Wild Hope Stories

I just wanted to remind folks that I also blog for Wild Hope. While I haven't managed to keep that site up the way I keep maintain this personal/family blog, I have posted almost 50 stories on it in the last couple of years. So, if you'd like to hear more about what Wild Hope is up to, Karibuni! Oh, that means, "Welcome" in Swahili :-)

Check Wild Hope's blog HERE

Thanks for reading!

Wild News

There's some very nice Wild Hope NEWS over on our Wild Hope BLOG but I'm not going to tell you what it is :-)

By the Way...

Just thought I'd clarify again that this little Kettle blog is my personal blog, which means it's just kind of an on-line journal of what's going on in our house, our hearts, our minds and our lives.

For more defined news about what we're up to with Wild Hope, you can go to our website, which will also take you to our Wild Hope blog. You can access the blog directly, or through the website. The blog attempts to keep a record of the stories we get to be a part of as we follow God together here in Africa.

So that's that!

Nelly Was Here

Jenelle was here for 3 fine weeks. It was splendid to have her with us and not so splendid to say goodbye. I never like saying goodbye when I don't know when I'll be seeing someone again. There is no plan in place to take one or the other of us across the world to where the other one lives. Big drag.

The Nellster has been making little video logs of her journeys which she has posted on her blog. She also edited some footage together and made a 2 min video about The Wild Hope Artisans, our Maasai lady friends who are using their traditional skills to support their families and build into their communities. You can see it here. Nellers did a fine job with challenging footage and we're thankful!

Thanks, Jenelle, and happy trails, girl.

Too Small, My Words

I am trying to call up the words to talk about this last week away on safari with our kids and the Wild Hope summer crew, but it's all too rich and wild and good and big to figure out which words will paint for you this most excellent time.

Plus, I'm dead tired. Dead tired but very happy :-)

I think the beauty came from the mixture of traveling through dramatically varied landscapes, having deep conversation around the issues of being whole and free, launching into adventurous exploits, cross cultural friendships, exploring Creation and discovering the bigness of God.

Were there any troubles along the way? A few. My emergency pit stops by the side of the road on the final long day of travel without "facilities" reminded me that it's not just visitors to Africa who need tummy soothing meds from time to time. But over all, it was pretty dreamy.

Our first day's (very dusty) drive delivered us to the foot of the rumbling volcano, Oldonyo Lengai, where we pitched our tents on the somewhat stable shores of the saline Lake Natron. We lost track of how many tremors we felt and wondered which part of sanity told us to make camp at the epicenter of recent quakes that are making news in East Africa.

We traveled on from the heavy heat of those prehistoric vistas (where we thought it would be fitting if a dinosaur appeared from behind a big pile of rocks) and made our way through wide open plains, up into softly rolling hills and into forests that still befuddle many a wanderer.

And that's just the geography of where we went. In community we went into honest, raw conversations and prayer times, looking together into the unspeakable love of God and finding such freedom there to become ourselves, the selves He has been dreaming of.

He dreamed us, as he made us. He dreamed us free and full and givers of grace and life to those around us.

This wild safari we call life is getting us there. These final ten days with our summer team gained us all new ground and we are grateful.

The house is quiet in a sad and restful way as Tommy, Dane, Carly, Christian, Gabby and Joel are no longer here with us.

What good traveling companions they made!

(Photos: Jesse Borden)