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!