Here in Kenya.

(Written on the 26th of August, published on the 30th of August)

Yes, we are in Kenya, Because my Dad is teaching in an institute here. We started on Saturday morning and drove to Kampala. We stayed the night there and the next day, Sunday, we started off to Kenya. We got to the border and had to go through a process that took almost two hours long. Then we kept going until we got to Kisumu, the place where the institute was and where the place where we were going to sleep at was. So we slept the night there.

Then the next morning we went to the institute and found out that the institute was also a place for some homeless kids, but we still had fun. In the morning Kara and I would do school and when I would get done with school I would go out to play. Then after lunch our whole family would go back to the hotel. We did this the whole week.

On Wednesday we went to a zoo type place with animals. There were leopards, monkeys, birds, lions, african buffalo, impala, kudu, dikdiks, turtles, zebras, and hyenas. But the best part of the whole trip was something you’ll never believe. Back in the states we got to pet and hold tiger cubs. But this is way better. We actually got to pet the fastest land mammal on earth… A CHEETAH! Yes, yes, we are not scratched up or torn apart. The cheetah we got to pet was raised as a cub in human care, so she was tame. She actually (as the only big cat that can purr is the cheetah) purred when we pet her! And it only cost about $3! So we had fun that day.

But then that night, on the same day, Wednesday, there was a minor disaster. So after coming home from a restaurant we decided to play a game, since it wasn’t to late. Before we started, Kara and I looked out the window. We saw little things on the window starting to gather but we ignored them. We started playing when suddenly my dad said “Look! A mosquito!”. (Mosquitos carry malaria). He smashed it, then we saw on the wall about ten of them. Then I turned around and saw, like, 200 on another wall! We called the desk and asked someone to come spray the room with doom. We saw that they were getting in through a gap beneath the window. Before the sprayer came we looked closer and saw that they were lakeflies, not mosquitos. So that was a relief and an adventure.

Today we are going back to Uganda, because it is Friday. Thank you all for your prayers. Thank God for the safe trip for us. Thank you all for your support and prayers.

Micah

Peterson.

Impalas and Lions and Cheetahs O my!

Written on August 25, 2011

So if anyone didn’t know, I’m writing this from Kenya. I am sitting in Kenya, across from four Kenyan boys who are doing their schoolwork and listening to the girls and small kids playing outside. Micah is here too, doing his schoolwork, quietly and trying to get his work done quickly so he can go back outside and play. Dad is teaching the staff institute and mom is helping him. I’ve made a few friends here at R.O.C.K Ministries (Rescuing Our Children in Kisumu). There’s Agnes, Eunice, Janet, Winnie (girls), Duncan, Bosco, Patrick, Remjus (boys, don’t know them too well, but still friends, you know?), and a lot more. I’m learning sign language too, one of the girls here is deaf. A, B, C, D, E, F...

Anyway, I’m really enjoying myself, just yesterday… (You WON’T believe this.) Just yesterday the Peterson family got to pet... A CHEETAH!!!! Told you you wouldn’t believe me. No, I’m serious. It wasn’t stuffed, it wasn’t just a fur carpet or anything, it wasn’t some trickster machinery, it was the REAL THING. A purring, live, breathing, spotted, skinny cheetah. I say skinny because cheetahs tend not to gain a lot of weight if they’re running all the time. It was awesome! You’re probably wondering how it came about. Was the cheetah wild? No. The guy who took us to the enclosure said she had been raised as a cub. The male was so much bigger and more aggressive, but he had just had his meal and in fact was still finishing it so we had nothing to worry about. Thankfully, we only had to pay about $3. I don’t care. I won’t be petting another cheetah anytime soon so it was definitely worth it.

We were in the Kisumu Impala Sanctuary, they have African Buffalo, African Lions, monkeys, Dik-diks (little deer-type things), a Hyena, two ostriches, a leopard and free roaming Zebras and Impalas. By free roaming I mean they can roam where ever they want all around the sanctuary. Torture for the lions, cheetahs and leopards :P. So we enjoyed our relaxing day yesterday. After the Kisumu Impala Sanctuary (haha, KIS, kiss) dad took a nap and Micah and I went swimming in the hotel’s murky swimming pool. We’ve swum every day for the past four days, it’s been fun. Micah’s learning how to dive, and for his first time doing it he did REALLY well.

The view from our hotel is amazing. The first thing you see when you walk into the room is the lake. There’s a huge window allowing the view just soak into your room (how exactly does that work I don’t know). We’re on the fifth floor which is actually about the sixth or seventh level. The room isn’t the securest. Ok maybe I shouldn’t say the room, the window isn’t the securest. We had a lake fly adventure the night before last. (I’m writing this on the 25 of August just in case this doesn’t get published for a while, the internet at the hotel wasn’t working when we left.) I’ll let Micah tell the story if he wants to. All I’m going to say is we had hundreds of lake flies in our room. Yeah.

We’ve been to three restaurants so far, two out of the three were really good. Green Gardens was one, they had really good food and really good Ice-Cream… ***** (five star, to me at least) The next was an Arabic/Indian restaurant, I don’t remember what it was called cause it wasn’t so good… ** The last was kind of like a hotel. It was right on the lake, it even had a dock-type-thing that was floating ON the lake. The food was good and so was the ice-cream. I had a banana boat (banana split). **** We were going down to a beach and frying fish with U. Dan just for the experience, but the day got too late and U. Dan canceled the snack (phew). Micah and dad are playing football (soccer) with all the boys here after lunch. We leave tomorrow to Mbale, stay over night, then maybe head back to New Hope on Saturday. Kenya is beautiful. I’ll tell you about our two boarder adventures next time.

~Kara L. Peterson

Birthday! (#2)

A week ago, on Saturday, we had our Ebenezer family over for my birthday and to watch Voyage of the Dawn Treader. We, Petersons, had seen it before, but our family group hadn't. We also had Toby Britton and Joel Brown over for a sleep over. After the movie we had cake and Ice Cream, the first time most of the Ebenezer family had had Ice Cream. Most of them ( I hope) liked it. After they left we went to bed. The next day we (the Petersons, Toby and Joel) left somewhat early and left for Entebbe, after breakfast of course.

We went through Kampala and continued on to Entebbe. When we got there we went to Lake Victoria Hotel and swam for the day. For supper we went to a restaurant in Kampala, and at Kampala Joel's parents were there and after a 4:30 dinner they took him. A while after they left, we started home.

On Monday I got some presents from my parents, including a bow, and arrows(an oscary(guard) sold it to my parents), and I am having fun with them. Wednesday we went to the Enterprise farm's maize harvest. We started at about 8:30 and ended at about 11:30. Then, in addition, we maize harvested at our Family group's garden on Saturday morning. Maize harvesting is not very fun if you want to know. Their is a technique that is described on Kara's latest blog.

Thank you all for all your prayers and support. We are all having fun, especially in basketball, as my mom, Kim, just played with us this morning. Mormor- this is what I actually said the first time- there is nothing happening at the moment, but there might be soon! Micah