#missiontokenya

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Days 11 through 13 in Pics (first to last): - Our hosts at the Eco Camp - Our accommodations - A hike in the desert with our guides - Dinner - Sunrise on our final morning

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Days 11 through 13 - Debrief and Unwind

This trip has been a fulfilling, but busy and exhausting experience for all of us. Between our two medical camps, and our service to the students at Beacon, we saw over 1,200 patients during our time in Kenya. What a blessing to serve so many. As we have done in years past, we reserved space at the end of our travels to debrief, unwind, and see a few sites outside of the Ongata Rongai community. This year we traveled well off of the beaten path to spend two nights at an eco camp, deep in Maasai territory. Some of the team opted to go on a driving safari, while the rest enjoyed a guided walk and picnic in the nearby desert hills. In both cases, we saw some beautiful wildlife and scenery. We were also treated to some traditional meals cooked by our Maasai hosts, and we left feeling rested and refreshed for our travel home. I’ll attach a few pictures to give you a glimpse of our experience. It’s now very late on Saturday evening, and we are waiting at the airport in Nairobi to board our flights home. We are traveling in two groups, with most of us heading home via Paris, and the remaining members traveling through London. We have 24 hours of travel ahead of us, and we look forward to being back in the States by Sunday evening. We’re incredibly grateful for our partners at Beacon of Hope, and for the support of friends and family at home, both of which have made this trip possible. We appreciate your prayers, and we look forward to sharing more about our trip in-person when we are home.

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Day 9 & 10 in Pics (first to last): - Our medical providers doing check-ups on the Beacon Students - Bryan (our resident dentist) and Nicole, prepping the dental room. - Fluoride varnish treatment station - Vision exam station - Teaching “Thumbelina” to the nursery students while they wait. - Ending Day 10 with a surprise performance for our team, by the Beacon of Hope Poetry and Dance Team

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Days 9 & 10 - Sponsored Children @ Beacon of Hope

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday working with the 350 students at Beacon of Hope Academy. Every part of our mission here is a blessing, but, at least for me (LeeAnne), none quite so much as this part. We started at the baby school and made our way through all 8 class levels over two days time. We completed a health exam, vision screening, dental exam and flouride varnish for every child at the academy. We documented findings and provided needed medications and referrals. Along the way, we also interviewed and photographed each of the children sponsored by folks @chapelhillbible. As I have said in earlier posts, the opportunity to receive schooling here at Beacon is life-changing for the children here in Rongai. They not only receive an education, but they also receive strong reminders of their own value and worth in God's kingdom. This is my second trip here, and it was amazing to see the progress of individual students that I met and interacted with last time, compared to this year. Their growth, physically, educationally, and spiritually was astounding. I have so much more to write about this. But for now, I'lll stop. The team is boarding vans to head to an eco-camp in Maasai territory to finish our trip with some rest as we process and debrief about our time here. I'll share much more when we return.

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Day 8 in Pics

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Day 8 - Mandatory Day of Rest

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, a day of rest was mandated after the government declared today a religious holiday for schools and most businesses in observance of Eid al-Fitr. 

We traveled up the road to Karen to visit a local giraffe house. We were able to get up close and personal with the animals, and enjoyed an educational class on giraffes and warthogs. 

Afterward, we toured a local bead factory, and enjoyed lunch at a nearby Mall before heading back to Beacon. 

We are finishing out the day doing some planning for our treatments at the school tomorrow. We look forward to spending time with the students, and we appreciate prayers for great productivity as we attend to their medical and dental needs over the next couple of days.

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Day 7 in Pics (first to last): - Our team dressed for church. - Pastor Kevin and Jay at Mavuno Downtown in Nairobi.

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Day 7 - Lord's Day at Mavuno Downtown in Nairobi

Today we traveled into Nairobi to attend church at Mavuno Downtown. We have strong ties to Mavuno, and it was wonderful to worship with them and reconnect with several of the pastors there. After service, we joined several members of their pastoral team for lunch, before heading to check out the Maasai market for some local crafts. The week has been long, and we are all feeling a little tired today. Tomorrow, we have an unexpected day of rest. On Wednesday, the government announced that Monday would be a mandatory national holiday in observance of Eid al-Fitr, which is a Muslim holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan. This means that we will have to delay the start of our medical and dental treatments on the Beacon school children until classes resume on Tuesday. Here are a few things you can pray for over the next several days: - Pray for rest and restoration as we plan some low-key team activities for our unexpected day off. - Pray with us for the Muslim community here. They have certainly been prominent in our thoughts as we hear the frequent sounds of call to prayer during Ramadan. There are several Muslim families with children here at Beacon, and they are exposed almost daily to the gospel. We are praying for the Lord to open their eyes and hearts to His life-giving truth. - Pray for great productivity for our team as we work to complete the exams, dental treatments, and sponsor updates for all of the children at the Beacon school. Because of the holiday, we now have one less day to complete these tasks.