Settling in…

After a couple of long travel days  – 300 miles by car from Pella to Chicago and 8000 miles by plane from Chicago to Nairobi via London – we arrived safely in Nairobi last night. We are thankful for very smooth travel and for the safe arrival of all 16 of our checked bags.

Thumbs up! We found all 16 checked bags.

We were warmly welcomed to Kenya at the airport by Dr. Lee and staff from Bridgeworld College. They have secured exceptionally lovely housing for us, a well-furnished three-bedroom house inside an acre-sized compound. The boys were delighted to discover that their bedroom is on the second-floor, something they’ve long wanted. It was wonderful to see the property – so many exquisite flowers and birds – in the daylight today. Torin said that it’s like living in a park.

Our backyard

Dr. Lee and his wife, Sue, came over today, and our landlord, Mr. Paul Mpungu, stopped by.  We also met John, our caretaker and gardener, who discovered that our water tanks were nearly empty. Since city water is only pumped to this part of Karen on Wednesdays, water was delivered this afternoon by lorry.

Lorry delivering water

This evening Dr. Lee and Sue took us to the Galleria, a shopping center near our home. It was very helpful to have assistance with our first shopping expedition in Kenya. I successfully withdrew shillings from the ATM. We learned how the supermarket works here, bought some basic groceries, and got a tank of fuel for our kitchen stove.

All in all it was a wonderful first day in Kenya. It feels like our house will soon become home and that we will have a very good experience at Bridgeworld College and in Kenya. Tomorrow Dr. Lee and Sue plan to pick us up for church. My work at Bridgeworld College begins bright and early on Monday morning with an 8.30 prayer meeting. Classes start on Tuesday.

We are thankful for all those who have partnered and prayed with us to this point, and we look forward expectantly to what the next five months will bring.