arrived!

Hello all,

We have gotten into Nairobi safely, and had a good night's rest.
All of our connecting flights went well, and our contact in Kenya was waiting for us at the airport. Kyle and I both have our luggage also.

Our first impressions of Kenya are that the area we are in is definitely a change from what we are used to. It is a poor area, but the people are very welcoming. Our host family that we stayed with last night was great. They have a nice, clean home and we had breakfast there this morning. Today we are exploring, and we will go to our orientation tomorrow and then learn more about the situation here and our placement.

We wish you all the best back home,
Kyle and Kate.

last post in Canada.

Kyle and I are flying out tomorrow. We stop in Toronto for lunch and a visit with my sister (5 hour layover!!) and then we're off to Nairobi.

So goodbye Canadian family and friends. Have a good winter while we're away, stay warm and safe. We will see you in the spring.

Kyle and I would like to thank everyone in advance for the prayers of safe travel and safety and productivity on our trip. We'll be updating as often as we can with news of what is happening with us and what is going on in our Kenyan community.

Kyle and I went to MCC and got some great children's books and clothes to bring over. We have a full suitcase, and with the donations we have received we'll have enough to get much more once we arrive in Kenya. This is because of you! - everyone who gave so generously. The orphanage and school children will be grateful, just as we are. So thank you all so much. We are blown away by the kindness and support we have gotten from our home communities, family, friends, and church family. With another final donation - We have a final total of $950.00! (Canadian) that we'll be able to put into the Kenyan economy, and get some things (clothes, books, sports equipment, bedding, etc.) for some children who are in need. Again, Thank you.



With thankfulness,

Kate and Kyle.

a final farewell.

Well, we are down to our last couple of days in Canada...

We would like to say thank you again to our friends, family, and members of the community who gave so generously to support us in our trip to Kenya. We are so thankful for everyone in our lives, and feel so blessed to have so many people wishing us well on our travels. Some good news: we actually managed to fundraise above what Kyle and I need to cover our volunteering fees, so we will be using out extra $600.00 to get some supplies for the school and orphanage where we will be working.

Our last days will be spent packing Kyle's apartment, visitng friends and relatives, gathering some last-minute things to pack, and preparing ourselves mentally. If anyone still wants to say goodbye, We are in Carman today, Portage tomorrow, Carman on Thurs and Fri, and Winnipeg on Saturday.

We recieved an email recently from the program director in Kenya, and he has asked that if there is any extra room in our bags, that we might be able to bring some children's books, children's clothes, and other things that might be of need. So I think we'll gather a bunch of stuff to take and hopefully that will be helpful to the Kenyan communities that we will be in contact with. We will also be taking a box of supplies over for one of our friends (the daughter of one of my former co-workers) who was recently in Kenya with IVHQ. She has put together a box of supplies that she saw the need for during her visit.

So, as a final farewell, we would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year, and a safe and productive winter while we are gone. Feel free to add comments to our blog if you have anything to share with us, as we'll be updating as often as we can.

To our family and friends: we will miss you, and we love you. See you in the Spring.

Kwa Heri
(Goodbye in Swahili)

thank you sooo much!

Hello friends,

I just wanted to let everyone know that yesterday, at a craft sale fundraiser in Thompson, Manitoba... Kyle and I met our fund-raising goal! The final push brought us to $3000.00!!!!! We would like to thank everyone so much for the support. The face-painting and balloons at the Roland pumpkin fair, the meal at the Carman Mennonite Church, and the craft sales in Thompson were great fundraising events. It was great to be able to share about why we are going to Africa with everyone who asked! The money that we fund-raised will pay our volunteering fees. Our fees are split between our host family, who will house, feed, and take care of us while we are there, and the school that we will be working at.

With two weeks to go until we leave, we are now saying our goodbyes and starting to pack. Well - I'm starting to pack, Kyle will probably wait until the night before we leave. I'm also leaving Thompson this week after my last vaccination to go to Carman and get ready with Kyle. I'll help him and his roommate pack up their apartment.Then we'll say our goodbyes to friends down there, have an early Christmas with our families, catch a ride to the airport, visit with my sister in Toronto on our layover! and then be off on our way to Kenya!

We are also celebrating today because of Kyle's great news! His baptism was today at the Carman Mennonite Church.

We have so many things to be thankful for, so we just wanted to take this opportunity to share with all of you some of our joy today, and say thank you - or Ahsante (in Swahili)

Peace and Love,
Kate

what to do...

Kyle and I might go on a side-adventure on one of our long weekends off when we're in Kenya...

What do you think we should do?
Vote at the top of this page!

He thinks climbing a mountain would be a good way to spend our downtime....
I feel that sea turtle migration would be educational and awesome to witness, and also fun because we could snorkel (kyle can scuba dive), and spend some time on the beach.

But there are a few other options... maybe we'll have time to do them all. :)

-Kate

new news.

Hello Friends.

I am halfway through my introductory Swahili lessons, and going to have a conversation with one of my mom's friends who is originally from Kenya. So hopefully she can give me some more pointers about pronunciation and maybe a few more phrases that aren't included in my lessons. So far the longest "conversation" that I can have is... "Excuse me, Good morning, my name is Kate, I am Canadian. Can you help me? How do I get to the museum? Thank you, Goodbye."

pretty cool huh? I'm super pumped about it.

Kyle is almost finished at the farm, and I still have another week and a half in Thompson. I'm keeping busy - I'm subbing, doing another craft sale (13th of Nov.), and babysitting two of the most beautiful children that I know.

The craft sale is our last project in effort to fund-raise before we leave. We are only $318.00 away from our goal, so even if we don't make it, this volunteering experience won't leave us too broke. The craft sale will be at my parents house again, 80 Westwood Drive. I will have ceramics there (pottery - mugs, bowls, vases, etc.), My grandmother (who is awesome) has knitted some great kids stuff, sweaters, mittens, and also has made some crafts.... and my good friend Orla will be selling 1lb bags of the wild rice that her and her husband harvest from a lake up north here. If any of you Thompsonites are out for the Juniper Centre's craft sale, make sure to swing by.

I am speaking in church tomorrow about our trip, and I'm really looking forward to sharing with my church family about our plans.

Around the 17th or so, I'll be going down to Carman / Roland to help Kyle and Eric (Kyle's super-cool roommate) pack up their apartment and get everything ready to go.

How do you pack for being away from home for 4 months?... give me some suggestions of things we might have forgotten to put on the list. I will DEFINITELY remember my malaria pills this time mom, I promise!

Thanks for following our blog everyone! And thank you to everyone who has given us such generous support. We love and appreciate all of you.
-Kate