August 2

This was an easier day than the previous four, planned as a day to give the team some fun and not push as hard. We started off very early, leaving the conference center at 6:30 for a game drive through the Lake Nakuru National Park. This is a 73 square mile wildlife sanctuary, and we drove around the entire park in five safari vans, observing an unbelievable amount of wildlife. We were blessed last year to see lots of birds and mammals, but today we saw probably fives times as many, including six lions, at least 30 giraffes, both white and black rhinos, Waterbucks,  probably a thousand each of Cape buffalo and impalas and at least 50 other species of birds and smaller mammals.  The beauty and variability of God's creation is astounding! And it is also very evident He has a great sense of humor to design some very strange animals!

After lunch in downtown Nakuru, we went to the Hope church in a slum on the outskirts of Nakuru, where we did a hygiene training and water filter distribution to 25 women.  These women are among the very poor and neediest, with many of them HIV positive. Most are living in really substandard conditions with little more than a roof over their heads and not sure where the next meal is coming from. It was amazing to see the number of hands that went up when we started the presentation and asked the women how many had previously had Cholera or typhoid. It was probably 40-50%.  These are diseases that we never even hear of anymore in the US. It was obvious when the presentation and training session were completed the value these filters have to them. They clutched their new filtration kits and every one of them had an ear-to-ear smile.  It's obvious these will be treasured possessions that will have a significant impact on them and their families.

Tomorrow will be a day of rest where we join the Methodist Church congregation in Naivasha (about an hour drive south) for their 15th anniversary celebration service.