Kitulizo Orphanage Pig Pens

BEFORE


AFTER

This is Ernesti

The Kitulizo Orphanage shelters about 13 young orphans and sends another 22 children from low-income families in the community to primary school. It is run by two HIV positive individuals, Anna and Ernesti. They are some of the kindest and most genuine people in the world. The orphanage is funded mainly by donations and sponsors abroad and so it doesn't always have a constant source of income. It can barely put two meals a day on the table for all of the children, let alone send all of them to school. As part of a team, Milla and I are helping build pig pens that will eventually turn into a business and return a profit for the orphanage. They already own two pregnant sows and a boar. We are building 5 cinderblock pig pens, writing a care and breeding manual, and putting together a business plan for Anna and Ernesti to follow so that when we leave, they will be able to raise and sell the pigs at the market. This project will not only provide a more nutritious diet for the children, but it will allow for Anna and Ernesti to raise money to help even more children in the community.

Here are some step-by-step pictures of our first day working on this project. My favorite part was cutting down the banana trees. You could cut through a whole tree with one swipe of the machete. Awesome. (This blog was written by Austin)

Taking out the Banana Trees. Jared, Matt, Faith, Austin and helpers

Faith and Courtney working magic with the machetes

Lauren and Faith

Austin holding a bunch of bananas from the trees we cut down. We ate these later. :)

Courtney, Lauren, Spear and Aust leveling the ground.

The whole gang (except me, Milla) :)

Stacy, Tanya and Jaclyn.

Anna (the woman who runs the orphanage) made us fried bananas and avocado slices after our hot, long day of working. But, it was so worth it!

Snakes, Lakes and Jungles

Last weekend we visited a snake park and a Maasai museum. The best part about the whole experience was our guide, Flank (they sometimes mix up R’s and L’s so we figure his name is actually Frank). He took us through the snake park and spoke about each snake with such seriousness and intensity. He made even the not-poisonous snakes seem scary. He said the most hilarious things like, “this snaky cannot bite only once. This snaky can only bite… often Often OFTEN!” Another funny Flank quote was, “This snaky is not poison. So, if this snaky biten you, stop shouting”. HAHA! We still quote him all the time. We saw some pretty cool snakes as well as tortoises and crocodiles. At the end of the tour we got to hold a snake. As Flank wrapped the snake around my neck he said, “Don’t worry. This snaky won’t biten you. This snaky only kills by squeezing.” He sure knows how to comfort a girl.

Right after this turtle was on my head it started peeing. Close call, huh?

Yesterday we rode a dala dala out to Lake Duluti, which is a lake in the crater of a volcano. We took a hike around the entire lake and saw some really cool wildlife. Of course nothing like what we’ll see on a safari, but still cool nonetheless.

There was even one point on the trail where there were dozens of velvet monkeys swinging above and all around us. They were pretty angry because of a dog that was on the trail. Thanks, puppy! Austin thought the coolest part of the whole lake trail was a huge long trail of army ants.... yeah. Ants. We also saw some Monitor Lizards which are poisonous lizards that get as big as 6 feet long. Cool, huh?

Well.... that's all, folks! Kwaheri until next time!

P.S. This is Spear. He is our translator/friend and his wife is our cook. He basically ROCKS! :)

Hujambo from Tanzania!

Imagine you’re flying in a small, rickety plane, overlooking jungles and red deserts and all of a sudden you’re facing a huge mountain that is taller than the 20,000 ft. of elevation you’re flying at. That is exactly what we saw when we approached Mt.Kilimanjaro and started our descent for the Kilimanjaro airport. It definitely got us excited for the amazing summer that is ahead of us.

We live in a small village just outside of Arusha, Tanzania near the base of Mt. Meru. It is seriously BREATH TAKING here! We walk up and down red, muddy roads surrounded by the most green, lush jungle. The kids love to run out and greet us in Swahili. The people are so friendly here.

We’ve settled in and are getting pretty accustomed to using Tanzanian Shillings and riding the dala dalas. We also have a good start on project planning and such. Our country directors, Tyler and America Nelson, did an AMAZING job before we got here at finding contacts and potential partners for our service work here.

One of our contacts is a man named Ernest. Ernest lost his wife to HIV/Aids. He and his young daughter are both positive as well. Here in Africa there is a stigma that a person with HIV/Aids is basically useless and just waiting to die. But, Ernest has tried to fight this stigma and help others who are positive as well. He and a woman named Anna started an orphanage to support children and struggling families. Anna lost her husband because he was positive and too ashamed to seek medical attention. Most people who have HIV/Aids are embarrassed or afraid so they keep it a secret and sometimes die because they won’t receive treatment. We have a few potential projects with the orphanage which include starting a pig farm, building all the pens and teaching the children how to care for the animals in order to receive revenue and support the orphanage financially and make it self-sustainable.

That is just one of many projects we are going to be working on. We're also working with special needs children at a school called Step-by-Step, teaching business, working with HIV positive groups, teaching English, and so many other projects as well. We’ll give more updates as we get more time.

Kwaheri!

A Foggy Day in London Town!

Fish 'N Chips!

Big Ben


Buckingham Palace

London was rainy, foggy and absolutely BEAUTIFUL! We had a great time running from site to site trying to capture as much as possible in our short visit. We were pretty impressed with ourselves at just how much we actually squeezed into the agenda and how much use we put into our train pass. We even had time to find a great place with Fish 'N Chips which is our favorite thing ever! Anyway, enjoy the pics!

ADVENTURE Time!!!

Yesterday, I looked around at our half-packed, dis-oriented house and had an exciting realization: We leave for Tanzania, Africa in 2 1/2 weeks!!!

Sometimes Austin and I are faced with the question of why we want to go to Africa so bad... and I just wanna scream "WHY NOT?"!!! First of all, I am a huge fan of humanitarian work. I think while we are young and able, why not take these opportunities to change the world. That sounds cheesy, but it's so true. There are millions of people out there, as far away as Africa and as close to home as around the corner, that need help more than we know. Do they need money? No (well, maybe sometimes). Do they need free stuff? No! What they really need is our time and our knowledge. With that their lives can truly change for the better.

Early on in our relationship, Austin and I decided on 2 things. One, that we would fill our time on Earth with loads and loads of traveling and ADVENTURE! And two, that we would use these experiences and opportunities to make the world a better place.

All of you probably already know that we are always in for a good adventure. But, just for a good laugh... here is a little taste of what we do best:

Roadtripping: On this particular road trip we were driving my little 1989 Honda Accord, Lola. Lola was a really great car. Notice that I used the word WAS. Yeah. This picture is from her last drive ever when she finally gave out on us in the middle of the desert in Nevada. We had to hitchhike into the nearest town (about 45 minutes away) and wait in a grave yard for Austin's brother, our hero Tallon, to come pick us up. Good times!


This next photo was taken by our friends Kim and Jesse Moore, who accompanied us on an adventure that we'll NEVER forget! We hiked, canyoneered (is that even a word?), repelled down waterfalls and swam about 8 miles through the narrows of Zion national park called the "Subway". This was seriously an unforgettable experience. Austin and I love hiking and this hike was a beast, but OH so much fun!

Yes. Austin is hanging from a cliff. If he does this kind of stuff when I'm around, I don't even WANT to know what he does on his Geology trips. This picture captures a few things. One, Austin LOVES rocks. Most people already know that. And two, Austin is crazy and quite the dare devil. As a Geology major, he gets to travel all over the U.S. and even outside the states studying with his professors. A few places he's been are Maine, Texas, ALL over Utah, India, and he leaves in a week for Florida and the Bahamas. This Summer, while we're in Africa, he is even going to fly to the Czech Republic to meet his professors there for a few weeks to do research. I'm so glad to be married to a man who absolutely loves what he does, even if he is away sometimes. :)


Both, Austin and I have spent time abroad. I taught in English in mainland China for 6 months (this picture was taken in Hong Kong though) and Austin served a 2 year mission for the LDS church in Russia and has traveled to many places for research. But, this is the first time we are going abroad together.

We can't even TELL you how excited we are to start this adventure together and an ADVENTURE it will be! If you want to stay updated and see all the cool projects we do this summer, pop back in at this blog site. I'll try to post once a week for the entire 4 months that we'll be there... but no promises. :)

Love,

Austin and Milla

Christ's Embrace

Last night I was so overcome with comfort and peace. I was having a rough day and missing David a lot. But then I started to think about how amazing it must have been for David to pass through the veil, to see Christ face to face and to reunite with our Grandparents and our little brother Spencer and all the other loved ones we miss so much. I will always ache. I will always feel a hole, a space where David should be. But, I know that the rest of me can be filled because of Christ's atoning sacrifice. He feels what I feel. He feels what my family feels. But, he suffered so that we can be whole. I am so grateful for that.In the October 2010 General Conference, Elder Gerrit W. Gong spoke about eternal families and he said,

"Sometimes things go wrong even though we have done our very best. A lamb innocent and pure, our Savior, weeps with us and for us. When we always remember Him, He can stand with us at all times and in all things and in all places that we may be in. His faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death."

David, I love you so much. Thank you for being such a good brother. See you soon.

David Wayne Whitney, Jr.

My brother, David, passed away on November 17, 2010 in a plane crash. He was studying aviation at UVU and while flying with his flight instructor, Jamie Bennee, something went wrong and they crashed. Both he and his instructor were killed.

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It has been the most difficult month of my life. With so many new emotions that I am facing, I can't really say how I am right now. Sometimes I feel great and so blessed with angels around me to help me stay strong. Other times, I am on the downslope of a massive roller coaster.

Today is a good day. I know everything is going to be ok. I miss David like crazy, but, I know he isn't very far away.

David was the most amazing brother any girl could ask for. He and my brother Spencer (who passed away in 1995) are my only brothers. My 4 sisters, my parents, and I miss them both so much.

David was one of those super-smiley guys that brightened up your day just from his happy and uplifting countenance. He was an Eagle Scout, served a full-time mission in Monterey, Mexico, and was married in the Salt Lake City Temple to his beautiful love, Angie.

It's hard living in Provo without him. He's been here since my first day at BYU. Everything reminds me of him. He used to come over all the time, go to all my concerts and shows, come to all my lame parties, etc. He was so loving and supportive.

My family will always feel a hole where David should be. But, we will always look forward to seeing him again and living all together forever. Thank you to everyone for your love and your prayers. We will never forget your kindness.