Kenya- Nairobi

Wow what a fantastic week it has been for us. So we left Suubi on Saturday and the goodbyes where so painfull for me, I still haven't figured out how I'll be able to leave them all for good... I guess this is a good trial run. When we left on friday there where about 10 in the sick room out at Suubi, we haven't heard how the kids are doing so hopefully they are all good and happy. I'm not sure if Amie told you or not, but I'll tell you anyways Jude, my baby, had a really high fever and was at bullrushes for 4 days. I'm sure all the nannies got annoyed with me asking when Jude was coming back!! But he came back a week ago last sunday and is doing really well. Leah, one of the girls from the sets of twins, had a hernia which was growing, last we heard she was at the doctors office booking appointment to get that opperated on, so pray that that went well. Anyways we left Suubi and stayed at Buziga, the place where we where staying in Kampala. We went out for supper with Sonya, one of the volunteers who used to be out at Suubi but had gone home for christmas, and Lucy another volunteer from Australia who had been up in Gulu and was leaving on monday, as well as the norweigens. Sunday morning we woke up early and took the bus to Jinja for a horse back ride along the nile. It was so cool to see the nile and "the source of the nile" and go horse back riding again. Only down side to that was that we rode english, I never realized how much more I enjoy western! So much more relaxing!! But it was fun non the less after I got used to the bouncy gait they call a canter. Monday we went to bullrushes and said goodbye to whatever babies were left that we knew, which was all of 3, well 2- we had gone to say goodbye to Leah but she was at the doctors the whole time we where there :(. Had dinner that night with a bunch of volunteers, most of them who would be gone by the time we got back to Uganda and then boarder the bus for our 12hr bus ride to Kenya. The bus  was fine, not alot of leg room so it was a good thing that we had the front seat and where able to stretch out. Crossing the boarder was find and nothing exiting happened. Got to Nairobi and where pleasently surprised to find mostly good driving habits as well as clean roads and not mass amounts of people like we find in Kamapala. We dropped our begs off at the hostel and then I got a call from Monica and David, family friends from way back in Finnland, who insisted that we stay at their house starting tomorrow as we already booked in at the hostel. Went to the Giraffe centre where we got the oppertunity to feed, hug and get kissed by giraffes!! It was an awesome experience!! Then went out for supper for Amy's (norweigen) birthday! Amie and I each got a good sized small pizza for $5!! got to love africa!! Wednesday MOnica and David picked us up and it turns out they live right next to the giraffe centre, so Monica was planning on taking us there, We ended up having an amazing lunch and then napping for over 2hrs. On thursday we went to the elephant orphanage and watched them feed, even got to touch them. On the way back we drove past a bunch of baboons sitting on the side of the road. Then in the afternoon after lunch we saw 2 lepoard tortoises on around 40 years old that weighed 60-70 pounds and a smaller one, Amie and I both picked up a tortoise, I the big one and Amie the little one, it was so cool to see them. Staying at Monica's was so nice and so relaxing. It was also really cool because she had come to Houston almost 40 years ago and she showed me pictures of places I recognize, Babine Lake and Moricetown Canyon as well as pictures of my great grandpa's farm. Friday we had the oppertunity to visit my dad's sponosor kid, Joseph, who lived just out side of Nairobi. It was such an awesome experience and we gave him a soccer ball to share which was so cool.. and Joseph and his little brother couldn't stop smiling. We got to meet his parents who took the day off just to meet us and got to see his house. After that we had lunch in town and then went to the train station and met up with the norweigens who had been on Safari for the last 3 days. We got on the train and Amie and I shared our own compartment with a bunk bed and a seat that turned into a bed, we also served dinner and breakfast in the dinning cart. It was so neat to be on a train and spent most of the time we where awake looking out the window waving at kids as we passed by. And finally after 14hrs on the train we saw the Indian Ocean for the first time and Mombassa. (I'll let Amie tell you about our time in Mombasa next week- so far its been fantastic)
Just to update you on the elections in Uganda- Museveni was reelected president by 68% so the opponents are already calling foul as there where alot of fishy things happening on election day- missing ballot cards, peoples names missing from lists. Last we heard last night Besigye (Museveni's main opponent) was getting people to rally on the streets of Kamapala which was already happening last night, and thats the last we heard. Please pray that if Uganda has a revolution (which wouldn't necessarly be a bad thing) it would be a peacefull revolution and they wouldn't follow the example of so many other african nations.
Also please pray that Amie and I are able to return to Uganda on Saturday like we planned... Kenya is nice but I miss the babies way to much!!! and also that God would just guide us in our last 3 weeks in  Uganda, whether or not we should go up to Gulu for a week or just spend our time saying goodbye out in Suubi.
Thanks for your continued prayers!! This has been an amazing experience and we are both so glad that its not over yet.
-Christina
ps- i'll try to update the rest of our kenya trip sometime soon :)

February 11 - AKM

Hello readers
Here to update you on whats been going on lately.
Nothing too exciting. Lots of planning for our trip to Kenya. We leave monday night. Getting a bit excited. We have a few things planned to do while we stay. We'll be sure to tell you all about it once we are (hopefully) back in Uganda. Keep praying the upcoming elections go well.
We now have a huge group of babies here in Suubi. They just recently moved most of the kids from Bulrushes up here. They are making Bulrushes mainly the place just for sick kids. We visited Bulrushes the other day. It's so empty there now. Many of the volunteers are still there. Suubi deffinatley needs more help, so we are hoping they send more people up here soon. We had a couple more volunteers for awhile. They came with the new babies to help them settle in. They're back to Kampala now so its just Christina and I again. We did just have a family move into the apartments here. Haven't met them yet but the wife is supposed to start working here soon. Don't know if we'll get to meet her before we leave.
Please keep praying for our babies. We have several in isolation battling with sickness. I, also, am struggling with a nasty cold. Havn't worked in quite a few days. Tried working this morning for about an hour but then had coughing fits. Christina's been struggling with sickness a bit too, but shes still been working hard. She came upstairs yesterday covered in baby food. The kids had attacked her. I got to see one of the culprits. She was even messier and looked so rediculous. Made me laugh (they say thats the best medicine.)
Found out we are going to be able to go to Gulu baby home after Kenya. It's the only Watoto baby home we havn't visited yet. We're so glad we are going to get this awsome opertunity.
Thanks again to all of you who have been supporting us. Your prayers mean so much. God bless you and keep you!
~Amie