Another African Adventure

We climbed a mountain in Africa. Not just a hike. Not just a stroll up a hill. A mountain. A huge pile of rocks and cliffs.

It was honestly one of the best parts of our trip. A beautiful, hot, sunny day in East Africa. A chance to really talk to some of the kids, to really get to know their stories and their lives.

One of the guys who led us up the mountain (all kids who led us, mind you), his name was David. He was just about to graduate from University in Kenya. Grew up as a street child, no parents, no hope, no love, hardly any food. Until he found his way to Mully Children's Family.

I was so impressed by his heart and his knowledge I didn't hardly know what to say to him. He asked me all kinds of political questions and my opinions as an American about all kinds of things. It was fascinating.

The climb was beautiful. A word that seems hardly appropriate, but it's all I have. An unlimited vista spread before us. The villages, the river, the little huts scattered around.






One of the most amazing things was the soil. This part of Kenya is a pretty dry area. Even right by the river, the dirt is red and sandy. However, the whole property belonging to MCF is rich, black soil. As if it were all topsoil. They can grow crops with much less work than even just a few hundred yards in a different direction. As if God directed Charles to purchase that property by chance. It was for his retirement home. A huge piece of land to build a huge home for his family. And now it is the perfect piece of land for farming for his whole 548-child family!

I have to brag just a little bit. I was the only white person to actually make it all the way to the very top of the mountain.

I've always loved climbing things. As a kid I was always in a tree or up a ladder or on the roof. If a window has an adjoining roof, I'd be up there. The climb up the mountain was long, and hot, and very tiring. The air was getting thin and the breeze was getting cold. We were very near the top. But there was a problem. Between the myself and the summit was a chasm. And to jump it was quite tricky. Because you didn't jump over to another rock, you jumped over to a rock face. One needed to have a seasoned climber bridge the gap and then brace themselves against the rock wall and help you over, help you find a handhold and then you had to scamper up the wall...my husband was terrified the entire time. He kept shouting up at me that he would be very angry at me if I died. But do you see how high we were? Right in the middle of the clouds.