I have been in KENYA for a
week and a half now..and I absolutely LOVE it! We arrived on June 1st
and had a debrief with our whole squad at a hostel in Nairobi for several days.
It was really good to see everyone and have several days to rest before jumping
back into ministry for the month. 
We then took a very bumpy
12-hour bus ride to Busia, where we will be doing ministry for the rest of the
month. My team is here along with another team from our squad- Team Radiance.
We are partnered with Pastor Gideon of Deliverance Church in Busia. I have
really enjoyed getting to know him, his family, and so many different people
from the congregation. They have welcomed us with open arms and have gone above
and beyond to make sure we have everything that we need. Church last Sunday was
amazing- to hear the people of Kenya sing and pray is something I will never
forget. It gives me chills every time! I am looking forward to spending the
next 3 Sundays with them. Hopefully I can take some video to share with you
all.
simple life here. Some gracious members of the congregation are actually
letting us stay in their home for the month, which is awesome! It’s been really
fun living here with them and getting to know them. There is actually typhoid
in all of the running water, so we use a well out back to draw all of our
water..and we take bucket showers. Showers are a
luxury..so they come few andfar between! One of our first meals was chicken..which was caught out back,
then plucked, and cooked- talk about fresh! ha I hand washed all of my clothes
for the first time since being here- with water that was drawn from the well.
We sleep under mosquito nets each night that we share with the person on each
side of us, and all 11 girls are sleeping on mattresses on the floor in one
room- kind of squished together like sardines. It makes for a good time, except
for the fact that there has been a lice outbreak- so sleeping in such close
conditions has made that a little tricky! We walk pretty much everywhere we go,
or take a boda-boda. This consists of an African man riding a bike with a small
seat on the back that you sit on. It’s pretty important that you have good
balance or you’ll basically fall off. It’s an adventure every time. ha Today I even carried a bucket of water on top of my head!!
some construction. We are helping the church build a new building, which will
have a classroom and office in it for Pastor Gideon. He has been waiting 14
years for an office! We used money that was left over from our team budget this
month to help buy supplies and pay several workers, so you all have played a
big part in making this dream come alive for them! The classroom is going to
allow him to teach classes to people in the community on Christian leadership-
they will be able to receive a certificate or a diploma when they complete
these classes. After this week we will be doing door-to-door evangelism,
hospital visits, prison visits, and school visits. I am really excited about
getting out into the community and talking with more of the precious people
from here.
The children here are
absolutely amazing. We have all decided that Kenyans make the most beautiful
babies. They run out of their homes to talk to you-they come alongside you and
stare up at you with big brown eyes and say, “How are you?” in their cute
little accents. They just want to be known, they want to be loved, and they
just want your affection. I’m pretty sure that I want to pack a few of them in
my backpack!
Our internet is somewhat
limited this month, but I will post as many blogs as I can (they might not
include too many pictures though, because the connection is very slow). Thank
you so much for all of your prayers- they are appreciated more than you know!
