A last blog for now

Well this blog will wrap it up for the summer. Sorry it took me a week to do it. I think I was just trying to go through all of my thoughts in my head about Kenya. I wish I could figure out a really great sentence to wrap up my trip in Kenya. But so far I've got nothing for you! People keep asking how my trip was and I say the same thing everytime, "It was so amazing!" I learned so much about myself and about my Savior while I was in Kenya. I have such a better understanding of my future now. I am so excited to go back to New Orleans and finish my last year in Seminary. I know that this will be a year to prepare for a future on the mission field. I still have so much to learn! I know that I will make so many more mistakes along the way, and I can gurantee you that I will get hardheaded with the Lord again. But I know where I am going now. Don't get me wrong though, I don't know that Kenya is the country or what organization I will go with, but I do know that the Lord will provide a place and a way.

Thank you again for all that you have done. For your prayers, encouraging words, and your support. I want to thank Mr. Bob and Ms. Ann Tayloe for taking me in to their home for a month and making me feel like I was family. I am so thankful for for all the family that the Lord has given me!

These are some random pictures from my trip. No worries, there will be more tomorrow! It takes a while to upload them on this web-site, so be patient with me!

Home, home again!

Just wanted to blog super fast to let all of you know that I made it home last night. Almost two hours late thanks to Delta, but home none the less! I will get on here later and do a final blog with pictures!

Thanks for the prayers!!

One more for good measure...

So I lied in my last post...I am going to blog one more time from Kenya. The last two days have been a whirlwind of last minute activities and packing. We have done everything from the quickest souvenir shopping ever, feeding giraffes, visiting a bead workshop, and scouting for animals one last time. The most interesting activity was feeding the giraffes. We just got done laughing about my opinions of the experience at supper. When asked what I thought I said "Well, I thought it was disgusting!!" I was completely grossed out that animals with that big of a tongue were licking my hand! Now I do understand that it was a once in a lifetime experience that I never could have afforded in America (it cost less than $10). It was amazing to look a full grown giraffe in the face and pet it. Still, I got to the sink as quick as I could! I will post pictures from it when I get home.

In just a few hours we will be heading to the airport to leave this beautiful country. I know I keep saying this, but God has been so good throughout this whole trip. It has been amazing to see again that our God is a God who loves making our dreams come true so that we can turn around and give Him the glory! I am delighted to worship Him! When you come to a place like Kenya and look into the eyes of a child with AIDS only to see that they shine for our Father how can you help but to believe that He is everything He says He is? If any of you are questioning His existence I can tell you where to go to help you make your final decision!

Going back to the book that I told you about Saturday, I want to give you one more quote. A quote from Genessa Wells who died on the mission field not long after graduating college, in a bus accident in Egypt. Some people questioned her decision to go on the mission field as a young and single woman. To those people she said, "I could give up and get married and become a music teacher. All of this is very noble and to be quite honest, sounds good to me! But in my heart, I want to change my world-more than I want a husband and more than I want comfort. I need...to tell others about Jesus." That is the attitude that I want to have. That is the attitude that we should all have. I can't even begin to fathom how different our world would be if we all lived with that attitude. Can you imagine? No poverty? No children dying from starvation? Clean water being more than a privilege? No more spreading of HIV/AIDS?

As I am leaving, I want to once again thank you. For your prayers and your support. I am so blessed to be surrounded by people who tell me to go. I love you and appreciate you more than you will ever know!

Well folks, this might be my last blog until I get home. We are heading back to Nairobi tomorrow after church and then packing up Monday. We fly out at 8:00 Tuesday morning. Tuesday is going to the longest day of my life, no really it is! I will leave Kenya at 8:00 a.m. and be back in Mobile at like 10:30 p.m., it's not just 14.5 hours of traveling though. It's more like 23! Tuesday will go on for what seems like forever I am sure. All prayers will be welcomed!!

I can not say it enough, this has been the most amazing trip I have ever been on. For those of you who know me, I have been dreaming of this trip since I was around 15. Someone in my freshman or sophomore year of high school I learned about the AIDS epidemic and how badly Africa was being affected by it. That is when I decided that one day I would like to end up in Africa working with a HIV/AIDS ministry. This trip has completely confirmed my dreams and desires. I was talking to my daddy today and telling him about the home for children affected by HIV when he asked me if I could see myself working there or at a place like it. My answer was yes. I could absolutely see myself doing something like that.

The Lord has shown me so much through this trip. I read a book called Radical by David Platt while I was here and I could not have picked a more appropriate book to bring. I would encourage all of you to read this book. Platt asks the hard questions and gives a possibly life changing challenge in this book. I just about underlined every word in the book! I want to share a quote from the book, something for you to think about along with me. "The will of God is for you and me to give our lives urgently and recklessly to making the gospel and the glory of God known among all peoples, particularly those who have never even heard of Jesus." (I really just wanted to share this with you so you will lay awake thinking about this like I have!)

Once again, thank you to all of you who have prayed with me and supported me on this trip and all of the trips that I have taken throughout the years. You mean the world to me!

Were we are staying for the weekend has a fast internet connection so I figured I would share a few pictures with you! All of these pictures were taken in my first ten days here. Now you understand why it is going to be hard to board that plane Tuesday morning. I mean just look at those faces!

We are in Kijabe for the weekend. Kijabe runs at a much slower pace than Nairobi...it's a little like Grand Bay! Yesterday, we visited Rift Valley Academy. It is an amazing school/boarding school for children of missionaries. They have recently had students graduate and go to Harvard, Princeton, and Yale. Needless to say, they run a very successful school! One neat fact, Theodore Roosevelt laid the cornerstone of the original building. He even donated money to the building of the school!

Today, we visited the AIC (Africa Inland Church) Kijabe Hospital this morning. We were given a tour by one of the chaplains. Our first stop was in the Bethany Kids wing of the hospital. They specialize in Spinabifida and Hydrocephaly. It was extremely hard to walk through this wing of the hospital. I have already been thinking a lot lately about the fact that I was born in a free and stable country to parents who love and fear the Lord. I have always known how blessed I was to have been born in America o a Christian family, but being here has brought it a step further. Why was I born where I was and to who I was? Being in the Bethany Kids wing made me think about my brother. What if Mark had been born in a mud hut in the middle of an African field? What if we would have never been surrounded by the incredibly gifted and intelligent doctors that Mark has had? It happens everyday. I can only speak for myself in saying that I take my life for granted, everyday. I am no different than those young girls I met in the slum who get taken advantage of on a regular basis. We are all the same. After spending time in the Bethany Kids wing, we got to visit the ICU, women’s wing, men’s wing, and pediatric wing. We got to stop and pray with several patients and their families. We also went to the CURE Kenya Hospital that is on the hospital grounds. They specialize in orthopedic surgery and physical therapy. They do a lot of surgeries dealing with Club Foot.

Tomorrow we are going to a Kenyan wedding! I can take pictures so I am sure I will have plenty to share with you. Especially cake pictures, maybe Mrs. Diane will start making Kenyan cakes! Keep praying!

This will be the fastest blog ever typed! We about to leave for our 6:30 shuttle to Kijabe to meet Mr. Bob and Ms. Ann for our weekend in Rift Valley. We will be visiting a school, a hospital and attending a wedding! I am not sure if I will be able to blog while there. 

Yesterday, we went to Mr. Greg and Ms. Bev's classes on Mt. Elgon. They meet at an unfinished church and teach 52 students pastoral training and church leadership classes. It was a blessing to see such impoverished students making such great sacrifices to learn more about God's Word. Melissa and I made a cake for everyone and that was a huge hit! They were so appreciative for a piece of cake with no icing. 

Please pray that we would finish strong in our last few days. God has been nothing short of...well there is no word! I have no doubts that He will be present in everything we do the last few days! 

Today marks day two in Kitali, Kenya. Today started a little different than usual, I woke up with what I think is a sinus infection. Boo! No worries though, I went to the pharmacy and got sinus medicine and a cough syrup that has more codeine in it than the FDA approves of I am sure!  I am thinking that I will get more sleep tonight than I got last night! 

Today we went to a home and school for teen-agers. Ben and Christine are a sweet couple that established and still run the home and school. Ben developed a heart for teen-agers after seeing that most of the ministries in Kenya cater to younger children. High school is expensive and most students do not get the opportunity to go. Teen-agers then find themselves getting into trouble on the street and do not have a chance for getting a good job because of their lack of education. We got to visit with the students in 11th grade for a while and had time for them to ask us questions. One of the first questions was "Can teachers cane students in America?". Our reply was "Absolutely not! Teachers can not lay a finger on students!". They thought it was so funny when we told them about the consequences that our students face: silent lunch, missing a party, a note home to parents to name a few. They were shocked to hear that we could not with hold a meal from our students. I think we figured out why the students have been so respectful everywhere we have gone! They could not believe that lunch costs around 240 shillings ($3.00) at schools. They thought that was so expensive! It was so much fun to see their reactions to the answers to their questions. One student asked if we had any suggestions for him because he wants to be a professional athlete. I suggested that he should consider being a teacher instead! 

Thanks for your prayers, they are still obvious!

We made it to Kitali around 5:00 last night. We took a shuttle to Kitali, it was neat because I took the same shuttle when I went to the HIV/AIDS children's home, Kitali is just two hours further. This time around I realized how rough some of the roads were on the way. I slept through a really rough area the last time. Thank goodness! I hope I can sleep through them going back because I was a nervous wreck the whole time! 

We got to see two new ministries today. We went to a piece of land that an orphanage owns for the purpose of farming and raising chickens. They have 10 acres of corn and a chicken coop that has the capability of holding 2,000 chickens! Right now they only have 250 and are already making money off of the eggs. On this trip, I have realized the importance of having a ministry that can support itself food wise. Most of the homes have gardens and at the least have cows for the milk. After we delivered 19 crates of eggs to two restaurants, we went to a school and feeding center in a slum. It was the most incredible ministry. They have 325 students from Pre-K3 to 2nd grade. Lots of little ones! Each class has around 40 students! They walk the students to the school every morning, shower the students, put their uniforms on, feed them breakfast and then start school. They also feed them a good lunch. They are adding a grade every year. This is of course an amazing opportunity for all of the students. It gets them out of the slum six days a week, they also have programs on Saturdays. 

I can't believe we only have seven full days left in Kenya. Time has flown by! The Lord has done so much while I have been here. I want to share a Bible verse that my Momma wrote in a card she sent with me because it is so true. Oh and thanks to all of you who sent me cards. They are always a huge encouragement! Some of you have sent cards on almost every mission trip I have ever been on and I appreciate it more than you will ever know! 

For you have been my hope, O sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth!

Psalm 71:5

So much to tell you!

Wowza! I should not have waited two days to blog because too much stuff has happened in the past two days to possibly type it all. So you know Melissa and I were a little disappointed with the school last week. The pastor failed to tell our contact that the students would be testing, meaning that there was pretty much nothing we could do. We didn't even go to the school Thursday, because we could be of more help in the kitchen here on the station. For some reason, I figured God had this all in His plans...go figure, God having it all figured out! As soon as our Bible study began Friday afternoon, I knew that we were right were we needed to be. Melissa and I lead a Bible study to about 35 5th -8th grade girls. We chose the topics value and purity. As Melissa was speaking, the Lord totally changed my part from purity to purpose. It was just one of those times when the Lord was completely clear in His directing. We did have time to come back to purity at the end and it was all I could to do to keep my emotions together. Here we were sharing with a group of girls who have been sexually assaulted and abused and told there were nothing more than property, who were we to tell them about sexual purity and keeping our hearts pure when some of them were probably going to be assaulted on the way home from school. All I know is that the Holy Spirit moved and you could tell by the looks in the girls' eyes. I know that the Lord just used Melissa and I as His tool yesterday afternoon. Those girls took notes on everything that came out of our mouths and it had nothing to do with our ability to lead a Bible study. At the end of our time together the head teacher asked the girls to share what they had learned. Over and over again the girls kept saying that they knew they had value, that the Lord can renew them, that they can keep their hearts pure, and that they can make a difference now. At the end, they sang a song for us that moved Melissa and I both. The words were "I have a Father who will never, ever fail me!" To hear those girls sing those words with their whole hearts knowing what they had to go home to changed my perspective on life.

Today we loaded up on a matatu with our friends Rosalyn and Ann to head to a slum to begin a teenagers' Bible club. What we thought would be a 45 minute drive took 2 hours because traffic was so bad! We ended up having only 2 hours in the slum because of traffic. But, what little time time we did have in the slum today was amazing. The kids never fail to surprise me with how happy they are. The kids in Kenya are the most respectful kids I have ever met. When an adult enters a room they all stand up and say "Good Morning Teacher, Madam, Pastor, or Sir" and wait to be told to sit down. We introduced ourselves, Melissa did a small Bible story, and then kids entertained us! They kids did round-offs, flips, hand-stands, and showed off all kinds of talents. They recited Bible studies and sang songs for us. I was very surprised to hear a song that I have heard many times before, some of you may know it. The words go like this: "Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory! Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory! Rise! And! Shine! And give God the glory, glory! Children of the Lord!" When they started singing that song I looked at Melissa and said "You have got to kidding me! I hate this song!" My Momma always used to wake me and Mark up singing that song! It does not have positive emotions tied to it for me! I will say that it was much sweeter coming out of their mouths than it ever was coming out of my Momma's!

Melissa and I got a surprise this afternoon! We are heading up to Kitale tomorrow morning by shuttle with Greg and Bev Wootton. Kitale is in the Western Province of Kenya near the Uganda border. Greg and Bev teach Bible courses and they want to show us around their town. They are going to take us to an orphanage that also has a feeding center for kids in the slums. We will be with them until Thursday morning when we take another shuttle to meet the Tayloe's to go to Rift Valley for the weekend. A little family road trip! I told my Momma that I am going to be a Kenyan public transportation professional by the time we leave!

Please continue praying for us! The Lord has shown Himself in so many ways and I have you to thank!

Well our plans ended up changing a little bit since I last blogged. When Melissa and I got to the school Wednesday we soon found out that by proctoring exams, they meant sitting in the classrooms and watching the students test. So we decided to change things up for today and tomorrow morning. Today we worked in the kitchen here on the DIGUNA compound. We helped make chapati for supper. Chapati is a traditional Kenyan bread, it is a little like a thick flour tortilla. The dough is oil, water, and flour. You mix it and section it off into balls then come back later and roll it out in to a circle to be fried. After rolling out several, the chef told us that we passed and that our chapatis were perfect. Later at dinner at the Tayloe's house, some missionaries told us that rolling out chapatis is an old Kenyan test to see if you are ready for marriage! Melissa and I had no idea when we went to the kitchen this morning that we would be tested to see if were ready for marriage...at least we passed the test!

Tomorrow morning we are going to the elephant orphanage. I am not sure what this excursion consists of yet, but I will be excited to tell you I am sure. Maybe I can even get the internet to cooperate long enough to get one picture to upload to the blog! Tomorrow afternoon we are going back to the slum to lead the girls' Bible study. We are very excited about getting the chance to lead this study. We are praying that the girls will be open to conversation and to hear what the Lord gives us.

I don't know how many of you are praying for me but I can honestly tell you that it is being felt. The Lord is revealing things to me that I didn't think He would reveal so soon. Things about my future and the ministry that I need to be involved in. I am so grateful that He has given me such a peace and excitement about the upcoming year as I finish grad school. All I can say is thank you, thank you, thank you!