Kenya 2013 ~experiences

So recently we traveled to Kenya to start a program benefitting children living on the streets of Kakamega. 

We have been to kenya multiple times, but this trip was the first for 29:11 Inc as an organization. 

Over the next 4 weeks, each member who made this trip will be blogging about their experiences.  Get ready to hear from Jennifer, Rhia, Kara & Whitney about the importance of their trip, how they were impacted & what this means for 29:11 Inc moving forward. 

Kakamega Kenya - providing for street children

Our vision is to come alongside local communities to encourage & equip them to meet the needs of the orphaned and homeless children in their communities. We are looking for your help to continue doing this in Kakamega Kenya. 

Kakamega is a about an 8 hour drive from the capital city of Nairobi. Aspects of it are what you would expect to see in an African country while others might not be. Here are some pictures we have taken:

The culture in Africa is very different from U.S. culture. It shocks and outrages us that hungry and dying children on the street are passed by as if they do not exist. For a moment, we were able to change that. 

On Wednesday, November 20, 2013 we partnered with Vicotorious Children's Home, Mission to the Fatherless and local community members to provide a shower, food, comfort and some time for homeless and orphaned children to just be kids. It was amazing. 

This boy has no family and survives on the streets of Kakamega. At first, he didn't want to play, relax or even speak but after he realized he was safe with us, his entire demeanor changed. 😀

We cut tomatoes, potatoes & peppers for about 200 children. 

Local community members offered their time, money and compassion and will continue to do so even after we are gone. 

Juice for 200+ children must be made on buckets. Ha ha

This little guy didn't start smiling until after he had eaten. We were so glad we got to see that handsome face!!  

Time to play and forget about surviving for even a short bit of time. 

Soap - kids are kids - most of the children didn't want to shower until we said we would eat AFTER they bathed lol. They RAN to the facilities. 

There was also a time of singing and prayer where we told the children how much we love them and how God wants them to have hope and a future. 

Now for your part. 

What we did was great and we have several people partnering with us and supporting us locally in Kakamega but they CANT DO IT ALONE. 

We are in need of 20 people to commit to becoming monthly partners at $20/month. 

Without recurring support we will not be able to continue to impact the lives of these beautiful children. 

If this is a decision you have made, would like to make or if you have any questions, please let us know via Facebook, twitter, email or comment here. 

We have so many amazing pictures and experiences but you'll have to keep checking back with us to see them all. 

If you would like to be updated frequently, like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/2911inc 

 

T & T ~ Packing ~ Jennifer

God-willing, this year I will complete my fourth trip to Kakamega, Kenya and back again. There are lots and lots of packing tips and tricks out there, but I thought I’d share some of my favorites that I’ve learned over the years, especially for long international travel.

First, the clothes. I had read this tip myself online and just never believed it could be true until the time I had to pack my husband for a three week trip to India in one suitcase including nice business clothes and sightseeing clothes and all the shoes that go with them. Roll your clothes. You will not be sorry. They really do stay much neater this way. The only time this has not worked out as well was when I had a nearly empty suitcase. For best results, iron everything first. Take each outfit and fold the pants in half and place the shirt on top and fold to match the sizing. You can also keep them full length and lay the shirt face down and fold back the sleeves. Place undergarments and socks under the shirt and roll from the bottom. That’s it. When you get there your whole outfit is all together and pretty tidy too. Pack shoes in what would be the bottom of your suitcase when it’s standing so that your shoes are not on top of your clothes. Some people place shoes in shower caps and things like that to keep them off their clothes but that’s never been necessary for me.

iron & neatly arrange outfits

rolled outfit

This brings me to my next tip and one of my ultimate must haves for travel…..

Downy wrinkle spray. I absolutely love this stuff. You take out an outfit the night before you’re going to wear it (or you can do this to all outfits upfront if you’re that type of person and have room to hang a lot) spray it down and hang. Next morning, it looks fresh again and smells fresh too. It’s great for places that don’t have irons, or reliable electricity.  

Another product not many people seem to know about is spray for the toilet. I have used it by the name Poof and Poo-pourri. This stuff is great when you have to room with someone, no matter how close you are.

This product is great for when you have to go but don't want to leave offensive odors!

Also, when packing clothes, if you’re traveling with a friend it’s never a bad idea to swap a couple of outfits into each other’s suitcases so that if one gets lost you still have something to wear until your luggage can be found.  

And of course, it never hurts to be creative when choosing outfits. Picking a couple solid colored bottoms that can go with multiple tops will save you loads of room.

Know your airline’s baggage policy well. 

We had an issue last year when flying an airline we had never flown before. Each year we have been able to bring a carry-on sized bag as well as a personal item, which has always been a backpack. This has always helped us fit as much as possible into our checked bags where we often carry ministry supplies. This particular airline (I’ll be nice and not dish names as much as I want to) decided that our personal items were indeed not considered personal items, and those of us who did not make it on board before an ornery gate attendant stopped us, were charged $200 to check bags. It was an expensive mistake.

That incident caused a lot of unnecessary stress!

I’ll finish up with tips for the plane ride. If you have a long flight ahead of you, unless you have to be dressed up, wear something comfortable that stretches and has layers too. A light jacket and socks have been lifesavers more than once.

Stay hydrated, especially on long flights, and do those silly seat exercises too. Both can help you feel refreshed and help with leg swelling. Also, do your best to get on the same sleep schedule as your destination. You can use melatonin or another sleep aid to help you get there. Sometimes we’ve left at 5pm local time and had to try to sleep within a couple of hours. A good neck pillow, pair of headphones, and comfortable clothes are priceless.  

Of course good traveling companions are too.

My most important tip of all, always expect and do your best to prepare for, the unexpected. Happy are the adaptable.

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T & T ~ Homemade Bug Repellent ~ Whitney

I know that summer is almost over, and that this would've been a much better beginning of summer post but, as my children say, "you get what you get and you don't throw a fit!" Trust me though, this is a great tip even if it is coming to you at the end of the summer.

With that being said...

My 9 year old is a bug magnet!  Honestly, in a field of 500 people the insects will hunt him down and feast on him.  He is constantly covered in scabs because he can't stop scratching bug bites!  He can get 2-3 bites walking from the house to the car.  It has always been an issue and bug sprays haven't worked for him.
With that being said, I haven't used repellents containing deet.
Call me a hippie but deet scares me.  I have never used it, not even in Africa, because of its neurotoxicity, and I refuse to put it on my children.  For a while I used insect repellents containing picardin but the laundry list of other chemical ingredients in bug sprays (and almost every product we can buy these days) convinced me to just make my own.

I found an amazing recipe that I absolutely LOVE!
 My children love it because "it smells like cookies" and the little one just loves telling people "we make most of our stuff."

These are my boys (7 & 9) putting on their "cookie bug spray"

I love it because it actually works.  Since we've started making this insect repellent my 9 year old has not gotten a single bug bite.  This stuff is a miracle!  It is so easy to make and use!!

Here are the only things you need:

16 oz bottle
15 drops lavender oil
3-4 tbsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup lemon juice



Put 3 ingredients into the bottle.
Fill the rest of the bottle with water (about 12 oz).
Shake to mix.

Use this how it works for you and your family.  We have a 16 oz bottle that we keep our mixture in and then have small bottles in purses, overnight bags, in the basement...anywhere we may need them.

This is a small <$1 travel bottle from Target.

You only need to put a small dime size drop in our hands and then rub it on our arms, legs and necks...wherever you need to repel bugs.  The best part is, it is all natural so your kids can put it on themselves.  My boys actually remind me if I forget because they enjoy covering their arms and legs in "cookie bug spray"

We had a big family picnic over the weekend where everyone was outside all day, running, playing and sweating.  My boys and I put on our cookie bug repellent when we got there and didn't have to reapply all day.  Let's just say we were the ONLY ones who didn't get bug bites.

Try it out and let us know how it works for you!!