Arriving in Nairobi

Brooks

Polle polle (slowly by slowly) everyone has been arriving today. It’s pouring, pouring rain causing problems with flooding and traffic just getting from the airport to where we are, but all are here except Congo group who are due late tonight. We are so thankful that even with the unrest in Burundi, the guys were able to get out and reach Kigali, Rwanda and come with the Rwanda group.

For some of the guys this was their first time ever flying. They played it off like the journey was fine, no problem, but eventually admitted to us, that indeed it had been a frightening, but exciting adventure for them. Justin said they arrived on his doorstep in the middle of the night because they had been unable to sleep they were so excited and were ready to go to the airport! Then, when it came down to it, they were afraid of so many things…like, “Am I going to vomit on the plane,” or “If I have to use the toilet, is there a hole that the pee just drops out of the plane into the sky?” One man said he was so scared when they started serving food to every passenger (yes, they still do that in Africa!), he was so scared and didn’t know what to say to the “lady” because he didn’t have one shilling in his pocket to pay for it. Another said he was sure the plane would run out of gas and just drop suddenly from the sky. So, you can see, while these guys live in dangerous regions of the world facing not only rebel fighting, but oftentimes lack of food and resources, for them getting on a plane to join all of us this week took great, great faith! And, for us, what a great reunion it has been…to have each of the countries we have come to love and some of the people who so passionately long to see their people lifted out of despair into hope all in one place to meet together, discuss, learn from each other and also receive new teachings is a tremendous joy indeed.

Here are some of the guys hanging out after dinner tonight:

Aloy, Rwanda