Well, Becky and I have began the second and longer part of our journey which is in Uganda..Waving goodbye to all the beautiful people and places we encountered and saw causes us to remember the highlights of our time in Mombasa, Kenya and look forward to the adventure still ahead of us. Our favorite mode of transportation is what Kenyans call "bodo, bodos" which happens to be a ride on the back of a bicycle. Unlike in America or England (except for maybe parts of Louisiana), the roads are filled with pot holes. But through each bump and jerk we remembered that God is present even in the bumpiest of times and believe it or not we enjoyed out daily morning rides to Happy Rock Children's Home. One important life skill we learned was how to change cloth diapers or napies. In Africa PAMPERS are a luxury item, not a necessity so the next best thing is a good ole piece of cloth which we found to work quite nicely although it takes a little more time and effort... Becky's favorite animals in Kenya are the mosquito and crocodile. Mosquitos in turn also love Becky. She must have sweeter blood than me but I am glad that it was mainly her that evangelized to the mosquitos by passing on the sweet saving blood of Jesus!! Our main ministry (if you call it that-we just like to refer to it as good ole fun) was playing with 16 beautiful children (some of which have AIDS). Now Happy Rock is different from a regular orphanage, because most of the children there have at least one parent. The goal and vision of the founders, Nelly and John, two years ago was to provide a home that enabled children to have a better quality of life and that is exactly what it is like. Walking into Happy Rock is like entering into one big family. The children are ensured a good education, hearty meals, clean clothes, love, and attention.There are six "mamas" who share in the job of watching the kids, a cook who prepares 3 meals a day and a snack, a laundry woman who cleans house and washes the numerous amount of clothes, and 3 men who help tend to the outside work and handy jobs. Most mornings we would play with the five younger ones: Grace, Sarah, Alex, Noel, and Joshua. Bubbles could entertain them for hours and holding them was like embracing cuddly teddy bears. Our favorite day with the older kids was beach day!!! Although at first it was frustrating trying to teach them to fly kites, once they learned they had a blast! We splashed around in the water and made turtle sand castles against the back drop of a beautiful white sand beach and clear blue sky and ocean. It reminded me that though many would see the ugliness of a country filled with corruption, poverty, and sickness, there was hope, love, and beauty. The God we serve is BIG and vast and He shows us that through thing like the smile of a child or the beauty of His creation. On our last day there and thanks to Wavertree Christian Fellowship, we where able to bless the mamas with a small relaxation gift of sweets, lotion, nail polish, soap, tea, and a small amount of money. These ladies dedicate so much time raising children that are not there on and we were so blessed by their kindness and beautiful spirits that we can only hope that we blessed them in some small way. We also attempted to bake brownies and a cake for the children. I would say that it was somewhat of a success for in a matter of minutes they were devoured. We thank God also for the lady who welcomed us there, our dear friend Petronilla who we met two years ago on our first time in kenya. She was so kind and it was soo nice to visit with her and to see what God is doing in her life. Well it is time to continue on! I wonder whats behind the next corner...Blessing and love to you all!!! christy
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