Van Osdols in Litein, Kenya!

“Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously.

“Don’t think you have to put on a fund-raising campaign before you start. You don’t need a lot of equipment. You are the equipment, and all you need to keep that going is three meals a day. Travel light.

“When you enter a town or village, don’t insist on staying in a luxury inn. Get a modest place with some modest people, and be content there until you leave.

“This is a large work I’ve called you into, but don’t be overwhelmed by it. Its best to start small. Give a cool cup of water to someone who is thirsty, for instance. The smallest act of giving or receiving makes you a true apprentice. You won’t lose out on a thing.”

-Excerpts from Mathew 10 MSG

The above excerpt is from a passage Andrew and I’ve spent countless hours studying before, during, and after Africa. Below are a few (read million) posts about our time in Africa we’d like to share. If you have any questions, please leave a comment. Thanks again to everyone for their prayers, support, and encouragement!

Final destination: Nairobi, Kenya

Elizabeth and Alexander were amazing on the airplanes! Both played very well alone and with each other. Elizabeth was amazed with the “TINY” toilet on the planes. We flew from Omaha to Detroit (2.5 hrs) where we then had a long layover. With this fight there was horrible turbulence (and maybe a bad pilot?) and Andrew and I got very air sick! Elizabeth almost threw up when we were landing but then both kids were fine. Andrew and I walked around the Detroit airport wondering which minute was going to put us over the top and send us running to the bathroom!

Next off to Amsterdam on our first of two long flights (each 8hrs). The first airplane was a 730 series and was large and very comfortable (we each had our own tv screens). Both kids slept for about 3 hours but neither Andrew or I could call asleep. Our next flight to Nairobi was a 747, two levels and we were in the last row, 69. No TVs, somewhat uncomfortable, and we could hardly understand the mixture of Dutch and British accents. On this flight we all slept about 4 hours which was very nice.

We landed in Nairobi Sunday, April 4th at 7pm. We stood in line somewhat nervously at customs. Surprisingly, it went fairly smooth and we were given our short-term visas. We picked up our luggage (all arrived safely!) and went outside to meet our driver. Outside the airport was a huge crowd of people shouting names and waving signs with names on them. We found our driver, George, immediately and he loaded us in the 10-passenger van to take us to the Mayfield Guest House owned and operated by the Africa Inland Church. Andrew enjoyed discussing Nairobi driving regulations (or lack there of) with George and commented on how odd it was to ride in the opposite seat from at home. The kids fell asleep during our short ride to the guest house.

Mayfield Guest House

George showed us around the AIC Mayfield House which included an eating area, sitting room, and our room along with the communal toilet room and shower room. The kids were thrilled to see the bunk beds (sorry the picture is blurry)! Jet lag did get the best of us our first few days. We were told for every hour time change to expect a day of recovery. This proved to be true for us(8hrs=8 days!). Our first night in Nairobi, we were all wide awake (especially the kids) at 2am. We put a movie in for the kids and tried to sleep ourselves. Of course we all fell asleep great by 6am and slept past breakfast at 7am!

We felt very welcomed and enjoyed visiting with other missionaries during our meal times. The food was very familiar and the kids both ate good.

The short-term missionary coordinator led us threw a brief but very informative orientation. While the kids napped, I went with his wife to the local super-market to stock up on first week essentials and a few items we wouldn’t find in rural Litein. I was so thankful she guided me through the isles with her list because I was somewhat overwhelmed and not able to focus on what we needed. I was surprised to see many familiar items by different names. Thankfully, she made sure we had dish soap and toilet paper! Their milk comes in small bags, meat was very expensive, and crackers were hard to come by. Otherwise, I was surprised by dress in Nairobi. Kenyans are very formal with their attire but you can very easily notice the Western influence on dress codes.

After dinner, we went to bed early as the coordinators were picking us up at 6am to drive us to our final destination, Litein. The drive can take anywhere from 5-8hrs depending on the roads and traffic. We of course fell asleep right away but woke at both 12am and 2am. Again, we fell asleep great later in the morning but were shocked to be woken up at 5am by the local Muslim mosque’s morning call to prayer broadcasted out our windows.

We were excited to be on our final leg of the long journal to rural Kenya!

Travel to and from Litein

Our 6 hour drive across Kenya was exciting, interesting, and mostly just beautiful both ways! We were able to see random bits of wildlife while also getting a taste for the country. Kenya has over 42 tribes and 39 million people spread across an area smaller than Texas. We were amazed that even in the rural areas there are an amazing amount of people packed in small spaces.

Below are the kids sitting in the van that drove us from Litein back to Nairobi for our flight home. (Sorry I’m posting pictures categorical instead of chronological.) We were very uncomfortable riding in a nice van alone. Even the kids commented multiple times on the fact that they both had their own seat. Usually, vans of this size have up to 15 passengers. Whenever we took mutatu’s (public transportation in vans), the kids sat on our laps.

We drove past so many people needing rides and here we were in a chartered, private van that had room for so many people… Looking back, the way we left Kenya was healthy in that we slowly adjusted to the culture change. Andrew still comments that the drive out of Litein left him the most guilt-ridden of his life.

Whenever our vehicle stopped, we were bombarded with men, women and even children selling items through our windows and wanting to see and/or touch us. Below was actually our driver’s nephew who we chatted with while our driver visited with his cousin.

Elizabeth promised Grandma Irene she would bring a rock home to share. Looking for a rock became an every day project. The kids were so cute because everyday they would save 3 or 4 rocks in a special place for Grandma Irene. In the end we chose one on our drive home leaving the Masaai Mara.

View looking over the Great Rift Valley. There were tons of little shacks and “tourist stops.” The wobbly buildings hung over the side of huge clifts and often sold animal skins, figurines, or soda. Our mentors offered to stop but I was rather leery not only of parking at these shops but also walking to the edge!

“Attention: You are now entering the escarpment section 9 Km long. DRIVE CAREFULLY”

The stretch of road made me so so nervous! Two narrow, curvy lanes packed with traffic all traveling at speeds that I would be nervous of on straight roads! What cracked me up more was that on our way home we saw many popped corn stands where men would roast ears of corn and then wave them at drivers shouting their price. If a driver motioned they wanted an ear, the man would run a long side the truck and exchange the corn for money (usually 10KS or about 14 cents) while the driver continued up the road!

Construction of a very nice building. Notice the scaffolding is built directly in to the walls.

Along our drive it was common to see a young boy in charge of 1 or 2 large heards of livestock. Often times they’d be in the middle of nowhere alone with the animals.

Gas prices were actually very comparable to prices in the US which means they were outrageous considering the economy. Below is a very nice and well maintained mutatu in Nairobi. Keep in mind that in Litein, the mutatu’s were not even half this nice! The second picture is a bus but more similar to the mutatu’s we were used to… notice the goats on top!

Below is Elizabeth and Alexander with our driver George. George picked us up in Litein, acted as our guide through the Masaai Mara, and also drove us back to the Mayfield Guest House in Nairobi.

H29

To say sorting through and choosing pictures to share from our home in Litein is difficult is an understatement. The place will forever hold a special place in our heart. Inside H29 (our apartment) we have memories of growing as a family, time with friends, experimenting cooking, and battling mosquitoes, ants and spiders. My favorite memory will forever be of praying and reading the bible together as a family in block H29.

Because we realize short term missions are often focused on the missionary, our prayer was that somehow despite this truth, we could make a lasting, even if small, impact in Litein. I am certain beyond a doubt that Litein made a huge impact on each of us and I ask for you to continue praying that the friendships we built will have made an impact in Litein.

“Alex! Alex!” All day every day the neighbor children stood outside our window calling for the kids to come play outside. They also took every opportunity they could to join us inside and learn more about is. They were just as curious as we were about their homes!

Mercy surprised Andrew and I with thank you gifts and below is the blanket she gave me to carry “baby Alexander.”

The kids loved spending time in the yard out front blowing bubbles and sharing popcorn with the neighbor children.

Elizabeth’s friends Abigail and Faith, sisters, were enthralled by Elizabeth. A few weeks after we arrived, we began receiving little notes from Abigail. She would drop the beautiful and adorable letters in our window secretly. Elizabeth was thrilled to practice writing letters back and we hope they can remain penpals!

When I was taking pictures of our apartment, Mercy insisted I take a picture of her doing laundry. I felt very awkward taking the picture but she was so proud. Every week she washed the childrens clothes and a few of Andrew and my clothes.

Here Andrew is proving to Alexander that his hat truly is waterproof!

Below is our kitchen and gas cooker. Thankfully Mercy helped me navigate cooking in the new surroundings with new groceries. We ate very well compared to their standards but to us we felt stretched with our diet…

We spoiled ourselves with bottled water and the locals got a kick out of how much water we drank. They pride themselves on not needing more than a sip of water a day so for us to go through so much was unbelievable. It was fun to share the empty bottles with them because they were so appreciative.

The favorite part of the kitchen was my notecard from Allison. “Its Fine! He is most glorified in me when I am most satisfied in Him. God always provides. Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. Be still and know that I am God.”

Internet proved to be quite the fiasco… It took Andrew multiple days to buy the correct access card and get it loaded on his computer who of course recognized it as a virus. Then to be connected, he had to run around outside looking for a signal, connect, and then run back inside and hang the modem out the window, praying it would stay connected! And although it took 2-3 minutes to load each new page, our emails with family and friends, mainly Andrew’s dad and Allison, were an amazing encouragement to both of us!

Below is a huge avocado a medical student brought us from her parents farm. They were delicious but only left us craving corn tortilla chips! We did love eating them with white rice and beans.