Wednesday, June 12, 2008 - Landed in Nairobi

So, we made it to Nairobi safely. We arrived this morning along with 6 of our seven bags. Supposedly the seventh is “somewhere” that has yet to be determined. That is incredibly useful information. But we are all doing well, and we just praise God for how great the trip over was. The girls did wonderfully, even sleeping for several hours on this last leg of flights. Evidently there were some Kenyan dignitaries on the flight with us, so our plane landed a bit removed from the airport, so that the dignitaries might receive “red carpet” treatment as they disembarked and their security folks could pick them up. So as we were coming off the plane, we also were able to walk the red carpet, and then lots and lots and lots of tarmac to make it back to the airport. It came out to be kind of a raw deal for those of us not having security cars there to pick us up. But by God’s grace, we had enough strength and energy to make the long walk back to the airport, with several bags and two babies in tow.

We were able to get some lunch at our favorite local restaurant here in Nairobi and then come back to the hotel to take fabulous naps in the afternoon. Hopefully we can get a good night’s sleep tonight and be ready to go in the morning.

Nairobi feels a bit different from when I was here last. I have not seen any obvious signs of violence or disruption, but there are less obvious things in the city that just put change in the air. Evidently, the public matatus (overcrowded taxi buses that could easily pull off the “clowns in a small car” stunt without a challenge) have been banned from entering downtown Nairobi, so the chaos and congestion that comes from those has been removed. There are also noticeably fewer people walking the streets of Nairobi. Many have been displaced to other parts of the country because of all that happened. The streets are still busy, don’t get me wrong, just not as busy, which is different.

David flew in from Kisumu this evening, so we are looking forward to seeing him in the morning. We will be in Nairobi for the next several days, taking care of some paperwork and business, and then we will head out west to Kisumu. Please pray with us for the vehicle that God would have us buy and use for His glory. We are searching, trying to find the right one at the right price. Please pray with us for that.

I think that’s all for tonight. Not much really to tell of, other than the great trip over and the incredible mercy of our Father. He is good, y’all. So good.