July 2013 Trip: A Sunday Update

Last Sunday, we worshipped with our Kenya partner church, Riakong'a Methodist, in the village.  Volunteers from the church had helped us with the medical camp where together we served over 860 people coming from over 30 villages for medical treatment, prescription eye glasses and reading glasses.

We were welcomed warmly to the church by Riakong'a's new pastor, David Ikiao, and Peter Mageto's dad, Jablon.

Aldersgate members contributed donations for 33 water filter systems which we brought up to the church in one of our vans and prepared them for distributing to each church family.

Then the church secretary called each family forward to receive one.

  

  

I handed out Gideon's Bibles to each person in the church. Those left over were taken to other churches in the village. It felt like giving communion as each person came forward with open hands to receive their Bible!

 

We were seated in front along the side wall, precious babies were passed around for us to hold. The children led us in singing - such happiness in singing praise songs about Jesus and God's love.

  

We got to meet Peter's mom after church.

We spent lots of time after church giving hugs and smiles, taking pictures, and showing gratitude and friendship toward one another.

 

The women of the church prepared a delicious lunch for us after church. We ate it in the new pastor's house up the hill behind the church (the house was built with help from Aldersgate).

 

One of the children in the choir, Kevin, is going to be Andrew Thompson's new Kenyan friend.

We were helped back down the hill from the church by our new friends.

           

                

Once again - Mungu Awabariki  -  God bless all of you!

  

Thank you for all you have done to make this mission possible through donations and continuing prayers!

  

And please keep remembering the special, sweet people of Riakong'a  in your thoughts and prayers.

  

Until next time,  Asante Sana!

  

Amy Covington

Chris Miles

Claire Miles

Laura Reid

Lynda Reid

Lynn Renne

July 2013 Trip: Team Members

Our team:
Amy Covington (Evansville)
Chris Miles (Louisville)
Claire Miles (Louisville)
Laura Reid (Evansville)
Lynda Reid (Evansville
Lynn Renne (Evansville)
Valarie Thompson (Evansville)

We didn't get to blog on this trip, so will post pictures that tell the story well! 

July 2012 Trip: Many Updates

After church Sunday in Nairobi - Peter Mageto on the left preached. As visitors, we were treated to cups of tea after the service.

Our 2012 team! Peter Mageto from Nairobi, Lynn Renne (Indiana), Megan Whitt (University of Kentucky), Vicki Brewer (Virginia), Erin Gearhart (Virginia), Bryan Lynch (Indiana), Bethanne Martin (New Jersey) Jake Miller(Indiana University) Connor Costello (Indiana University) and in front Cheryl Gearhart (New Jersey)

Final Jambo from Kenya! July 13, 2012

Hello all!

By the time you read this we will have returned safely back to Indiana, New Jersey, Virginia and Kentucky. Our 9 person team of all ages and stages bonded immediately, worked together amazingly and shared experiences of a lifetime.

Here are some more pictures to wrap up the trip's story in just a brief way. Together we have over 4,000 pictures that tell more of the story.

To family members - thanks for sharing your loved ones with the team and with the wonderful people of Kenya.

To all those who donated money, glasses, school supplies, handmade dresses, medications, and so much more. Thank you so much - you have made a difference in many lives in the little corner of the third world we have been given to care about.

Erin, Vicki, Cheryl, and Isaiah heading to Dago Dala Hera Orphanage with gifts donated to the girls there.

Night time at Dago Dala Hera Orphanage - Jake and girl wearing one of the dresses made by Vicki and friend in Virginia (they made and brought 50!) and a new headband. She's feeling very pretty.

Bryan helping prepare dinner at the orphanage. Stirring beans that have been cooking over the wood fire.

Connor checking out a homemade soccer ball at one of the home visits. It is made with plastic bags and twine. He and Jake brought 2 soccer balls to give the kids.

Playing with orphanage and pre-school children.

Teaching in the primary school at Dago.

Cheryl and Pamela Odoyo on the farm.

Vicki and Bethanne spreading out all the things donated for the orphanage and school. Teachers helped distribute them.

Home Visit

More time with the girls feeling so pretty with the new dresses and headbands!

After a long day, dinner at the Odoyo farm. Delicious and wonderful hospitality.

Ahhh - decompressing in the wide open spaces of the Masai Mara while on safari.

Jambo from Kenya! July 13, 2012

We are all keeping busy at our Medical Camp - working 9 hour days providing reading, prescription and reading eye glasses, dental (2 dentists) - and medical care - as well as testing for glucose and HIV.

In between times we visited the school Peter Mageto attended as a child, to give de-worming pills to 300 students, and played with children in a small school across the dirt road from the Reading Centre. (The teacher asked us to come so the children could see their first white person.)

Thanks to ALL of you who contributed to this mission. Everything is being used!

Here are some random pictures to show a bit about what we're up to.... more soon!

Jambo from Kenya! July 10, 2012

We are 4 days into our 14 day trip and so far everyone is healthy!

We met in the airport at London. Jake and Connor went off to get a last hamburger and were enjoying it so much that they almost missed the flight. We had to page them. They thankfully ambled up to the departure gate with 10 seconds to spare.

Jake and Vicki's suitcases didn't make it (til today) Vicki's camera was stolen by a baboon and our driver ran after it and rescued it.

The electricity went off during dinner and we ate in the dark by the light of a single iPhone.

We have had great experiences and we'll send more pictures and stories, hopefully tomorrow.

A 'green' way to serve safe, clean filtered water to waiting people...empty pill bottles! Bryan with the girl he sponsors, Grace, and her family. Lynn and the children Rennes, Amanda Reid and Carol Watson sponsor through Childcare Worldwide.

July 2011 Trip: Team Updates

Our Team! Stephanie Riebe (Indiana), Wendy Fodstad (Indiana), Collyn Capp (D.C.)

Random pics from pre-school, Bible study, medical camp and one night at private home with masai guard complete with bow and arrow!

One more thing.....Wendy's luggage didn't arrive and we're hoping it will be delivered to the village today.  She has been an amazing sport about it all, and even said yesterday she really doesn't need anything more for the trip than she has in her little carry on- Lesson to all of us!

July 2011 Trip: Team Updates

From Steph, Wendy and Collyn-

Tuesday: 

Our morning began with Wendy, Collyn and Steph receiving a wake up call knock at the door from Lynn because we all missed our alarm clocks and overslept a bit. Our crew recovered and after a quick breakfast we headed back over to the Mercy Pre-School to take visors left over from Castleton UMC Bible School (Steph's home church).

The older students loved the visors and we loved the photo opportunity to take pictures of the sweet children in their owl hats and visors. Our team then had the opportunity to visit the Squatters Hill preschool and community. For Wendy, Steph & Collyn it was our first look at the reality of life in a slum. The children in the preschool were happy and joy filled.

We were so blessed to hear the songs they shared with us. It was really incredible to watch when one of the preschool workers took the leftover porridge mixture from the students' snack and shared it outside with the neighborhood children who weren't able to be in the pre-school. They came, running towards the preschool, with cups- many sharing with one another. Mama Nancy, one of the teachers of the preschool then took all of us on a tour of the Squatters Hill village. As we walked around, children seemed to come out of all kinds of corners of the community and were so happy to just hold our hands and walk with us. Mama Nancy explained that many of them were orphans and were living wherever they could within the community.

Our team then traveled to the public school, Kaimina, to visit the children sponsored by Lynn and other Aldersgate UMC members through Childcare World Wide. The time at the school was yet another blessing to our team as we were able to tour the school, meet the sponsor children and sit down and visit with the school administration and staff. We talked about things like differences in class size and how students were disciplined.

In the afternoon our team spent some more time in Lake Nakuru National Park on safari--we had a beautiful view at the overlook of the lake and captured some amazing views of rhinos & the birds of the lake. We headed over to a brand new guest house in Nakuru. Bill and Chat were gracious enough to open up their home to us even with only having moved in 8 days earlier. They were so welcoming and hospitable. We had a wonderful visit and stay in their home and had the opportunity to meet some girls from the United States who were in Africa. One of the highlights of our visit with Bill and Chat was meeting their Massai warrior who watches over their yard & property during the night. We had a photo op with him and it all seemed a little surreal when he held his bow and arrow in the photos. It was a very full day--but we were all so blessed by the people God allowed brought into our lives through the day's events.

Wednesday:

Wednesday started with more creature comforts courtesy of Bill and Chat: Bacon and eggs, fresh fruit, coffee, and OJ! Then we packed up and headed to Ekerenyo on a road that twisted and turned with potholes that would put Indiana's to shame! We stopped in Kericho for a cup of tea at the Tea Hotel, an old english cottage.

We stopped at a supermarket for last minute supplies and then headed to the Amani Reading Center to set up a Health Clinic inside. We set up a pharmacy, lab, patient consultation rooms, and reading glass distribution area. It has been the mission of our team to partner with the Kenyans to organize the clinic, and this time we are working with ten local Kenyans who range from volunteers to trained medical professionals. After a day of set up, the clinic was ready for service!

Back to the Borabu where Lynn, Edwin, Wendy, Steph, and Collyn sorted pills for easy distribution in the pharmacy the next day!

July 2011 Trip: Team Updates

Monday:

Monday morning we woke up early and after a breakfast of omelets and toast, Wendy got on a van with the team going to the Wesley Medical Clinic to have her first experience working in an Kenyan medical setting.

Collyn, Steph and Lynn followed winding dirt back roads to Alice's pre-school. Our mission was to deliver 60 little hats that Joyce Eskridge had knit for the children who she had met on our February trip. The children were so excited! We were invited to teach these swahili speaking kids for the whole day, but actually could only spend an hour. The needs at the pre-school are many but the top three are to have a wall built around the property, have electricity hooked up and have the dirt floor covered with concrete. We noticed that they only had little stubs of chalk for the "black" board.

Then on to the way to the United Methodist Mission Boarding School. Steph and Collyn taught three huge classes of children .... they sang, they taught Bible lessons based on Proverbs 3:5-6 and Isaiah 40:29-31 and were well received and appreciated. The head of the school was happy for the time spent with them. She said it was important that the children heard the Bible being reinforced by people from so far away. It confirmed what they were trying to teach at the school.

We picked up Wendy, who had been seeing patients with a Kenyan Clinical Officer. She learned what they do differently here.

After lunch, Wendy had some stomach problems and spent the day in bed, while the rest of us headed out for a safari at Lake Nakuru National Park. Collyn saw her first-EVER giraffe and we saw thousands of flamingos, pelicans and storks. God's natural world.....amazing!
All is well! More tomorrow.

July 2011 Trip: The First 4 days flew by!

The first 4 days in Kenya have passed quickly and we'll try to catch you up to date! The flights for Lynn, Collyn and Steph were smooth and we arrived in the Nairobi airport at 9 p.m. Saturday. Well, Wendy---- not so much!  Due to computer glitches at INDY!...she missed the flight from Indy to Chicago, missed by 20 minutes our flight from Chicago to London and then by 20 minutes the flight from London to Nairobi.

Blessing was that British Airways took care of her and got her on an overnight Kenya Airways flight, so she arrived at Nairobi at 6:30 a.m. Sunday morning, not knowing if we had any idea where she was.  We had kept up wth her flights, and our nice folks at Methodist Guest house picked her up, holding a big Wendy Fodstad sign.  All was well, and Wendy looked amazingly wide awake!

We went to church at Lavington United with the Magetos - Chrystal and Teddy continue to grow up into wonderful young people...Peter and Irene continue to be busy with work. Peter as Dean of a school at Daystar University, Irene teaching Nursing now thankfully in Nairobi.

After church which I always love there, filled with the hospitality and a cup of tea they offered, we went to a frozen yogurt shop for lunch. Chrystal's choice!  Then hugs goodbye and off to Nakuru we went, where we checked into the Flamingo Lodge.  Our teams have stayed there often and the staff remembered and welcomed us warmly.

To be continued......