Days 14 & 15 - Final Days!

Hi everyone, this post will have to be short and won't have much detail and I apologize. We've been so busy and were running out of time! Friday went pretty good, it was exam day for the students and then all of the teachers buckled down to get them graded by the end of the night. So nothing to exciting just lots of packing and grading. Today (Saturday) we went to the Masai Market which was quite the experience. It'll be more fun to tell everyone about that in person! I just want you all to know that we are doing good and are getting ready to head to our last meal here at ANU and then heading to the airport. We really appreciate all of those who have followed along with us on our journey and really really appreciate all of your prayers and support! We have loved our time here in Kenya, it was a life changing experience and I think all of us hope to return one day! We shall see you all soon!!

Day 13 - Last Day of Classes

Good morning everyone! Well our day today began with an amazing devotion in chapel by Cliff. This man sure has a way with words and he is so good at relating scripture in the bible to our lives. Such an inspiring person! In his devotion he shared with us the very well known verse ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open or if he were talking to his computer class he would say ask, seek, click. He’s inspiring and funny! The students and faculty enjoyed his devotion very much and he truly did a great job. We all also got a kick out of the worship they did before the devotion. They sang a worship song about spreading God’s word through all the nations (or tribes) and then the lead singer would call out different tribes. Like I said before, the worship here is always exciting and in this particular song each tribe has a different “dance” move for the chorus. So as he said each individual tribe the students would dance to the song the way their people would. This was so fun! So of course when he said Muzungu (white person) Ken would do the disco. This was a great way for the students to relax because exam phobia had kicked in already and you could feel the tension in the air. After chapel Melanie and Art taught their morning classes which mainly consisted of reviewing with the students for the exams. Mel also took her class to the computer lab to begin research for the term paper they must right by October 15th. I accompanied the class and I was glad I did, because unfortunately 85% of the class had no idea how to research online! Yet here they are expected to write 4 of these term papers, one for each class, by October 15th and they are so confused. I helped as much as I could and I think they are feeling a little bit better now. Of course they have our emails and they can contact us any time and we will gladly help them! Being in the lab with my students gave me a glimpse of what Cliff, Brett, and James face every day with the students in their computer class. The afternoon classes were similar with all of the teachers basically reviewing in their own way with the students. Cliff went the extra mile and his class left around 6pm for dinner, and then he met them back at the computer lab at 8pm to keep helping them so that they would be ready for their exam. If there is one teacher here that went the extra mile it is Cliff. All of our teachers did so great with their classes and the relationships built will last for quite some time. Between morning and afternoon classes we were honored to join the Vice Chancellor and a few other members of the faculty for a private lunch in one of their conference rooms. It was so neat listening to them speak about their visions for ANU with us. They want to continue to partner with us and our teachers to help build their school and curriculum, I got the since that this helped pave the way for a long relationship with ANU and I am so excited! After afternoon classes we had a wonderful dinner prepared by the lovely chef, Fred, and we were joined by the other two teams that are here working at ANU. And to my surprise I was spoiled again! Ken walked around the counter to “whisper” with Chef and I could tell by his goofy smile they were up to something. Then they came out from behind the counter and everyone started singing happy birthday. Chef had made a beautiful light green cake in the shape of a heart with cream writing and decoration saying Happy Birthday Ashley with the number 21. He is such a sweet person I will never forget him. (Here in Kenya celebrating birthdays isn’t something they really do, and making cake is abnormal so this made me feel so special, again!) I thanked him and my group for all of the birthday celebrations and we shared the cake with everyone in the room. We then had devotion which Brett had lead. He chose to share 1 John 215: 15. He expressed how it meant that we should not love the world but love our God. We thought that this fit perfectly with our trip, which is what this is all about, loving our God and sharing his love with everyone. It was a great ending to our day; of course we followed it up with some scoop scum and then headed to bed. That night I know that our students were in our minds, we had all prayed for them that the Lord would be with them and that they would feel at ease. We also heard a little bit from the group in South Africa, they are doing well and all is going great. Thank you for your continued prayers and for following along with our journey!

Richard Says Hello!

Hi again, one thing I forgot to mention in yesterdays (Wednesdays) blog is that we have run into Richard a few times. For those who don't know our church (BNC) has provided him with a scholarship to study theology here at ANU. He is so grateful for all the church has done for him and he sends all of his love. He gave us a card to bring home and read to everyone. He and his family are doing very well. I saw him again today and he is studying hard for his exams!! We are hoping to spend some more time with him before we leave but with exams on Friday that may be tough. Like I said he sends his love and thanks and appreciates all our church is doing for him! I am so proud of our church, I know it's hard sometimes for everyone to imagine the impact we are having here in Kenya at Ewasso and at ANU but I PROMISE all of the dedication, prayers, and giving from our church is blessing the lives of many! Our God is so good and I know he is proud of all we are doing!

Day 12 - A Sense of Relief

Good morning! Thank you for taking the time to check in and see how the group is doing. Today we began with our normal routine of breakfast, chapel with the students, and then off to class for the morning teachers. But as usual, a day here at ANU is never normal! There is always something that happens that makes us stop and say “wow, thank you God.” Let me start with my day in Mel’s class. Today was my birthday; I get to say I turned 21 in Kenya! The student’s knew it was my birthday so I had no idea what they had planned. After being in the class for about two minutes I sat down to begin the blog and they started singing “Happy Birthday” to me. It was the sweetest thing and their voices are so amazing! Then they proceeded with the “how old are you,” and “May the Lord bless you,” and one girl ended by singing, “we went to the zoo, we saw a monkey, was it you?” They love to joke around with me and the feeling is mutual, I told them that “yes” of course the monkey was me and they all laughed. Then throughout the class they continued to spoil me with gifts. Each time I got tears in my eyes, because I know how little some of the students have, and the sacrifices they have to make just to come to ANU. I couldn’t believe that they would be thinking of me, and what they could give to me! Even though I missed my family, I had never felt more loved than by the students in Mel’s class. Art and Diane had a special day as well. After Art taught his morning class and him and Diane ate a quick lunch, they left for the evening. They went to the Kenya National Theatre Conservatory of Music where Art had been invited to sing three songs, and then give a lecture on the care of the professional voice. His audience consisted of voice students, professional speakers, and 20 international students who were the children of the U.S. Embassy employees. At the end of it all he was applauded, asked many questions, and also asked for an encore. He also made some big contacts including the director of the Nairobi Chamber Choir, who is also the director of Cultural Affairs and Planning for the U.S. Embassy. Diane was of course along for the ride as she as always, beautifully plays, the piano to accompany Art’s songs. As for back in the classrooms here at ANU, Dave had a good day. He has one student who had been struggling for quite some time with the complicated math and yesterday it all seemed to just click for her and she is feeling comfortable about the exam. Dave also spoke with Mary Ooko who is the Department Head of Distance Education, she was a big help in our beginning confusion when we arrived and has been one of our “go to” people ever sense. She told Dave that she has had nothing but positive remarks about our team from the students and other faculty, and that they are so thankful we came. In Cliff’s computer class there is still some struggle with lack of resources. Unfortunately the class always seems to be one computer short, and with the frequent power outages, and slow network it is hard for them to finish the tasks he is trying to teach them. Please continue to uplift Cliff and his class, Cliff is worried for his students because he wants them to learn all they can about the computer but they keep running into conflicts. James and Brett as his assistants are feeling the same struggles. However Brett had a nice moment with one of his students today. He had been helping her type an email and he walked away to help another student, when he returned to check on that particular student she had emailed him saying “you have been such a great help to me over the past week, and have spent so much time helping me individually. I thank God for you.” This obviously made him feel very special and he knew that all of the frustrations were worth it. Daphni is still enjoying her time assisting in a variety of classes. Her bonds with the students continue to grow each day, saying goodbye will be hard. Ken’s class is going well also. He was so grateful today to finally feel a sense of relief. I know most of the teachers felt the same on this particular day because Thursday was going to be a day of review for the final exam and then Friday was exam day. All of the pressures were for the most part off of the teachers and all of the planning and organizing of lessons was at an end. Aside from helping their students prepare as best they could the hardest parts of the class were over. Ken also shared with us at devotion how he feels Africa needs more engineering programs. Some of the students are learning these complicated math skills along with other things but they have nowhere to apply them. He came up with the idea to help ANU create an engineering program so that in the future, students would be able to gain all of the skills of an engineer and have a use for them so that Africa can use these students to build up their technology and advance in many ways as other countries have. You can tell he has a big heart not only for ANU but for the country of Kenya and Africa itself. One more story I must share with you is from Melanie’s class, this is heartbreaking and it really opens your eyes to the struggles students here face. One of her students very cautiously pulled her aside on their break. Towards the beginning of the trip he had shared with her how where he and his family lives is a dangerous place and there is always lots of tribal violence going on. He proceeded to tell her that on Monday, the very first class of our two week session his family had been attacked in the night. As far as we know everyone was ok but it was very hard for him and his family, as you can imagine! Then he got really quiet, and he asked Mel if she remembered how after our safari she shared with the class how she was able to use something that allowed her to see the animals from a distance (her binoculars). The student said that you can’t always prevent the attacks but the two best things you can have to protect your family is a gun, and something to see them coming. Almost as if he couldn’t say it he asked Mel if she would just consider giving him her binoculars. All he wanted her to do was think about it, and she immediately took hold of his hands and told him she didn’t need to think about it, that they were his. This brought tears to our eyes. This particular student has been the leader for our class always helping the other students and explaining things so that they could understand them. Not once has he been late or missed a class, yet all of this was going on at home. Again this reminds us of the sacrifices these students make to come to school, and it blows our minds the things they have to deal with on top of these intense courses. Like I said there is never a normal or dull day for us here at ANU, we are awestruck by the people here and their love of God and determination to get an education. After dinner Art treated us with a devotion on having faith and it was one that fit perfectly in with our group. Our entire trip has been a learning experience where each day there were things we just didn’t know what to expect, but if we were to let our worry and fear take over we never would have had the outcomes we have had from this trip. Then to my request since I was still playing off being “birthday girl” I asked if we could all play a round of scoop scum and of course the group was up for it. This was another amazing day here at ANU and we again had that sense that God has had his hand in everything on this trip. Every bit of confusion, misunderstanding, and lack of communication was all a part of his plan and we couldn’t have asked for anything different!

Day 11 - A Fun Night Out

Hi everyone! It is hard to believe that we are almost done with our classes, it is bittersweet. After todays class we have two more and then it is time for final exams. Our Tuesday began just like every other week day, we had our always delicious breakfast made by chef and then we went to chapel. As always, chapel was full and people were standing all around to hear what was being said. After chapel the morning teachers (Art and Mel) and their assistants headed to their classes, while the rest went to their rooms to prepare for afternoon classes. Art’s U.S. History class is still enjoying learning about our history and all of the knowledge he has to share with them. In Mel’s class, the students did some of the teaching themselves. Mel gave them a question in groups and they presented to each other. These are some of the most intelligent students I have ever met! Listening to them work together to make sure everyone understands is so rewarding, they truly care about one another’s success. The afternoon classes went well also. In Diane’s children’s literature class there is always fun to be had, and today in Dave’s class Ken came and spoke a little bit. In Cliff’s computer class the students continue to embrace the new skills they are learning that will help them advance in the future. The teachers for the afternoon classes let their students out a little early so we could have an early dinner. We met for dinner and then immediately loaded up on a University bus to head out for the evening. The team decided to go out for ice cream at Java House for an early birthday celebration for myself. If I may, I have to share the fun that we had this evening. When we got there, we all placed our orders and then Mel and I left for a second. When we returned Ken and Art were gone and I had asked where they went? I had ordered a brownie sundae and they were out of brownies so when Ken found out he set out on a mission to find me a brownie. When he returned he had a large piece of cake and he proceeded to somehow stick 21 individual candles on it and light them all. Everyone sang happy birthday and blew their very loud noise makers. As embarrassing as it was I was so thankful for Ken and the group and everything they did for me that evening. I felt like a very lucky girl and it made me somewhat feel like I was back at home with my family. We all then enjoyed our delicious shakes and sundaes, and then headed back to ANU. We were delighted and honored to have Don Gardner join us for our night out at Java House, it was nice to catch up with him and learn how his travels were going. He is one busy man! I forgot to mention this earlier in the week, but we had also received a text from Evie Gardner about how Crystal and the Radically Changed team were doing in South Africa. At one of their recent assemblies they had over 1,500 people in attendance!! Some of the group included Muslims and people of other religions. They said it was an amazing opportunity to share their testimonies and worship with all of these people. They know God is with them and that he will bless all they are doing on this trip. Please continue to keep them in your prayers as well. God has been blessing us with every moment on this trip, we are so thankful for the opportunities we are presented with each day. Thank you for all of your prayers and for checking in on how we are doing, it is nice to know the love and support we have back at home!

Day 10 - Back At Home (ANU)

After arriving home Sunday evening we all headed our own ways to prepare for Mondays classes and then off to bed we went. After a night of much needed sleep, the group met for breakfast and then off to chapel we went. Each day before class our group has been attending the University’s morning chapel. These sessions are inspiring! They begin with worship which is always so alive and full of energy. Each morning by the time worship is over the chapel is so full, there are always students standing. It is amazing to see the love the students here have for God. Attending chapel is not mandatory, and it means getting up earlier. Yet every morning the building is overflowing with students and faculty praising the Lord. After a stimulating message and announcements we were dismissed to class. Classes were pretty routine for everyone. Coming back to ANU and jumping into classes felt like a normal thing for the entire group. We have that feeling that this is home. In Diane’s children’s literature class, the students are always conversing and interacting with her and each other to further their knowledge. On this particular day she had them playing a game that had been so much fun, their laughter was heard by her husband, Art, across campus! Art’s U.S. History class is finishing up WWII. The student’s are always so interested to learn about our history. Yet each day there is always a tough question that they have for Art. Today’s question was about the prison system in America. The student’s were wondering if people are paid to go to prison, and if they get to watch T.V. while in prison? Like I said they always have very challenging questions but Art handles them brilliantly, the differences in our cultures are always discussed in his course so it is educational both for him and his student’s. Let’s just say there is never a dull moment in history! On a side note of WWII, we learned on our trip through the gorgeous Rift Valley, that the road we took was built during that particular war. And there was a small church that we passed that had been built by the Germans and Italians. This church was built specifically during the war for them to pray in before they went off to battle. In Cliff’s computer class, again the student’s always want to know more. He had one student stay a half hour late in his class to have some one on one time with him. It is so encouraging to know that there are over 100 students taking this basic computer course. (Cliff teaches 1/3 of them) Once they gain computer skills, they will have the ability to go out and share their knowledge with their own students. Think of the impact this will have over time! Cliff unfortunately continues to struggle with power outages. The power goes out frequently here and when it goes out so do the computers. This poses a struggle especially when they are in the middle of an assignment. But with the guidance of Cliff, and Brett and James Joslin the students are learning skills that will help them progress along with the rest of the students in our technology based world. In Dave’s math class he is enjoying his two students. He is currently working on teaching them vectors, and ironically the one student is a High School math teacher who teaches his students vectors in Form 9 (grade 9). Dave found it funny that he was teaching a student about vectors, when this student already knows more than he does on this topic. It works well though because the other student has not learned them yet so they help each other. Ken is enjoying his class as well. The marketing skills the students are learning are going to allow them to have the knowledge to become successful in many things. In Mel’s class she continues to build strong relationships with her students. They are learning so much from her experiences throughout her career and when you walk in the room you can sense the deep respect they have for her as a person and an educator. I know that she hopes that everything she is sharing with them they will use to impact the lives of their special needs children, and I know deep down they truly will. I am also enjoying being her assistant. My relationship with the students grows each day as well. I promised them I would have their names memorized and I finally do! The students here at ANU are truly some of the most intelligent and sweetest people we have ever met, and you can see their love for God is so important to them. Many of them ask questions about coming to the U.S. They want to know what the people are like, and what our culture is like in general. My biggest fear is that as Kenya becomes more and more modernized and materialistic like our country has become, that they will lose the wonderful love of God they have now. Tonight in our devotional, Daphni shared the verse James 2:5. This verse talked about being monetarily rich, but poor in spirit and in faith. Unfortunately our country seems to be focusing on material wealth instead of finding riches in the word and in God. I have not met a single person here in Kenya who was not smiling and verbally thankful for everything that they have, even when what they have is so little. Even Chief John, who sleeps two hours a DAY is no doubt about it thankful for everything he has. And they all believe that their blessings are from God. How amazing would it be if our country could be like that again, that no matter how much or how little we have, we are undoubtedly grateful for everything, and we knew that we owed all of our thanks and praises to the Lord. As we all know, nothing is possible without the Lord, and we owe all of our successes to him!

Day 9 - A Different Way of Life

Hello again! This morning (Sunday) we again got up early and immediately set out on another safari. This was a wonderful trip! We came across a pack of at least 15 hyenas which was quite enjoyable, along with a family of 10 or so elephants. The best part was seeing two of the elephants playing and pushing each other around with their tusks. We were amazed at how close they were to us, and also a little intimidated when the male started walking up to the front of the vehicle as if to say "get away from my babies," he made a good Dad. While out we also enjoyed the beautiful sunrise as we were surrounded by mountains and hot air balloons rising into the air. We were awestruck again by God's creations this morning. We then returned to Fig Tree for our breakfast which was delicious like all of the other meals. Then we packed up and headed to visit a Masai Village. Upon arriving at the village, we were greeted by the chief's son, Kennedy. He instructed the men to come out and perform a traditional dance for our group. At the end of this dance they would each individually jump into the air taking turns. The higher the male could jump the more pull he had with the ladies. This is part of what I meant by the title, the Masai live a very different way of life. Then the women came out and did their traditional dance in which Mel, Daphni, and I got to participate in for a brief second. After the performances we were directed to enter into the village itself. The village is basically a square made up of their homes, and some other materials to make a fence. The center is completely open and that is where the larger animals such as the cows and donkeys stay at night to be protected from lions and other threatening animals. Each home has a room for the smaller animals like the sheep and goats to stay in at night. Each man would bring his own small animals into his room in his home every night for protection. We were then showed how they make fire without matches, and given a look inside their homes to see where they sleep. Each man will have multiple wives, they are polygamists. We then visited their market and passed out some sweets to the children. The children were just as children are at home, you tell them only one piece and yet they still keep coming back for more. It was a very interesting and intriguing experience to see their way of life. Once we said our good byes we set out again to head back to Ewasso to see Chief John and check on how the well was going. We arrived at Chief's house and talked for quite some time. He showed us his corn field and explained how he only sleeps for two hours a day because at night he is protecting his corn from the elephants like he had been doing the night before, and during the day his is fulfilling his role as chief. He introduced us to his wife and two of his three children. We all decided that we had never met a more Godly man than Chief John. He says everything he owns is not his but it is the lords. He puts so much time and effort into maintaining his crops and then he gives almost all of it away! He gives his 10% to the church, sets aside what he needs for his family and such, and then lets others come and take what they need. What a righteous man! I hope everyone is as excited as we are for the work our church is doing in this village, we couldn't have picked a better brother in Christ to donate our efforts to. The men working on the well had reached water late Saturday evening and today they were in the process of putting the casing on so the water will come out clean. The people in the village were so happy, this will truly change their lives! We must say we are very proud of our church for all of the good we are doing in Ewasso and here at ANU. The Lord is blessing our efforts beyond our belief! After saying good byes once more to Chief John, we set out to return to ANU. Once back at ANU we felt like we were back at home. We had a nice dinner and then went our separate ways to unwind and prepare for classes the next morning. We enjoyed every moment of our weekend and feel very fortunate for experiencing the moments we did as a team. We do ask that you please keep Crystal and Evie, and the rest of the Radically Changed group in your prayers as they travel around South Africa. They are there already and safe and things seem to be going well! We look forward to what adventures and blessings God will provide us with as we head into another week!

Day 8 - Safari, Relax, Safari...Monkeys??

Hello everyone! Today is the first day of our safari adventure and we are up bright and early. After a quick breakfast at the Seasons hotel in Narok we set off in our two vehicles to Masai Mara Game Park. The ride (again on the bumpy roads) was a good few hours but we enjoyed the scenery. Immediately upon entering the gate of Masai Mara the scenery was amazing and we begun stumbling upon animals. This was the perfect time of year to go on the safari because it is migrating season and the animals are on the move all around. After a few hours of searching for animals and enjoying God's wonder we headed to Fig Tree which is where we would be staying. All I can say is this place was beautiful! Immediately upon entering there are gorgeous flowers and beautiful set ups all around. We stayed in tents, but you never would have known they were tents. Each tent had 2 or 3 of us in it and it had its own porch overlooking a ravine with water in it, and its own bathroom. After settling in our rooms, we had some time to relax. Mel, Brett, James, and I spent some time lounging around or in the pool reading and soaking up the sun. It was quite warm over the weekend where we were which was a nice change. The others took naps in their rooms, or enjoyed books and discussions out on their porches. After we returned from the pool we stumbled upon some new friends, the monkeys. We had been warned about them but we didn't realize how friendly, or how big of thieves they really were! I was in my tent when I heard Daphni say "Ashley you have a visitor outside" I looked on the porch and there was this cute little monkey trying to run away with Melanie's water bottle! We all stepped out onto the porch and before we knew it we had ten or so monkeys all around us. They would come right up to you, it was quite entertaining. A few even had little babies hanging on their stomachs as they hopped around our feet. They provided a good hour or so of amusement, especially after a few people fed them. That's when they got greedy and a little too friendly. But all in all they were very enjoyable and this was an experience like no other. Sometime in the midst of all our fun we had lunch and then set out for another safari until dark came. Again this was another successful trip in which we saw many animals! They were all so active and out and about. Watching the sunset was gorgeous and all we kept saying was how can anyone believe there is not a God! After this safari we returned to Fig Tree for dinner. In the middle of dinner the power went out for a little while but it was quite enjoyable to eat with everyone around the candles. Then we followed dinner with a wonderful evening devotion and we all went back to our tents for a good night’s sleep, because we had another early morning ahead. This was a day I know none of us will forget. The astounding things that we saw were a once in a lifetime experience. We were all in wonder at the creation God had made, and so thankful he allowed us the opportunity to have a little taste of it. We all know that there is absolutely no one or no thing that could create what our God has created, and no one that could do the things in our lives and hearts that he is doing here on this trip and we are so thankful!

(We also figured God must have a great since of humor because who would ever think of the black and white stripes on zebras, or come up with the design of a bird we stumbled across that looked like a mix between a turkey, a chicken, and a peacock! Only our God :) )

Day 7 - On The (Super Bumpy) Road Again

Hello again, today has been quite the adventure. Melanie and Art taught their morning classes but let them out early so we could set out on our Journey to Ewasso and then the safari. We loaded up the two vehicles and off we went. After traveling for a few hours we arrived in Ewasso to see Chief John and the progress on the well. (By the way, we all agreed no more complaining about Michigan roads, you haven’t seen a pot hole yet unless you’ve been here!) It was so exciting for most of us to finally meet Chief John. He is a remarkable person, and has such a good memory of everyone’s names. We immediately drove through the brush to where the well was being drilled. It was God’s hands at work that we just so happened to be there on the final day of drilling! They were expecting to hit water late that evening. There had been villagers coming for two days straight standing and waiting for water to be reached. While at the well we passed out some sweets to the children who were so friendly. We also met a few of the other villagers. You could sense the excitement and anticipation for water in the air. We learned that the children there walk 6 kilometers one way to reach water each day, and then make the same walk home lugging the water barrels. This will make such a huge impact in their lives! Our visit with Chief John was short this evening but we promised to return on our way back through on Sunday. After saying our goodbyes, we went to our hotel in Narok where we had a wonderful dinner and devotion followed with a much needed good night’s sleep. It was a blessing from God to see how much we are helping the people of Ewasso and how truly grateful they are. We are all so excited to see the results this well will have in the village. Thank you God for our ability to reach out to our Brother’s and Sister’s in Ewasso!

Day 6 - Teachers Being Taught

Hello everyone, I have much to share since we haven’t been able to write in a few days. Everyone has been so busy! Well where to begin. On Thursday, all of the teachers had their normal classes which went very well. All of the teachers are beginning to bond with their students and create wonderful relationships. In Cliff Lehner’s class, there is a struggle with having to many students and not enough computers. But with the help of his assistants, James and Brett Joslin, the class is going very well. The students are very anxious to learn more about navigating the computer. Then in Dave Johnson’s class of two students the working relationship between the three of them is excellent. One of his students is very well educated in their math studies, while the other is not. Both of the students work with the guidance of Dave and they all help each other to reach their goals and move on to the section. In Diane Joslin’s class, the students love the children’s books she is both giving and sharing with them. They ask so many questions and are so anxious to learn about all she has to share! In Art’s U.S. History class, there seems to never be a dull moment. As they progress from past to present, the knowledge the student’s are gaining about our country brings up many interesting topics and questions. The student’s are so eager to know more about everything Daphni, his assistant, has to share as well. This is similar in Ken Johnson’s Marketing class. The student’s were recently assigned a certain budget in groups, and they had to design a marketing campaign for a certain project with their budget. Again, the desire to learn never ceases and the conversations are always flowing. I can now speak with even more experience from Melanie Walls class as I (Ashley) am her assistant. We are overwhelmed with joy at the relationships we are building with our students. At the beginning we felt like we would never be able to connect with these students, and Melanie was terrified that the students wouldn’t do well in the course because of our differences. We felt that they had spent so much money, time, and effort just to be in the class that we would never be able to fulfill what they were looking for. Much to our surprise, and God’s will in all of our classrooms, the bonds we are making with these student’s are not only professional but personal as well. Each student has a story, and knowledge of their own to share with us. We are learning as much from them as they are from us. Leaving them at the end of next week will be one of the biggest challenges of this trip.

On a side note of Thursday; Daphni, Crystal, and I were able to “break free” from campus and spend the day exploring Nairobi. This was a special treat because my birthday is Wednesday the 18th and they wanted to do something for me before Crystal left with the Radically Changed group for South Africa. We first attended Chapel, where David from RC played his new saxophone that was donated to us to give to him. He calls his saxophone “baby” and is currently working on a more formal name. He played beautifully and you can tell how much he loves his gift, we know that he will use it to change many lives for the Lord. After chapel he took us three girls to Westgate Mall which is more like our Twelve Oaks in Novi. This was quite the experience to see the best, and almost the worst parts of Africa all in one week. After the mall we got pizza and Thai food, who would have thought, for lunch. And ended our adventure with a trip to the market where we found David, Japho, and Crystal some warmer clothes for their trip. We then spent the rest of our evening cutting, and labeling the CD cases to help prepare for the group’s trip to South Africa. However, the best part of this day was the very end. You could tell that the time was coming for the five of us to say good night, and we were all dreading the moment. Thoughts of never seeing each other again or for a long time crossed our minds and we all had become so close in just that one day. So David suggested we all join hands and pray. That was when we knew, as each one of us individually prayed through our tears, that God was with us. No, we did not know what our future holds or if our paths would lead us together again like we were that evening. But we all knew in our hearts that God has a plan, and that his will is what we all want. By believing in that we were comforted and we knew that no matter where our lives go, we will all be used in some way to bless each other and those around us. We also knew at that moment, that even though we were all separating the next day to go make a difference in the lives of others, that others were already making a difference in our lives. I pray that as this trip continues this will be a reoccurring theme for our group. That we will make a large impact in others lives, and that we will also learn from them.

Day Four and Five - Guinea pigs

Well day four and five were all about being guinea pigs! We, this team from Brighton Naz, are the first team from the US to ever come and teach here at Africa Nazarene University. And while there were many bumps in the road the first couple of days, the rewards have been great!!

Almost all of the students that our team is teaching are teachers here in Kenya. Most are from small villages that are required to take a course once a year and ANU is one of only three universities that offer those courses for teachers. The cool thing is that ANU has tried VERY hard to make it possible for as many teachers as possible to come. First by creating these two week intensive courses that go for 4 hours everyday, this allows the teachers, most of which are mothers and fathers who need to keep working during this time to only be gone from their families for a short time. Secondly, they have made it as affordable as possible, most of these teachers come from very small villages and don't earn much to start with.

The coolest part for all of us has been to see the commitment of these teachers to get here. Three of Dianes students have to ride 4 hours EACH WAY, EVERY DAY for her 4 hour class. And one of Ken's students is a pastor but wants to learn more so that he can further the kingdom so he has left his family for the next month. The most touching story came from Cliff's computer class...a teacher, who has probably taught for almost 10 years has never used a computer, never had the opportunity to even be near one. And she came to take the course and the second day he had the class type out a very simple letter to learn word processing and at the bottom, she added: "Thank God for Africa Nazarene University for giving me the opportunity to learn a computer". She will now be able, after these two weeks to go back to her school and be able to use the computer not only as a tool for her, but as a tool for her students to be educated more effectively.

We have been blessed to see how the little time we are putting in here on campus is helping to send these teachers back, all across Kenya, better educated to bring up the next generation and more than that we are praying with them and doing daily devotions with them and they are feeling the presence of God through us. I'm so excited to see all that God will do in these next two weeks!

Giving David his saxophone

Before we left I was able, with Daryl Bean's help and Meridian Winds (THANK YOU) to get David Sana a new saxophone! This was huge...he had was that was donated and really old and so this was such a blessing!! Here is the video of him receiving that gift

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEyFVZxFsf4

Day Two & Three

Well, the first two days we spent on several different planes. The first of which was VERY small...we really felt like a box of sardines. But after traveling for two days on 4 different planes, we finally landed in Kenya! AND IT'S COLD!!!! It's winter here and with the altitude it's about 50 degrees - not exactly the Africa we all imagined! But we are extremely excited to be here!
After just a few hours of sleep we got up to go to church. The last time I was here in Feb. we never made it to the church so this was something I was REALLY looking forward to...and it was everything and more than I expected!! God is on the move here in Nairobi! The first thing we saw on the church bulletin board when we walked in was a flyer with information on a missions trip that THEIR church will be taking in Oct. It brought tears to my eyes to see that the "MISSION" for God's CHURCH is the same everywhere and even here, where we are coming to minister to them, they will be going and ministering to others. What a BIG God we serve!!
Church started at approximately 10:45, everything is "approximate" here :), and the worship team began to sing in Swahili with drums, a bass and a piano. Although we didn't know what we were singing, we knew WHO we were singing to and that was enough! And by the fourth song when the worship leader began the verse of "Here I Am to Worship" the tears began to fill my eyes! It's beyond words to see people of God worship in such sincerity! I felt the Spirit in a powerful in Nairobi Central Nazarene Church and I was BLESSED to be there!
After the church service, three hours later :), we headed to lunch at Rangers a restaurant within the Nairobi National Park. We sat outside on the patio and watched baboons and warthogs walking and playing the whole time we eat. We even had a VERY close encounter with a hawk who wanted Ashley's french fries! After a tour of the ANU campus and a rousing game of Scoop Scum we headed to bed ready for another day!

Day One - Off to Kenya

Well, in one hour the vans will leave with 11 people from the Naz headed to Africa Nazarene University in Kenya. Please pray for safe travels and that God will use the team in a mighty way!! Come back daily for updates!