Wrapping up, but Journeying on

I think this blog post has long been overdue, but I’ve been waiting until I reached home to write a final update.  The first week of December I went up to Kijabe (northwest of Nairobi) to Rift Valley Academy (AIM’s international boarding school for missionary kids) for AIM’s annual Eastern Region conference.  It was neat to meet and be around so many other missionaries.  It was also humbling to talk with missionaries who had been on the field for over 30 years as well as to hear about the different kind of living conditions and challenges others short and long-term missionaries had been facing.  After the conference I attended a short-term missionary retreat and workshop until Friday the 5^th.  I got back to the Mutangilis pretty late and then got ready to be in Pastor Adera’s wedding the next day (I was asked only a few days before).  The wedding was a joyous day and a lot of fun.  I got home in the evening and had to repack for a week in Mombasa.

Sunday morning I met at the church with some other counselors as well as many youth from AIC Plainsview to take a few busses from Nairobi to Mombasa to attend the Word of Life youth camp held there each year.  We left around 8:30am and got to Mombasa around 7:30pm, but it was nice to just sit and rest on the bus.  Before getting to the youth camp we had to take the ferry across the bay from “north shore” to “south shore.”  This meant getting off of our bus, walking through the crowded streets and running to catch the ferry which was crammed with well over 1000 people, running off the ferry and walking up through some hectic marketplace in the dark and eventually getting back to the busses (apparently it’s free for people to take the ferry, but the busses have to pay for any people they bring on with them).  The youth camp was located right on the beach, so my last week in Kenya was spent on white sand beaches with palm trees, bathtub-temperature waters, the hot and humid Mombasa weather and over 200 kids from different parts of Kenya.  It was a week filled with a lot of fun and a lot of ministry, but it was also a week filled with spiritual attack.  I’ve heard it said that the last week of a short-term missionary assignment often has a lot of spiritual attack, and this proved to be true for me.  I was pretty exhausted (physically, emotionally and spiritually) from the past few months and felt unnaturally anxious and oppressed.  It was pretty grueling but at the same time rewarding to build relationships with many of the other counselors and campers.  We finished the week and got up early on Saturday to come back to Nairobi.  This bus ride was one of my favorite parts of the entire week.  I spent much of it with Daniel and Arnold, two campers I’d spent a lot of time with over the week and who had become like younger brothers to me.  The relaxed time of fellowship was really enjoyable, and we even took time midway through the journey to have a dance party in the isle of the bus (which took a short pause when the bus driver had to slam on the brakes once, sending most of us to the floor, haha).   

We got back to Nairobi after dark, and I had to unpack to repack and head home the very next day!  Sunday morning I went to church and was able to give a formal farewell to the congregation.  I also spent some time saying personal goodbyes after the services.  I finished packing up and spent the remainder of the afternoon with Marvin and Christine who had come over.  Around dinner some other friends showed up and we ate and said some more goodbyes.  I left feeling sad but very blessed by the friendships I’d made and the lives I’d had the privilege of sharing in.

On my way to the airport the pastor’s car started having an issue and we could only go about 10 kilometer/hour (Stanley thinks the gas he put in was bad).  So, my final moments in Kenya consisted of Stanley, his kids and me traveling at a whopping 10 kph down the main highway in Nairobi with cars honking and zooming past us…I wouldn’t have had it any other way!  We finally got some more gas and were able to continue on at a normal speed.  At the airport I said my final goodbyes to Stanley and another family who had come out to personally say goodbye and see me off.  I did the whole “airport thing” and a little while later found myself looking out a plane window at the city lights of Nairobi (along with many people I had come to love) fading off into the distance; it was a surreal feeling.

The flight out of Nairobi was delayed, and because of this and some other complications at London-Heathrow I missed my connecting flight to meet my family in Hannover, Germany.  The next available flight was roughly 10 hours later, so I got to spend the day chilling out in the airport—it ended up being nice to have the time to just sit, think and process some of the past three months, and I even got to hear some professional Christmas carolers who came to our terminal at one point.

I arrived in Germany on the evening of Monday the 15^th and met up with my parents who were visiting my brother who is currently working over in Germany.  We spent the next week traveling around and then spent Christmas together at my brother’s place.  We did a lot of cool things, but it was pretty exhausting for me to continue traveling and experiencing yet another different culture.  My parents returned home last night (the 27^th), and it’s good to be home.

In one sense my journey is now complete, but in many other senses it is simply continuing on.  I’m grateful for the opportunity I’ve had to go and share in the lives of those I met in Kenya, and I look forward to the day when we’ll meet again (I will definitely be thinking of my friends, Marvin and Christine, as they get married on January 3^rd).  I want to thank my friends and family for the many prayers they have sent my way.  These prayers have been a vital part of God’s working in and through me, and I can’t imagine what my experience would have been like without the support and power of these prayers.  God has challenged me and stretched me these past three months; He has also taught me things and changed me in ways that I have yet to fully discover (and that I may never fully know).  If you would like to know more about my experiences feel free to contact me and ask.

Continue praying for my transition back home as I enter my final semester at Houghton College, and continue praying for the Kenyan people as well as missionaries around the globe.  I want to encourage all of you reading this to be the “missionary” in the place God has place you in now.  The mission field is in Kenya; the mission field is here in America.  God is working in Africa and in your neighborhood.  Let Him use you; let Him challenge you; let Him speak into the lives of those around you.

Serve Well 

Finishing and Farewell From Kenya

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you back in America!  I was able to spend Thursday with the Kroening family and a few other families, so it’s been nice to still be able to celebrate. 

Believe it or not, this will most likely be my last blog post from the African continent.  From this coming Saturday through next Friday I will be at various missionary conferences associated with Africa Inland Mission.  The next day (Saturday, Dec. 6^th) is Pastor Adera’s wedding, and then from Sunday the 7^th through Saturday the 13^th I’ll be helping out with the Word of Life youth camp down in Mombasa.  Sunday the 14^th will consist of attending church, saying goodbyes and packing to leave that evening to meet my family the next morning up in Germany!  There’s still a lot to do and experience, as you can see from the busy schedule above, and I’m sure I’ll have some things to share about these experiences.

So last Saturday I was in the wedding line of my friend, Aron.  It was a unique experience with blessings and challenges.  The day before what began as me going with Aron to the church to “help decorate” turned into quite the adventure.  I ended up at Aron’s uncle’s house and was told that, since Aron’s best man had to go to South Africa, I was now the best man; consequently, I needed to make sure certain things got done and help Aron so that he could rest before his big day.  I’m still not sure what this exactly meant, but I’m grateful that I didn’t seem to ruin the wedding in any way!  I did, however, end up spending the rest of the evening with Aron, trying to figure out what we (and I guess me, personally) needed to do.  I’ll have some photos of the wedding to post when I get the chance.

Sunday after church I was able to record that song that my friend Abbih and I worked on together, and later in the afternoon I ended up playing a soccer game with a bunch of guys at a nearby field.

This past week AIC Plainsview has had their “Vocational Bible School,” or VBS, so I have been helping with that.  It has been a neat experience to be a part of African children’s ministry, although I have been interacting more specifically with the 7^th-10^th graders (the oldest group).  It’s been a good opportunity to develop a relationship with some of the guys who I’ll be with at the youth camp in Mombasa.  I also went on Wednesday evening to a church member’s home to speak with his sons and a few of their friends.  There were four high-school-aged guys, and I was able to encourage them in their walk with God and in seeking to become men of God according to what the Bible says, not the world and its messages.  It was a really nice time and something I wish I had more opportunity to do while here in Kenya; I’m sure the youth camp in Mombasa will also be a really fruitful time as well.  I am finding that I have a real passion for ministering to the high school guys here in Kenya; they are very cool and have a lot of character.

So, as I leave you, probably until I get to Germany, I want to ask you all for your continued prayers.  As things have picked up I’ve also been really stretched and challenged to rely on God for, well, it feels like just about everything.  Cross-cultural living is rewarding but exhausting.  There are still many opportunities to minister to people, and there are still a lot of things that I believe God wants to teach me, specifically regarding grace and love.  The journey is far from over, and I’m sure it will continue even after I get on the plane in a few weeks.  Blessings to all of you on your own, individual journeys as well!

-Pray against spiritual attack in my life and in the events of the next few weeks

-Pray that God’s grace and strength would overflow in my life and in the lives of all of us (I’m talking Niagara Falls, not some hidden, obscure creek)

-Pray for safety as I travel around Kenya these next few weeks and then as I head up to Germany

-Pray for a strong finish and good closure, spiritually, emotionally, physically, etc.

Approaching the End

Things are speeding up towards a finish here in Kenya.  In some ways it feels like it has been three months, but in other ways the time has gone very quickly.  I feel blessed by what I have already been able to experience (the good, bad and ugly) and am excited for what is still to come as I finish out my time here.  Sometimes I think, “yeah this will be a good story to tell,” and other times I think, “there’s no way people are going to understand this, how sad.”  We shall see.  I do know, however, that God has known about this Kenyan journey of mine for a long, long time, and I am grateful for this idea he had back during the whole “foundation-laying” stage of the universe.

The other Thursday I met up with Mrs. Kroening (the missionary mom of my friend back at Houghton) and was able to go with her up to Rosslyn Academy (in the far north part of Nairobi) to see the Abby, the youngest Kroening kid in the play, “Our Town.”  Rosslyn is an American system international school made up primarily of missionary and diplomat kids.  I walked all the way from where I stay in South B to Upper Hill, where the Kroenings live.  I’ve begun to enjoy taking on the challenges of traveling around Nairobi…it usually makes for some good stories.  This journey consisted of trekking along some pretty muddy paths and along the major highway going through Nairobi for some time, but other than that it was pretty uneventful.  The play was good, and it was weird being around a lot of “white” people again.  It was also nice to see my friend’s alma mater.

On Saturday I went to worship practice, as usual, but this time I was told the normal keyboard player (my friend Tom) was not going to be around.  Apparently I was deemed qualified to fill in.  This was quite the stretching experience, considering I was going to be the “lead instrument” in a bunch of songs that I had never really heard before.  I managed to get through practice, and it was very humbling.  While nervous for Sunday morning, I knew it was a good opportunity for me to rely on God and not my own abilities; however, God must have heard my cries for help and decided that this would require “too much supernatural support” because the power went out right as we began, haha.  We ended up doing acoustic worship, and for the second service I got to play guitar with the singers.  It was a nice time.

Monday around noon I left with Pastor Mutangili, Judihannah and Manasseh to go up to Stanley’s village near mukaa, located in ukambani (Makweni County to be specific) for the night.  I’ve been there a few times before; I’ve posted some pictures from here.  After buying some trees and stopping by another plot of land along the way to plant a few, we arrived at Stanley’s village.  We planted a few more trees and then lit some lanterns as the sun went down; the village doesn’t have electricity yet.  It was really nice to be out in the country and to watch the day end over the African hills and valleys.  Inside the house I got out my guitar, and one of the men with us took it and began to play some Kamba songs.  He sang along with Stanley, his mother and the many kids present.  The small room was filled with music, dancing and clapping, and the warm glow of the lantern.  It was such a blessing to simply sit and take this all in.  We eventually ate, and after preparing for bed I was able to go outside and see the stars.  The most notable thing was how they all seemed to, literally, twinkle (very noticeably and in a way I’d never seen before).  Standing on that African hillside and looking up at the sky as well as down across the dark valley where many other, unseen Kamba people quietly faced the night as they had for years and years, I was humbled and grateful.  This was much more like the “Africa” you hear about, and it was a blessing to experience.  I settled into bed for the night, and the light rain that began soon turned into a downpour, pounding against the tin roof of the home.  I lay there for a while, taking everything in and thanking God for the day’s experiences.  The following day we woke early and spent most of the morning planting more trees before driving back to Nairobi in the afternoon for the Tuesday night, young adult Bible study.

I am grateful for the many prayers of my friends and family.  I am sure that they have uplifted and supported me throughout my entire time here.  God has continued to reveal things to me about myself and His power to work in the lives of those who seek Him, and these things often leave me grateful, amazed and very reflective.  As I see my time here in Kenya growing shorter and shorter, I am becoming more grateful for the experiences I’m having and the time I’m able to spend with the friends I have made.  It will be nice to see people back home, but I will miss many of these people.  My dear friends Marvin (Didy) and Christine (Mutheu) will be getting married January 3^rd; I will most definitely be thinking of them on that day.

-Pray for these last few weeks of my time here in Kenya—that I would finish strong and that God would move mightily (I know He’s not done yet)

-Pray for a continued spirit of gratitude

-Begin praying for the goodbyes I will have to make

Adventures on the Sreets; Adventures at Home

Last Friday I was able to visit the Wilson Airport Hanger, an important part of AIM’s ministry.  I was able to meet two fathers of different people I know from Houghton; that was really neat.  I also helped to polish an older plane down in the hanger, and after lunch joined a lot of the local workers in some soccer (our field was one side of the hanger and its concrete floor).  Upon leaving the hanger with my friend, Alex, I had quite the adventure.  We walked all the way to South B (a pretty hefty distance, although probably faster than if we drove in the Friday afternoon traffic) and were then told that no one was home at the Mutangili house.  We then proceeded to “go to meet the pastor,” although I couldn't seem to ask where exactly we were going in the right way to elicit the answer I was looking for.  Along the way I managed to evade being pummeled by sprinting out of the way of multiple trucks; I then succeeded in fending myself off from the aggressive matatu man who tried to grab me and pull me onto his matatu.  Alex and I then boarded a different matatu (I with the faith that Alex knew where we were going to meet the pastor).  Next, after alighting a ways outside of the city we crossed a few more streets and jumped a few sewage-infested gullies (one of which required me to land a few inches from the cars flying by on the other side).  By this time I had figured out which building we were attempting to get to, but we first had to dodge the small herd of cows that were on a mission and charging down the sidewalk (this required some more jumping back and forth).  At last, after our daunting and heroic journey, the weary travelers found the pastor and his family eating with a family whose daughter had just finished high school…success.

I have also been spending a good amount of time with the pastor’s two eldest kids, Judihannah and Manasseh.  They have a lot of energy, but there are usually many funny stories to tell after spending some time with them.  Just the other night while we were all sitting down to take tea, Manasseh decided he wanted tea as well and valiantly declared as he marched off to the kitchen, “I’m going to take my tea!”  In response, Judihannah marched out of the living room and into the bathroom proclaiming, “I’m going to take my susu!” (I’m sure you all can guess what susu means, haha).  It’s always an entertaining night with the Mutangili kids.  We actually just finished building a fort in the living room with the couch cushions.

I was able to present another song last Sunday to the congregation, and in a few weeks we have an entire service of worship that I will be helping to lead with many of the other young adults.  This Saturday evening Pastor Adera is also hoping to have the young adult men over to his home for the night for a “bachelor party” before his wedding.  It should be a good time of fellowship, and I hear Pastor Adera will have a goat to roast!

Spiritually, things have been pretty exhausting.  I have had opportunities to speak to people and interact with people, but it has been difficult for some reason to really take a joy in the work I’m doing.  I’m still confident that God is working through me, and I also know that God is working in me—although this can often be a difficult process.  The prayers of friends and family have meant a lot, and I am excited to see more clearly how God has and will continue to specifically answer these prayers. 

-Pray that God would continue to work in peoples’ lives throughout my final month here in Kenya

-Pray that I would experience an undeniable peace and joy in the work I’m doing here

-Pray that God would become more and that I would become less

-Pray for a faith that can move mountains (both for me and for others in your life)

Kenya: Challenging but Good

I think the best way to describe my intercultural experience here in Kenya is “immersion.” But let me tell you, while this has often been really challenging, I can also confidently say that this has been a blessing.  I know that God has been able to challenge me to trust Him and rely on Him in ways that I never imagined, and the wealth of experiences I've had is well-worth this cultural immersion and its challenges.  By the end of my time here in Kenya I will have attended two weddings, been in another, attended two up-country, traditional pre-weddings and attended various funerals, just to name a few things.  I haven’t just been a missionary serving in a specific task; I've been an individual living life, relating and interacting with Africans in their daily lives.  I ride the matatus; I've been downtown; I’m used to being the only white person around.  I eat what the Kenyans eat; I live like the Kenyans live; I do what the Kenyans do.  I have no choice, and at times what feels like no escape, but even in the midst of it all I can see the blessings of this kind of experience.  Besides learning to depend more fully on God I’m also continuing to learn about His grace and calling in my life.  It’s challenging but good stuff.

I spent most of last week traveling around to different schools to speak at different schools’ prayer services.  The class eight students (8^th graders) and form four students (12^th grade) have national exams they are currently taking that greatly impact there they will go to high school or college and what kind of educational and career opportunities they will ultimately be able to have.  They’re kind of a big deal, and so these prayer services are a time of encouragement for students as well as their parents and a good opportunity to point people towards God’s providence and care for our lives, ultimately through His gospel message.  I’ve been to schools upcountry as well as schools here in the city.  These times are fulfilling and also tiring—you wouldn’t believe how exhausting it can be to sit through a multi-hour service where you understand little to nothing of what is being said, apart from what I say in English.  Still, it was nice to talk to the different kids and their parents.  I usually start by really emphasizing the core of the gospel message, and then I move into talking about three different points in light of this: 1, don’t worry; 2, seek God; 3, do your best.  It’s been good.

On Saturday I traveled upcountry with some people for the pre-wedding/cultural wedding of my good friend, “Diddy” (his nickname, pronounced D.D.), and his fiancée, Kristen.  This involved Diddy traveling with many of his relatives to the upcountry home of Kristen (who is form the Kamba tribe).  Friends are also invited as well.  So apparently this was all supposed to start at 8:00am, but we didn't arrive until after 12:00pm, and we still just waited under the tents that were set up for most of the afternoon.  Diddy and some of his family members met with Kristen’s family to discuss and decide on a dowry, and two goats were slaughtered as part of the occasion (I was able to witness this first-hand, although I was fine with just watching and not helping).  Once things had been settled, a meal was served for the many guests, and then came the fun part.  In Kamba tradition the pride is paraded out to meet her future husband; however, she is completely covered in cloths and blankets along with a number of other “fake brides.”  After the procession with much dancing and singing, the various “brides” are presented before the groom, and he has to identify his bride from among them.  If he guesses wrong he is usually “fined” another goat (and I’m sure he also experiences a lot of embarrassment).  It’s kind of like a cruel game the woman play with the groom that is entirely delightful to watch.  I’m happy to say that Diddy guessed correctly, and this was followed by a short sermon and then the giving of donations toward the wedding budget.  It was a neat experience, and I also enjoyed traveling with my friend Caleb.  Caleb went to school for a few years in America and is actually getting married to an girl from Kansas.  It’s been a blessing to have a friend who is able to better understand my own culture and way of responding to things but who’s still a Kenyan.

I've also become good friends with a guy named Abby (short for Abraham).  He makes a living as a musician.  We've had some time to get together and sing and play guitar.  This past Monday he actually taught me a song that he recently wrote, and we’re hoping to go to the recording studio to sing and play it together.  It’ll be a cool experience, and I've been able to learn a little more about Kenyan musical style.

-Pray for continued faith in God’s promises and work in my life (not just to believe in them but to step out and live differently in the reality of these things)

-Pray for those who are preparing to get married (those here in Kenya as well as those you know back at home)

-Pray for opportunity as well as the ability to see God powerfully working and moving in peoples’ lives (not just for me here in Kenya, but for yourselves, wherever you are)

Every Day's a Kenya Day

It’s been a while since my last blog post.  Every time I think about sitting down to write something I’m never quite sure where to begin, and I end up finding something else to do.  So, I've decided to come to terms with the fact that all I experience over here in Kenya (physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, etc.) will be impossible for others to fully understand; and that’s okay.  What I can give are a few stories that provide a few glimpses into my life over here.  In fact, it’s impossible for any of us to fully understand the life experiences of one another—mine is just a little more exaggerated because of cultural differences—but I’m grateful that God allows us to share at least a part of these experiences with one another.

Monday, October 20^th was a national holiday, so people were out of work and school.  Some people from church decided to organize a soccer game.  I was told to meet at 9:00am and informed by a friend that that actually meant 11:00am.  Naturally, another friend and I left home at around 12:00pm, and we were basically the first people to arrive at the field.  Now in case any of you Westerners are doubting whether or not the game was still on, fear not.  We finally had enough people by mid-afternoon (I’m not sure where all the people came from; I’m pretty sure some just joined us as they passed by).  It was a great experience to play soccer in the middle of Nairobi with a bunch of Kenyans, and I held my own too!  The altitude (a little higher than Denver, CO) caused me to get out of breath pretty quickly, and a month of little physical exercise made itself known by my aching body afterwards, but it was a really nice time.

The next day, Tuesday, was young adult Bible study here at Pastor Mutangili’s house.  This is one of my favorite times of the week, and I usually say goodbye to those who have come feeling very uplifted and thankful for the many new friends I am making here in Kenya.  The Bible study is currently going through 2 Samuel, and we’re almost to chapter 20.  Some weeks we get though an entire chapter; other weeks we get through a few verses, and often times we end up talking about thing I hardly anticipated or expected.  It’s cool to get into God’s word with other Christians, especially those who have different ways of looking at and relating to the Word of God.  One thing that Kenyan’s understand much better than us Westerners is the idea of tribes.  It’s hard to describe what being from a certain tribe means to individuals here.  While they are all Kenyans, there are deep-seeded loyalties and cultural characteristics within each tribe.  Reading about the tribe of Judah abandoning David to follow Absalom has a much deeper meaning with an understanding of tribal ties and heritage.

The following Friday Stanley and I went to a funeral home to conduct a short service for a church member’s daughter who had died.  Generally, there is a small service as the body is removed from the funeral home.  The family and friends of the deceased then travel to the individual’s home (not referring to their house in the city, but to the tribal village that they come from) to continue the funeral and burial process.  I was asked to speak for a portion of the short service, and as we were about to leave another group of people approached Pastor Mutangili and asked if we could stay for their service.  I guess they didn't have anyone lined up to give a message, so I soon found myself speaking again in front of another group of people.  It was cool to see how God opens up doors to use us and minister to others when we don’t expect it.

I have been asked to be in my friend, Aaron’s, wedding line during his marriage on November 22^nd, and so I am excited to be a part of this!  I had to go to our friend, Dennis’, tailoring shop to be measured for the custom suits each of the groomsmen will be wearing, and I guess I’ll just have to wait and see what happens on the 22^nd.

Last Sunday a group of us went to St. George’s girl’s school and led some music and spoke; it was an enjoyable time and cool to see how the girls worshiped together with a lot of energy.  After returning to church I left with Pastor Adera (the other pastor of AIC Plainsview) to spend a few nights at his home which is just a little bit outside of the city, near the airport.  It was very enjoyable.  Pastor Adera lost his wife just over a year ago, and his oldest daughter is off living at what we would call high school, so it was just him, his son, nephew and myself at the house (aka bachelor pad).  Pastor Adera is actually getting remarried in the beginning of December, so there is a lot of preparation going on for this event.  I really enjoy sitting down and talking with Pastor Adera; he is really laid back, deep and insightful.  While his home is not entirely finished (no running water most specifically) it was a blessing to spend time with him and his son (apart from the giant spider on the wall as I went to bed…I made sure my mosquito net was very tightly tucked in around my bed!).

God is continuing to reveal things to me about Himself and myself.  Often times this can be overwhelming, but I am finding that there is also a lot of joy in this process.  I know I am being changed as a person, and I know that this is ultimately a result of seeking God and learning more about who He is and always will be.  The other week I was feeling really exhausted and overwhelmed.  I asked God to just speak to me (plainly and clearly).  That night in a dream a friend came up to me and opened my bible to Psalm 34.  My friend said something along the lines of, “it’s about God, not you; lean on Him.”  The next morning I woke up and knew I needed to turn to Psalm 34…wow…that’s all I can say.  I will let you read it for yourself, but a few things that clearly stood out were God’s promises to care for us, remove our fears, guilt and shame, and to withhold no good thing from those who seek Him.  I’m learning daily to lean upon these promises and to lean even more heavily upon God’s grace.  Grace: it seems like such a simple word, especially if you've grown up hearing about it, but if you stop and really think about God’s actual grace, the power of this grace, the beauty of this grace, the abundance of this grace—well it’s amazing.  It knocks you off of your feet.  Most days I find myself struggling between either accepting and living in this grace or focusing on my own efforts and inadequacies.  It takes grace to even experience God’s grace!

Pray that I would continue to get out of God’s way and let Him work (in me and through me)

Pray for a deepening understanding of God’s grace and that I would experience the joys of living in this grace daily

Pray for the people of Kenya.  I see them every day walking along the streets.  They have hopes, dreams, hurts and fears, and they, along with all of us, need Jesus Christ     

New Experiences Every Day

Back in Java House for my regular Thursday visit.  This coming week will mark one month of being here.  God has really blessed me with some amazing experiences so far.  It's times like when I'm riding through the Kenyan countryside that I really think of how blessed I am to see and experience the things I'm seeing and to meet the people I've met.  It's sobering to realize that these experiences will only be fully known and understood by me, but this has made me value and look forward to the remaining time I have here in Kenya.  In reality, we all have our own experiences, and whether they are in Africa or in an American suburb, they are uniquely ours and full of value.  Take some time to appreciate the things you are experiencing today.

I have begun to help lead worship with some of the other young adults in our church.  We meet every Saturday afternoon for practice as well as Sunday morning before the services.  Last week I played some guitar with the worship team, and I was able to share a song from back home during the offering.  Many of the songs we sing are in Swahili, and while I cannot understand a lot of our worship, it is humbling to remember that worship is not about us or how it makes us feel; worship is about us glorifying God, and my lack of understanding of the words in a song I'm helping to play does not keep God from being glorified.  This doesn't keep me from serving God and glorifying Him either!  

On Sunday afternoon I was able to meet up with the Kroenings.  They are a missionary family who have been in Africa for over 20 years, and their daughter goes to school with me at Houghton.  I had a nice time meeting them, and it was cool to see where my friend grew up.

On Tuesday I ended up traveling upcountry to bring some supplies to a house Stanley is building.  We loaded up the lorry (like a small moving truck) with packs of tiles, and some other stuff and hopped in front to head to the house.  We then shoveled a bunch of cow duck (manure...I think that's what they called it) into the back of the lorry and brought it to Stanley's village.  I got to spend some time with the kids there; I very well may have been the first white person most of them had ever seen. While at first it's easy to feel like a celebrity, you soon begin to feel like a rare animal breed.  Nevertheless, it was really cool to spend time with these kids.  They were always smiling and laughing, and we had a lot of fun by simply throwing a rock and stick around.

Yesterday I met my friend Joshua in town to go up to a school just outside Nairobi.  Joshua grew up in Mombasa and is a theology student in Nairobi.  He also works for Word of Life ministry, which is why he and a few other guys were going to Rungiri High School.  We met up and arrived at the school to find out that the other guys got stuck in traffic, so I ended up speaking to a bunch of the students (I was able to use the same thing I used for the Masii Girls School the week before).  Joshua and I went to lunch and then he showed me a nearby orphanage.  We then hopped on the back of a motorbike and had the driver take us a few miles to the Word of Life compound.  After visiting I got back on a matatu by myself and managed to get to the center of Nairobi where I got off and found another matatu to take me back to South B where I live.  It was a busy day but full of great experiences!

Life still has its challenges, but I am learning a lot about myself and God every day.  He is working through me and in me and I have a lot to be thankful for.

-Pray for God to continue building meaningful relationships here

-Pray for strength and courage to take the steps of faith God wants me to take as he works in my life     and as he uses me to minister to others

-"Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.  For you died, and your life is now hidden       with Christ in God." Pray that these words from Colossians 3:2-3 would become a reality for me,       the church in Kenya and the students with whom I shared these verses.