PHOTOS

Naivasha Hippo walking across the lawn while we ate breakfast...

More photos can be found at www.flickr.com/photos/laurzy

Getting Closer to Reality

We’re rookies …. first timers…. privileged to serve as International Relief Managers (IRMs) with CRWRC for 3 months in Kenya on a food distribution project in the Mount Elgon area.

But the real story is in the individual lives of the displaced households whom we serve.

Being displaced means abandoning your home and livelihood to escape violence – beating, killings, the burning of houses, and looting. The abuses come from militia groups, police and even the special forces sent to stop the violence. War breeds hunger. But let’s get closer to reality. Meet 30 year old Nelly Charotich.

She arrives at the distribution site in Kaboywo today along with 699 other beneficiaries who come monthly to collect 50 kg maize, 10 kg beans and 500 grams of iodized salt. She was met with tears from fellow IDPs because they know she gave birth only 5 days ago and that she had walked carrying her baby for 2 hours (downhill) in the dust. They know her story. They share her pain.

Imagine running from the police into the forest and giving birth to your child there. Imagine raids by militia men followed by beatings from the police who are looking for the militia men. Imagine the whole family huddled in their hut sleeping on 2 mats, having no belongings but a few dishes and some tattered clothes.

We walk down the mountain path to the cluster of thatched mud huts overlooking the valley.

There is a small cooking pit on one side of the 8 foot diameter mud hut where Nelly lives with her husband Geoffrey and their five children - 4 boys and one girl. We are invited inside. What an honor to have the opportunity to see their home. We have permission to take photographs. It is dark inside. We soon move back outside to talk and meet their neighbors. We ask questions and they share the stark reality of their existence.

The family had lived in Chebuke where they had a small farm and grew their own food but ran in fear in February 2007 when violence erupted. They fled to an abandoned house in another village where they stayed until September, living from the kindness of well wishers. Violence again forced them to move, this time to Kaboywo high up the mountain on the edge of the forest. The forest looks peaceful and serene. Geoffrey tells us that approximately 10,000 people are living in the open air in those trees… hiding from the violence.

We ask if they would go back to Chebuke if peace returns. He looks very disturbed and tells us ‘no’ – because of the bloodshed they witnessed – it would be too traumatic. Many who left because of the police actins do not want to go back.

Back to today – the family has no food and no money. The CRWRC relief food is keeping them alive. They are a very grateful to have been receiving food since October. They are good farmers but they cannot plant crops on land which does not belong to them. Geoffrey helps harvesting maize or weeding but does not get paid money – he is given a small amount of food in exchange for his labor. There is no work now. His shoes are unmatched and patched together by hand stitched pieces. Not much of the original shoes remain. This is a sign of deep poverty.

But Nelly is cheerful although she is very hungry and her children are sick with worms.

Their neighbour has an old maize grinder which is shared – it takes 1 hour to grind 1 kg maize. Then they will use their precious firewood to cook ugali. Tonight they eat.

One more thing – they asked us to name their newborn daughter. We named her Grace, Nema in Swahili, for we believe that it is only by God’s grace that mother and daughter are alive, and it will take the grace of God to keep them.

A few months form now it will be the rainy season. The hut will leak.

More Sights and Adventures

Malaha
We head to Malaha - home of the Luiahs - perhaps as in Hallelujah!! We bump our way along and just when we think we have seen the last of the small side roads we find another and another and another … we cause a stir because a vehicle has come – and our national relief manager, Chris, is like a celebrity son – one who has done well but has not forgotten his home, his mother, his roots…. He is a humble man of great integrity and he is honoring us by taking us to meet his mother…
Some of the kids are nervous of the white people – most giggle a lot … they love the truck and want to climb all over it … we go into the house and we can hear them – very jolly … playing in the truck. We are happy the truck has four wheels all attached and functioning and they see it as an amazing vehicle …. Puts things in perspective.
We tour the village and hear the story of each home – who lives where and why … most want us to pray over their homes and pray into their lives… what an honor.
As if that was not enough – they have cooked for us and given us plenty from their meager resources …. And as if that were not enough some give us gifts!! A broom and a basket.
The farm land is very productive and we see the crops – pumpkins, amaranth, maize, sugar cane and he list goes on.
We visit Pastor Augustine whose family treats us like royalty. We see their home, their church, they share their dreams … build a new church building – send their eldest daughter to the USA to study medicine. We take photos of the family – photos are precious here - we must find a god place for prints … really nicely done to send to them as a gift. Photos are precious here.
It is interesting to go into a mud hut in the heat of the day and find it cool and comfortable… one begins owning a small round hut – additional huts or add ons come later ..
Chris’ mom is so lovely despite a hard life - she is truly a woman of grace. She was the first of 5 wives so Chris has 4 stepmothers. We talk about polygamy and its effects. Most old men have many wives – they encourage the younger men to have only one.
The people are voting today on nominees for local government and we stop to greet people – what a patient group waiting for 9 hours to vote – they are a peaceful people and it is s pleasure to meet them. 9 hours!!!

Goibei
This a place high in the hills where Carol and Betty taught some years back. We are pleasantly received and enjoy a tour of the facilities … No wonder they speak of it with such fondness. The road to get there is a crazy mix of humps and bumps punctuated with very short stretched of tarmac or the remains of tarmac. The students are completing exams and heading home for the month of December, we enjoy our visit and the beautiful grounds. In a God ordained moment - the very first person we speak with had been a student of both Betty and Carol! You just can’t plan such things! We visit the mission side extensively – what a beautiful place! We take lots of photos which we look forward to sharing with Betty and Carol.

Kisumu
Located on the shores of Lake Victoria – this is the second largest lake in the world (second to Lake Superior). Kisumu is a great place to eat fish so we eat tilapia for dinner – fresh and tasty! The highlight of our visit is yet to come – early next morning we take a boat onto the Lake for a hippo watching (Nile hippos), bird watching, fisherman watching extravaganza! The largest hippos weigh 4.5 tons!! That’s a lot of hippo!! We enjoy it all - the boats and fishing styles fascinate us and our guide Daniel does a good job of narrating, although all Lauris could hear was the motor!! This a good thing really because we have no oars. Only a stick but he lake is shallow. It is full of water hyacinths which float about with the wind. By the time we head back toward our starting point, we are hyacinth-ed out! We land rather precariously nearby
We head back for breakfast and depart for Eldoret through the tea growing areas on more crazy roads - tea as far as the eye could see in some areas…. We find a little spot where tea is for sale so we are now drink Nandi Hills Tea for breakfast.
Anyone for a picture show?? I so wish I could upload photos to this blog or even to Picassa web album but so far no luck. Come and see us for a picture show!!

JUST WONDERING

Just wondering ….
If sleeping without a mosquito net will ever seem normal
If we will ever be able to throw out a twist tie again - we have wanted one so often in Africa
If we will ever be able to believe we have the much of the real story about world events when we watch BBC, CNN , CBC etc,,,,
If we will be able to handle the shift in driving habits – we have learned some new sides to drive on – the right side, the left side, the best side, the Beside, and one more - the Coke side – the Beside refers when the road is so bad that we bounce along on the ‘shoulder’ on the left, the oncoming traffic is similarly bouncing on the ‘shoulder’ on the right and the pedestrians are walking down the middle – and this is a the highway…. Crazzzzzzyyyyyy! The Coke side is an advertisement – luring us to the Coke side whatever that is supposed to mean … Coca-Cola is every where and to be honored is to receive a soda pop….
If we will wonder who is slacking off when our vehicle is not automatically washed while we are asleep at a hotel
What it will feel like to push the button on the parking lot gate instead of seeing the smiling face of the gatekeeper
Just wondering ……if we will be able to return to Kenya again one day
Just wondering
Just hoping

IRMing in Kenya

Being past the midway point in our time as International Relief Managers in Kenya, perhaps it is a good time to write some thoughts about this opportunity.

We truly marvel at this chance to serve and to rub shoulders with so many amazing people both within CRWC, at the guest house where we stay and in the communities where we have worked and visited.

Add to that the absolute madness of killings, burning of homes and schools & lootings and then factor in 155,000 victims of the same.. so … put it together and what have you got?? Well you have a beautiful country full of resourceful people whose leaders could well model dishonesty and corruption and yet still you meet the most wonderful people… I can’t imagine anyone not learning to love these people …

Politics are brutal here to say the least and we in Canada do not always acknowledge just how blessed we are… the Kenyan people need to be empowered to manage their villages and regions, they are intelligent and capable … Unfortunately Aids and other diseases take a terrible toll and medical treatment is often not a option… it is a heartbreak to hear from a mom with a six month old hydrocephalic child or a mom whose baby is having trouble breathing…an old woman in pain …to see the extreme poverty of many , the traumatized, the fearful, ----- the problems are many but we have come to bring one thing – food!! …. And that matters very much. The 6000 households who receive the food are very grateful and it is the lifeline that many need to survive this time in history. We focus on the goal

Our distributions are well managed and people are treated with dignity – if you are on the list you get the food whether you are number 1 or number 800. The food comes monthly and reliably – we take no credit for this but have been blessed b the work hat was done before us through our competent team and the previous IRMs.

It is interesting to meet people who just want and need to be heard – sad to meet people who are afraid to talk (‘I might get shot’) – delightful to see the joy on the faces of people the fist time they get food – humbling to be welcomed into a simple home as an honored guest.

We hope this will not be our last opportunity to serve as IRM’s - working here with our excellent National Relief Manager, we have been mainly responsible for monitoring and evaluation of the project, finances and reporting back to the home office n Burlington and to the regional coordinator who is based in Uganda. There are other things to work on as well and one never knows what the day will bring. NEVER!

We have certainly grown closer to God through all of this and give thanks for His hand of grace and protection upon us… we will not forget our colleagues, our fabulous coordinators and facilitators, some dedicated pastors whose deep love for Jesus is so evident, the green hills and valleys of western Kenya, the crazy walks through the markets, drinking Stoney (a very gingery ginger ale), and the roads – the crazy roads!!!

But there is still time to enjoy all these things and more and there is still time to make sure that 600 households get food I December… focus on the goal!! God has written much about such things - and we are encouraged. God is good!!!

QUESTIONS

Experiencing Kenya

What goes munch outside your cabin door at 4:30 AM? A hippo! An enormous hippo!

What do you do when you are walking on a beautiful savannah full of tons of gazelles, wildebeest, zebras and other amazing creatures? You take photographs – lots and lots of photographs!!

What do you say when you have a few chores to do and they take 10 hours? You say ‘this is Kenya’.

What happens when you have vehicle problems in Kenya? You get a swarm of people all very willing to help – not necessarily with any expertise but willing to work for a few shillings.

What do you say when you get a lukewarm shower in the morning? You say – wow I had a hot shower!

What do you say when your spouse decides to have a shower in the evening? You say good luck! Keep hoping!

What happens when you go to church in Kenya? You are very blessed.

HIPPOS ANYONE?

Lake Naivasha in the beautiful Rift Valley

CRWRC had a staff retreat to Lake Naivasha. We were blessed to be invited for a time of connecting, spiritual refreshment and many delights to the eye and the stomach! We enjoyed the times of worship and prayer and devotions focusing on maturity and servant hood.

Getting there: an hour and a half drive on basically good roads with the exception of one short stretch. We were the last to leave the office due to vehicle complications.

Arrival: The ‘resort’ (Elesmere) belonged to the people whose story was partially documented in the film Born Free. It is now used as a resort conservation centre and teaching centre for students.

Food: wow – that about sums it up – the food was amazing. There was even tea time at 4 PM with a full selection of sweets. Ron was in his glory! Lauris was happy she could not eat wheat – that kept her consumption low!

Our room: very nice with 3 particularly notable features: an air horn (you can decide why!), a sign saying ‘Please be careful. There are hippos after dark. They can be dangerous.’, and an information booklet stating that after dark, you must be escorted at al times by a night watchman. The latter was strongly reinforced at an orientation meeting – ‘do not walk to or from the dining room or your car after dark unless accompanied by a night watchman. Never stand between a hippo and the water – NEVER…. The animals roam freely after dark. Never approach in the papyrus area around the lake shore – there are hippos hiding there’…. So as you can imagine we are excited to see a hippo!!

Sights sounds and smells – the grass is very short and clearly not mowed but rather it is pulled up by the roots by animals . Sitting on the front lawn there is an odor of animal droppings. Birds flash about with exotic sounds – we are drawn to the bright blue starlings with breasts like robins. They are everywhere. We hear monkeys. Any rustling bushes get your immediate attention. The whoo whoo whoo of the monkeys reminds me of teaching our kids animal sounds when they were young – there monkeys really did sound like that!

Nature walk – we head off on a nature walk with Anthony – our expert guide. He takes is to see the Colobus monkeys with their beautiful black and white coats and amazing tails. The alpha male seems quite happy to show off. As we are walking we hear from a neighbor that 20 minutes prior a waterbuck had passed by. There are numerous fresh droppings around….

Night time events: the first night we see an eland on the lawn – it is very dark and we can just make out his shape. After we have gone to bed, we look out our window about 10 times throughout the night hoping to see hippos. The night watchman awakens us at 5 – we think he sees a hippo since we have requested a wake up call should one pass by – he unfortunately misunderstood and thought we wanted a prayer time wake up call. We crawl back into bed (sorry Lord) and pray from between the sheets since we had been awake so many times throughout the night. Over breakfast we hear that a hippo had passed by and had been heard by Chris.
The second night, most of our party of 12 requested a wake up call to see a hippo should one pass by. The time is 4:40 Am and Ron pokes Lauris and says – ‘Listen – I think there is a hippo munching outside.’ Lauris hears it too - loud crunchy munch sounds like a small engine operating in spurts. We are up and outside in a flash. He is absolutely right! This is one hungry hippo. We stand on the porch the enormous hippo is there just in front of our room …. It moves over to the side and Lauris start thinking about how the grass is chewed short right up to our steps. The hippo keeps its distance and we hear others people coming out of their rooms and the guard escorts a group to the safety of our porch for a good view. Some of our party get nervous and go inside our room to watch.
The hippo eats and eats and eats – there is a small pond where it drinks noisily - a thought occurs – the ripped up grass is what we have seen the birds delighting in – building enormous soft nests. So Mr Hippo is also preparing the next days work for the starlings… This is a wow experience.…

Next morning: The light is firmly established and we move freely about the property. For the first time since our arrival I am not carrying my camera and wouldn’t you know it – a hippo – late on its return to the lake walks right across the law in front of the dining room. It looks even bigger in the daylight – I am wondering where the rest of the group is as some had gone to the lake to try and purchase fish – thankfully we see them in a safe spot.

Outing: We all went together to crescent Island which is actually a peninsula. We parked in the designated area, paid our fees and embarked on a two hour guided walk in the savannah. It was so amazing – God has created so much of wonder and variety. We saw many creatures – giraffe, zebra, wildebeest, waterbuck, gazelles, dik dik, and a python home (he was inside resting)….. I loved when the guide said – lets walk over there – and pointed to an area loaded with wildebeest. And so we did. This area was used for filing parts of Out of Africa (the main place was in Masai Mara) and there is an airstrip, a hut and a small rundown airplane hanger still remaining. The airstrip had been recently used. It was pretty crazy to stand on that airstrip. The animals are shy and many – the sky was beautiful with rays of sunlight shining through….

Movies we will watch ASAP – Born Free and Out of Africa! we have seen them both in eh past but will watch with renewed interst.

Weavers – we stopped at the local weavers shop (Elementitia Weavers) on our return – beautiful work – a treat to behold. AND they had a flush toilet – that was an unexpected treat!

We are constantly challenged by the internet server so I will sign this off and try to post it!

Anatomy of a distribution

Our day begins at 7:30 AM when we pick up 3 - 90 Kg bags of maize, a case of cooking oil and 1 - 90 kg bag of beans from well wishers who are providing the food to the Toroso primary School for 6 months as a contribution to the school’s lunch program. The school is very primitive, has over 1200 students, approximately 300 of whom are IDP’s (internally displaced persons) as a result of the conflict in Mount Elgon. While this is not part of our CRWRC project, we are going to the school which is the site of today’s food relief distribution, so we will provide the transport.
Climbing into our 4x4 Toyota Prado we head for the site over challenging dirt roads ascending the mountain. We pass by one delivery truck which is returning from dropping off one of the loads. This is a good sign……we’ve heard that one of the trucks got stuck on the road. The weather is dry and overcast – blessings for the distribution.
As we approach, we first see donkeys – lots of them and then the throngs of people. They are mostly queued up tightly – chest to back waiting … today’s distribution is for 800 households …. There are many people lined up and others waiting to assist in transporting the loads home.
There is a police presence complete with camouflage clothing and impressive guns. They are important to keep order as there are always additional needy people who are not receiving food.
The queues are forming outside the school gate. Groups of about 25 are let in at a time to retrieve their beneficiary cards in order to get 50 kg maize, 4 kg beans and 500gm of iodized salt.
The lorries are being unloaded and the food stacked in piles in the school yard.
Once the beneficiaries are inside the school yard, lthey receive their cards and join the third queue – they then turn in their cards in groups of five – after picking up their maize and salt and one bag of beans to share they go outside the gate to begin splitting their beans – all have brought something in which to carry the beans and someone has a bucket with which to measure - if not they still find a way to split them fairly.
So how would you move a 50 kg bag of maze?? We are blown away by the women – some of whom are carrying a baby on their back, a bag for their salt and beans in one hand and still manage to put the maize on their heads and carry it all away.
Ron and I are invited to address the crowd of people waiting outside the gate – Chris Shiundu – our wonderful colleague (CWRC National Relief Manager) translates for us. We tell them a little about ourselves (that we are parents and grandparents like them and that we are honored to be in their country). We also tell them about the Canada Food Grains Bank, the many Christians who show Jesus love by donating money, fields and time ; we explain that the food is not from us but is a gift from God because he loves them … it is very emotional and we hear many Amen-s and Praise God-s both in English and Swahili . We thank them for their patience knowing that many would be waiting 6 hours or more ……
We now proceed to speak to and shake hands with as many people as possible --- there are many Asante-s and Asante sana-s (thank you very much)…….Kenyan handshakes – ‘shake grip shake’ … and exuberant slapping of hands before the shake. For those of you at Christ Community Church Carol and Betty can give you a great demo!
Beautiful people who have fallen on extremely difficult times - people made in the image of God.
We also hear some of the individual stories –
• Kaos – an articulate young famer whose family of 12 had their house burned down in the troubles on Mount Elgon – they moved to a second house only to be burned out again. Now the family is scattered – he and his younger brother and his parents are living with good Samaritans. They had to leave their crops rotting in the fields but he is very grateful that his family is still alive and that they now have food to share with their host family. Kaos now gets jobs weeding for local farmers.
• Mary – mother of six who has been out of her home since August when their house was burned. They were farmers as well but now depend on good Samaritans for shelter and food.
• Grace – a widow and mother of 8 – she is very relieved to get food today for the first time – up until now she has gone door to door asking for food. Grace looks so very weary and sad.
• Salome – age 31 and mother of 7 whose older brother was killed in the fighting. She had a baby just one month ago but still must work to feed the family and pay rent on the house they occupy. She weeds for farmers from 7 Am to 1 PM and makes 50 Kenyan Schillings (about 83 cents) for the day’s work. She feels blessed to have a landlord who allows her to pay off the rent as she is able. Her children are not going to school as all they clothes were burned in the fire.
We stop to talk to a man who is upset about not being on the beneficiary list. We sympathize and explain through the help of an interpreter that the food goes to the most needy of the displaced persons as chosen by the local village committee. We acknowledge that there are many more needy people but that we can only give to 800 households. He understands.
Back to the line ups… we watch a woman who had been in line for 5 hours skip barefoot with great joy as she held her beneficiary card in her hand …. We see a little handicapped girl whose prosthetic was literally a table leg…..and see many people with no shoes and worn clothes praising God for the gift of food. … time to visit the school …
The children are having their lunch break and the teachers are marking papers. Paper is obviously scarce as is everything else – there are no amenities or teaching tools of any sort. We are asked to sign the guest book in the headmasters office – two old tables – one with a ragged cloth on top in an empty stone room with faded old charts on the wall … there are 1227 students at least 300 of whom are IDP’s – they are easy to pick out as they either have no uniforms or wear a different uniform. The staff takes us to the ‘kitchen’ where the cooks are working and the children are lined up outside for a dish of boiled beans and maize. This will be the first meal of the day for most of the children and for many it will be the only meal…
The staff are enjoying some photos which the previous IRM’s had prepared for them - the staff and children alike ask that we take photos….silver hair is a great source of amusement … and definitely worth a touch. We all laugh a lot. They are very gracious.
We ask to go into a classroom – sparse……old……dark……austere.
We are introduced to a 12 year old girl who is a runner - #3 in Kenya for her age – running the 5000 an the 3000 meter races. She will be training here in Eldoret in November……perhaps we can visit her …. Many world titles are won by Kenyans from this area. She will have to train hard if she wants to compete.
Back to the line ups – we are marveling at these people still standing strong – the sun is out and the heat is full on and we go to the car for a banana and some water. Their endurance is amazing.
It is down to the last 50 bags – the beneficiaries are still smiling and lively waiting for their food. The children are all excited to look in the rear view mirror at their reflection and we play ‘making faces’ with the children. We visit two ladies from the village committee who are sitting on the remaining bags of maize - they are definitely pleased……we take photos. We did not understand each other’s words but we all understood each other’s hearts.
The lineups are gone and the soldiers are resting. There seems to be some confusion …there are 20 bags of maize and salt and 4 bags of beans remaining. Chris, the National Relief Manager and Moses, our capable coordinator for this distribution, are sorting things out…. we pray for peace and wisdom, and for those who are lingering … still waiting … still hoping.
A nearby group is carefully sharing their allotment of beans – some have spilled and each bean is carefully picked up – beans are precious….
The confusion is sorted out and the last five people pick up the last of the food…… Moses did an amazing job at managing the distribution …all 800 beneficiaries received the food allotted to them.
One more thing – about those donkeys… we watched as they were loaded – hold them by the ears – tie two bags together … two bags of maize per donkey …. they wander toward town …. Towards town? Why not distribute in town?...the school is safer.
We watch the donkey handlers who know just what to do to coax an uncooperative donkey to move in the right direction. Much of the food is transported on people’s heads, some on bicycles, one on a motorcycle (likely in exchange for a share of the food), but mostly it is all about the donkeys! The bags pass by us……CRWRC- Canadian Food Grains Bank….. donkey after donkey…..this is very emotional for us.
We drive back to Eldoret exhausted, thankful and amazed . It is raining heavily now and the muddy roads have rivers running down both sides… Chris is a good driver. God is good!. We heard those words many times today from grateful recipients. God Is indeed good!

KENYA IS

Adorable children
Crossing the equator (and yes there are people selling souvenirs!)
Zebras grazing beside the highway
Compounds and security guards
An ongoing traffic derby with drivers jockeying for position
Hearing ‘Karibu” which means ‘welcome’ when we would say hello
Roadside car washers – wherever there is a source of water – not necessarily clean!
A constant stream of humanity along the roadside
Lots of enormous heavy loads carried on bus roofs, people’s heads, push carts, and bicycles
Dogs barking – a lot – especially at night
Big beautiful smiles and tons of hand shakes
A hand raised in the Canadian stop position which means pass by or hello/goodbye
A hand raised above the head palm out means stop
Adorable children
Maize spread out to dry
The Nakamatt store open 24 hours - this is new and has many people excited. Nakamatt is a shop with groceries and house wares
Parking chaos
Animals herded through residential areas
Safaricom outlets everywhere – sellers of cell phone cards
Used shoe vendors on the streets
School uniforms and small children walking alone
Fluid driving habits
Safari outback type vehicles with big roof racks - loaded to the max
Funky small planes from the safari companies with interesting paint jobs loading up on supplies
Adorable children
Lush green valleys and mountains in Western Kenya
Dramatic volcanic mountains
More fruits than vegetables
Someone selling something everywhere
Boda boda (bicycle taxies) waiting, transporting people, sheep – whatever, being washed in the ditch
Matatu drivers overtaking you only to stop right in front of you moments later
Carts pulled by people, donkeys, cows
And more adorable children

AFRICA IT IS

Greetings from Nairobi Kenya

It feels a little like being 'beamed up' in that we went from 'anticipating a relaxing island autumn' to 'arriving in Kenya' is a matter of 2 weeks.
We will move to Eldoret next week sometime and settle int our home away from home.
We are blessed to use the CRWRC office Internet today. We hear that power outages are very common in Eldoret but will do our best to keep up the blog.
We find the Kenyan people to be very friendly and relational. There is an addition being made to our accommodation right next door using lots of man power and heavy labour.

Impressions of Nairobi:

• chaotic traffic with lots of pot holes and abrupt edges to the roads
• lots of interesting sites of people doing everything from driving Mercedes to selling firewood at the side of the road
• friendly Kenyans with beautiful smiles
• had our first taste of negotiating prices - we were not buying anyway
• learning lots from experienced folks at CRWRC
• adorable children
• lots of ex pats in the area we visited today

We have been warmly welcomed and really appreciate the accommodation arranged for us.

Our 2 days in Burlington were wonderful - many great and passionate people sharing their knowledge and experience with us. One fun piece was watching a volunteer hanging up photos of Mali which Nanci B with CCC shared after her Discovery Tour.

Ron just spotted an enormous bird on the roof of the building next door - it looks like a cross between a pelican and a heron and it looks about 1 M tall.

Tomorrow we have made a plan to go to church with Henny and Hans whom we have just met. They are a lovely hospitable couple for Ottawa.

Cheers for now.

WHERE IN THE WORLD?

WHERE and WHAT is next ?!?!?!?

After an amazing month of kayaking, boating and camping, we have just celebrated the 25th anniversary of Christ Community Church with an amazing service at the Port Theatre. What a joy it was to have our three consecutive pastors there to celebrate what God has done and to look expectantly to what is next….. we do love our church family!

In the midst of all this we have been called to Kenya for 3 months of volunteering with the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee as International Relief Managers. We leave on September 17th. We will be back early in the new year. The condo will have friends keeping it warm for or return in early January.

In the meantime we are enjoying a visit from Annika, Marty’s lovely wife. Marty has been in Athens with his work. Our friends Dave and Laura leave tomorrow for 10 months – see you in Kona!
On the sad side of life, we are very concerned for our dear Thomas’ health as he is hospitalized in Thailand with pneumonia. One day at a time … trusting for God’s healing touch. Stay tuned for good news very soon …..

RE-ENTRY

40 hours of travel and ‘voila’ here we are back at home.
Caleb, Jen and Thomas saw us off and John, bless him, picked us up in Vancouver on his way back from the Okanagan.
The flights all went smoothly, the luggage all arrived, and the meals on Emirates Air were excellent. It was fun to see familiar faces on the ferry and to begin to see friends here again ….
We thought we would add a few last pictures of the Brownhills and then a few photos of Nanaimo – the first day back ….

Farewell Perth (15 hours ahead of VI so it is the 31st here)

Again it is difficult to leave …. But leave we must. Again we look forward to seeing family and friends back home, celebrating marriages, birthdays and just being together.

Before we leave here are a few tid-bits about Perth – As we have often said, it is rather like a park with a city set into it.

With the help of Wikipedia, here are a few facts:
Perth is the capital of Western Australia. With a population of 1,507,900 it is home to three-quarters of the state's residents. The city is also the fourth most populous urban area in Australia, and the fastest growing major city in Australia.
The metropolitan area is located in the south west of the continent between the Indian Ocean and a low coastal escarpment known as the Darling Range. The central business district and suburbs of Perth are banked by the Swan River.
Perth is one of the most isolated metropolitan areas on Earth. The nearest city to Perth with a population over 1 million is Adelaide in South Australia, which is 2,104 kilometres away as the crow flies. Perth is physically closer to East Timor and Jakarta, Indonesia, than it is to Sydney, Melbourne, and Brisbane.

It is loaded with beautiful beaches but swimmers need to be mindful of currents, tides, sharks etc. That being said, it is a paradise and the beaches are enjoyed safely by throngs of people
especially in the very hot summers (Dec to Feb) … Spring brings a fabulous array of wild flowers. Winter is cool and ‘when she rains she pours’. This can also include very strong winds as well as balmy temperatures. The winter also includes fabulous sunny days when a T shirt and jeans will do! We have experienced all of the above! The ‘Perthites’ (not official lingo) take it all in stride and when caught in a downpour they just wait it out under cover or settle in for a flat white … part of WA meaning both Western Australia and ‘wait awhile’. Ron has been using his time well and practicing his flat white preparation skills.

The people are great, uniquely Aussie and very welcoming even if we do speak with a heavy duty Canuck accent! There are lots of great websites like http://www.westernasutralia.com/ for a little arm chair travel.

We have been blessed to worship at New Life City Church and at YWAM. Youth With A Mission Perth is a dynamic campus with people from all over the world. It is a great place from which to mobilize people to bless the nations. It has been a joy and a privilege to be here. For more info check out http://www.ywamperth.org.au/.

The time has come to say goodbye so, for the time being, Cheers Mate!
And how about those West Coast Eagles!

Jen, Thomas and More Great and Wondeful Kids

Thanks to everyone for these recent photos everyone!

This is Rudy and Cassidy - Cass just turned 4! See you soon!
Isaac with his new kitten.

















Tegan in her Daddy's shades

















Kyla in her uniform. she's lovin' it and Micky D's

MEMORY FLASHES

New Tim Tam Packaging!

SOME MEMORY FLASHES OF THE LAST 10 WEEKS

Food:
· 4 course dinners on Via Rail
· Family feasts in Elliot Lake
· Deep fried elderberry blossoms in Bavaria
· Turkish falafel in Berlin
· Chili mussels in Freemantle
· Dim Sum in Perth

Sounds:
· Approaching trains in Berlin - U Bahn especially
· Salut … with eye contact!
· Bird chatter in Perth – very cheeky
· Cheers and tears when we received the text – it’s a boy!
· Thomas’ newborn cry
· Cheers and groans watching the Eagles (Perth’s aussie rules football team ) and the

Wallabies (Australia’s rugby team)

Sights
· Mount Robson from the dome car on the train
· Isaac and Tegan in Elliott Lake
· The social interaction of our multi ethnic community in Berlin
· First glimpse of newborn Thomas Nathan Brownhill
· Our homes away from home – 5th floor flat in Berlin, spacious south Perth bungalow
· Marty and Annika’s demolition/renovation

Smiles:
· From a train driver – WA stands for ‘wait awhile’
· Tim Tam (Aussie biscuits – read bikkees) words of endearment
· Feeding a wild ring neck parrot our apple
· Aussies trying to convince us that Vegimite is tasty

Moments:
· Being welcomed by Marty and Annika at the train station, in Berlin and Caleb and Jen in Perth at the airport
· Reconnecting with Klaudija and Hans-Martin and meeting David for the very first time.
· Riding fist class on the German ICE train
· Trying to find our departure gate in Frankfurt
· The emotion walking through the Jewish monument in Berlin and seeing the 10,000 coarsely made iron faces of agony in the Jewish museum
· The cross section of humanity in the Dubai airport
· Meeting Rosemary and Bill for the first time
· Making and visiting friends at YWAM and with other home exchangers
· First mornings in new places – walking on the water front in South Perth

People:

• all the amazing people

South Perth

Getting up close and personal with a bird of paradise








Ron and our hosts Rosemary and Bill
heron by the river bank
"Palm Tree Island"



we have just moved from south to east Perth ... enjoying some extra time with Jen and Thomas....
It's all good...

Mr Magnificent!

Thomas is thriving and settling into his routines. Jen and Caleb are great parents!
Thomas resting in his Grandpa's arms....
Today he went on an outing to Freemantle so his mom and grandparents could have some chili mussels! Thanks for sleeping though it all Thomas...

All on a Winter's Day

A day at the beach and a seaside restaurant


















Early morning mist over the City















The Lord Mayor's boat house

Fun in Oz

Can you see the joey? It was trying to eat leaves like mom.....

Fun in Aus:
Eating at Wagamama – great food – a ‘fusion’ noodle place in Subiaco – a suburb where the King Edward (make that King Eddie) Hospital is located
People watching while having a flat white (coffee) in Forest Chase in the centre of downtown
Walking along the parks by the river’s edge in the sun in the WINTER!
Learning a little lingo Aussie style:
· Arvo = afternoon
· Onya – good on you – well done!
· Doona = quilt or duvet
· Fussed = worried
· Jumper = sweater or sweat shirt
· Lemon squash – lemonade
· Lemonade – pop like 7 up
· Lollies – candy
· Rice bubbles = rice krispies
Bird watching in Kings Park
Watching a greyhound which regularly runs in the park by the river
Being connected with YWAM and all that means
Making new friends via the house exchange sites – our amazing hosts and another wonderful couple who live opposite the cove where Jen and Caleb’s wedding photos were taken
Observing all the ‘winter’ blossoms and foliage and smelling the wonderful fragrances after a rain.
Seeing a play put on by an aboriginal theatre company
Reading in the garden at the back of the house
Visiting Caleb, Jen and Thomas and Caleb’s family
Watching the games - the Eagles (Aussie Rues Football/Footie) and the Wallabies (Australia’s National Rugby Team)
Just being here ….. riverside and beach walks, enjoying Aussie humor
Bike riding on the waterfront
Chatting with the locals – very friendly, humorous and open
Taking the ferry across the Swan River between downtown and South Perth
Super helpful, friendly bus drivers and courteous car drivers even if they all drive on the wrong side of the road!
Appreciating the good signage
Approachable kids with lots of charm
Shop keepers who call you ‘darling’!
Lots of small non-chain interesting shops
Intersections that have nice brickwork and many round-abouts
Unidentifiable (to us) fruit growing on trees in people’s yards
Lots of bird noises – especially the cheeky ones
Lots of freebies – guided tours, museum, art gallery etc.
Great bus system with Smart-rider cards available and free buses and trains in the downtown core.
Relaxed casual way of being…. You should come!

A few More

A Grass Tree


















Swan River Boats











A cooperative Ring Neck who just finished eating our apple! Very brave and very cheeky!


















a little Aussie humour at this cafe - have not eaten there - at least not yet!

Photo Gallery

a view of the Swan River

Thomas in Grandpa's arms



















Claisebrook Cove from the spot where Jen and Caleb's wedding photos were taken.

Out and About

Thomas makes his debut at church! What fun to be part of it all!
A Kookaburra posing for the Canucks - he didn't laugh for us but the pose was great!
The old train tunnel at John Forrest National Park
Typical topography - lots of texture and grass trees.

Thomas is home

Happily Thomas and Jen were discharged on Thursday and are settling in with Dad in their apartment. All is well. Grandma and Grandpa have been on the hunt for a beanie small enough to stay on his little head. We are off to deliver our find after the Friday Night Worship Service.

Today we went for a bush walk with Rosemary and will post photos soon! We were in the John Forest National Park - the place where Jen had her hen's party bush walk before the wedding. The kookaburras and the ring necks were happy to pose for photographs! We were happy to snap them! Stay tuned for photos!

Thomas' First week

Week one has been somewhat dramatic for Thomas. He showed signs of infection and, since Jen had a dormant strep infection, she was on antibiotics during labour and he was put on antibiotics after birth. He has had some problems with chocking on mucous and is under the lamp for jaundice. That being said, there is another reason for a cautionary approach to his care.
This week in Perth three previously healthy children under the age of five have died of a combination of strep and influenza A. How very tragic. As you can imagine there are very busy emergency wards as parents are extremely concerned if their child becomes ill.
all this means that Thomas and Jen will remain in hospital a couple more days .
All that said, Thomas is absolutely adorable and we look forward to a healthy week two!
He has Jen's eyes and Caleb's chin. We are anticipating being able to have some nice long snuggles very soon!