Continuing the Adventure!

Hi everyone! I wanted to let you guys know that I arrived safely in the US and have been adjusting to the culture again with great ease! Thank you for all of your prayers and for tracking along with me as I experienced Kenya. I also wanted to inform you that I have started a new blog that will give insight into my everyday happenings and you are welcome to read it if you want to! Thank you again for all your prayers and support! God bless you all :)

Last Week in Prague

I am sad to say that this is my last week on Prague. I will be returning home on Sunday to start life again! God has blessed me so much by giving me this chance to visit the Mudriks before I go home, and my stay has definitely been great! It has been a huge encouragement being around this family.

So on Sunday, Elaine and I, and a few of her friends went to an opera entitled L'Elisir D'Amour. It was my first opera ever and I absolutely loved it! I pretty much sat there the whole time with my eyelids wide open and my mouth gaping :) The opera was a classic love story where the male lead is in love with a woman who doesn't love him back, or at least she doesn't realize it ;) The opera was also a comedy so it was a wonderful girl-time.

Later that evening the whole family met at a friend's house for dinner. This time the family was Ukrainian, so we had traditional Ukrainian soup and Russian chicken with rice. I commented to Elaine that since being in Prague I had gotten the chance to experience three completely different cultures: Czech, Korean (dinner at another friend's house), and now Ukrainian. It's been a blast!

On Monday, Elaine and Marek surprised me by taking me along on their night out downtown. We walked around for a long time just looking at the pretty lights and listening to the sounds of the city. We decided to stop into a restaurant on one of the side streets so that I could try a traditional Czech meal. It consisted of roasted duck, bread/potato dumplings, and red cabbage. Sounds a little bizarre, but was actually quite tasty! After that we walked around some more and gazed at the beautiful architecture before grabbing us some ice cream, or rather gelato.

Before I left Prague, I wanted to travel outside of the city to see either more of Czech or another country. With the train system, it is so simple to just hop on a train and go out of the country, and it can be pretty cheap too. Marek and Elaine recommended I go to this small, popular village about 2.5 hours outside Prague. The name of it is Cesky Kumlov and it is breath-taking! The story behind it's beauty is found in the gypsy community. When communism came to Czech the government tore down the majority of the original buildings, but gypsys were living in Cesky Kumlov and the government didn't want anything to do with them. So all of the original buildings have been preserved and restored! It is fascinating that it turned out that way :) I took a bus here and arrived about 4 hours ago and just got back to the hostel that the Mudriks suggested. I'm just spending the night, but I know I will be pretty busy still even though its a small village!

I have loved my stay here, but I have to say I am ready to be home. It's been too long since I've seen my family and my friends, and I am looking forward to catching up on life! I believe I have changed in many ways, and I couldn't be more grateful. God shows himself to me daily and I feel it's even more so because of the experiences I have encountered over the past three months. Thank you so much for all your many prayers and your encouraging words! I would not be here without you all and I pray that God has blessed you on this journey as well!

Huge Cheese and Prayer Beads

This past week in Prague has been uneventful which was refreshing! Yesterday though, Anne Marie had four girls to the house for a sleep over, so you can imagine that the house was chaos :) We ate crepes, made popcorn and watched Freaky Friday on a projector in the living room. It was a fun time! This morning then, all us girls headed to the Farmer's Market to see if we could catch any good deals. It was pretty cold at first, but eventually it warmed up :) The Farmer's Market was quaint with all the vendors in wooden structures selling their goods. We passed by many people selling fresh flowers, breads, meats, and at one structure we saw a HUGE wheel of swiss cheese!!!

So we walked around for awhile and tried some chocolates and cheese. It was a special European experience :) Many people crowded the square for how cold it was! The past few days have been back and forth being warm and then freezing cold, but soon enough it will become a more consistent temperature, I am sure.

From the market, the 9 of us girls walked to a nearby park to play and get warm. The little ones picked flowers and ran around playing Red Light, Green Light, while Elaine and I chatted over some bread and cheese. Anne Marie, the one in the pink in front, truly enjoyed having her friends spend time with her, but of course there was sibling rivalry and tears every so often. Elaine and I were thankful when it was all said and done. Overall though it was a great day! This park is actually in Marek and Elaine's old neighborhood where they lived before going on furlough in the States last year. She was telling me that she spent so many afternoons rocking babies and kissing boo boos at this playground.

I have been so thankful for the time God has given me to spend with the Mudriks, but especially with Elaine. She is such an encouragement! I don't know how she does it with five kids and holding down a household. I ask her frequently, "How do you do it Elaine?" She replies with a sigh and a smirk, "Rae, it's only by the grace and strength of God. But I wouldn't have it any other way."

I was inspired the other day when I saw her Bible and a beaded necklace on the kitchen table. The beaded necklace was a pretty set of rosary beads that I later found out she got as a gift from a friend. I thought to myself, "what a great prayer idea! I should find me some!" Well later this week, I saw a bracelet on Marek's desk that was simply made of wooden beads. I asked Elaine if I could borrow it, and she said I could have it! So I have been using the bracelet as my own personal prayer tool and I love it! Its no wonder nuns and priests have been using them for hundreds of years...they really do help keep you focused while praying for others. So I wear it throughout the day as well to remind me to pray for specific things. I encourage you to find something that will help you stay focused during prayer since that is how our hearts connect to our Father's. It has been a blessing for me! I pray that you all are doing well, and I can't believe I have only one week left until I return to the States! Pray that this last week is blessed :)

Coffee Heaven

As I sit here in Coffee Heaven (a small coffee shop in downtown Prague), I peer out the window to see the hustle and bustle of downtown life. It reminds me of how fast we tend to go through our days and how most of us think that walking slowly or taking a break is a waste of time or unproductive. There are things to do! We have to be on time! I have to get this next thing done so that I can move on to the next project!...etc. I know that is exactly how my life has felt since being in college, but thankfully God changed my perspective a little while in Kenya. Even here in Prague, it is an exercise just to relax and look forward to whatever God brings next. As I was reading in Walking With the Poor yesterday, I came across a quote that states the fact if we want to know God, we have to take the time to do so. The quote reads, "The beginning is the realization that we cannot love our neighbor, or even ourselves, if we are not loving God with all our heart, soul, and mind" (162).

I find that I forget what kinds of things God could do through me if I worked hard at discipline and had confidence in the abilities he gave me. The other night, The Mudriks took me along to a dinner at one of their friends' houses, the Kims. They are Korean missionaries working in Prague, and currently waiting for God's direction on what step to take next. Their daughter, Grace, is 19 and was telling us of some of her dreams for the coming of God's Kingdom in the world. She is passionate and vibrant, but most of all inspiring. Her words, though encouraging, challenged me regarding my own desires for God's Kingdom...am I praying that it comes? Do I truly believe in His power over this world? Hmm...something to take time and ponder.

I didn't end up taking the kids to the zoo on Saturday mainly because everyone was running late and it would just have been easier to do it another day. So I stayed home, ruined some bacon, did some laundry, and rested with the kids! Later in the afternoon once Elaine returned from her meeting, we all headed out to the farm to see it :) It was so beautiful! The kids played in the stream and picked wildflowers while Elaine gave me a tour of their home in progress. Marek spends about 4 days a week working on the house in order to have it ready by this summer. It will happen, God-willing! Above is a picture of one of the paths leading to the creek from the house. And to the left is their home. It is filled with gorgeous stone and wood structuring. The home will be a lovely haven when it is all finished.

Yesterday, I stayed home with Hanna, their youngest, and just rested again since Saturday and Sunday were filled with activity. She watched Dora the Explorer while I completed a project for the Prague school and continued the laundry. It was wonderful! Who knows what the rest of this week will bring? I think Elaine and I might get together with some girls and go see an opera on Sunday...we'll see ;) Well let me leave you with this thought: Many aspects of my life have been brought into the light lately and as I was reading in Psalms this morning I came upon an encouraging verse. Psalms 66:20 says, "Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me!" Amen. Praise 'befits' him, yes? Much love to all of you...

The History of Tabor

This week I have been able to go to school with Elaine and the kids and just experience a normal day at the Christian International School of Prague. I followed Elaine around to her different classes where she tutors non-native speaking children in learning English, and I have just made myself available to the rest of the staff to perform day-to-day duties for them! They are actually two full-time teachers short due to Visa problems so it is perfect timing for me to be here to offer a helping hand.

Yesterday though was Elaine's day to stay home with their youngest Hannah and get stuff done around the house. However, we took the blessed opportunity to travel outside of Prague and visit one of Elaine's friends, Charis and her kids. We woke up and ran to catch a train to Tabor, a smaller city about an hour and half outside the city. We passed through breath-taking countryside and breathed in fresh, clean air until we were greeted at the station by Charis. Tabor is a town saturated with history and is actually named after Mount Tabor in the Old Testament. It is the town where Jan Hus's followers in the Late Reformation period met together to pray and rally against the forces trying to deter them from their newfound religious freedom.

Charis and her husband, Keith live in the old town so when walking to their house, we strolled down cobblestone roads and used small pathways to make our way to their door. It is getting warmer here in Prague so we spent much of our day just walking around, enjoying the glorious sunshine and taking in all the history! The buildings are quaint and pleasant, filling you with a warm and captivating sensation. It is different from Prague in the sense that much of Prague was damaged by the communists, but some of Tabor had the blessing of being preserved. It is being renovated however, but still is a wonderful place to visit and get outside the city. I wonder what it would have been like to walk those streets hundreds of years ago and to have been there when all the turmoil was happening during the Reformation. Here is an exquisite church in the town square, just across from a yummy Indian restaurant that we dined at for lunch.

I hope to travel to Germany or maybe Austria while I am here as well. With the train system, one can just jump on and take a little day trip to any of the surrounding countries. What an opportunity! Europe is so different from Kenya, but beautiful in its own way. Praise God for the diversity of his Kingdom. He is needed everywhere, but He is always present. Tomorrow, I am going to take the four girls and a friend to the zoo since Marek and Elaine will be in meetings. Pray for me that I don't lose one of them :)! I am not worried. It will be an adventure, right! Thank you all for your prayers and support. I pray that you have a blessed day!

Roll it on the Lord

For my internship, I am required to choose one missionary biography and one book on mission's strategy. I have already shared from the strategy book, Walking with the Poor, but I would like to share something from my biography on J. Hudson Taylor. He was an incredibly influential missionary to China in the late 1800s and was also the founder of China Inland Mission (CIM) a missions organization which in now Overseas Missionary Fellowship International. (OMF). God did extraordinary work through him, but his life was far from comfortable. I am almost done reading the biography and am contemplating starting it again right away because I am increasingly encouraged and humbled with every page I read.

Taylor was unhealthily busy for the majority of his life. He traveled back and forth between China and England trying to organize new missionaries and raising awareness to the needs of the millions who had still not heard the Word of God in China. He also published and edited a newsletter/paper that went out to all his supporters called China's Millions. Several times he came down with dysentery, almost died on journeys multiple times, and was away from his family for months on end. My words fall far short of the astounding work he accomplished in the Lord, but I have a quote that brings light to how he survived with joy and thanksgiving. When asked how he can whistle a hymn while some of his missionaries were facing illness and violence he replied, "Suppose I were to sit down here and burden my heart with all these things; that wouldn't help them, and that would unfit me for the work I have to do. I have just to roll the burden on the Lord." Wow. What if we decided to follow his example with the small things in life that burdenu\ us? How different our days would be...

Sometimes I wonder if I could be like these great Kingdom workers. I desire that with a burning passion, and I know that if I pursue that goal, with His blessing, I could be His weak, but obedient vessel. Do you desire that as well?

Goodbye Kenya, Hello Prague!

Goodness! I cannot believe all that has happened since I last blogged :) First of all, I spent my last few days in Kenya at Joska. Leann and I were really wanting to do something special for the kids there, so we organized to show a movie one of the nights and then make a ton of popcorn for them to enjoy! It was soo much fun! Here is Maureen picking out some of the good kernels from a batch of burnt popcorn. She is one of the girls that I had the chance to get really close to. I truly love the girls there! So we spent all day making that popcorn, and it was seriously like Jesus was there multiplying the bread and fish to feed the five thousand. I honestly have no idea how we were able to feed all 600 children and still have some left over!

Leann and I had decided to just show the movie to only the girls at the school at first, but then felt bad for the boys so we let them watch it with us ;) We showed the movie Tangled and I cannot describe how wonderful it was to hear all their boisterous laughs at the quirky jokes and facial expressions of the cartoon characters. I wouldn't have traded that night for anything! The whole day things kept coming up, like the projector being back in Nairobi and not having charcoal to pop the popcorn, but God was faithful and brought joy to his children that night! Ahh the blessings!















Well, immediately after arriving in Nairobi from Joska, the staff had planned a small farewell party for me, and  I was immensely blessed by their kid words and encouragement. It was so hard to keep myself from bursting into tears! The only thing that held me back was knowing that someday I would return and it would not be the last time I would see all these loved ones. We sang and danced, and of course we laughed way too much ;) Haha, I didn't realize how crazy my face looks in this picture! Oh, I crack myself up sometimes...Anyway, we reminisced and dreamt of the future, and finally prayed ending in a trust of God's Will for the future. I could not have asked for a more perfect ending to a perfect internship experience. I was given a cheesy little "Africa" shirt and was made to dance around in the middle of a circle. Eventually they cheered Leann on as she stuffed a huge piece of cake in my mouth, but don't worry, I then got the chance to stuff cake in everyone else's mouths!

We left the center and then made our way to the house where I commenced the "leaving" process. It was sad, but again, I know I will return someday and if not then I will see all these people in heaven. Plus it wasn't too hard to leave Leann since I know we will meet up in Illinois whenever we are both in the States again. The flights were not too bad and I finally made it into Prague around 6 pm on Saturday! It has been so great here just getting to see the Mudriks again :) For those of you who did not know, or did not remember, I am visiting some missionary friends in Prague for 3 weeks before I head back home. This is not a part of my internship, but I figured that while I was on this side of The Pond I would take the opportunity to visit them and see some of Europe! The Mudriks are very dear to my heart. Marek and Elaine have five kids: Jan, Emelia, Annemarie (in the above picture with me on the metro), Julia, and Hanna. Marek and Elaine teach at an international school here in Prague, and Elaine teaches English to people who want to learn and take lessons. They are in the process of moving out to a farmhouse and farm to start a ministry reaching the backpackers who come through the cross-roads of Prague. It is still in its infancy but extremely exciting! I pray that while I am here, I can just be available for whatever they need me to do: be a blessing and not a burden. I will keep you all in touch, and I would still appreciate your prayers. Thank you sooooooo much for all your support and your prayers so far!! I would not have had quite the experience without your love and dedication. I pray that God has blessed you through my time in Kenya as well, and I pray that he also places a burden for his people on your heart. We are a global Church! A global Kingdom! What a Great God we serve...He amazes me more and more each day, especially through meeting so many Christians from multiple cultures. Awesome! Bwana Safiwe!!!!

Ridiculous Love

Well, I am at my last week in Africa...so sad! I can't believe how fast it has gone, but also just how much I have learned. I have realized many things about myself and about the sanctity of life. Life truly is precious, and when we waste our time with pointless worries or trying to rush around everywhere, we miss out on what makes it so beautiful. For instance, look at this picture. What a glorious representation of innocent joy. He is strong, happy and full of life just waiting to be lived.

And what about this little girl...silly, yet bursting with serene beauty. I have been pondering the fact that I absolutely love the African people, especially those of Kenya because they have become so dear to my heart. I have not found one Kenyan that was not beautiful to me. I find myself thanking God when I get caught up in the stunning, sweet smile of Kenyan woman carrying a child on her back. How strong and persevering these people are! I am inspired by their tenacity and fervor for life. Praise the Lord that we have each other on this earth to remind us of His all-surpassing and honestly completely ridiculous love! What are we that he is mindful of us? The fact that he took the time to form us from dust...and what about his persistent pursuit of us? Ahh! It blows my mind...



Yesterday, Leann and I went to Karura Forest again to see if we could explore and find a waterfall or two. A couple of times I stopped and thought to myself, "I cannot believe I am walking through a forest in Kenya at this very moment." I was overcome by the thick, sweet scent of fresh grass, flowers, and wood. When we finally made it to the waterfall, the sound was overwhelming yet peaceful, almost cleansing. I told Leann, "You know, right now we are walking around in a place that some people only experience on TV. They end up saying to themselves, 'Man I want to go there.' But most never get there." It was wonderful! Such beauty...different from mankind, and yet beauty all the same.

This morning in church I was reminded of just how ridiculously God loves us. How is it that he can make everything right after we have screwed it up? We try so hard and still fail. But somehow he uses that beyond our comprehension. Second Corinthians 12:9-10 says, "But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore, I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong." Isn't that so backwards? You would think. But who said God had to fit in our little mold? All I can do is proclaim, "My God, how great Thou art!"

Joska

Yesterday Leann and I ventured out to Joska so we could make two presentations on non-communicable diseases and healthy lifestyle choices for the kids. It was of course extremely hot and dry especially since it would later rain (I guess it gets really hot before it rains). The bad thing about doing our presentations in the afternoon is that we have to cover the windows in the chapel in order for the kids to see the projector and as a result we all sweat our buns off. But Leann and I enjoyed it and class 6-8 learned something new, so it's all good ;)

We did our presentations and then made our rounds saying hi to everyone we know, including the center manager, Anisia and her staff. We also made sure to spend some quality time with the girls that we have gotten so close to these past few weeks. I actually think that either the night before I leave or a couple of nights before I leave, we are going to try to have a movie night for all the girls at Joska. It would be so awesome for us to be able to organize for them to watch a movie on a screen outside and then make a whole bunch of popcorn. It hasn't been done at Joska before, but if it works out I think they would really enjoy it!

Since we spent the night in Joska, we planned on returning to Pangani sometime this afternoon, so we spent the majority of the morning exploring. The kids were all taking exams so we weren't able to hang out with them. We went to see the greenhouses on the other side of the property and saw all the tomatoes they are growing. All the vegetables in their garden are specifically for the children and staff at Joska.

They also raise their own chickens and have just recently built a nice chicken coop to keep them all in. Leann and I had the awesome opportunity to see the hundreds of chicks they are raising. They are so stinking cute! We were told that some of them will be used for laying eggs and the rest will be for eating. There are some chickens and roosters that just roam around the grounds which is pretty funny, but I like seeing the roosters because of their beautiful feathers. Plus it is nice waking up to their call in the morning.

Well I wanted to share a verse with you that has encouraged me a lot the past couple of days. I am constantly reminded that I can do nothing without a total dependence on Christ and his work in me. Thanks to one of my best friends, I will remember this when times get frustrating or when I need a little humility back in my life. The verses are Colossians 1:28-29, "He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ. To this end I strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in me." Amen.

Thin Floors and Prayer at Babadogo

What a crazy day in Mathare! Leann and I made our way to Mabatini to finish teaching the really young kids about personal/oral hygiene. The young kids are always the cutest because when they answer the questions, they don't really understand what we are asking so they answer with really general things like, "We should wash our bodies!" And then they smile super big and sit back down. It's pretty sweet. Above is a picture of the school from a hill. The school is in the middle with the blue door. In any community in Mathare, you can tell which school is a Missions of Hope School because they all have blue doors! I don't know why, but that's just how it is haha.

So for our last presentation at Mabatini we had to move rooms a couple of times because the one we were originally in was undergoing construction. Then the second one we were in had too much light that we couldn't cover, and it made it hard to see the projector. Finally we made it to a darker room, but then we had to talk loudly over all the construction going on downstairs in the original room! The floors on the upper floor are really thin so at one point when the men were hammering, I could literally see the children moving up and down with each hammer stroke from the floor. I was afraid to even approach them for fear that we would all fall through! We were safe though and it all turned out okay even when the projector quit working again haha.

From Mabatini, I was picked up by Robert and we made our way to Babadogo so that I could lead the Bible study. We hit a few obstacles on the way there, like almost tipping over in the mutatu because the driver was being ridiculous and also seeing a thug being caught by police and almost getting shot...but other than that we made it safe and sound! The group was amazing today! Thank you so much for all of your prayers :) I taught on Luke 11:1-13 where Jesus is teaching his disciples to pray. We had some great conversation on prayer and Robert translated for me which was a blessing. There were about 9 people who showed for the lesson and it was inspiring hearing their stories of God's provision. I think out of the people pictured above, only two have accepted Christ. From left to right there is Eric, Thomas, Lynn behind him, than Belinda, Steven in front of her, Omosh, me, Caleb, a guy from Tanzania that I don't remember his name :(, and then Lucy in front. Most of the boys pictured were thugs before they joined this community group. I have really connected with these people and I hope to spend as much time with them before I leave. I talked with Robert today and asked him if there was something specific that this community needed. I have funds that I raised in order to use for a project and I have decided that I want to use those funds for this specific group of people. He told me that they really need shovels and wheel barrows for when they do community clean-ups, but also there is this recycling machine they could use to support themselves. The only problem is that it is pretty expensive, and he would have to let me know how much it costs to get. I pray that I could empower them with something though, because they have greatly inspired me. I also hope to possibly lead them in another bible study next tuesday! We will just have to see what God has in store. Please keep these people in your prayers :) They have become very dear to me and I will be extremely sad to leave them. Bwana Safiwe!

Mabatini

This morning, Leann and I ventured out to Mabatini and taught classes 2-4 at the school. We had them all as a group first for personal/oral hygiene and then taught class 4 only on nutrition. It was a blast, especially when we made up a song on the spot for the nutrition presentation. We plan to go back on Tuesday morning to finish up with the nursery and pre-unit classes.

For the rest of the day, Leann and I explored Village Market, which is a muzungu hub of activities. They have a nice food court and also plenty of shopping. It was quite relaxing, but what we were really doing was wasting time until it was cool enough to run at this amazing golf course near Kiambu, where we live. The golf course and hotel is called Windsor. Here is a photo I found online just to give you all an idea of how ritzy it is. Leann and I explored this property too and ran some of the trails they have. It was a fun adventure-filled afternoon.

So I don't remember if I mentioned this in my last blog, but this coming Tuesday I will be leading a bible study at Babdogo for the community group. I am super excited, and a little nervous! Obviously there is going to be a language barrier since they all don't understand English very well, but I am confident that the Holy Spirit will still move. In the group of about 15, only 3 or so have decided to be saved. Robert, the main CHE worker who has led this group told me then to focus on simple topics concerning salvation, prayer, or love, etc. I chose the passage in Luke 11 where Jesus is teaching his disciples to pray and then gives the parable of the bold neighbor who asks his friend for food in the middle of the night. I believe the Babadogo members will be able to relate and connect to this lesson. So I am praying that God speaks through me instead of my own words and I would greatly love it if you could pray for the lesson and the hearts of those who will hear it as well! They need encouragement and protection from Satan's lies. They are already so motivated to change the present circumstances, so why not empower them even more by teaching them about prayer!

Thank you so much for your prayers so far, and I can't say enough just how much it means to me that I have had the opportunity to be here! I looks forward to finishing strong and getting as much out of these last two weeks as I can :) Blessings on your weekend!

Mathare North and "Nice Grills Gal!"

So this week we finished up our presentations at Area 2 and then moved on to the Mathare North school. The majority of the kids there were smaller and so it was so much fun telling them about personal and oral hygiene. We even had the chance to teach some of the class 2 and 3 kids about nutrition as well. I love the face this little boy is making as he walks into the room before we present. He was such a cheeser.

But we had a fun time using the puppets and getting the kids riled up with the song Leann devised off the top of her head. And it was so awesome to hear them singing it later on during the day before we left. It made our hearts very happy :)

I have really enjoyed doing these health presentations, but I swear sometimes it can be so tiring and really hard to keep up the energy! I know it is educating them and preparing them for life so it is worth it! I think what we are going to do is print out and bind all the presentations and give them to the head teachers of each center so they can have then when we are done.

The best part of Mathare North though was at break time when we played outside with the kids. We sang and danced together and would laugh at the little boys and girls showing off their sassy moves. Here is a cheesy picture of me and a little girl amidst the dancing... haha I love it!

Well today we took the morning off because Shannon Garcia, our intern/apprentice coordinator, was in Kenya for the big CMF board meeting that was happening this week. She was leaving tonight, so we wanted to make sure to spend time with her before she left. We headed downtown early in the morning and did some productive souvenir shopping and then had lunch at this awesome cafe called Savanna. It was such a blessing to have her here and get the opportunity to hang out with her and some of the other girl interns. We had a blast! And it was actually her first time riding a mutatu so that was quite the experience for her :) On our way back to Pangani though we had just gotten off the mutatu and a man in the passenger set of the van yelled out, "Nice grills, gal!" and then gave me a thumbs up. Haha, I couldn't help but laugh out loud and we girls all giggled about it as we walked down the road. I've even had people ask me to get them some braces because they want them, or I will tell them I am getting them off soon and they tell me to never get them taken off! Oh, if they only knew how dreaded they are in America ;)

Anyway, something so sweet happened today! Shannon had asked Leann and I if we would take her to Babadogo to meet the child she and her husband support. What the chance of a lifetime! I don't know if I will ever be able to meet the child I support, but if I get the chance I would jump on it. Anyway, she brought him gifts and the smile they produced just pulled at all of our heart-strings. This is Hilary (I think that is how you spell his name) with a soccer ball and some new socks. I thoroughly enjoyed the precious moment and I pray that someday I can do the same with Leila who I support. Do you support a child? Have you ever wanted to? Well I could definitely get you connected with a wonderful child from Missions of Hope if you are interested in helping them pursue their dreams :) Just let me know!

Well tomorrow we go to Mabatini, another MOHI school which I actually have only been to once for like 20 mins. But I am super excited and I think it will be a great experience. Thank you so much for your prayers and please continue! It is difficult staying focused and finishing strong when you know you only have a short time left. But I am determined to make the most of it! I hope you all have a great weekend and I will keep you posted :) Blessings!

Monday, Monday

Well it has been yet another Monday here in Nairobi, Kenya. I wasn't quite sure what was going to happen this morning since we had nothing planned until the afternoon. But I have to admit that sometimes having no plan or feeling unproductive can be discouraging. There have been days here already where I have not been able to go out in the community just due to schedules, and it has been hard to just sit around. There will always be days like that though, and we must make the most of them!

Doing these health presentations has been a fun experience and today Leann and I worked on tweaking a few of them to better relate to the different age groups. Our plans to go to the Bondeni center today got switched last minute to us presenting at the Area 2 center. We taught the super young kids about oral/personal hygiene and I think they really enjoyed it besides being a an extremely hot room :) Here is a picture of them formally greeting us before we began.

The younger kids are more of a challenge to teach because they don't have a firm grasp on understanding English, so we had one of the teachers help translate for us. Although sometimes I think that is a blessing because the teachers can then make it sound better than what we say and can mold it into something the kids understand culturally.

So we accidentally left our puppets at the house this morning and we had to come up with some props in order to keep the children entertained. We brought a blow up tooth so they could see how to brush and a wash basin with a towel so they could show us how to properly wash hands. They served each other and it was so cute! I pray that these kids can retain the basics of what we teach them because it is so important. I am so happy to know that most of them already understand this importance so that is a huge blessing.

I love this sweet picture! So tomorrow I think we are returning to Area 2 in order to teach this same group about nutrition. One thing I have noticed about all the kids I have come in contact with is their level of respect for teachers and other adults. They know how to behave when it comes to learning and interacting with their superiors. I truly appreciate that!

Well thank you so much again for your prayers! I have been praying that I can stay busy and make the most of the rest of the time I have here in Kenya. It will be a blessed time, I am sure. Much love to all of you from Kenya :)

Karibu Kenya! (Welcome to Kenya!)

Well it has been another beautiful Sunday here in Kenya and it was made even better because the majority of the day was spent in Joska! This past weekend was the annual CMF board meeting where board members, missionaries and others guests all flew out to meet together and enjoy time building relationships. Today's agenda for them was to attend church at Joska and be formally welcomed by all the kids. It was wonderful! Hot, but wonderful :)

All the guests and students sat under tents for a Sunday sermon preached by a visiting board member from Oregon, and then we all enjoyed creative performances from the children. There were skits, songs, poems, and dancing! The kids were extremely creative and expressed their gratitude in tear-jerking ways. The service was from 10am-2pm which is a little long even for an African service! But it was well worth it I would say. After taking communion and introducing all the guests, we enjoy a fantastic meal in the chapel and the rest of the guests embarked on a tour of the facilities.

In the meantime, I went on a search to find some of the girls I have gotten really close to while visiting Joska. I had brought them little gifts and wanted to share with them  before we had to leave. Plus I took the opportunity to take some pictures since the past two times either my camera has not had batteries or I left it at home :) So here is a picture with me and some of the girls I am falling in love with. All of them are either in Class 7 or 8. From left to right is Paninah, Maurene, Me, Virginia, Lindsey, and Agnes. Paninah and Maurene are in Class 8 and welcomed me the first time I came to Joska. They are so sweet and fun to just hang out with. Definitely not your normal 8th graders. Then Virginia, Lindsey, and Agnes are in Class 7 and all three have huge dreams! Agnes calls herself the "flying doctor", Lindsey has the most gorgeous smile that just warms your heart and Virginia is loving and quiet. I wish I could take these girls with me wherever I go because it is just such a blessing to be with them. Like I said, all five of them have huge dreams and have the determination to reach them which I greatly admire. They have come a long way from the slums of Mathare and I am so proud to call them my friends!

I definitely feel like Kenya has changed me, and for the better. What a great blessing it has been to meet so many people and be touched by their lives! I pray that by the time I leave I could have blessed them at least half as much as they have blessed me. Only three more weeks left :( I can't believe how fast it has gone and I am sad that it has been so short. March 26th is my last day, and then onto Prague for three weeks! That will be an amazing time as well, but I cannot deny the impact Kenya has made on my life. Thank you so much for your prayers! I could not have asked for more :) Have a great Sunday!

It's Time to Say Farewell!

This week has been pretty crazy! It was full of comings and goings, not to mention frequent power outages :) Mary Kamau came back from the States on Tuesday night and it was wonderful to finally have her and Dave back in the house again. We girls left for Joska on Wednesday and somehow (I seriously do not know how!) I left my bag at home with my camera and books, and everything else I would need! So yet again, no Joska photos...but we plan to go there tomorrow for church so I will be sure to get some then.

Thursday, however, was a very sad day...it was Tahia's last full in here in Nairobi so she spent her remaining time telling all the people at Pangani good-bye. It is tradition to have a farewell party for those who leave Missions of Hope, so Leann and I gathered people together and we celebrated her time here! We sang, danced, and enjoyed some wonderful cake. Some of us also made a point to get up and tell the others just how much we have appreciated getting to know Tahia and then express the impact she has had on our lives.


Tahia got very close to Lillian, in the clinic, over her stay and so it was sweet to see their interaction during the party haha! I know Lillian loved having Tahia help her with patients and also just being there as the comic relief on long afternoons. This photo was just the beginning stages of a full-on cake war! It was pretty hilarious to watch these girls smash the cake and icing into the other's face and then have a cat and mouse game around the room. How awesome is it that two Christian women, from opposite sides of the world, and who each cannot understand the other's English very well, can develop a deep love and friendship in so little time? It amazes me :)

So after the cake, we danced and had a "crowning" ceremony where Lillian put a t-shirt and scarf on Tahia as we danced around her. A few of the kids from the third grade class Tahia helped in also came to enjoy the festivities and say goodbye. They were so sweet, and actually made me start crying when one little girl jumped on Tahia crying and begging her not to go :( Oh so bittersweet!

So later that night we got home to no power, which was disappointing since Leann and I were planning on making empanadas and a Lemon Meringue Pie...but it was great and we eventually went to bed early. I saw Tahia off at 3:45am and went back to bed reminiscing of our time together. The next morning, Leann and I decided to get some coffee before heading to the center, and when we finally pulled into Pangani, the driver who took Tahia to the airport approached us. He smiled saying, "Just so you know, Tahia is here." We were like, "What?! Are you kidding?" So we ran in, frantically trying to search for her location and we of course found her in the clinic :) I guess when she got to the airport, she discovered that her flight had been cancelled and she was to catch another one later in the day. So God blessed us with a few more precious hours!

I learned so much from Tahia! She taught me about genuinely loving people and having patience, but she was most of all a breath of fresh air :) Tahia loves to laugh and make jokes, so her vigor for life inspired me to not take things so seriously, and I absolutely love her for it. I will miss her, but she will be in my prayers and hopefully I will be able to see her again soon. I know she will be greatly missed by everyone here :)

God is so good! He is a God of relationship and he specifically puts people in our lives for a reason. I just pray I was able to encourage Tahia and love her as much as she loved me! Praise God for his many blessings :)

P.S. I wanted to also give you all an update on James, the boy who Leann and I took to the hospital last week. He was the one with the terribly infected leg. Well, after responsibly taking his medication and applying ointment to his wound, James is on his way to full recovery! His leg looks so healthy!! Bwana Safiwe, and thank you so much for all your prayers :)

Kosovo Health Education

Yesterday was Leann and my first time teaching our health education presentations at the Kosovo center. We were supposed to use a projector in order for the kids to view a powerpoint, but for some reason it was not working properly so we had to come up with a lot of things off the top of our heads.

Yesterday we saw two different groups, Pre-School through class 3 and then class 4-5. They were all so great and loved seeing the pictures on Leann's laptop. Eventually though her battery ran out of power and we could not charge it because the center was out of electricity! Oh well! Makes things interesting, right? So yesterday we educated the kids on Personal and Oral Hygiene. We started out with a skit that compared one person with good hygiene and another with bad. I was the stinky person with cavities...haha! We also brought along our puppets. Do you remember those from when I showed pictures at Pangani? The kids really enjoyed them :)

I have to say that I am so thankful Leann is doing this with me. She is sooo creative and comes up with entertaining activities that keep the kids' attention! Like yesterday she modified the Barney "Clean Up" song to go along with personal hygiene and then today she had kids moving around acting out how fatty plaque clogs the arteries haha!

Today's agenda at Kosovo was to teach classes 4 and 5 about nutrition and non-communicable diseases. Most of them knew a lot about nutrition which was awesome and they participated well during that presentation. Oh and we finally got the projector to work and that helped out a lot! But when we got to the non-communicable diseases the projector quit working so we had to improvise and we also realized that a good amount of the information was over their heads. We are going to have to modify that presentation. We persevered though and taught them about heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, and depression. I learned some too!

So tomorrow we are off to Joska again to try yet another time to teach the kids about nutrition. I am confident that it will work out though, so please pray for safe travel and a smooth presentation. Please also be praying that Mary and little David get back from the States safely. They should be arriving tonight around 8 p.m. and I know we are all ready for them to be home :) I pray that you all are doing well and enjoying life. Today is a gift!

SAFARI !!

Well Friday morning Tahia and I were picked up from the Kamau's house to venture on a safari with some guests from Trader's Point Christian Church in Indiana. It took about 6 long hours of bumpy roads to get there but we finally made it to the Sopa Lodge in Masai Mara. It was absolutely beautiful! We were able to go on a short safari Friday afternoon, an all day trip on Saturday, and then a short one this morning on our way back to Nairobi. Overall, we got to see tons of birds, gazelle, impala, elephants, and buffalo. We even saw a few lions and two cheetahs! The only animals we didn't see were rhinos and leopards, but giraffes and hippos were definitely sighted :)

Another cool event was seeing a dance given by some of the Masai people. Their clothing is unique and beautiful. They wear red because it is easy to see at a distance and it also scares off the wild animals. if you research the Masai you will most likely come up with their popular traditional dance which includes a male competition of jumping. This dance is usually performed after weddings or a circumcision ritual. Supposedly, the boy who jumps the highest has the most girlfriends ;) Well I will let most of the pictures do the talking, but the weather was absolutely beautiful and not too hot! I wish you all could have been right there with me :)

And here is a funny one: After the Masai dance, Tahia and I introduced ourselves to one of the men and asked him questions concerning the dancing and really just questions about the Masai in general. Afterwards, we played pool with them! I think that is absolutely hilarious :)

So this weekend was a blast and an experience that not many people have the chance to take, so I am extremely grateful! Thank you so much for this opportunity and I pray you all enjoy your Sunday :) Praise God for his beautiful creation and his willingness to share it with us!