Daddy's Birthday

Daddy's Birthday Trifle

On Friday evening, we had some friends over for a backyard barbecue to celebrate the Easter long weekend and Aaron's birthday. According to our kids, the highlight of the evening were the desserts that Mommy made for Daddy!!!

"Happy Birthday Daddy!"

Ava helping out with the candles...

... and the yummy cakes!

Daddy's Settlers of Catan Birthday Cupcakes

Easter at Lake Naivasha

Easter Sunrise at Carnelley's Camp,

Lake Naivasha, Kenya

Team work!

This past weekend, we celebrated Easter at Camp Carnelley's, on the relaxing shore of Lake Naivasha in the Great Rift Valley. We arrived after a late lunch and found a quiet corner of the beautiful tenting area under a canopy of Yellow Acacias. Our site was separated from the Lake,and the hungry hippos, only by a shallow ditch and a three foot high fence, but other than the troops of vervet and colobus monkeys, we didn't have any trouble from the local wildlife getting too close to our tent.

Finished setting up the tent together

on Saturday afternoon

Daddy opening his birthday present at the campfire

...can't wait for those birthday cupcakes!

Ready for our sleeping bags after a big day...

Emma enjoying an Easter sunrise along the papyrus

lined banks of Carnelley's Camp

We enjoyed a quiet Easter Sunday, with a short family Easter service and lots of fun playing our favourite board games, walking along the Lake and cooking over our campfire (and our classic Webber grill... we love that charcoal barbecue) -- Easter bunny smores!!!. While Saturday night was pretty crowded at the camp, a thunder storm rolled in on Sunday afternoon and most of our neighbours hit the road. Fortunately for us, the storm moved on and we enjoyed the camp almost to ourselves on Sunday night and Monday morning.

Colobus monkeys in the tall Yellow Acacia trees over our tent

Daddy getting the gas lantern ready for Sunday night

Mommy and Ava at our campsite

Easter morning on Lake Naivasha

Mercy Mwikali

Hello from Kenya!

Earlier this week we took part in Canadian Baptist Ministries' roundtable meetings in Kenya and had the joy of officially welcoming Mercy Mwikali to the CBM Africa team. Mercy began her new role as the Guardians of Hope program officer for the Africa Brotherhood Church on March 1, 2011. "I am two months old now," shared Mercy, "but I've already met with 12 of the 13 Guardians of Hope groups within the ABC. I'll be travelling to the coast in the second week of May to visit the last group at ABC Mivamoni."

Mercy may be only "two months old" in her role, but she running full steam ahead as she has assisted in orphan and vulnerable children training for caregivers, overseen a project that has gotten 43 orphaned children into school with school fee assistance, and been a part of launching a new pottery income generating project in Kalimani.

In Prayer

Please remember Mercy and the Guardians of Hope groups of the Africa Brotherhood Church, where issues of leadership capacity and food security are crucial issues.

We praise God for a great training by Ruth Munyao and Henry Mwangi on Gender Rights and HIV and AIDS in the Africa Brotherhood Church. We pray that this training will have in impact on the ministry of the ABC in Eastern and Central Africa.

We remember our colleague Ruth Munyao as she returns to Kenya this weekend from her tour of Canada were she has been connecting with churches from Nova Scotia to British Columbia.

April Showers

Directors Erica and Kim

in drama rehearsals at Rosslyn Academy

This is the fifth elementary drama production that Erica has directed with her friend Kim Remich at Rosslyn Academy. This Spring's performance is called Parablelooza, by Jimmy and Gail Getzen, it is a musical game show based on the parables of Jesus.

Emma and Josh Hyodo rehearsing their role as referees for the drama which plays on the evening of April 29th.

April has been a wet month in Nairobi, as we are finally receiving some rain. The grass is bright green and everything is growing in our garden. Along with work, we are enjoying some great family time in the evenings and weekends. For Aaron's upcoming birthday (which falls this year on Easter Sunday), we are planning a family camping trip in the Rift Valley.

We are looking forward to hosting Thomas Coldwell and Jen Fry, two students from Crandall University, for the month of May. Both Thomas and Jen will be volunteering as student interns with the Iftin Women's Empowerment Program in Eastleigh. A major area of focus will be supporting the stars of peace youth group which has been struggling over the past six months. Please be praying for them and the Iftin program.

We hope that you have a wonderful Easter and that spring has found you where ever you are this April!

God Bless,

The Kennys

The boys on the way out to a friends barbecue with...

...the girls!

"HAPPY EASTER"