Wow - turning 40 in Kenya is the way to go!

Jambo!

Friday, July 6th: The adventure begins! Have you ever seen a movie or TV show or magazine ad or article about a small plane landing on a dirt airstrip in the middle of golden, waving bush grasses, after flying on over buffalo, elephants, giraffes, etc? Well, that's what we did! Our arrival in the Maasai Mara was like a photo out of an advertisement, complete with being met with a cloth covered table, being served chai tea or coffee by the side of our almost-exclusive open Land Rover and guide Daniel (we shared our vehicle and guide with Anna and Ola, newly married one week earlier, from Sweden).
We were taken to our lodge, (passing more wildlife along the way), where I don't think I ever stopped exclaiming over how amazing it was! The staff were amazingly friendly, our tented room was so nice with a huge duvet (a hot water bottle placed in the bed by the staff at night!) and a stone bathroom that was just "Poa Kabisa" - very cool! Ok, I just realized I could go into way too much detail here! Suffice to say, we went on four game drives and loved every minute of it. When we weren't seeing elephants, buffalo, zebra, lions, giraffes, waterbuck, topis, gazelle, impala, baboons, birds, hippos - and a CHEETAH! - it was bliss just to be in the unique environment of the Maasai Mara. The staff at Kichwe Tembo, where we stayed, were just lovely in every way.

Saturday, July 7th, 2007: THE BIG DAY!!! I had my "40 today" button on (thanks Vella!) so no one could forget why I was there! I had three lovely birthday surprises. 1. Adele gave me letters she had asked friends to send to print out and give me on my special day since I'd be out of contact. She also sang to me in three languages, Chinese, Afrikaans, and English! 2. The Swedish couple surprised me with champagne and glasses for our brunch on the game drive - that was so thoughtful of new friends! 3. Adele and I had befriended many of the staff and enjoyed talking with them a lot. The Executive Chef for the whole company (29 lodges!) was there and he was an absolute gem! Gave us lots of big hugs and even bigger smiles. Well, he and the rest of the staff came out of the kitchen singing beautifully in Swahili and making their own music with one guitar, one aluminum foil tube, a coke bottle with a pencil and two pot lids! It sounds crazy but it was stunning! It made me cry, I was enjoying myself and my day so much, in such a special and unique way. When they finished their song, they presented me with my own birthday cake, with "Happy 40th Birthday Lorna" (many people called me Lorna on this trip, must be a more common name in Kenya!) written on the fondant on top! I felt like each moment of the day was just a kiss from God, just pouring out his blessings on me!

Sunday, July 8th: A morning game drive and then we were off
to the airport all too soon. One last blessing: six lions on our way to the airstrip! We flew back to Nairobi and quickly began a 7
hour ride in a Land Rover over potholes, dirt detours, and some
good roads even! It was an amazing drive, I had no idea Kenya
was so lush and green and mountainy and beautiful! (This is Leonard with his very own garden!) We arrived in Ilula, one of the children's centers where Adele lives and works, just as it started to rain. So everyone was waiting inside the church to welcome us - all 96 kids and parents, singing and worshipping God! They greeted me with a bouquet of beautiful flowers, said several welcoming speeches, then invited me to greet the kids. I did, in Shangaan and Portuguese and the next two days, kids were desperately trying to remember my Shangaan greeting of "Kanimambu, Xicuembu Xico Cata Kisi" which means "Thank you, God bless you!" We opened it up for questions and the parents had to stop them, they were so curious about me and my boys! Perhaps my favorite question was "what's your favorite game?" because I love games and I thought the question expressed such an interest in me personally!

Monday, July 9th: We went to visit the childrens center in Kipkaren, about an hour away. But most of the day we spent at Ilula, meeting the Kenyan staff and spending more time with the delightful kids. English and Swahili are the two national languages of Kenya so the kids speak English so we could communicate effortlessly! That was a treat.

Tuesday, July 10th: Adele let me accompany her and two of the Kenyan staff, Ruth and Mary, to visit a neighbor family with four children, ages 1 1/2 to 9, without a mother and left mostly alone while the father looked for work that is hard to come by. All four children, two girls and
two boys, were so happy to see us, but we were
there with a gruesome task: to remove the infected sand flea egg sacks from their fingers and toes. Ultimately, after 13 sacks of eggs were removed, it was decided to take the kids to a local hospital to receive anesthetic before removing the rest, which they hope to do this week. Even though the task was difficult, it was such a joy to meet these four children and watch their faces transform as they receive love and care, a bottle of bubbles (this is Adele) and some new clothes and shoes! After a brief lunch with
the kids one last time, it was off to the airport, where I had to say goodbye to Adele (after picking her brain for her computer know-how!). A brief flight to Nairobi and I was driven back to the Africa Inland Mission guesthouse I was staying at.


While in the children's homes, I was awed and inspired by the work they do and what they've accomplished. Please pray with me that I won't compare or feel discouraged in any way, but rather that I will press in to see what God has in store for our children and how he wants to use me to accomplish it! I have lots to ponder about what we can implement here to provide the very best environment for our kids to learn about Jesus, learn about their world, and learn about the plans God has for them so they can run forward with great joy and confidence!


It's Wednesday, the 11th now, one week later I am back home. I can't believe what a week I've had! You know, it's definitely strange turning 40 but I really haven't had a hard time with it. One realization I had as we arrived at the Maasai Mara ~ almost every major new experience I have, I think, "This is the most amazing thing I've ever done!" When I thought of that, I realized, that's just part of being on an adventure with God throughout the life he has planned for me! It really does just keep getting better if I seek and embrace all that he has for me! I thank God he has blessed me with such a full and abundant life!

Asante Sana (Thanks) Mom, Living Hope and Vanguard for being the vessels thru which God could bless me with this 40th birthday present! I will never forget it!