To God Be The Glory - Africa Mission Trip 2009

Reflections (by Kim Campbell)

2009-08-05T20:10:00.000-07:00

“Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world. Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight. Jesus loves the little children of the world.”

It seems so unreal – that we were in Kenya and now that we are back. What a small world this really is! Our time in Kenya went by very quickly. There is drastic difference between Nairobi, Gatab, and Eastman – WOW!

Thank you to Pastor Wambua and his team of nationals that assisted us. Thank you to Principal Moses and his staff at the Youth Center. Thank you to Daryl and Luke for the preparation and leadership in organizing this trip. Thank you to all the team members and their help. We had a great team. Everyone worked well together. Everyone did well at exercising their flexibility. :o) Asante asana ya’ll!

It is hard to put into words the things we saw and the smells we smelled. Words cannot accurately describe these. Pictures can help, but still do not totally do it either. I did not hear people complain about the things they lacked or their circumstances.

The children were precious. At the youth center, where we did VBS, they were excited to have us there. As we would drive up, we could hear the children cheer. Each day as we would leave, questions came about if we would be back the next day and the day after that.

I will miss the sing-song phrase of the children as we drove up the dusty, rocky roads to the church or to the school yelling out “How are you?” and waving as we went by each day.

At the crusade location, our vans would be swarmed by the children as we drove in. Some of us had “Crusade buddies”. These children would find us each night and hold our hands or hang with us. My Crusade buddy would nudge my hand for the motion of what we were supposed to be doing to the lively worship song. :o) She was precious. Just after dark, she would wave goodbye and disappear (walk home). It was not uncommon for several children to be “sharing” our fingers as they held our hands.

The orphanage we visited is primarily for HIV babies. They have additional houses for school-age children as well. The babies are treated by doctors and given very good care. We saw some pictures on a bulletin board of when babies first arrived and how much growth and improvement occurred in 2 to 4 weeks of them being in the house. Each child has a volunteer that comes daily to help care for him/her. This volunteer gets the child dressed and feeds them. They play and spend time together. What a program!

Daily life is not simple. The many conveniences we take for granted are not necessarily available there. Like Mr. Zack mentioned, I am thankful for showers … maybe more thankful that others got showers finally. HAHA

The youth center was without electricity while we were there. Yet, they function as if this is normal. In Gatab, electricity is not a given, unless a generator is running. We learned that water is not a given.

Public school class sizes are about 100 students per class with one teacher; this is throughout the country. At the youth center, the class size average was 30. For VBS most of our classes were combined, making classes 60 students or so. (Yes, the 3 and 4 year old class was combined some – 60 together!)

Nairobi is city. It is has cars, public transportation, grocery stores, restaurants, and somewhat modern conveniences. There is still access to certain necessities. Gatab, on the other hand, is a village. It has donkeys and carts. People walk from place to place. Gardens and livestock replace the grocery stores and restaurants. Missionaries must plan ahead for the time they will be in Gatab and shop for weeks/months in advance while they are in Nairobi for basic grocery items that they would like (toilet paper, ice cream, ham, etc.) For transportation, missionaries have 4-wheelers or personal vehicles. There is a missionary plane that will fly from the village to Nairobi from time to time.

In Nairobi, there is poverty. We knew that we would be working near the city dump in Korogocho because this was where the Youth Center was. I did not realize that the youth center and the dump share a fence. The odor of the dump was a major concern of mine before leaving on the trip. We worked at the youth center for three days, while there was an odor, it was not so overwhelming. This was a God-thing. Several of us were sick and I’m not sure we could have stomached an overwhelming odor. The food was also a concern of mine. I knew we would be serving lunch to the students and eating lunch at the school, but I was not sure what this would be. It was fine. It was rice, potatoes, cabbage, and a stew-type dish. Throughout the week, I also was able to try lamb, ostrich, and crocodile. Not exactly something I would order on a regular basis, but I tried it!

The people in Gatab are from the Samburu tribe. They are a migrating people. The people live in minyatas. The walls of the home are made of cow manure and mud packed together. Sticks are placed on the outside of the hut. David (6 years old) told me not to stand too close to the walls and sniff because they do not smell too good. Haha The roof is a sticks and cardboard pieces patched together. They use old motor oil, if they can find it, to seal the roof to help it from leaking and help resist from termites. When they migrate, they taken the items from the inside the home, but leave the home and rebuild.

Ministry in Gatab varies greatly. Jon does a lot of physical labor and hires the nationals to help in the building projects. Jon teaches at the church and is help administrate at the Haven Home (Boarding Home). Becky cares for things at home and ministers to the ladies and children in the community as well. Jon and Becky have five children. The children participate in ministry as they can and as their skills lend. The children seem to enjoy some of the physical projects. While I was there, the girls helped tear down a building. Kayla and David dug a hole in the garden. Hannah and Amilia, the summer missionary, were painting several things that needed to be painted. Ellie and Amilia assisted Becky with the tutoring program at Haven Home in the afternoons. Since daily tasks around the house are time consuming, the children help with these chores. The girls are learning to cook from scratch (out of necessity). Life is not easy in Gatab. Everything is time consuming.

I am so grateful for the opportunity to have gotten to go on this trip. I do not want to forget the things I saw – the joy in the faces of the children when they received their box of crayons. The sounds of the children saying “How are you” as we drove up the road. I am thankful for the peopla that we met. For the missionaries that continue to work in Nairobi and Gatab. For The Christian leaders that are continuing the follow-up from the crusades and the evangelism day.

God is good! All the time. All the time. God is good!

Reflections (by Ken Mobley)

2009-07-25T09:13:00.000-07:00

It’s hard to put down in words in a short blog what such a tremendous trip has meant to my life. Although a short time in my lifetime, the lessons learned and blessings received will last always.

During a brief moment before leaving the van at the crusade one afternoon, I looked over at another team member and remarked “how will we ever describe this to everyone back home?”

The gathering of hundreds of people in what we would call deplorable conditions. Muddy or dusty ground with a landfill just behind the stage…and yet, here they were…all waiting to begin to worship God. The music would start and the crowd would begin to sing and dance to the Lord. A cloud of dust around us did not slow anything down. The singing and dancing was intense and glorifying and only stopped when it was time for the word of God to be preached. Each and every night, God showed up in all his glory. This is just one instance of God’s presence on our trip.

Laughing, smiling, and dancing children…singing to our Lord Jesus, bringing blessings to us as we listened and watched. They didn’t know what they didn’t have, all they knew was a song in their heart and smile on their face. …another blessing we received.

It seemed at every turn we were the people receiving blessings, although we were on the mission trip. I wonder now just what mission we were on, one to help Kenyans, or one to find ourselves. I kept finding myself thanking God for all the people I met, tasks laid before me, new friends who were working by my side, and Christ for making this all possible. Even as I write these reflections, I have to stop and give thanks for the memories that will last a lifetime.

It was hard to leave the mission area not knowing the fate of all the children we came in contact with. Our faith is tested by leaving it up to our Lord. We can only pray now that they are okay.

It seemed fitting to end the week on safari. The wide open rift valley was a site to see after the tight fitting streets of Lucky Summer. What a mighty God we serve who can show his creation in such vast and different ways.

Thanks to all my fellow missioners for their prayers and work. It was great getting to know all of you guys better. It’s awesome to have such dedicated Christian friends as you. God bless all of you.

Reflections (by Diedra Barton)

2009-07-23T18:58:00.000-07:00

It is hard to find the right words to describe my mission trip experience. I know each trip is different in its own way and every person walks away with different feelings and emotions. For me, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to be a small part of God’s plan. I was completely amazed and overwhelmed by the power and presence of God while in Africa.
“How Great Is Our God”??

--He gave us safe travels to and from Africa. This included flying with connections and layovers and driving on some rough roads. I never felt scared or in any harm while in Kenya.

--Although the devil tried to slow us down in the beginning with sickness, God healed and got us back on our feet ready to do whatever needed to be done.

--He forever changed the lives of 16 people during our street evangelism. I actually got to witness 3 ladies pray to receive salvation.

--He blessed each member of the team with fellowship and new friendships were formed among ourselves and with the Kenyan people.

--His presence was known at the crusades nightly. God’s Word was proclaimed and each night many came forward to confess their sin and accept Jesus as their Savior.

--We witnessed God’s creations during the safari -- from all the animals to the sunrise and sunset. It is one thing to know about and see pictures of the lions, cheetahs, giraffes, wildebeests, zebras, impalas, gazelles, etc. It is another to actually be among the wildebeests while they are migrating and witness the mother cheetah on a hunt to feed her offspring. Most of the animals were content and very photogenic since they did not feel they were in danger from us.

I will never forget the children: how they greeted you by waving and shouting “How are you?” If they were in a group, it sounded as if they said it in unison. The moment the van stopped, the children were at the door ready to shake your hand before you even stepped off. They all seemed to want to just hold your hand or touch you. A smile or an encouraging word would just light up their faces. They were so precious and loving and completely unrestrained in their feelings toward you. They would fall over one another trying to shake your hand or touch you. One of the things the children at the school recited in the morning was “God is good all the time. So far so good.” They were well-mannered in saying thank you and they even curtsied. I was able to help serve the children lunch during VBS. We were told that sometimes this might be the only meal they receive during the day and the children were fed more when there were visitors. Their lunch bowl included ugali similar to thick grits, potatoes, meat (only one piece), cabbage and broth. It was rationed out by age and size. After all were served, seconds were offered until there was none left and not all got seconds.

I was completely overwhelmed the first night of the crusade in Lucky Summer. You witnessed the terrible conditions and poverty that the people lived in and the hard lives that they lived day to day; but it all seemed to fade as worship began with singing and dancing and praising God. The joy of worshipping with them was contagious.

I am so thankful that God called me to join in with 17 other brothers and sisters to minister to the people of Kenya. I knew going into it that I would be blessed but I had no idea just how much. I now have a great love for the Kenyan people and I desire and pray blessings and prosperity for all of them. Even though we went to serve and minister to Kenya, I feel that we were served and ministered to as well. The Kenyan people were so welcoming and loving. We did not lack for anything but maybe sleep.

Thanks to all: It was great to partner with Pastor Wambua and the members of Baptist Chapel and with Principal Moses and the Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center. Thank you for your servant attitudes. Thanks to everyone that supported us and lifted us up in prayer during our entire journey. Many thanks to each team member for love, compassion, unity and friendship.

I believe our prayer from Psalm 67:1-3 was answered -- God was gracious to us and blessed us tremendously and His face did shine upon us during our trip. To God be the Glory!!!

Reflections (by Becky Hall)

2009-07-22T06:59:00.001-07:00

Where do I even begin? If you had asked me 2 years ago whether I would ever go on a trip like this, I would have laughed at you. This was beyond anything I could have ever imagined. Our plans are rarely what God has in store for our lives, and He showed me just how much bigger His plans for me were than I was even comfortable with. On the plane ride to New York, I was given the chance to share my testimony and the gospel message with a guy from Atlanta. What a way to start the trip! Those random opportunities were sprinkled throughout the entire trip, we just had to be alert to how God was working around us.

There are so many memories that will stay with me for the rest of my life, so it’s hard to condense it all into a brief blog entry. It still amazes me that we all made it safely, with every single bag of luggage and supplies, without any major problems. I remember stepping out of the Kenya airport and feeling like we had entered another world. The climate was different, the roads, the smells, the sounds, everything was different. I also remember being overwhelmed sitting outside at Brakenhurst thinking, “How did I end up here? How could I ever deserve this blessing and responsibility?” God’s glory was absolutely everywhere on the side of that mountain.

When we went to the youth center, I was once again overwhelmed at the conditions that most of the people lived in. It broke my heart, but my pity soon turned to love. The faces of those children and those beautiful people are forever burned into my memory. Seeing how happy, joyful, and thankful the kids and the people in the community were for the simplest things made me realize not only how selfish and spoiled I was, but how spoiled we are as Americans. It was an incredibly humbling experience, as if God kicked my feet out from under me and brought my face to the ground. I cried myself to sleep a couple of nights thinking about the faces that I had grown to love. Every person that we came in contact with changed my life in some way. I miss them so much.

As if God had not shown His glory enough through the people of Kenya, He blew my mind again when we went on our safari. I honestly did not know how much more my heart could swell as it absorbed all that was being shown to us over the course of 12 days. Even the sun looks different in Africa. As I watched the sunset and then rise again over the Serengeti, I wanted to shout praises to an Almighty God. How is it that creation cries out with all the strength that it has to our creator, but we run from Him? How are we so blind? Why did it take me 20 years to see what is so clearly displayed all around us? His majesty and glory fills the heavens. He placed the sun and the stars so perfectly, raised the mountains, expanded the oceans, and then made it all visible to us so that we might have a miniscule glimpse of His awesome power and glory.

I thank God for allowing me to be a part of this group. It’s incredible to me that you can put 18 completely different personalities together in a situation such as this and not have any major conflicts or disagreements. Thank you to every team member, we shared a lot together, and I was blessed to be able to grow with you and get to know each of you better. Thank you to every Kenyan that reached out to us. We went to Africa hoping to bless you and to show you the love of Christ, and we ended up being the ones receiving the ultimate blessing from it all. Thank you to our family here in America, the ones that encouraged us, prayed for us, followed our progress, supported us financially, and loved us. Every prayer that went up, every encouraging word, every hug that we received when we got off the bus Monday night at 11pm, you will never understand what that meant to each of us. Most of all, thank you to my Lord and my God. Without you, none of this would have happened. God has opened my eyes to see the world completely differently. Words are not enough to express the impact that this experience has left on my life.

Reflections (by Pam Smith)

2009-07-21T06:21:00.000-07:00

To think God called me to go on a mission trip to Africia is still so hard to believe. I feel so inadequate to do such a work for my Lord and Savior, but he called and I answered yes Lord I will go and what an amazing experience. To know that people still live in the simplist way and are ok with it..... Americans sure could use a little simplicity these days. The people of Kenya live each day not knowing what it holds but not really dwelling on it either. I went thinking we were taking something to them but found out they gave something more to me.

The Sunday we went to Baptist Chapel for services there was no doubt that they came to worship. They were seeking the Holy Spirit and it was evident in everything from the singing, to the preaching, and the kid who recited the books of the Bible along with Scripture. They worshipped so freely. I don't ever want to forget that worship service but I want to remember it every Sunday so that I will seek the Holy Spirit and worship without any reserve just as they worshipped. The children where so eager to come up to us and shake our hands and give a big beautiful smile. It seemed they only wanted to know you saw them. I will never think of "How are you" the same way again. The kids would run beside the van screaming "how are you" and we enjoyed waving at them as they ran beside the vans laughing and smiling. The children just wanted to be loved and it was very easy to love them. It was an awesome feeling seeing the moving of the Holy Spirit at the Crusades. I will not forget the feeling I had seeing an elderly lady walk down and except Christ as her Savior the second night of the Crusade or the young lady who prayed the sinners prayer while holding her 3 week old baby when we visited her during the street ministry. It was a great reminder of what a Big God we serve. The safari only finalized that truth. Looking out over the Serengity for miles and miles and seeing the beauty God created and the animals roaming free in their natural habitat. It was breath taking. It just shows that we are all a part of God's wonderful plan.

As I close on my final reflections I just want to say Thank You to Daryl for the great job he did in planning and keeping us on track and to Kim for an amazing job she did getting VBS together. How she packed those duffles and knew exactly what she packed where I will never know, but you did a great job. Thanks to everyone on our team. It was great sharing this experience with you and I will cherish the friendship I found in each one of you. God Bless You.

Reflections (by Lori Denton)

2009-07-20T11:42:00.000-07:00

Well it feels good to be home again back with my husband and kids. However, my heart doesn't feel the same. I am so blessed to experience Africa and its people. I know that God made the way for me to go. He met my needs again and again. There were so many who were led to give. I never dreamed God would work the way he did. It felt good to be with people you had never met but made you feel so loved. The kids were so grateful and caring. They knew no prejudice. It seemed to be just the way God would want it to be. Each child just wanted a hug or a touch. They just wanted to love on you. The crusades were awesome. We got to experience a worship that is a little different from our own. These people danced and sang before the Lord ( I was always reminded of David and how he danced before the Lord). It was inspiring to see people with so little worshipping. We often think that our church needs this or we have to have that, but the fact is things don't bring us closer to God. We actually need very little to worship, just a right heart. It was awesome. to see so many come to Christ at the crusades, and during the evangelism visits. God was hard at work again. The people during the evangelism visits were so kind and open to hearing God's word. It seemed as though they Thirsted for it. I had really expected the worst with the orphanage, but was delighted to see that the children had a nice place with lots of volunteers. It was still sad to imagine all those kids without a family, but the Lord was meeting their needs. He is also supplying volunteers to love on them daily. We serve a great God. The safari was wonderful. It was a reminder of God's awesome creation. Someone made the comment about how no one was sick on the safari. They said they guessed satan didn't care if we did that or not. I guess they are right. A safari doesn't have eternal value. He worked us over during the days of our service. I even faced many struggles before the trip even started, but God stayed close by my side. He put me exactly where I needed to be. I met and made wonderful friends in Africa. I feel blessed that God let me be a part of his plan. I pray that you will continue to pray that the Lord will bless these people and prosper them. I pray that more will come to Christ and God will get all the glory. Thank you all for your prayers and support. I love you all. Thank you to Pastor Wambua and all the people who took care of us and let us be a part of their lives. Hope to see you again soon.
Love, Lori

Reflections (by Zack Mercer)

2009-07-17T07:05:00.000-07:00

I am truly grateful to God for calling me to go to Africa. What a privilege it is to tell others of what Christ has done in my life and how, they too, can be set free of their sin and have a personal relationship with the one true God of all people. I thank God for the people that God placed in my path that I was able to share with and the one that came to know Jesus as his personal savior. I pray that God will keep him and help him grow in his faith.

The people, places, moments, and revelations I want to remember from this trip are many and I will try to list a few here:

- The smiles and bright eyes of little children as they sought your attention. They wanted to touch and hold hands and seemed so joyful in a place that, for me, seemed to hold no joy, only despair.

- The acceptance and sense of brotherhood with the people of Kenya that is often missing among people in the U.S.A. I never felt any danger or animosity from the people there, although I know we where “protected” by our van drivers and the brothers and sisters from the Baptist Chapel.

- The desperate need for clean, safe drinking water. The need for employment.

- The love, the care, and the clean environment given to the little children at the orphanage.

- That Proverbs 25:24 “It is better to live on the roof than share the house with a nagging wife” was certainly not talking about the roof we had to paint!

- Never order a dish in a restaurant if the waiter cannot identify the animal in the dish and will only say, “something like a rabbit.”

- The total aerobic exercise that was included with every praise session. What a happy and total expression of joy in worshipping the Lord.

- The joy of a hot shower, the warmth of a fire in the bedroom on the Fourth of July.

- The rugged beauty of the vast Maasi Mara region and the wonder of all that God has created and declared good. The life and death balance of nature as God has created it and from which so many humans have disassociated themselves.

- That Satan only attacks when you are going about doing the will of our Heavenly Father.

- How blessed and thankful I am for a godly wife of 36 years and how beautiful she is to me, especially when she is telling others about Jesus.

Reflections (by Marilynn Sanders)

2009-07-17T07:03:00.000-07:00

Bwana asifiwe (Praise the Lord). Not only was the 2009 Kenya mission trip life-changing for many of the people we witnessed to but it has also changed my life. I personally saw God’s hand in everyone we met, in everything we did, and in everything we saw. Worshipping with the loving and spirit-filled congregation at Baptist Chapel was inspiring. These people love God, are sincere in their worship, and reach out to others. They truly ‘walk the talk’ and aren’t merely going through the motions. During the Crusades I looked into the eyes and beautiful faces of so many people, especially children, all living in extreme poverty. Surprisingly, I saw joy and hopefulness in most but there were some with very sad and empty faces. For the first time in my life I wanted to reach out and give them the reassurance of God’s love and protection. Visiting the Christian orphanage and holding the beautiful children that had been abandoned and rescued was another demonstration of God’s love and protection, yet I couldn’t help but wonder about the many left uncared for and unattended, and I continue to pray for them. The beautiful sunsets, sunrises, and magnificent animals that we saw during our safari rides were additional testimonies of God’s wonderful and glorious creations. Whether it be the poor people living in the slums, the precious orphans, the vast savannah lands, or the majestic animals, how can we not believe in a Creator? Traveling and worshipping with my Christian brothers and sisters was a tremendous inspiration for me. They don’t know how much they influenced my spiritual life during these past few days. I learned so much from each of them and I am so grateful. During this trip God revealed to me that I haven’t been totally honest with myself. I don’t always ‘walk the talk’, my priorities are sorely misaligned, and my spiritual life is very weak. I have made a decision to rededicate my life to Jesus Christ, my Lord and Savior.

Reflections (by Bonnie Waldrep)

2009-07-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Words can not say how wonderful and blessed I feel to have been part of such a great ministry. The love that was felt from the members of Baptist chapel, to the youth center from the teachers, to the children loving on me daily and holding my hand. The people of Kenya that we witnessed to were warm and welcoming us into their home and wanting to serve us tea or hot chocolate. I have not ever felt so welcomed and at home. Gods love seem to surround us where ever we went. I can not praise God enough for the blessing we have received while we were there. I just want to thank every one for making us feel at home and for helping us to feel part of the team. Thank all of you for your prayers and God guidance while we were preparing to go and while we were there. I feel the mission was a great success with many being saved, Thank you Jesus!

I continue to asked for prayers for the people of Kenya and for the children at the youth center,Baptist chapel and help with funds to feed the children there. I pray that God will continue to guide and we will see him and feel his presence daily knowing that we are in his will. Thanks so much to everyone! Love to all, Bonnie Waldrep

Reflections of Mission Trip to Kenya (by Debbie Mercer)

2009-07-16T14:20:00.000-07:00

I rejoice that I was able to see God’s Hand in all the happenings of the trip. God is strong and mighty to save. His Hand is not short or unable to perform great works!

I was uncertain about stepping outside of my comfort zone. I had many try to discourage me from going. Yet I knew deep down in my heart, God was calling me to go. This took faith and throughout the entire trip, with each step, faith increased.

These are some of the things I will especially remember and treasure:

- Tears pouring from my eyes as I witnessed many people stepping forward for salvation on the first night of the crusade

- My first glimpse of a small boy with no shoes walking around in the muddy, trashy mire

- The friendliness and acceptance of the Kenyan people. I especially bonded with the first grade teacher during the VBS classes.

- I loved participating in the praise and worship with the Kenyans at their church and during the crusade. They worship wholeheartedly and show great joy. It struck me how they could be so joyous while the surroundings were nauseating. What a great reminder of how God rescues us from the filth of our sins and cleanses us. Why not worship with great joy?

- As we participated in street evangelism, the divine appointments that only God could have orchestrated. On two different occasions, as we were witnessing to someone who was already a Christian, another person came over who was not. This resulted in one of them accepting Christ and the other one considering it yet unwilling to make a decision at that moment.

- The many children who seem to take care of themselves. Responsibility is thrust upon them at an early age. The poverty is overwhelming and assaults all of your senses at one time. One child held tightly to my hand and I could hear her saying the sinner’s prayer on the last night of the crusade. How this touched my heart and how I pray for this unknown child!

- The harmony of our team as we prayed, worked, and lived together. How awesome it is to see Christian brothers and sisters care for each other. The work went on even when sickness threatened to slow us down. I also know that Daryl has the potential to be a great evangelist one day!!!

- This has changed my life, making me so much more appreciative of living in the USA, having a loving family, and the basic necessities of life. I am very rich and realize that God has blessed me for a reason. It is all His and giving should be top priority.

- The encouragement and prayers from home were felt and appreciated so much. God answered prayers in a mighty way!! And how he delighted us with His beautiful creation as we experienced the safari at Massai Mara.

All Christ asks of us is to abide in Him. “And greater works than these shall ye do; because I go to the Father.” We have a wonderful future. We have a future of unlimited power to bless others. Just be channels. Be used. God’s power in believing man will accomplish much! Yes, to God be all the glory!

Kim in Gatab (Update 3 & 4)

2009-07-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

We attended morning devotions. Then it was a school day. Jon and the older girls then did some manual labor. Jon and some of the men are working on rebuilding a girls' dorm building for Haven Home. So, the girls were busy painting around the house workshop and then helped tear down another building and helped with some other manual labor. Life in Gatab is not for the weak.

Life is not simple. Meals are made from scratch. The garden has been invaded by a baboon. So Kayla (8) and David (6) were digging a hole in the event that the baboon was caught. Because of the drought, the baboons are eating up the garden produce. (The donkeys are too coming into people's "yards". There is a donkey jail for donkeys that are not kept up with by their owners. - Seriously!)

Becky and I attended the weekly Women's Ministry Meeting. The ladies meet for Bible study and fellowship.

The missionaries also meet weekly for prayer meeting and fellowship. I think we startled them when they walked in on us playing a game of Babble. The missionaries are using a DVD study by Focus on the Family called "The Truth Project." The children sit in on the lecture DVD and prayer time as well. Last night we were joined by another American family, a German missionary and her houseguest.

Thusday, July 16, 2009

We attended morning devotions. They have been going through Romans 2 all week, taking a few verses each day. The children did school again. Because of days when they have to go into Nairobi and other days when they need to take breaks, they have chosen to basically school all year round. This allows them to have a more relaxed schedule that works for them.

The girls continued to paint. They are looking a little blue - like Smurfettes!!

After lunch we were invited to visit in traditional home, called a minyata (sp?). Ruth and her family invited us to see her home. The people traditional migrate as their animals need more food. Some will stay because there is more of a community here. But we will see, now that there is talk that there is very little grass left in there area.

The minyata is made of cow "poop" and mud packed together. The roof is sticks and thatched together. They take old motor oil and brush it on the roof inside to prevent termites. They also use pieces of carboard that are available. There are bamboo piece used inside as poles. There was a kitchen area and bedroom areas.

We also had tutoring today. We had about 19 kids in class.

I will fly out with Jon Woodworth (my cousin), two others, and the pilot bright and early in the morning. We will do some errands in Nairobi and then Jon will drop me off at the airport. I will be headed to the states tomorrow night.

Please continue to pray for rain.

Kim in Gatab (Update 2)

2009-07-15T08:48:00.000-07:00

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

We ended last night with family devotions in Romans 10 where we discussed that fact that salvation was a gift of God - not by works. The whole family was there - even Luke, who is 2.

Kayla lost a tooth, but we found out that the tooth fairy forgot to visit. OOPS - the tooth fairy was extremely tired and ... forgot. :o)

We woke up this morning and attended community devotions at the church at 7:25 am. Mostly the students from Haven Home attend and a few of the community people. The devotions are in Swahili and translated in Samburu - the tribal language. Jon Woodworth leads the devotions. The church services each week are done the same way.

After devotions, the students went to school and Jon and Becky worked briefly with the ladies on a memory verse. Then Jon went and did a few things at Haven Home while we went home for breakfast.

Then the fun began. We loaded up on four-wheelers and headed up the mountain. Eleven people on four four-wheelers and four in a jeep went on the adventure. The trip up took us a little over an hour to get up to the top. Today was Ellie's (13) first time to drive up the mountain on the four-wheeler. She did a great job!!! WHAT A VIEW!!! The road was bumpy, but nothing compared to the "African massage" we received over the weekend. :o) We checked on the spring which is the source of the water supply for Gatab and had roasted marshmallows and chai tea for lunch. (I know real healthy, right?!). We headed back down in time for a late, late lunch and in time for tutoring at Haven Home.

We took some family time and went for some exercise and play time at the air strip. We will end the day with a light dinner and family devotion time before an early bedtime. (Well, the goal is to be in bed early.) We'll see.

Tomorrow promises to be another busy day.

Please pray for rain for Gatab and the surrounding areas. Things are drying up from the lack of rain. Please pray for the tutoring sessions - the class size has grown. Please pray for the fun day on Saturday at the Haven Home. They planning is in progress now for the games and other activities of the day.

Please pray for rain (they said to write that again!). :o)

Kim in Gatab (Update 1)

2009-07-15T08:46:00.000-07:00

Monday, July 13, 2009

Last night, the team and I separated. The team went to the airport to head back to the states. James, one of our three drivers for the week, took me to the Mayfield Guest House. This guest house is run by the AIM Mission. It was very nice. I spent the night here and then this morning was taken to Wilson airport to catch the AIM airplane to Gatab.

That was an experience. As I walked in, I thought that the man at the desk was teasing me in fun, but he was not. He told me that I had to wait outside - out front - until my "meet time". That was a 45 minute wait. It was not bad. I waited, but still no one came for me. So, I checked. A few minutes later, I was found. :o)

The plane arrived. It was a small, 6 passenger plane. Three other passengers, the pilot, his 7 year old daughter and I were on the plane. Our first stop was Korr. This was a place in the desert. There was a herd of camel near the airstrip. I do not have pictures from this area. The people have issues with pictures. They feel that the pictures take something from them. Apparently the camels have issues with pictures too - we were told. ??? We dropped off the three other passengers and continued on to Gatab. We landed at the Luai airstrip. This airstrip is at lower down the mountain than the Gatab strip. There were some issues with the Gatab strip, so we landed at the other.

The whole Woodworth family and their houseguest, Amelia, were there to greet me. It was great to see them. We headed up the mountain road to Gatab. It was about a 20 - 30 minute ride - another African massage - not as bad as the road to Maasai. The kids and I sat in the back of the truck. David told me all about the babboons. And we saw some as we traveled back.

Later in the afternoon we went to do some tutoring at the Haven House. The Haven House is a girls and boys home, like a boarding school for the surrounding villages where the students would have to walk a long distance to get to school. We will tutor again at the Haven House again tomorrow.

Things are so different here. For example .... Ellie had the chore of making dog food this afternoon. This required Ellie to go get fire wood, start the fire in between rocks, boil water, add some powdered dog food to the boiling water and cook it.

Well, we are about to walk around the Station (the mission's property). More later ... provided the internet conection will work. Maybe pitctures, if it will allow.

We're home! (by Daryl Summey)

2009-07-15T07:58:00.000-07:00

Our team arrived home safely at 11 PM on Monday night to find an enthusiastic group of family & friends waiting for us in the parking lot. They were a sight for sore eyes. In many cases, absence does indeed make the heart grow fonder and this was definitely one of those times!

I want to take a moment and thank some important people:

1) Thanks to all of our 18 team members. Thank you for having a heart for the Gospel and missions. Thank you for offering so much time, money, prayer, and so much of your self to be a part of this trip. Thank you for all of your hard work and preparation. Thank you for displaying servant hearts, humble spirits, and Christ-like attitudes while we were away. Thank you for your friendship & partnership. I love you guys.

2) Thank you to Pastor Wambua, Pastor Boscoe, Pastor Peter, Principal Moses, and all of the other Kenyan nationals who put up with us, a crazy group of Americans (and one South African), and made ministering there such a joy. You welcomed us, served us, befriended us, worked with us, and ministered to us in so many ways. We were blown away by your hospitality and kindness. We are so thankful for the new friendships that we formed while in Kenya. Know that we will continue to pray for you and your ministries and that we'll anxiously await a time when we will be reunited with you, whether in this life or in Glory! Asante sawa!!!

3) Thank you to our families, friends, and church families. Thank you for supporting the trip financially. May the Lord bless you for your investments in The Kingdom. Thank you for supporting us with your prayers. We know that God heard them and answered them in powerful ways. Thank you for your encouragement. The kind words, notes, blog comments, e-mails, etc. stimulated, sustained, and strengthened us both before and during the trip. You were a crucial part of our team and you have our deepest gratitude.

4) Most importantly, thank You, Father God. All of this was made possible by You. Thank You for redeeming us through Christ Jesus our Lord. Thank You for calling us to know You and serve Your purposes every day. Thank You for counting us worthy of ministering through this mission trip. Thank You for equipping us with Your indwelling Holy Spirit and with the truth of Your word. Thank you for protecting us, providing for us, and being present with us every step of the way. Any and all success that this trip had was because of You and for Your glory. May "Your way may be known on the earth and Your salvation be known among all nations" and may You be forever praised!

The trip is over, but don't stop checking our blog. Why?

1) Your prayers are still needed! Kim Campbell, one of our team members remains in Kenya, on mission this week as well. She has gone to he village of Gatab, in northern Kenya, to stay with her missionary cousins, Jon & Becky Wordworth, and their family. The blog will share prayer requests & updates from Kim as she e-mails them in. Her first update will be posted momentarily.

2) We have asked each of our team members to share reflections from the trip. As they come in (hopefully quickly), we will update the blog. These reflections will give testimony to what we saw God do and what He did in our lives, while we were in Kenya. It should make for encouraging reading.

Day 10 (by Daryl Summey & Luke Carter)

2009-07-13T01:45:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning began with an early morning game drive at 6:30 AM. We set out from Fig Tree Tented Camp as the sun rose over the Serengeti and hot-air balloons lifted off for an over-head view. Mix in the amazing wildlife of Masai Mara and you've got an unbeatable sight. We started out seeing the ever-present zebras, gazelles, and giraffes, but it wasn't long before we saw something even more exciting. Luke spotted a cheetah crouching in the tall grass atop a hill. As our matatu drew close, to about 10 feet away, we discovered that it wasn't just one cheetah, but four... a mother and her three adolescent offspring. Then, we witnessed a rare sight as the mother darted off (the statements about cheetahs being fast are no exaggeration!) with her eyes fixed on a young impala. As quick as a flash, the chase was over, the 3 younger cheetahs joined the mother, and breakfast was served. About 30 minutes after the cheetah show, we spotted a golden jackal (looks like a fox) and watched in amazement as he chased down his breakfast as well; a young Thompson gazelle.

Another highlight of the morning drive was sighting the king of African wildlife, the lion. That was something we were all hoping for, and we not only got to see one, we were able to see two female lions and sit in our vehicles just 20 feet away. It was truly an impressive sight. Among numerous other things, the rest of the drive included seeing a very large hyena up close (we couldn't hear him laughing, though... not even at Michael!) and seeing 3 large herds of animals: 16 elephants (or more), 14 giraffes (or more), and hundreds of water buffalo. While our hearts were set on seeing the black rhino, the only one of the "Big Five" that we hadn't encountered yet, that didn't work out for us. We'll just have to wait to see it next time.

The rest of the day included two more flat tires (that's four for the weekend, all on the same van!), our body-jarring drive back to Nairobi, a quick change and loading at the Karina Guest House, and our drive to the airport for tonight's departing flight. While waiting to go through security at the airport, Kim abandoned us on her way to Gatab to stay with her cousins and Pastor Wambua, our dear friend, said his final goodbyes. It's hard to believe that we've only been in Kenya for 9 days. The experiences that we've had, the friends that we've made, the lessons that we've learned, the sights that we have seen, have all been huge blessings from God. We stand amazed that God counted us worthy of participating, in a small way, in what He is doing in this part of the world. Praise the Lord for His grace! HALLELUJAH!

An old song (that some people have been singing this week) refers to Africa when it says, "It's gonna take a lot to drag me away from you. That's more than a hundred men or more could ever do." That is very true. Africa has been a blessing. We have fallen in love with the place and more importantly, the people. And for some of us, a hundred men would have a hard time dragging us out of here. However, when it's spouses, children, friends, and other loved ones that's drawing you, the pull towards home is overwhelming. As sad as we are to leave this great place tonight, we're many times more excited to return back to Dodge County where we belong. Pray for us as we travel to London, have a 6 hour lay-over, and then make our way to Atlanta and eventually, back to the D.C. Lord willing, our excited faces will see some of yours at around 10 PM on Monday night. Thanks!!!

Day 9 (by Becky Hall & Chloe Snyder)

2009-07-12T05:23:00.000-07:00

Today began very early; about 5:15 AM for most of us. We packed all of our things, loaded into our three “matatus” (vans), and began the five-hour journey to Masai Mara game preserve in southwest Kenya. A little ways into our ride, we came around a bend in the road to discover that we were on the side of a mountain and the view was spectacular. We made a stop to take pictures and found out that we were looking at the Great Rift Valley; you could see for miles. We left from there and started towards what seemed like the middle of nowhere.

Driving into the valley, we entered into the land of the Masai, a famous Kenyan tribe. The roads there were insane! Luke informed us that the Kenyans call our bumpy riding experience the “African massage.” After about an hour ride on these incredibly uneven roads, we all may have whiplash. Once we entered the park gates, and got past some of the Masai people selling their wares, we began to see all kinds of wild animals. We saw zebra, water buffalo, impala, warthogs, and many other animals before we even arrived at Fig Tree Tented Camp, our home for the night. It was a good start to our safari. We arrived at the camp just in time for lunch. The food was delicious, as it has been throughout this entire trip, and the rooms are amazing. Some of the rooms have a view of the river and we were all pleased to find out that we would be able to take hot showers; especially Luke, who could spike his hair without mousse. After not having water at Karina’s for a few days, this was a blessing. We left after eating to continue our game drive.

We split up into three vans again and opened the top of the vans where we were able to stand and see out. It was a rush racing across the open land looking for animals. We saw lots of giraffes, hundreds of zebra, and dozens of elephants. Later into our drive, we turned the corner to see hundreds of wildebeests. That number turned into thousands upon thousands and before we knew it, we were surrounded. This is the time of year in which millions of wildebeests migrate from Tanzania into Kenya. Our team had heard that they had entered Masai Mara this week and we were praying that we would be able to see this amazing spectacle. God definitely answered our prayers as we were able to ride straight through the middle of a huge herd of them; coming within feet of the close ones and being able to see others for miles. P.S. applications to join WAS (the Wildebeast Appreciation Society) are available from Daryl or Luke... Beauty IS the Beast!

We were also able to visit the Border Beacon, which marks the exact border between Kenya and Tanzania and had fun jumping from one country to the other. Then, an armed park ranger kindly took us down to the shores of the Mara River to see some huge crocodiles and hippos. A couple of monkeys (not Kim and Gwen) tried to break into our vans and steal our snacks. They had no fear; one walked right up to us and Daryl almost touched him. On the way back in, we came extremely close to many different kinds of animals. One giraffe came within ten feet of our van. On another occasion, we were able to see a very large leopard feasting on an impala in a tree. It was so close you could hear him ripping the meat apart. We also saw ostriches, impala, Thompson gazelles, and so many other marvelous creatures on our drive. As it grew darker, we watched the sunset over the expanse of the Serengeti plain. It truly was breathtaking! How glorious our God is! To see the things we saw today, how could people still not believe that there is an Almighty God?! Creation cries out to Him! This day was one that none of us will ever forget.

Tomorrow begins with another game drive, early in the morning, our 5-hour return drive to Nairobi, and a late-night flight departing from Kenya. Please continue to pray for us as we travel and excitedly make our way home. Everyone is doing well (praise the Lord!) and we can’t wait to be back in Dodge County and see you all Monday night!

Day 8 (by Julia Rogers)

2009-07-10T21:47:00.000-07:00

We started off our day in two groups. One group would begin at the New Life Home Trust orphanage. (http://www.newlifehometrust.org/); with the other group spending some time at the village market. For lunch we would come together at the Village Market and then our two teams would swap venues.

The New Life Home Trust is a place that takes in unwanted babies and rears them in a Christian environment. The visit to the orphanage was very heartwarming. Founded in 1994 by Clive and Mary Beckenham, New Life Home Trust has grown from one home to seven homes in Kenya and continues to grow. There were a little over forty children ranging in ages from birth to three years, many of whom were born HIV positive. You could tell these children are very well taken care of and loved by the abundant staff. Our team members were welcomed and thoroughly enjoyed getting to hold and play with these beautiful children. It was difficult to leave these precious babies.

The time spent at the Village Market was an experience to say the least with bargaining being the name of the game. Most of our team members got the hang of bartering for marvelous hand-crafted items offered by the vendors. With some assistance from Pastor Wambua, Joab, and Ms. Emma, Chloe the youngest member of our group was ruthless in her hunt for great prices and left vendors shaking their heads in wonder. But probably the most interesting transaction was by Linda who got a picture frame for 500 schillings, a roll of toilet tissue, and an almost empty bottle of hand sanitizer.

Later in the afternoon we headed back to Lucky Summer in our last night of participating in the open-air crusade. Amid dark clouds, a few drops of rain, electrical problems in the form of interrupted lights and microphones, the Word of God was proclaimed. Mrs. Debbie and Ms. Emma both gave powerful testimonies, and even our own team sang one praise song, “How Great is our God,” on-stage in a'capela. Pastor Euticauls Wambua, without a microphone, finished the service with another amazing sermon from 2 Kings about Naman and God’s healing of his leprosy after washing seven times in the Jordan River. As the crusade finished for the night, our team was hit with bittersweet feelings…a sense of fulfillment in running the race that God had set before us but a deep sadness in leaving the Korogocho and Lucky Summer communities, its people, and especially its children for the last time. Friends, please keep these wonderful people in your prayers and please continue to pray for the crusade as it continues Saturday and Sunday night.

To wind up our night, our team, along with our friends, Pastor Wambua and family, Pastor Bosco, Pastor Peter, Principal Moses, and Wilson Maluki, went to Carnivore, a restaurant in Nairobi. Sampling many types of meat such as pork, chicken, lamb, ostrich, crocodile, and more, we had a great time eating and fellowshipping. And since Pam has a birthday on Sunday, the Carnivore staff brought out a sparkler topped cake and sang Happy Birthday with bongo drums and all.

Our team members are now all on the mend. Please continue to lift us up in your prayers, especially as we start the process of packing to come home. Tomorrow we head to Masai Mara for a two-day safari on the Serengeti Plain. We are very excited that the annual wildebeest migration at Masai Mara is coinciding with our visit!!!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for all of your support, physically, emotionally, and spiritually throughout our journey. We appreciate all of your comments as we read each and every one out loud, usually at breakfast. Asante sana! (thank you very much)

Day 7 (by Lori Denton)

2009-07-09T13:58:00.000-07:00

We began the morning with a hearty Kenyan breakfast as always, however we were sad to learn that Daryl was sick; the devil hard at work, no doubt. We left “Dopey Smurf” a.k.a Daryl, back at the house to rest and recover. We arrived at the Baptist Chapel and was greeted by the preschool class. They sang beautiful praise songs. I am sure that our Father in Heaven was smiling. We made balloon animals for all the children and left crayons and stuffed animals for them to keep. They were very excited! Afterwards, we met in the church to break into groups for our evangelism visits. We set out with each group taking different sections of town. The people we met were very friendly and open to hearing the Word of God. We made about 50 visits total and had 16 salvations. God is good and faithful! We know that the angels have rejoiced right along with us today. Lunch and fellowship followed our visits. We have experienced wonderful meals this week. God bless the hands that have prepared them!

Pastor Wambua went to check on Daryl. We had prayed that God would heal him and He answered our prayer because he was able to join us around lunchtime. After lunch, we split up and half of the team went to visit with a child that the First Baptist youth group sponsors here in Kenya through Compassion International and the other half stayed at the church; I have heard they took a nap (what a nap is I don’t quite remember!) We arrived at a church/school where we were supposed to meet Leslie; the Compassion International child. We waited and waited; Kenyan time can be very long sometimes. As we waited, the school kids were let out for a break and swarmed the vans. Each one came to the window for a smile or a handshake. It’s amazing what the power of a touch means to these children. Chloe, Mike, Luke, and Daryl had to get out and get the kids all riled up at break. They all stood around Chloe chanting “how are you?” over and over. What a sight! Leslie and his mom arrived shortly after. Leslie was a little overwhelmed with all the gifts and cameras around. His mama was full of gratitude and the visit went well. They were given groceries and toys for the kids. It was an awesome experience!

Afterwards, we were off to the crusade where we performed a puppet show for the kids. They had a great time. Zack and Chloe both gave beautiful, touching testimonies followed by Daryl with a powerful message. No wonder the devil was trying to prevent him from preaching. Our God is much more powerful! More were saved at the crusade and we thank our Lord for touching the hearts of many Kenyans.

Pray for Pam as she is not feeling well. Pray for the Lord to touch and heal her body. Pray for the souls that were saved today and ask the Lord to send them other Christians to encourage them. We had many that voiced prayer concerns during our visits. Please ask the Lord to intervene on their behalf. Pray for us as we go to the orphanage tomorrow and again to the crusade. Ask the Lord to touch more hearts. We love you all and miss you but we feel the Lord giving us strength as you continually lift us up. Thank you.

Smooch to you and the kids Jared, I miss and love you! Be home soon!

Day 6 (by Zack and Debbie Mercer)

2009-07-08T13:36:00.000-07:00

We praise God that He is allowing us to see His mighty power at work in Kenya. Our mission teams had another early start as we drove to the worksites. We have been blessed with weather that has allowed us to do our work with no interruptions. The construction team (Smurfs) have had overcast days which reduce the heat as they worked outside. By lunchtime, all painting was completed at the Baptist Chapel. Now the church stands out in the neighborhood with its newly painted Kenya-blue roof and trim. The construction team has been bragging about the variety of traditional African dishes that have been cooked for them by the cooks at the Baptist Chapel. Today they were treated to collards and sucumaweeki (boiled cornbread). Thanks to all of you who have prayed for this team’s safety. We rejoice that the job is done with no injuries. The Smurfs will continue to be blue for quite some time until the paint gradually wears off their bodies.

The VBS team heard shouts of joy from the children as we arrived today for our last day with them. We had mixed emotions. We were thankful to have met and interacted with as many wonderful people and students but leaving them was difficult for us. All of the students were given a bag today that included their crafts (decorated t-shirts, sun-catchers and their own picture in a foam frame), a bag of candy, a pack of crayons, a pencil, and a beanie baby. What joy in seeing the delight on the children’s faces as they opened their bags to discover the gifts. The excitement surpassed what we see in our own children when we celebrate Christmas. Pure joy! The teachers were presented bags also, which included t-shirts, candy, and markers for them. We received so many hugs. At the end of the day, the construction team was able to join us for the close of VBS. The students presented a program of songs and scripture as a gift to us and to let us know how much they appreciated us being with them.

After a 20 minute break to refresh ourselves at Karina Guest House, all 18 of us were driven by vans to Lucky Summer, for the second night of the crusades. This is another place hard to describe because of the filth and odor. The poverty is overwhelming as you see children with flip-flops and torn clothing. You can even see young girls carrying their baby siblings on their backs. People are cooking meals over small charcoal fires and many are coming to fill up water jugs at the local open spring. How they love to touch you, smile at you, and stand with you.

Many tracts were handed out tonight. The praise and worship was lively and we are learning from the Kenyans how to have some rhythm as we sing and dance with them. Becky and Ken spoke powerfully for the Lord as they gave their testimony to God’s saving grace that has transformed their lives. Luke preached an anointed sermon from Genesis about Abraham’s obedience to God and many more came forward for salvation tonight. We are moved by God’s presence and power as we see the people responding to the Good News. Hallelujah! Praise His name!

Tomorrow we need your prayers for our team as we stay together and do some street evangelism. May the Lord give us boldness in telling of His great love and saving power as we go door-to-door.

Pray for Chloe and Zack as they will be giving their testimonies at the Crusade. Pray for Daryl as he will be preaching. Pray that many who are lost will be saved. Pray for strength for us as many of us are drained emotionally and physically. We love hearing the encouraging words from home!

Day 5 (by Chloe Snyder & Michael Rogers)

2009-07-07T13:02:00.000-07:00

-Well, today was yet another God-filled day in Nairobi! Our first night in the Karina Guest House was quite cozy and we woke up feeling WARM for the first time in 4 days. After a great breakfast we headed off to our worksites; the Baptist Chapel and the Youth Centre. Both teams hoped that today would run a little more smoothly than yesterday now that we knew what to expect.

-The youth centre team felt way more prepared now that we had a tentative schedule! We gave all of the kids a VBS t-shirt and helped them color the shirts. When we told the kids they could keep the shirts tears were brought to their eyes. It was amazing how something so small is so big to them. At the end of the day, we held a puppet show for all 280 kids. Boy did they enjoy it!! Even Pastor Wambua and Principal Moses were helping out with the puppets.

-The construction team (a.k.a. the "smurf" team) was able to almost finish painting The Baptist Chapel (roof, trim, doors, and exterior walls). They were also able to visit with the Baptist Chapel's preschool program. There were about 35 preschoolers and the team gave the children stuffed animal turtles and lollipops. They were sooooo happy to receive the gifts (the team was pretty excited to play with the kids as well!)

- After a great day at the worksite, we made a quick pit stop back to Karina before heading to the Baptist Chapel Crusade. With a great turn out, of hundreds of people, we enjoyed singing and dancing led by the praise team, testimonies from Michael and Lori, and preaching from Daryl. We also heard from co-pastor, Bosco, who translated, and Pastor Wambua. At the invitation call God rewarded our ministry when about 30 people came forward. What an amazing night worshipping the Lord!

Today has truly been a blessing from God. We will surely miss all the wonderful things that have happened thus far on this trip. All around it was a GREAT day! Please continue to comment on the blog and keep us in your prayers. Pray expecially for Luke, as he preaches at the Crusade tomorrow night and for Becky and Ken as they share their testimonies!

Day 4 (by Luke Carter)

2009-07-06T11:45:00.000-07:00

We got started early today by checking out of Brackenhurst and checking into the Karina Guest House, which is much closer to the area where we are working. We were all very happy to find that the accommodations at the Karina Guest House are very nice.

-The VBS and construction teams got started today. After a crazy start, VBS went great! When we got to the youth centre we had to make the schedule for the day and try to organize all of the classes with over 280 kids in about 30 minutes. Needless to say, it was chaos for a little while but the Lord worked everything out and it flowed well.

-All of us on the VBS team were amazed at how great the kids are. They are much more disciplined than most American kids. Chloe and Gwen put crayons on a table in front of the three year old kids in their group but the kids would not even touch them until they had permission. The kids are very loving and love to just be near us and hold our hands.

-We are also seeing the extent of the poverty in this area as we minister at the youth centre with the Korogocho slum all around us and the Nairobi dump literally feet away. The kids are very grateful for everything that we give them. When Michael and I gave the kids their crayons and told them that they could keep them, the kids almost started crying and they clapped their hands and started shouting for joy.

-The VBS team served food to all of the kids for lunch. The kids love it when American teams come because they get better food and more food than normal. Today they had rice, cabbage, potatoes, and one piece of meat. A normal meal consists of rice or porridge.

-The construction team had a great day also as they worked on painting the roof at Baptist Chapel. Zack, Ken, Marilynn, Linda, and Daryl all climbed on top of the very slippery and very steep roof. The group had some close calls on the roof but thankfully none of them fell off. It is amazing that Linda was on crutches when we departed America and now she is not only off crutches, but she is climbing ladders and painting on a slippery roof! Praise God! The entire construction group worked very hard all day long painting and got much work done.

-At supper tonight, Doug and Laura Lee stopped by to visit and fellowship with us. The Lee's are IMB missionaries to Kenya and have lived in Tanzania and Kenya for the past 15 years. It was great to hear what God is doing in Kenya through IMB missionaries such as the Lee's. Please keep Doug and Laura in your prayers as they continue to minister in East Africa.

-Please continue to pray for the safety of the construction team as they work on the dangerous roof. Also, please continue to pray that God will work through the VBS and that lives will be changed! Finally, pray for the crusade that begins tomorrow night. Especially pray for Daryl as he will be bringing the message. Thank you VERY MUCH for your prayers!

Day 3 (by Kim Campbell)

2009-07-05T11:34:00.000-07:00

We did experience some culture shock as we left the airport in Ghana. I know Daryl and Julia wrote about this experience, but I have not read that yet. Our introduction to Nairobi has been more gradual. Breckenhurst, our first place of lodging, is a beautiful place to begin our stay. The drive to Breckenhurst took us through some low and middle class areas.

As we prepare for VBS beginning on Monday, we have had to do some major reshuffling with the luggage. We repacked all the

ministry bags (17 in total) to make them more convenient for Monday morning. We are unable to go to the site of VBS until Monday morning. With so many hands, it only took a couple of hours to get it done.

Saturday night, we were all at dinner enjoying it just fine. Then Daryl comes up to our table. He asks how we have enjoyed the lamb. Honestly, we all thought it was roast. Chloe turned so white. We thought she was going to fall out of her chair. It surely was lamb. The sign was not put by the dish until we had gone through and gotten our plates. The lamb was good – it did not taste like chicken!

Our team members enjoy teasing each other. However we are learning that others around may not understand our teasing or know that it is just teasing. We are learning that we must watch the words that we say to each other.

Today, we attended church at Baptist Chapel. This is Pastor Wambua’s church. Daryl was the given 45 minutes to an hour to preach. (Watch out FBCE the next time Daryl is given the pulpit – he was on a roll!) The church service went from 10:30 AM – 1:30 PM, SS was before that. (So much for beating the other churches to Side Track or Flatline, I mean Flightline.) The church service was … WOW! The music was less than dull. One song lasted longer than 10 minutes with dancing in the aisle and more.

We have the afternoon to go over our VBS materials and to relax. Daryl and Luke will be preparing sermons for the crusades this week. The weather is much cooler than we expected, but we are not complaining. We are acclimating to the weather and to the time difference.
Please be in prayer for a few of our team members that have already been sick- Bonnie is better, but a couple of other team members are not doing well today.

Please also pray for the various unknowns in re. to VBS and construction, which start tomorrow.

Day 2 (by Becky Hall)

2009-07-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Nairobi, Kenya this morning at around 5:00AM after a 5 1/2 hr flight. Pastor Wambua was there to greet us, and we loaded all of our bags and 18 people into 3 vans. Only by the grace of God did every one of our 34 bags make it to Kenya. We rode for about 45 minutes to get to Brackenhurst where we are now staying. It's incredibly beautiful here! After 48 hours on various planes and in airports, arriving to a cozy bed, delicious food, and a gorgeous day outside (temperatures ranging from 40s to 70s... jealous Georgia people?) was extremely refreshing to us. We have caught up on most of our sleep and have spent most of the day just resting, enjoying the weather. and going through orientation with Pastor Wambua. Remember Bonnie in your prayers as she has become very sick since we checked in this morning. Tomorrow, we'll get our first look at Korogocho and the desperate conditions that exist in that slum. We'll be worshipping at the Baptist Chapel there. Pray for Daryl as he prepares to preach.

We thank God for his protection and all of the many blessings that he has already given to us. We also thank Him that Linda no longer has to use her crutches! As we gathered to pray this evening, we opened the word to 2 Timothy 1:7 "For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline." This is our prayer- that we would be humble, disciplined, compassionate, BOLD in the power of Almighty God. Please continue to pray for us! We miss yall!

Day 1 in Africa!

2009-07-03T10:50:00.000-07:00

We are safely on African soil. Here's highlights:

- Chloe, Becky & Michael survived their first plane flights and our long flight from New York to Accra, Ghanna arrived at 8:30 AM (4:30 EST)

- We discovered we actually could get transit visas and visit Accra rather than sit in the airport for 12 hrs and we worked out some issues that we had with our checked baggage.

- Played a 1.5 hr. game of hide and seek with Linda... we eventually did find her... but we were beginning to wonder!

- With the help of a local official, James, a security guard, Venance, and our driver Emmanuel, the 17 of us were able to hit the town in a hot van made to carry 14 passengers

- We saw the Presidential Palace, the city square, the Atlantic Ocean, and other landmarks

- We went to some open air markets and felt like rock stars with people flocking to us... only these were our fans only if we'd buy their variety of goods.
We also had the opportunity to share the Gospel and give "Answer" tracts with many of the people we met while out and about!

- We we ate at a place called "Country Kitchen" (just not the "country" we know) and some were actually brave enough to eat the local cuisine.

- Now we sit in the Accra airport waiting to depart for Kenya. We should arrive there at 5:30 AM (or 10:30 PM EST).

PLEASE PRAY FOR US. We're all very tired from the plane rides and our busy day today. Pray that Saturday would be a day to refuel and rest up. Thanks. We miss you all!

Who says dreams don't come true?

2009-06-30T07:53:00.000-07:00

Whoever believes that dreams don't come true doesn't know our great God or His precious promises. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart." Many of our team members have had life-long dreams of going to and/or ministering in Africa. I believe that my own childhood preoccupation with Africa, the Serengeti Plain, Mt. Kilimanjaro, and the people who reside in that amazing continent, was God preparing me from an early age, for this trip. Now, as we're just days away from fulfilling that dream, I stand in awe of our all-knowing, all-powerful God and I am challenged to know & follow Him more faithfully so that I can experience more of His great plans for me!

Be watching this blog. Lord willing, we will be able to post prayer requests, regular updates, and some pictures from the field. You may want to consider joining the "follow" list on the bottom right of this page so that you can receive alerts when new posts are added.

Some additional prayer requests:
- Pray for Luke & Daryl as they prepare sermons for the worship services & crusades. Also pray for the team members who will be sharing salvation testimonies at those times.
- Pray for Linda Knight, who has a hurt knee and will be taking crutches on the trip. Pray for healing, that she would be pain/problem-free, and that she would have no mobility issues.
- Pray that each team member would abide in Christ, so that we might produce much fruit, for apart from Him, we can do nothing!

The Trip Schedule

2009-06-30T07:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday, July 2
7:00 AM - Depart for Atlanta
12:35 PM - Flight Departs Atlanta

Friday, July 3
8:30 AM - Flight arrives in Accra, Ghana
8:50 PM - Flight departs Accra (yes, that’s a 12 hr. layover!)

Saturday, July 4
5:30 AM - Flight arrives in Nairobi, Kenya
Afternoon - Orientation
Evening - check into Brackenhurst Conference Center

Sunday, July 5
Morning - Worship at The Baptist Chapel
Afternoon - Orientation

Monday, July 6
Morning - VBS & Construction @ Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center
Afternoon - VBS & Construction @ Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center
Evening - move lodging to Karina Guest House

Tuesday, July 7
Morning - VBS & Construction @ Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center
Afternoon - VBS & Construction @ Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center
Evening - Open Air Crusade in “Lucky Summer”

Wednesday, July 8
Morning - VBS & Construction @ Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center
Afternoon - VBS & Construction @ Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center
Evening - Open Air Crusade in “Lucky Summer”

Thursday, July 9
Morning - Evangelism in "Lucky Summer", puppets, school visit
Afternoon - Evangelism in "Lucky Summer", puppets, school visit
Evening - Open Air Crusade in “Lucky Summer”

Friday, July 10
Morning - Visit to local Orphanage
- Visit with FBC Youth's Compassion Child, Lesley
Afternoon - Shopping at Maasai Market
Evening - Open Air Crusade in “Lucky Summer”

Saturday, July 11
Morning - Drive to Maasai Mara Reserve
Afternoon - Game Drive Safari
Evening at Fig Tree tented camp

Sunday, July 12
Morning - Game Drive Safari
Afternoon - Drive back to Nairobi
11:45 PM - Flight Departs Nairobi

Monday, July 13
6:45 AM - Arrive in London
1:20 PM - Flight Departs London
5:50 PM - Arrive in Atlanta
10:00 PM - Arrive home in Eastman

NOTE: All times are local times (Ghana is 4 hrs. ahead, Kenya is 7 hrs. ahead, & London is 5 hrs ahead of Eastern Time)

Just 2 Days...

2009-06-30T05:37:00.000-07:00

until our departure for Kenya. The long, seemingly unending process of planning and preparing is coming to a close and by Saturday morning, we'll be setting feet on Kenyan soil. As we're transitioning from the administration stage to the execution stage, we want to take a minute and express thanks.
1) Thanks to all those who have supported, and continue to support, our efforts in prayer. I know it sounds like a nice little Christian cliche, but each and every prayer is so important to our trip. They mean the world to us and we are confident that your prayers will pay eternal dividends. Thank you!
2) Thanks to everyone who has supported the trip financially. We've been blown away by the way God has met our needs and has used others to do so. The generosity of our church family and other friends has helped team members with their individual trip costs and has enabled us to purchase thousands of dollars worth of supplies that will be used in Kenya on our trip and even after we leave.
3) Thanks, mostly, to our incredible God. Thank You for choosing us as Your own through our Savior, Christ Jesus. Thank You for calling and equipping inadequate individuals like ourselves to carry Your great news to Kenya. Thank You for allowing us to participate in what You're already doing there. And thank You, in advance, for what you're going to do in our own lives through this trip. We are Yours. Use us as You will, for Your honor and glory alone.

Tic Toc...

2009-06-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Our trip is rushing nearer and nearer. We're just 9 days from boarding the plane that will begin our journey. The excitiement and anticipation is building! As the mission God has prepared for us grows nigh, our need of prayer grows ever greater. Here are some specific prayer requests that you can offer up on our behalf:
· Pray that effects of jet lag will not hamper our efforts in any way.
· Pray for the physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health of our team.
· Pray that the team would exhibit camaraderie, love & grace, and seek to put other’s needs before our own. Pray that our unity would be a living testimony to all.
· Pray for the spiritual preparation of our team and of all who we will be ministering to.
· Pray that all elements of the VBS (teachers, lessons, activities, etc.) would be effective.
· Pray that our team will step out of our comfort zones and faithfully & boldly minister when opportunities arise for one-on-one evangelism, sharing public testimonies, preaching, etc.
· Pray that many lives will be changed forever by beginning a relationship with Jesus Christ and that they would get involved and be discipled through the local church.
· Pray for Pastor Wambua and other local leaders/ministries that we will be working with.
· Pray for Mrs. Emma, as she travels from South Africa to meet us and work with us for in Kenya.
· Pray for the IMB missionaries that we will meet and their ministries.
· Pray for Jon and Becky Woodworth, missionaries in the village of Gatab.
· Pray for the meeting that will take place between some of our team members and Lesley Liboi, a child that the FBC youth group has been sponsoring through Compassion International.
· Pray for safety and wisdom through out the trip.
· Pray for our families that will remain here as we go.
· Pray that we will be open to see what God is doing, that we will be willing to jump in & participate, that we will not get in the way with our own agenda, and that God will use weak vessels like us, to show His surpassing greatness.

This is our cry

2009-05-31T16:55:00.000-07:00

"God be gracious to us and bless us,

And cause His face to shine upon us--Selah.

That Thy way may be known on the earth

Thy salvation among all nations.

Let the peoples praise Thee, O God;

Let all the peoples praise Thee."
Psalm 67:1-3

Ps. 67:1-3 is serving as a theme scripture for us. Our hearts' desire is for God's grace and blessing be upon us as we go to Kenya. We acknowledge that we can do no good on our own and that if He is not empowering us, then all of our human effort will be in vain. We desperately stand in need of His heart, His wisdom, His righteousness, His strength. We pray, and ask you to pray, for His grace to be upon us.

We do not ask this for selfish reasons; not for our benefit, or our success, or our glory. Instead, we ask that God would bless us so that we might be a blessing to others. We want God's ways and God's salvation to be made known through us. We long to see people experience the wonderful salvation that is available through Christ Jesus alone. We want to participate in the building of His Kingdom. And we pray that the service we render would result in the increased fame, worship, and glory of our wonderful Lord. He alone is worthy. May all the peoples praise Him!

5 More Weeks!

2009-05-31T15:39:00.000-07:00

It's amazing that we're only 5 short weeks away from Kenya. We still have so much to do! So many bags to pack, so many preparations to make, so many details to finalize, and so many prayers to offer. Please pray with us.

One of the things we've talked much about in our mission preparations, is our need to display Christ-like attitudes. We have identified 7 constructive attitudes that must be reflected in each of our lives, the whole time we are on our mission trip. Please pray that each of these would be true of each of us, for as these are fleshed out in us, we will be usable instruments through which God can build His Kingdom and bring glory to His name.

1. I will give away all my rights; they belong to the Lord anyway.
2. I will not become bitter or discouraged if any of my rights, privileges, & responsibilities are taken away.
3. I will resist the temptation to have an answer for everything on any subject.
4. I will not play the role of the wealthy provider.
5. I will cheerfully change, or drop my planned program to meet local needs & fit into the local context.
6. I will consult and support Pastor Wambua and all other local leaders and believers.
7. I will seek to live and work in a way that reflects Christ living in me.

Mission Trip Team Members

2009-04-13T17:32:00.000-07:00

Trip participants to pray for by name:
Diedra Barton, Gwen Burch, Kim Campbell, Luke Carter, Lori Denton, Becky Hall, Linda Knight, Zach & Debbie Mercer, Ken Mobley, Julia Rogers, Michael Rogers, Marilyn Sanders, Pam Smith, Chloe Snyder, Daryl Summey, and Bonnie Waldrep from Dodge County. Plus, Emma Cherotich from South Africa.

Photos of K

2009-04-06T18:13:00.000-07:00

Pictures of the Korogocho dump, the Korogocho cummunity, the Baptist Chapel, the Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center, some of the students, and Pastor Euticauls Wambua:

About Our Trip

2009-04-05T14:52:00.000-07:00

The following info will let you know more about our trip. We would greatly appreciate your prayers!

A team from Dodge County will be going to Nairobi, Kenya, July 3-14. This team is comprised of 18 individuals from 3 different churches. In Kenya, we will be ministering in the Korogocho slum area on the outskirts of Nairobi. This cardboard & tin shanty town has grown up out of one of Nairobi’s largest waste dumps and is home to over 500,000 people. We will be partnering with Pastor Euticauls Wambua while in Kenya. In addition to pastoring The Baptist Chapel, there, Pastor Wambua directs the Kariobangi Baptist Youth Center. This center provides a Christian, scholastic, & vocational education, to over 320 children who would have no other access to such educational opportunities.

Our tasks, in Africa, will be numerous and varied. We have a team who will lead a Vacation Bible School for the students at the Youth Center. Another team will do construction on the youth center facilities. Every day, we will feed the children and staff of the youth center, and for many, this will be the only meal they receive that day. We will have opportunities to go door-to-door through the Korogocho slum and share the good news of Jesus Christ with residents. We will have the joy of worshipping with fellow brothers & sisters in Christ at The Baptist Chapel and we will work with them to hold nightly crusades for the residents of the area. We will visit a local orphanage to love on and play with children there and we hope to visit some local public schools to share our faith in Jesus.

We, as a team, are thrilled about the opportunity God has given us to go and minister in His name. It is our prayer that we will be an encouragement to the church and a light to the lost in Kenya. Please pray that God would empower us and use us to build His Kingdom and bring Him glory through this trip. We can’t wait to see what all God does in and through us as we answer His call! The task is great, but our God is greater!