A new day in Kenya....

Sleep came very easily to 24 weary travelers... but then the morning came bright and early to some - as our bodies are still on US time and therefore we were wide awake at 4:45am.

We had a busy day Tuesday -  taking a tour of the grounds, surveying the playground in process and sorting 25+ bags full of donations.
On Wednesday, Pastor Benson, myself and two others headed to town to do some shopping for additional supplies needed... and of course more BOTTLED WATER!

We had a very fun but busy day walking and riding a TukTuk from shop to shop.

  Our team was split up into several groups doing a variety of things...

some at Nelly's - loving on babies
some at the school - thinking they were going to observe and ended teaching the classes
some in the field - pouring cement around the bases of the swing posts
some in the storage room - packing 250 backpacks for the kids

Below is a quick re-cap of the progress of the playground over the past few days.  My blog is not wanting to load pictures quickly so we have not been posting every day.  If you want to see daily pictures, please "FRIEND" me on Facebook.... and you can see them there.

So many amazing stories to share.... but need to get some rest.

More soon - providing the internet will cooperate!

It took an hour just to load these pics.

Thankful for all your prayers... keep them coming!!

On African soil once again....

After 24 hours of planes, airports and African buses....

WE HAVE ARRIVED IN AT FIWAGOH

to lots of cheering, singing, smiles and hugs!

SO thankful to be back on African soil.

Lots of stories to tell and pictures to share,

but for now... SLEEP!

Friday in Kenya

Week #2 - Friday

Bret & Liz are getting tired... ready for the reinforcements to come!!

Below is what Friday looked like in Kenya....

Kind of like our highway projects at home . . . one guy working and four guys watching

  They run the big tire down the hill and try to knock the guys off the pile

Guess who . . . the girls pulled our favorite pink orphan in and dressed him up with a scarf

FIWAGOH's version of a motorcycle gang . . . 

Finishing the joists for the first floor

 Seriously . . . this has gone too far . . .

Liz supervising . . .

  Seems sturdy

 Oops . . . ran into a snag . . . had to take the joists out and reinstall

We have the beginnings of stairs for the little ones to get up to the "slider"

Fish lips . . . works with kids on any continent . . .

End of day five . . . Nash helping me pick up the jobsite

  Almost looks like we know what we are doing . . .

Glad I came two weeks early, slow going when you are on Africa time

 I am still AMAZED at what Skype can do... Bret walks the laptop down to the field where the playground is being built so that I can see the progress.  There waiting is a group of kiddos!  They are so excited (and I think a little baffled) that they can see Emma and I all the way in America!  WAY too cute!!

... and yes, after packing 13 more bags (a total of 21 now) I would say 

WE ARE READY TO GO!

Next post... will be direct from Kenya!

Appreciate all the prayers for safety, smooth check-in, on-time flights

and LOTS of good sleep on the plane!

Definitely feel honored and humbled tonight as I go to bed...

that He would choose to use us.

New life...

Week #2 - Thursday

Today was a very full day in Kenya.

Bret & Liz started the morning at Fiwagoh

doing some painting on the first level platform of the playground, 

and planning for tomorrow.

Getting a full coat of paint on the first floor.

Yes, BLUE....  Pastor Benson's favorite color 

plus a local business donated 200 gallons they couldn't use anymore... 

so blue it will be!

The peanut gallery . . .

Look's to me like they are up to 'something'!

Then they headed to Haven of Hope to meet Nelly 

and see her home where over 30 infant-Kindergarten age children live.

 Part of our team is planning on spending a good amount of time at Nelly's

rocking, feeding, playing and loving on all these little ones.

There are also plans for us to PAINT several rooms of her house,

including one of the 'little ones' rooms and add some wall murals.

Bret & Liz were able to meet Nelly for just a short amount of time as she was heading out the door to the doctor's.  Nelly is pregnant, due the end of August, and has been on bed-rest the past week due to pre-term labor.  The doctor sent her directly to the hospital, and I learned this evening that Nelly had a baby boy in the middle of the night (Kenyan time) weighing in at 3.9lbs.  He is in an incubator doing well and mommy is exhausted after 9 hours of labor with NO pain medication.

Please PRAY for Nelly, this precious new life, 

and all the little lives who call Nelly - "Momma".

Pray that God will use our team to minister to Nelly 

and Haven of Hope at such a time as this.

A time where we can step in the gap 

and fill a need for a Momma who GIVES...

200% of herself to all of these children who have no one else.

Please also PRAY for the final preparations for the rest of our team as we depart very early Sunday morning to join Bret & Liz in Kenya.  

The enemy is always at work to distract, discourage, 

and frustrate when we are 'on-mission' to be His hands and feet to orphans.  

Pray His FAVOR on our Team... that we see MORE of HIM and LESS of ourselves.

Paint... and a critter!

Week #2 - Wednesday

 Never get tired of this view. We are walking up to the main road to pick up the bamboo

  A bag of bamboo for the rails on the playground

Loading down the truck

 She can't stand bugs around here, but for some reason . . .

Any moment he may go for the jugular . . . 

 On the way back from picking up the bamboo, these two were along the path . . . little one was snoozing

Not asleep anymore . . .

Walking back to FIWAGOH

 Local shepherd and flock of sheep and goats

For those about to arrive on the bus . . . this will be your first view as you turn the corner

FIWAGOHs water supply at the top of the hill

Starting to put the first layer of paint of the initial boards for the first floor

 "mostly" dried boards, cut and ready to take down to the field

 Beginnings of the first floor

I hate nails . . . drove one all the way in when beam wasn't level. 

Waiting for a second hammer so I can dig it back out. 

Wish I had my cordless drill and a pile of 3" screws

 More help that I can put to work

 At this point I have hit my head about seven times on the joists . . . 

good thing I had my hat on or I would have scars all over my bald head

 End of day four . . . the start of the first floor

 One of the tether ball poles on the right

Not used to oil based paint anymore . . . heading for the turpentine