By Natalie Hundley

Day 11 -  NAIROBI

We started our last day in Kenya, eating breakfast at the Heart Lodge. We reflected on our past two weeks and how fast the time went. We loaded up our bags onto the bus so we could start our day of fun before heading to the airport later that night.

Our first stop of the day was at a cute store that had unique items for sale. I loved going into the different stores throughout Kenya and buying gifts for my family and friends. We then headed to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (an orphanage for baby elephants). Seven days a week for one hour, the orphanage opens up to the public to see and learn about the orphaned elephants. That place is truly doing amazing things with their project. Most of us got to pet a baby elephant and watched them play with other elephants. I’ve heard so much about how this program cares for these elephants and prepares them to go back into the wild, and it was so surreal to see it in person. One of the best parts is that you can adopt your own baby elephant and get monthly updates.

After the program, we headed to lunch at (of course) Java House. Java was our favorite place to eat on the entire trip. We then headed next door to the market to shop a little more before heading home. We probably spent over an hour just looking at all the beautiful items for sale. I love how everything is so unique to the country and that they would be hard to find in the U.S.

My favorite part of the day was when we headed to the Giraffe Center at Giraffe Manor. I have heard so much about this place and even researched about it, so it was incredible to see it in person. We were starting to run out of time for everything, so we only spent 20 minutes there.

We ran to get some giraffe food and quickly began feeding them and taking pictures. The whole trip, Michelle and Paeton told us that we needed to kiss the giraffe. We all thought that was a crazy idea, but we knew we had to do it for the experience. Sara Ruth, Cassidy, Jaley, and I all kissed the giraffe, and it was one of the funniest things to watch. Jaley even kissed the giraffe five different times to get a video, which was hilarious. Kelley met Kelley the giraffe and was hesitant to take a picture with her, but it made for some good pictures and memories.

The team headed to Amani Ya Juu one last time to shop a little more. This was probably our favorite store to shop at. All of the items sold are made by incredible women who have come together on one path to create merchandise and share their love for Jesus. We quickly bought what we wanted and then headed to The Hub for dinner.

We ate a fantastic dinner at The Art Cafe and had some fun laughing and dancing to the music before heading to the airport.

This has been a trip of a lifetime, and I’m so blessed to have served with this team. Each one of these women has impacted me and inspired me to do more. I can’t wait until we all meet again. I'm so thankful that God chose this path for me this summer. I’ll be back soon, Kenya!