From Thanksgiving to Christmas tea parties

On our team, made up of Christians from around the world, we like to celebrate each others' festivals.  Being a team of around 50% Americans, Thanksgiving is a big one!  It's also a lovely festival, with the friends, family and food, without the complications of presents.

This is little Ephraim enjoying his first Thanksgiving party

A time of pizza, planning and prayer with some of the Secondary School team - Hellene, Asule, Amule and Khamboi

Ayuel's tool box is nearly finished - a final sand before they are marked and the best gets a prize

Vallen - one of the winning team.  She also helps us in our house one day a week and loves football!

Mum, Dad and Paul arrived last night for a visit and Paul gets roped in to judge

Grace was the other half of the winning team - a very bright woman who wants to be an engineer

Skills that Justin and his trainees have been trying to put into action

An end of term celebration lunch together with the New Horizons class

Two special guests - Pastor Sammy (also J's good friend) and Paul (D's brother)

Then it was time for the holidays to start!  We took the family to one of our favourite places out in Masai Land - rustic but beautiful

The drive there is a bit rough (it gets rougher)

But for views like this, it's worth it!

Let the holidays begin!

A loo with a view

This is the shower with a nice drying deck if you're feeling brave!

Our room - each just has 'view' all along one side :)

 Justin in the kitchen

We enjoy all the antics of the weaver birds

Even in this, the dry season, the plant life can be vibrant

 Going for a hike down the valley

Enjoying the ever-changing evening sky

If Deb in a hammock with a book is her classic pose - this is Paul's!

Running off down the promontory for better sunset shots - hope they have a torch for getting back!

Beautiful

This is the relaxing way to enjoy it!

Evenings around the fire are also a treat - marshmallows anyone?

Four days later and we're back to Nairobi - and look at what Sheila has done to her hair - all ready for Christmas!

We're always happy to see these visitors in the trees outside our windows

An annual tradition is Christmas Carols at Karen Blixen's house - put on by the Karen Vineyard Church.  

Camels are of course, very Christmassy!

Our good friends, the Boon family

Then it was time for the Office Christmas party which SIM South Sudan and Kenya have together - it was our turn to organise it this year

We invited contribution to the entertainment from all those that were willing - this was a fun story-telling choir

Bethanie picking out numbers for the raffle (free of course - no gambling here!)

Fridah retires and gets a long-service award.

The band are in fine form (Theresa even has a kazoo!)

Sunday School prep taking up slightly more room than usual - Justin always works hard on his visuals!

A fun game in Sunday School

A Christmas tea party with Liz - the queen of tea parties!