Turmoil in Kenya

To think, Kenyan elections could have been held in the beginning of December, or even late November, if President Kibaki had wanted it so. There was a lot of speculation that it would be while I was there. To think I could have been trapped in Kenya, like my friend Kesse is now....
Please, friends and readers, pray for the safety of my friend Kesse, as well as my local friends in Meru. Also pray for the safety of our SDA churches in Kenya and the teacher and students from our SDA college in Virginia who are trapped there now.
Read Kesse's blog, www.kessesky.blogspot.com, for more information and stay informed.

Giraffe!

Dancing with the locals! (As pictured in a previous blog.)

David and I are home in ND for the holidays and for our wedding reception at my home church. 

We came from GYC in Minneapolis in which we were blessed by the messages and the gathering of young people inspired to take the gospel to the world in this generation. David was the evening speaker at these meetings as well. Many of you were probably there yourself, or watched it on 3ABN.

We are staying busy as ever, with a reception to plan, a church service to present, people to pick up at the airport, etc., etc., but we're still finding time to sleep in in the mornings, which is really what holidays are about right? :)

Through the busy-ness, life is good. Very good. And I am so happy.

Just Released! Safari Video Footage!

So, I accidentally posted the wrong video.  But it's still a good one and I refuse to delete it after it took almost a half an hour to upload.
Stay tuned for more. :)

Mombasa Fun

Two weekends ago I traveled to the coast of Kenya and had some fun on the beach and in Kenya's second largest city. Here are some pictures!

These two pictures are from the historical site of Fort Jesus.

Also well-known in Kenya are these tusks that commemorate Queen Elizabeth's visit to this city.

Camel rides on the beach!
I also got to go snorkling along the reef!

In a nature trail park, they had hippos, giraffe, tortoises and these crocodiles which we were able to watch being fed.
A little off subject-- this is me presenting the money to the local church for their building projects, donated by Harvey SDA church in ND. This is also the pastor that is marrying David and I in 6 days!!!
AAHH!!

So, you may not be hearing from me for a few weeks. But I will be sure to post some pictures of the wedding when we get home. David and I will fly home on the 5th of December.
Today was my last day of internship and it feels great!
Many Blessings.

A Polite Request

Just one of the many signs that make me chuckle.

This was a fundraising event done by the local SDA church for their building project. Below are some of the women that cooked for the event.

This is the church building being fundraised for. They have one wing to finish, the floor to complete and the entry way to build.
It is the rainy season here in Meru. Unfortunately, with the incomplete church building, it gives you a whole new reason to make sure you carry your umbrella with you at ALL times.

If any one would like to donate to help the Meru Central SDA church finish their building, and so that members can actually keep dry on a rainy Sabbath day, please send me an email and I’d be glad to assist. They need around 30,000 dollars to complete the project. Around 3,000 was raised from the efforts previously depicted. Another event I happened upon was a fundraising walk for the local hospice. If you look to the far right you can see Merian cultural dancers.
This is one of Meru Hospice’s slogans. Stop the pain. Be a Friend.
I’ve now actually completed some internship hours with Meru Hospice and it’s been a tremendous experience.
A mass gravesite.  Due to poverty, it is fairly common for family members to bring their dying relatives to the hospital and leave them there to die and for the body to be disposed of by the hospital. The hospital buries the bodies in a mass grave. Gravediggers prefer to dig the same holes over and over again, so after the previous bodies have partially decomposed, they re-dig the area for the next 100-some bodies. In the pictures you can see human bones and clothes, tossed away beside the freshly dug hole.

Alright, well… changing subjects and mood:

We’ve heard that elephants frequent a nearby watering hole, so one evening we went on our own little safari adventure. Can you see the elephant through the windshield?!

If not, it is probably because it's not there. :( Our efforts were not rewarded. But we liked pretending.

The epitome of the foreigner vs. local mentality. Kathy, my supervisor, isn’t posing. Elephants? Who cares? Their pests to be honest.

The other “Mazungu” (white person) you see here is a journalist from CO. I’ve so much enjoyed her presence on the scene of IPI and the political campaign. It helps when there is someone just as excited as me about the local wildlife. :)

My adventures here have continued to keep me busy and on my toes. Time is now nearing for me to part. I only have three weeks left of interning, one week free, then I’ll be on the flight homewards!

Keeping Busy

This week has been tremendously busy with many activities.

First, we had a group of ten from the UK who came to help us work on a children's home we're building in a local community. They also decided to give our offices a make-over. Here are some photos.

I guess there isn't actually anyone from the UK in these pictures, :) but we all helped and it was a tremendous blessing to have them here. The top picture is me with the other women I work with at IPI. Below is a picture of the children's home I mentioned above: KACH- Kithoka Amani Community Home. Kithoka is the name of the area and Amani means peace in Swahili.
Next, I was able to meet the US Amabassader. He came to talk with some of the women leaders of Meru to discuss women issues in politics. Very interesting meeting indeed.
Later on in the week, a couple from New Mexico came to learn more about IPI and our Education Fund Program. It was fun to have them here and I was able to go on a couple home and school visits with them.

On one home visit, we met with this family. There is a single father (wife died from childbirth complications) with three small children.

This is their house. No bigger than a walk-in closet. Pictured are the couple from the US and Kathy, with gifts of food for the family.
This family truly touched my heart. I was able to give the children some gifts that my home church sent with me. Aren't they so precious?

We brought the family bags of food as well, including maize meal, beans, sugar, flour, bread, butter, jam, and some laundry soap.

Here we visited a school and presented some gifts to special ed school children.

Earlier last week, I helped create and market a campaign dinner hosted by IPI for our President, Karambu, who is running for parliament this December. This is our “billboard” displaying the event.

Also, while I’m at it, below is a picture of the SDA church I regularly attend.

This is Thuranira, one of the men from our courtyard. He is hired by my host to do things such as cook and do our laundry. We get along well, despite the language barrier, and have a good time laughing with each other.

And finally, Meru (and Kenya as a whole really), being predominantly Christian, oftentimes has verses or Christian sayings posted in the most unique places. These are two verses inside a local transport van. Walking along the streets of Meru, you might also see the Hand of God Cyber Café, or the God Provides Taxi Cab. Wouldn’t it be interesting if we displayed our Christianity so flamboyantly in the States? Or would that cause too many lawsuits?

Nairobi Excursions

While attending meetings in Nairobi with the above group at the above place (the second tallest building in Nairobi), I was able to take some time and visit a few attractions around the area.

This is at the Elephant Orphanage



Elephant Orphanage from Tennille and Vimeo.

Giraffe Centre

Safari Walk

This is one of my new friends I met at church last Sabbath with her son. I have been very blessed already to have such wonderful friendship and fellowship with neighbors.

Working Hard

Where I work:

That's me! Here is my office and office-mates:

Kathy-Programs Director and my direct supervisor
John- a volunteer that I work with frequently, and Kathy again (different day)

This is my desk!

Below-Some videos of my work place:

International Peace Initiatives from Tennille and Vimeo.



My Office from Tennille and Vimeo.

And, upon request: :)


My Bathroom from Tennille and Vimeo.

Another Video

This is of the living area, right outside my room. I'll post more interesting ones, I promise. :)



The Living Area from Tennille and Vimeo.

Pictures from Kenya

This is where I am staying in Meru. I am on the top floor. My bedroom is in the top left window. My supervisors, Karambu and Kathy, live below me.   There is also a small living and dining area upstairs. (It almost has the feel of a doll house due to the low ceilings and small area.)Inside the gate are these stairs that I climb to the bathroom, kitchen, living area and my room.

These are pictures of the room I am living in. They go in a complete counter-clockwise circle.


I love my room. It is amazing how one's past experience can make a present experience either fantastic or horrible. And my experience in Mali seems to make this one, to my delight, quite wonderful.

I have a sit-down toilet. I have running water. I have a warm shower.

The shower is funny. I actually have to choose between hot water and bad pressure or cold water and great pressure. I have to push a button before I get in the shower to have automatic hot water. I guess it heats the water up as it goes through the pipe...so the longer the water takes to go through the pipe, the hotter it is? That's what I've come up with. Controlling the water pressure is the only way to control the temperature.

Oohh, I just posted a video of my room on Vimeo. You can go to it by clicking here.

Can someone tell me how to post a video on here?

Until next time...