MASAI MARA :)

Here are a few pictures from the 2 1/2 days that we were at Fairmont.  The first two days were rainy... Which made it extremely cold and also difficult to get as many good pictures.  It still was wonderful tho!  We had so much fun and made so many memories!! 

We did get to see the "big five," but our leopard loping off into the brush at dusk just hardly qualified.  We would have loved to have seen more elephants, but they did a ridiculously good job of staying in hiding.  I was personally REALLY disappointed to not see a male lion... He was spotted by others, but we didn't get to see any... We did get to see lots of lionesses and a bunch of cubs...including some that were 2 weeks old!  :)  Just the week before, she was carrying them in her mouth, but when we saw her moving them to a new spot this time, they were tumbling along on their own.  Such tiny, adorable, playful things!!  We also had a lot of good cheetah sightings which was fun... Anyway, here are a few pictures...

On the way home again...

No Longer an Orphan

On Tuesday, September the 6th, I flew into Nairobi TO MEET MY PARENTS.  I was truly on CLOUD 9!! :) We got to Hampton House soon after midnight and crashed for the night.  Wednesday morning, after breakfast at Java House, we headed back to Kisumu with Jake's family and his parents who were also visiting.  

Walking to Java House

Tea fields

Sooo many hours on the road with these little guys :)

Thursday and Friday, we had joint unit meeting/orientation with the Nakuru compound, so there was a lot on the go around this place... It was just great finally getting to be with my parents and show them around!  Friday evening, after the Nakuru folks had mostly all left, the three of us headed to the lake for supper...

Janell Stoltzfus~Nakuru social worker... we were kinda sorta matchy and stuff...

Kisumu & Nakuru youth... We need Sylvia on here yet! :)

Unit Mtg & friends you don't always get to hang out with...

When the guys help with the dishes...

Saturday was a day of running around... We spent a good part of the morning walking around Kibuye Market, then we stopped here and there and <just about> everywhere.  I loved introducing them to my friends all over the place.  We headed to the lake again for supper and the sunset...

 Sunday was a fairly normal day, with choir and instruction class before church, then Sunday School and the sermon.  Joe and Glenda were with us for lunch.  One thing for sure, I forget how much I grow accustomed to the driving and other unique cultural sights.  It was so much fun to view everything with a semi-"new perspective" all over again... :)

Pastor Joe's helpers

Baba James devoting for us at church...

Monday was our famous chicken butchering day, so we were up and at it bright and early...  The plucker quit working and other things were rather slow so it seemed as if we weren't going to ever get done!  We did eventually get finished, but brunch turned into lunch instead.  We went to Luanda in the afternoon and did some errands in town, cut and packaged chicken for the freezer, talked with my kid's club girls, did laundry, and spent the evening at Dean's for supper.

Tuesday and Wednesday were school days again... and Wednesday afternoon, we headed off for Bible Study at Zilpah's... :) 

Caroline and Joyce with my mom :) 

Tiffany and Tabitha

And then.... Thursday morning, we headed off bright and early to the Mara!  :)  Those pictures will be up next... :)