vacation time!

camp is over! and it's time for vacation. on saturday we put camp in storage and headed back to the house in nairobi. this weekend has been nice and relaxing - tv, movies, ice cream, and sleep! tomorrow we leave for a camping/climbing trip at hells gate and then straight from there to safari! we are all looking forward to unwinding, relaxing, going on game drives and wrapping up our summer. once we get back at the end of the week the summer team leaves, some on saturday and some on sunday. after that it is just the full time people for the rest of the time i am here. i will spend about a week working and all of us making plans for the fall and then mom and dad come! i am so excited that they get to share kenya with me. please pray for them as they travel half way across the world to hang out with their daughter. praise the lord we will get to be together and share some family time! words cannot express how excited i am! continue to pray as we come to a transition time in the season. kids will be back at school, the student ministry will be kicking off, and i will be trying to help run the adventures program while the full-timers are away. i know i always say i will update more often and please know i want to! but that would mean i would have free time, something that comes in rare and small doses. continue to pray for safety, health, spiritual renewal, and wisdom. i cannot express how much prayer means and everyone who is part of "my team" in the states. if i am in your heart, you are on my team. my heart is full :)

a fast one

i really feel the need to write a new blog but i just dont know where to start, what to say, or how to finish. ive been inspired by some campers to just give you a run-down of random things you might find lindsay doing any day of camp. they are not all technically part of my job description, but its camp, you never know when you might find yourself:

singing silly songs for 15 minutes straight before EVERY meal
singing silly songs during a meal
taking a picture of the sunset
sitting in the dark for a couple of hours with only a glow stick and a sharpie
carrying a sound system
explaining what a "smore" is
painting my friends' faces
belaying
taking a picture of the sunset
setting up a climbing route
setting up the same three climbing routes three times a week
chasing baboons from the climbing routes
dressing up like one of "charlies angels"
dressing up like the tooth fairy
dressing up like dwight's cousin
dressing up like a pirate
dressing up like dolly parton
dressing up like some awesome new character - like a hydration police officer
nearly crying because my hands were so cold from using them to scoop ice cream
taking a picture of the sunset
tying a knot
praying
making 200 water balloons
launching 100 water balloons from a secrete spot behind the hedges
taking a picture of the sunset
making a braclet
blowing up a float
hiding "gold rocks"
judging a talent show
life guarding
meeting shepherds at the top of the rock
taking a picture of the sunset
driving on the left side of the road
seeing a zebra on my morning run
writing an encouragement note
and of course, taking a picture of the sunset

riveting i know. stay tuned for next time "things you might hear me SAY during a day at camp". a free preview - "belay on. climb on."

a BIG update

an amazing hike in the ngong hills!




sorry it has been so long since my last update! here is a quick rundown of what has been going on: we shut down camp a couple of weeks ago not to open it up again until the british school systems got let out for holiday. our first adventure was ministry to the masai tribe. we stayed with the calverts, a missionary family who have been ministering in kenya for over about 20 years. they welcomed 23 of us into their modest home (and yard and outbuilding), cooked us amazing food, and showered us in love. we spent a few days on a number of different projects. one day we helped hand out maize to women in the suswa area and spent time playing with the children at the school. just bringing a few soccer balls to these little kids and watching them play is enough to bring tears to your eyes. as i held the little girls' hands the lord gave me just a small glimpse of his love for them. it broke my heart into a million pieces and brought a joy and peace to my heart that words cannot describe. the area we were in has been in a drought for some time; with grass scarce the live stock are dying, leaving families without meat or milk. one morning we were able to cut some grass, load it up, and bring it to a local pastor to share with his village. again, there are no words to describe how it feels to be a blessing through the One that is the blessing.

our second project was in western kenya. along side mission link ministries of kenya we hung out at ECD's (early childhood development centers), planted trees at churches and in market places, and loved on some orphans. i stayed with my friend gladys who i stayed with the last time i was here. it felt like coming home to her home cooking every night and sleeping in the same bed i slept in a couple of years ago. we spent our mornings in small groups at different ECD's playing with kids, teaching them games and songs and the afternoons planting fruit and shade trees at the churches who host the children's programs. in the evenings i would return home, always greeted from the street by the village children who would follow us home. some nights gladys would let us (my friend kimi stayed with gladys also) help cook ugali or chipati, and now i can cook it for you!

right now we are finishing up our third session of camp. this week we have kids from all over the world and all sorts of religious backgrounds- russian, french, muslim, hindu, agnostic....but these kids love camp. they love playing games, making new friends, learning new skills, and some of them say evening cabin devotions are their favorite time of day. just last night four kids prayed to receive Christ! some of our campers this week struggle with learning about Jesus and converting to Christianity. how is a kid who has grown up in a muslim family supposed to come home from camp and say he wants to convert? im going to be honest....i dont know the answer. but i do believe in the power of Christ, His Word, and the Truth of the Holy Spirit. we know we are planting seeds, many of which we will not see grow or even be around for the harvest, but knowing the Truth is falling on fertile soil is mind blowing.

you do not know how much i want to write, so many stories to share. my heart is so full. but it is currently the middle of the night and time on the internet is sparse. please continue to pray for our team and for me. i am totally in love with camp. i hope to update more regularly now that we are in something closer to civilization. i love you all!



the source of the nile in uganda at lake victoria