Peace in the Middle East

Mike - Here is a gallery of Peace, the cutest little bean in Africa. She is Pastor Jasper and Mama Jakes' youngest. Enjoy! PS - we made a deal with her parents that we are going to take her home to Canada, until we have kids of our own. They can live without her for a few years I'm sure! :)

Road Trip! 2

Road Trip!

Mike - The other day we woke up in the wee hours of the morning (6am, haha) and met at Pastor Jasper's for an early breakfast. We then packed 9 people into the sweet van and drove 6 hours to see Jasper's parents in western Kenya. Oh - and it was raining (winter for Africans), so as we were in the front sweating with the windows rolled down, they were wrapped up in blankets and jackets in the back! AWESOME. The roads were...well let's just say we shouldn't call them "roads". It was more like a war path. So great! We couldn't believe it, but we made it there. His parents were amazing, so happy and full of life in their old age. We had the privilege of meeting his sister and some of her children as well, and we walked around their property where they do some farming. We spent an hour or two visiting, then turned right back around for the journey home before dark - but this time we added a live chicken, sugarcane and a big bag of corn maize in the trunk! Couldn't believe we all still fit! It was getting dark - and almost impossible to see any pot holes near the end. We ended up making it about an hour out of Kisumu, when the van finally had enough. We barely made it to a lonely gas station, and left it there. Long story short, after a bus ride and taxi, we were home safe and sound. What an adventure!! PS - we left the chicken in the back of the van...a few days later, it was still delicious. :)

Nay Today Package!

Becky - My parents sent a package over a month ago, but it was held up in customs here and we just received it now. Good timing, as we're only here for a little under 2 weeks now! The kids will love the toys, markers and vitamins sent! So exciting!

Going to the Chapel and we're...gonna see an African Wedding!

Mike - We attended a beautiful wedding here. It was almost the same as our weddings back home, just louder, and with a lot of dancing during the ceremony! It was awesome to be a part of. We came up and prayed over the couple after they'd taken their vows, and it was dubbed an International Wedding because we'd "come all the way from Canada just to be at their wedding"! Also, we're used to weddings back home having a typical late start, y'know the usual 5-15 minutes, well this one started 4 hours late! We have the program to prove it! Haha and the ceremony alone lasted several hours. It was a great experience!

...And Women Can...Make Baskets

White Men Can Dig

Fun at the School Site & Tobias' House

Ryan It's Your Birthday!

Monday was Ryan's 20th birthday so we took him out for an ice-cream float and a day at Kiboko Bay resort. Then we chilled at our place! It was awesome to be able to celebrate with him!

Starting grass fires...in Africa!

Mike - Our first task at the school site? Burn down a field of dry grass and weeds. Awesome? YES! The white men strut out to the field with their shiny new rakes - and started some blazing fires. It was basically the best day of our lives. Boys will be boys I guess! (Side note - Pastor Jasper ACTUALLY asked us to burn the grass to clear it for the children to play!! We aren't totally pyros - well...maybe a little :)

Digging in the Dirt

Mike - Last week Ryan and I spent the good part of the day digging holes to plant trees and shrubs around the school site. We have never sweat so much in our lives! It was unbelievable. We drank 2 litres of water each in about an hour. All the construction workers and the entire neighborhood literally stopped their own tasks and camped out to watch the "white men work". There was a group of kids behind us who just sat down to watch! They saw a great show - we worked for about 10 minutes, then took a water break!! It was a great time. We are feeling pretty buff right now.

My Pet Monster!

Becky - I made a new friend! I missed our tiny friends at Disciples of Mercy...but we have new friends here...and they're bigger! Hehe! And My Pet Monster doesn't have handcuffs to turn him into a stuffed toy....or am I the only one who watched that show...ahem.
Anyways! Apparently these little nuggets are really skittish and elusive - but this one jumped from the roof right into my hands! So we played together for a while...and swore a pact of friendship together.