So wow, I'm really NOT good at keeping up with this blogging thing...but for those of you who I will not see in times that are soon (ha, that's a good sentence), I will keep blogging so you can know how the rest of my trip went!
However, today I will post about today and tomorrow's travel. I will be leaving Nairobi at 10:30 p.m. to arrive in Amsterdam at 5:30 a.m. From there I will be traveling to Portland, OR, leaving at 10:00 a.m. and arriving at 11:20 a.m. ONLY AN HOUR AND A HALF FLIGHT!?! Yeah, no...10 hour flight actually...blegh. In Portland I have a four hour layover, where I will spend my time calling you people that I love so much :), and watching The Last Airbender (thank you Kyle :)! My last flight will leave Portland at 3:25 p.m. and arrive in Boise at 5:40 p.m., where I will, at long last see the wonderful faces of my family!
I am excited about being home, but I will dearly miss these people who I have lived with for 6 weeks now. I have learned a lot from them and will love them dearly for as long as I live (I know that sounds corny, but it's true)!
Now, for those of you who I will see soon, I can't wait!! We have a lot to talk about on both ends I'm sure, and I'm so excited!
Please be praying that this trip will be completely uneventful and that God continues to work in mind and heart as I process through everything I have learned while here.
I love you all so dearly!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
March 18-19
Friday was a dumb day again...well for me... I had a fever, chills, and the rest of the stuff you don't want to hear about. The team, other than Heather who was also sick and therefore stayed home with me, had there last day at the Karen worksite. They then went to the second showing of Kyle's show, where as because I still had a fever, I wasn't allowed to go :(. But, I hear it went very well and everyone loved it! (Especially Kyle, cause it was over finally :).
Saturday we went out to Karen church again, but this time we had a little friendly competition with Bible Quizzing. Heather and Brad, a married couple from the team, have been quizzing since they were in high school and brought over some sensor seats for the Free Methodist quizzers here in Kenya. We started off with a devotion by Brad. He told part of his testimony and how bible quizzing helped change his life (it's a cool story, ask me some time and I'll tell you what I remember!). We then announced the book that they were all supposed to have studied beforehand, but since quite a few of them haven't (it was Joshua 1-5) we took a half hour to study it before we started the quizzing. I had never witnessed quizzing before and it was quite fun! I can tell you right now that I wouldn't be good at it, but it's fun to watch :).
Then we had lunch and stopped home for a while before going to dinner at Java. Java is a real nice restaurant that reminds me, style wise, of noodles and company. The food though was a plethora of different foods like mexican, subs, soups, salads, fish, etc. It would've been a better experience if I wanted to actually eat, but it was still fun! Kyle and I sat next to Larry the whole time and we just talked about our futures, talents, and chinese people (ahahahaha...oh man, Larry!). After dinner, Kyle and I had a Harry Potter night!!!!! It was exactly what I needed!
So that was that week. Good times!
I love love love you all so much!
Saturday we went out to Karen church again, but this time we had a little friendly competition with Bible Quizzing. Heather and Brad, a married couple from the team, have been quizzing since they were in high school and brought over some sensor seats for the Free Methodist quizzers here in Kenya. We started off with a devotion by Brad. He told part of his testimony and how bible quizzing helped change his life (it's a cool story, ask me some time and I'll tell you what I remember!). We then announced the book that they were all supposed to have studied beforehand, but since quite a few of them haven't (it was Joshua 1-5) we took a half hour to study it before we started the quizzing. I had never witnessed quizzing before and it was quite fun! I can tell you right now that I wouldn't be good at it, but it's fun to watch :).
Then we had lunch and stopped home for a while before going to dinner at Java. Java is a real nice restaurant that reminds me, style wise, of noodles and company. The food though was a plethora of different foods like mexican, subs, soups, salads, fish, etc. It would've been a better experience if I wanted to actually eat, but it was still fun! Kyle and I sat next to Larry the whole time and we just talked about our futures, talents, and chinese people (ahahahaha...oh man, Larry!). After dinner, Kyle and I had a Harry Potter night!!!!! It was exactly what I needed!
So that was that week. Good times!
I love love love you all so much!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
March 15-17
So Tuesday and Wednesday we had pretty much the same workload. More hauling block to the top of the building, more wheelbarrowing (word? well it should be cause we did a lot of it), however, this time we mostly hauled rocks to cover the dirt that we hauled before...like we never did it at all...oh joy! (FYI; all this negativism is sarcasm...we really did have a lot of fun doing it!) We also spent a lot of time pounding down all the dirt we hauled which was quite fun...we just wet it, walked all over it, and had some dangerous tools to gracefully lift up and drop down. Ha, gracefully...that's an over statement! I only hit my head once with the heavy metal (haha, heavy metal) pounder...but that's all it took to give me quite the headache and goose egg right on my forehead! Beautiful! However, Deb, one of the team members, took this perfect opportunity to use my head for melting the frozen water bottles so we could all have cold water. I'm so glad my injury was useful for everyone :)! It was kind of my tendency to get hit in the head with metal things this week...giant metal crowbar, metal pounder thing, metal rake (thank you vickie!)...eventually, instead of checking to see if I was alright, they went right into the laughing (hahaha, it really wasn't that bad, I'm just being dramatic!).
Thursday was a garden day :). Our (the ladies) job was to weed, trim, mow, rake, etc. I found that I was indeed a decent bush groomer/trimmer person. (Kratz, more than once, I thought and mentioned how I wished I was Edward Scissorhands!) After lunch Vick and I had to leave for errands and cleaning ourselves up....because....we had Kyle's play to go to!!!!! KYLE, it was sooooo goooooood! They did the musical comedy murders of 1940, or something of that fashion (I can't remember the exact title and I'm too lazy to look it up right now). Funnily enough, Sault High Alumni Theatre actually did this play one summer, so I have seen it, but because it was a christian high school, there were enough differences that it was still really fun to watch!
Welp that was the majority of our week. It was so fun hanging out with the team and getting to know them while we killed ourselves hauling heavy, 50 lbs. blocks :)!
Keep praying for me, for as I'm catching up with my blogs, I am still doing stuff over here. This week we are teaching again at Kawangware. I will tell you more when I catch up on the blog, but be praying for me. For wisdom, strength, peace, love, and really all of the fruits of the spirit.
I love you all so very dearly, and I can't wait to see some of you in a week!
Thursday was a garden day :). Our (the ladies) job was to weed, trim, mow, rake, etc. I found that I was indeed a decent bush groomer/trimmer person. (Kratz, more than once, I thought and mentioned how I wished I was Edward Scissorhands!) After lunch Vick and I had to leave for errands and cleaning ourselves up....because....we had Kyle's play to go to!!!!! KYLE, it was sooooo goooooood! They did the musical comedy murders of 1940, or something of that fashion (I can't remember the exact title and I'm too lazy to look it up right now). Funnily enough, Sault High Alumni Theatre actually did this play one summer, so I have seen it, but because it was a christian high school, there were enough differences that it was still really fun to watch!
Welp that was the majority of our week. It was so fun hanging out with the team and getting to know them while we killed ourselves hauling heavy, 50 lbs. blocks :)!
Keep praying for me, for as I'm catching up with my blogs, I am still doing stuff over here. This week we are teaching again at Kawangware. I will tell you more when I catch up on the blog, but be praying for me. For wisdom, strength, peace, love, and really all of the fruits of the spirit.
I love you all so very dearly, and I can't wait to see some of you in a week!
March 14th
So Monday was our first day at the worksite with the team. The site was located at the Karen church and our job was to build a second story onto the already existing children's building for more classrooms/offices and such.
Man was this first day a doozy! Our first task was to bring brick upon brick up to the top floor so they could start building the walls up. And by brick I mean huge solid stones...you can see some pics of them that I'm tagged in on my FB page. I was on the ground team which means I walked across the yard, picked one up, walked back across the yard, and then lift it up to the people on the platform, who would then lift them up to the people on the second floor. A few times my arm just died mid-lift...and then I would start laughing, so I still couldn't lift it up. It was quite the situation.
So our next task was breaking ground with a pick or giant hoe, shoveling that into a wheelbarrow, wheeling that across the yard, over the hill, and behind the church (hmm...sounds like a song). There they are preparing to wet it down, flatten it out and cover it with rock so as to make a sort of patio where there was a kind of dip before.
Overall it was a good day, just extremely tiring and painful!
I lava you all so much
Man was this first day a doozy! Our first task was to bring brick upon brick up to the top floor so they could start building the walls up. And by brick I mean huge solid stones...you can see some pics of them that I'm tagged in on my FB page. I was on the ground team which means I walked across the yard, picked one up, walked back across the yard, and then lift it up to the people on the platform, who would then lift them up to the people on the second floor. A few times my arm just died mid-lift...and then I would start laughing, so I still couldn't lift it up. It was quite the situation.
So our next task was breaking ground with a pick or giant hoe, shoveling that into a wheelbarrow, wheeling that across the yard, over the hill, and behind the church (hmm...sounds like a song). There they are preparing to wet it down, flatten it out and cover it with rock so as to make a sort of patio where there was a kind of dip before.
Overall it was a good day, just extremely tiring and painful!
I lava you all so much
Saturday, March 19, 2011
March 13th
Wow, I'm like a week behind...so, here we go!
So Sunday the team split up to go to two of the different Free Methodist Churches. I was with Kyle, Jill, Alice, Larry, and Deb at the Karen church, and the rest of them went to the church in Kibera. Unfortunately for our part of the group, the taxi didn't come for them until about an hour after the service started, so they weren't able to be part of the music part of the worship service. The sermon was, again, on unity...I think it's a theme for this month or something. The person who did the sermon was a woman named Polly (Polleen, something like that) and she talked about the unity between denominations, churches, and such. She was kind of hard to understand at times, but I got the gist of it.
For lunch we went to Brew Bistro & Lounge. It reminded me of a kind of jazzy club thing. Kind of ritzy, but super cool :)! I had pizza, but it didn't look like pizza when you first looked at it. It was completely covered in "rocket" lettuce and cheese. Underneath that, however, was a regular ole pizza. It tasted real good, it just looked funny :).
The rest of the day was just spent grocery shopping, making dinner for the next night, and relaxing.
So Sunday the team split up to go to two of the different Free Methodist Churches. I was with Kyle, Jill, Alice, Larry, and Deb at the Karen church, and the rest of them went to the church in Kibera. Unfortunately for our part of the group, the taxi didn't come for them until about an hour after the service started, so they weren't able to be part of the music part of the worship service. The sermon was, again, on unity...I think it's a theme for this month or something. The person who did the sermon was a woman named Polly (Polleen, something like that) and she talked about the unity between denominations, churches, and such. She was kind of hard to understand at times, but I got the gist of it.
For lunch we went to Brew Bistro & Lounge. It reminded me of a kind of jazzy club thing. Kind of ritzy, but super cool :)! I had pizza, but it didn't look like pizza when you first looked at it. It was completely covered in "rocket" lettuce and cheese. Underneath that, however, was a regular ole pizza. It tasted real good, it just looked funny :).
The rest of the day was just spent grocery shopping, making dinner for the next night, and relaxing.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
March 12th
So yeah...today (as in Saturday) was SAFARI DAY!!! Woot! Oh man, best day everrrrr! Our guide, Magic--yeah Magic, we rode on the Magic Safari Bus!! Totally wicked!--picked us up around 6:30. It took us about 3 hours to get there, because instead of going to the game park in Nairobi we got a deal to go to the Lake Nakuru National Park, which is in the Rift Valley. We saw water buffalo, waterbuck, warthog, rhino, pelican, zebra, impala, gazelle, flamingos, and......LIONS!!!! Coolest thing everrrrr!
I put pics and stories up on facebook, so you should check it out :)
I LOVE YOU!!!
I put pics and stories up on facebook, so you should check it out :)
I LOVE YOU!!!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
March 11th
Sooooooo...sorry it's been a while. No good reason, I just kept being lazy. So I will just post a lot tonight :).
Hokay, so today (as in Friday) I met the group for the first time! Their names are Deb, Heather, Brad, Larry, and Alice. They are amazing beautiful people and I'm so blessed to be working with them! For their first day they just wanted to go to the two different Free Methodist schools, Kibera and Kawangware.... just so they could meet the principals, kids, and learn about the history and challenges that the schools have gone through. Vickie and I went to their compound to pick them around 9:15 in order to get to the Kibera school by 10:00. First we went in to the principal's office to greet him and Martin (the chaplain), and talk to him about the background of the school...and have Chai :).
Then we made sure that we greeted all the kids by having a parade (or assembly). They all stood in the play yard while we (the team, the kids already knew Cynthia and I) introduced themselves. They sang us a few songs (mostly the ones we taught them over the weeks), and then they went back to class. But we kept the nursery and the pre-unit class behind because Andrew (the principal) told us that they were the ones who were most likely to not have a sponsor yet. That way they can take the pictures they take to their church and show them around to get those kids sponsored.
There was one little girl, her name is Queen Elizabeth :), and she is a child after my own heart! Both of the weeks we were at Kibera she would make sure she'd come and see me and we would take turns sticking our tongues out at each other and winking! MARVELOUS!!! I'm looking into if she is sponsored or not, cause if she's not....PICK ME! Well, when I get a job. So, we took lots of pictures of her and me, and hopefully we'll be able to find out if she is sponsored or not!!
Then we had a little meet and greet with the teachers and headed out to the cars, then home for a short break, then Kawangware.
At Kawangware we had a lunch of rice, cabbage :(, and stew. Again, we talked to the Principal, or head mistress, about the history and challenges of the school. After lunch, the deputy had put it together that some of the kids would perform a tradition dance for us and then a few would sing a special song. It was kind of weird sitting in front of them while they performed for us, but it was wonderful none the less. I filmed most of it so I will either put it on Facebook, or show it to you when i get home :). It's PHENOMENAL!!
After that we just went to dinner and relaxed with the team.
So...it took me about 10 hours (exaggeration) to right this one, cause Kyle (Vickie's son) keeps distracting me so i will add more about the weekend and the beginning of this week, tomorrow.
I love you all so very dearly!!
Hokay, so today (as in Friday) I met the group for the first time! Their names are Deb, Heather, Brad, Larry, and Alice. They are amazing beautiful people and I'm so blessed to be working with them! For their first day they just wanted to go to the two different Free Methodist schools, Kibera and Kawangware.... just so they could meet the principals, kids, and learn about the history and challenges that the schools have gone through. Vickie and I went to their compound to pick them around 9:15 in order to get to the Kibera school by 10:00. First we went in to the principal's office to greet him and Martin (the chaplain), and talk to him about the background of the school...and have Chai :).
Then we made sure that we greeted all the kids by having a parade (or assembly). They all stood in the play yard while we (the team, the kids already knew Cynthia and I) introduced themselves. They sang us a few songs (mostly the ones we taught them over the weeks), and then they went back to class. But we kept the nursery and the pre-unit class behind because Andrew (the principal) told us that they were the ones who were most likely to not have a sponsor yet. That way they can take the pictures they take to their church and show them around to get those kids sponsored.
There was one little girl, her name is Queen Elizabeth :), and she is a child after my own heart! Both of the weeks we were at Kibera she would make sure she'd come and see me and we would take turns sticking our tongues out at each other and winking! MARVELOUS!!! I'm looking into if she is sponsored or not, cause if she's not....PICK ME! Well, when I get a job. So, we took lots of pictures of her and me, and hopefully we'll be able to find out if she is sponsored or not!!
Then we had a little meet and greet with the teachers and headed out to the cars, then home for a short break, then Kawangware.
At Kawangware we had a lunch of rice, cabbage :(, and stew. Again, we talked to the Principal, or head mistress, about the history and challenges of the school. After lunch, the deputy had put it together that some of the kids would perform a tradition dance for us and then a few would sing a special song. It was kind of weird sitting in front of them while they performed for us, but it was wonderful none the less. I filmed most of it so I will either put it on Facebook, or show it to you when i get home :). It's PHENOMENAL!!
After that we just went to dinner and relaxed with the team.
So...it took me about 10 hours (exaggeration) to right this one, cause Kyle (Vickie's son) keeps distracting me so i will add more about the weekend and the beginning of this week, tomorrow.
I love you all so very dearly!!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
March 10th
Today was our last day teaching in Kibera. We met Martin, once again, at one of the many entrances to Kibera and walked in at around 8:15. We had our first class at 8:50 with class 2 for creative arts. They were quite excited to finally have us in a creative arts class with them (we'd had them earlier this week, but only for PE). They caught on pretty well with the song, of course we had Martin there translating (which can sometimes be frustrating, because he tends to repeat, not only what you say, but what he says, over and over again. Even though he's talking in Swahili, we can tell he keeps repeating because of his body language. Oh well, he's still quite helpful).
After that first class we had a bit of a break, so at first we just chilled in the shade and played the guitar, but then Rose, the "kindergarten" class teacher, asked us to come play with her class. I had been waiting for that all this trip :)! So, we got out the bubbles and played with them for a while until we were invited in for Chai. They of course loved the bubbles! So much in fact I had them all over me! They didn't quite like taking turns with the wands, so every once in a while they would be fighting over them practically on top of me, while I was holding the dish with the bubbles in them...and you can guess the end result :)! Oh well...we had plenty of bubbles and at least I got my skirt clean, although my feet were completely covered in mud!
We then had class 3 in creative arts again, so we had to teach them a few different songs. We taught them "Celebrate Jesus Celebrate", which they pretty much knew, and "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", which they had heard before, although didn't really know it.
Then we finally got to have a class with class 1! It took them a lot longer than we were used to to catch on to the songs, but it just helped us learn patience when it came to translating words, ideas, and motions. But it was still fun.
Then we had another break where we just went into the "kindergarten" (that's what I call it anyway) class and just sat with them, looked at their drawings, and laughed with them.
We then had them all (all as in all the lower primary kids, k-3) in a short devotional. We went over the songs that we had learned over the week ("Celebrate" and "Some Trust"), and then I taught the devotional on Proverbs 18:10, which says "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and they are saved." We then taught them the song that went with it (and that we had taught all the upper grades the previous week), "Strong Tower".
Cynthia and I were both kind of tired from yesterday (which I didn't tell you, but Cynthia was sick with probably food poisoning, and I had a migraine...joy), so we weren't necessarily as energetic today. Please be praying that we gain our strength back and that we just have an amazing week with the team at the building site (they are coming in tonight).
I love you all!
After that first class we had a bit of a break, so at first we just chilled in the shade and played the guitar, but then Rose, the "kindergarten" class teacher, asked us to come play with her class. I had been waiting for that all this trip :)! So, we got out the bubbles and played with them for a while until we were invited in for Chai. They of course loved the bubbles! So much in fact I had them all over me! They didn't quite like taking turns with the wands, so every once in a while they would be fighting over them practically on top of me, while I was holding the dish with the bubbles in them...and you can guess the end result :)! Oh well...we had plenty of bubbles and at least I got my skirt clean, although my feet were completely covered in mud!
We then had class 3 in creative arts again, so we had to teach them a few different songs. We taught them "Celebrate Jesus Celebrate", which they pretty much knew, and "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", which they had heard before, although didn't really know it.
Then we finally got to have a class with class 1! It took them a lot longer than we were used to to catch on to the songs, but it just helped us learn patience when it came to translating words, ideas, and motions. But it was still fun.
Then we had another break where we just went into the "kindergarten" (that's what I call it anyway) class and just sat with them, looked at their drawings, and laughed with them.
We then had them all (all as in all the lower primary kids, k-3) in a short devotional. We went over the songs that we had learned over the week ("Celebrate" and "Some Trust"), and then I taught the devotional on Proverbs 18:10, which says "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and they are saved." We then taught them the song that went with it (and that we had taught all the upper grades the previous week), "Strong Tower".
Cynthia and I were both kind of tired from yesterday (which I didn't tell you, but Cynthia was sick with probably food poisoning, and I had a migraine...joy), so we weren't necessarily as energetic today. Please be praying that we gain our strength back and that we just have an amazing week with the team at the building site (they are coming in tonight).
I love you all!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
March 8th
Well, today was another short day at Kibera. We had to meet Martin at the entrance to Kibera at 10:10...the walk in keeps feeling shorter (even though the walk out is still torture!). So our first class was PE with the 2nd graders. We taught them frisbee because they had never gotten the chance to work with them last time (reason being we were working with the upper primary last week). It went well...they get a little confused with certain concepts and whatnot, but littler kids do take longer to teach and it doesn't help that their english isn't as quick as the upper primary. I played with them until about 11:20 and then Martin asked if I would stop by class 6 and say hi and God loves you, because they felt that we were leaving them out. Apparently they had been keeping track of how many times we went into the other classes and they weren't up to that number. They were sooooo...happy when I walked in there. I felt so bad, but the schedule we were given only gave us so many of their classes, so there wasn't much we could do. Our second and last class was with class 3 in Creative Arts. We taught them "Some Trust", and again, they're a little bit slower, but they caught on and they loved every minute of it :).
So, now for the rest of my day!!! I took a taxi downtown to this place called The Roots Salon...yep SALON! Do you know why I went to the salon??? Well, I'll tell you...I got me some Locks (as in DREAD LOCKS)! You know you're all jealous :). My lifelong dream has been realized! Haha. I'd take a picture now and show you, but I just put a wrap on my head in order to go to bed and not get oil all over mamma Vickie's pillow case. So I will take one tomorrow!
That's all we did today...because the dreads took about 4 hours to do.
I love you all so much! Please keep praying...I already know you will, and I thank you so much for that!
So, now for the rest of my day!!! I took a taxi downtown to this place called The Roots Salon...yep SALON! Do you know why I went to the salon??? Well, I'll tell you...I got me some Locks (as in DREAD LOCKS)! You know you're all jealous :). My lifelong dream has been realized! Haha. I'd take a picture now and show you, but I just put a wrap on my head in order to go to bed and not get oil all over mamma Vickie's pillow case. So I will take one tomorrow!
That's all we did today...because the dreads took about 4 hours to do.
I love you all so much! Please keep praying...I already know you will, and I thank you so much for that!
Monday, March 7, 2011
March 7th
Today was a good day. Our first, and only, class wasn't until 12:10 in Kibera, so we didn't leave the house until around 11:00. It was nice to just relax, check up on internet things, and prepare for the day. Mike dropped us off so Martin (the chaplain) and Benja (the school's kitchen help) met us just outside of Kibera to walk us in. Since it was in the morning, it was still cool, so it was quite a nice walk...minus the fact that all the smells (but mainly the bad smells) were more pungent because I'm still getting over being sick. When we arrived we spent some time with Andrew (the Headmaster). We went over the schedule for the week and then he taught us some Swahili until our class started.
Our first class was PE with the Standards 1-3. We wanted only 1st because if we had all the kids it would add up to be almost 100, but don't worry...he brought out all three classes! AWESOME (sarcasm)! We decided to teach them a dancing game that Cynthia knew from home. You stand in a circle and sing "Come on baby, ride that pony" three times while the people in the middle run around the inside of the circle. When you sing, "this is how we do it" the people in the middle pick a person from the circle and dance "front to front to front", "back to back to back", and then "side to side to side". After they dance, they switch, and the person who was inside the circle is now part of the circle and visa versa. It's a fun game.....if there aren't 100 little kids trying to learn it at the same time! But really it was okay. I don't think they had the words all figured out, and they didn't get the switching part...they just pulled the dancing partner into the center of the circle with them. But they did have fun :).
We hung out with the kids a little after that and then we had Chai in Martin's office while we waited for the 5th and 8th grade devotionals. For that we taught them "Some Trust (in Chariots)" and then did the devo about the three trees. I think I talked about that before, but if I didn't, ask me and I'll tell you it.
When we were done with devos, we really "had" to go (more like wanted to go so we didn't have to eat, cause they had just fed us bread and Chai). But we really did have a place we said we would be, it just wasn't as pressing as we made it sound. We felt kind of bad, but there was no way I could eat anything with that much flavor after just being sick the day before and we were just ready to go.
Vickie picked us and we stopped by the house to drop our things. From there we took a bus downtown. First time down there...it was interesting. BIG buildings (bigger than I'm used to in Africa), lots of people, traffic, etc. I won't tell you where we went yet, cause it's a surprise, but I will tell you there were "locks" everywhere :)! So we took a bus again for our ride back to the house. Let me tell you, was that ever a packed ride! It wasn't shoulder to shoulder...oh no...it was side to shoulder. Like I was leaned forward the whole time, with my arms up on the seat in front of me, and their arms were digging into my rib cage. Thankfully one of the guys that was next to me got out before me (even if it was only two stops before), so I had a little more room after that.
Tonight I just fooled around on my g-fiddle a little before supper, and after supper we just talked about plans for tomorrow and relaxed.
Thank you so so much for your prayers. I hope you don't get tired of hearing that, cause I'm gonna keep saying it :).
I love you dearly!
Our first class was PE with the Standards 1-3. We wanted only 1st because if we had all the kids it would add up to be almost 100, but don't worry...he brought out all three classes! AWESOME (sarcasm)! We decided to teach them a dancing game that Cynthia knew from home. You stand in a circle and sing "Come on baby, ride that pony" three times while the people in the middle run around the inside of the circle. When you sing, "this is how we do it" the people in the middle pick a person from the circle and dance "front to front to front", "back to back to back", and then "side to side to side". After they dance, they switch, and the person who was inside the circle is now part of the circle and visa versa. It's a fun game.....if there aren't 100 little kids trying to learn it at the same time! But really it was okay. I don't think they had the words all figured out, and they didn't get the switching part...they just pulled the dancing partner into the center of the circle with them. But they did have fun :).
We hung out with the kids a little after that and then we had Chai in Martin's office while we waited for the 5th and 8th grade devotionals. For that we taught them "Some Trust (in Chariots)" and then did the devo about the three trees. I think I talked about that before, but if I didn't, ask me and I'll tell you it.
When we were done with devos, we really "had" to go (more like wanted to go so we didn't have to eat, cause they had just fed us bread and Chai). But we really did have a place we said we would be, it just wasn't as pressing as we made it sound. We felt kind of bad, but there was no way I could eat anything with that much flavor after just being sick the day before and we were just ready to go.
Vickie picked us and we stopped by the house to drop our things. From there we took a bus downtown. First time down there...it was interesting. BIG buildings (bigger than I'm used to in Africa), lots of people, traffic, etc. I won't tell you where we went yet, cause it's a surprise, but I will tell you there were "locks" everywhere :)! So we took a bus again for our ride back to the house. Let me tell you, was that ever a packed ride! It wasn't shoulder to shoulder...oh no...it was side to shoulder. Like I was leaned forward the whole time, with my arms up on the seat in front of me, and their arms were digging into my rib cage. Thankfully one of the guys that was next to me got out before me (even if it was only two stops before), so I had a little more room after that.
Tonight I just fooled around on my g-fiddle a little before supper, and after supper we just talked about plans for tomorrow and relaxed.
Thank you so so much for your prayers. I hope you don't get tired of hearing that, cause I'm gonna keep saying it :).
I love you dearly!
Sunday, March 6, 2011
March 4th and 5th
So Friday, as I mentioned Vickie and I went in to Kawangware to teach three creative arts classes. We got there, unfortunately, in time for lunch. I say unfortunately cause I had already eaten something, still wasn't feeling that great, and they give you sooooo...much food. Also, because they wanted us to eat so badly we weren't done in time to teach the first class. Oh well.
We had a bit of a break in between lunch and our, now first class, so we got a bit of a tour of the school, which I hadn't really seen yet cause I've been sick. Then we got to spend time with the baby class! They are so beautiful! All we did was play with the bubbles with them, but it was marvelous! We don't have any time put aside for the baby class at either location so it was good to get some time in :). Hopefully we will be able to in Kibera too!
Our two classes went well. The first class was standard 7 who were a little shy and didn't respond as much, but they would get up and sing when we asked and replied with a little prodding, so it was fine. The fourth grade was our second class and they were very eager to learn! They loved the songs and they responded to just about all our questions. We taught them "I've Got Joy Down in My Heart", "Na na na na, Praise God", and "All in All" as well as went over a few of the other songs that Cynthia taught them.
Then we had a staff devotional with all the teachers at Kawangware. We sang a few choruses in Swahili and then the headmistress, Salome, wanted me to teach them "Desert Song". One of the teachers, Robinson, died about a week ago now and so she wanted a song that talked about praising God through everything we experience, and the Desert Song at one point says "All of my life, in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship." And really the whole song has that kind of message, so she really liked it for this particular time. Then Vickie did a short devotional and we left until next time.
That night one of Kyle's teachers came over for dinner and we just had a lot of fun talking, eating, and laughing. :)
Saturday we got up in the morning to head over to Mathare school for a weekend program. The school is one room where during the week a 26 student preschool class meets (It's right next to a place where they "recycle", but it's pretty much just a dirty dump). On this day however the kids were all ages and there were about 55 of them crammed in there (apparently there are usually 80...I can't even imagine). We got there a little late because of traffic, so we went right to work teaching them a few songs and then a devotional. They were quite a bit rowdier than the kids we're used to, so we had to shush them, and rearrange them multiple times. After we were done with everything, we just hung out with them while they were fed their porridge for that Saturday. Pretty much that whole time I just held this one little girl who, right after she got her porridge and took one sip, she fell right to sleep...wonderful! :) The rest of the day was just spent driving around, grocery shopping, and watching a movie. Quite a good Saturday in all!
That's about all I have to report. Today I was sick again...it's getting exceptionally obnoxious. I'm getting discouraged and just really frustrated again, but tomorrow is a new day. It WILL be better.
Be praying for me please! I know I don't have to ask and that you have been...but for my mental security I still am.
I so dearly love you all!!
We had a bit of a break in between lunch and our, now first class, so we got a bit of a tour of the school, which I hadn't really seen yet cause I've been sick. Then we got to spend time with the baby class! They are so beautiful! All we did was play with the bubbles with them, but it was marvelous! We don't have any time put aside for the baby class at either location so it was good to get some time in :). Hopefully we will be able to in Kibera too!
Our two classes went well. The first class was standard 7 who were a little shy and didn't respond as much, but they would get up and sing when we asked and replied with a little prodding, so it was fine. The fourth grade was our second class and they were very eager to learn! They loved the songs and they responded to just about all our questions. We taught them "I've Got Joy Down in My Heart", "Na na na na, Praise God", and "All in All" as well as went over a few of the other songs that Cynthia taught them.
Then we had a staff devotional with all the teachers at Kawangware. We sang a few choruses in Swahili and then the headmistress, Salome, wanted me to teach them "Desert Song". One of the teachers, Robinson, died about a week ago now and so she wanted a song that talked about praising God through everything we experience, and the Desert Song at one point says "All of my life, in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing. I have a reason to worship." And really the whole song has that kind of message, so she really liked it for this particular time. Then Vickie did a short devotional and we left until next time.
That night one of Kyle's teachers came over for dinner and we just had a lot of fun talking, eating, and laughing. :)
Saturday we got up in the morning to head over to Mathare school for a weekend program. The school is one room where during the week a 26 student preschool class meets (It's right next to a place where they "recycle", but it's pretty much just a dirty dump). On this day however the kids were all ages and there were about 55 of them crammed in there (apparently there are usually 80...I can't even imagine). We got there a little late because of traffic, so we went right to work teaching them a few songs and then a devotional. They were quite a bit rowdier than the kids we're used to, so we had to shush them, and rearrange them multiple times. After we were done with everything, we just hung out with them while they were fed their porridge for that Saturday. Pretty much that whole time I just held this one little girl who, right after she got her porridge and took one sip, she fell right to sleep...wonderful! :) The rest of the day was just spent driving around, grocery shopping, and watching a movie. Quite a good Saturday in all!
That's about all I have to report. Today I was sick again...it's getting exceptionally obnoxious. I'm getting discouraged and just really frustrated again, but tomorrow is a new day. It WILL be better.
Be praying for me please! I know I don't have to ask and that you have been...but for my mental security I still am.
I so dearly love you all!!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Not much to report.
So these past few days I really don't have much to report on. Tuesday, as I have already told you, I was sick. Well, that continued into wednesday and thursday. Not so much fun...nope. Wednesday I went to a clinic (from what I hear it's the best clinic in Nairobi, mom, so don't worry)...I got blood drawn, peed in a cup, and gave them a stool sample ( I know you wanted to know...that's why I told you). After all that, all she did was give me a prescription for the stuff I already had, so I'm just sticking with that and making sure I completely finish the dosage this time. I am feeling better, so hopefully this ultimately kicks it in the but.
Today, Vickie and I will be teaching the kids creative arts at the Kawangware school. We just have three classes, so it shouldn't be too hard. Cynthia is going to see the president of Kenya, who will be visiting a university here in Nairobi. So she won't be there for the classes, but she's coming to the staff devotional at 3, and we'll all be there for that.
Like I said, not much to report, other than I love you all and really appreciate your prayers. Please continue praying for my health; physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Love love love you!
Today, Vickie and I will be teaching the kids creative arts at the Kawangware school. We just have three classes, so it shouldn't be too hard. Cynthia is going to see the president of Kenya, who will be visiting a university here in Nairobi. So she won't be there for the classes, but she's coming to the staff devotional at 3, and we'll all be there for that.
Like I said, not much to report, other than I love you all and really appreciate your prayers. Please continue praying for my health; physically, emotionally, and mentally.
Love love love you!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Last day of February.
Today was out first day at the Kawangware School. We only had class at 10:25, 2:00, and 2:35, and they were all Creative Arts classes. Since it was our first day at a new place, I was quite uncomfortable again. I had a hard time relaxing and just having fun. But eventually, of course, I was fine. Our first class was 2nd grade, and this was our first time with a lower primary class, so it took us a little longer to teach them two songs.
Again, we did "Strong Tower" and "Lord I Lift Your Name On High". Benard, one of the people who work with ICCM, came along with us for our first day. This turned out to be a good thing, because he could translate what we were saying into swahili, since the littler kids are still not very good at english. He just loves what he does, and being with kids, so he also brought a lot of energy to the PE lesson that we were not planning on doing.
While we were waiting for our last two classes we had a chance to help out in the kitchen. I served all the kids their lunch and Cynthia helped make the meal we would be eating. However, when it got to be the time when it was time for us to eat, we only had 10 minutes before we had to do our next lesson. Well, they wouldn't let us go without eating, so we ended up combining the two classes we had together.
That lesson was a lot of fun! We had 7th and 8th grades, so they learned very quickly. We got to the point where we were running out of prepared songs, so we started teaching ones I didn't even know, but it went well. The one we hadn't prepared, ended up being their favorite song yet. It was the song "Some Trust in Chariots", with motions and everything, and they just loved it! Nice choice Cynthia :)!
Well that was the end of our day at school. When we got home Vickie and I went grocery shopping for dinner (spaghetti and salad!). It was a great time to just talk and shop, and then, when we got home, talk and cook! I just love our little conversations together :). Almost the whole night we had no electricity so we hung out around candles and computers reading, journalling and playing games. Another relaxing enjoyable night!
I suppose you are also wondering about today...well, today was another rotten sick day. I hope this doesn't keep to the same pattern the whole time I'm here cause if it does I'll be getting sick once a week. ugh!
Prayer:
-So please be praying for health (spiritual, physical, emotional) for all of us here.
-Keep Kawangware and Kibera schools in your prayers (students and teachers).
-Whatever else God puts on your hearts :)
I love you all so dearly, and I can't wait to see you when I get home!
Again, we did "Strong Tower" and "Lord I Lift Your Name On High". Benard, one of the people who work with ICCM, came along with us for our first day. This turned out to be a good thing, because he could translate what we were saying into swahili, since the littler kids are still not very good at english. He just loves what he does, and being with kids, so he also brought a lot of energy to the PE lesson that we were not planning on doing.
While we were waiting for our last two classes we had a chance to help out in the kitchen. I served all the kids their lunch and Cynthia helped make the meal we would be eating. However, when it got to be the time when it was time for us to eat, we only had 10 minutes before we had to do our next lesson. Well, they wouldn't let us go without eating, so we ended up combining the two classes we had together.
That lesson was a lot of fun! We had 7th and 8th grades, so they learned very quickly. We got to the point where we were running out of prepared songs, so we started teaching ones I didn't even know, but it went well. The one we hadn't prepared, ended up being their favorite song yet. It was the song "Some Trust in Chariots", with motions and everything, and they just loved it! Nice choice Cynthia :)!
Well that was the end of our day at school. When we got home Vickie and I went grocery shopping for dinner (spaghetti and salad!). It was a great time to just talk and shop, and then, when we got home, talk and cook! I just love our little conversations together :). Almost the whole night we had no electricity so we hung out around candles and computers reading, journalling and playing games. Another relaxing enjoyable night!
I suppose you are also wondering about today...well, today was another rotten sick day. I hope this doesn't keep to the same pattern the whole time I'm here cause if it does I'll be getting sick once a week. ugh!
Prayer:
-So please be praying for health (spiritual, physical, emotional) for all of us here.
-Keep Kawangware and Kibera schools in your prayers (students and teachers).
-Whatever else God puts on your hearts :)
I love you all so dearly, and I can't wait to see you when I get home!
Weekend.
Well I haven't posted in a while because of two reasons...one is I did very little this weekend (which was glorious!), so there wasn't much to report and the second is we haven't had internet until now since yesterday.
Saturday was, as I have said, glorious. I had a lot of time to catch up on laundry, skype, read, and watch movies after the girls left. It was very much relaxing and what I needed.
Sunday was slightly busier. We went to church at the Karen church again, but this Sunday a woman named Deborah was the speaker. She's a widow that goes around to a lot of different churches to tell her testimony, preach, and just reach out to others. It was a great sermon on unity again, but it had a bit of a twist calling everyone to be actively reaching out in their everyday lives.
After the sermon we came right home and started to cook dinner and clean the house because we were having all the women from the church come over for a Women's Fellowship. It was a great time of eating, talking, playing games, and doing a devotional. This was the first time having this social, so part of the time was also spent planning what this Fellowship means and what they will be doing with it.
Being praying for this Women's Fellowship, that God will work through and in them in amazing ways!
Saturday was, as I have said, glorious. I had a lot of time to catch up on laundry, skype, read, and watch movies after the girls left. It was very much relaxing and what I needed.
Sunday was slightly busier. We went to church at the Karen church again, but this Sunday a woman named Deborah was the speaker. She's a widow that goes around to a lot of different churches to tell her testimony, preach, and just reach out to others. It was a great sermon on unity again, but it had a bit of a twist calling everyone to be actively reaching out in their everyday lives.
After the sermon we came right home and started to cook dinner and clean the house because we were having all the women from the church come over for a Women's Fellowship. It was a great time of eating, talking, playing games, and doing a devotional. This was the first time having this social, so part of the time was also spent planning what this Fellowship means and what they will be doing with it.
Being praying for this Women's Fellowship, that God will work through and in them in amazing ways!
Friday, February 25, 2011
Long, but good day.
So, as you have already seen, today was an extra long day. We got to the school at 8:00 a.m. in order to do a devotional lesson with two of the classes at 8:30. Vickie did the actual lesson and Cynthia and I led some songs after she was done. The lesson was on the story of three trees who all had dreams of what they wanted to become. One wanted to be a treasure chest so it could hold something of great value, which eventually became the manger that held baby Jesus. Another wanted to become a huge ship so he could see the whole world and learn a lot of things, which actually became the small fishing boat that held Jesus as he was talking to the large crowd. The third one wanted to grow tall and simply point to his creator, that one became the cross that Christ was nailed to. It was a great lesson that the kids really responded to. I teared up quite a few times :)
Our next few classes were PE. Today we taught them how to play Red Rover. They caught on pretty quickly and had a lot of fun with it! But after a few games it gets old, so we played a few of their games. Today I learned a new hand game and a foot game...I'll try to remember them so I can show you when I get home :).
Next we had another devotional, only this time all of the upper primary (which is grades 4-8). Again Vickie did the lesson and then we did all the songs that we had taught them throughout the week. It was a great time of worship! At one point the chaplain had the kids take a few minutes to pray by themselves. They were all kind of whispering their prayers out loud, so at one point it was like this quite mumbling throughout the hall. Probably one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard! That got over at 2:50, so instead of teaching another lesson, which we were planning on doing at 2:30, we just left so we could get to our next location.
Our next spot was at the Karen Church. We were asked when we were there last week at the worship practice, to stop by sometime during the week for an hour "class" on guitar and piano. So we got there for this "class" and had two "pupils" :). I'm kind of glad it wasn't more, cause this way we could do more one on one. All I really did was teach him some basic chords (or the only chords I know:)..ha...just kidding), and then we would play through a song a few times. We haven't gotten to strumming yet because he's still trying to smoothly change chords in the middle of a song. All in all, it was ok...I'm not really that awesome at guitar anyway, and I'd never taught it before so somethings that I just automatically do, he had to ask me about. But it was good.
Tonight we are having a sleep over with three little girls from the Karen church! We're having pizza, popcorn, and watching only my favorite cartoon...DESPICABLE ME!!! While we were waiting for Vickie I was showing them some of my pictures of Lilly, Owen, Stella, and the rest of the fam, and they just ate it up! They kept repeating the names so they would remember, and saying about the kiddos "oh they look like little dolls!" It was so precious!
So now it is time for sleep...finally! Tomorrow is just a chillax day for me, so I'm planning on doing laundry and watching movies...love it!
I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your support in prayer throughout this crazy adventure!
Our next few classes were PE. Today we taught them how to play Red Rover. They caught on pretty quickly and had a lot of fun with it! But after a few games it gets old, so we played a few of their games. Today I learned a new hand game and a foot game...I'll try to remember them so I can show you when I get home :).
Next we had another devotional, only this time all of the upper primary (which is grades 4-8). Again Vickie did the lesson and then we did all the songs that we had taught them throughout the week. It was a great time of worship! At one point the chaplain had the kids take a few minutes to pray by themselves. They were all kind of whispering their prayers out loud, so at one point it was like this quite mumbling throughout the hall. Probably one of the most beautiful sounds I have ever heard! That got over at 2:50, so instead of teaching another lesson, which we were planning on doing at 2:30, we just left so we could get to our next location.
Our next spot was at the Karen Church. We were asked when we were there last week at the worship practice, to stop by sometime during the week for an hour "class" on guitar and piano. So we got there for this "class" and had two "pupils" :). I'm kind of glad it wasn't more, cause this way we could do more one on one. All I really did was teach him some basic chords (or the only chords I know:)..ha...just kidding), and then we would play through a song a few times. We haven't gotten to strumming yet because he's still trying to smoothly change chords in the middle of a song. All in all, it was ok...I'm not really that awesome at guitar anyway, and I'd never taught it before so somethings that I just automatically do, he had to ask me about. But it was good.
Tonight we are having a sleep over with three little girls from the Karen church! We're having pizza, popcorn, and watching only my favorite cartoon...DESPICABLE ME!!! While we were waiting for Vickie I was showing them some of my pictures of Lilly, Owen, Stella, and the rest of the fam, and they just ate it up! They kept repeating the names so they would remember, and saying about the kiddos "oh they look like little dolls!" It was so precious!
So now it is time for sleep...finally! Tomorrow is just a chillax day for me, so I'm planning on doing laundry and watching movies...love it!
I love you all so much! Thank you for all of your support in prayer throughout this crazy adventure!
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Another day at school!
Today we went into Kibera at 10:00 to begin our day with PE at 10:25. We decided to do something different for PE today...a relay race! Good thinking Cynthia (she came up with the whole idea) :) We had them start the race with two of them doing wheelbarrow. When they would finish their leg they tagged one of the "egg" people. These people held the handle of a spoon in their mouth and in the bowl of the spoon there was an egg they had to balance while they walked their leg of the race. We've all seen it done ;). After them, there was a three legged pair that ran to the end and then back to where they started where they would tag the other egg person, that egg person would tag the wheelbarrow people, who now did a piggy back dash to the finish. (Quick reminder: the "playground" is quite small and entirely on a hill...yeah) (Also, there are pics on facebook now)
Now that sounds like a lot all typed out like that, but the 8th graders caught on right away and had quite a bit of fun with it! I will say it was pretty fun to watch :). The only problem came with the 4th graders. They were quite a bit slower on the uptake for a few reasons; 1) The main reason I think is that their english wasn't as well developed as the 8th graders, so they didn't get some of the concepts. 2) I also think the relay race in general was foreign to them. They just hadn't had that experience yet, where the 8th graders did.
Between the two PE classes we had a bit of time to dawdle, so Cynthia was asked to teach the 8th grade class one of her dances. There are pics of that on FB too, it was quite enjoyable! She started teaching them the waltz, so...girls and boys dancing together. Like any other teenagers in the world, they were giggly and shy about dancing together. Especially because just about the entire school was out watching them :). Martin (the chaplain I mentioned before) said that dancing together like that was something that they see, but mostly on TV and only with older people. So them learning this was a bit of a deal.
There was also some time between the PE classes and the Creative Art class, so firstly, Martin took me to see where they were adding on along the backside of the school. They are going to make it so they can have a bigger assembly hall, more class rooms, and a more level and bigger play yard. After that we just hung outside with the kids while they were on their lunch break. I mainly just took pictures, learned names, and talked about what they were learning in school that day. It was a beautiful time!
Our last class was the CA class with the 8th grade. We brought with us the song "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", however, they already knew this song! So, we did sing it together, and tried to teach them some of the harmony on it to make it some what of a lesson. Then we asked them to sing us a song and they sang, I believe, Trading My Sorrows. I knew the song, I just can't remember what one it was now...but I think that was it. After that we still had some time left, so Cynthia continued her dance lesson with them and taught them the basic steps of the Cha Cha. It was cute :) They were a little more willing this time because they were in their classroom, and no one was watching them but Cynthia and I.
We took a bus home today, because Vickie wasn't with us this time. It was a bit of a walk from the school to the next bus stop and I was still a little shaky/weak from being sick yesterday, but it wasn't too bad. I survived, and I will survive again :)!
That's it for today, just getting ready for bed...we've got an early start tomorrow :-p.
Thank you all for praying! Again, it was very much needed. I know I don't need to ask, but please keep praying.
I love you all dearly!
(also I just noticed today I end all my blogs pretty much the same way...it must make it true :)
Now that sounds like a lot all typed out like that, but the 8th graders caught on right away and had quite a bit of fun with it! I will say it was pretty fun to watch :). The only problem came with the 4th graders. They were quite a bit slower on the uptake for a few reasons; 1) The main reason I think is that their english wasn't as well developed as the 8th graders, so they didn't get some of the concepts. 2) I also think the relay race in general was foreign to them. They just hadn't had that experience yet, where the 8th graders did.
Between the two PE classes we had a bit of time to dawdle, so Cynthia was asked to teach the 8th grade class one of her dances. There are pics of that on FB too, it was quite enjoyable! She started teaching them the waltz, so...girls and boys dancing together. Like any other teenagers in the world, they were giggly and shy about dancing together. Especially because just about the entire school was out watching them :). Martin (the chaplain I mentioned before) said that dancing together like that was something that they see, but mostly on TV and only with older people. So them learning this was a bit of a deal.
There was also some time between the PE classes and the Creative Art class, so firstly, Martin took me to see where they were adding on along the backside of the school. They are going to make it so they can have a bigger assembly hall, more class rooms, and a more level and bigger play yard. After that we just hung outside with the kids while they were on their lunch break. I mainly just took pictures, learned names, and talked about what they were learning in school that day. It was a beautiful time!
Our last class was the CA class with the 8th grade. We brought with us the song "Lord I Lift Your Name On High", however, they already knew this song! So, we did sing it together, and tried to teach them some of the harmony on it to make it some what of a lesson. Then we asked them to sing us a song and they sang, I believe, Trading My Sorrows. I knew the song, I just can't remember what one it was now...but I think that was it. After that we still had some time left, so Cynthia continued her dance lesson with them and taught them the basic steps of the Cha Cha. It was cute :) They were a little more willing this time because they were in their classroom, and no one was watching them but Cynthia and I.
We took a bus home today, because Vickie wasn't with us this time. It was a bit of a walk from the school to the next bus stop and I was still a little shaky/weak from being sick yesterday, but it wasn't too bad. I survived, and I will survive again :)!
That's it for today, just getting ready for bed...we've got an early start tomorrow :-p.
Thank you all for praying! Again, it was very much needed. I know I don't need to ask, but please keep praying.
I love you all dearly!
(also I just noticed today I end all my blogs pretty much the same way...it must make it true :)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Sick.
So today was an awful day. I woke up at 4:30 a.m. sicker than sick. Between then and about 7 I threw up about 4 times. The rest of the day I had a headache and threw up another 4 times. Vickie and I talked and we've figured it's probably because of heat poisoning or something.
The worst part about this day however, was that every time I started getting sick I just wanted to be home...and knew I wouldn't be for another 5 weeks (which right now, to me, seems like an eternity). I know I'm mostly feeling that way right now because I'm sick and I haven't thought about anything else. But every once in a while, besides today, I've still been having a real hard time with that. I can't figure it out. It's not like I'm by myself in the middle of nowhere or even gone for a longer period of time than normal. I would've been gone from home longer than what it's been to this point and probably wouldn't have thought twice about being home sick. So please, PLEASE keep me in your prayers. I really just need to focus on what God has me here for and how he wants to use me and nothing else.
So tonight, while I'm asleep, you will be wide awake; please be praying that I will sleep peacefully, that my health will be restored, and really that my spirit will be refreshed and excited to go. That is solely what I desire for prayer tonight.
I love you all dearly!
The worst part about this day however, was that every time I started getting sick I just wanted to be home...and knew I wouldn't be for another 5 weeks (which right now, to me, seems like an eternity). I know I'm mostly feeling that way right now because I'm sick and I haven't thought about anything else. But every once in a while, besides today, I've still been having a real hard time with that. I can't figure it out. It's not like I'm by myself in the middle of nowhere or even gone for a longer period of time than normal. I would've been gone from home longer than what it's been to this point and probably wouldn't have thought twice about being home sick. So please, PLEASE keep me in your prayers. I really just need to focus on what God has me here for and how he wants to use me and nothing else.
So tonight, while I'm asleep, you will be wide awake; please be praying that I will sleep peacefully, that my health will be restored, and really that my spirit will be refreshed and excited to go. That is solely what I desire for prayer tonight.
I love you all dearly!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
And so it begins...
Well my friends, today we started at the school in Kibera. We were in charge of two PE classes and three creative arts classes so we got to the police station at 9:45 ish and then walked in to the school to get there at 10:05 ish :) (everything seems to be an "ish" in Africa, no matter where in Africa you are). Our first class was a PE class at 10:25 for 35 minutes. We taught them how to throw and catch a frisbee and then played monkey in the middle so they could use they new skillssss :)
And now I have to explain something. The school in Kibera has but one small "yard" on a rocky hill where they can have their recess. This "yard" is completely boxed in with the school on one side and the metal wall of the buildings next door. So, frisbee was interesting :). For real, it went fine. They just got carried away sometimes and would throw it over the wall to have to go in through a tiny hole in the wall to retrieve it. It was pretty comical (especially when my group lost all but one of theirs at the same time...ha). Anyways, we did the same thing for the other PE class and again it went swimmingly!
For the CA classes we taught them the song that goes "The name of the Lord is * * a strong tower...". I played the guitar and sang and wrote on the chalk board, Cynthia taught them the words and motions and sang, and Vickie taught a lesson to help relate the song to them. It was beautiful :)! The kids loved the motions and sang wonderfully! All three classes had fun.
The Chaplain at Kibera is Martin and he came around with us to the different classes to introduce us and then say everything we'd say during the lesson...again :). For reals, it was fine...he just would reword somethings for the kids. I honestly think they probably got at least the gist of it the first time, but we have to remember (and Vickie told us this later) that english is their second language and so they might not have the same meanings to some words that we do, or they don't understand a concept of other words, so it was interesting to see how he would change up a bit of what we said.
In between two of the lessons we had some down time. So, part of that we spent with the littler kids--beautiful and adorable! They taught us some of their games and mainly just held our hands :)--and the other part of it Vickie and I spent talking to Martin. We talked about the politics of Kenya and the world and, what I thought was more interesting, we talked about this movement to have women speak up about rape. It was really interesting to hear him talk about that. I honestly didn't even think that they would have a program like that. I don't know if I thought they didn't care that much, or didn't think of it as that important, or what...I was just really impressed by it.
After school, we just came home and relaxed (the walk out was flaming hot!). I actually got situated in my own room today. That was nice, because up until this point I was pretty much living out of a suitcase. At around 6:30 we went to eat at the Prestige, which is a mall, and we had dinner at their food court. That was different. It looked like your everyday food court in the US, but here one person from each restaurant would come up to you after you sat down, and handed you their menu. Then they would leave you alone so you could pick what you want from one of them, hold up that menu, and they would come over and take your order. So weird, but fun!
Well it is time for the night and sleep. I thank you all for your prayers and I ask that you would continue them.
I love you all so so dearly!
And now I have to explain something. The school in Kibera has but one small "yard" on a rocky hill where they can have their recess. This "yard" is completely boxed in with the school on one side and the metal wall of the buildings next door. So, frisbee was interesting :). For real, it went fine. They just got carried away sometimes and would throw it over the wall to have to go in through a tiny hole in the wall to retrieve it. It was pretty comical (especially when my group lost all but one of theirs at the same time...ha). Anyways, we did the same thing for the other PE class and again it went swimmingly!
For the CA classes we taught them the song that goes "The name of the Lord is * * a strong tower...". I played the guitar and sang and wrote on the chalk board, Cynthia taught them the words and motions and sang, and Vickie taught a lesson to help relate the song to them. It was beautiful :)! The kids loved the motions and sang wonderfully! All three classes had fun.
The Chaplain at Kibera is Martin and he came around with us to the different classes to introduce us and then say everything we'd say during the lesson...again :). For reals, it was fine...he just would reword somethings for the kids. I honestly think they probably got at least the gist of it the first time, but we have to remember (and Vickie told us this later) that english is their second language and so they might not have the same meanings to some words that we do, or they don't understand a concept of other words, so it was interesting to see how he would change up a bit of what we said.
In between two of the lessons we had some down time. So, part of that we spent with the littler kids--beautiful and adorable! They taught us some of their games and mainly just held our hands :)--and the other part of it Vickie and I spent talking to Martin. We talked about the politics of Kenya and the world and, what I thought was more interesting, we talked about this movement to have women speak up about rape. It was really interesting to hear him talk about that. I honestly didn't even think that they would have a program like that. I don't know if I thought they didn't care that much, or didn't think of it as that important, or what...I was just really impressed by it.
After school, we just came home and relaxed (the walk out was flaming hot!). I actually got situated in my own room today. That was nice, because up until this point I was pretty much living out of a suitcase. At around 6:30 we went to eat at the Prestige, which is a mall, and we had dinner at their food court. That was different. It looked like your everyday food court in the US, but here one person from each restaurant would come up to you after you sat down, and handed you their menu. Then they would leave you alone so you could pick what you want from one of them, hold up that menu, and they would come over and take your order. So weird, but fun!
Well it is time for the night and sleep. I thank you all for your prayers and I ask that you would continue them.
I love you all so so dearly!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Kibera
Today (as in Monday), we went for the first time (since I've been here) to Kibera, the biggest slum in Nairobi if not Africa. We parked our car at the police station right at one of the entrances to the slum, and walked in to the school. It was so cute, cause the littlest kids, who don't go to school yet, shout "how are you" repeatedly at us until we are out of hearing range. If we answer them with "good, how are you" they just keep asking "how are you?"
It was quite the walk. Looking at the "buildings" immediately on either side of us wasn't that much different from what I've seen at Togo/Ghana, however still upsetting. But when you'd get to a high place and look around in any direction you could see it going on for miles and miles. A slum this big I had not yet witnessed. It was so curious to see women and men dressed very nicely walking through there on their way to work in the city, through the muddy/rocky terrain.
Once we reached the school we came in to the principle's office to go over what it was that he would have us do. We settled on doing PE and Creative Arts for the upper levels, 4th or 5th through 8th, this week, and when we come back to Kibera in two weeks we'll do the same classes for the lower levels.
After we were done at the school we walked back out and went to a few of the malls in Nairobi to exchange money and do a little grocery shopping. Oh, and when I say malls, I really mean malls. Three plus stories with lots of overpriced shops on every floor. It was very "American" if you will. Quite the interesting contrast from the Slums that we just walked through!
Our last ho-rah tonight was a going away party for Wendy and Peter. It was just a beautiful time of fellowship with a few of their closest friends from Kenya and we had a lot of fun. We ate lots of food and played pictionary. They said their thankyous and told us a little bit of their testimony. They are beautiful people who greatly love the Lord, and I know that Kenya will truly miss them!
So tomorrow (Tuesday) is our first day at the schools, please be praying!
I love you all do much!
It was quite the walk. Looking at the "buildings" immediately on either side of us wasn't that much different from what I've seen at Togo/Ghana, however still upsetting. But when you'd get to a high place and look around in any direction you could see it going on for miles and miles. A slum this big I had not yet witnessed. It was so curious to see women and men dressed very nicely walking through there on their way to work in the city, through the muddy/rocky terrain.
Once we reached the school we came in to the principle's office to go over what it was that he would have us do. We settled on doing PE and Creative Arts for the upper levels, 4th or 5th through 8th, this week, and when we come back to Kibera in two weeks we'll do the same classes for the lower levels.
After we were done at the school we walked back out and went to a few of the malls in Nairobi to exchange money and do a little grocery shopping. Oh, and when I say malls, I really mean malls. Three plus stories with lots of overpriced shops on every floor. It was very "American" if you will. Quite the interesting contrast from the Slums that we just walked through!
Our last ho-rah tonight was a going away party for Wendy and Peter. It was just a beautiful time of fellowship with a few of their closest friends from Kenya and we had a lot of fun. We ate lots of food and played pictionary. They said their thankyous and told us a little bit of their testimony. They are beautiful people who greatly love the Lord, and I know that Kenya will truly miss them!
So tomorrow (Tuesday) is our first day at the schools, please be praying!
I love you all do much!
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Karen Church
We got to Church early today so we could practice with the worship team before the service. Turns out we didn't practice really (maybe once through right before the service) but we stood in a circle at the front of the church and sang and prayed for the service, the congregation, the pastor, and the community. It was a beautiful time of worship as we held hands and lifted our voices together!
The service itself was beautiful, an energetic spirit-filled time of worship. We played for the offertory, which went well, and then the pastor went up to do the message. It was about unity in the church and the scripture was from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. It was a brilliant message and I believe God really spoke through him!
After that we went to lunch with Peter and Wendy as it was there last Sunday before they returned to the UK. We went to a restaurant called the Mediterranean I believe. It's an Italian place and it was kind of weird because there were a lot, A LOT, of white people there. Compared to Togo and Ghana, I've seen a lot more white people here.
That's pretty much all we did today, but those two things practically took all day because we didn't leave church until probably 1:30 or 2 and then we didn't get home until 4:30 and the sun sets at 6:30. So, we just hung out at the apartment the rest of the day.
Thank you for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated. I'm still a little out of it, but it's getting better.
I love you all so very much, and I miss you dearly!
The service itself was beautiful, an energetic spirit-filled time of worship. We played for the offertory, which went well, and then the pastor went up to do the message. It was about unity in the church and the scripture was from 1 Corinthians 1:10-17. It was a brilliant message and I believe God really spoke through him!
After that we went to lunch with Peter and Wendy as it was there last Sunday before they returned to the UK. We went to a restaurant called the Mediterranean I believe. It's an Italian place and it was kind of weird because there were a lot, A LOT, of white people there. Compared to Togo and Ghana, I've seen a lot more white people here.
That's pretty much all we did today, but those two things practically took all day because we didn't leave church until probably 1:30 or 2 and then we didn't get home until 4:30 and the sun sets at 6:30. So, we just hung out at the apartment the rest of the day.
Thank you for your prayers, they are greatly appreciated. I'm still a little out of it, but it's getting better.
I love you all so very much, and I miss you dearly!
Saturday, February 19, 2011
Worship Practice!
In the end today was a good day. However, I had a rough start. I was going through the homesick blues. I know...only three days and you're already homesick? But I think it's because we haven't been super busy quite yet. I haven't had anything to really process except the fact that I was in a different country, house (however beautiful it is), and not with my family. But I read my bible, talked it out a little with Cynthia, prayed, took a shower, and cried a lot, so by the time it was time to go out I was feeling a bit better.
So we were invited to participate in the Worship practice at Karen Church today. It was a wonderful time! First, they had Cynthia and I play a song for them, so they could see how "good" we were. Then they picked out a few songs that they knew and had us teach them to them. As Cynthia would say, it was a good "jam" session! They picked one of the songs ("Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord") and decided to have us do the special/offertory music with it. Lastly they just taught us the other songs they were singing in Swahili so we could sing along during the service on Sunday.
It was a great time of fellowship as, in between songs, we talked to them about music, our backgrounds, worship, etc. It was so fun to watch them dance and worship as they were practicing their other songs, and I can't wait to be there as part of the congregation tomorrow!
Here are some things you can keep in your prayers:
-We are starting this next week at the school in Kibera. Please pray that I will have the confidence, wisdom, and peace that I need in order to teach and show them the love that Christ has to offer them.
-Every once in a while I still have an overwhelming feeling of being homesick...and it's kind of a lost feeling right in my gut. Like I said, I'm assuming it will dissipate once we start getting busy, but it's still hard at times. So please pray for peace, and again confidence. I know this is where I'm supposed to be, God has solidified that in my mind, but there are still those moments of insecurity where I need my backup team praying for me at home. (Which I know you are!)
-Finally, continued safety while I'm here...I know my mom would appreciate that :) And I would too!
I love you all so dearly!
So we were invited to participate in the Worship practice at Karen Church today. It was a wonderful time! First, they had Cynthia and I play a song for them, so they could see how "good" we were. Then they picked out a few songs that they knew and had us teach them to them. As Cynthia would say, it was a good "jam" session! They picked one of the songs ("Open the Eyes of My Heart Lord") and decided to have us do the special/offertory music with it. Lastly they just taught us the other songs they were singing in Swahili so we could sing along during the service on Sunday.
It was a great time of fellowship as, in between songs, we talked to them about music, our backgrounds, worship, etc. It was so fun to watch them dance and worship as they were practicing their other songs, and I can't wait to be there as part of the congregation tomorrow!
Here are some things you can keep in your prayers:
-We are starting this next week at the school in Kibera. Please pray that I will have the confidence, wisdom, and peace that I need in order to teach and show them the love that Christ has to offer them.
-Every once in a while I still have an overwhelming feeling of being homesick...and it's kind of a lost feeling right in my gut. Like I said, I'm assuming it will dissipate once we start getting busy, but it's still hard at times. So please pray for peace, and again confidence. I know this is where I'm supposed to be, God has solidified that in my mind, but there are still those moments of insecurity where I need my backup team praying for me at home. (Which I know you are!)
-Finally, continued safety while I'm here...I know my mom would appreciate that :) And I would too!
I love you all so dearly!
Friday, February 18, 2011
Well hello there Kenya!
Hello my friends and family!
I arrived safe and sound in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, February 16th at 8:40 p.m. Other than the trip being extremely long, and sitting in between two large men that I obviously don't know, it was a good...and safe :) trip!
I walked out the door of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to meet the two beautiful women that I have been communicating with since I started thinking about coming here! Unfortunately we were driving through the city at night on the way to the apartment, but apparently we were driving right past the national parks with all the zebras and giraffes and whatnot...Crazy!
The morning after I arrived, which was yesterday, I didn't get out of bed until about 11:00 or 12:00. I was feeling pretty sick and really tired after not sleeping for at least 24 hours. I won't give you all the details, but it was not fun! Once I got up I pretty much just got organized and situated cause there wasn't anyone else home until like 2:00. I spent the rest of the day getting to know Cynthia (who is wonderful...we're pretty much the same person). Cynthia is the other woman who is staying at the Reynen's and is volunteering her time with the children's ministry here.
The apartment is beautiful. I'm gonna be honest, it's pretty much a resort :)! There's a balcony that looks over the beautiful court yard in the middle of all the apartments and there is a pool with lounge chairs and wonderfulness! As of right now Cynthia and I are sharing a room because Wendy and Peter, a couple from the UK, are staying here as well. They leave (very unfortunately) on Tuesday of next week, and when they do I will be taking over their room.
Today we started off the day at 5:00 a.m. Yes, mom and dad...5:00 AM. And I didn't even have to, we just got up to walk. I almost died, but it was ok :). The main thing we did today was go out and visit the school in Kawangware that we will be "teaching" at. We mainly just went over what it is we will be doing there. We talked about us teaching PE, teaching them little games and such, and doing a few lessons in music and bible stories. I'm a little overwhelmed by everything we went over, but when we plan it out I know it will be wonderful!
Well that's about it! Just sitting down to eat and to watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!
I love you all!!
I arrived safe and sound in Nairobi, Kenya on Wednesday, February 16th at 8:40 p.m. Other than the trip being extremely long, and sitting in between two large men that I obviously don't know, it was a good...and safe :) trip!
I walked out the door of the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport to meet the two beautiful women that I have been communicating with since I started thinking about coming here! Unfortunately we were driving through the city at night on the way to the apartment, but apparently we were driving right past the national parks with all the zebras and giraffes and whatnot...Crazy!
The morning after I arrived, which was yesterday, I didn't get out of bed until about 11:00 or 12:00. I was feeling pretty sick and really tired after not sleeping for at least 24 hours. I won't give you all the details, but it was not fun! Once I got up I pretty much just got organized and situated cause there wasn't anyone else home until like 2:00. I spent the rest of the day getting to know Cynthia (who is wonderful...we're pretty much the same person). Cynthia is the other woman who is staying at the Reynen's and is volunteering her time with the children's ministry here.
The apartment is beautiful. I'm gonna be honest, it's pretty much a resort :)! There's a balcony that looks over the beautiful court yard in the middle of all the apartments and there is a pool with lounge chairs and wonderfulness! As of right now Cynthia and I are sharing a room because Wendy and Peter, a couple from the UK, are staying here as well. They leave (very unfortunately) on Tuesday of next week, and when they do I will be taking over their room.
Today we started off the day at 5:00 a.m. Yes, mom and dad...5:00 AM. And I didn't even have to, we just got up to walk. I almost died, but it was ok :). The main thing we did today was go out and visit the school in Kawangware that we will be "teaching" at. We mainly just went over what it is we will be doing there. We talked about us teaching PE, teaching them little games and such, and doing a few lessons in music and bible stories. I'm a little overwhelmed by everything we went over, but when we plan it out I know it will be wonderful!
Well that's about it! Just sitting down to eat and to watch Seven Brides for Seven Brothers!
I love you all!!
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
In the Airport!
Well, I'm just sitting here in the airport waiting to board the plane to Amsterdam, then from there, off to Nairobi! I am a little anxious, but my excitement definitely surpasses that anxiety! As soon as I am able I will let you all know when I arrive in Kenya safely.
In the meantime would you please be praying for:
-My safety in travel.
-My anxiety about the travel.
-That I will find rest sometime in the next 24 hours of traveling.
I love you all dearly!
In the meantime would you please be praying for:
-My safety in travel.
-My anxiety about the travel.
-That I will find rest sometime in the next 24 hours of traveling.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Intro to Kenya!
Hey guys! For those of you who don't know, I will be taking off for Nairobi, Kenya on February 15th to start my internship with Vickie Reynen. She is the head of ICCM (International Child Care Ministries) and I will be shadowing her pretty much wherever she goes. I'll help out in classes, at church, with short term mission teams, and really anywhere they need me. I am very excited for this amazing opportunity the Lord has put in my path. I hope that you will follow me in my adventures through this blog, and that you will keep me in your prayers throughout this adventure!
Prayer Concerns:
-Travel safety...I'll be alone for the whole time on my way there and back, so I could use prayer for peace of mind that God has it all in his hands and so I have nothing to worry about.
-That I will be able to have everything I need done and ready for when February 15th comes...ONLY TWO WEEKS!!!
-Vickie Reynen...She will have two of us interning with her at the same time. Pray that we won't stress her out too much and that we will be able to bless her in our time there.
-That God will prepare me for what plans he has for me in this crazy cool experience!
Prayer Concerns:
-Travel safety...I'll be alone for the whole time on my way there and back, so I could use prayer for peace of mind that God has it all in his hands and so I have nothing to worry about.
-That I will be able to have everything I need done and ready for when February 15th comes...ONLY TWO WEEKS!!!
-Vickie Reynen...She will have two of us interning with her at the same time. Pray that we won't stress her out too much and that we will be able to bless her in our time there.
-That God will prepare me for what plans he has for me in this crazy cool experience!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)