Great day for a ride!

Today I had to go to Naivasha, a town about 75 miles from where we live, out in the Rift Valley. Naivasha sits on the edge of a beautiful volcanic crater lake. A few weeks ago, Kim and I went to a tented camp on the back side of the lake to enjoy our 21st anniversary together. It was really peaceful and quiet there. Lots of wildlife and birds. I left something there so today I went back to get it, and I decided to take the bike. What a great day for a ride. Along the way you pass Mt. Longonot, one of my favorite pieces of East African scenery! Our family will be climbing Mt. Longonot soon, so watch for the pics of that trip.

Coast region

Kenya is a beautiful country with incredible diversity. This photo was taken in the Coast region but its the far western side of the region. An area where people still live the way their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Its one of my favorite places in Kenya. Hot, dry and remote but full of possibilities!

Kenya drought

Kenya is praying for rain. Everywhere you go people talk of rain and wonder if it will come this year. We have been to several places where no rain has fallen at all for the past few years. At a recent meeting a pastor told us that in his region of Kenya, the children who are 5 years old or younger have no idea what rain is! In some places the crops haven't grown in several years. Last week Bryan visited a community near Machakos, and he met a widow lady who has 6 children, 3 sets of twins! She was caring for her elderly father in-law. Both of his wives had died of aids. He was so weak and frail that he couldn't sit up to talk or even raise his arms to greet them. Their farm was bare and not even weeds were growing. Bryan and his team gave them food and prayed with them that God would sustain them and bring rain. A few days later we received a report that the old man had eaten the food and felt refreshed. He was sitting up and talking to his grand kids. We are thankful for the food that was donated and the impact it had on this family. We plan to follow up in that area next week with additional food and other needed items.

We are back in Nairobi, Kenya! We have begun to settle in and get connected with our friends and colleagues. Kim and the kids have started school and its getting busy with sports and after school activities. Our year in the US was fun but its really good to be back "home". We enjoyed all the favorite restaurants and so forth but we are finding our old favorites here are pretty nice too.
Several things have changed during our year in the USA. Most noteworthy is the power and water rationing. Due to the drought, the Hydro Electric generators can not produce enough power for the whole country at once. They have begun giveing power to certain places at certain times. Water is also being rationed, we get water once per week, on Sundays. Its really hard to believe but in parts of Kenya, there are 5 year old kids who have never seen rain! They have not had rain in over 5 years! Cattle are dying and crops wont grow. People are desperate. Keep Kenya in your prayers!

We have added one to our family, his name is Bo. He is giving us lots of laughs and he loves to play and chew. Raelyn has a special attachment to him. Our dog Coco passed away while we were in the USA so she is happy to have a little shadow.

Thanks to all of you who invited us to your church or hosted us in your home while we travled around the US this past year. We really enjoyed our time there and all the wonderful friends we made. Thanks for keeping us in your prayers!

Its hard to believe that we are leaving the USA in 30 days! Its been a fun year for all of us and it seems like we just got here. We are all talking about all the things we will miss already! Fritos and bean dip, Andys frozen custard, El Chicos, Cherry Limeades from Sonic, Blue Bell Ice Cream and the list goes on and on. The next 30 days will be filled with good byes and "last times", as we visit 11 states before our departure.

For all of you that have shared this journey with us this year, thank you for making it a great year back in the States. We look forward to seeing some of you in Kenya over the next 4 year term. If you are interested in our family and our "Safari", or journey as we say in Kenya, you can check us out on facebook! http:/www.facebook.com/bryanburr1

We have packed up our things and are just counting the days until our departure for Kenya.

Kim and I just had a few days in California to relax and celebrate our 20th anniversary. About a year after we were married we moved to Los Angeles to teach in a Christian school there. We have a lot of fond memories of our time in California. After 20 years, we are more in love than we have ever been!

Memorial Day in Texas, 2009. This is how we celebrated our freedom that so many have sacrificed for us to enjoy. Our family lives in Kenya, so we understand how valuable freedom is. Just as I sat down to write this, our American Embassy had sent out a warning about demonstrations planned for Downtown Nairobi. These demonstrations usually turn into riots. Freedom comes at a price and many in America take it for granted. Our last few months in the USA have been enjoyable. We haven't seen military troops guarding the streets, or armed guards at shopping malls. The freedom to travel from State to State without being stopped at road blocks by corrupt policemen has also been nice. Driving on a freeway for miles and miles without hitting a single pothole just makes me smile. Soon we will be back to muddy streets and potholes big enough to swallow small cars, corruption waiting for a hand out at every corner, and the desperation of people who want their voices to be heard. The bright side is that Kenya is growing and development is everywhere. New businesses and more technology, higher education and medical facilities. Most of all, its the land of our calling and that's what keeps us going back. Its our home and its where we long to be.