Friday, January 28, 2011

Out of Africa

It has been a month since there has been any action on ‘my front porch’...as  some of you may have noticed.  I’m back...home from our ‘trip of a lifetime’!  We visited three countries...but spent most of our time in Kenya.
 

We saw lions, cheetahs, giraffes, zebras, elephants and hippos close up...and we saw a mamma rhino much closer than we wished to. 


We had monkeys sitting on our patio and swinging from the branches nearby. We met the people where they were at...in the Masai village, in a school in the slums... 


...and in an orphanage.   We were privileged to have the best of hosts while in Kenya...our friends Ron and Martha, who oversee the work of MCC (Mennonite Central Committee) in Kenya.  We joined them in distributing blankets and school kits to children in the slums.  We visited the sand dams...an MCC project which provides water to many who previously had no access. 


Another project that I was most interested in...was the MCC goat project, which we at Mennonite Girls Can Cook supported last year.  Now I know the difference a few goats can make in the life of a Masai family!  


We spent our final week at a lovely resort on the Indian Ocean near Mombasa...where the skies are always blue, the sun never fails to shine, the sea is as warm as the bathwater...and the mango ice-cream can’t be beat!  There are many travel tales waiting to be told...and with time, many will be.  For now...I am glad to be home...where I know I belong.  I have some grands I’ve been missing...and a whole lot of catching up to do on the home front.  As for you, my blogging friends...I’ll be by to check up on you...soon! 

Have  a great weekend...

31 comments:

  1. OH dear Judy .. .welcome back. Already you have me glued to see your new post and I can see your pictures will be amazing.
    I see our goats. .they look wonderful. How fantastic.
    Those little children. . how dear they are. Was it chilly there? surely not. They are so dressed from head to toe. So many questions we'll have for you.
    Rest well .. .and we'll see you Monday. .right?

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  2. Welcome back Judy! I'll look forward to hearing all about your travels. Glad to hear you had such a wonderful holiday in Kenya.

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  3. oooh, mama rhino, hey? Can't wait to hear and see all you did :)

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  4. Your photos are superb. What make of camera do you use? Angharad

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  5. So good to have you back..Your Front Porch has activity again..I can tell with those little grands lining up.
    Have a wonderful time unwinding and we look forward to catching up with you again...in blogland.

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  6. Judy, how good to see you back, and with many tales to tell, I'm sure.
    Did you enjoy Paris?

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  7. Good to have you back and to hear you had a great trip...looking forward to some more photos.
    I have just been on the MCC website and love what they do, along the same lines as my daughter and her husband in SA. It is such a priviledge to meet the people where they are and to see what God is doing in those places

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  8. Welcome home! Sounds like you had an amazing experience on your trip. Can't wait to hear more stories and see more photos...

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  9. Welcome home, you were missed. Every morning I've been checking on your porch for your return.

    Looking forward to hearing about your wonderful experience.

    Hugs!

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  10. Welcome home, Judy. Your photos are fabulous. I look forward to hearing more about your trip. Until then, have fun with your grands.

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  11. Glad to see you are back home safe and sound! Thank you for sharing your trip of a lifetime with us. I, too, was wondering how chilly it was there that those darling little ones were all bundled up! Looking forward to hear more.....

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  12. Wow! Can hardly wait to see more pics and hear more stories! Kind of hard coming home from Indian Ocean to winter again? LOL!

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  13. Can't wait for your travelog postings. You were missed!

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  14. Judy, welcome Home! I missed you!It sounds like the trip of a lifetime... a mixture of seeing the world, blessing others and getting a break and some rest from the hustle and bustle here. I look forward to the rest of the story.

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  15. We missed your front porch Judy! Welcome home. Wow you really saw some amazing out of our ordinary things! Love the picture of those sweet little ones. Hope your body is beginning to adjust back to normal...

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  16. How nice to have you back. We sure missed you. What a lovely summary of your trip and your beautiful pictures have me looking forward to more. I can hardly wait to hear your stories. Welcome home!

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  17. I'm looking forward to hearing and seeing your trip. I've been missing your blog, but I knew you were on a trip. Sounds like it was wonderful.

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  18. Welcome home! You have so much catching up to do right there with your family that we can be patient for your pictures and travel stories. I know that I am eager to see more though after seeing these. I know about the well project, but not too much about the goat project. If MGCC support it, I know that it is a most worthy project.

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  19. Welcome Home!! What an adventure!

    You've piqued my interest for all your stories and you have my mouth watering for mango ice-cream :)

    Looking forward to hearing all about it as soon as you're rested up!

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  20. Judy, Judy, Judy (a little Cary Grant thre)we sure missed you girlfriend, welcome home and welcome back to blogdom!!

    First...my mouth is hanging open with these photos, wowzaaa, sounds like your trip was a life changing adventure. Sounds like you touched a lot of people for the Lord! :)

    I'm so glad you got some relaxing time in there at the end, gorgeous beach and scenery.

    Looking forward to your stories, but all in good time, you need to hang onto those grandkids and your kids, I'm sure everyone missed each other tremedously. And there is no place like home, eh?

    ;)

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  21. Wow! Welcome back! I have missed you but I am so grateful for the blessed opportunity God gave you to do something so special. Look forward to hearing more about it!

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  22. Welcome home Judy! It's so good to hear from you again!

    I can only imagine all the wonderful sights you saw while you were away. What a wonderful mission you were on to help those less fortunate.

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  23. Thanks everyone for your kind words.

    Angharad...my camera is a Canon SX20IS.

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  24. What an exciting adventure you had. I've missed you, but I'm thrilled you had such memorable experiences.

    Thank you for sharing them with us. And, welcome home.

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  25. Oh Judy, I can't wait to see the rest of your pictures. I am curious, what resort did you stay in by Mombasa?

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  26. Judy, you were truly missed. I am so eager to hear you share your heart on this trip. I look forward to seeing pictures and reading your documentaries. I really enjoyed this post tonight visiting a part of the world that I am not familiar with. I know you all were real blessings to everyone you met.

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  27. I'm glad you are safely back home and the wonderful memories are yours to keep!
    I love the picture of the yellow faced monkey .. and of course the beautiful babies in the orphanage. May each of them find the love they need to grow up healthy !

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  28. So glad you are home safe and sound...oh and about Paris...I need to go read that post!

    Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Looking forward to all the vacation posts.

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  29. So glad you are home safe and sound...oh and about Paris...I need to go read that post!

    Sounds like you had a wonderful time! Looking forward to all the vacation posts.

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson