Traveling Mercies

Dear Family and friends, As Marv has written we are safely here at Tenwek, located near Bomet, Kenya. It is a gorgeous time of the year and everything is lush and green. As we were driving here the vistas over the Rift Valley were spectacular. Here at Tenwek our average daily temperature is 75 daytime and about 50 at night. Perfect for cuddling up in a heavy wool blanket. The calla lilies are blooming along with hedges of daisies and lantana and any other flower you can imagine. No vortex here! Before I get ahead of myself I have to tell you about our trip from the airport to the guesthouse We paid our 50.00 dollar per head visa entry fee in crisp US dollars, struggled mightily with our seven, fifty pound pieces of luggage and proceeded to customs. We were carrying three bags of medical equipment which we were hoping to get through duty free. The austere customs agent looked at our paperwork from Tenwek, thought for a few minutes, and then said that there would be no charge. "Tenwek is a good place, my sister had surgery there a few years ago." Once outside the airport it is always comforting to see the man from Samaritan's Purse holding up a sign with HAGE written on it! We loaded the van and met a spine surgeon and his daughters from Soldatna, Alaska who rode with us to the guesthouse and are coming to Tenwek later this week. Now that is a trip coming from the Kenai Penninsula of Alaska to Kenya! We were engaging in a fun conversation when a fast moving huge dump truck encroached on our lane and side swiped us on Marv's side. Thankfully our excellent driver had a place to pull over or it could have been disastrous. Then the interesting part began with our driver and the truck driver negotiating the damage. This went on for an hour and a half! Fortunately our driver called for another van to pick us up as it was nearing midnight. Driving in Kenya is not for sissies! Maybe they are still negotiating! We slept well at the Mennonite Guest.It is always a fascinating experience to spend time there because you never know who you are going to encounter from the continent of Africa or from around the world. Our breakfast partner was the Minister of Education for the country of Rwanda! He apologized for his English although it was definitely better than our Rwandan! Our driver picked us up and off we went to grocery shop. In years past we have shopped at Westgate Mall which as you know was the scene of the terrorism several months ago. It is closed. We found another similar center and were able to get most everything we will need. I will have to admit that my mind wondered as I went up and down the aisles as to what terror those shoppers must have felt on that ordinary day. Finally we were off on our four hour drive to our destination. We were joined by the Edgar's from Seattle Washington. Ken Edgar is an engineer who will be supervising the construction of a generator that will double the power capacity at Tenwek. It is quite an undertaking! He and his wife, Irene, have lived all over the world building Christian hospitals and related projects. God can use any vocation in His service! The trip to Tenwek was uneventful aside from the spectacular scenery of the Rift Valley, baboons scrounging for garbage along the road, African women toiling in the fields, colorful shops lining the road, Maasi goat and cattle herders in their red attire, and darling children in their distinctive school uniforms. We arrived mid afternoon, unloaded our belongs, greeted old friends and were in bed by 7:30!