Last Day in Kenya

We spent our last day, Monday, tying up loose ends, packing bags, and then visiting an area of Nairobi called Kibera.

Kibera is one of the largest, and most infamous slums in Nairobi. My host mom from my days as a study abroad student, Lucy, lives on the outskirts of Kibera in a gated, secured neighborhood. She is a retired teacher and spends much of her time these days supporting and helping to manage a preschool and rescue center for children from Kibera. The ministry she works with, Sisters of St Vincent de Paul, focuses their efforts on orphans, especially those affected by HIV/AIDS. We visited the preschool, the rescue center, and Lucy's home on Monday afternoon -- a trip down memory lane for me, and a new experience for Karen and Bob.

During our visits, another friend, Irene -- the 15-yr-old girl who Jason and I have sponsored through Homeless Children International (http://www.teulekenya.org/) for several years -- joined us. The last time I met Irene, she was a very shy and quiet girl with only elementary English speaking skills. This time around, she was a confident, well-spoken young lady. We had just enough time to visit her home in the slum, a tiny shack the size of my bathroom. She lives with her Auntie Elizabeth, who sells ground nuts (peanuts) to support her own 4 children, as well as Irene and Irene's sister and brother. Without this kind auntie, Irene and her siblings would be on their own on the streets. Meeting Elizabeth was another highlight of this trip for me -- such a joyful and strong woman, doing the very best she can with what little she has, and praising God through it all. She gave me a necklace she had made before we left, a gesture which nearly moved me to tears.

With adventures in Kibera out of the way, we took one final trip to the Methodist Guest House to fetch our bags -- emptied of gifts for kids, and now refilled with purchases from curio shops and the Masai Market. We then headed out through Nairobi's rush hour traffic (the most insane circus of vehicles you will ever experience) to dinner, and the airport.

Josephine, Karen and I arrived back on US soil late Tuesday morning. Back home safe! Greg is enjoying a bit more time in Kenya with his daughter and son-in-law, and Bob stopped off in the Netherlands to spend one more week with his daughter's family (his wife, Janet, has also been staying there during our entire trip).