Rock Climbing at Lukenya

This past weekend I got the opportunity to spend a day rock climbing - which, of course, I jumped on immediately! One of the great things about the community I've found here is that people are involved in all kinds of different ministries and organizations, and one of my friends named Clayton runs a rock climbing program with a company called Blue Sky Ministries for youth camps and missionary groups. He was taking a small group of clients out climbing on Sunday, and he graciously offered for a few friends to tag along.

Joe and I left Limuru early in the morning and drove to the other side of Nairobi - about an hour and a half drive - picking up our friend Megan along the way. The road was amazingly free of traffic jams and accidents, and we arrived at a place called Lukenya under a gorgeous sunny sky at around 9am. Lukenya is a beautiful place - flat grassland dotted with trees stretches for miles to the horizon, and a solitary ridge of rockface about 300 feet high rises dramatically into a plateau. We met up with Clayton at the base of these rock faces and spent the next four hours climbing various top-roped routes, about 80 feet in length. In between routes we ran around on the boulders and cliffs, soaking in the sun and the amazing views out over the grasslands. Joe and I also took a lot of pictures - both of us got new cameras over Christmas and photography is our new hobby! It felt so good to be out in the sun working up a sweat - especially after spending a month in frigid America - and we all took time to relax and soak in the beauty of God's creation.

I'm so thankful for opportunities like these that come out of nowhere but result in amazing experiences. I'm also incredibly thankful for the friendships that God is blessing me with here in Kenya - friends that not only are fun to hang out with, but who challenge me spiritually and have a real heart for the people of this country. I believe that God shows himself to people in all kinds of different ways, but I see Him so clearly in the beauty of creation. I'm thankful today for the chance to really enjoy that majestic creation doing something that I love!