Here are more pictures taken on the last day. Today, Tuesday, we are traveling all day heading out to Rick's place. Please pray for our traveling. Below is Greg's group parting of the Red Sea.




Patty hanging with some of the kids.



Tricia and Morgan teaching the trust walk game.


Joyce teaching her small group.



Patti hanging with some kids.


Terry with her group.



Pam with her group.


Morgan and her group.

We took some pictures on our last day of VBS and here are a few. This is Greg and his group.


Terri was our bible teacher and here she is with some of the kids.

Anne with her group.

Patty and her group.


Having fun playing games.

Here is the school where we held the VBS. Notice the heart on the map of Africa.

The view of Rift Valley from the school.

More Pictures from Africa!

Terry is leading some songs and below Patty is going over the bible verses.



This is one of the small groups.


Below is Daisy (Patty) with the leaders a few of the students.


Sandy and Pam with a few of the kids.

Sunday Night

It is Sunday night and we've completed four Vacation Bible School (VBS) session with one more tomorrow morning. Our audience is 75 children (first to sixth grade). We have some fun characters such as our emcee Daisy, her inquisitive Skeeter, and Cousin Clyde with his pet crocodile, and even a fussy Pharaoh who just didn't get it that he should have let the Israelites go (one plague after another).

We are having such a great time with these wonderful missionary children. They are blessing us daily as they are learn, play and sharing really amazing things about their lives. Some have lost parents, many are living lives with few or no friends in the villages where their parents are serving. Many of the parents have commented on how much fun their kids are having. And, tonight was a very special night. The kids put their sins in a bags that the leaders draped over a cross at the front of the room to symbolize how the light of Jesus can be blocked out by even little things we do like not following our parents direction. One our actors played the role of Jesus, walking up the theater aisle, removing the bags from the cross, and letting the light shine again. What a great visual for the kids....and us.

Tomorrow morning we are looking forward to our last VBS meeting with the kids and then we have a movie night with them tomorrow night.

We leave Kijabe Tuesday morning and head for Rick and Carrie Maples home in Kurungu. That will be a two day trip by truck over unpaved roadway so please pray for clear roads and for safety. We are going to spend time with a nomadic people group that has no written language. We are bringing a ton of baseball gear from the S.F. Giants that Rick and Carrie say we came play on their air field.

We hope to send another blog soon. We are taking a lot of pictures and will enjoy sharing them with you when we get home. Thank you again for being a part of our prayer team.

In Christ,

The Kenyan 2009 Mission Team

Here are a few photos over the last couple of days. This first one is of the team around a pool table in a team meeting doing last minute planning for VBS.


This is the stage set up for the VBS Crocodile Dock.

This picture was taken on the road to Kijabe. Some awesome God made beauty!

Our fearless team leader on the road to Kijabe.

A picture of the Great Rift Valley.

One of the giraffes wearing the donated hats from the SF Giants!

As you can tell from the pictures that Kenya is very beautiful. The team is enjoying their time here and the weather has been excellent. VBS has been going very well and the kids are having a blast! We leave for Kurunga on Tuesday morning so this may be the last post for awhile. The team is having fun and please keep praying for us!

Day 1 of VBS

This is the first day of VBS and we are having a great time. There are lots of kids and things are really going great! Here is a picture from the first day. We were having problems posting so this is from Mike's iphone so the picture is small. Sorry! More later.
Thanks for your prayers!

Happy Thanksgiving from Nairobi, Kenya!!

We're here!! After 38 hours of travel time we arrived safely in Nairobi. It is pretty amazing that 37 of our 38 pieces of luggage made it also. And, praise God, the 38th was found and is being retrieved as I write!

Right now we are preparing VBS materials and practicing skits and at 1pm, Kenya time, Mayfield Guest House (our accommodations in Nairobi) is serving us a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. This afternoon the Team is heading out to the Giraffe Center and an animal park.

Tomorrow we drive to Kijabe to set up our VBS program. The conference begins in the evening and we are all very excited to meet our small groups for the first time.

We would appreciate continued prayer for adjusting to this time zone and for all us to remain healthy. (So far, so good)

Prayer Request

Last night we had our last Kenya meeting. Our first meeting was March 8th. On that day we each wrote down things that we were nervous about and needed prayer for. Last night we had a chance to reflect how God has been answering all of our prayers. We had many of our prayer partners come and join us for a time of prayer. Below are all of our current prayer request. We sure appreciate your prayer on our behalf.

• Pattie Zylka- Peace and contentment
• Sandy Cheney- Wisdom and Flexibility
• Terri Hannigan-Teaching the VBS Bible story. Dad in hospital with heart problems!
• Emily Hannigan-needs to keep current with school work. Worried about Grandpa in the hospital.
• Katie Zylka- Plane ride, Peace
• Morgan Brown- Sleeping the a hut, VBS small group
• Tricia Brown- Staying healthy, missing kids
• Ann Addington- Staying healthy, affective with VBS small group
• Helen Maples- Staying healthy, useful to the team
• Becky Kompelien- Staying healthy, sensitive to the Holy Spirits leading
• Jeannette Gundstrom- Staying healthy, sleep well, obedient to Gods voice
• Patty Haven- Needs to get over cold, anxiousness
• Pam Belgum- Anxiousness, health, safety, peace
• Greg Belgum- That everything will work out smoothly, school work
• Terry Sodergren- Safety and wisdom for girls, Mikes moms health while they are gone
• Mike Sodergren- Safety and health of family members, that God will do wonderful things through us.

6 days til take off!

Kenya Itinerary:

Tues. Nov. 24- Leave San Jose
Wed. Nov. 25- Arrive in Nairobi-Stay @ Mayfield
Thurs. Nov. 26- Sight seeing- Stay @ Mayfield
Fri. Nov. 27- Leave for Kijabe-set-up for VBS-Friday night Day #1VBS
Sat. Nov. 28- Day 2 VBS morning/ Evenin join the conference for Family Talent Night
Sun. Nov. 29- Day 3 VBS morning/Day 4 VBS evening
Mon. Nov. 30- Day 5 VBS morning/ Evening movie night with VBS kids
Tues. Dec. 1- Leave for Kurungu stay the night at Yare Campsite
Wed. Dec. 2- Arrive in Kurungu
Thurs. Dec. 3- Kurungu
Fri. Dec. 4- Kurungu (some of us staying with a Samburu family in their huts!
Sat. Dec. 5- Kurungu
Sun. Dec. 6- Leave Kurungu stay @ Samburu Serena Campsite (game drive)
Mon. Dec. 7- Arrive at airport leave @ 10:50pm
Tues. Dec. 8- Arrive @ San Jose airport @ 9:22 pm