Thank you to all who give to help us feed the children at Mbewau!!!
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Home in America, but Heart Still in Africa
Here is a post from one of our last missions teams. Thank you Jenny Jenkins and your Imani mission interns and team for all you have done for the people of Kenya. This post from Hannah describes perfectly what its like to come home with such a desire to do more for Christ and the least of these.
Home in America, but Heart Still in Africa
Well, our team has been home for four days now but my body definitely still thinks it's in Kenya. We made it back home safely with only a minor bump in the road! Our luggage was left in Washington when we made it back to Houston, so they sent it to all of our homes the next morning. I had some intense jet lag the first night; went to sleep at 8:45 PM and woke up bright and early at 4:30 AM!
It has been hard at times to adjust back to American culture. I'm still use to every person I walk past saying "Jambo!" and five children running up to me at once to be held. The friendliness of the people in Kenya is something I will always miss, and the hospitality they greet you with upon arriving at their homes is something I hope to establish in my own apartment at school. Even though Elyse warned us about the emotional effect of coming home, it still hit me pretty hard. I went through every phase she told us about and even suggested we avoid. (Sorry, Mama Dhahabu). I went through my "send-me-back-to-Africa" depression and cried on the way to Zumba one morning. I've gotten frustrated with the excessiveness of everything we have in America and how much people take for granted here.
I think the hardest part for me is feeling like I can't do anything to help those children now that I'm back home. But that isn't the case at all. I can share my stories with those here and encourage them to go on mission trips. Above all things, I can pray for those amazing people. I can pray for those who accepted Christ and that they will continue to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. I can pray that every child I met will always have a meal to eat and will be able to attend school each month. I can only pray, but prayer is my biggest resource. Prayer changes EVERY circumstance. Prayer is what brought me to Africa. I might be thousands of miles from those sweet children, but My God isn't. My God is there now, cradling every child in His loving arms and that is the greatest comfort! How amazing to think about; that God is the same God here in America and there in Africa. He remains the same on every continent!
My time in Africa was a complete blessing through and through. Each face I saw is still etched into my memory. I can't help but smile as the names of each precious child runs across my mind and connects with a smiling face or an adorable giggle. I will always remember little Sylivia in babies class, who ALWAYS had a huge smile splashed across her face. She LOVED to be held and would get pretty feisty if she didn't get her way! Of course, everyone knows who I will never forget...and that is my little love, Esther from Masai Corner! She was the sweetest little girl! I loved talking with her mom and holding her for practically the entire day. She wouldn't smile in pictures, but if you tickled her she would light up! I could tell a million stories about each child, but that would take way too long. I didn't think I could love so many children the way I love those children in Kenya. They completely changed and I thank God daily for sending me to Kenya.
I have been so humbled by the people in Africa, and I pray God will continue to bless each and every one of them. I am so thankful for my amazing team that the Lord blessed me with! They are such an amazing group of ladies that absolutely love the Lord and love to serve Him. I am so thankful for Jenny and the amazing organization that is Imani! Imani is an awesome organization, and I am so glad I was able to go to Africa through them! Jenny, thank you for your hard work and dedication to Imani and the people of Africa. You are an incredible example of a woman of God serving the Lord 100%!
Lastly, thank you to my wonderful sponsors and amazing friends and family! Without your donations, support, and prayers, I wouldn't have been able to go to Africa. You are all such amazing people, and I am so thankful that you served the Lord in the way you did! I hope one day, Lord willing, that I can go back to Africa and serve God there!
It has been hard at times to adjust back to American culture. I'm still use to every person I walk past saying "Jambo!" and five children running up to me at once to be held. The friendliness of the people in Kenya is something I will always miss, and the hospitality they greet you with upon arriving at their homes is something I hope to establish in my own apartment at school. Even though Elyse warned us about the emotional effect of coming home, it still hit me pretty hard. I went through every phase she told us about and even suggested we avoid. (Sorry, Mama Dhahabu). I went through my "send-me-back-to-Africa" depression and cried on the way to Zumba one morning. I've gotten frustrated with the excessiveness of everything we have in America and how much people take for granted here.
I think the hardest part for me is feeling like I can't do anything to help those children now that I'm back home. But that isn't the case at all. I can share my stories with those here and encourage them to go on mission trips. Above all things, I can pray for those amazing people. I can pray for those who accepted Christ and that they will continue to pursue a relationship with Jesus Christ. I can pray that every child I met will always have a meal to eat and will be able to attend school each month. I can only pray, but prayer is my biggest resource. Prayer changes EVERY circumstance. Prayer is what brought me to Africa. I might be thousands of miles from those sweet children, but My God isn't. My God is there now, cradling every child in His loving arms and that is the greatest comfort! How amazing to think about; that God is the same God here in America and there in Africa. He remains the same on every continent!
My time in Africa was a complete blessing through and through. Each face I saw is still etched into my memory. I can't help but smile as the names of each precious child runs across my mind and connects with a smiling face or an adorable giggle. I will always remember little Sylivia in babies class, who ALWAYS had a huge smile splashed across her face. She LOVED to be held and would get pretty feisty if she didn't get her way! Of course, everyone knows who I will never forget...and that is my little love, Esther from Masai Corner! She was the sweetest little girl! I loved talking with her mom and holding her for practically the entire day. She wouldn't smile in pictures, but if you tickled her she would light up! I could tell a million stories about each child, but that would take way too long. I didn't think I could love so many children the way I love those children in Kenya. They completely changed and I thank God daily for sending me to Kenya.
I have been so humbled by the people in Africa, and I pray God will continue to bless each and every one of them. I am so thankful for my amazing team that the Lord blessed me with! They are such an amazing group of ladies that absolutely love the Lord and love to serve Him. I am so thankful for Jenny and the amazing organization that is Imani! Imani is an awesome organization, and I am so glad I was able to go to Africa through them! Jenny, thank you for your hard work and dedication to Imani and the people of Africa. You are an incredible example of a woman of God serving the Lord 100%!
Lastly, thank you to my wonderful sponsors and amazing friends and family! Without your donations, support, and prayers, I wouldn't have been able to go to Africa. You are all such amazing people, and I am so thankful that you served the Lord in the way you did! I hope one day, Lord willing, that I can go back to Africa and serve God there!
-Maua (Swahili for flower)
*Hannah*
*Hannah*
Thursday, July 5, 2012
God has opened my eyes!!!
- Seeing the Father’s Love Through a Safari.... Its safe to say that before I came to Kenya I was expecting to see a whole lot of red dirt and desert and very little vegetation and trees. Boy was I wrong! While Kenya has tons of red dirt, there are so many beautiful things here that God has opened my eyes to seeing. These past two days we went on safari. I had a BLAST seeing all of these animals that were only a reality in zoos and the Lion King in REAL LIFE! I really wish I could have been there when God told Adam “go ahead and name all of the animals I have created!” That would have been a cool job, but that’s besides the point!
While on safari, God overwhelmed me with the enormity of His creation. He makes the whole world go round, not to mention He created it all. I was reminded of a word of encouragement I got from my friend Hyde. He told me that I was a flower in creation surrounded my lots of other flowers on top of a mountain. I was singing a song to the Lord and my voice was not lost in the midst of all creation. It was super cool to see how detailed God is on safari. From the zebras stripes to the giraffes spots/spotches. And to think, He made me in HIS IMAGE and see me and you as more beautiful than any of the other creatures on this earth. I rest in Psalm 139 today.“O Lord you have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; you understand my thoughts from afar. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways…I will praise you for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.” Psalm 139: 1-3,14.God is attentive to my cry and to your cry. Rejoice in the fact that you are known intimately by the creator of the universe. Even when you feel alone, God sees your every move and loves your heart. He hears your thoughts and delights in everything about you. Let Him love you today.In awe of God’s creation,Kellie “Karembo” (Beautiful-my African name)- TEXT
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
College Station Team
We have 5 interns in from Texas A&M for the summer and 6 more from A&M for 2 weeks on a short term missions trip. Here is a wonderful post copied from their blog.
PSA: I'm Alive Mom
Jambo! Well, this is my very first blog from Mombasa, so I'm sure my mom is freaking out. To my mother: I am alive and perfectly fine! Internet isn't something we get every single day, so it's precious when we can use it!
Wow...where do I even begin?! If I even attempted to blog about everything since we've gotten here, I would probably write for hours and end with a complete novel on my hands. So, I'll do a quick summary of last week and focus on the safari, etc. My experiences while on this trip have been completely and utterly amazing! I have never fallen in love so quickly with a place and its people as I have here. Everyone is extremely friendly and so welcoming (even more friendly than College Station, Mom).
From Thursday to Sunday we stayed at Mbewau (the school) in one of the extra classrooms. I helped in the babies class (3-4 yrs old) and oh my word! They are the CUTEST little kids in the world! Their personalities are all so funny, and I can't help but smile thinking of their precious faces! I definitely attached myself to each and every one of them so it'll be a VERY hard day when we leave. They all love to be held and will fight each other until you pick them up. Holding two at a time is common and if you're really strong, like Jessica, then you hold three at once. Every morning when I walked into the classroom they would shout, "Teacher! Teacher!" and immediately run to be picked up. Words don't even describe how precious these children are, and I can only hope and pray that the Lord used me to shed His love on them.
Yesterday we left in the morning to head on safari! That was super awesome! We went on three trips through the preserve: one going to the hotel, an evening safari, and a sunrise safari this morning. I felt like a little kid every time we would see an animal, and I definitely had the Lion King soundtrack going through my mind the whole time! During the evening safari, we sat for a solid hour (maybe a little more) watching three female lions and one male lion stalk an entire herd of water buffalo. Needless to say, nothing happened and we were all very disappointed that the lions didn't attack the buffalo. My favorite part was this morning's sunrise safari. I woke up early to watch the sun rise and it was breathtaking. Words can't describe the beauty of an African sun rise and the colors that spread across the sky as the sun slowly ascends. There was a moment during the safari where my entire van was silent (I think at this point Jenny was sleeping), and I just stood staring at everything around me, trying to take as many mental pictures as possible. The silence combined with the surrounding landscape left me in awe of God's amazing creation. From the red dirt to the overwhelming mountains, God created specifically to show off His glory. Once again, I am humbled by the majesty of God!
I have already been so blessed by this experience, and I thank God every day that He allowed me to go on this trip to serve Him. The Lord has humbled me so much and shown me what true joy in Him looks like! From day one, I have made sure to set aside any emotions I may have and allow the Lord to fill me with His overwhelming peace so He may use me 100% each day. I look forward to heading to Southcoast this weekend to serve the Lord even more!
Kwaheri!
-Hannah
Wow...where do I even begin?! If I even attempted to blog about everything since we've gotten here, I would probably write for hours and end with a complete novel on my hands. So, I'll do a quick summary of last week and focus on the safari, etc. My experiences while on this trip have been completely and utterly amazing! I have never fallen in love so quickly with a place and its people as I have here. Everyone is extremely friendly and so welcoming (even more friendly than College Station, Mom).
From Thursday to Sunday we stayed at Mbewau (the school) in one of the extra classrooms. I helped in the babies class (3-4 yrs old) and oh my word! They are the CUTEST little kids in the world! Their personalities are all so funny, and I can't help but smile thinking of their precious faces! I definitely attached myself to each and every one of them so it'll be a VERY hard day when we leave. They all love to be held and will fight each other until you pick them up. Holding two at a time is common and if you're really strong, like Jessica, then you hold three at once. Every morning when I walked into the classroom they would shout, "Teacher! Teacher!" and immediately run to be picked up. Words don't even describe how precious these children are, and I can only hope and pray that the Lord used me to shed His love on them.
Yesterday we left in the morning to head on safari! That was super awesome! We went on three trips through the preserve: one going to the hotel, an evening safari, and a sunrise safari this morning. I felt like a little kid every time we would see an animal, and I definitely had the Lion King soundtrack going through my mind the whole time! During the evening safari, we sat for a solid hour (maybe a little more) watching three female lions and one male lion stalk an entire herd of water buffalo. Needless to say, nothing happened and we were all very disappointed that the lions didn't attack the buffalo. My favorite part was this morning's sunrise safari. I woke up early to watch the sun rise and it was breathtaking. Words can't describe the beauty of an African sun rise and the colors that spread across the sky as the sun slowly ascends. There was a moment during the safari where my entire van was silent (I think at this point Jenny was sleeping), and I just stood staring at everything around me, trying to take as many mental pictures as possible. The silence combined with the surrounding landscape left me in awe of God's amazing creation. From the red dirt to the overwhelming mountains, God created specifically to show off His glory. Once again, I am humbled by the majesty of God!
I have already been so blessed by this experience, and I thank God every day that He allowed me to go on this trip to serve Him. The Lord has humbled me so much and shown me what true joy in Him looks like! From day one, I have made sure to set aside any emotions I may have and allow the Lord to fill me with His overwhelming peace so He may use me 100% each day. I look forward to heading to Southcoast this weekend to serve the Lord even more!
Kwaheri!
-Hannah
Monday, July 2, 2012
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