Our New Home

Yesterday we took one more flight from Nairobi to Kisumu, but to pass the time before the flight we stopped at a baby elephant orphanage called The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust.  There we learned that most elephants are orphaned by poachers, who killed about 137 elephants this year thus far in Kenya.  Ivory is still in demand, therefore poaching continues.  Hunting in Kenya is prohibited, which helps to protect the animals and tourism economy. I have to admit, being able to pet an elephant was amazing!

After our short flight to Kisumu, Pastor Dan picked us up, and brought us to our new home for the next 4 months. The house is beautiful.  The entry is gated and fenced in with a cement wall, which is common for those that have vehicles and nice homes.  The yard is a very good size for the area and contains several moringa gardens, fruit trees, and flowers.  There are numerous types of birds that visit the yard and offer their own symphony from the trees.

Kisumu looks a lot like the areas I visited when I traveled to Uganda. Businesses often do not have buildings, or if they do they are small one-room structures.  The sides of the streets are lined with everything from shoes to furniture.  At first glance, you wonder how these sellers make enough money to get by.  But, as Dan told us, if they even make 500 - 1000 shillings ($6 - $11 US dollars) it is a very good day.  The cost of living here is much lower.

In the evening, Dan, Patty, Joel, and I sat down to our first meal together.  I think it's normal to be apprehensive about new relationships, especially when you really want them to rock!  After talking, it seems that we have a lot of similarities, which is great.  And Joel and I are really looking forward to learning the Schmelzer's philosophy on running missions.

Today, we started learning a little about accounting for Capstone and paying bills.  Paying bills sounds easy, but it's also totally different here.  Everything runs on credit, so we pay via mobile phone the bills for things like electricity, the security system, and internet.  If you forget to pay electricity before your credit runs out your lights go out!

At this point, Joel and I are doing well, but in extreme jet lag. Everything is a little foggy.  Tomorrow we have a board meeting, a staff meeting, and then we travel to Kweisos House in Koru for some orientation and jet lag therapy!

~Jen