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Published: August 7th 2007
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Ever since I can remember, I have dreamed of traveling to the vast and diverse continent of AFRICA. The stories of my grandparent's travels across the plains of Kenya stayed stuck in my head. Africa is home to so much beauty: the barren wastelands of the Sahara Desert (the world's largest), the snowcapped peaks of Mount Kilimanjaro, the pyramids of ancient Egypt to the north, the mist-covered volcanoes and lakes of the Rift Valley to the east, the dense, untamed jungles of the Congo, the beautiful coastal city of Cape town and the largest game reserves on the planet. But...there is another side to Africa that is not beautiful, the poverty, genocide, disease and orphans left in their wake.
Nearly 6,000 people die of HIV/AIDS every day in Africa, and as a result of this epidemic, there are an estimated 12 million orphans left behind to fend for themselves. I came in contact with much poverty in parts of Central and South America, but nothing with the likes of Africa.
After my return stateside in January of 2007 and moving down to Savannah, Georgia, my father mentioned to me news of a mission trip that one of his long
time friends (Dave Calvert) was about to embark on. My father knew I had always wanted to travel to Africa, but we both agreed that the cost of the trip was too much too soon. The initial payment deadline for the trip was only weeks away and the participants had all been fundraising for quite some time. I had just returned from working in Guatemala and spending New Years in the Bay Islands of Honduras with my Mom, Dad, and brother. This meant that it was time to start working hard and saving, not taking off on another adventure. I put the trip out of my mind and carried on with my daily routine...and then the craziest thing happened.
My father owned an old Cadillac given to him by his good friend Don (the Big Kahuna) which had recently broken down and was not worth spending the money to repair. Dad parked the car in an empty lot (which was surrounded by a chain link fence) just off the main road near our work and left it there until he could figure out what to do with it. There was only a little over a week or so left until the deadline for the trip when we received the call. The police contacted my dad to inform him that an accident had occurred wherein one of the vehicles involved jumped the curb, ramped through the metal fencing, and smashed into the front of his Cadillac...totaling it. Well, this would normally be horrible news if your vehicle actually worked, but...lucky us. The next call my father received was from the driver's (who was unharmed) insurance company informing him that a check was being mailed out right away. The next thing that happened totally blew our minds. The check that my father received in the mail was for the exact amount (more than the actual blue book value of the car) needed for the mission trip to Kenya...wow! My dad then turned to me and said, "Well son, I guess you’re going to Africa." I still can't believe that that happened and...How cool is my dad!
The destination of the mission trip is Western Kenya and I'll be working with Into Abba's Arms ministry.
Into Abba's Arms provides for the physical, emotional and spiritual needs of the orphans in Africa. The purpose of our trip is to reach out to the orphans of Kenya in the name of Jesus. Our team will be in Africa for 12 days (plus 4 days travel to and from) where we will travel to various orphanages and villages offering spiritual support and helping out where we can. The last two days of our trip will be spent at the Masai Mara Game Reserve where we will roam freely amongst the wild beasts of Africa. This, I'm sure, will be an amazing two weeks. Oh yeah, I have an eight hour lay over in Paris, France on the way there and on the way back, which means... Bonjour messieurs dames. Je ne parle francais. Merci et Au revoir! Yeah, and that's about all I know. I will most likely post my blogs after I return home due to the lack of time and computer access, so stay tuned. I just wanted to let you all know that I left today for my trip and I ask for your prayers for my safe travel and spiritual impact (oh yeah, and that I don't get eaten' by some lion). Take care and I'll write you all soon.
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Bodega
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Africa Trip
WAY COOL! FYI - Don't run! The lions will think you are food if you run. ;-)