back to the states...

Well we leave Kenya tonight... its very bittersweet. Im excited to see my brothers but i have really enjoyed kenya and have had a lot of fun. We don't have much time online so this will be short. oh haha last night it was weird because i was on facebook IM and Rachel was online (shes now in the states with her sister) so we talked and i was like yeaaa well im just at ur house haha hanging out it was weird casue normally its the other way around becasue i would be in the states and she would be in keyna. that was just silly. ok thats all for now : )

Reality Check

We've been in Kenya for over 2 weeks now, and its starting to seem normal... we have times when we just have to have reality checks and remind each other hey ur in africa we r in kenya... this ocean isn't in florida its the Indian Ocean. Everything is going well and the weather is beautiful. This part of the trip is a great time for relaxing and debriefing about the people we have met, what we have seen, and what we think and feel about those things.

church under a tree

Yesterday we woke up early and drove in the land cruiser 3 hours to visit a church that was started about a year and a half ago and meets under a tree. I really wasn’t sure what was in store. I figured we would just sit in the back and watch and that Mr. Crum might say a few words. I was wrong. First we stopped by the pastor’s house, his name is Daniel Tuke. We met his family and wife then had chai (tea). I’m about ready to explode because im not that much of a hot tea drinker or that much of a milk drinker and we have already had a lotttt this visit. So that’s what chai is its hot milk tea and sugar. But I sucked it up and drank my way to the bottom (it was actually my favorite cup ive had yet… Rachel thinks that im just starting to like it). Then we all 8 of us piled in to the land cruiser and headed for church. On the way there we saw a woman with 3 of her children walking on their way to church so we slowed down and helped them into the back with Rachel and I and Jennifer Daniel’s wife. Soon we arrived at the tree where they meet we stood around and slowly people from all directions came in on foot. Then we were given our seats. Which were right against the tree and not on the ground where as everyone else sat in the grass. We were given a wooden bench or a large plastic jug or in mine and Rachel’s case a large tin can (good thing I had my tetanus shot just incase). So basically we were sitting in the seats of honor which wasn’t what I had expected. Then they started the first song and it was a little awkward because I had no clue what they were saying, but then I really didn’t care I got into it and realized that these women and children and some men were singing to the same God and it was the most passion filled service I can remember. These women had nothing compared to what we live with in the states yet when they were singing they were loud and so happy to sing to God. They would dance and jump and it didn’t matter who was watching because they weren’t doing it for the people watching they were going it for God. I have to admit I was fighting back the tears because it was so beautiful. One picture that keeps coming to mind is of a young girl who was wearing a orange dress and soccer cleats for shoes and was singing her heart our and dancing, she didn’t care that her shoes were awkward and huge she was totally in the moment. I think sometimes we lose sight of everything we have and what God has blessed us with. And not to sound lame I felt like it brought me back to the heart of worship and I’ll never forget that day under the tree in Kenya surrounded by women singing their hearts our in a language I couldn’t understand and being so joyful and content.

kenyaa

alrighttttt soo we r in kenya now.. haha and have been for like a week.. things have just been very busyyyy! but awesome. for sure awesome. we went out to the bush and it was amazinggggg. breath taking views and steller animals! i had gotten my hopes all down and was convinsing myself that i wouldnt see any animals except maybe a antalop and a wildebeast. my expectations were surpassed! we saw lions and elephants and cape buffalo hippos zebras and much much more! there will be plenty of pictures soon to come. i got sick when we first got her but im feeling much bettter which is super. i wish there was a sweet story i could tell but i cant think of one. ohh waite. haha ok so we we were heading to our tent camp and we stopped to take pictures at this very beautiful spot and there were tons of zebras and eland then mrs. crum said u guys can go chase them! that sounded like a supper idea. so we climbed out the back and Rachel and i just stood there for a while then we sprinted at them. they strated running and then we stoped and rachel pointed at the eland that was like 2 times the size of the others and a regular eland weights aboutg a ton! so we were just standing there stunned. dont worry its all on video. then we went back to the car to tell of our spottings. so things have been busy. it was warm the past 3 days but today is quite chilly. we r here for about a week then we head to the coast!

A slumber party in the sky with a bunch of strangers

The over night flight was totaly exciting at first. It was a bigger plane than i had ever seen. The entertainment selections were great but the sleeping was crappy. When we got to london we took the tube... thats a story in its self... we have these huge suitcases weighing 50lbs and the platforms to the train (tube) were uneven most of the time. Soooo.... ofcourse at one stop i couldnt get mine on fast enuff and the door started to shut with me in it. I thought awesome now im going to die and im not even in africa.. this sucks. After that i got out of the door and stood there with my dad looking at my mom who was on the tube the first words she mouthed were HELP! then she said I WILL MEET U AT THE NEXT STOP! haha way to react fast mom! So then me and my poor dad got on the next train and we still tramatized that we were seperated from the women who knew what she was doing! haha so eventually we found her at the next stop and then we went to london. Got to our hotel room and i broke down.. haha no joke... no sleep, hungy, and still just happy i had a mom. Yay..

The Night b4

Ok, so its the night before we leave and my Dad is going through his wallet and cleaning things out. He finds his BI(the company he works for) help card he says "this is for when i need help with my computer i can just call and say help", he continues by saying "I can use it in Africa...help...I'm in Africa.. there's a hippo charging. Help."

To some of you this might not be funny but to others they will understand. We are pretty much finished packing so now we r just focused on the smaller details.

5 days to go!

There are 5 more days to go until we leave and things are starting to fall into place. We have received a ton of donations from the church to take over to the Crum family. So right now we are just getting ready to leave by packing and doing things like thattt.....Getting more and more excited with each day! Keep praying that stress levels stay low and that everything goes as planned.

May 18th

24 days to go, and finally it's starting to seem real! Today at FVCC we asked the church to bring in things that the Crums had asked for and there was a huge response! By the end of second service we ran out of elephants and giraffe handouts. I was worried that no one would take any...who was I kidding? People seemed really genuinely excited and happy to be a part of the trip!

While talking to Simon at church, a man from Uganda, he was telling me that while I'm in Kenya i have to race a hippo... but if i can't find a hippo a lion will do. I guess what u do is park your land rover get out and you taunt the animal... like with a sandwich or get in between the mother and the babies.. then you run! Supposedly it is just like bungee jumping in the US.. or it gives you the same rush. I'm not so sure about that whole idea... but if i do it im sure we will video tape it! haha.

Anyways... the date is getting nearer and its totally starting to set in! I think it will 100% once I'm done with school. But for now ill hit the books...

Things to pray for:

• Safe travel, health, adjustment to time zone and culture.
• Preparation over all, packing, luggage weight limits, etc.
• Peace in Kenya, political and tribal tensions stay low.
• Encouragement for the Crums and Maasai Christians.
• Spiritual sensitivity-flexibility to be used for God's glory.