It's been a little more than a week since I returned to the States and to say that I "hit the ground running" is a little bit of an understatment. It is better to characterize it as I hit the ground sprinting like I was trying to outrun Usain Bolt in the 100m dash.
I've been looking forward to today this entire week. I knew that with first round of tests, work, and volunteer activities that I was going to running around DFW a lot. But I also knew that at the end of that tunnel, I had scheduled some time to recharge my battery.
This morning, I slept in until 7:45 a.m. Now, some people might not consider that sleeping in, but when you are waking up every morning at 5:00 a.m., almost three more hours of sleep seems like a dream come true. I got up this morning, enjoyed some Kenyan brew, some biscuits with my favorite peanut butter and syrup, went for a nice run, cleaned my room, and just spent some time by myself. And because of it, I'm completely recharged and ready to go back at it.
This has been one of the biggest lessons I've tried to apply to my life since returning from Africa. I realize there will be times when I'm moving at mach speed. That is just life. But I've learned to recognize those times and make sure I have some down time scheduled to recharge my battery and refill my tank.
Have you made some time recently to recharge your battery so that you can continue to be an effective mom or dad, brother or sister, colleague, friend, etc.? If not, I'd encourage you to find that time soon.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
FINAL THOUGHTS before heading home
I have not posted since Friday because we just returned from our safari in the Masai Mara late yesterday afternoon. The last few days have been AWESOME!! I feel like I’ve said that a lot on this trip, but I can honestly sit here and type that word again because every expectation I had for this trip has been met and exceeded.
On our two day safari in the plains and rolling hills of the Masai Mara, we saw the BIG 5 and much more. We saw Simba and Nala on Pride Rock, Pumba, and the rest of the gang. Okay….so we didn’t encounter Rafiki or Timon, but we did see a pride of lions napping, a momma cheetah and her two cubs, a leopard on the prowl, a pack of elephants, a dead elephant (must have been 2002 years old – sorry, Texas A&M reference), a “happy” rhino, gazelles, jackals, zebras, giraffes, and the really ruthless cape buffalo. I took more than 500 pictures of the landscape and all of the animals. I can’t wait to get back to the States, put them in a slide show, and then share them with you. Aside from our adventures in the Masai Mara Reserve, we camped at site owned and operated by the Masai tribe. On our last night, the tribesman built us a fire so that we could make s’mores. Jill suggested that I bring all of the ingredients from home so that we could share them with the native Kenyans joining us on the trip.
Have you ever built relationships over s’mores and a campfire?
We did and it was an incredible experience. Even the Masai tribesman joined us and loved the “sweets” (as they called it) that we served. With s’mores as our entry point, we launched into a conversation through the translation of Rogo, a native Kenyan on the trip with us, with the Masai tribesman – Baba (or “father”, a term of respect for someone who is older) and Morris (a 22 year old Masai warrior). For the next hour or so, we asked questions about each other’s culture. A couple highlights from our conversation:
- Masai men and women very early. Baba had a hard time understanding why I was not married at 28 years old. He said, “why do you travel to Kenya instead of looking for a wife?” It was really funny.
- Morris told us about the qualifications of manhood in the tribe. At 12 or 13, they go out into the forest and must kill a lion with a spear. Then, they return to the village with the lion’s mane and are circumcised. At that time, they can get married.
- A masai’s wealth is determined by how many head of cattle they own and how many kids and wives they have.
- The masai tribe has done a very good job at retaining their culture and traditions, but you could definitely pick up on the subtle differences in viewpoint between the older and younger man. It was interesting to see how the younger generation has more of a modern outlook on life.
I could go on for days about this conversation. If we ever sit down to talk and have some time, ask me about it. It was a huge highlight for me and the trip to the Mara.
Tonight, I board a plane back to the United States, but I expect to continue blogging about my experiences and what I learned from my time in Africa. During this whole trip, I’ve encouraged you (my blog readers) consider taking a risk on an adventure. I continue to hold fast to that message. For the past 12 days, I’ve been on an “adventure” that has taken me down rapids of a Kenyan river, in a matatu, into the slums with hurting people, to a rehabilitation clinic for kids with severe disabilities, into conversations with native Kenyans and Masai warriors, and to the plains of the Masai Mara. And with every adventure, every interaction, and in every experience, I’ve learned more about who I am and who God truly created me to be. I’ve been challenged. I’ve been stretched. And now I’m refreshed and rejuvenated and ready to return home.
Kwaheri from Kenya,
Burke (or “Booke” as they call me here in Kenya)
Friday, May 29, 2009
His Hands and Feet
The past two days of my time here in Africa have been some of the most challenging and most rewarding of my trip. On Wednesday and Thursday, we visited the Missionaries of Charity home for teenage girls with disabilities and the Visionary Mothers daycare center in the slums of Karibangi. In the United States, we see pictures and hear stories of kids in need in Africa, but all of those pictures and stories fall very short of seeing the need firsthand. When you are able to see it, hear it, touch it, and smell it, you are affected in a completely different way. I had to fight back tears as I watched girls who never knew and will never know what it feels like to walk, babies who will never see because of a bad case of the measles as an infant, and kids who musculoskeletal deformities will keep them from every escaping a wheel chair. But despite their challenges, more joy filled the rooms of those two places than a banquet room full of high flying CEOs enjoying a nice meal in a Ritz Carlton hotel.
For me, their challenges were paralyzing. For the first time in my life, I could not “fix” someone’s problem. In my mind, nothing that I did or could do over those two days would make any significant change in their lives. I experienced moments when all hope seemed lost. And then the Lord reminded me of a few simple truths. I don’t have to “fix” everything. All I can do is empty myself on a daily basis and share the love and hope that only He can provide.
I'll never forget what I saw the past two days. My emotional tank was on empty every night, but my experiences will be ones that I will continue to think about and process even after I return home.
I’ll never forget how I was touched by their smiles, their tears, and their laughter. I’ll never forget how the kids’ faces lit up when we delivered new toys and games to each of them. I’ll never forget their smiles when we put shoes on their feet for the first time. I’ll never forget how friendships were forged by the comfort of a new stuffed animal. And I’ll never forget how grateful they were for the things we brought, but even more grateful for the time and love we offered.
For me, their challenges were paralyzing. For the first time in my life, I could not “fix” someone’s problem. In my mind, nothing that I did or could do over those two days would make any significant change in their lives. I experienced moments when all hope seemed lost. And then the Lord reminded me of a few simple truths. I don’t have to “fix” everything. All I can do is empty myself on a daily basis and share the love and hope that only He can provide.
I'll never forget what I saw the past two days. My emotional tank was on empty every night, but my experiences will be ones that I will continue to think about and process even after I return home.
I’ll never forget how I was touched by their smiles, their tears, and their laughter. I’ll never forget how the kids’ faces lit up when we delivered new toys and games to each of them. I’ll never forget their smiles when we put shoes on their feet for the first time. I’ll never forget how friendships were forged by the comfort of a new stuffed animal. And I’ll never forget how grateful they were for the things we brought, but even more grateful for the time and love we offered.
YOU MAKE THE CALL?
In an earlier post, I talked a little about my first matatu ride on my first day in Kenya. Without a picture, it was very hard to describe. My friends suggested I compare it to a minivan (i.e. "mv") back in the United States. I'm bringing it to a vote by my Running the Race blog readers. Here is a picture of a matatu in Kenya:
Matatu or Minivan?
(please respond in the comments section)
(click on image to expand)
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
A Birthday to Remember
This afternoon, we returned to Nairobi from our white water rafting trip. What an incredible way to celebrate a birthday! My day started with a wake up call – a melodious rendition of “Happy Birthday” sung by my friends, Chad and Jill. Jill made breakfast bread which was nicely decorated with 3 candles that I could not blow out on the first try – the first sign of aging.
After breakfast, we met our river guide at the local market and drove about 2 hours north to the campground where we stayed over night. We were very fortunate to be the only 3 guests at the campground and the only 3 people on the river yesterday. We had it all to ourselves.
I can’t even begin to put into words our trip down the river. In fact, I’m not even going to begin to try. Suffice it say, we maneuvered through some tough class II, III, IV rapids and even one class V rapid. It was an incredible adventure. We also “surfed” a rapid in our raft which was awesome until yours truly took one for the team and went overboard. (Side note: I later found out from our guide that the entire boat would have turned over if I had not willingly given my body. I’m just trying to remain humble. He also gave props to Jill and Chad for pulling some of the best surfing he had seen in a long time.)
Before we ended our crazy river trip, we plunged off a 30 ft waterfall. I’ve posted a couple pictures below. In my opinion, the pictures do not do any sort of justice to the height of that jump. It was VERY HIGH!! I enjoyed it so much that I did it 3 more times. Jill and Chad also participated with several jumps of their own.
A Moment of Reflection: As I was climbing the cliff time after time, all I could think was how the Lord created us for “adventure.” Now maybe plunging off 30 foot waterfalls is not your idea of adventure, but I do feel like He created us for something bigger than only what our mind thinks is possible. And along those lines, I think He delights when we experience that “adventure” and all of the joy that comes along with it.
Our trip down the river was huge success due in large part to our awesome guide, Jordan. This guy is a jack of all trades – a trained EMT, wild fire fighter in the U.S., white water guide, volunteer medic at a hospital in Kenya, and B.A.S.E. jumper (which he demonstrated for us last night) – at only 22 years old. He really gave us the insider’s trip down the river and allowed us to experience some things that most big groups don’t get to do.
When we arrived back at camp, we had an amazing lunch and dinner, some down time to sit and chat, a couple competitive games of UNO (the Draw Four Wild Card got me every time), some star gazing, and a surprise birthday celebration. A huge THANK YOU goes out the entire staff at Savage Camp and our new friends -- Harriet (our hostess) and Jordan. They really went above and beyond what we could have ever expected.
After breakfast, we met our river guide at the local market and drove about 2 hours north to the campground where we stayed over night. We were very fortunate to be the only 3 guests at the campground and the only 3 people on the river yesterday. We had it all to ourselves.
I can’t even begin to put into words our trip down the river. In fact, I’m not even going to begin to try. Suffice it say, we maneuvered through some tough class II, III, IV rapids and even one class V rapid. It was an incredible adventure. We also “surfed” a rapid in our raft which was awesome until yours truly took one for the team and went overboard. (Side note: I later found out from our guide that the entire boat would have turned over if I had not willingly given my body. I’m just trying to remain humble. He also gave props to Jill and Chad for pulling some of the best surfing he had seen in a long time.)
Before we ended our crazy river trip, we plunged off a 30 ft waterfall. I’ve posted a couple pictures below. In my opinion, the pictures do not do any sort of justice to the height of that jump. It was VERY HIGH!! I enjoyed it so much that I did it 3 more times. Jill and Chad also participated with several jumps of their own.
A Moment of Reflection: As I was climbing the cliff time after time, all I could think was how the Lord created us for “adventure.” Now maybe plunging off 30 foot waterfalls is not your idea of adventure, but I do feel like He created us for something bigger than only what our mind thinks is possible. And along those lines, I think He delights when we experience that “adventure” and all of the joy that comes along with it.
Our trip down the river was huge success due in large part to our awesome guide, Jordan. This guy is a jack of all trades – a trained EMT, wild fire fighter in the U.S., white water guide, volunteer medic at a hospital in Kenya, and B.A.S.E. jumper (which he demonstrated for us last night) – at only 22 years old. He really gave us the insider’s trip down the river and allowed us to experience some things that most big groups don’t get to do.
When we arrived back at camp, we had an amazing lunch and dinner, some down time to sit and chat, a couple competitive games of UNO (the Draw Four Wild Card got me every time), some star gazing, and a surprise birthday celebration. A huge THANK YOU goes out the entire staff at Savage Camp and our new friends -- Harriet (our hostess) and Jordan. They really went above and beyond what we could have ever expected.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
ULTIMATE!! - Day 2 of my Kenya Experience
It’s almost 10 p.m. here in Kenya. And since it is lunch time in the States, I thought I’d provide some great reading material for you during lunch.
We began the morning with a nice 15-20 minute walk to church -- Mamlaka Hill Chapel. We were led in worship by the S.A.L.T. college praise team (shout out to my small group back in Fort Worth). I think I clapped and danced more in our hour of praise and worship. It was authentic and true worship. It was incredible. I absolutely loved the freedom with which all the members of the congregation praised the Father. During that time, I had the opportunity to praise the Lord for the first time in Swahili. What an incredible experience!
After church, we returned home to a nice breakfast – homemade omelets cooked by our very own, Chad Olsen. They were superb which is why I’m giving him a public shout out. And then, we settled in for a nice afternoon nap. Life moves a little slower here in Kenya. It was refreshing to just be at home instead of having a million things to check off the to-do list before another week begins. At home, I normally rest by moving as if putting more stuff on my plate is actually rejuvenating. Today, I learned a great lesson that it is okay to stop and rest. The world doesn’t need me to keep going.
Later in the afternoon, we jumped in the car with some fellow ex-pats and headed northwest to the International School of Kenya for a friendly game of Ultimate Frisbee. Wait….friendly? Let me rephrase that – friendly and competitive game of Ultimate Frisbee. About 20-30 ex-pats from the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain get together every Sunday and play some “disc” and these guys and girls are good. They were not messing around and even have their own name (Nairobi Ultimate Frisbee Club), T-shirts, and discs with their club logo. We played for 3 solid hours stopping for only a total of 20 minutes for water breaks. I had a phenomenal time, but I’m completely wiped.
I have one final story that my friend wants me to share with you. After Frisbee, we visited the supermarket for some groceries and I had to use the public facilities (i.e. restrooms). I want share in depth details of that experience, but I will tell you I heard a song on the loud speaker that I’ve never heard in a public restroom before – “It Is Well With My Soul.” Interesting….very interesting. I might add it was comforting as well.
Tomorrow, we off to white water raft for a couple days. I will probably not be able to post again until we return midday on Tuesday. I’ll look forward to sharing more with you then.
Kwaheri (Goodbye in Swahili),
Burke
We began the morning with a nice 15-20 minute walk to church -- Mamlaka Hill Chapel. We were led in worship by the S.A.L.T. college praise team (shout out to my small group back in Fort Worth). I think I clapped and danced more in our hour of praise and worship. It was authentic and true worship. It was incredible. I absolutely loved the freedom with which all the members of the congregation praised the Father. During that time, I had the opportunity to praise the Lord for the first time in Swahili. What an incredible experience!
After church, we returned home to a nice breakfast – homemade omelets cooked by our very own, Chad Olsen. They were superb which is why I’m giving him a public shout out. And then, we settled in for a nice afternoon nap. Life moves a little slower here in Kenya. It was refreshing to just be at home instead of having a million things to check off the to-do list before another week begins. At home, I normally rest by moving as if putting more stuff on my plate is actually rejuvenating. Today, I learned a great lesson that it is okay to stop and rest. The world doesn’t need me to keep going.
Later in the afternoon, we jumped in the car with some fellow ex-pats and headed northwest to the International School of Kenya for a friendly game of Ultimate Frisbee. Wait….friendly? Let me rephrase that – friendly and competitive game of Ultimate Frisbee. About 20-30 ex-pats from the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain get together every Sunday and play some “disc” and these guys and girls are good. They were not messing around and even have their own name (Nairobi Ultimate Frisbee Club), T-shirts, and discs with their club logo. We played for 3 solid hours stopping for only a total of 20 minutes for water breaks. I had a phenomenal time, but I’m completely wiped.
I have one final story that my friend wants me to share with you. After Frisbee, we visited the supermarket for some groceries and I had to use the public facilities (i.e. restrooms). I want share in depth details of that experience, but I will tell you I heard a song on the loud speaker that I’ve never heard in a public restroom before – “It Is Well With My Soul.” Interesting….very interesting. I might add it was comforting as well.
Tomorrow, we off to white water raft for a couple days. I will probably not be able to post again until we return midday on Tuesday. I’ll look forward to sharing more with you then.
Kwaheri (Goodbye in Swahili),
Burke
Saturday, May 23, 2009
My Trip to Kenya - Day 1
I don't know how I did it, but I have safely avoided any and all side effects of jet lag. I woke up this morning refreshed and ready to go. We took it easy this morning, enjoyed some Kenyan coffee and some great "catch up" conversation.
About noon, we headed to a local cafe for another round of Kenyan coffee before walking over to the Maasai Market. The Maasai tribe is one of many here in Kenya and they set up a "market" in downtown every Saturday where you can go and buy arts, crafts, jewelry, and everything in between. I had a blast interacting with the Maasai people, bargaining with them, and walking out with some great gifts at great prices. And the fun was just beginning.
Then, we took a matatu, a van that is supposed to seat 8 people, to the local grocery store. Did we put 8 people in that van? No. We put about 14! WOW! I'm sitting here blogging and my friends are comparing it to a mini-van back in the United States. If you know me, I have a serious problems with so-called "mv." I'll take a picture in the next few days and post it for you to decide. I doubt you will respond with "mv."
After our matatu ride and grocery store visit, we returned back to the apartment complex where I met some really cute Kenyan children. We played frisbee with them for almost 3 hours and I loved every minute of them. McDonald even taught me how to do a Tanzanian dance. I'll post our debut dance video later in the week when I get some more bandwith. Until then, enjoy pictures of me and Rose (age 4), who loved when I picked her up high in the air. "Again, again," she would say. You will also see a picture of me and my dance partner, McDonald, after we got through breaking it down. I'm sure you can't wait to see our video.
Finally, we had dinner at Habesha, an Ethiopian food restaurant. I've never tried Ethiopian food in my life, but it was yummy in my tummy. We shared a plate of food along with the shekla. To eat the meal, you unroll the shekla like a paper towel, break off a piece and then pick up some of the many delicacies on the plate. I'll make sure to post some pictures of our meal later this weekend.
I can't believe I'm here for 11 more days. Tomorrow is church which should be absolutely incredible.
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