Memories of Africa: Grandmothers to Grandmothers

Last weekend we attended a beautiful benifit concert raising money and awareness of AIDS in Africa, thorugh the Stephen Lewis Foundation. The focus was on grandmothers who are left raising their grandchildren because their children have died from AIDS. The Grandmothers to Grandmothers foundation has lots of cool stories about blessing the Grandmothers in Africa.

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Some of the stories shared brought to mind stories of the grandmothers we met in Kenya...

One of the beautiful babies in the hospital was orphaned when her mother died shortly after delivering her. Her grandmother was her only avaliable relative. When the grandmother came to the hospital, she met her grandchild, prayed for her and cried, but was unable to provide for her and take her home.

Other grandmothers struggle to raise their grandchildren and be parents all over again. Many times amid the mothers with their children you would see grandmothers who taking care of the children who no longer have a mother to care for them.

Remembering...

Em

Morning Rays

Enraptured by the beautiful dewy morning before me, as I pulled open the blind, I decided to savor it with my camera. And even though there were appointments to be attended and school work to do, I let the beauty of the morning rejuvenate me for a fresh day.

The dew laden grass as it reflects the beautiful water droplets on each blade.


The radiant morning sunflower that soaks up the first morning rays.

The recent creation of an intricate web catches the early sunlight.

The fading flowers of summer respond to the arriving morning.


There is so much to be learned from the still quiet morning, welcoming the start of a fresh new day. There is peace and hope and redemption etched in the moments of dawn.

Savoring the morning rays,

Em

Wild Weeds

Weeding…. A long avoided task in our house. It is terrible to admit, but we have not weeded our garden since last fall...as in one whole year ago!

Mom working at weeding the garden.

We left to go to Kenya before the bulbs began to bloom and returned in the heat of summer and all our neighbors beautiful plants were already in full bloom. As it was too late to plant we simply ignored our garden and enjoyed watching the weeds grow. They provided a beautiful green ground cover. Dad would brag about our beautiful weed garden as we sat out on the patio eating dinner, and we would laugh about the terrible weedy disaster.

Fortunately we were not totally devoid of beauty as our neighbours had beautiful clematis climbing over the fence which we have been able to enjoy.

As much as we enjoyed our weed garden this summer it was finally time to tackle it and when a friend showed up to inspire us and help weed, the whole family got busy uprooting the hundreds of weeds taking over the garden. Piles and piles of weeds were uprooted from the soil and have been put in their proper place, which is NOT in our garden!

Within 3 hours our garden was well weeded and we even discovered a few little plants, cowering under the threatening weeds. Beautiful plants that had gone unnoticed all summer yet now stand out against the rich soil.

It can be so rewarding to weed as you made a visible difference and allow the true beauty of the garden to reveal itself.

Good bye wild weeds,

Em

Tranquility

Tranquility...the quality or state of being tranquil; calmness; peacefulness; quiet; serenity.


Although our summer has had its adventurous, busy and wild moments it has also been filled with pockets of beautiful tranquility. Those moments where to catch you breath at the splendor of creation and pause to reflect.

A time to stop and enjoy the peaceful beauty of a sunrise.

Taking a break to dangle your feet in the water...

...and take in the beautiful view around you.

We were all able to get away and relax (as well as have some fun adventures) together at family camp for a week. There was lots of fun, water activities, games, good food and family time to be had.

I (Em) was at the same camp volunteering for awhile (hence the blog break) and Big Bro went there after I returned to volunteer as well.

There are lots of beautiful sights and views all around the camp and surrounding island and I really enjoyed photographing them. While surrounded by such splendid summer scenes, I love to absorb them into a photograph.

When stopping to think and absorb the beautiful landscapes and scenery it is easy to let your mind wander. Mine drifts back to the beautiful landscapes from our travels in Kenya...and of course that causes me to start thinking about the people and the smiles and the faces and it is easy to become caught up in the beauty of Kenya... (this is a common occurance for many family members!)

Kenyan landscape looking out from a local orphanage.

Resting in Tranquility,

Em

Summer

There are some things about summer that are beautiful...

...and those are the things you don't want to forget...

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This summer has been full of wonderful things including birthdays, weddings, adventures, play, family time and a special visit from Grandparents on the other side of the country...what a treat!

Our summer is going well...and the best part is that it is we are only half way through!

How is your summer going?

Em

Thanks for Coming!

We had a wonderful time sharing and fellowshiping at our Missions Report Night! A big thank you to all who attended! I was really blessed by the number of you who have been following us on our grand family adventure, and all the others who have been supporting us on our trip.

It was a really special time for us and we hope that those who attended were blessed as well.

Some highlights included talks about Mom's great adventures, Little John's cute improv speach, Big Bro's hilarious way of speaking, some stories from me, and a talk from Dad about the hospital. Also we were able to show a picture slideshow to music that I made which will eventually be making its appearence on the blog...eventually.

Em

You are invited!

We are having an official trip presentation on the evening of Monday July 27th at our church, taking place at 7:30 pm. You are welcome to come and join us, and if you would like details please e-mail grandfamilyadventures@gmail.com.

Photo Album Title Page.

We are looking forward to sharing more stories, pictures and adventures from our trip!

Em

Moving...

We moved...although we are still living in the same house we left to go to Kenya but it feels like we just completed a big move, and essentially, that is what we did.

We packed up our house so others could stay in it, and packed up our suitcases to bring to Kenya. Coming back was just like moving, lots to unpack, piles of things to sort through, places to organize, stuff to declutter...it has kept us busy!

But now we are mostly unpacked (except for a few more piles), we are mostly adjusted (except for a few "moments"), and we are mostly acceptant of our next season of service (except for those few times when we desperately wish we could be in Africa). So I would say we are as well adjusted as can currently be expected.

Adjusting,

Em

Donations Thank You

We are so extremely grateful for the generous support we have been blessed with. Your donations have really blessed and allowed us to complete the ministry work we have been doing. Donations are still being accepted. If you are still interested in donating, click here. Our trip would not have been possible without your support.

Thank you to all our friends and family who supported us financially during our trip. Thank you to those who chose to pay it forward {link to pay it forward post} to us with your generous donations. Thank you to those who have donated, yet do not even know us personally.

I wish we could thank everyone who donated individually but for confidential reasons donors cannot be revealed to us unless you have specifically requested. But know that we have received your donations and have used them to bless many people at Tenwek hospital and all along our journey. We are so very grateful and humbled as recipients of your donations.

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As much as our trip to Africa could not have been possible without the generous donations of many people, the prayer support we had throughout our trip has been essential. We are so grateful for your prayers and would ask that you continue to lift us up in prayer as we struggle to readjust and redefine our lives at home (although we seem to have many home now...).

Many thanks,

Em

Father's Day

Our Father's Day celebrations were sadly lacking, but fortunately the amazing father's, grandfathers and father figures we have in our lives are not lacking. Fortunately Father's Day is not about how you celebrate Father's day, or anything associated with the specific day, but simply appreciating Father's for the important role they play. Supporting, encouraging, leading and building the family are all roles a father plays and I have watched Dad go above and beyond his call to be an excellent Dad.

Dad and his boys.

Family photo in Dorset, England.

So to all the Father's we love, Happy Father's Day!

Em

Debiefing

Now out of Africa, we are spending some time in England for a bit of a holiday and a chance to relax, adjust and debrief after our adventures in Africa.

We have being having many fun adventures in London and had a wonderful chance to relax on the Dorset coast. I will hopefully be able to elaborate on our England adventures in another post as I process pictures.

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As we have been debriefing our trip, many stories have surfaced, memories discussed, emotions processed, and the process still continues...

How is a person supposed to process the death that you have been exposed to for the past few months, the poverty that has surrounded you for so long, the living conditions you adjusted to, the many people you met and became friends with, the landscape and scenery of "home" which you learned to love and the lifestyle so different to back home that you lived in for a few months...? Simply processing it all takes a lot of time, and realizing all these adventures have been happening to you, and attempting to translate that into how you are going to live your life when returning home seems overwhelming!

Fortunately we still have some time in England to continue journaling, sorting out pictures and stories, and preparing to return home.

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There are still a few posts to come on Africa, and in addition to following our family adventures as we return home, I hope to do a series of "Memories from Africa" posts for awhile as pictures are processed and memories come to mind. Thank you for continuing to follow our journey.

Loving London,

Em

Updates

Since leaving Tenwek and our partically "reliable" internet we have mostly only had completely unreliable internet which has postponed me posting the many posts I composed.

Although continuing to regularly write posts, posting them is a bit delayed, thanks for your patience.

You can scroll down to see what we did while in Tanzania, as well as veiw recently uploaded pictures from our Mt. Meru climb which I have finally added.

Blogging,

Em

Ending

The worst part about coming is that you have to eventually leave. The sun as it rises and sets mirrors the inevitability of coming and going.

The sun is now setting on our journey to Africa, yet although we will miss it here terribly, we know that the sun will rise again and we will be back in Africa.

As we have been reflecting on our trip we realize how much each member of our family has grown (some literally) and learned during our adventures.
Our time in Africa has been spectacular. We all loved working at Tenwek for 2 months, we enjoyed our adventures in Tanzania and we have met many great people and established lots of friendships.


It is easy to feel like this is the end of our adventures but we know there are many dawns ahead. As we watch the sun set over the African skies for the last time on this trip, we can have confidence that it will rise again.

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We have enjoyed our last day in Nairobi where we have been able to pack and prepare for the next phase of our adventures, as well as spend a relaxing day at the beautiful guest house. While there we were able to visit with a friend from our home church who was at the guest house as well, before he prepares to leave to do some ministry in Tanzania.

We were able to take another family picture just before the sun was setting and we had to leave to catch our overnight flight at the airport...

Final Africa Family Picture.

As we mourn the ending of this perticular journey, and watch the sun set over Africa...we can have hope becasue we know that the sun dosen't stay set forever.

Watching the sun set,

Em

Carpenters

We are helping out with an orphanage run by the Asante Foundation for a few days and today Dad and Big Bro worked on building a table and benches for the children to eat at and do their school work.

They did most of their work at the local carpentry shop where they picked out the wood and prepared all the pieces, then assembled them at the children’s home.



The children were very helpful with sanding and the youngest boy really enjoyed it at was reluctant to finally stop when we started to stain it.

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In addition to some carpentry work we have enjoyed spending out time playing with the 6 beautiful orphans who have recently moved into their new home. We have also been able to help as they add finishing touches to the building such as painting, etc.



We are enjoying our time immensly as we have had a blast working with or friends here. Tanzania has left an impression on us and we will miss its presence when we leave.

Serving,

Em

Fall Flowers

South of the Equator the season here is fall, and the flowers, although not specific to fall, are absolutley amazing. I love the beauty the flowers bring to so many forlorn places.

The bright colours easily brighten up my day as I admire the intricate detail of each different flower.

Discovering all flowers with my camera has been lots of fun. There are so many oppertunities for photography.

Enjoying the beauty around me,

Em

Endurance

Mt. Meru was a great test of endurance. 4 days of hiking to reach 4500 meters at the peak. But we made it to the top.

Little John proved to be part Calabus monkey and part Gazelle, and was the first to the top. "Total Victory" announced Little John to the valley upon reaching the peak.


Big Bro was really tested on the last pull to the top but made it up victorious.


I, Em, came down with a cold 2 days before our hike which worsened from over exertion but paced myself well and make it up, although down was a little bit more difficult. After persevering through a few rough patches of feeling sick I did well and am now recovering.


Mom or "Mama" as all the locals call her did well as well and endured through a few grueling patches but came out on top.


Dad or "Papa" as he is sometimes called really enjoyed the hike although I think he mostly enjoyed pushing rocks over the cliffs as he came down with a bad case of "rock fever" which became contagious to all the guides as well.

It was a beautiful hike and we were blessed with spectacular weather, amazing views and stunning scenery. A highlight of many family members was watching the sun rise over Mt. Kilimanjaro. The unpolluted sky filled with millions of stars was another beautiful sight to be hold.

We learned many lessons on our hike and perseverence and endurance were the most significant. Our endurance was greatly rewarded.


We are now prepared to head into yet another adventure working with some local orphanages here...

Mountain climber,

Em

Window Climber

I hope this window climber is a mountain climber, because we are headed up Mt. Meru on Tuesday for a 4 day hike!

Little John is a little monkey and enjoys "breaking in" through the window. He has climbing through the window down to a science.

He is fearless of the 2 floor drop, and was even wanting to do it in the rain...but we put a stop to that attempt.

Tree climber, building climber, window climber...mountain climber? Let's hope we all prove to be mountain climbers!

Preparing to climb,

Em

Patches!

Patches the paper bag puppet.

"Patches!"

That is the name I frequently hear emerge from the lips of the two young girls who I have been nannying and homeschooling the past 2 months each morning. It is a sound I am going to miss. I have really enjoyed being "Patches" the past 2 months and have absolutely loved my time with all the missionary kids.

It is hard to leave Tenwek today yet I know there are many more adventures ahead!

Beginning a new phase of adventure,

Em

The Ins and Outs of House

I thought I would give you tour of where we have been living while at Tenwek.

At first we would refer were we are staying as “Ndovu” or “the guesthouse” or “the apartment” but then we struck the perfect word and we now call it “home.”

We are so blessed to have such a wonderful place to stay. We had no idea what to expect and we were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful apartment we currently call home. After the first week it began to it feel very much like home. I just wanted to take you on a tour of our little home, with all its features and quirks.

The rooms include 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom and a common area which is comprised of a kitchen, eating area and sitting room.

At night we sleep under colourful mosquito nets, to keep the bugs away. But regardless, I have been regularly receiving at least one mosquito bite every night even with, lots of strong bug spray and a bug net. Fortunately malaria is not prevaliant in our area.

Our electricity, although becoming more stable with the increase of rain, is prone to frequently turn off, but usually only for a short while as our electricity comes back on with the hospital generator.

Our telephone, which is used to phone around the compound, is very fidgety and frequently registers no dial tone so sometimes one person will fiddle with the cord while another talks.

Our bathroom includes a few quirks. To flush the toilet you are required to pump the lever, which we have quickly adjusted to but upon arrival we couldn’t seem to flush the toilet except for Little John, who figured it out quickly and begged everyone to let him flush the toilet. Needless to say the novelty has worn off, but Little John is still called upon as the toilet expert. Our bathroom sink includes 2 separate taps, one for hot water, and the other for cold, or simply cold and cold as our water temperature would have it.

Our lock and key are an old fashioned key hole which you can use to peek through which is fun, except when it is the bathroom keyhole, and the key can be used from both the inside and the outside...

Some of the kitchen cupboard doors can only be held shut with elastics. We had to exterminate bugs from our kitchen cupboards, which are thankfully well taken care of. Our kitchen is without many basic necessities like pot lids, but we learn make up for it.

Our water is fetched from the rain water tank, boiled for 20 minutes, cooled and put through a filter. It was amusing to hear Mom ask “can you fetch the water?” the first time, as it is not a phrase I was used to hearing, but have now become accustomed to.

Our kitchen tap requires lots of wrenching and twisting, moaning and groaning to get it to stop dripping. And even then our efforts sometimes prove unsuccessful.

The other day our microwave did the strangest thing...and still does these strange things. While sitting in the living room area, the microwave suddenly started going while no one was in the kitchen. All of us kids ran over to see what was going on. There was no time on the microwave and pressing stop was not turning it off, but we pulled open the door and it finally stopped. But the microwave started back up again when Little John shut the door. Big Bro unplugged it, but it still started again when the door was closed. Then after opening the microwave door again a bug crawled out of the control panel and the problem was solved.

It seems we heat up more bugs than food. I don’t always feel comfortable putting my food in the microwave to heat up when I see I bug crawling around. Frequently when we start the microwave there will be a loud zapping noise, signalling another bug in the control panel who just got fried.

The microwave was an unexpected blessing so we are grateful for the use we do get and the amusement it provides!

We have one couch which we frequently break as it easily falls apart, but after numerous fixing attempts it seems to be stable now.

Some wonderful visiting guests helped us put up netting in the center window to act as a screen keeping the bugs out and the air flowing. Our chameleon, when not on the banana’s catching fruit flies can usually be found on one of the screens.

We love our house and will be sad to leave it....

Em