Everywhere you look in Maasai land there are flocks of goats and cattle. Each herd has a shepherd or two, mostly young boys, who take the flock out in the morning and bring them back in the evening. It’s planting season so you can see women and young men toiling in the fields, working the soil by hand; the way it’s been done for hundreds of years. There are donkeys everywhere, because most people use donkeys to carry water, charcoal firewood and everything else to and from their houses. There are hundreds of young children walking to school, some of them walk for many miles. It’s a hard life but this is what they must do if they want to survive.
This morning at 7am we were out on the savannah watching 6 lions on their morning hunt. It was like being part of a National Geographic Special. We stayed overnight in a hotel in the Mara West Conservatory. Our rooms were tents. Not just any tents; these were 5 star tents. Never heard of a 5 star tent? Well you have now! These are tents with tile showers and poster beds, soft pillows and room service. In the river just below our tents were literally hundreds of Hippos. All day and night we could hear them snorting and honking and wresting in the water. This morning the team took pictures of 30 or so Hippos sleeping in one big pile on the beach. I called it a Heap of Hefty Hippos.
Yesterday we spent the afternoon driving off-road to see the animals in the conservatory. We found more animals here than any game park we have every visited. As we looked across the plains we could see thousands of wildebeest, gazelles, antelopes, cape buffalos, tope’s, wart hogs, giraffes and Elam’s. Also were also lots of baboons and jackals. We saw 16 lions and literally followed them around while they slept, played and hunted. For the first time we saw 2 cheetahs up close and a hyena. Wish you were here!
At 11am this morning we left Maasai country and travelled for 9 hours to the city of Vihiga. It was so wonderful to be greeted at the Kisumu airport by our dear friends: Nancy Odwaro, Dr. George Matimbai, and Bishop Simeon Obayo. Tomorrow we meet with the leaders of a ministry to 600 widows to talk about microfinance and to prepare for a widows conference on Friday. Every time we visit with these widows we are deeply touched. A widow in Kenya endures so many hardships and yet their faith is an inspiration to us all. We just can’t to enough to help them in their struggle to survive and raise their families.
We’ve been here 6 days and it feels like a month. The reason for this is “sensory overload”. From the moment we stepped off the plane we have been seeing things we never see at home and it tends to make each day seem like 5.
It’s been a very long day dear friends. We want to thank you again for your prayers and financial support.
All our love and blessings
Richard