Relaxing Weekend

This weekend we did not do anything to crazy or busy. Yesterday I went to the center and meet with one of the ministers from Mountain Christian Church in Maryland for a little bit. It is incredible to hear how God has used that church to impact the community. They have been bring teams over since 2005. One of the team members that came along this time made a comment as have a few people in our group. He said that Bondeni has a different feel to it than the other slum communities. We had a couple of people with us who have said that they thought Bondeni was evil. I don't always notice it like that, but there is a definite need for us to bring the love of Christ to that community. I am thankful for the opportunity to come and serve, and to help share the light with those who's homes we enter. Alicia talked about having dinner with Josephine the other night. One of the things that she said that stuck with me was that she is convinced that when we set foot inside someone's house that we are bringing the light of life with us. They may not accept Christ, but Christ's light has been introduced to the house and that is something. It has been a blessing getting to spend time with people like this, and to be able to go into so many homes, and to think that God's lamp has at least shown in that house for a short time. Thank you for your prayers. Today Mary and Wallace brought back with them how much the Church family in America cares about and loves the people of Kenya. We hope that this may continue to grow and that we may continue to lift the people of the valley up in prayer so that God may shine His light in a great way here. We are so grateful that we get to be here and to experience all that God is doing.

Oh the matatus

So with all my heart I wish I could conveyed what an experience a matatu ride is to you. Each day we walk about 15 minutes to the city center and "pick" a matatu. We have the routine pretty well figured out by now and most days Tim and I are alone when we go to the center. We have figured out that nothing happens until after morning tea so we sleep a little longer and arrive right around tea time. We "picked" (which means get on) the matutu this morning and it began to race another matutu traveling the same route. At some point a car coming in the other direction caused the matutus to collide and one of our side mirrors came loose and was unable to be returned to its original position. What does someone in this situation do?? Well, in Nairobi, you pull out into the road and cut the other driver off and begin yelling at him in Swahili. I am thinking he they were cussing each other out but I am not sure as my Swahili is just not that good yet. A few minutes later we have several people from each matatu yelling at each other in the middle of the road so we decided it was time to get out and walk the rest of the way as we werent too far from the center. I kept looking back at them and they were still fighting. It was really funny to me. I wish you could see the way they drive here. It is almost like a constant game of chicken. Good times!!

The Valley

Yesterday we had a meeting with all the interns and the staff. The meeting was called but no one knew what it was going to be about. Where expectations not being met...were we doing something culturally inappropriate...lots of guesses no answers. So when we got there we learned that we were not in trouble, but were going to have a party. Three of our group left today to go spend time in Massailand. The staff wanted to worship and celebrate and say thanks before they left. We all had a great time. One of the gifts that the staff gave them was a t-shirt that said, Turning the Valley into the Mountain of God. It has been amazing to see this saying being a reality. We go into so many homes and they say, tell me about salvation. Who is Jesus? The guys we are with keep saying that the harvest is ready, the field is ripe, and many lives are being commited to Christ as a result. It has been amazing to see how God truly is building a mountain in the valley and how people here are desperate for His love, and grabbing hold of it when it is shown. It has been a blessing to sit and hear the stories of people finding out that they are HIV/AIDS positive, or how they had to flee their homes during the violence, and then to see how God has taken those terrible situations and turned them into something beautiful. It is amazing to see how God is working and just how receptive people are to His Word.

A few times a week we go to someone's home for dinner and last night I am almost sure we had dinner with Jesus. We had dinner with a lady who works at the center named Josephine and she is the head of the social work department. She and her 6 year old daughter had a beautiful Bible study with us where we talked about God being clothed in a robe seated on the throne and how he sits on the throne of our lives. It was very touching to listen as a 6 year old read scripture and talked about God with her mother. After that we had chai (tea) and Tim asked how she ended up at the center. She began to speak and the 5 of us who were there were literally enthralled by what she was saying. She talked about how even the smallest things like smiling at a child or greeting someone is ministry and it warms the heart of Jesus. She talekd about how she tries to be encouraging in every encounter she has with parents and students as she may be the only Jesus they see that day and she may be the only one who speaks hope to them. She talked about not being a good Christian because many people were good by their own standards but she wants to be a contagious christian and to draw others to God with her life. She also said many of the prayers in Mathare Valley are not always prayed to the LIving God and God does not respond to the prayers of the hopeless he responds to the prayers of the faithful. The whole time she was tlaking it was so encouraging not because she said it but because you knew she believe what she was saying and most importantly she lives out that faith. Have you even felt like when you spent time with someone that you had been in the presence of God? That is how we felt and I loved it so much because it helped me see what is must have been like for the disciples to sit at the feet of Jesus and just listen to him speak wisdom and hope into their lives.
I know I mentioned awhile ago that our accomodations were really nice but I forgot to mention that there is a washer and dryer in every room. Yes you read that correctly a washer and dryer in every room. The washer is a red bucket in the shower and the dryer is any place we can find to hang out wet and probably not really clean clothes. I generally do the laundry while I am in the shower and then we hang it out the window during the day. Washing clothes by hand is certainly a daunting task and to make it worse our clothes our absolutely filthy bu the end of the day so it is a challenge to even get them somewhat clean. I dont always try to hard as cleanliness only lasts about 10 minutes after we walk out the door. I should also mention that the toilet is in the shower as well. There is a thin curtain separating the 2 areas, but you are basically in the toliet while in the shower. I guess its super convenient.
So we have been eating a great deal of Kenyan food at the center each day. Ugali is the national dish and it is basically corn meal and flour and there is not much taste unless you put something over it. We like it enough but we eat it alot. We have 2 girls on our team who are from Mexico and as it turns out they use corn meal and water as paste for pinatas! You can imgaine how disgusted they were when they found out that we were eating paste-ALOT!! I guess one man's staple food is anothers pinata paste.
Today was good we met with some people who had been resettled after the violence and then went to someones house and had some goodies-like passion fruit, good chai, and roasted corn. We also watched home videos followed by a collection of music videos of Celene Dion. Dos life really get any better?!
Tim is feeling better. My mom and them made it home from Uganda. Tim's family is all doing well. Thanks for the prayers.
Much love

Sickness

Why can we not get away from it. Alicia has mentioned that I have not been feeling well. The other night after playing games i was very hungry. So I had a cheeseburger for dinner, and we had bought some peanut butter and honey for the room. So i made a sandwich when we got back to the room. I am not sure what part of the eating didn't sit well but it would not leave my stomach how it was suppose to. I managed to hold it down for 24 hours but not without a ton of pain. Once I had finally violently vomited the sickness out; I felt much better. I go into all this description because as we have been here I have been reading from A.W. Tozer The Pursuit of Man, and in one chapter he writes about out dying to sin and how painful that it is to deny ourselves so that we may allow room for Christ to come in and dwell within us. I hated being sick, but the cleansing and renewing that I felt after getting rid of the filth reminded me of this idea. We are surrounded by sin and it is all sorts of disabling and filthy, but to know that God has provided a way for us to remove it, with some work and pain, so that we made be made whole again. What a great God that we serve that we can have hope beyond our moanings and longings for something greater. It has been an amazing few weeks and I pray that we may continue to allow God the room that He needs in order for us to be made well and complete in Him.

Funnies

Tim and I took a day off for the most part. We are heading to Mathare soon to meet our team and head to someone's house for dinner. Tim is recovering and we went and got him some more meds but thought it was a great day for him to continue to get better. The pharmacies or chemist as they are called here are interesting. Basically you just walk in and tell them what you want and they hand it to you. It seems almost too easy but maybe that is because we have only tried for antibiotics.
I thought we would share a few funny stories with you all. I know some of the blogs are serious but we are laughing a lot! The team with are with is great and so are all the staff people and MOHI.
I know we are making huge mistakes when we speak Swahili and I know it has caused many nationals to laugh at us so it is equally funny to me when I hear people make mistakes in English. So last week we spent a lot of time with a guy in one of the slum areas called Kosovo. When we would go to peoples homes he would introduce them and give us some background info, but he would misuse pronouns and he would interchange them throughout a conversation. So we would be in a womans home and he would say: HIs name is Elizabeth and He has 3 kids..she owns a business selling fruit etc. At first I was confused and then I couldnt resist laughing so I had to disguise them with coughing. I looked around at our team and they were laughing as well. We continue to make jokes about it and it causes some pretty serious laughter. Other than this his english was great but this mistake was too funny to resist mentioning.
Yesterday one guy on our team (Justin) started walking and talking with a guy in the slums and apparently he was trying to get Justin to give the 4 girls in our team and/or Justins sisters to him as wives. Justin said with all seriousness that he was really sorry but he didnt think he could afford us as we all cost around 10,000 goats (which is a lot) and the guy was like OH and walked away. Thank goodness this guy couldnt afford us.
When we leave the center at the end of the day and we are waiting for a matatu we are generally approached by street kids asking for money for food. Well, the problem with being in such a big group sometimes is that you just talk and share your thoughts and you aren't always sure who you are actually talking to. So yesterday as our group of 23 is walking, a street kid approaches Eric and says I am so hungry and Eric says I know so am I. I haven't eaten since lunch. Then he looks at the kid and realizes he is not one of us but is a street kid who is actually REALLY hungry. Oops!
There are many stories like that and last night I laughed until my abs hurt. We love the gift of laughter and we are so thankful for those on our team for providing it for us. We really have some funny people with us. Sometimes at night Tim and I will talk about the day and we just laugh for a long time
Here's hoping your day is full of laughter.

Restored

I love the way God just gives you special gifts to restore your spirit and He always seems to give them to you when you need them the most. Yesterday we went to Joska for church and a fun day. Joska is a boarding school run by Missions of Hope International. It is about a hour out of the city and currently enrolls over 400 children. First it was great to just get out of the city and drive through the countryside and see what you imagine Africa to actually look like rather than just a busy city. We all needed the escape. When we walked into the church it had already started and the kids were singing and they were singing There is no God like Jehovah over and over. I seriously became a mess I started crying and just rejoicing. The kids that are at this school are kids from the slums, they are street kids, they are the glue sniffers etc. These kids have been restored by God to something bigger than themselves. They were having such a great time praising Him. I love the children of Africa and hearing them sing and seeing them smile always grabs my heart so I spent a portion of the worship service with tears rolling down my face, but it felt cleansing and very healing. We got to play all afternoon with the kids and I loved that so it was a great day. We all needed it and I know we all feel ready to face the week. In a few minutes I will get on a matatu and head back into the slums and who knows what the day holds but God has totally renewed my spirit and I feel ready to face whatever comes my way.
Thanks for all your prayers. God is really showing us alot in a short amount of time. I am glad He has chosen to share these things with us even though they are heart breaking. He never gives us more than we can take and I am glad that I have been given chances to just find my strength in him alone. Please pray for Tim he is not feeling well and missed the fun day yesterday. He is feeling better today but is taking the day off. I think something he ate did not agree with him, but pray that he gets better tomorrow because we all want him to be out working with us (especially me :) ) Also my mom, Connie, Jeanie, and Shannon and the rest of the team are on their way back from Uganda. Pray for safe travels. Thanks for your prayers we really can tell that you are faithfully praying for us.
We hope everything is well in the states. We are thankful to hear from you and look forward to sharing with you when we get back.
Have a great week!

Game Day

Today we got out of the city for awhile and got a chance to play soccer and basketball with some of the people who we have been working with. It was a great time to get away from the city and normal routine. Alicia has said so much in her post that I don't think I have much to add. There is a definite battle between Good and Evil in the slums. At times it feels like they are so close to breaking free, and then we see glimpses of the lies that Satan uses to trip people up. We continue to learn a lot about how the Hope Partnership is advancing the Kingdom in Mathare Valley. I was going to post this a few days ago but the internet cut out before I could so here it is a few days removed.

Another Week Gone By

Another week has passed. Sorry it has been a week since we updated everyone-we were really busy this week and were unable to get to the internet before it was too late to be out. Many things have happened and it has been another great week of seeing God at work. To be honest though this week was certainly filled with some difficult times at least for me-alicia. This week was the first time I felt different than everyone around me. Everyone has been so welcoming to us that for awhile I kind of forgot that I looked different and was from a different place. This week that changed. It is a good thing and I feel like I am getting to see all sides of Nairobi which I think is important. As you continue to read this please know we are doing great and are so happy to be here. God is here and we are so thankful he called us to be here with him for the summer. I will be candid of course but I also feel like I need to be honest.
We are so aware that God is at work here but so is the devil and we have certainly seen that it a few ways in the past week. If you know much about Nairobi you are probably familiar with street children. These are kids who live on the street and generally beg for money. We have the same things in the US in some ways I know but I have to tell you it is very hard for me to have a precious 8 year old child come and beg me for food or money. We are told that to give only encourages them to keep begging, but I just cant always ignore it. A few times I have reached in my bag and gotten out some crackers or something. I know it doesnt solve the problem but at least for one night that child isnt so hungry. There are also street kids who sniff glue and most of the day they walk around with the bottle up to their nose and they sniff glue out of it. Many of them beg for money to buy more glue or for something to eat. They are dirty and mostly sleep along the road or in the piles of garbage. Their eyes are dead. That is hard for me to see. We have seen some other things as well but I cant seem to write about them on this blog right now I think they are better to talk about when we get back. All of these things are sights we witness on top of the extreme poverty we see everyday. I am not going to lie this is tough. I feel like I have seen sin at it ugliest. I have seen just what the world looks like apart from God. All the more reason for us to be here. I have been praying for such a long time for God to break my heart the way His breaks, praying to see the world the ways He does. When I see these things I am filled with some joy that my GOd finds me worthy to catch a glimpse of what He sees. And my heart breaks and yet He is only showing me a fraction of what He sees everyday. My heart is certainly broken, but in those moments I feel God near. I know He is here with them, with me, with you. I know He never intended life to look like this, but we chose this. We ate the fruit-we choose the world. As I see these battles going on everyday I am constantly reminded that my God has overcome this world and all the things of it. That sometimes I feel stuck in between darkness and light, good and evil, joy and pain...but in the end our God reigns over all things. There is no need to fear He won the battle a long time ago.
In the midst of some of this darkness the light of GOd is breaking through. We have been a part of leading several people to Christ. Many of these people will be spending eternity with the King of Kings and that is something to rejoice about. Satan is at times trying to do things to distract us from that, but it isnt working. We know God is using us to spread the message of Jesus, the message of hope to a world that is very lost with out him. God is good all the time. When we see some of the things we have seen or hear some of the things we have heard we could not be more excited to be here.
I know that was a lot-sorry-it has been a week so there is alot to say. Our friend Dixon accepted Christ yesterday and we got to be a part of that. Many of the team who are visiting those with HIV/AIDS have led several people to Jesus and many are asking questions. We praise him for those lives. Thanks for praying for us and for them. We are bold in what we have been praying for and God has answered many of those prayers. I continue to pray for him to break my heart for what break His because when that happens I fall more deeply in love with my Jesus and am more compelled to share that love with others.
I want to end with something funny so I will tell you a little about the soccer game. Kenya won 2 to 0 which was awesome. We had a great time, however, something of note is that at soccer matches you not only yell for your team, but it also a great time to make political statements. Before the game I heard people chanting and I thought they were saying Zimbabwe must go so I joined it thinking this was like booing them and I want to show as much Kenyan spirit as possible. Then I see a sign that says Mugabe must go so I ask Willis if Mugabe is their star player he says nope it is their president. So i stopped cheering Zimbabwe must go and decided to stay far away from political chants and stick with GO KENYA or the wave. Also everyone loves Obama as his father was Kenyan and from the Luo tribe. Many times people yell at us to vote for Obama. At the game they were cheering Ochiette (their star player), Odinga (the prime minister) Obama. It is very funny to me.
As I wrap up this novel I have written I want to thank you for your prayers and support. We love it here. God is good and in the midst of despair His love shines. It cool to see it firsthand for sure. Last Sunday we sat in a small church in one of the slums and people were signing in Swahili and I had no idea what they were saying but they were really praising God and even though I have no idea what words they were using-God does. He knows all people, languages, tribes, and tongues. At the same time we were signing a worship song in English. As I looked around I thought this must be what Heaven looks like. A mix of everyone worshipping the same God! I cant wait to do that forever!

Until next time! Much love!

One week down

We have been here over a week now and I feel like we are really settling in and getting used to things. Our accomodations are great and the food is good as well. We are not really roughing it at all so sometimes I feel a little guilty but I guess missions doesnt have to be bout roughing it it just needs to be about Jesus right?
This past week was full of home visits. We are really getting to hear some amazing stories and see the way God is working in many lives and how is power prevails through dangerous situations. Yesterday we went to visit a woman and her child and like many of the people we met this week they were displaced during the post-election violence. Her child was in the home when it was set on fire and his head and hands were burnt. The child is okay and is very active but God definately saved him. During the time of resettlement she accepted Christ and so Tim asked her if she had a Bible and she said no so we were able to give her ours. We talked with her about reading it and shared some scripture with her. The guys said that is a really big issue for them because many do not have Bibles and so the only teaching they get is on Sunday at the church. Tim and I are planning to use some of the support we raised to purchase Bibles to distribute to some of the people we visit. We feel this is one of the most important things we can do. Thanks for support us not only did you provide for us to get here but you will be an instrumental part of sharing the word of God with many. It will be cool to see the change that happens in the community once people really dig deeply into what GOd has to say. I think the change that will come will be huge.

On another note, in a few hours we are heading to the Kenya vs. Zimbabwe soccer game. This is a World Cup qulaifying match. We are very excited and certain this will be quite an experience. Some of the guys from the Hope Center are going and some of us are planning to paint our faces like the Kenyan flag. Good times, good times!

Have great weekend and Happy Dad's Day!

Useless Swahili

So as i said we were learning some Swahili-some we can use and some that is not useful but very funny to us so here is another phrase we have learned...

nawesa pata ati ati? which translates-- may i have a what what?? As you know the matatus are filled with music much of which is rap and so we thought that phrase can i get a what what was appropriate; however, that doesnt really translate exactly so we have may i have a what what!! Same difference and it provides a great deal of laughter which is awesome and makes what could be difficult situations somehow seem lighter. Have we told you how great the guys we work with are?? Oh and we are also trying to teach them a little spanish which is fun and they happen to be very quick learners and even make up their own words such as friesta which is a combination siesta (nap) and free time. It works and we enjoyed a nice friesta today.

God is working here and some huge things are happening and we are also having a great time which we want to share some of that with you.

Much love!!

Work

The last couple of days we have been incredibly blessed to go and visit with many people. Yesterday we went and meet with people who were HIV positive, and heard there stories. One woman told us about when she found out in May of 2006, and how it affected those around her. Many of her friends and her parents disowned her. Her husband however went and got tested some time later and found out that he was positive as well. The two of them take their med's everyday together. They have become a light in the community because they are willing to share openly about the disease, and have become very involved in the counceling that the Hope center does. They have encouraged a number of people that they know to go and get tested so that they may get help as well. That was one of many stories that we heard yesterday from people who are living with HIV/AIDS.
Today we had the opportunity to go into some home of people who were displaced during the violence here back in Dec/Jan. They were afraid of what might happen to them so they fled their homes often not taking anything with them. They fled to an IDP(internally displaced persons) camp, and most stayed there at least one some even two months while waiting for things to cool down. While there the people we have been working with would go throughout the camps asking people if they were willing to go back, and if they were they would pay for the first couple of months of rent as well as food. It was done in such a way that the majority of people we talked to accepted Christ as a result of this action. It was amazing to see how God answered the prayers that we were praying from half way around the world; in such an incredible way here.
The last thing that I want to say in this post is that a couple of the families that we visited today also have children in the Bondeni Hope school. I asked them about child sponsorships, and they mentioned that their children were being sponsored by someone. They couldn't express enough how grateful they were that their children could go to school. I couldn't help but wonder who was sponsoring those children, and the excitement it brought to me to think that more than likely I know the person who is making such a difference in the lives of these families. Thank you for making a difference! We have been so encouraged to see first hand what a difference the Church has made from half a world away.

ASANTI SANA!!!! (THANK YOU VERY MUCH)

Matatu

Matatu is what they call some of the public transportation. Basically it is a 12 or 15 passenger van with like 30 or 40 people shoved in it. It is decorated with various stickers on the outside (such as rap singers, britney spears, mariah carey etc) and music is played on the inside. Today we rode in one for the first time. What fun!! It was jam packed with people and played very loud unedited gangster rap! What an adventure!

Another funny thing- one of the men we are with is named Willis so I was telling him about the show Different Strokes and how the catch phrase was "Whatch u talkin about Willis?" So he taught me how to say it in Swahili.........Una semanini Willis!! We also learned how to say other things that will not necessarily be useful so tomorrow it is back to the good stuff!!

Mungo akubariki!! (God bless you-okay that one is very useful)

Habari

I will continue what Alicia started yesterday with my language learning. Harbari is a common greeting like saying hi in english. I am not sure if I can say as much as she said yesterday but I would like to share a few of my initial thoughts with you. I am not sure where to start as so much has happened in our first 5 days. We have walked through the slums, toured the city, gone to African church(with lots of dancing), and eaten lots of rice and stew to name a few. The joy that is sticking with me is the relationships that are being built. Alicia and I were put in a group of 6 people that were going to be working with the CHE(community health evangelism). The CHE members that have been taking us around, Willis, Phanwell, and Easter, happen to be from Bondeni, the community that West Side Christian Church supports. The are amazing guys who are doing incredible ministry. Today we went to some homes with them and watched them talk, listen, and show the people the love of Christ. It was amazing getting to pray with and talk with them as we walked. It is amazing that even through language, distance and cultural barriers God shines in such a real way. It has been encouraging even in the mess of life in the slums to meet and work with people who love God, and are working hard at sharing that love with all who they come in contact with. We are so encouraged by the work that God is doing here. I will leave you with just a little more swahili. Bwena Asifiwe! Praise the Lord!

Karibu!!

Karibu means welcome in Swahili! We have really been welcomed to Nairobi and we are trying to learn Swahili so that we can better communicate with the people in the slums. I think we are trying to learn to much too fast as I am now dreaming in Swahili and we have only been here a few days. We have a few greetings learned so at least we can say Hi to the people we meet.

AS you know we arrived safely nad we have showered and are pretty rested. Tim lost some luggage and he is at the airport picking it up. He will probably write some on here tonight. We thought we would each write about our first few days. So here is the Alicia version of the first few days;

We arrived that the airport about 630 a.m. and many of us were unable to sleep on the plane so we were very tired. After finally getting through customs we hit the ground running. We went to the Hope Center and were oriented to the place and met many of the staff. Then we walked through the slums. I think that I was too exhausted to grasp the magnitude of what the slums were really like. I felt a bit numb that day to be honest. The next day were spent the morning with some CHE's (Community Health Evangelists-an amazing program we will write more about later). We walked to the river where people were brewing alcohol illegally and talked with some of them. Many of the CHE's were former brewers and what we would call alcoholics but they have since given their lives to GOD and to serving those that are in the same pit they were in. They are a great group of people. As I saw people in such desperation surrounded by garbage, filth, decay, the trappings of sin, and death it hit me. I was in the slums of Nairobi with the needy what Jesus calls the least of these. One of the guys said he feels like when he is working with the people of the slums and the brewers he feels like he is where Jesus would have been if here were humanly walking the Earth. I cant agree with him more. In the midst of all of this I can sense God's very real presence. He is with the poor no doubt about it. Nothing gets by him-no crying in the dark of night, no death due to HIV, no rape or abuse, no cry for help, no addiction, nothing. When I am there I am reminded that He is Almighty God in a way I miss when I am in America.

Today we walked through the slums to church. I am beginning to recognize a little of the area. It rained this morning before we left and what the rain left behind was an overwhleming stench. People who have visited Mathare always talk about the smell and the first day due to exhaustion I missed it, the next day it was faint almost smelling like a pig farm, but to day it was oh so real. There were times it took my breath away but you cannot escape it. Today the slums were packed with people since it is Sunday and many are not at work. I was very overwhelmed today. People were crowded all around us and I had no idea where we were or where we were going. There are 23 of us MZUNGUs(white people) so we really stand out. Today I wore a thin pair of flip flops and as I walked the ground I stepped on rocks, garbage and I am sure other things I do not want to know about and I saw people standing around clothed in rags with runny noses and dirty faces and it hit me-this is life! They dont leave at 5 p.m. like I will when the day is done-many of them probaby never leave. The darkness of that thought really hit me. Luckily there is hope for all things in God. When I see places like this I am always reminded that our God is bigger than all of this. He knows what is going on and He has a plan. I am so thankful to be a part of that plan for this area. He is doing some amazing things here. I am excited to learn more about them and to share them with you all.

I know I am rambling a lot but there is much in my head and we havent updated anyone in several days. LIke Bono said God is in the slums where the poor play house. You had better believe he is!! He is raising some great leaders up out of the darkness that is surrounding them. They are changing the community around them. For those of you involved in the Hope Partnership and/or who participated in A Different Kind of Christmas-please know God is blessing what you are giving. He has multiplied it and is using it to help many. Thanks for you willingness to give to the people of Mathare. Thanks for supporting us. We are so happy to be here.

As I say that I know it sounds like I am sad or overwhelmed and some moments I am, but it is in those moments that I am seeing God the most. I will gladly take moments that break my heart if it always me to draw closer to my GOd. Thanks for you prayers. We love you and will update soon. Perhaps with some funny stories of mistakes we are making while learning the language and some pictures.

God is so good!

We made it!

After two full days of travel we have made it to Nairobi. It was a long trip and most everyone is exhausted, and ready for a shower and bed. We will have more to say about the trip at a later time, but wanted to let everyone know that we made it safely. Tim and Alicia

And We're Off

This afternoon we leave the states for the summer. We are very exited and have just finished going through our PDO (pre departure orientation). We are travelling with a large group and it has been great spending time with them and getting to know them before we go. We are very exited about all the ways that God is going to use this team this summer.

We will arrive in Nairobi, Kenya at 6:30 Thursday Morning. The plan is to drop our things off at the place we will be staying, and then we are headed to the communities where we will spend most of our time this summer. Nothing quite like hitting the ground running. We look foward to being able to share our life as much as possible, and appreciate all the prayers that are being lifted up. Thanks again for partnering with us.