The country of Kenya straddles

The Turkana are semi-nomadic pastoralists who

Living in the bush with your missionary:
When living with missionaries in the bush, flexibility is very important. Plans can change quickly depending on the needs of the day. While many of the missionaries have worked hard to live in a way that would be familiar to Americans, most Americans on a short trip don’t quite feel at home. Everything is much more labor intensive than in the States and there are no quick solutions or quick runs to the grocery store or Wal-Mart! Please don’t expect to be catered to too much, and please do offer to help out with things like dishes, cleaning up, carrying bags, changing tires and having a good attitude when things go wrong!

While in Turkana you will probably get to meet other CMF missionaries than just the ones you support. Most likely, other missionaries on the team will be helping with the logistics of your trip. Currently, the missionaries on our team are:

Rick and Debbie Bruen (Genevieve)- on Leave of Absence in Idaho. Rick and Debbie work in leadership training and development. Rick is currently working toward a Ph.D. in missions and is on an extended furlough. They joined the team in 1991. They left the field to deal with medical issues with their youngest daughter, and hope to return in 2006-2007.

Travel to Kenya

Before you land in Kenya, the flight attendants will pass out forms that need to be filled out. Use this information: Purpose of visit- vacation/visit friends—you are not working while you are in Kenya. Address in Kenya- General Mathenge Road, Nairobi, phone number 4452491. When you arrive at the airport, follow the rest of the passengers (keep your passport handy; you will be asked to show it often). There will be counters to purchase a tourist visa (you will need to have $50 on hand to do this) and then you will pass through an immigration counter one by one, where a Kenyan immigration officer will look through your passport. After this you will head down some stairs to the baggage claim area. Claim all of your baggage before heading to customs (you do not need to allow someone to help you; you don’t need it and they will want money—there are free baggage carts available). If baggage is missing, report it to an airport official (this is not uncommon and usually arrives the next day). Make sure when you go through customs that you stand in the Nothing to Declare line, but cooperate if a customs official signals you to another line. Customs officials can be quite gruff, but a warm smile and a pleasant disposition on your part can usually change their attitude. Whatever happens, staying calm and polite will see you through the experience! If they decide to open and inspect your every bag, remember that this is their country, and they have the authority to do this at random to prevent drugs or other contraband from being smuggled into their country. When asked what you are carrying the best answer is “personal effects.” If they ask direct questions, give them honest answers, but there is no need to volunteer information. If the agent asks where you are going in country, tell them Turkana, but let them lead the discussion (this is not really a stressful time, just don’t offer more than what they ask). If they want you to pay duty on something, tell them you will need to leave it and return with your friend who is coming to the airport to pick you up. They will check it into a secure place and we will assist you from there. Only after you leave the customs area will you be able to join the person meeting you. If your missionary is not scheduled to meet you, there will be a person waiting with a sign for your group. Go only with that person.

Frequently Asked Questions About Visiting

1. What expenses should I expect while in Kenya?
Our general operating principle for years has been to ask each visitor to provide $10 per day to their host for food and ground transportation costs. Bring additional funds for special meals out at restaurants, nights spent at a Nairobi guesthouse (~$35 per person per night), visits to game parks and lodges, and, of course, some funds for souvenirs.

2. What form of money should I bring? Cash? Traveler’s Checks? Credit Cards?
We recommend that you carry at least one credit card for emergency use. Many more shops (especially those whose clientele is mainly tourists) are offering sales via credit card, but it is always a good idea to ask your missionary whether or not it is OK to use a credit card at a specific store. The best form of money to carry is traveler’s checks. Our CMF office in Nairobi will be able to exchange cash and traveler’s cheques from US Dollars to Kenyan Shillings which have recently been running about 78 Kenyan shillings to one US Dollar.

The Ten Commandments of Short-term Missions,
by Paul Cull

So you're ready for the Great Missionary Adventure. You've got your visa and your airline tickets, had the immunization tablets and shots, bought lots of film for your camera, and made some contacts with mission bases in your target country. You've heard about some short-term trips that didn't turn out quite as expected, but you're sure that this will be different. After all, you have a genuine burden for the people you will be visiting, and have received definite confirmation that the Lord will use you and your team to reach the lost during this trip.

Here are some of our suggested ideas on what to bring to Turkana:

Clothing: Women
Women visiting Turkana need to wear long skirts or dresses. Please consider comfort/mobility over style. Below the knees. Try crouching and bending to see if it’s comfortable. Sleeveless or short sleeve shirts are good. Cotton or cotton blend clothing works best. I suggest 4-5 changes of clothes. Cotton underwear is so much better than silky! Also, a couple of bras. Comfortable sandals. Some people also like tennis shoes, but I don’t ever wear them. We women don’t wear shorts in Turkana, except as pajamas if you want. Bring a hat and a swimsuit. Please bring shorts to wear over your suit.