Dave & Mary

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord.
Psalm 127:3

It was last Father's Day when Dave and Mary told us that they had already bought their tickets to come visit us at Christmas time. So we've been eagerly looking forward to their arrival!

We picked them up at the airport in Nairobi, brought them home to Kijabe, and began to share with them a bit of our lives here.

After a couple days to get over jet lag, we drove to western Kenya, past the beautiful green tea plantations near Kericho.

Late in the afternoon, we reached Tenwek, where we had lived as a family back in the 90's, when Dave and Mary were 14 and 10 years old. Each of us has many memories of Tenwek, and it was good to see our old apartment, walk the grounds, and greet a few people who are still there 15 years later.

Then we hired a driver to take us to Masai Mara, where we stayed at the same tented lodge we had visited years ago. The tents were luxurious, the food superb, and the game drives awe-inspiring.

It was wonderful to once again see the amazing wildlife on the beautiful plains of southwest Kenya. And Dave and Mary got to hang out with Masai warriors.

When we got back to Kijabe, it was almost Christmas. Mary baked Christmas cookies and made passion fruit jelly, and Dave and I installed weather stripping in all our windows. They both helped Kathy and her friends deliver Christmas baskets to poor families in old Kijabe Town. Then we invited all the staff I work with on Salome ward to our home for a Christmas party.

The weather had been a bit damp, but the clouds finally lifted so we could climb Mt. Longonot, and we got to celebrate Dave's birthday with a Kenyan meal at the home of our friends Mark and Grace and their children.

We were so thankful that Dave and Mary could come. They are both wonderful young adults leading productive lives at home. We are so proud of them, and we enjoy their company.

- Doug