Praise God for another great day of traveling!
We had a smooth transition through security and a nice flight. Tyler will write later about the overwhelming awe we experienced as we flu over Egypt and talked about the Biblical accounts that took place there. We landed in Nairobi 10 minutes early after our 8 hour flight and were presently surprised to meet Dan Okall waiting for us at the end of the jet bridge. He was with his friend Edward who works Customs in the airport. Edward gave us the VIP treatment and we went through customs without so much as one person looking in any of our bags. What a blessing. We then traveled by van through the city to our hotel - the Mayfield Guest House. We had the privilege to meet and spend time with many of Dan's cousins from the village who now work in Nairobi to support the village back home. It was humbling for us as they shared there gratitude to our team. Now after a quick dinner we are all heading to bed to get rest for our big drive tomorrow to the village.
It is good to finally be here in Kenya!
Friday, June 4, 2010
Thursday, June 3, 2010
CHICAGO TO ZURICH
Yesterday we left E-Free with our church van and full trailer and headed up to Ohare International Airport. 
We checked in our bags and soon found out that, as our travel agent warned us, the airline only allows one carry-on each. Thankfully, standing next to the somewhat cranky "rule follower" agent :) (who was just doing her job) was an agent who wanted to show mercy to our team and our three "extra" bags. They would not accept paying extra for the bags as we had planned. But after a little negotiating, and as a result to lots of prayers from all of you who are reading this!, they allowed the extra bags - which contained camera equipment, a video projector and guitar - Praise God!
We then went through security with ease and boarded our 330 Airbus. We are beginning to see the blessing in finding the cheapest tickets with Swiss Air. The forced 22 hour layover has proven to be a great opportunity for the team to experience a little European culture, slowly adjust to the time change and bond even more as a team as we prepare for ministry in Kenya.
After landing in Zurich International we went through customs (got another stamp in our passports) and took the shuttles to the Welcome Inn Hotel. After getting checked in and cleaned up a bit we left to explore the city. We took a fantastic train the short distance to Old Town(public transit is great all over Europe!) and walked to Grossmunster - a church here in Zurich that is rich with history. From there we went accross the river to Fraumuster Church and saw the world renowned Chagal-painted glass windows. We then walked to the end of the river to see the view from the lake then went back by St. Peters Church which boasts the largest clock-face in all of Europe. After a nice lunch we enjoyed navigating our way through small villas and parks back to the train station. It was fun to explore a city with the kids that was built long before the US was ever founded..jpg)
When we returned to our hotel the group went out again for ice cream and some scrambled to try and use facebook. Everyone has been feeling great besides adjusting to jet-lag. As I type this now it is 5:10pm at home and 12:10 am here in Zurich. The rest of the leaders and students are all sleeping and getting much needed rest. After sleeping about 4 hours I woke up and decided to update this blog while I have the time and a good internet connection. (I am glad I did because I just chatted on FB with Megan!)
We will get up at 5:45am and have a quick breakfast here in the hotel before heading back to the airport. Please pray that this security check-in goes as well as the last, for a nice and safe 8 hour flight to Nairobi and for a smooth transition through customs in Kenya. When we arrive there we will meet up with Dan and Emily and head to another hotel before we drive cross country in a bus 8 hours to the village.
We will continue to update as often as possible and have students share from their perspective as well. Know that internet in the village may be a little sketchy at best so we will write blogs on word documents and update as possible. It is likely that we will often go several days without a post.
Thanks again so much for your prayers and support!
Pastor Bill
We checked in our bags and soon found out that, as our travel agent warned us, the airline only allows one carry-on each. Thankfully, standing next to the somewhat cranky "rule follower" agent :) (who was just doing her job) was an agent who wanted to show mercy to our team and our three "extra" bags. They would not accept paying extra for the bags as we had planned. But after a little negotiating, and as a result to lots of prayers from all of you who are reading this!, they allowed the extra bags - which contained camera equipment, a video projector and guitar - Praise God!We then went through security with ease and boarded our 330 Airbus. We are beginning to see the blessing in finding the cheapest tickets with Swiss Air. The forced 22 hour layover has proven to be a great opportunity for the team to experience a little European culture, slowly adjust to the time change and bond even more as a team as we prepare for ministry in Kenya.
After landing in Zurich International we went through customs (got another stamp in our passports) and took the shuttles to the Welcome Inn Hotel. After getting checked in and cleaned up a bit we left to explore the city. We took a fantastic train the short distance to Old Town(public transit is great all over Europe!) and walked to Grossmunster - a church here in Zurich that is rich with history. From there we went accross the river to Fraumuster Church and saw the world renowned Chagal-painted glass windows. We then walked to the end of the river to see the view from the lake then went back by St. Peters Church which boasts the largest clock-face in all of Europe. After a nice lunch we enjoyed navigating our way through small villas and parks back to the train station. It was fun to explore a city with the kids that was built long before the US was ever founded.
When we returned to our hotel the group went out again for ice cream and some scrambled to try and use facebook. Everyone has been feeling great besides adjusting to jet-lag. As I type this now it is 5:10pm at home and 12:10 am here in Zurich. The rest of the leaders and students are all sleeping and getting much needed rest. After sleeping about 4 hours I woke up and decided to update this blog while I have the time and a good internet connection. (I am glad I did because I just chatted on FB with Megan!)We will get up at 5:45am and have a quick breakfast here in the hotel before heading back to the airport. Please pray that this security check-in goes as well as the last, for a nice and safe 8 hour flight to Nairobi and for a smooth transition through customs in Kenya. When we arrive there we will meet up with Dan and Emily and head to another hotel before we drive cross country in a bus 8 hours to the village.
We will continue to update as often as possible and have students share from their perspective as well. Know that internet in the village may be a little sketchy at best so we will write blogs on word documents and update as possible. It is likely that we will often go several days without a post.
Thanks again so much for your prayers and support!
Pastor Bill
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
All Packed Up!
Tonight we packed our bags into the trailer for a quick departure tomorrow afternoon. We are all excited to begin this adventure and begin ministry in the village. Because we are traveling as a team of 13 - we have the wonderful privilege to bring many supplies for those in the village. Our airline allows (Free of charge!) two 50 lb bags per passenger and one carry on. So we worked hard to bring together things that would bless the community. Each team member will bring an entire bag dedicated to supplies. Here is a partial list of items that will be brought. Please pray that we don't have issues in customs and that everything makes it to our final destination! - Bibles for Children and Adults.
- Lots of Books for Parents, Pastors, Youth and Children
- Puzzles for Kids
- 8x10 tarps to help with all the rain (both on the floor and on the roofs!)
- First Aid Kits, Medication, Toiletries and Lotion
- Video Projectors and AV equipment/ Extension Cords and converters
- 150+ lbs of Vitamins
- Laptops for the Youth Resource Center
- Water Filters and Bottles
- Soccer balls (and air pumps) along with many many soccer jerseys, socks and cleats! Dan shared that the youth and young adults in the community will love these!
- An Acoustic Guitar (one of Matt's goals will be to teach another student in the village how to play and leave the guitar and worship music as a gift for the youth center!)
In addition to these items (which we will be taking with us) we will be purchasing the following materials in Kenya. Three outdoor latrines (much needed do to recent flooding), mattress we will use during our stay and leave for the homes we will be staying in to keep, treated mosquito nets, and an oven for the community. This oven will be a means for generating both food and income for the community. They are rare (cooking is usually done over an open fire) and will provide a way to bake bread!
Can you tell from my use of explanation marks that I too am excited? Thank you for following our team and keeping us before the Lord in prayer!
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Two Weeks Away!
Two weeks from today we will find ourselves on a plane over the Atlantic Ocean! Our final destination will be a small village on a remote plateau in Kenya. Once there we will spend two full weeks living as guests in local homes building relationships and memories that will last a lifetime. We are partnering with Dala Development to strategically meet economic, educational, and spiritual needs within the village. Our team of 13 people will work along side Dala Development founders Dan and Emily Okall (pictured with our team above - on the far left) to do a wide range of ministry in the community. Follow this blog in weeks to come to hear exactly what opportunities God provides and engages us in!
Raising the financial support needed to execute a three week trip halfway around the world was no small task. Our first PRAISE in this journey is that through the generosity of our church body, community, friends and family - we have reached our financial goal. Praise God and thank you all for being part of our team through giving!
Please join us in prayer as we strive to represent Jesus through all we do in Kenya!
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