Settling In

Coming back to Kenya has felt a little like coming home. There are familiar smells, familiar people, familiar lingo. Brittany and I started our journey in Atlanta with a bang - heavy luggage and a 4 hour delay due to storms. This of course put us off schedule for the rest of the journey. Atlanta to Chicago to London to Nairobi was filled with more luggage pains, running through the airport, watching our plane pull away from the gate (with Charlie, our other team member on it), sitting in London for 9 extra hours, being transferred to a new airline, more luggage pains, then finally arriving in Nairobi at 6 a.m. Monday morning. Amanda (who I met in Kenya in 2007 and immediately became best sisters with) met us at the airport and said the most beautiful thing, “Want to go to Java House for breakfast?” Java is an oasis of wonderfulness in Kenya. Amazing coffee, yummy food, and free internet! Brittany, Charlie and I were being watched by the full time staff all day, ordered to stay awake. After a couple of nights good sleep I’m feeling free of jet-lag and wake up every morning ready to go!

Our week here has been all preparation for camp. Our duties have included (but surely not limited to): painting signs, writing skits, counting medications, carrying heavy things, painting rocks, drawing calendars, making copies, etc. Camp has changed locations this year which means most of camp programing supplies were taken from last years location and stashed at the house in Nairobi. Today we rented a moving truck and transferred fire wood, soccer balls, basket balls, footballs, dress-up clothes, tents, paint, makers, arts and crafts, refrigerators, couches, sound equipment, you need it at camp - we got it in the back of a truck.

Tomorrow we head a little out of town to Lake Naivasha Country Club for more fun. A team from WinShape Retreat is here to facilitate 1) a marriage retreat for local couples 2) a staff retreat for our camp leadership team and 3) staff week for all of the summer staff. While the parents are running the marriage retreat Friday evening and Saturday morning Amanda, Brittany, Charlie, and I will be taking their kids camping with some hiking and wildlife hunting on the schedule. Saturday evening and Sunday morning are our leadership team retreat (Kim, Stu, Lauren, Clayton, Eric, Amanda, Brittany, Charlie, and me) and then Monday the summer staff of college students flies in which starts our staff week.

Thank you so much for wanting to keep up with me. Know that you are all in my prayers and I thank the Lord daily for the AMAZING support team I have. As always, pray for endurance and clarity as we prep for camp, for time of daily spiritual renewal, and the preparation of the hearts that Lord desires to bless through us. Grace and Peace, Lindsay P

One Week

I am one week away from leaving for Kenya. This past winter I could not get Kenya out of my head. I would look back at pictures of my trip or receive email updates from full-time friends there and something in me would stir. "I really miss Kenya, I want to go back." Camp was going to be at a new location, my soul sister (Amanda!) was returning to work, lots of exciting things happening there. So He told me "Go, just go." And of course I had to come up with a million reasons not to go, a million reasons I needed to stay where I am. I am happy where I am. I love my home and my friends and my job. But it got to a point where I couldn't wake, eat, or sleep without thinking about being in Kenya. So I finally listened to Him, "Don't worry, I'll take care of everything." And He will won't He? Why do we second guess Him? Why do we try to reason with Him?

I am starting to sense the "seasons" of life. I never want to live in a long, grey, boring timeline of existence. Just as the seasons change so do the seasons of my life and heart. And the amazing thing is that there are much more than just four. I am learning to take life season by season. Not always anticipating the next, but being fully alive in the present. The name of my blog is "Considering Lilies." Jesus told us to "consider the lilies of the field..." He made them beautiful and He made them to be beautiful. It is not a lily's job to worry or toil, a lily's job is to be a lily. When I get wrapped up in what comes next or start to worry about tomorrow I have to stop and let Him remind me. He made me Lindsay and all He wants me to be is His Lindsay. To bloom where I am planted. This season I'll be blooming in Kenya. Thanks so much for wanting to join me.

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