Tag: Driving

New Wheels!

Option 1: Watch the Update

Option 2: Read the Update

It’s here! Over a year and a half ago our friend, Randy, while visiting us in Kenya told us he wanted to throw us a fundraiser. We had never done a fundraiser, but once we mentioned we would need to prepare to replace our 1997 2wd RAV4, Randy ran with it!

This summer, while on furlough in the U.S., Randy and some other Maryland friends threw us a fundraiser for our car fund. Old and new Maryland friends generously donated. We shared that story with you all and friends from Ohio and Indiana chipped in. After just a few months we reached our goal this Fall! We are so grateful for so many of you who heard about the fund and stepped up big time!

Patrick has spent A LOT of time researching cars, tracking down who really has the car, getting cars inspected by our picky mechanic, and starting over again when he invariably didn’t like the mechanical condition.

But we were able to find something that ticked all the boxes, was affordable AND was in great condition! And here it is: A 2007 Toyota LandCruiser Prado! It’s a former UN vehicle, you can almost imagine UN painted in black letters on the door.

It’s an 8 seater with a roof rack so we can be as helpful as possible, whether to bring ministry coworkers and supplies to remote schools, chauffeur visitors or simply to carpool a bunch of teenagers to youth group. We’ve already taken visitor friends on a safari through deep mud (watch below), chauffeured 4 MOHI visitors from their hotel with all their luggage and safely delivered 5 teens from youth group to their homes.

The steel bumper and bars around the car are there to both protect expensive car parts when off-roading or in the crazy city traffic of Nairobi.

Ultimately it’s a utility vehicle. It’s a strong, economical diesel with a manual transmission (because apparently driving wasn’t challenging enough in Kenya anymore). We still have the 2009 Subaru Forester that you all provided for back when we moved here in 2016. While it’s all-wheel drive is very capable and it has good ground clearance, the Cruiser will take the tougher trips and save the Forester for more years of service.

Anyway, thank you again Team GerbersGo! We hope to find more and more ways we can use it to bless MOHI’s ministry, visitors, and our friends in Kenya.

Bonus dashboard footage of a very wet safari with visitors in the new Cruiser:

Summer Furlough 2019

This summer we are due to take a short furlough after 3 years in Kenya. Normally this would be a longer 6+ month furlough, but we didn’t want to take Hannah out of school. The main purpose of furlough is rest and relationships.

We have a fairly busy June and July scheduled to meet with many of our supporting churches and catch up with our supporters. Sundays are booked for churches, but mid-weeks will be slower to allow for visiting with friends and family and a few support events. We are building in down time with our families and even a vacation. Let us know if you would like to connect with us! Here are some dates to know where we’ll be:

June:
2nd – Private Event – Harford County, MD
9th – Greenville Church of the Brethren – Greenville, OH
10-13th – East 91st Christian Church – VBS Missionaries – Indianapolis, IN
16th – East 91st Christian Church – Indianapolis, IN
16-20th – Retreat – Indianapolis, IN
23rd – East Main Street Christian Church – Greenville, OH
25th – Private Event – Fort Recovery, OH

July:
7th – Beechwold Christian Church – Columbus, OH
14th – Boulevard Christian Church – Baltimore, MD
16th – Private Event – Harford County, MD
21st – Mountain Christian Church – Harford County, MD
25th – Private Event – Harford County, MD
27th – Fly to Kenya!

Don’t Drive Here – Nairobi

You may have heard Patrick say he loves the challenge of driving here, or that it took Katie a few months to try driving, or that we get stuck in crazy Nairobi traffic. This TV show perfectly illustrates why driving in Nairobi is a major part of our lives. I edited together the highlights of the Nairobi episode of “Don’t Drive Here”. Enjoy this view into life in Nairobi, Kenya!