A Dad's Perspective

As Justin is currently sleeping for his last night in Nairobi, I am taking the opportunity to usurp his blog and tell you a few things that you might not know.

Justin's 8th grade class will be taking an optional trip to Washington D.C. next spring. We offered Justin the choice of the class trip or going to Nairobi with Kari. The deal was that whichever trip he wanted to go on, he would have to raise $500 to help pay for the costs. Justin chose to go to Kenya.

He has been mowing lawns all summer to raise money. We told him that he didn't have to have the money all paid back before going to Kenya as he had a much shorter time frame to earn the money. Not only has he fully paid the $500 dollars, but he also raised another $100 that he took with him for spending money. This is on top of the money that we require him to put in savings. He has done such a terrific job. As a parent it is wonderful to have people tell you how impressed they are with someone his age, the job that he has done for them, and how much it encourages them about kids his age.

Things that he has written about he has been doing, not just seeing. I know that he was taking the photos of all of the sponsored kids and helping with many of the different tasks that you have read about.

I am proud of him!

When he has talked about buying things like the small soccer balls, toys, etc. that he took to the kids at Humble Hearts, he bought these things out of the spending money that he raised and took with him. When I was talking to him on phone he told me that he was surprised actually at how little of the money he took he has spent as the exchange rate makes many things inexpensive. I had to giggle a little as he was quoting everything to me in schillings.

To the teachers at school that are following his blog... THANK YOU!!! for your confidence in him that being gone would be no problem, for working with him to modify assignments, like allowing this blog to take place of his daily journal, etc. I checked in with him the other day and he has been doing some homework while there. He plans on doing more on the flight home, and has set some aside that he has questions about. THANK YOU for helping him to have this opportunity.

I can't wait for he and Kari to be home.

Have I mentioned how PROUD of him I am?

Justin, I love you and can't wait to see you and hear about things even more than the phone conversations we have had.