Up Close and Personal

Today was our chance to snuggle with some African creatures! ...well not snuggle really, but it's as close as we've ever been! Our first stop was at The David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. And yes, it was as cute as it sounds. If you're interested in learning more about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust and what they're doing to protect and preserve African wildlife, check out the website!

http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

So, back to the orphaned cuties. There are 3 stages in the elephants' lives once they are taken into this program. First they stay in the Nursery in which they are called 'infants'. Then they are known as 'juniors' once they get older. The goal of this orphanage is to reintegrate these intelligent beasts into the wild. They are known as 'ex-orphans' if this process is successful.

The caretakers of the elephants led the first troupe (the nursery elephants) into this rope enclosed space outside, where a large bottle of what looked like milk was awaiting them. The caregivers told the stories of the elephants. Many of them stay in the orphanage because their mothers were killed by poachers. We watched them bury themselves in mud, play soccer (no joke!), and simply fool around. One of the elephants was so MINI. He (or she) was about a third of the size of the other infants! My family and I just gushed over that little one.

The juniors made quite the entrance as they exchanged places with the infants in a full out charge. It was obvious that they had more energy because of their rough-housing and their friendliness with all of the visitors. They are hairy animals, and their eyelashes are so thick and long! But by the time that they wandered over to let us pet them, they were all covered in a layer of mud to shield then from the hot sun, so it wasn't as easy to tell. At one point, at least 5 or so were participating in a doggy pile, or rather 'elephant pile', at the mud hole. Everyone watching thought it was the sweetest thing, until one of the elephants trumpeted out in agony. He was being pushed and trampled on under all of his buddies. It took another shout from him to finally get the rest of the group moving. I guess bullying happens in the animal kingdom too! But it was really intriguing to see how playful and affectionate these elephants were towards each other. They are very community-oriented creatures.

The Giraffe Centre was the next animal destination. We were up in a building of sorts surrounded by a balcony, and with small pellets in our hands we fed the giraffes! Their tongues curl around the treat, licking your hand in the process. One of them wrapped their tongue all the way around my hand in search of the food. Slimy and a dark dark shade of purple, their tongues are probably as long as my forearm.. maybe longer if they tried! These guys were different from the elephants though. They aren't as friendly. Petting them was challenging and they would normally jerk their heads away if someone tried. But when someone had food, oh man, best friend forever... until your food ran out and then they'd make a beeline for the next eager tourist. It was cool to be so up close to them however. Their eyes are enormous!

Now the rest of the day consisted of encounters with human beings! We met with many of the Kenyans working at the SP office here. They were very welcoming and lovable people, catching up with my Dad and smiling alot at my mom, brother, and I. The Kenyans we've met so far are all so kind! After meeting with them, we stopped at a street vendor's fruit and vegetable stand to buy 2 crates full for the missionaries that are hosting us in Korr these next . And how much did all of these fresh groceries cost? About 30 bucks! I'm sorry, but the rollbacks in the grocery aisle at Walmart do not compare! It was interesting to observe the locals that came by for their purchases. Life has a much slower pace here, so the culture seems far more laid back then Canadian culture back home. We haven't had much concept of time and it's been wonderful.

So tomorrow we'll be flying out to Korr (in a 4 or 5 passenger plane) and staying there for 3 nights I believe. We'll visiting the projects that SP is running in that area. I don't know the full extent of our days there, but that's were faith comes in! God is going to lead, which is the best part. Pictures of cute babies are sure to come, but probably not for a few days. I doubt that Internet is the biggest priority out in the desert, haha. Please keep us in your prayers as we leave tomorrow!

Goodnight, or good afternoon to all back home!

Karibu to Kenya

We have arrived in Nairobi and are officially in the Southern hemisphere! So weird!

After flying across the Atlantic to Amsterdam and then across the Mediterranean Sea into Africa, our travel time clocks at around 24 hours. The humidity was not surprising as we stepped off the plane, but the driving was! Kenyans drive on the left side of the road here, like the English do in the UK. On our way from the airport to the Samaritan's Purse guest house, our driver Ephantus (he works closely with SP here in Kenya) gave us a bit of a spiel on the history of the country. He is a knowledgable guy with a really big heart. I liked him right off the bat! He'll be our guide for the safari that we'll be on later in the week too.

The real fun began when we got to the guest house though. We had to do a bit of lock-picking/breaking & entering in order to get into our rooms. I'm sure the neighbours in the rest of the apartment complex thought we were crazy... So in combining Ryan's ingenius ability to figure things out and my ingenius ability to always have a bobby pin (ha), we finally got in.

Tomorrow we are going to the Elephant Orphanage and then we'll be heading out to Korr on a small plane the next day!

So it being around 1am (9 hour jet lag!) , we're all calling it a day and crawling under our mosquito nets for the night.

Lala salama! 

PS. In Swahili, karibu means 'welcome' and lala salama means 'goodnight'. :)

Companions and Confidants

DISCLOSER: Semi-sappy post coming your way
(Hope you're good with feelings and stuff...)


Lately I've been realizing what STELLAR people I have my life. You know those people that you can just rave on and on about because you love them so deeply or because you think they're the coolest ever? Yes, I'm talking about them! And I tend to overlook the lengths that these individuals go to in order to be as awesome as they are. The listeners, the time givers, the servers, and the honest whole truth-tellers: these are the people that we need in our lives. They keep us grounded and keep our sanity in tact. They are the blessings in our exhaustingly busy lives, and I thank God for that!

So... what to do? Encourage these exceptional human beings! And heck, give back to them as well. They deserve some lovin'. I feel extremely fortunate to be surrounded by people who will challenge me and build me up. I feel at my absolute best when I'm with them! And it's a good sign when they can look past my exciting combination of 'awkward and lame' in certain situations too (eehhh). 


Bottom line: 


"There are 'friends' who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother." Proverbs 18:24 (NLT) 


"The right word at the right time is like a custom-made piece of jewelry. And a wise friend's timely reprimand is like a gold ring slipped on your finger. Reliable friends who do what they say are like cool drinks in the sweltering heat---refreshing!"
Proverbs 25:11-13 (The Message)

Africa, here we come!

Good afternoon all!


First blog, first entry and the firsts keep on coming this year!


And speaking of firsts...


In a week's time my family and I will be leaving for Kenya, Africa. SO CRAZY. It will sure be a new experience for my brother and me. However, I don't think it has sunk in that we will be flying across the world next saturday. Nope, not yet. Our itinerary is rather amazing too, consisting of safaris, potential orphaned elephant encounters (I know!!!) and most exciting of all, meeting the Rendille people. 


My dad works for Samaritan's Purse as Regional Project Manager for Africa and Latin America. He was our connection to this opportunity! He is currently overseeing a project in a remote village called Korr (in northern Kenya) that provides food for children. The little ones need their nutrients! So we're going to check it out and help with the program if we can.

I am excited to see the faces of those beautiful people.
I am thrilled to be able to learn from and encounter them. 
I am anticipating the strong connections that will be made.
I am hopeful that God will be working in their lives.



Check out the rest of this guy's pictures. They are seriously incredible.      http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/