Kenya - Part 4 Slideshow

Short slideshow of some pics I took while in Kenya. Thanks to everyone for their prayers and support.

Kenya - Part 3

Kids love to see pictures of themselves. Whether in Washington, DC or Eburru, Kenya they share the same enthusiasm for seeing themselves and their friends in photos. However, the opportunity for children in the rural farms of Eburru to have a single picture of themselves to keep is unlikely. Before I left for Kenya I purchased a portable printer that also had a battery attached to it so I could print some pics for the kids while I was there. The battery was key since where I was staying had no electricity. With the permission of the teachers I arranged to take school photos of all the students on thursday and on friday afternoon at 3pm I would deliver the prints to the students so they could have their own 4x6 of themselves to take home and share with their family. Simple plan and I had all the bases covered - I thought.

I captured the images on thursday and all the kids (well most) were extremely excited to get their photos taken. Some could barely hold a smile without cracking up. The easy part was done. Now I just needed to print them. However, I failed to realize that my fully charged battery would only have enough juice for about 1/3 the photos I needed to print. I learned this about 9pm Thursday night. So, Friday AM I borrowed a small nearby generator to print out the rest. But the generator died with about 30 pics to go and I needed to head to school to lead chapel service in a few minutes. I went to school and lead service then walked to town (a pleasant 60 min hike uphill at 10k ft in the blazing African sun – details for dramatic effect) where I plugged in my printer at a barber shop that had electricity and a battery charging business on the side. However, I left my memory card with the pics in my hut. Are you kidding me? Really- so stupid. I begged for a ride on a motorbike back to my hut and then back up to town and Kurt graciously agreed. Back at the barber shop I started printing my photos. A crowd grew to about a dozen as they watched ever single image come out of the printer. We had a good laugh at the pics (most of them knew the kids) and I was on my way. I now had 1 hour to hike down to my hut, drop off my printer and walk to school to deliver the pics before the end of school. As always God delivered me with the pics right on time. This was so reminiscent of the way my life is in the US that its scary.

I gave the prints to each of the teachers and sat in while they handed them out. The teachers would announce a student, show their photo for the whole class, everyone would break out into hysterical laughing, and the student would bashfully come to the front to collect their picture. It was an awesome time. Such a simple gift that these kids really loved. One of the last images I have from the day was seeing a whole bunch of the kindergarteners walking home with their backpacks on and their photos in hand, staring at them as they plodded along.

Kenya - Part 2

(Pictures from top to bottom: Three students from CBM school walking home, CBM Schoolhouse, teacher Miss Eva and her kindergarten class, two girls enjoying their lunch and Rachel preparing lunch for school)

Sitting in a field watching cattle. That's often the alternative to being in school for children in Eburru, Kenya. Education and nutrition were two major needs that Camp Brethren Ministries saw that needed to be addressed. The existing government run schools in town were not providing the level of teaching that these children desperately needed. Not to mention for many children school of any sort is not an option due to tuition fees required. In addition to education, daily nourishment for children in Eburru had become a major problem. Eburru had suffered a severe drought from 2006-2009, which in a town that depends almost entirely on agriculture to survive can spell devastation.

With the help of David's Hope International, Camp Brethren Ministries has established a school in Eburru to address the educational needs of the children they desperately needed and desired. In the past year school classrooms have been constructed, teachers hired and school conducted for over 120 kids. I spent many days at CBM school while I was in Eburru and it is remarkably similar to elementary school in America. One afternoon I sat in the 4^th grade class as Miss Eunice taught on liquids and solids. One trait that seems to transcend cultures is the desire for students to showcase their knowledge before their peers and teacher. As they reviewed yesterdays homework almost every child's hand shot up as they pleaded almost in desperation for Miss Eunice to call on them so they could share their answer – followed by a proud smile.

The school also provides a nutritional meal for every student at the school. Rachel is the “cafeteria” cook and provides lunch for all students and faculty every afternoon around 1:30pm. Much of the food is cooked via a wood burning fireplace and is typically a stew of some sort. The meals are carefully planned to ensure that they are providing desperately needed nutrients and protein. The majority of the food prepared for the students is grown on the farm land owned by CBM and one goal of CBM is to be able to provide 100% of the meals from CBM farms and animals.

Kenya - Part 1

Last week I returned from a trip to Kenya. I went on behalf of David's Hope International and was serving with a local pastor and friend, Steve Njenga. It was the second time I have visited Kenya and the first time in 4+ years. Most of my time was focused around work going on in a small, rural, mountainside community called Eburru. Its situated about 3 hours southwest of Nairobi, surrounded by farm land and accessed via a single dirt road. David's Hope International has formed a partnership with Pastor Steve and a local ministry called Camp Brethren Ministries to care for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the children in Eburru all in the name of Jesus Christ.

I plan to share several stories and photos from my time in Kenya over the next several days via this blog. Once you get out of the traffic and pollution of Nairobi, Kenya is a naturally beautiful place from the Mountainous peaks to the friendly locals to the exotic wildlife. There is no room for the bland or nondescript. Below is a variety of sights I encountered in Eburru.

From top to bottom: Plateau in Eburru, John, flamingos migrating from Nakuru to Naivasha, starry night, bird in an old barn.

OBX-ing 2010

Yep, went to the outerbanks of NC for the annual end of summer vacation. Great times. Missed hurricane Earl by a few days and with it apparently some epic wave conditions. But we had some fun times riding small swell and better times cold kicking it all week. Made a trip down to Rodanthe for a day of fish tacos at Top Dog and an afternoon at the beach. This year we rented a house that didn't model their living room furniture after San Quentin prison. It was actually pleasurable to sit on the couch. Definitely a bonus when on vacation. Below are some pics from the vacation.

Daybreak Photobooth

I volunteered last weekend by setting up a photobooth at a back to school carnival in Lincoln Heights, DC. Daybreak ministries sponsored the carnival and was able to provide over 400 kids from Lincoln Heights with backpacks filled with school supplies. Alongside carnival games, rides and food I setup a photobooth and a printer and took portraits. For two tickets you got a 4x6 portrait to take home with you. There was a big turnout for people wanting pictures of themselves and family members. We had many return customers, at times perhaps too many. We got deep in the weeds when the generator ran out of gas, the printer ran out of ink and we we had to relocate by the DJ area. Our patrons stuck by us and it was hard to turn many of them away at closing time. All around an excellent day. Here are a few of my favorites.

Gohlke-Gardiner Wedding

I had the privilege of capturing my friends Elisabeth and Tim's wedding in June. It was a beautiful wedding and reception in Vienna, VA. Below are some images from the day. Congrats Mr. and Mrs. G!