Travel Day 1 - Check

We are SO happy we made it to Nairobi tonight. There were times when we didn't think we would make it. Our journey started off a bit rocky. The rental car was supposed to arrive Saturday night around 6:00. Then we were supposed to go to George's parents' house for a good bye dinner. Unfortunately, it didn't arrive until 9:00. There was a considerable amount of stress while we waited for it. We were concerned we may have gotten scammed since we already paid for it. Even though it was late, I was happy to see it arrive.

We dashed off to Kibos where his parents live and got there around 9:45. Everyone had eaten already, but there was still plenty left for us. After we ate, all the family members gathered around to say goodbye. They each shared a personal message to George and me that was really touching. They expressed why they would miss us and what they love about us. It was a really special evening.

We got home around 11:45 and did a few last minute things before going to bed. I was bummed when the alarm went off at 4:30. I could have slept for hours longer. Once we got up, we finished up the packing and loaded up the car. Unfortunately, we were only able to get a small four door sedan and it wasn't able to fit all our bags. We had to leave some stuff there. Hopefully we'll be able to get it to Tanzania soon.

We got on the road a little later than we wanted... around 6:30. About an hour into the drive, we got a flat tire. Bummer. The nearest place to change a tire was an hour away. So we put on the spare and made it to Kericho where we bought a new tire. The other one was shredded completely and couldn't be repaired. By then we were three hours behind schedule. We hoped to get to Nairobi at 12:00 so our driver could turn around and be back in Kisumu in the early evening since the car was due back.

Around 11:45 we were back on the road. An hour later, another flat tire. It was really frustrating. The time crunch and additional money spent really caused a lot of stress (The tire costs added an additional $150 to our expenses which we weren't prepared for). Our driver got a ride to the nearest town and was able to repair this one. Praise the Lord. While we waited for him to return, we prayed and asked God to give us hope. We felt really discouraged and found it hard to continue on.

The tire was repaired quickly and we kept on going to Nairobi. Fortunately, the Lord protected us and we didn't have anymore problems with the tire. The car was swerving a bit so we had to pull over frequently to make sure we didn't have another flat. Each time we pulled over, my heart sank a bit until I got the all clear.

We finally got to Nairobi around 5:30. We hoped our driver would stay the night here, even if we had to pay for another day of the car rental, but he opted to go back. We are praying hard he makes it to Kisumu without problems.

Tonight we are staying with our good friend Gordon. He arranged for a car to take us to Tanzania in the morning. If there is space, he'll come with us. After a stressful 24 hours, we are praying for an easy day tomorrow. This will be the most challenging day. Before we leave for the border, we have to get some clearance papers for Nala. Getting that quickly may be an issue. Then we face the challenge of crossing the border with the car, Nala and our stuff. Once we get past the border, I will be able to relax.

We need your prayers tomorrow. It seems like traveling here is always difficult, but we know the Lord can send us there without problems. If problems occur, pray we handle them with wisdom and grace and that we can stay positive.

*** On a good note - Nala did really well in the car. She had been in a car only one other time. This time it was for 12 hours. Other than one episode of car sickness, she was calm and manageable.