On the matatu ride from Nairobi to Kisii, the matatu suddenly pulled over to the side of the road and all the Kenyans jumped out and ran off into the bushes. I was so confused until I finally figured it out. Pee break!
The Sam's Place admin building as seen from the second floor of our newly built dormitory.
Sophia from the District Children's Office decided to run our VBS for us at Sam's Place.
Carl Moore may be an excellent preacher for the deaf, but jumping over streams is not his strong suit.
Since I missed all 8 baptisms, Charles Otieno (the vocational teacher at Sam's Place) reenacts them for me.
Attendees of the Kenya Deaf Prayer & Learning seminar. This was the first time we have been able to host it at Sam's Place.
I'm going to start feeding Anna this way.
Working hard in the kitchen.
It smells like a real Kenyan choo now.
The mission team takes a meal of ugali and sukuma wiki.
Peter & Carl
Once all the people leave, the cows come out.
Sharon Arnold has never met a stranger.
The 2010 mission team at our baby blue Sam's Place sign
I got to sleep at Sam's Place this year. Here is my room.
Sharon Arnold, Claudia Greek, and Alice Caughfield, strong women of God.
When your bald head is burning, everything looks like a hat.
Our excellent matatu drivers, Joseph and Daniel.
The Greeks and I were entertained at Joyce's home near Eldoret. Joyce (the one in the middle) is a long-time friend of the Greeks.
My bed in Keith Gafner's loft in his home in Eldoret. Kirsten Gafner is going to have to teach me how to climb this ladder gracefully while carrying two backpacks.
Stephen Greek and Keith Gafner playing with the netbook computer we brought for the orphan work at Bwaliro.
Ruthie Gafner getting an award at school.
Kirsten and Ruthie Gafner's school.
Unloading fruit trees at the home of Paul Bwire in Bwaliro, Kenya.
People who live in mud houses shouldn't bump into doorways.
A Kenyan dishwasher at the home of Paul Bwire.
Paul Bwire just got stima (electricity) at his home just in time for the opening celebration of the Blessed Family Center.
Paul Bwire's living room
Paul Bwire and his new bride Lillian
The well at Paul Bwire's house
Kids love to get their pictures taken
Sitting in silence in Paul Bwire's living room during a thunderstorm that took out the stima. The pounding of the rain on the metal roof was so loud we didn't even try to talk to each other.
Steve and Claudia during the thunderstorm
Jeff at the home of Christopher Otsieno in Bwaliro.
Velma Otsieno's mother just loved to practice her English with us
Piki-piki. This is how we roll. I got to ride one three times on this trip.
Claudia teaches Stephen how to fix the well water pump at Christopher's house.
This cow enjoys her last mouthfuls of grass before her journey into the bellies of hungry orphans.
Watching the slaughter was harder than I thought it would be. I cried.
Paul Bwire shows us around the shamba (farmland) that will be used to provide food for widows and orphans.
Two workers that Huruma House has been paying to raise food for the orphans at Blessed Family Center.
A Kenyan phonebook.
Stephen with Elizabeth, one of the widows being supported by Huruma House.
Christopher, Stephen and I making the rounds to visit some of the widows and orphans Huruma House has been providing food for
Mother and child
Help Mama! Don't let the scary mzungu eat me!
Christopher and Stephen with Zainabu, one of the widows Huruma House has been supporting.
Zainabu has no children to look after her, and she works her small shamba all by herself. Yet in an amazing act of generosity she shared this piece of dried beef with me and Stephen.
A visit to a primary school in Bwaliro
Stephen with some of the teachers at the school
A desk would be nice, but there just aren't enough for everyone.
A teacher checking work
One of the biggest causes of AIDS here is that anyone who lets others know they are HIV positive is stigmatized by the community. The schools are trying to change this.
Oops. The gub'ment workers got a bit confused and dug this here trench right through the children's playground instead of along the road. Maybe someday they'll come back and fill it in.
The schools are fighting hard against some of the serious social problems the children face.
Making our rounds with Christopher to visit the widows and orphans he is assisting.
At Christopher's house
The little tree I planted last year isn't doing so well.
And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee, all the way home.
The grandfather in this home set the house on fire one night recently and then stood in the doorway to prevent the children from escaping. Fortunately, the neighbors showed up in time, and all the kids were safe.
The same man burned down his family's other mud house as well, so the mother of the home built a little lean-to next to the last remaining wall of the house.
All four of these children are orphans living with their guardians. Huruma House is supporting Clinton, the child in the orange shirt. The rest of the family shares his food.
Paul Bwire with Clinton
The guardian of these four orphans
Paul, Chris, and Jeff with one of the families we visited
Graffiti in the bush
Stephen contemplating a very shocking experience we had inside the hut
Paul and Christopher
Hut decorations
Back at Christopher's place
Eating at Christopher's place
No desks for the 4th graders, but most of the older children do have desks.
Zacchaeus was a wee little man
Bwaliro boys choir
When they call your name you can jump up and dance with them and drop them a few shillings
I think they made this drum out of a used air filter. It kind of made me think of Fat Albert.
The living room of Christopher's house
Stephen and Claudia outside Christopher's house
Christopher is making bricks at his house. They call this "selling the shamba".
All the bricks Chris has been making.
The old choo at Christopher's house
All the other trees my other team members planted last year are doing great. Looks like I have the only runt.
The new choo at Christopher's house
The dried beef that Zainabu gave us as a gift.
Keith stuffed his Pajero full of kids for movie night at Paul's house
Our sound system for the opening celebration of Blessed Family Center. I blasted two hours worth of Casting Crowns, BarlowGirl, and Britt Nicole before we finally got started.
Chairs being delivered for the celebration
The opening celebration was supposed to start at 10:30am. At 10:37 Paul Bwire says to me "My wife would like for you to come over to our house for half a cup of chai before we begin."
Paul Bwire and Keith Gafner inspecting Paul's chicken house.
The bathings facilities at Paul's place.
Keith at the front door to Paul's house.
Paul Bwire's mud home. Huruma House spent $691 on materials for Paul to build this home.
The thunderstorm the previous evening was not kind to Paul's house. Once Paul gets some bigger trees surrounding his house, this shouldn't be as much of a problem.
The wazee (old men) of the community sat off by themselves at the opening celebration.
We had a generator for stima at the site of the celebration, but it was noisy so we hid it in the bushes.
Waiting for the opening celebration of Blessed Family Center to begin.
For the kids it's BYOC
As we finally got started, BarlowGirl gave way to a Kenyan worship team.
The kids start invading the territory of the wazee.
Josephat was hired by Chris and Paul to film the celebration.
Joyce, Claudia, Stephen, and Keith at the celebration.
We had quite a turn out
Another praise team
Jeff at the celebration
A boy from a local primary school plays a drum during their performance
Claudia gets a present from the dancing school children
One of Christopher's children play the role of a witch doctor in a skit. (The skit is about *not* using the witch doctors.)
Bwana Keith preaches his shortest sermon in history, keeping it under an hour.
Josephat films the celebration
People stand in line for food at the close of the celebration
The ladies who worked in the kitchen
People trying to get out of the rain and eat their food
Serving food in the rain
We projected the "Jesus video" in Swahili on the side of Paul's mud house. It drew quite a crowd, and then I walked all the kids home at 1:00am when it was over.
Keith is getting ready to leave us because we are taking too many pictures and making him late for church Sunday morning.
Stephen and Claudia Greek are TOUCHING IN PUBLIC at Christopher's house. Big no-no in Kenya. All the children are probably scarred for life.
Stephen and Claudia Greek receiving a gift at Christopher's house
Jeff receiving a gift at Christopher's house.
A map of the land purchased by Blessed Family Center with funds from Huruma House
Paul with a child
Paul Bwire presenting Keith Gafner with a sheep as a thank you for all of his help.
Bwaliro Church of Christ, after Sunday morning worship
Christopher's family with Stephen and Claudia Greek
The temporary choo at Bwaliro Church of Christ
