We're in the Village

We’re sitting by candlelight to make this entry. We arrived in the village with my friend Pat’s tour group.
Our MWEEP women were ready for us with a fantastic lunch and some gift exchanging. We then headed outside for some beautiful singing and dancing by the women after which we walked through the bush to a manyatta to view traditional homes. It seemed like there just wasn’t enough time to ask all the questions and take it all in. We had a ride to their “camp” and had a presentation by the moran men –singing and dancing. It is always spectacular to see their jumping.
Thursday we walked to school with our host Rosemary to see the local school. We had a tour with the headmaster. Later Rosemary and I walked to Lucy’s house for lunch. I wish you could have been with me. We were walking through the bush and then came to the edge and below us was another drop and a beautiful valley. Once down the drop we headed to Lucy’s. I’ll have a wonderful story about her progress.
Friday Lucy and I had a day together while Rosemary finished with the closing ceremony at school. The school year is now over. We got out on the road by 7:25 to catch a matatu (small Mazda truck), luckily ey let me in the cab. The back was crammed with people. We stopped at Kimuka and saw the new girls secondary school. Then we had an opportunity to visit with a girl who has received a scholarship and several mother’s of some of the other girls. We also met Joshua who was in our home. Then hanging around for awhile until we got a ride to Ngong. Much was accomplished there and we met many more parents, girls, and pastors. The fathers that I met are all very happy that they daughters are getting an education.
Tomorrow several of the MWEEP women and I are going to Nairobi to meet with the in country director of another NGO that we may be able to team up with to provide some business training.
Sunday we will meet with the girls that have received scholarships (after church), then the officers of MWEEP will meet with me.
Jon is busy helping a carpenter and today they went to Karen to collect timber for the desks he will be building for a preschool. Right now the students sit on rocks.
Hunter and Austin, today I saw many giraffes, gazelle and some dikdiks.

Nairobi

We arrived in Nairobi last night after a good flight. That's our first blessing. It's good to be in Kenya again. I'm sitting here with a jungle fan going over my head however it needs oiling and screeched through the night, not too much sleep . It's in the high 70s and I'm sure it will be warmer once we drop down into the Rift Valley.

We are heading out to the village in about an hour. It will take us about 1 - 2 hours to get there. Our friend's tour group is joining us today for "a village experience". I am eager to see how that is going to go, the women's group has not hosted a tour group before. This could be a good fundraiser for them.

We're thinking of you all at home.

loanna

First Leg -- England

We've arrived in England after an easy but long flight. Our daughter picked us up and took us out to her home in Pangbourne.
Now we've had dinner with the family, Jon read Hardy Boys to our grandson (Hunter 9 and Austin 7) and their tucked in bed.

Marcus got another flash card ready for us as a back up. Amanda and I walked to the village to pick up a few more things. I decided to take the makings for pinwheels for children we meet.

Then to finish packing the bags so we are ready to leave at 6:00 am. Marcus' Premier League Football Team has donated kits (uniforms) for a team connected to our Maasai friends as well as throwing in some footballs (soccer).

Once at Heathrow, we'll meet a group that is going on safari with our dear friend Pat O'Rourke. We'll be staying in the same hotel in Nairobi. On Wednesdy morning we'll ride with them to the village. The women of MWEEP will host the group for lunch, a tour, and some singing and dancing. We are hoping this will be a fundraiser for the women.

Keep us in your prayers.

loanna

We're On Our Way

It's the 25th of November and the day to pull it together to head to the airport. The bags are loaded--3 for Kenya and 1 to stay in England for our Christmas with the children. We'll pick up two bags in England (Marcus' football team has a bag of kits and balls for us to take to a village team).

I woke up at 5:30 with my mind running on what still needed to be done, last copies to be made, one more battery to charge, etc. More importantly I was contemplating all the possible contacts in the village, seeing our friends, meeting with the women. I am eager to meet many of the girls who have received scholarships and to share their stories with you.

Jon will be working in a more remote village helping to build desks for a primary school. He feels blessed to have received a donation of hand tools and a donation of money for the wood.

Oh, yes, we did get fairly decent seat assignments on British Air. (I'm adding the photo of Jon and me trying to get the seats as soon as the window opened to check in online to see if I have the skill to add photos on the trip.) We had to both sign on since Jon has a Frequent Flyer ticket.

I have my Maasai jewelry on, Jon has his and we're ready to start this adventure with people we love on the other side of the world.

loanna

The Beginnings of our 2007 trip to Maasailand

I'm sitting by my computer with our son Nathan who is helping me set up this blog. Jon and I are preparing to head to Kenya on November 25th. We'll be in England the night of November 26th to stay with our daughter. Our first step is to leave a bag of winter clothes there and pick up a bag with football (soccer) gear from Reading FC. Marcus Hahnemann, our son-in-law is the goalkeeper for this team.

We will arrive in Nairobi late on November 27th with some friends that are starting a tour on the 29th. On November 28th 15 members from that group, lead by Pat O'Rourke from Bainbridge Island, Washington will drive to the village of Oloshoi boir to have lunch and spend time with the MWEEP women to learn about their lives.