Amani

We are here!  After much anticipation and packing we arrived in Nairobi about 10PM local time.  We got through customs easily which is always good as it can be difficult at times.  In Kenya we are eight hours ahead of you in the states to give you an idea of the jet lag we feel today.  It is a gorgeous day here at the Amani Gardens Guest House where we stay in Nairobi.  It is about 70 degrees, a gentle breeze, and the blossoms are in full bloom. 

Amani means peace in Swahili and is an amazing place to stay.  It was formerly called the Mennonite House and serves as a guest house and respite spot for missionaries and NGO workers from throughout this part of the world .  We had breakfast with a family who is transitioning from the island of Mayotte (near Madagascar) to England.  As so often happens we discovered ten degrees of separation within minutes of sitting down with a delightful family of five.   The wife graduated from Calvin College (my alma mater) and her brother practices in the same group that our son practices in, Emerge Orthopedics, in North Carolina.  I learned a great deal about Mayotte , an island I had never heard of before.  It is largely Muslim and so their mission was relational and one of planting seeds of Christianity among this population.  Who knows where those seeds will take hold in the years to come.  

Today we are going to spend the day relaxing in this wonderful climate.  Tomorrow morning we will be picked up around 9 AM and go grocery shopping and butcher shopping for our tenure here.  There are some groceries available at Tenwek but it is good to stock up here with those things that are not available.  We will also get our Kenyan phone sim card so that we will have a local phone available.  About noon we will leave for the 3-4 hour trip to Tenwek.  This is the harrowing part of the entire trip because the roads are extremely overcrowded and dangerous.  There are also many18 wheeler trucks on part of the journey which are coming from the port of Mombassa and going into land locked countries like Uganda.  We are always thankful to arrive at the peaceful mission station called Tenwek where we will serve for 5 weeks.

Many of you have wondered if there will be interest in what is happening in the USA.  Let me just say an emphatic “yes” and we have only been here a few hours.  Most people are concerned and confused about the situation.  Maybe more on this later after we have been here awhile.  Stay tuned!

Marv and I will be alternating writing this blog.  As you can tell his ideas are much more philosophical than mine!  I just love telling you about my life, experiences and feelings.  Hopefully the combination will serve as a journal for us to remember our time here and for all of you to learn a bit about this part of the world and what the Lord is doing here.

Much love to all,

Marv & Miriam