Day Twelve - Last day in Kenya

Today I woke up to the realization that it was my last day in Kenya. While I am excited to get home to my family, I will miss all of my new Kenyan family. My brothers (ndugu) have been more than kind and they will be family for life and with me in eternity! On this last day we went to the Masai Market were we bought our souvenirs and we all sat down to eat lunch together...our last meal in Kenya, ironically we had Thai food! :) We reflected on the trip and laughed over all of the moments we won't forget. We have taken work and witness to the EXTREME and there's no going back!
My journey here in Kenya has been full of adventure, laughter and tears...and I've NEVER experienced more emotion within two weeks than I have on this trip! I came to Africa because I felt that God had called me to come and I leave Africa KNOWING that He has used me and GROWN me! I have seen the Hand of God on this trip and with this team and I see His Spirit here with the Kenyan people! As I sign off and head to the airport I praise God for the MANY blessings we have received and all of the beauty we have seen! Our God is truly an AWESOME God!!

Day Eleven - Safari

Well, we had two days of super fun African Safari Adventures! We saw Zebras, Hyenas, Giraffes, Lions, Hippos and Rhinos. It was so much fun! Africa is the most BEAUTIFUL place in the world! Truthfully, I think it's the closest to Heaven earth can get!! We took hundreds of photos and video
footage but I know that it can't possibly capture the grandeur of Kenya!
On the way back we stopped at Ewaso Niro to speak to the Chief and see the locations of the church and water hole! As we sat on the Chief's lawn he spoke about the fact that he believed EVERYTHING he had is God's. He has donated the land for the church off his own property and he had worked hard to clear the area of cactus for his crops, but the moment he felt God leading him to give it away, he was faithful! As we walked up to the site where the Ewaso Church of the Nazarene will go I couldn't hold back the tears. We all circled up, grabbed hand and we prayed over the land...we prayed for the workers that would build the church, we prayed for the preacher that God was preparing and we prayed for the people who would walk through the doors to find the Hope that we have in Christ! THIS was why we came to Africa!! God is good!

Day Nine and Ten - FUN!

Yesterday we spent most of the day in the car. We left ANU at 6:30am to head to Tenwick Hospital 3 hours away to pick up Ellen and Jen. As we set off we had lots of time to talk about the wonderful experiences we had and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL Rift Valley along the way! We made it to Tenwick and we reunited with the ladies! We took a quick tour of the hospital, it's the largest hospital in Kenya and we got back on the road for the second leg of our journey...3 more hours to Simba Lodge for the safari. After only one break-down...apparently that's good in Kenya...we made it to the turn off road. I casually asked our driver, Joseph, if we were close...he only laughed. We literally drove another hour in the middle of nowhere...I mean NOWHERE!! We were so far away from civilization it was crazy! We saw lots of zebras, gazelle and even a giraffe or two along the way! Africa is more beautiful than any photo can depict or any person can describe...it's like Eden. So incredible!! After only being at the lodge for a half hour I had already seen 6 hippos, a ten foot crocodile, a 4 foot Gila monster and too many birds to count! As we sat down for dinner, all 14 of us, we prayed together and talked and laughed the rest of the evening! What a GREAT day!
This morning we had to be in the vans by 6:30am in order to see the animals at sunrise. It was SOOOOOO worth it!! As the sun came up over the mountains we saw a pride of lions, some more gazelle, a HUGE herd of Buffalo and two black, endangered Rhinos! WOW!! We also saw some Elephants and Giraffes in the distance. Our guide Joseph promises me that before the trip is over I will be so close to an Elephant I could reach out and touch it! Hopefully not close enough to tip over our van!! :) After we returned from our 3 hour morning safari. We all went around and got photos and played cards (Scoop Scum is our favorite!! ) And after a VERY delicious lunch...we are heading out for our evening safari! Can't wait to see more of God's INDESCRIBABLE beauty in the heart of Kenya!!

Day Eight - God is in Control

Well, after the day we had yesterday that seemed to never end and a restless nights sleep we are all beginning to recover. Today the big wigs at ANU (Africa Nazarene Univ.) wanted to meet with us. They all feel so terrible that this has happened to us. In the 23 years that Work and Witness teams have been coming to this area of Kenya this is the first time they have had this sort of incident. They asked some of the students to come in and sing for us. As they began they sang "Count Your Blessings" and as I looked around the table at the guys on the team, and I "named them one by one" I realized that truly our God had protected us and our REAL blessings where all in that room!! They went around the table and shared their support, gratitude and condolences. It was VERY moving to be uplifted and encouraged, spiritually, by so many!! ANU has been so accommodating and really very good to us!!
Out of this loss we have gained SO MUCH!! As a team we have bonded in a way I don't think any of us anticipated and here on campus we have had the opportunity to meet so many wonderful people who have prayed for us and shared scripture with us...I think all of our cups are FULL!!
I heard a quote that says "God testS our faith, so that we can test His faithfulness!!" I know first hand that my faith was tested and GOD IS FAITHFUL!!!!

Day Seven - REALITY

This morning at 10:05am Kenyan time we were preparing to go to Central Nazarene Church and at the moment the gates were opened some men came in to rob the facility. They took all of our money and possessions, but they did not harm any of us...PRAISE THE LORD. From the moment it began to the hours after, we were all in prayer and God was faithful to protect us! We are safe at another location and starting to get perspective on the situation. We are already beginning to see that the good we have done here has scared the Enemy and today, the Enemy HAS NOT WON!!!!!
Please praise Him today for the safety we experienced and continue to pray that God's hand of protection will be over us as we make decisions on what to do next and as we continue to bring the Message of God's love and salvation to Kenya!!!

Day Six - The day that changed everything

Today I went with Jeffeth and David to Kibera, the third largest slum in all of Africa. Jeffeth grew up in Kibera but hasn't been back there in almost 5 years. So the journey back was tough, but as we walked inside he immediately began to see guys that he had grown up with and they picked up right were they had left off. In Kibera community, FAMILY, is very important. Everyone takes care of one another. We interviewed a guy named James that stressed this point, he said that in the ghetto if you have something your brother needs, you give it to him because everyone in the ghetto is your brother, your sister. He said "Growing up here is hard and we don't have a lot, but we have family" That was powerful to me...I don't even know the name of my next door neighbor. As we walked the unbelievably cramped streets we were stepping over garbage and feces and among that were hundreds of children. Kibera is just under 1 square mile large and over 1 million people live there. The biggest injustice to me was that among these 1 million people there is ONE toilet, and you have to pay to use it! Toilets are so expensive that no one can have one...and the land is so sparse that they can't even dig a hole, so they have created "flying toilets". A "flying toilet" is when you use a bag, cover the bag in mud and throw it up on the roof to dry out in the sun. All over the tin roofs you can see the "flying toilets"...I will NEVER complain about the condition of a gas station bathroom again! Kibera is riddled with crime, rape and murder. It's beyond description! As we walked we ran into four boys that had grown up with Jeffeth and as he asked about three more that he had known they told him they had been shot and killed just a month ago. The police will shoot to kill and ask questions later in Kibera. It was very hard for Jeffeth to hear. But the conversation quickly turned to Jesus and as Jeffeth began to share the Gospel with them they sat on the railroad tracks and for almost 30 mins. he told them that hope was found in Jesus, that the way out of the ghetto was Jesus, that if they would put their trust in God, He would sustain them. After we prayed with them and said goodbye we left Kibera and I was changed!

As we started to walk back to the car near the market a young boy came up and asked me for money I immediately began to take out my money but Jeffeth said it was better to take the boy to a restaurant and get him a meal...so as we started to walk with him toward the restaurant Jeffeth asked him his name, Francis, he was 8 years old and lives with his grandmother because both of his parents have died of AIDS. Pretty soon another boy came up and so we brought him along as well. His name was Newton, and he was 10. Newton's fate was similar to Francis, he too was an orphan because of AIDS, but Newton has no one...he is on the streets on his own!!! Just before we got to the restaurant another boy also named Francis came up and Jeffeth knew him. He said that Francis was one of 6 boys that he had been witnessing over the last four years because they all sniff glue to get high. As we walked we offered Francis a meal as well, but he asked if we could buy him some corn meal instead. What Jeffeth didn't know about Francis was that 3 years ago his father died of AIDS and just a month ago his mother died of AIDS as well. 15 year old Francis was now the sole caretaker of his 7 year old sister. So he wanted the corn meal to take home for his sister. WOW. I have prayed and sang songs asking God to break my heart for what breaks His, but THIS was too much. You can read about people like Francis and his sister Shiela and you can feel a tug on your heart...but to look into his eyes and see the desperation and the sadness is TRULY heart -breaking!

Day Four and Five

Day four was focused on the work site. The guys are all working REALLY hard and they are forming some incredible relationships with the Kenyan works...they are really witnessing to them in some powerful, life-changing ways! It's awesome to see!!

Day five we only worked half a day because there was a big dinner/event planned for that night. It included all of the local missionaries, some of the African Nazarene University staff and students, the General of Sudan, and one of the three Generals of all of Africa. It was to raise money for a group of students that are a worship team called Radically Changed that are going to South Africa. They have been asked to come and teach some of the churches down there about worship, but it's $600 each. They asked me to sing a song with them and it was an unbelievable experience! To hear them worshiping in Swahili, even though I don't know what they are saying the passion and the worship is so authentic it moves you to tears!! We also heard some unbelievable stories from the Sudan teams so much war and genocide...it's heart-wrenching!!!! But it's incredible to see the hope and faith that they have! It was aa AWESOME night!

Day Three...I NEVER want to leave!!

Today the team went back to the work site, but I, finally, got to do what I REALLY came for...to train and work with David (video dude). And it was AWESOME!! When I first found out that I was for sure coming I received an email from David saying that he had been praying for almost 8 years for God to send someone to train him and to help bring equipment that he really needed. And here I am! I don't know if I'm quite what he expected, I think he expected an older gentleman...but, all he got was me and already he treats be like a sister and picks on me just like every other "brother" I have back home! :) We had such a great day yesterday...I don't know if you have ever seen anyone have a prayer answered, but when David started to play with the new equipment we brought him and as I started to work with him on how to use the green room, etc. his face was lit up with a smile from ear to ear!! "Awesome, Awesome" is all he keep saying...that and "Praise God!!"
I also got to hang out with another 'fast-friend' Jeffeth. He had asked for some gum from the states and so I actually ended up being the person who went to buy it...and I got A LOT of gum!! I gave it to him yesterday and I have NEVER seen ANYONE so excited about gum in my entire life!! I got hugs and thank yous and craziness!! So fun to bless people and get to see their reaction over something so simple that I take for granted everyday...GUM!! :)
The three of us went to lunch at a outdoor cafe and it was like we had been friends for a lifetime. We talked and talked about anything and everything from football (Soccer) to movies (Avatar). I was so amazed by how much we were all alike. We have the same love and desire for God and to see others come to Him and we have the same likes and dislikes in Music and Movies. We even all got excited as we talked about the possibility of bringing a youth and skate team down to minister here. Jeffeth does a soccer ministry here...he has soccer balls that are the redemption story colors...and he uses them to share the Gospel with kids...so cool. So you can imagine when I started to tell him about our skatepark...he LIT UP!!! I hope we can work that out!
Suddenly Africa isn't feeling so far from Home!!! I LOVE IT!! - Crystal

Worksite Day Two

WE started the day with devotions with the Kenyan work crew, prayer and then off to work. The site is currently a two story married housing unit that will soon be a four story building. A LOT of hard work!! As you can see from Ken's face...a lot of DIRTY hard work!! But it was a great experience not only to work side by side with some incredible Kenyan people. I got to go into a true Nairobi Market and Butchery with our missionary Evie...what an experience! We are having a GREAT time and meeting some FANTASTIC people!! We are about to have dinner and team devotions...so I will share more tomorrow.

Crazy first day in Africa!!

So Ken, Ben, Jen, Ellen and myself woke up with the roosters at 5:30am and quickly got in the old van and began our 3 hour journey to the Tenwek Hospital to drop off Jen and Ellen. But what started as a beautiful scenic trip quickly became a TRUE African adventure. Winding our way through the muddy skinny roads we came to a bridge that was out. The one side of the bridge was washed away almost completly...and the only way across was to go across the river. So, we all got out and our missionary guide started to drive across. He quickly got stuck and for the next 35 minutes the van went back and forth, stuck and un-stuck. We were shocked to see men come from all over out of the bushes and begin helping us push the van out of the river. By the end we had 8 men helping us...our heroes!!! Once we got back on the road and drove another hour we realized that somewhere we had missed turning at the third bush and had gotten ourselves almost back to where we started. So, 8 hours later we finally reached our destination!! But we met some great Kenyan people and had a GREAT African adventure along the way...all in all, AN AMAZING FIRST DAY IN KENYA!! - Crystal