A – Aubrey. When my name starts with the first letter of the alphabet, I can’t help but start my alphabet blog with it. Kenya is a country that I can attach my name to because I too easily attached my heart; it was one of the best months yet!
B – Baby House. Part of our squad spent the month working at a home for abandoned babies, and I had the opportunity to serve there one day! Holding and playing with the babies all day was a dream come true!
C – Crater. We visited a crater that tribal people used to associate with demons and evil forces. What really struck me was a moment when we were looking off at the mountains in the distance, and we were informed that as far as we could see in front of us is still unreached by the Gospel. Where we were standing was the last place in that direction where the name of Jesus is known.
D – Dance. Kenya involved so much dancing! I learned the Hoedown Throwdown with teenage mothers (who would’ve known that Miley Cyrus would be reaching teenagers in Africa in 2019?), I watched super talented young girls show me dance routines they had made that put my 10-year-old “Hairspray” moves to shame, and I danced around the living room to “Let It Go” with my little host sister decked out in her Elsa dress.
E – Equator. One day, we had a picnic on the equator! I got to see the water swirling in different directions in the two hemispheres, and I even had the pleasure of seeing dust swirl in different directions as I was caught in a horrible sandstorm that left me cleaning sand out of my ears for days to come! It was quite an experience to remember.
F – Flip-flop. One of my very favorite evenings was spent with a family of fifteen rescued girls. We talked and laughed and sang and danced and played in the dusty streets, and my soul was so happy. At the beginning, we went on a walk, but my new little friend’s flip-flop broke so we traded shoes, and I hopped around on one foot, down to the fence, where we saw gazelle in what was essentially their backyard.
G – Green grams. Kenya was the first country where we ate primarily traditional foods. One of those foods was green grams, which are sort of like a combination of peas and lentils. They tasted okay but started to lose their appeal when served in giant piles with nothing to accompany them over and over again.
H – Home. There have been many moments on the race where I have felt a place beginning to feel like home, but I was especially overcome by that feeling in Kenya. I stayed in an actual home with an actual family – two kids and a grandma included!
J – Jecinta. Jecinta is the name of one of the girls living at the Bee Hive, a home for vulnerable teenage mothers and their babies, where I spent the majority of my month. She was mischievous and sassy and always ready to use her karate moves, but she did everything in love and had the purest, most joyful smile.
K – Kabernet. I had the opportunity to do prison ministry this month, and I eagerly rode through mountains and valleys to reach a small village where my teammates and I worshipped with the prisoners, shared what God was laying on our hearts, and prayed for them. We were told that we are the only visitors who pray one-on-one for the men, and while we were there, several men were saved!
L – Lake Nakuru. We lived in the city of Nakuru, and within is a beautiful lake. For Christmas, I was gifted with a safari by my lovely family, and my friends and I spent the entire day driving around the massive lake, seeing all sorts of wildlife.
M – Mosquitoes. The mosquitoes were rough in Kenya. Some nights, it would be nearly impossible to fall asleep due to their constant buzzing in your ears. Luckily, we all walked away with no malaria 😉
N – Nicole. I got to spend the month with my sweet co-leader/teammate, Nicole, and we celebrated her golden birthday together! We went on an insane hike in the middle of nowhere (after our matatu broke down and just barely made it) and nearly died trekking on the loose rocks, but, again, everyone lived to see another night (specifically, that night, where we ate ice cream and watched “Fast and Furious” to celebrate the life of an amazing person and friend).
O – Orphans. Before we left Kenya, I went to an elephant sanctuary in Nairobi! Baby elephants drank milk out of bottles and played in the mud, and there may have been tears in my eyes. It was the best day ever.
P – Paka. I spent a weekend at Mount Paka, living with the Pakat tribe, an indigenous group of people who, until very recently, thought they were forgotten – by the government, by God, by everyone. But the Lord sent a missionary to them to share the Gospel. Now, they have their own stick church that they built themselves, their own songs of praise, and an understanding of God and his love. This was an experience that I will never forget.
Q – Questions. I had some questions for God this month. There were moments where I felt empty and defeated and wanted to know where God was. He answered me in the mountains and the flowers and the gorges and the breeze. He answered me in girls I got to laugh with and love on beneath the setting sun. He answered me in the Word and in my heart, and he answered me in an outpouring of lavish love that he wants to give to all of his children.
R – Ride. Here is something I took for granted at home: driving and riding in cars. I had no idea how much I would miss it! I miss the convenience of it, the freedom it brings, and the way it clears my mind and makes me happy. This month, I took so many rides in the family land rovers! Being out of the city and able to ride around on mountain roads with the windows down and the music up was such a blessing.
S – Sunflowers. Another surprise I was blessed with this month was a sunflower field! Sunflower fields remind me of summers at home in the country with my very best friends, and God allowed me to discover one in Africa! I stood on the balcony at Baby House and stared out in awe and happiness for far too long before I remembered the waking babies downstairs.
T – Tortoise. Guess who else lived at our home? Yes, that’s right, a tortoise! This big guy spent his days wandering around the property, often walking up to tents to pay his friends a visit.
U – Uno. So much Uno. Lots and lots of Uno.
V – Victims. The teenage mothers at Bee Hive all experienced trauma; the majority were raped by personal acquaintances or relatives. They are all victims. But the word “victim” does not, in any way, define them. They are mothers, dreamers, chapati-makers, laughers, card players, karate masters, swimmers, young girls with bright eyes and hearts open for love.
W – Warthogs. Fun fact: The Swahili nickname for warthog is pumba – like in “The Lion King”! Additional fun fact: They’re actually really cute!
X – Xylophone. Okay, I don’t actually have any Kenyan memories related to a xylophone, but it is basically the only word I know that starts with an “x”. I do, however, associate music with the memory of tribal songs during our visit to Mount Paka. There was an elderly lady who drummed and danced with joy as everyone jumped or sat around in the firelight, singing along to the songs they had created to worship the Lord.
Y – YWAM. One of our teams was stationed at a YWAM base so Nicole and I, as squad leaders (check out my last blog if you are unfamiliar with this term), took a trip to go see them! While we were there, we had the most beautiful evening watching the sun set in the bush on a scene that looked like it came straight out of “The Lion King”.
Z – Zebras. I was obsessed with zebras in middle school and now that I have experienced a month of seeing them constantly, that feeling is starting to come back. They are so beautiful! Plus, they give me a word that starts with the letter “z” to close this blog!
Thanks for reading! Peace out from me & my favorite babies…
