I have traveled to Kenya to do some assessment work with the New Hope orphanage in the uplands, ouutside of Nairobi. It has been an amazing time the orphanage sits at 8,000ft on a series of rolling hills and valleys. This is one of the richest agricultural areas in Africa and they grow everything here including plums, bananas, corn, kale, cabbage, red beans, potatoes and carrots. The orphanage is amazing the girls wake at 5 am to do their chores of cleaning the orphanage and cooking breakfast. They have 4 cows and 10 goats for milk
and chickens for eggs. They have 2 donkeys to haul water up the steep hills to reach the orphanage. They presently have to buy water from down below. Living waters had drilled a bore hole but it requires a electric pump to draw the water up the 300ft. They charged them $15,000 to drill the well 2 years ago but ever gave them a pump. I will definitely see if we can leverage some sort of solution, this is insane they are
buying drinking water to make concrete and clean the floors. The children are amazing!!!!!!!!!! 90 girls acting as the best behaved children you have ever seen. They start the morning at 5 am and do their chores till they get dressed at 6:15. Then they line the halls and sing praise songs in English and the native tongue for 15 minute and conclude with 5 minutes
of prayer. They do this in the evening as well before lights out. You have to understand the temperature stays between 50 and 60 degrees and the weather is always damp with mist, these girls are running around in flip flops and open shoes for the most part, wearing multiple items of clothes, the little girls wearing pants under their skirts. They always
wanted to hold my hand, and theirs were always like ice. They never complained!!!! They have a joy of the Lord in them that is unimaginable they are so thankful that God has brought them to this home where they have 90 sisters and 15 brothers to call their family. Most of these girls have become orphans because of AIDS, though praise God none are infected. They have had to take in boys this last year because there is no where else for them to go, they have built a boys quarters next to the stable and chicken area. Several of the boys have severe retardation or epilepsy that their families have abandoned them. They have also taken in babies that have been severely malnourished and left for dead. There is a 3 year old there right now who weighs 12 pounds and looks like a 6 month old infant. They showed me pictures of him when they got him 3 months ago his boney legs had been curled under and could not be straightened. It looked like there was nothing but skin and bone. You could see his whole pelvis through his bum. He has now fattened up a little an looks like a thin 6 month old. The woman who runs this place is Mama Ann, she would give Mother Teresa a run for her money. She not only clothes and feeds these kids but she takes care of all the deserted old woman who live on the margins in cardboard or tin shacks near railroad tracks. She feeds them and gives them blankets and clothes. These grandma's come to the orphanage twice a week and pray on their knees for hours as they thank God that this place is taking care of the children where they can't. To hear these women crying to God in thanks is an experience that shook me, they were thanking God that these children might know the love of God and family. That they would go to bed tonight with a full belly and knowing that these girls had a chance for a future beyond what they have know. This orphanage stresses school, they have financed 4 of their oldest students to go to University in Uganda and 20 are attending boarding schools to attend the British version of high school. All of this and the clothing and feeding of 100 children and another 30 old ladies and orphans who refuse to leave the bush and the medical bills to help bring their new arrivals back to health or to try and treat the epilepsy and other neurological disorders these children have. They do this on less than $24,000 a year that they raise through donations. I have never seen so much done with so little. Truly I am witnessing the hand of God in action. What started as a retired couple having dozens of orphans camped on their floors has become a work of God. I want to be a part of this!!!!! No Christian could walk away from this and not be changed. To hear children helping each other do their home work while others are scrubbing floors, tending the fields or livestock, boiling water for food or tea all the while singing or humming praise songs and truly thanking God that He brought them here. At night a generator is run for 3 hours to allow their homework to be done and after as the lights are out you could hear spontaneous laughter like some giant pajama party and then a small voice would break into praise and the rest would follow. It is easy to feel that your own praise pales in comparison. If they can do this while living in conditions similar to the early 1900's, how loud and often should my songs of praise be heard.
We flew to Maryland this Weekend to visit Ted Stephanie Ranft. Ted is a former Inktomi Co-Worker who supports our efforts with the orphanages in Africa. We were also able to attend Eric Williams' wedding in Virginia. Eric was a good friend onboard the Anastasis and it was really exciting to see him start this new chapter in his life. We were also 
able to hook up with 2 dozen friends from the ship who also made their way to the wedding. We finished the weekend by meeting with our supporting church in Waldorf, Maryland. Ann from the Kenyan orphanage was there and I was able to present my findings from the trip we took. The church was extremely generous and raised over $4,000 for the kids. I am hoping that we will be able to get Living waters to finish their well project.
and chickens for eggs. They have 2 donkeys to haul water up the steep hills to reach the orphanage. They presently have to buy water from down below. Living waters had drilled a bore hole but it requires a electric pump to draw the water up the 300ft. They charged them $15,000 to drill the well 2 years ago but ever gave them a pump. I will definitely see if we can leverage some sort of solution, this is insane they are 
buying drinking water to make concrete and clean the floors. The children are amazing!!!!!!!!!! 90 girls acting as the best behaved children you have ever seen. They start the morning at 5 am and do their chores till they get dressed at 6:15. Then they line the halls and sing praise songs in English and the native tongue for 15 minute and conclude with 5 minutes 
of prayer. They do this in the evening as well before lights out. You have to understand the temperature stays between 50 and 60 degrees and the weather is always damp with mist, these girls are running around in flip flops and open shoes for the most part, wearing multiple items of clothes, the little girls wearing pants under their skirts. They always 
wanted to hold my hand, and theirs were always like ice. They never complained!!!! They have a joy of the Lord in them that is unimaginable they are so thankful that God has brought them to this home where they have 90 sisters and 15 brothers to call their family. Most of these girls have become orphans because of AIDS, though praise God none are infected. They have had to take in boys this last year because there is no where else for them to go, they have built a boys quarters next to the stable and chicken area. Several of the boys have severe retardation or epilepsy that their families have abandoned them. They have also taken in babies that have been severely malnourished and left for dead. There is a 3 year old there right now who weighs 12 pounds and looks like a 6 month old infant. They showed me pictures of him when they got him 3 months ago his boney legs had been curled under and could not be straightened. It looked like there was nothing but skin and bone. You could see his whole pelvis through his bum. He has now fattened up a little an looks like a thin 6 month old. The woman who runs this place is Mama Ann, she would give Mother Teresa a run for her money. She not only clothes and feeds these kids but she takes care of all the deserted old woman who live on the margins in cardboard or tin shacks near railroad tracks. She feeds them and gives them blankets and clothes. These grandma's come to the orphanage twice a week and pray on their knees for hours as they thank God that this place is taking care of the children where they can't. To hear these women crying to God in thanks is an experience that shook me, they were thanking God that these children might know the love of God and family. That they would go to bed tonight with a full belly and knowing that these girls had a chance for a future beyond what they have know. This orphanage stresses school, they have financed 4 of their oldest students to go to University in Uganda and 20 are attending boarding schools to attend the British version of high school. All of this and the clothing and feeding of 100 children and another 30 old ladies and orphans who refuse to leave the bush and the medical bills to help bring their new arrivals back to health or to try and treat the epilepsy and other neurological disorders these children have. They do this on less than $24,000 a year that they raise through donations. I have never seen so much done with so little. Truly I am witnessing the hand of God in action. What started as a retired couple having dozens of orphans camped on their floors has become a work of God. I want to be a part of this!!!!! No Christian could walk away from this and not be changed. To hear children helping each other do their home work while others are scrubbing floors, tending the fields or livestock, boiling water for food or tea all the while singing or humming praise songs and truly thanking God that He brought them here. At night a generator is run for 3 hours to allow their homework to be done and after as the lights are out you could hear spontaneous laughter like some giant pajama party and then a small voice would break into praise and the rest would follow. It is easy to feel that your own praise pales in comparison. If they can do this while living in conditions similar to the early 1900's, how loud and often should my songs of praise be heard. 
Well we have finished our great sojourn to return home. We left Ghana and flew to London then flew on to Singapore. For 2 weeks we met with our missionary friends and rested before we headed back to the states. We then spent the next month traveling across the states visiting our family, friends and supporters. We thank God for the chance to 
reconnect with those who have supported us over the last 3 years.
what God will have for us long term.
escorting us here. We had to refuel on our way here. The way this "bunkering" works is that a large tanker meets us at sea and we tie up next to each other while we transfer fuel. We usually are going several knots to keep the ships more stable during this evolution. My security team is placed on the rails to ensure that none of their crew tries to jump over to our ship. While I was talking to our founder, Don Stephens, a man started shouting pastor, pastor!!! We all started looking around to see who he was talking to when he yelled, "Big Pastor Mark" It turned out t
hat I had preached to this man's church nearly a year ago in South Africa and he had remembered me. I was able to give him a few bibles to pass along to his crew mates. I am always amazed at how small God's world is, nearly a year later, in the middle of the ocean and 1,500 miles from where we met I meet a man who remembered me and what God had me share that day. You know it has to be a God thing, I know that I'm not that good of a preacher.
a Benin pastor, Samuel, who's church was in a voodoo village that I had preached at. After we left we found out that the pastor's wife, Louis, had a baby girl and had named her ZANA. They came to visit us and show us the new addition to their family. We were blessed by their visit and their sharing what God was doing through them in all of West Africa.