Pics: Africa Road Trips!

Going to Rural Kenya!

So we rented a car (which reminded me of my own car back home, but the steering wheel was on the other side); and took back-to-back trips...
the 1st one, a day long DRIVING trip around Mt. Kenya... seriously, we were in the car for 12 hours!!!!! it was amazingly beautiful, but the next time i go, i will definitely plan some extra time to do some hiking... we just had to drive b/c we ran out of time! 


Our team was Susan (host mom), Winnie, Kelvin, (2 friends from church) and me! I thought the sign for the toilet was fun, and seriously, that was a 20 ft pit, hand dug!, that was the potty... i'm sure more for guys than girls, b/c i would have fallen down it, had i attempted to use the facility! :) they also had a smaller hole in the ground inside a shed, which was nice.

They grow a lot of maize up there; sorry, my african friends, i do prefer our sweet corn to the maize!!! maize tastes like lima beans on a corn cob. and i really didn't like lima beans so much growing up; i can handle them politely as an adult now, but definitely like my dear Indiana sweet corn best!! :) 


Those are some side markets that are along the roads - some very colorful, others more rickety looking. There's a petrol (gas) station; yes, there are gas stations in africa! My host family was laughing, one visitor was shocked to see one... but i told them most americans just have a view of Africa of starving children in grass huts with flies around their eyes... we don't see pictures of the cities or business people in suits or streets or gas stations... so we don't know. 


The next day, I woke up sick (sore throat and stuffy sinuses)... but we went anyway, and i'm glad... it was a wonderful 2 days in "up country"... what they call rural kenya. Susan's parents live there and they were wonderful hosts!!! amazing food and a BEAUTIFUL farm... 


The small house is their 29 year old son's; he built it himself, its really nice. The parents house is a really beautiful house w/ 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, and 2 front rooms. I told them i think they should have guests come out and "experience a day/week in the country"... their property is so beautiful and so is their home; do you see the neat crops? Every one was planted so nicely, so NEAT. wow. 


No electricity out there yet, but that's ok, we talked around lantern light and went to bed around 9pm, it was wonderful. The next day we walked 15 min to church thru beautiful land, and had a PARTY in church!!!! dancing, playing drums, giving my greeting to the church, it was FUN!!!! they were all so kind; i was the only 'mazoongu' in the place (that's african for 'white girl'). 


(Actually there's LOTS of languages in africa, and most of them know 3, if not more!!! mother tongue, ki-swahili, and English... sheesh. I'm good with English, and a little Spanish... other countries do such a good job w/ multiple languages!) 


That's the cool way African women carry their babies, so the don't spend $50 on a baby carrier; a piece of fabric!!! nice!! There's me w/ the whole family - can you find me?? :) 


And finally, the beautiful burst of light coming thru the clouds when we were driving home... that weekend was significant... i was getting really tired of traveling, saying that it felt like i was doing a mile run (like i used to run in high school track) and being on lap 3. Almost done, but not to the final lap 4 yet... and you're just TIRED... i was at month 8 of travel and i still had 3 left... great, yes, but exhausting. 


Well, that weekend, it felt like God pushed me to cross the line for the start of the 4th lap; the 'gun' went off (that's what they do in track) and i was filled with new energy for the final lap. That is amazing. Such a gift from Him. 


I think it was a combination of a few things: 1) surrendering my struggles on various issues to Him 2) enjoying the fresh outdoor country air - no city pollution/traffic/ect! 3) praying in church, God you know i'm tired, but i'm going to keep taking a step forward and seeing if you open doors... if you open them, i'll keep stepping, if you shut them, and shut all of them, i'll go home. 4) listening to the recording of the Family radio interview on the drive home, being reminded of God's faithfulness 5) Having my new friend from Egypt call me on my cell phone on my ride home, telling me she was excited i was coming to Egypt and that she was looking to help me with everything once i arrived and even pick me up from the airport!!! (Egypt up to that point was unknown... didn't have contacts before that, nothing was opening up...) And that all came because of the flight i took "late" from Joburg to Kenya!!! God is AMAZING. 6) Seeing the beautiful beautiful sun shoot thru the clouds right at that time, like God was saying, "Ericka, I see you." The God who sees. That is AMAZING. WONDERFUL. We can live and have hope because of that!!! Not only does He see, but He knows, He cares, He moves and acts on our behalf. He is such an amazing God (and DAD).