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Health & Fitness

July 27-28 - The Long Journey to Kenya

The morning of July 27, I remembered thinking, "It's here, the first day of twelve to be spent in a corner of Africa that not many Americans ever get a chance to see."

The morning of July 27, I remembered thinking, "It’s here, the first day of twelve to be spent in a corner of Africa that not many Americans ever get a chance to see." How did I feel? Nervous, for one. There I was, a fearless leader of 8, the one they would all look to for guidance, direction, motivation and example. I certainly didn't feel fearless. I actually felt quite the opposite. “What if” scenarios swirled in my head. Illness, lost passports, lost luggage, unexpected political violence, natural disaster…….

I also felt such anticipation as I had never experienced before. We were actually going to Africa, the land of giraffes and baobab trees and tribes. I swore to myself that I would be present in every moment, take in the landscape, the people, the language, the culture.

Perhaps my greatest desire of all was to be a bringer of love and friendship, to somehow leave this place having changed something and been changed for the better. And I wanted to empower my team to do the same. That was the whole point of this trip. We were there as examples of love in action, to build more than just a house – we were there to build hope. We wanted to break down barriers, to reach out in compassion and show this corner of the world that there is still goodness in the hearts of mankind.

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I met my team at the airport, minus two - Bob and Gretchen flew in earlier from their expedition in Egypt. We boarded the plane at 6:30 pm, ready for a long but relaxing flight to London. It was anything but. A baby cried almost all night long and by the time we landed in London, most of us had been 30 hours without sleep. The second flight was easier and quieter, and some of us managed to squeeze in a few hours of slumber before we landed.

The airport in Nairobi was dusty, with a line for Visas that moved at an agonizingly slow pace. How thankful we all were that we obtained those Visas early. Traveler's tip number one. Our baggage came quickly and we were taken to our hotel by Eldad, our driver for the week. We couldn't see much of Nairobi during the night. Rolling blackouts happen daily in this country - a way of conserving energy - so most of the city was submerged in darkness.

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The CHAK guesthouse was about a thirty minute drive from the airport. It was quaint, with beautiful architecture – wrought iron balconies, light brick walls and marble floors. The rooms were comfortable, with running water, hot showers and a Bible on the nightstand. At this point, I was so tired and yet unable to sleep, so I spent much of the night turning over and over, hoping to adjust. 48 hours without decent rest can make for a very unpleasant tomorrow.

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