Kenya J-Term 2020

Just a quick post to let you know we made it back from our safari. It was a long trip, but we saw just about every animal we could expect to see. (The leopard was elusive as ever.) Our trip back to Messiah in some ways began at the game park today. We’re here in…

The main event of the day was attending Parklands Baptist Church in Nairobi. Parklands is a megachurch with an attendance of about 4000 split across two services. The church service was a mix between a familiar atmosphere and a distinctly Kenyan twist. All of the songs were ones we knew, so that was familiar, but…

Today we had a rest day. Needless to say, most of us slept in. Once we got up we all talked in the common area. Some of us went shopping at the dukas while others went up to RVA to go to senior store. They got ice cream and watched some of the field hockey…

Today we went to Nairobi and visited Sheldrick’s Elephant Center, where we saw over a dozen baby elephants. We watched as workers bottle-fed the young elephants, and some got close enough for us to pet. As the elephants walked around and fed on branches, we were told their names and the meanings behind them. We…

Today we woke up extra early (7:00am!) to climb Mount Longonot, a dormant volcano. It was a strenuous hike climbing up 1,500 feet on a straight incline. We split into several groups to go at different paces, and our two drivers hiked with us (shoutout to Ken and John). My group (April) started to set…

Today we got to put our skills to the test and shadow different professionals around Kijabe. I (Brooke) shadowed at Rift Valley Academy, a missionary school for kids. I had the opportunity to shadow a first grade teacher as well as meet with a woman who had a background in early intervention, foster care and…

Happy Birthday to Hannah and myself (Sarah)! We kicked off our special day by eating another fantastic breakfast made by the ladies in the kitchen.  While taking our dishes to the kitchen we were welcomed by a couple of Sykes monkeys who wanted our leftovers. We then had a short walk over to Moffat Bible…

Jambo, greetings from Kenya, Today we had the opportunity to tour Rift Valley Academy (RVA). It is an international boarding school for missionary kids and a few locals. They currently educate roughly 450 children. Our own Dr. Dixon was a graduate a few moons ago. We were all highly impressed with the facilities, especially the…

Yesterday was a busy day! We played soccer with the boys and girls from RVH rescue center.  USA for the win!   Today we attended the Rift Valley Hope church at the girls’ rescue center where we were able to experience a genuine African church service.  In contrast to an American church service, the atmosphere…

Two hours playing soccer in the African sun will wear you out, especially when you’re not used to running at 6,000 feet above sea level. We had a great day interacting with the boys and girls of the Rift Valley rescue centers, along with their families. But the day was active and we got back…