Jackie Goes to Africa

"The Russians are coming!"

2011-05-16T06:40:00.000-07:00

We recently just hosted a short-term missions team from Russia. We had 7 Russian guests that stayed with us for 10 days on a short-term mission trip here in Nairobi. During one of the women’s Bible study the Russian ladies shared their testimonies and one testimony in particular struck me. Lena started out her testimony with the statement “You never know what God is going to do in your life.” She was referring to the fact that she never thought she would be in Africa. As she said that thought provoking statement I was thinking to myself, I never thought I’d be in Africa listening to the testimony of a lady from Russia. As the team was in Africa for their first time they carried such excitement with them everywhere they went. This is the fourth time I’ve been to Africa so I have somewhat become numb to my surroundings. The ministry here for me has become normal everyday life. I no longer cry at the site of the barefoot children running around in tattered clothes playing in trash, or get excited when the kids yell out muzungu (Westerner) and run over to shake my hand. I no longer get a huge smile on my face when I hear the sound of worship songs sung in Swahili. I no longer look out the window for wild game in the safari park next to my home or marvel at the beautiful green trees I pass on the way to church. Just as some Southern Californians get used to seeing the beach everyday I have gotten used to seeing Africa everyday. I enjoyed having the Russians here because they brought back that excitement I once had with being in Africa. As we did a small children’s concert at a school in the slums I found myself tearing up as they sang worship songs and prayed sweet prayers in Swahili and I cried as the women in the hair salon sang their tribal songs for us. As my time here is coming to a quick end the tears have returned and I’m starting to grow sad at the thought of going back home to America. I know I shall miss the African life. It’s hard to imagine that in a matter of 24 days I will be back in San Diego returning to the life I left behind 9 mos ago. I’m going from Nairobi to Mombasa to Uganda to debriefing in the FRM office in Murrieta, Ca to my graduation night and finally back to my normal life. It seems like 9 mos of change happening in 24 days. I can’t even imagine packing up and boarding that plane back to the States. I’ve been in much prayer that God isn’t done using me in Africa. To think that this could be the last time my feet are on African soil is a thought that instantly brings tears to my eyes and one I try to avoid. But as Lena so simply said “You never know what God is going to do in your life.” I’m excited to see what God has for me next!

The Russians with our Kenyan church leaders

2 Corinthians 1:4

2011-05-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

On Tuesday I taught 1John 4:17-19 to the ladies at the hair salon in Kibera. I had such a sweet time teaching about how God’s perfect love casts out fear and as we mature in our relationship with God that love is perfected in us and we start to trust Him more and more. I shared with them that I’m having some fear as we approach the end of this program. I’ll be returning to the States on June 1^st and graduating from this EMT (Extreme Missions Training) program on the June 9^th. I mentioned that in order for me to come to Africa I gave up my job and home in America so I have nothing to return to. I’m having some fear because I don’t know where I shall work or where I shall live. This puts me in a position where I am having to practice my trust in God. That morning I was so encouraged by a lady named Eunice. She shared a testimony of how God recently provided for her. Her sister recently died and she had no money to bury her. Here in Nairobi if you don’t have money to pay the morgue or pay for a proper burial a mass burial is then performed. Eunice had been praying 2 weeks for God to provide the money and on the last day before the mass burial was to be performed He provided! Then, Doreen, the owner of the salon, lovingly encouraged me by reminding me that the same God that took me out of America and brought me all the way to Kenya to teach the Bible in hair salon in Kibera was going to take care of me when I get back home. As she was speaking to me tears started to well up in my eyes as it felt like the Lord Himself was directly speaking to me. I find it to be so sweet of the Lord to use these African ladies in my life. As I teach them the Bible it’s easy to get caught up in the mindset that I’m here to feed and encourage them looking past the fact that they can feed and encourage me as well. The truth is as Christians we have all experienced fear at some point and have seen the Lord meet us where we needed Him. I was reminded that just because these ladies live in a slum doesn’t mean they have nothing to offer me. This day was an extra special day because week after week as we go in to teach these ladies, for the most part, they remain silent leaving us to wonder if they are even paying attention or understanding our teachings. It seemed like we had a break through as they shared testimonies of God’s goodness; it was just what I needed to hear. I shall miss them when we leave but I will hold on to their encouragement as fear starts to creep into my mind.

Anna-Marie, Doreen, Christina, and myself

He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 2 Corinthians 1:4 (NLT)

A "Good Friday" Indeed!

2011-04-23T12:37:00.000-07:00

To celebrate Good Friday we got to experience a day in the life of an African woman. We three girls plus Jamie and Natasha treated the women that we disciple to lunch for an Easter celebration.

On the menu: Koko (chicken), ugali (maize flour), sukuma wiki (collard greens), rice, and sodas. We bought three chickens from Karen, a lady from Bible study and had a meal at the ladies home in the slums behind the church.

We got the full African experience from picking out the chicken,

carrying it to the cooking sight,

killing it,

plucking out the feathers,

cutting it up,

cooking it,

Evelyn showing me how to grill

and finally eating it!

Traditional Kenyan dishes-ugali, chicken, rice, and sukuma wiki

It was a sweet day of fellowship and remembering what Christ did for us on the cross. Most of the day I just sat back talking with the ladies and observing them interact with each other. I enjoyed listening to them talk to each other in Swahili & their mother tongue, giving each other advice on the best way to cook the food, and laughing with each other.

Eunice, myself, Christina, Jane

Jamie, Milicent, Evelyn, and myself cooking lunch

After hours of cooking we gathered together to read the Easter story, eat together, and play with the children.

Giving Mercy a head band like mine.

Painting toe nails!

It was a full day of enjoying the African culture. Of course killing your own lunch isn’t the norm in the American culture but it speaks volumes to the ladies that we Mzungus (Westerners) would be willing to get our hands dirty and live like them for a day.

The Big 3-0!!!

2011-04-05T12:49:00.000-07:00

For my 21^st birthday I was in Las Vegas indulging in sin. I thought I was having the time of my life. I thought I was so lucky to be able to celebrate my 21^st in Vegas where I’m sure so many 21 yr olds dream of spending that milestone birthday. Today as I turned 30, another milestone birthday, I was in a hair salon in Kibera (one of the world’s largest slums) teaching the Bible to a group of hair dressers. Not exactly an ideal place to spend a 30^th birthday. But for me being in Africa is dream come true.

As I woke up this morning I laid in bed praying and thanking God for saving me and pouring out His love on me. I can’t believe I spent 27 yrs of my life in darkness deceived by the things of the world. I thanked Him for the great gift of being able to celebrate my 30^th birthday in my favorite place in the world…Africa. Since I have become a born again Christian my one desire has been to be a missionary in Africa. I marvel at the fact that before I was born God knew that I wouldn’t be spending my birthday in a bar with friends but that I would be in Africa sharing the Gospel with ladies who are stuck in sin like I once was.

A funny thing happened this morning. We were driving to the Bible study and traffic was exceptionally bad. My study was to start at 9:30 and we had a children’s ministry meeting starting at 11:15am that we could not be late for. I looked at the clock as we were sitting in traffic and the time read 10:15; I was told that we had to be leaving the salon at 11am. As I looked over my study I started to cut things out and thought maybe I should just share the Gospel.

When teaching in Africa you always have to figure in time for translation. If your teaching is to be an hour long you prepare your content for a ½ hr because with translation it will take up 1 hours worth of time. So for today it meant I had 15 minutes to teach including greeting the ladies and prayer requests at the end. I sat in the car and prayed, “God you know what these ladies need to hear from You today. You know what is going on in their lives, what they are struggling with. Fill my mouth with Your words and lead me into what You want them to hear, I am simply Your mouth piece.” I taught the main points of 1 John 3: 1-10 and then preached the Gospel.

I felt the power of the Holy Spirit speaking through me. I felt passionate about what I was sharing and knew it was only the Lord. At the end as I was saying my goodbyes a lady stopped me and told me that she liked what I shared and felt that she was the only one in the salon and I was talking directly to her. I myself know that feeling very well; that feeling of conviction that only comes from the Holy Spirit. I asked her if she was born again. She said no. I asked her if she wanted to receive Christ right now and she said she wasn’t ready and wanted to think about it a little more. I told her that she should think about it and when she was truly ready she could just pray to receive Christ and God would hear her prayer and she will have salvation. She proceeded to tell me that she goes to church every Sunday but isn’t born again and said that while I was teaching that she kept thinking, “This girl knows me, she is talking directly to me, but I don’t know her how does she know what I’m feeling?” I told her that was God speaking to her and God knew what she needed to hear today. She asked me to keep her in prayer. The neat thing about this lady is that she isn’t one of the hair dressers that regularly attends the Bible study; she was a client that just happened to be having her hair done today. I left there on a high and with the confidence that this lady Rose will pray to receive Christ.

Kibera hair salon

We ended up being late to our meeting, but it didn’t matter because I knew that that moment was perfectly orchestrated by God. I knew that our being late was His doing. Had I had the full hour to teach, my study would have been totally different. I might not have taught with such passion or shared the Gospel. I might have relied more on myself and not on God. Rose might not have been impacted by my original teaching. God totally blessed me today and I saw how He worked everything out for good. I know that I shall remember this birthday forever because as I look back on my life and remember all the terrible things I was once involved in I see the power God’s redemption as He now uses me to proclaim the goodness of His son Jesus Christ.

Myself & Mildred my translator

Please pray that Rose would take the step of faith to pray to receive Christ as her Lord and Savior.

Videos from Sudan

2011-04-02T12:58:00.000-07:00

I wanted to share with you some videos taken in Sudan to give you somewhat of a feel of what it's like there. I hope they make your heart smile as much as they make me mine.

This is video of Sunday school on the compound. This is Lino & Joseph (Senior chaplains) leading the kids in worship at the start of Sunday school. I spent every Sunday getting to enjoy these kids sing their cute songs to the Lord.

This video was taken at an outreach in a village called Longo. We were at some Army barracks sharing the Gospel and the women were sharing their testimonies and a Bible teaching. As we arrived at the barracks we all started dancing & singing Sudanese style!

These videos were taken as we were riding in the back of the lorrie leaving the outreach in Longo. There were about 75-100 people piled in the back. It was one bumby ride but so much fun as we held on tight & sang songs the entire way.

This is video was taken at the compound during our International Women's Day event. We had more children show up than we expected so we had to keep them entertained for 6 hrs. I had this little one get up & lead the other kids in worship. This is my favorite Sudanese song. The translation from Arabic to English is "Who is our provider? Je-sus, Je-sus, Je-sus, Jesus the Messiah (Ye-su, Ye-su, Ye-su, Yesu al Masia). Who is our Healer? Jesus, Jesus the Messiah. Who is our comforter? Jesus, Jesus the Messiah

Love Covers Outreach

2011-03-23T01:48:00.000-07:00

For our last week in

Sudan

we were able to bless a school with FRM’s signature school outreach called Love Covers. Lover Covers is a 3 day VBS at a local school. We scouted out schools in the bush looking for one that had the most need and fit other criteria. We found Angel Primary school in the remote village of Mugali. Angel primary had about 50 kids and 3 teachers with only 1 teacher showing up regularly, and had grades P1-P4 (1^st grade-4^th grade). The school has one mud hut which is the teachers’ office and the children sit under trees on broken benches and tires. As the sun moves throughout the day the students move from tree to tree seeking the shade. In the few weeks prior to the outreach FRM registers the children and then makes random drop-ins at the school to check attendance.

Me & my translator Godfrey

This is to encourage the children to attend school regularly to get an education and not just show up the day of the outreach to receive gifts. On the day of the outreach if a child is in attendance but isn’t on the registry they do not receive a backpack or school supplies because most likely they found out from a friend that Americans were in town giving out things.

During the 3 days I taught P-4 different stories from the Bible that showed the kids that God is our provider. The lessons were broken up with crafts, recess, lunch, and dramas.

Gifti, me, Bosco doing a drama

I had the prestigious role of playing Nebuchadnezzar's golden statue

In Christina’s class she had a little boy that asked for prayer because both of his parents just died. He was crying uncontrollably and the other kids in her class cried along with him and they all prayed for him. These kids face challenges at young ages that most of us will never face.

This is the boy who lost his parents

The last day of Lover Covers was the big day! All the classes gathered together and Wes did a short teaching and shared the Gospel. The kids then performed songs and dances for us, and thanked us for being there.

Wes sharing the Gospel Girls performing a dance for us

We closed out the day with distributing backpacks stuffed full of notebooks, pencils, erasers, a blanket and mosquito net. We also gave the children new school uniforms and bright red Love Covers t-shirts. I’ve never seen kids get so excited for paper and pencils!

Godfrey giving out backpacks

Immediately they all put on their new t-shirts and had big smiles on their faces. I just imagine how excited they will be come Monday morning to put on their new uniform and show up to school with a backpack and supplies.

They went from this.... ...to this

From this backpack.... ...to this backpack

As we were preparing to leave we treated each kid with a soda and then we waved good-bye.

My bodyguard-he's a commando!!!

Mine & Godfrey's class P-4

1 Peter 4:8

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins."

Juba Women's Conference - #2

2011-03-11T13:14:00.000-08:00

“But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. Then He said to His disciples, “The harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest.” Matthew 9:36-38

I was praying throughout the day that I would be moved with compassion for the women we’ve been teaching the past 2 days. Before we started our sessions we handed out beaded bracelets to the ladies to remind them of our teaching (We taught the book of 1 Peter-Living Hope). Immediately the women started pushing each other and crowding around us making sure they got a bracelet; some women even came up twice trying to get more than one. I couldn’t help but get frustrated with them. Sometimes the African mentality of survival gets to me. I hate that they have so little therefore when anything is given to them they turn greedy. But more than hating their mentality, I hate that it causes me to withhold love from them. A younger girl named Elizabeth started to talk to me and asked me to take her back to America with me. I told her I couldn’t and she then asked if she could ride back to Kampala with us or for me to give her money. I told her no and that I didn’t come here to give her money but to teach her the Word of God and if she wanted to go to Kampala she needed to pray and ask God to provide a way for her. These past 2 days I was so bothered that some of these women only came to the church to get something from the Americans. I felt like they just saw me as a dollar sign. Many times I wanted to grab my things and walk out of the church because I was appalled at how the women were treating each other and being disruptive during the teachings and hounding us for bracelets. At times they were rude, greedy, unappreciative, and would be talking during the middle of a teaching.

But then I looked out on the crowd saw many faces that were so tuned in to the teaching. You could tell they were hungry for the Word, they were hungry to know God but they just didn’t know how. They literally did not know that God would give them another chance at forgiveness and salvation. They didn’t know that God could remove them from the sins of drunkenness or adultery. They are a scattered sheep with no shepherd.

I spent most of my teaching trying to ingrain in their minds that Jesus is the answer for them, that He forgives their sins, and that He has a purpose for their life no matter what they’ve done in the past, that He has not forgotten about them, and that their value shouldn’t be placed on material things but on their relationship with Christ. Most started to get it and I prayed for them to accept Jesus or to repent from their sins. As we returned today to finish up you could see a slight change in them. They seemed a little hopeful. We shared the Gospel with them again and Christina taught about trials, Anna-Marie about the foundations of the Bible, and Vicky finished up with how to be a godly wife. As women would ask for prayer, share a testimony, or ask a question about marriage, you’d hear stories that they have been beaten by husbands, committed adultery, were drunkards, and so on. They asked questions like “What do I do if my husband wants to have multiple wives or if a man wants me to be one of his many wives?” “Can I divorce my husband if he beats me?” These women truly want to please God they are just lost on how to do it. I started to have more compassion for them. That young girl Elizabeth that wanted to come to America with me, she is 16 yrs old and is beaten by her mother who is a drunkard. Her dad is gone, one sibling lives in Uganda, the other here in Juba but won’t take her in even though she is beat everyday by the mother. She speaks good English and I asked where she learned it. She said she went to school in Kenya for 10 yrs while they were escaping the war in Sudan. Since she has been back in Sudan she no longer goes to school because there is no money for school fees. Her mom is a soldier in the SLPA and hasn’t received pay for months, even so, it probably would have been spent on alcohol. So now she just stays at home and cleans and cooks all day. How do you have hope with a life like that? Only through Jesus. As I was talking to her I felt terrible that I somewhat shunned her the day before. She was trying to escape a harmful situation. She was desperate. If I was in her shoes I probably would have approached myself as well. She saw us as her one chance to escape a life without hope. I came to Juba to pour out the love of Christ with these women and I failed. I let my pride and flesh get the better of me. That just shows me how much I need Jesus in my life. It’s impossible for me to love all people in my own strength but my continual prayer is that God will enable me to have compassion and love for everyone through His strength, even those that just want something from me. During the conference I just happened to be reading in Luke and I came to chapter 6. I know the Lord was speaking to me through this passage. It’s says in chapter 6:27, 30- But I say to you who hear; Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you. Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away from your goods do not ask them back. I felt like God was telling me that I needed to love these women even if they were spitefully using me and ungratefully taking things from me. So as I fail forward in my walk with the Lord I’m trying to be resilient by getting up off the ground, dusting myself off and trying to love again.

As we ate lunch and said our goodbyes I hugged young Elizabeth goodbye. As I looked into her eyes I realized that I will probably never see her again, at least on this side of eternity. I waved goodbye to all the women and hoped that they have come to know God a little bit more today and that they would continue to hold on to Him for hope. I imagine it will be quite hard for them especially in the situations that they deal with daily, but I won’t lose faith in the power of God.

Overall, I was blessed by this conference. The ladies genuinely seemed to want a strong relationship with the Lord. As we were driving back to the hotel and were reflecting on the day, Vicky made the statement that it was such a blessing to teach them and yet it was no sacrifice for us at all.. The sacrifice belonged to the women. They had to leave their families behind the entire day, pay for transport, and sit on hard uncomfortable rocks all day in the 105 degree heat. As I think about that I see how great our God is. He is so worthy to make sacrifices for, yet sometimes I forget that.

Juba, Sudan

2011-03-09T04:54:00.000-08:00

Hotel room

So we are here in Juba (Capital of the South Sudan) for the week and we finished our first conference yesterday. Juba is very hot, dusty, dirty and very expensive; apparently the heavy presence of the UN and other dignitaries has driven up the costs of everything. The rooms of the hotel we’re staying in are literally large tool sheds and we have A/C in our rooms! In Nimule, every night I stand under the shower with my night clothes on and go to bed soaking wet because it’s so hot and we have no electricity for a fan. Instead of waking up every night sweating I’ve been waking up freezing!

Restaurant at our hotel

Juba isn’t the Ends of the Earth but you can see it from where we are.

The culture here is much different from the culture in Nimule so it took me a little while to adjust to that while I was teaching. There were so many distractions throughout the entire day of teaching and the translators were struggling with proper translation. I was growing very frustrated but I decided to find the Lord in the situation.
Guess what? I found Him! As I was sitting in the dirt in 100+ degree weather, sweat dripping down me, drinking warm bottled water, I kept hearing in my head, "it's not about you and you need to die to yourself!" I was starting to grow resentful and prideful. We left Nimule, where I would much rather be, and came all the way out here to teach them the Word of God and they didn’t seem to be thankful for that. As if I was entitled to some sort of grand thanksgiving. I was frustrated that the ladies weren’t listening to the teaching and get angry that they don’t understand how precious the Bible is.

Then I felt the Lord was telling me that He brought us to Juba to teach His Word and to love on the women...that’s it. I can not control the reaction of the people all I can do is control my reaction towards them and my reaction should always be in love. As long as I’m faithful to do that I know He will be pleased. I have to trust that God's Word doesn't return void and if only one lady learned something thats enough for God. This church is so lacking in spiritual maturity and they desperately need to be grounded in the Word but as usual the laborers are few so they continue on being deceived.

Today is our day off and tonight we are having dinner with the Commanding General of the SPLA (the South Sudanese Army)…how cool is that?! The next 2 days we’re holding another conference at the Army barracks here in Juba. Please pray for us. Pray that the hearts of the people will be softened to God and that they would be hungry to learn the Bible. God Bless!!!

International Women's Day

2011-03-09T02:52:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday we held a women’s conference to celebrate International Women’s Day. The women that we’ve been teaching and working with on the crafts actually had their own chance at teaching the flock.

Doing a skit about witch craft!

I’m so blessed to see the fruit of Vicky’s years of training/teaching these women being lived out.

The day was filled with teachings on how to be a godly woman, dramas, music, dancing and eating.

Washing up for lunch

I spent most of the day helping the chaplains with the children, which was exhausting. Trying to keep young children entertained and from hitting each other for 7 hrs in one building, is quite difficult!

But I had some really sweet moments with them. We taught about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, played games, did crafts, sang and danced all day long!

Enjoying lunch

It was a great day on the compound. You could feel the love of Christ all over the place! As our time here in Sudan is coming to an end I’m relishing every moment and growing sad with the thought of leaving. It’s been the best part of my time here in Africa so far.

By the way this is the remainder of lunch!

FRM Compound-Nimule, Sudan

2011-03-07T12:05:00.000-08:00

FRM Chaplain Corps Training Center

FRM Compound

Church Sanctuary & women's teaching building

Our living quarters

2011 Chaplains in training

2 Corinthians 5:17

2011-03-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

2 Corinthians 5:17-Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

We’ve been interviewing the chaplains for a project to raise support & we’ve been hearing their testimonies of how they became born again and came to the chaplaincy program. I gotta say that I’ve heard some crazy testimonies before but nothing like these guys. One guy in particular is a 22 yr old guy named Robert. Robert was raised as a Muslim & at a young age he wanted to be a soldier in the SPLA (Sudanese People’s Liberation Army). He joined as soon as he could and became a notorious killer. His father was killed when he was young and that caused him to turn towards violence. He wanted to be invincible with a lot of power so someone suggested he go see a witch doctor. The witch doctor cut him open on his thigh and both arms to insert some kind of witch craft charm. All he had to do was tap on the places of the charms and he says he would become so powerful and could kill anyone. He spent a few years as a commander in the SPLA and was well know for his violent side. He’s killed many many people including children. One day when he was at the army barracks and a FRM chaplain stopped by. The chaplain was told of Robert’s reputation so the chaplain walked over to him and shared Jesus with him. At first Robert just laughed at the chaplain but he didn’t give up on Robert. To make a long story short, after having several dreams of Jesus calling out to him, Robert finally accepted Christ and 4 days later joined the chaplaincy program. Robert had 2 of the 3 witch craft charms removed from him but because he wasn’t quite sure if this “Jesus thing” was trustworthy he wanted to keep one just in case one of the chaplains turned on him; he would be able to kill them. For the first few months he was struggling spiritually and wasn’t sure why. Every time the chaplains prayed “in the name of Jesus” his body would start to shake. He realized that because he still had the witch craft charm on his arm he was unable to be completely given over to Christ. So he removed the charm from his arm and threw it in the river. Robert finally surrendered to Christ and is now a changed man. The President has invited him to share his testimony with the SPLA soldiers and to share the Gospel with them. It’s so evident that God has huge plans for Robert. I didn’t give you all the incredible details of his testimony because there’s just so much, but as I was talking with him I was seeing God being glorified in him. Even I was amazed by God’s ability to completely turn someone who seemed so far gone in the wrong direction, towards the right direction. All these guy’s testimonies are filled with stories of witch craft, lives threatened by Muslim parents, ex-street kids, ex-drunkards, and almost all of them first heard of Christ by visions or dreams they had. God will stop at nothing when it comes to saving the lost. When the laborers are few God uses other means to lead people into salvation.

Crazy Love

2011-03-06T11:51:00.000-08:00

The internet has been down for 2 weeks so we’ve been unable to communicate with home. We just arrived in Juba (capital of the South Sudan). We are doing 2 women’s conferences here teaching the book of 1 Peter. I’ll be here until Saturday then we’ll go back to Nimule. I’ll be posting updates all week taking advantage of the internet while we have it!

I want to share with you what God has done in me the past couple of days because, well…I can’t contain in. This pass week we’ve been doing business as usual, women’s ministry, helping chaplains with Sunday school & book discussions. We also have 3 pastors visiting here from Las Vegas teaching the chaplains.

The other night we were discussing a book that we’re reading called Soul Winner. In our discussion we were sharing that when we’re in Africa or on a mission trip we have no problem sharing Christ with people but when we go back home it’s like we turn off and we no longer find it necessary or appealing to share Christ. Mostly because we’re afraid of what people will think of us. Vicky just didn’t understand why we do that, she said if you love God how does that love or desire to talk about Him change with geographical location? She said the same God that you’re experiencing here right now is the same God when you go home. It’s the same Holy Spirit that gives us the words to share. I was so challenged by her observation, but it was the truth. I felt ashamed, like a fraud almost. Why is it that I can come here and share Christ to anyone and everyone who doesn’t know Him? Yet in America, I run from the opportunity because I’m afraid of being judged; as if the Africans’ opinion of me doesn’t matter but Americans’ do. Since then I have bringing that same question before God. I’ve been praying that when I do get home I don’t retreat to lukewarm Christianity. Since that night Vicky has sensed a cloud over our spiritual life so she gave us a day off to get refueled in the Lord. I chose to spend mine holed up in my room with my Bible, journal, I-Pod, and Crazy Love audio book. God met me in such a sweet way. My hang up is that I don’t fully understand how great His love is for me; consequently my love for Him is held up. In hours of seeking Him I started to have more of an understanding of that agapeo love He has for me and everyone for that matter. As I listened to songs about how He knows me and created me, listened to Crazy Love talk about how He knew me before He formed me (Jer.1:5) I was spurred to read and meditated on Jeremiah 1:4-10. Back in Uganda when Vicky heard me teach for the first time she gave me the verse Jeremiah 1:9 (Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth...) to hold on to because I shared with her my fear of teaching the Bible. This fear of feeling so unqualified to teach the Bible has been looming over me since the beginning and she has encouraged me to let it go. In all my seeking trying to understand God’s love, He’s telling me “I chose you for such a time as this”. I’m not qualified to teach the Bible or worthy enough to be in Africa sharing the Gospel. But because of His crazy love for me and because He is that great of a God, He has blessed me and decided to use me in spite of who I am outside of Him. As I looked back on all the wild, crazy, terrible things I’ve done in my life, His love became more and more real to me. I was lying on my bed, my heart began to beat fast and all I wanted to do was jump up and share this God with someone. Then it clicked, it should be the love we have for Him that compels one to share about Him. John Piper says that the goal of the church should be to worship God and our worship and our love for God should fuel missions. I get it now. I should share Christ with all people not only because He commands us to but because I can’t contain my love for Him. I haven’t fully grasped the magnitude of His love and I don’t think I ever will but I took a forward step in my comprehension. I want to tell you that God has this intense love for you too. This may be hard for some of you to understand I know, because I was right there along with you. But He does, He says so in the His Book and He wants to use you despite of what you’ve done in the past and your abilities or lack thereof. Think about that, God who created the universe loves you and He didn’t create you by accident. This relationship with Jesus isn’t reserved just for me or just for missionaries, it’s for everyone who desires to know Jesus intimately. I want to encourage you to seek out Christ if you don’t know Him and for those of you who do, go deeper. God has a treasure chest waiting for you but it’s out in the deep. You gotta walk out there and get your treasure. It’s uncomfortable at times and you’re gonna want to retreat but God will be holding your hand as you’re walking. I know this because I’m heading out further into the deep day by day.

Here are a few pictures of my bedroom & some fun pictures of the chaplains that are in training here on the compund. They are such awesome guys & I so enjoy being around them everyday.

My bedroom

Sunday school teachers

Having fun w/ a few chaplains! Chief, Moses, Peter & Mbarak

"How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

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“But how are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in Him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!"

Romans 10:14-15

Everyday I complain to myself because my feet are so dirty. Walking around in dirt all day long combined with sweat makes for some seriously dirty feet. The other day I read this verse and smiled because I imagined God calling my feet beautiful while they're covered in dirt as I share about His Son to those who have never heard.

I encourage you to share Christ with someone who's never heard. You won't regret it. It's such a joy to share what Christ has done in my life to the Sudanese...dirty feet & all.

Update from Sudan

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Being in Sudan has been such a great joy. We’ve only been here for 2 wks but it already feels like a month. We’ve been blessed to experience quite a bit in short period of time. Last week we went to a ceremony of the opening of a bridge that was bombed some years ago. The bridge is part of the Pan-African highway & it connects Nimule to Juba (the Capital of S. Sudan). The rebuilding of the bridge was a big deal because it shows that S. Sudan is making progress towards recovery from wars. The bridge was 100% funded by USAID so the President of S. Sudan spoke at the event along with other dignitaries even a congressman from the

Achua Bridge

Chaplains at bridge ceremony

We’re also planning an FRM-specific outreach called Love Covers. It’s an outreach for local schools that are in heavy need. We conduct an all day Bible study with games, crafts, singing & we give away back packs with school uniforms, mosquito nets, school supplies, underwear & t-shirts. Lately we’ve been surveying different schools in the bush to choose one that fits our criteria. Right now, because our budget is small, we’re looking for a school with about 50-100 students, a lot of need & good attendance. We’ll be doing random drop-ins at the school to check on attendance because we want to encourage the children to be in school everyday not just show up for the big event.

Taking registration at school

You’d be amazed at what the schools look like here. Most have no buildings. The only building is usually the teacher’s office which isn’t building…it’s a Tookul (mud hut). The children sit outside under a tree in front of a shabby chalk board. All schools require uniforms but usually only a few children are wearing them because they can’t afford them. When I see the lack of amenities & supplies I just marvel at these teachers hearts. They must be so dedicated & passionate for these children. We’ll drive for miles in the thick bush & find a tiny makeshift school out in the middle of nowhere & yet these teachers make it happen without state-of-the-art amenities.

School classroom

Learning how to use the flanel graph

On Friday we held a children’s ministry workshop for the chaplains because most of the chaplains will go on from here to start their own churches & some are already Sunday school teachers. The best part of the day was when the chaplains had to do a presentation of a Sunday school lesson. We were a little worried at first because the guys were so frustrated that they couldn’t quite understand how they were to do a presentation. They had so many questions about how to prepare a study using the Inductive Bible Study technique & how to use visual aids with the teachings. It was really sad to see them struggle over things we Americans find so simple but their minds just aren’t as advanced.

Chaplains presenting

In the end they were able to get through it & we were so pleasantly surprised by the presentations! The guys did soooo great! They went all out with their dramas, props, children’s songs, we were laughing the whole time. The one thing that seems to be a trend here in Africa is that mostly men are involved in children’s ministry, whereas in America it’s mostly women. I get hopeful every time I see a male teaching & loving on the children because I know that many of these children are lacking a godly male role model in the home. Children are the future & Africa is in dire need of God now & in the future.

Chaplains studying

Finally, on Saturday we had an outreach with women’s ministry & we went out to a village in the bush called Longo. We pilled in about 100 people (women & chaplains) in the lorry & drove out to a village where military barracks are.

The event was planned by the women & for once the native women did all the teachings, not us Americans. I have such a heart to see the natives become leaders & pastors. Because I believe it’s more beneficial to have native missionaries I like giving the teaching privileges over to the natives. The women did so great, years of discipleship by Vicky has paid off. Their teachings went well & their testimonies were powerful. About 10 people prayed to receive Christ & it was a wild celebration. Later on in the evening the chaplains showed the Jesus film to the SPLA soldiers.

Women teaching & sharing their testimonies

Chaplains sharing with the children

Dancing & singing to the Lord!

We had an afternoon of much dancing & worship. I felt like I was part of a National Geographic episode! We were surrounding by about 150 people singing, banging on drums, hootin & hollerin & dancing their cultural dances. I have many moments here where I just sit back & think “I can’t believe where I’m at right now!” Needless to say I’m loving

Sudan

! It’s not what I expected it to be like & it’s so much better than I hoped for.

This little boy was afraid of the "white people"

Pastor Michael giving an invitation

Chaplains singing in back of lorry

Riding in back of the lorry with about 100 people

Proverbs 31

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Today we visited a wife of a noble character. Lino was part of Class 3 of the chaplaincy program (currently Class 8 is in session). He is now on staff here with FRM as a training officer. His wife Martha saw us walking through the village this past Sunday and wanted us to come in her home to visit her. It was already getting late so we promised her that we would come back another day to pay her a visit. Today we had the pleasure of going into her home to visit with her. The culture here in Sudan is anytime there is a guest in the home it’s proper to serve them a little something. Usually, depending on what they can afford, it’s a warm soda and a small bag of cookies.

Lino & Martha

If their Tukul (mud hut) is big enough they invite you inside, they pull out their nicest plastic chairs or wooden stools for us to sit on, while they sit on the floor or the bed. They then send for some sodas and cookies to be delivered to us. The wife always drops to her knees to greet us with a hand shake. Then when the snacks arrive she again drops to her knees, brings a pitcher of water and a basin to wash our hands and then serves us. Also, the wife never partakes in the snacking. If they buy drinks and cookies she never buys enough for herself. We always feel so bad that we eat and drink in front of her but that’s just their culture. We sat inside talking with her, mostly asking questions about the culture of their particular tribe and praying for them. Lino told us that not only does she take care of her own family but she also cooks, cleans, and cares for the families that live around her. As we finished our sodas she came out with another round and it totally blessed my heart. Not because it was another soda but because of the sweetness in her heart. This may sound like something so simple but when you think about how little they have and how they can barely feed their families it’s a big deal. We have more than enough money to buy several rounds of sodas and yet they wouldn’t dare think about not serving their guests.

Add caption

We’re told that it’s an honor for them to have white people in their home because most of these villagers never will; so they want to show their gratitude any way they can. Her hospitality melted my heart. I sat there with a big smile on my face just thinking about what a great wife she is and what an honor it was to be welcomed into her home for a warm soda and small bag of cookies! I just had to share this moment with you because it will probably be one of those sweet simple moments in my life that I’ll remember forever.

Lino & family

Compassion for Canaan Farms

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As we were driving to Canaan Farms we picked up a Muslim lady that Vicky wanted to meet with because she wanted to know more about Jesus. After sharing with her the Gospel she decided she wanted to accept Christ. We then had the opportunity to visit families in their homes to pray for their needs. The different families told us their testimonies of how they ended up at the farm. All of them fled to Masindi to escape war-torn Northern Uganda. As we listened to their stories, it was evident that God is truly doing a healing work in their hearts through the help of the workers on the farm. Even though it’s been years since they faced terror from the LRA, the trauma that these people have experienced in losing their family members, has left many of them broken-hearted and in need of continued healing.

Mother with 2 disabled children

Later that afternoon we held an impromptu women’s conference at the tailoring school. We each shared our testimony and a short teaching. As we arrived at the building I realized I didn’t have my notes with me and immediately I got nervous because I didn’t have much time to prepare for my study and I didn’t know the content very well. I didn’t know what to do so I prayed so hard for the Holy Spirit to speak through me and guide me because I really had nothing to give. It was such an amazing powerful feeling knowing that God was doing all the work! I shared my testimony of how I became born again, taught Jeremiah 29:11, and gave them Jesus! I know my teacher Arie would have been proud! I love it when I have to totally depend on God to accomplish things; it always turns out so much better than when I do it in my strength. I was blessed to be able to share with them, they were blessed that we’d come from America to share the love of Christ with them; but the greatest encouragement was to hear my translators tell us how blessed they were to translate our teachings. Our translators, Martin and OJ, told us that they learned so much from us. Because they have to pay extra attention to what we’re speaking in order to translate, they often learn more than if they were just sitting in on the teaching. They were also felt more of a connection with us when they heard our testimonies. Most Africans think that in America the streets are paved with gold, sickness is non-existent, and we have no struggles. When shared of our struggles that we’ve experienced, they were able to relate to us more. Of course my struggles pale in comparison to theirs, but at some point in our lives we were all in darkness with empty hearts and in desperate need of a Savior.

Women's Conference

We ended the conference with praying for any lady that needed prayer. Most of the prayer requests I had were pretty much the same-sick children, no school fees, drunkard husbands who beat them, no money, and separation of family because of war. As I was praying with them I learned a few things. First, I was humbled and honored that God would even chose me to pray for and counsel these ladies. I learned that the problems I think I have are really not problems compared to theirs. I was overwhelmed and my heart was broken as I heard the horrors that these women have gone through. At times I had no words to pray all I could give were tears. I felt really terrible thinking that the only complaints I have are that I eat beans and rice all the time, I have to bucket bathe, that my neck hurts, that I miss the comforts of America and my family and friends, that the internet is so slow here or non-existent, that it’s windy and dusty and I always feel dirty, all the while there are people here suffering with things I can’t even imagine and will probably never have to suffer with. It made me sick to think that I sometimes let the those meaningless comforts throw me of course and forget what this life is all about, serving Christ and not serving self. Lastly, I learned that I’m still lacking in the faith I have in God’s power. I continually prayed over women and children to be healed. As I was praying I was questioning myself, do I have enough faith that God can perform such a miracle as healing someone with malaria or typhoid without medication…well I’m not sure? Although I desperately want to see Him do it, I’m wondering if my lack of faith is hindering that performance of a miracle. Just as I’m thinking that my faith is growing by leaps and bounds, I’m forced to check myself again.

Tukul (mud hut) that we slept in

Inside the Tukul

Masindi-Canaan Farms

John-severly handicapped boy that lays all day on the ground in front of the door so he can see outside

Cattle on the farm

Richard, Susan & baby Abbi- owners of the Farm

Chaplain Martin singing with the local children- Martin & I prayed for a few of these kids to receive Christ

Canaan Farms-Uganda

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Our first stop in Uganda was in a town called Masindi to visit a ministry called Canaan Farm. Far Reaching Ministries has partnered with

Uganda

natives, Richard and Susan Angoma who own the farm & ministry. After doing a few home visits, it was evident that it is a place where healing the wounds of war takes place in the heart of the people. The ministry incorporates a tailoring school, bamboo jewelry making ministry, literacy program, and agriculture training.

The ministry started about ten years ago at the time when the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) was terrorizing people in Northern Uganda. People who were running from the LRA requested to stay on the Canaan Farm. It is owned by Richard’s family and located in the Kiryandongo District. Richard was living in Jinja at the time, and when he came to visit the farm he found that the people had been traumatized by what they had experienced from the evil attacks of the LRA. He then felt a burden to come and help these people. After praying about it, the Lord led him to move to the farm and minister to their broken hearts.

He ministered to them through evangelism, discipleship, and agricultural training on the farm to empower them to be able to farm their own land someday. The people sell the crops that are harvested to generate an income to support themselves. Richard lead a fellowship and prayer group to help meet the spiritual needs of the people.

Many of the people who came to live on the farm had medical needs as well as spiritual needs. Money from the crops was used to buy medications for the sick. When Susan, a Registered Nurse, came to work on the farm as a volunteer she developed a burden and vision to help with the physical needs of the people so she started doing medical outreaches which are still taking place today. Currently there is a building project in effect for a medical clinic that will opened next year. She is praying for a doctor and a few nurses to come and serve at the clinic.

Richard and Susan’s vision is to empower people to be able to generate an income for their family while also healing the war wounds of trauma. Besides training people in agriculture, the tailoring and bamboo jewelry ministry was also developed to help provide people with an income.

The bamboo ministry started when Richard saw that the people needed a way to earn money in between crops. From the bamboo, earrings, napkin holders, and bracelets are made and then sold in

America

. The income generated from selling the items goes back to support the people. Through the Rabuna Fi Ministry of Far Reaching Ministries, the jewelry items are sold to raise support for the ladies providing them income for their families.

The tailoring school started about two years ago and trains people to go on and start their own tailoring businesses. Tailoring school is everyday and includes a Bible study. When they graduate they’re given a sewing machine to help start a business. It was discovered at the tailoring school that some students were illiterate which led to the development of the literacy program. In this program students learn how to read and write in English and Acholi and they practice using the Bible.

Richard and Susan Angoma have vision to continue evangelizing and discipling the families who came to the farm. At the same time, they want to continue to see these families become empowered with the practical skills they need to get back on their feet again. While partnering up with Far Reaching Ministries to accomplish this vision, they have already seen many families to come to a place where they are farming on their own land and growing in their relationship with Christ. Please pray for the work of Canaan Farms to continue to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a place where there is much need for healing restoration in the lives of the people.

A Historical Night

2011-02-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Last night we were in the middle of a Bible study with Pastor James and all of a sudden Vicky comes in the room with a very serious look on her face and says, “James, gunshots…go arm the guards…girls stay in here!” You could hear an insane amount of bullets being fired and people yelling; immediately we started praying. As the shots started to get closer we hit the ground and turned off the lights. While we were praying, I’m thinking we need to run to the bomb shelter and then James comes back into the room and says, “It’s ok they’re just celebrating, they announced the results of the election, the South won!” We get up off the ground and Vicky comes back in the room, with a gun in her hand, to check on us to make sure we weren’t terrified. The South won the referendum by 98% and has seceded from the North, praise God! The entire surrounding neighborhood was celebrating with firing guns, playing drums, singing, yelling, blowing whistles; it sounded like New Year’s Eve to the extreme. We tried to resume our Bible study but we were so distracted with all the guns firing right next to us as history is being made. I gotta admit I was freaked out, but it was fun to see all the guards get excited at their future freedom, even they wanted to fire their guns but Vicky said no way not in the compound! Literally, all night long the Sudanese were celebrating. It was hard to sleep throughout the night with random gun shots going off and people yelling playing drums but we are excited that the South will no longer be oppressed. Just for reassurance, we are all good and safe; apparently the Sudanese always fire guns when celebrating. But please pray for continued safety, on Feb 14^th the final announcement will be made which could lead to rioting. Here in Nimule there have been no problems but I’m not sure what the other areas of Sudan are facing. In June the new borders will be laid and at that point war is expected to break out. That was quite an experience for my 2^nd night in Sudan!

Safe in Sudan

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I’ve made it to the South Sudan. Nimule is the town that FRM is based out of and has been working in since 1999. The compound is much nicer than I expected. It covers about 2 acres of land. There is no grass just dirt but I’m thankful that there are many trees here. It’s very dusty and about 90 degrees. The compound is home to the FRM staff, the Chaplains and everything that is needed to perform the ministry. The compound houses the chaplains’ living quarters, Bible college room, the church, ministry offices, food hall, Sunday school rooms, recording studio and our living quarters. Around the grounds you’ll find many chaplains, security guards, locals fetching water from the well, cooks, and our dog Sally.

For those of you that don’t know, Far Reaching Ministries’ (FRM) primary focus is the Chaplain’s Corp here in the Sudan. Wes Bentley trains up men to be Chaplains in the Southern Sudanese Army know as the Sudanese People’s Liberation Army (SPLA). The men go through a year long program of Bible School, literacy training, and boot camp to prepare them go out to the front lines to minister alongside the SPLA soldiers. Vicky Bentley is the CFO of FRM and runs all the ministries here in Africa. Along with that she runs the Sudan portion of women’s ministry. Monday-Saturday is women’s ministry from 9am-2pm. The women have a literacy school and a tailoring school where they make purses, shawls, jewelry and many more crafts that are then sold in the US at women’s conferences. These next two months we are working alongside Vicky to help her with administration tasks, teaching the women’s Bible studies and learning the ins and outs of missionary life and running a successful ministry.

I’ve been through so much this past week since I’ve arrived in Uganda, not so much physically but emotionally. I’ve heard horror story after horror story, driven through areas where the LRA slaughtered entire villages, driven through former IDP camps, seen babies sitting in the dirt naked, seen naked handicapped children laying on dirty concrete floors and became friends with a 22 yr old former LRA child soldier. Martin the chaplain that traveled with us shared his life story with me as we sat next to each other on the drive up. His story is no different from all the other stories, fled to an IDP camp to avoid the LRA, lost his mom, disowned by his father when he was a teenager, lived on the streets with his siblings, survived on food thrown out in the trash, no hope, and then he found FRM and became a Chaplain. My mind and my heart our overwhelmed right now. I’m not sure what to think or how to start processing everything. My heart is being broken to the things that break the heart of God. But in light of all the sadness we stayed with 2 different ministries that FRM is partnered with that are doing amazing amazing work in Uganda. There is a little light of hope that is rising through these 2 ministries.

There’s so much I want to share with you about my journey through Uganda but I’ll have to post a little at a time because we only have electricity for 3 hrs a day and I have to ration the charge on my computer; plus we have to walk down the road and stand outside the UN compound to use their internet. I’ll be adding posts about my week as time allows.

Prayer Requests:

Pray that we would process everything we experienced this past week and that God would show us why He took us through those experiences.

Pray that we would get acclimated to life here in Sudan (the busy work schedule, the ministry team, and ministry projects)

Pray that God would start preparing our hearts for the women here in

Sudan

Pray the God would equip for the large load of Bible teachings I’ll be doing.

See you in Sudan

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We leave tomorrow morning to start our trek up to Sudan. We'll make a stop at a farm in Masindi for a few days. Far Reaching has a ministry project there & we'll be teaching the women. We'll then head to Gulu for a couple of days to work with another ministry project. We should then be arriving in Nimule, Sudan on Saturday. Please pray for safe travels & a fruitful work with the ministries along the way. We will not have reliable internet access once we're in Sudan but I will update this blog every chance I get.

In Kampala, Uganda

Far Reaching Ministries Kampala Guest house

Our view from the porch

We're soaking up the beauty here before we head into the 120 degree desert of Sudan where the trees are minimal & concrete walls are plenty.

Saying Goodbye to Nairobi

2011-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

Our last weekend in Nairobi was jam packed with saying our goodbyes, completing a verbal book report, teaching at women's ministry, celebrating a birthday, team dinner, packing, teaching Sunday school, participating in a youth concert, Bible study with Arie, and getting about 4 hours sleep before flying out to Uganda.

On Saturday afternoon we went to Kibera to say good-bye to the women from our hair salon Bible study. We were in the middle of teaching them Colossians & since we're leaving we won't be able to complete the book. But praise God that Mildred our interpreter has a decide to go into the salon and complete our teaching for us.

Kibera slums where I taught at the hair salon & school.

I was asked to teach on Saturday one last time to the women. I was frustrated at first because I was given a few hours notice to prepare for the study. But I decided to trust God & walk in faith that I could complete what He called me to do. I later realized that it was a blessing to be chosen to teach these ladies one last time. It gave me another opportunity to share Christ with them. After missing the opportunity at the school on Friday I wasn't going to make the same mistake this time around. After the teaching I shared my heart with them as far how I'm going to miss them & how much I enjoyed getting to know them. I encouraged them to walk in faith & give their lives fully over to God because He is faithful. I was moved to tears staring at their faces & realizing what a privilege it was to be called by God to teach them. I think I was more blessed than they were.

Teaching 1 John 5 for women's ministry at church

This is Freddy, he plays keyboard for worship team & will be teaching 1 John at the Bible college this semester. It was his 29th birthday & he was so excited that we got him a cake & sang to him. In all his years this was the first time he's ever had a cake & had "happy birthday" sang to him. The next day he told me that that night was the sweetest night for him & he went to bed smiling! I love the simplicity of the Africans.

This Sunday I was a Sunday school teacher continuing on with teaching Creation. The students sang extra songs for me since I may not see them again.

Children's ministry worship

Kibe & Christina

This is Damarius & her children. She's one of the familiar faces from women's ministry.

After church on Sunday we hosted a youth concert. We had an open mic contest & shared the Gospel with about 100 youth.

Nicholas & Bernard-Children's ministry leaders.

A great lesson I have learned with this whirlwind of a weekend is that I can't live in the future. I can't walk around with the mindset that I'm going to have tomorrow or a "next time" to do anything. I have to take advantage of every opportunity to share Christ's love with people. I may never see some of these people again. In a place like Africa, anything could happen to them or me. Although my desire is to go back to Nairobi in April to finish up what we started there, God's plans our greater than mine & it's a real possibility that Sunday was my last chance to say goodbye & show them love. May we all come to the understanding that tomorrow is promised to no one.

We're going to Sudan!!!!

2011-02-01T05:31:00.000-08:00

“Teach & preach like it’s going to be your last time” That’s what Arie has been telling us from the beginning. Every time we jump out of his car at one of our teachings he yells out the window, “Give them Jesus”! Well I blew it this past Friday because I was thinking I would see my students again next Friday. Although I taught about Cain and Able I failed to share the Gospel with them. That Friday afternoon we were informed that indeed that was my last time to teach those kids. We’re going to Sudan a month earlier than expected. Wes & Vicky flew into Nairobi just to meet with us to inform us of the new plans. We’re going to Sudan in a few days for 2 months! Because of the current referendum that is taking place the door for going to Sudan was looking like it was closing on us. History is being made right now as the South is trying to gain their independence from the North. Southern Sudan holds the main oil supply and a separation means that the North will no longer have control over the oil. The South has been oppressed for years by the North so we’ve been praying that the South will break free. But with a victory a war will mostly likely follow. All is calm right now in the South so Wes felt it was better for us to go now rather than later. We’re leaving in the middle of several projects that we’ve started and the plan is to come back in April to finish up our last 2 months in Nairobi. But I’ve learned that in this program plans are always changing and nothing is guaranteed. As we sat in the meeting with tears, because we’re leaving so abruptly, Wes reminded us that this program is going to be the hardest but best year of our lives. He told us what adventures are ahead of us and reminded us how fortunate we are to be doing and seeing things that most people will never have the opportunity to do. We’ll be spending a couple of days in Kampala then driving up the country of Uganda with Vicky in FRM’s armored vehicle! We’ll stay a few days in a grass hut at one of the FRM projects in the town of Masindi. Then we’ll be staying in Gulu where the LRA (Lord’s Resistance Army) attacked many years ago. Once we get to Sudan we’ll be involved in major projects with the FRM Chaplains and have a chance to go to Juba. I’m very sad to leave these Kenyans behind; I was just starting to develop relationships with them and getting comfortable here, but I know the Lord is going to bless me tremendously!

New Fronel School CRE

2011-01-29T12:29:00.000-08:00

On Friday I taught another CRE at New Fronel School. I taught Genesis chapter 4.

We started the class off with some singing & dancing. I worked with my interpreters Bernard & Michael a.k.a. Kibe. Calvary Chapel Nairobi has been blessed with several young men who have huge hearts for children; in fact the children’s ministry has more men serving than women. They have such a desire to see these children grow up in the Lord because they know that they’re the future of Kenya. I don’t think I’ve ever seen such gifted men be able to capture the attention of children like these men can. I’m learning a lot from them & I’m finding myself being drawn into their vision as well. God has been giving me a heart for children & I’m enjoying every minute I get to work with them.

After every lesson I like to quiz the students on what I just taught them & on the Gospel as well. It’s such a joy to hear children of all ages explain the Gospel. The boy below could explain the entire story of Adam & Eve, Cain & Abel. He was nervous at first but was able to pull through it. We celebrated by pretending to pop open a Coke & drink it.

This little guy is Brandon. He's quite the trouble-maker but he's adorable! From the first day he met me he started calling me Jackie Chan...now every time I see him we give each other karate chops!

CRE's!

2011-01-28T21:53:00.000-08:00

Glad Tidings School-going over the rule to "raise your hand"

We started teaching CRE (Christian Religious Education) at the schools in the slums this week. This has probably been the most enjoyable thing I’ve done here. For whatever reason God has given me a huge desire to work with children here, which is so unlike me. On Thursday I taught at Glad Tidings School in Ngando. I’m teaching the book of John to a class of about 30 students ages 8-10. I was sharing the Gospel with these students & teaching about John the Baptist. We start every class with cute Worship songs, prayer & then repeating the rules. "No pushing, no pinching, no shouting & raise your hand to answer if you know the answer.

Apollos trying very hard to explain the Gospel

This girl was trying to explain who John the Baptist was.

Going around the class asking students how one is to be born again, I was getting many different answers from them. Some said when you are baptized you are saved; others said when you go to church, or when you confess your sins. There are so many misconceptions about salvation in Kenya & it is apparent that the misconceptions have even started at childhood. Some students said that Jesus was an angel or that He was only the Son of God. After my teaching & correcting their misconceptions a several children were able to repeat the lesson I had just taught; they were absorbing more than I thought… praise God!
One little girl new the entire Gospel & the entire first chapter of John. She got a special treat for that one! You’ll notice the children standing up on the side of the school room; that’s because they don’t have enough desks for every student to sit down.

Teaching John chapter 1

Simply Being Available

2011-01-18T11:31:00.000-08:00

“God is looking for availability not ability”. That’s a statement that I’ve held on to since I first heard it. That statement is proving to be true in my life right now. My constant prayer here has been that God would empty me of myself & fill me with Him in order to use me for His purposes. Since we’ve been involved in ministry here the pattern of my life has been that I get chosen to do things I have zero experience in or am uncomfortable doing. First it was teaching a Bible study at the hair salon, and then doing a VBS, praying with the women at the Rabuna Fi ministry, and today it happened again…twice. First, this morning we went to a school in Kibera slum to teach CRE (Christian Religion Education). Our church has the privilege of supplying the teachers for the CRE’s and next week we’ll be taking over the teaching to give the current teachers a break. Today was to be an observation day only. As of this morning I had only taught the Bible twice in my life and only once to children; so I felt observation was necessary. However God didn’t think so.

School in Kibera

As soon as I walked in to the shabby school room Freddy tells me that I’m teaching. My response was, “No I’m not, I was told not until next week.” Freddy says, “That’s ok you can do it just teach them any story from the Bible,” with a big smile on his face. In a rather stern voice I replied, “No I’m not teaching today I’ve never done this before, I don’t know any stories to teach”. After a few minutes of conversing back in forth like this and pleading with him not to make me teach, I was on the verge of tears because I was so frustrated and nervous. I could not believe what was happening and I seriously considered walking out. All I could think was “you’ve got to be kidding me!” I started praying and at that point I realized that this was probably the Lord trying to grow me. Really God…why?!? I was pleading to God to help me and I prayed that if I was going to teach He would have to empower me to do it because I had nothing to give. So I decided I needed to step up to the challenge because I will never grow if I shy away. I apologized to Freddy and told him that I would teach if he wanted me to but he would have to help me out. I taught “The Good Samaritan” parable because it was the only one I was familiar with having just taught it at the VBS; Freddy chimed when I needed him to. I finished up with praying for the kids it was over before I knew it. Walking out of the school house I couldn’t help but laugh because of what the Lord had just done to me.

Women's Ministry Bible study

Then, later on in the afternoon I taught 1 John 2:1-15. I shared a little of my testimony about how I used to live with a boyfriend but once I became a Christian I decided to live the way God commands us to. As I mentioned before, about 90% of the women in this ministry live with their boyfriends. I finished my study about a 1/2 hr. early and I was a little nervous because I didn’t know what else to do to fill the time. I asked if there were any questions and thankfully a lady asked me advice on how to get out of a “come in stay” (having a live-in boyfriend) situation. All I could do was explain to her how I was able to get out of my situation but I knew they were going to have a hard time receiving my advice because of the cultural differences. Of course she explained that it’s not that easy for them because they have children, no job, and other cultural issues. I couldn’t argue with her because the reality is I don’t have it as hard as them. But still, culture is no excuse because God’s Word supersedes culture. I found myself again empty of anything I could give and I once again absolutely had to rely on the Lord to work through me. And He did, as well as through my sisters Anna-Marie and Christina. We ended up having a long discussion regarding the issue of “come in stay” relationships. I felt the women received it well and left the study somewhat encouraged to possibly take the step of faith to change their living situation. Again, God proved to me that He is faithful. I’m starting to come to the understanding that God is answering my prayer of being emptied of myself so that I have to rely on Him. Naseima (Arie’s wife) told me just last night that God has me exactly where He wants me; in absolute reliance on Him. She said that’s the only time when God can do His full work in us and through us and it’s awesome when we allow Him to do that. It is awesome!

Oh yeah, today I was also volunteered by Natasha to play the djembe drum for the worship team, just because…you know… I’ve never played it before! Whatever you have for me Lord!

Natasha & me during worship practice

Rabuna Fi Women's Ministry

2011-01-15T11:45:00.001-08:00

Rabuna Fi is an income generating project that Far Reaching Ministries has for women in Kenya, Uganda &

Sudan

. Women make jewelry, purses & shawls to be sold in the US. The women here in Nairobi make shawls & are paid per shawl that is completed. They come in Tues-Sat from 2pm-5pm & start out with an hour long Bible study, followed by two hours of sewing. After so many hours of sewing they are given a certificate they can take to tailoring shops in town to find employment. Because of the economic down-turn, Rubuna Fi has lost quite a bit of financial support & is unable to pay the women much money so they are still in need of an additional source of income. Each day the women study a different book of the Bible. We three girls will be teaching the book of 1 John.

Today the Lord totally met me where I needed Him. After the teachings we three girls are split up into different areas of help. One takes care of the kids, one passes out the thread & sequins as needed, & the other prays with the women separately. Initially, I’m sad to say, I did not want to pray with the women. For whatever reason I was intimidate by it. I’ve had a hard time connecting with the women here & I just felt uncomfortable spending one on one time with them. I was doing everything I could to avoid it but God would not let me get away from it! So of course I was chosen to do the thing that was most stretching for me. But God was so faithful to give me everything I needed to minister to these women. Turns out I was able to connect with them in more ways than I thought I could. All the women I sat with are living with their boyfriends. The culture here in Kenya is to have a common-stay marriage which is comparable to common-law marriage in the States. The women refer to their live-in boyfriends as their husbands. So if you ask a lady if she is married you have to clarify if the marriage is legal or common-stay. To make matters worse, all the men are non-believers. Because I was once in a long-term relationship & lived with a boyfriend for many years I was able to share my story with them. All the ladies were shocked that I once lived like them. I shared with them that once I became born again I was convicted to no longer remain in a living situation that was unpleasing to God & I encouraged them to do the same. But in Kenya that’s easier said than done. All the women know they’re living in sin but because they struggle financially, living with their “husbands” means they can pay rent, pay school fees for their children, & eat. Our goal is to help these women get to the point where they have enough faith that God will provide for them if they live a life pleasing to Him.

I was so delighted with my time spent with each one of the ladies. Being able to relate to them in some areas & pray with them has brought us closer & I know it has allowed them to trust me more. At the end of the day I couldn’t help but praise God for being faithful to equip me to do what He called me to do for that day.

Building a Future

2011-01-13T12:03:00.000-08:00

Today I was asked to join Chris and Jamie in a meeting with 27 ladies wanting to start their own businesses. Chris, being the visionary that he is has come up with a few business ideas for these ladies to develop in order to provide for their families & change the community of the slum they live in. Most of the women are single mothers that were once involved in the church but have recently stopped attending. They’re embarrassed to come to church because they’ve had children out of wedlock. I was delighted to be part of this project because of my previous experience in building a business. I know first hand how difficult it is start a business; long hours, hard work before you see a profit, dealing with difficult people, wanting to give up everyday. I never would have thought God would have used my business experience to help women in Africa. Our meeting was in the common African office…outside in the grass! They shared their desire of starting their own business to change their future & their children’s futures. I was so impressed with their vision & organization. A few of the ideas that were brought up are selling kerosene, charcoal, & chips (fries) to the children at school during lunch time. Each lady decided which item she desires to sell & in the next few days she has the responsibility to do research on start up costs. I was given the task of writing the business proposal to present to local companies to raise the capital needed to start the business. The thing that excites me about working with this project is that it was originally the ladies idea. This isn’t some idea that some American came up with.

The women have appointed their own leaders, treasurer, & secretary. If any woman wants to join the project she has to invest $100 Shillings to start; that way she is more likely to work hard & follow through. For the remainder of my time here in Nairobi I’ll be meeting with the ladies on Thursday mornings to assist them in their business needs, encourage them to persevere, & disciple them. Because these women are currently not attending church our desire is to keep them growing in their relationship with God as much as we can. Each meeting will start out with prayer & devotion. Our goal is to not get too involved in running this business, but rather, we want the ladies to take ownership. We’ll simply be there to offer advice & support. It’s so easy for the Africans to depend on the Americans to do things for them, but because we Americans will one day be gone they need to have a business they can sustain on their own.

Business leaders

Please pray that God will provide the finances for start-up costs & that He will open doors for these ladies to sell products. Please pray that He will use my experience to guide them along.

Super-na-tu-ral! Super-na-tu-ral!

2011-01-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Super-na-tu-ral! Super-na-tu-ral! That’s the song that has been in my head since Sunday. This past Sunday afternoon we put on a Back to School VBS for the children in Nando. It was my first experience being part of a VBS & I was incredibly blessed by it. We’ve been working with the children’s ministry leaders (Chris, Wallace, & Nicholas) for the past month planning for this VBS. Because we didn’t have the finances to fund the VBS ourselves we did a car wash in our neighborhood to raise funds. I never would have thought that I would be doing a car wash in Africa to raise funds. I think the neighbors really enjoyed watching 3 muzungu girls washing cars! Praise God, we ended up raising 3,100 Shillings (roughly $47) to purchase juice, biscuits, & prizes for the children.

Car Wash Fund Raiser with Chris

Chris is a guy in his late 20’s that is a leader in the children’s ministry here at church. He is extremely gifted in working with children & he is quite the visionary. He lives in Nando slum & has a huge heart for the poor children in Kenya. I believe a few years ago an American girl worked with Chris here in Nairobi & she fell in love with him. He was offered an internship at her church in America & possibly had the opportunity to marry her & live in the States. For most African men that offer would have been a dream come true but Chris turned it down because he felt so strongly that God was calling him to stay here in Kenya to work with the children in the slums. I couldn’t believe that any African would have turned down a chance to live in the States & marry an American. I can’t say that if I was in his shoes I would have made the same decision. Chris is truly one of a kind. His desire is to share the love of Christ with children; he even goes to such extremes as sleeping in the streets with the “street kids” to love them like Jesus. When we got to Kenya, Chris & the youth were in the Bush on a mission trip. He raised his own support from the Natives here & was able to go on a 10 day mission to share the Gospel in an unreached area of Kenya. Arie & others at church spoke very highly of him, so we were excited to meet him. But upon meeting Chris for the first time I didn’t think there was anything special about him. In fact I was a little disappointed in my first impression because he seemed very immature & silly to me. He was always joking around, arriving late to our meetings, we couldn’t take him seriously & every time we tried to practice our drama skit or plan out the crafts he would put off the task at hand. To say the least we were a little worried about working with him. But I figured he’d done this before so I trusted that he knew what he was doing.

Well come Sunday afternoon he proved himself alright. At the start of the program the kids were running around crazy but as soon as he jumped on stage and started leading the kids in dances, all eyes were on him. The kids were mesmerized with Chris’ electric personality & staring at him like he was a celebrity! It was precious. Somehow I was pulled up on stage too as part of the performance group. I was definitely out of my comfort zone at first having to dance in front of all these kids. I’ve never worked with children in the past & I didn’t think that I even had the heart to. But I tell you, as I was up there dancing, singing, seeing the kids screaming, smiling, dancing, having a grand ol’ time, I was lit on fire inside!

Me & Wallace quizing on study

After the worship we broke up into groups by age range to do the teaching & craft. I taught ages 7-8 with Wallace my translator. We taught the Good Samaritan story & memory verse 1 John 4:20.

Doing crafts

After serving the snacks we gathered back around the stage & performed our Good Samaritan skit. Christina was the injured man, Anna-Marie & Jamie were the robbers & I was the narrator. Our skit had a Kenyan flair to it as we changed the nationalities of the characters to represent different Kenyan tribes. There is a bit of tribalism in Kenya so we were trying to convey the message that Jesus calls us to care for all people even if they belong to a different tribe.

Good Samaritan skit

Christina, Jamie, Anna-Marie

After the skit we did a puppet show, memory verse quiz & then closed out with prayer groups & more dancing.

Puppet show with Wallace & Chris

Me & Chris quizing the crowd

Anna-Marie & the kids

Being my first VBS I was very pleased with the turn out. Chris came through, the youth were a big help & overall I had the sweetest time dancing, high-fiving, & watching the kids enjoy themselves. A few times tears of joy were welling up in my eyes as I was looking at big smiles in the crowd below me. What a joy it was to be able to provide these sweet children an opportunity to learn the Word of God & escape their hard lives in the slums for a few hours. I’m not sure who was more blessed the kids or me.

It was a long day of serving the children but it was the best day I’ve had so far since I’ve been here in Nairobi. God is doing a work on my heart towards children & I can’t wait to work with Chris & the other leaders again on the next event! I feel like this VBS broke down some walls that were up towards the Kenyans that I’m working with. It has been a little challenging working out the cultural differences. But working together in this event has brought us to a new level of friendship. It has also brought me to a new level of appreciation towards my time here in Kenya. Just a few days ago I was fighting a bit of homesickness because I’ve been so bored. I haven’t been seeing my days here as a gift from the Lord. Today the Lord opened my eyes to what I’ve been missing. I thank Him for allowing me to be part of this special day. I know there are many more to come!

Raising up Men of God

2011-01-08T11:37:00.000-08:00

I haven’t been blogging much because the reality is there hasn’t been much going on. We arrived in Kenya at the start of the Holiday season & pretty much everything shuts down for Holiday in Kenya, so it has been extremely slow here. I feel like all this down time has been more of a struggle for me than my time in Murrieta overloaded with studying & homework. While all the others are enjoying relaxing & taking it easy, I’m going crazy because I am so bored. The only experience of mission work I’ve had is a fast paced twelve hour day one, so that's what I was expecting when I arrived here. The reality is, long-term mission life isn’t quite like that. It has its busy seasons & slow seasons. Arie is trying to teach us that being a missionary is simply Christianity in a different cultural setting. It is the same ministry & the same God as in

America

only we’re under more stress because of the cultural differences. By nature I’m a busy-body, I thrive with having too much on my plate running around from place to place. I’m just at a stage in my life where a crazy schedule works well for me. I’m young, single, no children, so I’m enjoying it while I can. Only having to prepare for one Bible study every few weeks & some days not even leaving the house is really stretching me. It seems like the only ministry work I’m doing is within my team and I’m coming to a point where I’m wondering what I’m doing here. In this mental struggle I’m realizing that God is teaching me that my only motivation to be a missionary in Africa should be to serve Him; because when things aren’t going the way I would like them to, knowing that I’m working for the Lord & following His will is the only thing that will sustain me.

Because I feel like being here with several Americans is causing me to miss out on the experience of being immersed in the culture, Arie has challenged me to take the step of setting up meetings with the Kenyans to engage with them & learn how to do things on my own not depending on others to schedule an event for us. So I excepted his challenge & yesterday we learned how to take a Matatu (taxi van) to the church. Riding a matatu is quite an experience & requires a bit of training for muzungus (white people). The rides are fast, bumpy, music blaring, people sitting on laps, pick-pocketers, drivers fighting over you to ride their taxi…it’s crazy but so exciting at the same time!

Today we served at a men’s luncheon at the church. Arie’s deep desire as well as Far Reaching’s, is to raise up strong Godly men in the church. In Kenya, like America, Godly men are lacking. Most are caught up in worldly pleasures; they aren’t willing to go to the ends of the Earth & lay down their life down for the Gospel. There are single mothers everywhere because the man who fathered their children are off with other women or getting drunk. Today’s message was geared towards fathers being the head of the household & raising their children in a Godly manner. To our pleasant surprise 22 men showed up & a few of them even brought their sons along.

Pastor Arie teaching

We ladies cooked & served them lunch after the teaching; I finally felt like I was somewhat part of the culture. This morning we had to leave the house at 7am to get to church by 8am to start cooking. We have to walk about a mile to the first matatu stop, then change matatus 3 times before we get to the church. We cooked sukuma wiki (which is like a spinach leaf) with beef & ugali (maize flour). We had a great time cooking with the ladies.

Cleaning & cutting sumuka wiki

I was able to make an entire pot of ugali on my own…you’d have to try it yourself to understand what feat that is. The ladies said I was fit to be an African wife. You pour the ugali flour into a huge pot of water & almost immediately it turns into a play doh like substance. You stir it continuously & as you’re stirring it becomes tougher & tougher to stir, I had to put my entire body into it…the Kenyan women can do it with one hand! They are some tough women!

Making ugali

The finished project

Women's Bible Study

2011-01-01T02:58:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday I taught the Bible for the first time ever. We’re teaching the book of Colossians to some women at hair saloon in Kibera (the world’s 2^nd largest slum). A missionary from

New Zealand

used to teach to them but she went back home 2 yrs ago & ever since then these women have been praying for someone else to teach them the Word. We’ve been given the opportunity to teach these women while we are here in Nairobi. This week I taught Ch.1:15-29; I’m proof that God will use the foolish! I was able to share my testimony with them and was able to explain how one is able to be born again. Like the Colossian church, the Kenyan church has many misconceptions about Christ & how one can obtain salvation. Some believe that a pastor has to lead them into the sinner’s prayer or that they have to pay to receive salvation. I was able to share with them the true Gospel & encourage them to read the Bible so they won’t be caught up in false doctrines. It was a true blessing to teach these ladies. I never would have thought God would have chosen me to teach, mostly because I'm learning the Bible right along with them.

Trust me they're excited...straight faces are a cultural thing.

In the jungle...

2010-12-30T11:37:00.000-08:00

Mondays are the days that the Nairobi team takes off during the week. We work Tues-Sun here so we make sure to enjoy our one day off. Well this Monday we did just that. Arie took his boys & us girls on a safari at the Nairobi National Park in our backyard. I've been on quite a few game drives since I've been coming to Africa. My favorite one was my first because it was in the world famous Masai Mara & I saw several male lions, 3 cheetahs, elephant, giraffe, zebra, ostrich…pretty much everything but the rhino. Plus we had the most beautiful sunset I've ever seen. This time around, however, was extra special. We witnessed a once in a lifetime event, 2 female lions right after a kill. They were laying under a palm tree & there were about 4 safari vans parked right in front of them watching national geographic unfold right before their eyes; It was probably the coolest thing I've ever seen! But we weren't quite satisfied just yet, there's something about a safari not being complete until you see a male lion. As we were driving quite fast down the dirt road we came to an abrupt stop because 2 males lions crossed right in front of us & walked into the brush on the other side of the road. One looked like it was probably the father & the other the younger. They were huge! About an hour later on our way back down the same path we saw the father laying literally about 6 ft. off the road. We parked in front of him & marveled at his beauty. What a day it was!

Male lion crossing in front of us

Acacia Forest

Lions eating their kill

Home Visits

2010-12-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

Our time here has been rather slow, mostly because the children are on what they call “Holiday” (Christmas break) until after the new year. The church has been rather empty because most people leave town to go to “up country” (their hometowns). So we’ve been filling our time doing our studies, planning a VBS & going on home visits. This past week we took some time to go into the homes of some of church members that haven’t left for “up country”. Most of the members live in the slum behind the church called Nando. The homes are about the size of a bedroom, maybe a 10x10 room. They’re made out of sheets of aluminum with concrete floors. They have a small seating area & a bed sheet separating the seating room from the bedroom. In Nando there are quite a few small communities of these shacks. You usually see herds of sheep walking around, trash, drunks, and barefoot children playing in the dirt. We visited a lady named Eunice; she is part of the tea ministry at church. Every Sunday she and a few other ladies prepare chai tea & mandazis (deep fried pastries) for after service. She asked us to pray for her because she hasn’t been able to find work & her rent was past due. Her rent is 1,300 Shillings, roughly $18 USD. Another lady we sat with is Jane; she lives in the home with her 20 yr old son who just finished school. They are both looking for work to pay rent as well. She is suffering with TB & HIV. She told us that she was working at a night club cleaning the bathrooms after hours & the club owner treated her badly & refused to pay her because apparently they didn’t have a formal written agreement. She tried to wash some of the neighbors’ clothes to earn money but she was very weak from the illnesses. Her son goes out during the day to find work but most places in Nairobi make you pay them first before they hire you…corruption at its finest. Another lady we met is Beth. She actually has a job cooking for construction workers but during this season they too are on Holiday so she is struggling to pay rent. Finally, we met Nicholas & his new bride Phyllis. They were a happier story; Nicholas works at our church & is part of the Children’s ministry. He got married a few weeks ago & is still on his honeymoon. Him & Phyllis just moved into their new home in Nando & he was very proud it & his wife. He had a huge smile every time we asked him how married life has been. It’s really hard to hear these stories of people not being able to pay rent when I sit there with 1,300 Shillings in my pocket. Everything in me wants to hand them money, but Arie explained to me that we can’t just give money out like that. Most African’s have the mind set of turning to Muzungu’s (Westerners) for money instead of God. Always, my initial reaction is come to Africa & put a band-aid over all the problems. But really it’s only a temporary fix. The problems here need more than a first-aid kit…they need God.

Nando

girls playing in trash

Nicholas & Phyllis

Christina & Anna-Marie outside Eunice's house

From Islam to Christianity

2010-12-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

Today we had the special privilege of meeting with some Somali ladies that have converted from Islam to Christianity. Arie took us to a local church where his friend Bernard attends & is often on their radio station doing debates on the Muslim faith. Bernard has started a ministry of evangelizing to the Muslims here in Nairobi. He knows the Quran extremely well so him & Arie meet up once a week to teach each other; Arie teaches him the Bible & he teaches Arie the Quran. We met with him & a home fellowship group that has taken on caring for these 13 Somali women. We got to hear their testimonies of how they were led to convert to Christianity. All of them were kicked out of their families & have been beaten & or have had their lives threatened. They ranged from ages 15-50. They all still were their burkas & appear to be Muslim; but as we went around the circle introducing ourselves they all proudly proclaimed their love for Jesus Christ. I was challenged today by the ladies. To hear what they have sacrificed to follow Jesus causes me to take a look at what I have sacrificed to follow Jesus. I thought I was leaving a lot behind when I decided to come to Africa. It doesn’t even compare to what they have left behind. In July I get to go back to my family, my friends & my American life. But these women have nothing to go back to. I was humbled by them. One lady named Zahara has 13 children & has taken in 2 of the other girls to live with her in a 2 room house since they have been kicked out of their Muslim families. The women can not work here because they are not Kenyan. So they all take care of each other & rely on the Lord to provide their every need literally day by day. Please pray that these women would stay strong in their faith in Jesus and pray for their protection from their Muslim families.

1st Week in Nairobi

2010-12-16T12:00:00.000-08:00

Life in Kenya has started out pretty slow which has been nice because it has allowed us to adjust to life here...you know…11 hr time difference, mosquitoes biting us in the middle of the night, random power outages, conserving water, etc. We live in a guest house with two other women, Natasha from Russia & Jamie from Southern California. The other Far Reaching missionaries, the Ramirez family & Zavala family, live in the same complex as us. Next door to us a National Reserve (Safari Park)…how cool is that!?! You can usually find me standing at the window looking for animals. So far we’ve seen a giraffe, cape buffalo & gazelle!

Our first Saturday in town we went to a wedding, Arie (our teacher) officiated the wedding & his son Jojo was the ring bearer. Apparently this particular wedding was more Westernized but they still included some tribal traditions which was neat to experience.

Our schedule has been revealed to us along with our ministry projects. Our work week is Tues-Sun, with Mon being our day off. We start our day with personal devotion at 6:30am & then have breakfast. We are starting an audio study called “Growing in the Grace of God” by Bob Hoekstra. At noon we leave to go do ministry which varies from day to day. We come back to the house at about 5pm or 6pm & start our workout (P90X), then dinner, fellowship, studying & bed. Our main jobs here our going to be Bible teaching at the schools in the slums, two different women’s Bible teachings per week, home visits, hospital visits, & general ministry at church on Sundays.

Tonight we went to a Christmas concert in an area called Karen. Karen is in the more affluent part of Nairobi where mostly Muzungu (white people) live. We sat outside picnic style by candle light & they sang carols & read some scripture. It being summer here with hardly any decorations makes it easy to forget that we are in the Christmas season.

We are all doing well & enjoying our time here. Nairobi is just absolutely beautiful & I feel so blessed to be here.

Kenyan Wedding

Arie & JoJo

Our very secure house

Safari Park next door

Our bedroom

Our living room

Our church-Calvary Chapel Nairobi

Christmas concert

Please pray for Sudan. We just found out today that war has already started in South Sudan with ariel bombs being dropped. Far Reaching Ministries is possibly evacuating the missionaries out of there soon. War wasn't expected to start until Jan if at all & we are scheduled to be there in the spring. So plans are most likely going to change for us unless the war ends. Please also pray for the people that are being attacked in the war & all the innocent lives that will be lossed.

Last Week in Murrieta

2010-12-06T22:43:00.000-08:00

This Extreme Missions Training program has been one of the hardest and best experiences of my life...and I still have 7 months to go. I really had no idea what I was walking into 2 ½ months ago, but I’m so glad I decided to walk. This has been a season of extreme growth for me. I’m growing in my knowledge of the Word, growing in my faith in the Lord, and growing into a more intimate relationship with Him. I’d have to say that the number one thing God has been teaching me during this training in Murrieta is to trust Him. Trust Him to provide financially, trust Him to give me strength, and most importantly to trust Him with my life. I so often think that I know what’s best for me, more than God does. I don’t trust that His purpose for my life will be one I desire. God has been showing me that He is so worthy of following. He sees my future, He knows who & what will complement me the most…so why wouldn’t I follow Him. I’m not totally ready to go to Africa tomorrow. I’ve really enjoyed this time season in Murrieta but I know that as I step foot off that plane on to African soil, I will know that I’m exactly where God has called me to be at this particular time in my life. Wes so often reminds us that faith moves the hand of God. I’m watching that hand move mightily in my life right now as I walk in faith.

Last day of workout with our personal trainer Gus

Prayer meeting with the staff

Anna-Marie, Christina, me at our send-off party with FRM

Last dinner in America with Daddy Wes