Uganda

Last week I had the chance to hang out with my bff Lindsey in Uganda. She was visiting East Africa with a team from our church. We spent a few days hanging out at an orphan school, teaching silly songs, playing games, and in general just loving on some babies. The Helping Hands ministry she was working with organizes orphan sponsorship, enabling individuals to help pay for orphans to attend school and have at least on guaranteed meal a day. Two of our days at the school in Busia were spent giving out gifts to each child, reading the letters from their sponsors, taking updated pictures of them, and allowing them to write letters back to their sponsors. I don't know all the numbers but I would say not even one third of the 700 kids at the school have sponsors. It is beautiful to see the pure unadulterated joy on a kids face when they receive a bag of goodies from someone who is loving them from across the world. Kids got things like pens, pencils, candy, notebooks, socks, toothbrushes, etc. The children who did not receive sponsor gifts were given a small toy (instead of a gallon sized zip lock bag) which they treasured. My heart was full, overflowing, and resting in the goodness of the Lord as I spent hours taking pictures, putting children in line, calling students out of class, explaining for the hundredth time how to write a letter to their sponsor, and filing paperwork. There are a million more things to talk about the trip - visiting churches, praying over land, riding boda bodas, and eating American candy over girl talk late into the night.



I am spending the next couple of days catching up with work and preparing to be gone again. Stu and Lauren (who I am semi filling in for) have returned from some time in the states and we will get all back in the grove of Stu leading Adventures as make my way out of the picture. We have been blessed beyond belief as a friend of ours has invited us to Mombasa (to stay in a house for free) for the weekend. It has been a dream of mine to visit the coast on this trip to Kenya and I am super excited that it is happening for sure! I am looking forward to lounging by the pool, feet in the sand, and sun on my face.

Thank you all for love, prayers, and support. Of course I am still counting down: days until the states-29, days until wedding 75!

Rest

Today is my first Saturday off in I don't know how long, and tomorrow will be my first time to go to church in about a month. I have been busy at the ropes course every weekend for a while and I am truly grateful for a day off. I've been trying to settle into a "Sabbath" every week. I know we are supposed to have those but they are usually filled with some sort of work to one extent or another. So one day a week I try to do nothing I would consider work. It is truly refreshing for the soul to have no agenda, no hurry, and no worries. And today is that day for me. A morning at Java House (yummy coffee and pancakes) followed by sweet fellowship with the Lord and now some afternoon of internet time (and probably another cup of coffee). About this time in the afternoon, if I am on the internet, I think about America and the rising sun. Soon my friends and family across the Atlantic will be crawling out of bed and I look forward to whoever feels the desire to get online. From Blogger to Facebook to Yahoo, Gmail, and Adventures emails not to mention texting and Skype, it's nearly impossible to get away from communication. Speaking of - Mom is up at 6am and ready to chat! Wedding plans are demanding so I will leave you now and talk about bands, registries, and invitations for the rest of the afternoon. I love you all soooo much, looking forward to another update soon.



Tusker - I can't wait to get home to my baby :)

Training and Training

Mwita and I on belay


Fridah and Debbie


As I think about what has been going on lately the word “training” comes to mind for more than one reason. Amanda and I have decided to participate in two 10k races in October. I’ve never run a 10k before so I’m excited about the experience. One race is in Lukenya Hills, and you know if the name of the location has the word “hills” in it then you are in for a treat. Lukenya is also known for having a much warmer climate than we are used to in Nairobi. Needless to say, it is bound to make for good memories. The other race is part of the Nairobi Marathon – we’re not quite ready for a marathon yet so we are participating in the 10k. To train for the races Amanda and I have started a bit of a running routine in the mornings. We don’t make it out every morning, we don’t have an official training schedule, we haven’t actually run 10k all at once yet, but we are giving it our best shot. Since competitive sports ended a few years ago for me its nice to have something to shoot for. I really enjoy getting up early and getting my day started (but not having a guaranteed shower when you return home can be a deterrent). So far our adventures have included taking Sham (one of the dogs) on the run, he’s not the best running partner but it makes me feel one step safer when people on the street may see him as a guard dog. We already stick out like sore thumbs as it is; it’s pretty rare (and ridiculous) to see white girls running on the side of the road. Sometimes people on the side of the road will just start running, we think they are making fun of us, but it’s hard to tell. We get encouraging words too, but again, we are pretty sure they think we are silly. There are some roads we run that I’ve never driven in a car, so it’s helping me see all the sights of our side of town. Some roads are paved and busy on which we nearly get run off the road at times. Other roads are more quiet, many of them paved with brick and include generous sidewalks. Some stretches of roads aren’t paved at all and make for sort of an “agility” course. I am praying our runs renew us daily and move us toward health of mind, body, and spirit.

The other reason the word “training” comes to my mind is because of work. This weekend I put 6 of our new staff through our high ropes course training. Five of them are college students and the other is a recent graduate. They are beautiful additions to the BlueSky Adventures team. As I drove home from the training the first night I thought back to my own high ropes course training. It was about six years ago at Camp Chattooga when Lindsey and I took a shot at being the Adventure Program counselors. It was the first time we had spent any time with Shane and Stephanie, who are now our very good friends. I remember running a group on my own for the first time and asking Steph “what should I do?” and her writing down on a sticky note the low initiatives I should start with. I was so intimidated. It is so fun to see how far the Lord has brought me. He has ordered all my steps thus far into the role He has placed before me. I love teaching these new staff, answering their questions, and ushering them into deeper levels of facilitation. I hope I can instill in them half of what my mentors have put in me.




Ngatho and Beatrice


Showin the kids how it's done


Kefa and Fridah on Pipe Dream

So that is what my recent time has looked like – training myself and training others. I am fully invested in my time here and praying the Lord uses me in ways I don’t think are possible. He has been so amazing to me and I want nothing less than to be that for Him. Thank you for sharing this journey with me. See you all soon.

Days Until:
America 58
Wedding 105


I found this guy on my drive home from work

BlueSky Adventures

Here is a little update about my job these days. I am the acting director of programs for BlueSky Adventures. I love this job, I love being outside, I love meeting new people from all over the world, I love providing a place for people to have fun, play safe, and experience changes. Those are our three rules and goals for every program. Last weekend we had over 200 kids from around the world over a three day period. This weekend we have about 70 more students, plus about 30 corporate professionals from Nairobi. This role is really growing me and stretching me. I don't like being in the office at all. Paying bills, calculating payroll, and being "in charge" are things I'm learning to do with confidence. While I am only in this role for a short time I know the Lord has brought me through years of different experiences to help prepare me for filling the shoes I am in now. Please pray for BlueSky Adventures as we strive to create relational opportunities for ministry in Kenya.




Not that I am counting, but I will see many of you in less than 70 days! I am not entirely sure it feels like an official count down at this point, there is still a lot for me to do while I am here. Life is going well, we don't have power and water on a regular basis so showers are few and far between. Life is becoming routine and even locals say things like "you are a Kenyan now!" I love you all, see you soon.

Grace and Peace

The Best Blog Ever

I never want to sit down and write a blog because I feel like it will take so much time to say everything I want to say. But at this point it has been nearly a month and I suppose just a quick update is better than nothing at all. So I think that is the route I will take from now on, short but informative! This is Mom and Dad and me at the Great Rift Valley. We had such and amazing visit. It blessed my heart for them to see where I live and what I do and both experience Africa for the first time. We had a few days on safari, ran around town catching the sites of Nairobi, and even worshiped under an acacia tree. It was a family vacation not to forget. I would not be who I am without them. God really knew what He was doing when He allowed them join in life together. I could not ask for better parents in the entire world. They are not only a blessing to me, they are a blessing to everyone they meet. While they were here I got to share with them a new season of my life and I'm so excited to share it with all of you now. God did this pretty sweet thing this summer in sending me a friend in the form of Charlie Boyd. We had an amazing time living the camp life together and enjoying all the riches of Kenya. While we were nothing serious the majority of our time here, things changed in August. About a week before Charlie went back to the states the Lord did some special things in both of our hearts. Long story short (if you want to hear the long story - just ask, it's a good one) we are getting married on January 3rd. This is where I stop and pause and try to put into words how amazing this all is....but nothing works. It is reasons like this I don't wanted to get started on a story because I don't know how to share it all! We are not officially engaged (the Atlantic ocean is the only thing keeping us from that right now) but are very excited to be planning life together. When I return to the states in November the two of us will visit Georgia, Florida, and Texas. So if you are in any of those states, or anywhere in between, we would love to hang out! That's all I have time for now and of course hope to update again soon, especially about my newer role here since camp is over. Thank you for sharing life with me, thank you for praying. Grace and Peace.

i wrote this a while back....just now posting it

As of about five minutes ago I have officially driven all four of our vehicles! Each of our cars has a special personality. They all get moody at times and have a tendency to put the driver and passengers in certain moods as well. I’ve been learning to drive on the right side of the car, the left side of the road, to fight matatus (public transportation vans), avoid livestock in the road, keep air in the tires, water in the radiator, and how to perfectly place the trash bag over the hole in the door since the window won’t roll up. This is all riveting I know….



On to more important matters – Mom and Dad are officially on their way here! I just got a text from Mom saying, “We just left home! 4 am .” Words cannot express how excited I am about them coming. Kenya is such a huge part of my heart and my life and I can’t wait to share it with them. I know they will love it and not want to leave! I haven’t done a great job of setting plans for us, but we do plan on going on safari, visiting some missionary friends, and just hanging out together. Pray for safety for their trip and that our time spent together would be rich. Having a taste of home is going to help ease any homesickness that might try to sneak up. I believe the Lord gives everyone special graces. I know one of my graces is being able to feel at home wherever I am. I can take a nap on a couch, cook in a kitchen, or sit on a porch just about anywhere and have it feel like home. The Lord knows what He is doing when He calls each of us to the bed He wants us to sleep in.




So until November I will be sleeping in a twin bed without my special pillows and my precious dog. But this is the place He has called me and I count it an honor to follow the path He has laid out for me. Along with calling me I know He will equip me, and not just of my own means but through you guys, my team at “home.” Please continue to pray about financial support. If you have tried to give online you may not have been successful as our program has been down. Feel free to try again (brakenhurstministries.org and then "donate") or send a check to:

Brackenhurst Ministries
Donation Processing Center
900 Westpark Drive, Suite 300
Peachtree City, GA 30269

I love you all...see you soon!

transitions

Last week we had an amazing vacation. Tuesday we headed to Hell’s Gate, a popular park for game driving, rock climbing, camping, and hiking. The staff had a great time relaxing, climbing, and hanging out with zebra. Smores under the stars are a whole new experience half way around the world.

Wednesday we drove to Masai Mara for safari. We had an evening game drive filled with lions, buffalo, giraffes, jackals, and much more. Safari is always an amazing experience. We stayed in modest tents, lived on minimal electricity (only on for a few hours a day and driven by a generator), ate meals on the lawn, and spent hours in the pop top vans. Thursday we did a full days drive and saw elephants, cheetas, crocodiles, hippos, and on and on.


Yesterday we said goodbye to the summer staff. It is a surreal feeling looking back at the day the staff arrived a couple of months ago. I pray that as they return to their homes all over the states that they will live the transformations that took places in many of their hearts. Kenya has a way of changing you. I was constantly caught off guard by the spiritual maturity of these college students. They blessed me beyond belief and I know blessed the heart of Kenya.

This is a week of transition. Today I spent most of the day moving into my new room. I live in a huge house with four other people. Life felt “normal” as I got up, made some eggs, ate a mango, listened to music as I put my room together, and went out for lunch. Tomorrow we leave for our three-day staff retreat. This is where the full time staff take some time to debrief the summer and plan for the fall. My primary job will be helping with BlueSky Adventures. I was originally only going to stay until October, but it will make a lot of sense for me to just finish out an even six months and stay until November. I know the Lord has put special skills and life experiences in my path to prepare me for this season of my life. I am a perfect fit for the job the Lord has laid out before me. I believe the Lord makes places for you to and places only you can fill.






Please pray for:
-Our team as we transition from "summer" to "fall" and a change of pace in the ministry.
-Financial support. Since I am staying longer than anticipated I still need about $2000 to cover my time here.
-My family as my mom and dad are coming to visit in one week! May they be kept safe and our time be sweet together.
-The family and friends of David Yallo - a Kenyan young man who was a staff for BlueSky, he was killed in an automobile accident last week.


This is my team: Me, Eric, Kim, Clayton, and Amanda



If you feel led to help support me financially please go to www.brackenhurstministries.org and go to the "donate" page.