Salado UMC Kenya Mission Trip

"What A Week!"

2011-06-22T03:58:00.001-05:00

June 22, 2011

"What A Week!"

Boy are we tired! What a week it has been as we have visited, shared, eaten, sang, worshipped, witnessed, driven, taken pictures, cried, laughed, and most of the time just been overwhelmed by how present God has been in all that we have been priviledged to share and witness. I am at Heathrow airport in London with a layover so I thought I would enter the final blog. I know we haven't blogged much but we have had internet problems which is not uncommon in Kenya and which we have experienced in our time here. I just wanted thank each of you for what you do through the ministry of our church. There is no way I can describe the poverty and the suffering in Kenya. Those who have been there know what I am talking about. The work we do there is life changing work and I believe will make a huge difference in the lives that are touchedh and transformed by what God does through us there. The gospel challenges us to engage the suffering of the world as our Lord did. He died for the sins of the whole world not just for the Jews, or the people like him. The love Jesus calls us to share is a love that knows no boundaries. And so we are in Kenya trying to be faithful to what God is calling us to do there. Thank you for making such love a reality in the lives of people who need it desperately!

Amy has had an incredible time as well. She has seen and experienced people, situations, and places there that I believe will influence her for the rest of her life. It has been fun having her on the trip. As most of you kow we partner with the Grapevine church in the venture because their former pastor, Ken and I, were friends and shared this vision. Most of you know that Ken died suddenly at 52 this past February. Ken was present with us on this trip and in this time. I thought of him often. He would have loved the ministry we did while we were there. I sensed him so very present in all we did.

Well, that is it for this trip! I can hardly wait to get home to tell you all about it. Thank you for your support and prayers. I will see you Sunday!

Grace always,

Travis

Romans 8:28

"What Else Can I Say?"

2011-06-19T12:57:00.000-05:00

Sunday, June 19, 2011

"What Else Can I Say?"

Today we worshiped in the church at Gambidi. It is the church that Bishop Muriuki grew up in as a child and youth. We arrived at a little before 10:00 am and were greeted by 60 to 70 children. Once we got out of the vehicle and shared some introductions we were observers of the youth brigade as they marched and sang all over the church yard singing and marching to one song after another some 50 voices strong. It was something to behold! They could really sing and the volume was almost deafening. We then shared in Sunday School as we introduced ourselves and improvised a lesson for the day. It was most fun and the children and youth were most responsive. Following Sunday School we prepared for worship with a spot of tea. They are so very colonial. After tea we entered for worship to a packed house with people seated outside with a speaker situated on the porch. There must have been 3 to 400 people of all ages. Children were everywhere. I can't really find the words to describe worship on this day. Suffice it to say I have never been a part of a worship like it in 55 years of living. The Holy Spirit was present in a way I have never experienced it. The music was indescribeable and all ages participated in the service as readers, sharing prayers, singing, and amening. I preached with an interpreter who was the woman pastor of the church named Florence. They praised God and amened to the point I found myself swept up in the flow and rhythm of their worship in a way I have never experienced. Preaching today was exciting as they were so responsive. Their was a healing service after the sermon as part of the invitation that I am still pondering and reflecting upon. I was there and a part of it and I it just doesn't seem like it happened. I am still trying to sort out the experience. I will have to get back to you on this one. Worship ended over 3 hours after we began and it all seemed very short. I don't really know how to explain it except to say it was so spirit led! After worship we ate and fellowshipped with the pastor and leadership of the church and as always they were most gracious. We returned to our hotel after 3:30 pm. What a morning and afternoon!

At 5:30 pm we loaded up and headed for the orphanage. Once there we were greeted by 30 or so of the residents. Their were several of them at a soccer tournament. They sang for us with a joy that was beyond words. Then several of them shared their stories. As they shared how God had found them and saved their lives their was not one of us who were not moved to tears. As you can imagine with my background at the Methodist Children's Home this was a most difficult experience for me. As I heard their stories I was taken back to my days as a Chaplain there and it was very close to home for me. I knew these stories and the truth and the power of them. I held it together till we got to the van and then I just began to weep. I will never forget their singing and those stories of horror, hope, and redemption. The church literally has saved their lives from the streets of Meru. They have no families. The Home is the only family they will ever know! Oh yes, I know this story!

The suffering here is present in so many different ways and yet even in the midst of the suffering there is such hope and God is so very present. They don't hide their suffering here. They live it in the open and it is very different. I remember why I love this place and these people. It seems that because their suffering is so very present that their joy and thankfulness for what they do have is so heartfelt because they know the difference! I am emotionally drained. It has been one of those days here. Tomorrow is a little lighter and then early Tuesday we leave for Nairobi and our flight home. Tomorrow evening I will try to sum it all up. Right now I am just somewhat overwhelmed with so very much. Pray for the people here. Pray for the church here. Pray for the orphanage here. With so much suffering evident here I am really not sure how we cannot be involved as we have been. I give God thanks for each of you! I give God thanks for a church that is willing to engage the suffering of the world instead of pretending it doesn't exist or that in someway it shouldn't involve us. God is making a difference here and we are a part of it! That is how it should be! Afterall, we are the body of Christ! What else can I say?!

I will see you on the road,

Travis

Romans 8:28

Amy Kendall's Kenya Blog

2011-06-16T12:51:00.001-05:00

Hey Ya'll,

Africa is indescribable. The people here are wonderful and incredibly giving and welcoming despite their condition of life. Yesterday and today we visited multiple schools/churches (the churches sponsor the schools so its kinda a combo deal). The children are wonderful. They always wave when they see you or shyly look away smiling. Today I shook the hands of one of them and next thing I knew twenty of them were shaking each of my hand or, in the case of a few, quickly running up, touching my arm, and then sprinting away giggling like a kid in America might if he or she encountered a celebrity. Its amazing how happy they are. Most of them don't have shoes or even a decent soccer ball to play with (the one they had looked like a bunch of fabric tied together) and the dorms at the boarding schools consist of bunk beds lined up side by side with only enough room for a person to squeeze in between them (some of the schools don't have mosquito nets either). Yet, despite all this, they keep smiling and laughing. The adults here are equally as lovable. They are so giving and welcoming. I have already been pulled into multiple dances ( which I failed at :) ) and at this one church they threw a feast for us regardless of the fact that they were suffering from a famine and drought. I wish I had more time to tell you more about Kenya such as how the kids love of getting their picture taken or how the locals in this one village were so proud of their half finished church that was nothing more than a fragile small wooden frame with tin covering 2/3's of the sides but its late and I have another big day tomorrow :). Take care and God bless!

-Amy :)

A Day To Remember!

2011-06-15T12:55:00.000-05:00

June 15, 2011

7:54 pm Kenya time

There are moments in your life when you know even as they are being lived that they will forever become a part of your collective experience and memory. Today was one of the those days! After visiting two schools earlier in the morning we made our way to a drought ridden region named Linayru. I recognized the name from my two previous trips and remembered my experiences there well. Actually both of those trips to this church were the highlights of my previous trips to Kenya. This church is extremely poor and is located in an out of the way place where a long drought has made a tough situation even worse. As we started toward the church from the last school we visited we stopped by a local food vendor and purchased large bags of rice, meal, and flour for the people there. Starvation is an everyday reality for many of the people in this church. We were scheduled to arrive at the church at 12:00 noon but were delayed and ended up getting there around 2:00 pm. Now you and I both know what would have happened had we been that late in our country. No one would have waited and the parking lot would have been empty and the church doors locked. Not so in Linayru!

Not only were they waiting for us they were waiting for us at the beginning of the long drive from the road to the church. As we approached they recognized the Bishop's truck and they began to wave, and dance, and sing. We could here them singing as we went through the gate. As we approached the church we drove by the school which housed around 200 children and youth and they began to run towards our vehicles. As we exited our vehicles they were all around us touching us and welcoming us while we listened to the singing in the background as the singers began to walk up the road toward us. It was simply breathtaking! There are no words to describe such an experience of being welcomed by so many in such a way. The children were all over us laughing, waving, and reaching out to touch us. It was wonderfully amazing.

After 30 minutes or so of taking pictures and exchanging welcomes we went into the church for a late lunch and the program. Their hospitality was so gracious. Their touch, their smiles, their words made each of us feel as though we were home at a place we had been many times before. They ushered us through the line for the meal first and waited on us hand and foot. They attended to our every need always smiling and making you feel as though they were genuinely pleased and happy that we had come to be with them. After a great meal we were then led into a most incredible welcome by the leaders of the congregation and the synod. It was most sacred and very special as they kept clapping at every introduction as though we had just won an academy award. There was a joy in the spirit that made you feel at ease and loved even though for several of our group it was their first time to visit this special place and these special people.

At the conclusion of the program they began to sing again as we made our way to the vehicles. They circled up at the back of the church and began to join hands and dance and sing from their souls. I have never experienced anything like it. As we joined in we just celebrated and joyfully lived the moment. God's spirit of love, humility, and joy was palpable. We finally made our way to the vehicles escorted by them as they continued to sing to us and to God. We climbed into our vehicles and began to drive down the driveway to the gate, the road, and beyond. They ran beside us, waved, and continued to sing us on our way. Even as I attempt to describe the experience I feel a sense of frustration because these words just don't do the experience justice. I have never been welcomed like this in my 55 years of living! I will never forget them, the singing, the joy, the children, the laughter, the dancing, the welcome, the gratefulness, the community, the love and presence of God! God was most present today in that place of drought, desperation, hunger, and uncertainty. You would have never known that many of them did not know where their next meal would come from. They just somehow didn't focus on that, at least for this day! They focused on God and God's presence just carried us all to a sense of community that was so real and so powerful. Because of them and their sense and practice of the presence of God it was a day I will always remember! Today they taught me much about living life regardless of circumstances! It is a lesson I pray to God I will not soon forget!

I will see you on the road,

Travis

Fw: Just for today...

2010-08-26T14:25:00.001-05:00

Just for today...

Yearning for your love

Hungry yet smiling

Inquisitive yet shy.

Through your eyes,

They stare in wonder.

Searching your soul,

For a glimmer of hope.

Suffering yet full of God's love

Sad yet grateful.

Unbeknownst to them,

They fill your heart

With beautiful spirit

Giving you a greater gift than you have them

One of God's grace and compassion

One of strength, faith, and commitment.

They love you unconditionally,

Just as God loves all His children.

Unsure of what tomorrow may bring,

They pray and are truly thankful

Just for today.

These are the children of Kenya.

Scarlett Mikeska Steele

August 6, 2010

Random Thoughts of Kenya

2010-08-16T14:42:00.001-05:00

Dreamers of America

Goal-oriented learners

Youth who hunger for knowledge

Searchers for a new way of life

Crowded outdoor markets

Dusty, bumpy, creviced roads

Crazy drivers

Women carrying bananas only to get less than $1.50

Walking people on roadways

Roaming livestock & herders

People waving from afar

Hundreds of people in church

Celebrations for God

Scharlet Mikeska

Reflections on the Kenya Trip

2010-07-11T22:11:00.001-05:00

It has been over a week that we returned from Kenya, and I must say that I am still processing the mission trip and where it will lead me . During the time that we were gone

we saw poverty, hunger, slums, schools, boarding schools, hospitals, universities, orphanages, HIV/aids orphans, and many worthwhile projects. We saw shortages of food, water and other basic things we have taken for granted in the United States. We saw that each day was a day in which the majority of the people did what they had to, in order to survive another day. We endured sadness and sorrow, along with laughter and happiness. Regardless of what we saw and experienced, the most memorable thought or lesson that I have gotten from this trip is the happiness these people have, even though they have absolutely nothing. I, but only have to think of them, when I might be having a bad day in the future. I will not forget their love for our Lord and how they have placed their faith in their survival in His hands. Those of us that went on the mission trip to Kenya have formed an unspoken bond between ourselves because we better understand the needs of these people. I daresay that everyones' love of our Lord has increased hundreds of times by just observing these people and their happiness with and for the Lord. May God bless them.

Joe Mikeska

Reflections

2010-07-09T17:08:00.001-05:00

As I reflect on the Kenya trip, my memories include faces of needy orphan children, peer educators (young adults) working with youth, churches with unfinished buildings, poverty, hunger, thirst, people walking to & from on dusty roads, community health workers trained to care for aids' patients, children heading households where parents are deceased, teachers teaching, and pastors preaching. And yet, there is an amazing picture in my mind. It is quite a vivid picture, not of the challenges & hardships of the people, but one of the pure joy of the people. Their joy is in the Lord & they express it through worship, singing, fellowship, & smiles. The people are happy in their Lord and want to share their love with others, serving Him in their daily walk.

Scharlet

Faces of Kenyan Children (correction)

2010-07-09T17:01:00.000-05:00

The entry following this has an incorrect word regarding the childrens' faces. The word "dirty" didn't belong there and only was observed on one occasion. It was a mistake on my part and should be disregarded. Sorry. Scharlet Mikeska

Faces of Kenyan Children

2010-07-08T21:10:00.001-05:00

smiling

hungry

sad

looking at you in wonder

glancing from the road

searching your being

questioning

dirty

staring eyes

pleading

suffering

grateful

full of God's love

studying you

joyous

blank

unknowing

shy

mesmorized

surprised

motionless

unsure

caring

pleased

hard

kind

yearning

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-07-05T16:10:00.001-05:00

Trip to the Water tank on the hill in the LEWA Wildlife Area. Enjoy, Rolly

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=680018&code=12683d5844c522d31634cbf5ff18e57b

Kenya

2010-07-05T15:23:00.001-05:00

What an incredible journey! On one of our days, we spent time with the aids orphans that Grapevine and Salado Methodist Churches sponsor. It was an exciting experience seeing many of the children. We took pictures and a video and had the children say their names, so hopefully everyone will see their sponsored orphan. I have never seen such well behaved children. There was singing and a lot of visiting with people. Both churches distributed blankets and mosquito nets to most all the children, with a few more to be purchased. Many of the children played soccer with some of the people. Later in the day we went to the girls' boarding school where Catherine Muriki is principal. It was very informative to take the tour and talk to the girls. Sunday, we all went to different churches to worship with Joe and I attending Rungone Methodist where Catherine Mutua is the pastor. There we were so blessed with music, gracious hospitality, and friendliness. These people have a special way to show their love for God and their fellowman. Truly they are examples to follow.
Later in the afternoon, we toured the Methodist orphanage where we saw some 50 or so orphans of all ages. We were able to give them some things we brought after they entertained us with song and dance. I cannot tell you how humbling all of this has been to the people on this journey.

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-07-04T08:14:00.001-05:00

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=686552&code=6db0b6075ab08e1c05f5e6dbaaf898cc

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-07-04T07:15:00.001-05:00

Example of routed days on our trip in Africa. I will be working on each days route and add pictures along the route to better understand what we saw, when and where we went during our mission trip. You can zoom in our out on the map by checking the or - at the top left of map. You can also change different views and types of maps. Enjoy, Rolly

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=686563&code=e60f905d35617d381bfb6840c66ae70d

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-07-03T16:40:00.001-05:00

Testing the site to see if pictures were entered. Will add more pictures later. This is a Test e-mail

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=686563&code=e60f905d35617d381bfb6840c66ae70d

Fwd: Fw: More pictures last day in Meru

2010-07-03T15:20:00.001-05:00

Fwd: Fw: Rolly in Kenya

2010-07-03T15:18:00.001-05:00

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: <rolly9004@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Jul 2, 2010 at 8:39 PM
Subject: Fw: Rolly in Kenya
To: kholmes7@austin.rr.com, gknewton@embarqmail.com

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Nairobi - Thursday night

2010-07-01T09:36:00.001-05:00

It is 5:00 p.m. Thursday night and we have made it back to Nairobi.

We just took a 45 minute flight from the Masai Mara airstrip. We have spent the last 2 nights at Sovora Safari Camp. During the first 2 game drives, we saw the following animals alive, free, and in their natural habitat: elephants, waterbucks, giraffes, male and female ostrich, wildebeast, zebras, topis, lappet crested faced vulture (our driver knows the birds and had a bird book), cape buffaloes, lions - male and female, spotted hyenas, Thompson gazelles, Grant gazelles, crowned cranes, tawny eagle, helmet guineas, and some diki diks (tiny deer).

The 2nd day we saw a bat-eared fox, hardebeasts, warthogs, jackels, hippos in the Mara River, more lions, and a cheetah. We saw 4 of "The Big Five". 1) elephant 2) cape buffalo 3) lion 4) cheetah 5) rhino. So the only one we did not see was the rhino. But believe me, we are very happy and blessed to have seen all that we have.

The camp was 1st class with excellent living quarters and a world class buffet.

We fly out of here at about 12:00 p.m. to Dubai. From there to Houston. Everyone is tired and ready to be home. Oh yeah; we just ate at "The Carnivore" in Nairobi, so we are stuffed and sleepy.

Some of the fare we devored was camel. ostrich meat balls, beef, lamb, pork ribs, alligator, chicken, ans several other meats that my fuzzy brain cannot recall right now.

Texas here we come.

Grady

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-07-01T09:32:00.001-05:00

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=686563&code=e60f905d35617d381bfb6840c66ae70d

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-07-01T09:20:00.001-05:00

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=686552&code=6db0b6075ab08e1c05f5e6dbaaf898cc

Nairobi - Monday night

2010-06-28T10:36:00.001-05:00

We have made it back to Nairobi. We departed about 8:00. We drove several miles over some very rough roads and came to our last school to visit. It was a school for grades 1-8........ boys and girls........ It is located in an arid part of the country, so water is at a high premium. They have a water collecting system which is a gutter fastened to the side of the roof of a building that drains down a pipe into a big tank.They (school officials, teachers, and students) raise cattle, and grow several crops. ..... maize, tomatoes, onions........ I don't know how many kids there were, but I will guess at around 150. Precious......... a trite word but one I hjave to use here. They were so excited to see us. They ran out to meet us long before the 2 vans came to a stop. They all had on their uniforms ....... a bright maroon colored shirt and shorts for the boys and a maroon shirt and checked skirt for the girls. The classrooms are made with a mud-type cinder block; the classrooms are very small with an old blackboard hung in the front; wooden desks and benches. Their were 3-4 women preparing a meal for us in the 2 room kitchen ( I can't find the italics key on this keyboard.... if I could, I would put them around kitchen). The kitchen was a dirt floor with a hearth for fire.The other little room was where they chopped up the veggies, etc.
The assembly hall/church is nicer.......large open area. The kids sang 2-3 songs for us. At the time, I did not know the controversy brewing. The head master found out that we could only be there for a little while as we were behind schedule (our drivers had to get us to Nairobi and then drive to Massai Mari - we will fly there) Anyway, the man was very upset, and I don't blame him as he and the kids had planned for us to be there for several hours. They had prepared several other songs, dances, and other welcoming activities.The food being prepared was for us ..... Yikes ...... Bishop Catherine and Florence Murugu apologized as best as possible, but he was visibly upset. That made it incredibly difficult to leave. As we tried to leave, many of the children took hold of our hands and arms. They were interested in our color as well as the hair on our arms.
Anyway, here I sit in at an internet cafe at the Methodist Guest house with a funny keyboard in front of me. Tomorrow we go to the preserve for 2 nights for 3-4 game drives.
Kim.... Thanks for replying....... I love you............
Rolly, James, and I have no ride back to Salado at this time. Please communicate our dilemma to Travis and see if he can get someone to pick us up in the church van. If not, we will take the next flight to Thailand.
Peace and love,
Grady

Fwd: pics

2010-06-27T15:41:00.001-05:00

Our last night in Meru Kenya. Great group of Christian friends to be with in Kenya.
Rolly

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Sherry Brott <slbrott@gmail.com>
Date: Sun, Jun 27, 2010 at 1:27 PM
Subject: pics
To: kend@fumcg.org, rolly9004@gmail.com, zembazooz@yahoo.com

see attached.
Sherry

James Holmes

2010-06-27T14:59:00.001-05:00

My last day in Meru consisted of preaching, attending a CD release party, and DRIVING!!!!

It sounds like a simple task but it truly is hard when everything is backwards hahahahahaha

Tomorrow we leave from Nairobi to fly to Massi Mara to start our safari... I am very excited :)))

Today has undoubtedly been the funnest day and I will never forget Africa!!!

Love and miss yall

James

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-06-27T14:56:00.001-05:00

Dubai lay over. you will have to zoom in to see details. Rolly

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=679993&code=97f8f3e5907e3e0c19e58c1e7a90e167

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-06-27T14:50:00.001-05:00

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=679999&code=724aef9e6143d124e7ecf25c28b13cb2

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-06-27T14:49:00.001-05:00

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=680055&code=8c3c5df865c1baa5f4db1e42b80ab933

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-06-27T14:48:00.001-05:00

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=679993&code=97f8f3e5907e3e0c19e58c1e7a90e167

Rolly has shared a trip with you on EveryTrail

2010-06-27T14:47:00.001-05:00

You should be able to see some of our routes posted. When I get back to Texas I will add pictures and comments. Rolly

See the trip here: http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=678548&code=b079fcab1b285882c31476a2006388f9

Meru - Sundat night

2010-06-27T13:55:00.001-05:00

Sunday night in Meru. We split up and attended 3 different churches today. Rolly, James, and I (with 1 from Grapevine and 1 from White Chapel) went to Saint Paul's Methodist in Meru. Wow ...... a moving experience. A beautiful church with a chapel- long balcony. Lots of modern musical instruments ..... great sound equipment . Packed house. Lots of people. Lots of singing - and I mean real gospel singing - sung with conviction, emotion, volumnious notes lifted up in praise that reverberated in the rafters and floated out to the streets. Any passer-by walking within 100 yards would be treated to a hymn and a chorus of inspirational music surely thought to be sung by angels from within the choir loft. And the traveler would not even have the priviledge of witnessing the body language of a choir moving as one entity to the glorification of God - spontaneous yet choreographed as professionals in unison to the electric tunes from the balconey.

We brought harmonicas and the 5 of us led the congregation in "cum bai ya". It was kind of funny, but they enjoyed it.

We stopped at noon, and they fed everyone the traditional fare. We reconvened and the Synaag bishop and other officials were introduced and some said a few words. The preacher from White Chapel (a woman) gave the message. The regular preacher at this church studied in New Jersey. She was a wonderful leader also. The church was celebrating the choir's first CD. We all got one. The choir was mesmerizingly heavenly. We had to leave at 3:30. The celebration was still going strong. People kept squeezing in all the while. At least 5-6 hundred, maybe more.

We drove a short distance to Meru Children's Home. 55 kids stay there all the time..... the home fed another 90 every day. We toured the facility. A pretty nice place with several dorms, offices, and a 2 story meeting facility. Several kids sang, some others danced for us. Some appeared somewhat pitiful, but they are being cared for. They just need so much..... like new shoes, a smile, and some support from the outside world. We gave them harmonicas and frisbees. Some of the kids had been rescued from "the market" area of Meru ....... a large area where the locals trade, barter, sell and do drugs, protitution is rampant..... young kids get addicted to glue.... locals buy kahtz marri (Meru's version of cocain)....... food is sold .... and all kinds of crazy transactions occur. We only drove by, and I am glad.

We made it back to the cultural center about 7:00. The 4 main organizers and spiritual leaders of our group ate with us. We exchaned thanks and blessings. They gave each of us a different and unique T-shirt, a personal certicicate of appreciation, a framed certificate of appreciation for each church, and a really nice, ebony, hand-carved elephant. Wow again.

Well, time to sign off....... I hope all is well in Salado.

Hi to Camille and my mother.

I pray that my other loved significants are well and safe.....

I wonder if my wife is going to pick me up at the airport Friday ????????

Grady

Meru - Saturday night

2010-06-26T13:14:00.001-05:00

Travis was right when he said we would be involved from sun up to sun down. We went to Kaaga Church this morning. The assembly hall was filled with people. It was the organization that Florence Merugu runs..... Kids left behind because AIDS has killed 1 or both parents...... It is put together by community, student, and family volunteers ... It is very well organized and administered. Lots of activities .... I met and visited with Catherine Nkirote ( the orphan that Kim and I sponsor). She is very sweet and a pretty young girl. We distributed all the letters to the kids. (about 250) !!!!!!! Then they wrote letters to their sponsors, gave them to us, we grouped them according to the 3 churches. We will bring them back with us. Then we distributed a blanket, a mosquito net, a wooden cross, and lots of pens to each orphan. That took a while .... The kids are organized into e groups: 1) orphans - those who have lost both parents 2) vunerables - those who have lost 1 parent 3) those who have lost 1 or 2 parents and are very, very, very poor.

We ate there ... food was prepared for everyone......... vegetable stew in 5 gallon buckets .......

We left there and went to a girls' boarding school in Meru. About 240 girls ...... These boarding schools are supposed to be better than the regular public schools......... facilities are pretty rough to say the least.....2 barracks with girls crammed in bunk beds with no room between beds.... shower stalls outside with cold water and a bucket. 1 dining room with old wooden tables ........ small classrooms with old wooden desks and chairs ......no computers........ But their hospitality was wonderful. Several girls recited poetry for us and some sang for us. Then we had time to interact informally with them which was a lot of fun.

We did not get back to our place until about 7:30. We are tired but we all had good times today.

God bless the orphans and all the girls at the boarding school.

Grady

Meru - Friday night

2010-06-25T12:10:00.001-05:00

This morning we were driven several miles into the mountains to a town called Maua. Again hundreds and hundreds walking along side the road....... kids in school uniforms, women with firewood on their backs, 2 wheeled carts pulled by 2 cows, men in old suits, women dressed in bright dresses, people carrying bundles of dried beans, a man carying a long tree trunk, men in old heavy coats, women with babies in a sack on their backs, young men on bicccles, 3 or 4 at a time on motorcycles ..... pretty crazy. Most of the vehicle traffic are "taxis" ( small station wagon looking things). It costs a few schillings to catch a ride. It is cheaper if a person jumps in with 23 other people!!!

We toured the Maua Methodist Hospital.... 275 beds.... We were guided through by the missionaries Bill and his wife Jerri. They are amazing people. 1 and 1/2 more years and they will retire to Mckinney. They have been missionaries their whole life. They fed us lunch at their "home" on the hospital grounds. This is the only fully staffed hospital anywhere remotely close. It is a modern place thanks to donations from Methodist organizations in America, Germany, and some other countries. The patients are also required to pay for services .... which are very, very low.

After lunch, we were driven several miles even higher into the mountains . We pulled off the paved road and trekked up dirt roads for some time. The weather got cool and windy. We pulled into a village where a large group of people were waiting. A group of the women sang a couple of songs for us in Swahili and one in English. This is the church that Ken has worked with. The church in Grapevine gave them $30,000 to build a stone and mortar church. Another $7,000 was given to build a metal roof. It was not complete but it looked good and they are very, very proud of it. We exchanged greetings and prayers. The preacher is a circuit preacher with 19 remote churches in her charge. She gets to them by motorbike. She is very young and fluent in Swahil and English. They had lunch provided for us even though it was about 2:00. They had been waiting for us for hours. (nobody said a word about us eating earlier). They would have been extremely disappointed. So we ate rice, fruit salad, boiled chicken, fried goat, and black beans. We ate in their old church. It was built in 1975....... A small structure made from wooden planks. .... very large cracks between the boards.... it looked like a really old barn about to fall down. A few rows of wooden benches. ...... cows wandering around outside. More short speeches by the church officials ..... Everyone crowed in and watched us eat. They we very happy we were there. Their sincerity glows in their eyes and their easy huge smiles. The spirit of God is truly living within each person and within the entire village.We were introduced and the "congregation" had a blast trying to pronounce our names in unison. They had a little trouble with our names except for the 2 in our group named Jeremiah and James, and they loved to vocalize them because they knew them from the Bible. Then they gave each one of us a bag of tea that they had grown, harvested, and prepared. We in turn gave them writing pens, little hand games, bags of rice and harmonicas. I thought they were going to turn inside out with happiness. They laughed and giggled and Rolly played a tune on the harmonica. They tried and it was hilarious. We interacted with everyone for over an hour. We hated to leave. We really hated to leave. We all agreed as we drove away in the dust that this was one of the most touching experiences yet.

We made it back to the cultural compound . I had to be waked up for supper. Now I am communicating with you!!!!!!!!

Hi Mother, Camille, Lauren, Chris, Madison, Nick, Alex, Grace, Jett, and Kash ................ friends from all over......

I love you Kim ......

Kenya

2010-06-25T10:15:00.001-05:00

On June 21, Florence Murugu, progarm manager of the HIV-AIDS program, Grady, Rolly, Scharlet and I visited
the Kenya Methodist Universtiy in Meru, Kenya. The campus was extremely clean, the vegetation beautiful and the
students friendly. We were shown around by a young man who was campus security. We met the resident Chaplain
who provided us with a lot of information.There are approximately 7,000 student with a student/teacher of 40 to 1.
A wide variety of programs are available with student tuition costing about $1,000.00 American dollars per semester.
The campus security guide wanted to come to the United States and wanted to know if he could get a job. Unemployment
is 60% in Kenya. I might add that the sidewalks were being scrubbed with brushes by hand. The cleanliness of this gated
university was a great contrast to the surrounding area which was extremely dirty. Joe and Scharlet

Meru - Thursday night

2010-06-24T13:43:00.001-05:00

Greetings to my friends and family in Salado .......

Breakfast this morning was at 7:15. We were on the road by 8:00. We were in 2 vans and Bishop Catherine joined us in her pickup and her driver.

We left Meru and drove for several miles before turning into LEWA Wildlife Conservatory. We were not on a safari or anything like that but just travelling to a remote village to meet some native people that are a cousin tribe of the Massa Mari .. sp? ... Rolly had his fancy GPS thingie that tracks our movements and other cool things. We travelled about 16 miles, but it took us 3 hours. There is a road but it is very rough, so we inched along carefully. The country is varied with vast expanses of open country dotted with Acacia trees, termite mounds, giant cactus looking trees called Euphombra Candlelabrums, and distant blue mountains. There are some huge prickly pear, century plants, and some exotic looking African trees. Along the way we saw lots of giraffes, zebras, 2 elephants (they were pretty far away), 3 or 4 wart hogs, some didigis (tiny little deer), lots of gazelles, some Somari ostriches, impalas, a few Dromedary camels, and some elands. It is so cool to drive up on these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. We saw quite a few people scattered along stretches of the road (waling, of course). We passed a couple of villages (with their hut looking structures) and everyone waves, especially the barefoot kids. We had to stop at a government checkpoint (armed guards) who let us pass. This was by a nice little river. We finally made it to our destination which was on top of a large grassy hill. There were about 25 people waiting for us. Some 15 women were dressed in their bright native costumes ans sang us a welcome song in Swahili. We all gathered and introductions, greetings, and prayers were said. There were 3 different languages being spoken so we had 3 interpretors going. There is a large water tank that was paid for by Grapevine UMC. It is supplied by a spring 7 kilometers away in the hills (gravity).There has been water in the tank, but a pipe has broken so now there is no water. It will be fixed. This is the first time these people have had water close by. They have been walking the 7 kilometers to the spring and back. They made a request to us to help them pay for an electric fence to go aroung the storage tank so the elephants don't tear it down. We their school and about 30 school kids. We gave them pens, suckers, and a basketball. They are precious and very appreciative.

wE StAYED AND INTERACTED WITH THESE PEOPLE FOR ABOUT AN HOUR BEFORE HEADING BACK. We stopped at a stone bridge built in 1947 and ate our sack lunch in the shade by the river. We continued on, and again it took us 3 hours to go 16 miles. Made it back to Meru. Advice........... wear a hat that covers the ears!!!! Mine are burned. Out of time ........

Peace and love are from God,

Grady

2010-06-23T12:42:00.001-05:00

Kim, I will blog this email also.

A very good day today. The day began with prayers and singing ..... led by different preachers who had come for a day of lectures, etc. led by Ken from Grapevine.

Rolly, Joe, and I ran some errands today with our driver Joseph. First we went to a bank downtown. The business we had took a long time, but we managed to get most of it done. I visited with the 2 rifle baring guards outside the bank. We went to the blanket shop again and picked up the blankets and mosquito nets that we bought yesterday. Again I talked to anybody that would talk to me, and that was quite a few people. They are a very inquisitive and friendly people. Believe me, a 6' 7" white guy really makes the locals take a close and long look at me. We also compared prices on cement bags at three different shops. I continued to pry for conversation at these places which was not difficult to obtain. We made another stop and bought some somosas (a freshly made pastry filled with ground beef) and took them to the workers at the Methodist Guest House for them to eat for lunch. They were delighted. We learned yesterday that they made their lunch each day by adding water to corn flour and to make a paste. Add a piece of fruit, and that was lunch.

We made it back to the cultural center for lunch, and then everyone was driven to the Methodist Bio Intensive Center. It is a compound on 2 acres where the gov. conducts seminars on making the most of small parsels of land. This is a totally self sufficient place with vegetables, fruits, 2 goats, 2 cows, and several rabbits. They also teach locals how to produce honey. Also available are overnight accomodations for several people.

I saw a banner downtown today that read " Seminar for the Elimination of House Witchcraft". Interesting...............

Dinner tonight was great. For the first time, we were fed French fries and fried fish with tomato paste!!!!!! Yippie..... We were all salivating in our dreams for anything salty and fried.

Tomorrow I understand that we will be visiting a couple of churches way out in the boonies. Last year they saw elephants and zebras. Supposedly we will also be in contact with some Massai Mara. One explained last year that she had never seen a white Christian. Should be an adventure.

Hope things are good with you and your mother.

Please forward this to Madison, Nick, and Lauren and whoever.

God is good.

Grady

Meru - Wed. night

2010-06-23T12:37:00.001-05:00

Kim, I will blog this email also.

A very good day today. The day began with prayers and singing ..... led by different preachers who had come for a day of lectures, etc. led by Ken from Grapevine.

I saw a banner downtown today that read " Seminar for the Elimination of House Witchcraft". Interesting...............

Dinner tonight was great. For the first time, we were fed French fries and fried fish with tomato paste!!!!!! Yippie..... We were all salivating in our dreams for anything salty and fried.

Hope things are good with you and your mother.

Please forward this to Madison, Nick, and Lauren and whoever.

God is good.

Grady

Kenya

2010-06-23T11:58:00.001-05:00

Today we went to the Bioscience Center where they teach people about planting and animals, and care of the land. It was very informative.

We also went to a school close to the soccer camp. The children were outside and two of us were able to mingle, take pictures, and it was quite memorable. We talked about the U.S. and Kenya and what they were learning. We sang to them, Jesus Loves Me and several other songs and then the best thing--they sang to us, songs about Jesus. Very inspiring, all out on the edge of the soccer field--with God.

Dottie and Jo, I met Miriam and Faith and they both said hello, and were missing you both. What sweet people they are !

Scharlet and Joe

Kenya

2010-06-22T13:29:00.001-05:00

The people here are so warm and friendly with lovely contagious smiles. Each time we meet with them in different settings, there is music. Their love of the Lord is so evident in everything. Yesterday we heard several groups singing in their language, and we also viewed some native dances, in which some of us were participants. It was a very meaningful experience. We also made some home visits in the last two days. A couple of visits were with "child head of household" situations. These in charge are young themselves, one was only 15 years old with several children in his care. Another lived in an old wooden shed-type house like you would see on a farm. Cooking is done over a fire in a different shed nearby. There were 4 girls and 1 boy, age 19, who lived there. It was a "God opportunity" for all of us. Scharlet

Meru

2010-06-22T13:15:00.001-05:00

Tuesday night...................

I was hoping you would put my emails on the blog. Please do if you can. I am going to try to post this one.........

This morning we were introduced to about 15 missionaries from around the province ( here at the center). One of them preached, and then they sang... (all men). Very moving ......

We were then driven to a construction site where a Methodist guest house is being built. It will be a nice place but will take a long time to complete. People here buy their building materials and build for a while until they run out of money. Then they wait until they have more money before resuming work. That takes time. We assisted somewhat with some construction, but I was apprehensive. I will try to explain. There were about 8 workers. 3 were labeled skilled , and the others unskilled. The skilled workers were being paid 500 schillings a day. That is about $6.50 a day. The unskilled were paid half that. They had 1 hammer, 1 hack saw, 1 tape measure, and a few other homemade tools for working with cement. .... no gloves , shoddy clothes, but apparently glad to be working. They were busy tying rebar together with wire.... building supports for cocrete floors. This is going to be a 3 story complex. Some crude consruction methods, but good solid results.

We show up with 10 people to help???? We worked til about noon. But the way I see it, if we shorten the project for them by 1/2 day or even 1 day, that is money out of their pockets. So I don't see how they could have been happy to see us, even though their supervisor said they were. I voiced my concern to a couple of Salado people, and they agreed. So we left for lunch and we did not return in the p.m. as did the others. Instead we sent the workers new caps.

We saw them at the end of the day (when we picked up some people that stayed)..... they were thrilled with their new caps. Anyway, after lunch, we went with Florence Merugu into town and went to a couple of shops and Rolly and Florence bargained for blankets and mosquito nets. I stayed outside on the side walk and everyone passing by gawked at me. I did srtike up a conversation with a young man who was doing some business in the area. He has been to South Dakota. Rolly finally struck a deal with a merchant and ended up purchasing 100 nets and 25 blankets for distribution.

Florence took us to Meru Methodist University.... 7,000 students. We were awestruck by the beauty of the place. Wow! About 70 acres ....A most impressive site... immaculate...pristine ... grand exotic flora of many kinds......There were workers scrubbing the sidewalks with soap and water. We toured the entire campus including the chapel. (and this is in the center of Meru..... gated of couse.... but the contrast between the streets of Meru and inside the walls of the university is immense).

We went to another mart, and I bought 2 maps.

We ate at our cultural center tonight.

Tomorrow I will go with Rolly , Florence, and I presume Joe and Scharlott to a bank. Rolly has a credit card from the church. We need to get some cash so we can pay for the nets and blankets. I do not plan to go to the construction site. Who knows what we will see tomorrow............
Peace and love,

Grady

Fw: Kenya

2010-06-21T12:17:00.001-05:00

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: Scharlet Mikeska <sdcmikeska@yahoo.com>
To: sdcmikeska@yahoo.com
Sent: Sun, June 20, 2010 8:29:39 PM
Subject: Kenya

Today we had a wonderful Sunday at Florence Murugu's church. We spent most of the day there worshipping and touring different projects. It was children's Brigade Day, where the children, dressed in uniforms, marched and played a few instruments. They were just precious looking at us with those special eyes. Later when we sat with them, they wanted to go to America with us, and one asked me to please sponsor her. Over and over Demetra asked me this. I said I would ask Florence. During church other children's groups sang, danced, and did skits. They were bringing happiness to all. When we first arrived, we entered the large unfinished building where approximately 180 children of all ages, dressed in their special clothes were seated waiting to sing to us. This was their Sunday school time. Florence spoke and also a lady who is the librarian. They have started a small library which pleased us all. The Grapevine church brought books to them this time.

I will tell you that the church is amazing! These people have to walk on dirt roads to get there and they are wanting to worship God and fellowship with friends. The church was packed, and people were outside that couldn't get in. Acceptance and friendliness was in every person, truly showing God's love. Every person lined up after church to greet us individually at the end of the service. I told myself I couldn't cry, like I sometimes do.

After church, we ate lunch they had prepared and then watched more children's songs and adult presentations. It was all very special to see how happy they were that we were there to see them and what they do.

Some other places/projects that we saw were the vegetable gardens that they are teaching the people how to plant, the parsonage that needs much work, the coffee and tea plants with the large drying tables for the coffee beans, the bees that they have to get honey and maybe another or two that I can't think of right now.

God bless all of you who help with this Kenya project, as I tell you, it's so appreciated by the people there. These are people who genuinely love God and their fellow man, and are trying to make lives better for all there. YOU are helping.

Scharlet and Joe Mikeska--6-20--2010

Kenya

2010-06-20T11:53:00.001-05:00

Hello to everyone in Salado! We are having a wonderful time getting to know the people from Grapevine.

Kenya

2010-06-20T11:48:00.001-05:00

Greetings from Meru. We all went to church today and had awesome experiences. We were in 3 groups, and each group went to a different church.

Grady

Sunday from Meru

2010-06-20T07:17:00.001-05:00

Greetings all, James and I just got back from attending church in Meru. We had two services, one in English and on in Kimeiu. I am glad we had a translater. The church was packed with over 500 people attending. It was a great service.

From Rolly... June 19th

2010-06-19T22:38:00.002-05:00

It is 8:09 PM in Meru. We were in a van for over 8 hours driving from Nairobi to Meru. It is still amazing to see thousands of people walking from place to place. The roads are not marked and i do not know where I am or how I got there. We stopped at the Equator today and took pictures. The weather is rather cool in Meru somewhere around the 78 degrees. We drive on the wrong side of the road and how we keep from getting in a wreck is definitely because God is watching over us. We are all having a good time with each other and we are taking plenty of pictures. This morning I got up at 3:00 thinking it was 7:00am. I took a shower and then woke up Grady only to find out we had four more hours to sleep. I will not make that mistake again. I will sign off for now and give others time on the computer. Take care and pass this on to our blog. Rolly in Meru.

From Beth - June 19th

2010-06-19T22:37:00.002-05:00

My last comment didn't post, probably due to the length. Rolly sent me an email, saying that they arrived safely and that it was very hot when the plane landed in Dubai, but cooled off when they reached Kenya. He said that they are all enjoying the trip so far and there have been no problems. He was amazed at all the differences between all 3 countries. (U.S., Dubai, and Kenya)

From Rolly... June 18th

2010-06-19T22:34:00.002-05:00

Just heard from Rolly. It sounds like they have reached their destination safely. He wrote me an email and wanted me to post it on this blogsite:

All is well in Nairobi. The flight to Dubai was rather long. When we arrived it was 111 degrees. We went through Customs with no problems at all. We took a bus tour for two hour in Dubai and Wow....what a city. Talk about money they for sure have it. It is sad that a few flight hours away in Nairobi that it goes from rich to poor. We drove from the Nairobi airport to the Methodist Guest House and it was very sad. Thousands of people walking from place to place. Our drive was over an hour to this place. I thought I was going to lose weight but so far all the food is good. Ox liver was this evening. Not bad. could you send this message to our blog. Rolly

From Rolly...

2010-06-19T22:31:00.002-05:00

All is well here in Nairobi. Rolly and Grady ate OX liver tonight. We survived an interesting drive from the Nairobi airport to the Methodist Guest House. We even saw a live Cheetah in the back of a van. Heading for Meru tomorrow morning around 7:30.

Kenya Mission Team Departs June 16th!

2010-06-13T18:57:00.000-05:00

Our mission team, consisting of five members from Salado UMC, will be departing for Meru, Kenya on Wednesday, June 16th. They will be joined by a team from Grapevine UMC.

Be sure to check this blogsite often for updates from the team. You can also post your own comments, to express your best wishes and prayers for the team during this powerful time.