Facebook??
Cindy and I have both joined Facebook, which is an internet social thing. If you see our blog from time to time, and you have access to internet, you can find more frequent updates and more photos, there.
Facebook is easier and quicker to update, so we do it more frequently. We can receive communication, as well as post photos and stories. And it is much easier to put photos on Facebook.
You do have to
join Facebook. It doesn't cost anything. Then you look for Cindy Brislen and then for Mike Brislen on friend finder and request to be our friend. Or if this is confusing, simply
join Facebook, then send an email to brislen5@yahoo.com telling us and we will find you.
Visitors from Pennsylvania
In January we had 8 visitors from Stumptown and Mellinger Mennonite Churches. They were in Kenya for about 12 days and we managed to squeeze in quite a few experiences in that short time.
The group has also made a blog with better stories and more pictures. (Click this link!)
We began with a conversation with Kenya Mennonite Church leaders from Nairobi. We talked quite a bit with how we do church and mission in Kenya and in the USA. Then on Sunday we split up into 4 groups and visited all 4 of the KMC churches in Nairobi. That was quite an experience for most of our visitors, as most of these churches are in poor sections of the city. We were also able to visit Menno Academy at Mathare North Mennonite Church, Eastleigh Fellowship Centre and Mukuru Menno Academy at Mukuru Mennonite Church. Jonathan Pageau took us to an artisans cooperative where we met some of the men who make carvings for Ten Thousand Villages, as well as many more artisans. Jonathan has told us that the artisans were delighted with our visit, as they don't get many visitors, and our group made quite a few purchases, including Baraka the Giraffe.
The group also enjoyed a safari at Masa Mara Game Park. Two members of the group were unable to go with us, because they caught a flu bug. We spent one night at Sekenani Camp, which was excellent. We had two game drives. We didn't see as many animals as Cindy and I had become accustomed to on safaris, but our friends from PA saw more than they had ever seen. And we did see some lions from very close and a group of 4 cheetahs.
After the safari we stopped in Olepolos, which is a Masai village where a Mennonite church is located. The village has basically been transformed from one without hope into a village where children now finish school, fields are planted, cows are well-managed, and men are not drunk. We spent the night hosted by various families. For a few people this was a real stretch. On Sunday we worshiped together at Olepolos Mennonite Church, which is always a great pleasure.
A group photo.
The women's Choir at Olepolos.
Alia made a friend with one of David's daughters. David is one of the leaders at the church, and we spent the night at his house. Before the trip, Alia was complaining about going to Olepolos. (She can be the object of much unwanted attention - imagine being a little blonde-haired girl and having 20 kids watching your every move from a couple feet away.) However, once we were there, and Cindy had helped milk a cow, and Alia and I had played in the river and she'd found some friends - Alia told me that she now wanted to live in Olepolos.
Have you ever seen these Noah's Ark carvings at Ten Thousand Villages? Here is the artisan who creates them.
