Fourty Four Days In Kenya

Love For Kenya

2011-11-08T15:38:00.000-08:00

It never fails, no matter where I am, there is not a day that goes by that Kenya is not on my mind. As I sit here in the Learning Resource Center at Tennessee Tech University working towards earning my Master's degree in Physical Education to become a teacher, I think about the days spent with Regina and Thebu, Peter, John, James, Eric, Jobique and Amos on the Uzima grounds. I think about the Sun in the sky in Africa and the mangoes falling once again and the way the dirt covered our feet. I think about how I could go days without a shower, and when I finally took one, it was cold and the water was dirty. My thoughts turn to the Kingis. How could I ever forget them? I still hear from them almost weekly. My heart pours out in love to this family. I think of Celvin dancing and Jennipher's beautiful smile. I think of their mother, Catherine. Such a generous heart, such a loving woman. I think of Kingi, so open to receive the word of God even when it would sting. How I miss them.

God, my prayer to You is that you create in me a clean heart, and restore in me the joy of your salvation. I want to be a person that seeks wholeheartedly after you, that doesn't run from my fears, but when I run, I run straight into Your arms of love, never fearing what was before or what lies ahead, only clinging to You, for you have made everlasting promises that You will not break with me. In You I have hope that will not perish, spoil, or fade. My God, help me be a faithful servant who seeks to share your loveliness with nations all over this entire world, wherever there is a need. Let me not hold myself back from Your hands. Let me not seek to do my own will. Let me step out of my own way and live a life that is radically abandoned to Your perfect will.

Would you create in me a clean heart, O God?
Restore in me the joy of my salvation
Would you create in me a clean heart, O God?
Restore in me the joy of my salvation

Wash me white as snow
And I will be made whole
-John Foreman (Psalm 51)

As you seek me, God, help me look to You for guidance. You know my heart beats for Kenya. May my heart beat for You, for Your will, for your people all over this world. May my heart have compassion for every soul crying out for the love of the Father. We are all in need of You.

Jen

How He Loves Us

2011-08-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

One thing I have personally learned in the past few weeks from being with my brothers and sisters here in Kenya, learning the culture, walking through the villages, learning new Swahili words, and participating in worship with brothers and sisters of the faith, is that our God is alive. He loves us. Malindi, Kenya is a special place that is going to be missed deeply by 4 college students who came here to serve, whose hearts have been forever changed by the people here. From the children in Uzima school singing their beautiful songs, to playing football on Uzima grounds in free-time, fellowshiping with one another around the baptistery and listening to the banging and clashing of a mango falling as it hits a tin roof and then tumbles to the ground... life is different but beautiful, and as I said, we have been changed. Changed, but for the better. Changed in ways that we never thought possible, ways we never expected.

We thank God for the change that the readers have made in our hearts. We thank God for the lessons they taught us as we sat with them and shared the Gospel of Christ, the word of God...We thank God for the opportunities to be welcomed into their homes, their villages, to sit and have meals with their families, to talk about Kenyan culture and life and love here. To learn to cook meals, how to take care of a family, how to provide for one another. It is not easy. Our lives in America are so much easier, and we have learned through mosquitoes, cold showers, no electricity, dirty water, holes in the ground for toilets, and much more that our God reigns and is so beautiful, and these are just every day factors of life. We have eaten Ugali, rice, beans, chapatis, and maize more than you can imagine, so just try and imagine how much a Kenyan eats these foods. They are very good, but imagine eating them every day for your entire life. We are blessed. Kenyans are so willing to share, even when they don't have anything to give. They will give and give and give some more. This is how I see the love of the Father, lavishing himself upon us.

As our time approaches, for us to board the plane and leave Kenya, the ones we love behind, we understand that this is not goodbye. God made plans for us. We made it here, and we hope one day that we may return. Our hearts feel so strongly for this place in so many different ways, for these people. We know God's purpose for us to come here was fulfilled for a reason. As we go home, Kenya will not be forgotten. We have many plans to stay connected to these beautiful people. They will forever be on our hearts and in our minds. We are forever changed and so thankful for the love that the Father has displayed in connecting us all through His word.

In Him,

Jen

"Two Weeks... and He's Done Immeasurabley More Than All We Could Ask or Imagine..."

2011-07-16T12:34:00.000-07:00

We are here! After a warm welcome at the airport, we made our journey to Malindi by van with Daniel, Moses, and Jeremiah. We quickly settled into our "home sweet home" for the next 6 weeks with our wonderful house Mom (Mama Oliv) and headed out to see where we would be working and meet our readers. We gave our information meeting, signed up our awesome readers, and let God take care of the rest. We had no idea what amazing things He had in store for us!

There is no way to describe our first worship experience in Kenya. From the singing itself to Jim Reppart's message, translated in Swahili by Moses Gona, and personal testimonies from the team, everyone was truly uplifted, and you could feel the Spirit of God in this place. We were moved to tears and talked about it together for days afterward. It was such an edifying experience.

A typical day for the team involves waking up early to breakfast by Mama Oliv, packing our backpacks for the day, and jumping in a tuktuk, with our favorite driver "Zaki." We arrive at Uzima Training Center every morning and are met by our readers with smiling faces, so ready and eager to learn more about God's great word. We spend the majority with them and also get to learn a little bit more about their culture as we swap stories from our culture. We have even visited their villages and had some interesting food from what they call their "hotel." It's been an amazing adventure.We love our readers and will see them again this Sunday where will worship together at Uzima church. We are looking forward to this time.

This weekend we spent time together as a team visiting children's homes and delivering clothing items that were given to our team by "Little Dresses for Africa." The time we shared with the children is forever written on our hearts. We were very moved and humbled by both homes we visited and the children who greeted us with open arms, singing beautiful songs, longing to be loved. It was hard to leave them.

Thank you for all you have done to make it possible to allow us to be here now! We are so grateful for the opportunity to be here serving in Malindi. We know that God has a greater purpose, far greater than anything we could ever imagine, and He will reveal it to all of us. Continue to pray for our team, our readers, and the children we visited this weekend. Pray for the communities here in Malindi, and for Jim Babcock who will be joining us in a week! May God bless you all as you serve right beside us, in many nations, wherever you are. We love you!

With Love in Him,

Kenya Team

"Ready, Set,... It's Go Time!"

2011-07-03T14:15:00.000-07:00

Kenya! We are on our way to you! We are on our way with Jesus in our hearts, our minds, deep within our souls. We are ready for the adventure of a lifetime! We know that our God has been preparing us since the beginning of time for tomorrow! WE ARE READY! We are joyful in the Lord, eager with excited expectations, happy to see the faces of everyone we know God wills for us to meet!

As we depart, we want to say thank you so much to everyone who made this mission possible! It can and will be done in HIS name! Thank you all for believing in us! Thank you for loving us. Thank you for never giving up on us. Thank you for just being there for us, and most of all, thank you for showing Christ to us.

Kenya awaits!! That means last minute items to stuff into bags, checklists to cover, and phone calls to make! Know that we love you always! God is always on your side, and Jesus Christ loves you more than you will ever know! Cling to Him with every fiber inside of you!

WE LOVE YOU, AND WE'LL SEE YOU IN 6 WEEKS!! GOD BLESS!! :)))

"Jesus came and told his disciples, "I have be given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20

With Love-

Kenya Team :)

Preparation and Countdown to KENYA!!!

2011-06-12T16:27:00.000-07:00

As most of us do, we set out with a vision in mind... not knowing where God would lead us. There was even a point when all things seemed to "fall through the cracks"... a breaking point when it seemed that maybe this mission truly was "impossible." Brothers and sisters, let me remind you that "what is impossible with man, is possible with God."

When the money seems scarce and family and friends do not come through right away or maybe not even at all, when you doubt yourself, when struggles so much bigger than you become insurmountable and overwhelming, remember to cling to the cross of Jesus Christ. Remember that He has overcome the world. Remember that He promised He would be with us always, even unto the end of the age. There is nothing to fear, for the Lord has a will for your life far better than anything you could ever dream up or imagine. He has plans for us all to serve His kingdom, to fully and wholly glorify Him and His Son in this age and in the age to come. Do not doubt Him, but trust in His word and cling to it. His love never fails.

With God as our guide and His Holy Spirit fresh and alive in us all, we are ready to face what is ahead! We are excited for the incredible journey our Lord is about to take us on for His kingdom and to bring glory to His name. There is no other place or way that the four of us could imagine spending our summers. WE ARE READY TO GO!!

Please pray for us as we are still in the process of raising funds for our trips and organizing last minute details. Pray for safety, mostly for our families' sakes, as we know that God is in control of our lives ultimately and we have chosen to make a sacrafice for His cause. Pray for the lives of the people we will encounter, for connections made, for lives changed by the power of Jesus Christ. Pray for a life-changing summer for us all. Pray for hearts changed forever. We love you all!

Kenya Team:)