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

He's Too Good

on more than a dozen occasions this week i have thought "God is way too good to me." camp has been a blast. we are just now finishing up our second session and looking forward to a little break. we will leave lukenya getaway tomorrow for three weeks away from camp and more of a focus on local ministry. we plan on doing some feeding projects, church visiting, and orphan hugging. needless to say internet will be even more sparse than it is now so don't expect to hear from me for quite some time.

but please continue to pray. i am blown away by the faithfulness of my friends and family, their commitment to pray for us, and of course the Lord's continued blessings through such supplications. staff and campers have been sick, logistical nightmares have plagued us, and every day i see the devil trying to get a small foothold anywhere he can. thank God i havent been hit with any of the sicknesses going around, but it breaks my heart to hear people sneezing, coughing, and not being able to talk. please continue to pray for health and healing, especially as we leave the confines of our secluded camp grounds.

this week has been more lifeguarding, rock climbing, and all around running about. the weather has been perfect this week, early mornings are chilly as well as the evenings but the majority of the day is hot hot hot. we havent had any rain this week and the sun has been in full force (i have quite the tan). the other day i saw a girl do a flip underwater for the first time. when she came up she had that "pure unadulterated joy" look on her face. i have seen it happen other times too, kids making it to the top of a climb, singing camp songs, or watching a real live torch fight take place inches from their face. this is why camp exists. our theme song for the summer says "my soul longs for You, nothing else will do." the other night amanda was saying how much it made her heart smile to hear the kids sing that. many of the kids who attend camp are not christians, have never learned about God, or are even from other religious backgrounds. she said "they sing it and some of them dont even know it yet, that their soul longs for Him." and its so true.

there are a million other stories i would love to tell but dont have the time and im sure would bore you after a while. just know that i am amazingly happy, beyond words. that i do miss home and family and friends. know that the Lord is amazing and faithful and full of love and passion and is always ready to sweep you off your feet.

Kicking Off Camp

Camp is moving at the speed of light! We are just about half way through our first week of camp. But lets start from where I left off, sorry it has been so long, I’ll try to stay more caught up.

We had a great overnight camping trip with the four kids whose parents were running the marriage retreat. We drove around Hell’s Gate Park and found some fun animals, warded off the baboons from breakfast, and went on a gorge hike. Saturday afternoon our leadership team retreat began at Naivasha Country Club. It was a beautiful time for our team to share our hearts with each other, discuss a vision for our summer, and spend quality time together before the rest of the summer staff arrived. Last Monday we picked up 16 members of the summer camp counselors! That began our official staff week of planning and training for camp. Our team is beautiful! It blesses my soul to be surrounded by a community of people who share the same heart as me. Each of us at some point have heard the same call from the Lord, drawing them to this place this summer. It is not fair to be so blessed. While our week was filled with logistical nightmares and busyness, we stayed focused, got everything done, and shared in deeply meaningful worship throughout. Toward the end of the week we had a camp out where the staff got to see some of their first giraffes and hear lions moaning throughout the night.

Sunday was our first official day of camp. Our theme this year is “New” - “Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old is gone the new has come.” 2 Corinthians 5:17. Our goal is to share the gospel every day with all 83 campers; letting love, joy, transformation, and Christ-centered community abound. This first week of camp is like “dress rehearsal.” Being our first time at a new location with a new director and many new staff, we celebrate our many learning opportunities. While evil tries to get us down (rain, miscommunication, over heating vehicles, etc) we do not even acknowledge his power. I believe with all my heart that prayer moves this camp. When I think about the amount of prayer that my and everyone else’s support team has bathed us in, combine with the faithful hearts of those serving here, the enemy doesn’t have a chance. I see it in others and myself, this is where we are meant to be. Today I chased baboons off of my climbing routs, life guarded some crazy middle schoolers, and danced my heart out at a disco (while wearing an afro of course...well, just at the disco). The rest of the week is sure to be just as much fun, if not more...

Thank you all for loving me so much and keeping in touch. Hearing from home is always a huge blessing, it is what keeps me going and keeps me filled up. Please continue to pray. Thank the Lord for His unfailing love, mercy, and grace.

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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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