At Convergence Church we sing a song and the lyrics go something like this, "It's going to be great. It's going to be wild. It's going to be so full of HIM!" For the Finch Family's trip to Africa 2010, that is our theme song. It's been great. It's been wild and it's been full of Him!
As Paul and I laid down to sleep, we were overwhelmed with thankfulness and awe as we reflected upon all the open doors of opportunity the Lord has provided for us here in Kenya. From the slums of Maganga to the governmental office of the Assistant Minister of Justice we have brought the HOPE of Jesus. If there is one thing I can say for certain, it is that God himself planned this trip! Without fail, everywhere we have been Paul has been asked, "When can you come back to Kenya? Can we have your email address? Can you come to my local area and teach? Can we have more time with you on your next visit?" The African people hunger for truth and we have been told over and over, "When you come back, you will see the lives you have changed. These people will take this truth and they will not forget it. They will apply it to their lives and their lives will forever be impacted." Now, I can see why Paul loves Africa so much. The mission field is the land of his annointing and the place he makes a difference.
On our way out of town, arrangements had been made for us to meet the Mayor of Nairobi. So, we got up earlier, headed downtown to City Hall, and then we waited. Twice the Mayor was called into meetings and our time to meet him was pushed back. Wanting to get on with our trip to Lake Bogoria, Paul and I were both ready to move onward but the lobbyist, who had prearranged our meeting, encouraged us to wait. Finally, almost three hours past our scheduled appointment time, we found ourselves sitting in the Mayor of Nairobi's office. Our meeting with him was brief but powerful. We met him, prayed for him, God's presence came and we (Benjamin, Habakuk, Paul and I ) all felt the atmosphere in the office shift. Once we were out of City Hall, we stood by our car and went, "Wow, did you feel that?" The atmosphere in the office and the countenance of the Mayor was different after we prayed. It was tangibly incredible and I wish we could have opportunities like that in the United States.
From there we were driven by Samwell, one of Minister Cheptumo's personal drivers, to Lake Bogoria. Our drive was comical. Minister Cheptumo is so respected and loved by the people in his constituency, that they see his car coming and they wave and yell to him. Unfortunately for the people, Mr. Cheptumo was not riding in his normal car with us but in the car behind us, with his body guard. "So, why does Mr. Cheptumo need a body guard?" I wondered. My question was answered when Mr. Cheptumo's driver passed us on the road and we saw a man run along side of his car, grab hold of the luggage rack, jump up on the sideboard and try to talk to him while the car was in fast motion. I could hardly believe what I was seeing. Micah and I were in shock as we watched Mr. Cheptumo,'s body guard, from the back seat, trying to knock the man off the car.
Lake Bogoria sits at the base of Eastern Wall of the Great Rift Valley. It has a closed drainage system so the water is alkaline and grows microscopic algae, a favorite food source of the Lesser Flamingo. All along the lakeshore are thousands upon thousands of pink flamingos. And thanks to Kaden's generous heart, I will be coming home with my very own PINK flamingo souvenier. And to make it even better, Kaden found a gold and diamond hoop earring which he put around the flamingo's neck. Pink and bling, my two favorites. What a young man!
In addition to Pink Flamingos, Lake Bogoria has several natural hot geysers which spew hot water high into the air. If you take your shirt off, you can enjoy a steamy open air sauna. (If you remember the song from Sesame Street, sing along with me, "One of the kids is not like the other...")
The water was so hot, Paul tied a bag of eggs onto a tree branch and we enjoyed boiled eggs.
Mid day we left Lake Bagoria National Reserve and travelled to Lake Baringo. Lake Baringo is the home to my favorite consumable fish, the Tilapia. Unfortunately, the Talipia were spawnings so we did not get to fish. But... we did take a boat ride and here is what we saw.
The crocodile was not bothered by us in the least. He just swam in front of our boat and went about his businness. On the other hand, a momma hippo did not appreciate us getting between her and her calf. She saw us, went underwater, and the reeds starting moving towards us. Nothing was going to stand in between her and her baby. Us included.
The crocodile was not bothered by us in the least. He just swam in front of our boat and went about his businness. On the other hand, a momma hippo did not appreciate us getting between her and her calf. She saw us, went underwater, and the reeds starting moving towards us. Nothing was going to stand in between her and her baby. Us included. 
We were outta there. Good bye Lake Baringo!
