Hippos Surface Around Us

February 21, 2014 (Friday) Kisumu is about a three hour trip from here. It is a growing and very busy city that sits on the edge of Lake Victoria.  It is also the home of one of Kenya’s immigration offices. We started very early as our goal is to make the return trip later in the day.  Traveling and seeing the different area’s within Kenya is always something that I enjoy.  

We even passed over the equator! There are beautiful views from the mountain ranges. In the market areas we meet tractors overloaded with their sugar cane harvest.  

Donkey carts are used in the villages. Baboons line the roadway as we travel through the forest. When we start our decline from the mountain we can see Lake Victoria in the distance with the city of Kisumu at the edge of it.  The heat rises as we descend and we leave the country life behind.

After our business is finished at the immigration office we stop at the lake.  There is a section of the lake called “Hippo Point.”  During the early morning and again in the evening the hippos will leave the water and rest on the land.

  

The sun is high in the sky and the hippos know where to go when it’s hot out…..in the water!  The boat we are in sits quietly for a moment and the hippos come to the surface and take a peek at us and then disappear.  At one time there were about seven hippos near us.  The cows quench their thirst as they wade through the water. Along the shore line people gather to bathe.  Others will come to gather water to take back to their families.

The breeze from the lake is delightful and the sails from the fishing boats are full.  Fishing nets line the shores as they dry in the sun.  Sausage trees, papyrus grow in abundance along with some fig trees.

 

February 22, 2014 (Saturday) Pastor Mary has invited me to speak at the Peniel Prayer House this morning. She is a mighty woman of God and an intercessor.  Her life has been dedicated to prayer and she has been a great blessing to those in the area.

With hearts filled with praise they sang and filled Peniel Prayer House with the sound of worship. Then it was time for the offering and a large basket is brought to the front.  The offering isn’t always money many times it will be a chicken, some eggs or something they have grown.  We are thankful to see how the Lord is working in the hearts of those who hear his word. Thirteen people accepted the Lord Jesus into their heart!

February 23, 2014 (Sunday) After the early morning service we stepped into a shuttle headed for Nairobi. Our goal is to be at the immigration office early in the morning.   

We traveled through the Rift Valley and watched for animals along the way.  Zebras were grouped together as they grazed in the open land.  Gazelles and antelope dotted the vast land before us that ended with magnificent mountain ranges against the sky line.  We crossed the equator and continued toward the city before us.

February 24, 2014 (Monday) We thank the Lord for his hand of protection and bringing safely to Nairobi. As tired as we were last night we found it hard to fall asleep. The city noises that never sleep kept us up for some time.  We were securely locked in with barred windows and doors and a strong gate around the compound with a guard outside. Security is a very big issue especially in the city.

Romans 10:17 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.