On the 2nd of January I joined a party that was memorable. My housemate, friend and colleague Diane invited me to join her family for a safari. They were tired upon arrival from jet lag but after their 2 weeks of adventure in Kenya they will be tired from too much fun and adventure! I was honored to be able to join in their adventure for the first week and what a week it was. We started by heading towards Narok. As we dipped deeper into the Rift Valley giraffes were spotted as well as zebras and antelopes. Once arriving in Narok town we checked into the Chambai Hotel (basic but cozy and familiar) and got some much needed rest. The next day we went to our office to greet the staff, introduce the visitors, participate in their devotions, hold a staff meeting and Diane held a separate baraza (an opportunity to share and listen to issues that are not necessarily attached to an agenda) which is 
always a great time for the leadership to gain a feeling or pulse from the staff. After the meeting we started our long journey towards the Maasai Mara for our 3 day safari.
I won’t go into all the details but just know that before we got to our final destination we had switched vehicles 3 times and then on the way out of the Mara we had 6 different tire punctures! It was an adventure!
In between all that ‘fun’ we were able to stay in 2 different tented camps and go on a number of game rides spotting lions, elephants, buffalo and much, much more! Usually I wouldn’t talk much about the camps but I must in this case as I have discovered my new favorite, Mara Timbo! 
This luxurious camp is situated just next to a river which hosts 2 families of hippos! We loved our time there, especially the free 10-minutes massage and delicious meals, snacking on popcorn under the stars next to a camp fire - not to mention the huge and luxurious tents with a classy outside private bathtub! 
After our safari we were ready to visit some projects and spent a good portion of the day in 2 of the communities we serve in Kenya with our Nehemiah Program and Economic Development Program. I loved seeing the library we built, finally finished and it is the first of its kind in the district. We also spent some time visiting a few water projects and I got the satisfaction of seeing the newly finished bore hole
(deep drilled well) which is powered by a windmill. Finally we visited the village bank we built last year and saw it is doing well and is giving out loans and has a 100% repayment rate!
We ended the day again by checking in at the Chambai Hotel and then headed the next morning towards our next stop of Naivasha but stopped on the way to visit a pastor and to do a home visit with a family that is part of our Orphans and Vulnerable
Children (OVC) program. The mama we visited is being supported by the local church OVC committee who we trained and equipped. Also, she and her family are enjoying the shelter of the house we build for her. It was an honor to be in her home and to meet her beautiful son Bernard.
Following our OVC visit in the Suswa area we headed to Malu, a new place for all of us. This place is great but far, far from the main road. I think the road seemed worse since we had been in a car on rough roads for nearly a week. Malu provided for
us a quiet and peaceful place to rest in our own ‘tree house’. It is situated in a forest and we were entertained in the evenings and mornings by two families of monkeys- Colobus (the big black and white ones that look like skunks) and Sykes. We enjoyed amazing meals (some at their restaurant and some we prepared in our place. Also we went horseback riding and found Bob the local zebra who joined the herd of horses many years ago and has never left.
On our last day on the way back to Nairobi we took a detour to Lake Naivasha, where the group took a boat over to Crescent Island and enjoyed more hippos (but this time from the water) and many species of birds. We also took a moment to visit a different part of the lake that hosts many gorgeous pink flamingos.
We traveled hundreds of kilometers, took thousands of photos and took in many tasty calories while at the same time we learned more about each other, created many new memories and witnessed more of the great work World Concern is doing in the communities we serve. All in all, not a bad way to start the year!
Check out the pics- I have uploaded 50 on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=78760&l=ca334&id=544908254
always a great time for the leadership to gain a feeling or pulse from the staff. After the meeting we started our long journey towards the Maasai Mara for our 3 day safari. I won’t go into all the details but just know that before we got to our final destination we had switched vehicles 3 times and then on the way out of the Mara we had 6 different tire punctures! It was an adventure!
In between all that ‘fun’ we were able to stay in 2 different tented camps and go on a number of game rides spotting lions, elephants, buffalo and much, much more! Usually I wouldn’t talk much about the camps but I must in this case as I have discovered my new favorite, Mara Timbo! 
This luxurious camp is situated just next to a river which hosts 2 families of hippos! We loved our time there, especially the free 10-minutes massage and delicious meals, snacking on popcorn under the stars next to a camp fire - not to mention the huge and luxurious tents with a classy outside private bathtub! 
After our safari we were ready to visit some projects and spent a good portion of the day in 2 of the communities we serve in Kenya with our Nehemiah Program and Economic Development Program. I loved seeing the library we built, finally finished and it is the first of its kind in the district. We also spent some time visiting a few water projects and I got the satisfaction of seeing the newly finished bore hole
(deep drilled well) which is powered by a windmill. Finally we visited the village bank we built last year and saw it is doing well and is giving out loans and has a 100% repayment rate!We ended the day again by checking in at the Chambai Hotel and then headed the next morning towards our next stop of Naivasha but stopped on the way to visit a pastor and to do a home visit with a family that is part of our Orphans and Vulnerable
Children (OVC) program. The mama we visited is being supported by the local church OVC committee who we trained and equipped. Also, she and her family are enjoying the shelter of the house we build for her. It was an honor to be in her home and to meet her beautiful son Bernard. Following our OVC visit in the Suswa area we headed to Malu, a new place for all of us. This place is great but far, far from the main road. I think the road seemed worse since we had been in a car on rough roads for nearly a week. Malu provided for
us a quiet and peaceful place to rest in our own ‘tree house’. It is situated in a forest and we were entertained in the evenings and mornings by two families of monkeys- Colobus (the big black and white ones that look like skunks) and Sykes. We enjoyed amazing meals (some at their restaurant and some we prepared in our place. Also we went horseback riding and found Bob the local zebra who joined the herd of horses many years ago and has never left. On our last day on the way back to Nairobi we took a detour to Lake Naivasha, where the group took a boat over to Crescent Island and enjoyed more hippos (but this time from the water) and many species of birds. We also took a moment to visit a different part of the lake that hosts many gorgeous pink flamingos.
We traveled hundreds of kilometers, took thousands of photos and took in many tasty calories while at the same time we learned more about each other, created many new memories and witnessed more of the great work World Concern is doing in the communities we serve. All in all, not a bad way to start the year!
Check out the pics- I have uploaded 50 on Facebook
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=78760&l=ca334&id=544908254
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