Family Pictures

Family Pictues

The computer project here in Kenya has been going superbly well. We have been able to buy a few computers enough to start classes and the impact on this community has been astounding. We are still urgently seeking more donations to be able to accomplish our full desire to equip a full classroom with all the necessary equipment. Anyone may make a donation by check, Credit Card or Paypal by clicking the "Donate" button below.

What a joy it has been to teach them. The students are both young and old. Many have have had only very limited exposure to computers or none at all. A large amount of the classes that I have been teaching has been involving the very fundamental and basic aspects of using a computer.
One memorable moment was during the lesson that I was teaching about the functions of the "windows" such as such as minimizing, maximizing and restoring the windows pane on the desktop. The whole class started giggling and laughing when I asked them to click the maximize button and saw the window fill the whole computer screen with that particular program. It was one of those Kodak moments in which joy, excitement and amazement carried across all ages as they clicked back and forth between the minimize and maximized window. The smiles and laughter that they all had is hard to describe. They simply could not believe their eyes.

We start and end each class in prayer which has been a wonderful part of class. Christianity is very prevalent in this country and it is not uncommon to hear Christian worship music in restaurants, shops or blaring form some vehicle. I was shocked to hear that men and women fear unplanned pregnancy far greater than they fear contracting HIV/AIDS.
There is a commonly regarded that HIV/AIDS is similar to a flu; it can be treated and you can still lead a lengthy life. In a recent study showed that Kenya has close to 550,000 AIDS orphans and an estimated 78,000 children living with HIV/AIDS. A full 15 adults out of 100 has HIV/AIDS! Since 2002, the standard of living has been dropping substantially and Kenya now is considered to be a low-income country. Two thirds of Kenyans live in the country side much like the community that I am in, Maguga, where there is no electricity and no running water. Kenya is no different than many other African nations. In fact, there are other countries that are in far worse conditions. We all need to take an active effort to do what we can whether its clean water, education, food relief or help combat the spread of HIV/AIDs.

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Horse Pictures

There are a lot of places I have written blogs over the past year; from dusty Peruvian buses to the glistening Australian beach to the chilling Nepalese altitude. But tonight, instead of writing this blog in an obscure internet cafe, I have the privilege of composing this letter in the comfort of my cozy apartment in Nashville, Tennessee, with my brand new wife, Traci, by my side.

There is a saying that the best things in life come to those who wait. For me, there couldn't be a statement that rings more true in my life right now. Although I have been able to travel to 5 continents and 30 countries in the past year, I can honestly say that I have never felt more excitement in my life than what I feel right now.

In the past few months, I returned home early from across the globe to surprise my wife, got engaged, planned a wedding in 5 weeks, got married New Years Eve, planned and enjoyed a 3 week honeymoon, set up a business, worked on four projects, packed and moved from Seattle, packed and moved Traci from Kansas City and discovered and moved into an apartment in Nashville.

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The Perfect Proposal

Dog Pistures

Moments after the proposalLee and I didn't exactly have the typical courtship. We'd spent more than a year apart with five continents and 30 countries separating us. He'd been traveling (a lifelong dream of his), while I stayed back, missing him like crazy in the States.

One morning, November 22, 2006 to be exact, after a late night of talking on the phone, I woke up excited, as he told me there would be a special surprise arriving in the morning. I got ready to begin my day as I thought of him finishing his in South Africa.

Sure enough, after breakfast, my mom (who was in on the surprise) told me there was a box on the porch. Inside the box I found a DVD, a beautiful postcard, and best of all, a sweet love note. I watched the DVD of Lee in the Tokyo airport telling me the first of many clues for a scavenger hunt. He always planned the best surprises, so I couldn't wait!

But there was a knock at the side door, and I approached, expecting a friend with another gift.
I never thought it would be Lee! After all, he just called from Africa this morning! I opened the door, and there he was, dressed in a suit with a huge smile. I dropped everything and screamed! He got down on one knee and said he couldn't stay away one second longer. He was home to stay and asked me if I'd marry him!

The story he told of his journey home blew me away. He traveled across the globe in a week sleeping in airports at Tokyo, Helsinki, Russia (deported BACK to Helsinki), Paris, London, Chicago, Champaign. Staying up ALL night, he prepared each clue and gift. The next morning he and his mom drove seven hours to Missouri. He went to each business, met with managers and planted clues. The next day, after calling "from Africa," he went to the chapel. Setting our song on repeat for over an hour, he hid in the small side room until I arrived! Astoundingly, the song started as soon as I walked in the chapel! The dream continued, as we were married just five weeks later on New Years Eve.

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Cat Pictures

Our Goal: A Kenyan computer classroom!In a few short weeks I will be going to Kenya to take part in an incredible opportunity to change the lives of a town called Muguga, in Kenya. Despite the fact that Kenya is considered one of the more forward moving countries in Africa, it still faces many challenges- one of them being the way people are being left behind by modernity because they lack proper access to modern equipment such as computers and crucial access to free information via the internet. One of the biggest promoters of changing the lives of people in this way is the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Interestingly, they have found that 1.) computer and access to the internet are two vital and necessary tools to help people improve their own lives and 2.) "the vast majority of the world's population-more than 87 percent, or 5.5 billion people-lack access to these powerful, modern tools".

The village of Muguga is one of these pockets of communities that desperately need these modern tools. I feel privileged to be able to take part in setting up a computer learning center, as well as teaching computer classes.

I would like to ask any of you that feel pulled towards helping to please donate money to this project. We are in great need of $3,000 to cover the cost of computers and networking gear. Our goal is to be able to provide 5 computers and other related computer gear such as cables, printer, router etc. to fully equip a computer classroom. Please take a moment to think of how much you could give to change the lives of this community and most especially, the multitude of school children who deserve the proper tools to prepare them to be great future leaders of their own communities and country. Your financial help has exponential benefits.

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