Back in Kenya!

I'm happy to report that Jane and I made it through the long trip to Kenya without any problems last week - praise God for kind immigration officials and airlines that didn't lose any bags! The last few days have been a whirlwind of reconnecting with friends and CFA staff, helping Jane to get settled in, and readjusting to life in Africa. Although I'm missing my American showers already, it's been an incredibly joyful week, and I am so thankful for the chance to be back in the midst of something that I've become so passionate about! In comparing this arrival to when I got here last August, I'm so thankful for the peace and comfort that I feel - there is something wonderful about having a familiar house and good friends to come "home" to, and many of the doubts and worries that were present a year ago have been replaced by anticipation and even more excitement.

I was a little worried that I would come back to some sort of crisis or disaster in the CARE for AIDS world, but after hearing hours of updates and stories, I am convinced that all of our administrative staff did an amazing job over the past two months. There were a few small challenges that arose (as there always are here), but I am really impressed with the way that everyone has responded to them and kept things moving forward in my absence. Praise God for the difference that I see in CFA compared to last year at this time - being away for a few months has really enabled me to see the progress that everyone has made.

This weekend we also managed to squeeze in a little African adventure with an overnight trip up to the Aberdares National Park. Jane and I, along with 6 other friends, drove up in two cars about an hour North to the steep, misty mountains of the Aberdares range. It was an unbelievable place - totally different from anywhere I've been in Kenya. We spent Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning driving around the park on steep muddy roads through dense jungle, checking out all kinds of monkeys, birds, and gazelles, along with some spectacular waterfalls. We also had a very close encounter with a testy herd of Cape Buffalo that didn't want to move off of the road for us, and I got about four feet away from a curious male Bushbuck - awesome! It was a great chance to see some of the beauty of Africa and hang out with some really fun people.

Thanks again for all of your prayers - look forward to some more CFA updates soon, as we have several teams from the States coming in during the next couple of months and I'm sure there will be good stories around the corner!