Kenya Mission Trip Itinerary: Part One

A mission trip is a very unique form of travel. Mission trips can be challenging, mentally, physically, and spiritually. But they can also be extremely rewarding and transformative!

While no two mission trips are alike, having some idea of what to expect can help alleviate fears. So I thought I would share the itinerary for my first mission trip to Kenya, along with some of the insights I picked up along the way.

Ten days may not sound like a long time, but our mission trip team of five sure packed a lot into that short amount of time!  So I’ve broken our itinerary into two parts.

Here is a glimpse into the first 5 days of my mission trip to Kenya:

Day 1 and 2: Air Travel

We flew out of Indianapolis in the middle of the afternoon and took a short flight to New York City. After a few hour layover…and an hour or so delay…we headed over the Atlantic Ocean to London.

I enjoyed the airplane food, watched a few inflight movies, and even slept some on the seven-hour flight.

Unfortunately, with our delayed takeoff we weren’t able to make our connecting flight to Kenya. This resulted in a 10-hour layover in London. (Not how we wanted our mission trip to start, but somehow I remained chipper and excited about the adventure ahead!)

I know what some of you are thinking…with that long of a layover, didn’t you leave the airport and explore London? We did not.

It honestly didn’t dawn on any of us in the moment to leave the airport. Our team leader was working with the airlines and our church contacts back at home to make sure we had spots on the later flight and most of our group was starting to suffer from the effects of missing a night’s sleep.

Instead, we spent the time napping, browsing the shops at Heathrow airport, journaling, checking in with loved ones back home, and grabbing a meal. The 6-hour time difference was still kicking in, so it was hard to say if we were eating breakfast, lunch, or dinner at that point!

We eventually settled into our third and final flight headed to Nairobi. More airplane food…more inflight movies…and a little more shut-eye…and the 9-hour flight brought us to Kenya.

It had been over 36 hours since we had left our homes at this point. Add in the 7-hour time difference and the fact that it was now early in the morning in Nairobi…and that meant we had missed the night of sleep we had planned to get at Gracehouse.

I don’t share any of this to complain! Even with the long flights and delays I was still pretty upbeat, albeit tired.  But anytime you are traveling this far from home with long flights, layovers, and connections to catch, it helps to have realistic expectations.  And pack your patience! This advice holds true whether you are headed for a relaxing vacation or a mission trip to a third-world country.

Day 3: Land Travel

We were overjoyed that all of our luggage made it to Kenya!

We were greeted at the airport by John Keshe, the director of Kenya Community Education and Action (KCEA), our partner and host for this mission trip. We also met the other John, who was to be our fearless driver for our entire stay.

Fortunately, we were able to access the rooms we had reserved at Gracehouse for a few hours. I promptly took a shower and then a much-needed, albeit short nap.

Feeling refreshed, I joined the rest of our team for lunch at Gracehouse. Then it was time to board our jeep for the journey to Ewaso Ngiro, the village where we would be staying for the next week.

Traveling throughout Kenya is not an simple endeavor. Traffic in Nairobi is extremely busy and chaotic, but John handled it like a seasoned professional.

Beyond the city and especially in the remote areas, the dirt roads can be very rough and conditions vary depending on the recent weather. We traveled in April, which is Kenya’s rainy season, and the area had been blessed with much-needed rainfall. (more on this in Day 4)

It took several hours to get to Ewaso Ngiro and along the way we made a few stops.

First, we stopped at the Equator to take in the view of the Great Rift Valley. This was our first view of the beauty of the African landscape, and it was breathtaking!

At the lookout, there were also a few gift shops and I got my first taste of bartering for locally made crafts.

Luckily John helped with this process as I was still a bit foggy on the conversion rate between shillings and the American dollar. I snagged some awesome gifts for myself and the friends and family who had sponsored my trip.

While cows, goats and donkeys were frequent sights along the side of the road, I was a bit more surprised to see baboons milling about!

We also saw numerous stands with Kenyans selling roasted corn.

Our next stop was at Artcaffe in Narok for a meal. (With the time change I lost track of whether this was supposed to be lunch or dinner!)

Artcaffe felt similar to Starbucks with various caffeinated beverages and pastries, but it also had a full restaurant upstairs that overlooked the bustling town.

We enjoyed sandwiches and sodas knowing that this would be our last meal in a restaurant for a while.

We then ventured across the street to the grocery store to stock up on food for the house we would be staying in for the week.

Our plan was to make our own breakfasts and dinners at the house. The grocery store was mid-sized and fairly modern, but it took some time for us to wander the aisles and acquaint ourselves with foods and brands that were different than we were used to.

With several meals planned and a full cart, we checked out and drove the remaining stretch to the much more primitive Ewaso Ngiro.

We arrived at the three-bedroom house we would be staying at and got settled in.

The house was a bit rustic, with electricity that occasionally went out, no wifi, and a toilet that needed 15 minutes to refill. But we had everything we needed and then some…and we were grateful for our accommodations.

I would soon come to realize that our living conditions were far more luxurious than the mud houses many of the girls being served by KCEA live in.

After organizing my belongings and getting a mosquito net put up over the bed, I was ready to climb in…and I enjoyed a fabulous night of much-needed sleep!

Day 4: Church Commissioning

We were all looking forward to our first full day in Kenya and the mission work we traveled all this way to complete.

While some mission trips are focused on completing tasks that require physical labor, we knew ahead of time that this trip would be more focused on connecting with the local people and sharing God’s love with them.

We again piled in the jeep for a long (3 1/2 hour), very bumpy ride to the remote village of Olenchokoine for a church service and the commissioning of their new building.

With the recent rain, roads were muddy and we soon encountered another vehicle stuck in the mud.

Kenyans really prioritize community and taking care of each other. So our John along with a few others assisted the stranded motorist.

Later on, it was our turn to get stuck!

The ladies stayed inside the jeep and offered encouragement! And with assistance from several of the men in our caravan, within 15 minutes we were back on our way along the bumpy roads.

We shared with driver John that getting stuck in the mud isn’t a typical occurrence in Indiana…but getting stuck in snow is! (As you can imagine, snow is not something Kenyans encounter.)

Along the side of the road, we frequently saw cows and goats being herded. We even saw several dazzles (another term for herd) of wild zebras! It was wild, for sure!!

We made a stop along the way for a restroom break, and I had my first experience using a pit toilet. This first attempt was successful enough, but I will say I got better and more accustomed to using the pit toilet throughout the week…and yes, I became skilled at using my female urination system!

Once we arrived in Olenchokoine we received the warmest welcome I have ever experienced. And it brought me to tears! (It wouldn’t be the last time I shed joyful tears on this trip either!)

The men, women, and children of the village sang and chanted as we walked in and then they formed their version of a receiving line.

There were probably 100 people from the village in attendance. I shook each man’s hand. I hugged and brushed both cheeks of each Maasai woman. I touched the head of every child there when they tucked their chins and offered the top of their heads as a sign of respect. And I practiced saying one of the three Maasai words I knew over and over again…Sopa! (Hello!)

It was all so overwhelming and so touching! Despite our obvious differences, I felt so loved and welcomed.

We were seated as guests of honor at the front of the large group, which has been gathering under a tree as their church for seven years.

For the next few hours we listened to pastors and other distinguished leaders from this community as they praised God, thanked us profusely, prayed fervently, shared additional needs, and sang passionately. And all of it was translated into English so we could understand.

Even without translators, the gratitude and joy of these Kenyans was abundantly evident!

They expressed heartfelt gratitude for the water project Connection Pointe Christian Church helped fund several years ago, ensuring they had clean water where they worship.

They also thanked us profusely for the new church building that our church funded and we were there to commission. The five members of our team held the scissors as we ceremoniously cut the ribbon.

The entire community then filed into the one-room building with much fanfare, singing, and dancing.

Even though many church gatherings will likely still take place under the tree, I was told that having this building provides credibility and will motivate the men in the community to join their wives and children for worship.

Inside the new building we were again given seats of honor and served a traditional Kenyan meal. I was presented with a bowl of potatoes, meat, chipati, and a refreshing bottle of orange Fanta.

Other than a small, low table that held the serving dishes and our drinks, tables were not used to eat at…and this was the case at every meal moving forward. Everyone balanced their plates on their laps, and the women and children often sat in the grass to eat.

No utensils were provided, but our hands did the job. (At most of our subsequent meals we were given spoons with our meals, but no forks or knives.)

We looked to our team lead, Amy, any time food was presented and she would give us the sign that it should be safe to eat. The only real concern was drinking the water or any food that might have been washed (and not heated thoroughly) as we knew our systems would not tolerate that well! (We were fortunate that no one on our team came down with the dreaded Traveler’s Diahrea on this trip!)

The celebration continued and we were also able to bless this community with a bunch of Bibles and hymnals in their tribal language.

The whole day was such a humbling experience and initially, I was screaming inside that I was not worthy of the gratitude being showered on me! It was just a few months ago that I even committed to going on this trip.

Clearly, there had been a long history of partnerships, fundraising, and hard work that went into bringing these much-needed (and much-appreciated) resources to this very remote part of Kenya. In time I grew to accept the gratitude being lavished on our team (as representatives of our church and the many people who helped helped fund these projects)…and I vowed to do what I could to share my time, talent, and treasures with these truly grateful people.

I also got to witness heartfelt generosity in action. Our team members Bill and Millicent were celebrating their 30th anniversary during our trip and rather than giving each other gifts, they chose to bless this community and meet a tangible need.

When they heard that this church still did not have any toilet facilities, they asked how much it would cost to fund the project. After a few numbers were crunched, the dollar amount was shared with Bill and Millicent. A quick glance between the devoted couple and a nod of their heads…and they agreed to pay for the toilet facilities. (The tears are welling up again as I recall this touching moment.)

After a long and emotional day, it was time to leave. As we headed to our jeep all the children in the village were right there to see us off, their shyness having worn off.

With smiles on their faces they reached out their hands and simply wanted to touch us. Once I realized what they wanted, I was happy to oblige and gladly held out my arms for them to touch me.

I realized it was very likely that many of them had never seen a white person before. While we may not have spoken the same language, I wanted them to know I was kind and not that different from them. Hearing their giggles and seeing their huge smiles was priceless!

I hardly minded the 3 1/2 jeep ride back to our house. My heart was overflowing!

Day 5: Student Workshop

The next day was the first day of the two-day workshop for the KCEA students. The girls who receive sponsorship through KCEA typically attend boarding schools somewhere in Kenya, but three times a year they come home for a month-long break.  During those breaks, KCEA hosts workshops to encourage and empower the girls. Members of the community are also invited to attend.

The primary school where the workshop was being held was not a far drive from where we were staying. When we pulled up in our jeep, John parked at the end of the dirt road that led to the school and we got out.  All the students as well as many Maasai women were lined up on both sides of the dirt drive.

The Maasai men led us down the dirt road with everyone singing and dancing as we processed past them.  I was again brought to tears by this most gracious welcome and outpouring of love. I am no celebrity, but it sure felt as if we were walking the red carpet as we were led down that dirt road to such fanfare!

As we neared the school the welcome then turned into another receiving line where we shook hands, hugged and brushed cheeks, and tapped heads. I was starting to understand and embrace this custom!

Once inside the school, the girls each introduced themselves in front of the group. Many of the students in Form 1 (similar to freshman year of high school) were very soft-spoken and shy. The confidence and personalities of the girls in Form 4 (similar to senior year) were more evident and it was exciting to see the impact their schooling was having on them.

We got to hear several empowering speakers. Pastors and other dignitaries addressed the girls, reminding them of their responsibility to do well in school and the privilege of receiving sponsorships.

We also heard from some very impressive former KCEA students who were now excelling at university or in their chosen careers.

The students even performed a skit about what life is like in a Maasai village and the hope KCEA has brought to these girls by supporting their education.

Even though the skit was done in their tribal language, we were all able to follow along. The girls were both hilarious and touching…and a few seemed destined for acting careers!

It took me a little time to figure out how to bond with these young girls whose lives were so different from that of my own daughters. But I marveled as Amy easily connected with these young women, and I did my best to set aside my own inhibitions.

I was thankful a young man named Benson engaged me in conversation about his desire to one day move to Texas. I was happy to answer questions about living in America and what he could expect if he made this big move.

At the workshop, we were fed our second community meal, and I was still getting used to the food.  Unsure if the meat was beef or goat, I did my best to eat it. But I found it too tough to chew and without a fork or knife to cut it I wasn’t able to get much of it down. The rice, cabbage, and chipati were pretty tasty so I got my fill and was grateful for this meal.

I became enamored with the cook (who served us three days in a row).  Nanyikai was not only gracious and bold, she was beautiful…and I was drawn to her striking presence.  I just had to get a selfie with her!

After the afternoon speakers, it was time to head back to our house.  We were all tired and spent from this emotional and enlightening day.

Most of our evenings were spent fixing dinner and then eating as a team while we debriefed about our day, did devotions, or played a game.

That night we also needed to prepare for a craft we would be doing with the girls at the 2nd day of the workshop.

Learning about and bonding with my mission team members was yet another huge blessing of this mission trip. And I look forward to lasting friendships with these amazing and generous human beings!

There is much more to tell…so check back soon to learn about the second half of my mission trip to Kenya and for even more articles on this transformative travel experience!

If you have ever been on a mission trip, I would love to hear about your experience!

Reach out to me at travelingtanyashelburne@gmail.com.

If you would like to learn more about mission trips through Connection Pointe Christian Church, click here.

If you are interested in helping the mission of KCEA or sponsoring a young girl in Kenya to complete her secondary education, please click here.

ASHE! (Thank you!) 

Wherever the road takes you, make it a joyous journey,
Traveling Tanya

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