An African Adventure

JAMBO! We have finally arrived in Kenya!! It has already been an amazing experience and we haven't even gotten to Nakuru yet. On Sunday Boo, Robby, & our new friends, Jerilyn & Megan, visited the elephant orphanage where they got to get up close and personal with baby elephants! It was really cool to see them in their natural surroundings & be close enough to pet them. Robs quickly became an animal lover much to our surprise!

At the Elephant Orphanage 

After our African animal adventure it was on to the Nairobi Airport to pick up Morgan. If you know Morgan you already know that she was well rested from her airplane pass outs, which include snoring on the neighbors shoulders.  We got settled in at the Hampton House that is apartment style housing for visitors and resting place for Kenyans receiving medical attention.

Monday morning came quickly and we were off to eat breakfast in one of the local malls. One surprising part of our trip has been a simple car ride through Nairobi. Nairobi is considered the “London of Africa” so in our minds we had expectations of what it would be like. While driving through the streets of Nairobi our minds were immediately blown by their way of life. We would drive through the city and see tall beautiful buildings and nice houses, many of which are homes of diplomats and British families in an area called Lavington and then we’d make a quick turn to see poverty for miles. It was so eye opening to see both extremes within Kenya’s capital city.

While exploring Nairobi we visited Amani Ya Juu and Kazzuri Beads. Both of which are faith-based businesses established to give the women of Africa employment opportunities and off the streets into a community to grow in their own faith. We were welcomed by songs, huge smiles, warm hugs, and tours at both places. At Amani Ya Juu their motto is "sowing peace through the eye of a needle" and the women created hand made gifts ranging from bags to quilted blankets, home decorations and children’s clothing. Many of the products could easily be sold at our favorite store in the US, Anthropology! It was incredible to see the tedious work that women put into making these types of beautiful hand made items. At Kazzuri Beads the red African clay from Mt. Kenya is used to form gorgeous beads as well as pottery. The beads are hand painted and made into all forms of jewelry. We were fortunate enough to meet one of the original three women who began at Kazzuri Beads. These two experiences were humbling as we saw joyful women so blessed with this incredible opportunity.

Just a couple of the amazing 300 plus products from Amani Ya Juu -- stretched fabric art!

One of the original three women at Kazzuri Beads 

Next were given the opportunity to visit New Life Home Trust orphanage. Of course we were beyond ecstatic to an open room full of sweet babies who needed some love. It was the highlight of our trip so far! We spent a few hours holding, feeding and playing with them feeling so overjoyed that they were in this place with so many people who love them but heart broken at the same time. It was impossible to wrap our minds around how someone could abandon such a tiny precious child. There was something so indescribable about having their heads resting so peacefully on our chests while they held tightly on to us as the staff sang Jesus loves me. Such an unforgettable experience! It was interesting to hear that 90% of the adoptions there were done by Kenyan families, which is so special for the children to be able to grow up in their own culture with a family that loves them so much. The director said many older children who were adopted from here will come back to the orphanage to see where they began their lives. It was very evident that these children are so well cared for both emotionally and physically by the staff and we are so thankful for this organization. Unfortunately, we were unable to take pictures with the babies at this orphanage. Later on during our trip we will be spending more time at their orphanage in Nakuru as well as a couple others.

Before the babies!   

               

Robs...our camera dude

We finished off our day at a yummy restaurant with a wonderful view of the Kenyan culture! Now it's off to Nakuru to get settled in today at our new home and rest to begin our work tomorrow!

We are sending lots of love your way from Kenya!

Boo & Morgs