The bush trip

This last weekend I visited a family that lives in central Kenya, about eight hours north of my city. Everyday was an adventure in the bush. The nearest paved road is about four hours away. The last morning I experienced something new, riding on a single propeller, four seat plane. This is the beauty of Kenya from the tiny plane.

what us expats call a bush plane, thanks for a great flight

the dry, central Kenya landscape
most of Kenya has not gotten enough rain for planting this season

Mt. Kenya, the highest point in Kenya

a waterfall in the mountains

Slums around Nairobi

Smog and pollution hoover over Nairobi

Landing at an airport for small aircraft.

Kenya is a vast country with many landscapes, from mountains to extreme valleys, huge citys to small villages, the rich to the poor, dry to wet. Hope you enjoyed my flight!

The Water

For the earth will be filled

With the knowledge of the glory of the LORD,
As the waters cover the sea.
-- Habakkuk 2:14 (NASB)

The Agta people are surrounded by water. From the middle of the island, water is only about 15km away west or east. Remember those who are bringing the true knowledge of God to the Agta people.

After her baptism, this Agta woman gathers her shoes as she emerges from the lake.

The Clearification

Previous post is not in Africa. I took a trip to the South Pacific!

The Volcano

Yet those who wait for the LORD
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
-- Isaiah 40:31 (NASB)

The volcano Asog, meaning smoke, blew about 400 years ago creating this natural lake covering "the old town." I hiked up into the crater of the volcano to reach a group of believers. The only way to meet with three other groups of believers was to cross lake Buhi.

Remember those who serve among these tribes, who need not to get tired and need not to become weary.

The Slums

The Ostrich

The Homeschoolers

Kristen and I taught a two hour writing and photography lesson to kids homeschooled here in Nairobi. We had a great time and met some interesting kids. They loved Kristen! (and secretly she loved them too.)

The Safari

My New Year was spent in Ambasele National Game Park in southern Kenya. The park is at the foot of Mt. Kilimanjaro. It was amazing. So many wild animals. God was good to us and we saw every animal the park had to offer.

Even lions fighting.

It was a great way to start the new year.

The goats

On a farm in North Africa, there lives a goat. This goat, "Bill," lives in a barn filled with other goats waiting for the day it will be given a new home. Bill is weeks old, the newest of the 50 or so also waiting for new homes.

Bill knows he'll live with a widow and her children. Bill will roam the hillside around the widow's hut with other goats eating dead grass. He'll learn the call of his shepard and come bounding down the hill towards home when he hears the call. His bed will be a small corner sectioned off by bamboo polls in the widow's rounded hut.

Every day he'll provide milk to nourish the family. This year the widow and her children will not starve. Bill is proud that he will help a family live longer and healthier lives.

Bill provides a way for workers to visit homes and tell stories about Jesus. Pray for those workers to find ways to share these stories with Bill's owners.

The Christmas

Merry Christmas

the truth

just spent two weeks in a beautiful North African country. the terrain is similar to that of Denver, mountainous and dry. the people are beautiful with an interesting history.

religion is a major part of their lives. traditional Christianity is what they worship. lost in the tradition of works. lost in the inability to understand the gift God has given us.

like Philip, be willing to explain the truth of Christ's saving Grace to those who don't understand.

26Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Go south to the road
—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza."

27So he started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian eunuch,
an important official in charge of all the treasury of Candace,
queen of the Ethiopians. This man had gone to Jerusalem to worship,

28and on his way home was sitting in his chariot reading the
book of Isaiah the prophet.

29The Spirit told Philip,
"Go to that chariot and stay near it."

30Then Philip ran up to the chariot and heard the man
reading Isaiah the prophet.
"Do you understand what you are reading?" Philip asked.

31"How can I," he said, "unless someone explains it to me?"
So he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.

32The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
"He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
33In his humiliation he was deprived of justice.
Who can speak of his descendants?
For his life was taken from the earth."

34The eunuch asked Philip, "Tell me, please, who is the prophet
talking about, himself or someone else?" 35Then Philip began with
that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

36As they traveled along the road, they came to some water
and the eunuch said, "Look, here is water. Why shouldn't I be baptized?"

38And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch
went down into the water and Philip baptized him.

39When they came up out of the water,
the Spirit of the Lord suddenly took Philip away,
and the eunuch did not see him again, but went on his way rejoicing.

Acts 8:26-40