Saturday, November 27, 2010

What a Crazy Two Weeks!! Can't believe our time here is coming to an end...

It’s hard to believe that I only have less than one week left here in Kenya. Things are beginning to wind down, but the past two weeks have been filled with craziness! It’s hard to even recall everything that has happened, but I will do my best to recap!

Two weeks ago our team divided into two groups to accompany students from East Africa School of Theology on a mission to the Rendille tribe. The entire mission was spread over 6 different locations, and our Convoy team participated in helping with two of the sites: Marsibit and Merille. I ended up with the team heading to Merille, an extremely hot and dry place near the border of Ethiopia. The entire mission’s purpose was to evangelize the Rendille and Samburu tribes living in Northern Kenya. These tribes have been considered “unreached.” These are extremely tribal people groups who have combined supposed Jewish heritage and practices with Animistic rituals, a very odd mix. Although many of these villages are considered Muslim, many of the people do not actually practice Islam because they refused to pray with their faces to the ground due to their belief in God. They actually stopped Islam from spreading southward through Africa. However, they are in desperate need of Christ. Many of them had never even heard of Jesus.

So, 6 of us left two Fridays ago to head to Merille with some of the Kenyan East students on their bus. On the way, we stopped to eat dinner at a very sketchy town. It was muddy, dark, raining, and hard to see. After dinner, a few other girls and I got a little behind because when we came out of the bathroom the others had already left. On our way back to the bus, I was suddenly grabbed from behind near a dark alleyway, and a man ripped my camera off of my shoulders and took off with it. I was extremely frightened and my arm hurt where he had grabbed me. This did not make for a good start on the mission, to say the least! I was very shaken up at the fact that someone was able to grab me out of nowhere so quickly, but I thank God that all he took was my camera. Unfortunately, he wasn’t caught and my camera was long gone. Thankfully, I had backed up my pictures on my computer the night before. I was pretty discouraged after this and actually wanted to go back to Nairobi, but God had me press on toward the mission.

We spent the night at a place called Isiolo on the floor of a classroom. The next day, we drove the rest of the way to Merille. In all, the trip was about 8-9 hours or so. In Merille, we stayed in one of the villagers’ compound, but due to room restrictions, we decided it was best to stay in one of our tents outside. So, for the next 10 days, 5 of us girls slept in a tent outside in 100+ temperature! The conditions for the 10 days were by far the toughest I believe I’ve ever dealt with. Not to mention I wasn’t feeling well throughout the week, so I had a very tough time. It is only by God’s grace I made it through the mission. The days were long and hard, and honestly, I felt very emotionally and physically exhausted. But, the Lord’s purpose was accomplished regardless of our weaknesses! The mission was truly amazing, and I'm so thankful I was given the opportunity to play a small part in it.

We spent each day doing door-to-door (or really hut-to-hut!) evangelism, afternoon crusades in the town square, and revival services out in the bush at night. Every day, numbers and numbers of these villagers and bush people received Christ as their Savior! At the end of the 10 days, 480 people in Merille had made a decision to follow Christ. It’s hard to even recollect all of the incredible testimonies and stories that occurred throughout the 10 days. God moved in such a powerful way in an area in desperate need of His grace, mercy, and provision. These people were so receptive to the Gospel that we were amazed. God had obviously prepared the way ahead for us.

The Rendille culture is full of problems and hindrances. The rural and ancient practices of the tribe have bred oppressive traditions that are considered normal for them. Many of the people dressed in tribal garb (some of the women wore no tops but necklaces) and the teenage boys (called Moran) live in the bush for a number of years until time for marriage. We saw 9 year olds married off to older men and children with diseases all over. Women are very oppressed in the area and are often raped and unwillingly circumcised. Also, the town square was full of orphaned street children with no one to take care of them. It was an area of such poverty that I felt ashamed of everything I own. We are praying for a medical team, feeding program, etc. to do more work in this area.

However, in the midst of all of the incredible problems, the people were filled with such warmth, joy, and friendliness. The kids were wonderful, and they always wanted to join in singing and dancing for Jesus. Also, many of the adults were so kind and generous, even when some of them had never seen white people before. The language barrier was often a problem, but thankfully, the East students’ Swahili was a lot closer to the Rendille language than English! Also, we were often able to use interpreters. I was blessed to receive a few different gifts throughout the week from people in the village who are so in need. It was incredibly humbling.

One night, I was asked to preach the revival service. I talked about Daniel and the Lions Den and how he wasn’t afraid to trust in God and obey Him, even when his culture and those around him said otherwise. It was kind of a cool experience using an interpreter! In this culture, it is extremely rare for a man to ever respond to a woman; however, as soon as I finished the message, one of the oldest men in the village came down and stood at the front, along with another gentleman (one of our interpreters). When I asked if he knew Jesus, he said to the interpreter that he wanted to. Praise the Lord! The interpreter also recommitted his life to Christ, along with another elderly lady in the village. Also, many of the children asked for prayer for boldness to stand up for God and follow Christ even when their culture is full of things that would as them to do otherwise. God is moving in that village in ways that are beyond us!! It would take me pages and pages to tell all of the many incredible things that happened in the 10 days we were there. We witnessed so many salvations, healings, miracles, etc. These people were truly hungry for the Lord. I was able to tell many, many people about Christ and lead them in the salvation prayer in the 10 days-children and adults alike who had never even heard the name of Jesus. It was truly a humbling experience-I had never been around anything like it. Similar to Gibatu, it was incredible to sit under the stars and African sky at night singing songs to Jesus with children in the middle of the bush….wow, I can’t even begin to try to explain everything we witnessed in such an incredible native and tribal area. At the end of the mission with all 6 teams combined, over 3,000 people came to Christ in these tribes. Can you believe that? Now, these people have officially moved from being an “unreached” people group to “reached.” Praise the Lord!!!

Last Sunday night, we left Merille to drive half the way stopping back in Isiolo to spend the night. Even though I was exhausted and ready to relax, it was extremely difficult to leave the people of Merille (especially the children) as well as the Kenyan ministers and students we had partnered with throughout the 10 days. Later that night in Isiolo, I began vomiting over and over again. All of a sudden, I developed an extremely high fever with aches and chills all over. I seriously felt deathly ill! By the next day, it was decided I needed to go to the clinic in Isiolo. A blood test was given and the results showed that I had Malaria!! I was amazed since I have taken every precaution possible to prevent developing Malaria; however, there is never 100% chance of not getting it. Apparently, I was bit a couple of weeks ago (which would explain why I was feeling so weak throughout my time in Merille), but the main effects didn’t hit me until later on! So, I was given extremely good medication (which only cost $5!!) and within a few hours, I felt a million times better. I seriously don’t think I’ve ever felt that sick in my life. But, thanks to God and the incredible medicine, I felt so much better by the next day that I couldn’t believe it! I rode the rest of the way back to Nairobi with the chancellor of East, missionary Jeff Nelson, and a few others. Thankfully, the rest of this week has consisted of vacation, so I’ve been able to recover well from the Malaria.

We went on a 3 day safari to the Masai Mara (one of the Seven Wonders of the World!!), and saw pretty much every animal native to Africa! It was absolutely breathtaking. We stayed at a resort camp in tents with beds and bathrooms, and drove out 4 different times on safaris all over the Mara. I couldn’t believe how close we were able to get to all of the animals in the wild. Thankfully, Bryan (the missionary overseeing us here) allowed me to borrow his extremely nice camera on the safari. The pictures were amazing! We walked with elephants, parked in the middle of a lion pride, and even saw a cheetah kill a gazelle at dusk! We probably saw at least 30 different animals up close totally in the wild. It was amazing!! Plus, we even got to cross into Tanzania for a minute!

Last night, we left on an overnight sleeper train to Mombasa on the coast, which is where we currently are. Unfortunately, on the 12-hour train ride, several of our teams’ cabins were robbed and many valuable items were stolen right out of their beds. We couldn’t believe it. The enemy is seriously fighting hard to keep us discouraged here, but God is victorious! Even with being robbed and developing Malaria, I have seen God’s hand so incredibly strong at work these past few weeks that I feel overwhelmed with gratefulness. He has blessed me in so many ways and also provided opportunities here I never dreamed possible. No matter what challenges come my way, I’m standing on the Lord’s promises and constantly seeing His hand.

We will be here in Mombasa for a few more days, then we will head back to Nairobi to prepare for the conclusion to our mission here. We will spend Wednesday partnering with Dusty Feet (which began in Springfield and is now based out of Kenya), an organization developed to fight human trafficking here in Africa. We will follow them through Mathare Valley, one of the poorest slums in the world and their home base. I don’t know if I’m prepared for what we will see there. We saw many street kids on the way to Merille, orphans who huff glue in order to keep themselves from focusing on their hunger. It was probably the most painful thing I’ve ever seen. I’m praying for God to emotionally prepare me for what we are going to see in Mathare. Apparently, it’s 10x that difficult. It’s full of street kids high on substances and fighting for survival, even as young as 3 and 4 years old. Dusty Feet will show us what they do in Mathare as we follow their footsteps. We will also visit one of the slum’s Feeding Program later in the day.

On Thursday, we pack and prepare to fly out on Friday night. Wow, less than a week away. I can’t believe everything God has done here in Kenya and in our lives….man. God is amazing!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Words Can't Even Describe....

Wow, it’s hard to even explain the amazing opportunities and experiences I’ve been blessed to be a part of throughout the last week. Some of the plans regarding our team’s journey to Sombo in Northern Kenya ended up changing a little, and only five of us ended up getting to go: Sandy, Heidi, Kisha, Shannon, & myself. Heidi, Kisha, and Shannon stayed in the village of Sombo while Sandy and I went to Gabatu (an extremely remote village 6 miles away from Sombo through the bush, desert, and river beds. We left a day later than planned and made the six hour drive in the STL Land Rover with our awesome driver, Wilson. On the way, we got to see some of the incredibly beautiful mountainous landscape of Northern Kenya. We also had some crazy experiences on our journey, including one flat tire (which caused us to break down in the middle of the desert) as well as hitting a 5-foot tall stork and shattering the passenger window! Hope that bird’s ok! As we got closer to our destination near the Somolian border, the terrain became extremely sandy and dry. About one hour before reaching the village, we turned off the main road and went through the bush to reach the village. Sombo is an extremely remote place in the middle of nowhere., and some missionaries have started a school for the village children in the area. Some walk many, many miles every day to get to the school. Most everyone is of Muslim heritage and some are Somolians who have migrated over the border. The teachers are able to share about Christian religion in the school, which is the first any one in these unreached people groups have been able to hear about Jesus Christ. Most of the people there are folk Muslims, meaning that they do not actually practice Islam as we know. It’s more of a family heritage religion. Many are illiterate and do not even have a copy of the Koran. There is still much opposition to the Gospel; however, the teachers and missionaries are definitely making inroads in the community as they provide proper education to these people who are so thankful to be able to learn English and other regular subjects. The conditions in Sombo are extremely rural and rustic, so you can imagine the village Sandy and I stayed in 6 miles away!

Sandy and I were taken by some of the missionaries to Gibatu where we were warmly greeted by the tribal Wata people of the village. The Wata people are exactly what you expect as a tribe. They live in mud and grass huts and basically have extremely little resources. The children carry machetes and the people eat very little. They drink water straight from the river and many of them are scattered throughout the desert and back in the bush, which looks like a jungle! Nobody but a very few selection of people speak some scattered English. Most of them don’t even speak Swahili, Kenya’s official language. They speak Wata, their native tribal language. They are all of Muslim descent and no nothing of the world we know of. There is no electricity, no running water, and many of them have never traveled outside of their village. It’s a completely different world. I’d never seen anything like it. However, this world is SO beautiful. Regardless of the fact that we are Christians and some of the few white people (Mzungus) they’ve ever seen, they greeted us with such warmth and friendliness that I couldn’t believe it. The children danced and sang, and the people were all excited to shake our hands and show us their home.

There is one missionary in the village of Gabatu named Mary. Mary is a Kenyan missionary from Nairobi who now lives full-time in this village. She is the only person there who is not a member of the Wata tribe. Sandy and I received the opportunity to stay in Mary’s mud home for the next five days and share in her incredible ministry. She came to the village to start a school for the children in Gabatu who are either too young or physically unable to travel the six miles to school in Sombo (mainly ages 2-9ish). These kids have a little mud building with no floor except the sand where Mary teaches them English and songs five days a week. It took her a while to convince the people of the village to allow their kids to come to school, but she has been making great progress. She now has 52 kids who regularly attend!! When she came to Gabatu this past June, the children didn’t know any language except Wata. But, in six months time, she has taught them a good bit of Swahili as well as a little English. They have learned many basic colors and numbers, as well as their ABC’s. She uses rocks on the ground as a blackboard. It’s amazing everything she has accomplished! She has taught them many songs in English, which they eagerly dance and sing to. Every one of the songs is about Jesus! Therefore, she is ministering to the community in ways they don’t even realize at this time. The kids sing and dance with such joy. They love to sing worship songs about Jesus and show us their native tribal dances with grunting and jumping as well. They are known to break out into drumming, dancing, and singing both inside the classroom and outside as well, even the 2 year olds! All ages love music in the tribe. Therefore, it’s an excellent tool to bring Christ into the village. Mary has also had the opportunity to visit the 40 huts in the community and make relationships with many of the parents, regardless of the language barrier. The love she has shown them is building bridges between herself and the Wata world.

Each day, Sandy and I were able to help Mary in the classroom. I can’t even explain what an amazing time it was. The kids waited outside for us each morning hours early just waiting to shake our hands and welcome us into their little school. They are extremely eager to learn, whether they are two years or nine years old. Because of their community-based ways, many of the older kids help the younger children. All of the kids participated in everything and they treated us with great respect. We were able to build on many of the things Mary has been teaching and even incorporate some tools of our own. Sandy and I used UNO cards to show colors and numbers and we brought some posters to teach more English words and animals. The kids loved it! Many of these things they had never seen before. I also got to teach them a few new songs such as “This Little Light of Mine” and “Father Abraham” to name a couple. Mary told us that many of the kids came to her with great surprise and said in Wata “Teacher Mary, these Mzungus sit on the dirt just like we do.” We were so humbled to show these beautiful children the love of God.

It’s really hard to explain how incredible these children are. Almost every one of the children has ringworm all over as well as sores and many only receive one meal a day; however, they are the sweetest and most joyful children I’ve ever encountered. They loved on us and showered us with affection, both inside and outside of the classroom. I really enjoyed playing with the kids! They laughed so hard as I tried to do their tribal dances with them. I also loved showing them videos and pictures of themselves. Two days, I followed a few of them back through the bush to the river. Most of the village is very desert-like; however, as you get closer to the river, you travel through what looks like a jungle/rainforest, and it’s absolutely gorgeous! I followed the kids as they used their machetes to cut through the bush and herd their sheep and cattle through the trees and greenery. As you walk through the bush, you might see fire from a place where charcoal is being made, anthills, animals, kids peering through the bushes, and people sleeping under and protecting their mango trees. It’s truly another world. Two days in a row I was able to see crocodiles and hippos in the river. The kids laughed as we snapped pictures of their beautiful land. Each day the sunset was an incredible orange, yellow, and red over the landscape. As night would fall, I would sit under the overwhelming starry sky with no light but a beautiful fire in the cool night breeze and marvel at God’s beauty. Through the darkness, you could hear kids laughing and animals making noise. Sometimes we would eat in the mud house by a single oil lamp and discuss things of God and sometimes we chose to eat outside and sing worship songs under the night sky. The conversation with Sandy, Mary, and myself was always incredible. It was amazing to soak in God for the week with no worldly distractions or amenities. I didn’t shower in five days, except for two bucket baths. Every night I would search for bugs and other rodents with my flashlight as I would prepare to lay on the ground just hoping no scorpions, mice, or lizards (all things I saw by my bed!) would bite me in my sleep! The heat was indescribable and quite hard to endure; however, God protected us and sustained us as He always does.

I was intimated at first at the idea of being alone and unprotected in an unreached tribal village; however, God gave me such peace as soon as I entered the village. There was only one episode in which I felt a little uneasy (a long story involving some of the people trying to sell us some things for way too much money), but thankfully it was handled by a visiting missionary and ended up being ok. We had a couple of visitors throughout the week, including Mary’s supporting pastor (a very well-known senior pastor of a large church in Nairobi) and the director of the missions school she graduated from. Sandy and I made incredible relationships and attachments with the people in the village, especially one Wata family in particular. The Harun family helps Mary at her house. Arron guarded us every evening for the entire night, laying by the fire and making sure no one came near our mudhouse. Halima helps Mary with many of her meals and other tasks. This beautiful family has six children, three who attend Sombo and three who attend Mary’s school in the village. Normally, a Wata man can have up to four wives and choose to send his wives back if they cannot build a house or cook properly; however, Arron chose only to have Halima as his wife. He loves and leads his family in a way that is rare to find in the Wata lifestyle. The Harun family understands a very little bit of English; therefore, we were able to communicate with them some throughout the week as they ate and spent time with us. They are a beautiful and joyous family that we believe has an amazing future in the Lord. The last day we were in the village, Arron and Halima prayed with us to accept Christ into their hearts-the first converts in the village. I couldn’t even begin to describe this moment. Even though they couldn’t understand much of what we were saying, we really believe Jesus is revealing Himself to them as they continue to learn more from Mary about the Gospel. We also had a visitor named Lucy from Nairobi (one of Mary’s friends) who prayed with a man hiding back in the bush who decided to accept Christ. He said that he had been afraid of persecution but wanted to learn more about Jesus. It’s so amazing that God gave us the opportunity to witness three conversions in an unreached village which had never heard of the name of Jesus Christ. The enemy is fighting it hard. For instance, as soon as Arron and Halima prayed, their donkey began running after their children trying to run them down. Great opposition and attacks of the enemy exist in an area where demonic forces have been present; however, God is greater than the attempts of Satan. Christ will win, and we believe that these are only beginning inroads of a great transformation in the village of Gabatu. Many of the people aren’t even aware of what’s happening. Mary overheard a lady singing “My God is so Good,” one of the songs that she taught the children. The lady most likely doesn’t even understand the English words she is singing; however, the people are infiltrating the presence of God into their community. One lady even came secretively to pray with Mary to Jesus to ask for help with some health problems. She came back and told Mary that Jesus is real. Praise the Lord!! He is entering this place. Some of the children are also hearing about the Gospel from Sombo in the Christian and Religious education class. Even though they have not seen real conversion in Sombo, the kids are still expressing curiosity and bringing it back to their families in the villages. For instance, 12-year old Abdisalaam (one of Arron and Halima’s children) wrote “Jesus, loves very very, wonderful, wonderful word” on the blackboard in the village school with a smile. We were amazed. On the last day, Sandy shared with our village students a little cube that tells the story of Jesus on it. They sat in awe as Mary translated the Gospel story to them. Abdisalaam nodded with a smile. We truly believe that he has some kind of inner understanding of Christ and that God has a very special plan for him. We had to present the message as somewhat of a story rather than an evangelistic message for safety reasons, but we believe that regardless of ,the language barrier the kids gained somewhat of an understanding of what’s going on. God is incredible.

Mary needs help there. She needs someone to go back and help her teach so that she has more freedom to minister to and teach the adults as well and get some rest and relief. The heat is draining, and the place in general (as wonderful as it is) is hard for her mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally being there alone. The spiritual attacks are there, and the place is as rustic as it can be. But, the Lord is present. I have to go back someday. These people are hungry for the Gospel. They are also in need of many things such as food and clean water. It broke my heart to see children drinking dark brown water with pieces of things in it from the river. It also broke my heart for them to come to school with their plates hoping we would put food in it for them and having nothing to give. We gave all the snacks we brought to one family whose kids are so incredibly hungry that their bones are visible. We were told that Mary’s home church in Nairobi is hoping to send a medical team to put on a clinic for these people, which we are very thankful for. Even though they seem to be making it ok, many people have visible diseases and are in need of medical treatment they have never had. As we left the village, I cried my eyes out. I was so sad to leave these people, and they were incredibly sad to see us go. Arron apparently didn’t understand we were leaving and he was devastated when he found out. It broke my heart. Even though this was one of the most challenging experiences, it was absolutely one of the most incredible. Words can’t even express…I feel like I left a piece of my heart in that village. What beautiful people they are…Being a part of this experience was so overwhelming. I’m incredibly thankful and grateful to the Lord that He provided me the opportunity to play a small part as a vessel in His plan for this village. I can’t even think too much about the children right now or I tear up. Thankfully, I have many great videos and pictures to show people back home in remind them to pray for the people of Gabatu (and hopefully come to Kenya to minister to them as well! )

When we returned back to Nairobi, the rest of the group left for two nights to Olontoko to help the Masai tribe with some projects. Unfortunately because of logistical issues, the five of us weren’t able to go. The Suswe trip was cancelled as well. But, we will hopefully have the chance in a couple of weeks to go back to Olontoko as a whole team. The five of us who went to Sombo and Gabatu stayed in Nairobi and helped with the kick-off of a medical clinic opened by Nairobi Christian Center (one of the A/G churches here). We passed out rice packets to the patients and made great friends with a few Kenyan young people from the church. I feel like I’ve learned a lot more Swahili recently, especially last week out of necessity! I know very little, but I’m hoping to gather more and more in our remaining three 3 weeks here.

Throughout this week, we have been working here in Nairobi with our fuel briquette presses, the Convoy logo sign, and preparation to camp for ten days at a mission to another unreached people group in Marsibit. Part of our group will be coming back early and the rest will stay for the remaining five days. We will be paired with students from the East Africa School of Theology under the direction of Jeff Nelson. Our team will be spread out over six different locations in areas where the Rendille tribe is located. These Rendille people have syncretized their religious practices, mixing Jewish rituals with animism. East Africa School of Theology has already evangelized some of the area, as well as built a few churches; however, 1500 more converts are needed for the place to be considered a reached people group. We will be doing door-to-door (or really hut-to-hut!) evangelism throughout the mornings, open air meetings in the afternoons, and holding evangelistic services at nighttime throughout the region. Our conditions will likely be extremely rustic and rural again in this area, but we are praying for a mighty move of God to sweep over the Rendille tribe. Please pray for us as we allow the Holy Spirit to minister to these unreached people. After we return from the Rendille mission and work a few more days here on the compound in Nairobi, we hope to retreat in Mombasa in celebration of Thanksgiving weekend! Thank you so much again for your support, encouragement, and prayers.
God is amazing!

Friday, October 29, 2010

Psalm 139:5

Well, we’ve been here in beautiful Kenya for about 2 ½ weeks! Things are becoming so real right now as we begin to embark on an even deeper journey in this country. I’m requesting special prayer for the exciting individual tasks ahead of me, which I will explain later in this blog!

We’ve continued working on the Convoy Garden 3 here at the missionary compound and we’ve made great strides! The majority of the garden has been completed and the group has made progress on digging the tilapia pond and loading dock. Every once in a while the weather sets us back on some of the projects, but overall things are coming along! Sometimes it’s difficult to see the progress as it's in work; however, we know that the end project is eternally important.

Mandy & I have also began working on the catalog that will showcase all the different types of projects we’ve been setting up. Hopefully, this catalog will be shown to leaders of group homes who will be visiting the Garden area in a few weeks. The catalog will showcase items such as solar cookers, tilapia ponds, Farming God’s Way gardens, Biosand water filters, etc. We hope to inspire group home leaders to implement these projects for safety, health, money-saving, and sustainability. The catalog will consist of pictures, descriptions, and benefits of these items. I constructed an introduction to the catalog using some scriptures about man’s ability to take care of the land in a proper way under God’s direction and the provision we are promised with obedience. I have also summarized the overall concepts of solar cookers and Farming God’s Way. I’m excited to see how we can make this appealing and desirable for the benefit of those in need.

We’ve also been able to do a few other cool things as well. For instance, last Saturday we traveled a couple of hours away (close to the border of Tanzania) where we helped teach the Kenyan Royal Rangers at their campout!! I was incredibly excited! In Kenya, the Royal Rangers include both boys and girls. Many of these kids were taken off the streets and adopted into Kenyan Kids homes. We shared with songs and skits, which are two of my favorite things to do with kids! I was able to participate in two skits and a song. The kids were very receptive to our team. We then taught the kids how to build solar cookers and divided into groups so they could build their own. Tonya and I were able to work with three little boys: Jehosophat, Daniel, & Andre. One of the Royal Ranger directors helped us as well. We could tell they really enjoyed building their solar cooker by the beaming smiles of pride on their faces. What joy it is to work with these beautiful, loving kids! We emphasized to these kids how incredibly special they are and how much God loves them.

In the coming days, we will embark on a very serious mission. Our team will travel six hours to Sombo, an area in northern Kenya where the population is unreached. Sombo is located near the border of Somalia and the majority of the people there are Muslim. Most of our team members will be camping near the home of a Masai pastor constructing a fence for the home and church. However, I will be doing something a little different. Sandy, Heidi, & myself will be heading six miles from the rest of the group to the home of a Kenyan missionary lady who started a school for the Muslim children in the nearby village. This missionary is sharing the light of Christ in a dark and poverty-stricken area by showing compassion to the people there and providing a means of education (something they need) for their little ones. Sandy, Heidi, & myself will be staying in the teacher’s mud hut for about five days helping her come up with some new teaching methods, as well as accompanying her in the classroom with songs, games, and hopefully some teaching ourselves. I’m still fuzzy on many of the details, but it looks like we will be working with non-English speaking children ranging from the ages of two to twelve. I am asking for a special dose of prayer for protection, safety, provision, grace, discernment, and wisdom as we head to this area. I have felt a little intimidated about the task ahead and working in such an unreached area. At the same time, I’m very excited for the doors God is opening and amazed that I’m partaking in such a work. I can look back and see where God has been leading, confirming, and preparing me for this very opportunity for a while now. It is only by the grace of God that I am here and able to do this. Please, please, please pray for me and the team and a special covering over us as we fight the attacks of the enemy. We are already fighting spiritual warfare taking place, and we need to be strong in order to accomplish what God has us to do. I’m believing for the love of Christ to shine into this area! Who knows what could happen by the power and glory of God!!I've been reading Mark Batterson's In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day and it's exactly what I need to hear right now. :)

After we have finished our time in Sombo, we will come back to the compound and regroup for a couple of days. Then, we will head to the wilderness of Mt. Suswe to camp with the tribal Masai people. We will begin helping Pastor Jackson and others with the ministries we have planned, such as steam vent water-catching in Mt. Suswe’s volcanic craters and other building projects for the Masai people.

In the coming weeks, we will do a lot of camping in other places as well and have some cool opportunities we are still learning about. I’m so thankful God has brought me here. I definitely need much prayer to stay strong mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically. He has been molding me and revealing so many things. Even through the battles, I can see that God is drawing me closer to Him than ever before. I’m excited to see what God does in our remaining five weeks here in beautiful Kenya. Thank you so much for allowing me to share this exciting time with you. I appreciate you more than you know!! It’s all for the glory of God.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

I'm in Kenya!

Wow, can’t believe I’m finally in Africa! Our group has been here for about 10 days now, and we have experienced both joys and challenges which have helped us grow as a team. Because of our lack of internet service, I haven’t been able to update as much as I would like. It’s hard to fit everything into one blog, but I’m going to try to provide an overview of the projects we’ve began and the experiences we’ve had since being here.

We arrived in Nairobi after layovers in both Atlanta and Amsterdam. I think our total traveling time was almost 24 hours, but we arrived safely! Our Visa process was also pretty quick-a blessing in itself! We were taken to the A/G Missionary Compound, where we have been staying since. This location will be our home for a few weeks before we head out to camp in wilderness territory. The missionary compound consists of three garden areas: two serving as the location of missionaries homes and one making up the space where Kenya’s Convoy of Hope center is located. As of right now, there are only two main people who run COH here: Bryan Burr and a Kenyan man named Wilson. Bryan is the missionary we are working with here, and he is awesome! His family has been extremely kind and welcoming to us, and the team has really enjoyed working and hanging out with him! We are staying in the house of a missionary who is currently itinerating. Our team is made up of 15 girls sharing one house! The house is pretty nice, and there is enough room-even though we all have to share bedrooms and some of us are sleeping on air mattresses. Our water supply is pretty good, but we have to carefully conserve because sometimes the city water cuts off. All we have after that is what’s left in the wells. We are surrounded by large walls and 24-hour guards. The compound is a very nice and safe place to be, full of banana and palm trees, as well as beautiful flowers and wildlife.

Our group spends a lot of time working within the compound since most of our work here is directed to the efforts of Convoy in Kenya. In Garden 3, we are working on several projects at once: a tilapia pond, Biosand water filter, a garden (used to display Farming God’s Way), fuel briquettes, and solar ovens. All of these projects will aid in further development of food and water for the 30 group homes (orphanages) that Convoy will provide. One of my main projects here will include overseeing a catalog with pictures and descriptions of each of these projects to be provided for those Convoy is working with. This way, they will gain a better understanding of how each of these tools will aid them in feeding more and more children every day in a much safer environment. We are also working on some side projects as well, such as a mural of the Convoy of Hope Africa symbol to be painted on the side of the warehouse. I’ve assisted in the cleaning out and organization of a container full of canned goods, weeding, tilling a garden, cleaning sand for the water filter, carrying water buckets, mixing material for the fuel briquettes, etc. We still have a long way to go, but we are making great progress!

So far, I have two powerful highlights since being in Africa that stuck out to me in an unbelievable way. The first is a day trip to the Great Rift Valley where we traveled to visit some of our Masai friends and check out their steam vent water project. I couldn’t believe the incredible beauty of the Rift Valley. It took us a couple of hours to reach our destination. Once we exited off the main road, we drove through the valley, where we were surrounded by beautiful tall grass and trees (Serengeti). We even began seeing animals, such as gazelle, cory buster and secretary birds, etc. As we began to make our way up the mountain, the terrain became CRAZY! The ride up Mt. Suswe (a dormant volcano) was about an hour itself because of all of the insane bumps, rocks, and hills on the path. This is territory not often visited, so the terrain is not exactly made for cars; however, because of Speed the Light vehicles (yay!) the missionaries are able to travel in Land Cruisers and Land Rovers, making it easy for them to get through. I rode with Bryan in his STL Land Rover, and it was awesome!! I really enjoyed off-roading in the vehicle!! We stopped along the way at the Masai church, where we were able to hear from Pastor Simon. He said that regular attendance at this little building is about 242 Masai people-wow! The Masai live basically tribal, nomadic lifestyles. They are definitely some of the kindest and most gracious people I’ve ever come into contact with. We had a few of them ride up to the top of the crater with us. When we reached the top, I seriously couldn’t believe my eyes. The view into Mt. Suswe’s crater was so wide and green…I’d never seen anything like it. It was gorgeous. They want to create a tourist area in this location in order to make some money and help them with everyday needs. They are hoping to take tourists camping and on hikes through the crater. One of our projects here will include camping with the Masai and aiding them in developing their attraction. I had the idea of creating a brochure for this as well. They also took us to look at their water project. They’ve been harvesting clean water through steam vents in the crater. This idea came from a man who claims that God gave him a dream revealing how to gain purified water for the Masai people. It will be our job to aid them in more sustainable ways to catch the purified water. The Masai have suffered from recent droughts and many of their cattle have died in turn. They are in need of sustainability in food and water supply. We believe that aiding them in their clean water project will in turn help them in many other ways as well. It was incredible seeing some of the Masai in their native clothing and the authentic way they live on a daily basis. We saw many children out in the fields tending their cattle and sheep, and they waved at us with such bliss and excitement. As we were standing overlooking the crater, I was almost brought to tears at the unknown beauty of this area and the fact that Jeremiah (one of the Masai men) told me that Christianity has spread so largely throughout the Masai area. On the way back that evening, we were able to see a herd of zebras at sunset-an amazing sight to behold. I sometimes can’t believe the beauty of God’s creation. The Masai really immerse themselves in nature and authenticity to a degree that is largely unknown in the modern world today. As Jeremiah ran off into the bush to his home, I couldn’t help but realize that we could stand to learn a few lessons from the way they behold God’s beauty and the simplicity of the good things in life.

Another major highlight was our trip to the group home. We were able to travel to an orphanage in a nearby town to see how we can help the director with food and water projects for the kids. By learning what we can do to help and also teaching others about the things we‘ve learned to make, we will be helping many group homes and kids in need. The particular home we visited has established a small farm with cows and chickens, as well as a very beautiful garden; however, they are in need of efficient and safer ways to provide for the kids. The fuel briquettes in particular will be a large asset to this home as well as many others. With a safer source for cooking, less smoke will be emitted into the air. This will create safer environments for both the workers and the kids and will produce more food. As we looked into the faces of these orphans, I was brought to tears. They are so incredibly happy regardless of their circumstances. My hearts breaks for these innocent little ones who are without parents, but it’s exciting to see that the directors of these homes are raising them in a safe and Christian environment. Many of them have HIV and were born into horrible circumstances. It was so much fun playing with the kids, even if they couldn’t understand our English. I loved letting them take pictures with me and see themselves on the camera. They were so full of life and joy. I can’t wait to go to another group home.

We have also enjoyed outings to nearby markets, shopping centers, and restaurants some of the time to relax. It’s awesome to be able to experience African culture and take some time to relax as well. The people here in Kenya are extremely friendly and full of life! In the city of Nairobi, things are certainly more modernized than the outer villages. Driving down the road, we’ve seen extreme poverty and extreme wealth as well. We’ve also had the opportunity to go to a soccer game and church service at the nearby international school where the missionary kids attend.

Kenya is absolutely breathtaking in its beauty. The climate and landscape is much more tropical in nature than I anticipated. Green trees and bright flowers through the marshy hills in Nairobi remind me of a rainforest, and the Great Rift Valley reminds me of a combination of Serengeti and mountainous terrain. We are looking forward to such projects as camping with the Masai and in Sambo, working on solar ovens with Kenyan Royal Rangers, and possibly going on a safari and to Mombasa for some downtime!


The most important thing we’ve done as a team is come together in Scripture and prayer. We began working on Beth Moore’s Breaking Free Bible study together, as well as taking turns leading the team devotions and prayer times. Our team has really found a unity that kind of surprises me in a team full of girls. Many of us have definitely experienced some hard times as we see the enemy trying to attack our physical bodies and emotions as well; however, we are standing firm in God and being sure to lift each other up! I’m so thankful for the encouragement of my sisters and the deep friendships I’m forming. God is faithful to provide us with everything we need.

Obviously, the most important thing we are doing here is our work to help the people of Kenya. I pray that what we are doing has everlasting effects. Bryan talked with us this morning about encouragement and the importance of our work even when we can’t see the immediate evidence of its affect. Even through the blood, sweat, and tears, I’m thankful that the Lord is providing this opportunity for us to reach those in need by showing Christ’s love in tangible, sustainable ways. When they look at us, they see hope. This is what we want to live up to-not hope that we create, but hope that comes only through Jesus Christ. What a joy to be in Africa! Please continue to pray for us as we do our best to work and reach the African people in these remaining six weeks here in Kenya. Thank you so much for all of the encouragement and prayers! Love you all!
 

Friday, October 8, 2010

Here We Go!

Wow, I can't believe it's finally here. This time in two days, I will be on a plane headed to Nairobi! Even though I have been overseas several times now, I still get butterflies in my stomach with anticipation and a little bit of anxiety that comes with the unknown. Most of all, though, I'm excited beyond belief!

It's been a while since I've written, so I'll give a brief overview of what we've done the past week or so. Our team road-tripped to Dallas and attended the Assemblies of God Women In Ministry conference called "Conversations '10." Many of the sessions included teachings on new ministries, calling, and the roles of women in leadership. We also discussed individually and corporately the emotions and conflicts that women often experience in ministry. Overall, the conference was a wonderful experience and much needed as we embark on the journey ahead. I personally feel that I gained fresh insight and wisdom in particular areas. God began speaking to me about some dreams that I have been waiting to see come to fruition for a long time. In one session entitled "Pioneering a New Ministry," the speaker prayed over me specifically not to be intimitated by what I feel God has called me to do. I have many dreams which may seem odd to others, but she encouraged me to be obedient to Christ and never underestimate His will for my life. This was encouragement I needed to hear! My leader, Matt, also taught an incredible session we were able to attend at the A/G National Youth Leader's Conference (Momentum) on ways to show compassion in youth ministry!

Much of this past week has been spent in preparation for Kenya. We were able to meet with the Missouri State University Chi Alpha director (who is Kenyan!) for advice on cultural differences as well as a couple of lessons in Swahili. The missionary we will be working with there, Bryan Burr, also Skyped in afterwards. As we began to talk more and more about Africa and the things we will experience there, I began to realize how close we are and how real it truly is!

As we went over the tentative schedule, we discovered that we will spend the first month primarily in Nairobi working with group homes (orphanages) and assisting with various agricultural projects there. After that, we will spend time camping and working in Sambo (in the Northern Rift Valley) as well as some group homes near the border of Somalia. We will also head to Masai land, where we will primarily work on the water project as we camp in the wilderness with the tribe.

As I think about all of the various things we will encounter in Africa, my heart is overwhelmed! We've talked about everything from food to language to culture, but overall, the people are our most important priority. Hal Donaldson, the founder of Convoy of Hope, met with our team for just a few minutes to pray with us and share his vision. He shared with us about his previous trips to Nairobi's Methare Valley, one of the poorest slums in the world. After much hard work, COH was able to establish a school for many of these poverty-stricken orphans who were on the verge of hunger and death (I believe about 800?). They are fed and taught there everyday-Praise the Lord! Mr. Donaldson said that one of their last days working there, the kids lined the sidewalk clapping as he and the other workers walked through. At that moment, he was overwhelmed with feelings of thankfulness to God and accomplishment. However, as he looked to the side, he saw rows of kids peering through the fence trying to see what was going on. As he looked at these kids who are still stricken with poverty and hopelessness, God spoke to his heart with the realization that so much more is left to be done. There are many, many more out there in need of help. Even just hearing Mr. Donaldson share this story, I couldn't contain my emotions. The tears streamed down my cheeks in heavy sobs as I felt overwhelmed with the giant task ahead. My heart breaks for these people. Even though we are going to do the best we can, common sense shows us that we cannot reach everyone in need. That is why we have to tell others and keep going. My heart is overwhelmed as I think about the future and the incredible task at hand. I feel that God is beginning to move on my heart in ways I never even imagined for now and the future. Praise the Lord that He has provided this opportunitity to reach people in such desperate need!

I'm not sure how much internet access I am going to have throughout the next 7 1/2 weeks, but I am going to do my very best to keep updating on everything we see and take part in! Thank you so much for sharing with me! I couldn't do it without God and the support of those around me.

Everyone keeps telling me that once your feet touch Africa, it never leaves you. It gets in your veins. The joy of the people regardless of their circumstances, their beautiful music, the colors, the animals, all of it... I can't wait to get there and hopefully make one tiny seed of difference.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Hope4Philly!

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for joining me!

Well, the past several days have revolved around a whirlwind of circumstances, but overall, it's been wonderful! We just got back from Philadelphia for our stateside outreach. In one word: incredible. But first, let me backtrack a little...

So, last Tuesday, we spent the day training with the Disaster Response team at Convoy of Hope, and this was truly a unique experience! Our team trained first-hand and toured the Convoy mobile semi-truck (basically the command center and over-night accomodations taking the team to these disasters). We also practiced setting up an outreach tent ourselves and ate some delicious M.R.E.s! (If you've had an M.R.E., you know what I'm talking about! haha!..although, actually, I didn't think my tortellini was too bad ;) During an intense training session, we sat in a room where we pretended that we would be stuck for the next three days with only the items we had in our backpacks at the moment...this was extremely eye-opening! To think of what some people in sudden disasters experience and the conditions they must attempt to survive in is overwhelming. What a day!

On Wednesday, we began our journey to Philadelphia, stopping halfway in Columbus, Ohio to stay at a former intern's church. Our roadtrip resumed on Thursday, and we made it to Philly. Keep in mind that there were 15 of us in a 15-passenger van...so it was a little squished; however, we had a great time chatting and listening to tunes! :) We also got the chance to visit Dustin, who was supposed to be on our team this term, at the rehab hospital in St. Louis. Sadly, he was in a horrible car accident and not doing great; however, we are continuing to pray and believe for miracles!

On Friday, we spent the day touring the sites of Philly, which I thoroughly enjoyed! I'm a self-proclaimed history nerd, so all of this was fascinating to me! We were able to tour Independence Hall and see where the Declaration of Independence was signed, as well as tour the locations of the first Senate and Congress. Our tour guides were amazing! We were shown where certain presidents sat during the Declaration's signing, such as George Washington and John Adams. Many of the original pieces of furniture were still sitting in the same spots, and the architecture was incredible! I love being in places where life-changing history occurred throughout the world. We stood in Independence Square (where the Declaration was first read to the people, as well as serving as the meeting place for the riot on the eve of the American Revolution) and prayed for our nation-a powerful moment....We were also able to see the Liberty Bell first hand, which was incredible!

After touring the primary historical sites, we headed to Tony Luke's (winner of the Food Network challenge) for some authentic Philly cheesesteaks (made with cheese wiz and all!). I must say-delicious! After our stomachs were full, we decided to head to the Philly Museum of Art, where we ran the Rocky steps to the top. This was so much fun (and really not as hard as it looks...!) I enjoyed looking over the city from the top of the steps and saying a prayer for the people in Philly who are desperately in need...

That night we headed to the Convoy rally at a local church. It was inspiring to see so many people gathered together for one purpose: to reach the people of Philadelphia. A Christian rapper was there who called our team down to the front to dance with him-this was awesome! After the rally, we worked to pass out T-shirts to some of the volunteers.

On Saturday, the outreach began, spread over 8 different locations throughout Philly. We worked in the Hunting Park location, where we had everything set up from groceries to prayer ministry to kids zone to food and music to health and legal services. I felt that I needed to work in the prayer tent all day, which was not my original intention for this particular outreach; however, I truly felt this was where God had me for the day. As people came in to receive free groceries, we would stop them and ask if we could pray with them. It was amazing to see how many people actually would allow us to pray with them, even non-believers. I was honored for the opportunity to pray with so many people in need. It hurts my heart to see such a number of broken people in desperate need of Jesus. I was able to tell one Muslim guy about Jesus. He wasn't ready to convert but said that he was interested in going to church and finding out more info about Christ. This makes me happy. :) Philly is truly a broken city in need of God's love and hope. Seeing the smiles on the faces of those receiving everyday basic needs was overwhelming. I continue to pray that we planted some everlasting seeds. In total, over 13,000 people showed up at these outreaches-Praise God!! :)

Later that evening, we got to chill at Bobby Flay's burger place in West Philly, which was a lot of fun! We were intending on heading back on Sunday and doing the half-way drive again. Unfortunately, my good friend, Sara (another team member) became very ill and had to go to the hospital, so we stayed in Philly an extra night. Even though it was a long and trying day in some ways, in other ways it taught us some important lessons and turned out to be a good experience. We were able to stay that night on some air-mattresses at a carriage house attached to Otto Wagner's church, the 2nd oldest A/G church in the world. This facility is located in a historic section of Philly, one block from the spot where Ben Franklin supposedly flew his kite and was hit by lightening! Kind of cool! And of course we were very glad to wait for Sara to get better...thankfully, she is doing great! :) This was obviously the most important aspect of the day! Matt also taught a great devotional that night on God being the God of the everyday moments as well as the God of the the big moments. Awesome!

So, yesterday we got up at about 5 a.m. and left from Philly to make the entire drive back to Springfield. This took about 21 hours total, and we didn't get back until early this morning. However, I really enjoyed the drive back...getting the chance to chat with Matt and the girls, as well as listen to some good music was cool. Not to say there weren't some restless moments...but, overall, I enjoyed it!

Thankfully, we had a chance today to kind of recuperate, do laundry, spend alone time, etc. We are actually roadtripping to Dallas in the morning (about 8 hrs!), so we are getting ready to be back in the van! haha! However, I'm excited! Two simultaneous conferences are being held in Dallas this weekend-the A/G National Women's Conference as well as Momentum, the National Youth Leaders Conference (Matt is teaching a session on ways that a youth ministry can show compassion). We will hopefully get to attend a little of both conferences-yay!

I can't stress enough how thankful I am to be part of this team. We are learning so much and getting the opportunity to reach people's lives...incredible. Throughout this time in Philly, we truly began to see how God intricately orchestrated this group of girls (and Matt!) to work together for this season. Many of us have amazingly similar testimonies and stories...we are truly sisters, helping each other grow in those areas that we are experiencing and working through together. As always, God reveals that He knows what He's doing!

"I don't have time to maintain these regrets when I think about the way He loves us."-John Mark McMillan

Monday, September 20, 2010

Hope is Revealed Truth....

The last few days have been interesting to say the least! After working at the Influence Conference on Thursday (which was a wonderful experience, btw!), I came down with a horrible sinus infection later that evening...which totally prevented me from making it to Wilderness Training this past weekend at the Discovery Center in Eminence, MO...there was nothing I could do but sit it out. This will mean that I will need to learn a little from my fellow Convoy sisters about reading maps and compasses, as well as making a fire and other skills we will need while camping on the Masai mara in Kenya.

However, during the three days I was away from the group, I was able to focus on some quiet time with the Lord and kind of get my batteries recharged (which is always the positive side during a negative experience!).

This morning I returned to the house and traveled with the interns to COH where we met with Dan Clark, who will be leading a large part of the Philadelphia Outreach (Hope4Philly). We will be traveling to Philly in 2 days-can't believe it's already here! As we talked about the different location sites, one of the interns asked the question: "What is the overall goal to be accomplished at these outreach sites?" I loved Dan's answer: To offer them hope. It really hit home when he explained that hope is "revealed truth-a knowledge of God's love that we transfer to the people through our demonstration of caring for another." Wow...how grateful I am to be a part of this process.

In Philly we will be working at 8 different locations scattered throughout the city with anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 people visiting each site. We could have the chance to minister to 24,000 people altogether! Our Convoy of Hope staff, interns, and volunteers could be doing anything from passing out food and groceries to cutting hair and painting faces to taking family portraits to praying! Convoy is all about restoring worth and value to people who have been living in despair. This demonstration of God's love is a tangible example of Christ's message. This is why I love Convoy's emphasis. They bring the Gospel message while providing evidence of Christian character through meeting needs...awesome. Coinvoy believes in ministering to the entire person...spiritually and physically.

Today, Shannon (one of our leaders) spoke with us about labs and mirrors, an exercise helping us define who we are, how we perceive ourselves, how others perceive us, and who we truly are in Christ. It reminded me again how God has chosen each of us with a unique purpose no matter how we feel....I'm so glad that our internship training includes sessions such as these! We also were able to meet with the VP of Convoy, Jim Batten, who talked with us about Convoy's mission and his own personal story of how he ended up with the organization.

Probably one of the greatest things we've done so far was our trip today to Project Rescue, an AGWM ministry with the purpose of rescuing girls out of sex trafficking. What a powerful place it was....we were able to meet with some of the missionaries and founders of the organization, as well as ask lots of questions. This ministry is doing incredible things. It's hard to fathom how widespread the issue of trafficking has become...it makes me sick to my stomach. It's so wonderful to see people like David and Beth Grant who are taking a stand against these horrific crimes. Some of the testimonies we heard were so amazing that it almost brought me to tears. God will always accomplish His will and purpose! He has created us all for something beautiful...and these girls need to know that! Thank the Lord for Project Rescue and other organizations with such passion to reach those who have been horribly abused and mistreated.

After spending some quiet time spread out through some local coffee shops in town, we also went to dinner in groups just to socialize and have fun!

Tomorrow, we will be working with the Disaster Reponse team all day, which I am definitely looking forward to. Then on Wed, we head to Philly! Can't believe it's already time to do our Stateside outreach. God is faithful.... I believe that each of us are here not only to minister to others (which is of upmost importance!), but also to learn more about ourselves and who God has called us to be.

1 Cor. 3:18 "And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit."

"Life is just a mirror, and what you see out there, you must first see inside of you."-Wally 'Famous' Amos