We arrived at the airport in Nairobi, finally, around 1am. Poor Fr Methodius! He’d been sitting at the airport since 11pm waiting for our flight! He did not know that it was delayed! When we powered up our phones again, there was a message from him asking if we were still coming! Thankfully, he did wait and didn’t turn around to go back home. What a warm welcome he gave us, with a radiant smile and big warm hug! Then the poor tired man had to drive an hour and a half to bring us to his home in Kinangop. The main road leading past Nairobi was in pretty poor condition – by our standards, I should say. There was construction everywhere. The driver is on the right side of the car, and the cars are on the left side of the road. Once we left the metropolitan area the roads were beautiful. Because it was dark outside we couldn’t see too much of the scenery. We finally got to his home around 3 am. I was a very poor guest, and went straight to bed, for FM assured me that his wife would be in bed. FS went into the living room with FM, and his wife heard them and got up to welcome us. She sent him to our room with a bowl of delicious potatoes and greens
I awoke around 10 am. Actually, that was about the fourth awakening, for I am not accustomed to roosters crowing and dogs barking! But each time they awakened me, I went right back to sleep. Here are some pictures of our room and their home! Their home is beautiful! They lived in an apartment perhaps a mile from here until just one and a half months ago! FM built this home! It is beautiful! Just wait till you see the colors and the cleverness of it all! To the left of the main house are two separate rooms with private entrances, for guests to stay in. We are their firsts guests here!
This is their newly-built home. Our door is The one on the left. They just put in the grass a couple days ago. So much trouble and expense they went through, to make it nice for us!
These are our beds in the background, and a desk in the foreground.
This is the view in our room back toward the door to the room. On the desk is a bottle of water and
three glasses, toothpaste and toothbrushes!
Even the ceiling is decorated!
And here is our little bathroom. whole room is a shower
This is little Panteleimon, almost three three years old. He had great fun with the little etch-a-sketch toy I brought him.
This is Papathiya, Fr Methodius’s wife. She is trying on one of the scarves I brought her. Isn’t she pretty? She is due with their fourth child in March.
This is Ann, a hired helper. She is slaughtering a rooster, which Panteleimon was very pleased about, for the rooster quite often attacked him!
Blessings, 12 yo, and Christine, 8 years old, have just come from school. Christine is sick and not feeling well.
Blessings and Christine are enjoying the new books!
Blessings and Christine led Fr Seraphim ! and me on a half hour walk through yards and along lanes to get a liter of milk, just gotten for them from the cow. They do this daily
We saw beautiful mountains in the background as we went on our milk run.
We got the milk from these kids’ family. Then home, and dinner. Once Blessings was done with his homework, we
read aloud together from a Magic Tree House book. We
all really enjoyed that
Reach Matushka Marina at mmmarinaholland@yahoo.com. She is the wife of Priest Seraphim Holland, and their parish is St Nicholas Orthodox Church, McKinney Texas http://www.orthodox.net
Learn about St Barnabas Orthodox Orphanage and School, get on their mailing list, make a donation: https://orthodoxmissionkenya.org, Email: info@orthodoxmissionkenya.org
