"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1:27

God's Faces

Monday, October 8, 2007

A look beyond

Lewis and I traveled for a one night stay "up country". It was great to have one evening alone together. I can't remember when we last had an evening alone. I tend to be a workaholic and have to be pried away from the work at hand. Lewis, however, is such a good husband in making sure that we don't drift apart and live seperate, busy lives.

After getting a recommendation from a fellow missionary, we drove up country. I am always speechless when we travel beyond our village. There is so much to see. Africa is such a different world. It was amazing how different the terrain and lives are in the country compared to city life in Nairobi. We saw lots of green gardens and people herding sheep and donkeys along the way. But, like our area, people live in such humble conditions. People work so hard to survive.

We arrived at the road that would lead us to our cottage for the night. It was only driveable by a 4-wheel drive. After heavy rains and in the dark, we went on the scarriest ride of our lives. We went up this muddy, pothole filled road, sometimes sliding sideways as we tried to continue. We drove through narrow places, barely missing trees and rocks. We continued on and up in to nowhere. There were no markings. No lights to show us our way. We finally reached the top and a Zebra ran across the road in the darkness!! As we reached the crest of the hill, 4 bulls were glaring at us, not wanting us to go further. Just moments later, we see a dark form walking toward us with a flashlight. It was someone to escort us to our cottage.

We were exhausted after the long treacherous drive and after dinner slept well. We woke up to the munching sound of cows grazing under our windows and a breath taking view. AMAZING! We went on a walking tour of the forest to learn about jungle life. Our guide was so informative. It was a great time to marvel at God's creation.


Here is a view with our cottage in the background. Melody is standing with our nature guide. He is trained and knowledgeable about the plant life in Africa. We learned a lot.


We stopped at a natural hot tub deep in the woods. It was too cold to take a dip. Notice the plant life that surrounds us. AMAZING.



These pictures are of the children who came to us on our return home. They are so beautiful to me. I love looking into their faces more than the beautiful scenery.
These were the children in charge of the little ones. They have a beauty of their own.

These were the children in charge of the little ones. They have a beauty of their own.

3 comments:

Karen said...

Wow.
All I can say is "Wow!"
Gosh, I wish I was there with you!
Love you, dear friend.

Shannon Pate said...

I am so glad you were able to get away together!!!! That is the coolest hot tub I have ever seen. "God made" is so awesome!!!!! You are loved and thought about often!! Shannon

sue fess said...

Thank you for this amazing account of the work you are doing and the surroundings you are living in. Thank you for taking the time to share these heartwarming pictures and descriptions. Sue Fess