Christmas in Kenya

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you and your family had a fabulous Christmas and enjoyed the time you spent together. For the past week I have been in Kenya on safari and on the beach in Mombasa. Eight teachers from the school went together to have a unique Christmas away from home. We had a great time filled with lots of memories and funny moments :) On Christmas morning we went to a small church we found on the beach and it was amazing to be able to worship with brothers and sisters from all over the world in one room.

On our safari we were able to see lots of elephants, zebras, giraffes, buffalo, gazelle, monkeys, baboons, and birds of all kinds. We saw a lion and leopard at a distance, we were not able to catch them up close. It was incredible to see these animals in their natural habitat and be blown away by the creativity of our Father. Beauty surrounded us constantly.

And the beach was so amazing! The sand was soft powder like flour and the ocean was the most beautiful shades of blue and green. Palm trees lines the beach and everywhere we looked it was like a picture out of a travel magazine.

But the greatest Christmas present of all was that our apartment was fixed when we got back! We were so thankful to be able to move back in yesterday and try to get everything sorted out again.

I wish you all a very happy new year and hope that 2008 brings rich blessings!

(just a few pics from the trip...)

cultural experiences

its been a while since I updated my blog...power and Internet troubles have been a bit more frequently lately. and school has picked up quite a bit as we are trying to finish out classes before Christmas. fortunately, the break does not seem to capture the minds of students quite as early here so they are still working hard and want to finish strong.

but i did want to write tonight and share my entertaining adventures from this evening. It is Wednesday and we just returned from sharing the Word on the streets and giving bread to those in need. Tonight my interpreter friend, Josie, was not able to come. Without him I knew this was going to be an interesting evening. At first we thought we would just go along with another group but any more than 2 or 3 white people attracts quite a bit of attention around town, so needless to say that approach did not go really well. Our next thought was to split up into two groups, one would p-walk and the other would share the Word. I really felt the need to lift up the other group and decided to lead the p team. Thus begins the adventure and along with Don (computer teacher), Summer (fourth grade teacher), and a ninth grade student we set out on the streets.

After about a minute we came across a group of ladies that I really felt the need to talk with. So with my very basic language skills, I am up to about three sentences and am very fortunate that greetings are so important that they consume about half of any conversation :), I began to talk to them and gave bread to them for their children. One of the ladies was particularly interested in showing me her child (I am still amazed how they carry them on their back with just a single shawl) and in all that she was telling me all i could understand was "daughter" over and over. I began to think that something was a little off but Don thought everything was okay and gave her another piece of bread for her baby. About this time a man walks up and starts listening to the conversation. He then turns to me and says "she is trying to get you to take her baby, she wants you to have her." Right, not good. Fortunately, I respectfully declined her offer and went away before I was left with all the ladies' children.

After a quick thought of thanks for the man who came by and randomly interpreted, we continued on our way. A little later Summer and I were walking side by side when two men walk past and one brushes my shoulder (a normal thing in a crowded city). As he walks by he says hello and then turns around a few seconds later and says "waz up?!?." Trying not to laugh at the man, somewhat under the influence with a bandana tied around his head, I replied "what's up?" not thinking much else about it. Two steps later he turns around and begins a stream of expletives (also not uncommon, seems they are often the only English words people know and they feel the need to share them) and then says "you look like a boxer", begins to shadow box and then goes off laughing with his friend. At this Summer is shaking, attempting to control her laughter and I can hardly believe this event has just happened. I have not ever heard that before, it was definitely a first. But it has become a bit of a joke now and when anyone needs a buddy for a walk around town, just ask the boxer.

Just a taste of life today :) It is certainly never boring.

a few stories from the week

on wednesday nights a few teachers, students and a couple of our national friends go out to give bread and share the good news with people who live on the streets. last week we had quite the adventure. we split up into small groups with one native speaker in each group so that they can interpret when needed and then we spread out in an area of the city. the group I was in had a wonderful night and got the opportunity to share with several people who were interested in learning and talking more. at the very end of the night we net a lady and her little baby. one of my students shared her story with the lady and by the end she accepted the good news :) then we returned to the van to meet the others and hear about their nights. one group shared that they had been arrested after attracting a large, somewhat hostile crowd (mostly for their protection and a stern warning against teaching in the streets) and were released after a long conversation with the police. and another group witnessed a large fight after a man tried to reach into my roommate's pocket. some of the other people there did not like that at all and decided to take the matter into their own hands. in both cases the good news was shared and took root as the police man called later to appoligize and ask a few members of the group to meet him for coffee and the people who witnessed the fight asked the members of that group to return next week.


friday was crazy hat day at school (thanks for the leaves mom, they became hat decorations :) we have three houses that the students and teachers are divided into for competitions throughout the school year and it is a big deal to win the house competition for the whole year. this was one day of competition and some pictures of a few of the teachers hats are below. saturday night was another set of firsts in the city as some friends and i decided to go to the movies and then dessert at the sheraton. going to this five star hotel was like stepping into another world in the middle of the city. we all stood in the parking lot for a few minutes in complete amazement at what we were seeing and how incredibly different and isolated it was from the real city that lay just beyond the gates. the contrasts here still amaze me.


friday and saturday also brought more fun driving time with charles....but it was all worth it as I passed my driving test and am now qualified to drive in the city :) scary thought.

(crazy hat day) (the three house banners in the gym....
always reminds me of a certain teacher at dfc :)

driving

so i have to learn how to drive stick if i ever want to get out on my own here in africa. not only drive stick, but drive it in a city where traffic rules are more like guidelines really, actually mere suggestions would be closer. helpful hints if you will. traffic police make things worse and in the entire city there is one intersection with a stoplight, honestly just one. four million people, one stoplight. craziness is the best way to describe the traffic here.

right, so i decide i am going to learn how to drive. and conveniently the husband of the elementary school principal was a driving instructor in the uk. so i prepare for my first driving lesson in a itty bitty car with an older british man named charles (think stereotypical british guy and you have got the picture). needless to say the lesson was quite entertaining especially because there was about 100 feet of space i could actually drive in due to people parked everywhere to watch a football match. so i just practiced going back and forth a lot and i thought i did pretty well, only stalled the car like ten times or so in the course of an hour. he said i did alright, but i think he was just trying to be encouraging :)

Sunday morning I woke up ready for an adventure, the task of riding the blue and white mini buses all by myself and attempting to make it to church on time. So I left the house at 9:30 (church starts at 10:30) and decided I would try and get a macchiato (very small cup of coffee) at a little tea shop before getting on the bus. Unfortunately, there were tons of people there and no seats because the church next door was just about to begin service. So I went down the road, bought some oranges, and then decided to try the buses. And then my learning for the day began. Lesson #1: never ask how much before boarding the mini bus, even in the local language, because then it is free day for high prices on the dumb foreigner. So after that I could not get a fair price and I decided to walk to the next stop and try my luck there.

Lesson #2: walking alone as the only foreigner is not so much fun, everyone has to say something and they assume all foreigners have lots of money. So my only response was to smile, say hello, and pray while I walked. Lesson #3: wearing sandals with really dry feet while walking the not so clean roads of the city is not the best of plans. Somewhere along my walk I picked up a rock, piece of glass, or something that cut my foot up really bad. So no not only am I the only white person on the street, but the only one with a limp and bleeding foot. Not good. But I made it to the next stop. Lesson #4: Success comes by saying very little at all. Just get on a bus heading the right direction and then tell them when to stop. It worked great. Lesson #5: Women stand up for each other. When I finally got on the right bus, the boy did not want to give me my change and two wonderful women helped me and made sure he gave me the correct change. I am so thankful for those two women who in one simple act changed my whole perspective on the day.

It is amazing how often that happens both in the Word and in our lives. One small, seemingly insignificant act speaks so powerfully in the life of another. What an incredible lesson I learned today from those women. A simple act, that meant nothing to them, changed my entire outlook on my day. It brought a smile back to my face that they cared enough to make sure I was treated fairly. I hope I never forget to power of a simple act. Even a smile and a kind word can change the day of someone in desperate need of love. It is a truth we all know, but the reminder is always so powerful.

Lesson #6: Nothing here ever starts on time. And being late is perfectly acceptable and most of the time expected. I arrived to the house on time but we did not get started until after eleven. That did give me time to mend my cut foot though. House church was really good and then afterwards we went to a birthday party for one of the kids. I got to see the other j-men in the city there who I had not seen since my first week here and also see david, who I met at orientation, for the first time since he has been in the country. They all went out country last week on a trip and they all had lots of stories to tell of their adventures in the wild. After the party (we had pizza and ice cream….it was awesome!), I successfully made it all the way back to school by mini bus and felt like the day had been quite a success of getting out on my own.

Then Sunday night we enjoyed a bonfire and dinner together on the compound to celebrate a British holiday. Apparently in honor of parliament not being blown up, they celebrate November 5th as the disarming of the gunpowder plot. And they celebrate by lighting bonfires, shooting of fireworks, and burning a figure of the man who was caught in effigy. It was interesting to say the least and a lot of fun, especially watching kids play with sparklers for the first time.

four weeks in :)

It is so hard to believe that I have been in africa for four weeks! In so many ways it feels like I have just arrived, but in others it feels like I have been here much longer than that. It is crazy how fast it feels normal to brush my teeth with filtered water, occasionally deal with brown water in the shower, taking at least an hour to fix a basic meal, taking ten times as long to do just about anything, driving in traffic that is better described as mass chaos, buying food at the market, and communicating with my very few words of the local language.

And teaching has been wonderful! Each day begins with a devo time for all the teachers and then I get to spend the next hour in the Word with all the tenth graders. It is such a blessed way to begin each day. The I teach three math classes, eighth, ninth, and twelfth grade. Each day is a challenge, but I am really enjoying it.

Soon I will also begin leading a seventh through tenth grade d-group with some girls. There is no youth group for the kids to go to, so I hope that this group can evolve into an environment like that for these girls. A time they can get together, have fun, enjoy each other, and grow in Him.

I am learning so much about how each little success builds confidence. Just walking out in the market and buying vegetables or a coffee all by myself is such a victory :). Or being able to figure out how to get from one place to another on a blue and white minibus --- which is quite complicated at times. When all else fails, just get to mexico...a roundabout in the city.....because from there you can always get home. On Sunday I am going to try to get to church all by myself and it should be quite the adventure!

finally it works!

I am so excited that I can post a message tonight! It is very rare that I can access my blog to post anything. Well, I just finished my first week of teahcing and am still adjusting to life here in Africa. The students and teahers are wodnerful and have been so helpful, but there is still so much I need to learn. The schedule here is different as well. Classes move periods each day, so that students do not have the same class at the same time each day. It is a great idea, but it takes a little getting used to. And teaching four different classes ia an adjustment as well, lots of planning! But so far it has not been too bad and calculus seems to be coming back quickly. Praise Him!

And I am getting roommates next week! The girl who was supposed to be moving in with me was not able to come last week and we jsut learned will not be coming at all. So a couple of the other teachers asked if they could move in. It is such a blessing and a Father thing because the girls that are moving in are amazing and I am so excited to have the opportunity to room with them!

I also am posting a few pictures...finally, I know :) And there are some more on facebook also, so check there as well!

I love you all and want to thank each one of you for your thoughts on my behalf. He is so faithful and has answered so many! Be looking for an email all about those answers early next week!

He is so good and so faithful to be our strength and our comfort when we need Him the most! He worked out so many small details from getting my driver's license to meeting people at just the right times. When we are discouraged, He knows exactly what we need because He knows our hearts better than we do! For example, currently I am on a short trip to a neighboring country to meet some more personnel on our team and see more of the area where our people live and how they live. Preparing for the trip was a bit stressful, having to get paperwork and visas done quickly, but it has restored my soul by giving me a taste of a simpler, slower paced life in comparison to the city. I had been on edge the last few days in the city and I did not realize it until we got in the car for this trip and begin traveling through this gorgeous country and meeting the people that I realized the fast pace of the city was getting to me. Hopefully I will get to spend my summers out of the city, immersed in the people, which will make language easier as well :)

One thing that has blown me away on our trip through the country is that not matter how small the village is or in what condition the people live, there stands a well-built mosque in each tiny village scattered across the desert. The contrast is so stark, a false hope, souls longing for something more that they can never attain on their own. Please lift up these people, that their hearts will be unveiled. That He would send dreams and visions and put the on a path that leads them to the Truth.

the first few days

A much more detailed account of my first days in my new home….I arrived at 3:30 am after a delayed flight from London that sat on the runway for nearly two hours before taking off. Of course, right before boarding the plane, I emailed the people picking me up at the airport (jeff and margie with the company and cathy with the school) to let them know the plane was leaving on time and then I could not get back in touch with them to let them know we were going to be late. They were very understanding and wonderful to meet me there. I am beginning to learn that is kind of the way things go around here…a drive may take ten minutes or an hour and a half depending on traffic and how many goats (or various other animals) are in the road, the internet is painfully slow and often does not work at all so emails have been hard to read and send, you better grab what you want at the store when you see it because it probably will not be there next time, and nothing ever seems to go the way it was planned to.

After arriving, going through customs, and collecting all my luggage, we went out of the airport and my first view of the city was filled with colored lights left over from the new year’s celebration a few weeks ago and it was cold (with the high altitude it gets quite chilly in the city….not quite what you expect in africa). The city was completely empty and they tried to point out key landmarks to me as I drove through, yes it was dark and I remember very little from the drive. Many of the roads are torn up and not paved so it was certainly a bumpy ride to school. The school gates appear out of place up a small driveway in the middle of the market. All of the houses and buildings have walls (complete with razor wire on top), gates, and guards….its just part of the culture. I then walked into my temporary apartment and there was a big sign to welcome me and one of my roomies even woke up to say hello and we ended up talking for quite a while after my welcome team had left.

In the morning I woke up to the sound of alleluias and amens being shouted from somewhere. My temporary roommate, Amanda, mentioned something about the kids having chapel in the morning and my first thought was what kind of chapel is that?!?!? But I quickly learned the shouting was coming from the african church next door that holds service almost everyday and at all times of the day, especially Friday when it is drive out the demons day apparently. After that wonderful alarm clock, I went to tea (a morning snack time/recess), met the faculty (all amazing and so welcoming…many have had me over to dinner), took a tour of the school, and read over orientation material. I had also arrived at on the first day of the dry season (after three straight months of rain) so they all claimed that I had brought the sun with me. At the end of the first day I felt quite overwhelmed with everything new, but that night the single girls all met for bible study (there is nothing else we would want to be doing in the city on a Friday night) and it was wonderful to be able to meet and spend time with the girls.

Saturday I went with a large group to the biggest outdoor market in the entire country and was overwhelmed by the sights, smells, and sounds of the city. The poverty which stands in stark contrast to the wealth of some, the beggars with little clothing walking the same streets as men in three piece suits, a building under construction surrounded by wooden scaffolding right next to a skyscraper, goats walking in between blue and white taxis all over the streets. It is a lot to take in. Needless to say the day was exhausting and I quickly learned I know nothing. Despite the dire conditions of most, the people are wonderful. I long for the day I can communicate with them in their language and tell them of where lasting hope comes from. And I long to understand the city and am able to get around.

Sunday I was supposed to go to an early church service with one of my roommates, but because of a slight miscommunication about when the vans were leaving, we went by taxi to get coffee and then walked to the church for second service. We ended up sitting with people from my company that I had not met yet so it was truly a blessing to get to meet them. We then returned to the compound and spent the rest of the day talking and hanging out with new friends. That night however as I lay down to sleep, the weight of what had been going on in my life hit me. Longing for something normal, something easy, to be in a routine, to be settled in my own apartment, to have a day when I still didn’t have to worry about eight hundred details that I did not know how to get done. But as I lay there, I felt arms surround me and I went to sleep thanking the Father for His love and faithfulness.

Monday morning I was supposed to go and get my driver’s license, but I did not have my passport (jeff had taken it to get me a visa for an upcoming trip) and for one step in the extended process of getting a license you must go to get the embassy to verify your current and then new license. Who knew? Fortunately no one else had their passports either because they were at their company's headquarters on the other side of town. Again it is just the way things go around here…This turned out to be a tremendous blessing form above because I got to visit all my classes and my fears of the night before were instantly released as I realized there will be one thing that is stable…students are students and teaching is still teaching. Observing math classes was especially calming as I was finally hearing something I could completely understand and I even was able to teach a class at the end of the day which felt like the most natural thing, it was wonderfulJ. He is so faithful and He is in control even when I feel completely overwhelmed by the world that surrounds me.

Tuesday I went out to meet all of the women who are part of the company in the city and it was so good to meet all of them, including some I had talked to through email. They are so encouraging and it was great to hear of their successes and struggles in their time in the city. It is neat to be a part of both the family of the company and also the community at school. After meeting with all of them, margie took me on my first trip to the grocery store, in fact all of the ones in the city because you have to in order to get everything on your list and she had a long list in preparation for our trip to a neighboring country next week.

In my first few days here the resounding theme is one of our Fathers unending love and faithfulness towards His children. He is incredible and it is such a blessing to feel Him near to me during this time of change.

I am working on pics they are coming soon (i hope)....

on the way to a new home

I am on the way to my new home currently sitting in chicago, watching the sunset. It has been a tough day and I am so thankful for all the words of encouragement. But at the moment grief is being taken over by excitement. As I was sitting on my first flight looking over His amazing creation I had an overwhelming feeling of being unprepared and wishing I had read another book or studied more language, but then He reminded me of a passage I had just read in first corinthians, He uses the foolish to shame the wise and the weak to shame the strong. He is the source of strength. It has nothing to do with me and all to do with Him. As I remain in Him, He will give me and fill me with exactly what I need. How great is He!

On the plane I began to read further in the book and then in chapter 6, He writes, "And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Son." We have been made new and are changed on the inside and the outside. And He has done it all. He changes us, not ourselves. As I read those words I Him reminding me of that truth and excitement began to fill my heart. He is going to do incredible things for His glory and I am so thankful to be a part of what He is about to do.

joshua 1:9

four days....

In four days I get to travel to my new home and I am so excited! It feels entirely surreal. And the reality of it has not sunk in yet, bu the excitement has! My visa did come through and I got my tickets on my birthday...it was the greatest birthday present ever. I did not actually see them until ten days later, but knowing they were on the way was a great blessing :) It is hard to believe that this time next week I will be writing again to let everyone know I have safely arrived on the other side of the big pond. The unknown lies ahead, but I am confident in the One who goes ahead of me and can rest in the truth that He knows what is there even if I do not.

This weekend is also a debriefing meeting for some who are just returning from the field. Among the people at the meeting were six who just returned form my country. It was wonderful to meet with them and hear what is happening on the field. They all loved it and say that it was the hardest, most wonderful years of their lives. I can't wait to be there!

Love you all!

almost there

This past couple of weeks have been really busy at fpo (orientation) with little free time or weekends off. Despite the lack of free time, we do make creative use of the time we do have and enjoy venturing back into American culture briefly to go to the movies, bowling, or meet everyone else at Panera and Starbucks trying to get access to high speed Internet. The other day we were at Panera and nearly half of the restaurant was filled with friends from orientation and we joked that it was like "studying" at the coffee shop in college when all you did was run into people you knew.

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Washington to apply some of the tools we had been learning and meet some people from our countries. Our group had the opportunity to meet four people from the city I am going to and were able to hear the language spoken in real life for the first time. That was really exciting for me and David (he is going to the same country) because we were able to learn a few basic words and then use them to greet others in their native tongue. I don't know if we said it exactly right, but they were impressed that we tried. Two of the people that we met had just recently moved to the states and their eyes lit up when we told them we were going to visit their city, they are so proud of their country and wanted to share all about it with us!

I have less than three weeks before leaving for the field and I am so excited. However, I have not received my visa and passport back from the embassy yet and without them my plane tickets had to be canceled. Hopefully, the visa will come in this week and the travel agent can book my same flight again so that I can get on the field.


Cortney, Amy, and I bowling


Derek, David, Joanna, and I in DC

three weeks down...

This week it finally feels like I am getting comfortable with life at orientation. I am getting used to the taxing schedule and long days, classes loaded with information, and enjoying new friendships. It is amazing how quickly we have formed a community. One of my favorite parts of orientation so far is our small group times. Our small group is made up of of 10-15 people from our region and each Sunday (and beginning this week every day) we meet and enjoy worship together. It is to simulate house churches that most of us will be joining or beginning on the field and also helps us learn more about the culture of our region. The intimate setting reminds me a lot of Thursday night at the Taylors' (I miss you all lots).

On Sunday evenings, we meet as an entire community for cultural worship. This is done in the style of worship of a particular region or country each week and is even conducted (as much as possible) in the language of the country. Tonight was an east asian service and it was amazing. It is so beautiful to hear the name of our Father proclaimed in other languages just as if we were hearing the multitudes before His throne. What a great day that will be!

We also had two "special meals" this week during which we eat food from different regions using their customs. We had a middle eastern meal and had to eat with our hands. This is very similar to the culture in my country which is also a right hand culture. You eat with your right hand only, it is the clean one....you do everything else with your left..... Then later in the week we had a Hungarian meal and I learned that red cabbage is not so bad.

the journey begins....

Well, I made it safely in Virginia and it has been a crazy week and a half since arriving. There is so much we have to learn in such a short time before leaving for the field. It has been wonderful seeing friends that I met at conference in April and getting to know the people serving in my same region. Orientation has the feel of being in college again with classes during the day, lots of work to do, and still time to play pick-up games of basketball and football (probably because we weren't reading the assigned book for the next day :) . There are over 350 people here, the most workers sent out to the harvest from one orientation session in the history of the board. Please be lifting all of us up to the Father.

Orientation itself has been a unique mix of practical and academic learning. The classes have range from discipleship and doctrine to how to cut hair and drive a stick shift. There are so many things that I take for granted so much that will not be available on the journey ahead. Though the days have been long and the pile of books get higher each day, He has been so faithful and so present in this place. This past week He has been constantly whispering in my ear (1 Kings 19:11-13), reminding me of how He led me to this journey. He is so faithful!