Southside Christian School in Kenya???

Is that a Southside Christian School bumper sticker on our truck in Kenya?  It's official, SCS is now international!  Thank you Team Winterstein for the letter and the bumper sticker!!!

Lyla & Connor model our new bumper sticker!

Go SCS Warriors!!!

Green Mamba!!!

Some of you may have seen the photos on Facebook already, but about a week ago Tammy heard a rustling in one of the flowerbeds in our yard.  Looking more closely, she saw a long, skinny green snake . . . a green mamba!!!  Now, when it comes to snakes, Tammy's approach is "shoot first, ask questions later."  Back in NC, she killed a couple snakes in our yard with a hoe.

In this instance, she yelled for our guard, Caleb.  While Tammy went running for a hoe, Caleb proceeded to beat the snake to death with a stick . . . that's how Kenyans kill snakes, by beating them with sticks.  Personally, I'd prefer a hoe, but I guess the average Kenyan probably has more snake killing experience than I do.  Here's a quick description of the green mamba:

The Eastern Green Mamba (Dendroaspis angusticeps) is a venomous snake related to the highly dangerous Black Mamba. The Green Mamba is less aggressive and smaller than the Black Mamba, they average around 6 feet. The Green Mamba's venom is also significantly less toxic, however a single bite could certainly be fatal to a human. Green mambas are highly arboreal and almost never touch the ground. They are generally found in south-eastern Africa. Like their name, Green Mambas are a lovely grass green color, but yellow when born.

Guest Writer: Brian Ogolla

Editor's Note:  Periodically, I'd like to begin introducing some guest writers on the blog.  Our first guest writer is Brian Ogolla.  I've let him commandeer my desk!


Hi, my name is Brian Ogolla.  I am 13 years old.  My home is in Judea in Manyatta in Kisumu.  My favorite food is kuku (chicken) with chapatis (kind of like tortillas).  I like playing football and tether ball.  My favorite subjects are math and science.  When I grow up, I want to be a footballer.  I love you all!  Thank you!

Kuku & Chapatis

Our Newest Friends at Agape

Hello!  Sorry that it has been a while since I've provided an update on the boys at Agape.  Over the past two weeks we've had seven new boys leave life on the street to join us at our Kisumu campus.  Please keep these boys in your prayers!!!

A few of our boys goof off with Abel Omondi.  Abel runs Agape's Outreach Program which works to get boys off of the street.

Benard Owino, Age 11

Fredrick Onyango, Age 14 (arrived yesterday)

Brian Omondi, Age 10

Alvin Otieno, Age 13

Alvin Mugoa, Age 13

Collins Onyango, Age 13 (arrived today)

Reuben Ocholla, Age 11 (arrived today)

Cheesy Babas!!! (Funny Boys)

Ooops!

I guess Lyla smuggled a pen into her bed before bedtime . . . .

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Yesterday, we celebrated our first Thanksgiving in Kenya with a group of about 65 friends from around the globe.  Thanksgiving may be an American holiday, but that didn't stop the Kenyans, Ugandans, South Africans, Australians, Germans, and British from joining us on this awesome day of thanks!  We had a wonderful time!  Here are a few photos of our Thanksgiving.

All ready for some turkey!

Setting up tents from Thanksgiving lunch.

May as well start with the dessert table!

The Thanksgiving spread . . . .

. . . continues on and on . . .

Everyone gathering for prayer . . .

Peter, a missionary from the UK, sharing prior to lunch.

Seth with some of his new friends.

The kids get ready to dig in!

I named this attraction at the playground "Tetanus Truck" . . .

. . . and this one "Fort Rusty Nail."

Tow Mater???

New Boys at Agape

We had two new boys leave the streets and join us at Agape earlier this week.  Please keep Kevin and Larent in your prayers as they get comfortable in their surroundings at Agape!

Kevin Otieno, Age 10

Larent Ananda, Age 12

Also, please keep the 800 other boys that will sleep on the streets tonight in Kisumu.  God Bless!

Goody Box from the US!!!!

We just got our first care package from the US, and as you'd guess the kids were pretty excited.  A big thanks to the Lowders for the Debbie Cakes, candy, and other junk food from the US!!!

A Trip to the Farm

Thursday morning, Sutton and I took seven of our older boys on a 4-hour trip to visit the Farm, Agape's Vocational Training Center in Matoso.  As I've mentioned in other posts, Agape sends a few boys every year to the farm to begin training as carpenters, masons, or diesel mechanics.  The boys in the photo below are all around 15 or 16 and have decided to pursue this track for their future careers.  Because they had never seen the Farm, I decided to take them for a quick trip to visit prior to their moving there full-time in January.

The band of travelers prepare for their journey: Sutton, Nicodemus, Simon, Brian, Michael, Alphonce, Zedekiah, Moses, and Chris

So, travelling by car in Kenya is quite an adventure.  The first challenge is finding a route with good roads, because some Kenyan road are in horrible shape . . .  some of the potholes look more like bomb craters!  Next, once you find a good road, you have to be very alert driving, because families and villages like putting speed bumps in the middle of nowhere!  There was one instance where I was driving at a brisk (but safe) pace, when I had to slam on my brakes to avoid hitting a speed bump.  There were a few times when I probably hit the speed bump a little harder than necessary!  Needless to say, it's a little stressful!

The Route to Matoso - driving south we come within 20 minutes of Tanzania.

So, outside of Homa Bay (see above), there was a lot of road work, and the road was completely dirt. We got stuck behind a large bus, so I decide to try to pass the bus . . . . unbeknownst to me, there was a huge pothole in the middle of the road (more like one of those bomb craters I mentioned), and we slammed right into the hole . . . . stuck!  I was about to shift into 4WD, but I looked up, and about 10 guys jumped off of the bus and casually lifted the front of my truck out of the hole (with 9 passengers inside)!  After paying a nominal fee for their help, we were on our way again!  The road to Matoso is paved until you reach Migori, but the last hour of the trip, we were on dirt roads.  For you off-road enthusiasts, Kenya is the place to be!  Anyway, we made it safely in about 4 hours . . . not a bad trip!

Now, Matoso is a beautiful fishing village, right on the shores of Lake Victoria.  The boys and I had a great time helping the local villagers pull in their fishing nets.  Please pray for the people of Matoso, though, as close to 80% of the population is HIV positive.

Upon our arrival, our hosts, Steve and Betty Bishop, threw a big party for us and the boys at the Farm . . . cake, candy, games . . . we had a blast!

A view from the Farm.

A local boy playing near the lake.

A local woman washes her clothes in the lake.

Ugingo Island - the site of a turf battle between Uganda and Kenya.

Another view from the Farm.

A beautiful place!

Local birds

Fishermen mending their nets

These birds were huge, standing around 4-feet tall.  Their wingspan was around 7-feet!

Beautiful bird . . . annoying call!

The shamba (garden) at the farm.

Papayas the size of bowling balls!

Our new tilapia pond, which should generate 1,000 mature fish every 3 months!

The masonry class is working on the foundation of the new dining hall!

Simon lends a helping hand.

Nicodemus and Zedekiah monitoring the masonry work.

One of the diesel mechanic students.

Carpentry Class

One of the carpenters shows off his work.

The group hanging out by the lake.

More goofing off!

Some local boys swimming in the lake.

Group Photo!

The staff at the Farm

Sutton helping out with the pinata!

Limbo!

A game of football!

 Tug-O-War!!!

Pinata!