Truth FM

My friend, James, and I went to bible school last year. I was able to watch him 'work out his faith with fear and trembling' I guess. He came needing a break from university life and his faith grew in incredible measures. Now every time I meet him, he is always encouraging me and telling me of how God has been good to him. 

A few months after we graduated he was offered a position at a local christian radio station to do a two hour show  in the evenings with his cousin. I have to admit that I had never heard of the radio station before but thought it was a pretty neat gig. I was in Nairobi for a few hours on my way home from Eldoret  so I called him up and he invited me along with him. It was a neat experience. I have never been in a radio station before (I am sure stations in the west work a little differently) but it was fun to see how it all worked. I got to pick out a lot of the music to be played and gave him some ideas for some upcoming shows. He asked me to speak on air but I wasn't quite ready for that so I said that maybe next time I'm in Nairobi, I will consider it. 

He has a great  radio voice. He spent 6 years in the US when he was younger so he has a very american accent and really fluent english. It works well for radio. 

A friend of his came in to tell his testimony so they talked together on air. 

Reunited and it feels so good....

This weekend was extra special cause some of my best friends from my bible school in Nairobi came down to attend the seminar. I haven't seen most of them since the end of May so it was an absolute DELIGHT to have them around this weekend.

They left Nairobi at 3am so when I met them for lunch at 2pm, they were half asleep.

PETER! We are still best of friends. I adore this young man. Since the end of bible school, he has started to run bible clubs and a few schools. He has also been accepted to go to Bible School in the UK on a full scholarship!!! I am beyond proud of him.

This was by far the most beautiful moment of my weekend. The guys from Nairobi had played football on our pitch that is right on the ocean. Afterwards, they decided to go for a dip in the water as the moon was shining high in the sky. The tide was low so they could walk far out (and many of them can't swim so there was no danger of them drowning in water that was only a few inches deep.) I listened from the shore as they giggled and splashed in the water. They were so happy. It warmed my heart. 

I missed laughing with Robert. He always knew how to make everyone laugh. He did the best impressions of people. He also will be going to the UK for bible school next year!

Thank you God for bringing my wonderful friends to Mombasa this weekend! 

Graduation!

15 weeks of hard work, a lot of learning and tons of fun has finally come to an end. Today we officially graduated! It was such a wonderful day. I enjoyed every minute of it. We sang songs of worship to our King who made this all possible. We celebrated with friends and family. We were sent off into the world more equipped for His work and ready to shine the light in us! 

This is my official transcript. If you look closely you can see that I am actually #1 academic student. I have a 3.97 GPA. I think this is the best I have ever performed academically. I was so happy! I got a nice gift certificate to a book store. 

I think the toughest part was having to say goodbye to all my classmates. It hasn't quite sunk in yet that I won't be seeing their shining faces everyday. Rahab is my best friend here. It's a good thing that we will be working together in Mombasa in a few weeks. 

The day was just wonderful. It was a celebration of us as conquerers of bible school. It was a send off for us to go into the world and preach the gospel to all nations. For me, the best part of the day was when a visitor from a top bible school in England awarded 3 of our boys a full scholarship to the school! These 3 boys are so thirsty to know God and I am so so excited for them. It's an opportunity of a lifetime. I don't think they ever thought that they would be able to leave Kenya let alone get a scholarship to further their studies outside the country. Tears welled up in my eyes seeing the joy and excitement on their faces. Pray that God would make a way for them to get there. Getting a visa to the UK is often difficult for Kenyan citizens but with God all things are possible. 

This season has ended and another is about to begin. I am taking the next few weeks to do some travelling visiting various friends and ministries that I have been involved with in the past. At the end of the month I plan to be in Mombasa and start working full time with the staff there. I am looking forward to what God has in store for me there. My heart is just booming for the youth in this country. I am ready to show them the extravagant love of Christ! 

To shago we go!

"Shago" is a slang word for upcountry or someone's home village. Our last camp we went to a small village upcountry called Mwea. It was quite the experience. It was very rural! But I LOVE it. God really confirmed my heart for small villages and the people in them. From the minute I arrived, I felt such a peace there which was so amazing considering the harsh living conditions. It was so hot and humid, there was no electricity, we had to bath with dirty river water in a bucket, and because of the rice plantations there were so many mosquitoes which chewed us to pieces. But I can't complain. It was beautiful, quiet, peaceful, heavenly.

One of the groups had their discussion under the tree. It got so hot during the day that we would take refuge under the shade whenever we got the chance.

We didn't have that many campers and the campers that came were a bit challenging. They lacked discipline and didn't speak good swahili let alone english. We also had issues with some boys showing up drunk and smoking. And we had to keep a close eye on boys and girls who were getting to close. The village can be boring for youth so they find fun and entertainment in having sex. My heart really broke for these youth.

Peter is so good with the kids. He speaks their mother tongue so he really connected with them. 

We bought all our food from the locals including these 13 chickens that we slaughtered. Even I slaughtered one! I then helped pluck it and prepare it to be eaten. It was delicious!

It was a challenging but amazing experience. I was amazed at how much my heart really was at peace where we were even considering it's many difficulties. I can see myself working in a place like this one day. Bucket baths and kerosene lanterns here I come!

The people I will miss

We graduate bible school on Sunday. These past 3 and a half months seemed to have gone by so quickly. I woke up this morning dreading the thought of leaving my classmates I have grown to love over the past 3 and a half months. It's different than leaving my friends in college. It's harder. We have done everything together since January. Barely an hour goes by when we don't see each other. We ate together, we ran at 5am together, we learned together, we played football together, we pulled weeds together, we sang together, we memorized verses together and even when we had free time often we had free time together. I will miss these people terribly! I pray that we would still be able to stay connect so it's not goodbye forever (or at least until heaven).  Here are only a few of my fav moments and faces that I will miss.

Rahab and I going around and around on the ride. We giggled the whole time as we went up and down and all around.

Peter is my brother. We have had so many good chats, good laughs, good times together. 

James is so good to everyone. He always makes people feel loved and included.

Not a day goes by when we don't laugh till we cry. 

Goodbye for now my friends! I love you all!

Bringing the ghetto home

Today was the final day of camps until august when school is out again. We had 200 kids come to our home from the ghetto last week. You should have seen their faces when they saw how big their beds where and how nice the hot showers felt. They would shower 3 times a day because they never get hot water. They LOVED the food. For many of them, it was their favourite part of the camp. They ate foods that they get maybe once or twice a year. It was a challenging but fun week. I was a counsellor along with 2 others in a dorm room with 12 girls. I think I have expressed before how much I dislike living in a dorm. I like my own space and peace so I had to put aside all my own comforts and learn to adapt and love these girls' way of life. They stole my heart as I got to know them throughout the week. 

This was the last day of camp as I am sending them out the door. I was exhausted after staying up late watching and listening to the girls sing and dance traditional dances.

I had been waiting for weeks to see this cow give birth. In the middle of a volleyball match, we noticed the cow rolling around own the ground with her legs in the air. We called over the men who watch the cows and they started to pull the baby calf out. Out came the new addition to our compound! Mom started licking the slimy baby right away.

Every night we had a theme and this night was twin night. James often gets teased because of his light skin and his american ways (he spent 6 years in the US when he was younger). So we decided to be twins.

These 3 boys crack everyone up. From left to right is Deno, Pudo, and Mich. You would think they are brothers because they act the same and are always found within a few meters of each other. They are just great friends who know how to make kids have a good time. They always amaze me as they never seem to run out of energy and psych. Even last week Deno was suffering from malaria and lost his father but you would have never known. Amazing boys.

This is Kate. She was one of our best campers and a sweet girl. 

It was a great, but exhausting week. I loved loved loved getting to know these kids. Most of them deal with daily trials which most people in the West will never experience in their life yet they are full of lots of love to give. It was amazing just to shower them with love and treat them to an awesome week of camp where they could just lay aside all responsibilities they have at home and be kids.

Roller coaster Time!

Last sunday we were all called to the vehicle and were told that we are going somewhere special. I personally thought we were going for ice cream. Actually I was hoping we were going for ice cream but instead we ended up at a mini theme park. There was this one particular ride called the banana boat ride which Makau wanted everyone to try. I took one look at it and said NO WAY. First, I hate roller coasters. I have never liked them even as a kid. I get motion sick really easily and I don't like feeling that way just for a few minutes of fun. So I opted out but all the others took the plunge and did. Boy am I ever glad I stayed on the ground. The thing went up and down and around in circles while my friends were screaming at the top of their lungs. I laughed the whole time. 

Here they are just before the ride started. They looked less excited once they got off the ride.

The rides were sketchy. I am pretty sure they were like old rides from the West which were thrown out because they were unsafe to use. I looked at this board and laughed as it is at our own risk that we take these rides. The park people obviously know that their rides could collapse at any time. 

This picture very accurately depicts the relationship between Makau and I. Him trying to tell me something stupid and me being less than impressed. 

Chao and Naomi had a romantic ride going around in circles for what seemed like 20 minutes. 

James is always one to make me smile. He is full of character and life. We get big laughs out of him.

It was a fun outing even though I didn't get on any of the rides. We enjoyed just being out together as our time with each other is quickly coming to an end with only 2 weeks until graduation. I will miss these people!

Naivasha camping trip

Classes were officially over on friday as we did our last exam. We left Friday afternoon for a weekend camping trip to Naivasha. It was a new experience for me as I have never been camping in Africa before. I used to go camping when I was little with my daddy but we always slept in a tent trailer and had a gas stove to cook yummy food on. And camping just wasn't camping without marshmallows and jiffy pop. Well, this camping trip was a little bit different but still the same old style of camping I am used to. 

This is Chao. He is one of the staff at Word of Life. We had our church service looking out over Naivasha lake. It was beautiful. There are tons of hippos in the lake. Did you know that hippos are considered the most dangerous animal in Africa??? They seem so harmless.

This is Sammy who we affectionately call "Baba Nduko" which literally means father of stress. He isn't really a stressful guy but some of his buddies started telling us that he has a child of his own named 'nduko' which means stress. It was all a big joke but he will always be our wonderful Baba Nduko.

We were preparing sandwiches for the hike we were going for. They have never been more excited about peanut butter and jam!

Cooking for 30 people over a campfire was a challenge for me. For the others, they are used to it but I was amazed at their culinary skills. The food was delicious. Here, we were making pilau and beef stew. 

Here I am, little camper girl. My daddy would be so proud of me. 

Limuru Girls High School

I have been fortunate enough to have been able to attend a bible club a national girls high school in Limuru. I have begun to fall in love with these girls. They are full of psych and energy for Jesus. The two hours I get to spend with them on Saturdays are pure joy. This past saturday, we hosted a fun day at their school. We divided them up into two teams and they competed in various games, singing, eating, and dancing competitions. We had a few of our boys come and be their leaders. 

The girls had so much energy. They have a lot of 'tude. But its good and healthy. They are so animated and as you can tell by their faces, they were having too much fun. 

This is my friend, lovely Linda. I love getting to see her every saturday. She is from the coast so I might get to see her a few times when I move there. She is a precious girl with a soft and tender heart. 

Rahab was pooped out by the end of it.

Limuru is nestled amongst rolling hills of tea plants. If you look closely, the green is not grass. It is acres and acres of tea plants. I am always in awe when we drive through this area. 

We had an amazing day worshipping, glorifying and praising our great God. We had at least one girl come to Christ which was so wonderful. Thank you Jesus!!

Happy Birthday to me!

Yesterday was my 22nd birthday. Birthdays generally aren't a big deal here but my classmates made it extra special for me. I have to admit that I was a bit weepy in the morning missing my friends and family back home. Often, I really crave being around people who just know me well. But my friends here quickly made my tears dry up. I had such a fantastic day. 

My bestie Rahab baked me a delicious cake to share with everyone. I blew out all my candles as everyone sang their rowdy version of 'Happy Birthday to you'. They were banging on tables and jumping around singing in swahili. It was a hoot. 

Everyone was excited!

It was a special day! I am so thankful for the past 22 years of life that God has given me. He continues to guide me, transform me, and love me unconditionally!

Weekly happenings

I found this beautiful moth in our bathroom last week. You can't tell but its about the size of my hand. Its as big as a bird. It is harmless though. I was scared at first but the thing is so huge I think it is a struggle for it to fly. 

This past saturday, one of my classmates took me home with him for a few hours to visit his sisters. His sister had prepared lunch for us and it was such a treat. You know in Africa, you can never be completely sure of kind of meat you are eating. I looked at the meat in the stew trying to figure out what it was. It definitely wasn't chicken and it was darker than beef. Finally, I ask and they told me it was liver. Yup, liver stew. I have never been a fan of liver but I have to say that this stew was delicious! I actually had seconds. Plus, it is so nutritional. I could feel my body absorbing the nutrients. Ok, maybe not quite. 

Class time! This is my desk and the people I stare at all day. They look a little tired don't they? When we get up at 4:30am and go jogging, by 11am we are exhausted. It's funny to watch certain individuals' eyes doze off. We have one boy who even pretends to read yet really he is sleeping. He usually sleeps for a few minutes, wakes up, looks around, changes the page, and pretends to read again. Its funny to watch. 

It's amazing to think that we only have a week and a half left of classes. Time seemed to have gone by so fast. Also, today I am able to say 50 verses word perfect! Its a cool accomplishment.