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Made it to the US! But not home yet.....ahhh a long long shower in 6 hours. It was such a great trip!

Final Report June 2011 Kenya Team July 7 2011

Jambo family and friends,
We are staying in the most beautiful guest house in Kenya - The Classic Guest House. Our final night here is a night of luxury, hot water, showers, nice rooms, and all the comforts of home.

Our journey back to Nairobi was a lot smoother than the trip to the Masa Mara; and by smooth, I mean the roads were less bumpy. Praise God for that! We had a wonderful time on our game rides but I will let Jeff's final message tell the story. 

We visited the giraffe center today and laughed as Devin got the nerve to let one kiss her; great pictures to follow. Everyone laughed as we took turns to take pictures and pet the beautiful creatures. Chris's favorite was the wart hog but he was a bit shy today and made only a few appearances.

Tomorrow we will see the CITY of Nairobi, purchase a few trinkets, and begin our journey home, back to all of you!  Your continued prayers are appreciated for those returning to Kisumu, for Mary heading to Tanzania and for those of us making the long journey home.  Our time has been unforgettable, life changing, and an opportunity we won't forget.  Thanks for journeying with us, now please enjoy our final report attached! In HIS grip, Chris for the team

Final Message - June 2011 Kenya Team July 7 2011

July 5 & 6 - We left Kisumu early on the morning of the 5th. Pastor Jack and Everlyn were up to send us off. Before we left, the pastor spoke of his vision for Kenya. He sees a place where his country can take care of itself and people like us visit as friends and not benefactors. There is just something about this man. His steadfast resolve, his vision, his faith leave us all a little awestruck. We often get the feeling that we are in presence of greatness. Our journey to Masa Mara was a long one, but six bumpy hours and a quick lunch later we were in the Riff Valley on a game drive watching a lion take down wildebeast. The Riff valley is vast, and upon its grasslands the wildlife is incredibly rich. The wildebeast are in the midst of their migration and there are literally a million of these animals spread across this land. Along with them are lions, cheetahs, giraffes, elephants, leopards, zebras, jackals, and many many other of God's creatures. We know, because we saw them. It was all a little overwhelming. Anna was espcially taken with the enormity of the experience. It was almost too much, but honestly her reaction was by far the most appropriate.
We are living in tents. But before you feel too sorry for us, these are tents with indoor plumbing - including hot water. At night, we can hear the hyenias. But do not fear, we are protected by Masai tribesman, who step from the shadows from time to time to help us find the way back to our tents when we get turned around - which we seem to make a habit of doing. By the way, Dr. Jeff has become a Masai or at least he will be if he can ever get past that whole going-into-the-bush-and-killing-a-lion-thing. But besides that, he has the dress, the height, and the dance routine down. On July 6, we went on an all day game drive. We saw lion cubs feeding on the previous day's kill. We saw hippos. We saw crocodiles. We saw an osterich. We saw God's creation laid before us in a way that makes His existence undeniable. We also saw Larry catch a bush-plane at the airstrip. He looked almost dashing kissing Chris and then hopping into the plane - almost dashing. His departure signals the winding down of our trip. Tomorrow, we head back to Nairobi and not long after back to you. We will have stories to tell and people to introduce. But first, on to Nairobi. Today our prayers are with Philip, Antonio, and Larry as we know yours are with us. Until tomorrow...

JUNE 2011 Kenya Team arrive back in Nairobi

Hello Everyone!

The June 2011 Kenya team has arrived safely back in Nairobi after a fantastic time on safari in the Masai Mara Game Reserve.
After a great night's rest tonight, they will start their final day in Kenya (for most of them) tomorrow with a visit to the Giraffe Center and some souvenir shopping downtown, among other things. In the afternoon, they will drop the four extended-stay team members, Justine, Anna, Heidi and Sharayah, at the airport for their flight back to Kisumu where they will stay another four weeks, continuing the work started by the team and following up on many of the children and adults they've me since arriving.

Later tomorrow evening (their time) they will check-in for the first of their three flights home. The team will arrive at the Nairobi airport around 9am PST for their flight that departs at 1:30pm PST Friday and lands in Washington DC at about 12:30pm PST Saturday.
From there, they will split up and proceed to their home airports and arrive home to all of you a few hours later. For the west coast team members, arrival is about 8:30pm Saturday….so…yes, that IS about 35 ½ hours of travel and it doesn't even count getting home from the airport.

Please join us in praying for the safety and protection for all team members as they fly, for smooth flights (J) and for a lot of sleep so those returning to the US won't have to endure so many hours of travel in a waking state! Pray for the four team members staying behind in Kisumu, for good health, protection, energy, stamina and joy, and that they might be the hands and feet of Jesus as they work alongside our Kenyan friends and "family" for the next four weeks.

Thank you all, once again, for your support for the team. They feel it and they send their love and prayers right back to you!
Have a great day and God bless you all.

Sally

Re: FW: 4th of July

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The house is a flurry of activity as we attempt to wrap up the activities of our time here in Kisumu. Last minute visits from friends, difficult good-byes, and packing up to move to the Masa Mara have the team both anxious and excited.  Please enjoy our post on this day of independence for our country.

July 4th report from Chris Espedal

July 4 - We sang the national anthem this morning. We just stood at the breakfast table and sang. We don't know if we can say that it was beautiful, but it was heartfelt, which is almost always the same thing. This morning, we also had a party. It was Jeff's birthday and along with peppermint patties and almonds from home, he got a watermellon and a coffee mug. These are some of Jeff's favorite things. Once again we split into two teams. One team traveled to Ring Road Orphange where there is both a clinic and a school. It was a very impressive place - taking care of 340 orphans and seeing 100 patients a day. We ran into some folks from Christian Relief Fund who help fund Ring Road. It was good to speak English to strangers. After Ring Road, this same group visted Noble Home for the Desitute which sees to the care of older widows. They also grow corn and bananas as well as raise Talapia, goats, chickens, and soon cows. There is a lot going on at Noble House. It is a good place. The other team visted a group who has banded together to help one another live with HIV as well with a group called Truth and Fair Nyahera Youth Group who raised chickens for eggs and cattle in an effort to support their village. Both teams met togther at Salem High School where the team visted with students and answered questions ranging from the transmission of HIV to the love of Jesus Christ.
We will leave Pastor Jack's home early tomorrow morning and journey to the place where we will experience a safari. For most of us it will be our first safari. It is exciting, but honestly for those of us not coming back to spend a few more weeks, it will be hard to go. That may sound funny given the fact that for the past week fourteen people have been living in hot cramped quarters while sharing one bathroom where a shower consists of pouring a pitcher of cold water on your head. But that seems a small price to pay given the things that we have seen and the people we have met. Each one of us will leave a piece of our hearts in this place, but at the same time we will leave with hearts overflowing. Today our prayers are with Paul, Samson, Evans, Margarite and Thomas as we know your prayers are with us. Happy Independence Day! Until tomorrow...

JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM JULY 3 2011

July 3 - Sunday feels different. The children wake a little later, and there aren't as many people walking up the road in the early morning. After a big breakfast of hardboiled eggs, fruit, and muffins, we are off to church. Once again the team splits in two. As hard as it is for us to imgaine our presence is a blessing to the churches, so it makes sense to spread this blessing as far as it will go. One group traveled to Salem Church where Larry was invited to preach. He spoke to the pasasge 1 Peter 4:12. At Holo Church, Jeff shared a message from 1 Corinthians 13. Church in Kenya lasts just a bit longer than in the States. We danced. We sang. We prayed. We shared. And then for good measure, we did all these things again, and then again. It was wonderful. It was powerful. It was humbling. The Holy Spirit was moving and though some of us were at Salem and some of us were at Holo, we sat beside one another in the Spirit - just as you sat beside us when you awoke hours later on this same day. After church, we were fed and treated as honored guests. The hospitality of this place is overwhelming. They give us everything that they have. When we think on this morning, it is hard to get away from the word "humbled", because that is how this morning left us. We were honored. We were celebrated. We were loved. And it left us humbled.
When we returned, the children were waiting. Sharayah played tirelessly in the courtyard with the little ones. She brought big smiles to small faces. Kerry and Rachael read storybooks, which is very popular with this group of incredibly bright children. Their clothes may be tattered, but not their minds. There was some shopping, some napping, some reading, and even just a little bit of golf or something that at least approximated golf. It was a day of worship and rest. It was a Sunday. This day our prayers are for Milliset, the pastor of Holo Church, the congregations of Salem and Holo Churches, and the children who play everyday outside of our door. We feel your prayers for us and as always we are grateful. Until tomorrow...

Fwd: FW: July 3, 2011

Happy Birthday America! Happy Birthday Jeff McCord.  The attached update is from our day yesterday, Sunday.  This morning we celebrated two birthdays.  As a team we shared what we are thankful for in America - it was emotional, it was beautiful, it was with thanksgiving! We concluded breakfast with hands joined singing our national anthem. God Bless America.  Please enjoy yesterday's report!

Re: FW: July 1 report

Jambo Mzungus, As I sit enjoying a cup of coffee on the "veranda" of our "home" the rays of sunshine bursting forth to the earth remind us that God has this day in HIS hands.  Please enjoy our attached report, full of suprises! Today we return to the village and Jeff will have a new report to allow you to journey with us.  Thank you for your continued prayers. You are all loved and appreciated, we are blessed beyond measure. Chris for the Team! Enjoy the read.....

This is the report for June 2011 Kenya Team July 1 2011

July 1 - We traveled into the northern hemisphere today. It made us feel a little closer to you. We were on our way to Kogelo Village when we crossed the equator. There is a sign at the side of the road so that you can tell which side of the world is which, otherwise we aren't really sure how you would tell. It was a different kind of day for us. We took a road trip. The land was beautiful filled with boulders and outcroppings of trees, bordered at times by small mountains. It looked a little primevial. Devin was pretty sure a Tyrantasorus Rex was just around the next corner. We were on our way for a visit with a lady of some renown in this area. But first, we needed to stop by the District offiice of the President to receive written permission to do so. As fate would have it, he was in the southern hemisphere back in Kisumu. Perhaps we had passed him on the road. Nonetheless, we decided to forge ahead without our written permission and see if we could make our visit anyway. There were guards at the gate and the area was surrounded by a high fence. We noticed a sign with visitor hours posted. We were no where near being within them. Our driver Philemon talked briefly with the head guard, and we waited word from the house. When it came, the answer was yes, and we filed past the guards and toward the home of Sarah Obama.

Within the small plot of land, there were chairs in a small circle under a mango tree, and we were invited to sit down. While we waited to meet the president's grandmother, Mary became visibly excited and Larry had a hard time sitting still, but that could've been because Larry always has a hard time sitting still. When Ms. Obama came to sit with us, it was obvious that there was a deep peace to this woman. She sees to the care of over 100 orphans, and we presented her some blankets and hats donated by Auburn Grace Church. She was intently grateful. We talked a while asking questions which were being translated into English by another woman, who we came to find out was Marsat Obama, our president's aunt. So there we sat, under a mango tree, visiting with the president's grandmother and aunt, like we were old friends. These ladies didn't much like the guards and the gates, though they undertsood them. When asked if she was excited about her grandson's visit in September, Sarah said no more than our visit today as we were all her grandchildren. And like all grandmothers, she would not let us leave without feeding us first. So mangos were brought out and we ate them, laughing and talking with our president's family. It is fair to say, it was just a little surreal. Before we left, pictures were shown and we saw the image of a young Barack standing in the place where we stood then.

On the way back, we stopped by the equator - all of us can now say that we have stood in the northern and southern hemishperes at the same time. And, we have pictures to prove it. By the time we returned to Kisumu, it was the dinner hour. So we ate. We talked. And then we went to bed. It was a good day - a day to take a breath. This day our prayers are for you as we know yours are for us. Until tomorrow...

Fwd: FW: July 1 report

You will never guess who they visited with today!

Jambo Mzungus, As I sit enjoying a cup of coffee on the "veranda" of our "home" the rays of sunshine bursting forth to the earth remind us that God has this day in HIS hands.  Please enjoy our attached report, full of suprises! Today we return to the village and Jeff will have a new report to allow you to journey with us.  Thank you for your continued prayers. You are all loved and appreciated, we are blessed beyond measure. Chris for the Team! Enjoy the read.....

Re: FW: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM UPDATE JUNE 28 2011

This is the note that preceded the day events.

Good morning world! "This is the day that the Lord hath made, let us REJOICE and be glad in it".  Attached is our report from yesterday, a day not to be forgotten.  We lost our water last night and went to bed hot and sweatty but woke up to the water source restored and plenty of it to wash us clean for a new day. A few team members are feeling a bit under the weather today but there are no complaints and Dr. Jeff is here to take good care of us.  The long hours of travel, the humidity, new food tastes, fatigue, etc. all wreak havoc on bodies not used to the African way of life. But, we press on to finish the race and finish it well.  Without further delay, please read the attachment penned by our team journalist, Jeff McCord (the team thinks we have the start of a new book and if you haven't read his first one, you can find it on Amazon.com - Awkward Grace by Jeff McCord). ---

Date: Tuesday, June 28, 2011, 8:47 PM Good Morning! I just received a text from our team leader, Chris, saying she was having trouble with the internet connection in Kisumu. This is fairly typical for the beginning of a trip and we hope to have it cleared up soon. The team had a great day but they're exhausted so they will try to fix the problem tomorrow and email everyone then.   In the meantime, keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming! They appreciate all the love they are feeling and everyone says "Hi!!!".   Thank you again,   Blessings to all - Sally

JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM JUNE 30 2011

Chris Espedal June 2011 Kenya Team Update June 30 2011

June 30 - We had french toast this morning. And while we covered it with butter and jam, we were given the honor of naming two puppies that were new to Jack and Evelyn's home. We settled on "WaWa" and "Abby". "WaWa" is the best gas-station-sandwhich-shop-milkshake-parlor-cofee-shop-restaurant in the Pennsylvania and Washington area. We have a lot of passion on our team for WaWa, and it somehow seemed an appropriate name for a Kenyan puppy. Abby is not the name of anyone you will see written on our team roster, but it is someone we know is with us and who we all carry around. We felt that it was also the finest of names.

We started the day at Salem School and Medical Clinic where we visited with orphans and sorted medical supplies. The motto at Salem is "Knowledge is Light" and the chidren are beautiful and incredibly bright. They are much more fluent in U.S. state cpaitals than anyone on our team. In the late morning, we split into two teams and traveled to the Obunga slum. Obunga is the largest slum in Kisumu. The word "slum" conjures a lot of images and they are all present at Obunga. It was something, that for us, Hollywood movies had not captured and our minds had not imagined. It is a desparate place were raw sewage runs like small creeks along the dirt roads. Homes of mud brick and tin lean toward one another and half-naked children play in front of small storefronts. We walked into this place with suitcases filled with medical supplies to visit the homes of some of the sick and to do what we could do. Sharayah flowed easily into the community helping with the cooking at one home. Grace held the children being treated, sometimes very tightly, and handed Justine medical supplies using a color-coded-non-medical-terminology method that somehow seemed to work. Rachael fashioned an orthpedic out of a cornhusk and Dr. Jeff waded through the crowds to the homes of the sick treating people along the way. It was hard. It was hot. It was overwhelming. So much need. So many people. So few resources. It is fair to say that we all became emotional in Obunga. And it is also fair to say that later that evening, when we prayed and talked we became even more emotional. But by the grace of God and the strength of this team that emotion found a safe outlet. In between those times, we visited the Salem Orphange and found happy children ready to play. We needed to play. So we played.

It is hard to know what to do with a day like this day. At its end though, under the protection of the Holy Spirit, we walked in love into the day to do what we could do. For now that is enough. Our prayers this day include Mary (the Director of Salem Clinic), Monique (a lady on the streets of Obunga who asked for our prayers), John (the director of Salem Orphange), Bernard (an orphan at Salem Orhanage whose smile lights the day) and Rebecca (an orphan at Salem who has captured our hearts). And so again we ask your prayers for us as well. Until tomorrow...

Re: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM JUNE 28 2011

Thu, Jun 30, 2011 at 9:59 AM

CHRIS ESPADAL JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM  JUNE 28 2011

6-29 - It's cool in Kisumu in the mornings. This is a surprise to most of us, but the winds from Lake Victoria keep a slight chill in the air. Children are off  by 6:15 am walking to school in their uniforms. Birds of some unknown origin call loudly  back and forth while roosters try in earnest to wake the day. Chickens appear in the yard, mosquitos retreat the coming sun, and we are off to live another day. Devin got to see her dad at work today. During health inspections, Dr. Jeff was the center of attention at Orongo Orphanage. Anna worked the other line of children with skill and love that amazed the rest of the team. The children stood patiently in line while they waited for their check-ups. At Migosi Orphanage Justine organized the effort, surprising no one, with Rachael at her side. Mary taught school and Jill engaged the children in games that cast wide smiles accross their faces. We found that HIV had taken many of these children's parents and that many had the disease themselves. We learned that in Kenya the phrase "Living Positive" was not a new Nike slogan or some new age affirmation, but what it is called when a child lives infected with this dreaded disease. We heard children's songs like "rain rain go away" but also ones like "Aids is a very bad disease" showing that this plague had gone so far as to infect a child's nursery rhyme. But we also heard the children sing a song that said, "Things are already getting better", and that sort of hope is part what makes this place so special and this day so good.

After our visits to the orphanges, we visited both boys and girls classrooms at Orongo Highschool answering questions ranging from the existence of dinosuars to how HIV is contracted by newborns. We tried to explain snow and how movies are made along with a multitude of other questions that left us wishing we were smarter. After class Heidi was the first to recieve what quickly became a flurry of marriage proposals. On the ride home, Dr. Jeff and Justine made a roadside "house call" before we sat down to dinner and called it a day. Along the way we met people like Florence, the director of Orongo Orphange, whose faith left us humbled and George whose crafts we are sure some of you will enjoy. Our prayers are with them as we hope yours are with us. This place is really too big for words. Words were not meant to stretch that far. But from them, we hope you can feel at least a little bit of what is in our hearts. Until next time...

Fwd: FW: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM UPDATE JUNE 29 2011

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Jambo everyone,    It's really us - the June team in Kisumu.  Wow, where do I begin. This has been a trip of wonders to date with more to come.  We are blessed beyond measure to experience the hand of God on a daily basis.  Beginning with  problem free travel, meeting the team and making all of our connections, to getting through customs without even a glance in our direction. From there it has been continued team bonding, lots of laughter, thunder & lightening to the heat of the African sun. We've had it all and count ourselves blessed.   We apologize for the delay in team reports - such is life in Africa ...some days we have power, others we are de-briefing by the light of our headlamps.    Everyone on the team is healthy, no problems at all.  We are all sleeping well and are comfortable and cared for. The African meals we have been served are a delight. The people we meet, the things we do all add to the joy of our service.    One of my biggest blessings as team leader is to have a newspaper columist on the team.  Attached you will find our first report with many more to follow, Lord willing the internet is up. Blessing to all of you. I am grateful to serve with my husband Larry as team leaders for this Team Terrific! In HIS grip, Larry and Chris (please see attached)    good! Love to all.   Please continue to pray for Chris, Larry, the team and the VCI Kenya staff as they bring help and healing to so many. Pray everyone stays healthy and happy, too!   Thank you, once again, for your never-ending support for the team and for Village Care International.   May God continue to bless you today! Sally

Fwd: June 2011 Kenya Team Update June 29 2011

Chris Espedal June 2011 Kenya Team Update June 29 2011

June 27 - We woke to an early breakfast and a long bus ride. The journey from Nairobi to Kisumu is about six hours on a good day, this was not a good day. A small traffic jam and a couple of detours stretched the ride to a couple of hours past that. But as we were riding along in our lime-green bus, it didn't seem to matter much.  Something began to  happen along the way. We talked a little too loud and laughed with an ease that sometime takes years to grow. We told our stories and gave each other a good natured hard-time. We started, in almost a miraculous way, to become a family. And why not? For most of us, we are traveling to an unknown place. To all of us we are taking a journey of faith. Before we met, we were already a family. Larry was pretty sure he would see a giraffe along the side of the highway. Chris told him, he most definitely would not. When the zebras appeared, Larry thought that was close enough and counted it as vindication. Other than that, we talked and laughed, went to the bathroom when we could, and tried to sleep just a little. It was a long trip, but a good one. At its end, we ate a wonderful meal full of new tastes and textures. Then we made our way to Pastor Jack's where we will live close together for the next little while. It was night but dozens of children came to greet us. And even through the darkness, we began to make new friends. We settled, slept, and counted it a blessed day.

June 28 - We enjoyed the graciouness of Evelyn's (Pastor Jack's wife) hospitatlity at breakfast, then splitting into two teams, we went to share, learn, observe, pray, and encourage. We saw a Talipia farm where people from a nearby village were bringing both hope and prosperity to their community. We visited a farm where the pride in working the land grew as tall as avacado trees. We witnessed the beauty of work and the power of putting faith into action. We were amazed. Our groups met back together in a house where a women's group presented their work in helping orphans and then sang a prayer of praise. We were overwhelmed. We prayed that there would be no more hail. We prayed for the protection of a fish pond. And, we prayed for names like Benson, Richard, and Benta. We were served incredible African tea and enormous avacados. Though this is a place of little means, there is large hospitality. Among other things, we also learned that Kerry was named after a county in Ireland, and we grew even closer as a team. We visited Briarly Childrens home, which is sponsored by a church in England, where 48 orphans are cared for and educated. The children's faces were full of curiosity and love, and so were ours. All in all, it was a day that is difficult to put into words. Grace is often like that.

It is not yet 9:00 pm, but most of the team is fast asleep. We are all filled with a good kind of tired. Tomorrow, we will continue our work, so as we do, please continue to pray for us.

Fwd: FW: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM UPDATE JUNE 29 2011

Date: Wed, 29 Jun 2011 11:27:02 -0700
Subject: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM UPDATE JUNE 29 2011

Hello everybody,

Well, yes….if it's me, that means the team is still having report troubles. L Yesterday it was internet problems, today, there is no power to send anything with! Such is life in Africa….

I have received a report of sorts via text message from Chris and the rest of the team. They are bonding well and working hard (of course!). The team is asking for prayer regarding the health assessments they're doing during their visits this week. During these assessments, each child in the VCI program for the place they're visiting is seen by the medical personnel on the team (or in the case of a non-medical team, is looked at by those of us experienced with children and typical health and illness issues). Each child is checked for visible signs of illness or injury, ringworm, distended bellies or physical harm. If there is something of note, a note is made on the child's assessment form and the issue is brought to the attention of the leadership of VCI Kenya and of the place being visited. If the issue warrants it, the child is given medical treatment on the spot, or taken to a local clinic for help. (Your donations and team support help pay for this type of work to be done, with funds from our Orphan Care Fund going along with the team to Kenya – thank you!.) The key part of the assessment is that team members train the Kenyans to do the evaluations so that they can repeat it every three months to monitor the child and their progress.

Today, Chris texted "When and if you ever get our email reports, you will be blessed beyond words. One woman taken to hospital today for life saving measures, four kids seen with pneumonia and Lydia (a young woman the May team helped with a serious health issue) was seen and referred for open biopsy. Medical team members rock…Dr. Jeff is exhausted!
Other team members have been very busy and very helpful. Great time of HIV education at Orongo (Children's Home, in Kisumu, which oversees more than 3,000 children!).
All team members happy and healthy. God is good!
Love to all.

Please continue to pray for Chris, Larry, the team and the VCI Kenya staff as they bring help and healing to so many. Pray everyone stays healthy and happy, too!

Thank you, once again, for your never-ending support for the team and for Village Care International.

May God continue to bless you today!
Sally

Fwd: FW: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM UPDATE JUNE 28 2011

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Subject: JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM UPDATE JUNE 28 2011

Good Morning!
I just received a text from our team leader, Chris, saying she was having trouble with the internet connection in Kisumu. This is fairly typical for the beginning of a trip and we hope to have it cleared up soon.
The team had a great day but they're exhausted so they will try to fix the problem tomorrow and email everyone then.

In the meantime, keep the prayers and positive thoughts coming! They appreciate all the love they are feeling and everyone says "Hi!!!".

Thank you again,

Blessings to all -
Sally

Fwd: FW: MADE IT SAFELY TO KISUMU

Hello everyone!

I received word that the team made it safely to Kisumu, Kenya, this morning (their late afternoon). No doubt they arrived tired and hungry, and most likely had no time to email. With 14 people squeezing into three rooms (living like Africans already!), it probably took most of the evening to simply get settled.
I feel confident you will get their first "on the ground" report tomorrow.

Just to clarify, emails will be sent whenever possible by the team, but if you don't get one, don't worry! It doesn't mean there is any kind of problem, other than running out of hours in the day. J

In the meantime, if you would like to read more about Village Care and the many teams and stories in our background, please visit our blog at http://villagecare.blogspot.com/. You will see many great stories of the wonderful projects started in Africa and plenty of team reports including great pictures of people they have met (and some of the animals, too!).

Thank you, as always, for your love and support for the team!

God bless,
Sally

Fwd: FW: THE JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM IS ON THE WAY!

This was sent Saturday as the team left Washington, DC for Zurich.  Rachel said the plane was full of people from all over the world.  She was so excited!

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Subject: THE JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM IS ON THE WAY!

The June 2011 Kenya Team is on its way to Zurich, then on to Nairobi later tonight.
Everyone met as planned and they even had time for a team photo (see attached).

Please keep them in your prayers – apparently seat assignments were changed so the team is very spread out on this flight. Pray that the Zurich to Nairobi flight is not so jumbled (or crowded – this one is packed).
Please also pray that they become invisible to the customs agents when they go through, as they are bringing many medical supplies. Unfortunately, due to corruption by some, it's not unusual for tourists to get pulled and made to pay fines for things….so…let's just pray no one sees them. J

I'll send an update when they land tomorrow morning.
Thank you for your prayers and support!

Sally



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Join a team. Change a life.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.
1Timothy 2:1

Fwd: FW: THE TEAM HAS ARRIVED IN NAIROBI!

Date: Sun, 26 Jun 2011 16:14:47 -0700
Subject: THE TEAM HAS ARRIVED IN NAIROBI!

Hello everyone!

I wanted to let you know that the June 2011 Kenya Team has arrived safely in Nairobi, Kenya. They are spending the night there and will begin their journey to Kisumu tomorrow.

Thank you so much for all your prayers of invisibility – of course, they worked! I received the following message via text from Larry Espedal, our team co-leader earlier today:
"Arrived safe. Not even a glance in our direction thru customs. God is good. Great trip, great team."

The 14-member team is bringing medical supplies to donate and use while working in the area with Village Care's partner clinic, Salem Medical Clinic. The clinic is instrumental in getting medical care out to those who are too ill to leave their homes and who would otherwise have no medical care at all.
The team, which includes an ER Doctor, a pediatric nurse, a practical nurse and an EMT/Federal Emergency Response Team Member (team co-leader Chris Espedal), will journey into the slums to help these people and when their work in Kisumu is complete, will leave the remaining supplies with Village Care Kenya to disperse as needed throughout our partner orphanages and the clinic.

They will also be visiting and working with partner villages in the Kisumu region, encouraging them and seeing the projects they've started, and of course, lending a hand wherever possible.

Please stay tuned! The team will send email updates as often as possible. Our target is daily, although some days it's just not possible…so don't worry if you don't hear from them!

Thank you, on behalf of the team. I know they appreciate all your support and prayers.

God bless,
Sally

Fwd: FW: THE JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM IS ON THE WAY!

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Date: Sat, 25 Jun 2011 16:33:33 -0700
Subject: THE JUNE 2011 KENYA TEAM IS ON THE WAY!

The June 2011 Kenya Team is on its way to Zurich, then on to Nairobi later tonight.
Everyone met as planned and they even had time for a team photo (see attached).

Please keep them in your prayers – apparently seat assignments were changed so the team is very spread out on this flight. Pray that the Zurich to Nairobi flight is not so jumbled (or crowded – this one is packed).
Please also pray that they become invisible to the customs agents when they go through, as they are bringing many medical supplies. Unfortunately, due to corruption by some, it's not unusual for tourists to get pulled and made to pay fines for things….so…let's just pray no one sees them. J

I'll send an update when they land tomorrow morning.
Thank you for your prayers and support!

Sally





Join a team. Change a life.

I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.
1Timothy 2:1

Made it to washington dc to meet the team! Sitting on the plane waiting to take off to zurich switzerland! Bon voyage!

test

rach

The Time Has Arrived!

It is finally here! Tomorrow at 1:30 my plane will depart from nashville for washington DC to meet my team. From there we will fly to Zurich Switzerland and connect to our flight into Nairobi.

Today has been an amazing day for me. I found out early this morning that i passed my board exams for Physical Therapy....i cannot begin to express to you the overwhelming joy that has been heaping up today and flowing out of my eyes (as we call tears :) ). It has been unreal. I am soo thankful to have made it through that program. I remember the days when i feared that i would never get in to begin with.

And now the next day I am going to Africa! I have been dreaming of this for many years ever since i was a little girl. My birthday was a few days ago, and with passing boards and now this, it seams so trivial. 26 has brought on already sooo much! I cannot wait to get there, to learn from them, experience it, to just be there. I know it is going to change me like crazy,and trust me, you'll hear about it.

I learned a lot about this program by reading the book the insanity of Africa. I finished it a little while ago and it was eye opening and yet soo simple. Basically the book talks about the problems that africa faces and our role in how the problems got there, and our role in how to help these problems...which is basically no role at all. The idea of village care is to encourage people, to be present with them, and give them room to solve their own problems. Because they are the ones who know the problem the most!! The book applies this principle to Africa. It talks about the mentality of the Africans that has been established from past events, the mentality of americans, and where africa is today. I am excited to see this all play out while we are there and to learn from it, and be encouraged by it.

So every day We will be sending from Africa a little write up of how the day went, what happened and such. And this is all possible by my mother who will be taking the email and uploading it to my blog! Thanks Mom!! They'll be typed up by a different team member everyday, with pics too i think.

Thats all for now! thank you for your prayers and support. Pray for the safety of our team, prevention of illness and the such, pray that God will speak to us all through each other(our team, the africans), and that we will all be encouraged. uuuuu iam soo excited about these next 14 days! It'll be good to REALLY learn how to use my djembe. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible for me to go on and for this all to happen. This is soooo huge and i cant believe that it all came together and that i am really going on such a big event (in price, and situation), and it is sooo great that it is happening at this exact time for me, a true celebration. ......and it actually has turned about to be somewhat of a medical trip! A handful of us going are medical professionals (including myself :), WOW!) so we will have the opportunity to do some home visits and help some people, which is not standard on the trip. How cool is that! Ever since i started PT school i thought how awesome would it be to do medical missions.........whala! Thanks big man

-Rachel

TEST

Blog test from email!!!!

$1,150 raised !!!

Raised $1,150.00 this week!!!!! Thank you to everyone! This is going to be a great trip! I am excited to go serve "with" all of you. Thank you to: Harris Aungst, The Parrishs, Central Church of Christ, Kristen Hampton, The Ingrams, and Michelle Tucci:). New total raised is now $2,450.......only $2,116.40 left to go! and i have met my dues that are due on the 25th of April. That is a relief. Thank you to all.

The Insanity of Africa

Started reading the insanity of Africa today by David Gleneinkel. I can tell that this is going to be an interesting and eye opening book. The forward, introduction, and begining of the 1st chapter definitely have my attention. Basically, the book aims to decribe and inform how the large amounts of money pouring into Africa are helping i ways that are not lasting, for the most part. I love to underline parts in books that jump out to me so i thought i would start by sharing some of these with you.

"Being good-hearted doesnt mean you're right, and being right rarely does much good." pg. VII

"Western society- and Americans in particular- don't have the solution. The Africans do." pg. VI

"Africa is the wealthiest, most resource-laden continent on Earth, yet it also has the highest concentration of abject poverty." pg. VIII

"Western worldview (especially American) is not congruent with African worldview...To an African, life is about work, politics, family, religion, philosophy, health, food, and a cornucopia of other concepts, all of which make up the whole person and none of which are separate, unrelated, or necessarily prioritized...That speaks volumes aboout our failure to understand why imposing secular democratic processes in Africa and the Middle East have met such massive resistance and why we are seen not as liberators but as OCCUPIERS." pg VIII-IX

"The Africans know what to do; they are only waiting for us to get out of the way." pg. IX

Chapter 1: Where are we now?
"Africa is a puzzling enigma of hope and despair, exquisite beauty and incomprehensible horrors, the best and worst of all that we are." pg. 1

"one definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result." pg. 1

"...she offers such breathtaking beauty that it defies the imagination. The kindness of her people and their personal wisdom and grateful spirits amidst the most difficult conditions imaginable has captured my heart again and again." pg.2

April 9, 2011

1,300 raised!! thank you to all my friends and family that are getting me to africa! Monica and Tony Mireles, Blake and April Shelide, Shannon Christiansen, Glynn Cox, Grant and Bethany Norvell, The Palmers, "Frog" and Pege Jones, Fay and Egon Schartel, The Harris family .

March 29, 2011

$1,200 raised so far!! Thank you to all that have made this happen and it is a pleasure to join with you on this trip! Left to raise: $3,366.40

370!!

So far i have raised $350! Here we go!!!!

Post graduation from Physical Therapy school i Will be celebrating by traveling to Kenya with Village Care International from June 25th-July 9th to work in orphanages, villages, and schools to provide needs and tools to the community for their own success. I am excited to be a part of this story to Africa, to give of myself to them, to learn from them. My biggest challenge right now is to raise about 5,000 in 2 months. AHHH! SOOO....I welcome you to be a part of the adventure by donating your funds to help me do this work there. Ive created this Blog for anyone who wants to read, but especially for those who make the trip happen, as you can watch and read what you are doing in Africa with me. So join me in the story!

At the top of the page there is a link to how you can donate online, i think, the easiest and quickest way. Although if you would like a form, i can provide that as well. REMEMBER: ALL DONATIONS ARE 100% TAX DEDUCTIBLE! So, this way you can give your money and KNOW how its being put to use :).

What the trip entails:
Basically to empower and provide tools for women and children of Kenya to make their community a healthier/safer living environment. The details:

1. Determine the # of registered children in the community visited.
2. Assess, photograph, and inspect children in groups or homes.
3. Inspect organization records and photos for children provided by the community
4. Compare current situations to records from previous team visits or to files on the children
5. Determine how many businesses were started after from/after VCI training
6. Determine if the businesses are profitable
7. Determine how many people are employed through VCI business.
8. Investigate how the business is helping vulnerable widows and orphans in the program and community.
9. Obtain sample essays or recorded interviews from communities on "how has VCI benefited me and my community."
10. Determine how many people in the community are involved with VCI.
11. View and participate in OPS (outcomes, practices, Open space) training when possible; Training that occurs with people of the village.
12. Time permitting, playing with children
13. Discussion with youth on HIV/AIDS, Becoming a Man or Woman, Life in Africa and the US, and among other topics.

Isn't this exciting!
Join me in reading 2 books before i go {The Insanity of Africa, by David Glenwinkel} and {When Helping Hurts, by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert}.

I enjoyed sharing this first post with you. many more updates to come on the progress of this trip!

Rachel