Saturday, May 31st - Youth Retreat in Malindi

As you can see, we've skipped an entire week of ministry since the last update. I'll fill those gaps in later when I have some pictures. For this installment, the pictures aren't all that great but it's what I got. I was having issues with working the camera and was really wishing for my photographer sister Robyn's assistance.

On Saturday, May 31st we woke up very early in the morning and traveled about 1hr north to the town of Malindi. Friday night the brakes on our rental van failed, so we got the privilege of taking a public matatu all the way. Thankfully, our friend Duncan Ziro arranged one that we filled up ourselves and that would take us directly to the Uzima Christian Training Center instead of dropping us off at the public bus stage and then having to find another means - probably a tuk-tuk, or lots of them - to get us to UCTC.

These are tuk-tuks in downtown Malindi. They are cute little 3 passenger vehicles that have suddenly appeared in Kenya since we moved away back in 2003. I "borrowed" this picture from the Internet, but thought it was a good view of the streets there.

Once we arrived at Uzima, we were greeted by the director of the training center Jeremiah Muramba. They had kindly prepared chai and bread for our breakfast and he oriented the students about the facility and the program for the day. This was a one-day youth seminar that had about 100 youth in attendance! This was a fantastic number considering school is still in session this time of year.

Youth from local churches came to Uzima for a weekend of encouragement, teaching and games. Fun was had by all!

This is Jeremiah leading the group in a few songs as the Aggies for Christ group prepared to teach.

Lindsey Waites got a chance to share her testimony and a 30 minute lesson with the group of students, as did the other AFC students. She and Crista both felt this was a great opportunity for them as ladies to prepare a lesson and give a testimony that they don't often get in the US.

Crista's going to kill me for posting this video...

Our American group quickly learned that Kenyan students have a much greater attention span than kids at home.

The sessions seemed to drone on for hours and hours and hours, didn't they Wade??

It wasn't boring for the Kenyan students at all. The AFC group prepared some awesome lessons and there was much time for games outside and other activities. It does get rather difficult, however, to participate in day-long events that are conducted in a language you don't understand!

"Hey, Mike! Dude, you got something really shiny hanging out your nose! You might oughta check that!"

While I didn't get any pics of it, we ate some great meals at Uzima. Beans and coconut rice for lunch was a big favorite among the AFC group. They were amazed at the portion size, however. Each of us got a HUGE helping of the steaming meal and only SOME of us were able to finish it!

I like this shot of Jeremiah. It appears he is focused on the best thing possible - the cross of Jesus.

Saturday, May 24th - Arrival in Kenya

I finally made it home from my trip to Kenya! It was a long journey home, but well worth it in the end. I had a great trip and was so thrilled to share it with 13 NMSU students and their campus minister, Greg Bowles. They were an incredible group of students and truly exemplified the spirit of Christian mission while in Kenya. I was proud to be with them (well, except for the matching T-shirts they all wore while traveling! :) I'm glad you guys were so excited!) and was blessed to show them the country and people that hold a special place in my heart.

On our trip we had two designated photographers and one videographer, so I didn't really take too many pictures. Until I get copies of those, I do want to share what I have as its fresh on my mind.

So - let's get started! I must make a disclaimer here - I like to take humorous shots occasionally, so if my lens found you in a compromising position, please don't be offended. I did it on purpose. Ha!

We arrived on Saturday, May 24th in Nairobi. After going to our guesthouse and cleaning up a bit, we took an afternoon game drive in Nairobi National Park. It's a game reserve right on the edge of a city of 3 million people - not sure you'd want to be in the suburbs here! And yes, there are lions in the park, though we didn't see them.


Looking out over the savanna - now where are those lions??


Our fearless leader Greg - contemplating how on earth he got himself into this mess.


Wow. I don't think you can get that close to a giraffe even in a zoo!


Rhino's are a rare sighting on any safari - and we saw 2!


What are they looking at, you ask? See the video clip below...




These Marabou Storks looked cool as silhouettes roosting on top of an Acacia Tree.


A really cool scene - wild Eland and Cape Buffalo with Nairobi City Center in the background.

Now that the required safari is out of the way, on to the real reason we came - the people!

3 minute phone calls!

Hi everyone, it's Jill again just letting you know that I've had a few short emails from Gabe and a couple of phone calls over the past week. I haven't gotten just a whole lot of information, since the phone calls have ranged between 3-5 minutes each, but it's great to hear from him and he says that it has been a really, really good trip. I know they have pushed themselves very hard and have had a busy schedule.

Only two days left, in a very rural area called Kaloleni, helping a church there to build a kitchen so they can host area-wide teaching events. The students will also be involved in a "bonding" experience with their assigned families, staying the night with them and being immersed in the culture.

When Gabe gets home, I know he will share his trip with you all via this blog, but for now, just wanted to update you that things are going well.

Today is our 12th Wedding Anniversary and I sure have missed Gabe! Can't wait to have him home...

Gabe on the Lunatic Express!

This is Jill, writing on Gabe's blog to update you on his trip: They arrived safely in Nairobi on Saturday morning and Gabe was able to call me later that day for a short phone call. They have spent a couple of days in Nairobi working with a slum area with a ministry that helps Street Children. This is an email he sent me about that experience:

"We are getting ready to head to the train for our ride to Mombasa. MITS (Made In The Streets) was great. It was difficult for all of us and the students were very moved by the experience. One of the guys at MITS did a debriefing with the group and there were lots of tears expressing how they were affected. We went out on foot and visited several of the locations where street boys congregate, shared testimonies and prayed for them. It was very shocking for most folks - especially when they heard there are poorer parts of Nairobi than Eastleigh. Thanks for your prayers - they were much appreciated. Nothing bad happened at all so I know we went under God's protection."

As he said, they should now be finished with their 14 hour overnight train ride from Nairobi to Mombasa. This train is called The Lunatic Express and is the railway that the movie 'The Ghost and the Darkness" was written about. You get on the train at 7 pm and after supper in the dining car, you sleep in your train car in little beds that fold down from the wall. It's a pretty neat (although somewhat dangerous, based on the wreck history the last few years!) experience. It's an economical way to travel and since you travel through the night, it is a good use of time.

The Lunatic Express

Train going through Tsavo Game Park

Train car where you sleep

I'll post more as I hear from Gabe. He should be in Kilifi now, which is where we lived for 4-5 years, so I know this will be the most special part of the trip for him - to see old friends and spend time with some of the brothers and sisters there who are very dear to us.

Thank you for your interest, and your prayers. Avery and I are being well taken care of with my family here in the Dallas area.

I'm Off!

Just a quick post to sign off for a while. I'm headed to El Paso today to meet up with the group, then tomorrow morning early we head to Denver, then London. We have 14 hours in London, then fly all night to Nairobi. Whew. It's a long trip, but well worth it!

I'll try to email and/or blog as I can to update you on my progress. Can't make any guarantees there will be much computer time, though. If you do need to email me, please use this address: kachejefwa@hotmail.com. It's much easier to check while I'm traveling.

Thanks for your prayers as I travel - both for my safety and for Jill and Avery!

Kenya Bound!

It's time to load up and head back to East Africa! This coming Wednesday I'll be heading out to Kenya for a 2 1/2 week excursion leading a group of ambitious university students from Las Cruces, NM on the mission adventure of a lifetime. This trip kind of sprung up on me - my former colleague from Kenya, Jaime Swift, called me up about a month ago and said his church was sending a group of college students to volunteer at the MCRC (Maarifa Chrisitan Resource Centres) that we helped begin years ago on the Coast. They had a better turn-out than expected and needed an additional "experienced" guide to come along. Of course I had to say yes! Thanks to the church there, the college minister Greg Bowles, Jaime and Intercede (the non-profit that continues to support and administer work at the MCRC locations in Kilifi and Kaloleni, I have yet another chance to continue my involvement with what God is doing along Coastal Kenya.

Please be in prayer for our group as we travel and try to be of service to our good friends in the Kilifi Area. God is good and we are looking for a grand time of serving our brothers and sisters!


The group from New Mexico State University.


A "dhow" is a traditional Kenyan boat commonly found along the coast where we will be working.


Our ministry will largely focus on helping MCRC, who in turns focuses on working with Kenyan youth.


The Board of MCRC has planned 2 weeks full of activities and we really appreciate their willingness to host us and get things organized! From left to right are: Fredrick Kaingu, John Kenga, Duncan Ziro, Daniel Kahindi, Mike Thethe and Luganje Nyale.

Avery's First Camping Adventure

Avery has been having lots of first lately. This weekend we decided to renew an old passion - camping out in the wilderness. I had a full set-up of gear when we lived in Kenya, but we chose to give all that stuff away to people who needed it more than we did when we moved home. It's been nearly 5 years now and we are just now able to afford replacing alot of the gear, but mostly Avery is now old enough to enjoy the experience!


We took a quick overnight trip to one of my favorite places in the Texas Panhandle - Caprock Canyons State Park near Quitaque, TX. It's a beautiful place, right on the edge of the Caprock and full of Canyons - as you might have guessed from the name!





One of my favorite parts is the fact that it is the home of one of the Texas State Bison Herds. The American Buffalo is one of my all time favorite animals and you can see them in the "wild" here at Caprock Canyons. They have recently added an interpretive center with a full-body mount of a buffalo and Avery was very impressed.




We decided to camp at the Little Red sites. They were atop the South Prong of the Little Red River. They were nice, secluded spots with a shelter and picnic table. Avery had the time of her life - as can be seen here "helping" to set up the tent. We actually picked a horrible evening to camp. Friday night the wind blew and blew hard as a Norther' crashed in. Every time you'd nod off, the tent would be whacked with a huge gust and feel like it was going to go sailing off into the nearby river. We had fun, anyway.





Whoa. The green wrinkly man popped in from the darkness...




One of the best parts was cooking out. There is a burn ban in effect, so we couldn't have the traditional campfire, but it was fun trying to come up with supper (Frito Pie) and breakfast (biscuits, sausage and eggs) over a gas burner in the WIND.




Saturday morning was actually gorgeous and we took about a 3 mile hike into the canyon. We traveled along the Canyon Loop Trail because it is wide and relatively easy - very important when you are pushing a 4 year old in a buggy. I was glad I went to the trouble to fix the 3 flats on her buggy - it made the hike really fun for her and I didn't have to carry her on my back the whole way!


We would love to explore some other parks in the area and would always love to have camping guests along! If you are interested, let us know and let's plan some quick weekend trips over the summer. There are lots of places within about a 2 hour drive so its easy to go after work on Friday and be back for church on Sunday - or stay all weekend!