It has been one year since I visited the beautiful country of Kenya, East Africa. I cannot believe I've been gone that long!! The new Cornerstone team is there now, enjoying all the blessings from the beautiful kids of Huruma. Oh how I long to be with them. I have to admit I am jealous! I want to be there too, getting to know my kids (Kevin, Gladys and Naitore) even better than I do now. They have taken up a part of my heart that I never knew existed. I've never had my own kids, and to be honest with you, I never wanted any. But these beautiful children have affected me for life. I couldn't have asked for anything better! I truly hope that everyone on the team that is there now come home with the same "life changing" feelings that I did. They are SO good!! I will be going back next year, so I hope that this next year that I have to wait will go as fast as this year that has already passed!!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Friday, July 18, 2008
heading home
well................................ it's friday, july 18th at around 12:30 in the afternoon and we are packing our things up to leave. most of us got to have a shower, until the water ran out. now we have a few girls that are waiting to see if they can get showered before we leave.
mama zipporah is cooking us a large meal to eat with the kids before we leave. some kind of stew with rice. it's a special meal that they only prepare for christmas and weddings. mama took me into the kitchen to see where she was preparing the meal. there are 3 large pots, and i am talking LARGE pots that are cooking over the fire. YES fire!!!!!!!!!!! they cook on fire pits. i was in the house last night seeing how the kids prepare for the evening and some of the girls were chopping the carrots, onions and other vegetables with these big butcher knives. we in america would have been horrified to see what they use. the boys were cutting up the meat. the kids here share all of the responsibilities and they DON'T complain about it. i am serious. it's absolutley one of the most amazing things that i have seen here.
anyway, we will eat lunch and then prepare to leave on the bus at 5:00. i know that i will do a lot of crying so i'm not looking forward to that. after we leave we are headed for a store where we can buy some stuff before heading to the airport. our plane leaves at midnight :(
hopefully i will get some sleep. we are planning to go into london tomorrow beacuase we have an 8 hour layover. that should be fun! then on the plane again to chicago and then HOME!!!! we get in at 9;30 saturday night.
i can't wait to show you all my pictures!! it's been an unbelievable experience and i thank all of you who sponsored my financially/prayed for me. these children were loved every hour of every day becuase of you!!!
see you soon!
love you,
Garnette
Thursday, July 17, 2008
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
a quick update
Well, it's 11:30 pm and we just got back from "Carnivore" this really cool restaraunt that was outside. this whole time i have not had one mosquito bite, until tonight when i got three bites while at dinner. i guess it's only fair since i'm eating all the kind of meat you can ever imagine. i guess the mosquitos need to eat too!!! I AM STUFFED AND VERY TIRED!!
tomorrow is a work day for finishing up construction projects. we have a lot to get done so it will be a long day. we also have to work on Friday before we leave and HOPEFULLY i'll get to take a shower before we leave for the airport. we only have 2 days left, as we leave on Friday night at 8:00 pm for the airport. our plane takes off at 11:30 pm and then get into Britian the next morning. we have an 8 hour layover, so we are going to try and do something. hopefully nothing fancy since i won't have any nice clothes to wear. most of them i will be leaving here for the kids.
anyway..... i really am excited to get home and hug my honey!! AND see my mom who will be there to take care of me. oh yes mom, i have gotten a sore throat and stuffy nose. me and everyone else on the trip!!
i need to go to bed now. love to you all.
gar
tomorrow is a work day for finishing up construction projects. we have a lot to get done so it will be a long day. we also have to work on Friday before we leave and HOPEFULLY i'll get to take a shower before we leave for the airport. we only have 2 days left, as we leave on Friday night at 8:00 pm for the airport. our plane takes off at 11:30 pm and then get into Britian the next morning. we have an 8 hour layover, so we are going to try and do something. hopefully nothing fancy since i won't have any nice clothes to wear. most of them i will be leaving here for the kids.
anyway..... i really am excited to get home and hug my honey!! AND see my mom who will be there to take care of me. oh yes mom, i have gotten a sore throat and stuffy nose. me and everyone else on the trip!!
i need to go to bed now. love to you all.
gar
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Hi there,
I've got a few minutes to update you on what's been going on since last Saturday.
On Sunday we had church for 2 1/2 hours and then we ate lunch and gathered up for a long walk. We walked about 2 miles, on the main road with all the cars, with some of the Huruma children to the town of Ngong were we visited a slum. BOY was that an eye opener. It smelled so bad. There was garbage everywhere and kids running around only have dressed and no shoes and dirt from head to toe. Their parents were no where to be found, because nine times out of ten they were drinking somewhere. We sang songs and told them that God loves them and then handed out bread and milk to them. This could have been their only meal for the day for some of them. It was a tear jerker, really.
On Monday we started our Camp Huruma for the kids that are ages 10 and up. It started at 8:00 in the morning and didn't finish until 10:00 last night. I'm exhausted. We had electives for them to do, so they could sign up for things like learning how to juggle, line dancing, acrobatics, art, self image, drama. We were supposed to be able to have some electives yesterday and then go outside and play some games and then have some more electives on Wednesday, but due to the rain we were forced to stay inside. The dirt here is like glue and sticks to your shoes. I grew 3" in height just walking from one end of the field to the other. We had a bon fire last night (a first for most of the kids) and then we had a movie with popcorn. THEY LOVED IT!!!
Today we have been doing field games and an obstical course, since it's not raining. I am not complaining, but it is pretty cold here!! We are all freezing here because we didn't bring warm enough clothing. We'll live though. The kids have no heat and they are sleeping in their classrooms with no windows. UGH!!!
Our camp finishes up tomorrow and we get to spend half of the day "cleaning ourselves up". Like taking a shower!! I'm so dirty and smelly!! We are going to a nice place for dinner tomorrow night so I can't wait. Since our cooks have been up at the camp cooking for the kids, we don't have anyone to cook for us. That sounds horrible, but they dont' have stuff to cook with like we do at home. Sooooooo, we have been eating cereal, bread w/ peanut butter and jam, and lots and lots of tea!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE MILK AND SOME PIZZA. Not at the same time though. Oh yeah, and a REALLY long bath :)
Well, I'm going to sign off now. One of the girls is letting me use her laptop so I want to give it back to her.
Lots of love to you all and I miss you!!
Gar
I've got a few minutes to update you on what's been going on since last Saturday.
On Sunday we had church for 2 1/2 hours and then we ate lunch and gathered up for a long walk. We walked about 2 miles, on the main road with all the cars, with some of the Huruma children to the town of Ngong were we visited a slum. BOY was that an eye opener. It smelled so bad. There was garbage everywhere and kids running around only have dressed and no shoes and dirt from head to toe. Their parents were no where to be found, because nine times out of ten they were drinking somewhere. We sang songs and told them that God loves them and then handed out bread and milk to them. This could have been their only meal for the day for some of them. It was a tear jerker, really.
On Monday we started our Camp Huruma for the kids that are ages 10 and up. It started at 8:00 in the morning and didn't finish until 10:00 last night. I'm exhausted. We had electives for them to do, so they could sign up for things like learning how to juggle, line dancing, acrobatics, art, self image, drama. We were supposed to be able to have some electives yesterday and then go outside and play some games and then have some more electives on Wednesday, but due to the rain we were forced to stay inside. The dirt here is like glue and sticks to your shoes. I grew 3" in height just walking from one end of the field to the other. We had a bon fire last night (a first for most of the kids) and then we had a movie with popcorn. THEY LOVED IT!!!
Today we have been doing field games and an obstical course, since it's not raining. I am not complaining, but it is pretty cold here!! We are all freezing here because we didn't bring warm enough clothing. We'll live though. The kids have no heat and they are sleeping in their classrooms with no windows. UGH!!!
Our camp finishes up tomorrow and we get to spend half of the day "cleaning ourselves up". Like taking a shower!! I'm so dirty and smelly!! We are going to a nice place for dinner tomorrow night so I can't wait. Since our cooks have been up at the camp cooking for the kids, we don't have anyone to cook for us. That sounds horrible, but they dont' have stuff to cook with like we do at home. Sooooooo, we have been eating cereal, bread w/ peanut butter and jam, and lots and lots of tea!!!! I CAN'T WAIT TO HAVE MILK AND SOME PIZZA. Not at the same time though. Oh yeah, and a REALLY long bath :)
Well, I'm going to sign off now. One of the girls is letting me use her laptop so I want to give it back to her.
Lots of love to you all and I miss you!!
Gar
Saturday, July 12, 2008
our 3 day safari
wow, wow, wow..................... amazing, amazing, amazing................ beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.....................
i just don't know what else i can say about the 3 day safari that i just came back from.
we left huruma early on thursday morning for our journey. FINALLY arrived at the Masai Mara at around 4:00 in the afternoon. it was a very long and very bumpy ride. THE most bumpy ride i have ever endured. they really don't have any nice roads here. in fact pavement is rare to find, and even when you find it, it will have potholes the size of an elephant in it all over the place. our driver had to drive from one side of the road to the other to keep us going. of course, we are driving on the left side of the road here, so everythings backwards to our way of thinking. even when you walk. i find myself on the right side coming upon someone end then at the last minute switching to the left side. they are probably thinking "dumb american" :)
anyway, when the our driver is driving all over the road, so is everyone else. it's pretty scatterbrained. and then all the people walking on the roads and the side of the roads and they are not afraid of the cars. cars are first here, not people or animals, so you just better get out of the way.
back to the safari now, we arrived at our base camp just outside the masai mara national preserve. it's a park to preserve the animals, so of course no hunting is allowed. it is HUGE. we unpacked and were taken to our tents. permanent tents with a permanent structure over them (tin roofs). they have 2 twin beds (w/ mattresses) and then in the back you walk through the back of the tent and there is a flushable "western" toilet and a sink and shower. NICE. The lights turn on at 6:00 am in the morning and from 6:00 to 10:30 at night. We get our stuff in the tent and then head down to the dining room for a cup of tea. then off on safari we go.
we don't have much time because the park closes at 6:00. right off the bat it starts pouring down rain. we are in 4 wheel drive mini vans, yep MINI vans. the tops pop up and you can stand up in them. we were getting soaked w/ rain, but then there they were, our first animal siting inside the park.......... ELEPHANTS!! there were about 8 of them. 3 of them were babies. they were SO cool. absolutely amazing.
i do have to step back a minute because we did see some animals outside the masi mara. we saw zebras, gazelles, and the all mighty giraffe!!!
back to the elephants..... what an amazing animal. they are so huge. we stayed there for awhile and took pictures. then off we go. we just drive all over the mara, not even on roads, just out in the bush. we never got stuck or anything. our driver was the best. we were the lead van so we got to see almost everything first. there were 4 vans and what they do is spread out to track the animals. they have radios so when someone sees something we can all come running to see it. after a little bit of time we had to go back because the mara was closing. we got back to camp and had a great dinner in the dining hall. after dinner we went to the campfire where some men from the Masai tribe danced for us. this is the tribe that wear the bright red blankets and they jump really high. off to bed after than for a "good" nights sleep. i was awake most of the night so i was trying to listen for animals. the Masai tribe were our security cops. we were safe. i never felt worried about anything. in the middle of the night i peered out my window in the tent to look up at the sky. it had cleared and the stars were INCREDIBLE.
The next day we were up and had breakfast and out on the mara by 7:45. first thing we get to see.................. a lioness with her zebra kill. dragging it between her legs. she was exhausted. then we see where she is bringing it.... to another lioness and her 2 baby cubs. OH WERE THEY SO CUTE!!. we were literally less than 15 feet from these animals just admiring them in their environment.
well, i've realized that i could be posting for another hour to tell you all about it, so i'm just going to tell you what i saw and leave it at that. i'll fill you in on all the stories when i get back.
i saw: zebras, lions (male, female and babies), elephants, giraffe's, hippos, crocadiles, wildabeats (gnu), hartbeast, warthogs, waterbuffalo, cheetahs, impalas, gazelles, all kinds of birds and many more that i can't think of right now. we pretty much saw everything except for the rhino and the leapord.
back to huruma we head on saturday afternoon, but not before we get to visit a Masai village. we learned all about the Masai and thier culture. we even got to go into their homes. these people build their homes out of cow dung and sticks. the women do all of the construction, as well as take care of all of the babies, clean, wash clothes and cook. the men hunt. no wonder us woman are so used to doing everything............... it started that way a LONG time ago :)
anyway, after that we started our long bumpy journey back to huruma. COVERED from head to toe with dust, because remember i said that most of the roads are dirt, we arrived safely back "home". the warm shower i took last night never felt better in my life.
it is sunday morning now and we have church (2-3 hours) and then some down time. i need to update my journal and then go find Kevin, my sponsored child, and spend some time with him. he is very shy.
i hoped you enjoyed this reading and i'll try to post more later on in the week. i get home this coming saturday night. i can't wait to see my husband (and my cats) and my mom, who will be there to greet me at the airport!! I am SO blessed by all of my family. thank you all for supporting me on this! it truly has been blessing to my heart and to the kids of huruma!!
love you!!
Gar
i just don't know what else i can say about the 3 day safari that i just came back from.
we left huruma early on thursday morning for our journey. FINALLY arrived at the Masai Mara at around 4:00 in the afternoon. it was a very long and very bumpy ride. THE most bumpy ride i have ever endured. they really don't have any nice roads here. in fact pavement is rare to find, and even when you find it, it will have potholes the size of an elephant in it all over the place. our driver had to drive from one side of the road to the other to keep us going. of course, we are driving on the left side of the road here, so everythings backwards to our way of thinking. even when you walk. i find myself on the right side coming upon someone end then at the last minute switching to the left side. they are probably thinking "dumb american" :)
anyway, when the our driver is driving all over the road, so is everyone else. it's pretty scatterbrained. and then all the people walking on the roads and the side of the roads and they are not afraid of the cars. cars are first here, not people or animals, so you just better get out of the way.
back to the safari now, we arrived at our base camp just outside the masai mara national preserve. it's a park to preserve the animals, so of course no hunting is allowed. it is HUGE. we unpacked and were taken to our tents. permanent tents with a permanent structure over them (tin roofs). they have 2 twin beds (w/ mattresses) and then in the back you walk through the back of the tent and there is a flushable "western" toilet and a sink and shower. NICE. The lights turn on at 6:00 am in the morning and from 6:00 to 10:30 at night. We get our stuff in the tent and then head down to the dining room for a cup of tea. then off on safari we go.
we don't have much time because the park closes at 6:00. right off the bat it starts pouring down rain. we are in 4 wheel drive mini vans, yep MINI vans. the tops pop up and you can stand up in them. we were getting soaked w/ rain, but then there they were, our first animal siting inside the park.......... ELEPHANTS!! there were about 8 of them. 3 of them were babies. they were SO cool. absolutely amazing.
i do have to step back a minute because we did see some animals outside the masi mara. we saw zebras, gazelles, and the all mighty giraffe!!!
back to the elephants..... what an amazing animal. they are so huge. we stayed there for awhile and took pictures. then off we go. we just drive all over the mara, not even on roads, just out in the bush. we never got stuck or anything. our driver was the best. we were the lead van so we got to see almost everything first. there were 4 vans and what they do is spread out to track the animals. they have radios so when someone sees something we can all come running to see it. after a little bit of time we had to go back because the mara was closing. we got back to camp and had a great dinner in the dining hall. after dinner we went to the campfire where some men from the Masai tribe danced for us. this is the tribe that wear the bright red blankets and they jump really high. off to bed after than for a "good" nights sleep. i was awake most of the night so i was trying to listen for animals. the Masai tribe were our security cops. we were safe. i never felt worried about anything. in the middle of the night i peered out my window in the tent to look up at the sky. it had cleared and the stars were INCREDIBLE.
The next day we were up and had breakfast and out on the mara by 7:45. first thing we get to see.................. a lioness with her zebra kill. dragging it between her legs. she was exhausted. then we see where she is bringing it.... to another lioness and her 2 baby cubs. OH WERE THEY SO CUTE!!. we were literally less than 15 feet from these animals just admiring them in their environment.
well, i've realized that i could be posting for another hour to tell you all about it, so i'm just going to tell you what i saw and leave it at that. i'll fill you in on all the stories when i get back.
i saw: zebras, lions (male, female and babies), elephants, giraffe's, hippos, crocadiles, wildabeats (gnu), hartbeast, warthogs, waterbuffalo, cheetahs, impalas, gazelles, all kinds of birds and many more that i can't think of right now. we pretty much saw everything except for the rhino and the leapord.
back to huruma we head on saturday afternoon, but not before we get to visit a Masai village. we learned all about the Masai and thier culture. we even got to go into their homes. these people build their homes out of cow dung and sticks. the women do all of the construction, as well as take care of all of the babies, clean, wash clothes and cook. the men hunt. no wonder us woman are so used to doing everything............... it started that way a LONG time ago :)
anyway, after that we started our long bumpy journey back to huruma. COVERED from head to toe with dust, because remember i said that most of the roads are dirt, we arrived safely back "home". the warm shower i took last night never felt better in my life.
it is sunday morning now and we have church (2-3 hours) and then some down time. i need to update my journal and then go find Kevin, my sponsored child, and spend some time with him. he is very shy.
i hoped you enjoyed this reading and i'll try to post more later on in the week. i get home this coming saturday night. i can't wait to see my husband (and my cats) and my mom, who will be there to greet me at the airport!! I am SO blessed by all of my family. thank you all for supporting me on this! it truly has been blessing to my heart and to the kids of huruma!!
love you!!
Gar
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
The third day of work
hi everyon. i cannot write much becuase i am actully working in mama zipporah's office and everyone else is working other places, so i don't want to spend much personal time doing this. yesterday we worked our buns off. we cut lumber for picnic tables, yes i used a skill saw, and then i sanded until my arm was going to fall off. today i got out of the hard work to work on computers with mama's son george. we are setting up an internet cafe. tomorrow we go on safari for 3 days, so you won't hear back from me for awhile. the picture above is my sponsored child kevin kamau. my friend emily is also his sponsor (we co-sponsor him.). he has the greatest smile (all of the kids do) and he was so happy to get a pair of new shoes and some toys. i see him all the time now and he follows me and shakes my hand. i just love him. he is one of about 18 kids that are hiv positive, so sad. anyway, things are still going great! everyone is getting along and working well together and we are getting a lot of things done. thanks to all of you who have commented on my blog. i love to read your responses, and of course they make me cry :)gotta go now! hugs and kisses, gar
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