Day 5164: More Kenya Safari & Netherlands solution for Loneliness.

 

"Busy": ink brush, junk paper collage, digital.

  

Want music?

   Click: Leon Bridges, Steam

2GN2S

 

More pictures from the Mission Safari.

"Today we were in Joska at the MOHI all girls boarding school. It was amazing. I was paired with Kathy (92 yrs old ) to be the prayer team. We prayed over 200 adults and children individually. It was so cool to be a part of that. Baz and Larry with the construction team helped build a house for a single mom.  Tina was working with the dental team. There was also a "hot dog team" who made 2045 hotdogs to all the students and staff. Exhausting day but so rewarding. Going to bed. Hopefully we sleep thru the night finally. We are off at 7am to take small planes to Kalifi coast!"

"It's crazy, I would say 99% of these kids in school and so happy. Some might be shy. They don't take pictures a lot. So don't know how to "say cheese"and smile. But they smile more than any US kids. They are so happy with so little." 

Tune in tomorrow?

In the Dutch city of Deventer, there's a retirement home with some unusual residents. Living alongside about 160 seniors are a handful of university students. And they don't pay a cent in rent.

The home is called Humanitas Deventer. Years ago, its director, Gea Sijpkes, received a letter from a student complaining about the noise and terrible conditions in student housing. She had an idea. Her building had some small apartments that weren't ideal for elderly residents. They'd be perfect for students. So she made them an offer.

Live here for free. In exchange, spend at least 30 hours a month being a good neighbor. That's it. No nursing duties. Just company.

The students watch sports with the residents. They celebrate birthdays together. They cook simple dinners, share stories, and sit with people when they're sick.

One student moved in at 19. His neighbor was 72 years older than him. When he got home from class, he'd stop by and visit her for an hour.

The students can come and go as they please, and even have friends over. There's only one real rule. Don't be a nuisance to the elderly. "It's important not to isolate the elderly from the outside world," Sijpkes said. One of the residents put it best."The students bring the outside world in"

  

 

A 5+ minute video, Wings, here.

 

 

Just because ...

Greater Roadrunner

Wednesday's Smiles ...

Hoping you see all the good things in your day.

  

 

 

 

Day 5163: Mission Kenya 2026 & Lost elephant doesn't sleep alone.

"Impact": photos, junk papers collage.

  

Want music?

   Click: Chaka Khan, What Cha Gonna Do For Me?

2GN2S

 

And in Kenya ...

   

About 8 years ago at church, they had pictures of children available for adoption through Missions of Hope International, an organization founded in 2000 starting with 50 kindergarten students. Through partners sponsorship the ministry has now grown to 25,000 students in 35 centers. Bassel and Erin adopted three for their own three children. I wasn't going to, it requires a reasonable support payment monthly, but then I saw MaryAnn Akoth Otieno and I adopted her.

                             To be continued ...

An orphaned elephant at Kenya’s Sheldrick Wildlife Trust does not simply have a place to sleep — a human Keeper sleeps beside it.

At the Nairobi Nursery, a Keeper bunks with each infant, providing companionship, care and reassurance throughout the night. This close bond helps replace the family and herd the calf has suddenly lost.

In the wild, young elephants sleep protected within their herd. At the Nursery, rescued calves receive constant human companionship, along with specially prepared milk feeds every three hours. The Trust says the elephants know when feeding time arrives and may wake their Keepers when a feed is due. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

In November 2025, Muridjo, weighing about 700 kilograms, was reported using a remarkable method to wake her Keeper: she pushed upward against his raised bed. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

As the elephants grow, they progress from the Nursery to communal nighttime stockades and gradually become less dependent on milk and human care. Their journey back to the wild can take many years and, in some cases, more than a decade. Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

For the youngest elephants, recovery can begin with something remarkably simple: the reassurance of not having to sleep alone.

  

 

A  1+ min. funny commercial, Kona Kitchen, Seattle, here.

 

Just because ...

Scaly breasted munia

Tuesday's Smiles ... 

Hoping you feel all the good things in your day.