Hello Everyone,
It’s great to be back in the good old USA! We arrived home Saturday evening after 48 hours of travel that included a night in the Cairo International Airport (definitely NOT one of our favorite places). The trip to Nairobi, Kenya was just as long. Due to delayed flights and missed connections, it was 40 hours by the time we landed in Nairobi. On the way over, our layover in London was so long that we were able to leave the airport and go sightseeing for awhile. It was an unexpected treat for those of us who had never been to Europe. In our 10 days of travel we managed to see six different countries and seven different airports. To say we’re sick of airplane food and public restrooms is an understatement.

Anyway, the trip was absolutely amazing. Looking back, it’s the type of thing that is hard to explain – experiencing it is the only way to truly appreciate what happened. We have so many great stories that we hope to share with each of you at some point.

The first thing that struck us was the natural beauty of Kenya. Once outside of the cities, the countryside views are breathtaking and the side of the highway looks like a page out of National Geographic. We often saw Giraffe, Zebra, Gazelle and Ostrich grazing on the side of the road – definitely more interesting that the dead opossum that we see in Atlanta.

We stayed in the city of Machakos, which is about 1.5 hours south of Nairobi. Each day we traveled into the village of Ngaamba which was another 1.5 hours south of Machakos. The roads in Kenya are absolutely terrible, and sometimes non-existent, so travel time in relation to distance in much different than it is in the States. The Ngaamba village is out in the middle of nowhere (it isn't listed on most maps) and is comprised of many small communities in one general area. In total, there are about 8,000 people in the Ngaamba area. Each individual community in Ngaamba has anywhere from a couple hundred to a couple thousand people. The community we worked in has never had visitors, so we were the first white people that many of the residents had ever seen, especially the children.


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It was so amazing to be in such a remote place, where people live and die without ever seeing the modern the world. We only came in contact with a few people who had ever traveled outside of the village. The people truly have no concept of our way of life. We were often asked questions like, “How many cattle do you own?” One time, a man in the community was showing us his house - a mud hut that was smaller than our bedroom. He said, “In America does your house look just like this?” We pointed to a rudimentary brick structure and said, “Most of our homes are brick, like that one.” We can only imagine what he’d think if he saw our actual home.

You want to feel sorry for these people, but it is hard to, because they are content and happy with what they have. It makes us think about how the lures of Madison Avenue breed discontentment in our lives, despite the fact that we own more crap than most people will ever see in their lifetime.

The people were amazing and we learned so much from them. They are a different breed. We are convinced that if we were put in their environment with no assistance we wouldn’t even make it a week. We spoke with one man who walks 15 kilometers to work everyday. He had no shoes. The school kids ran circles around us on the soccer field and only a few lucky ones had shoes. The field was filled with thorny plants that gave us fits, despite the nice shoes we were wearing. After the soccer games we’d be sucking wind and drinking bottled water while the kids ran back to school to eat porridge. They didn’t even get water.

Their dependence on God is everywhere you look - the community is filled with crops that are dying due to lack of rain. Early rains cause their crops to grow but when the rain stops the crops dry before they are able to develop a harvest. At the time of our visit, the community hadn't received rain in over two months.

When we arrived on Saturday the community welcomed us with traditional song, dance and a meal and the school children performed for us. We were told that this was the first time they performed for visitors. A video of part of the performance is below.



On Sunday I was able to speak at a church in the community, and it was a wonderful experience. I referenced the first chapter of Romans where Paul expresses his desire to be with the Roman people, that they may be "mutually encouraged by each other's faith." My main point was that our joy in God can only be complete when it is shared with others; therefore, we need to seek community with our fellow brothers and sisters of faith. It was amazing to be part of a service that was so different from anything we had experienced before.

I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong - that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other's faith.
Romans 1:11-12

Later that day we participated in men's and women's Bible Studies with the people of the community. The amazing thing was that their problems were the same as ours, just set in a different context. Men struggled with integrity, leadership and harmful lust, and the women struggled with the ability to manage a household and maintain perspective in an often chaotic life. It was a great reminder that we're all in need of grace - the human condition is the same for every person on the planet.

From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.
Acts 17:26-27

On our work days we helped the community construct a new school building in the morning and in the afternoons we visited the school, where we helped in the classrooms and played sports with the students.

On our last day we took a seven hour bus ride to the Amboseli National Park. The safari was incredible, once again, like living in the pages of National Geographic. We woke up at 4:30am the next morning to begin our eight hour bus ride to the airport and our journey home. If you think Kenyan bus rides are easy, think again. Here is a short video of what the bus rides are like - all eight hours of them.



There are three things that stuck out to us and really made the trip a worthwhile experience:
1. The people of Ngaamba were greatly encouraged by our visit. Nothing can replace face to face interaction (see Romans 1:11-12 above) and our visit let the people know that they mattered, that someone outside their community cares about them.

2. Each person on the trip was greatly impacted and will be forever changed by what they experienced. We were truly impacted more than the people we served. Our team of 21 people was amazing. At times circumstances were less than ideal (long travel, three days without luggage, long hours on bumpy bus rides), but the team stuck together like glue and there wasn’t one moment of expressed frustration. It was simply amazing.

3. The organization that we worked with, The 410 Bridge, is top-notch. We couldn’t have asked to work with a more professional and driven organization. They have a great reputation in the area and have accomplished an amazing amount of work in the four years that they have been in existence. As we left, we knew that our work would be continued and that The 410 Bridge will see it through to completion.

We were strictly forbidden to give away anything to the people of Ngaamba. Not even a bottle of water . At first, this seems crazy, but after experiencing the way the organization works it all makes sense. It is important for the people of the community to see us as people who want to assist them in making their community a better place, not people who give handouts. This attitude develops an incredible sense of ownership and trust in the community. All of the projects that we worked on were lead by members of the community, not members of the mission trip team. It is important that we assist the people in their work, not do it for them. One of the main problems that their culture faces is a lack of pride in what an individual owns or what a community shares. Now that we are back in the States we are free to give all that we want, and we will definitely give.

The upcoming Fourth of July holiday will be especially significant for us. We never want to let a day pass without being grateful for the amazing country we live in and the many blessings that we have. We did not choose to be born in a country that celebrates freedom. It is a gracious gift to every one of us. As you may know, a trip to a country like Kenya will alter your perspective and make you think twice before complaining. We are so blessed and we have no excuses. We'll all eat tomorrow, whether it rains or not.

Please know that your support means so much to us. You have given us this incredible opportunity to serve others. There truly is no greater gift. We hope to see each of you and have the opportunity to share our stories with you.

Thank you!!