, they called out to me, "Baboo,” which means Grandfather. They sang "Thank you Lord, where would we be, where would we sleep, what would we do, how would we live, no blankets, no shoes, no school." Then they knelt down, both knees on the floor, hands raised to heaven, smiles on their faces as they sang at the top of their lungs, "Thank you so very much Lord, we praise you, Lord."

Garry spoke to the children and I greeted them with words of encouragement and thanked the staff for their great ministry of love. While Garry visited the home for the first time, I went to see the plaque commemorating the official recognition and opening of the Children's Home by the District Commissioner of Iringa. This was a great blessing to the Children's Home and a good friend who leads the area.

That afternoon, the Victoria Living Church came to be with the children. They brought clothes and soap. Once again, we were overwhelmed by their testimony. They are a church of 50 members. While reading the Scriptures and praying, they were convicted to help orphans. They prayed and fasted for 21 days. Then, the Lord led them to the Children's Home. What a blessing as Pastor John said, "This is just the beginning. We will be back each month. We will not forget you." This was a powerful time of celebration for the children, Garry, me, and the staff.

This is the second church this month to begin assisting the children. The Director of the Ruaha National Park has also visited and brought gifts for the children.

Great news! The medicine for Neema's face that was found by Joseph Kovacs in Hungary and brought to Kenya by Adrian Giorgiov of Romania in December, then delivered in to her in Tanzania by Bonnie Parker in December is doing wonders on the sores, blisters, and whelps on Neema's face. It is unbelievable, where they were in some places is now smooth skin...just wait until you see the pictures to be posted later!

This great Sunday was finished off with a feast of roasted goat, roast chicken, roasted bananas, and soft drinks at the Miami Super Bar – yes, this is a local restaurant.

In The Air, Again...

... 'Rough' Start On The Road, Though

Today, we had a smooth flight to Dar Es Salaam. It was hot and humid. We were met by brothers Frank and Mpeli Mwaisumbe, then left for Iringa but not after a blown out tire had to be replaced.

Just before our first stop, the alternator belt in the car "shredded." We had a long, hot repair stop in Chilinze. We did manage to catch some cashews and cold water. Due to Floyd's greying or whiting hair, he was given a chair in the shade of the gas pump cover. Garry joined him, then Frank, then Mpeli.

We hit the road again with no time for food – Mpeli was not happy that we passed up on the soup and chapatti – but we did manage bananas, roasted corn, and beef jerky.

Going through Mikumi National Park, we saw herds of elephant, giraffe, gazelle, baboons, and warthogs playing in the rain. We arrived in Iringa by 7:30 p.m. to a delicious meal served by Frank's wife, Anna. What began as a hard journey ended as "Safari njema."

Making The Rounds...

The town of Sipili is the site of medical mission work this Spring.



Medical Mission Work Planned
After a good night’s rest, we drove over rough roads to Sipili, the site of the medical clinic where we will be working in April.

We then drove back to the Kentmere where the Teams met for a debriefing of the meetings we had over the previous days. We all enjoyed a great evening of wrapping up the details.

Garry and I leave the Kentmere at 6 a.m. our time and head to Tanzania. Pray for our journey.

Off To Nyeri

On The Road Again...

Today, we drove to Nyeri. Peter joined us and we went to the Outspan Hospital, a private Christian hospital in Nyeri. They are partnering in the medical clinic work planned for this spring.

After our visit in Nyeri, we checked in to the Thompson Falls Lodge in Nyahururu for the night.

'Oh, Happy Day...'

Garry Freeman shows the children their pictures on the digital camera.




Recess is a fun time for Chuck Arnold and the children at Happy Day Academy.



Mike Collins spends time talking with the children and seeing some of their work.






Visit To Kindergarten Very Rewarding

Today, we were at Happy Day Academy. We met with Mary Kabaru and her staff. We enjoyed our visit with the children.

We also had an opportunity to visit some of the refugee camps.

Later, we met with Jesse and had dinner at the Kentmere with the Kabaru family.

'First Class' Trip

Familiar, Yet So Different...

We had an uneventful trip from Greenville to Nairobi.

The 747 to Nairobi from Amsterdam had only 105 passengers on it. Hence, we all had “first class” seating—each one of us had at least two seats. Garry had how many? ...Oh, four or was that a bed he was laying on.

The Nairobi airport seemed deserted compared to the masses of people who usually are at the airport. Bernard greeted us with a new shorter hair cut. Words cannot express the feeling of joy and relief in seeing Bernard after the days of praying for him and knowing the places that he had traveled. Even today, he received word that 116 new refugees had arrived in the area.

One of the baggage guys recognized me because I never let them handle the luggage. He said I remember you. It’s hard times at the airport these days, so we employed three of the guys to help us. They were excited. John, our driver in December, came up behind me and slapped me on the shoulder. It felt good to call him by name. We loaded up and headed for the Kentmere.

The streets of Nairobi seemed empty compared to the cars, people, buses, and matatus that usually jam the streets. In fact, we only had one police check. There was no one out on the streets when we arrived.

We were greeted with giant smiles at the Kentmere. It’s good to be at our Kenyan home. Bernard stayed to have chai, fruit, and soft drinks. Tomorrow begins a whirlwind tour and days of travel. Thank you for your prayers. We will keep in touch.




Bernard and Floyd greet each other at the Nairobi airport upon the arrival of the Teleios Teams in Kenya.

Teams Arrive Safely!

Garry Freeman, left, Floyd Parker, Mike Collins and Chuck Arnold were all smiles as they left Greenville on Monday afternoon.

New Year Under Way...

The first Teleios Teams to travel in 2008 made it safely to Kenya!

Yes, Floyd Parker, Garry Freeman of Walhalla, and Mike Collins and Chuck Arnold from Grace Church in Greenville, arrived safely at the Nairobi airport on time and with all their luggage. Met by friend and Teleios partner Bernard Kabaru Mwangi, the group made a quiet, and thankfully uneventful trip to the Kentmere Hotel.

Please continue to pray for the safety of the Teams during their stay. Pray also that God will provide them and all of our brothers and sisters in Christ there with strength, courage and wisdom as they all seek to show His Love to others.