This is it— June 24th, I will be back on U.S. soil. My team and I are still in Vietnam and preparing to be in Indonesia in a few days for our last month. “Our last month,” my how surreal that is.
It’s been difficult to try and summarize all that has happened on the Race. I try to skim through all the memories and moments in my head to put in a blog but it isn’t as easy as I hoped it to be.
Anyway, I am wanting to catch you all up as much as I can before being back in the States so here is some info on my time in Kenya!
Kenya was definitely one of the busiest month. While there, we stayed with hosts running an organization called Glory Shiners. Already, so much has happened as those amazing hosts are soon headed to Nepal for a new season God has planned for them. God moves in mysterious ways!
While we stayed there, most of us set up camp— as in, we slept outside in our tents. I would wake up around 4 or 5 in the morning, so cold, that I would the wander off into the house for some quite time and warmth. During the day it was somewhere around the highs of 82 degrees but you could sure feel those lower 50s at night.
Glory Shiners worked in 2 major areas— prison ministry (discipleship) and outreach to unreached people groups.
The catchphrase of Glory Shines is “Yesu ni safari,” which is Swahili for “Jesus is a journey.” And, boy, was this month just the beginning of a new journey for me.
Our first few days, we helped build a new enclosure for animals that would help the organization become more self-sustainable. They use fluffy bunnies, chicken, and turkey.
Glory Shiners also got us connected to some other ministries that I spent the majority of my time with. One of the ministries was called The Beehive. This home was a refuge for young girls who had gotten pregnant through unfortunate events and had decided to keep their babies. Many of the girls found themselves here as the government placed them in the home for their own safety. Alan and Jane, the amazing couple that founded this safe haven, are so involved in the lives of each girl in the two homes in Nakuru.
As many of the girls now had a chance to continue with their education because of the opportunities that the Beehive allowed them, most of the early day was filled with loving their little ones and spending time with the girls who were soon expecting.
My time there was filled with baby loving, games, giggles, and learning to prepare and eat different food! Before leaving, we were able to have a special day with the girls at the pool! This month was so dear to my heart. It was such a sweet reminder of my heart for young girls. It also made me miss my girls back home.
I also got to meet Gloria. Along with her husband, Gloria has taken many young girls into her home and the girls have become a wonderful part of their family. These girls were so full of life and I had a terrible time saying goodbye to them. I just wanted more time with them.
In general, this month was a time where I truly realized my desire for mentoring/discipling youth. Especially, girls. It was so sweet.
But this month was also a bittersweet month in the fact that it was the very beginning to a very hard season within me. In my last blog, I mentioned wanting to let you know a little more about living with guys. And I will let you know very soon.
But, for now, I want to share that this was the month where I began to learn a lot about emotionally healthy spirituality, or what can also be known as inner healing. And, let me tell you, it was not pretty. It was during this month that I had a major meltdown— you may remember reading a little about it: https://friedarenee.theworldrace.org/post/halfway-gone
That meltdown was just one of many more that were to come while on the Race. I’m on the other side of those meltdowns and I want to share a little more of what God has been doing within me, as well as around me through ministry.
So, keep an eye out for more upcoming blogs 🙂
