There are a few names that keep popping up in my stories, so I wanted to officially introduce some of my best non-Kenyan friends here to all of you. This is quite a group of characters, and I am immensely thankful for the friendship and encouragement that God has blessed me through all of them!
Joe Heritage: Joe grew up in Dayton, Ohio, which makes him a Midwesterner. He really wishes he was a true Southern gentlemen like myself, so we're working on the finer points of that on an ongoing basis! Joe went to college at Furman, graduating in 2007. His best friend in college was a guy named David Whitlow, who went to high school with me - crazy! Since graduating, Joe spent a year in Thailand doing missions and a few months in Mozambique in an intense missionary school. Since late 2008, he has been living here in Kenya working for an organization called Global Connections. Lately, Joe has done a lot of work with an IDP (internally-displaced persons) camp called Jikaze, where he has helped a group of about 150 families build houses, get emergency food relief, and begin receiving loans with a microfinancing organization. Joe likes watching LOST, losing to me at ping-pong, throwing the ole pigskin, chopping wood, using limitless accents, quoting movies, and figuring out how to make development work. He will be going back to the States before too long to pursue a Masters in International Development...then he will save the world.
Adrian Maarschalk: Adrian was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, but has also spent parts of his life living in Cape Town and New Zealand, where his parents immigrated a few years ago. He is 28 years old and works for an organization called ACTS (African Christian Tours and Safaris) which does a lot of safari- and trip-planning for ministry teams and missionaries on holiday. Adrian is an expert on all things safari-related, and he LOVES his job! He has also recently acquired a motorcycle, and is a huge fan of rugby and cricket (as hard as I try, I just can't get excited about cricket...). Adrian has been here in Kenya for a few years now, and he goes back and forth between loving the country and wanting it to explode all at once - a sentiment that is pretty widespread around here! Adrian is a huge fan of country music and especially of the state of North Carolina - one day he will visit the South and will probably never leave!
Phil Smythe: Phil is the most recent addition to Team Tigoni, having moved here for a four-month stint in January. He grew up in Zimbabwe and remains as one of the few white Zimbabweans who haven't fled the country, spending most of his time living in the bush out of his Land Cruiser working as a Professional Hunter. This is perhaps the most interesting profession in the world, and Phil has a limitless stockpile of amazing stories about hunting (not poaching!) elephant, buffalo, lion, and pretty much anything else that moves in Africa. This also means that Phil can look at any animal track or leftover poop and tell you all about that animal, which is really entertaining on long hikes. He is the Zimbabwean equivalent of Jim Carrey and has an amazing ability to burst into a fit of hilarious motion with absolutely no warning! Phil came to Kenya with two pairs of board shorts, one pair of pants, and two shirts...these are also the only clothes that he had at his disposal the night before we climbed Mt. Kenya - but he also has a great talent for borrowing! Phil is another big fan of rugby and cricket, though he is quickly becoming quite the quarterback. He is searching for an eligible, white Zimbabwean girl, but there are almost none of those left over the age of 17. If you know anyone...
Carmen Shadwell: Carmen was born and raised in South Africa, and spent most of her life there before moving to Kenya. She also spent a year in Minnesota, though, nannying for some obnoxious kids, so she's seen the real side of the States (though maybe not the best side). Carmen is a volunteer coordinator for ACTS and African Impact, which means she plans out the lives of a constantly-changing group of volunteers from all over the world, figuring out how to give them the adventure of a lifetime and help them help people all over this area. Carmen has a fantastic servant's heart (a phrase she hates) and is a prolific offerer of hot tea...wonderful. She also likes threatening to "chunder," which is a South African-ism for barf, at the slightest provocation, which ends up being an endless source of amusement. Carmen used to think that I was a horrible driver (thanks Joe) but she has since seen the light and survived several car rides with me! Carmen makes an excellent Thai Green Curry and the South African equivalent of corn bread - awesome!
Joe Heritage: Joe grew up in Dayton, Ohio, which makes him a Midwesterner. He really wishes he was a true Southern gentlemen like myself, so we're working on the finer points of that on an ongoing basis! Joe went to college at Furman, graduating in 2007. His best friend in college was a guy named David Whitlow, who went to high school with me - crazy! Since graduating, Joe spent a year in Thailand doing missions and a few months in Mozambique in an intense missionary school. Since late 2008, he has been living here in Kenya working for an organization called Global Connections. Lately, Joe has done a lot of work with an IDP (internally-displaced persons) camp called Jikaze, where he has helped a group of about 150 families build houses, get emergency food relief, and begin receiving loans with a microfinancing organization. Joe likes watching LOST, losing to me at ping-pong, throwing the ole pigskin, chopping wood, using limitless accents, quoting movies, and figuring out how to make development work. He will be going back to the States before too long to pursue a Masters in International Development...then he will save the world.
Adrian Maarschalk: Adrian was born in Harare, Zimbabwe, but has also spent parts of his life living in Cape Town and New Zealand, where his parents immigrated a few years ago. He is 28 years old and works for an organization called ACTS (African Christian Tours and Safaris) which does a lot of safari- and trip-planning for ministry teams and missionaries on holiday. Adrian is an expert on all things safari-related, and he LOVES his job! He has also recently acquired a motorcycle, and is a huge fan of rugby and cricket (as hard as I try, I just can't get excited about cricket...). Adrian has been here in Kenya for a few years now, and he goes back and forth between loving the country and wanting it to explode all at once - a sentiment that is pretty widespread around here! Adrian is a huge fan of country music and especially of the state of North Carolina - one day he will visit the South and will probably never leave!
Phil Smythe: Phil is the most recent addition to Team Tigoni, having moved here for a four-month stint in January. He grew up in Zimbabwe and remains as one of the few white Zimbabweans who haven't fled the country, spending most of his time living in the bush out of his Land Cruiser working as a Professional Hunter. This is perhaps the most interesting profession in the world, and Phil has a limitless stockpile of amazing stories about hunting (not poaching!) elephant, buffalo, lion, and pretty much anything else that moves in Africa. This also means that Phil can look at any animal track or leftover poop and tell you all about that animal, which is really entertaining on long hikes. He is the Zimbabwean equivalent of Jim Carrey and has an amazing ability to burst into a fit of hilarious motion with absolutely no warning! Phil came to Kenya with two pairs of board shorts, one pair of pants, and two shirts...these are also the only clothes that he had at his disposal the night before we climbed Mt. Kenya - but he also has a great talent for borrowing! Phil is another big fan of rugby and cricket, though he is quickly becoming quite the quarterback. He is searching for an eligible, white Zimbabwean girl, but there are almost none of those left over the age of 17. If you know anyone...
Carmen Shadwell: Carmen was born and raised in South Africa, and spent most of her life there before moving to Kenya. She also spent a year in Minnesota, though, nannying for some obnoxious kids, so she's seen the real side of the States (though maybe not the best side). Carmen is a volunteer coordinator for ACTS and African Impact, which means she plans out the lives of a constantly-changing group of volunteers from all over the world, figuring out how to give them the adventure of a lifetime and help them help people all over this area. Carmen has a fantastic servant's heart (a phrase she hates) and is a prolific offerer of hot tea...wonderful. She also likes threatening to "chunder," which is a South African-ism for barf, at the slightest provocation, which ends up being an endless source of amusement. Carmen used to think that I was a horrible driver (thanks Joe) but she has since seen the light and survived several car rides with me! Carmen makes an excellent Thai Green Curry and the South African equivalent of corn bread - awesome!
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Nick, I love this post. You described everyone to a T!
ReplyDeleteGreat job doing what you're doing out there..I Plan to come and help after a trip to the Holly Land, following in the footsteps of our Lord Christ..
ReplyDelete