tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44996646068470232372011-09-22T00:02:09.180+03:00Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.comBlogger411100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-58189409594257932052009-08-11T04:22:00.002+03:002009-08-11T04:39:25.680+03:00

We just wanted to post a quick update for anyone who might still be wanting to follow us on another adventure :)Since we've been back in Canada, our lives have been very busy! We were able to get exactly the right car we needed - check it out! This is my first car, so I am kind of (or exactly)like a paranoid parent - poor Taryn probably thinks I've gone off my rocker. Since we got it, I've

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-84341276811060127492009-06-04T16:05:00.012+03:002009-06-04T20:49:32.940+03:00

Here are three slide shows of Harbour's May team doing their thing at PACE!Enjoy! If you can't see the slide shows, you might need to install Google Picasa 3, or you can click the pictures at the bottom of this post to see the collection of individual pictures.Harbour at PACE June 2009Harbour May Team - MaralalSafari Njema!

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-36474469611359351322009-05-27T22:50:00.004+03:002009-05-28T22:33:05.849+03:00

The past two weeks have been filled with excitement, blessings and anticipation as we prepared for the long journey back to Canada. As we posted earlier, we spent 3 wonderful days with the Harbour Team in the Masaai Mara National Reserve Park where we saw nearly all of Kenya's "Big 5" - elephants, lions, giraffes, rhinos and leopards. The only animal we didn't get to see was the elusive leopard,

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-28373949245725202782009-05-16T21:08:00.006+03:002009-05-16T22:31:51.370+03:00

After much anticipation, this past Monday evening the Harbour Team arrived. It has been such a blessing having them here and serving along side them. here is a picture from just before we left for Safari with the team and some other good friends of ours.From left to right (top) - Muthiri, Eddie, Kathy, Njenga, Jeff, Jackson and Frank. (bottom) Dave, Ryan and Cam. (missing) Taryn - she was taking

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-2884330201040148992009-04-28T08:42:00.004+03:002009-04-28T08:51:29.340+03:00

Day 1: Early Tuesday morning, about 30 PACE staff boarded PACE's blue school bus and began the long journey to a remote rural town outside of Kakamega. Our goal was to build a house for the mother of one of our staff - in just three days! As it turns out, we only needed two days because many neighbourhood kids came to help (in exchange for a free meal). The ride was very enjoyable, as it took us

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-31370944689927349512009-04-19T21:41:00.003+03:002009-04-19T21:49:15.632+03:00

Thanks to everyone who took part! This was fun, and some questions really made us think!Best question winner .... you're all winners! Prizes will be distributed when we return :)1. Are you coming home for sure at the end of May? We head back in the beginning of June. We fly out on the 3rd and will land on Canadian soils some time on the 4th.2. What was the most rewarding experience during your

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-29609878265707795952009-04-14T17:42:00.005+03:002009-04-14T18:16:10.267+03:00

OK, we realize that we said earlier in the day that our next blog post would be Q & A ... but that was before the rains came! And, we're not talking about the usual thunderstorm and dark clouds followed by a three-minute shower - it is pouring "cats and dogs"! What a glorious site!What has amazed us the most in the last couple months of drought is the sheer faith these people have. In fact, we

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-6281039236441167712009-04-14T08:54:00.000+03:002009-04-14T08:56:55.953+03:00

We would like our next blog post (next weekend) to be comprised entirely of Q&A ... you ask, and we answer. We thought this could be a fun way to get you all involved, and it can give you an opportunity to speak your mind about any questions you might have about our mission trip. You can send questions about our time at PACE, about Kenya, about the Kenyan people, etc - anything, really! Feel free

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-43669600002429086632009-04-13T18:49:00.003+03:002009-04-13T19:24:25.949+03:00

PACE closed its doors on Thursday for the Easter Weekend, so since then we’ve deemed all work to be taboo … That is, until tomorrow :o)We spent all of Friday lounging on the couch – catching up on the news, watching movies, and reading. It was superb! On Saturday we joined Wachira and his kids on a trip to Nakuru - the kids swam while we sat and chatted with Wachira. We spent the night at

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-13193423069040221562009-04-03T14:49:00.008+03:002009-04-04T17:08:34.757+03:00

As much as I've enjoyed teaching at PACE, I was still tickled when the first term of the year came to an end last Thursday. Before the term ended, I proctored the grade 6 exams and also wrote up their report cards. Who would guess that I'd be writing up report cards in Kenya? Not me! One thing I am thankful for is that I'm a teacher here and not a student. There's no way I would survive in a

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-75208376013807838222009-03-23T14:48:00.001+03:002009-03-23T15:54:38.976+03:00

Here are a few pictures of the puppets my students made this past week! So cute!

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-74992366096265551222009-03-21T16:22:00.001+03:002009-03-21T16:28:18.322+03:00

It is hard to believe that just three weeks have passed since our trip Nairobi – it seems an eternity ago! But that is only because there is never a dull moment here at PACE! Even as we write, a youth seminar is taking place in the dining hall.Unfortunately, it seems that with every “up” we’ve experienced this month a “down” has followed. It has been a very emotionally and spiritually

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-38686340128604129502009-03-08T20:41:00.014+03:002009-03-10T19:47:31.469+03:00

We want to take a moment to apologize for letting two weeks ... and now two more days pass without a new post. We were unbelievably busy before we left for Nairobi, and then we were somehow even more busy after we returned from the five day getaway. Apology accepted? Yes ... ok thanks!So the past two weeks have been quite fun and even a bit exciting. Taryn held a poster competition for the art

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-2305233095951076682009-02-20T21:02:00.001+03:002009-02-20T21:07:04.910+03:00

We’ve been kept hoppin’ in the last two weeks! I could fill pages with the details, but because I know you have a life outside of our blog I’ll keep it as brief as possible. But really, who needs a life when you can read our blog? Just kidding :)Craft time is never void of the odd hassle (I expect nothing less when I’m planning for over 100 students!), but I never leave the classroom without a

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-78768462762551021972009-02-05T18:45:00.020+03:002009-02-06T16:37:49.477+03:00

Yes, that's right ... fun times at PACE!  Here's a bit of an idea of what I (Taryn) have been up to in the last month.Creative ArtsAfter eating lunch on Monday, I took my art basket to class 1 and began setting up for the afternoon class.  Just before the bell rang, a few class 1 students entered the room and began screaming!  As you can imagine, this startled me into a state of fear – What was

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-39892242337386044982009-01-26T16:10:00.003+03:002009-01-26T16:26:03.394+03:00

This past week has been an eventful one! The team from Harbour just left on Friday, and they truly did God’s work while they were with us at PACE. First of all, for those of us who don’t know, the entire team was ALL above age 60! Isn’t that cool?! For two of the members, Grace & Jim, it was even their first time in Africa! The team spent their two-week mission working in the musty basement (a

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-15028558679163877072009-01-18T16:23:00.005+03:002009-01-18T19:14:35.786+03:00

Until we have a chance to sit down with Gary to write a detailed description of what the Harbour Team has been up to this past week, we'll give you a brief overview of their ministry here. They have been busy visiting local orphanages to distribute nutrients and receive the results of the last distribution. Gary was very enthusiastic about what he already saw, but we'll let him tell you a little

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-61932839535294643392009-01-11T15:07:00.005+03:002009-01-11T15:51:24.647+03:00

As many of you know, I (Taryn) was very eager to get our apartment set up.  And now that it's  finished, we thought we'd share some photos with you.  The first image is a general floor plan of our basement apartment (beneath PACE offices) ....I think we've also mentioned the issue with the short ceilings and doors ... pooor Ry ... and here's some pictures to prove it!  Here are a couple wide

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-15532419973407442142009-01-11T12:08:00.000+03:002009-01-11T13:22:08.829+03:00

Our first week into the new school year at PACE has been an interesting one! We have really gotten to see the cultural differences between our worldview and the local Kenyan worldview - under a bit of a magnifying glass. We have to admit, too, that these differences have kept us spinning in circles. We’ve taken two courses on worldviews in the past year, and neither of them truly captured the

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-72869704010350971582009-01-04T13:30:00.000+03:002009-01-04T14:08:56.104+03:00

Here are just a few of the pictures we took while visiting some PACE families over the holidays. The matatu broken down in the middle of nowhere on the way to Ngoko's mother's home; our legions of fans as we were about to board the matutu home (over 50 children + adults!). Walking to Ngoko's mother's homestead; just about to eat lunch in their living room; us with Ngoko's family. Taryn in a

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-74744194799509120302009-01-03T19:49:00.000+03:002009-01-03T22:48:37.573+03:00

We kicked off the new-year by visiting the family of our friend, Ngoko (a teacher at PACE), who lives 20 kilometers outside of Nyahururu. Our original plan was to take a taxi with Joanie to save us from having to jump from one matatu to the next, but we were summoned at the last minute to high-tail it to the tarmac (highway) and catch a matatu into town where we would then hop on another matatu

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-12770629230717189812008-12-31T13:41:00.000+03:002008-12-31T14:09:10.642+03:00

Before your lesson begins, Taryn wanted me to share a couple more Christmas stories with you. It seems that here in Kenya Taryn is just 18 years old – or, at least, that’s what the Ngamau women thought! Taryn sure was grinning from ear to ear when they told her that! Another highlight of working with the women in the kitchen was that she was given a Kikuyu name: Wanjiko. The women couldn’t

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-24089965872688758352008-12-31T12:18:00.000+03:002008-12-31T15:21:23.606+03:00

Taryn's supper plate - overflowing; The Ngamau women feasting; Wachira, Glenda & Family The Ngamau men debating before dinner; Happy kids; Eating some maize

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-20749229775653260952008-12-27T20:02:00.000+03:002008-12-27T20:51:12.797+03:00

Here are a few - internet as usual is very slow so we'll try again tomorrow to post a few more. Joanie having a laugh; The kids singing Jingle Bells with the card; Banana Nose Kid The outdoor Kitchen;Taryn helping the women make Chipatti; Dinner is Served!

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-26299655196166690342008-12-26T19:28:00.000+03:002008-12-26T19:30:55.217+03:00

Hopefully this one Christmas photo will keep you satisfied until we post more tomorrow! We promise!

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-81211087185769787112008-12-26T19:25:00.000+03:002008-12-26T19:26:33.622+03:00

Taryn and I once again are spending Christmas away from home. And as much as we miss our family and friends, Christmas dinners, and visiting relatives, being away from home has helped us experience Christmas through another culture.Though we didn’t have our families to celebrate with this Christmas, God provided us with two more families, and two different pictures of what Christmas is like here

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-38261070742435920472008-12-23T12:02:00.000+03:002008-12-23T12:05:23.769+03:00

First and foremost, we want to wish you all a wonderful and very blessed Christmas season. Early in the new year we will get some more pictures up so that you can see more of Kenya and PACE. We also wanted to take an opportunity to thank everyone who has been so faithfully praying and so generously giving to support our mission in Kenya. It is through your faithful support and prayer that we are

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-45831665137981469462008-12-20T10:44:00.001+03:002008-12-20T10:48:26.987+03:00

Jambo!Here is an update on our living arrangements…Some of you will know that moving into the basement apartment at PACE has not been our first choice for accommodation since we first saw it a few weeks ago. The musty odour mixed with the smell of gasoline, the low ceilings (Ry has hit his head on the concrete cross-beams a number of times), and the utter emptiness of it (almost everything –

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-80357284061799905162008-12-13T21:22:00.000+03:002008-12-13T22:10:48.014+03:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Maralal. We had hoped to put many more, but it's taken over half an hour to upload these small ones alone!For anyone who is interested in getting email notifications when we post updates, please click here

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-30305706587975570452008-12-13T11:46:00.000+03:002008-12-13T11:54:16.042+03:00

So, it's time to finish the rest of our story. We returned from Maralal on Sunday eveningand the next morning we were off to Naivasha for the pastors' retreat. We learned onevaluable lesson from this trip: we are no longer on American/Canadian time but African time! Though we arrived at PACE at 10am - bags packed and ready to go - we didn't leave Nyahururu until 1:30pm since many of the pastors

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-71502525145440168042008-12-10T21:59:00.000+03:002008-12-10T22:03:50.046+03:00

(Can it be true?? Was it just a week and a half ago that we departed? With all that we have experienced, it seems more like a month!)Before we jump into the details of our trip to Maralal, we want to add a couple of points to our last post. The first is in regards to hand-holding. If you recall, we pointed out that many locals find it offensive for couples to hold hands in public. However, it

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-61547969053774211722008-12-04T20:59:00.000+03:002008-12-04T21:15:02.879+03:00

Our sleep cycles are still a bit wonky from the time change. In fact, we were both up at 1am after only 4 hours of sleep – wide awake - and it took nearly two hours for our internal clocks to reset and for us to fall asleep again. Later that morning, Taryn was quickly woken from her sleepy state when she closed the door of the bathroom and prepared to have a shower. Falling into the toilet has a

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-1271167402749662602008-12-02T18:40:00.000+03:002008-12-02T18:56:23.094+03:00

You might be thinking, “How is it you say that there could be a day that does not end? Don’t all days come to an end?” Yes all days do come to an end, but when you are awake for long stretches of time, it can seem to stand still and when you are on a bus for hours upon hours after being on an 18 hour flight only two days prior, you get the sense that the day will not end. For this day in

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-33093130339702503342008-12-01T12:02:00.000+03:002008-12-01T12:03:44.376+03:00

We are listening to Josh Grobin’s Christmas CD (not by my request) and drinking Kenyan Chai tea while we sit and chat with our friend, Julia, next to a roaring fire in what is a surprisingly cool environment.Let’s back up a bit first, though to Friday, November 28th: We left our home in St Catharines at 1pm for a flight that wasn’t suppose to leave until 6pm, but didn’t actually take off until

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-64407702576587808632008-11-28T03:48:00.000+03:002008-11-28T05:11:03.525+03:00

T'is the night before departureAnd all through the house,Our bags are strewn everywhere Seriously ... just about!Our final list of things to do is done! I've never seen so many to-do lists in my life, and I'm married to someone who thrives off of to-do lists. You'd think I would be used to them by now, but apparently not. Actually, it's ok because if it were up to me, we would have probably

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-71258425615858895392008-11-25T05:41:00.000+03:002008-11-25T06:45:06.029+03:00

You might notice a few changes to the blog - notably that we have broken down the fund raising thermometer into two thermometers. The first is for our pre-trip and initial start-up costs, which has been fully taken care of! Woo hoo!! The second is for our living expenses while we are in Kenya. As you can see, God is providing ....We would thus like to take a minute to thank our families, friends,

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-28509167522139939832008-11-09T02:59:00.000+03:002008-11-09T04:57:43.367+03:00

Last night the global missions team at Harbour put on the "Kenya Open House" event! Many people came out to learn about Harbour's partnership with P.A.C.E. Ministries in Kenya, and the growing passion for missions that Harbour is developing. In short, the evening was a great success! As we drove home later that night, the words of Ephesians 3:20 resonated in our thoughts:"God is able to do

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-71859497525258082072008-10-31T00:46:00.001+03:002008-10-31T00:51:21.110+03:00

Click HERE for directions to Harbour Fellowship church. Simply add in your starting address and google maps will map it out for you :-)Harbour's Address is: 51 South Service Road, St Catharine's, ONHope to see you there! Please RSVP if you can.Thanks!

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-86085918601894505762008-10-11T14:55:00.000+03:002008-10-11T15:12:21.636+03:00

The festival is finally here!We'd like to send out a big thanks to Tom at West Niagara News for hearing our story and writing up the article for the paper :o)We will be setting up just outside of Twenty Valley Community Church today (Saturday) and Monday from 10am to 5pm as well as Sunday afternoon.The church is located at 3994 Victoria Ave in Vineland. Click here for the mapSo please come on

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-59281785948109107762008-10-03T22:45:00.000+03:002008-11-28T16:53:50.373+03:00

Dear Family and Friends,A great door of opportunity has opened up for us, and we are stepping through it. This November we will embark on a 6 month mission to Kenya, Africa with the Global Mission Team at our home church, Harbour Fellowship! As many of you already know, we just returned to Canada in July from nine months in Central America, where we helped build homes, taught at community schools

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4499664606847023237.post-69320591269311311502008-10-03T19:00:00.000+03:002008-10-05T22:02:39.955+03:00

We can all picture the mad rush of honking cars on crowded streets, or the malls that fill with anxious shoppers stepping over one another to find the “perfect gift”. This year we’d like to suggest a way for you to beat the rush and support some Christmas gifts that carry a message of hope. These are gifts that will change lives in Africa!What’s for sale? We’ve taken our two passions – music and

Ryan and Tarynhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03789399510040009905noreply@blogger.com0