So today is Monday. That means a day of prayer and fasting with LIA, which has come to be one of my favorite parts of the week. I love being able to listen and learn what God is doing in the lives of the LIA staff members and what they are hearing and learning in reference to their ministry as a whole. It's definitely the part of the week where I learn the most and try to just listen as much as possible...
But today was an extra exciting day. It was the last day of LIA's "quarter", and so we went with the staff to an arboretum about 10 minutes from the office. Just picture every amazing tree that you have ever seen in National Geographic, add about 20 more different kinds of trees, and then put them all right next to eachother in a big forest. It was beautiful. We each spread out a towel on the ground under a tree and were able to have personal God time for about 4 hours. It was awesome. It's pretty easy to worship Jesus when you are surrounded by the most beautiful trees you've ever seen and monkeys are just hanging around. (I know... bad monkey pun, I couldn't get them out of my head all day. Hey hey there's the monkeys... no more monkeys jumping on the bed, the list keeps going...) But yeah, it was definitely a great day to completely devote to reading and praying and worshipping. I'm definitely going to have to incorporate that into my pharmacy school curriculum somehow.
Also a cool part of the day was that Gus, an awesome LIA staff member who pretty much smiles all the time, graduated with his masters in Sociology last week. So we went back to the office and had a big celebration for him... he put on his graduation gown and we at cake (obviously the fast was over) and it was great. There was so much encouragement from the LIA staff, it was really cool to see them all hanging out and completely enjoying eachother's company.
This week we are going to Thika, but we don't leave until Wednesday. So prayer for our trip would be much appreciated. We're not really sure what we are going to be doing, but LIA has a number of partner churches there so we will be helping them out as much as possible. Also... continued prayer for health would be much appreciated as we continue our journeys and endeavors. And shout out to our Poland-mates, because they are just stinkin awesome and deserve a shout-out. We can't wait to hear all the cool things you are doing there!
Thanks so much for your prayers and support, as always. I think I can speak for all of you when we say that we love you guys and are so glad that you are supporting us in this amazing experience.
Mungu aku bariki!
Lauren
Monday, June 29, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
2 Timothy 1:1-2 reads:
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
We attended a graduation unlike any I had ever seen before. LIA hosted a 10 day training session for pastors wanting to effectively minister to their communities spiritual AND physical needs, as well as developing leaders in a simultaneous Training of Trainers course. We had the privilege of helping them celebrate their achievements. It was more like a worship service than a commencement. Each graduate had a testimony to share about the fruits that were already being harvested in their local congregations. What an awesome time of fellowship and witnessing strong Christians become qualified to teach others.
During the event, all I could think about was the need for the American church to employ these same principles of holistic ministry. We do satisfactory jobs at tackling either spiritual, in church, or physical, on missions, but rarely do we put it all together for the average seeker. Yes you can find exceptions in homeless ministries and other likewise services for the monetarily poor. What is the Church doing about climate change? Child neglect? The recession? Abortion? Lack of health insurance for 60+million people? These burdens are intensely physical, but are affecting more people than need to be forgotten. These are not alone, they are endless. How do we 'incorporate scripture and ministry into these needs? That is what I’d like to explore more in the long term, maybe if you could think about these things and collaborate with our team when we get back.
My thoughts on this started when we had a great discussion with Pam and us Mi2ers about her work ministering to Islamic Somalis. She indicated the difficulties opposing their ministry, because what they teach in Islam is easy, do these 5 things and you will be a good Muslim. Christianity is hard, it takes faith, perseverance, and yet you are not guaranteed a prosperous earthly life. What we have that they don’t is hope (and so much more like grace, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life, etc… but let’s focus). And when we stop spreading this spiritual and physical hope, we miss the opportunity to spread the Truth and the people can fall into temptation that Christianity is not for them.
~Dan "ain't very tan" Bachman
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.”
We attended a graduation unlike any I had ever seen before. LIA hosted a 10 day training session for pastors wanting to effectively minister to their communities spiritual AND physical needs, as well as developing leaders in a simultaneous Training of Trainers course. We had the privilege of helping them celebrate their achievements. It was more like a worship service than a commencement. Each graduate had a testimony to share about the fruits that were already being harvested in their local congregations. What an awesome time of fellowship and witnessing strong Christians become qualified to teach others.
During the event, all I could think about was the need for the American church to employ these same principles of holistic ministry. We do satisfactory jobs at tackling either spiritual, in church, or physical, on missions, but rarely do we put it all together for the average seeker. Yes you can find exceptions in homeless ministries and other likewise services for the monetarily poor. What is the Church doing about climate change? Child neglect? The recession? Abortion? Lack of health insurance for 60+million people? These burdens are intensely physical, but are affecting more people than need to be forgotten. These are not alone, they are endless. How do we 'incorporate scripture and ministry into these needs? That is what I’d like to explore more in the long term, maybe if you could think about these things and collaborate with our team when we get back.
My thoughts on this started when we had a great discussion with Pam and us Mi2ers about her work ministering to Islamic Somalis. She indicated the difficulties opposing their ministry, because what they teach in Islam is easy, do these 5 things and you will be a good Muslim. Christianity is hard, it takes faith, perseverance, and yet you are not guaranteed a prosperous earthly life. What we have that they don’t is hope (and so much more like grace, forgiveness, salvation, eternal life, etc… but let’s focus). And when we stop spreading this spiritual and physical hope, we miss the opportunity to spread the Truth and the people can fall into temptation that Christianity is not for them.
~Dan "ain't very tan" Bachman
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Makueni Special; It's all good in the hood.. entitled by Pamella Bukatchi
It is begginning to seem as if you drive over an hour in any directiron away from Nairobi you will end up with a surrounding complete unlike the witnessed previously. This week our travels have brought us on a 4 hour drive to Makueni, which is one of the dryest experiences yet. The river beds have all dried up, the grass is reminiscent of a Texas ghost town, and the flies/mosquitoes don’t even bother coming out. Our mission here is to prepare ground for the medical camp that will be held here in August. African Inland Church has an old missions hospital here that has never been used besides for the dispensary. The good news for the medical team is that the hospital here is very spacious and will have plenty of room to operate and serve the community. The bad news for us in the meantime is the condition of the hospital as every room is extremely dusty and has old, unused materials clogging the way. Daniel and I have taken on the mission of designing a shower that can be used in the guest house to supply the 30 people coming with a place to refresh in the mornings. Shower actually may be an uderstatement as it will more than like just serve the purpose of dumping water on the individual. Everything else here is going well so far as we have already cleared out the rooms that will be used for the clinic and designated each room to a specific task. We have created areas to hold an eye clinic, dental clinic, triage center, registration, pharmacy, HIV testing, immunizations, and consultations. Even though there is a lot of work left here, our outlook is looking up as things are moving quickly towards the way we are dreaming them to be. It has been so great to see how evident God’s hand has been in all things we have done so far from our travel to the work that he has done through us. To those who are reading, please pray especially for Makueni as we try to prepare everything exactly how the medical team needs it to be so when they arrive there is no wasted time in preparation. In Him, Ben
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Reflection
We are back in Nairobi safe and sound! This week yielded two main inferences that I have made. On top of great yet short relaxation, we had some extra time to read and reflect on the many thoughts that being in Africa has provoked.
First, the trip to Fort Jesus was awesome. However, it was almost stalled twice, once by the guards wanting to charge us the tourist price of 800 Shillings, which Beth negotiated down to the Kenyan resident price of 100 Shillings ($1.33). Then we got inside and they were going to let us look around on our own. If you have ever been to a historical site, it really lacks significance when you don't understand the landmarks or the meaning behind what you are looking at. This closely parallels confusion to our Christian walk. When ever you have a tour guide, or a mentor, it makes understanding the intricacies much easier. Luckily for us, there is a good example of this in the story of Paul’s relationship to Timothy. Paul gave many words of wisdom to Timothy, and it was reflected in his spiritual growth. Maybe if you are getting older, but aren’t too old to stop learning, you should have both a Paul and a Timothy in your life, that you can gain wisdom from and pass that on to a younger follower of Christ. I thought it was a neat connection, but as I’ve learned, there are few people on my wavelength so I’m sorry if I go on a Daniel tangent.
Secondly, give it all. Give all of yourself, all of your time, all of your effort, all of it. Frida touched me. She spent two days with us, talking, listening, and being with us. She left her awesome household to shepherd us, since we ‘needed’ a guardian. She made sure all of our needs were met, being a local of the area, when we probably could have made it on our own. Then she invited us in for dinner the next day, showing even more affection. The food was awesome as usual here, but they gave us more than what it looked like they could afford. I felt as if I’m not giving enough, when someone can do so much with so little. Inspiring. While at her house, she mentioned she was ashamed of the size. I tell you, if I am living in those conditions, with the amount of love that was shown by this family, the size of the house would be my last concern, God has expanded their boundaries in more meaningful ways. They had quality, that’s what I liked so much. They have five beautiful and ambitious children that could each light up the room with their smile. They have a God priority, shown by the way the children respect one another and their parents. These things just don’t come when you are foremost living the American dream, and they don’t come on accident. This is good parenting, in what most of us would call poor circumstances; however there is much we can take from what they do right.
Daniel
Ps: Please pray for me. I am making a tough decision on how to pay for medical school, loans vs Army for those who don't know. I want to hear what God has to say on the situation, but I'm being confused by what I want. Thanks so much for all your guys prayers and support, it means a whole lot to all of us!
First, the trip to Fort Jesus was awesome. However, it was almost stalled twice, once by the guards wanting to charge us the tourist price of 800 Shillings, which Beth negotiated down to the Kenyan resident price of 100 Shillings ($1.33). Then we got inside and they were going to let us look around on our own. If you have ever been to a historical site, it really lacks significance when you don't understand the landmarks or the meaning behind what you are looking at. This closely parallels confusion to our Christian walk. When ever you have a tour guide, or a mentor, it makes understanding the intricacies much easier. Luckily for us, there is a good example of this in the story of Paul’s relationship to Timothy. Paul gave many words of wisdom to Timothy, and it was reflected in his spiritual growth. Maybe if you are getting older, but aren’t too old to stop learning, you should have both a Paul and a Timothy in your life, that you can gain wisdom from and pass that on to a younger follower of Christ. I thought it was a neat connection, but as I’ve learned, there are few people on my wavelength so I’m sorry if I go on a Daniel tangent.
Secondly, give it all. Give all of yourself, all of your time, all of your effort, all of it. Frida touched me. She spent two days with us, talking, listening, and being with us. She left her awesome household to shepherd us, since we ‘needed’ a guardian. She made sure all of our needs were met, being a local of the area, when we probably could have made it on our own. Then she invited us in for dinner the next day, showing even more affection. The food was awesome as usual here, but they gave us more than what it looked like they could afford. I felt as if I’m not giving enough, when someone can do so much with so little. Inspiring. While at her house, she mentioned she was ashamed of the size. I tell you, if I am living in those conditions, with the amount of love that was shown by this family, the size of the house would be my last concern, God has expanded their boundaries in more meaningful ways. They had quality, that’s what I liked so much. They have five beautiful and ambitious children that could each light up the room with their smile. They have a God priority, shown by the way the children respect one another and their parents. These things just don’t come when you are foremost living the American dream, and they don’t come on accident. This is good parenting, in what most of us would call poor circumstances; however there is much we can take from what they do right.
Daniel
Ps: Please pray for me. I am making a tough decision on how to pay for medical school, loans vs Army for those who don't know. I want to hear what God has to say on the situation, but I'm being confused by what I want. Thanks so much for all your guys prayers and support, it means a whole lot to all of us!
Friday, June 19, 2009
Mombasa fun with Frida, Rose, and Seashells
So it’s been a few days! This is our last night in Mombasa and as Holly mentioned in the last post, it is just beautiful here on the Indian Ocean. This is Courtney by the way. So the first day that we were here we spent it on the beach, reading, talking, and exploring. We met a few friends, Frida and Captain Marco Polo. Frida is related to some of the staff at LIA and she was just so wonderful. She spent the past couple of days visiting and traveling with us. Captain Marco Polo made friends with Ben and wanted to take Ben scuba diving but he didn’t have any equipment. So, Ben said No thanks. Our second day here we saw some of the sights and it ended up being a really busy day. First stop was Fort Jesus, an old Portuguese fort that was built in 1593. It was overtaken by the Arabs from Oman in the 1800’s and then Britain took over in the late 1800’s up until 1950. We got to explore all over and there was a beautiful view from some of the lookout towers. We had lunch outside the fort and then headed to Frida’s church for a midday service. Talk about hot weather, the church service in the middle of the day definitely made it hard to concentrate. I looked down the row at one time and everyone was just pouring sweat, and Lauren even pretended to dance in order to swish her skirt around and cool off! But the message was very heartfelt and I know I learned a lot. We got to meet some of the people and the pastor and then we headed to a hotel to meet another LIA volunteer, Rose, (she was a former staff and will be re-joining LIA in Nairobi in a few weeks and will be getting married to Gus, another one of our staff friends at LIA Kenya, in August) and she was just wonderful! She works at a beautiful hotel resort called Voyageur and we got to join her for tea, a tour of the resort, some great time of conversation, and dinner. It was very relaxing but a little weird for us considering we were hanging out at the resort, which to us looked like a very safe, stereotypical replica of Africa. It was lovely no doubt and apparently a great place for a honeymoon Rose said, but I think it just felt funny for us. So that was yesterday, and today we spent the morning on the beach and then the afternoon at Frida’s house. We got to meet her family and talk for awhile before heading back on motorcycle taxis! We squished two people on each bike and held on for dear life. Luckily they didn’t go too fast, and Daniel made sure to get everyone’s picture before they left. I think we were sort of allowed to be semi-tourists this week before we get ready to go back to Nairobi tomorrow. It’s been a nice rest and I think the favorite part of the trip was standing in the breeze and seeing the wonderful ocean. The funniest part of the trip – Ben and Daniel decided to fashion their own seashell necklaces and spent time collecting the shells, making holes in them, and threading floss through the shells. Then they wore them around and posed for pictures together! We were all a little concerned about the time and effort they put into the project. But, that gave us a whole lot of time to make fun of them. A picture is coming soon. Mombasa has been great, we’ll see you back in Nairobi!
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Indian Ocean!
Hello blog readers! We arrived safely after a 8 hr bus ride to Mombasa. The Mi2 team is now stationed till Saturday on the east coast of Kenya, we’re going in the Indian Ocean tomorrow! We really didn’t do too many interesting things on the bus- there was a rather violent American movie playing for the first two hours, then some flashback to the 80’s videos played- I slept through most of the trip, as did everyone else. I apologize for not having a more interesting story!
Last night we met up with Holly Garret (LIA field reporter and friend) and a team of 10 people from all across the USA. The Americans we met last night had just arrived from Ethiopia, where they got to see first hand what LIA is doing in Ethiopia. They arrived in Kenya on Sunday, and we had the chance to sit down with them and talk about our LIA expeience so far. These people are members of churches that support LIA, and they were getting first-hand experiences of what LIA was doing so that they could go back to the States to help LIA with fundraising. Ben and I sat with two middle-aged women and we shared some of our Kenyan experience, and we also listened to their Ethiopia experiences. We didn’t have much time to talk- the other team had visited the Kibera and Mathare slums that day, so they had quite the poverty-overload on their minds. At the end of dinner, we got mom-hugs from our two dinnermates. I love mom hugs, they’re just so welcoming and soft! It was an enjoyable time for us to talk to others who had seen some of the same things as we had.
Then, we had a chance to debrief with Holly about how the trip was going so far. We told her lots of “you had to be there” stories, but she pretended to know what we were talking about even though she probably had no clue. For instance, I almost killed a motorcyclist with a jar of peanut butter. How? I will share with you: we were walking back from the LIA office after prayer on Monday. We had purchased a large container of peanut butter (for no-bakes and for the Mombasa trip). In addition to the peanut butter, the grocery bag also contained a couple containers of juice and a container of drinking chocolate powder. So, needless to say, the bag was fairly full. The peanut butter jumped out of the bag as we were walking back home, and it almost rolled into the water runoff ditch to our right. Then, after I placed the peanut butter back into the grocery bag, it decided to abandon ship again. This time, the jar rolled into the street to the left, and we all laughed for a split second before a motorcyclist rode by. The motorcycle was probably not more than 6 inches away form the jar. As soon as I saw the cyclist coming, I imagined peanut butter being splattered everywhere, and a very confused motorcycle driver. Everyone was safe, the peanut butter made its way into the no bakes and into our bellies, and Holly laughed at our story. Basically, talking to her was awesome. And we’re getting REALLY excited for the Post team of college-aged students from Southeast. They’ll be here mid-July, and we can’t wait to share a weeks’ experience of serving with them! Hi to you all if you’re out there reading!
That about wraps up our past 24 hours! We'll be spending the day relaxing on the beach tomorrow, we'll put on loads of sunscreen, so hopefully there won't be any burn stories in the upcoming posts. Thanks for continuing to follow us online, and we're praying that everyone back home is being ministered to during this summer!
Love you all,
Holly
Last night we met up with Holly Garret (LIA field reporter and friend) and a team of 10 people from all across the USA. The Americans we met last night had just arrived from Ethiopia, where they got to see first hand what LIA is doing in Ethiopia. They arrived in Kenya on Sunday, and we had the chance to sit down with them and talk about our LIA expeience so far. These people are members of churches that support LIA, and they were getting first-hand experiences of what LIA was doing so that they could go back to the States to help LIA with fundraising. Ben and I sat with two middle-aged women and we shared some of our Kenyan experience, and we also listened to their Ethiopia experiences. We didn’t have much time to talk- the other team had visited the Kibera and Mathare slums that day, so they had quite the poverty-overload on their minds. At the end of dinner, we got mom-hugs from our two dinnermates. I love mom hugs, they’re just so welcoming and soft! It was an enjoyable time for us to talk to others who had seen some of the same things as we had.
Then, we had a chance to debrief with Holly about how the trip was going so far. We told her lots of “you had to be there” stories, but she pretended to know what we were talking about even though she probably had no clue. For instance, I almost killed a motorcyclist with a jar of peanut butter. How? I will share with you: we were walking back from the LIA office after prayer on Monday. We had purchased a large container of peanut butter (for no-bakes and for the Mombasa trip). In addition to the peanut butter, the grocery bag also contained a couple containers of juice and a container of drinking chocolate powder. So, needless to say, the bag was fairly full. The peanut butter jumped out of the bag as we were walking back home, and it almost rolled into the water runoff ditch to our right. Then, after I placed the peanut butter back into the grocery bag, it decided to abandon ship again. This time, the jar rolled into the street to the left, and we all laughed for a split second before a motorcyclist rode by. The motorcycle was probably not more than 6 inches away form the jar. As soon as I saw the cyclist coming, I imagined peanut butter being splattered everywhere, and a very confused motorcycle driver. Everyone was safe, the peanut butter made its way into the no bakes and into our bellies, and Holly laughed at our story. Basically, talking to her was awesome. And we’re getting REALLY excited for the Post team of college-aged students from Southeast. They’ll be here mid-July, and we can’t wait to share a weeks’ experience of serving with them! Hi to you all if you’re out there reading!
That about wraps up our past 24 hours! We'll be spending the day relaxing on the beach tomorrow, we'll put on loads of sunscreen, so hopefully there won't be any burn stories in the upcoming posts. Thanks for continuing to follow us online, and we're praying that everyone back home is being ministered to during this summer!
Love you all,
Holly
Monday, June 15, 2009
Remember that one time when everyone thought we were doctors...?
Sorry we have been slacking a little on the blog posting. Today we spent the day in prayer and fasting with the LIA team again, which was amazing. We also had a great weekend doing an outreach with children from the Kibera slum on Saturday and eating a delicious meal with Nancy, an LIA staff member, and her family Sunday after church. But I'm going to rewind a little bit and talk about one of my favorite parts of Kajiado, simply because last week was so ridiculously amazing. So the Thursday we were at Kajiado, we had a makeshift medical camp. Daniel explained about the dam building project on Wednesday, and we mentioned to the 30-40 people at the dam that we would be having some medicines/a medical camp for them the following day at 10:00. We had no idea what to expect, I was thinking we might get about 50 people. Well, apparently the land of the Maasai with no cell phones and good old fashion communication (aka talking) caused the word to spread like wildfire. We ended up treating 150 patients! And I use "treating" in a very loose term. Holly headed up the check ears and nose station, Ben took blood pressure, Daniel soon became Dr. Bachman as he diagnosed people, and Courtney and I headed up the pharmacy. Allow me to paint you a picture of the scene: As I looked up from the "pharmacy" in the corner of the small church, I turned to see Holly gently wrestling a writhing,screaming child to the ground while attempting to get close enough to stick a otoscope in their ear. I was suddenly distracted by a row of old Maasai women in their traditional attire and beadings patiently sitting with their arms straight out, waiting for Ben to take their blood pressure. In the small "consultation room", Dr. Bachman sat, listening very attentively to a patient even though the patient was speaking Maasai and Daniel had no idea what they were saying until the translator started talking. And then I looked back to the pharmacy, where Courtney and I stood, making babies throw up left and right (actually, only 3) from the deworming syrup that we were giving them. We were quite a sight to see, probably the biggest posers you would ever meet considering none of us had ever done a medical camp before, let alone diagnosed patients. However, Pamella was with us and she is a nurse, and so luckily she was patient enough to answer any sort of question you could possibly imagine. It was an amazing day... a long day... but amazing nonetheless. For me, it was great to see how pharmacy could be used in a missions setting. I pray that we were able to share the love of Christ through our actions with the Maasai people even though we couldn't speak their language. God is good, Kenya is amazing, Kajiado was awesome, and we are continually encouraged and excited about what each new day brings...
- Lauren the wannabe pharmacist
P.s. Holly's blog address is www.faithtogo.wordpress.com if you are interested... and don't forget about our fabulous friends who are doing amazing things in Poland!
- Lauren the wannabe pharmacist
P.s. Holly's blog address is www.faithtogo.wordpress.com if you are interested... and don't forget about our fabulous friends who are doing amazing things in Poland!
Saturday, June 13, 2009
Week In Kajiado
Here is what is going on in a Maasai community, 35 kilometers outside of Kijado. As most of you may know, I really don’t like being physically idle for very long. Our long awaited first day of physical exertion came this past Wednesday. This day we lent our hands and legs to the benefit of a dam building project. The need for consistent clean water in semi-arid regions is huge, since rains come in spurts.
First, we got to meet the crew. We saw 60 year old plus ladies cracking rocks, twenty something girls mixing mortar and sand, and about ten guys sitting under a tree watching. So I freaked out a bit, but they did the back breaking jobs later. We were first asked to carry boulders using wheel borrows, they probably would have had us stop there, but we found places to be useful. Tea time was unique as the men and women separated. It was interrupted by one guy wanting to get back to the grind. We joined in the water addition and assembly line of mixed mortar. It is quite frustrating when you are used to American machines that do the work for you, and I know that Dad would have been begging for his bobcat and a mixer. However, without construction ‘toys’ this community poured the man and God power into the project, when they didn’t have anything but their time to offer. After eating a very late lunch of beans and ugali, which is a solid rice and corn flour mixture, we found out that we made their day much easier than normal. We left them with our blessings, and Pam put it awesomely that without an amazing God, we would have never got to experience their community and meet them.
I know they needed the encouragement we were able to give. People’s bodies were exhausted, and it looks like about 15 more solid days of similar work for them to get done with Phase 1. It was way more inspiring for me to see what God can do when a group of believers take action together on projects that are beyond their own capacity to finish, than the help I provided. I think their community has something special that the world needs, yet it is hard to describe.
The Maasai make great believers, always knowing that only one god existed. Many have and are becoming Christians because of how well it fits their culture. There is rarely a hungry Maasai person, because everyone shares; they respect people with morals, and not those who have a lot of cows if you can catch the insinuation; and no one is a stranger, since they want to meet and genuinely greet every new person. Although not perfect by any means, they are a great model we should all strive to live as. Putting Him and His people first in all situations, I think that is it. Hope you all are as inspired as I am, I think it will take lots of pictures and talking to do it justice which may have to wait since our internet is quite fuzzy of late. ~Daniel
The most breathtaking part of the entire trip had to have been the scenery. Waking up every morning and walking out of our tent to the site of Mt. Kilimanjaro was remarkable. We would then venture out before breakfast to see the giraffes, wildebeasts, zebras, and gazelle that were grazing in the plains. Night time would be capped off with another viewing of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a bright orangish/red sunset, and the uncountable amount of stars that dotted the African sky late at night. I don’t believe any of us had ever taken the time to actually watch the moon rise before this trip but it became almost as beautiful as watching the sunset. It was hard to believe that Josiah and his family had lived on that land all of their lives because they were just as excited for every sunset as we were. It was by far the most picturesque place I have ever seen with the giant acacia trees dotting the plains. ~Ben
First, we got to meet the crew. We saw 60 year old plus ladies cracking rocks, twenty something girls mixing mortar and sand, and about ten guys sitting under a tree watching. So I freaked out a bit, but they did the back breaking jobs later. We were first asked to carry boulders using wheel borrows, they probably would have had us stop there, but we found places to be useful. Tea time was unique as the men and women separated. It was interrupted by one guy wanting to get back to the grind. We joined in the water addition and assembly line of mixed mortar. It is quite frustrating when you are used to American machines that do the work for you, and I know that Dad would have been begging for his bobcat and a mixer. However, without construction ‘toys’ this community poured the man and God power into the project, when they didn’t have anything but their time to offer. After eating a very late lunch of beans and ugali, which is a solid rice and corn flour mixture, we found out that we made their day much easier than normal. We left them with our blessings, and Pam put it awesomely that without an amazing God, we would have never got to experience their community and meet them.
I know they needed the encouragement we were able to give. People’s bodies were exhausted, and it looks like about 15 more solid days of similar work for them to get done with Phase 1. It was way more inspiring for me to see what God can do when a group of believers take action together on projects that are beyond their own capacity to finish, than the help I provided. I think their community has something special that the world needs, yet it is hard to describe.
The Maasai make great believers, always knowing that only one god existed. Many have and are becoming Christians because of how well it fits their culture. There is rarely a hungry Maasai person, because everyone shares; they respect people with morals, and not those who have a lot of cows if you can catch the insinuation; and no one is a stranger, since they want to meet and genuinely greet every new person. Although not perfect by any means, they are a great model we should all strive to live as. Putting Him and His people first in all situations, I think that is it. Hope you all are as inspired as I am, I think it will take lots of pictures and talking to do it justice which may have to wait since our internet is quite fuzzy of late. ~Daniel
The most breathtaking part of the entire trip had to have been the scenery. Waking up every morning and walking out of our tent to the site of Mt. Kilimanjaro was remarkable. We would then venture out before breakfast to see the giraffes, wildebeasts, zebras, and gazelle that were grazing in the plains. Night time would be capped off with another viewing of Mt. Kilimanjaro, a bright orangish/red sunset, and the uncountable amount of stars that dotted the African sky late at night. I don’t believe any of us had ever taken the time to actually watch the moon rise before this trip but it became almost as beautiful as watching the sunset. It was hard to believe that Josiah and his family had lived on that land all of their lives because they were just as excited for every sunset as we were. It was by far the most picturesque place I have ever seen with the giant acacia trees dotting the plains. ~Ben
Sunday, June 7, 2009
Running Adventures and Good Coffee!
Hey blog readers,
We decided to do a two-day post today!
Yesterday, we participated in the Run for the Bibleless! Daniel and I ran the 10k, and Lauren, Ben and Courtney did the 4k walk. We got up at 5:30 when it was still dark out! It's pretty chilly in the morning, we could see our breaths as we made the trek to Nairobi Primary school where the race started. While jamming to Christian music being played over loudspeakers, we did a group warm up which consisted of jumping, skipping and swinging our arms. We looked pretty hilarious!
The races went well, the walkers had a nice time capturing pictures of the mass of people wearing the blue and white "Run for the Bibleless" T-shirts, and Daniel and I had a good run. I ended up being the first female finisher, and I was awarded a hot pink bible as my prize, they even made a little joke as they presented it to me, the announcer said "We present Holly Christian with a Holy Bible" (when they say my name it doesn't sound much different than Holy, that got a few laughs out of the crowd). We made a few new friends as well!
After getting sweaty, we headed to downtown Nairobi to meet Pam and Jacob of LIA. They were helping us go shopping for a football to take to the various villages we'll be visiting! Ben and Daniel each purchased a ball, I'm sure the kids will have a blast with them! We then visited an outdoor Maasai market, the market moves to different locations each day of the week- this location was larger than the one that we've visited close to our guest house. We purchased a few things, the guys seem to be having fun bargaining for their souvenirs, the girls haven't really purchased anything- I may just have Ben or Daniel haggle for me! It was a fun day in downtown Nairobi!
Today we went to church, to the "Vibrant 10am Service" and then to the teen service. The "big church" service is awesome, there is always so much dancing and excitement throughout the service. Today was communion Sunday, and the message was about being Thankful. They encouraged us to think of something in the past year that we've been thankful for. I think we can all say that we're thankful for being here in Kenya, it's been awesome to see how God has been working to get us to this point, and it's also encouraging to see God working in each of our lives right now!
I also got to meet up with my friend from school, Anna, for a few minutes. She has been in Kenya since February, she was studying abroad for this semester! It was just kind of funny to see someone I knew in KENYA! Ah- and the good coffee refers to our purchase today. We bought a small french press and some delicious Kenyan coffee, so now we can have genuine coffee (we usually use instant)!
Keep the Poland guys in your prayers, it sounds like Erich is battling some minor sickness, so pray for his quick recovery! Just pray that Erich and Dane are able to effectively reach out to those that they meet, it kind of sounds like the language barrier has been an issue at times during their trip, keep up on their action at www.mi2poland09.blogspot.com. Also, you can check out my blog, www.faithtogo.wordpress.com to read more about our slum experiences, and please keep my boyfriend, Daniel in your prayers- he arrived safely in California to work with organization called InnerChange in San Francisco- you can check out his blog at www.godismhyjudge.wordpress.com! AND, of course, keep our Kenya team in your prayers- we travel 2 hours to Kijado tomorrow to live with a missionary couple working among the Maasai people for a week! We'll be in Kijado Monday-Friday, so just pray for safety, pray that the food agrees with our stomachs, and pray that we will be helpful in any way possible!
Just a warning: we may not be able to post until next weekend, we're not 100% sure of our internet availability! But have faith that we are in God's hands, and we'll post our exciting stories and revelations as soon as we can!
Alright, I'm off to whip up some no-bake cookies for travel snacks!
God bless you all!
Holly
We decided to do a two-day post today!
Yesterday, we participated in the Run for the Bibleless! Daniel and I ran the 10k, and Lauren, Ben and Courtney did the 4k walk. We got up at 5:30 when it was still dark out! It's pretty chilly in the morning, we could see our breaths as we made the trek to Nairobi Primary school where the race started. While jamming to Christian music being played over loudspeakers, we did a group warm up which consisted of jumping, skipping and swinging our arms. We looked pretty hilarious!
The races went well, the walkers had a nice time capturing pictures of the mass of people wearing the blue and white "Run for the Bibleless" T-shirts, and Daniel and I had a good run. I ended up being the first female finisher, and I was awarded a hot pink bible as my prize, they even made a little joke as they presented it to me, the announcer said "We present Holly Christian with a Holy Bible" (when they say my name it doesn't sound much different than Holy, that got a few laughs out of the crowd). We made a few new friends as well!
After getting sweaty, we headed to downtown Nairobi to meet Pam and Jacob of LIA. They were helping us go shopping for a football to take to the various villages we'll be visiting! Ben and Daniel each purchased a ball, I'm sure the kids will have a blast with them! We then visited an outdoor Maasai market, the market moves to different locations each day of the week- this location was larger than the one that we've visited close to our guest house. We purchased a few things, the guys seem to be having fun bargaining for their souvenirs, the girls haven't really purchased anything- I may just have Ben or Daniel haggle for me! It was a fun day in downtown Nairobi!
Today we went to church, to the "Vibrant 10am Service" and then to the teen service. The "big church" service is awesome, there is always so much dancing and excitement throughout the service. Today was communion Sunday, and the message was about being Thankful. They encouraged us to think of something in the past year that we've been thankful for. I think we can all say that we're thankful for being here in Kenya, it's been awesome to see how God has been working to get us to this point, and it's also encouraging to see God working in each of our lives right now!
I also got to meet up with my friend from school, Anna, for a few minutes. She has been in Kenya since February, she was studying abroad for this semester! It was just kind of funny to see someone I knew in KENYA! Ah- and the good coffee refers to our purchase today. We bought a small french press and some delicious Kenyan coffee, so now we can have genuine coffee (we usually use instant)!
Keep the Poland guys in your prayers, it sounds like Erich is battling some minor sickness, so pray for his quick recovery! Just pray that Erich and Dane are able to effectively reach out to those that they meet, it kind of sounds like the language barrier has been an issue at times during their trip, keep up on their action at www.mi2poland09.blogspot.com. Also, you can check out my blog, www.faithtogo.wordpress.com to read more about our slum experiences, and please keep my boyfriend, Daniel in your prayers- he arrived safely in California to work with organization called InnerChange in San Francisco- you can check out his blog at www.godismhyjudge.wordpress.com! AND, of course, keep our Kenya team in your prayers- we travel 2 hours to Kijado tomorrow to live with a missionary couple working among the Maasai people for a week! We'll be in Kijado Monday-Friday, so just pray for safety, pray that the food agrees with our stomachs, and pray that we will be helpful in any way possible!
Just a warning: we may not be able to post until next weekend, we're not 100% sure of our internet availability! But have faith that we are in God's hands, and we'll post our exciting stories and revelations as soon as we can!
Alright, I'm off to whip up some no-bake cookies for travel snacks!
God bless you all!
Holly
Friday, June 5, 2009
America the Generous
The last two weeks have been the nicest wintertime I have ever seen, rarely getting below 70. Today was our last and final day to explore the different facets of the Kenyan healthcare system. We saw their national research lab, KEMRI, the clinic for Kibera slums, KICOSHEP, and the distribution facility for non-profit medications, MEDS.
Several lessons can be leaned from the relief organization exploration we have been doing. Deviation from God-centered, mission oriented, and church involved programs have huge consequences. The second place we visited had strayed from its Christian beginnings. Choosing to teach safe-sex over abstinence, planning buildings and facilities based upon dreams and not prayer and petition, as well as becoming dependent on donation and not self-sustaining. These fallacies were not seen in the hospitality, this is ingrained in Kenyan culture; however, the constant subliminal reminder that the only reason we were that welcome, was the fact Americans bring money. Here is how you can ‘help us’. This was so strange, because this was the first time we were faced with this challenge. I have known that any help we may provide was much appreciated, but this was the first organization asking for a handout. Just to let you know, there was no affiliation with LIA, and we were just observing.
Part of this problem, may be from the stigma we gain. Gifts are not supposed to be given with ‘trumpets’ playing. Just so you know the Clinton foundation and George W have given lots of meds to Africa through the right well run Christian-based organization. However, we love to slap USAID on these gifts, proclaiming to the world that the American people are the most generous. It is probably a good thing in some respects that some people in the world like us, but it really isn’t the God way to do things. Let’s look at Matthew 6:1-4 for the reminder of the way we are supposed to give.
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Keep praying that we are going to be useful hands to those hosting us. Our work starts this week as we are joining the Maasai warrior community for a week of adventure building dams, helping teach at their school, and hosting a mini medical camp with Pamella the registered nurse who also hosts LIA’s short term teams. We are getting excited and hope you are too.
Another prayer request is for Juliet, you don’t know her, but she is going through a lot at a very young age. She lost her husband last fall, and now is jobless and raising her two kids in the Kibera slum totally relying on God to provide and get through this phase of her life. She needs reassurance that only God can provide. Pray for miracles, it never hurts to ask.
Please pray for me while I’m running a 10K for the Bible translation benefit tomorrow, I can run about 8K and still breathe, and I’m going to need some help with the last two. Holly is joining me; she is a professional runner though. Ben, Lauren, and Courtney are opting for the 4K walk, a much smarter choice from this perspective.
Kwaheri (Goodbye),
Daniel
Several lessons can be leaned from the relief organization exploration we have been doing. Deviation from God-centered, mission oriented, and church involved programs have huge consequences. The second place we visited had strayed from its Christian beginnings. Choosing to teach safe-sex over abstinence, planning buildings and facilities based upon dreams and not prayer and petition, as well as becoming dependent on donation and not self-sustaining. These fallacies were not seen in the hospitality, this is ingrained in Kenyan culture; however, the constant subliminal reminder that the only reason we were that welcome, was the fact Americans bring money. Here is how you can ‘help us’. This was so strange, because this was the first time we were faced with this challenge. I have known that any help we may provide was much appreciated, but this was the first organization asking for a handout. Just to let you know, there was no affiliation with LIA, and we were just observing.
Part of this problem, may be from the stigma we gain. Gifts are not supposed to be given with ‘trumpets’ playing. Just so you know the Clinton foundation and George W have given lots of meds to Africa through the right well run Christian-based organization. However, we love to slap USAID on these gifts, proclaiming to the world that the American people are the most generous. It is probably a good thing in some respects that some people in the world like us, but it really isn’t the God way to do things. Let’s look at Matthew 6:1-4 for the reminder of the way we are supposed to give.
1"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
2"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 3But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Keep praying that we are going to be useful hands to those hosting us. Our work starts this week as we are joining the Maasai warrior community for a week of adventure building dams, helping teach at their school, and hosting a mini medical camp with Pamella the registered nurse who also hosts LIA’s short term teams. We are getting excited and hope you are too.
Another prayer request is for Juliet, you don’t know her, but she is going through a lot at a very young age. She lost her husband last fall, and now is jobless and raising her two kids in the Kibera slum totally relying on God to provide and get through this phase of her life. She needs reassurance that only God can provide. Pray for miracles, it never hurts to ask.
Please pray for me while I’m running a 10K for the Bible translation benefit tomorrow, I can run about 8K and still breathe, and I’m going to need some help with the last two. Holly is joining me; she is a professional runner though. Ben, Lauren, and Courtney are opting for the 4K walk, a much smarter choice from this perspective.
Kwaheri (Goodbye),
Daniel
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Jambo! Today we were able to visit the Mathare slum. While it isn't as big as Kibera, the poverty is just as evident. I still can't fathom exactly how living is possible in these areas. Without having faith in Christ and the hope of a promising future in Him, survival would be impossible and depression a definite. While we were in Mathare today we visited Believer's Center Church/School. It is amazing the work God is doing with what little they have. Originally it was one of Life In Abundance's first community health evangelism projects as they helped turn a mud house that only held a Sunday service, into an outreaching church that doubles as a primary school during the week. Amazingly they are almost fully self sufficient now and provide free schooling, free uniforms for the students, and free meals to the children that go there. The children we met today were full of enthusiasm and it was evident the work that the church was doing in their lives. Currently, the school serves four grades of students and each year they expand the school one grade higher with the finances they are creating. The pastor of the church, Isaiah, was more than willing to proudly show off the school he helps run and even invited us back for church service on Sunday. This trip was very encouraging for all of us as we saw just a smidget of the awesome works God does in this world. To see what these people have done with so little makes us ask ourselves what we can do in our lives with the abundance we have been blessed with.
~Ben
~Ben
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Chipati is my new best friend.
Another day in Nairobi has come to an end, and we were all over the place learning about different ministries and services that the people of Nairobi are providing to others in Kenya. We first met with Dr. Florence’s (the founder of LIA) brother, Julius. He started an organization called Youth Redemption Africa (YRA).This organization works with different churches, schools, etc. to provide them with the skills and resources they need to get youth excited about God in Kenya. The organization has compiled a one year intensive bible study that Julius wrote that comprises almost all of the important issues about Christianity, from starting out as a Christian to deepening your walk with God. We were able to talk to Julius a lot about how he got to be where he is today. Probably my favorite thing he said was when he said, “I felt called into this work about nine years ago, and so I just starting writing bible studies on whatever I could find.” And now, nine years later, he has a whole book that is an amazing resource for youth in churches everywhere. Awesome.
We then went to talk with REAP. REAP is an organization that works to teach more rural areas how to use plants and herbs around them for medicinal purposes so that they don’t spend their needed money on counterfeit or sketchy pharmaceuticals. I’m a pharmacy major, I like talking about drugs. So this was very interesting to me. The meeting went like this: We walked in to a deliciously herb-smelling small building, learned that charcoal-fired cow bone can suck out snake bites and papaya skin can cure wounds, broke off a piece of aloe plant and rubbed it on our sunburns and left. It was great.
Our last stop for the day was New Life Home Trust, an orphanage that cared for abandoned orphans. It was a super nice facility, full of donated toys, clothes, beds etc. for the babies and toddlers.There were volunteers everywhere caringly helping the children. The facility we visited cared for up to 55 children from ages 1-4, but it had other facilities nearby that housed older children. There had been about 1,100 children that had been there in the past 10 or so years, and over 700 of them had been adopted. Many of the children were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS, and others were just dropped off on their doorstep completely malnourished or brought in by the police after being found abandoned somewhere. The stories were so sad, but the rehabilitation by New Life Home Trust was amazing. Courtney, Holly, and I stayed back to play with the kids. We also were lucky enough to experience play time and potty time. We left with a little more wet biscuit pieces then we had on us when we came, but playing with little kids is always worth it.
That’s it from here. God is good in Kenya. We are praying that you are seeing the goodness of God in America, Poland, or wherever else you might be reading this blog. Lauren… signing off.
We then went to talk with REAP. REAP is an organization that works to teach more rural areas how to use plants and herbs around them for medicinal purposes so that they don’t spend their needed money on counterfeit or sketchy pharmaceuticals. I’m a pharmacy major, I like talking about drugs. So this was very interesting to me. The meeting went like this: We walked in to a deliciously herb-smelling small building, learned that charcoal-fired cow bone can suck out snake bites and papaya skin can cure wounds, broke off a piece of aloe plant and rubbed it on our sunburns and left. It was great.
Our last stop for the day was New Life Home Trust, an orphanage that cared for abandoned orphans. It was a super nice facility, full of donated toys, clothes, beds etc. for the babies and toddlers.There were volunteers everywhere caringly helping the children. The facility we visited cared for up to 55 children from ages 1-4, but it had other facilities nearby that housed older children. There had been about 1,100 children that had been there in the past 10 or so years, and over 700 of them had been adopted. Many of the children were orphaned because of HIV/AIDS, and others were just dropped off on their doorstep completely malnourished or brought in by the police after being found abandoned somewhere. The stories were so sad, but the rehabilitation by New Life Home Trust was amazing. Courtney, Holly, and I stayed back to play with the kids. We also were lucky enough to experience play time and potty time. We left with a little more wet biscuit pieces then we had on us when we came, but playing with little kids is always worth it.
That’s it from here. God is good in Kenya. We are praying that you are seeing the goodness of God in America, Poland, or wherever else you might be reading this blog. Lauren… signing off.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
This is real.
There aren’t many words for today. We had three activities today, in the morning, lunchtime, and afternoon.
We spent the morning talking to Pamela about the HIV/AIDS situation here in Kenya. We went through a lot of material and articles in order to better understand the virus, and the way that it is viewed. It was heartbreaking to read the questions sent in by readers to the editors of the magazines. What we discovered was a lack of education and an enormous social stigma. Basically, people will not go to get tested, even if there is a chance they may be infected. This was extremely hard to swallow and to understand. We just hope that we can play a tiny small part in educating while we are here. I know that there will be plenty of opportunity to help with education and testing as we work with some of the medical camps/clinics. Be praying for an opportunity to help this crisis in any way possible.
Lunchtime was very exciting! We met with the Kenyan missionary couple from Kajiado (we will work with them all of next week). They live in Maasai (a tribe in Kenya that has preserved its culture very well) land in a very rural area. We will join them next week and help in the schools, with a health clinic, in the church, in the villages, on the farms, and on a community development water project –building a small dam. We are excited about our chance to be able to experience and serve in a more rural village. Another thing that left us busting with excitement on our walk back to the guest house for lunch was the answer to a seemingly basic question from Holly. She asked the missionaries if she would be able to run sometime. They said, ‘Well yeah sure, there is a lot of wildlife around, like zebras and giraffes. You can chase the giraffes if you want.’ I don’t think we stopped talking about that all day! I think a few of us are now motivated to get into better shape so that we can go running in Kajiado!
After lunch, we met back up with Pamela and headed to visit some partner churches in Kibera. Some of you may have heard of Kibera, it is the largest slum in Kenya and supposedly one of the largest in the world. We were split up into two groups – Daniel and I went with a pastor and two LIA staff, and Holly, Lauren, and Ben went with Pamela and another pastor. Daniel and I visited the pastor’s church, where his wife was teaching preschool. I can’t even describe it to you, except that there was a packed dirt floor, mud/concrete walls, and a tin roof. All of the kids were adorable! Some were kids of church members and a couple of them were orphans. We got to visit with them for a bit and I got to hold a lovely little girl while the kids enjoyed their snacks. We then went to a nursery where three women were taking care of about 8 or 9 babies all under the age of 1. They were in a little building; similar to the church, but it was about the size of a standard walk-in closet. We were blessed to be able to visit with these women and encourage and pray for them. Last, we went to visit one of the women from the church in her home. She touched my heart. Her name is Juliet, and she is a beautiful young woman. She has a son and a daughter, ages 1 and 4. Last September she lost her husband and she recently got tested for HIV and was found positive. We can’t even begin to imagine how hard life is for her. We gave all the encouragement that we could give and were blessed to see her smile as we left. Please keep her in your prayers.
On our way out of the slums, it began to rain. This meant that dirt turned to mud and small puddles turned to tiny streams, full of garbage and sewage. The rain felt beautiful and created a wonderful rainbow, but the knowledge that everything we just walked through would make its way into the houses of those who lived below was heartbreaking – if that’s even the right word. Needless to say, the ride back to home for us was pretty quiet. I don’t have many more words to describe today, except that it was full of excitement, crushing realities, and a drive to prayer.
We spent the morning talking to Pamela about the HIV/AIDS situation here in Kenya. We went through a lot of material and articles in order to better understand the virus, and the way that it is viewed. It was heartbreaking to read the questions sent in by readers to the editors of the magazines. What we discovered was a lack of education and an enormous social stigma. Basically, people will not go to get tested, even if there is a chance they may be infected. This was extremely hard to swallow and to understand. We just hope that we can play a tiny small part in educating while we are here. I know that there will be plenty of opportunity to help with education and testing as we work with some of the medical camps/clinics. Be praying for an opportunity to help this crisis in any way possible.
Lunchtime was very exciting! We met with the Kenyan missionary couple from Kajiado (we will work with them all of next week). They live in Maasai (a tribe in Kenya that has preserved its culture very well) land in a very rural area. We will join them next week and help in the schools, with a health clinic, in the church, in the villages, on the farms, and on a community development water project –building a small dam. We are excited about our chance to be able to experience and serve in a more rural village. Another thing that left us busting with excitement on our walk back to the guest house for lunch was the answer to a seemingly basic question from Holly. She asked the missionaries if she would be able to run sometime. They said, ‘Well yeah sure, there is a lot of wildlife around, like zebras and giraffes. You can chase the giraffes if you want.’ I don’t think we stopped talking about that all day! I think a few of us are now motivated to get into better shape so that we can go running in Kajiado!
After lunch, we met back up with Pamela and headed to visit some partner churches in Kibera. Some of you may have heard of Kibera, it is the largest slum in Kenya and supposedly one of the largest in the world. We were split up into two groups – Daniel and I went with a pastor and two LIA staff, and Holly, Lauren, and Ben went with Pamela and another pastor. Daniel and I visited the pastor’s church, where his wife was teaching preschool. I can’t even describe it to you, except that there was a packed dirt floor, mud/concrete walls, and a tin roof. All of the kids were adorable! Some were kids of church members and a couple of them were orphans. We got to visit with them for a bit and I got to hold a lovely little girl while the kids enjoyed their snacks. We then went to a nursery where three women were taking care of about 8 or 9 babies all under the age of 1. They were in a little building; similar to the church, but it was about the size of a standard walk-in closet. We were blessed to be able to visit with these women and encourage and pray for them. Last, we went to visit one of the women from the church in her home. She touched my heart. Her name is Juliet, and she is a beautiful young woman. She has a son and a daughter, ages 1 and 4. Last September she lost her husband and she recently got tested for HIV and was found positive. We can’t even begin to imagine how hard life is for her. We gave all the encouragement that we could give and were blessed to see her smile as we left. Please keep her in your prayers.
On our way out of the slums, it began to rain. This meant that dirt turned to mud and small puddles turned to tiny streams, full of garbage and sewage. The rain felt beautiful and created a wonderful rainbow, but the knowledge that everything we just walked through would make its way into the houses of those who lived below was heartbreaking – if that’s even the right word. Needless to say, the ride back to home for us was pretty quiet. I don’t have many more words to describe today, except that it was full of excitement, crushing realities, and a drive to prayer.
We're alive, look for a post!
Hey guys, internet has been on and off here for the past few days! But, it looks like we'll have enough to update you guys on what we've been up to! Stay tuned for an update post! Sorry for the missed/delayed posts!
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