The team arrived at Sam's Place on July 7, 2014, a road-weary group of travelers. The team left Dallas on July 5 at 6:35 pm headed for London. They carried with them 11 personal bags and 30 team supply footlockers (not to mention 2 carry-on pieces each). The nine-hour flight to London was uneventful and after a VERY short hour to change flights, the team boarded the plane for Nairobi. After a second nine-hour flight, the team finally landed in Nairobi at 9:00 pm on July 6.

As you can imagine, locating 41 pieces of luggage at the baggage claim is no simple task. We only had one missing bag (much better than the 11 pieces last year). We loaded everything into three matatus (11 passenger vans), drove to the guesthouse and were finally settled in our rooms at 12:30 am. A huge THANKS to our friends Larry and Hollye Conway, missionaries in Nairobi, for their help and hospitality. They left fresh fruit, juice, yogurt and homemade bread in each room so we would have something to eat that night and the next morning. What a blessing!!!

Early the next morning, we loaded into the matatus again and began the drive to Sam's Place. It took about 7 hours to get to Kisii where we stopped to purchase bottled water and other supplies for the team. After another 45 minutes on the road, we finally pulled into the Sam's Place compound. While the trip itself was exhausting, the reception from the children made it all worthwhile. Seeing their smiles again, being greeted with hugs and handshakes and taking the "do you remember my name AND my sign name" quiz for 40 children was so much fun. After a delicious meal prepared by the staff, we made our way to the guesthouse in Rongo and collapsed for the night. We all survived the trip and look forward to beginning the many projects we have planned. But that will have to wait until tomorrow.

The Long Trip to Sam's Place