Thursday, August 23, 2012

A Trip Through Rural Western Kenya

Earlier today Connor, Sutton, and I set out with Joel, Agape's chaplain, to visit six Agape boys who are home with family for the school break.  We left early, only got to see four of the boys, and got home late, but we had a great time!  As you'll see below, I think we spent half our time just trying to find the boys' homes!


While we only drove about 145 miles, the trip took us about 10 hours.  Driving in rural Kenya is always an adventure . . . a 4-wheel drive enthusiasts dream!


Three of Joel's church members were heading in the same direction as us and asked if we could give them a ride.  As an added bonus, they brought a live chicken and a box full of chicks . . . in other words, great distractions for Connor and Sutton (even though the chicks pooped all over the back seat).


Joel Asking for Directions #1


Connor hiking through a cornfield to get to Moses's house.


Moses Ouma, the first boy that we visited.


Moses's family's plot


This is Moses's mother's old home.  Moses's father passed away and left the family with very little.


Moses's mother's new home; culturally a woman cannot build a house on her own, so Moses's mother remarried a man in town who built this house for her.  He doesn't live here, though, because he has another family in town.


Moses and his mother inside their home.


Moses and his Mother


Joel Asking for Directions #2


Paul Ojanja's Family Plot


Paul (middle of the photo) with his mother and siblings.  His mother is probably the second or third wife.


Paul (on the right) and his family.  He was ready to begin living full-time at home, but his mother asked if he could finish out the school year at Agape, because it is sometimes difficult to get schools to accept new children mid-year.  We gladly agreed.


A few of the wives' houses in Paul's compound.


Our personal favorite house on Paul's compound.


Joel Asking for Directions #3


An old lady binds firewood together to carry home on her head.


Joel Asking for Directions #4


Some happy kids . . .


Daniel Akhwale at home . . . he wasn't a happy camper.


Daniel's mother and siblings.


Daniel (in the purple shirt) and his family.  We found Daniel returning from the Posho Mill with ground maize flour, a job culturally reserved for a girl.  This is probably why he was in a bad mood . . . just embarrassed.


Daniel's Home


A cute kid we came across . . .


Cute kid #2


Fredrick Adavua's home . . . sadly the family informed us that Fredrick spent about a week at home and then disappeared.  We're hoping that he'll show up at Agape in the next few days.  Please pray for Fredrick's safety.


William Siongor (white shirt in the front) with his grandfather's family and neighbors.  William has never met his mother and his father is in prison.  Please pray for William as he is Agape's most troubled and traumatized boy; he actually rode back to Agape with us so that he can begin intensive counseling.


One of William's neighbors house; i really like the painting on the side of the house.


Connor and the mtoto mchanga (baby)


Daniel's grandfather and great-grandmother.

Saturday, August 18, 2012

The Page Family US Tour - February-April 2013!!!!

Big news!!!  We went ahead and booked our plane tickets for our first furlough back in the US; we are so excited!  We'll arrive into Savannah, GA on February 4th and will be back in the US for about three months, returning to Kenya on April 28th.  We got an awesome deal; in addition to being able to use frequent flier miles for two tickets, we found tickets for $1,250 per person round trip!  God is good!!!

While home in the US, we will definitely take the opportunity to rest and relax with friends and family, but we will also be spreading the word about the work God is doing through Agape Children's Ministry in Kisumu, Kenya!  So, help us spread the word!!!  We welcome any opportunity to speak to your friends, families, Bible studies, civic groups, churches, or Sunday School classes.  We cannot wait to see you all in just 5 1/2 months!!!

 
We get to try out Ethiopian Airways on our trips to and from Nairobi.  One flight in particular will be especially interesting: Washington, DC direct to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  Amazing!!!  We can't wait until there are direct flights from the US to Nairobi!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

Seth's War Wound

Our visit to the pool this afternoon came to a quick conclusion when Seth ran over to me with a big gash on his ankle.  We wrapped his foot in a towel and drove home quickly.


We're going to take him to see Dr. Ruby tomorrow morning to see if he needs stitches.  In the interim, we put butterfly sutures and bandaids on it.


So now Seth gets the royal treatment: ice cream, kool-aid, popcorn, and cartoons!  Two separate quotes, "Mommy is my servant" and "This is the best day ever!"  Only from Seth . . . .

Saturday, August 11, 2012

Happy 1-Year Anniversary in Kenya!!!

Earlier this week, our family celebrated our first year anniversary in Kenya!  Hard to believe; time flies!!!  Here's a link to our monthly newsletter where we talk a little more about our first year in Kenya: