Saturday, July 05, 2008
We finished our stories about our journey to Africa today. I had to give my story and I made it through with only one small amount of crying. This is actually a miracle so I wanted you to be aware of it. I don’t think my story is very good but it is. Everyone of us has a beautiful and unique story about how God is at work in our life even if it seems ordinary to you. This includes all of you who are still back home. You are all very useful in God’s Kingdom.
After lunch today we walked to the top of the mountain behind the school. We opted to go the full distance because most hikes that large groups of people go on are pretty easy if you are in decent shape which we felt that we were. I would like to report that we zoomed to the top with very little discomfort but I would not be sharing the truth. Emily was ready to give up at our first stop where several in the group turned back. At this point we had been on a dirt road that ascended fairly rapidly but it was a nice wide road. We convinced her that we didn’t have much farther to go so she continued. What we didn’t realize is that this was the end of the road and we would now be on trails or going up large rocks. We all struggled up to our next stopping point where several more in the group decided to turn back. Just ahead of this stop we started passing houses just stuck up on the mountain. There were many children and they all came running out to greet us. They were so interested in us because we are different. Before we knew it, they were continuing on the hike with us. Two Kenyan girls got on each side of Emily and held her hand. The same went for Tracy and I think Baxter and Luke had at least one boy much of the way. Anyhow, Emily had her escorts for the rest of the hike up to the top and most of the way back down. The girls were so funny because they kept fixing Emily’s braids if they were in front of her shoulders and brushing the hair off of her forehead. It was as if she were now the Queen of Sheba and she didn’t dare complain about being tired. The Kenyan girls kept smelling her hair and when they let go of her hand they would smell their hand. I’m not sure if this was a good thing or not but it was cute.
We finished our stories about our journey to Africa today. I had to give my story and I made it through with only one small amount of crying. This is actually a miracle so I wanted you to be aware of it. I don’t think my story is very good but it is. Everyone of us has a beautiful and unique story about how God is at work in our life even if it seems ordinary to you. This includes all of you who are still back home. You are all very useful in God’s Kingdom.
After lunch today we walked to the top of the mountain behind the school. We opted to go the full distance because most hikes that large groups of people go on are pretty easy if you are in decent shape which we felt that we were. I would like to report that we zoomed to the top with very little discomfort but I would not be sharing the truth. Emily was ready to give up at our first stop where several in the group turned back. At this point we had been on a dirt road that ascended fairly rapidly but it was a nice wide road. We convinced her that we didn’t have much farther to go so she continued. What we didn’t realize is that this was the end of the road and we would now be on trails or going up large rocks. We all struggled up to our next stopping point where several more in the group decided to turn back. Just ahead of this stop we started passing houses just stuck up on the mountain. There were many children and they all came running out to greet us. They were so interested in us because we are different. Before we knew it, they were continuing on the hike with us. Two Kenyan girls got on each side of Emily and held her hand. The same went for Tracy and I think Baxter and Luke had at least one boy much of the way. Anyhow, Emily had her escorts for the rest of the hike up to the top and most of the way back down. The girls were so funny because they kept fixing Emily’s braids if they were in front of her shoulders and brushing the hair off of her forehead. It was as if she were now the Queen of Sheba and she didn’t dare complain about being tired. The Kenyan girls kept smelling her hair and when they let go of her hand they would smell their hand. I’m not sure if this was a good thing or not but it was cute.
Emily and her friends.
The kids loved to have their picture taken and then look at it on the camera.
Tracy and friends.
The view from the top was very nice and we took several pictures but the real treat was meeting all of the people along the way. The Kenyan people amaze me because they are such warm and loving people and would do almost anything to help you out if you needed it. We are here to show them the love of Jesus and they are the ones showering us with love. It is a very humbling experience and I hope it changes us for the better. I should mention that this hike lasted 4 hours and we went a distance of about 7.4 miles. There are not too many kids in America who would give up a Saturday afternoon to hike that distance and be gone that long to help someone they didn’t know and might never see again. God has created some really beautiful people here.
2 comments:
Pete: Really enjoyed pictures. Keep sending them, the kids look happy and well, our prayers are with you . Unk Jim
Hearing you tell about climbing the mountain kind of reminded me of a trip to Enchanted Rock several years ago. Hope ya'll are well. We are praying for you daily. Our little man is almost 15 pounds now.
Love ya'll,
Travis, Kathy, and Sawyer
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