. . . .UnDeep Thoughts

{Colorado Vacation}

2012-01-12T02:04:00.000-06:00

I'm currently on a Colorado (Pagosa Springs, CO) vacation with some of my neighbors from the Glasgow Ghetto and it has been fabulous! I've attempted snowboarding for the first time and though I'm quite sore and bruised up, I have loved it. We've done some pretty awesome exploring in the mountains, spent a day in Durango, gone to 3 different breweries, eaten a lot of good food, soaked in the natural hot springs, played hilarious games, and the fun continues.

Here are a few pics from the past few days:

Sarah, Paul and I hiked to Treasure Falls and it was gorgeous!!! The falls were frozen over so we walked over the ice (not the safest thing I've ever done since you could hear the water rushing under us because it was beginning to thaw, but it was totally worth risking our lives! :)

(Paul's Pic)

(Paul's Pic) At Treasure Falls

We are going on another adventure tomorrow to find another waterfall, hitting up the hot springs again and then hopefully another day of snowboarding before leaving on Saturday morning. Paul has taken some pretty amazing photos since being here, so hopefully, I'll be able to snag a few to post in the near future!

{Brussel Sprouts}

2011-12-29T13:31:00.002-06:00

Brussel sprouts are one of those vegetables that are really good for you, but are commonly hated for their bitter taste! I have tried brussel sprouts in the past, but could not bring myself to even finish the portion I was served. So I've done some research about brussel sprouts to learn their health benefits in an effort to try to convince myself to learn to like them. In addition, I'm determined to find a recipe that I like, so I'm going through a list of brussel sprout recipes until I find one that stands out and makes them edible for me! When searching for recipes, I've tried to find ones that preserve the health benefits of the sprouts (why eat them if they aren't healthy anymore) by not adding a ton of sauces or mixing them in with other foods (ham, bacon, etc). I've tried to keep it simple and organic.

Health benefits:

They are high in fiber, high in protein (unlike most vegetables), vitamin C, calcium, etc. They also may help with fighting cancer! And they are low in fat and calories!

Brussels Sprouts, Fresh, Cooked
Serving Size: 1/2 cup

Calories	30
Fat	<1 g
Saturated Fat	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg
Carbohydrate	7 g
Protein	2 g
Dietary Fiber	2 g
Sodium	17 mg
Vitamin A	604 IU
Vitamin C	48 mg
Folic Acid	47 mcg
Iron	1 mg
Potassium	247 mg
Carotenoids	1,369 micrograms

(Taken from here)

I LOVE the TLC website, tlc.howstuffworks.com! I have found so much useful information on there, so naturally, the first recipe I tried was this one!

Recipe #1:

1. Cut stem from each Brussels sprout and pull off outer or bruised leaves.

2. For faster, more even cooking, cross-hatch core by cutting an "X" deep into the stem end of each sprout with small paring knife. Refresh sprouts for 5

minutes in bowl of cold water; drain.

3. Use large enough saucepan to allow sprouts to fit in a single layer. Pour cooking liquid (broth or water) into saucepan. To braise sprouts, place sprouts with stem ends down in broth. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium-low. Cover; simmer about 5 minutes or just until sprouts turn bright green and are crisp-tender when pierced with a fork.

4. Uncover; simmer until liquid is almost evaporated. Drain.

Verdict #1:

It's a little more time consuming to cut the "X" in each sprout, but I actually REALLY liked them!!! I didn't even add salt or pepper. I just ate them plain. They tasted very similar to broccoli. Keeping in mind the health benefits, I could see myself using this recipe regularly.

Recipe #2 (from here):

Ingredients

1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
3 tablespoons good olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Cut off the brown ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves.

3. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt and pepper.

4. Pour them on a sheet pan and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.

5. Sprinkle with more kosher salt ( I like these salty like French fries), and serve immediately.

Verdict #2:

I BURNED THEM! Ooops. I was able to salvage a few and taste them. I had to force myself to swallow them! These had the nasty brussel sprout taste that so badly turned me off to sprouts in the first place. Yuk! And obviously the cook time needs to be altered a little for my oven. But regardless, I won't be trying this recipe again.

What is your favorite brussel sprout recipe?

{Advent}

2011-12-06T00:00:00.000-06:00

Advent: God With Us from The Village Church on Vimeo. Featuring Isaac Wimberely, entitled “Advent: God with Us.” It’s also on the new Folk Angel album.

{Yogurt}

2011-11-29T14:16:00.005-06:00

I started making my own yogurt a few months ago and it has been great. I add it to my smoothie every morning for breakfast in addition to eating it with granola and other things.

It's so easy to make and tastes just as good as store-bought yogurt, but it's cheaper and it's better for the environment by re-using my container.

What you need:

Crock pot

8 Cups of Milk (1/2 Gallon)
1/2 Cup of Live Active Culture Yogurt

Whisk

Large bath towel

Thermometer (optional)

Cheesecloth or coffee filters and colander (optional)

Start by pouring your milk (I use organic, skim milk, but it tastes better with whole milk) into your crock pot and turning it on low for 2 1/2-3 hours.

Let cool for 3 hours with the lid on.

Remove 1-2 Cups and whisk in cultured yogurt. I save some from my previous batch so it will be ready for my next batch. Pour the mixture back into the crock pot and whisk together.

Wrap the entire crock pot in a thick towel or two to insulate it. And leave it for 8-12 hours (I usually leave it overnight).

At this point you can either stir it and leave it in the fridge. Or if you prefer Greek yogurt, line your colander with either a cheesecloth or a large coffee filter and let it sit over a large bowl while it's refrigerating. This will strain out the whey and leave you with thicker yogurt. Make sure and save the whey! There are a lot of benefits of whey and it can be used in smoothies and in the place of buttermilk when cooking.

*I prefer Greek-style yogurt but have been fairly unsuccessful trying to strain it with a cheesecloth. I also recently bought a new crock pot and it seems to be heating much hotter so 3 batches in a row did not turn out. After doing some research about what was going on, I found out that the temperature of my hot milk was probably way too hot and needed to sit longer before adding the cultured yogurt. The ideal temperature should be around 110-112. So my last few batches I've been testing the temperature until I get used to this new crock pot.

{Beach Vacation}

2011-11-15T01:37:00.000-06:00

I had not left DFW in over a year (!!!!!!!!) and was going absolutely stir crazy, so for my birthday this summer I asked my parents if they would take me out of Dallas for a vacation. We decided to fly down to South Padre Island for a few days and had some fun. My main goal for the weekend was to relax on the beach and to make great use of my boogie board! Neither of those happened. Turns out there are no waves in the month of August (see pic above for proof) so its impossible to ride them on any sort of board, and I was too cheap to rent an umbrella for an entire day and only actually use it for an hour or two at a time...so relaxing on the beach didn't happen either. Instead, we went out and filled our days with different activities. It ended up being really fun!

We went on a dolphin watching "cruise" (and I use that term loosely!)

While on the cruise they caught sea life and let us hold different fish and creatures. LOVED the starfish!

We went parasailing which was SO much fun!

Probably my favorite thing of the entire weekend was going to the Sea Turtle Center! It was so great! These beautiful and ginormous turtles are rescued and taken to this center and will either be rehabilitated and released again or given a home if it's not safe enough for them to live in the wild again. They are kept in these giant tanks and you can see them swimming and playing. They have such personalities! They also hatch baby turtles to release when big enough and they were so adorable! I loved the turtle center and would go back in a heartbeat!

Overall, vacation didn't turn out as I had planned, but it was still super fun and definitely accomplished my goal of leaving Dallas!

{Cakes}

2011-11-11T11:56:00.001-06:00

A few cakes from the past months

My nephew's circle-themed birthday party cake

My mom's birthday cake

This was actually a wedding cake

Well Done, Geico.

2011-10-27T18:18:00.001-05:00

{Deodorant}

2011-10-10T15:51:00.017-05:00

I've been looking into a lot of money-saving ideas lately and figuring out what I can make myself that will save on cash. I'm also gradually moving towards living a little more green. Combine that with doing some research on the health risks of aluminum, and what do you get?

HOMEMADE DEODORANT!!!

Here is a link to an article with a few of the health risks of aluminum, but there are so many more websites that talk about it and can easily be found, thanks to our friend, Google.

Some of the health risks include breast cancer, Alzheimer's, and should not be used with people who have kidney problems. There are a lot of people who would argue that aluminum really isn't that dangerous, but isn't that what they said about cigarettes at first too? Better safe than sorry, right?

Then I started to look at what else contains aluminum:

Drinking water

Antacids

Cooking Utensils

Beer

Anti-perspirants
Many body lotions and cremes
Most cosmetics
Shampoos and conditioners
Soaps
Suntan lotions
Lip Balm

Foods containing aluminum or made with aluminized baking powder:

Microwave popcorn
Salted snacks
Hot cocoa mixes
Coffee creamers
Pickles and relish
Flour tortillas
Pizza crust
Muffins
Doughnuts
Cookies
Pancakes
Waffles

And the list goes on and on and on and on and on and on...

(A more comprehensive list and great article can be found here.)

GEEZ!!! That's overwhelming!

So...baby steps.

For now, I'm starting with making my own deodorant and here's how it went...

1/4 Cup of Cornstarch

1/4 Cup of Baking Soda

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil

Essential oils (I used lavender because I already had it)

Empty deodorant container (reduce, reuse, recycle!)

Combine cornstarch and baking soda in small bowl

Add a few drops of essential oils to make it smell pretty :) Any combination of your choice!

Mix in coconut oil until it's a silky texture

Mash into an empty deodorant container

Let it set for a day or two, then use liberally!

Store cost: $4.25 (For aluminum free)

My cost: FREE! (I already had all of these ingredients in my cabinet and actually they were all given to me by a friend who recently moved)

Home for the Holidays

2010-11-24T00:12:00.006-06:00

The holidays are coming.

Anyone that knows me knows how much I love Christmas. I go all out with the decorating...some would even say to the extreme. I love the cold weather. I love all the lights and sparkle. I love the smell of fires in the fireplaces.

But it's also the time of year that I ache to be overseas. I miss it so much. It's home to me and I wish I could go home for the holidays.

I was looking through some old pictures tonight and it made me sad. I have a memory for every little face in every picture. I miss those faces. I miss those memories.

Even though I can't go home for the holidays, my heart is there.

Actions Speak Louder

2010-11-16T14:39:00.003-06:00

The single is out! Go HERE to download!!!

All It Takes Is ONE:: ACTIONS SPEAK LOUDER

2010-11-15T12:26:00.004-06:00

All it takes is one. All it took was one strand of E.coli to be processed into one hamburger patty, to make it to one Burger King, to one mom, whose one son, took one bite and the one life he had would then be over. All it took was a series of one events to lead to one of the biggest recalls on beef. Because of one situation America has never been the same.

In 2001, one man, Vernon burger, who had one passion, that being Jesus, took one trip to Southern Sudan and connected with one bishop, who was trying to love and spread the Gospel to many who were orphaned by the civil war. Since that one trip in 2001, HIS VOICE GLOBAL has been in an ongoing relationship with the EPC (Evangelical Presbyterian Church), 10 years and three orphanages later they seek to continue the movement to open a fourth.

You might ask the question what makes this place so special? Sudan was in war for over 20 years before signing a peace agreement in 2006. Until the peace agreement this was the longest civil war to date in human history, leaving over 2 million dead and many children without parents. So what makes this place unique!?!? Many things but one is that there are many who have teamed up, like HIS VOICE GLOBAL and The Village Church, to be a gospel centered presence through proclamation and practice. While The Village Church has sent many teams to train pastors, equip leaders and love the children in these orphanages in Yei, HIS VOICE GLOBAL was the door that God used to bring a gospel centered presence from the west into this area of the world. Now there is an opportunity for you to be a part of this continued movement of Christ in this region for as little as a dollar.

This past September a group of 13 from all walks of life from Reach Records, The village Church, Red Revolution, Collision Records and HIS VOICE GLOBAL partnered under The Village banner to go and minister to those in Southern Sudan. They ministered through teaching, medical, music, and loving children who were victims of the Civil War that now live in one of the three Orphanages sponsored by HIS VOICE GLOBAL. Moved by the fruit there and continued need, Tedashii, Lecrae (Reach Records artist), Swoope (Collision Records artist) and Jai teamed up to do a single to raise awareness and funds for a fourth orphanage in Southern Sudan. The single, which is slated to be released November 16th under new label Collision Records is called Actions Speak Louder. This single and symbol seen above calls believers to move beyond awareness and put their prayers in motion, to quote the song. The symbol inspired by the scriptures that say a strand of three cords are not easily broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12), the exclamation points showing the immediate nature of the call to apply the gospel (Luke 4:18-19), the highlight of one exclamation point showing the power of one to change and lead others and the patch like design showing the reality that there is strength in numbers, calling believers to action, an action beyond themselves.

So leading up to this date will you be the one to blog, the one to tweet, the one to put a twibbon on your twitter account, the one to Facebook, the one to lead and allow your actions to speak as loud as your words. The average number of songs downloaded per day are close to 10,000,000 yes that is correct 10 million. Come November 16th HIS VOICE GLOBAL only needs over 250,000 one’s to download this amazing song (which is not even 10% of the daily average) to complete and have a fourth self sustaining orphanage. We are not asking you to change your lifestyle just point your efforts toward something that will last. The amazing thing about this whole campaign is that 100 percent of the profits from the song will go toward this fourth orphanage. All it takes is one!!!

My First Fondant Cake

2010-10-18T14:43:00.009-05:00

I have wanted to attempt making a cake with fondant icing for a long time. But working with fondant is not an easy task and I've never really had a reason/event to justify spending that kind of time and effort on a cake.

Every year my neighbors and I throw a Pumpkin Carving Party. This year, I knew the party would be larger than years past because we have more neighbors, equaling a larger guest list. I decided it was time to try a fondant cake.

I knew my mom was going to come to town to go to the State Fair together, so what a perfect time to solicit help with this cake!

I had a vision in mind of what I wanted the cake to look like. 3 tiers sitting at angles. Orange. Jack-o-lantern face on the middle tier. Overall, pumpkiny.

My mom and I spent one night baking all the cake layers, then spent hours the next day assembling the cake. It became very clear right away that this cake was not going to turn out the way I imagined it. First of all, to make the tiers sitting on an angle, this cake would need to be huge! Much bigger than necessary. Secondly, because each tier was so much smaller, there was no way I was going to fit a face on one single tier. So after talking it through with my mom, we got rid of the entire vision and started over.

This is what it looked like:

AND 3 DAYS LATER:

It was a little lop-sided and a little bumpy, but even though it wasn't perfect, but for our first attempt, I was pleased with the outcome...and we had fun doing it! So it was all worth it!

I'm back...

2010-07-24T01:28:00.001-05:00

This is a LONG overdue update! And I'll make it quick. I've been procrastinating on writing this because I didn't really know what to say or how to say it. So the short version is, I'm back in Texas. I left Kenya mid June. It was a decision I had been contemplating for a couple of months and after seeking council from some close friends and the missions staff at my church, we all agreed that I should come home.

Although there were a lot of things about my time in Kenya that were not great, let me leave you with some positive things:
-I learned so much about myself, about the Lord and about missions while I was in Kenya.
-My relationship with the Lord was strengthened.
-I accomplished the tasks I was sent to accomplish.
-I met some incredible people.
-I grew as an individual.
-I learned more about what it means to work with a team.

...and there are so many more.

Since returning, I've gone through my ups and downs and moments of self-doubt, but I am sure about one thing: God is still God and he knew from the very beginning of time that I would go to Kenya on February 2, 2010, thinking I would be there until December. But he knew exactly when I would come home. It was his plan from the beginning. I don't fully understand his purposes behind all of the things he does, but I know he does have a plan and I'm his child, so I am apart of that plan.

I still have a burden for the nations and I know that is something God has placed within me. But for now, I'm going to see what God has for me in Dallas...which means finding a job and trying to live day by day!

Thank you for all of your prayers and encouragement!

Grace and peace,

Amanda

If you would please continue to pray for me in these ways:
-Pray for the re-entry process. I've had my fair share of bad days since returning (which is common), so pray that the Lord would be near to me during those times.
-Pray that I would find a job...and soon. But not just any job, the job that will bring the most glory to God.
-Health. Just like before I left, I need to get some dental work done. Pray that the pain would be light and the bill would be small. I think I will be going to Fort Worth for a few days next week to get it done and I'm not looking forward to it.
-Pray that God would provide friends who are encouraging and strong in the Lord.

Read Recently

2010-05-18T11:54:00.004-05:00

Finally finished:

(Highly recommend!)

Read this weekend:

(Highly recommend....with a box of kleenex!)

Now, on to:

Highlights from Ethiopia

2010-05-06T12:48:00.006-05:00

Lake Langano

Outside of a mosque with many of the Muslim women in the community (one of my favorite memories)

The first delivery I had ever seen or been a part of! It was AMAZING!

Delivery #2, within 12 hours of #1

A colobus monkey hanging out on my roof

A team from my church came for a week...it was super awesome to have friends again!

We got stuck in the mud...multiple times!

Birth #4 of 6, baby being resuscitated

Laura and I taking turns manually sucking the meconium out of the little guy

Jalato, one of my favorites! He's a 6 month old malnourished baby coming in just over 6 lbs. I got to spend a good chunk of time with him and got really attached.

Jalato just diarrhea-ed all over me!

Allyson, Laura and I going to a funeral

Allyson giving me a gorsha of food on my last night!

25 March 2010 Journal Entry

2010-05-03T02:43:00.004-05:00

I’m in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I came to Ethiopia with the purpose of encouraging and lending a hand to a missionary family from my church. They live southwest of Addis by about 4 hours, in the Lake Langano area. This family has had a rough time since they’ve moved to Ethiopia, so I’ll be spending the month of April with them and will leave May 2 to return to Kenya.

Some observations of Addis:

Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia and has a population of about 3.5 million people. I love the feel of Addis. The city very much has an arab influence, so I love that. As I’m writing this, I can hear the Muezzin calling the Muslims to prayer. I love walking down the street and seeing the women’s heads covered by beautiful handmade fabrics. In my opinion, the Ethiopian people are some of the most beautiful people in the world. And although extremely different from Nairobi, I find Addis Ababa enchanting.

My first perception of Addis is that it has more poverty than Nairobi. But after examining the city more closely, I’m not really sure that is true.

There are beggars on every corner of this city and many have set up camp outside of the churches. There are homeless people lining the streets. In the middle of the day, on any major street, I can see people sleeping on their make-shift beds. It seems as though Ethiopia has a lot more people with disabilities than I have seen in any other major city. I see blind people everywhere I go. Most of the beggars on the corners are either missing limbs or are crippled in some way. I don’t see this as much in Nairobi. I have also noticed that people seem more friendly here. Even out of their own poverty I notice that passerby's are willing to give to these beggars. Maybe it is out of religious duty or maybe it is out of kindness. I will never know their motivation.

Upon taking notice of all of the poverty that surrounds me, this country is seemingly more poor than Kenya. But maybe not. Maybe Ethiopia just wears it’s poverty on it’s sleeve. The rich and the poor intermingle, in contrast to Nairobi, where Kenya hides it’s poverty in the slums; places westerners rarely travel. Maybe the western influence on Kenyans has caused them to separate their social classes more clearly, as Americans do. Let the poor know for certain how poor they are by making them live in a specific section of town. Put a label on them. They are from Kibera. They are from Soweto. They are from Vickery Meadows. They are from South Dallas. They are from East Fort Worth.

What would happen if someone from Kibera was given the opportunity to live in the Westlands of Nairobi? What would happen if someone from South Dallas was given the opportunity to live in the Highland Park area of Dallas? Would they believe they could achieve more? Would they believe they could be better? Would that break their mindset and cycle of poverty? Maybe if the label of one’s social class was removed, we could be a little more like Addis Ababa. Where the rich and the poor pass each other on the same street. Where the rich help the poor. Where the poor are neighbors to the rich. Where their pride for their nation displays itself as loving one another because they know that regardless of status, they are all still one body. They are Ethiopian.

What if, as Christians, we learned something from the people of Addis Ababa? What if we removed the labels of social class? What if we helped the poor more freely? What if we loved one another regardless of status? What if we treated each other like we were one body; brothers and sisters?

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
James 2:15-17

Ghetto Ride

2010-05-03T02:42:00.002-05:00

I got in a taxi tonight without having any idea I would experience the most ghetto ride of my life. This old Ethiopian man was listening to “gangsta rap” music that had the “f” word in every sentence. The dash was covered in fur. And he had a heart stuck to his windshield that lit up with the word “love” every time he tapped his breaks. I thought I was back in East Dallas!

I saw a man do the nastiest snot rocket I’ve ever seen. It was one of those that connected all the way from the ground to his nose. And of course, he had to pinch it off to get it to disconnect. It was great.

The Weekend, Part 1

2010-03-16T16:18:00.005-05:00

It has been an interesting week or so. Last week we all found ourselves extremely stressed and in need of God's grace (though we need that every day, but especially last week).

Julie, Melinda (another Kijabe missionary) and myself discussed the idea of going out of town for the weekend (them taking their husbands and me taking... myself!). That same night some old friends of mine that I had met back in 2007 while living in Kitale called and said they were going to be coming through Nairobi and wanted to know if I would have any free time and would be able to hang out for a day or so. Then they went ahead and threw out the idea of me going back to Kitale with them for a few days. They are both only in Kenya for another month or so and I hadn't seen them in 2 years (along with many of my other Kitale friends I hadn't seen in 2 years) so I thought about it for a few minutes, then called them back and said I was in! I canceled my weekend with the married couples and got ready to go to Nairobi.

Last Wednesday I hitched a ride with the RVA (Rift Valley Academy) girls field hockey team and made it to Nairobi. After arriving I got a call from my friends saying they would not make it into Nairobi from Tanzania until after 2am because of bus problems and they were just going to sleep on the bus. So I was on my own! No problem!

I knew exactly what I was going to spend my time doing. I went straight to the Nakumatt (a Kenyan grocery store) "mall" that is about a block away from the hotel I always stay at when I'm in Nairobi. I stocked up on movies that I had been wanting to see. Then I walked another block down to the Java House...my FAVORITE place to eat. It is truly an oasis. They have the best seasoned french fries in the whole world. I've tried to get the seasoning recipe from the workers many times before, but have failed. I sat there and sipped a latte, ate my fries, and worked on some computer stuff. Half way through my meal I realized I would much rather be eating this food in my pajamas, on my bed, in front of my computer playing one of my new movies. I packed up my food and headed back to my hotel. I did just that. Until my computer battery died and I realized the outlet in my room did not work.

Being the crazy white girl that I am, I took my computer downstairs to the lobby and sat by the fish tank and charged it for about an hour. I can't tell you how many stares I got as people walked through the lobby and saw me in my pajamas charging my bright red laptop! I had multiple hotel workers ask me if I needed help. I simply said, "No. I'm just charging my computer. My outlet in my room is broken." Darn. I should have thought to bring a book with me to read. At least then I would have been doing something instead of staring at the people checking in and occasionally playing games on my phone.

After a bit of charging, I went back to my room and finished the movie that I was in the middle of when my computer died. Thankfully, my computer lasted through the movie, but was almost dead again so there was no way I was going to go and sit back in that uncomfortable lobby again and get more stares.

After my movie I decided to go to sleep. I turned off the light and got under the covers. An hour later, when I was still awake, I checked the clock to see what time it was. Yes, 9 pm. I laid there and stared into the dark for hours. At some point during the night I fell asleep, only to be awoken to my phone ringing at 6:45am. Apparently, my friends had already been waiting outside my hotel for an hour (they finally got kicked off the bus) and wanted to know when I would be ready to go eat breakfast.

After breakfast we headed to the shuttle stage (a place where you find the different "mini vans" that hold about 11 passengers and go directly to other towns throughout Kenya, non stop). We took the North Rift Valley shuttle to Eldoret. Then got another shuttle to Kitale. Normally, I don't enjoy the 8 hours of travel in a smelly, hot van, but I enjoyed getting to catch up with friends. We talked almost the entire ride. We arrived in Kitale that evening and walked a few miles to the place I was going to stay for the weekend.

more tomorrow...

The Building Begins

2010-03-04T09:10:00.004-06:00

Watch the progress of the building of Naomi's Village from the groundbreaking in early Nov. 2009 - late Feb. 2010!

Kevin: Update

2010-02-24T12:08:00.002-06:00

Kevin had his surgery this morning. It took Bob all of 20 minutes to remove his finger and his toe. I went to visit him this afternoon and he was doing well, though still very sleepy from the medicines.

Dennis, the boy from Lunga Lunga slum also had his surgery this morning and everything went well. Since he does not know me well, I did not take any pictures of him.

Thank you for your prayers!

Recent Happenings.

2010-02-23T12:45:00.011-06:00

Let me fill you in on what has been happening recently:

On Tuesdays and Thursdays I'm watching a little boy named Kevin for a few hours in the morning. Kevin was brought into CURE hospital because his grandmother (who is his caretaker) put his hands in the fire and burned him as punishment. He is currently living with a CURE employee. We think Kevin may be around 5 years old. Kevin also has an extra finger and toe. Bob will remove both of those tomorrow! Exciting!

For the past few days we have had 2 chameleons residing in various places around our living room. Our gardener, Samuel, brought the kids 2 chameleons (he has brought chameleons for them in the past) and they wander around the living room. We typically lose them for hours at a time, then they randomly appear out of nowhere! I got up the courage to hold the smaller one last night. I was so proud of myself. They stopped eating yesterday, so the kids set them free today. Oddly, Kenyans are fairly terrified of chameleons!

Saturday, Julie and I went for a walk up near the kids' school to burn off the doughnuts I made for breakfast. As we were walking, we saw a pack of baboons of all sizes on the other side of the fence. I stopped to look at them and as Julie reminded me that they can climb fences, big daddy baboon came climbing over with ease. Our first reaction was to run and get the heck out of there (after taking a picture, of course), then we realized running would make it worse, so we just walked briskly away. Big daddy continued pursuing us and I gotta say, I was getting concerned. Praise Jesus I had a bag of moldy muffins that I had taken with us so I could feed any monkeys we saw along the way (monkeys are one of my favorite animals) so as we were speed walking up the hill, I was fumbling around trying to get a muffin out of my bag! He was getting close and making me a little uncomfortable! I finally got the muffin free and chunked it back at him praying he would stop and eat it and leave us alone. IT WORKED! As soon as we realized he was eating we ran out of site! Needless to say, I take bread with me on my walks now!

I'm currently working on a little project in the IDP camp so I got to go down there last week and meet with a lady named Doreen. You will hear more about this project later. I also went to the Naomi's Village site and got to see all the progress going on there. All of our construction guys are doing an amazing job!

About a week ago, Allyson Smith came over for a night to visit. The Smith's are also missionaries from our church, The Village, and Allyson was in Kenya (they live in Ethiopia) for a conference, so she was able to come over and stay a night with us!

Yesterday was a great day! After lunch I was siting at the table and looked over my shoulder and saw all these monkeys in our backyard! I was SO excited so I yelled at Julie, "There are monkeys in the yard! There are monkeys in the yard!" Julie grabbed some old bread and I grabbed my camera and we headed to the deck upstairs. It was SO MUCH FUN throwing chapati at them and watching them eat! Did I mention I LOVE monkeys!!!!

We've been getting a lot of much-needed rain recently, praise the Lord! Yesterday afternoon Bob, Julie and I were all home hanging out. I looked out the window and casually said, "Yay, it's raining". Bob was standing in the kitchen looking out the front window and replied, "No, it's not!" After declaring that I'm not stupid and realizing something wasn't right, we all examined the situation and realized that it was raining on one side of our house and not the other! How weird. So we all went outside to inspect the phenomenon. It was crazy!

On Sunday we went to a church in the Lunga Lunga slum about an hour away in Nairobi. While at church Julie noticed a little boy there had an extra toe. After Bob looked him over, he told the boy's mom to bring him to the hospital this week and he would remove it. We got a call last night from the pastor of the church saying he had the boy and the mom had attempted to remove the toe HERSELF!!! The boy is now at the hospital and Bob is also going to operate on him tomorrow.

Please pray for the healing and recovery process of Kevin and this other little boy (I can't remember his name at the moment)!

We've had quite a few frustrations over the past few weeks, but God is still good and he continues to bless us! So please continue to pray for us and that we would see God's blessings in the midst of every frustration.

Until next time...

Naomi's Village

2010-02-08T00:48:00.003-06:00

Our Team:

Bob and Julie Mendonsa (visionaries and leaders in Naomi’s Village) and their children, Emily and Will.

Ernie Bighaus (contractor in the construction of NV) and 3 of his kids, Alexis, Wyatt and Isaiah.

Dan Dickerson (attorney/botanist/handyman in assisting Ernie with the building process)

Myself

Our Location:

Kijabe, Kenya (It’s so small it’s rarely on a map of Kenya, so good luck finding it). Kijabe is about an hour and a half outside of Nairobi in the Rift Valley region.

Our Task:

Naomi’s Village. A children’s home that will house up to 110 Kenyan orphans, just 30 minutes from Kijabe station. Many of the children will come from the surrounding community (Maai Mahui) and a nearby IDP (Internally Displaced Person) camp. Completion date goal: August 2010.

Maai Mahui:

Maai Mahiu, Kenya is a town on the major highway from Uganda through Kenya, known as the HIV Highway. The region is semi-arid and Maai Mahiu has no real sustainable industry other than trucking and prostitution. A transient male population, disease, and poverty leave many children homeless and orphaned.

IDP Camp:

In January 2008, post-election violence displaced thousands of Kenyans. Several IDP camps sprung up in the Maai Mahiu area on the desolate plains outside of town. 3,000 people still live there in tents or makeshift homes with no surrounding trees, running water, electricity, or protection from the elements. The number of orphans in this IDP population is presently unknown.

Kijabe, Kenya

2010-02-07T12:31:00.001-06:00

I made it to Kenya!

I am hoping to post a blog this week, so check back in a few days for an update!

The Schedule

2010-01-24T00:15:00.007-06:00

The goodbyes have begun. I am just not very good at saying goodbye. I get really awkward and clam up and get a little stuttery. I wish this part was over and I was on a plane and able to breathe. No more to-do lists, no more errands to run, goodbyes already said, packing finished, etc. Although, because all of the stress is over, the first plane ride is typically when I finally break down. I know that's normal. Most people have their anxiety attacks after the stress is gone. But still, I wish I was past this part, though a friend told me tonight to enjoy these last moments.

So here's the schedule for the next couple weeks:

-Tomorrow (the 24th) is my last day at my church (I'm sure I won't be able to hold back the tears so I'm preparing myself in advance to be ok having a splotchy red puffy face when I see people for the last time for a while)

-Monday (the 25th) I go home to my parents' house and spend the week with them.

-Spend the week packing (I've done none so far!) and last minute errands.

-Thursday (the 28th) is a day I have dreaded for years now...going to the dentist! Pray for me Thursday! I don't think this dentist offers laughing gas and even if they do, it's too expensive.

-Monday (the 1st) 4:50pm board a plane to London.

-Tuesday (the 2nd) fly from London to Nairobi.

-Wednesday (the 3rd) I'll finally be in my new home, Kijabe! Hallelujah!!!

Project 7

2010-01-20T12:57:00.001-06:00

Check out this company, Project 7:

Project 7 Teaser from Project 7 on Vimeo.

Project 7 Mission Statement from Project 7 on Vimeo.

20 days

2010-01-09T23:40:00.003-06:00

My new home in 20 days!

Stranded and Fragile

2010-01-08T16:52:00.003-06:00

Coming to you live from Borders Books in Dallas Texas!

So today was NOT my day. If you do not live in the area, I will preface by telling you that we have been having insanely cold weather recently. For example, when I woke up at 4:45am this morning to take my roommate to the airport, the windchill was SEVEN degrees! Insanity. We Texans do not even know how to comprehend this sort of cold, nor do we know how to prepare for it!

So last night I was heading out to go watch Texas play in the BCS national championship and noticed that my car was making some funny noises. I hadn't started my car in advance to let it warm up, so I just figured it would stop once it got warmed up. So fast forward to this morning. When I left the house at 5am, my roommate and I noticed the car was making some crazy noises. I had warmed it up in advance this time, but again, just figured it was a cold weather thing. We don't have weather this cold, so how am I supposed to know this isn't normal?! The noise died down a bit, but I still knew it wasn't normal. But what can you do at 5:30am about it? I went back to bed for a little nap before I had to be up to meet a friend for brunch. Again, I warmed my car in advance, but apparently the damage had already been done. When I got in the car at 10am I saw a little puddle under the front. Oops. I called my mom on the way to eat. I didn't think it would be radiator fluid because I didn't notice it being green. But, of course, it was.

If you don't know my car, it's a little ghetto. The hood doesn't stay open. So I convinced my friend to stay around with me long enough to throw on the gloves and hold open my hood so I could check my radiator fluid. Empty. Of course. Like, bone dry. She took me to the closest car shop we could find. They didn't actually sell the fluid, so then she took me to Autozone. I bought 3 gallons of fluid (not having a clue how much a car usually takes). We went back and she graciously held open my hood for me again in the 20 degree weather (and let me remind you, we were not dressed and prepared for this!). I filled my radiator up and she headed home. I took the car to the closest car shop and they have my car.

So now, I'm stranded. I had a huge to-do list for today. I've been slightly stressed out recently anyways, with trying to pack and move and figure out flights and dates, etc etc etc. I've warned multiple friends recently that the best word to describe me right now is "fragile". Today, I was fragile. I'm not going to lie, I've shed a few tears of frustration. But that's typical of fragile people, right?

In an attempt to at least get a little bit of work done today, I grabbed my laptop and started walking, in search of internet. And man, it's COLD! If I would have known I would be out walking in this weather today, I would have put on long johns and thicker socks! After walking for over a mile or so, I found Borders. Was pretty excited about having a hot drink to warm my fingers and internet to get some work done. I stood in line. Ordered the only drink I really like that the menu suggested. They were out of that one. Of course. Ordered something else. Got my drink. The figured out that Borders is apparently busy at 4pm on weekdays. There wasn't a seat anywhere and people were already waiting to sit. Of course. This isn't my day. So I have made myself at home in the corner of Borders. Got online to check emails and my email system is down. So what else? I read for a bit, but was too distracted, so the only other thing I could come up with was BLOG!

So, many hours and more than $400 later, I anticipate a call from the car shop so I can put on my coat and gloves and make the trek back to get my car. Unfortunately, the sun is setting fast and I know it's just going to get colder, but I'll pretty much do anything at this point, just to get back to my house, put on my pjs and watch a movie!

This was not my day. And I'm ready for it to end!

Going Home

2009-12-27T21:56:00.002-06:00

I'm going home!

I'm moving back to Kenya the first week in February. I'll be living in a different town, Kijabe, which is close to Nairobi. I'll be partnering with a different organization, Lost Orphans International. I'll be living with different people, the Mendonsa family from my church, The Village Church. Doing different "work"- will be helping them build a children's home, Naomi's Village.

And I'm SO excited!!!

Since there are so many changes, I am going to start all of this with a six month trial run. After six months (maybe up to 9) I'll come home and will re-evaluate things and see if I feel like the Lord wants me there full-time. If that's the case, I'll raise the money needed, then I'll go back on a more permanent basis.

So for now...

I need to raise another $2000 over the next few weeks.
I need to move all of my stuff into storage at my parents' house.
I need to help my roommate find another roommate.
I need to pack my stuff for Kenya.

And the list goes on.

So please be praying for me over the next month and then once I'm in Kenya!

Prayer

2009-12-16T01:32:00.002-06:00

I have no idea who, if anyone, reads this blog. But I feel like I should send this out there.

I need prayer.

I'm at a place where I am having to make some pretty big decisions (more about this coming soon) and I could really use your prayers.

Please pray for:

-wisdom
-discernment
-physical strength (I've been getting sick a lot recently)
-endurance to finish work this month
-financial needs
-patience
-dependence on the Lord
-a reassurance that the Lord is sovereign and can/will provide
-answers to my many many questions
-sleep (haven't been getting much of that)
-encouragement
-growth in the Lord

To anyone who prays, thank you in advance.

Amanda

Advent Conspiracy

2009-12-01T17:00:00.001-06:00

If you have not heard of The Advent Conspiracy, take a minute and watch this video and visit their website.

Simply Love You

2009-11-12T19:23:00.000-06:00

Simply Love You

Seems that life's become so complicated
I don't think it was meant to be this way
I find myself so distracted
Caught up in the chaos of each day

When did I stop asking for your wisdom?
As if your words were meant for someone else
Why do I choose to second-guess you?
Oh I only frustrate and confuse myself

I just wanna love you, Simply love you
The way it used to be
When your love was new to me
I just wanna love you, simply love you
To hear what you say and live every day
Like you asked me to
I just wanna simply love you

Many times you spoke of us as children
Childhood seems to me so long ago
You say I can trust you like I did then
If I give you my hand then you'll lead me home

Oh...to fall on my knees
With the freshest belief
Stirred once again in the story
of how you loved me

-Ginny Owens

DAY 3

2009-10-28T09:55:00.001-05:00

We made it all the way to New Mexico yesterday. It was a fast paced day and I really don't have time to add any pictures...maybe another day. Had a pretty crazy night and ended up getting 2 hours of sleep in the car as we hit unexpected heavy snow on our way across the Arizona border! It was too heavy to drive in, hence the attempted sleep in the freezing car. Life is an adventure, right? :) It was still awesome. And it was AMAZING to wake up to the beauty of God's creation covered in a blanket of snow. Watched the sunrise, now grabbing a bite for breakfast at McDonald's. We're hoping to make it to the Grand Canyon today, then Vegas tomorrow. We still don't know where we're staying once we get to L.A., so we're looking for connections!

More sometime soon...

Please pray for safe travels! :)

Day 2, Arkansas to Amarillo

2009-10-26T23:41:00.004-05:00

We hopped on Route 66 in Tulsa this morning and after an entire day of driving stopping at awesome little places, we made it to Amarillo tonight around 9pm. The internet is slow where I'm at currently, so I'll only load a couple pictures from today...

ROAD TRIP, Day 1

2009-10-25T20:40:00.005-05:00

Well, I've been talking about doing a road trip for years now. One of the trips I've always wanted to go on is Route 66 to Los Angeles. I graduated this summer and when my parents asked what I wanted as a graduation gift I said, "A road trip". But nothing ever came of that dream...until now!

This trip, for me, came about fairly last minute (as in Friday), but I love spontaneity. It makes things more fun when you don't know what you are doing! But basically the way it came about is a friend said, "Hey, I'm going on a road trip via Route 66 in a couple days, wanna go?" Um, YES!

So here we go! We left Dallas today around noon and headed to Arkansas where we are "officially" starting our trip. (It's a long story as to why we're starting in Arkansas, but regardless, that's where we're starting). And we'll arrive in L.A. by Friday! The two major (and somewhat pre-planned) stops are the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Everything else we'll be doing is a complete mystery to us.

We have no idea where we're sleeping along the way or what we're doing, but that's part of the fun of a road trip, right? But if you have friends or family that live off Route 66 and have a spare piece of floor, give me a call!

Anyways, here we go...

Videos

2009-10-01T22:15:00.002-05:00

Just wanted to share a few amazing videos. I'm appologize if you find any of these offensive, I just think they're hilarious. And PLEASE share any awesome videos with me that I haven't posted!

DAY 3. Beauty.

2009-09-17T16:54:00.009-05:00

Aly said I should post another blog. I explained to her, yet again, how much I hate writing and said I would just post a bunch of pictures instead of having to actually think of something clever and exciting to say to my one reader (thanks Kelly for your devotion! ha ha! It's all for you!). She said to paint pictures with my words. I told her she could paint pictures with words on here any time she wants and I would just paint pictures with my camera! She did not take me up on that offer, so here are some pictures of what we've been up to.
(one of my cameras is still not allowing me to retrieve anything from its memory card, so this is only pictures from one camera):

I have so many pictures from this past week that I will only be able to post DAY 3 pictures in this blog.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Went to a small Norweigan town about 20 minutes from "The Island" called Paulsbo:

Awesome bakery!

Aly eats all proper and petite

I don't

View of Mount Rainier from Paulsbo

FREAK!

Cute little town!

We saw tons of seals in the harbor a few days later, but those pictures are on the memory card that is not cooperating

Headed into Seattle:

View from the ferry

For my sister

Self explanatory

Legendary

The Original, 1912

My favorite part of the market; the flowers everywhere!

My flowers

Aly being the Statue of Liberty with my flowers! (on the ferry with a man standing behind me laughing!)

I am just fascinated by these!

September 11, 2009

DAY 2. Bliss.

2009-09-10T17:42:00.008-05:00

Thursday, September 10, 2009. Bliss.

I seriously love Washington.

I slept in after a late night. Woke up pretty cold (it's in the 50's in the mornings and evenings) so I looked forward to a hot shower. Threw on long sleeves, grabbed a map, and headed out.

Aly had to work until 4 so I had the day to myself. Exploration. I headed West on the 14 x 4 mile island. The fastest speed limit I found was 40 mph. Up and down winding roads through all the trees. It was beautiful. I kept the windows rolled down the entire day. The cool breeze blowing my hair into a rat's nest. It was glorious. I came to the top of a hill and could see a mountain off in the distance. When I was in the midst of the Grand Forest, I parked and began wandering through random trails. It was beautiful. I was in awe of our mighty God's creation.

I kept thinking of Kate and our vacation in the rain forest in Kenya. I kept waiting for monkeys to run across the moss covered branches. No monkeys. But I did see a very large, very yellow slug! I was wishing Kate was with me to enjoy it though.

I didn't stay in the forest long because I was antsy to see more places. I found my way back to the car then headed toward water. I drove for a while and could not find water. There were so many trees that I couldn't actually see the water. I pulled out the map and found a road that seemed to lead to a dock. I figured if there's a dock, I must be able to see water.

It was beautiful.

There were other islands less than a mile across the water from me. They were covered in trees. Some guys were standing on the dock fishing. Well, I'm not sure how much they were actually fishing, but they seemed to be having a great conversation. I walked around a bit and found a shell to take home to my nephew. Saw an awesome red jelly fish. Then moved on.

DAY 3

We got up this morning and went for a walk. Then we drove North on the island and over to the mainland to a small town called Paulsbo. It is an adorable Norwegian town. We ate a pastry and sipped some coffee while we looked out at the sailboats and mountains in front of us. We wandered through downtown for a while, then headed back to Baindbridge. After we got back, we headed to the ferry to go into Seattle for a while. We walked around the market and scavenged for lunch. We finally gave in to an overpriced sandwich. It was a hot day, so we were both really tired and so we headed back to Bainbridge Island around 4:30pm. Missed our ferry and had to wait an hour for another. Now I'm really too tired to take the pictures off my camera so a couple of pictures from day 1 in the market will have to do for now.

There will be no blogging tomorrow because we are waking up early to go to Mount Rainier. I'll add pictures from today and tomorrow soon.

DAY 1 of loving my life

2009-09-10T15:36:00.006-05:00

Yesterday morning I left my apartment at 5:45am to head to the airport.

I landed in Seattle/Tacoma airport sometime after 1pm.

I've been planning to come up to Washington to see my best friend Aly for months now. Finally, we nailed down the dates. September 9-23. Two blissful weeks of deep conversation, enjoying nature, seeking the Lord, and basically just loving my life!

As soon as we parked in downtown Seattle, I fell in love. I guess you could say it was "love at first sight". Why would anyone not have Washington as one of their top places in America to visit? I just don't understand why I haven't gotten here sooner.

The weather is amazing. Warm enough to not need a jacket, but cool enough to be outside and not be sweating (something we know nothing about in Texas in September). The people are so eclectic. Everyone fits in. There is such an unusual culture to Seattle. I love it.

We roamed around Pike's Place Market for only about an hour (before our parking meter was up), so I've only had a small taste of the market, but it was fabulous. I can't wait to go back in a couple days. After the market we headed to the North end of Seattle to a place called Theo Chocolates. Heaven. We went on a short tour of the chocolate factory and we ate all the chocolate we could. I have to admit, I was a little afraid they would run out of chocolate after Aly and I hit them up. By the time we left the factory it was time to head to the ferry to ride home. Bainbridge Island.

I thoroughly enjoyed my first experience riding the ferry. We parked our car, then went up to the top deck to stand on the front of the ferry. It was beautiful. I could see the mountains off to the side. The different islands in front of us. The sun beaming off the water.

When we got home last night we made dinner then stayed up talking until late (2am Texas time). I was so tired from traveling and being up so late that once my head hit the pillow (and I removed the ticking clock from the room) I was out!

It was a great first day of loving my life.

I'm having some trouble with the memory card from one of my cameras, so this was the only picture I was able to upload. More soon...

FINALLY!

2009-06-28T02:09:00.002-05:00

8 Years after my first college course, I am finally finished!!!

I will complete my final two classes in a few days! YAY!!!

I am just finishing up my last papers and exams!

WHAT A RELIEF!!! I feel like a weight has been lifted!

I've Been Given A Gift

2009-04-04T03:11:00.005-05:00

I enjoy my job.
I'm not talking about missions, I'm talking about my regular, Dallas job.

I enjoy it. That is so rare. I am blessed.

I actually enjoy my bosses.

I enjoy the people I get to work for.

I enjoy getting to work in a different place every day.

I enjoy the flexibility.

I enjoy the pay.

I enjoy getting to see how other people live.

I enjoy my co-workers.

I enjoy getting to learn about new things.

I enjoy that it's about perfection and organization.

I enjoy getting to meet so many people.

I enjoy getting to see new things.

I enjoy the creativity of the people I work with.

I have been given a gift.

The Looks

2009-03-26T13:34:00.001-05:00

The Braids

The Outfit

The Afro

Home

2009-03-25T19:47:00.000-05:00

Well, after 35 hours of travel and 45 hours without sleep, I finally made it to my parents’ house in Fort Worth last night. Needless to say, I was exhausted and smelly! I took a hot bath and then was out for the night. The blessing of it all is that because I was so sleep deprived I slept through the night (and through the morning!) even in the new time zone, so I really don’t have much jet lag!

I met some great people in the Nairobi airport and ended up talking to them for hours! Turns out, they’re from Dallas. One man in their group is a pastor of a church in Garland. The rest of the group were on a different flight, so it left just me and the pastor to talk for a couple of hours. It was great. We talked theology, missions, and life. It was very encouraging to talk with him and it was great to actually have a deep theological conversation for once! It’s been a long time and I miss those types of conversations! Anyways, I came away very blessed and will definitely keep in touch with them for a while.

A warning to those who wish to see my ridiculous hair: It is going away VERY soon! I will post ONE picture on my blog of it soon, then it’s GONE! It’s driving me crazy and I think I look ridiculous.

I am VERY behind on my homework now. I have an assignment due today (that I have not prepared for) in one class and an exam in both classes at the end of the week. In one of my classes I have not even finished my assignments from last week. So you can pray for God’s speed and understanding when I’m reading today.

Overall, my time in Kenya was amazing and I feel like so much was accomplished! I hope to have time soon to write more about it and share with everyone!

Thank you for your prayers. I will keep you up to date on things as I process everything that I did and saw.

The Last Few Days...

2009-03-25T19:45:00.000-05:00

Friday, March 20, 2009

I am writing this update partly as a way of procrastinating from doing my schoolwork, but also because most likely this will be the last chance I will get to update before I head home. It’s Friday night now and as I look back on the past couple of weeks, I cannot believe I have been in Kenya for only 10 days! I’ve done and seen SO much in such a short time. I can’t even really remember much from 10 days ago, and upon realizing that, I wish I would have journaled more. At this point, I can’t even remember Monday. After landing in Nairobi on the 10^th, these are the places and people I’ve visited: Nairobi, Amboseli (the village near Kilimanjaro), Nairobi again, Kitale (Tuwani preschool, the Legacy kids, the baby house in Cherangani, our new children’s home, Legacy school, Oasis of Hope for street children, the ALIM staff, women of the ALIM group, Mattaw Children’s Village children, and more) and a trip to Eldoret.

After my trip to and from Eldoret yesterday, I was again reminded of the Lord’s blessing to allow me to be in Kitale instead of Eldoret. I never enjoy going there, but I enjoy greeting the friends there. The road between Kitale and Eldoret is not good. Funds were given for the road to be repaired years ago and after repaving about 20 minutes-worth of it, mysteriously the funds ran out…corruption. Thanks to the wonderful road, we got a flat on our way home. I did the female thing and found a shade tree to reside under while the men changed the tire.

Today was an interesting day. I met up with some friends (actually old college friends) this morning who have a team here from Missouri. They run a children’s home (Mattaw) and so I went with them and their kids from their home to a place outside of Kitale, near Mount Elgon, called Captain Davies’. Captain Davies’ is a small animal reserve with a few zebra, two rhino, a gazelle the size of a cow, and a giraffe (there were 3, but 2 were killed by opposition in the post-election violence of ’08). It was not very interesting considering I went on an actual game drive just 9 days ago, but it was fun to watch the kids’ reaction to the animals. The highlight of Captain Davies’ for Westerners is that you can pay a couple of bucks and ride an ostrich! I had every intention of attempting such a ride and overcoming my fear of ostrich, but with so many people, I opted out and figured I would get another chance some other time.

After returning to town, I met up with a woman who has begun to braid my hair. Having Mzungu (white-person) hair, it will take about 7 hours to complete, so I am splitting my time confined to a plastic chair between two days. So at this moment, I have half of my hair braided and the other half extremely tangled and lumped on the top of my head. It’s a sight! I’m sure I’ll post a picture on my blog upon returning home (maybe not of the half-and-half hairdo). Apparently, Kitale does not contain fake hair (mixed with natural hair to make the braids) of my color, so I now have major highlights! At this point in the process, I can’t say that I’m much of a fan of the braided look on myself, but, hey, it’s part of the African experience, right?

Tomorrow morning I’ll be returning for the remaining hours at the salon, then I have quite a few errands to run in the market. I’m bringing home Swahili Bibles for the African church that I attend in Dallas, so I’ll be searching around for those, among other things. I also have my first exam in my new school courses due tomorrow (and a few other assignments) and I am not really prepared at all…maybe I should be studying instead of writing this. Sunday will be a day full of church and saying goodbyes (and probably tears) and then Monday I will prepare to fly out.

Please be in prayer for:

-my exam and other school assignments…I just want to pass at this point

-that my remaining time with the people here would be rich

-my schedule; that I won’t get stressed over the tedious things I have left to do in the small amount of time remaining.

-upcoming travel: Kitale to Nairobi, layover, Nairobi to London, layover, London to Dallas, train ride from DFW to Fort Worth

-health in the last few days; that I would remain healthy

-the meetings with people I have set up when I return home

-rest

Thank you for all the emails and prayers. This has been an amazing trip and God has been teaching me A LOT!!! All of the things that brought me here seem to be accomplished! Praise the Lord!

See you on the flip side!

A "borrowed" update

2009-03-18T10:40:00.005-05:00

The children in the Adopt-A-Legacy program (www.adoptalegacy.com) and Charity petting my mzungu hair!

For those who received my updates from the last time I was in Kenya, you know that I tend to copy and paste my updates from other people’s, so here goes again! One of the ladies that has been with us is named Charlynn and she is a writer, so who better to give an update than her, plus I have had VERY limited email access, so it is very hard to send an accurate update! So I’ve posted the last two of her updates. This will give you a very good idea of what we’ve done and seen in the past 48 hours. Charlynn and Vicki just boarded their plane to Nairobi, so I’m on my own now. It’s a bit weird to be sitting here by myself instead of having my comrades by my side. But I’m excited about the next few days I have in Kitale. It will be great to catch up with old friends and have some time to relax.

So here’s what Charlynn has to say:

CHOICE

"Choose this day who you will serve, but as for me..."

Joshua gave the Israelites an option before they went into the Promised Land; an option to choose whether they would serve the pagan gods of those occupying the land - or if they would serve the Faithful One who brought them out of Egypt and preserved the nation for 40 years of wandering in the desert.

The first choice of everyday should be Who we will serve. Will it be a God focused, desired day or will it be self-serving and fear driven? We make hundreds of choices each day, what to have for breakfast, what to wear to work, how to wear our hair, which one of the multitudes of pairs of shoes will match our attire or allow comfort for what the days plans hold. Our choices are seemingly endless - even in an economy that has begun to limit financial expenditures and commitments. BUT... we still have choices.

Today, we met 100 children with no choice. They represent a far greater number hidden in the slums of Kitale, with no option for education, clothing, food or hope. At the edge of one of the largest slums Wycliffe, a local believer, began an outreach to children living on the streets without even one choice. He saw there would be no opportunity for them to receive an education (they could not pay the school fees) and their future was sure to be cut short by disease, malnutrition or abandonment through the death of parents suffering from AIDS. He began an informal "school" in two mud huts teaching the basics. He also took orphaned and abandoned children into his own two room home.
Then God moved

... in the hearts of a few visiting Americans to come alongside the work he was already committed to and expand his territory. Teachers were hired, a tin building was constructed to enable three classrooms to operate and serve 100 children. Each day the children come and start the day with a cup of porridge. They are taught not just "reading, writing and arithmetic". They are taught the love of the Father. Before they leave they are fed rice and beans. The food the children have at school is the only nourishment they have for the day - but they take home in their hearts a portion of "the Bread of Life".

What choice do you have if you are 5 years old living in the slum, your mother is dying and you are the caretaker of your 2 year old brother? You watch the older children. You learn to look through the trash heaps for scraps of food, you learn to pick up discarded plastic bottles and fill them with the filthy water running through the ghetto. It is the water you wash your face with, it will keep you hydrated but in the temporary quenching of thirst lies the dangers of parasites and bacteria a small body has no choice or chance to fight.

We watched the documentary last night called "Glue Boys" to educate us to the plight of the thousands of homeless and abandoned here in Kitale. IF they survive - they are offered another choice to help them cope with the cold nights, the hunger in their bellies, their sorrow.

Glue...

The plastic bottles that once held water are now used to hold the toxic glue that will create a euphoria deep enough to drive away the cold, it numbs the hunger. And as it kills brain cells it also kills the memory of their loss and the hopelessness.

Most are dead before their 12th birthday. The poison creates brain damage and eventually kidney failure.

There are ministries here fighting to give them a choice. But the addiction of children so young, combined with those willing to exploit and continue to provide them an toxic but anesthetic substance to numb the pain - make structure a choice to hard for their damaged minds to make. A choice their hearts did not have an opportunity to understand - love over "slavery" to forgetting.

After seeing the film, we asked, "if there are "glue boys" where are the glue girls?" Then the horrifying truth was told. Some did not think the world was "ready" to hear about the "glue girls" kept hidden in the back houses of the slums, and forcibly sold as prostitutes, who are having babies (born with the addiction) succumbing to HIV/AIDs and the epidemic of TB that is ravishing the area. Babies are born to these girls as soon as they reach puberty - they do not live long after that. The "world" is not ready to hear - were we ready to "see"?

Outside the English run cafe filled with foreign missionaries, sitting in the grass with his water bottle held closely to his mouth for inhaling the fumes of euphoria was a boy barely 10. He had been there all day - dazed and forgetting how he got there. He will quickly forget the blur of white faces that passed by him during this day. Especially, when the darkness requires he find a sleeping place where he can cover himself with a discarded potato sack for warmth - the rest of the heat coming from the intoxication of the glue - his sleep induced by the fumes that will soon take all his choices.

The "glue girls" lost their choice long before they lost their caregivers. They are covered with bodies of men hungry for the innocence they are free to steal.

"Remember oh God, that my life is but a breath, and my eyes will never see happiness again". Job 7:7

Job cried out God.

Cry out for those who have lost their hope to cry at all.

Cry out to God for the workers are few.

Cry out to God for provision in abundance - to build a clinic to serve those in the slums.

Cry out to God for mercy.

Cry out to God for forgiveness for all the choices we take for granted.

Cry out to God for the church to have a heart to exercise pure religion undefiled - VISIT the widow and orphan in their distress.

Cry out to God for the nation of Kenya - for the continent of Africa where evil reigns but GOD is King!

Cry

For those who are under the influence of impoverishment and glue have no tears or remembrance of love.

Searching for a breath of life to impart to the dying, Charlynn

And Charlynn’s most recent:

NIGHT

"Then I said to myself, "Oh He even sees me in the dark! At night I'm immersed in the light! In fact, darkness isn't dark to You; night and day, darkness and light, they're all the same to You." Psalm 139

When I first laid down in my bed I heard the sounds of night; songs of crickets are muted by the traffic in Big D. Now, as I begin to write the night has fallen silent, perhaps the nature surrounding me is being reverant to the message for the "night".

This is the last time I will lay on this particular Kenyan bed, cover myself with a sheet brought from home and comfort myself with music to send me to sleep. I am not sure rest will come easy.

Our last day in Kitale was filled with traveling to different ministries working with children in the area. The first was a home for 57 babies -many discarded at the IDP (internally displaced people) camps when the violence broke out. The sight of 57 small children (47 being treated for TB) is too much to take in. We arrived in the morning when they were all outside in a "gazebo" like structure some napping, some crying, some being fed, some crawling and some looking at the strangers and trying NOT to cry.

We heard some of the stories. One of the newer babies had been born literally over a latrine and the mother WALKED away, leaving the child to drown in excrement. Somehow, the newborn was never submerged and a teen passing by heard the cries, jumped down into the hole with a rope and rescued the infant from death. Each child had a similar unbelievable tale of miraculous rescue and survival to be brought to a place of God's mercy and love.

Our second stop, was Oasis of Hope. The ministry featured in the "Glue Boys" documentary. It was hard to know what we would see, the state of the children, or really any of the conditions. We were pleasantly surprised. There were close to 100 children wandering around the compound taking a break from their schooling and of course "checking us out". We were given a tour of the facility (an abandoned private hospital) by the Director and the goals and purposes of the "stepping stone" center were clearly explained.

While some of the children would pass us in the hallways and shake our hands, most were outside, washing themselves, washing their clothes, or playing. I tried to stay attentive to his words, to hear the passion of his heart to get these children into group homes and integrated into the school system, but I could not keep from looking at the children soon facing another night on the streets.

I could take another two paragraphs to explain the rationale behind sending the kids who were safe inside the compound back onto the cold, harsh and dangerous streets - and it is a viable, logical, well-thought out plan and has been proven successful long-term. But I won't.

It made sense to my head. But when we went outside to be with the children, there was a little girl in an ill-fitted, ragged and torn yellow dress, no shoes but a big grin. As I sat on the grass to let her touch my white skin (which she found hilarious) her laughter never stopped. I would make a funny face, she would break out into peals of glee, turn to run - but make her way back again and again to giggle some more, smile larger, touch and be touched. She was barely three.

Tonight, I know she is not laughing. She is somewhere on the streets of Kitale protected by an older sibling and trying to stay warm. I wonder if she is crying, if she is scared, if she remembers the laughter of today. If she remembers me?

I am remembering her.

"Never again will there be any night. No one will need lamplight or sunlight. The shining of God, the Master, is all the light anyone needs. ". Rev 22:5

In the dark about so many things
But still in His service
Charlynn

Again, thank you for your prayers! I started two new upper-level courses this Monday, so pray that I’ll be able to stay up on my work. I will be traveling to a nearby town (Eldoret) tomorrow, so please pray for safety. It will be SO hard to leave this place that feels like home, but I am also excited to be able to share the vision God has given me for the future! Grace and peace! Amanda

Blowing bubbles at James, one of my favorite kids in the world!
The children at the school in Tuwani slum in Kitale

Finally, an update!

2009-03-15T05:30:00.005-05:00

Habari! I am finally making it to the internet for the first time since I left Dallas. It has been a whirlwind so far! It is crazy how much we’ve done in the time we’ve been here. It feels like we’ve been here for a couple of weeks, not a few days! I left Dallas on an 8 hour flight to London, a quick layover, then another 8 hour flight to Nairobi. I got to my hotel after 11pm on the 10^th (with only 3 hours of sleep in over 24hours), woke up the next morning at 5am, then got on another flight to Amboseli (near the border of Kenya and Tanzania, just North of Kilimanjaro). In case you are not aware, I have two other ladies with me until the 18^th. When we arrived in Amboseli the morning of the 11^th, we were blessed to be able to do a game drive in the game park and it was a clear enough day for us to have an amazing view of Kilimanjaro (a fairly rare occurance). It was incredible! One of the first animals we came upon was a group of elephants eating just a few feet from us. It’s also baby season, so most animals had babies with them. Just that day we saw elephants, zebra, buffalo, wildebeest, hyenas, giraffes, basically everything to see in Amboseli. And to top it off, we were lucky enough to even find three female lions!!! As we were driving away, a male lion appeared so we even got to see him. After our drive, we went to our lodge/camp to check in and have lunch. Straight after lunch we went to the “village” (not even that) to greet the people we were there to meet. If you don’t know much about the Maasai tribe, they are what you imagine when you think of an African tribe! They don’t speak English, they wear all the beads and necklaces, and tribal outfits, etc. We woke up a little after 5 again the next day (if you know me well, you know that I was not happy about all this!). That next day we were able to go back to the village and do some stories with the kids and some games and songs. I was also able to go visit many of the surrounding bomas (a cluster of huts belonging to one family, typically in a circle, with a “fence” of gathered brush) and meet many more families from the area…and take lots of pictures! It was great just to build relationships with the people and see how receptive they are toward us. We never really got a chance to breathe in the 48 hours in Amboseli before we got back on a plane to Nairobi. After a few errands to be run in Nairobi we got on a plane to Kitale (the town I lived in when I was here last). We just arrived here yesterday (I’m writing this on Saturday) and we’ve already had such a packed schedule. We were able to spend some time today with the staff here and hear their stories about what they do and how they got where they are now. We also spent about 3 hours with the children in the Adopt-A-Legacy program. THAT was incredible! Those children are SO precious and I did not want to go. I had the best time. One of the other ladies did some stories with them and it was just great to sit with the kids (instead of teaching) and listen and laugh with them and sing with them. Then we played lots of games! They loved it. The two ladies with me as so gifted in this type of ministry. The kids just ate it up! I even squeezed in a shower this afternoon! J During dinner I was able to talk with some friends that I met last time I was here and was able to just share some of my thoughts and burdens and concerns and prayers with them. It was great to be able to do that and really be encouraged by them! So now, I have finally had the time to sit and write an email in my room and I will send it in the morning when I go to town to get internet. It is late, so I apologize if my grammar and spelling is off!

The next few days look like they will be just as busy as the first. We have multiple things planned every day.

So here are a few things you can pray for:

-our tight schedule; that we will be able to do everything and rest at the same time and not be overwhelmed

-my frustrations; it’s really difficult being back and feeling a bit lost on some things, and it’s SO different from the last time I was here so I have been a bit frustrated over things

-spiritual strength; I haven’t really been able to take time out for renewal

-safety in all our travels and plans

-most of all, that we would be sensitive to what the Lord has planned for us and we would not let ourselves get in the way of that!

Thank you so much for all of your prayers and encouragement! I hope I’ll be able to update at least a couple more times…I know my parents would appreciate that (mom, I’m alive, don’t worry, I’ll let you know if I’m not)! I LOVE being here, but it will also be great to be home and be able to share these things with people! I am so thankful of the many ways the Lord has been blessing me here and teaching me new things!

Going Back...

2009-03-01T00:37:00.002-06:00

I go back to Kenya in 9 days! I will be gone from March 9-24. Crazy how quick this has crept up on me. I'm sure I will post more soon, but for now please pray:

-For all the details to come together
-That I will not get too far behind on school work
-Against stress of trying to prepare and write a very important paper
-For travel safety
-Guidance on some things I have to do
-For sanity! :)

Food shortage in Kenya reaches a crisis

2009-01-24T15:37:00.003-06:00

By nairobichronicle • on January 16, 2009

A heavy downpour today surprised the city of Nairobi as the Kenyan government launched an international appeal for food aid to save millions of Kenyans.

The rains were welcomed by a populace grappling with water rationing and rising food prices following months of dry weather. Rains were reported in Mombasa as well.

In spite of this reprieve from a harsh summer, the rains come too late to save food crops. Most of the maize has withered in farms across the country, especially east of the Great Rift Valley.

With at least 10 million people in danger of starvation, President Mwai Kibaki today led an international appeal for food aid. Currently, the Government and World Food Programme are feeding 1.4 million people under the emergency operation programme. Another 1 million people are also fed through direct Government interventions.

The government needs 37 billion Kenya Shillings (US$468 million) for emergency food requirements, support to schools and for agricultural and livestock interventions.

Meteorologists warn that this off-season rain is temporary since January and February are normally dry months. Incidentally, it was just a few day ago that meteorologists told Kenyans not to expect rains any time soon.

Kenya is suffering the vagaries of climate change. Weather patterns have become erratic, moving from extremes of drought and flooding. Destruction of the country’s forests has worsened the situation. Forests help attract rain clouds, protect soil from erosion and contribute to the flow of rivers.

Currently, forest cover in Kenya has declined to less than 1.5% of the country’s land mass compared to the minimum 10% recommended by the United Nations.

What I'm Up To...

2009-01-12T23:01:00.004-06:00

Click here then scroll down and you will see my overly zoomed-in picture!

Grown Up Christmas List

2008-12-16T21:44:00.001-06:00

I am addicted to Christmas music! This is one of my absolute favorite Christmas songs and I came across this video and wanted to share it:

What Dalton Sherman taught me

2008-11-20T23:39:00.005-06:00

Let me preface this real quick in case you aren't familiar with it. This summer for Transform (service project through the church), the Dallas location was Charles Rice Elementary School in South Dallas. So I've really been thinking a lot recently about how as believers we need to be servants in the community. Not just doing service projects that the church lines up for us, but each of us need to be individually and regularly involved in serving our community and, like Matt says, not to serve to see people get saved, but serve because we are saved and Christs love compels us. So anyways, we do these small one time projects and never look back, but instead God is teaching me that I need to do more than just these simple one-time projects. So anyways, I've been thinking about this a lot recently and how I need to make and impact on the lives of others and I always wonder if we actually do make an impact on those we serve. So today in the church offices a woman comes in who helped lead the Dallas transform. She has continued to stay involved with Charles Rice and so she came up to deliver a DVD that they made for the church. The sad thing is that our church is so huge that most people will never see this video. They went around the school and took pictures of the kids standing in front of all the new things...like kids opening their newly painted lockers, kids posing in front of some of the new murals, etc. and they put those pictures to music as a way of saying thank you for all that we did and showing how much they appreciate it. It was great. So me and this woman and the local missions pastor got to talking about the impacts we can make in lives and they tell me about Dalton Sherman and how this kid from this low-income school in South Dallas that we work with is now in front of the world.

If you have not heard about Dalton Sherman, here's the low down. Every year about a week prior to school starting, the DISD has a "conference" for all the districts workers. And every year they have a key-note speaker. There are somewhere around 20,000 attendees to this thing so its big so they usually bring in some big name speaker to deliver the speech. Well, this year they kept talking about this surprise speaker and then they announced, 10 year old Dalton Sherman from Charles Rice! As the speaker to 20,000 DISD faculty. So Dalton delivered this AMAZING speech!!! So motivational, not only for people who work for DISD, but also for individuals like me who wonder if I can make a difference in the life of just one child. Since his awesome speech, Dalton gained some publicity and has been on the Ellen Degeneres show and this past Monday was on Oprah. He has also given some other speeches and won first place in a Martin Luther King speech contest. So we can expect to hear more from Dalton Sherman in our future!

Jesus is a Friend of Mine, Jesus is My Friend

2008-09-23T00:11:00.002-05:00

I know this is going around right now and most people have seen it, but I hope you enjoy this as much as I did!

CLASSIC!

Joy

2008-09-19T11:39:00.003-05:00

A journal entry from September 7, 2008:

I have never wept with joy before. But tonight at 2am God flooded me with a joy that could only be expressed with weeping. Uncontrolled sobbing. God was truly showing me his majesty and power. He was declaring to me his sovereignty and I was overwhelmed. God really does have an intricate plan for each of our lives and he showed that to me through the life of a child that I love. I have cried countless tears for this child and he holds such a special place in my heart. I have loved him with a love that I didn't know existed. He changed my life forever. God continues to show me his awesome mighty power through the miracles in this boys life. But along with the tears of joy there have been tears of sadness over him. Loving someone so deeply opened me up to experience great amounts of vulnerability. Saying goodbye to him wounded my heart forever and I have never been the same. For years I have shut out the world and turned my heart cold for fear of loving again and having that kind of vulnerability again. But tonight God broke me through my tears of joy. He has been chiseling away at my heart of stone for a long time and tonight I was able to feel again. The emotions that I have blocked out for six years broke through and my heart warmed with joy.

Teachings and Baseball

2008-08-21T02:33:00.004-05:00

God has really been teaching me things in strange ways recently. He is teaching me a lot about faith and how much I need to trust fully in him. This has always been a real hard thing for me...especially dealing with money. But he has been stretching me in ways I haven't been stretched before. I'm looking to the near future and I'm excited about the new ways God is going to show his faithfulness and provision to me. He is calling me to obedience...and this time I cannot rely on my own abilities. So much has been changing for me recently and I have experienced so many emotions but I know that he is faithful and will supply all my needs. I am excited to be able to share in the next few months about the things the Lord is doing!

Completely off topic, I've enjoyed a few good baseball games recently! Last Saturday I went to a Rangers game with some friends from Dallas and my best friend, Kasey, who just moved from San Angelo to Fort Worth, was able to meet up with me there. Though we had nosebleed seats it was a pretty good game, but the highlight was the fireworks show. If you have never been to a Rangers fireworks show, they are awesome. They always set the fireworks to music and it is timed perfectly. In the past I saw one that was set to a Beatles medley. This Saturday the fireworks were set to an Elvis medley and thanks to my father, I knew all the words. That was Saturday and then Wednesday I was able to go to another game. Since I used to work at the stadium I was given some free tickets to games and they give me the best available seats! So two of my new neighbors and I headed to the game and got to sit on row 28 of the 3rd baseline. They were good seats, but even better, the Rangers KILLED Detroit! I have never seen that many home runs hit in one game! It was also kinda nice to get to know my neighbors better. I plan on hitting up at least one more game before the season is over so I'm looking forward to that!

July

2008-07-30T16:54:00.002-05:00

Well, July has been a fairly interesting month.

First I had a birthday. I'm not really huge on celebrating my birthday. The night before my birthday I looked back on the past few birthdays and it became VERY clear why I really don't LOVE my birthday. Two years ago for my birthday my mom and I went to Hurricane Harbor to escape the heat...I threw up at the top of one of the rides and experienced extreme humiliation! A person my age should NOT be throwing up on water rides! The guy running the ride was like, "Are you okay? It's not that scary." To set the record straight, I was NOT scared of the ride! I had just gotten back in the country a few days before and had not gotten used to American food yet and the night before we had gone out for Mexican food...bad idea! Last year for my birthday I spent the night in the ER, getting the second IV of my life (the first IV being 5 days before). I had has sinus surgery five days before and had some complications with my meds and it landed me in the ER on my birthday continuously vomiting. So, after the last two years, I was not real excited about this birthday either. It's not like I got way older overnight or something. I felt 24 hours older than I felt 24 hours before! This year my only request was to go to the lake because it is just way too stinkin hot in Texas in July and I love the water. One of my parents' neighbors has a boat, so he and another neighbor graciously took me and my mom to the lake! My family had a boat when I was growing up, but never in my life was I able to get up on skiis! Sad, I know. But Howard, the magnificant, got me up after the first try! Then a couple of weeks later, we went to the lake again and I got up the first try, but I still prefer kneeboarding because that's what I'm better at.

Second thing this month is that I have moved. I thought I would move the weekend of July 4th, then it got pushed back to the 19th, then I finally actually got to move on the 26th! I am now an official resident of Dallas, TX.

Another HUGE change for me this month is having a roommate for the first time in over four years! I'm just not used to sharing my apartment yet, but I think things are going to work out fine. Our apartment is a mess still and there are boxes everywhere so it doesn't really feel like home yet, but we're getting there.

Anyways, that was July! On to August!

Missionary Couple in Kitale Attacked

2008-07-14T10:54:00.010-05:00

Apparently this story has not hit American television much, so I thought I would mention it to you all! I only learned of this through friends in Kenya.
A missionary couple in Kitale, Kenya were very brutally attacked by their night watchmen (guards) and were left for dead. They were slashed by machetes and beaten very badly, among other things, but are now stabilized and staying in a Nairobi hospital. The Bergen's moved to Kitale from Canada a few months ago (I do not know them because they moved after I left). Their attack happened last week. Their full stories are on www.canada.com and I suggest you read about what they have gone through this past week and how they have dealt with all of this. They have both been hospitalized in Nairobi and are undergoing surgeries and will have to stay for some time. Both of them had their jaws broken and Mr. Bergen's skull was fractured and his legs were broken. Their attackers (all 7) have been found and imprisoned. Once the Bergens recover they will return to Kitale and want to visit their attackers in prison to tell them about their forgiveness personally. Mrs. Bergen's story is graphic, but I do suggest you read about it.

Full Coverage of their stories

For other news about Kenya go to:
http://breakingnewskenya.wordpress.com/ (also linked on the left under "Sites I Visit")

Jeff and Carla in Kenya

2008-06-27T21:11:00.002-05:00

An amazing couple that I met in Kitale are Jeff and Carla Picicci. They went to Kenya with a different goal, but ended up bringing children into their personal home until they were busting at the seams. Now they have moved into a more proper home/facility for their children and God is doing AMAZING things through them. They are apart of In Step Foundation and they partner with Rehema Ministries. Below I've copies information from the Rehema Ministries website about the the Picicci's children's home outside of Kitale. If you are looking for an organization to support or partner with financially or through prayer, I definitely recommend the Picicci's! They are an amazing couple and have so much love for the beautiful children that they care for. Here is a little of their background:

REHEMA MINISTRIES

Children's Home

Here are some of the new children. More pics below

Children's Home

Rehema Ministries is the parent ministry to In Step Foundation. Together they are working to save the children. Founder Joyce Panzero and her husband Ron take teams to Kenya to work with Jeff and Carla Picicci who run In Step Foundation in Kesogon and in the Cherangani Hills. The Picicci's are full-time missionaries who are over-seeing all of the projects. Jeff and Carla are from Kennewick, WA and have been in Kenya since 2003. They built the first home with their savings and began doing water filtration projects. In July of 2006, God brought the first baby to them. Now Rehema Ministries and InStep Foundation are building Children's Homes. God brought 34 children to the small house they built. When they move to the new facility, this house will be used as interim house when we first get children before they are moved into the main facility. The ministry owns ten acres with the option to buy an additional ten acres attached to it. Meanwhile, Joyce is in the States raising funds to build more homes. In March 2007, work began with clearing the land, moving and planting trees and fencing in all twenty acres. We are believing the Lord will bring the $47,000 in funds needed to purchase the rest of the land. At this time we are leasing the extra acreage. In July of 2007, the steel frames and roofs went up for the dorm and mission house. These two buildings will house up to 100 children. The project has been slow as we have waited for the money to come in. Now, in April 2008, the buildings are done. How exciting it is to move into two new homes that are 5,600 square feet and waiting for the Lord to fill them. Keep watching our newsletter to see how many children we get in 2008. It will be very exciting. Now the work begins all over to raise the money for the next twenty homes, cafeteria, pre-school, church, Tech Center and more. BIG PLANS, BIG GOD!

When you read about the homeless children and the number of deaths in Africa, it doesn't seem real. We have people ask us all the time what we think when we see the TV documentaries. They want to know if it is for real. I am sad to say it is. Everyone thinks that AIDS is the biggest killer in Africa but Malaria kills more children than any other disease. The article below was written in 2007 and is a sad reality. Life expectancy in Africa is 45 for an adult and for children under 5, 1 in 5 survive.

Here is an article from the New York Times on Friday Oct. 26, 2007: Article On My Mind; Is This Still News? By M. Rosenthall, published in July, 1991says:

“The package was from The World Health Organization. I had asked for updated information on the causalities of the war without end, against starvation and disease. The article and statistical tables are totally clear to anybody who can spare a few hours for 40,000 children—that is, 40,0000 a day.

Of course, as W.H.O. tables show, adults too die of preventable or curable disease and malnutrition. But of the yearly total of 50 million victims, one-third have not lived to their fifth birthday. The chance of living beyond the fifth birthday in one of those countries where children have big bellies and lollied heads is one in eight. Two-thirds of the dead children did not achieve their first birthday.”

Carla and Joyce enjoying the babies.

Ron Panzero with baby Jeff

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Some of the children who are living with Jeff and Carla at this time.

Along with the joy of bringing these children into the Children's Home, also comes sadness. Many of these children, by the time they get to Jeff and Carla, are on the edge of death. And we have to prepare ourselves to be able to let go. They have lost two children. Mark Steven had been abandoned and left to die. He was four years old and weighed about twelve pounds. He was so dehydrated, even his eyelids would not close. Carla spent six weeks caring for him in the hospital so that he could be given IV's. When they allowed him to go home with them, everyone celebrated. He fought a six month battle for his life, but everything in his body had been so weakened that he just couldn't hold on. He died August 13, 2007 in Carla's arms, knowing he was loved and all the children coming in to tell him they loved him. I personally believe that the Lord gave him to them so he would know love instead of dying in an empty hut. Below are pictures of Mark Steven when he first got there and just before he died.

Emanuel, known as Manny, was four months old and weighed four and a half pounds when he came to the Children's Home. He was suffering from malnutrition and was given a blood transfusion at the hospital. Due to the fact that the hospital had run out of oxygen, Manny struggled to breathe and passed away on May 28, 2007, in Carla's arms. Jeff had them put a window in Manny's coffin. He couldn't stand the thought of him being in the dark. We now have a doctor on staff and we won't loose another one because of the lack of life giving oxygen.

********

Together with In Step Foundation, we are building children's homes. The first complex grew before it was even built. The plan was to house around 60 children and now we have room for around 100. Together we plan to keep building, and as this project is complete, we will have a plan that can be used anywhere around the world. The goal is to be self sufficient within five years of completion. God has blessed this project as In Step Foundation is approved by the Kenyan government to open and operate the children's homes in Kenya. These are the first pictures of the project.

The first three pictures below are of the buildings after the frames and metal roofs were put on.

These next two pictures show the brick walls going up. The first one has the framing for the breezeway between the two buildings. This will be used to dry clothes during the rainy season.

Before the buildings were started, we noticed a pair of crested cranes who had taken up residence on the property. To our amazement, they have stayed.

Phase Two: We have begun fundraising to build 20 houses, school, chapel/cafeteria, outdoor screened drying area, clinic, Tech Center, housing over 400 children. Our goal is to complete this project by 2009. We pray that this is the first of many compounds.

God willing, we will build a ministry to reach out to the parents who are terminally ill, giving us a chance to share Christ with the family. By helping the parents, there will be no need for the children to be begging on the streets. This will allow the children to remain in school and stay in the family home, while building a relationship with us. When their parents are gone the adjustment will be easier on them.

We are planning on building a pre-school and Technical Training Center. The TECH Center will give the older children a skill that can be used when they leave the Children's Home. We want to give them the best chance they can have when they leave.

This logo & Rehema's logo were created by Paulette Howard as a gift for her Aunt Joyce. These shoes were worn by one of the children when they arrived at the home. The toes of the shoes had been cut out because they were too small. And these are in good shape compared to most.

Back in Kenya

2008-06-06T13:12:00.007-05:00

I woke up this morning and felt like I was back in Kenya. My mom came into my room to ask for help catching, of all things, a mouse! I thought these kinds of things only happen in Kenya! We have doggy doors in our house so the animals can come and go freely, but recently Charlie the cat, has been bringing in special "prizes". We've had a few birds let loose in the house and other small creatures, but this was the first mouse, to my knowledge. But don't be fooled, this was no tiny cute little baby mouse, it was a HUGE Kenya-sized mouse that could easily pass for a rat.

I wrote a blog a while back while I was in Kenya about my "issues" with mice and my "role" in helping catch the mice that would get into our house. This time I didn't have time to get into my mouse catching outfit, so I played my role by opening the front door then curling up in the chair across the room and watching my mom, my dog Annie, and Charlie the cat all ban together in catching the mouse in the house! They finally got him to move from under the couch then trapped him behind the television. After getting free from the T.V. he made his way to the kitchen. Annie finally nabbed him in the kitchen and my mom had her take the mouse outside and drop him in the yard. This made Annie's day! She was SO excited to be on the hunt and was reluctant to let her catch go! Once we got her to go back inside and leave the mouse, I gave her her favorite treat as a reward.

After the excitement, I went back to bed to finish my sleep and enjoy my day off. Annie was pretty excited and it took her a while to settle down, but she is back to normal and has been enjoying the day off with me as well.As expected, Charlie is grounded for the next few nights for bringing in rodents and will be locked out tonight!

The Past Month and Road Rules 2008

2008-04-21T20:37:00.013-05:00

Apparently I'm terrible at posting up-to-date blogs. So here is my attempt to fill you in on the past month as I look over my planner for notes:

Last month I spoke at an elementary school in Dallas about Africa/Kenya. I spoke to each grade separately, so after my sixth presentation I was a bit winded and felt extremely redundant, but I had a great time and I hope that the kids learned something new. A girl from my home group is a 4th grade teacher there.

The first weekend of this month my best friend, Kasey, came into town. It was super awesome to get to hang out with her again. She is moving to Fort Worth in the fall to go to SWBTS (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the place I used to go) so she came into town to do a tour of the school. I'm so excited that we will get to live near each other again!

I've started to work for Rent A Frog again doing valet for private parties, events, etc. One of the gigs I've done fairly consistently is doing valet on the south side of The Ballpark in Arlington for the Texas Rangers. Since I love baseball this has turned out to be a fairly fun job. I get to be outside all day, I get to watch part of the games, and I get to make money all at the same time. One of the many perks of the job is just getting wander around the stadium in my staff shirt and getting into places that others can't. I snuck down into the underground parking area for the players and was absolutely THRILLED to find Nolan Ryan's parking spot (if you did not know, Nolan Ryan is now the president of the Rangers). And FYI Ryan has two parking spaces while all the other players and coaches have only one. Poor millionaires, only one space. Don't you just feel so sorry for them?
Another thing that's kinda fun is that we get to watch some of the players' warm up before the ballpark actually opens to the public.
Last week I worked a valet job at The Old Red Courthouse in downtown Dallas. It was the night that the big storm came through so we got completely soaked. I ended up barefoot with my nice black pants sagging off of me. I do have to say that we got pretty good tips though. I guess all the rich people felt sorry for us.

I'm also working in catering now. I basically show up in my nice clothes where ever they tell me and I get paid to serve people gourmet food. Two weeks ago GEORGE catered for the Texas Ballet Theater's Flyball event/fund raiser. There was A LOT of really rich people and ballerinas all dressed up and being flown in on private jets, arriving in limos, and in an array of expensive cars. The "special guest" of the night was Jane Seymour.
In case you aren't familiar with Miss Seymour, she is an actress and was on the Dancing With The Stars television series last season. Anyways, she's absolutely beautiful and seems very nice. Of all things I ended up serving the VIP table, so I had Jane at my table and all the top ballet dancers. Needless to say, I started out the evening a bit nervous that I would spill wine on them or drop something. But things went smoothly and I had a great time!

A friend from Kenya, Rhonda, has been home for about a month and leaves this week, so Kate and I met up with her last week in Dallas for coffee and afterwards Kate and I went to dinner together at Chuy's. It was SO nice to get to talk with her and just to share the things that are going on in my life.

This past weekend I went on the annual singles "retreat" with my church called Road Rules. It was about 80 singles loaded up in mini vans doing a road trip/scavenger hunt through Texas. We went to places like Italy, Waco, Rosebud, and my favorite: Austin. We got to spend the whole day on Saturday in Austin and it was SO AWESOME to be home again. I haven't gotten to drive around Austin, especially downtown, in years! It brought back a ton of memories and made me really miss it. I met some really great people, made some new friends, got dirty, and had a really great time! Here are a few pics from the weekend:

The gang in my first van of the weekend (we changed vans/teams three times)

My second team at Threadgills

Doing Aggie yells at the UT tower (one of our scavenger hunt assignments) WHOOP!

In Barton Springs

Michelle, Torri, Annie, Me, and David

We watched the bats fly out of the Congress Street bridge at dusk (an Austin attraction)!

Sunset on the bridge

My broom ball team at the ice skating rink

Catching a wild hog in the sticks somewhere West of Waco (I have no idea where we were)

Absolutely disgusted after catching a hog and jumping into a mud/poo pit with it

Annie, Torri, and I

Slogan of the weekend: Stand By Your Van

So now you are caught up on the past month of my life!

Champs Camp, Harlingen, Texas

2008-03-19T21:59:00.003-05:00

Where have I been? I'm on a mission trip in Harlingen, TX. It's about 30 min. from the border of Mexico. Last minute I was asked to come here as a leader through the Angelo State University Baptist Student Ministry. We brought 5 students from ASU and have been joined by about 50 students from UT Arlington and Howard Payne University.

We are leading a week-long sports camp, Champs Camp, for children and have had 450 kids showing up each day. My main "task " for the week has been doing and putting together daily videos of all that the kids are doing throughout the day and "floating" from place to place giving help where help is needed among the different teams. I was also asked to come along as a driver for our students from ASU.

One of the greatest things about being here is getting to spend time with Kasey, my best friend. She is the Campus Missionary for the BSM and is the head leader for the ASU team. It has been really good getting to spend so much time with her. I haven't seen her since I got home, so it is great to see her every day.

So far this week, we have had a very successful trip and things are going fairly smoothly, amid the chaos. But overall this trip has been more intense than my entire time in Kenya.

Please keep our group and the children we are ministering to in your prayers.

-Pray against the intense spiritual warfare going on
-Pray against the schemes of the Enemy as they are present
-Praise and pray for the salvations occurring in the hearts of the children (and a volunteer leader accepted the love of Christ tonight!)
-Pray against distractions
-I am exhausted beyond what I can handle physically...Pray that the Lord supernaturally revives my energy
-Pray for my current extreme stress and frustrations

Thank you so very much for your prayers! I will update you when I get home and let you know more about the week at it's end. We will be driving the 10 hour drive back to San Angelo on Saturday morning and I will be driving back to Fort Worth on Sunday afternoon...pray for rest before then and safety. I will also be speaking at an elementary school in Dallas all day on Monday doing a presentation about Africa. I will be sharing with the students about how children in Africa live and raising awareness among American children about children in other countries. This will kick off their shoe drive for Shoes for Orphan Souls. I'm super excited, but nervous as well. So be praying for that as well.

HAPPY EASTER!
What an amazing way to celebrate the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord by getting to spend Good Friday ministering to children. This is what it is all about...seeing souls saved by the grace of Jesus Christ and them experiencing His love and mercy!
HAPPY EASTER!

Thank You Chacos For Saving My Foot

2008-02-29T12:59:00.005-06:00

I WORE A SHOE!!!

It was a day for the books!

Four weeks ago tomorrow my foot was caught in the wheel of a motorcycle and as of yesterday I was able to get my foot into my first shoe that had a back! Yes, I am well on my way to having my life get back to normal and be able to wear shoes that actually match my outfit! And soon, very soon I will be able to wear my beloved Chacos again..the sandal that saved my foot! Yes, it was a good day indeed!!!

Thank you Chacos for saving my foot!

I Rode On Public Transportaion!

2008-02-28T12:59:00.014-06:00

Wednesday, February 27th can go down in history as the day that I rode on public transportation for the first time in America! I rode the DART system!

Every Wednesday I go from Fort Worth to Dallas to attend my home group that is through my church. Now that I am jobless and living with my parents I am even farther away from my home group than I was before I left for Kenya. It takes me 1 1/2 hours to drive to Dallas from my house to the house that where we have home group. And after a recent gas-price calculation I discovered that is costs somewhere around $25 round trip every time I drive to Dallas and back! This summer I was averaging 2 trips to Dallas a week and 1 trip to Lewisville of equal distance on Sundays! That's ridiculous!

I have always been tempted to ride on public transportation. Partly because I was just curious about what it would be like and I am always up for a little adventure. But I really didn't know much about Texas public transportation. So when I realized just how much it was going to cost to get to and from Dallas I got online and decided to do a little research on the DART system and see if I could get from Fort Worth to somewhere close to my home group.

I left my house at about 4:00pm and made it to the free park and ride parking lot about 4:30pm. I ran into the underground hallway of the Fort Worth T & P Station and purchased my ticket from a little machine. I purchased an all day pass for only $5! I paid with a twenty dollar bill and I am now the proud owner of $15 in change!!! I ran upstairs and boarded my first train ever in America!

I took the Trinity Railway Express (TRE- the dark blue line) train from the T&P Station in Fort Worth at 4:38pm and 8 stops later I arrived at Union Station in Dallas at precisely 5:42 pm.

At Union Station I ran down some stairs and back up another set of stairs to the Red line rail and boarded the Northbound rail train at 5:54 pm and 6 stops later I arrived at Mockingbird Station at 6:11 pm! My friend from home group, Missy, picked me up from Mockingbird Station to take me to home group. And let me tell you, I was proud of myself at that point!

I am typically the type of person that has a running list in my head of things that I want to do, but I never do them. I never get around to doing the things on my list because I don't want to do them alone. Movies, restaurants, riding the DART rail, etc. But something I have come to realize is that if I wait around for other people to do things with me, I will forever have a list in my head of things that I never end up doing! As a result, in the last few years if there is a movie I really want to see or a place I really want to eat or a concert I really want to go to, I go alone. I can't always wait on other people to do things with me because I will likely never end up doing them! It is a bit of a freeing experience to know that I am independent and can do things alone.

Last night on the DART rail I felt a bit courageous and proud of myself for putting aside my fears and my desire to wait for someone else to do it with me. I was also proud that I actually made it to the place I wanted to go at the time I wanted to get there. In my head I almost expected to end up on the complete wrong end of town and completely lost! This is definitely my new mode of transportation!!!

Positive things about riding DART:
-It's CHEAPer!
-There's no traffic
-I did not get a headache from so much driving
-It was oddly relaxing to have that much time to myself
-It's a great opportunity to witness to the people around you who notice what you are reading
-I was able to listen to a sermon on the way and actually take notes!
-On the way home I finished a chapter in Desiring God, listened to music, and journaled.

JOIN ME NEXT TIME!

What I've Been Up To

2008-02-23T17:54:00.010-06:00

Pictures from the day I got home:

I wore a sweet African outfit off the plane to surprise my family. They didn't recognize me until I walked right up to their faces.

Dad, Nathan (nephew), Me, Mom

Sister (Kim), Nathan, Me (obviously)

Nathan wore his Aggie outfit!

Reading to Nathan (nephew) the night I got home (before I went to the hospital)

This is what I've been up to since I got home:

Making samosas

Reading to Nathan

Baking cookies with Nathan

He is a great help...see his spoon and bowl!

Home...Finally!

2008-02-09T10:56:00.000-06:00

I am finally home! I got discharged from the hospital around 3pm on Friday and after five and a half months, I finally got to spend the night in my own bed...though it wasn't as comfortable as I hoped since my leg was up in the air and I couldn't turn over. But, it was so nice to finally be home. My mom and I rented a few movies to watch last night and we just relaxed. Thank you so much for your prayers while I was away and especially while I was in the hospital. Upon arriving in the ER they thought my foot looked pretty bad and really infected, but praise the Lord, there was no infection! So they are keeping me on strong antibiotics just in case. It is actually healing REALLY fast! Originally, they were thinking it would take a few weeks to fully grow that much new skin, but it is looking like it will be mostly healed in a week (but still very sensitive)! Praise the Lord! I am just really excited about driving again (it's my right heel). So once I can drive again, hopefully I can get out and go see people! So thanks again for the many prayers!
I was the first patient ever for these nursing students. One had to leave because she almost blacked out when she saw my foot...poor thing, she was so embarrassed.

Update on Amanda in the Hospital

2008-02-07T18:17:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone! This is Amanda's sister, Kim, writing to update you on Amanda (she doesn't have internet access). Amanda went to the ER (Plaza Medical Center in Fort Worth) on Tuesday night to have her foot examined. By the way, it's not just a little scrape; it's more like a large chunk of her heel is missing. The doctor determined that she needed to be admitted to the hospital for 3-5 days to receive antibiotics to clear up the infection and get the wound cleaned. They feared if it wasn't treated properly, she could get an infection in the bone and risk losing her foot (not somthing to mess around with!). They have done two rounds of cleaning on the foot & I think they're done with that. Both times Amanda got IV morphine and she was pretty loopy. They determined that it was NOT infected, but are doing an MRI to make sure the bone isn't infected or damaged in any way. Amanda has been in pretty good spirits overall, but it wasn't exactly the homecoming she was looking forward to (as you can imagine). Tonight, the doctor told her she'll be released from the hospital tomorrow. Keep praying for her healing; it will be a long recovery. Once she gets home, I'm sure she'll update you. Thank you, everyone, for supporting her through this journey over the past 6 months!

Sincerely,
Kim Nevels

Home and PRAYER!!!

2008-02-05T19:44:00.000-06:00

Well, I made it home, finally. I kinda fibbed a bit about hurting my ankle. It was a little worse than I let on so that I would not freak my parents out. What actually happened is that I got my foot stuck in the wheel of a moving motorcycle the day I left Kitale. It took all the skin off my heel. Though Daniel cleaned it as good as possible and Aly took great care of me in Nairobi, the thing I feared most has come true and I need your prayers! My parents' neighbor came over tonight to look at it, she's a nurse. And instantly said that I need to go to an ER TONIGHT! Not to wait another day. It's infected and doesn't look good. So, I am so so so scared of doctors, hospitals, etc. and am so nervous and scared to go, so please be praying for me the next few days. The neighbor said they will probably put me to sleep for it all. It's so freakin painful. So please, continue to pray for me as I'm really scared and hate this kind of pain. I am so glad to be home, but this just killed my joy. Thank you.

Nairobi and such

2008-02-03T07:19:00.000-06:00

We made it to Nairobi. We left Kitale at 2:15 and flew 15 minutes on a 17 passenger plane to Eldoret. I threw up on an airplane for the first time in my life. I think my body was just in shock from the ankle thing, stress, hot plane, bumpiness, etc. just combining to make me sick. Thanks goodness for barf bags! We left Eldoret on the same size plane and flew an hour to Nairobi. Again, I threw up! :) Then threw up again once we landed! Good times. We got to our hotel about 5pm and after settling and Aly and Timo carry all my bags upstairs for me, we went to find food. I got sick from the one bite of pizza and went back to the hotel for the rest of the night. I didn't sleep at all from my ankle being in pain and periodically throwing up, but today I took a good nap and my stomach is feeling SO much better! Please continue to pray for the remainder of my travels. I will have wheelchair assistance at each airport, but will have to transfer from Heathrow to Gatwick, etc without assistance. But praise the LORD for Timo and Aly, they have been a HUGE help!!!

Now we are off to the Nairobi Java House for AMAZING coffee and DINNER! And maybe a cookie and ice cream sundae (but that may have to wait until tomorrow!)!!!!

We fly out of Nairobi tomorrow night at 11:20 pm (2 pm Texas time) and I'll be back in Dallas by 2:20 on Tuesday! I'm so excited!

Prayer Request

2008-02-02T02:29:00.003-06:00

We are flying out of Kitale today and will fly out of Nairobi on Monday. Today I hurt my ankle so please just be praying for my trip home that things will go smoothly and I will make my connection in London. Thanks to my sinus surgery from this summer I had some pain medicine on hand! Praise the Lord! It will just be hard to travel when I can't walk on one leg, so pray for my travel! Thanks. I'll be home soon!!!

Prayer Request

2008-02-02T02:29:00.001-06:00

We are flying out of Kitale today and will fly out of Nairobi on Monday. Today I hurt my ankle so please just be praying for my trip home that things will go smoothly and I will make my connection in London. Thanks so my sinus surgery from this summer I had some pain medicine on hand! Praise the Lord! It will just be hard to travel when I can't walk on one leg, so pray for my travel! Thanks. I'll be home soon!!!

Flights changed

2008-02-01T11:07:00.000-06:00

As of 5 pm today, I am now leaving tomorrow from Kitale at 1-ish. CRAZY! A little stressed at this point because we were planning to leave Monday. I'll still be leaving Nairobi on Monday and will be back in Texas by Tuesday. YEAH! Home soon!!!! Pray for safety and Aly is sick.

I'm Coming Home Early!!!

2008-01-29T11:28:00.000-06:00

I'll be home next Tuesday, February 5th, instead of the 23rd!!! I leave Nairobi the night of the 4th and will be back in my comfy Texas bed in one week!!!! I'm so excited to be coming home.

Destruction and Policemen

2008-01-28T01:40:00.000-06:00

We took Meredith to the airport in Eldoret last Thursday. Eldoret is one of the areas in Kenya that had the most violence and destruction. On the way we stopped by a few villages that had a lot of damage and I took a few pictures from the car:

A lot of businesses and houses were burned and/or knocked down leaving thousands homeless and jobless.

Burnt matatu

Rocks used for a road block (now on the side of the road)

On the way to the airport on the other side of Eldoret, we got stopped by a police man on the side of the road (not uncommon). We thought it was just another police check, since we had already gone through others on the way to Eldoret, but when we pulled over he just asked us, "Are you going to the airport?" Daniel told him we were, so he asked for a ride!!! How weird. Him and his huge gun hopped in the back seat with me. I was a little nervous at first. Even though I'm from Texas, their guns here scare me a bit. Then Meredith said out of the side of her mouth, "This will make for a good blog!" I answered, "Heck Yeah. Mine is going to be better though." Let me explain, there is a bit of joke between Meredith and I about blogs because by the time I ever get to the internet, Meredith or Daniel has usually already blogged what I also wanted to blog. That is why many times I just copy and paste what they already wrote. But this time, mine was going to be better! SO, I asked the officer sitting next to me, "Can I take your picture?" He looked at me a bit weird but then said it was okay. So I took his picture then he asked if we could take a picture of both of us! So, here ya go, the pictures that make this blog better than Meredith's:

You know how sometimes you see something and you wonder, WHAT ARE THEY THINKING??? Well, we experienced this question followed by a ton of laughter as we were driving through Eldoret. Everytime I look at this I bust out laughing all over again, but maybe it was just a "had to be there" moment!

Seriously, what were they thinking? I hope this makes you laugh as much as I laughed!!!

Have a great week.

Malaria

2008-01-26T11:10:00.001-06:00

Daniel has Malaria. No fun. So I went and got him some medicine, sprite and soup this morning from town. He has been in his room since this morning. He has only appeared when I give him food. Pray for Daniel.

Back to the Norm?

2008-01-22T02:14:00.000-06:00

Well, things are getting back to normal around here. Most kids have gone back to school and so our projects are getting back to normal. At home, things are changing a lot. Eva Joy and Caleb went back home to Mass/Vermont to have their baby and will return sometime next year. So our number in the house went from 8 to 6. Thursday, Meredith and Jared go back to Canada, so we will be down to 4 in the house! Meredith lives here, but she will be home for four weeks so I won't see her again before I leave. And I leave one month from today!

Last week Daniel, Meredith, and I went around to some different villages to check on some projects. It was such a long day, but it was all worth it! We ended up spending over 5 hours in the car. In Webuye town we went to a deaf school and it was such a blast to see those kids. My sign language always comes back a lot better than I expect whenever I'm around deaf people, but I always get too nervous to actually use it...so I hardly used any at all. The kids there were so much fun and so beautiful. I did manage to muster up the courage to ask their names and name signs and a few basic things. Sign language in Kenya is a little different than ASL so I didn't understand everything they said and they sign SO fast that its hard for me to keep up. But it was fun trying!

His name sign
The front gate of the girls school
Meredith and two beautiful boys!

After the deaf school, we went to enroll a little boy, Samuel, in a nearby school for the mentally handicap. Samuel obviously has down syndrome and is so adorable and full of joy. Samuel's aunt takes care of him because his parents have died. We could see that she really loves him...a rare thing in a country like this! He was a riot to be around. We laughed so much! We know another little girl at that same school, Emma, so we were able to visit her. I love her so much!!! She is so adorable and when she smile it makes my week. Her smile is engraved in my mind! I think I posted a picture of Emma during my Christmas party update.

EMMA!!! I would take her home in a heart beat!

Samuel had not idea what I was trying to do to him. He was really confused by the camera!
Samuel is SO cute!

Our next stop was a final deaf technical school for older deaf girls in a town called Mumias. Mumias has experienced a lot of damage due to the recent violence in Kenya. I will try to post some pictures taken in Mumias soon. We didn't stay in Mumias long because by the time we got there we were exhausted and wanted to get home!

Burnt house
Burnt Matatu
Where a house used to be

After another hour and a half in the borrowed car, we finally arrived home and were so glad to be back! We were so exhausted and I slept like a rock that night and the next night!

Fun times in the car with Meredith and Anne (our social worker)!

My white peace flag (a piece of toilet paper) that Mer and I flew from the car window...until it fell apart!

Meredith's peace flag! Good times!

So, that's what I've done recently!

GAS and goodbyes

2008-01-16T04:43:00.000-06:00

The internet went down while I was writing this and I forgot to ever post it, sorry! I wrote it last week.

I don't really know what gas prices are like in America these days, but I know they are high and people still complain about it. Ever since the violence in Kenya began prices have gone much higher because there is less transportation due to dangerous roads so there are a lot of shortages. We finally got gasoline in Kitale. In fact, most stations have gas now. In Kenya gasoline is measured by liters and, of course, is paid in Shillings. We all know the prices are higher so a friend of mine calculated what the prices were in US Dollars per gallon...$5.37!!!! PER GALLON! Imagine, a third world country having to pay over $5 for a gallon of gas! That's crazy! The gas prices are not only affecting those with personal vehicles, but combined with the danger of traveling and the gas prices, public transportation rates have doubled! Well, I just wanted to share with you a piece of the madness!

A WEEK OF GOODBYES:

Eva Joy and Caleb went home to Massachusetes

In other news, my bunny died Sunday night! R.I.P. Fred. Ginger is still doing okay though. We were sitting in the living room Sunday night (without electricity) and all of a sudden I saw the dogs running across the backyard and could hear squealing. I knew immediately they must have gotten into the bunny cage and yelled "BUNNIES!" and ran out of the room, followed by everyone else in the house. We took off after the dogs and I headed to their cage to see if they were both out or just one and my bunny was lying on the ground dead. We think he much have gotten scared by the dogs and had a heart attack. Ginger, on the other hand, was the one running through the yard. And other than some slobber on her (from the dogs picking her up) she was fine. We think the dogs just wanted to play with them because they did not actually harm either one of them. So I will hopefully be getting another bunny this week and I will be rebuilding their cage. Ginger seems lonely. I'm sorry that I never got a picture of Fred for you, but I will post a picture of Ginger and her new companion when he arrives. It was a sad day indeed.

Baby Linda

2008-01-13T03:58:00.000-06:00

I went to see baby Linda this past week at the Church of Christ Children's Home. I know I mentioned her briefly a long time ago. When I first met Linda she was less than a month old and was so so tiny! She came to the home when she was only 3 days old. Linda's mother was from out of town and showed up at the Kitale District Hospital and had baby Linda. The next day her mother disappeared and left Linda abandoned. The hospital called the children's home and asked if they could take her. Today Linda is 4 months old and is so much healthier and much bigger! Here are a few pictures of her and I:

The past few days...

2008-01-10T03:31:00.000-06:00

Well, I thought I would update since I haven't done that recently. Things in Kitale are pretty much back to normal...other than the lack of soda and gasoline. Schools will be going back on Monday the 14th (a week late) so town is busy with people buying supplies and uniforms. For Kenya, it is the start of a new school year. Their school year starts in January and has three terms (with breaks between each term). The last term ended at the end of November.

I've been a little under the weather the past few days so I was not up to doing much other than nap and read. A few days ago I went to visit the Church of Christ Children's Home because I hadn't been there in a while. I will try to post a few pictures soon.

Today I went to Tuwani with the Africa Connect people (Eva Joy, Caleb, Timo, and Aly) to see their kids and measure their feet for new shoes.

Well, that's about all I've done the last few days. I'm feeling much better today, so hopefully I will be back up to normal speed by tomorrow!

Another Update

2008-01-04T04:29:00.001-06:00

Things in Kitale have really calmed down. Town is actually a little more busy than usual because people have been locked up in their homes for so long, they are ready to get out. The lines and the bank are ridiculous long because people haven't been able to get money for so long. Most of the town has been closed since Christmas, so we are so ready for things to be open again. There is still a shortage of things like gas, bread, phone cards, sodas, etc. But other than that, things feel almost normal in town. There is a little bit of public transportation only going West (away from dangerous areas like Eldoret), but there is a shortage of fuel for personal vehicles. I have been told that the guess is that school will open a week late because there is no way for people in other areas to travel back to where they need to be for school (especially boarding schools). We are a bit bored (board- that's for you Heather!) around the house because we've been trapped there for so long. But we have nothing to complain about and can only praise our gracious and loving God because he keep us away from such danger and has provided for us throughout this time! The Bible says to give thanks in all circumstances and that is what I am trying to do daily. I know that in all things God will get glory, so I am just praying that he will bring glory to himself through this! We are not able to do any "work" with our projects because of the gas shortage, but as of right now all of our projects have food and are fairly safe still. Again, praise the Lord for that. Thank you so much for your continuous prayers and please continue for the people of Kenya. Please pray that as peace is coming that this would not be time where tribal hatred is simply suppressed temporarily (as it has been before) but that people will truly come to love each other and set aside their tribal differences and work toward a common goal of peace and rest in their country. Pray that the Lord will do a mighty work in their hearts and again, will get glory through it.

Another Update

2008-01-02T01:58:00.000-06:00

Things in Kenya are slowing starting to calm down, though the last few days have been very bad for the people here. It is really hard to realize all the suffering and death that has been going on around us, especially while in our safe happy neighborhood, cheers of the new year could be heard. In Kitale, things are very calm right now (I'm in town at the internet cafe). We feel that things are just going to get better from here, hopefully. Most of the stores in town have opened up now and there is food available to people again. A lot of the roads in Kenya are still closed so we are not able to get deliveries, like food restocked, gas, phone credit, etc. But we are just thankful that our friends in hiding are slowly able to come out. Tomorrow (Thursday) will be a telling day to see if things here will continue in peace or not. In case you did not hear on the news, a church in Eldoret was burned yesterday and at least 30 people died. This is just one example of what has been happening the last few days.

Though things are getting better, please pray for:
-The families (especially the Kikuyu people) that are still in hiding and hungry
-Peace throughout all of Kenya
-The people who have lost a family member or friend
-The leaders of this country, that they will have wisdom and lay aside their pride
-Against stress!
-The people who are either traveling to Kenya or are trying to get out of Kenya (I know people doing both)
-Again, for peace!!!

Thank you so much for all the prayers, encouragment, phone calls and text messages over the last week! I love you guys!

Happy Late New Year!!!