Brackenhurst

It was fantastic to visit Kenya. It was well worth the long road trip either way, even though our visit was so brief!
On our first day in Niarobi, Jenny and I were very excited to visit a large shopping centre, where we stocked up on general goodies that we can't get in Dodoma. I filled the car with bags of toiletries, baby foods for Joel and cheaper nappies... etc etc!
We also enjoyed the delights of western-style coffee shops/ cafes- a real treat for us Dodoma-ites!! There was great excitement as we ordered western treats such as milk-shakes, a mug of tea and fancy food on shiny plates (although Joel looks as if he can't imagine what all the fuss is about!!)

Then it was back in the car, to drive the hour and a half to Brackenhurst-such a tiny, short journey compared to the road trip to get to Nairobi itself from Dodoma!!

Brackenhurst is an annual conference for people working in East Africa with Christian mission organisations/ schools/ agencies. This was our first visit, although many families and individuals attend year after year. We had such a good time, we could definitely see why people return again and again!
This year, there were over 200 people attending the 4 day conference. About a quarter of the conference this time round seemed to be MAF families- so here is the photo of the MAFers at Brackenhurst 2011-12!

11 MAF families of 6 different nationalities, working with MAF across Tanzania, Uganda and South Sudan but all part of the same new year conference in Kenya. It was fun to catch up with old MAF friends, including several neighbours who have left Dodoma over the past 2 years. Esther and Ben were delighted to catch up with their old play-buddies who used to live next door to us. We also met new friends and I got to meet the Swiss MAF family who used to live in our Dodoma house!

Each day, there were workshops, teaching sessions and sport or family activities to choose from. The teaching sessions were excellent and led by an Australian church minister who worked with a church mission group for 10 years in Indonesia.
The accommodation in small cottage-style rooms was lovely- with the HUGE bonus of NOT having mosquito nets! Brackenhurst is too high for the malaria mosquito- for me, it was such a huge relief to be in a place where I did not need to worry about my children catching malaria. Joel approved the accommodation...

 ...and we all loved the food. Esther and Ben loved being able to have meals again with their little friend Esther Cousley who is now living in Kampala:

 The setting for the meals was very grand and the food was always fantastic:

 We also enjoyed the regular outdoor breaks for tea, coffee, cakes and biscuits:

 The grounds of the conference centre were beautiful. We loved the greenery and the cooler environment, which made it far more pleasant to be outdoors compared with the burning sun on hot Dodoma days.

On New Year's Eve, there were lots of fun events for the children: short horse riding treks...

 ...bouncy castle adventure, although Joel is not too sure about all the noise and bouncing!

 And we all had fun spotting the wild animals hanging out near the bouncy castle- some more scary than others:

 In the evening, there was a short children's party, with a treasure hunt for chocolate coins...

 ...and glow sticks to wave in the dark:

 As night fell, apparently there was a watchnight service, then a midnight bonfire and fireworks- but some of us were just too worn out to attend, especially with a long drive ahead of us the next day... We had a fantastic break at Brackenhurst and are grateful for the opportunity we had to attend as we welcomed 2012.