We Are Alive

We are in Zambia at a game park today ready to make the 12 hour cross country trip back to Kabwe, Zambia. This has been an amazing adventure. We have traveled into Malawi and have visited many of the ministries Grace International is a part of. We never seem to lay our head in the same place for more than 2 nights. I wish I could write more and post some pictures, but the internet is poor and rare in these parts.
With Praise to God!
Kurt

One of the Best Days of Our Lives!!!!

Our time in Kenya was a whirlwind and I can say without a doubt we all could have spent much more time there! We have made our way now to Lusaka, Zambia and are having a relaxing day with our new friends Steve and Stephanie Allen and their beautiful family. It has been a good day to stop and take a deep breath and reflect on the past week.
Last Tuesday found us in Narok, Kenya. It was a few hours’ drive from Nairobi and a world away. We started our day in the World Concern office meeting staff and being part of devotions. The worship singing was amazing and something we would all do better to start our day with.
We hit the road to see World Concern projects in the nearby area. It was our first taste of the beautiful wide open land of the area. Not long after leaving town we saw our first zebra- a lonely one by the side of the road, our excitement was amusing to the people with us and we found out why later in the day. We also saw some giraffes and we were able to hop out of our vehicle to get a closer look (and lots of pictures!)
We visited a school that World Concern has helped start and grow. The enthusiastic welcome we received from the children was incredible; they were especially interested in our kids and just touching all of us. They preformed an impromptu concert with singing and dancing and lots of smiles, it was a great treat for all of us.
We next went to a nearby area where World Concern has started a bank (actually more like a credit union) and also a school and water well. The surroundings were beautiful and the Maasi people were fascinating. We were welcomed inside a Maasi hut which is really hard to describe even after being there, needless to say it was nothing like we had ever seen. The family was very welcoming and gracious at having such a large number of unexpected American guests on their doorstep. They were very interested in us, especially Meghan. One young man was so interested in fact that he asked Kurt for her hand in marriage which we all thought was quite funny (all of us except Meghan!)
Returning back to the main road we had an unexpected safari experience. We found ourselves driving overland through large herds of zebra, wildebeest, ostrich, some hyenas, tons of gazelle etc….and it was all to ourselves. Getting stuck in the mud only added to the experience. It was so cool to be in that space with all those animals and the beautiful surroundings- and we could see why that one zebra by the side of the road earlier, although very exciting because it was our first sighting, was nothing compared to all we saw by the end of the day!
Combining what we saw that day of the World Concern work and how God is using them to improve the lives and communities of the people in that area along with the interaction we had with the school children and the bonus safari- it truly made for one of my favorite days ever!!
The combination of smiling school children, unexpected safaris, and seeing God’s work truly made it one of my best days ever!!
-Cari

Please Help

This past week our family has been in Kenya visiting the work of World Concern. As many of you know this past January civil unrest broke out in Kenya during the presidential elections, unrest that left over 1,200 people dead and hundreds of thousands without homes. Today there are roughly 350,000 displaced people living in 153 camps throughout Kenya. World Concern manages 5 of these camps making sure that such things as water, food, shelter, sanitation, child education and health care is being provided. On top of all that World Concern is working alongside these people and the government to bring about reconciliation and compensation for the loss of their homes, businesses, farms and in some cases loved ones.
The road to reconciliation will take some time, but I found great hope among these homeless people, hope that comes from the outpouring of others caring for them in their time of need. Unfortunately the financial burden of running these camps for nearly 3 months has had its toll on World Concern, and unless they can raise more money soon the camps will be closed by the end of April. Closing these camps would be devastating. I feel fortunate enough to have been here during this time of great need, because I can now share this need with others and help raise the $8,000 a month it costs to run these camps. I can only pray that the Lord will lead many and that the pictures I have attached will tell more of the story.
For those so willing to give I ask that you make your gift to World Concern and specify ‘Kenya Camps’. For more info regarding World Concern please use the link in the right column of this blog
With Much Hope,
Kurt

P.S. Our family has so many stories to share and so little internet time. We promise to keep everyone posted when we can.