African Adventure, February 2023

 

Cory Captures This Awesome Moment!

Visiting Kenya was an unexpected blessing! We were invited, by our pastor, to visit, MpM, A Place of Life, a mission that rescue babies, run by Dave and Jen Bell. Traveling there involved a nine-hour flight to Istanbul, three hours layover and then a six-hour flight to Nairobi. Long flights were tolerable as we had movies to watch and books to read. We arrived early morning in the Nairobi airport. Since Kevin and I had our vaccination cards we were waved through while others in our team had to bribe their way in. Dave and John (Dave’s long-time employee) met us in Land Rover vehicles, and we rode 19 miles, but about 90 minutes, south to the mission in Kitengela. The main road had speed bumps and rumble strips every so often, to keep traffic slow. The path from the highway into the mission, was chock-full of potholes and craters the size of kitchen sinks, making for a jarring, choppy ride.  The mile and a half stretch took forty minutes in drive time.

The Compound and Our Team

Jon and Cathy Reese greeted us in the team house and showed us our bedroom with our own bath down the hall. Breakfast was waiting for us. The kitchen and dining area became our main hangout during our stay. We soon learned not to use the water for drinking or brushing teeth, and how to wash dishes with bleach water.

Our teammates on this mission were Jon and Cathy, Scott and Emme, a father daughter duo, and Cory, Amanda, Elijah, Lucas and Abi Witmer. We learned to know each other as we worked and played together. Cory led us in a team meeting every evening. The Bells-Dave, Jen, Ethan, Selah and Shaddi-would join us for the evening meal. They resided across the compound in their own house.

The first two nights we were extremely tired but enjoyed exploring our surroundings. The mission is on seven acres, gated and fenced in. Besides the crops planted, the property includes a tilapia pond, a pool for baby therapy and four houses. Great Dane dogs stand guard but were very friendly to us.

The Bells-Shaddi, Dave, Ethan, Selah and Jen

Our Work

The first project we tackled was harvesting some 500 fish to fillet and freeze. Everyone had a job, either entrapping the fish with a net, scraping off scales, filleting or getting the fillets ready for the freezer. Other than childhood memories of fishing with Grandpa, Kevin and I are like, well–– fish-out-of-water when it comes to handling slippery, flopping, dying creatures so, we contributed to the day’s event by helping Amanda in the kitchen, feeling for, and then cutting out any overlooked bones in the now lifeless, closer-to-edible-like fillets. The fillets were then vacuum-sealed and frozen. Fish is a great source of protein for the babies starting to eat solid foods. Supper the next evening was a delicious cookout of fresh fish, breaded and fried just right by Dave.

Our biggest job was to tear down a deck and move it from one greenhouse to another where it would be reconstructed to service the pool. While the strongest among us did the heavy lifting, the rest of us painted. I think we did some painting almost every day we were there. Besides the deck, Kevin, Lucas and I painted a hanging swing. The paint was oil based, hard to work with, and even harder to clean up, but we finished the job during our stay.

In between working on the deck, baby time was scheduled for a few hours every morning and afternoon. We took turns going to play with and feed bottles to some of the 16 babies that were housed in their own building. It was quite an operation to observe as Jen, and the four Kenyan women the Bells employ, juggle infants at feeding times, give baths, and keep the older babies occupied during play time. What precious little people! What an opportunity to bless them and even pray for them as we held them close.

Bathing the Babies

Our Play

Dave made sure we had play time, too! Three days after we arrived, we packed clothes for two nights and drove five hours south to the Kalaguni Lodge in the Serena resort area with acres of uninhabited countryside and unpaved roads to drive through. Our time there included four excursions in Land Rovers, with roof extensions, so we could see out above the vehicle allowing us to watch for animals.  Awesome to see giraffes, elephants, monkeys, zebra, several kinds of antelope, a variety of birds, ostriches and wildebeest! Creator God provided the show for us. The lodge accommodations were pampering and the dining hall buffets had an abundant array of food. From the balcony of the dining area we enjoyed watching animals come and go to a manmade watering hole.

Watching the Mission in Action

The Bells had planned a fun day for families who had adopted their babies over the years. They gathered in a small amusement park for free rides, a luncheon, photo sessions and workshop opportunities, where social workers taught on issues pertinent to families who adopt. Our team helped fasten wristbands, take pictures, and park cars. The Bells were beaming with pride as they greeted parents who had made a family for their babies, and to see the children thriving in their environment.

The Bells work closely with another orphanage, Seeds in God’s Garden, who take any of their babies that are not adopted by two years old. We enjoyed visiting this ministry and all the resourceful ways they generate income and care for the children.

Dear to Mama Bell's Heart

God's Presence at Work in the World

Another outing involved going to a church in Nairobi where the Bells attend. The service was in English with an international attendance and contemporary worship. The songs were familiar, except for the one we learned in Swahili. Afterwards we ate out in a restaurant serving American food and did some shopping in a grocery store, where we found most of the items similar to what we can buy in the States. The market, however, was a new experience of haggling with the vendors to agree on prices. Here we found typical souvenirs like carved animals, tongs, fabrics and hats. We also bought coffee and nuts in the grocery store to hand out when we got back home.

The time passed quickly, and two weeks later we were headed home. We said our goodbyes to the Bells, realizing how isolated they are and how, especially the kids, would miss Emme and the Witmer kids. The Bell children are home schooled, so they don’t have contact with a lot of other youth.

In Istanbul we had a planned 18-hour layover. Because of the recent earthquake in parts of Turkey and Syria, the feeling of grief hung heavy in the airport and city. We carried prayers in our hearts for those who were suffering. The airline gave a free three-hour walking tour of the city and even included a Turkish meal in a restaurant. During the tour, we had a few minutes in the Old World Bazaar to buy some Turkish Delight and a Turkish towel. After our 80-90 degree weather in Kenya, the 40 degrees in Istanbul was quite an adjustment, especially since we only wore sweatshirts.

Istanbul Mosque

Istanbul Vendor

Old World Bazaaar

Safely Home

It was good to get back home and to savor the memories of all we had experienced and seen. This is only a summary of the highlights. The Bells are serving the least of these, and God has blessed their ministry. We are thankful to have been a small part of MpM on this trip.