I am home safely!

Well, I am back in America. Hooray! I was able to get on a flight on Friday night and got home yesterday afternoon. It is great to be home, great to be with my family, and great to take a shower. Unfortunately I've been pretty sick. I have only gotten about 12 hours of sleep in the last five days, so that stinks. I am going to the doctor this afternoon.
My last week in Africa was spent in Kenya with Dolly and Eunice. It was a very relaxing week and I didn't spend much time doing 'missions' work. I think I still learned a lot though. Life needs balance. There are times in life where God asks us to just be; To just love him and love those around us. We can still be living sacrifices even if we aren't hanging out in slums and orphanages. I found delight and joy in the Lord and was able to accept his blessings and rest.
Now for the cool airplane stories. I got to the airport four hours early to try to get on my flight, and after waiting for over an hour and praying nearly the whole time, I got on. The first flight was from Nairobi to London and I flew with Josh. We both asked the people next to us if they would switch so we could sit together, and nobody wanted to. The woman i ended up sitting next to was a retired school teacher returning from a missions trip in Kenya. We were able to talk about our experiences and the things that we learned. She ended up asking the man next to her if he was a Christian, and he responded, "I'm Catholic." She proceeded to preach the gospel to him. Her boldness challenged me.
After a long layover, I boarded my next flight to Chicago. Someone was sitting in my seat, so I switched with him. He was with a group of adults who were returning from a missions trip in Romania (ironic, huh?). I began talking to the woman across the aisle from me and we just talked about the things we had been doing on our trips. Turns out her daughter was in Rwanda on a missions trip. Another woman has a daughter that is leaving for the Sudan in a few weeks, and who eventually wants to live in Africa. God totally intersected our paths so we could provide mutual encouragement to each other. At one point, me and two others were standing in the aisle just talking about the amazing things that God has done. I can only imagine what people thought of us, and I can only pray that God used us in ways we can't imagine. That group of adults gave me hope for the Church in America. It was wonderful to see a group of adults take time off from their everyday lives to go serve.
It is great to be home. I plan on working the rest of the summer. Here is another short God story. When i found out i was coming home early, I got in contact with my friend Liz to see if they needed help at Dicks so I could work. The day before I asked, one of their cashiers got a new job and said he could only work weekends, so his shift opened. Praise God!
I will probably update one more time by this weekend with overall reflections and stuff like that. So, check in one more time! Or you can give me a call or email and you can hear the full sha-bang!

Goodbyes and bus rides

Well, saying goodbye to the children was much harder than I was expecting. The last night I was asked to lead their time of devotion. I talked about heaven and the kingdom of God that is being established here on earth. When those children sing, they bring a bit of that kingdom here. When I told them that, I started crying so hard. I thanked them for all they had done for me and the ways they had served me. They also thanked me and we gave hugs and said goodnight. It was sad.
However! When I was laying in bed I heard someone singing a song that is so familiar to me. We sing it before every soccer game; it is called Sanctuary. I kept looking out my window to see who was singing, and finally I saw that it was a woman named Sarah, who stays at the orphanage to take care of the children and do the laundry and clean. I went outside to talk to her, and all the kids began coming out of their rooms. We all sat outside and joked around together and sang songs. The older kids sang a special goodbye song for me and Viola even wrote a song in English! It was such a wonderful ending to the last night.
I was up at 5AM the next morning to catch my bus to Nairobi. All the older girls got up too to walk me into town. They are so sweet! I boarded the bus around 7, and was gearing up for the 13 hour journey. The man who sat next to me bought me baked bananas for breakfast and he was really nice. When it came time to cross the border, I was really nervous! Thankfully everything worked out fine and I got across and bought a Kenyan visa for only $25. once I crossed, the men kept following me and hitting on me and asking for money. I was so overwhelmed! I nearly ran back to the bus to get away. Once back on the road, the drive was horrible. We faced extremely bumpy roads for over an hour. Then, I was hoping it would rain because the bus was really hot, and it did rain! Unfortunately, I just happened to be sitting by the window that leaked, and when I mean leaked, I mean poured. I tried to use my pillow to stop it from raining on me, but it soaked through my whole pillow. Then I got up and moved to the back of the bus where it was dry. I was feeling really sick so I hung in the aisle and tried to look out the front window. A man then got on the bus and was trying to sell us something, and he sstood right in front of me and yelled. Next thin g I know, we are off-roadng again and I really got sick. We were on those roads for nearly an hour and a half. At the soonest chance I got up and sat in the very front seat, and sat comfortably for the final 2 hours of the trip. The last two hours were beautiful! The mountains were wonderful and the sun was setting. I also saw hundred of zebra and thousands of falmengos. Now I am safely and happily in Kenya. I have been hanging out with my friends and with coach josh. It’s been fun!
There is a quote from Saint Augustine that I try to live by. He says, ‘always speak of God’s love, if necessary, use words.’ If you have been following this blog at all, I think you have been able to tell that I love words. I love writing, I love speaking, I love encouraging people. I believe that God has blessed me with that gift. However, sometimes my liking from words becomes more about me than about God. It is me who preached the gospel, or me who touched someone’s life, not the Lord. once I came here, he took it away and put me in a place where nobody understood the words that I used. Trying to share Gods love without speaking was a huge challenge for me! I reached a moment where I came to the end of myself. No longer was I able to stand on my own; rather, God needed to work because I didn’t know what to do. I still don’t fully understand how to speak of God’s love without using words, but I believe it has to do a lot with just trying to love people. A lot of times when I was in Uganda, I ignored people because I didn’t like the things they were yelling at me. That would be a bad example of loving people. I was watching a televangelist preach about being Jesus’ hands and feet, and he said that in our lifetimes, we come in contact with over 100,000 people. Wow! Each interaction we have with people in an opportunity to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth, or the kingdom of hell to earth. You can either value someone as a human, or you can ignore them and show that you believe you are better than them .you can build people up, or tear them down. I have been challenged by all of this. I don’t have a conclusion, but I have found that I, myself, don’t have the capacity to just love people as they are. It is only when I am aware of God’s love for me and am secure in who He says I am that I am able to love people.
The end for now. I am on a standby flight for Saturday. A little sooner than I was hoping, but it is either that or july, and I really feel that I am supposed to come home.

On the move again

I asked the founder of the orphanage to type up all the children’s stories so that I could begin to put together sponsorship packages. I nearly cried as I read them. These children that I have grown so close to have such heartbreaking stories. You would never know it though, because they are constantly filled with joy. Major world problems now have skin on them. They have come in the form of children that I hold each day. AIDS has taken many of the children’s parents, while others fled their homes because they were raped and beaten. I have the biggest lump in my throat right now…
This week has been very low key, so I wasn’t going to update until next week, but my Mom said I had to. As I mentioned before, I started a girl’s soccer team. I think more than the 40 who signed up actually showed, so it was incredibly difficult. On Thursday they didn’t bring their ball (if you could call it that), so we just had one. There wasn’t much actual training that we could do, so we just played. The girls ran around barefoot and in skirts and had so much fun. Most of the time I just sat back and watched them laugh. Girls here aren’t supposed to play, so it was so empowering for them to get an opportunity to do so. I feel blessed to be in this spot, and it has brought so much joy to my life.
Alright. I am heading back to Kenya on June 6th because I have been sick. I’m not dying, and I have been getting better, but staying here would prolong that, so it would be a wise decision to leave. I feel good about it though. I know that God calls us certain places for certain amounts of time, and I know that I have done what he asked me to here.
Habakkuk 3:17-19 says, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign Lord is my strength.” That verse spoke a lot to me, and I’ll change it a little to help you understand where I’m coming from. Here’s my version, “Though I’ve eaten the same meal twice a day for two weeks, my jaw has grown strong from maize, and there are dead flies in my drinking water, though I haven’t showered in a month and a hole is my toilet, though I walk miles to go anywhere and people mock me along the way, though I am alone and no one speaks my language, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior, my Protector, and my Sustainer. The sovereign Lord is my strength and my rest.” I am learning that God’s goodness follows me wherever I am. I can be joyful no matter what situations I find myself in. I can face each day with a smile and choke down my morning maize, because I have a wonderful life and the Lord has blessed me. And this too:
Lamentations 3:22-24 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”
Last night God broke my heart again and gave me a glimpse of the world through his eyes. I was laying in bed trying to sleep when all the children began to sing. They always start softly and get so loud as they sing praises to God. All I could do was cry. My mind was flooded with their stories, yet God kept showing me hope. He put skin on Scripture and showed me that he did indeed choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith, that he answers all those wo call to him, and that he came to bring full life. I couldn’t help but think of my own life and the lives of so many other American Christians and how we always seem to linger in the past and hold onto the pain in our lives. Why? God has poured out his love so that we could be freed from all of that, so that we can sing to him and allow him to care for us, just as these children have done. They have been given a second chance at life. They have been freed from their past afflictions, and so they sing. Last night I finally understood where the apostle Paul was coming from when he said all his hardships were light and monetary compared to the greatness of knowing Christ and serving him. Everything I have gone through this past month is nothing in comparison to seeing these young children be changed by the love of God.
I decided to take the day bus back to Kenya so I don’t have another scary, middle of the night, seemingly illegal border crossing experience.
I am encouraged. Very encouraged. He has done great things.

The 20/20 window, persecution, my physical state, and a cool story

To the missionary world, the 20/20 window is the area 20 degrees north of the equator and 20 degrees south of it. That window is the most unreached place in the world, in terms of the gospel. This past week, I have experienced first hand the reality of the 20/20 window. I did home visits to some of the homes that the children in the orphanage were taken from due to neglect and abuse. James told the people that I was paying for the children to go to school, and some women cried, others gave me gifts of peanuts, maize, and avocados. I met a grandmother who was so moved and wanted to thank me, but didn’t know English, so she was just able to smile. As I walk down the streets here, I meet children and adults who have never met a white person before. I think that’s a problem. Islam and witchcraft plague this area, and it’s so obvious. The gospel is needed, and I can only pray that God will raise up people to share his love in this area long after I am gone.
Now about persecution. All my life I have been a pretty well-liked person, or at least I like to think so. I have always had friends and I was never really made fun of. Here, I am so alone. It’s hard. Prior to leaving for Africa, I read a lot of Scripture where Jesus says that if we follow him, then we will face persecution and we will be like ‘sheep among wolves.’ The church in America isn’t persecuted at all, so I didn’t grasp that scripture. . . until Thursday. Well, Wednesday night I got really sick and spent a lot of time in the bathroom (I mean, over a hole with the cockroaches and geckos). Thursday I woke up and still didn’t feel good, but I was scheduled to speak in a high school in town. I was told that I needed to talk about HIV/AIDS and encourage the kids to stay and school and pursue university. I don’t know much about HIV/AIDS, but as I prayed about what to talk about, the Lord said, “Preach the good news.” The school I was talking in was a public school, so I said, “Okay God, I will share the gospel, and whatever comes of it, let it come.” I was envisioning myself as one of the disciples in the book of Acts who speak boldly and with authority that only the Spirit gives. Ha. I wish that was the case. I shared my story with the kids and talked about God. I told the girls how their lives are valuable and that they shouldn’t settle for a meager life, because the Lord sees them as beautiful, strong women. As I was talking, they laughed in my face. Straight up laughed at me. Not what I was expecting. It was incredibly discouraging. After that, any time I walked around, the people in the town would point and yell, “White person!” They laughed at me and made it clear that I wasn’t welcome. I never thought preaching God’s word would bring that, but Scripture says that if the world does not hate you, then something is wrong. I was extremely frustrated and felt that I wasn’t making an impact, but God showed otherwise.
All the people I work with know that I play soccer, so they decided that I would be the person to start a women’s soccer team. Here, women don’t play soccer, just men. Women are supposed to stay in the home and clean and cook and not play. However, things are changing and the world is developing, so part of empowering these high school girls is coming through the game of soccer. I have officially started the first girl’s soccer team in Mpigi town. I talked to all the girls about what the program would look like, and then we put out a piece of paper for them to sign up. 40 girls signed up for the team. That scares me, but it’s cool. I begin training them on Monday with one soccer ball and a flat piece of dirt land, and a few bricks that we set up as goals. It will be challenging and interesting, but I’m excited.
Okay. Like I said, I got sick. Saturday I went to the hospital and they tested for Malaria, but I don’t have it. They gave me some vitamins and pain killers for my headaches, which have helped some, but when the medicine wears off, my head hurts badly. My trip to the hospital, blood work, and 2 prescriptions cost me a total of $2.50. That baffled me. Saturday night my head was bleeding (because I have psorisis, but it has never beld before). Anyways, my living conditions here are not good, so I am heading back to Kenya next weekend then will probably be coming home early. Today I just got this impression in my heart that I needed to go home and be with my family. It was hard to tell the owner of the orphanage, but I’d rather leave then get sick and die. I’m not discouraged though. I feel like the Lord has done great things, and I will still be doing ministry when I am in Kenya for a little while. I really just need to get healthy.
This is a cool story. Thursday night was a really rough night for me. Spiritual warfare was at a peak, my body was failing me, and I was discouraged from the day. Since I’ve been at the orphanage, I have never received a phone call because I don’t have phone service. However, Thursday evening I got a call from my Mom. It was wonderful to talk to her and it was such an encouragement. Friday morning I checked my email and I had an email from my friend Katie. She said that all day Thursday she couldn’t get me out of her mind and she felt like God wanted her to pray for me, but she wasn’t sure why. I can sit here and say that it is because of her prayers that my Mom’s phone call came through. I am amazed at that whole situation, and it shined so much light in what seemed liked darkness. God answers prayers.
Yes, this blog is long, but I have one more thing to talk about. I have had lots of time to read the Word. I was finishing 1 Kings during that time when I was really discouraged. In chapter 18 Elijah calls down fire from heaven and rain after a 3 year drought. He saw God do great things. Yet, in chapter 19 he lays down before the Lord and asks him to take his life. He tells God that he has had enough. Elijah is the only prophet left and everyone is out to kill him. An angel comes and strengthens Elijah, then sends him on a 40 day walk to the mountain of God. It is there that God speaks to Elijah in a whisper. Most of us are familiar with that story, but God revealed something to me. When Elijah is on the mountain God asks him why he is there, twice. Two times Elijah says the same thing: That he has had enough, that there are no other people left who have been faithful to the Lord, and despite his faithfulness to God’s calling, he is frustrated. God gives him hope though, and tells him that he is not alone; rather there are 7,000 others whose knees have not bowed down before Baal. I felt like I was faithful to God’s calling on my life, but I found myself so lonely and down, I didn’t think he was using me and I just wanted to come home. God gave me hope though. The songs the children here sing each night to the Lord give me hope. The emails and comments I receive from people give me hope. The English the children are learning gives me hope. The 40 girls that signed up for the soccer team give me hope. The answered prayers give me hope. God is faithful, he is sovereign, he is good – no matter what circumstances I find myself in.
So that’s it for now. Sorry about the length. Much has happened this past week, and much will probably happen this next week. There is some scripture I want to leave you with, and I feel that it is applicable in America and Africa alike. I think it’s in Colossians (4:5), and it says, “Walk in wisdom towards those who are without, redeeming the time.” Missionaries aren’t just the people peeing in holes in the middle of an African jungle.

How I almost didn't make it here...

Last Friday night I went into Nairobi with Eunice and Charles to board the bus that would take me to Uganda. Right when we approached the bus station, we heard gun shots a few blocks away. I was really nervous, but I was safe at the bus station. We then went to grab dinner, and I kept sneezing and Eunice laughed at me, but I didn’t understand why. Apparently, when riots start in the city, the police (who walk around with AK-47s) shoot off tear gas that affects everyone. Ha. I finally boarded the bus and sat next to a really nice lady, then went to sleep. I woke up every 25 minutes or so due to police road blocks. Finally we got to the boarder at about 5:30 am. I was staying illegally in Kenya on a transit visa that only lasts about a week, but I stayed 2 weeks. The officials kept questioning me, then they brought me to the back for more questioning. The first thing I did was try to make excuses about how it took a long time to get a cell phone. Then I tried to pay them off. Then I finally prayed. The man sat there staring at me for a few minutes, and all I could do was say, “God, God, please, cmon, please, I know you can!” The man finally looked up at me, visibly angry, and stamped my passport and handed it back. I don’t know what I would have done if I was stopped at the boarder, but it was definitely the work of God that I got through.
As we drove though Uganda at dawn, I could only think of the child soldiers in the North. It was very creepy in a way, and there was a fog that covered the bush. It made me so sad, and later I heard more stories of the tragedies that happened in Uganda.
James, the founder of the Ugandan orphanage, met me at the station in Kampala and we came to the orphanage. Uganda is beautiful (very hilly and tropical). My first few days here were really rough. I struggled a lot and missed my family. There are 11 children that stay here, and only 2 or 3 know any bit of English. When we sit around, everyone speaks Luganda and I feel so left out. There was one day that all I could do was excuse myself to my room and cry. That day I cried out to Jesus to be my best friend because I had no body else. I learned so much and God answered my cry. I realized that even if we don’t speak the same language, there is still the love of Christ that binds us. I have been playing soccer with a lot of the boys in a dirt field nearby, and it has been so much fun. The language barrier disappears. Also, there are times when me and the younger children just sit in the yard and make faces at each other and smile and laugh. They try to talk to me and I don’t understand a single word, but it doesn’t seem to matter anymore. There were many moments when I considered calling my parents and asking them to switch my flight because I just wanted to come home, but the more time I spent with the Lord the more I realized that I need to be here right now. These children don’t have parents, and they live in a society where children work all the time and there is a gap between adults and kids. They just need to be held and loved. How can we be Jesus’ hands if we don’t go to those he loves?
Six of the children are in primary (elementary) school, and total, it cost $86 for their fees, uniforms, and books. The last pair of soccer cleats I bought cost more than twice that.

Here’s something cool. A few months ago I was reading in my Bible and said to Beans, “I just wish I could memorize the whole thing!” She told me to write the verses on note cards and put them on our walls, so I did. I decided to take all the cards with me to Africa, not quite sure why. Yesterday I pulled out an envelope that has all the encouraging letters people wrote me, and the note cards were in there. The Scripture written on them was exactly what I needed. It was as if God had me write those verses down 2 months ago for that very moment yesterday. I was so amazed.

I have been trying to teach the children English, but I’m having a very hard time because they don’t know anything, and English is a ridiculously hard language.
Later in the week I am going to work in a school composed of street children and train them in soccer.
I have been eating very African food, and I am looking forward to 6 weeks from now when I can get a piece of pizza.
The electricity has been out and we just got it back 2 nights ago, then it rained very heavily yesterday and we lost it again. It’s been kind of fun without it. There are so many stars here and it just shouts of God’s glory.
I run very early in the morning because it isn’t hot. I die every time I run. The altitude, the hills, oh boy! Then, after I run, I end up walking at least 4 miles a day just getting around places. Hopefully I will be in stellar shape.
I’ve gotten really good at using a hole for a toilet. Really good. Except, I’m scared now because a few days ago I went to the hole (which is in a stall) and there was a snake staring at me. Last night there was the biggest beetle I’ve ever seen in my life in a different stall.
I am starting to learn the stories of the children that live in the orphanage. One, Mary Francis, is a small 4 year old girl who’s mother got pregnant when she was at University. The mother died one week after she graduated from AIDS and she passed on HIV/AIDS to Mary Francis. Now she is struggling with health problems. All of the children need sponsors, so let me know if you are interested.

So, that’s Africa. That’s my struggles. God is faithful and God is good. He is proving that the gospel requires risk and amounts of love that I don’t possess. He is enough though. He has given me more encouragement than I could ever imagine. I have reached some very low points, but he has never left my side.

I'm humbled, every day.

This week has been a blast. i’ve been staying with the sisters of the person who was leading the ONU team. Yesterday I taught in the school in the slum. I taught 6^th grade and 8^th grade English, or my native tongue as the Kenyans called it. Today I am hanging out with Dolly and Charles and we are going to go see elephants, then I am training a soccer team in Kibera. I have been taking public transportation everywhere, and they are these small 15 passenger busses called matatus, and they play really loud music. They drive like crazy people and I nearly have a heart attack every time I take one. It’s like when coach josh was driving us to nationals. Ha! On Sunday we went to church at Central Church of the Nazarene then they had a youth service in the afternoon. It was all wonderful and the Lord’s presence filled the room. The preachers were so full of the spirit it blew me away. I’ve been eating a lot of African food, and it isn’t too bad. Tonight, I am eating fried fish..the whole fish, bones, head ,eyeballs. I’m nervous. Thursday I am cooking for Eunice and Dolly and am going to improvise on lasagna. So, here are some of the impacting and shaping things that have happened thus far:

He has done great things

This was sung during worship at church on Sunday. All of a sudden, people started coming forward and kneeling at the altar. The altars were full. Grown men were kneeling before the lord crying. I was so humbled. He truly has done great things. Whether you’re in America or Africa, the Lord is good and he has done great things, great enough to bring us to our knees and weep.

Here I am to worship

We sang this song twice on Sunday, and both times I couldn’t even sing, just stand in the Lord’s presence. I’m alone in Africa, but my purpose is still the same: to worship the Lord. That’s it. And there is nothing I would rather do.

This is my daily bread, your very word spoken to me. I’m desperate for you, I’m lost without you.

I am rocked each time I think of this. Each morning I wake up and read scripture. The power of the word of God is indescribable. It has given me so much strength and encouragement. When it comes down to it, I am so lost without the Lord and I am so desperate for him. No matter how many kids reach out to me and call my name and give me attention, it doesn’t come close to what the lord gives.

I came to you in weakness with fear and great trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might not rest on human wisdom, but on God’s power. 1 Corinthains 2:3-5

One day I was reading through 1 Corinthians, and when I came across this verse, I stopped and cried. It was one of those moments where God speaks directly to your heart. I think a lot of times I want to be the fancy American who has so much to offer, but really, I don’t. God’s Spirit will work if my hands are open.

I do miss home. I miss everyone a lot, but I know I have a purpose for being here. I think I will have a lot of opportunities to get online for the remainder of my trip, so definitely keep in touch! Love you all so much!

The Beautiful Disaster

Currently, I’m sitting in an internet café on the 2nd floor of a grocery store with a squished termite next to my keyboard and the sun shining. I had to walk 2 miles to get here, but I figured I would because I had time.
Kenya has been amazing. I have been working along side the ONU MIA team, and we have been spending time in Kibera (3rd largest slum in the world). We have been working with the Nazarene school where 800 children attend and they have a school about the size of a basketball court run by 14 teachers. It is unbelievable to see the conditions they endure, yet they work so hard. I have been blown away by those children. I got the opportunity to spend time in each classroom (pre—8th) and all of them sang for me. While they were singing, the Lord whispered a word into my heart. It was “delight”. I knew that the Lord delighted in his children, but I never fully grasped the meaning of the word until that moment. Even now, I can’t formulate it into words. So in that simple whisper, the Lord gave me direction for the week. I was to simply delight in his children; to smile at them, to hug them, to hold their hand, to sing with them, and to love them. That seems too simple, but that was all he asked of me. On Wednesday I got the opportunity to play with the kids at their ‘field’ (which was a piece of flat dirt 2 miles away from the school). The teachers told us it would be a 2 minutes walk, ha, yea right! I was in charge of reffing a soccer game, and I ended up playing, and scored a goal! Woot! At one point, I looked around and thought, “I am playing in a soccer game, barefoot on rocks in a slum in Kenya. How stinkin cool!” After, we had to walk back. I was exhausted, but I got to see a lot more of the slum. The heart break never really leaves. As you got lower down the hill that the slum is built on, conditions got worse. Children weren’t fully clothed and sewage filled the streets. When it rained, the women went outside with old bottles and funnels to collect it. Wow. It truly is a beautiful disaster. We got to teach some of the students, and James 2:5 came to life. At one point, Coach Josh asked me to teach some of Billy’s silly songs, so I taught the kids the Sensai song and the Little White Box. It was stinkin hilarious. After that, any time anyone asked them, “are you ready?” they immediately shouted, “YES SENSAI!”
My sleeping conditions are great thus far. The Nazarene missionary compound is gorgeous. Next week I am staying with a sister of our leader. I’m guessing it won’t be this nice..possibly even in a slum. It will be safe though. No worries.
Next Friday I’m taking a bus to Uganda, then I’ll be there the rest of the trip.
On safety. I’ve never felt so at ease. I have been walking around all day by myself (I had to walk 4 miles just to get some food for lunch, and it will be another 2 back from the café), yet I feel safe. Sure, I’ve only seen 3 other white people since I’ve been here, other than the ONU team, but its fun! All the Kenyans yell, “Mizungu!” which means ‘white person’ and the children call us “How are you” because they think its our name. My old mentor challenged me to read the armor of God in Ephesians 6 each day, and it has been so good. The Lord’s words have comforted me and encouraged me and challenged me and given me the strength to make it though each day.
So, that’s all for now. Thank you so much for your prayers.
2 funny things.
I tried to work out today, and Nairobi is 6,000 ft above sea level. I thought I was going to die, or have my lung collapse like Brad’s.
Kenyans drive like crazy people! (Mom, you cringe when I drive, you would have an aneurism here!) Yesterday, our bus driver went off-roading and drove on the bumpy dirt shoulder of the road at least 60mph. Yet, they never get it accidents, and it baffles me. However, on my way back from buying lunch at the market, I saw one. I saw my first accident and my first asian in the same moment. Irony!
I love you all so much. I probably won’t get on again until I’m in Uganda. Keep the prayers coming! God is faithful and answering them.