Saturday in Kenya

I was showered and in bed by midnight Friday after our long journey.  The trip was incredibly smooth until we got to the airport here.  It took a while to get through the visa line and retrieve our luggage.  Our plan to go through security as normal tourists almost went without a hitch until questions were asked about what the contents of our bags were.  I'm pretty sure the interrogation was triggered by two big white X's on both mine and Diane's checked bags.  I don't know where they came from, whether in Houston, London or at Kenyatta airport here, but there they were.  We responded truthfully that it was clothing and also supplies for an eyeglass clinic.  Our examiner asked about the clinic, so I produced a letter from the Ministry of Health commending our project for the work we do. Not good enough.  She wanted to know the value of items.  Pastor Kevin had given me the invoice for our supplies, because sometimes you have to pay a tax on items brought into the country.  We acted as shocked and dismayed as we could and eventually were allowed to proceed without any payments at all!  I'm chalking this one up as a minor miracle!

Saturday, we had breakfast at 7 and were on the road with our driver Edwin on the way to Lake Naivasha by around 7:45.  We had breakfast with Kevin Pieper and his team from Salem Lutheran Church in Tomball.  They are here to install and instruct people in the proper use of malaria nets, a ministry that is part of our project that has resulted in a significant decline in the spread of malaria in the areas where it has been tried,  We stopped at the Great Rift Valley for a photo op and saw some Velvet Monkeys and a herd of Zebras along the side of the road, including a very cute baby Zebra.  Once in the park, we boarded a boat with our life jackets on and cameras in hand and got to see several groups of Hippos up close and personal and lots of different water birds ranging from Kingfishers to Storks to Cormorants to Egrets to Herons and everything in between.  Our guide was able to coax two African Fish Eagles, very similar to our American Bald Eagle, to come down from trees to snatch up fish he had thrown into the water for them.  That's always an exciting photo op and I got some great action sequences.  We got to walk around on the island for about an hour as well and saw Impalas, Water Buffalo, Zebras, Water Bucks and other animals up close and personal as well as a pair of Giraffes in the distance.  After finishing our boat ride, we had a nice lunch of fish and chips and ate outdoor in what can only be described as paradise.  We drove back to Nairobi and after I had gotten some rest, I went with Edwin for a walk around his friend Mike's farm nearby.  It was almost sunset, so we didn't get many good photos of the various small birds there, but it was a nice 2 mile or so hike anyway.  One of Catherine's friends setup her gifts in the parking lot at the Little Daughters of St. Joseph compound and we bought some shirts, bracelets and other trinkets for our friends and for ourselves.  The day ended with dinner at 7pm, consisting of fish, kale and ugali (a side dish that is very filling made from corn meal, think really thick grits in place of mashed potatoes and you are close!).  Watermelon was for dessert.  We all turned in early in anticipation of a big day of worship in Kibera and the initial setup of the clinic, followed by lunch and buying snacks and supplies for working in the clinic during the week.  More to follow as time permits.  Thanks be to God for another great day here as we gear up to see many people to serve both their vision and spiritual needs.