FYI to everyone who is checking us out

I just wanted everyone to know that it takes 20 minutes or a little more to post a set of pictures. It will only allow me to post 5 at a time. It will still take me 15 minutes to post just one picture. So it just makes more since to upload 5 at a time and wait the extra five minutes. Bethany, I tried exporting the pictures to my desktop and resizing it, but my computer will not allow me. I can see the resize button, but it is not highlighted, so it will not allow me to click on it. 

I do not get a chance to get up on the blog until we get back to the guest house around 4. So between dinner and the other things we have going on at night, we get a little pressed for time. Also, everyone has been using my computer to check the blog, or update the blog for themselves. So we are losing a little time there also. Carroll's computer has been for e-mailing and surfing the web. If you can imagine thou, I sit in the computer room here nearly every minute that we are on the property. So I sure am working on it. We do have wireless here, but it only works right outside the computer room. So I can not sit in my room and keep posting, because I sure would, just so you folks at home could catch up on what we are doing and see alot of pictures. Last night, I sat outside the computer room at closing after 11 and uploaded 10 photos. It took me over an hour to get that accomplished. So I am outside battling the elements for everyone back home. I will sit outside again tonight to upload some photos. I am risking the mosquitos for all you good poeple

Now, I just had five photos uploading for 16 minutes and the internet went down. So I lost those pictures. But I am sitting outside about to upload those again. Wayne is keeping me company this time. So we are both risking the mosquitos now. Also, don't get discouraged if you do not get a comment back from one of your comments to us. We can not see the blog here other than the first blogs that were posted before we left the United States. That goes for seeing most of your comments. We do know that everyone is seeing them back home. So that is all that really matters. 

Rebekah and Mark

Hello to all from Kenya!!!  We finally made it Tuesday night around 8:00 (1:00 pm your time) at the Nairobi airport.  We were picked up by Wayne and an African driver named Hudson.  Hudson drove quite fast and on the opposite side of the road than the United States which felt very different.  We arrived to the Mennonite Guest House around 9:30 and went to bed soon after that.  Today, we got up around 6:45 and had a nice breakfast here at the house.  Then we headed towards Mercy Care Centre around 9:00.  We drove through some pretty rough areas of Nairobi on our way and were instructed to leave the doors locked, windows up, and to not take pictures.  This is where around 30 people were killed in the uprising last year during the election.  We saw hundreds of small shacks made out of tin that people were selling an assortment of goods out of.  I have never seen such a sight in my entire life!!! It is truly indescribable and made my heart ache to see such horrible conditions.  When we drove up to the Mercy Care Centre my heart started beating faster and I couldn't wait to get out of the van to physically meet all the kids that were running towards us.  They held our hands and wouldn't let go.  One little boy immediately grabbed on to dad's leg just holding on so tight.  I was humbled within 5 seconds of being with these remarkable children.  To realize that I was finally at the Mercy Care Centre was an amazing feeling!!!  I quickly began teaching the first graders by reading "If you take a mouse to school" and then doing a coloring page.  The kids were so enthralled by the box of crayons we gave them.  Many kids just stared at the box not knowing what to do with the crayons so we showed them how to color on the page.  Even though there were around 60 kids in a tiny, cramped classroom, they were the best behaved kids I have ever met.  Later in the afternoon, we had a worship service with the teachers in one of the classrooms.  Dad preached a wonderful sermon and then we shared the Lord's supper together.  It was a very special time of worship despite the fact that we were sitting in wobbly desks with 4 adults sitting at one desk.  We promised that we would pray for the 29 teachers and headmaster Patrick who preached at our church last year.  It was an incredible day and we are so so so so excited about going back again tomorrow to minister more with all the kids.  We appreciate all your prayers and we hope to update you soon!!! We love you!!!!  

Aaron here.

I know, I know. Some of you might be thinking to yourself. This kid writes most of the blogs and than makes his own postings. Well, I did not want the group part of the blog to be all about me. So I have to make my own entries. I hope you are all alright with that. I had to take a picture of a few students from the secondary school. I had a chance to teach a little bit of chemistry to the secondary students. Most of the kids in my class were around 16. They were really a great class. I found out like an hour before the class that they wanted me to teach a few things about electronegativity through aqueous solutions. I went over balancing equations, as well as, the periodic table. The kids already knew most of it. They are very bright. I am certain that there is a few kids from this class that is ready to take the world by storm. They just need a chance to shine. I was told I was to talk for about 45 minutes. I was thinking that is pretty long for a man who has never taught before. I ended up talking in the class for nearly two hours. Now, Not all of that time was all about chemistry. Alot of the kids wanted to know things about the United States and college. So it was really a great experience to be able to tell them about our culture. I got a chance to learn a little bit about theirs as well. I thought I did a horrible job of teaching, because I was not really that prepared for it. But they asked me to come bak and teach more tomorrow. I was surprised, because after 45 minutes or so, the teacher took off. I was like man, "Am I that bad"? But than I figured out that it was their lunch time. The kids were to study and head to lunch. Not much studying got done, thanks to me. My fault Patrick! But it was still a great learning experience for the kids and myself. 

Hope everyone's time in the United States is going as good as mine. Take care!

2nd day at the MCC is complete.

We just got back to the guest house. Day two was even better than the first. We all took to our stations today and helped out in areas of our interest. Most of us taught in classes. We also set up the clinic and went over the necessities that needed to be purchased to get things rolling bright and early tomorrow. There are so many kids, many of which need some major treatment. I have noticed thou, that most of the kids that belong to the school are pretty healthy. That can be contributed to the ministry of the school. They really have done a fantastic job there. The kids that wonder around the school are in serious need of some treatment thou. Scabbies is one of the bigger problems surrounding those kids. Those of you who think scabbies is some kind of foreign language word. Scabbies is a skin infection that is caused by a type of mite. It burrows under the outer layer of skin. It causes skin irritation and is highly contagious. 

Rebekah and Mark Holler arrived last night. It took Wayne nearly two hours to get from the guest house to the airport to pick them up. He missed our dinner last night. It sure was good Wayne! Yum yum. That is the first thing Carroll said to him when he arrived back at the guest house. It was really funny. Wayne was like, "thanks for rubbing it in." We had a chapel service for the teachers led by Pastor Mark. Now, it was our turn to see how it feels to cram into a small class room and learn a little. Of course! Who gets stuck in the back of the room with all the bags and no leg room. I am starting to get the picture here guys. Make me carry all the heavy bags, run 15 xray bins through the machine, and now cramed into a sardine can. Haha. I am just messing around. But I did have no leg room. It was still a great experience. There is alot of faith in Patrick, the teachers, and the staff. I sure am learning alot from just watching them. Courage, humility, and perseverance are only a few words to describe them. 

We are all looking forward to what tomorrow brings. So check back throughout the day to see posts from others in the group. We appreciate all the prayers! Take care everyone!