Poaching Rhino - first hand look

Hello All,
What a great week!  The kids had a day off last Monday for mid term and Jim and I had a get away in Nakuru.  We came back to the house on Sunday and they were all still here and the house was standing!  

Trevor's camping trip was good but wet.  They got rained on during the night on Saturday but he slept through it I was told in a puddle from the leaking tent!  Timothy camped under the stars and also got wet.  They ran to a friend's house and were able to sleep somewhere there.  We had rain during the night and I guess that is when the poachers entered the national park we were staying in.  We saw this when we were driving out the next morning.

If you look, you will see that it is a rhino with the horn missing.  The hyena were around it but the KWS people were nearby with guns.  When we came back about an hour later, the carcass was gone.  We assume they had loaded it on a truck and hauled it away.  It is very sad.  Kenya has lost many rhino in the past few years to poaching.  Some of the rhino are in national parks and private game reserves designed specifically for protecting the rhino.  It is unfathomable to me that people would pay so much for the horn for reasons that are not even grounded in truism.

Here are a few more pictures from our drive in the park:

Zebra always have their butts to you!

Bush buck running

hyena

Buffalo with a bird

The Art Center up at RVA is pouring the second floor concrete as I write.  We are very excited to be at this point.  We are about 6 months behind on this project so it will probably not be done by the time we leave in July.  Here is a picture from up top:

Jim has had a good week on the BK project.  We are moving ahead with color choices.  We chose green for the roof and are working on the PVC vinyl sheeting and terrazzo inside.  This is the fun part!

The Upendo village project is moving at lighting speed!  They are working on interiors now and should be finished ahead of schedule.  They were shooting for the first week of June but it now looks like May.  This one is looking pretty!

We had the privilege of attending the annual Senior Junior Banquet last night at RVA.  It is an event put on by the Junior class for the Senior class.  Since I am a sponsor of the class, we were invited to attend.  The theme was Alice in Wonderland, and the kids did an amazing job.  It is like a dinner theater since RVA does not approve dancing.  The play was amazing.  The talent in all of these classes never ceases to amaze me!  Here are a few pictures.  I think we clean up pretty well!

Trevor and his date Michelle

Jim and I

The setting

Getting ready

The four of us

Sure hope you have a good week.  We have our last Senior store next week end (and the crowd cheers)!  Can't believe that it is almost March.  Hopefully that will mean that the weather is warming a bit in Michigan!

In His Hands,
Jullie T