June 8, 2015

     Well, the letters were pretty short today...but I guess any news at all is good news.  It's a transfer day and so he must be quite busy.  On the plus side....only 12 more weeks to go!!!

sorry mom i ran out of time today i just got transfed to kisumu and all that but i m doing good
love you lots and hope to write some more next week
Sorry again Carson



Here's a letter to Ken....

Hey dad
Ya all is well over here and i hope your all swinging good.
ya i uset to use the bike everyday all day, the area was big and members live far away from each other.
But now i have been moved, i am in kisimu for 2 weeks and then i ll be moved again to busia so right now it looks like everything is going to be fun.  But ya all is good really enjoying and hope your all doing good
Love you lots
Carson

And a letter to Grandma.....

ya ya hey grandma...  Ya me all is going good...  ya i have been eating kale but they call it skuma wiki which in english is "push the week"  it got its name because it is very cheep and when it is the end of the month and everybody is broke they go and they eat that...really good.  
But ya basically the put it in a saucer pan with some cooking oil and fry it, really nice but i feel my artries are clogging up. 

 But ya news of the week i have been transfed again... This time i m in kisumu and i ll stay there for about 2 weeks and then i ll go to busia. but ya after that all is well. I was just pulled out of a van for 4 hours i m still recovering but all is good. 

But ya grandpa and grandma i really miss you all lots and i hope to send you some exciting photos next week this flatt here in kisumu is swarming with mice so we will see what i can come up with, 

Love you lots 

Carson

Where is Kisimu and Busia?

KISIMU, KENYA

BUSIA, KENYA

And...as an added bonus today...here are some pictures he sent us today....

Kilungu Hills Chyulu Zone Conf May 2015

Mission tour Eldoret May 2015

(Carson's hiding behind some other guy!)

Mission Tour MaY 2015 Dar

Nairobi Area Zone Conf May 2015

We also had some exciting news this last weekend.  Kaylee's senior varsity girls rugby team won the provincial championship title again!   It's a 7-peat!!!   Yah girls!!  Congratulations!

    And this is a pretty nice tribute that was written up in the Westwind school division newsletter:

COMETS' PLAYOFF ATTIRE A TRIBUTE TO THE PAST

The Raymond Comets, with black jerseys, pose with their zone banner. 

Dan Bikman doesn’t like to dwell on ‘the streak’ but that doesn’t mean the coach of the Raymond Comets girls rugby team ignores the past.

The Comets take to the Tier 1 provincial championships in Edmonton Friday and Saturday in search of their seventh-straight title. Look for Raymond High School’s traditional red and white, however, and you’ll walk right past them. As they have for the past several years come zones and provincials, the rugby team will be wearing their all-black kit.

Many teams in professional sports don special black uniforms at certain points in the season to help infuse a little swagger in their step. The color holds special appeal in rugby circles thanks to the New Zealand men’s national team, dubbed the All Blacks.

While Bikman admits “black, you know, is just kind of cool in any sport,” a different jersey for the post-season was sparked by a desire from rugby officials for an official set with no duplicate numbers.

 “We went to them for the numbers and turned it into a teaching opportunity for the kids to teach them about life, teach them about rugby and make them better and stronger as a group,” he says.

Unlike some teams which hand out jerseys before each game, Comets rugby players buy a red jersey at the beginning of their career and keep it. That leads to duplicates, however, as jersey numbers and positions are associated.

Since alumni helped raise money for the first purchase of the black jerseys, each set now sports the names of past provincial winners who started in that particular position.

“If kids get No. 2 black jersey they will see past players who played that position. There’s athletic honor to it, there’s legacy to it, and just passing along the tradition of the program,” says Bikman, now in his 10th year of coaching the Comets.

While those in starting positions have uniforms with players’ names on them, non-starters have the words ‘work, execution and unity’ on them – three principles a successful team must have.

The change in uniforms brings with it a special practice just before zones, where they wear black for the first time. The senior players share with the others what they love about the game, what they love about their team and their goals for the coming playoffs.

“It creates a bond with the kids and they feel honored to be there. It’s an honor to wear those jerseys,” he says.

Despite the success they’ve enjoyed wearing the black jerseys – which do sport a red and white Comet symbol – Bikman doesn’t think there’s much chance of them ever replacing the traditional school colors.

The form-fitting jerseys the Comets first unveiled against LCI at the zones were donated by Dan and Tara Anderson, whose daughter Megan is a co-captain. The previous tops were stretchier and easier to grab and there were safety concerns with the players being swung around by their jerseys, explains Bikman.

  As the team readied itself for provincials, where the Comets open against Lloydminster, the coach avoided talk of ‘the streak.’

“I don’t like putting undue pressure on the kids because they already feel it. It’s like, ‘we don’t want to be the kids that finish it,’ ” Bikman says.

Instead, the team’s rule of thumb is to make opponents beat their best game and if that happens there will be no regrets. That being said, Bikman points out the team has a very good chance for another title if they hold true to that principle.

While every team is unique, he says this year’s squad holds a special place in his heart for a number of reasons. After losing a number of senior players last year, there were some who questioned the likelihood of the Comets repeating as provincial champs.

More importantly, this year’s team has battled not only through unprecedented injuries but has had to overcome a number of personal challenges.

“In the end you cheer for these kids on and off the field and that’s what this is about. I am inspired by this group,” says Bikman, his voice beginning to crack.