Africa Expedition 2025
Our return…
Our last day in Kenya and the beginning of our travels home started early. At 5:30 a.m. the alarm went off. The normal last day activities for the trip include the Museum of Natural History in Nairobi, the twiga feeding station, aka giraffes, or the elephant orphanage within the Nairobi Game Park. This year, however we had a change of plans…
George has certainly become one of the greatest friends in my life. We talk weekly, we share with one another prayer requests, but more than that we have been blessed to watch each others kids grow up through pictures and stories as we grow our own relationship. George wanted something special for Faith and Uriah on the last morning so he suggested a white water rafting trip just north of the city on the Tana River. After some discussion with the team we decided it would be an ok thing to add in for our last day. Once we sorted the extra cost to the trip and got all the details planned there was nothing to do but look forward to the experience. Robert and April had decided to go see the elephants from the beginning but the rest of us were in.
An unfortunate incident left our man Brian with a sore knee. So after giving it all the healing time he could he had to make the difficult choice to hold back and go check out the elephants rather than raft. I didn’t go with them on their adventure that morning so I can’t write about the experience they had. I have however been to the place several times, and can say with confidence that the rush of excitement as they open the gate and a dozen or more toddler elephants run toward the wheel barrels of bottles is one to be cherished for years. Baby animals are always fun to be around, but a baby elephant is still as large as a grown cow yet demonstrates the traits of a silly young thing, eager to play and begging for attention from anywhere it can be found. It’s quite a neat experience to feed and pet baby elephants in such a place. I hope they cherish the time and never forget the experience they had that morning in Kenya.
There’s a neat thing about African wildlife…I consider myself blessed to have walked up on nearly every animal in North America. From the smallest of the critters like lizards and mice to the largest ones like bison and bear, more often than not, they simply flee the presence of a human being if they are in the wild…this isn’t the same for the bison around the Yellowstone, because they have frequent tourist molesting their daily lifestyle, looking for the perfect social media picture. African wildlife on the other hand, will stop and stare at you, being more frustrated with your arrival than fearful. It’s not because of the parks and tourism, a bit of reading of the earliest hunters to the great wild places will confirm that they have always just been confident that they were where they belonged, and they stare at the trespassers as if to say leave me and my home, and go back to where you came from. In fact, many of them will make a charge toward the trespasser more often than they will run. A concept that fascinates the outdoorsman spirit and hunter that is rooted deep in my life. I love being in Africa, I love the wildlife, and I love the people.
With George at the wheel of the land cruiser, the diesel engine humming smoothly, we were off like a heard of turtles toward our morning adventure in the Tana River. We would drive almost 80 KPH as we headed through the congested traffic and the constant threat of a giant speed bump appearing out of nowhere to bring us to a uncomfortably fast halt, followed by a equally uncomfortable bounce. The springs and suspension on these light duty trucks are at least as heavy as a F-350. Basically it’s a rough ride. A Kenyans massage as George would say.
As we finally made our way to the river site, we got the safety briefing, how to paddle, what to do if boat flips, if you drop your paddle, if you need to be rescued….this scared George half to death…we took off for the river. Class IIII rapids in a rubber boat…if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend saying yes if you get the chance. I can’t explain the adrenaline and excitement in our little boat as we went off the first waterfall. But looking back as George and Chip followed us and seeing George jump into Chips arms was the real prize. Chip was laughing so hard and I wish I knew what was being said in that moment. We finished up our float as soon as we started. If feels like we were on that river only twenty minutes. There were five good rapids we were able to navigate and several other swift spots that kept our little boat swiftly headed south.
I don’t know what was more sad in the moment. The rafting being over or admitting that we were now done with everything planned to consider the “trip”. From that point we were to be dropped off at the hotel, say goodbye to my friend George, and go to the airport for the long uncomfortable journey back across this great big world that, in retrospect, seems quite small.
Before I was ready to say goodbye we were back to the hotel. With only a few minor tasks remaining unchecked, the time was swiftly escaping us as we prepared for the flight. We had our final powwow as Rachel called it. George and I took one last look over all the bills and double checked that all things were sorted for our departure, and with a few tears in our eyes and a tight hug we said our final “until next time”.
I’m not the guy who misses home that much. When my family is with me I certainly don’t miss it that much. Saying our farewells to our friends, and to Africa is a burden for me. But one I’ll gladly bear as many times as God allows me to go there and return home.
We find ourselves in the hotel restaurant, filling our bellies one last time in Africa, and mentally preparing for the next 36 hours. Once we departed from that hotel, all comfort and the ability to stretch out was gone for somewhere around the 36 hour mark. It’s a miserable realization that happens each time I travel. It’s the only bad part of the trip and yet its necessary to do it not once but twice. Getting there is equally as painful.
We finally made it home…
After what seemed to be a week of not sleeping, not laying down flat, and only straitening my legs if I were standing upright, we made it Dallas. We stopped and grabbed McDonald’s in Dallas and ate on the drive so we could get home sooner. We got to our house and had a lot to still do. Unpacking, prepping for school the next morning, and church that next evening. We worked about 4 hours nonstop to get things put away, laundry started, lunches packed for the next day…then we slept…
I think I could still be sleeping but that only makes the jet lag last longer. We had a great trip…Im ready for the next one. Ezekiel and I have some exciting information already in the works. Our Kenyan ministry is maturing and doing as it should be. Becoming more independent and opening new and exciting doors for us to help in other ways and in other places. Not only that, but this group of maturing Kenyans will be leading the way, creating a new path and setting new standards and examples for their countrymen and women. Proving that they can remain Kenyans, keep their culture, and be a force to be reckoned with as they change lives and hearts for the gospel of Jesus.
I hope you all join us this Sunday. We will be sharing testimonies during both services. Letting you get a even closer look into the hearts of the men and women who went this year. And helping to show you the work, your prayers and money were able to accomplish as we went to be the hands and feet on the ground in Kilgoris. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these updates and I’m sorry it’s taken this long for the final travel log. It’s been an honor to represent you all in Africa again, and I hope this inspires you in some way to be fruitful with the gifts God has blessed you with.
I do hope to add a trip overview 2025 on here and leave this available to read for a little while. I’ll try and add it to our 2026 trip information once we sort the details and get it up on the app.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and financial support, we love you all…
This time from Texas,
Todd Crabtree
Our last day in Kenya and the beginning of our travels home started early. At 5:30 a.m. the alarm went off. The normal last day activities for the trip include the Museum of Natural History in Nairobi, the twiga feeding station, aka giraffes, or the elephant orphanage within the Nairobi Game Park. This year, however we had a change of plans…
George has certainly become one of the greatest friends in my life. We talk weekly, we share with one another prayer requests, but more than that we have been blessed to watch each others kids grow up through pictures and stories as we grow our own relationship. George wanted something special for Faith and Uriah on the last morning so he suggested a white water rafting trip just north of the city on the Tana River. After some discussion with the team we decided it would be an ok thing to add in for our last day. Once we sorted the extra cost to the trip and got all the details planned there was nothing to do but look forward to the experience. Robert and April had decided to go see the elephants from the beginning but the rest of us were in.
An unfortunate incident left our man Brian with a sore knee. So after giving it all the healing time he could he had to make the difficult choice to hold back and go check out the elephants rather than raft. I didn’t go with them on their adventure that morning so I can’t write about the experience they had. I have however been to the place several times, and can say with confidence that the rush of excitement as they open the gate and a dozen or more toddler elephants run toward the wheel barrels of bottles is one to be cherished for years. Baby animals are always fun to be around, but a baby elephant is still as large as a grown cow yet demonstrates the traits of a silly young thing, eager to play and begging for attention from anywhere it can be found. It’s quite a neat experience to feed and pet baby elephants in such a place. I hope they cherish the time and never forget the experience they had that morning in Kenya.
There’s a neat thing about African wildlife…I consider myself blessed to have walked up on nearly every animal in North America. From the smallest of the critters like lizards and mice to the largest ones like bison and bear, more often than not, they simply flee the presence of a human being if they are in the wild…this isn’t the same for the bison around the Yellowstone, because they have frequent tourist molesting their daily lifestyle, looking for the perfect social media picture. African wildlife on the other hand, will stop and stare at you, being more frustrated with your arrival than fearful. It’s not because of the parks and tourism, a bit of reading of the earliest hunters to the great wild places will confirm that they have always just been confident that they were where they belonged, and they stare at the trespassers as if to say leave me and my home, and go back to where you came from. In fact, many of them will make a charge toward the trespasser more often than they will run. A concept that fascinates the outdoorsman spirit and hunter that is rooted deep in my life. I love being in Africa, I love the wildlife, and I love the people.
With George at the wheel of the land cruiser, the diesel engine humming smoothly, we were off like a heard of turtles toward our morning adventure in the Tana River. We would drive almost 80 KPH as we headed through the congested traffic and the constant threat of a giant speed bump appearing out of nowhere to bring us to a uncomfortably fast halt, followed by a equally uncomfortable bounce. The springs and suspension on these light duty trucks are at least as heavy as a F-350. Basically it’s a rough ride. A Kenyans massage as George would say.
As we finally made our way to the river site, we got the safety briefing, how to paddle, what to do if boat flips, if you drop your paddle, if you need to be rescued….this scared George half to death…we took off for the river. Class IIII rapids in a rubber boat…if you haven't tried it, I highly recommend saying yes if you get the chance. I can’t explain the adrenaline and excitement in our little boat as we went off the first waterfall. But looking back as George and Chip followed us and seeing George jump into Chips arms was the real prize. Chip was laughing so hard and I wish I knew what was being said in that moment. We finished up our float as soon as we started. If feels like we were on that river only twenty minutes. There were five good rapids we were able to navigate and several other swift spots that kept our little boat swiftly headed south.
I don’t know what was more sad in the moment. The rafting being over or admitting that we were now done with everything planned to consider the “trip”. From that point we were to be dropped off at the hotel, say goodbye to my friend George, and go to the airport for the long uncomfortable journey back across this great big world that, in retrospect, seems quite small.
Before I was ready to say goodbye we were back to the hotel. With only a few minor tasks remaining unchecked, the time was swiftly escaping us as we prepared for the flight. We had our final powwow as Rachel called it. George and I took one last look over all the bills and double checked that all things were sorted for our departure, and with a few tears in our eyes and a tight hug we said our final “until next time”.
I’m not the guy who misses home that much. When my family is with me I certainly don’t miss it that much. Saying our farewells to our friends, and to Africa is a burden for me. But one I’ll gladly bear as many times as God allows me to go there and return home.
We find ourselves in the hotel restaurant, filling our bellies one last time in Africa, and mentally preparing for the next 36 hours. Once we departed from that hotel, all comfort and the ability to stretch out was gone for somewhere around the 36 hour mark. It’s a miserable realization that happens each time I travel. It’s the only bad part of the trip and yet its necessary to do it not once but twice. Getting there is equally as painful.
We finally made it home…
After what seemed to be a week of not sleeping, not laying down flat, and only straitening my legs if I were standing upright, we made it Dallas. We stopped and grabbed McDonald’s in Dallas and ate on the drive so we could get home sooner. We got to our house and had a lot to still do. Unpacking, prepping for school the next morning, and church that next evening. We worked about 4 hours nonstop to get things put away, laundry started, lunches packed for the next day…then we slept…
I think I could still be sleeping but that only makes the jet lag last longer. We had a great trip…Im ready for the next one. Ezekiel and I have some exciting information already in the works. Our Kenyan ministry is maturing and doing as it should be. Becoming more independent and opening new and exciting doors for us to help in other ways and in other places. Not only that, but this group of maturing Kenyans will be leading the way, creating a new path and setting new standards and examples for their countrymen and women. Proving that they can remain Kenyans, keep their culture, and be a force to be reckoned with as they change lives and hearts for the gospel of Jesus.
I hope you all join us this Sunday. We will be sharing testimonies during both services. Letting you get a even closer look into the hearts of the men and women who went this year. And helping to show you the work, your prayers and money were able to accomplish as we went to be the hands and feet on the ground in Kilgoris. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading these updates and I’m sorry it’s taken this long for the final travel log. It’s been an honor to represent you all in Africa again, and I hope this inspires you in some way to be fruitful with the gifts God has blessed you with.
I do hope to add a trip overview 2025 on here and leave this available to read for a little while. I’ll try and add it to our 2026 trip information once we sort the details and get it up on the app.
Thank you so much for all your prayers and financial support, we love you all…
This time from Texas,
Todd Crabtree
Posted in Africa Updates