SLIDE PRESENTATION 4th of 27 Emails

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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GREAT RIFT VALLEY & INTREPIDS LODGE 22nd of 27 Emails‏

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

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

"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

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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