This is a picture of what we see when we look out our bedroom window.  There is a little family that farms this land, mostly growing corn.  It makes us so happy to look out the window and see them going about their daily routine.    They have little children who play around their mother as she works and she scrubs them up outside using a wash basin.         

Dean has Jiked the fruit we bought at the market and displayed them so nicely!   Jik is a solution that smells like Clorox and we soak everything before we eat it and use it when we wash and rinse the dishes.    It is used as a disinfectant.    

This is another picture of our neighbor's farm after they cleared a section of corn by hand.  The dad was out there for hours using a hoe to chop down the corn and get the land ready for another planting.  They are hard workers.             

TODAY WE WENT TO A BABY ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE ABOUT AN HOUR FROM OUR FLAT.  THESE BABIES HAVE LOST THEIR MAMAS BECAUSE OF POACHERS.

THEY KEEP THE BABIES FOR ABOUT TWO YEARS AND THEN INTRODUCE THEM BACK INTO THE WILD.  THERE WERE MORE MAZOONGOOS (WHITE PEOPLE) THERE TODAY THAN WE HAVE SEEN IN ALL THE TIME WE HAVE BEEN IN KENYA.  AS YOU CAN IMAGINE, THIS IS ONE OF THE TOURISTY PLACES.                                 

IT WAS VERY FUN TO WATCH THE BABY ELEPHANTS PLAY WITH EACH OTHER ANDWITH  THEIR KEEPERS.  THEY ARE VERY COMFORTABLE WITH PEOPLE AND SEEMED TO EACH HAVE THEIR OWN PERSONALITY.         YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY LOOK KIND OF RED.  THAT'S BECAUSE THE SOIL IS RED AND THEY LIKE TO                THROW  THE  DUST UP ONTO THEIR BACKS AND ALSO PLAY IN MUD.                                                                                                                                                                      

AT NIGHT THE KEEPERS TAKE THE BABIES INTO BUILDINGS THAT LOOK LIKE STABLES AND THEY PUT A BLANKET ON THEM TO KEEP THEM WARM.  THE KEEPERS SLEEP THERE WITH THEM.    THE HOUSES THE EMPLOYEES LIVE IN LOOK VERY HUMBLE.  THEY HAD THEIR LAUNDRY DRYING ON LINES AT THE SIDE OF THEIR HOUSES AND CHILDREN WERE PLAYING AROUND IN THE YARD.                                                                    

THE ELEPHANTS WERE VERY PLAYFUL WITH EACH OTHER, THE KEEPERS AND THE VISITORS.

HERE THE TRAINERS ARE TAKING THE BABIES BACK INTO THE BUSH TO GET THEM USED TO BEING IN THE WILD.  THEY TRY NOT TO GET THEM TOO USED TO BEING AROUNG PEOPLE AND THEY TRADE TRAINERS SO THEY DON'T GET TOO ATTACHED TO ONE PERSON.                                                                                                               

THERE WAS A FAMILY OF WART HOGS THAT CAME VERY CLOSE TO WHERE WE WERE.  THERE WERE ALSO BABOONS PLAYING IN THE YARDS WHERE THE CHILDREN LIVE.  SOME OF THE BABOONS WERE BIGGER THAN THE CHILDREN.  THE PARENTS DIDN'T ACT CONCERNED AT ALL ABOUT THEIR SAFETY.

HERE THE BABIES AE BEING FED MILK FROM BIG BABY BOTTLES.  THEY COULD EMPTY THE BOTTLES IN LESS THAN  A MINUTE!                                                                                                                                                              

THEY LOVED PLAYING IN THE MUD PUDDLE -- JUST LIKE KIDS.  THE TRAINERS SAID IF THEY DON'T GET THEM BACK INTO THE WILD THEY GET TO BE LIKE AGGRESSIVE TEENAGERS AND CAN HURT EACH OTHER.  THEY ALSO SAID ELEPHANTS CAN BE VERY "NAUGHTY".

THIS IS A PICTURE OF A BLIND RHINO THAT WAS RESCUED AND LIVES AT THE ORPHANAGE.  HE WAS VERY LARGE AND VERY DOCILE.                                                                                                                                                                

REMEMBER THE MOVIE "OUT OF AFRICA"?  THIS IS THE HOME OF KAREN BLIXEN AND THE MOVIE WAS     THE STORY OF HER LIFE IN KENYA.  SHE  WAS FROM DENMARK.  SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAD A HUGE        FARM WHERE THEY GREW COFFEE  BEANS AND EMPLOYED MANY KENYANS.  SHE SCHOOLED THEIR            CHILDREN AND TREATED THEM AS EQUALS.  THE KENYANS LOVED HER AND HAVE NAMED A WHOLE          AREA AFTER HER ALONG WITH SCHOOLS, A HOSPITAL, ROADS, A COUNTRY CLUB, ETC.  IN THE MOVIE,          MERYL STREEP PLAYED KAREN AND ROBERT REDFORD PLAYED HER BOYFRIEND.  THIS IS THE                        ACTUAL  SITE OF THE FILMING OF THE MOVIE.  IT IS VERY BEAUTIFUL AND PEACEFUL HERE.               

THIS IS THE BACK OF THE KAREN BLIXEN HOME WHERE SHE DID A LOT OF HER WRITING.  THOSE THREE LADIES ARE SHARON HALL, LINDA PUGMIRE AND GRANDMA OLSEN.

Now we are in Mitini-- a little village in the Kilungu hills about two hours from Nairobi.  The people are very blessed if they have cattle, sheep or goats.  There's not much food for this cow to graze on, eh?

Do you see the bananas on this tree?  This is one of the crops the people raise on their terraced land.  These people grow food for their own use and sometimes they sell it in the shambas -- small roadside markets.  The missionaries are trying to teach them to dry their fruit for future use as part of self reliance.                                                                             

The Kilungu hills are beautiful.  The people live and farm on terraces.  The houses are made of mud, clay bricks that they make themselves or tin because if you make them out of wood, the termites will eat them up.  I don't know what the           elevation was, but it was pretty high up there and the last several miles is on a rough dirt road.                                             

This is a picture of a young girl carrying her little sister in a wrap.  It is so tender to see how the siblings take care of each other.  The children love to get their picture taken and they love to see themselves in the camera afterwards.     

Here are some of the children in the Mitini Branch.  Notice the child caring for his  little sister.

The children are so happy and they love their families so much.

Some of the children from primary.

Isn't this little mother beautiful.  We love the colorful clothing they wear and the way they carry their chldren on their backs.  The babies never smile when you fuss over them but you can imagine what goes on in their minds when they see an old white woman with gray hair making unrealistic sounds and touching them!                                                                     
                                                                                       OOOOOH!                                                                                                          
 

Sweet big sister taking care of her sleeping baby sister. 

These are some of the members of the Mitini Branch after church was over.  There is a big water container behind the church that has runoff water from the rains that they drink from and wash their hands.  There was a nice cool breeze.  

You can see the front of the building next to the chapel.  This is where the primary, young women, young men and priesthood have their meetings.  The windows and doors are all open and you can hear the chldren singing.          

Here you can see the front of the chapel.  You see that the people wear the best they have to church on Sundays.  Some come barefoot, some with flip flops and most have some kind of shoes.  They walk long distrances to get there.  One woman named Jennifer walks two hours each way.  She is, needless to say, in very good shape -- and she is very smart!

This is the front of the chapel.  The windows and doors are kept open so you have a cool breeze and can hear the children singing next door in the primary.  It is dusty inside and the chairs are very close together.  The chapel was filled to capcity and there were people sitting outside.  You have to get there on time to sit inside.                                                  

This is a view out over the hillside in Mitini.  You can see the terraces where the people live and farm.  It is beautiful.

Here is a good view of a farm.  The soil is very rich and things grow easily if they can just get the water to it.  Water is such a precious thing to these humble people.                                                                                                                                  

You can see that even in the hills far from Nairobi there is air pollution.  

This is a group of missionaries who were going to be fingerprinted, which is one of the many steps of immigration.  The gentleman who is kneeling is Dickens.  He is the expert over immigration and is a very kind man.  The lady in red is Sister Nevin and she is my trainer.  Elder and Sister Nevin left this week for Arizona after serving for two years.  We miss them.



Here is little Harper giving the grandkids a lesson in Swahili.   Jambo is Swahili for Hello.  It seems that Swahili is the first language of the Kenyan people and they use English as second language.   Keep up the good work, Harper -- maybe you will be called to Kenya on your mission!



This sweet lady is Consolata and she is oneof the great women of Kenya.  She and two of her friends cooked dinner for about 50 missionaries  at zone conference on charcoal cookers outside.   It was a delicious  typical African meal with chicken, sweet potatoes, fruit salad,  rice and potatoes.   She is so kind and gracious and efficient.  She doesn't have a car -- takes the matatus, which are vans with racks on top.  She comes to our flat on Tuesdays and cleans for us and acts as though we are doing her a favor.  She is always smiling and I love her.

Our path to the office when we walk.

This is a picture of the entrance to the mission office where we work.