Johnson Journals

2010-07-01T12:45:00.000-06:00

Here is our little Jadeyn doing what he loves best: camping!!!!!

Spring Break in Boise

2010-03-24T22:52:00.004-06:00

It was wonderful having the children home from Spring Break. Only Julie's children were out of school, but Rebecca, Kevin and Jadeyn joined us for a few days. We had wall to wall kids, but it was a delightful time. Sheri and Terry joined us as much as they could but with their kids in school and Michelle's play they didn't have as much time. We all attended Bye Bye Birdie in which Michelle played the lead role of Spanish Rose! She was awesome, amazing, and truly talented. Her lines were so fast and furious and involved. I can't imagine how she remember them all. We were very proud of her.

We had just celebrated a night of Hawaii with Jennie. We watched the movie "Hawaii" and had homemade ice cream. She has accepted schooling at BYU-Hawaii! She will leave in September and should have an incredible time. Fortunately, her aunt Kristi lives in Honolulu, so she shouldn't get too homesick, but it will give everyone the opportunity to visit her! We are so excited for her. It will be a wonderful experience going away to school! We love you Jennie!

Sheri, Julie and Rebecca had a blast going through all the things they had left behind and mostly took them home with them. But we still have more things to go through. With our remodeling almost finished, we want to send as much as we can to all the families to enjoy now. Terry and Jared and Justin went to pay 'army' with the paint balls games in Kuna while, Kevin and Dad went for a very long TR-6 ride. We thought they were lost they went so long. Then they came home only to go to the movies together. All the little children loved playing, dressing up, watching movies and creating things. It was fun to have 'boys' in the house, even tho they were tiny little ones. (Jonah and Jadeyn)

Each of the girls went over to see Grandma Johnson and spend time with her. She will be 93 this September and is very spry and cheery for her age. She appreciated so much having them all come. We missed Shelly and family for this visit but look forward to spending time with them in August when they will visit us.

Closing the year 2009

2010-01-09T13:59:00.005-07:00

We were blessed with another wonderful close of 2009 with the ability to visit with all of our precious Children. Julie and Jared blessed their 5th child, a son, Jonah Scott, on November 1st and Sheri and Terry were able to attend. A brief, but memorable, time with everyone in Idaho at Julie's home in Twin Falls, ID. I had a moment of self-destruct as we left and slipped on the icy steps which has slowed down the holiday season, but also been a blessing. We discovered a large cyst that will need to be removed in January. So sometimes, blessing come with a hard fall. LOL

We had Sheri and Terry and kids over for Thanksgiving dinner in our new kitchen, which finally was finished, except for painting and a few other misc. things. We learned that Justin is a fantastic Chess player, so be prepared if you challenge him! Michelle is doing beautifully with the piano and drama this year. While Jennie is a young adult looking for work so she will be able to attend college in the fall. She is looking forward her last semester of tennis as number one seed. Can't believe we have a granddaughter who is graduating from High School.

On December 21 th, we left for Houston, TX to warm up the tennis rackets with all the kids down there. Dick played most every day with someone. We had major celebration time while there. Ryan had just had his 17 th birthday a few days before we arrive. He had requested a BSU tee shirt so he could tout the TCU people. Christmas Day came far too quickly, and then Spencer's 8th birthday and baptism. He was baptised before he even got a chance to open his presents at 10 AM. It was a beautiful day for him. Sunday, Malia sang and Shelly played for her song, Miracles. It was very moving. Then Shelly was asked to speak in Sacrament Meeting and sent a beautiful message about "it matters" what we are doing our lives. "It matters" what we are doing in our lives because it develop the eternity of our future.

We had a wonderful time visiting Kevin, Rebecca and little Jadeyn in Longmont. Jadeyn really got excited to see us, even though we knew he didn't have any idea who we were. He warmed up to us and loved us. We were thrilled to have the time with them over New Year's. We watched movies, played games, and ate lots of fun things. Kevin and Rebecca are great cooks and love to cook, but we did go out to eat several times. We went to the animal shelter and almost brought home another cat. They already have two "boys" (cats) that were their first children before Jadeyn. The weather was wonderful and we played outside in the left over snow. It was a grand time. We look forward to when they can come see us in Boise.

2009-12-12T23:00:00.063-07:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
from the
DICK & LAWANA JOHNSON FAMILY!

We hope you are enjoying a wonderful Christmas and Holiday season! 2009 again brought many changes to our family's lives that we would like to share with you. We'll begin with us:

Toward the end of last year, we finished our 3 year mission for our Church . . .a wonderful experience! Most of our time since Dick's retirement had been given to that mission, so 2009 brought a return to more normal life and finding out what being retired is usually about! We enjoyed great times at home and on trips to Twin Falls, Texas, and Colorado to be with our most choice possessions, our 4 daughters and great sons-in-law and 15 grandkids. We've also caught up on lots of backed-up projects, even including major remodeling to most rooms in the house...WHEW! ... almost done with that, thank goodness!

We also enjoyed great trips with good friends/family to France, Cancun, Chichen Itza, St. Augustine, Ft. Lauderdale, Disney World, Island Park, and McCall. Several road rallies came in between with our British Sports Car Club in our little green TR-6 convertible. And, Lawana had a special time with several of our daughters at the Women's Conference in Provo.

The year closed with a unique, life-changing "mini-mission" experience that we will never forget! We were asked by Lawana's brother, Corwin, to visit and serve with him and his wife, Peggy, for around 6 weeks in Kenya, Africa. They were serving there on a special three month measles prevention mission for the Church and we had the wonderful opportunity to help implement it. Such humanitarian work is very needed in undeveloped countries like Africa, where a totally preventable disease like measles still kills 500 children each day. During the closing week, around 93% of the African young children were provided measles "jabs" (vaccinations) in the area we worked around Mombasa and the Chyulu Hills. Most of our time went to this greatly-needed work and we came to love the wonderful, loving spirit of the very poor, but very noble African people. Along the way we also went on several safaris in Africa's wild bush and saw many fantastic wildlife sightings. It was Springtime there, so we saw practically every species of African wildlife with their young babies! Should you like to learn a bit about the measles work there and enjoy a taste of the wonderful African people and the majesty and splendor of that wild, dangerous, and beautiful country, just click on "Measles" at the top left under "View by Subject." (Incidentally, for you who have already seen some of our African pictures, we have added a lot more great safari wildlife pictures in the "Measles" section which you might especially enjoy).

In closing our part of this Christmas letter, we continue very grateful for freedom and America, fairly good health, loving friends and family, and many other blessings. We are especially grateful for the Gospel of Jesus Christ in our lives. We thank you all for your love and friendship. We wish we could see or hear from all of you more often. Please know that you are always welcome in our home. We wish you the very best during this glorious Christmas season and hope that the New Year brings you & yours much success & happiness.

Please continue scrolling down for the Christmas Messages to you & fun photos from our Daughters' Families:

Sheri & Terry Cole Family

2009-12-12T22:29:00.019-07:00

The Cole Family
Terry-Sheri-Jennie-Michelle-Justin

This year has been a year of growing and changing for the Cole Family. We have had a lot of fun together, including a big family trip to Disneyworld, Florida. We decided it may be our last family trip with everyone all together so we asked the kids where in the world they would like to go, and they chose Disneyworld. We played there for a week, amazed at how hot and humid it can be, and then spend a second week on the beach with Grandma and Grandpa, playing in the waves. It was a wonderful time.

Terry is going into his 20th year as a Firefighter, Captain of his station for 11 years now. He enjoys his work, especially because of his great schedule when he gets to be home and doing the things he really wants to do. He went on a big trophy elk hunt this summer in Utah, which was a lot of fun, but didn't see anything big enough to bring home to rival "Ed the Dead Elk Head" already on our wall. He took Justin hunting and camping a lot this year, and they are having a great time together.

Sheri has still been enjoying being a stay at home mom and has realized your kids need you even more as they get older! She is continuing her part time window decorating business, painting various businesses around the valley for holidays, promos, etc. It's a great little job, working hours she chooses to work, and the money feels like it comes for free because painting is so much fun. She continues to stay busy with 3 callings, 2 of which she shared with Terry on Activities Committee for the ward and Dance Couple (in charge of Saturday Night Youth Dances) for the stake. Also, she is looking forward to finishing her Nursery Calling which they have promised will be over in December!

Jennie is enjoying her Senior year at Rocky Mountain High School and is living it up before entering the big bad real world. She continues to keep up her high GPA and has been busy filling out college applications for next year. She has narrowed her interests of study to either the field of Nursing or Dental Hygiene. She has been very busy this year working on the Yearbook Committee, and is sure to be seen over and over in this year's edition! In the Spring she plans to once again take her place as Number 1 Varsity Singles player for her team. Cross your fingers for no sprained ankle!

Michelle is a Junior and having a great time in the Drama world of high school. She is currently rehearsing for a play that will be performed next week by the Drama classes, and has just received 2 leading parts in the winter play, A Christmas Carol, which will come out in December. She is having a wonderful time in a new class offered this year, "Musical Theater," where she has discovered not only can she act, but she has a great singing-stage voice as well! Michelle also continues to improve her piano skills by practicing everyday, and this year has begun teaching 4 young piano students.

Justin started at Sawtooth Middle School this year and is a big 6th grader. He has adjusted to the idea of having 8 classes really well and is keeping up with good grades in all of them! His favorite classes are PE and World Civ. He has made a lot of new friends this year and will soon be joining the 12 year old Scouts and will become a Deacon. Justin has also enjoyed camping and hunting with Terry and loves the big outdoors. He continues to like Bionicles and wants to design toys for Lego when he grows up. That, or an artist. Or a chef, as he loves to experiment with new recipes and share them with our family.

Shelly & Doran Johnson Family

2009-12-12T22:24:00.035-07:00

Merry Christmas
from
The Johnsons in Texas!

I love the end of the year—not just because of the warm, cheery holidays of thanksgiving and Christmas, but because it is a time to sit down for five minutes in a room bathed in soft Christmas lights and music, wrapped in a fleece blanket, with a cup of hot chocolate and think about all the things that have keep our lives so busy throughout the year. Of course, here in The Woodlands, Texas, we have to set the AC very low so to get the desired cozy Christmas mood! Such is the case as a few events of 2009 spring to mind.

Ryan (16) achieving his Eagle rank the same week son #4, Spencer (almost 8), enters the wonderful world of Cub Scouts and Gavin (13) begins working on his Eagle Project (Doran laments he will be in boy scouts forever, but inside he secretly must love it!)

The mother/son’s campout Shelly spent with Gavin and Ryan staying up late for midnight mischief and sleeping snuggled in our down bags in the woods. And biking 18 miles together the next day.

Watching Malia (15) perform in her splashy roles in the musical “Joseph and the Technicolor Dreamcoat”, complete with Egyptian painted eyes and wild costumes.

Derek’s incessant pursuit of magic—he has the best 10-year-old sleight of hand ability I have ever encountered. I seriously think he could make money performing! His ten little fingers are pretty good on the ivories as well. He is exceptionally gifted—piano seems effortless for him.

Annalee (5) tromped off with all the kids on the first day of school to Kindergarten, her backpack thumping the backs of her calves as she walked down the sidewalk, only turning back to say, “Bye mom! I love you!” She adores school.

Spencer’s (almost 8) baptism will take place the day after Christmas. What a special time of year to make covenants to follow Jesus. He is excited and talks about it almost daily.

The countless hours we have spent pounding tennis balls around the court regardless of Houston heat, humidity, & even rain! Fortunately, our efforts are bearing fruit--Ryan, Malia and Gavin love it and are having success on their teams.

Ryan’s unbelievable ability to read, write and speak Chinese. He has incredible aptitude for abstract languages.

Piper, our Irish Water Spaniel, has grown up this year—lives to go on walks, tug on Shelly’s arm should she dares to teach piano or sit at the computer, and loves to play tag with little Jesse, our Cavalier and any kids who are home.

The momentous day Doran decided to shave his head! Have you noticed this is a cool trend among men? Thank heavens he has a handsome head!

Frequent visits with family! What a blessing it is to be in the same country. Our lives are inexplicably enriched by the love of grandparents, siblings and cousins. Getting together with family is worth every mile on the car or in the air and a complete gift!

With the kind innkeeper who found room for Joseph and Mary in his inn and found a place in his heart for the baby Jesus, we echo the words he might have spoken: Let Him in. We live in a busy world with many good things to occupy our time and energy. It is our prayer and wish for all to make room for Him in our lives, hearts, blessings and our challenges. The peace the Savior offers is real and is lasting. It tempers all our stresses and envelops all our joys. And it is a gift to all, for all. Let Him in. You’ll be glad you did. We sure are!

Merry Christmas!

Julie & Jared Morgan & Family

2009-12-12T22:21:00.016-07:00

Jared and Julie Morgan and family

Hello everyone,

Another year has as they say “flown by” with a whirlwind of activities. We’ve been busy with life in all its many parts but we’d love to fill you in on some of the highlights of the year.

Jared – Work hasn’t change much during the economic down turn for him which is a great blessing. The human animal bond between pets and owners looks to be able to endure most crises. This summer he did get a break from work to again to be part of the young men and women at church with scout camp and weekly activities. He even got to go and be the medic for the 3 day Stake pioneer Trek that took place in the mountains south of Twin Falls. He also continues to enjoy helping with local and not so local wild life and has brought home for a short out of hospital stay such things as lizards, snakes, baby raccoons, a young deer, an occasional puppy or kitten, and even for a short time a baby alligator. You never know what might be in that box he’s carrying in the door.

Julie – A mom’s work is never done and multitasking is her middle name. Argument referee, homework tyrant, piano practice manager, Primary President, culinary artist, gardener and custodian. Despite all these activities and being pregnant most of the year she still manages to make life fun for everyone. She made it through being pregnant with number 5 and is so glad to have baby Jonah here.

Mikayla – Our oldest daughter, Mikayla is growing up fast as a third grader. She is a great older sister to all her younger siblings, especially baby, Jonah. She loves to help Mommy when she is busy and he cries. She is loving school and has a good attitude of determination to be a good student and stay ahead of Jericca.

Jericca – While she is right on the heels of her big sister and tries to compete with her in all points of life. They are best friends and do everything together. It’s really nice for them to have each other to share life with, even though they do disagree terribly at times. Then, they will be back and loving each other in a short time not remembering the problems that just transpired. They both are hard at work learning the piano this year and are making real progress.

Eliza – She really loves dressing up as a princess and is continually leaving her regular clothes behind to transform into someone like Snow White, Cinderella, a ballerina, or something else from her imagination. She is excited about getting ready for school and is frustrated about having to wait until next year to start kindergarten. To help with the waiting process she is in a preschool twice a week that Julie trades teaching and is really loving the learning and social interaction.

Skyla – Is a joy to be around despite being in the middle of the terrible two’s. She will have the occasional melt down, mostly when she’s tired and worn out, but those quickly fade and she is back to hugs, kisses, and giggles. She loves having 3 big sisters to play and run around with and is very tolerant of their bossing and ordering her around during the games they play. Now she is thrilled to be a big sister to her new little brother.

Jonah – Well, it finally happened. A boy has come into our family for a permanent stay. Jonah Scot Morgan was born August 11, 2009 and couldn’t be a better baby. Despite some early on difficulties with keeping his bowels moving he is a happy healthy fun little boy. He loves to eat and play and will even sleep through the turmoil and commotion of an active family of five whirling around him. He looks so much like all of his sisters yet at the same time there’s no denying that he’s a boy. Julie says he looks just like me! (too bad for him)

Luciana – You thought we were done but here’s one more to talk about. Luciana is from Brazil south east of Sao Paulo and will be staying with our family for the school year as an exchange student. She has definitely added a completely new dimension to our family. She is always busy with Volleyball, church, dances, and parties and soon, basketball. As well as extra home work that’s not getting done and makeup and clothes to make sure is perfect so she can maintain her constant state of “beauty,” her life is always hopping. We really enjoy the addition of having a really big sister in the house and are glad she’s here.

Rebecca & Kevin Cottrell & family

2009-12-12T22:13:00.011-07:00

What a wonderful year this has been!

Who knew that it was possible to just keep getting better. As you all know, Jadeyn, our little boy, joined the family in April ‘08, so this is our first full year with our little munchkin. He has definitely been the highlight of our year. He hasn’t stopped us from doing any of the things that we love, in fact he has only increased them.

We camped and fished as much as possible and quickly discovered that these are Jadeyn’s #1 favorite things to do! He loves the outdoors just like we do, he loves getting dirty and he LOVES to fish.

We went on several amazing trips this year. We went to Florida’s three National Parks to continue our goal of seeing all of the National Parks in the US. What an amazing trip! The Everglades were just as breathtaking and mysterious as we expected. Exotic birds and allusive alligators, and the noise of the swamps was beautiful. Biscayne and Dry Tortugas came with some incredible boat rides complete with dolphins and manatees.

Hershey’s Park, PA was another fun highlight of our year. We couldn’t go through a whole year without visiting an Amusement Park could we? We flew to Pennsylvania and met Stephanie and family, Kevin’s sister and had such a great time with them. Who knew and entire amusement park could smell like chocolate? We stayed in Hershey Lodge where when you walk in the door, you just have to smile sweetly and you are given a full sized Hershey bar!!

Life in the working world has been going very well. Kevin’s optometry practice is doing great He has helped the practice to grow and thrive through the tough economy and enjoys helping his patients everyday. Rebecca continues to enjoy working part time for a local plastic surgeon and being able to spend the rest of the time with Jadeyn. Two days at work a week is perfect!

Life this year has been great and we try to enjoy every moment that life gives us.

P.S. This only covers 3/4 of the year as our dad, Mr. Planner, insisted on a deadline for submitting the Christmas letter! :)

Merry Christmas!
Kevin, Rebecca, Jadeyn, Dozer & Newt

Random Photos from 2009

2009-12-11T19:47:00.026-07:00

Paris in the Fall of 2009

2009-12-09T07:39:00.000-07:00

Paris in the Beautiful Fall of 2009

We arrived in France at the Charles de Gaulle Airport at around 5 PM in the afternoon after an 8 hour flight on KLM from Nairobi. KLM's great meals and many movies made the time pass quickly. It was strange going from wild and wonderful Africa to elegant and beautiful Paris. What a contrast! I don't suppose there are many other two countries so different from each other than Kenya and France! The French countryside was green and beautiful as we flew over...lush, green fields, vineyards, orchards, rivers, forests, streams, and lakes. Our decision to stay a week here was made possible by the "triangle" option on our frequent flier miles program wherein you can stop and stay in another city without an extra cost or more miles when you are doing a round trip. Our choices were London or Paris. I had already been to both, but Lawana had not seen either, so it was great fun when we planned the trip to see the thrill and joy on her face when I said, "How would you like to go to Paris on the way home?" London is nice, too, but, "Ah Pareee!".......I knew there is no more romantic city in the whole world! More about that later!

We chose our small French hotel on the Right Bank of the Seine primarily for it's great location in the center of the city and more reasonable price. It turned out to be perfect because of it's closeness to the Metro (subway), busses, trains and river boats...and, because most travelers, and Parisians themselves, try to avoid travel by car in this bustling city. We walked, bussed, boated and found our way around quite well...with some great help from our IPOD's GPS!

Prices are expensive here, even more than they were during our European & Baltic Sea trip last year, not only because of the continuing weakness of the dollar vs the Euro, but also simply because it is Paris. For example, it cost about $80 for the 30 minute cab drive from the airport. And, "that will be $3.00, Madam, for your diet cola." (and, no refills, either!) So, our first night was typical of many evenings during the week...off to the great little markets and pastry shops nearby for great French breads, milk, cheese, bananas, yogurt, and oranges. That first evening's dinner was wonderfully spent on the steps of an ancient old Church, enjoying delicious, warm and fresh French pastries, and getting our first glance of the local scenery. And, as we found everywhere throughout the rest of the week, love is always in the air in Paris! Couples were hand in hand, talking and laughing, openly hugging and kissing. And, why not? This city simply makes you feel that way. It's quite wonderful!

Our small hotel of 20 rooms, the Pavilion Louvre Rivoli, is nice, located along a typical narrow (one lane, one way) cobblestone street at 20 Rue Molie're. The room is small (only about 9 X 10!), but, in typical French excellence, very well designed. Lots of planning was done to make the small space quite comfortable, even if we had to squeeze around a bit. Our first experience with the language was with Shada, the desk clerk, a typical perky, young, dark-headed French girl, who cheerfully gave us directions in her mix of French and English. Many French people do not speak English, so it was fun going around and trying to communicate. They liked it when we tried some French words and laughed at our mistakes. The language is truly beautiful and melodious. Many consider it the most beautiful language in the world, which I agree with. Different languages are very interesting to listen to, aren't they? Some seem to me to be not pleasing at all...gutteral, harsh, sharp, noisy, and loud. But, French is very soothing, just seeming to glide smoothly along...and, like the rest of this country, very romantic, too!

We are so lucky to be here in the beautiful Fall time of the year. We caught it in early October, just as the leaves changed. Fall and Spring are the most beautiful and romantic times in this wondrous city. It reminded us very much of great classic movies, like, "An American in Paris, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Gigi, " etc. and we could visualize Audrey Hepburn riding along on a bicycle down a narrow, cobblestone street here in Paris, just like the ones we are walking along every day we are here.

To get a general overview of the city before striking out on our own, for the first three days we took double decker open top bus tours and open top river boat tours. It was a great decision, complete with headphone tour guides. We got on and off whenever we wanted to look around on our own, too. It is beautiful Fall weather here, so we dressed in layers. The Fall air and color changes of the trees is refreshing. It quickly became apparent to Lawana why this is called the most beautiful city in the world. And, even though I have sometimes not liked France because of it's occasional haughtiness and political criticism of America's foreign policy, I have to admit that the country has much to be very proud of, indeed. They have done many things right that other countries, including the US, could learn much from!

You really have to see it in person to really understand that. Elegance, Class, Charm, Beauty, Culture, Historical reverence and preservation, Ecology appreciation, Antiquity, Planning, Design, Fashion, Music, Language, Romance, on and on and on. Beautiful trees are on practically every street, sometimes two rows on each side. There is a reverence for it's ancient history, monuments, and buildings. We went from place to place in it's 14 districts, completely in awe at the beautiful, ancient buildings, monuments, parks. The planning seems to have been done from the very beginning with great emphasis on maintaining the beauty of the past. Even the bridges were beautiful, ornately done with statues and gorgeous design. And, can you believe art works behind glass in a subway! The great river Seine flows serenely through the heart of the city with old, beautiful riverboats lining much of it's banks and water traffic gliding smoothly along. Cobblestone streets, many flower shops, ornate street lights, tree-lined walkways, beautiful parks, small streams and lakes, little shops and boutiques, sidewalk restaurants, small markets and pastry shops, small, intriguing courtyards, huge, tall 12 foot doors, ornately-carved and with big, elegant door knobs, wrought iron balconies on practically every window and complete with flower boxes, ornate carvings on even cement building walls, tiled rooftops, the smell of French cuisine from great restaurants, ancient churches, museums, art galleries, street musicians, gently rolling hills, elaborate, elegant craftsmanship, huge bronze, marble, stone statues and sculptures, fountains, plazas, and great, historical monuments everywhere.

Compared to the sometimes rather gaudy, overly-ornate, gold-layered churches, buildings, monuments, and sculptures we saw in Thailand, Russia and the rest of the Baltic last year, I was impressed by the much less gaudy, but beautifully ornate, elegant majesty of their Parisian counterparts, as well as the whole culture and art generally. It is much more classy and genuinely elegant. However, the elaborately-carved gargoyles on top of Notre Dame and other great churches and buildings did seem a bit weird. We wondered what came to the builders' minds when they decided to cover a church's waterspouts with gargoyle heads? On the other hand, perhaps it was better than just a plain old waterspout on such a beautiful building!

The nights here are especially beautiful. Paris is called the "City of Lights" because another wonderful way their planners from the beginning made the city especially beautiful was to make the extra effort to uniquely light it's wonders up at night. Beautiful, ornate street lights everywhere. Unique lighting on the bridges, statues, and monuments. Lighting of many different colors, not just white...making it a wondrous technicolor city scape of different colors, almost so beautiful a person wonders if it could all be real. Lavender, pink, greens, etc. providing a gorgeous glow. It created a romantic feeling everywhere. It really is magical. We wished we could have ridden over it at night in a balloon and looked down on all the lights and colors from above.

We toured many of the beautiful, world-renowned sights: Like:

- The awesome Eiffel Tower, the icon of Paris, which was the world's tallest building for many years.
- The Louvre, the world's largest museum, covering acres and acres of ground, 5 stories tall, over 100 huge rooms of some of the greatest art, sculpture, and history in the world. Like, the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo, the Winged Victory, works by Monet, Rembrandt, Picasso, Michaelangelo, Dali, Van Gogh, Da Vinci, etc. We easily could have spent the whole week just in the Louvre! Paris has more museums and art galleries than any city in the world. For example, we saw the "Thinker" and the "Kiss" in Rodin's own gallery and could have done the same with Picasso and many others.
- The Arc de Triomphe where our troops marched through for the liberation of Paris
- Beautiful Notre Dame Cathedral and many, many more beautiful churches, like Sainte Chapelle, with it's magnificent stain glass windows and where Christ's crown of thorns is housed. And, we saw the beautiful Dome Church and we climbed the hill to see the gorgeous Sacre-Coeur abby on the hillside above Montmartre. There was also La Madeline, St- Eustache, St-Severin, etc.
- The Bastille where the French Revolution began, many sites of the Rennaissance (Rebecca and Kevin would have loved it all. We wish they could have been with us there!)
- The Pantheon, the majestic Opera House, the Concordes Plaza, the Invalides, the Carnavalet,
- The Latin Quarter and the Moulin Rouge red light district, where the "can can" and the strip tease originated. - The beautiful Champs de Elysees, the most beautiful avenue in the world.
- The Pompidou Center, Luxembourg, Bois de Boulogne, Tuileries Gardens, Place des Vosges

We loved walking along the Seine. You can do it from the tree-lined street above or 10-30 feet below on walkways right along the river. Walkers, bicyclists, and lovers are everywhere. A marathon was going on one day and hundreds of marathoners streamed along in their colorful outfits. Bands were playing along the way and people were cheering them on. Picnics were spread out along the way in the many parks and grassy places. We waved at people looking down at us from above on their wrought iron balconies in apartments along the river. What a beautiful daily view they have! Probably very expensive, too! The walls lining the river are beautiful in their mixture of ancient stone, covered in many places with ornate carvings, moss, and ivy, and flowers. It's a beautiful river and very clean and lit all along the way at night. Can you believe we saw no trash at all...and, come to think of it, not in the streets either! (Later, we found out why. Each night the streets are washed with small, narrow street cleaners, so they can maneuver down the narrow, cobblestone streets and sidewalks! What a great sense of pride this people and city has of itself! Most of the bridges are ornate monuments themselves, with beautiful carvings, statues, lighting, etc. It made me wonder why our bridges in America in great cities, like New York, Boston, San Francisco, etc had to be made to look, in comparison to these in Paris, rather stick-like and unattractive. Artists and small vendors selling their wares lined parts of the river, Parks were along the way and benches and other places to sit and relax were everywhere. It would be fun to own one of the many riverboat houseboats lining the Seine's banks. Most had bicycles on their decks and some larger ones had small cars. Flower pots and small tree pots sat on the decks and it was obvious that some were permanent homes, even though they still floated there on the water.

Tourists are everywhere, with all kinds of different languages being spoken. But, somehow in the beautiful elegance of this unique city, it doesn't seem crowded or noisy or rushed. People just seem, like us, to be very enchanted by all the beauty and culture and seem to be trying somehow to fit into it and respect it and other people, rather than detract in any way from it's enchantment. I think, perhaps like us, they wish other cities could be more like this place, which has done so much so well in planning, design, and preserving it's history and culture. I'm reminded again, especially here, how rather silly and uninformed we sometimes are when we brag a bit too much about our home and state. Many times that's done by some who have really not been to many other places in this beautiful world. After being to over 60 countries, I feel this city is the most beautiful of the large cities I've seen so far.

How in the world did the French somehow instill in its people such a respect for each other and its city's history and culture? That's even evident in the way traffic moves. This is a very busy capital city of almost 500 square miles and 4 million people. But, we seldom heard a horn honk! And, we were constantly amazed at how many bicyclists and small scooters rode smoothly along in the exact same busy traffic lanes and flows with the taxis, busses, and cars! Many of the people on bicycles and scooters were young women and older people who amazingly seemed to have no fear of riding along in between the rest of the traffic and on such narrow streets. We soon learned that it was possible only because everyone was mindful and respectful of the other. At great plazas, like the Concordes, you know, like the ones you've seen in the movies with the great fountains in the middle, there are at least 6 avenues intersecting like spokes on a wheel, and some have 8, 10, and even 12 streets coming to the middle! Amazingly, we only saw one small accident all week. New York, Bangkok, Nairobi, LA, Tokyo, London, Munich, and most other great cities could learn a thing or two from Paris.

A very funny thing happened one day related to all this. We were riding along on the top of the double decker tour bus, when from the rear we heard the blaring of French police horns...you know, the kind of strange honking horns you hear in the movies. It is a bit distracting, because horn honking is very unusual. And, here they came, around 10 big police vans, 2 police busses, and several motorcycles, all trying to get through the busy traffic on the narrow, cobblestone street. Well, they finally made it through. But, about a mile down the road we came across them again, parked along the side of a plaza and looking at a map, and evidently lost! It reminded us of the funny movies of the past where the French police are often portrayed like bumbling, Keystone cops!

The mix between the old and the modern, the rich and the poor, here is really interesting. You see the little boutique shops and then around the corner is some of the most expensive, chic, and very fashionable clothing and jewelry shops in the world. We laugh at the funny little French cars that are literally about the size of the front seat of your car and then suddenly you hear the growl of a Ferrarie or Massarati whizzing by and you realize these streets are the beginning and end of the Grand Prix and the Tour de France. It made me wish we could be here next year when Lance Armstrong makes his try at another championship. Little old French couples walk along hand in hand and then along comes a young French girl on her bike, short skirt and all. The Fall weather is cool, but short skirts are still everywhere, mostly with black tights and heels. Interestingly, they don't seem immodest, but definitely very feminine and romantic. As we walked the Champs de Elysses, some call the most beautiful street in the world, we saw high fashion and design everywhere. Furs, frilly outfits, high, high heels on unique shoes and boots, exotic jewelry in the stores and on display, as some of the very fashion conscious and trend-setting locals strutted their stuff along the famous avenue. The women are elegantly dressed, especially for the evenings, in lots of frills, furs, lace, feathers, very high heels, boots, sometimes way above the knees, short skirts. It was evident some were fashion models and others quite wealthy. Generally, French women are mostly dark-haired, petite, and move and act with a confidence about their femininity and sexuality. The culture also seems sometimes flirtatious and fun. They remind me of Lawana. I like those things about her, too! The men, like most Europeans, seemed a bit feminine at times to us Americans...but, some women don't seem to mind that...instead, maybe thinking it's appealing because they interpret it as more caring and romantic...and, maybe it is! Mixed in with all of this, of course, were other tourists like us, feeling a bit awkward and embarrassed in our tennis shoes and sweatshirts! Oh well. If we'd wanted to, we could have dressed in all the razzle dazzle, too, and fit right in.

At the close of this great week, we reluctantly made preparations to finally head home, after being gone for 6 weeks. We were anxious to see loved ones and friends, but knew we were leaving a very wonderful highlight time in our lives. Both Africa and Paris, though strikingly different, were unique, unforgettable experiences which we will never forget. We feel very fortunate and very blessed to have experienced this adventure. It was especially wonderful to have experienced Paris, the most romantic city in the world, together in the sunset years of our lives!

Love to you all,

Dick and Lawana

KENYA MEASLES PREVENTION "MISSION" and AFRICAN SAFARIS

2009-10-29T12:13:00.005-06:00

Introduction
by Dick and Lawana Johnson 2009

Around the end of 2008, Elder Dick and Sister Lawana Johnson had completed their three year "Be Smart!" mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Most of their time since Dick's retirement had gone to that very enjoyable and successful endeavor. Now, it was 2009 and they were enjoying becoming more like normal retired people... traveling, seeing grandkids, and even doing some remodeling.

But, then came an exciting invitation from Lawana's brother and his wife to visit them in Kenya while they were serving there on a special three month measles prevention mission! The Church has provided around $1 Million/year on measles programs in 45 countries so far and has sent senior missionary couples like Elder and Sister Ogborn to implement the program. It is a very worthwhile & needed work, because, even though vaccinations stop measles in developed countries, over 500 children still die every day from measles, mostly in undeveloped countries like Africa where shots are not readily available.

Quite honestly, Dick and Lawana's initial thoughts were that they would help out where they could on the measles work, but probably spend much of their time in a vacation mode seeing wild and exciting Africa. This seemed reasonable, especially considering that they were financing the whole trip themselves, rather than having their big travel costs and other expenses (like, over $2,000 in medical shots before going!) paid by the Church. As it turned out, though, because they quickly fell so much in love with the wonderful African people and quickly saw the great need for the work, they very willingly devoted over 3/4's of their six weeks time in Africa assisting the measles campaign.

Living among the African people and working with and for them on the measles work was a wonderful, unique, adventure and spiritual awakening for the Johnsons. Lawana has gone to many countries now and Dick has traveled to practically every continent and around 100 countries in this great world. But, neither have experienced as life-changing a time as in Africa. It will be remembered forever!

This journal chronicles our experiences and feelings in a series of 27 e-mails we sent home to family and friends during the six week trip. Besides learning about the measles work, you will also see and enjoy reading in these writings that Heavenly Father seemed to reward us for our decision to devote most of our time to the measles work by providing us with many very unique and exciting wildlife viewings during those few days we were able to go on safaris in Africa's wild bush. Indeed, our experienced guide of 25 years, said he had never seen so many unique sightings, especially of the big predator cats and so many baby animals so close up. It was Springtime in Africa and every species had babies everywhere!

We promise you will feel as you read this journal, the wonderful, loving spirit of the very poor, but very noble and much to be admired and respected, African people. And, we hope that somehow our words and pictures give you a sense of that wild, dangerous, and beautiful country that is unlike anywhere else in the world.

Love,
Dick and Lawana Johnson

NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.

AFRICAN MEASLES PROGRAM 1 of 27 Emails

2009-10-28T16:16:00.036-06:00

Hi Everybody!

After flying for 3 days with an overnight stay in Amsterdam, we arrived in Nairobi and took a closing puddle-jumper flight to Mombasa…whew! For 2 weeks now we’ve been trying to e-mail you several hours of our verbally recorded day by day thoughts in 15 minute segments, but have been unable to do it via Internet. So, I’ll try to recap it for you this way and try to send you the verbal recordings another time.

About 3/4’s of our time has gone to the measles campaign which has touched our lives deeply. We began by helping Corwin & Peggy organize local African volunteers to work with us and the Red Cross. The Red Cross has been great to work with, with much more professionalism and less corruption than the Ministry of Health. Many of them are Muslims, whom we have found to be wonderful people.

It's Ramadan time and the Muslim calls to prayers occur regularly throughout the day.

Women are dressed in their black burkas, some only showing their eyes, others their faces. Many wear beautiful shawls over the top of the burka and sometimes you can see a bit of a matching dress on the bottom. Many of our volunteers came from the local Church branches. We provided red hats and red t-shirts for them, which they loved. Many were so proud of them that we could see them wearing them underneath their clothing at Church!

We created a little choir of kids to sing a cute measles jingle for the introductory meetings and the radio. The volunteers then went from door to door, hut to hut, spreading the word that measles shots would be given at the local health clinics. The shot-giving was kicked off at two slums here in Mombasa and then have been going on all over Kenya the past several days.

I can’t describe the terrible living conditions adequately to you… especially in this area of Kenya where the drought is into it’s 3rd year. People and animals are dying in the worst areas and living on whatever they can scrape up. I’m not just talking about the slums.
In the poorer areas, the Red Cross is giving out bags of maize and after a truck distributed them, we passed for hours and miles lines of mostly women, many with babies strapped to their backs, carrying the bags on their heads walking through inches of red African dust to their shacks/huts in the countryside. That’s all they would have to eat in their little shacks, many with dirt floors, no electricity, of course, and no running water.

The slums were terrible. We climbed down a narrow, slippery, rocky path about a half mile to the river bottom…walking past and through trashy, filthy huts and dug out places to live in the ground. We passed people with obvious diseases, including AIDS, of course, who have little hope in life.

At the river bottom, hundreds of mothers and their babies and small children stood waiting in around 15 lines for the shots. Their eyes were filled with gratitude as their little babies and children cried out as the shot was given and their little finger dipped in purple ink. Despite measles being totally preventable, over 500 children die each day from it around the world. Our hearts especially went out to these in the slums… because, similar to most African people we’ve met, most of them, even here in the slums, give us big smiles and friendly faces and many times respond to our “Jumbo!” with their own response back to us. We have gotten very used to gracious, kind, genuine interchanges like that…it's the African way and truly admirable, considering their poor living conditions and opportunities in life. They truly are in the “first shall be last and the last shall be first” category and make many of us consider more seriously that “where much is given, much is expected in return” because for sure I know I fall very short. The difference with these poor people here in these slums is that the fact is there is little hope for them in any way…yet, here they were, still smiling loving faces and giving kind words back to us we seldom could understand.

We had been regularly passing every day football field size trash dumps and seeing goats, cattle, and adults and children shifting through the trash for food. But, we never realized how truly bad it is until we climbed and walked amidst where they lived in the slums. How can you describe being fearful of even shaking hands with a person or not really wanting to sit on the dirt floor with a woman and her baby inside her little “home” the size of a small bathroom because of the filth and fear of disease? We definitely did not drink the filthy water from their same cup or even consider taking a bite from an apple offered in such a humble way. The truth is that we were not offered such a thing in the slums because they had little to offer that way.

The branch members and other volunteers have been wonderful to work with. Some of Corwin and Peggy's church funds are being used to provide them transport. But, instead of using it for that, they are walking 3-4 hours to the villages to contact people about measles, and then using the transport money to buy food for their own families and sometimes the people they are contacting.

Then, at the end of the day, they walk 3-4 hours back to their own homes to get a few hours of sleep before the next day. What giant, noble hearts they have! Though poor, it became quickly obvious to us how intelligent they are and that all they need is a chance to improve their lives. But, when a dollar here will feed a family, though only with some maize and a little greenery, for several days, you begin to understand how inwardly strong and noble they are.

For Church members, in their tattered. but clean clothes, their greatest goal is to go to the temple someday. Few have gone, but it is their dream. In the Chyulu hills, we met in branches with no electricity or running water, but hymns sung with their Swahili dialect with gusto and joy.
We talked with Branch Presidents who were so grateful for their jobs cleaning car windows at gas stations and living in homes with no roof, electricity, etc. Yet, Corwin and Peggy regularly said the Church had progressed so much since their first mission here several years ago. Indeed, there were branches who met in little school buildings and other kinds of places which would be considered quite substandard, but to them are a huge step up and very blessed to have. For example, they did have an accompaniment to their songs, even if it was a car battery-operated recording of a piano. Yet, even from that branch, we watched these wonderful people walk to their small hut homes close by the branch building where we knew they were going to go to sleep that night with no electricity or running water. And, of course, as we drove home, before finally reaching the highway to Mombasa miles away, we saw no other cars.

At the very best, we saw a few old bicycles being ridden, but mostly they all walked everywhere in the countryside. Even in the city, few owned cars, but either walk or catch a tricycle-motor scooter Tu Tu or Matatu, a communal taxi.
At first, as we drove along the main road between the villages to Mombasa (our base town and the 2nd largest city in Kenya), we were puzzled why at night there were so many people still walking or mingling all along the way. Then, we realized it was because it was dark in their homes and not much to do unless they were sleeping! Also, all along the way were little huts where food and everything was being sold…anything to scratch out some kind of a living.

Everywhere we go we see people, especially women, carrying yellow jugs of water, usually on their heads. Because of the drought, water is a huge factor in their lives and a daily task to somehow acquire.
Yet, somehow the members come out of their poor homes looking sparkling clean, even if it is in tattered clothes. Their testimonies of the Gospel are so very strong and when they bear them, a person is surprised how deep they are. Their understanding may not be broad, but their conviction of the most important essentials goes very deep to their souls.

For example, we met a Branch President whose daughter had been bitten by a snake and died. But, he was at Church the next day and when Peggy broke down in tears, he put his arm around her and said, “Don’t be so sad, Sister Ogborn, I will see her in the resurrection.” We met another whose garden had been destroyed by elephants who just said, “I’ll replant and God will take care of us.”
Each Sunday, we have been asked to speak in church, teach classes, give prayers, etc. Yet, we feel they should be teaching us, not the other way around.

Many of the leaders are young converts who have somehow filled a mission, even though here that usually means never going to college because of the mission expense. Oh yes, “college” could likely mean 6 months training to become a carpenter. After Church, we drove away looking behind at scores of little children running behind us in the red dust for a mile till their little legs finally gave out.

We will share more this way when we can get Internet connections. And, we have taken hundreds of pictures. For sure, when we get home we will share our Ipod recordings where we have vocally recorded our impressions. Needless to say, many of those have our voice cracking as tears come as we share such memories.
We love you all very much and miss you, too. Thanks for letting us share these thoughts with you. The time is flying by, but we love each day and feel so blessed to have the opportunity to be among these wonderful people.

Love from Kenya,
Mom and Dad, Gma Gpa, Dick and Lawana

NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.

FIRST SAFARI IN AFRICA 2nd of 27 Emails

2009-10-27T16:12:00.003-06:00

Hi Loved Ones & Friends,

After around 10 days of traveling and working on the measles program, we finally went on safari & game drives…what an adventure!!!! We hope you’ll enjoy some of the attached photos. Sunset on the right is our view of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania from our Kilaguni Lodge in Tsavo West.

We think Heavenly Father was blessing us for our work because we saw enough animals in our 2 days to last a lifetime, including some unusual experiences I’ll describe below.

We could hardly believe it all. Around 300 elephants, herds of zebras, water buffalo, many giraffes, baboons, monkeys, wildebeests, heartbeats, ostriches, hippos, warthogs, jackals, hyenas, many varieties of gazelles, elands, sable bucks, water bucks, and all kinds of birds, etc etc etc.

There were so many in the different waterholes and game drives that seeing them got a little mundane as we were anxiously looking for rhino, cheetah, lions, and leopards. And, we did see lions and leopards! And, we hope to see rhinos and cheetahs sometime along the way. It was so exciting!

The lodge and tent we stayed in overlooked waterholes, where the animals regularly came to drink throughout the day.

Using binoculars, we saw them coming from a mile away out of the bush or along the vast savannas and grasses. Elephants would come in small herds of 4 or 5, led by the female matriarch.

Zebras in large herds, water buffaloes in lines of a dozen or so, hippos in the water during the day and out to feed during the early morning and evening hours, baboons scampering in from everywhere, gazelles everywhere, warthogs running in and out with their cute tails straight up, reminding us of “Lion King,” jackals skulking around, giraffes coming in and out in 2’s and 3’s, huge storks and other exotic birds swooping in and out, etc etc.

Especially enjoyable was watching the baby elephants walking directly under their mothers and also being protected by other elephants around them, too. They frequently nursed. All would drink and also throw water from their trunks high and backward over their bodies to cool off.. Then, inexplicably, they would do the same with red dirt, ending up with their being called the “pink elephants” of Tsavo. Baby giraffes running with their mothers were fun to watch in their funny, but fast gait. How do they keep that long neck coordinated with those long legs and large body? Huge water buffalo walked along, daring any to cross their path. Nobody did. Zebras were beautiful in their black and white stripes.

Large baboons and smaller monkeys were everywhere, swinging from the trees and bushes and scampering in the savanna. Many had babies under their mothers’ belly or riding on top. But, it didn’t slow their mothers down at all.

We later found why protecting the baby elephants was so critical. A baby elephant and a hippo was killed by lions at the waterhole and the carcass of a water buffalo was being fed upon farther out on the Savannah. Our first lion sighting was almost before dark, hunting close to the ground, and awesome with it’s black mane and large body. We could barely distinguish it so low to the ground, reminding us of the movie, “Ghost & the Darkness” which was filmed here. We tried to imagine the fear the other animals must feel, especially the parents for their babies, as they came in and out of the waterhole and throughout the bush.

Because of the drought, many waterholes are dried up, so those still in existence become prime hunting areas for the big cats. We saw a leopard sleuth in towards a baby elephant at the waterhole. He was, fortunately, driven away by the mother and other big elephants.

It was interesting to watch the pecking order. Water buffaloes and elephants sometimes would not let other animals drink with them. And, nobody tangled with the hippos when they came out of the water!

We made 2 game drives led by guides in the early morning and early evening during the 2 days and also drove around ourselves. It was amazing that we found tons of animals ourselves! But, the guides were needed to help find the big cats on the drives.. We went with them on big, old fashioned safari land rovers, reminding me of the “Hatari” (Danger!) John Wayne movie, which was filmed either around here or in the Masai Mara where we will be on safari next week. We found a giraffe kill and watched a female lion feed voraciously on it one evening and the rest of the pride lurking back in the bush. The next morning we went back and again sat within a car’s distance watching a big male sleeping and feeding on the giraffe.

Later, we spotted a pride of 8 sleeping under the trees…the baby lion was the most active, while the rest were beginning their napping which would last until the evening’s hunt & feeding. Magnificent animals!!!

Now, for the wondrous unusual sightings, which few people see. The first was seeing the mating ritual and foreplay of two giraffes. We saw this on our own game drive and were later told by the guides that it’s unusual to see in the wild, especially without a guide.
The two lovers were swaying their long necks low to the ground and around each other’s necks over and over. We couldn't’t believe how very flexible their long necks were…it seemed like they would break their necks! But, it was evident that love was in the air. We wished we could have stayed to see the culmination of it all, but we had to get on our way out of the park to work on the measles program.

The second event was even more unusual and we got to see the whole x- rated event! It occurred at night at the lit waterhole. Everyone was to bed, but we stayed up late each night to see as much as we could. A large male approached two females one by one in the herd with “lovin’ on his mind.” But, was rejected as they flared their large ears at him. He then approached another and began nudging her on the side of her head and shoulders. Then, for 20 minutes they would each alternately raise their huge heads, trunks, and tusks high in the air over and over again.
Slowly, the male worked his way along her side toward the back, nuzzling her along the way. In this e-mail I won’t detail the rest of the story, but you know what happened at the end. We were amazed how the smaller female could bear the weight of her big lover, but after it all she seemed pretty happy. The whole thing lasted about an hour and was amazing to see in the wild!

We saw a few park rangers carrying guns. It reminded me of how hard it was for the great lady in “Gorillas in the Mist” to get the gov’t to get a few rangers to protect against poachers. We were told their guns were not to protect us from the animals, but rather to protect the animals from people, especially, of course, poachers, who are after tusks and horns and paws and tails. How very sad…the land is so vast and wild that rangers cannot possibly cover a small fraction of it.

Our tent lodging was especially wonderful. Nice, floored tents, with separate compartments for a bathroom…complete with a water bag for an overhead shower! We slept at night with the animals all around us and wondered how the sole guard with his gun could possibly protect 22 tents! The sounds of the night were awesome and sometimes frightening…elephants trumpeting, lions roaring, hippos laughing, water buffalo grunting, etc etc etc.
The food was excellent, prepared by great chefs in a veranda overlooking the waterholes. Our African hosts were gracious and friendly, quick to explain the various African dishes. Mostly Pork, lamb, and chicken dishes. Omelets, delicious African crepes, all kinds of fruits, like mangoes, passion fruit, etc. Water, as always, was a premium, with water around twice as expensive as a soda pop!

Our lodge and tent lodging was around 3 star, which was plenty luxurious for us. The lodge had a swimming pool. The second lodge had 2 pools, a spa, exercise facility, massage, conference rooms, and beautiful grounds. Other more expensive places, even tent lodging, had individual small swimming pools for each tent!

The safari game drive guides really knew their business. Ours was especially good as we were the second vehicle to the giraffe kill and the first vehicle to see the pride of lions with the baby cub. They cooperate together by 2-way radio, letting other vehicles know about exciting animal happenings. So, the 2-way radios are buzzing as they race through the red dust to get to a find that another guide has discovered. We were fortunate on our 2 guided drives to just tip the guide and join his group in his land rover, rather than having to pay the usual huge fee. That wonderful opportunity came as a blessing from our measles work as we had previously met the owner of the Southern Cross Safaris who set it up for us because he was so impressed by our measles work. During the other times when we drove around the bush on our own, we could spot a guide vehicle speeding along and tag along behind to the animal sighting. They usually graciously let us nudge our truck along besides theirs if their weren’t many there already. So, we usually saw the same things that their guided groups saw without having to pay the big bucks!

It was interesting to visit with other guests at the lodges and on safari. Many were Europeans. One group had hiked Mt.Kilimanjaro, which is the tallest mountain in Africa and the 2nd tallest free-standing mountain in the world. It took them 4 days, with the final climb ascent to the top taking 12 hours on the final day. We admired their youthful vigor…most were in their 20’s. Oh well…maybe in the next life! Mt. Kilimanjaro is famous from Hemingway’s book and the resultant movie, “Snows of Kilimanjaro” We are looking forward to seeing Karen Blixen’s coffee plantation and Denys Finch Hatten’s hunting lodge where “Out of Africa” was filmed, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Strep and we saw the Mombasa Railway Station and the area where ”Ghost & the Darkness,” starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer was filmed. Additionally, we’ll visit places where other books and movies were done, like “I Dreamed of Africa”, the “African Queen,” etc. That’s because Mombasa was the first and biggest port entrance into Africa from everywhere…Europe, Asia, India, etc. From the very beginning, in this “Cradle of Civilization” where they think life began, all the exciting and most well known African events began…big game hunting, slavery, ivory, road and railroad building, trading, political activities, etc etc. In a week we will be going to Nairobi which later became the capital. But, it all began here in Mombasa, this little island city on the coast.

Well, it’s time for bed and preparing for tomorrow’s work on the measles campaign. We’ll again sleep under mosquito netting and hope our malaria shots work (and, shots for typhoid, tetanus, HIV, yellow fever, etc., too) It’s a constant worry, but we feel the Lord will protect us in His work here.

We love you all very much. Please continue helping us with your prayers,
Dick and Lawana

NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.

MISSIONARY APARTMENT AND SAFARI 3rd of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T16:00:00.044-06:00

Hi Everybody from Africa!

Our time here in Mombasa has been living in two different locations: Several weeks in Corwin & Peggy’s missionary apartment and one week in the Royal Reserve Safari Lodge on the Indian Ocean beach which we traded a timeshare week for. Both are special places which we will never forget.

The missionary apartment overlooks the beautiful Tudor ocean channel high above the water. Every morning there are beautiful sunrises and sunsets as we look across the channel to the mainland and beyond to the bush. Small fishing dugout canoes go back and forth and fishermen throw their nets out at low tide. Palm trees line the shoreline in this fairly well-to-do area, although it is only about a ½ mile from a large slum. That’s the way the entire island city is…a mix of nicer areas with poorer areas and slums and the bustling city in between. We drink only bottled water and use our water purifiers when bottled water is not available as we travel to the villages and in the bush.

The apartment is gated with a guard, so we feel relatively safe, although we definitely do not go out at night. We don’t risk buying any food from the small stands that line the streets, except for bananas. We would never buy meat from those stands which are swirling with flies. We shop at a nicer market, but still avoid many foods there, even disinfecting fruits and vegetables at home that we get there. The basic food in Kenya is a maize (corn) porridge. It makes us feel guilty when we think about the food we eat and waste at home in America. Compared to the regular elders’ apartments throughout the villages, this apartment is luxurious, complete with what we consider basics, but Kenyans consider luxuries only for the rich (washing machine, dryer, electricity, running water). Yet, there are beautiful homes along the beach here and very nice resorts.

Communications and finances is a major time-consuming issue as there are no land lines and we have to regularly go to ATM machines to get Kenya shillings. We weren’t surprised to have to pass armed guards at the bank after we had already done that in front of the market! Surprisingly, many of the people carry cell phones, which the gov’t subsidizes and saves us much time. This program would take 100 times longer without cell phones, because hardly anyone have cars, only a few have bicycles, and most travel miles and miles anywhere on foot, sometimes barefoot in the dusty red dirt. Few have computers, of course.

Driving is a major concern through the bustling, bee-hive like confusing traffic. It is a mixture of cars, mostly driven by rich Muslims and Indians, taxis, Tu Tu’s, a tricycle scooter motor cycle and matatu’s, which are communal vans with a driver and hustler leaning out the window trying to lure in passengers. The streets are narrow, usually with no sidewalks, and lined with small stands selling food and everything else you can imagine.

Many of the goods are just spread out on the ground. We have to be very careful to avoid an accident, because the white person is always in the wrong and usually whisked off to jail, where it usually takes a bribe to be turned loose for small fender benders. It can be prison for more serious accidents. We did not see another white person for the first week here.

Muslims are everywhere because Mombasa has the largest concentration of Muslims in Africa. They are the dominant religion, but we were pleased to find also a lot of Christians, mostly Pentecostal. The Muslim calls to prayer occur regularly throughout the day and we also have the unique opportunity to be here during the closing weeks of their 30 day Ramadan time. The women are in long black burkas, many with only their eyes showing and they usually walk several steps behind the men. Some wear beautifully colored scarves with the tips of matching dresses showing at the bottom. It’s fun to watch the people stare at us because they see so few whites.

We’ve stayed one week at the Royal Reserve Beach & Safari Resort, a beautiful resort along the Indian Ocean beach which we traded a timeshare week for.

It’s only ½ mile along the beach from the Israel resort which was bombed by terrorists in 2002, killing around 20, including some Americans. It really hurt tourism and the economy here for several years thereafter.

The resort is beautiful and luxurious with pools, 5 course dining, and entertainment.

Our room overlooks the beach with palm trees swaying in the winds and gorgeous sunsets. “Beach boys” walk the beach trying to get tourists to take a walk on the reef at low tide and go on day trips at lower prices than the resort. Corwin and Peggy stayed with us here several nights, which was nice for them to enjoy.

We weren’t able to enjoy a full week’s vacation time here like we usually do at a resort, because much of the time was working on the measles campaign, but the luxury was a nice break for them and us. A nice highlight was our inviting Khulda, the Mombasa Red Cross Director, and her fiance here for dinner one evening. She is a tall, stately, elegant lady, around 30 years old, who has been an enormous help to the program.

We were curious to meet her fiance and to see how they interacted because she is so intelligent, educated, and professional. We were pleased to find him quite modern as we quizzed him about marriage and women and are hopeful he will remain that way after they marry. We wish we could stay awhile, because she has observed our ways and asked some questions about the Church and our views on women, marriage, and family life.

We have great admiration for Corwin and Peggy’s mission and dedication, especially because their days are jam-packed with the work, leaving them and now us exhausted at the end of the day. Yet, their phone keeps ringing long into the night with emergencies and crisis-solving. It’s hard for them to be organized and plan and set priorities because so many of their contacts are backward, poor, uneducated. Yet, the thing that keeps them and us going is the great goodness of the people and the benefit our program is to them and their sweet little children.

Well, we’d better close for now. It’s time to go out to another measles clinic

We miss you all….and, send you our love from the dark continent,

Dad & Mom/Grandpa & Grandma/Dick & Lawana

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SLIDE PRESENTATION 4th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:59:00.022-06:00

Jambo! (Hello in Swahili),

Lawana has spent the past 2 full days working on Corwin & Peggy’s slide presentation for the closing celebration parties of their measles campaign. It has been very time-consuming, because prior to that we’ve helped with the picture-taking throughout our days here working on the program with them. It’s been great fun, though, as the Kenyans love to have their pictures taken and then Lawana showing their pictures to them in our digital camera. Many of them in the bush have never seen anything like that and their cries of joy and expressions of happiness as they saw themselves brought tears to our eyes. We tried to get as many action shots as possible wherever we were. Take a look at all the photos and try to feel the heart-felt emotions, expressions, and feelings of these wonderful people!

Corwin and Peggy will use the presentation at celebration parties at the branches and other volunteer meetings to show them how the program was developed and rolled out in total and in all areas. A goat will be roasted for a feast in their eyes and in appreciation for their great volunteer service to the children who received the measles shots. It’s been amazing to begin hearing about hundreds and hundreds of vaccinations being given in locations all across Kenya. Lawana’s computer skills have been invaluable to this production, complete with African music, and wonderful photos. She did the same kind of production skills for our “Be Smart!” mission. Isn’t it amazing how missions not only benefit the recipients, like the investigators and like the measles shot recipients here in Africa, but also benefit the missionaries in many different ways? The adage continues that missions, or any kind of service for that matter, always leaves the giver more in debt to the Lord than all the service he was able to give.

The slide presentation will also be included in the Ogborn’s report to Salt Lake about their mission. Hundreds of photos were taken showing the original volunteer meetings at the Red Cross, organizing the volunteers with their red hats and shirts, training the children choir to sing the measles jingle and recording it at the recording studio, the shots being given in the slums and elsewhere, etc.

We wish we could send you now the measles jingle which the children were taught and sang so well, both in English and then in Swahili for the radio broadcasts and at the opening ceremonies in the slums before the shots were given there. We were so proud of the kids who came from the 3 local branches of the Church. They were so patient as it took several hours to record the jingle, but they loved going later to a fast food place for their choice of lunch. Many had never eaten at such a place or even been out of their own little village areas, so it was a real adventure for them to come to the big city and to then eat at a “restaurant” was beyond their wildest dreams. Remember, some of these kids were from not just the usual poor villages, but some were from the starving Chyulu area where the Red Cross is giving out bags of maize (corn) which is their only food for a long time. It has not rained there for over 3 years.

We must close for now as morning will come soon.

Love to you all,Dick and Lawana

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CARVER'S VILLAGE 5th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:57:00.017-06:00

Hi Everyone from Africa!

A very interesting experience today at “Carvers” Village here in Mombasa. It’s the African version of a factory and mass production. Of course, here in this 2^nd largest city in Kenya, there are real industries like cement-making companies. But, even production like brick making are not like in our country, Instead, the “bricks” are large chunks of earth (or, cow dung in the outlying villages) that are cooked in a kiln. Additionally, the building materials factories use there are trunks of small trees, palm branches, sticks, etc.

Anyway, back to “Carvers’ Village: The village is acres of small huts where men and women are carving various sculptures, mostly from wood, for sale to tourists. They do their work all day long in small huts and walking through them is like walking through pathways of a little dirty city. Many have nothing to sit on, but do their work kneeling or sitting in the dirt. If they are lucky they have a roof made from flattened cardboard boxes they’ve scavenged from somewhere to provide some shade from the blazing sun or keep out the rain that hasn’t come for over two years. Yet, it’s kind of organized like a production line, with one section of their “factory” doing the initial carving, another the sanding, another the polishing, another the painting, etc. I guess it’s not much different than the production line worker putting a bolt on over and over all day long, except that the working conditions are strikingly different and the pay is a very, very, very small fraction. In fact, they work here for less than a dollar a day, if that.

But, the amazing…and, very wonderful thing is that practically all of them are very happy! They greeted us with smiling faces and hearty “Jumbo!” It’s very evident they take great pride in their work and the fact that they have a job! What a noble people they are!!!! The sad thing is that their work is sold in front at the retail outlet, probably owned by some rich Arab or Indian, like so many businesses here are. We got around that, though, by Corwin & Peggy knowing some of them who were members of the local branch. So, we talked to them privately and bought from them privately after meeting with them secretly at the local branch. This picture is of the Primary President with Lawana and Peggy. By doing that, the actual worker got more for his hard work. You have to greatly admire and respect them…especially when we remember how we sometimes complained about our work at home and were not grateful for having a good job and working conditions.

Their work is beautifully done, especially the wood sculptures made from all kinds of exotic woods, like expensive ebony, rosewood, and teak. Unfortunately, the African forests are being rapidly depleted as more and more trees are being cut down for farmland, fuel, and wood export. Wood is also greatly used to burn in kilns to make charcoal. All along the highway you see men and women selling bags of charcoal to the passing trucks to pick up on dead head transport.

And, all along the bush and village dusty little roads you see people carrying the heavy bags of charcoal on their backs for miles to finally get to the highway. Then, they sit there all day and night, hoping for a truck to stop and buy it. We wonder if they get much for their hard work or if the truckers cheat them.

Anyway, whenever you see a beautiful, skilled carving or sculpture of an elephant or lion or giraffe, now you may have a little better understanding and appreciation of where it came from and what it took to produce it. We love those people working in their little huts with such great dedication and pride in their work.

We miss and love you all,

Dick and Lawana
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MEASLES UPDATE AND VIVID MEMORIES 6th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:56:00.021-06:00

Hi to our Friends & Family from Kenya!

The measles program is proceeding very well. Full page articles are running about it in the local newspapers as health is such a problem here and the program is a very big one. The Church's part is about a million dollars a year around the world just for the measles program, which is a nice contribution, but really only a fraction of what the Church does for the poor and needy regularly around the world. It's wonderful to see where our tithing and fast offerings go...for the wealthier LDS people, especially in America sending their offerings around the world to others less fortunate, many who are not members of the Church. Of course, many of our LDS Charities assistance is given, similar to this measles program, in coordination and partnership with other great organizations, like the Red Cross, UNICEF, the World Health Organizations, and, great people from other churches. It's truly wonderful to be a part of it. In the case of Kenya's measles program, the Red Cross people have told us it could never be done without the Church's financial help and the mobilizing work of missionaries here like Corwin and Peggy. We love to be a part of their work as they are careful to do the Church's role in a behinds the scenes way, very careful to give much credit to the Red Cross workers and the local volunteers, so that they can feel it was their work that made it successful long after we leave. It is fulfilling a great need, too, as just in today's local paper there was an article about over a dozen children who had broken out with measles who had never been vaccinated and are seriously ill.

It's wonderful to be driving around now and occasionally have people recognize our truck with it's measles banner or be walking on the street and have mothers come up to us and thank us for providing their babies and little children a measles "jab" in the arm. Communication, travel, and finances are such a problem and really slow us up. We can only withdraw around $250 dollars in shillings from the ATM at a time and then must go to another bank to get money to pay the volunteers, radio stations, etc.

And, of course, few have cars or even bikes, land phones, newspapers, TV's, electricity, running water, etc, so it's very hard to coordinate it all. How can we reach several million people just here in Mombasa alone, Kenya's 2nd largest city, much less the millions out in the villages and bush? It's discouraging sometimes, but we know it's working, because many branch presidents and village chiefs and the Red Cross are reporting hundreds and hundreds of children receiving the shots...so, we know the same is happening in the others areas Corwin and Peggy are responsible for...and, probably elsewhere in Kenya where other missionaries are working on the same program. Our local Church members are so proud to be a part of it. They've generously given their time even though most, especially in the villages are without jobs and should be trying to scrape out a living. Our little sacrifices here are pretty puny when you watch many of them use the volunteer money we give them to feed their families, rather than for travel to their assigned villages in the bush to knock on doors and tell their countrymen about the shots. Instead, they walk for 2-4 hours in the very early morning and very late evening to and from their contacting area, so they can use the "transport" money we give them to buy a little food for their family.

It is true Christian service in the best and most basic way by a people who have very little themselves, giving to many of those who have even less. At the end we'll have roasted goat celebrations and show them a video about the program, including pictures of themselves. They will be one of the greatest parties they will ever experience in their lives, but to us they will seem materially so little...maybe costing the equivalent of dinner at Sizzler for our family. Lawana has worked hard on the video and we already know how their reaction will be when they see themselves from how thrilled they are to just see their picture in our digital cameras of them that we have shown them all the way as we travel from town to town.

Corwin and Peggy, rather "Elder & Sister Ogborn," are absolutely perfect for this mission... with their great abilities and especially their great love for these African people.

I don't think many of us could do such a mission, living in such a poor country and working with such poor people, many in poverty. I can't adequately describe that really...you just need to experience it. But, maybe this will help:

Being very grateful for arriving safely without an accident somewhere after driving through the bustling traffic of cars, taxis, Tu Tuts, Matatus, bicycles, and mostly walkers in the clogged Mombasa streets.

Thankful for the locked gate and security guards outside your apartment and the Uzi-armed guards at the ATM's, markets, etc, but fearful when you leave their area.

Constantly hoping we won't get malaria, yellow fever, typhoid, AIDS, Polio, snake bites, etc. from the things we eat or even touch. Being afraid and embarrassed what to do when offered precious food in a member's hut of a home, yet not wanting to offend them for their generous offer.

Being so glad about our work in the slums, especially, but being ashamed about finally getting home and quickly taking a shower and washing our clothes with heavy bleach and disinfectant.

Even in our own apartment, better than 99% of the country, making sure the mosquito netting is back together after getting up in the night to go the bathroom. That's after you remove your slippers again because you dare not go barefoot, even in your own apartment, because of parasites that may have been tracked onto your own floor.

Being afraid of mugging and car-jacking, especially when you have come back late at night, which you try very hard not to do and mission rules tell you absolutely not to do.

Poverty everywhere...and, the despair, hidden disease, hopelessness, etc. that goes with it. Yet, all that is countered by the wondrous adventure of this place.

Like, Muslims everywhere, in their black and white and some with brightly colored attire. The beautiful, dark eyes and eyebrows of the women... mysterious and beautiful behind their burkas that cover everything else.

Children singing so beautifully the songs of Zion with their different tribal Swahili accents.

Women walking everywhere with big bundles somehow balanced on their heads, while also carrying 5 gallon jugs of water and a baby strapped to their backs.

Beautiful little black faces every where with their bright eyes and white teeth and smiles a mile wide. How in the world can they have such beautiful white teeth when they have so little to eat and have never been to a dentist?

Vivid colors of bright clothing against the red dust, greenery (in some places), blue sky, white clouds. I have never in my life seen such colors... and, I have been all over this world.

Kind, loving, gentle, genuine, people...many somehow being that way despite their poverty. What right do I have to be unhappy sometimes?

Gorgeous sunsets and sunrises, vast savannas, the beauty and the danger of the bush, tall mountains and deep valleys, beautiful waterfalls, sea shores, and jungles...Africa has it all. It is so vast.

It's wild animals, birds, and reptiles... more variety than anywhere on earth. Witnessing the "law of the jungle" in person where it is so common to see how the weaker is taken down and eaten by the stronger right before your eyes.

Being greeted with a smiling "Jumbo!", thanked with a joyful "Asantae Sanna!", returned with a welcome thanks to you of "Carabu," given a heartfelt goodbye with a "Missuri Safaris!" and being assured "Hakuna Makata!" ("no problem!")...all with various versions of their tribal Swahili accents.

The poverty of little huts in the bush, many who seldom see a car, standing outside and waving to us with smiling faces as we drive by.

Giving pieces of candy, pencils, a few shillings to one child and then wondering where in the world the 50 others came from out of nowhere very quickly with their hands out...and, you wondering if you have enough for all.

Little children walking the dusty red roads to and from school in their brightly colored school uniforms. Then, seeing them covered with your dust and wondering how in the world they can keep their clothes so clean...and, how their mothers can do it when they must wash them in dirty streams when water cannot be hauled in or found.

Feeling the joy at the end of an exhausting day, knowing lives of babies and little children are being saved by the work. And, going to sleep with that knowledge knowing that it was worth it that day to miss out on the sightseeing that we could have been doing.

How blessed we are to be here. But, it is going by so very fast. We will never forget it and are so grateful for the opportunity.

We love you all very much and miss you, too. May God bless you all.
Love,
Dick and Lawana

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WASSANI ISLAND 7th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:42:00.041-06:00

“Jambo!” (“Hello!”) from Africa!

We had an interesting day today seeing and doing things different from what you usually think about Africa. We went snorkeling and chasing dolphins off the beautiful Africa coast! It started with a drive along the southeastern coast south to the little coastal village of Simone where we took a small dhow boat out to the beautiful island of Wassini.

We took along Joseph, the young African returned missionary who has occasionally served as our taxi driver here in Mombasa. Of course, we paid his way, because he could not afford such a thing and, frankly, his unique experience there was an opportunity of a lifetime for him.

In fact, a sad fact we learned quickly here is that people from all over the world come to Africa to see the animals and the rest of this fantastic country, but few Africans themselves have ever gone to the reserves themselves or other wonderful tourist places because they can't afford them because they can hardly afford their daily food for their families.

It was fun to watch Joseph's pure joy throughout the day. He's one of those great young men who very likely sacrificed the hope of college and other material things here forever to serve his mission. But, he's the very first to quickly say it was worth it and he would do it again in a heartbeat. He also strongly tells how the mission greatly broadened him in many ways and strengthened him spiritually.

Now, he's looking for his eternal companion, which is tough here because there are so few members of the Church.

Simone is famous for it's slave cave where the Arabs herded the hinterland slaves into before loading them on ships to use or sell elsewhere. It's a huge old lava cave which begins a short distance inland and goes outward to the beach and water. There are also old slave holding buildings in the old town and stands where slaves were held, bartered, and sold like cattle. The Arabs were the worst doing this, whereas the Portuguese discoverers originally came for discovery and the Brits to hunt, colonize, and missionary work. The Arabs and Indians also began the ivory trade which almost decimated the elephant and rhinos.

The Indian Ocean is wonderfully warm, although these particular beaches are not as clean as the Caribbean Island beaches we are accustomed to. Some of the coral was unusual, especially a beautiful large purple type that looked somewhat like cauliflower. But, the fish were much less than the Caribbean. However, we did see an octopus, a sting ray, and a moray tiger eel.

Especially exciting was chasing pods of dolphins, which were plentiful and unafraid of the boats. The dhow is a unique African vessel which is the main fishing boat here. On this poor island, fishing is practically the only food. However, the drive down the coast was green and beautiful with gardens, small farms, and coconut groves everywhere. It was a prime example of how rainfall and water greatly changes everything for these people, making their life better than those in the higher lands where drought brings a very tough life and even starvation for many. At least the poorer people here have fishing and gardens.

We walked through a unique dry land choral garden...acres and acres of huge coral heads, many several stories high, all inland in a huge forest of coral heads. It could have been a setting for some science fiction movie...almost spooky. Toward the sea from it was acres of mangrove trees with their protruding “knees” coming up from their roots to get oxygen. Twice every 24 hours the tide would come in flooding it all, and then go out again. Seeing the mangroves reminded me of how our Caribbean yacht club moves the yachts into the mangroves to protect them from hurricanes.

We visited a little school in Wisome.It was about the size of our bedroom at home...no desks, dirt floor, few books, no water...of course, no windows or door, as usual, but it at least did have a roof made from old corrugated tin and partly by a rusty old car hood. It was packed with around 20 little 5-6 year olds and their smiling teacher who led them in a Swahili thank-you song for us after we had given them candy, pencils, and notebooks. How beautiful they were! They were all dressed in little blue and white school uniforms, which their parents must have somehow acquired the money to pay for.

The government finally made it a law that children should go at least to elementary school and the people, especially the mothers have enthusiastically responded to that challenge. They see education as their way to progress and even require children at school to learn and speak English. The Church branches do the same. It's kind of sad in a way, but the fact is that speaking English brings them closer to the world and progress.

We had our most African lunch of all at the best restaurant in town...different kinds of fish barbecued heads and all; sea grass salad; coconut dishes; maize meal; etc On the way we passed the best little hotel and looked inside. You would probably not have wanted to stay there, but they took great pride in it's “luxurious” amenities to it's guests.

Driving back was again an adventure as we arrived in the dark. Along the way, we passed through the usual herds of goats on the roads and even a camel herd. Cattle was being driven out in fields and people were cooking their dinners, many over campfire like stoves outside their little homes. Laundry was hanging on lines everywhere or being dried laying in a field.

Again, we passed several Muslim mosques, some quite beautiful with their round roofs and stretching towers. We've gotten used to the loudspeakers in the city regularly calling out the people for prayers. Some of the voices are quite beautiful and we've even got used to recognize several of them. On the closing evening of Ramadan there were huge celebrations everywhere. They were dressed in their finery, although it was sad that the more conservative women had to hide their beautiful dresses and jewelry under their black burkas. However, some of the burkas allowed fine silver and gold applications to the sleeves and hems and tops. Celebration music was playing everywhere. We wished we could have joined the parties!

Must close for now.

Love you all,

Dick and Lawana

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HINDU DINNER, TEMPLE and OLD TOWN MOMBASA 8th of 27 EMAILS

2009-10-24T15:41:00.042-06:00

Hi again from the
“Dark Continent,”

We had a very nice Hindu dinner last night at a great Hindu restaurant here in Mombasa. Our host was Sachell, our Indian printer who had produced all the measles banners, t-shirts, caps, etc for the measles program. Sachell is a 25 year old enterprising young Kenyan who has developed a very successful business and risen economically above the average African. He went to India for education, as did his sister in computer technology.

Generally speaking, the Indian people here in Africa over the years started out and became the best business people, many times utilizing the less educated and progressive African people as their poorly paid laborers. You see them as the ones many times driving the cars and living in the nicer homes. The women are beautifully dressed in brightly colored silk finery and jewelry and they walk with an elegant, beautiful dignity and pride.

Sachell is engaged, but said his marriage will not be the traditional one where his parents choose his bride and visa versa...like Joy and Simi's marriage in India, the couple whom Shelly and Doran taught and baptised in Kuwait. The meal wasn't as highly curried as we thought it would be, primarily because Sachell chose the dishes from the menu for us and I asked for as little spicy curriness as possible. It was exotic...I can't even describe the different dishes. It was very interesting that it was called “Bollywood” and there were large posters on the walls of Indian actors and actresses. I recognized several, especially the kids from “Slum Dog Millionaire.” Afterwards, we went for ice cream and while we were there Sachell smoked from a pipe along with other Indian men. It wasn't the usual pipe. Rather, it was a beautiful silver engraved pot contraption about 3 feet long sitting on the floor with silver tubes extending upward from it and a mouthpiece at the end that Sachell smoked from. Smoke was blowing everywhere and, similar to cigar smoke, smelled better than cigarette smoke. We see little smoking generally in Africa. The government outlaws it for children and few adults can afford it. A great blessing to them, compared to America!

Sachell's business is down a narrow street crowded with the usual small businesses of every kind. You would think of it as a very small poor building in an old broken down dirty building. But, here it is one of the more successful and fine.

He took us later one day to his Rotary Club meeting, which is the top business club in the city and elsewhere in the world. It was at the ancient old Mombasa Club, filled with history and tradition. It reminded me of the club in “”Out of Africa” that at first excluded Karen Blixen, but then saluted her when she finally left after conquering it. You could just visualize the stuffy, rich Brits in their finery inside smoking their pipes and lording it over everyone else, especially the local black Africans that they employed in their plantations and hunting lodges and later shipped to the West Indies and America as slaves.

Maybe this was the place or maybe it's in Nairobi where we go at the end of our trip. But, if it wasn't here, this was even more ancient, because Mombasa was the original port city and beginning of it all for the Europeans, Asians, Portuguese, etc...long before Nairobi. Even today, we saw few blacks in the club, except for the waiters. It's, of course, on the shore in the middle of the “Old City” with all it's old culture and history.

Later, we had a fascinating day touring ancient Old Town Mombasa, Fort Jesus, and a Hindu Temple. Joseph, the young African Returned Missionary who has become our good friend, was our tour guide. He was great, but it was interesting that, even though he is an African, he had never been to many of the places we saw. It was again an example of how poor local people in Africa never get to experience the nicer things of life. They simply cannot afford it, whether it be education, nice homes, good food, recreation, or, whatever. It was fun to watch his expressions and feelings as he saw things and learned more about his own country throughout the day. And, besides enjoying his great enthusiasm and sweet spirit, we benefited by feeling much safer with him leading the way.

Old Town Mombasa reminded me of Old Town Jerusalem in many ways...but, Mombasa is much older! Old Town Mombasa is one of the most conservative religious place in Africa and tourists have to be careful not to offend the locals there. Women have been stoned or driven out by local Muslim religious leaders just for wearing shorts or short sleeve shirts. Similar to elsewhere we've gone, calls to pray to Mecca were sounded out 5 times daily here by loudspeakers in the mosques and rams' horns blowing throughout the city. It's Ramadan time here when they fast for 40 days, eating only one meal a day.

As the prayer calls come, you see the Muslims turning to face faraway Mecca and to say their prayers. Similar to Catholics, they have beads they hold and use in their symbolic worship and prayers. Though we feared coming to Africa, especially to Mombasa, which has the highest concentration of Muslim Africans on earth, we have found the Muslim people, to the contrary, to be friendly, nice people. That's been especially true of the Muslims we have worked with on the measles campaign. There is also, to our surprise, a large population of African Christians, many the result of the many missionaries from Christian religions who have tried to bring the gospel of Christ to Africa, as well as to help prevent poverty and disease here.

On the other hand, there are dangers in the area, of course. For example, just 1/2 mile from the resort we stayed in for a week on the Indian Ocean, is the Israeli resort which was bombed in 2002 by Muslim terrorists who killed around 20 people, including Americans. The American gov't. recommended not visiting here for awhile after that and tourism fell way off for about 5 years. I't a little spooky walking down the beach towards that resort and remembering what happened there. More recently, news reports talk about the Somalian pirates striking all the way down the coast along the Kenya side clear down to the Seychelles. And, of Kenya boys being kidnapped for armies and gold mines. And, genocide and wars still going on in other African countries, like in Uganda just next door.

No wonder, we see armed guards along the highway regularly, at the banks and ATM's, and even outside grocery stores! And, this is in Kenya, which is relatively safer than other African countries.

Africa is called the "Cradle of Civilization" by the world, because this is where the world believes life began. Ancient buildings, forts, and all kind of antiquities are everywhere. We walked through very narrow, rough stone streets, about the width of a car length, and lined with old buildings and shops with balconied, wrought iron windows and doors. The balconies above on the ancient Muslim side of the street had their wrought iron openings covered up, so people could not look up and see the ankles of the Muslim women below their long black coverings. Whereas, on the Portuguese side of the street, you could see into the balcony.

Mombasa has an ancient fascinating history dating back to the beginning of time. The Portuguese sea explorers were the first Europeans to settle there in 1500 and built Ft Jesus, a huge fort overlooking the bay and built of limestone in the shape of a cross. Then, the Arabs conquered the Portuguese and took over the fort and city. Then, over centuries it was conquered again by the Portuguese, then Spain, then by inland Africans, Arabs again, then the British who were invited by the Africans to help drive out the Arabs! The Indians became great business people in Africa. The Brits were the colonizers, the big game hunters, and the missionaries. The Arabs were the slavers, along with starting the ivory trade. All of the outsiders took great advantage of the mostly gentle, peaceful African tribes, with their limited education, technology, etc. Finally, around 1960, after the Mau Mau Revolution against the Brits, Kenya was finally given it's independence by England and Joseph Kenyatta was made the first President. He had fought against the Brits in the revolution and was imprisoned for 7 years before that.

I've seen lots of castles and forts around the world, many much more beautiful and ornate than Ft. Jesus, but it was especially fascinating because of it's history and crude and very inventive limestone construction. Coming up from the sea underneath is a hidden, long, and partially underground tunnel where the Arabs would drive the African slaves upward into the fort after dumping them off from a ship in the bay.

They would then store them in the fort's dungeons and then drive them back down the tunnel to load them into ships for slavery elsewhere or, at other times, sell them on the slave blocks near the docks or ship them off from there. About 50 large cannons face outward to the bay and inward to the land. Besides the usual warfare, the British sometimes used those cannons to bombard and sink ships in the bay who didn't pay their taxes. So, the bay contains many sunken ships and is great for diving.

We toured a great museum containing antiquities from century to century clear back to the beginning of time. Historical places abound in and around Mombasa. For example, the first RR (single gauge, of course), in Africa began here It's the one that crosses Kenya to Uganda. It's also the one where we saw many miles up the line at Maneater's Lodge and walked along the track where the maneating lions of Tsavo killed 143 railroad workers, as depicted in the movie, "Ghost and the Darkness." It was a bit disconcerting visiting the old station here in Mombasa and imagining the workers from India coming off the ships in the harbor and mixing with African workers to build the tracks out to the place where many were killed by the lions.

We also visited a beautiful Hindu Temple in Old Town which contained many beautiful paintings and ornate decorations, many in gold. It was fascinating to learn about the religion, especially some of the similarities with Christianity and other religions. For example, they have 11, not 10, basic Commandments, like "Thou Shalt not Kill, Commit Adultery," etc. And, another commandment to respect other religious beliefs, similar to our Article of Faith. Other things were quite different, like 4-armed and snake-headed good Gods. Elaborate, large paintings lined the walls depicting good and evil and the consequences of each. The pictures about their bad Gods and Hell were terrible and gruesome, as they showed the suffering they feel sinners will suffer. If you were a Hindu, you'd probably think twice about sinning! We could not visit the inner chambers, but we did learn that marriages, washings, and anointing occur there.

We are so blessed to see and learn firsthand about fascinating places like these. It's just not the same reading about it in a book. And, being able to smell it, feel it, touch it, and mingle with the people makes it very real and enjoyable. We've been all over the world, but have found Africa to be the most memorable and fascinating of all. That has, of course, been much due to our measles work where we have helped the people and the country and felt their heartfelt gratitude. There is such a huge need here. It sometimes seems a little hopeless, almost like a bottomless pit of poverty and disease. But, if we can help just one, that is one of God's children, and one of our brothers or sisters, who has been helped.

Well, better close for now. It's around 6 AM and time to get dressed and going on the measles work.

We love you all. Have a great day...and, goodbye again from the "Cradle of Civilization,"

Dick and Lawana in Africa

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HALLER PARK IN MOMBASA 9th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:35:00.035-06:00

“Jumbo!” Again from Africa!

We had a great time today visiting an outstanding reclamation project here in Mombasa. It's called Haller Park and is a huge game reserve covering miles of square miles that was done by the major cement company in the area to help reclaim the pits they dug for cement dirt on one little part of the park area.

A great example of cooperation between business and government to reclaim land and provide one of the best natural tourist attractions in Africa. Amazingly, once you are inside the gate, the venues to see the animals are so natural you could hardly tell it from the wild bush at times.

Yet, it was much safer than the wild. Even so, you never had any feeling that it was like a zoo. America could take some lessons from here on how to develop it's zoos.

Everywhere there were huge full clam shells, some as big as ½ a Volkswagen beetle. They are all fossilized along with big trunks of trees.

This place was once part of the sea as it is along the coast. Baboons and monkeys were running everywhere around and we walked through gazelles, giant turtles, elephants, etc.

The giraffes we fed were behind fences and the hippos were below us in the water, unfenced, but with a pretty steep slope which they would have had to climb to get at us.

A fascinating true story known worldwide is of the giant tortoise, Mzee, which we fed and scratched his long neck and head, and Owen, the baby hippo, that became her baby when the little hippo was orphaned. At first Mzee didn't accept the 600 pound baby turtle trying to nuzzle into her and sleep with her. But, over time she adopted him. The pictures of them together doing those times are fascinating.

Now, of course, the 2000 pound Owen lives elsewhere here, but it's a wonderful example of animal love and adaptation that people could learn a real lesson from.

The national game parks and reserves, of course, are the prime places for seeing animals, especially the big cats...lions, leopards, cheetahs, etc.

But, it's been very interesting to us to see many elephants, giraffes, zebras, and especially monkeys, baboons, exotic birds, etc many places we go in the countryside. And, it's common to hear real life stories from village people about their encounters with those animals...some of them ending in loss of life...and, especially them losing gardens and water and sometimes their little huts to the animals.

It is easy to see why the average African often doesn't like the animals.

Many of them have never been to a game park or stayed in a luxurious tent in the bush. And, as the population grows into the bush, it makes their homes closer to the animals and possible death.

So, there's little benefit to the villagers and bush people, except when they can occasionally kill an animal for food and even that is outlawed most places. Some government and non-profit programs have been set up so the people benefit from the park tourist economy, which helps the people be more accepting of the white tourists flocking here, but sometimes leaving little in return to the people themselves.

Tourism has become Africa's biggest asset, so it's very critical that the people somehow support it. And, it seems to be working better here than other countries we've visited around the world, because we generally feel a much more genuine friendliness and less resentment from them than we've felt in most other continents and places we've seen around the world.

I think that's also because of the deep, genuine kindness and friendliness of the African people.

We think of you each day and our prayers are said for you. We hope all is well at home and are grateful we can communicate at least by e-mail. There's little regular mail here. What there is takes weeks and weeks. It continues amazing how, even in the 2^nd largest city where conditions are better than anywhere else, the simplest little things we take for granted back home are often not available. So, we count our blessings much more now.

Love to you all,

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CHANGANGAMWE BRANCH SABBATH 10th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:29:00.026-06:00

Happy Sabbath Day from Kenya!

We had a delightful Sunday in Church meetings at the Changamwe Branch here in Mombasa. This branch in the city is the most modern and advanced we've attended so far...microphone, little child-like piano, and cement block building...but, still no electricity or running water in the sinks and we didn't dare use the toilet. This time there were two other cars there besides ours. One belonged to the Branch President and another to another American couple like us. The other 100 or so people walked, some from very long distances away.

Everyone, as usual, was dressed in their very best and it was obvious they placed a very high value on attending Church and taking the sacrament.

As usual, the spirit among the Saints was so very strong and true to the faith and their testimonies of Jesus Christ. Most of the men were in white shirts and ties and even the young men who blessed and passed the sacrament. We attended Primary and admired the local woman who tried so hard to teach the children about the iron rod, though she spoke little English herself. Again, we were proud and amazed at the very attentive attitudes, respect paid, and Gospel knowledge of the children at such a young age. The iron rod story was told with the classic technique of blindfolds and a string of yarn to find the tree of life.

A highlight was the baptism of another convert today. This time it was an older gentleman who was baptised after Church in the font in the front of Church right along the street. He had a beautiful, big smile on his face throughout the service and baptism and later when he bore his testimony afterwards. He began his testimony with a loud “Praise the Lord” It was good to see a man baptised because of the great need for Priesthood leadership everywhere here.

There are few older couple missionaries in Kenya and none here in Kenya except Corwin & Peggy, but those who are here and elsewhere in the vast country try to provide “shadow leadership” wherever possible in order to help the locals learn how to fill their callings and serve. It is harder, of course, like it is everywhere in the Church around the world, because we have no paid ministry anywhere.

Yet, like everywhere, the people quickly receive inspiration from the Lord and grow into their callings, fulfilling the adage, “Whom the Lord calls, He qualifies.”

And, amazingly, it works as a chapel is dedicated every day around the world as each individual member devotes much of his time, finances, and life to service in the Church...and, the Church continues among the fastest growing in the world. Along the whole process, each individual member grows in leadership skills and gospel knowledge and testimony much more than if a paid ministry was involved.

It was nice to come back to the apartment today and finally relax a little. It's really about the first time in over two weeks we've done that. This is a pretty hard-working mission for Corwin and Peggy as they go from dawn to dusk and then do lots of work till bedtime around 10 PM. Many of theirs and our e-mails home to you are done around 5 AM in the morning so the regular day can begin at 6:30 AM with showers and breakfast and out on the road by 8 AM. We're trying to see some sights while we are here in this great country, but also trying hard not to keep them from their great work. We've given more than 3/4's of our time so far to helping the measles work, which we have enjoyed very much and feel very good about, even though we're missing out on some sights along the way.

Well, it's time for bed. It was a nice relaxing day, but the work begins again tomorrow with meetings in the Chyulu hills.

Much love to you all,

Dick and Lawana

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EVERYDAY LIFE IN KENYA 11th of 27 Emails

2009-10-24T15:28:00.012-06:00

Greetings from Africa!

Hi to our children, sweet grandchildren, and great friends back home! We hope things are going well for all of you. It's probably beautiful Fall weather back there now. It's just moving into Spring here and everyone is hoping for some very needed Spring rains. But, it hasn't happened for almost 3 years now. It's hard to imagine that by the time we finally get home from Africa and a week in France along the way that it will be almost winter in Boise!

Our strange experiences continue here all the time. Like wondering if the old washing machine and dryer in our missionary apartment here is going to finally give out. But, then just finding out that the other 8 tenants in this apartment complex do their washing in a tub on the roof and hang their clothes up there, too! That's rather ironic considering our apartment is one of the nicer ones in town and the tenants include people with cars and relatively wealthy people like a fishing boat captain, an Indian family, etc. We pile our trash with the others in small grocery store bags by the front fence and hope it get picked up weekly, which sometimes it doesn't It's also very nice that the guards wash our car every day or so!

There is a resident cost here and then there is a foreigner cost to people like us, which is about 5 times as high. The local businesses really see the whites coming and try pretty hard to make you pay top dollar and much more unless you are smart enough to bargain.

Whoops! Emergency phone call from the Red Cross...got to run!

Love you,

Dick and Lawana

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MEASLES RESULTS AND CELEBRATION PARTY 12th of 27 Email from Africa‏

2009-10-22T06:41:00.016-06:00

Hello from Nairobi!

Initial reports from the measles campaign are rolling in and the results are wonderful!
Kenya's country-wide goal was 85% vaccination of all children 9 months to 5 years. So far, it looks like around 75% has been achieved in the country...and, 93% in the areas that Corwin & Peggy are responsible for! It's been so great to work so closely with them and we are not surprised their results are so much better, because of their great dedication. Their mission here is a special 3 months mission and we've been privileged to have been part of around half of that.
A celebration party was held in the Chyulu Hills area where black laundry bags were used to block the glass-less windows, so the slide presentation that Lawana made could be shown Red hats and shirts were everywhere as the volunteers rejoiced together over their great work. They loved to see their pictures in the presentation. Our white shirts and ties were given to a young man headed on a mission soon to Kompala.

Everywhere we go now, people see the measles sign on the truck and give a thumbs up or other greeting. That has especially happened whenever we wear the red shirts/hats. It's been a benefit in an unexpected way, too, as we do everyday things that are sometimes difficult because of the language and those infrequent times we aren't treated nicely because we are whites. And, we think it's perhaps kept us even a little more safe, too. That's because when the people see our red shirts or hats, many of them have had their children given the “jabs” or heard about the measles shots. You can see the nice feelings for us in their eyes even when they don't speak...it's a wonderful feeling for us and really makes it all worth it. Big articles have run in the newspapers and the radio jingles have been running regularly, so the people seem to know a lot about it and are quite appreciative. Health is such a huge issue here, because of the poverty and the high cost of trying to prevent the spread of disease.

We love you all. Thanks for listening.
May Heavenly Father continue to watch over you while we are gone.

Dick & Lawana (Dad & Mom; Grandpa & Grandma; and, your friends in Africa)

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NYZO CHAPEL, BORE HOLES, & NATIVE TRIBES 13th of 27 Emails ‏

2009-10-22T06:32:00.031-06:00

JAMBO! From Africa!

We drove again back into the country to deliver some money to a Branch President for his volunteers working on the measles program. We met him at the little Nzyo chapel, which looked like a little, abandoned plaster industrial building in the middle of the desert. But, on the outside was the words, “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,” which they were so very proud of and made me feel pretty strange when thinking about our comparatively luxurious chapels back home. But, when I thought about how much of our tithing and fast offering monies are going exactly for things like this, it gave me a much deeper understanding of the good of the Church.

His sweet wife and mother had a little “shop” a little ways away selling a few bananas and oranges. By “shop”, I mean a few tree branches holding up an old cardboard-like roof. We gave them some candy for their little baby and them, too, and their faces lighted up like light-bulbs.

Nearby was a “bore hole” (well) where a woman was buying water for 5 shillings and told us the village people were so blessed to have it because it was a huge step up compared to walking for miles for water and carrying it back home in heavy yellow jugs...or, finding some dirty, diseased stream somehow, somewhere. The finding and drilling for wells here is a huge need. Church service couples help with this effort, along with other non-profit organizations. Clean water is a giant step towards combating diseases.

We visit little Red Cross places as we travel and have great admiration for them. Some even have glass windows and one even had electricity! Of course, they have that in the large cities, but, even there you would not call them very modern. That's also true of the hospitals, where few babies go to be born. Mid-wives are the way in the country and bush...and, medicine men are usually trusted there much more than doctors.

Meeting African natives from the various villages and tribes has been a fascinating experience for us. There are many countries besides Kenya in Africa, of course, and 15 different tribes in Kenya alone. Many of them are in the back bush country, some high in the isolated mountains or out in the bush where there are few roads. In many places, we can only get there by our 4 wheel drive over rough, rocky roads that a passenger car could not even begin to climb. And, in those places we seldom, if ever, saw another car. I wondered sometimes if we would ever find our way back! And, alive?! But, usually we were greeted along the way by friendly, smiling faces and various curious looks. Children would be especially that way and willingly wave and sometimes run after us on their little legs as far as they could in the thick red dirt of the roads. As we became more familiar with the land and people, we gradually felt safer, partly, I think, because Kenya is a safer country than many African countries, especially safer than those where war, genocide, and terrorism is happening. Still, we worry about our safety, especially at night or in crowded, out of the way places in the bush or the cities.
Each tribe is quite different from the others in many ways...like, different in their dress, their food, their culture, marriage customs, their way of surviving, their homes, etc. Except for those people in the cities, most tribes have lived their ways since time began and with little changes. And, for those living way back in the wild back country, it's likely they may live that way forever! But, to us, the amazing and wonderful thing about them all is that they all seem quite friendly, loving, and happy, even those living in poor, destitute conditions. I'm sure, though, that even though we are getting to know them much more than the average person just visiting as a tourist here, that we probably don't know for sure exactly how they feel about life. One thing we have not been surprised to learn for sure is that those who have joined the Church are quick to strongly express how much happier and fulfilled they feel and how much better their life has become, especially spiritually. That makes us feel very good, of course. And, further, we feel so good when they express their sincere thanks for the good that our measles work is doing for their children and the country.

Some of the tribes are fishermen, some farmers, some run cattle and goats, and some are gatherers, carvers, or a combination of ways to survive in this sometimes harsh land. Regardless, they are all very ingenious in how they utilize the land, forest, jungle, ocean, rivers, and lakes to survive. Nothing is wasted and they sometimes use things and materials we would never dream of using in America. Additionally, they have learned to survive on very little, compared to so-called "civilized" peoples, like us. Our necessities many times would be their luxuries, most absolutely unattainable or even known or dreamed about for them, as their standard of living is so low compared to ours. Yet, life goes on for them just like us. Sometimes I wonder, "Who is the happiest...them or us?"

We visited people who mostly live in huts, with each tribe being a different design. Round, square, two "floors," mostly just one room, etc. Yet, all very, very small, of course (about the size of a small bedroom for the entire family), Dirt floor, a fire pit either inside or outside, walls made of branches, earth, or dried cow dung; roofs of branches or straw. Do I need to even tell you that, of course, there is no running water, electricity, glass windows, etc? Or, that many would not even know what a microwave, TV, refrigerator, or a computer, is? Many sleep on the dirt floor on nothing but straw or palm leaves. Goats and chicken sometimes live inside with them and are a prime source of food for those who are fortunate to have them. When we return home where it is now Fall and begin to rake leaves again, I will never again complain about such tasks. Why, because I have learned there are no leaves here in the areas where rain has not fallen for three years now and people and animals are starving. Here, they would call our green falling leaves a blessing from heaven and would use them as stuffing for some kind of makeshift pillow or mattress...or, in fact, eat the leaves as a precious food from God. Sometimes I wish Africa could mix up the weather and terrain to make good living conditions for all. Water is the great equalizer here, but it is not spread equally around this vast country. Where it has not fallen for 3 years, there is dryness, little greenery, and starvation. Where it falls, like on the coast and in the mountains and jungles, it is lush and green and provides food to survive.

Their resourcefulness and skills are amazing. Where we would not last long in the bush or jungle, they have learned to survive and be happy there. The hunting tribes are highly skilled with spears, snares, traps of all kinds, and bow and arrow. One tribe hunts crocodiles and another the hippo, both very dangerous to humans. A two ton hippo will feed a tribe for a week, but they have to have the courage and ingenuity to kill it. The hunting and fishing tribes smoke and dry their meat and fish, then boil it to soften for eating later. They told us it would last for 10 years that way...amazing!

A farming tribe showed us how they traded for metals from the Arabs and molded it in fire with bellows made from animal skins, like a blacksmith, to make their digging tools....and, also make spear and arrow points to trade to a hunting tribe for meat. The farming tribes showed us the stone bowls and crushers they used to crush and grind corn to make maize porridge, a staple food for much of Africa. We met a member of the Loi Tribe, who are farmers and fishermen in the Lake Victoria area by Mt. Kilimanjaro. It is the tribe where President Obama's ancestry is from and they are very proud of that!

The marriage customs are fascinating. In one tribe, the woman chooses her husband! But in most, the man does the choosing. Several tribes are polygamists, like the Maasai, who have up to ten wives! To get a wife, the man must provide 18 cows and 26 goats to the girl's parents. Sounded like a pretty good deal for the girl's parents, especially if they had lots of daughters! But, a man from another tribe said to us, "I only want one wife because that's headaches enough for me," In most tribes, the husband sleeps in the very crowded hut with his wife and children. In another, he sleeps in the "attic" upstairs and in another must sleep outside. In one polygamous tribe, there are separate small huts for each wife. So, when he wants some "lovin," he just visits the hut of his choice for the night!

We continue fascinated by one of the most famous tribes, the Massai. Besides the Zulus, they are known as the warriors. and have maintained their culture and customs more than any other tribe in Africa. They are a tall, straight, beautiful, noble-looking and very proud people who are very easy to recognize anywhere in Africa because of their bright, colorful dress and tall, noble and proud posture and bearing. You can tell other Africans admire and respect them for fervently maintaining their culture and customs and their bravery in the bush. But, they are also pretty savvy marketers, as we saw them in many places capitalizing on their reputation and culture by selling carvings, beautiful bead work, and bright blankets in their famous Maasai colors. They are cattlemen who prize their herds greatly and even think all the cattle in the world inherently belong to them. Their food is mostly meat, milk, and blood. They bleed the blood from a spear wound to the cow's throat and then mix it with milk to drink. As we drove many places, especially the plains and savannas, we saw their round huts and villages and them herding and guarding their herds everywhere. They surround their village with a tall "fence" made of tree branches to try to keep out the lions, especially at those villages close to the game preserves and wild bush country. In fact, some Massai even live in the game preserves, where the most wild animals are! The bright colors of their dress stood out like a beacon against the tans and browns of the land. They are nomadic and move their herds every 3-4 months to find new grazing ground. They leave their huts and villages, then, for other Maasai or for their return when the grasses grow again there.

They are also polygamists and the more cattle a man has, the more wives he can get! They are brave, skilled, and fearless hunters. In the not too distant past, a young man had to kill a lion to prove his manhood. That has since been outlawed by the government, but some Maasai still practice the custom in secret, especially in the bush. At one of their dances, we met a young man who had a big healed dent and wound on his forehead where he had been injured by a water buffalo while stalking a lion. Their particular dance is a strange high-jumping dance while they are jumping in a line chanting together and with drums pounding in the background.

We met a fascinating young Maasai warrior at the dance and bought two of his beautiful oil paintings, which we treasure. One shows the classic scene of Massai warriors on the march in a long line. The other was of a Maasai wedding. We were surprised to hear from him that he was a Christian and even had a desire to go to a Christian seminary and become a Pentecostal minister! This was highly unusual, so we asked him how his tribe and parents felt about that. He said there were some who were opposed, but are tolerating it. We were impressed by his intelligence and sincerity and later saw during the evening that he was respected among the other Massai people there. He proudly told us his Christian name was "Peter." He also said, "No, I will not be a polygamist, because it is against God's law". It was an unusual and amazing experience to talk to him about his unique mix of old Maasai culture and traditions now being blended with more modern day Christianity.

I greatly admired these proud people. But, I also felt sorrow for them as later I saw them huddled together in the rain outside the resort gates where we had seen them dance and sell their wares on the old grass tennis court of the resort. It looked like they were just trying to stay out of the rain before walking to their homes somewhere. It saddened me to see these proud, strong warriors like that, having to earn money selling their goods to the curious white man, like us. I wish I had not seen that. I would have rather remembered them as warriors out in the wild bush.
Another never to be forgotten experience was meeting a tribal medicine man and learning about his life and work. He came from a long line of medicine men in his ancestry. And, as a 50 year old, he was now teaching and training his 12 year old grandson to take over his highly respected position of medicine man after he dies. It is passed down from grandfather to first born grandson, thereby skipping the father's generation in between. And, when he dies, his skull will be buried under the dirt floor in his hut along with the skulls of his predecessors from long ago. His hut will be given to his grandson who will become the next medicine man for the tribe. Can you visualize how many old skulls are buried under there?

He was quite short (about 5' 5", very black-skinned, and quite fierce-looking. But, as we talked, he somehow seemed to become more gentle and wise. His face was painted with strange designs and he had a strange, proud mannerism about him. He was very sombre and serious as the interpreter helped us ask questions and talk with him. I wondered what experiences he must have had and how he handled the big responsibility of taking care of his people in the wild bush. Medicine Men also act as spiritual leaders.

We so-called civilized people would perhaps label them "Witch Doctors," but I learned long ago to believe that kind of criticism to be a misnomer, because I really believe that God helps all those who turn to Him, in faith, regardless of their beliefs or particular religion. Most of the tribes deep in the bush do not speak English. But, toward the end of our meeting him, he warmed up and even occasionally smiled as he seemed to tell we were sincere and genuinely interested in him and his work. He told of utilizing all kinds of herbs and plants to brew his medicines to heal the wounds and fight the sicknesses and diseases of his people. He seemed to have a treatment for everything...from stomach aches to colds to malaria, yellow fever, and typhoid fever. Most natives in the bush refuse to go to the white man's doctor or hospital, but only trust their medicine man.
We told him about our having two son-in-laws who are doctors in the US. This seemed to perk his interest and, as his confidence in our sincerity seemed to grow, he asked us questions about our family and our dreams in life. When we told him we had 15 grandchildren and would like to have more, he smiled as if he knew how we felt. Then, to our delight and amazement, he began a vision-like ritual where he closed his eyes and, while humming a low song and prayer, maneuvered two small wooden necklace pieces he had carved while we were there, Up and down along a string they magically moved in the smoke of the fire in front of him. As the pieces moved up and down, he sang and gave a blessing to them. Then, they amazingly stayed in place after he asked if we would like to have another grandchild. He said the answer was, "yes," which made us happy, of course! (But, we'll leave that up to our kids!) He then put the wooden necklace pieces on strings and gave them to us to give to our two doctor son-in-laws, Jared and Kevin! (Later, we talked about how much fun it will be telling them this story and giving them the necklaces!) What an amazing experience this was!

Better close for now...on we go on bumpy, dusty red roads...oh, my poor old back!
We love you all,
Dick & Lawana, somewhere in Africa

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MAN EATERS LODGE AND SECOND SAFARI AT KILAGUNI 14th of 27 Emails

2009-10-22T06:21:00.039-06:00

Hi again from Africa!

We were able to take a weekend off from our measles work and had a fantastic time on safari in Tsavo West. We first visited the Maneaters Lodge, site of the killing of around 140 railroad workers by man-eating black-maned lions in the late 1800's when the British were building the first single gauge railroad across Kenya to Uganda. The book, “The Lions of Tsavo” chronicled the terrible happenings and it was then made into a movie called, “The Ghost & the Darkness” several years ago, starring Michael Douglas and Val Kilmer. It was a bit spooky walking around the beautiful lodge, safari tents, and beautiful grounds along the Tsavo River, which is fed by Mzima Springs, also a major water source for Mombasa. If you saw this at times terrifying movie and true story, you may feel a little how we felt as we saw the water tower, tracks, and terrain surrounding the area where the lions hid before killing their helpless victims. Although I wanted to stay there in it's safari tents along the river, I really wondered how safe it would be even today!

On we went to again stay in the beautiful lodge in the heart of Tsavo West, Kilaguni Lodge. Kilaguni means 'small rhino.” Since beginning our “vacation mission,” this was only our second safari and game drives and they could have not been better!!! Kilaguni is world famous for it's gorgeous, 5 star lodge overlooking a great
waterhole...and, on our two days there and on the drives we again saw many herds and small groups of elephants, cape buffalo, zebras, all kinds of gazelles, antelopes, onyx, water bucks, etc etc.

We saw around 100 giraffes, many ostrich, hippos, hyenas, jackals, wild dogs, vultures feeding on kills, baboons, monkeys, warthogs, impalas, white -tailed mongoose, and too many other birds and animals to list or that we didn't know the names of. But, still no rhinos, pink flamingos, or cheetahs yet! So, we have seen all the Big 5, except for the rhino so far, plus practically all the other animals there are to see.

Some highlights included:
• A pair of ostrich with 8 babies the size of small chickens. The black and cream colored Alpha male was strutting his stuff while his mate, who nests all the eggs that he has sired from different females, stirred around keeping the young ones from straying too far.

• A night game drive, which most people seldom are fortunate to do, hunting for big cats and other animals by night by spotlight.

During that sometimes scary, but thrilling time, we were very blessed to see a baby elephant with it's umbilical cord still attached, so it was only a few days old. Remarkably, and very different from the daytime, the mother seemed quite unafraid, perhaps because the birth was such a short time earlier. The little guy could hardly walk as he tried to stay underneath her and as we were only about 2 truck lengths away!

Cevit cats, hyenas, jackals, were skulking as we drove through the bush and we flashed on many, many eyes glowing in our light. It was really erie and made us appreciate even more how terrifying it must be for other animals during the nighttime when the big cats are hunting... especially the mothers trying to protect their precious little babies.

We are seeing little babies everywhere, because it is springtime here in Africa, a glorious time to be here among the babies being born. It's especially fun to see the babies of the big animals, like the elephants, cape buffaloes, zebras, hippos, lions, etc before they get so huge. And, the baby baboons and monkeys riding along underneath or on top of their mothers are so very comical!

Herds of elephants rolling in the mud in the waterhole. And, scratching themselves on the rocks. Then, walking away and sucking up red dust and swooshing it back up over their huge bodies. The matriarchs are very protective of their little herds, driving away both big and little bulls. There's no question who is boss. It was sad to see a very young adolescent bull come in all by himself and get pushed around by the herd. He followed the herd on the fringe, obviously wanting to be included in, but they would not let him.

We wondered how long he would survive, because it's the young, the old, and the sick who become kills for the big cats of the night. Pretty sad...the “law of the jungle.” And, as we do the game drives and just drive the bush ourselves, even outside the national parks and reserves, we see the evidence of kills everywhere...carcasses, bones, etc. Sleeping at night with our own veranda balcony open to the sounds of the night and the cool African breeze. It's rather unnerving, knowing what's out there. But, I also have to admit within a desire to walk the bush (with a very big gun, just in case). But, not at night, of course!

We'd better close for now and get to bed for tomorrow's 6 AM game drive. We love it here and it's been nice to spend a few days seeing this unique, exciting part of this great place in the world. We send our love and best wishes to you all.

Dick and Lawana

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FINCH HATTON LODGE & DRIVE TO NAIROBI 15th of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T06:15:00.021-06:00

Dear Family & Friends,

Thanks to many of you who have responded to our e-mails. We are very glad to hear things are going well for you. We've been gone over a month now and it seems like years! It's hard to imagine it's Fall back home when it's Spring and warm here in Kenya. Please don't forget us. We think of you often!

Returning from safari, we had a memorable time visiting the Finch Hatton Hunting Lodge in Tsavo West. Denys Finch Hatton was the big game hunter character Robert Redford played in “Out of Africa.” The movie came from Karen Blixen's book, who was played by Meryl Streep, a true story. We love this place which is green and luscious, with ponds and streams fed by springs from Mount Kilimanjaro. It's quite different from the Kilaguni area and much of Tsavo West, because of the abundance of water making it like an oasis, especially in the current drought conditions. Around 60 hippos, many crocodiles, and lots of all the other many animals and birds we've been seeing abound here. You can see why Finch Hatton made it his big game hunting home and why Karen Blixen fell in love with it and with him as well. It's luxurious tents along the streams and ponds go for about $600/night, so we didn't stay here, of course. But, we loved touring the lodge and grounds and especially seeing all the artifacts from the late 1800's and thinking about that great movie. You definitely would not walk outside of your tents at night in this place!

We left Tsavo West and headed on a long drive to Nairobi. It was a wonderfully beautiful drive as we decided to avoid the busy Mombasa Highway and, instead, go high over the mountains through Mackochos. After spending so much time in the dry Mombasa and Chylu Hills areas, it was great to see these beautiful green valleys, hills, and mountains. There were terraced farms, gardens, and orchards, all made possible by rainfall and water. It was interesting, though, that even here trenches in long rows were being dug to help catch more of the Spring rains that all are hoping will come soon, especially those in the dry flatlands below. Just because of the greenery, it all seems more happy, peaceful, and prosperous. And, it probably is, even though many of the people living here would be considered poor by American standards.

Along the way we visited another Red Cross “office” which had worked on the measles program. Very dedicated people...and, very appreciative of our work and proud of the great work they had done themselves. It was wonderful to feel their love for us and the gratification that comes from service in a common cause, even though we are from different races, countries, and cultures.
We'd better close for now. We'll be up in the morning around 6 AM to go with Corwin and Peggy to see the Mission President. This mission covers Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, and Ethiopia, one of the largest missions in the Church.
We love you all,
Dick & Lawana

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MISSION REPORT AND NAIROBI 16th of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T06:08:00.012-06:00

“Jumbo!”...now from Nairobi!

Corwin & Peggy gave their mission report to the Kenya Mission President this morning. A wonderfully successful mission with around 93% of the children in their areas given the measles “jabs!” as compared to around 75% in the rest of the country. Lawana and I gave around 3/4's of our time to the work and loved every minute of it. It's been pretty expensive, as we had to pay our own travel, $2,000 vaccination shots, and other expenses that the Church covers for missionaries, but that's a small cost compared to the great blessing it has been to us. Once again it has been proven to us that you always receive back far more than you ever give to the Lord and His work.

Nairobi is very different from our trip so far. It's the capital, a bustling, modern, 4 million population city. Well-dressed people in suits, chic dresses and heels. Cooler weather. Nice mission home and chapel, though much smaller and not as nice as the average chapels back home. However, even here there is still poverty. We passed by the huge slum, the 2nd largest in the world, where Shelly's family contributed to the slum band. And, when you get outside the more modern downtown, you go into the usual crowded, poorer general living condition. However, the Ogborn's nice gated and guarded apartment is by Statehouse Road by the Kenya President's residence and many embassy places from all over the world. It's a lovely, green area. Beautiful, unusual trees and flowers are bursting out everywhere in this Spring weather and clouds are forming for much hoped for rain.

WHOOPPPEEEE! As I finished this writing later in the day it is raining!!!!!!! It's the first rain since we have been in Africa. We hope it's also raining in the drought areas elsewhere, although slick clay-like roads may keep us from our closing safaris. We would still want that, though, for those poor people desperately waiting for rain that hasn't fallen there for almost 3 years. Even here we see long rows of trenches that have been dug to catch as much of the precious rainfall as possible.

So far, Lawana, Peggy, and Corwin have gotten sick, mostly diarrhea/stomach problems. We continue very careful about what we eat and cleaning food. Ironically, they got sick after eating a gourmet meal in a 5 star lodge, so you can see why it's such a concern. We yearn every now and then for good old KFC or Burger King and a regular American pizza or hamburger. Chicken and pork dishes are quite good here, but beef is not so hot. Goats are everywhere, but so far we've avoided that. Our meals in the apartment are lots of protein drinks, egg sandwiches, peanut butter, and carefully-washed fruits and vegetables, which are delicious! We never complain, knowing that there are millions all over this vast country that go to bed with nothing to eat. We feel pretty ashamed sometimes when we know that our living conditions are literally better than 99% of the country. So, count your blessings when you sit down to dinner and go to bed tonight!
We hope you are enjoying the beautiful Fall weather and colors back home. We miss you and love you very much!

“Kwahari” (Goodbye) from Nairobi,
Dick & Lawana

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ELEPHANT ORPHANAGE AND BLIXEN PLANTATION 17th of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T05:49:00.025-06:00

Hi to our Loved Ones & Friends!

We had a pretty sobering experience this morning visiting an elephant orphanage where 28 baby elephants and several rhinos were being raised by very dedicated keepers. Jared would love it here and be very comfortable with all we saw!

They came from the bush where their mothers were killed by poachers or local farmers trying to protect their limited crops. Some fell into bore holes, were trapped in mud, or attracted by predators.

The keepers sleep with them at night. It takes 10 years and $750/month to raise them until they are gradually habituated back into the bush where it hopes they are adopted by a herd somewhere. If you are interested, you could “adopt” a baby elephant for $50/year and be sent a regular newsletter and pictures on how he is being raised.

It was amazing that they are similar to human babies with big emotional needs. Around 20,000 animals are killed each year by snare traps alone. It really gave us greater understanding of how dangerous the wild is for baby animals and why so few survive.

Later, we had a delightful lunch and toured the “Swedo House,” the original farm house on the coffee plantation of Karen Blixen of “Out of Africa” fame. They've converted it into a beautiful, cottage-like setting, complete with outdoor dining, pool, sauna, lodging, and gardens. Artifacts were everywhere from the house and the old coffee plantation and it was fun to imagine the times there, many of which were very tough. Yet, her book speaks much of her great love for Africa and she devoted much effort to improving the lives of the people here.

The community around here is called “Karen” and it's quite up-scale living for the more wealthy people in Naioribi. We view the Nygong hills nearby and remember how she started her famous book and movie with the quote, “I had a farm in the Nygong hills in Africa...” Here she remarkably drove off a marauding lion with only a whip, led herself a safari to bring supplies to her husband and other British soldiers fighting the war in northern Africa, caught syphilis from her unfaithful husband, befriended the Maasai chiefs and loved their people and other tribes as they worked the plantation, then sadly watched it all burn to the ground, auctioned off much what she owned because of the fire, and was saluted by the staunchly British men in the local club before returning to Denmark.

One of the first things we plan to do when we come home is to watch that great movie again!

We love you all and long to see you again.

Dick & Lawana (Mom & Dad and Grandpa & Grandma) in Nairobi

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TRAFFIC ACCIDENT 18th of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T05:45:00.015-06:00

LOOK OUT! CRASH!!!

Yep, you guessed it. After weeks of dodging cars, buses, semis, Tuk Tuk, Makatahs, and people, we finally had an accident. It was a fender-bumper bender with a school van in the usual late afternoon rush. So, there we were for the next 3 hours, tying the bus' fender back on with rope, feeding candy to the little kids in it, calling Church accident coordinators, and negotiating with the bus driver. Traffic rushed by, some smiling at us silly white people, while we worried about getting creamed by some other vehicle while working on the bus. And, where in the world were the police? They never came. That worried us a bit, because Corwin & Peggy knew a missionary couple who had gone to jail for leaving the scene of an accident...and, a young missionary who had been jailed for going asleep in court and another who had been jailed for his cell phone going off in traffic court! And, the fact is that, whoever is in fault, it's, nevertheless, usually blamed on the foreigners. No wrecker came, no cop, and there we all sat in the middle of rushing traffic for hours, hoping that no one else piled into us. We couldn't leave the vehicles and, besides, there was nowhere on the side of the road to even walk to. It was pretty frightening. Corwin was very skillful leading the roping back on of the bus' bumper. It reminded me of Jared's work keeping their car together in Grenada!

Well, it finally ended with our negotiating with the driver for a settlement. We gave him 700 shillings (about $80) and got out of there. I was pretty amazed at that as I estimated the damage to his bumper, grill, and fender was probably around $2-3000 at home. But, it seemed to be his fault and he knew that and said his insurance company would not pay for anything less than $10,000. There was very little damage to our big truck with a huge bumper guard, which made us realize how grateful we were to the Church for providing missionary couples big, 4 wheel drive to drive in the bush and especially as protection in wild busy city traffic. Our final call to the Church ok'ed the deal, so we moved on it and finally got on our way. WHEW! ...and, HOORAY!!! Now, off to the next great adventure, while we are still alive and kicking!

Peggy continues on as our great navigator. Corwin is the amazing driver, braking and shifting and turning like an Indianapolis Speedway driver, only he is facing much more difficult traffic. Lawana and I just sit in the back seat hoping and praying that God will continue to protect his missionaries. And, somehow He does!

Corwin & Peggy say Nairobi has changed a lot since they were first here when there was only one traffic light. Now, there are a few, but still much piled up traffic, especially in the round-abouts and at Makatu pickup places, which are everywhere. There were no ATM's in 2003, like there are now, complete with guards and machine guns (they even have that in the markets and large stores.!)

It's an interesting cosmopolitan mix of rich and poor with the wealthy and modern definitely proud of their comparative wealth, which has lots of American features in clothes, music, etc., while still clinging to their African culture, too. Some of the more well-to-do Africans seem a little uncomfortable with their western clothes and ways...like they are trying to act and wear them properly, but not quite sure how to do it. But, they are all very proud of President Obama's Kenyan heritage and hoping that Africa will benefit from it.

Well, we are all exhausted from a very stressful day, so better hit the hay. We love you all.

Dick and Lawana
NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.

KASARANI SABBATH 19th of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T05:37:00.017-06:00

Happy Sabbath Day to our Family and Friends back Home!

It was a wonderfully spiritual day today attending the Kasarani Ward, one of the five wards here in Nairobi's one stake. Beautiful chapel, but still only 4 other cars in the parking lot besides ours, as all the rest walked to Church, as they do everywhere else. A tremendously powerful spirit throughout the meetings with powerful testimony-bearing of the divinity of Jesus Christ. Because this was a well-organized ward within an actual stake, the people were more mature in the Gospel and more polished generally. They were educated, articulate, most with jobs, well-dressed. Yet, we were all again greatly impressed how they concentrated on the most important parts of the Gospel, just like the people did in the poorer small branches in the villages and bush. Like, the Atonement, the sacrament, the scriptures, etc. And, they did it with great, sober, sincerity. It made me feel a bit sad, remembering how shallow sometimes my own service and spirituality is at times. It really is true that if we are not careful, our material wealth can be bad for us, while those less wealthy may find their poor conditions a blessing in disguise for them...especially in the long, eternal run. These people may not have wealth or even an education, but they know their scriptures and live them better than many of in the heart of Zion!

I was also greatly impressed how these black people bore such strong testimony of a Gospel and Church still led mostly by whites and headquartered in America. They are very proud of Elder Sitati, the first African General Authority, and that he is from Kenya. It was evident to me there will be many more. Today also brought back the amused thoughts Lawana and I had when some folks we'd invited to an Institute concert back in Boise were a little upset when the choir sang a hymn in African gospel dialect and tone. This experience in Africa has more fully taught us that ours is no longer a “Utah Church,” but, instead, is a 14 million and rapidly growing member worldwide Church spread throughout the world.

We were asked to bear our testimonies. Corwin & Peggy expressed their great love and appreciation for being back in Africa and Lawana asked how many of them were converts like her family and we were all amazed as practically every hand was raised except for some small children. The Bishop also told about Shelly's family's visit to this ward 3 years ago and we were later amazed at how many spoke to us afterwards about that visit and their gifts to the children. I spoke about the great impact for good that J. Richard Clarke had on my life. Heads nodded and smiles broke out around the chapel as many of them remembered Dick being in Africa as a young missionary and later he and Barbara returning as Area President over all of Africa. I know they would be so proud of these very strong saints here, many of whom lives they touched, and many who remember them with great love.

Some other highlights of the day:

Josephine: We met this sweet lady who Peggy had helped start a small bead jewelry-making business in 2002. She had been a Catholic nun before she got the courage to read a missionary's pamphlet and then enter the door of the “evil Mormon Church.” as it was known by some of her family and friends. After joining the Church, her family burned her pamphlets and Book of Mormon, but later several joined the Church, too. Since then, her small business led her to a good job and become a pretty classy lady. And, the Ogborns were so pleased when she told them she'd married a good man who subsequently joined the Church and that they are preparing to be sealed in the temple next year. Josephine's great love, especially for Peggy, was very touching and obvious, and it was evident her life and many others were changed forever for great good. During her testimony, Josephine spoke about how she had chosen to pay her tithing and “try” the Lord, as Malachi promised, and how she attributed that to many blessings that had come to her.

The Bishop: Was a great example of the great worth of the Perpetual Education Fund .

He had received a PEF loan from the Church to get an accounting degree and later paid it back with 500 shillings (about $6/month). The Bishop called up his 8 year old boy to bear his impromptu testimony. In shorts and shoes untied, you would not have believed the depth of this young boy's testimony. He is just one of the many strong, young Priesthood leaders here. So, keep paying your tithing, fast offerings, and PEF donations, so this kind of story can be repeated over and over throughout the world!

Sunday School: A young African 20 year old missionary, who had only been converted 2 years ago, taught the class with only a few moment's notice. His teaching skills and knowledge seemed like a good 70 year old High Priest with decades of leadership experience. We continue to be so impressed with these young African missionaries and younger boys and girls. They are incredibly strong with great, sincere testimonies and dedication to righteousness and service. In part, I suppose, it's because they have little material opportunities, so they concentrate on the Gospel and their responsibilities therein. Another example of it all being, perhaps, a blessing in disguise for them...especially, eternally.

Hope you all had a great day, too...especially with it being Conference, which we could not get over here. Like the Kenyans, we will just have to wait for recordings to arrive or to read the proceedings in the Ensign.

We love you all,

Dick and Lawana

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LUNCH WITH SUSCHI 20th of 27 Emails

2009-10-22T05:32:00.029-06:00

Greetings to America once again from Kenya!

We experienced a glorious reunion and dinner today in Church and later for lunch in the home of President Jastus Suschi Obediah. He, like practically all of the leaders here, is a convert and now is the present Stake President of the only stake here in Nairobi. He is also the great man whom Corwin and Peggy knew during their first mission here and who they lined up to help Shelly's family during their visit here in 2003 to distribute gifts to the Kasaroni branch, and to an African village and school, and also to people in the large slum here in Nairobi.

Suschi's story is an amazing one that has been written up in two Church News articles. Peggy and Corwin recommended him for a job which subsequently led to another great job doing rural development, including representing Kenya in many trips around the world. He spent about a week in Houston with Shelly's family awhile ago and speaks about them with great love.

The meal was delicious, prepared by Millicent, Suschi's beautiful wife. They are so proud of their home, their three precious children, and their car, one of only 4 driven by members of the branch to Church today. We talked and laughed for hours and later marveled at the deep humility, but strong convictions and abilities of these choice people. Both filled missions after their conversions and before their marriage. The first church article about Suschi represented him as an example of African convert Priesthood leadership and world traveler responsibilities for his country.

The most recent one talked about his being asked by the Kenyan government and, subsequently the Church, to lead the work to research and find President Obama's family's African and American genealogy! It subsequently was presented to the President Obama, who was very appreciative and happy for it. President Obama's father is from the Luo tribe here in Kenya and his mother is an American. We had met previously with Luo tribe people, who are farmers and fishermen in the Lake Victoria area.

When Shelly and Doran brought our 6 sweet grandchildren here to Kenya three years ago, Suschi took them to the poor little village of Boma way back in the hills where they had a life-changing experience. They had gathered funds and goods from others in Kuwait and America, and I suspect, much from their own resources, to give to African people in need. They would be the last to take credit for their work and charity, and might be a bit upset about us even mentioning it in this writing, but I know their family gave up their own Christmas gifts for it and provided a lot of their other money. Anyway, they provided desks, shoes, and uniforms for over 300 children and roofs for 4 schools.

They also provided wash pans, food, etc for the village and later instruments for a slum band in the terrible slum here in Nairobi that has become quite famous and has made CD's of it's music. During our lunch today, Suschi lovingly related how the village people still subsequently approach white men who drive through the village today, hoping they are the return of “Mr. Doran.”

Lawana and I vividly remember Shelly's family returning from that trip and marveling at their life-changing time in Africa. Now that we are here ourselves, we can more fully relate to that. We were so proud of them then and know they are proud of the small good we are doing here now. The Church teaches that you are the most happy when you serve and that when you are in the service of your fellow man, you are in the service of your God. That certainly has always been the case for us here and other times when we have looked beyond ourselves. We are so grateful for a Gospel and Church that regularly provides callings and opportunities to serve on an ongoing basis, and especially for missions and other unique opportunities like these here in Africa. For myself personally, and from my experience as a Bishop, I know that for many, the desire to serve does not come naturally. So, callings are truly a blessing. And, as a person responds to calls, it becomes more natural and the desire to serve within him more strong. And, no matter how hard he serves, he still remains in debt to the wonderful grace and love and blessings of the Lord. What a beautiful plan of salvation the Gospel is and how blessed we all truly are!

Our time here is winding down now. We will be packing up soon after going on safari in the great Maasai Mara for a couple of days . We'll then leave for France for a week and Corwin and Peggy will head back home to Utah. It has been a great time to be here with them, especially working on the measles mission and living among the wonderful people of Africa. It has been a glorious experience, which we will always be grateful for and never forget.

We love you all very much and hope things are going well with all of you. Though very busy, our thoughts and prayers continue with you.

Have a Great Day!

Dick and Lawana

NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.

LAKE NAKURU SAFARI 21st of 27 Emails

2009-10-22T05:30:00.035-06:00

“JAMBO!” from Safari Time at Lake Nakuru

We drove the beautiful road into the Great Rift Valley from Nairobi to Lake Nakuru, all which again showed an entirely different and awe-inspiring part of this great country.

The Great Rift is known worldwide for it's wide, lush, green valleys and high cliffs. It runs clear down Africa from north to south and was created by a huge upheaval thousands of years ago. It is miles and miles across with hundreds of volcano cones within the valley floor. Nothing like it anywhere in the world. Tall, big tree forests on tall mountains overlooking the valley and cliffs. More rainfall and, therefore, seems more prosperous with it's farms, orchards, and gardens. And, herds of sheep everywhere.

Excellent road, even with a short “two carriage” section! The Ogborns cheered for joy as we drove peacefully along amid little traffic and few big trucks, almost like were we on a Sunday drive. Don't get me wrong. It was not like a nice I-84 Interstate, but more like Hi-Way 55 to McCall, but without the traffic. It was absolutely great for Africa!

Lake Nakuru was very different terrain from our Tsavo West and Tsavo West safaris. Lush, green forests and grasses. Rivers and waterfalls. Rolling hills and rocks and caves where you expect to find a lion den every time.

And, of course, the beautiful lake with it's thousands of famous pink flamingos that you see in every video or pictures of Africa. And, we finally saw rhinos...many of them including a baby that was only a few weeks old. That completes our seeing the “Big 5!”

We made two game drives, all in our own vehicle, rather than bothering with a formal safari guide. We just found the animals ourselves or followed a fast moving safari land rover to a super game sight or kill. That again saved us very big bucks. We again saw leopards in the trees, many elephants, cape buffalo, giraffes, zebras, all kinds of gazelles, antelopes, bucks, warthogs, baboons, monkeys, etc etc etc.

We also incredibly saw the elusive and rare Columbus monkey with its black and white body and long tail. And, again we saw the mating giraffe ritual, only this time it was a different, beautiful variety of giraffe.

We stayed at the Sarona Lion Hill Lodge, a beautiful, old, romantic, and historical place at the base of the foothills with gorgeous grounds on Lion Hill overlooking the park. Great, historical artifacts were everywhere from the old big game hunting days. Excellent, gourmet dining and tribal dancing and singing entertainment in the evenings.

We stayed in individual lodging units winding from the dining and swimming area up the hillside. Beautifully spread out, giving it a very intimate, historical and romantic feeling. Although it was surrounded by an electric fence to keep out the predators, it's name gave us a rather exciting, but frightening feeling, especially as I walked the long path from our place to the main lodge to ask them to wake us in the morning for the game drive. Maybe that was because three workers were killed in the area not too long ago by lions!

It was a great time and we are grateful to Corwin and Peggy for the opportunity to safari with them this way. They are old safari pros and have truly delivered on their promise that we will see many, many animals, even though much of our time in Africa has been given to the measles program, rather than sightseeing. It is hard to believe that the animals mentioned above are so numerous that they have become kind of common place as we look for the more exciting big cats and kills. And, we have only been on four safaris and 8 game drives, with 1 more safari and 2 game drives to go (which will be in the famous Masai Mara, which reportedly has the most animals of all!). And, all of this just in Kenya, which is world famous for it's animals. We'll just have to come back sometime to see the rest of this unbelievable, vast country.

Well, I'd better close for now and get ready for bed. Safari drives are tiring, but it's nice to return to a nice lodge, great food, a nice shower in precious water, and a good bed. At many lodges, especially in the drier countries, they save the shower water for watering the grounds. But, not here in this more lush place at the base of the hills. It seems like a paradise for both us and the animals.

We love you all. Don't forget us. And, say a prayer now and then that we don't become dinner for a hungry pride of lions!

Lots of Love to you all,

Dick and Lawana

NOTE: To continue reading the African Blogs, scroll down or click on the "older post" on the right.

GREAT RIFT VALLEY & INTREPIDS LODGE 22nd of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T05:25:00.039-06:00

Hello again from the Dark Continent!

Time is flying over here on the other side of the earth. The missionary measles work is basically finished, except for some last phone calls that are still coming in for more Church financial support. That's been one of the interesting, and sometimes disappointing, parts of the work. In this country so poor for just the simple things of life, like a job or even food for the next day, many are desperate for any possible source of assistance.

The Church is always so generous, but has to be very careful to guard against corruption in the country's government it is assisting and also be fair to all, whether in gov't, Church members, or elsewhere. It takes being here and seeing it firsthand to really understand that...for example, a dollar will feed a big family for several days in the poorer areas.

We drove the 6 hour drive from Nairobi to the Maasai Mara today through the Great Rift for our last safari and game drives. Greatly differing from the trip to Lake Nakaru, we at first drove the top cliffs of the Great Rift, and then went down into the vast valley floor and drove it for miles and miles. The Great Rift is world famous, running north and south through Africa. It was created by a huge volcanic upheaval that created high cliffs on its sides and a long, wide valley in the middle. Volcano cones are everywhere in this almost magical geological marvel. Big, candelabra trees and beautiful, flat-topped Acacia trees were everywhere, which, besides the fat Baobab trees, are landmarks in Africa. We took many pictures of them all, silhouetted against beautiful African sunsets and sunrises, which are different than anywhere else in the world.

Masai cattle herds were everywhere, big and small, being herded and guarded by Masai warriors in their brightly colored robes and carrying their herding & walking sticks.

Their colorful robes and blankets stand vividly out like bright jewels amid the tans, reds, browns, and greens of the valley and the beautiful vast blue sky and white clouds. Masai villages, with their round huts and surrounding stick & brush fences and corrals, spot the huge valley floor in every direction. These tall, proud people are nomadic as they maintain their age-old fascinating culture...herding their prized cattle, killing lions to qualify for manhood & marriage (now outlawed), dancing their strange, jumping dance, etc.

To them, cattle is like gold, their most prized possessions and a symbol of their wealth and ability. The bigger the herd, the richer the warrior...and, the more wives he gets! These intriguing, tall, straight men rest by standing with their legs crossed at the ankle and sleep at night on the ground guarding their cattle with their heads resting on a carved, wooden little stand that acts somehow as a pillow. This unique pillow also acts as an elbow rest when they are laying and chatting around the fire.

This is the first time we've not driven the Church truck, so Corwin, especially, enjoyed sitting back and letting our safari guide fight the traffic, pot holes, goat & cattle herds, etc. We again saw a big semi-truck flipped on it's side with it's contents scattered down the hillside. We've seen around a dozen like that so far. It happens because the roads are so narrow, with little shoulder space on the sides and many times falling off into steep dropoffs, especially in the hills.

No markings, no lights, no traffic signs and very fast speeds in heavy traffic. Much swerving and weaving in and out. The big trucks, with their high, heavy loads, easily tip over as they weave in and out around others ,as they all race down the highway. Very scary as little cars, scooters, bicycles, and trucks like ours try to speed along with them. You can't go too slow or they simply push you off the road...very scary!

All along both sides people are selling stacks of charcoal bags, sticks, and sugar cane and little carts, piled high, are being pulled by one, two, or three donkeys amid the small herds of goats, cattle, and even camels. And, even along the narrow sides of the so-called highways, carts are being pulled by men with shirtless, straining backs and legs, just as they so commonly do in the towns.

Many car washers earn a few shillings at the dirty, busy truck stops, frequently getting their water from muddy puddles to do the washing. Corwin & Peggy laughed with genuine empathy and concern as they talked about the new missionary couple, soon to take over their missionary truck, and what their first few days driving these roads will be like.

Despite the driving conditions, which believe it or not, were much better than those on the Mombasa Highway, it was a wonderfully beautiful drive, especially as we caught our first glance of the Great Rift Valley from it's high cliffs at the top.

It seemed to go on forever and forever. As we climbed to the top and then began descending to the valley floor, there were green terraces, smaller valleys and streams, little farms and orchards and gardens. Big forested areas and intriguing roads breaking off the highway made us want to take side trips, but there was no time for that.

As we descended onto the valley floor, it became drier and then more arid as we approached the Maasai Mara. We began seeing wild animals even before we entered the park!

After going through the park gate and being surrounded by little, brightly clothed Maasai women selling Maasai things, we drove another 2 hours over very rough roads before finally arriving at our destination, the Intrepids Safari Tent Lodge. It is one of the premier places for lodging and wild animals in the Maasai Mara, the most famous park for animals, especially big cats, in Kenya and all of Africa. It has 26 luxurious tents overlooking a beautiful river with a slate-like, big-bouldered river bottom, especially in low water times and just before the Spring rains.

Each tent has a balcony overlooking the river. Beautiful hunting lodge with slate walkways through the bush to the tents, swimming pool, restaurant, swinging bridge across the gorge and over the river, firepits. Airstrip with small planes coming frequently in & out. Our tent is like a palace in the bush.

Large, 4 poster, king-sized bed with surrounding mosquito netting, exotic African wood furniture & floor, tiled shower heated by burning charcoal & wood outside, and separate bathroom.

We arrived around 2 PM, had a great late lunch, and excitedly headed out on our first safari. We all wondered how it could be any better than what we had already experienced in Tsavo East and Tsavo West and at Lake Nararu. We quickly found out. More on that to come!

Love to you all. We are too exhausted to continue on. But, stay tuned...especially if you like big predator cats and other wild animals!

From one of the wildest places on earth...the Maasai Mara,

Dick & Lawana

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FIRST GAME DRIVE IN THE MAASAI MARA 23rd of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T05:24:00.015-06:00

“Jumbo!” from the Maasai Mara!

How can we describe this wild, beautiful, and dangerous place to you? Although we immensely enjoyed our previous safaris, the Maasai Mara quickly has become my favorite, both for the terrain and the wild animals within it. It is vast and varied, exotic and beautiful, and contains much of what people dream about when they think of Africa. High mountains and rolling hills; vast, wide, and long savannas, rivers, lakes, and ponds, high grasses and plains going on forever. Parts of it reminded us of the great old John Wayne movie, “Hatari!” (meaning, “Danger!”), which is one of the old African movie classics. No wonder...it was filmed here!

In our first safari here, only 2 hours, we quickly learned why it is famous for big, predator cats. We were thrilled to see:
A mother leopard with her two kittens feeding under a tree on a Grand Impala she had killed.

They all ate, played, and climbed the tree while we watched from around 25 yards away. The young kittens chased her tail and climbed all over her. They wrestled with each other and we could hear their little growls as they tumbled around on the ground and all over her.

They climbed up and down the tree and were still pretty awkward at it. But, it was awesome when she climbed up...so, powerful and strong, but with such graceful movement. Later, we thought about that as we walked under the trees to our tents in the dark night! Her glistening, spotted coat was beautiful, more dark and silky-looking than her babies' lighter, spotted bodies.

Sleeping in tall grass, we next saw a pride of 8 lions. Soon, coming from a long way in the savanna, came a lioness who practically brushed our bumper as she passed by...a very big cat!

We watched her come toward us all the way. It was as if she was stalking us and rather spooky as she looked up at us as she passed by. We wondered about the wisdom of sitting there with
open windows. Meanwhile, the pride of 8 just kept sleeping, occasionally rolling over, stretching, or yawning with big, open mouths. It was apparent they had full stomachs from a recent kill, because it was around 5 PM and they were making no motion to go hunting before dark. We decided to move on, because it didn't even look like they were going to get up for water while we were there.

Soon, after driving for awhile longer, we came across 3 cheetahs, also sleeping in the grass only a few car lengths away. Cheetahs are exotically spotted animals with dark lines on their faces. As they stood, we could see their powerful, big chests, sway backs that sloped downward to a very narrow waist, and then their big, high haunches and powerful legs that make them the fastest animal on earth, especially in short bursts. That's what makes them successful 75% of the time, compared to leopards at 60% and the lazier and slower, but more big and stronger lions, at only 35%.

It was at this cheetah sighting that we first saw the Disney Nature Films truck with it's big, disguised camera on a high, mobile boon. They were waiting for the cheetahs to move on to hunt for the night.

What a phenomenal first game drive in this world
famous safari park! It truly is the home of the big cats! I'm so excited that I didn't even tell you about all the other animals along the way. But, it's time for bed, because we're up at 5 AM for the morning game drive.
Lots of Love, Dick & Lawana

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GREAT MIGRATION AND 2ND GAME DRIVE 24th of 27 Emails‏

2009-10-22T05:20:00.022-06:00

Hello Loved Ones and Great Friends!

How are you all doing? Well, we hope. We have heard that colder weather has come to Boise and elsewhere. It will be tough for us to come home to winter, but we do miss all of you very much and are looking forward to seeing you again. It seems like we have been gone forever and become part of Africa ourselves. The wonder and majesty of this land continues to awe us. We just want to breathe and absorb it in. After being amongst the people for most of our time here, we are now enjoying wild Africa on exciting safaris and game drives. We've not gone on that many, but what we have seen has been beyond our wildest dreams. Here's what happened on our 2^nd game drive in fantastic Maasai Mara:

We awoke early a 5:30 AM to the gentle voice of our steward bringing hot chocolate to our zippered tent along the river. Throughout the night we had heard elephants trumpeting nearby, some poor animal screaming in pain or distress, and all kinds of other strange and sometimes melodic sounds.

The early morning hours are full of beautiful and exotic bird sounds, sometimes drowning out the sounds of the big bull frogs and other little creature sounds of the night. We were glad we had tightly zippered our tent and even blocked the zipper with the floor mat and patio table outside. Corwin & Peggy had not done that yesterday after we all arrived and the baboons & monkeys got into their tent & sacked through everything! But, their steward quickly came over and straightened it all up.

What a phenomenal morning safari it was! We first saw the mother leopard with her twin kittens again. They were having for breakfast the big Grand Impala she had killed that we had seen them dining on yesterday afternoon. But, this time there was only about half left and she was moving the remaining part up the tree to keep it from the hyenas and other scavengers.

It was amazing how strong she was. Along the way, she tore off pieces of meat as the Impala got wedged in the trunk and provided leverage for her to tear off a piece of meat. She was very hungry this morning. She had probably not hunted last night, because the Impala was providing several meals for her and the kittens.

We next came across 7 lions, but still no male yet...until, the big lioness walked into a nearby thicket to join a big, Black-maned male...the King of Beasts!

He was magnificent. We thought of the black-maned maneaters of Tsavo, who were males and killed 143 railroad workers in the late 1800's, as depicted in the movie, “The Ghost and the Darkness.” This animal's paws were huge and you could see why one powerful swat would knock over a zebra easily.

It was fun to watch the obvious affection between the two beautiful animals. The lioness is usually the hunter. Whereas, the big male is somewhat lazy, until some kind of danger arises. Then, he is the strong protector of the pride. It's amazing how close we are able to get to them. The animals have become quite accustomed to vehicles. But, our guide continued to give us strict warnings about not getting out of the truck and that animals have the right of way all the time.

Later that morning we saw another group of cheetahs, this time on the savanna. They were obviously hunting and sleek in their movements.

We decided not to try to follow them, but regretted that later in the day when we learned that the Disney Nature Film truck had done that and filmed a kill.

Finally, before taking off for the river, we saw a huge, male lion asleep under a tree. We could have practically reached out and touched him. He was yawning and stretching and rolling over on his back, which sometimes made him look a little foolish.

But, when he got up and looked at us with those big eyes and huge, powerful body, we remembered just what this magnificent animal was capable of. The males do a lot of sleeping during the day, more than the females, especially when her sleep is being disturbed by the kittens. Many times the male will go off by himself, so as not to be bothered by the kittens. We wondered where the rest of the family might be.

A major highlight of the day was traveling for an hour to the Mara River for a viewing of the wild we will never forget. We drove through thousands of wildebeest's and hundreds and hundreds of zebras. They were in groups and long lines heading for the river as part of the Great Migration known all over the world.

They are leaving Kenya and headed for Tanzania and reach around 2 million wildebeest annually. They are looking for fresh grazing ground and actually go in kind of a circle, crossing rivers along the way.

It's been called the “8^th Wonder of the World.” Fortunately, we are here during the closing days and watched thousands of wildebeest's and zebras push in groups and walk in many long lines over the savanna plains and down to cross the Mara River. There was also on display many elephants, hippos, giraffes, cape buffalo, warthogs, impalas, topis, gazelles, etc. Huge crocodiles were waiting in the river.

We waited for a couple of hours as the wildebeest and zebras would push toward the bank, drink, then seem to lose courage to go any farther and move back. Then, a crossing started. It was not as big a mass of confusion with water swirling as it would have been a month ago when the migration was in full swing. But, we saw a huge croc slide off the bank and glide mostly underwater toward the crossing animals. It was suspenseful to watch and a bit terrifying.

Fortunately for them, he was a little too late. If there had been a longer line of just 5 or 6 more in that particular group we would have seen an attack. He continued in that spot, waiting for the next group to try to cross. We wanted to stay, but had to hurry back for lunch and the next safari at 4 PM. Frankly, the girls were happy about that, because there were many baby zebras and younger wildebeest in the crossings. It was a FANTASTIC event to watch.

On the way back to the lodge, we drove by the leopard kill in hopes of seeing the mother and her two kittens again. But, they were gone, as was all of the Grand Impala, except it's head and horns. Either the leopard family, or the jackals, hyenas, vultures, or other scavengers of the wild had completely finished that meal off, or dragged it elsewhere to eat. The bloody dirt was kind of gruesome...but, it's the law of the jungle, as they say.

Well, better close for now.

Have a great day!

Dick & Lawana, hoping we don't become some big cat's meal out here!

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AFTERNOON GAME DRIVE IN THE MARA 25th of 27 Emails

2009-10-20T01:39:00.004-06:00

"Growl!" from the Johnsons in Africa, Hi Everybody! Is it snowing yet? We got an e-mail from friends in Atlanta, Idaho who said they had a foot of snow there. Boy, is it going to be a change when we get home from Africa!

Our third game drive in the Maasai Mara was again fantastic. This is the place to come if you want to see all the wild animals, especially the big cats. In our first two drives here (totaling about 8 hours) we have seen them all, except the rhinos which we saw in Lake Nakaru. Literally, here we have already seen, in various groups and herds, approximately 100 giraffes, 30 hippos, 80 elephants, 200 cape buffalo, 100 wart hogs, 20 jackel, 20 ostrich, 100 vultures, 100's of gazelles,impalas, crocs, water bucks, topi, dik diks, and the other species of that variety everywhere, all kinds of exotic birds, etc...around 50 different kinds of animals that we know the name of and many others that we don't...and, of course, the amazing big cats (leopards, lions, cheetah, and serval cat previously described, and thousands of wilderbeast and zebras.
Much of the reason you can see so many here is because it is so vast and open and you can drive to much of it. However, you definitely need a guide, rather than trying to do it in your own vehicle, like we did in the other reserves, because it is so large and wild and unmarked that you would be lost in minutes. It is especially amazing that you can be almost anywhere and look around and literally see at least a hundred animals! They are all awesome to see, especially the babies that are everywhere, because it is Spring.

As we drove out at 4 pm for the 2 hour afternoon drive, we again were amazed at the Great
Migration of thousands of wildebeest's and zebras winding their way to the Mara River crossings. Silently, we all hoped inside that they would somehow dodge the huge crocs awaiting them, especially the small babies that we see tagging playfully along. How can we describe numbers that go over 2 million each time they migrate ...and, especially the sometimes very frantic rush and pushing and shoving of each other at the river crossings? Many drown just because of that and in the process become easy food for the big reptiles. It's pretty sad, but one of the most fascinating things in the wild.
Some highlights today were:

A Cheetah group resting against a small mound, giving us their exotic profiles against the African sunrise and other great shots as they moved around. They were resting after a nighttime gazelle kill and acted at times like satisfied house cats after a nice meal...smiles, stretching, and many yawns, as if owned the house and the whole world revolved around them. Again, we marveled at their beautiful, spotted markings. They repeatedly looked up from their sleeping to go on alert and you could tell there would be no out running these sleek, speedy animals, the fastest in the world. Their ears would perk up and their eyes intently look around as if they would spring out at any moment. The switching back and forth from lazy loafing to instant alertness was intriguing and we wondered at times just what they had seen, heard, or smelled that we were usually unaware of. We wondered what animal would be their dinner tonight. For cats like these, the leopards, and the lions, there is game everywhere in the Maasai Mara. It must be like a buffet dinner to them as they hunt. We wonder if they have tastes for different animals, like people do as they go through a buffet line. “Let's see, dear, would you prefer gazelle or water buck tonight?”

We love to see them run the plains in such plain sight, almost like watching a race track, except they are so streamlined and stealthy at times, then burst out with quick bursts of amazing speed. The dust flies and all the other animals quickly run for cover.

We again saw a beautiful serval cat, which are smaller than the cheetah and quite rare to see.
They are also spotted, but with a darker coat than the cheetah and even the leopard. They are elusive and seldom seen. We didn't see any in the other parks.

We were thrilled when a pride of 8 lions walked directly toward us and passed within a few feet of our truck and then finally into the tall grass. The kittens played all along the way, as if we weren't even there. Three were very small, only about a month old. The other three kittens were a little larger, about 3 months old, according to our guide. The two lionesses with them, their mothers, watched us more closely, especially as they passed close by. You could hear their breaths and Lawana said she could even smell them. Though the mothers seemed at times to not even notice us, we wondered what would happen if they became alarmed about their little families. We were not about to find out as we stayed very still and could hardly breathe in the exciting 10 minutes or so during their passing by.

THEN, we drove around to the other side of the tall grass and there lay Poppa Lion, a large Black-maned beast, and the father of both sets of kittens, and mate to both sleek lioness'. We watched him closely watch us as we approached and then back to sleep he went for awhile!

BUT, not for long, because through the tall grass from the other side came his family and lazy sleeping was suddenly over for Poppa! The 6 kittens quickly woke old Dad up, as they began romping all over him and pulling his tail. It was such an amazing sight that we watched the great fun for an hour. They all showed great love and affection for each other with much licking and playing and much patience shown by the giant father. Even the two mothers affectionately licked and nuzzled each other and it was apparent they cared for each other in this polygamous family.

It was fantastic. The kittens were so cute, playful, and mischievous, climbing all over their parents, pulling their ears, whiskers, and tails. The mothers put up with it all more than Dad, as
they licked their babies constantly and rolled around with them in the grass. Old Dad seemed to enjoy most of it and showed obvious love and pride in his brood. We could have stayed for
hours!

Our ride back to the lodge was again a glorious sight with a sunset of golds, pinks, blues and
purples coloring the clouds, mountains, and savanna. Along the way we saw many other animals. We worried about a zebra who limped along with a badly sprained ankle and wondered if he would last the night with the great cats hunting the plains. We wished he could somehow hide until he healed, but knew that was unlikely.
The cats, especially the more lazy lions, prey especially on the very young, the old, and the weak. It's been amazing to us to watch them when they are not hungry, majestically walking through the savanna with animals hurriedly scurrying out of their way. Sometimes some of the gazelles and impalas don't seem to get as far away as we think they should. Maybe they can sense the huge cats are not hungry then...or, maybe they are just young and inexperienced,..or, just plain stupid! It was a wonderful day in one of the wildest places on earth. As we drove back to camp, I thought about what it would be like walking alone out there and how far a person could actually get. It was not a very pleasant thought!

Well, it's time for dinner after a nice shower. We love you all very much and wish you could be

with us in this incredible place. But, we're taking literally thousands of pictures and would be happy to show them to you sometime when we finally get home. We only wish we could some- how also include the noises and smells, too!

“Kwahari” (Goodbye) for now from the beautiful savannas of the Maasai Mara,

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DINNER AT INTREPIDS IN THE MARA 26th of 27 Emails

2009-10-19T09:43:00.003-06:00

Dear Wonderful People we love back home,

It's the end of another great day here in the Maasai Mara in Kenya. We are quite tired, having been on two safari drives during the day. We are always bursting with excitement from such unique adventure and love talking with other parties to share thrilling sightings and gain knowledge about where to go early the next morning where special kills and sightings have occurred. We've met many different and good people along the way, many from foreign countries, especially Germany, England, Australia, the Netherlands, etc.

It was fun to see a game guide with a BYU shirt on today. When we began singing the fight song to him, though, he looked at us rather strangely and said he had gotten the t-shirt from a donation place because he liked the cougar on it, but really didn't know what BYU was. Well, he does now!

It's been kind of amusing to see the guests' attire. Many look just like Robert Redford in “Out of Africa,” and some of the women wore obviously expensive, exotic African clothes and jewelry. Whereas, we visited Savers and the D.I. quite a few times before coming and found the same type of clothing at a fraction of the price. Frankly, despite what the tour books say, you could wear practically anything on safari...and, many people did!

The day closed with another sumptuous dinner prepared by our excellent African chefs. The different African dishes are delicious and the deserts prepared with unique flair and beauty. The entertainment planned was Maasai dances, but it was rained out by the big thunderstorm that came while we dined. They would have had to walk from their outlying villages through the downpour and it's muddy, red and slick dirt, so it was no surprise when they could not come. We had seen their dancing earlier in our trip, so we were not too disappointed.

However, this part of Africa, the Maasai Mara, is the very heart of their home and we have been seeing them everywhere we go. Their villages surround the park and no one knows how to live and survive in this wild kingdom like they do.

Our waitress, Stephanie, a beautiful girl from the Machakos area, was thrilled we were the ones who worked on the measles campaign and thanked us for what it had meant to her little village. Nelson, a striking 25 year old Maasai was our waiter. He looked like a young Sydney Poitier, the first Academy Award-winning black actor. Each African has an English name, because they are required to speak English in school (if they go). They use those names when working in the hotels and elsewhere. But, they still bear their African names, too, and speak to each other most of the time in Swahili. I wonder sometimes how they really feel about so much English and the modern world being forced upon them. Nelson was very articulate, polished, and at first I thought he was an example of young Africans who were becoming more educated, sophisticated, and “advancing” into the so-called modern world. He would have turned the heads of any bright, young Harvard girl in a minute! BUT, I was not too surprised when he later told us he was taking the money he earned to buy cows so he could get his two wives, start building a family, and increase his herd. I couldn't help but wonder to myself which life would bring him the greatest happiness. He would know now, because he has seen both ways.

During dinner, a big lightning and thunderstorm descended and heavy rainfall poured for the first time in our whole time here in Africa. It was cooling and wonderfully refreshing and a soothing ending to a very exciting, but exhausting day. Our prayers again hoped the dry Chyulu hills and it's starving people were also getting some of these precious, early spring rains. After dinner, we walked to our tent a block away down a path lit only by oil torch lamps and thought about the night hunters all along the way. The zippers on our tent flaps and canvas walls again seemed pretty flimsy related to the big lions & leopards and other predators we've been seeing regularly.

We also thought about the big cape buffalo, giraffe, zebra, elephant, and hippo carcasses and other remains we've seen all over the Mara, and knew that a human would be no match for a hungry, hunting cat! However, overall, the evening was beautiful, romantic, and refreshing in the cool smells and breezes of the new storm. Nevertheless, we flashed our large flashlight down into the river bed and the surrounding trees just to see what might be lurking there.

The big bull frogs and crickets were sounding and some unusual calls of nocturnal birds were uniquely unusual and mostly soothing. As we walked across the the exotic African wood of our tent floor and settled into the clean-smelling sheets of our 4 poster king-size bed and pulled the rather lovely white mosquito netting around the large bed, we thought guiltily about the Maasai people going to bed out in the bush in their small dirt floor huts surrounded by a flimsy stick and branch wall to guard them against the big cats. How in the world could their skinny spears kill a hungry lion going after their goats and cows? And, where did they go to the bathroom at night?

It was again one of the darkest nights out there we have ever known. The large hot water bottle our steward had again put on top of our sheets again felt very warm and cozy. We listened to the strange and fascinating sounds of the night as we began to fall asleep and once again felt so blessed to be in this wonderful place and with one more day to feel and be part of it all.

We love you all very much and look forward to seeing you again. We pray for you often and hope things are going well.

Love,

Dick and Lawana in the heart of the African bush

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