Fifth Grade CFS

Erica and Emma at Rosslyn Academy

This week is the annual fifth grade Cultural Field Studies camping trip to Acacia Camp. Erica went as a parent chaperone for Emma's class. We are excited to have them returning home tomorrow after their adventure!

Erica and Mr. Kranik going over the pre-trip rules

Emma's class (and Ava) excited for the big camping trip!

You can see more photos from the trip and read about our ministry in Kenya on our new blog at www.fivekennys.blogspot.com

Midland Arrives!

Aaron, Diane, Erica, Mike, Alden, and Michael

(Bryden sleeping in the hut behind us)

As the sun rose over Nairobi, our friends Alden and Bryden Crain, Michael Waddell, and Mike Arnold landed in Kenya. Together with three representatives of the Africa Brotherhood Church, Alden's team will be traveling to Northern Uganda to celebrate the opening of an ABC Church plant this Sunday. It was a joy to meet them at the airport and spend some time catching up in the beautiful setting of Acacia Camp.

Alden and Bryden playing with the nice kitty


We came across this cheetah in the wild stalking a herd of impala.
It was amazing to see this big cat on the hunt!

Alden and Michael trying out the Land Cruiser

for the long drive to Uganda tomorrow

Michael can sniff out a window anywhere he goes!

Acacia Camp

For our first weekend of 2009, we had a getaway with some of our friends at Acacia Camp on the game reserve where our team mates Tim & Diane Bannister live. We enjoyed two beautiful days of walks and exploring wild places.

Erica and Ava hanging out with our friends Melanie & Kerry

in their little boma.

Ava making new friends with some vervet monkeys.


Erica taking Ava for a drive to the Bannister's house.

Erica, Emma and Tristan getting a bird's eye
view during our game drive.

Acacia is surrounded by miles of rolling grassland

and thorny Acacias. Over the last two years, we've had

the joy of sharing this beautiful place with many

short term volunteers during either the orientation or

the debriefing portions of their visits.

A pair of hornbills perched just behind our

boma. These interesting birds are a regular

part of our visits to Northeastern Province.

They are common throughout semi arid

regions of Kenya.

Tristan and Emma setting out to explore on their own.

Fortunately, we happened upon this juvenile male lion a good distance from where we were walking and the kids were cycling.

Even monkeys need to clean under their nails!

Hartabeast at a dry watering hole.

Wondering Where the Lions Are.

Tristan and Erica out for a hike with Sprite,

the resident tour guide at Acacia Camp

We were humming Bruce Cockburn's "Wondering Where the Lions Are" on Sunday morning at Acacia Camp as we enjoyed some long walks under the yellow acacia trees and through the sun burnt plains. A lone male lion has been roaming throughout the private reserve where our friends and colleagues Tim and Diane Bannister live. Fortunately, our paths never crossed with the lion who isn't typically active during the day (It is at night that Tim and Diane usually hear him).

We stayed out at Acacia for the weekend with the White Rock Short-term Mission (STM) team that have been serving with us in Eastleigh this past week. They were a big help getting classrooms prepared for the primary children at the centre. We will miss you Glen, Debbie, Dave and Dianne! Tristan and Emma had such a fun time battling in games of 99 and competing in Canadian trivia. We will all keep trying to win bonus points! And yes Dave, we'll do our best to "keep between the lines". The White Rock team flies out tonight.

While enjoying the beauty of Kenyan wildlife at Acacia, the team took part in debriefing sessions with the Bannisters who are responsible for all Canadian Baptist STMs in Kenya. Tim and Diane have had a busy summer hosting several teams including one which arrived today.

A troop of vervet monkeys gathered to form a welcoming party

for the latest STM arriving early this morning.

The Bannisters will be leading an STM of youth who are participating in the 2008 Baptist World Alliance youth gathering in Leipzig, Germany. About 220 youth from across Canada have journeyed around the world to serve in STMs in places like Germany, France, Rwanda and Kenya before converging in Leipzig for the world gathering. The team, who arrived bright and early for breakfast at Acacia, will spend the next week on the Indian Ocean near the port city of Mombasa where they will be working with an Africa Brotherhood Church in the construction of a water project. The team is made up of youth from both a church from Whitby, Ontario and another near Calgary, Alberta. We pray that their time in Kenya is transformational!

Tim Bannister officially welcoming members of the

Baptist World Alliance Youth STM to Kenya

before setting out on long days journey to Kibwazi.